Chapter 21
Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Everything belongs to their rightful owners and I am not making any profit from this.
AN1: Thank you for the support. So I debated on going a few ways with this chapter, hope you like what I ended up going with.
"Where's Trixie?" Chloe asks about twenty seconds after Ariel flew away.
"With the sitter." Dan says, stuttering, "What was that?" he asks, completely confused, and shocked.
"We'll explain on the way, we've got to get back to Lux." Chloe says, looking at Linda, and without the words the two of them have a conversation, in the span of one seconds, where they both agree to make the promises that they made to Lucifer and Maze.
"You're right we do." Linda says, and her and Chloe, with Dan right behind, go running to the closest car.
Five minutes later Chloe is speeding towards Lux with Linda in the passenger side and Dan in the back.
"Okay, what is going on?" Dan asks confused, "Lucifer's sister just flew into the sky? How's that possible?" he asks, shocked as Chloe and Linda exchange looks.
"How do you think it was possible?" Linda asks, falling back on her therapist training.
"She looked like an Angel." Dan says, and once again Chloe and Linda exchange looks.
"That's because she is." Chloe says, simply.
"That's not possible." Dan says, in disbelief.
"Think about what you just saw, what you know." Linda tells the detective, and for a minute he is silent.
"It's true." Dan suddenly says, "Lucifer's the devil, which means Ariel and Amenadiel are angels." He says, looking shocked, "What's Maze?" he asks.
"Demon." Chloe and Linda answer together,
"And Charlotte, what is she?" Dan asks curious.
"You can explain that one." Chloe says, looking at Linda.
"Thanks." Linda says, sarcastically, "Charlotte Richards has no relation to Ariel, or Lucifer, or Amenadiel." Linda explains to Dan's confusion, "However, the body of Charlotte Richards is currently inhabited by the Goddess of all Creation, Lucifer, Ariel, and Amenadiel's actual mother and God's ex-wife."
"Don't lose it now on me now, Dan. We're going to need your help." Chloe says, as Dan looks close to having a mental breakdown.
"Why? What's going on?" Dan asks, forcing himself not to think about the fact that he's been having sex with God's ex-wife.
"Lucifer, Ariel, and Amenadiel, are on the roof of Lux with all of their siblings, Maze, and now their mother, and when Ariel flew us away they were seconds away from a fighting, which would lead to a celestial war." Chloe explains to her ex.
"That explains your driving." Dan realises, "If everyone's at Angel what can we do?" Dan asks confused.
"Help." Linda answers, "We can help Lucifer, and Maze, and Ariel, and Amenadiel, we can help our friends." Linda says, and as she does the three of them drift into silence. As they do Dan tries to digest everything he just found out while Linda and Chloe are thinking about Maze and Lucifer respectively, and how worried they are about them.
"Hello Ariel." God, who looks similar to how he is always depicted, though shorter and has a shorter beard, making him look more ordinary making it hard to believe he's God if you didn't know, greats his daughter.
"Of course, Heaven, because why wouldn't I end up the last place I wanted to be?" Ariel asks, as she stands up.
"This is your home, Ariel. You should be happy to be here." God tells his daughter.
"Heaven's never felt like home to me, I thought I made that pretty damn clear. I want to go back to my real home." Ariel reveals, "Why am I even here anyway?" she asks, being pretty sure that this is the most her and her father have said to each other in a very long time.
"Just think, Ariel, it will come back to you." God tells his daughter, and she thinks.
"I pushed Luci out of the way of Nathanael's holy fireball, it hit me." Ariel realises, "I'm dead."
"Yes." God confirms, "Why were you fighting? I want my children to get along."
"Even with Luci?" Ariel asks, not being able to help herself.
"Ariel…" God says in a warning tone of voice.
"Luci, Amenadiel, and I asked the others for help so that Mum can stay on earth." Ariel explains, knowing that it doesn't matter that their father knows now, and honestly she is trying to avoid the lecture she knows is coming, "Not that you care." She adds.
"Of course I care." God says, "And watch your tone Ariel." He says, in a warning tone of voice, and as he does Ariel fills with fear, "Your mother doesn't belong on Earth."
"She doesn't belong in Hell either." Ariel responds, even though she knows that she really shouldn't be talking back to her father at the moment, she can't seem to help herself, "And it's pretty obvious that can't come back to Heaven." She says, "We were just trying to make the best out of a bad situation."
