(I just want to dedicate this story to Vikki, Sharon, Lisa and my husband, who have given me inspiration and their time as well as their patience in putting up with my obsessive behavior while writing.)

But in the divine nature Persons three,

And in one person the divine and human

-Dante Alighieri

It was cloudy the day of Levi Sethos' burial. With the scandal of all his misdeeds still figuring large in the headlines the decision was made to simply bury the man and forgo the eulogies. Even so, there was still a massive turn out, all trying to get a view of the great man's casket. The press couldn't snap enough pictures, particularly of Jeza, his wife. Her performance as the betrayed and tragic widow should have earned her an academy award without question. A-list actors could only dream of having her technique. Perhaps it wasn't all an act. For more than forty years she had followed him and helped him build an empire. She had left home for a weekend spa retreat only to be called back and find out that Levi had gone mad and was facing prison. All of their accounts had been frozen pending investigation and now that he was dead, even his million dollar life insurance policy was frozen as well. The one thing she could do was visit her attorney and begin the process of suing the high security facility for their failure to protect her husband.

Among the multitude was a man watching the spectacle from the sidelines. He was dressed appropriately in a simple black suit. His thick dark brown hair was neatly combed and for once he was clean shaven except for his goatee. He wore dark sunglasses over his deep emerald eyes and he took pictures of the crowd using his phone as they pushed against each other in hopes of a better view. From his vantage point he could also see the casket being unloaded from the back of the hearse by six pallbearers. This man knew the story of the Preacher-man and in particular his obsession with one woman that would become his downfall, Lilith Eden.

The casket was carefully set in place, but the normal graveside speeches were not given. Instead Jeza stepped to the microphone, her pale, tear-streaked face on full display for all to see. Like her late husband she too had a natural charisma that the media couldn't get enough of. She spoke eloquently about the heinous things that her husband had done as well as her belief that he had been coerced into making that false confession. She detailed the many good works that he had done for the community and for so many people in need. With glowing words she talked of his love of God and his desire to minister to everyone he met. Jeza's voice broke and she had to wipe tears from her eyes when she expressed how much joy it gave him when someone gave their life to Christ.

The strange young man watching the scene and smiled a knowing smile as she condemned those who had conspired against Levi and eventually destroyed him. She also promised that, as the Preacher-man's widow, she would work to keep the Elymas Club going and make sure that his vision did not die with him. It was difficult to say whether or the not the spectators believed her. Levi's confession and the sudden onset of madness had been a shock to everyone and very few were willing to believe it. Of course the reality was that Levi Sethos, aka the Preacher-man, had built a massive fortune and cultivated friendships with powerful and influential people. He had taken numerous mistresses, but the woman he wanted had been a waitress in a bar called The Green Lady. He had sought to claim Lilith through constant stalking and harassment and even by killing her fiancé. He didn't know the woman he desired was a demon. In fact she was queen of a powerful race called the Lilim. She had given up her powers out of love for her human fiancé, Christian Elam and his murder drove her to the one person she knew could help her, Lucifer Morningstar.

This young man, silently watching the spectacle before him, had his own links to the famous, or perhaps infamous, fallen angel as well as the beautiful and seductive Lilith. Born in a cave near the red sea, he was the demoness' first child, her favorite and the one she most protected. For the first time he was free to live and explore his human side and do all the things he had dreamed of . . . almost. There was one thing he could never have and that was the opportunity to meet and speak to his father. While Lilith's covenant with God was in place his existence had to remain concealed. Still, he knew he was out there somewhere in LA, living life as only the devil could.

"Lucifer." Called out Dr. Linda Martin. She had done this several times, but this was the first time he had heard it. At the sound of his name he managed to look away from the window he had been staring out of.

"I'm sorry, what were you talking about?" He asked, his mind coming back to the present. He had not been paying attention and wondered how long she had been talking without him hearing a single word.

"You've been here for thirty minutes and this is the first time you've spoken." The doctor responded.

"I guess I've been distracted." He answered seating himself on the couch.

"What's going on, Lucifer?" Maze had told her what happened to Lilith, but despite her reassurance that the demoness was safely back in Hell, the devil's emotional state was beginning to make her wonder. "Does this have anything to do with Lili?"

"Aḻakāṉa." The fallen angel said to himself, softly. He had always called her 'beautiful' and to him she always was. "Yes . . . no . . . it's complicated."

"It's always hard losing someone that you are very close to."

"She's not lost, doctor. Well, some might say her soul is, but physically she is very much alive. I'm really not sure you would understand."

"Okay, well, explain it to me."

"When she was killed she didn't die the way a normal mortal would. Her body was returned to Hell where she once more assumed her demon form." It was an over simplification to say the least. One could argue that Lili was a breed apart from the rest. If Maze or any of her brothers and sisters were killed then that would be it, no heaven and no hell because they had no soul. Neither could they be rendered human in any way. In some ways the Queen of the Lilim possessed a unique mix of angel and demon attributes. Lucifer even theorized that unlike her spawn she still had a soul. Of course he really didn't want to get into long discussion with the doctor regarding the finer points of Lili's demon self. As it was, he couldn't tell if Linda actually understood his explanation or not. "Rest assured, doctor, that the queen of the Lilim is once more her normal, duplicitous self." This last word to describe the dark-haired beauty surprised the doctor. The day that Lucifer had brought Lilith to see her, she had observed a lot between them. It was obvious to her that there was a great deal of affection as well as a strong trust.

"Duplicitous? Interesting you would describe her that way."

"But appropriate." The devil answered acidly.

"Is this because she killed the Preacher-man?" Like so many others she had read about it in the papers. Now that Lucifer had admitted Lili was alive, she could only assume she was the culprit.

"Levi Sethos is hardly worth mourning."

