A/N Okay, first off, I am sosorry. I haven't updated this story in almost two months now, and if you want to send a pack of hellhounds after me, be my guest. It's just that I couldn't. I was stuck on this chapter for ages, just wondering what direction I wanted to send this in. I was tired of having 2K+ word count chapters and having absolutely nothinghappen in them. I needed some conflict/resolution. So, in this chapter, stuff actually occurs. It's not just a ridiculously fluffy account of romance with a dash of angst. There is actual plot development. Okay, now, I'm done with my self-criticism, so you can go ahead and read what was a month and a half in making. Enjoy! :) ~Sammy
Compromise. What an utterly human notion. Angels had no need for compromise; they simply took what they wanted, nothing more, nothing less. And yet here he was, compromising. For a human. Funnily enough, it was that same human who made his compromise seem like less of a curse, and more of a blessing. Because, it could have gone the other way in the blink of an eye, it could have been worse. So much worse. So then there was a compromise, a human notion. A compromise upon which rested his sanity. Still, it wasn't so much a compromise as a loophole that had been discovered and exploited to its full extent.
One day of torture, for an hour of control.
Deal of the millennia, right there…
Yeah, right.
The screams had finally faded as the throat was ravaged and shredded into silence. The bones had finally ceased to have any more points at which they could be broken. The skin was covered with burns and lacerations, so the fresh scars were an intriguing, beautiful, horrifying pattern. The breaths were ragged, short, futile. The devil and his vessel were finally through another day.
Lucifer lifted a steady hand and cupped Sam's battered cheek in his palm. Icy, dark, tainted Grace flowed through his fingertips and Sam was whole again. His eyes were bright hazel again, not gaping burnt out voids. His lips curled into an actual smile, not a frown carved into his face with a butcher knife. His heart beat away happily behind his ribs, not lying in a corner, drained and bruised. Sam was Sam again.
Sam grinned widely and burst into a short relieved laugh. "Has it been a day? I didn't notice."
Lucifer narrowed his eyes. "Didn't notice, huh? Yeah, and Father decided to make Sunday a working day. I call bullshit Sam."
Sam blushed a bit, his dimples deepening into a bashful smile. "Alright, so I noticed. It's hard not to count down the minutes to when nothing hurts anymore. Sorry for trying to spare your feelings, Jeesh."
Lucifer hummed, unable to think of a better answer. "Well, just hold up a second Sammy, I'll just get you down from here."
Sam hissed as Lucifer gently lifted him off of the rack and put him down on a long couch. Lucifer murmured an apology and brushed his fingertips against Sam's temple, taking the pain away with a single stroke. Sam sat back, relearning the soft texture and springy feel of the cushions because, for a day, all he knew was blood and fire and ice and hardness and agony. He had to think about every breath he took, because he seemed to have forgotten how to breathe normally, but at least it didn't feel like lava was flowing into his lungs. He smiled widely again, because smiling just felt so good after twenty four hours of his face contorting into shapes he hadn't known were possible. He stretched out on the couch and sighed, because the rack was cramped and twisted your limbs into the strangest and most painful positions ever. He prepared to talk, because after a days worth of screaming and curses and shouts and whimpers, conversation was all he really needed.
Lucifer flopped down onto the couch next to Sam putting his arms behind his head and cocking his head to one side, considering the human sprawled next to him. Lucifer dared to reach out with his Grace and poke Sam's side before grinning cheekily. Sam shook his head indulgently, looking impossibly like a parent trying not to react to their tornado-child's antics.
Sam was simply lounging about; trying so hard not to listen to Adam's screams and Michael's nefarious cackling, when Lucifer's voice interrupted his attempts. "So, Sam, what do you want to do? We've still got forty three and a half minutes of peace."
Lucifer felt Sam's shoulders brush against his as the young man shrugged. "Let's just talk for a while."
Lucifer smirked. Sam always wanted to talk. He snapped his fingers and a bowl of popcorn appeared in his lap. Lucifer shoved it under Sam's nose, frowning until the former hunter shoved a few kernels into his mouth. "Alright then, what do you want to talk about?"