"Your mother is the bad situation. She doesn't belong on Earth, and despite what you think she does belong in Hell." God tells his daughter.
"Of course you'd say that." Ariel says, resisting the urge to roll her eyes as she doesn't want to face her father's wrath.
"Ariel there are things about your mother can't understand, things you're too young to understand." God tells his youngest daughter.
"I'm not a child, Dad. I haven't been for centuries." Ariel says angrily, and as she does she realises that now might be the perfect time to ask some things she curious about, "Don't you miss Mum? Don't you miss us being the kind of family I don't remember but that I've been assured we use to be? Because Mum does. She was even prepared to give someone she thought was you a second chance."
"Of course I miss our family." God tells his daughter, "But your mother did some horrible things, so did your brother, we can never be that family again."
"Don't you dare talk about Luci!" Ariel says, sounding angry, "He didn't deserve what you did to him!"
"Your brother disobeyed me, he rebelled!" God tells his daughter, raising his voice which terrifies Ariel, but because he is saying bad things about Lucifer she stands her ground, even though her instincts are telling her to run as fast as she can in the opposite direction.
"He didn't deserve to be sent to hell for that! He didn't deserve to be separated from me! He didn't deserve to be vilified! To be hated! He didn't deserve to suffer for eternity!" Ariel tells her father, not even noticing that she is basically yelling at God as she is defending her brother, "Mum may have her faults, and she may use and manipulate us, but I do know she loves us. I can't say the same thing about you." Ariel reveals, turning away from her father, feeling that Heaven is a lot smaller even though it's just her and her father.
"Don't even think about walking away from me, Ariel." God tells his daughter before she can do exactly that, "What were you planning?"
"What?" Ariel asks, turning to look at her father.
"With your mother? How were you going to make it so that she could stay on Earth?" God asks.
"We were all going to work together to draw out some of Mum's energy, and then strengthen her human body so that she can stay on Earth without leaking energy." Ariel explains.
"All of you wouldn't be strong enough, even if you worked together." God informs his daughter.
"We would be if you helped us." Ariel says, saying the words before she can stop herself, but then as she does she realises that it might actually be a good idea, "Mum's learning from humanity, Dad. She's changing, same with Luci." Ariel explains, "Sending either of them back to Hell isn't the answer, but unless something happens Mum can't stay on Earth." Ariel reveals, and as she knows that she is already dead she might as well give her plan a try, "That fireball that Nathanael was throwing was aiming for Luci, and I took it so he wouldn't die, Uriel died because he was threatening Mum and human Luci loves, Amenadiel was willing to do whatever you wanted, without question, to save me." Ariel explains, "Doesn't that tell you something? You've ignored me most of my life, Mum too, and yet here you are the first thing I see after I died, and Mum, in her own messed up, suckey way, has been trying to get to know me since I went to Earth." Ariel explains, "That tells me that while our family is beyond messed up, we still care about each other on some level." Ariel explains, "I don't want our family to be at war again, in fact I'd give anything for us not to be, but I also don't want to be in Heaven. I want to be with Luci, on Earth, and I want Mum to be there too." Ariel explains to her father, "You have the power to make that happen."
"Your mother has almost as much power as me." God reminds his daughter.
"Which is part of the problem." Ariel says, "Uriel's gone forever, I'm Dead, by now I'd say that Nathaniel would be dead too for killing me, Mum and Luci spent millennium in hell, Amenadiel fallen, isn't that too much death, too much pain?" Ariel asks, "Whatever cost you want I'd pay it, just let me and Luci stay on Earth together, and make it so Mum can stay with us. For once do something good for your children, for your family." Ariel says to her father.
"You'd do anything?" God asks his daughter, "Would you be willing to lose your powers forever?" he asks, as that would show him the gravity of what his daughter feels.
"If It meant staying with Luci I would." Ariel tells her father, "If it meant staying with Luci, forever, there is nothing I wouldn't be willing to do, nothing I wouldn't be willing to give up." Ariel says, stressing the nothing, expecting her father to make her choose between Lucifer and her Mother, as to her that seems like something he'd do. Even though that would be a painful choose for her to make Ariel knows she'd choose Lucifer, without hesitation.
"I See." God responds, giving his daughter a calculating look, and surprising her by not asking the question she was expecting.