"I'm not concerned about him. I am curious why you called Lilith 'duplicitous'. You can't be feeling betrayed simply because she hasn't come to see you? In fact, under the circumstances I would think that keeping a low profile would be in her best interest." Dr. Martin's assertions were correct. There were a few people, Like Det. Decker that believed that Lilith was dead. Seeing her alive and completely unharmed suddenly would be difficult, no, impossible to explain.

"I'm hardly starved for female companionship, doctor. If she chooses to go her own way, it is her own business." Lucifer answered as sat down on the couch. For a moment he fell silent again as he recalled the face of that young man smiling up at the security camera and the words of Amenadiel telling him who this person really was. "It seems she has been hiding something from me and . . . well, she's out there somewhere and I need to find her."

"What exactly did she do?" The doctor asked. She couldn't imagine what could have put the devil into such a quagmire of emotions or cause him to be so mentally far away.

"I've only just learned that after all these ages . . . that I have a son."

To say that Dr. Linda Martin was shocked by this was an understatement, but it still didn't compare to what Lucifer was feeling. He had discovered three new levels of astonishment that he had certainly never known existed before. He just kept hearing his older brother's words playing over and over in his mind 'He is your son, Lucifer'. Even as he drove down the street after leaving his therapist it haunted him. He wasn't certain if he wanted to talk to Lilith or strangle her for keeping this a secret. With each passing block he flip flopped between complete denial, then shock and then anger. How many centuries had they spent together in Hell and never once did he have an inkling regarding Velius existence. Velius, even the named meant 'concealed'. Clever, he thought to himself. He had to talk to her of course and . . . well . . . finally meet his progeny. Unfortunately, even if he were to step foot in from of him right this moment, he had no idea what to say or do.

Stepping off the elevator into his penthouse he was immediately struck by notion that something was different. He looked around and for a moment he could find nothing amiss. Suddenly he realized that Lilith's suitcase was no longer sitting next to the steps leading to his bedroom. It was completely gone. Something else caught his eye too. Laying on the floor of the balcony was a single feather with stripes of dark and light brown. This was a feather from an owl, a great horned owl to be exact. Lilith must have flown in while he was gone, collected her things then walked out in her human form. Someone must have been waiting for her . . . probably Velius.

Going over to the bar he started to pour himself a drink, but before he could take even a sip the elevator opened and Detective Decker came in. Since the death of the Preacher-man she had heard very little from Lucifer. She assumed he was still reeling from the death of Lilith and the disappearance of her body. Despite his assurances that Lili was 'home', Chloe knew better. She had seen the gun shots and the pool of blood. She was hoping that if he had the chance to see this case to its complete conclusion he would start to be more like his normal Luciferness.

"I've been trying to get a hold of you for days." She said as Lucifer finally took a drink.

"I've been . . . preoccupied."

"Obviously. I got a lead on the man that visited Levi shortly before his death." This instantly caught the devil's attention. "His name is Velius Haides and he has an apartment over at the Meridian Pointe building. I haven't been able to find out very much about him, but apparently he showed up in LA the same day that the Preacher-man was killed." She watched Lucifer as he turned his attention back to the glass in his hand and silently stared at the amber liquid. "Perhaps it would be best if you were taken off this case, Lucifer."

"Why?"

"It's obviously getting to you and there will be plenty of other cases." She assured him.

"I'm not interested in another case, detective." He answered sharply.

"Lucifer, Lilith was close to you. She died right here in your arms and the Preacher-man never got his 'punishment' as you like to call it. Nobody is going to blame you for being emotionally compromised."

"I'm not compromised and I can assure you Levi Sethos is receiving his punishment." He responded, putting on his best devilish smile.

Chloe didn't believe him. There was something going on, but she didn't know what. Partners should be able to confide in one another, but Lucifer wasn't the confiding type, at least not with her. He didn't act like he was in mourning. When Father Frank had been killed she saw the way he grieved and it was nothing like this. He wasn't acting out over some misguided belief that he needed to be punished, she had seen that too. This time he seemed to be withdrawn from everything. She just wasn't certain how to bring him back.

The one thing she didn't have to wonder about was the cause of all this. It was Lilith. The woman had brought upheaval into her partner's life and it was still there even after her death. In the short time she had known her, she had liked her. She was strong, witty and certainly a match for Lucifer. In fact, there were times when the pair had seemed very much alike. The two had also been very close. So much so that Chloe found herself to be slightly jealous. They shared a long history and clearly cared very deeply for each other. Chloe wanted to believe that she didn't care what feelings he had for his old friend. She preferred to think that she had just become accustomed to his constant pursuit. It wasn't true. He was becoming very important to her and she didn't want to lose that. It had broken her heart to see the way he punished himself over something he refused to talk about. He was always trying to protect her and the eagerness with which he jumped in to help find her father's killer was certainly more than just a friendly gesture. This time it was her turn to be supportive and she wasn't taking 'no' for an answer.

"What is going on with you, Lucifer?"

"You wouldn't understand." He answered putting his now empty glass on the bar and turning to her.

"Talk to me. Let me be there for you, that's all I'm asking."

"Fine." He responded, taking a deep breath. "Long, long ago, in a garden far, far away, I chanced to meet the very first woman ever created and it wasn't Eve. She was attractive, charming, and, as I discovered, double jointed." With a roll of her eyes, Chloe stopped his story.

"You know what, forget it." He could see that she was clearly disappointed.

"I tried to tell you that you wouldn't understand, detective." He implored. He had been telling her the truth, but if she didn't believe he was the devil, how could she believe his stories about Eden, Lilith or anything from his celestial past.

"You're obviously not going to talk to me. Fine, let's just get back to the case."

"All right then, let's go see this Velius Haides, shall we?"