Sam just sat silently for a few precious seconds, twisting his hands in his lap and rubbing his palms on the denim of the jeans Lucifer had snapped into existence for him, before speaking in a voice that was soft and barely audible to anything but archangel ears. "Tell me about your life with Michael. The one you had before you got kicked out of heaven."
"Why?" Why would anybody want to know that? Everybody assumed that Lucifer was jealous of humanity, of Michael, of everything Father loved but him. So how could Sam possibly ask him that?
"I want to know what was so bad that you couldn't fix it." Sam was practically mumbling now and when Lucifer poked about in his brain, he was assaulted by a barrage of memories that weren't his, but Sam's. Memories of warm green eyes and an easy smile. Dean. Then the emerald eyes hardened, the lips twisted into a scowl. Where once there was nothing but love and trust shining through, now there was only hatred, fear, disbelief. Cruel words replaced reassuring ones. A constant presence was substituted for a motel door slamming shut with finality. If I didn't know you, I would huntyou. You're a bloodsucking freak, a monster. You chose a demon over your own family! Lucifer cringed. He'd thought that his fights with Michael were bad, but he'd never really considered the rift between the Winchesters before. The distant anger made the violent, bloody, desperate battles of the world wars look like Saturday morning snowball fights between five years olds.
Sam hung his head low and continued. "I want to know what went wrong… If it could have been stopped. Or if it was the way that things had to be. If it was just the way destiny was written." Lucifer had a feeling that Sam wasn't just talking about him and Michael anymore.
"Oh Sammy…" he murmured, the two words were hopeless, lost, useless.
Sam's eyes hardened. "So tell me. Tell me why it happened. I want- Lucifer, I need to know."
Lucifer shifted and sat up, pushing Sam into a position where he could look the young man straight in the eye. He sighed, and then steeled himself before launching into a topic he never spoke about, never had any reason to. "You see Sam, it wasn't too bad at the start. Heck, it was almost perfect. It was perfect. It was said that Michael and I used to be inseparable, you never saw one of us without the other. The Host believed that I loved Michael, second only to my Father. We weren't really that close, but I did adore him. Sure, Michael was a stuck-up little prick, but we little brothers have a tendency to overlook our big brother's shortcomings, don't we Sam?"
Sam's lips curled upwards just a little. It was a small smile, barely there, but it was enough for Lucifer to keep ploughing on, even as his heart shattered.
"We had our fights, all of us did. Michael would pick on me, I'd pick on Gabriel, Gabriel would prank both of us, and Raphael would just try to keep us all from killing each other. You know… your everyday usual family drama. Just, with the added perks of being angels.
"I was teaching Gabriel all the tricks I knew; I loved the little guy way too much. Of course, most of the time, I'd end up on the receiving end of modified versions of all the pranks I'd taught him. Serves me right for encouraging his mischief. Even Michael managed to stop glaring at everything, for some time, just to laugh whenever Gabriel was around. I think that's why he did it, so that we'd just stop fighting, and be a family again, just for a while. The kid never did like conflict; it was the one thing that scared him. Do you have any idea how proud I was of him when he stood up to me back on earth? It hurt, oh Father, it really hurt, but I was still so proud of him. Of course, I'd wished that he would join me, but I should have known better. Should have known that you and your brother would convince him to help you."
Lucifer's throat caught for a moment, and he had to swallow a few times before he no longer felt like he was choking on his grief. Sam frowned a bit. "Do you miss him? Gabriel?"
Lucifer nodded. "I really do Sammy. It still haunts me, his face, from when I… from when I murdered him." Tear's fell, silvery-black, just like his Grace.
Sam nudged Lucifer's shoulder with his own, forcing the devil to raise his head and look at him. "Hey, stop. Stop blaming yourself. It wasn't you, okay? It was not you. It was your Grace, your sword, your action, but it wasn't you."