On the roof Lucifer is still cradling his sister body, just like he has been since the second Raphael told him that their sister was gone, and with those words it was like nothing mattered, all the fighting stopped and everyone on the roof, even Maze to the shock of everyone but Amenadiel and Lucifer, begun to cry and morn their fallen sister.
As all Lucifer's siblings know how much Ariel meant to him they were expecting him to be furious, to fight, yell, attack them all, but he hasn't, and honestly that fact that Lucifer is just holding Ariel, looking broken, and numb, is even more concerning, says a lot more than if he had lashed out. The fact that Lucifer hasn't lashed out causing all the angelic Siblings to worry about what he is going to do next.
"Lucifer…." Maze stars to say, as she kneels down next to her friend, putting her hand on the Devil's back.
"She's not dead, she can't be dead." Lucifer says, sounding more broken than anyone has ever heard, "DAD, DO SOMETHING!" Lucifer yells, his voice full of so much pain and anger that everyone on the roof feels a shiver, "DO SOMETHING OR I WILL MAKE YOU!" He yells, his face turning to his other face, and once he does there is a flash of lightning and everyone on the roof with the exception of Maze disappears.
"Really? Taking them all to Heaven?" Maze asks annoyed, and she does the door to the roof opens and Linda, Chloe, and Dan come running out, "Linda, Chloe, Dan." Maze says, running over to them and hugging Linda, it being more than clear to the three humans that the demon has been crying, and then to everyone's shock Maze kisses Linda.
After a couple of seconds shock Linda responds to the kiss just as enthusiastically.
"I saw that coming." Chloe says, to a shocked Dan, as Maze and Linda break apart, though still remain close to each other, "What happened? Where is everyone?" Chloe asks the demon, confused.
"I don't know, not for sure." Maze admits, "One minute Lucifer was cradling Ariel's dead body and the next thing I knew there was a flash of lighting and everyone but me disappeared." She explains, pain in her voice.
"What happened to Ariel?" Chloe and Linda ask, both of them looking close to tears.
"She pushed Lucifer out of the way of a holy fireball, thrown by one of her brothers, it killed her." Maze asks, clearly it painful for her to talk about that.
"Holy fire ball? Is that just something that can kill an Angel's?" Dan asks, trying to make sense of things.
"Welcome to the knowing circle." Maze says to him, "And yeah. Holy Fire is the same as regular fire, except it can kill all celestial beings, including angels." She explains.
"And Ariel died?" Linda asks, as the tears she was trying to hold in start to roll down her face.
"Yeah." Maze confirms, looking more upset than anyone has everyone has ever seen, "But that was before the lightning which I think was their father transporting them all to heaven." She explains.
"I thought Lucifer was banished from Heaven, same with his mother." Chloe comments, doing her best not to cry.
"They are, which means it must be something pretty big for them to be taken to Heaven, not to mention it would have taken a lot of power." Maze explains.
"Why were you left behind?" Dan asks, curious.
"I'm a demon, there is no way God would let a demon in heaven." Maze explains simply.
"Will they be back?" Chloe asks, fearing the answer.
"I honestly don't know." Maze admits, and the group drift into silence, and as they do Linda hesitantly reaches out and puts her arm around Maze.
"ARIEL!" Lucifer yells seconds after the lightning, when he knows he is in Heaven.
"I'm right here, Luci." A voice says and Lucifer turns to see his sister standing with their father, and unknown to him Nathanael is alive again.
"Ari." Lucifer says, running over to his sister and hugging her, "I thought I lost you."
"I'm okay." Ariel assures her brother, as he hugs her tightly, it being more than clear to her that Lucifer is afraid to let her go.
"Husband." Mum says, glaring at her ex.
"My love." God says, his voice being far from kind.
Finally letting go of his sister, Lucifer swings out and punches his father in the face.
"Can't say that surprises me." God comments, as Mum walks up to him.
"Then this shouldn't either." Mum says, before punching him too, and her punch does a lot more to God than Lucifer's did.
"Great, another fight." Gabriel says, sarcastically, as Lucifer pulls his sister back from their parents.
"That shouldn't surprise you, it's all our family can do." Hayyel says, sounding bitter, "We just proved that."
"DAD! You agreed to help!" Ariel yells as Lucifer puts his arm around her, clearly about to protect her from anything, as Amenadiel walks over to Ariel and Lucifer, and God doesn't go to return his attack.
