Lucifer was bored.

He was really bored.

There never seemed to be anything to do in Heaven now. Michael did all the interesting things. Raphael was always tagging along behind him like a dog. Who knew what Gabriel did all day? From what anyone could tell he spent most of his time with the younger angels, playing with them and teaching them life lessons.

Lucifer found life had become very irksome since his father had created Humans. Everyone was always fawning over them. Michael thought they were a little silly, but he respected them in some strange way that Lucifer didn't really understand. Gabriel loved the things. He thought they were adorable.

Lucifer couldn't stand them.

He hated the fact that his father had said that he had to bow down to the Humans. They were pathetic and weak creatures. Angels were perfect, powerful, loyal. Why should they have to do what Humans want? It didn't make any sense.

What was worse was that since the Humans had come about, Lucifer's father seemed to have been paying him less attention. In fact, he wasn't paying any of Lucifer's family much attention. Yet they all still had so much faith in him.

Lucifer loved his brothers and his father, but he thought they were all being deluded. These Humans weren't a good thing: they were a curse. They destroyed his father's beloved planet, they caused chaos, they hurt each other and all the other creatures of the earth and they sinned constantly without a thought. What was there that was good about them? Why should these creatures deserve Lucifer's respect and service? They were useless.

It was quiet. Lucifer had been sitting alone for a while, looking down at the planet below him in sadness. Earth was such a beautiful place. As far as he was concerned, the Humans were soiling it with their ugliness. There must have been something to do about it. If only his father and brothers would listen to him!

With a sigh, Lucifer swooped up into the air, his six, bright white wings beating heavily. He headed over to the archangels' palace. He needed to talk to one of his brothers. He hoped that at least one of them would be around.

He landed softly on the ground and stood up straight. He wandered into the palace somewhat absentmindedly. He was lost in his thoughts. He seemed to get lost there a lot now. He went and sat in his throne. Even though there was no one there now, he knew it was only a matter of time before one of his brothers decided to fly in.

He didn't have to wait long. After only a few minutes, Gabriel fluttered in, laughing his head off. Lucifer smiled slightly. He had to admit, he cared for his youngest brother the most out of the other archangels. They were better friends than either of them were with Michael or Raphael.

"Hey, Luci!" Gabriel greeted his older brother, coming and draping himself over his throne.

"Hello, Gabriel." Lucifer returned the greeting. "What are you so happy about?"

"I was just playing with the younger ones." Gabriel told him. "They are so tricky. I love them."

Lucifer knew his brother cared about all his brothers and sisters. Family was very important to Gabriel, and he couldn't stand it when any of them fought. It made him tense. When he had been younger, Lucifer had often come to find him after there had been a fight between himself and Michael, and more often than not he was in tears about it. He didn't like the conflict, he said. He wanted everyone to get along. Gabriel had so much love for everyone.

"Where's Michael?" Lucifer asked him.

"Who knows?" Gabriel replied. "I think he's training some of the new soldiers with Raphael. Either that or he had to go and see the Avenging Angels, I forget which."

There was a pause. Lucifer decided that he would talk to Gabriel about his concerns about the Humans. Michael was far enough away to avoid a fight. Lucifer didn't think his wings could take another one yet.

"Gabriel, what do you think of the Humans?" he asked casually. Gabriel looked at him curiously, but he answered just the same.

"I think they're funny." he said. "They're all so confused all the time. I respect them though. They've got more emotion than we have. Plus free will."

"Oh, come on, you know free will is a lie." Lucifer snorted.

"Well, they have as much as they can have." Gabriel replied. "It's nice to let them think they can make their own choices in life."

"Don't you find it ridiculous that we have to bow down to them?" Lucifer asked in frustration, getting up and starting to pace. "I mean, they're so... weak. And disruptive. Don't you hate how they treat the planet?"

Gabriel watched his brother pacing with a worried expression. He didn't seem to know how to answer.

"Lucifer, you know they mean well." he said. "It's not like they're trying to hurt father's creations for the fun of it. They don't know enough about wrong and right yet. Give it time."

"It just irritates me. Father tells us that we have to serve the Humans when we're the superior people. I mean, have you even spoken to him since he created them?"

"Well, no, but..."

"Exactly! They're taking him away from us. They're selfish and cruel and chaotic and..."

"Lucifer, please!" Gabriel begged, going to his brother. "Please, you're worrying me. I understand that you're confused, but you know dad loves us all equally. You shouldn't be jealous of the Humans. Dad would have been preoccupied with any new creation. Just because they're imperfect doesn't mean that they don't deserve to be respected."

Lucifer looked at his brother. He meant well, but he was still too young to understand. How could he? It was sad because he had so much love in him, but their father wasn't giving him any love in return. Lucifer only hoped that their father would see sense before things got out of hand.