Lucifer took a deep breath, and drew strength from the absolute belief shining in Sam's eyes. He could see why Heaven hated Sam so much, why Hell always seemed to be able to manipulate the young man. He could see why it was just as easy to loathe him as it was to adore him. He could see why Sam was the one meant to be his true vessel. It was because Sam wasn't pure but rather, he was a beautiful mix, because he was good intentions and bad company, because he wasfree. Sam was flawed perfection.
Time was running out though, the hour's respite halfway over, and Lucifer owed it to Sam to be strong, to tell him what the young hunter needed to know. "Michael wasn't perfect, contrary to what almost all the angels believed. I think that Gabriel and I were the only ones who really knew what he did with his spare time. I used to overlook it, used to believe that it wasn't a horrible reality, but the truth caught up to me eventually. And Michael didn't want his secret getting out. I know all the angels must've told you and Dean that I wanted to destroy the earth, and Michael wanted to save it, but they couldn't have been father from the truth. Michael would have destroyed your home too, just, not the way I would have. Not with subtlety, and a chance at redemption, but swiftly, raining down the righteous anger of the Host on your planet. He was all for violence and fury. If you'd seen our particularly horrible fights, you would have understood."
The corners of Sam's lips were pulled down, and a tiny furrow formed between his eyebrows. "Were the fights really that bad?"
Lucifer sighed, the action carrying eon's worth of weight and regret. "They were worse Sammy, they were much worse…"
Gabriel…
Lucifer? What is it?
Just come here, I need to talk to you.
Okay… Give me a second; I'm not in the right timeline.
Lucifer sighed and shook his head, chuckling. Leave it to Gabriel to go time traveling just for kicks. The archangel sat down, cross-legged, on the soft springy grass, and looked up at the starry sky that stretched over his personal heaven. He stretched out his arm and traced out the shapes of the constellations with his fingertips, saying hello to each and every star, to his family. He was almost done greeting the closest ones when he heard a distant flapping sound that grew progressively louder.
Lucifer ignored the rustle that was Gabriel landing on the grass and tucking his wings away; and continued to silently speak to the stars, brushing his fingertips against the soft light, the tiny pinpricks tickling his hands. Lucifer heard Gabriel sigh before sensing his brother's movement next to him. Gabriel flopped onto the grass and stared up at the stars too. "Saying hello?"
Lucifer nodded, still not taking his eyes off of the skies. "I haven't had the chance to talk to them in so long. The stars are too far away from Earth. I can't touch them when I'm there. I missed them."
Gabriel snorted. "Huh. And all this time I was thinking you came back because you missed me. I'm hurt Luce."
Lucifer's gaze didn't even waver from the stars, but he still managed to punch Gabriel's arm. "Shut up Gabriel, you know what I meant."
"Yeah, yeah, alright, I know what you meant. Now did you want to talk to me about something or am I just supposed to watch you interact with entire galaxies in complete silence? 'Cause, you know, as fascinating as that would be, I don't understand what the stars say and I would get bored, so… spill."
Lucifer finally tore his eyes away from the sky to look at Gabriel. "I… Gabriel, what in the name of Father is that?"
Gabriel glanced down at the half-eaten bar of chocolate that Lucifer was staring at like it had sprouted wings and was breathing fire. (Which, actually, was a really good idea, but that would have to wait for later.) "This? This, my dear brother, is something I brought back fromthe future. It's chocolate. Remember that nasty smelling foul tasting broth the Aztec gods made with cacao beans? Well, in the future, humans have used those beans to make the most amazing things ever. They're called chocolate bars. This one seems to be called a… Mars bar."
Lucifer barked out a laugh. "A Mars bar? Seriously? They named their chocolate after the roman god of War? What's next? Aphrodite rope?!"
Gabriel snickered, and Lucifer chuckled a bit louder. The utter ridiculousness soon had both the archangels in hysterics, laughing until tears were rolling down their cheeks.
Lucifer drew in a deep breath as he struggled to regain his composure. "Oh Father, these humans are impossible."
Gabriel gasped for air. The angels may not need it, but oxygen was strangely calming. "You're telling me. Don't even get me started on those strange things they call Twinkies. They're delicious, of course, but these humans are far too obsessed with them... Now, I know for a fact that you did not call me here so you could talk about what an odd bunch humans are. What'd you want to tell me Luce?"
Lucifer was immediately sobered down, but the smile didn't leave his face. "I bear good tidings Gabriel."
Gabriel laughed, "Hey! Stop stealing all my lines big brother. Get your own catch-phrase."
"Oh, shut up Gabriel. Do you want to know or not?"
"Duh, I want to know. That is why you came back up to heaven, isn't it?"
Lucifer rubbed a hand against the back of his neck. "Yeah, I guess so. It's… well, um, it's… it's about Sabiem."
Gabriel frowned. "You didn't leave her again did you? Because I swear Luce, if you were thatstupid again, I will personally kick your ass to-"
"I did not leave her Gabriel. Relax. It's not anything bad. It's good news."
"Well then, are you going to keep being a cryptic smart-ass or are you going to tell me?"
"Sabiem and I are married."
A beat of silence passed. One archangel blushing a fierce red and once again refusing to look away from the stars. The other rendered speechless, his amber wings shooting open and twitching in his surprise.
"What?"
"Look Gabriel, I know that father forbade it, and I am fully prepared to face the consequences, but the thing is that, I love her and I want to be with her for as long as possible, and nothing anybody says will change that. I'll do anything for her, because I love her more than anything and-"
Lucifer was cut off by Gabriel leaning forward and wrapping his arms around him in a tight embrace.
"Gabriel, what are you-"
"Congratulations brother. You deserve it."
Lucifer was frozen in place, but he still had a smile on his face. "Who are you, and what have you done with my brother?"
Gabriel pulled back, and flicked Lucifer's arm with his fingers. "Ha. Ha. Ha. Very funny Luce. Shut up. You know what I'm trying to say."
"I can honestly say that I don't."
"Idiot. I'm saying, that if anybody deserves to love and be loved, it is you. She's good for you, I can see that. I haven't seen you smile this much since we were fledglings and we played hide-and-go-seek in father's lap. I'm happy for you Luce."
Lucifer narrowed his eyes and peered at Gabriel for what felt like eternity. Gabriel met his gaze fearlessly, although he was freaking out on the inside; one harsh word away from a heavenly panic-attack. (Which would most probably end up with a continent or two suffering from some severe flooding and earthquakes. Best case scenario.)
After the two archangels had stared at each other long enough for the sun to pass from one horizon to the next, with the two heavenly bodies frozen in place, finally, Lucifer cracked the silence, with a single deep breath that was a cyclone over some large ocean. (Hundreds of terrified mortals prayed to their Gods for mercy and forgiveness.)
Gabriel braced himself for something, anything, when Lucifer moved his arms. The Messenger was caught completely off guard, however, when his brother pulled him into a hug. Six pairs of corporeal and ethereal wings surrounded both of them. The embrace was that of copper and white skinned arms, honey and blood plumage, topaz and diamond wings. When Lucifer pulled away, tears shone in his eyes.
"Thank you Gabriel. Thank you for everything."
Gabriel sighed softly. "I'd do anything for you Luce, you know that."
Lucifer smiled. "I know you would Gabriel. I-"
Lucifer. Gabriel. Come meet me at once.
Michael? What's going on?
Just come here Lucifer. Now.
'Here' being where, exactly?
I'm in my chapel. Bring Gabriel with you.
Why do Ihave to meet you?
Gabriel, do not question me. I expect to see both of you. Do not keep me waiting.
Gabriel rolled his eyes as he patted Lucifer's shoulders. "Wonder what stick got shoved up his ass this time."
Lucifer frowned at his little brother. "Gabriel don't-"
"Yeah, yeah, be respectful and all that jazz. Whatever. You coming or what?"
"You go ahead, brother, I'll see you there."
"Alright Luce, but don't blame me if Michael decides to go all bitchy at you when you show up late."
"Oh please Gabriel, I could give you a three year head-start and still beat you there."