There was a thundering behind them and they turned to see Michael and Raphael wander in. Lucifer's expression was blank, but internally he was giving his older brother a look of contempt. There was only a minuscule age gap between them, but Michael never let Lucifer forget it existed.

"What are you two talking about?" Michael asked as he went to sit on his thrown.

"Gabriel and I were just discussing the Humans." Lucifer informed him, following and sitting back down on his own throne. Raphael sat on his thrown too, leaving Gabriel to stand. He didn't move. Apparently he didn't feel like sitting down.

"What were you doing earlier, Gabriel?" Michael asked his younger sibling.

"I was playing with the young angels." Gabriel told him. "You should see the games they come up with. Today, little Balthazar thought of this one where you have to..."

"You shouldn't spend so much time with the young ones, Gabriel." Michael interrupted him. Lucifer stiffened slightly, become defensive over his brother.

Gabriel looked at Michael in confusion. His eyes showed that he was hurt.

"Why not?" he asked.

"They're only young." Raphael said. "They must learn to survive alone."

"Yes." Michael nodded. "It does them no good to have you there. They will never become independent otherwise."

"But," Gabriel tried, "they're just children, like we were, and I do love them, and..."

"Gabriel, trust me." Michael stopped him. "It does neither of you any good."

"Michael, must you ruin his fun?" Lucifer sighed. "Just because you don't know how to have fun doesn't mean you have to stop the rest of us from doing it."

Michael looked over at Lucifer with his usual annoyed expression. Raphael watched with interest. Gabriel closed his eyes a moment, a pained expression on his face. Lucifer knew he hated the fighting, but he wasn't about to let his little brother's happiness be stepped on by his arrogant older brother.

"Lucifer, you know that the young angels need to learn to stand on their own." Michael said.

"Yes, but you don't have to crush Gabriel's heart by saying that. Anyway, why shouldn't they have someone to look after them? They need to learn companionship too, don't they? If they don't, how will they be able to band together if there was ever a war?"

"Lucifer, you don't understand." Raphael joined in.

"Yes I do, Raphael, and I don't see why it's any of your business." Lucifer retorted. Raphael's face didn't change, but Lucifer knew that he was outraged on the inside. Though he was younger than Lucifer, he seemed to think himself very important because Michael spent so much time with him. He was quite the hothead.

"Both of you are boring." Lucifer sighed. "It's not my fault that you don't love your brothers and sisters."

"Lucifer, I'm tired of your insolence today." Michael said, standing up and going over to his brother. "Perhaps I should teach you some manners."

"Perhaps you should learn some first." Lucifer replied, standing up too.

"Stop it." Gabriel said quietly.

"You need to learn some respect." Michael threatened.

"From you? Please." Lucifer rolled his eyes.

"Are you challenging me?"

"Maybe I am."

"Stop it." Gabriel insisted.

"Well, then why don't we step outside."

"Why don't we?"

"STOP IT!" Gabriel yelled, and Michael and Lucifer were suddenly blown apart. They landed on opposite sides of them room. They both looked to Gabriel, as did Raphael.

"Gabriel," Michael said in a pained voice, "this doesn't concern you."

"Yes it does." Gabriel contradicted him seriously. "You're my brothers. Why do you always have to fight? We're family. Can't you just learn to get along? You're always picking fights with each other. You know how father hates it, and I hate it too!"

Lucifer and Michael looked at each other. They were both still angry, but they knew that, for the sake of their little brother, they had to stop. Michael returned to his throne, and Lucifer walked slowly past Gabriel and flew off into Heaven's sky.

He stopped back at his watching place. The planet looked quiet beneath him, and he sat down. It was so beautiful.

He heard the sound of giggling from a little way off. Carefully, he raised his head to see some of the young angels playing around. There was Balthazar, Uriel, Anna and Castiel. They were playing a game. Lucifer smiled. Gabriel was right; they were great. It made Lucifer miss the days when he had been young and innocent and his father had spent every day with him and his brothers.

After a while, Gabriel appeared again and went back to playing with them. They were so happy to see him, and Lucifer sneered at the thought of Michael's words. Maybe Gabriel did spend a little too much time with them instead of attending to business, but he was so great with the little ones, and they loved him. Someone needed to spend some time with them.

Lucifer looked back down at the planet in front of him, and he was surprised to find a tear coming to his eyes. Whether it was a tear of sadness or a tear of anger he didn't really know, but it was there. Everything would be alright eventually, he knew that, but things seemed to difficult. He hoped that he could make peace with his brother, even if it was only for Gabriel's sake.

Lucifer decided that he would try and see his father later. He needed to speak to him. what he would say, Lucifer wasn't sure, but maybe he could learn to be at peace with the Humans. Or he could help his father see sense about them. Whatever happened, he knew that it would be the right thing to do. Lucifer knew that his love of his family would help him through it.

He only hoped they would understand.