"Excuse me but I am not that slow. I'll have you know-"
Lucifer chuckled and shoved Gabriel into the air. "Just go Gabriel."
Gabriel made some rather unholy gestures with his right hand before turning away, a smirk in place on his lips, his caramel wings beating, quick and powerful, and he flew towards Michael's chapel.
Michael knows. Lucifer shuddered as the voice sent a chill down his wings. Michael knows, and he's gong to take her away from you. "No he won't. Michael does not know." Oh but he does. Why do you think he called you to his so-called chapel. The voice dripped with disgust. It's ridiculous. Michael is the one who runs around using humans like they are replaceable, and yet, he is the one the Host looks to when they wish to believe in the greatness of humanity. What a hypocrite. "Just, shut up. I don't know why Michael summoned us. He must have his reasons." Oh, so now Michael summonsyou? Is he equal to Father now? Nobody can summonyou, you're an archangel. Only God can give you orders. Not Michael. "SHUT UP. Just, shut up. Stop talking to me, I don't want to listen to you. Go away." I already told you. I'm not going anywhere. I am you. You try to get rid of me, you'll just be destroying yourself. "I don't care, just GO AWAY." Alright, Lucifer, I will keep my silence for now. But remember this, you can't ignore me forever. One day, you will finally give in...
Blessed silence followed the icy words, and Lucifer wrapped his wings around himself, trying to keep away the frost surrounding him. Heaven was suddenly too warm, too dark. He flapped his wings and shot up into the skies. He beat his wings as hard as he could, gaining speed until he was simply a blur of light. If the mortals had looked up, they would have seen a shooting star burn its way across space.
The Morningstar was at home amongst the other stars. He burned, just as they did. He shone, just as they did. He was all-consuming, just as they were. He was beautiful, just like the stars.
He flew amongst them, body smoldering in a freezing fire, wings nothing more than dancing flames. The other stars were simply embers. Lucifer was the inferno. He was the greatest supernova. The shooting star flew past its siblings, and landed in the Chapel of the Host.
"Lucifer."
Michael was glaring, his fierce eyes full of a fury that would break a lesser angel. Gabriel stood beside him, looking like he was attempting to blend into the opulence of the Chapel and hide from his brother's wrath.
Lucifer tucked his wings away and looked around, taking in the eggshell-white walls, the crystal chandeliers and the gold inlay with a smirk on his face.
Michael growled. "You're late"
"And you did some redecoration. What happened to the stone walls and stain-glass windows?"
"Lucifer."
"I mean, personally, I liked it better when it went with the Garden, but, oh well."
"Lucifer."
"I mean, if a tacky interior helps you fluff your wings up, who am I to stop you?"
"Lucifer."
"Alright, alright. I'm sorry brother. I didn't realize that I was late."
Michael paused, confused. Lucifer was ever the punctual angel. "What were you doing?"
"I was flying with the stars."
Michael shook his head, a slight smile slipping onto his angry mask. "I should've anticipated that. You just can't resist them, can you?"
Lucifer shrugged. "Hae familiae meae. The stars are my family."
Michael's smile widened and he laughed softly. "Must be nice, having a family like the stars."
"I like my family in Heaven better."
Michael laughed louder then, and pulled Lucifer into a one-armed hug. Gabriel too, was pulled into the embrace, and Michael's two younger siblings exchanged baffled looks. Michael was still laughing, his voice carefree, like it used to be when they were but fledgelings.
"You might love your family here very much Lucifer, but I know that there's a family you love more than this one."
"What?"
Michael grinned. "There's no point hiding it from me Lucifer. I know all about that human of yours, back on Earth."
Suddenly, Gabriel piped up from his self enforced silence. "Don't be ridiculous Michael. Lucifer hasn't fallen for a human."
Michael snorted. "Oh really? Why doesn't Lucifer show me his wings, then?"
Gabriel paled, and Lucifer shook his head. Nononononononono. Michael couldn't know. Oh Father save me.
"Lucifer, show me your wings."
"Uh, I haven't really had time to.. straighten them out in a while so... how about no?"
"I want to see your wings, brother."
The Morningstar simply shook his head once again.
"Lucifer, your wings. Right now."
"No."
Irritation flitted across Michael's face, before a smirk settled onto his lips. Lucifer could feel dread clawing its way into his Grace. Michael sighed, and unfurled all six of his wings.
Pure white feathers, long, wide, and smooth, covered Michael's corporeal wings. Two Ivory-scaled battle-wings were spread open above the first ones, just a little bit bigger. A pair of milky Grace-wings stretched out over the rest of his wings, pale, great, and imposing.
Michael shook his wings and raised an eyebrow, and Gabriel huffed in annoyance before revealing his own, smaller wings. Hazel feathers, topaz scales, and honey Grace-plumage. The tips of his wings pointed downwards in a, rather forced, show of respect, and Michael's self-satisfied smile widened.
Lucifer's shoulders dropped, but no wings emerged, and Michael frowned. He lifted his own wings higher, so their shadows fell over his younger brother's tall form. "Why Lucifer, don't tell me that you're ignoring your manners now."
Lucifer shrank slightly, and cursed. Damn angel etiquette.
"Come, little brother, you know the rules."
When in another angel's chambers, one must reveal their wings when the angel reveals their own.
Lucifer grimaced, before removing the shrouds over his wings, and shaking them out with a rustle. His Grace-wings were plumed with blood, molten gold, and liquid iron, his battle-wings covered with diamonds and scarlet rubies, the two sets of wings brushing against the edges of the horizon, the high vaulting ceilings of the Chapel unable to contain them. His last pair of wings emerged more slowly, the crimson, copper, and silvery-black feathers soft and sharp.
"You happy Michael? My wings changed, okay? I'm in love with a human."
Michael stared at Lucifer's wings with an expression caught somewhere between awe, horror, smugness, and joy.
"You... Lucifer, you are Falling."
"I know. And I don't regret it."
Michael blinked once, before turning to Gabriel, his expression serious. "Gabriel, go back to your heaven. Now."
Gabriel took one look at the tension set in Michael's wings, and shook his head. "I'm not going anywhere."
"Little brother, you cannot be here, please leave."
"No, I-"
"Now Gabriel. Please."
Gabriel's wings ruffled with annoyance, before understanding crossed his face, and his feathers smoothed down again. His amber eyes softened, and filled with a plea. "Fine, but for my sake, could you two just try not to fight for once? I can't take any more. Please."
One quick flap of wings, and he was gone.
Michael let out the breath he had been holding and turned to his brother. Lucifer's shoulders were tensed, as if he was bracing himself from a rebuke, or a strike. Michael's lips twisted into a sad smile, and he put a hand on Lucifer's manifested wings. "Lucifer..."
"I can take whatever you want to throw at me Michael. Whatever you say. You can strike me down, smite me, stab me with your blade, rip out my wings, turn the fury of the Host on me. If you want, I'll stay away from her. Just, promise me you won't hurt her."
Michael froze. "Lucifer, listen to me. I'm not angry. I wouldn't even think of hurting her. Why would I?"
"You're not mad at me?"
"I swear upon Father that I'm not. Actually, I'm grateful. It's helped me understand."
"What?"
"There's a reason I sent Gabriel away. He can't know what I'm about to tell you. Brother, Father spoke to me. He told me of a new creation. Nephilim."
"Nephilim?"
"Half-human... and half-angel."
Lucifer felt the blood drain from his vessel's face, and Michael was still smiling.
"I understand now. But I have to warn you brother."
"Warn me of what?"
"Father has great plans for the Nephilim. Bloody, violent, cruel plans. But they will do as their destiny requires, and their fate may just be the end of humanity."
Lucifer's eyes widened, and he took a step back, shaking Michael's hand off of his wing.
No.
A/N Yeah, that's right, wings. They're like, reallyimportant. Also, in case you were wondering, Michael's Chapel is, in fact, based off of that room that Zachariah and Castiel trapped Dean in, back in season four. Just another little headcanon of mine. Review, maybe? :) ~Sammy