"What's going on?" Michael asks confused, as he was expecting his parents to start to duke it out.
"I have one questions, and your answer will tell me if our daughter is right." God says, looking directly at Mum.
"I am right." Ariel mutters to herself.
"What have you done?" Lucifer asks his sister in a whisper.
"Hopefully something that isn't going to backfire." Ariel whispers back.
"Hopefully." Amenadiel says as he puts his arm around Ariel too, having heard what his siblings whispered to each other
"What's your question?" Mum asks, glaring at her ex-husband, and honestly very close to attacking him.
"What do you want most?" God asks, and Ariel braces herself hoping, more than anything, that she was right about what she suspected about her mother, because if she's wrong then they're all going to pay the price.
"To be with my children." Mum says, taking a step towards her ex-husband, "And to destroy you." She adds.
"Oh Mum." Ariel says, feeling disappointment as that's not what she was hoping for.
"And if you had to choose, because you do, between destroying me and being with your children, what do you choose?" God asks, not even phased by her answers, and honestly he believes he knows what his ex's answer is going to be.
"My children." Mum answers, without needing to think about it, to God's surprise as that's not the answer he was expecting.
"Ariel." God says, not looking away from his ex, "It was your idea."
"Actually it was Luci's in the beginning." Ariel explains, and her father gives her a look, "Mum, there's a way for you to stay on Earth." She reveals, "Dad's agreed, but you need to as well."
"Oh? He has he?" Mum asks, giving her ex-husband a look, "And what did that cost you?" Mum asks her daughter, knowing that it would have costed her something to get God to agree.
"If you agree, I lose my powers." Ariel reveals, "I'll still be immortal, and age slower, but I'll lose my wings again, lose my strength, my speed, my protection abilities."
"Ari…." Lucifer says, looking at his sister in shock.
"It's okay, Luci. If it prevents a war, it will be worth it. There has already been too much pain, too much death." Ariel explains, "Dad was able to bring back me and Nate back this time, but he couldn't bring back Uriel, he couldn't keep bringing us back if this war continued." She reveals, "If losing my powers prevents that it will be worth it." Ariel says, it being clear that she believes that.
"Sorry about killing you Little Sister, I was aiming for Lucifer." Nathanael admits, looking sorry for his actions.
"That's not any better, brother." Ariel informs him, as she glares at her brother, as honestly she would have preferred it if her brother was aiming at her, rather than Lucifer.
"What do I need to agree to?" Mum asks, knowing that her daughter is right and she cannot face the pain of losing another child.
"Your plan." Ariel says, looking at her brother.
"We'd remove some of your energy, strengthen your human body." Lucifer explains, "That way you could stay on Earth."
"No, absolutely not!" Mum says, meaning that.
"Mum please." Lucifer asks, to everyone surprise, "I've had to face losing Ariel once today, I can't face that again, and I know you unlike Dad, actually love us, and I know you don't want to lose us again."
"Easy their son." God says, in a warning tone of voice, "That's not true."
"Actions prove more to words and you certainly don't act like a father who loves his children." Lucifer says, meaning that, "You never have."
"Please Mum, I know you don't want to be weak, but isn't that better than losing us all forever?" Ariel asks, doing so in an attempt to stop her brother and father from fighting as when that begins things will only just escalate and no one will be able to stop it.
Hearing her children's words Mum looks around at all of them, at each of her children, and as she does she remembers the pain of losing Uriel, and the pain she felt when Ariel and Nathaniel died, and she realises what she has to do, even though she would rather not.
"I agree." Mum says, after taking a deep breath.
"Once it is done you will return to Earth with Samael and Ariel." God says.
"It's Lucifer." Lucifer corrects, angrily.
"Our other children can visit you, and only you," He says, it being clear that they won't be able to visit Lucifer or Ariel, "If they so wish, but you are never to return to Heaven." God says, acting like he didn't even hear what Lucifer said.
"Guess Mom's getting Earth in the Divorce." Gabriel mutters, only loud enough for Rachiel, who is standing next to him, to hear, causing her to smirk.
"And Dad's keeping Heaven." Rachiel mutters, causing Gabriel to smirk.
"What about me?" Amenadiel asks, looking at God, realising his father didn't mention him.
"Amenadiel, my son, that is your choice." God says, to Amenadiel's shock, "You can choose to return to earth with your brother, sister, and mother or return to Heaven, to your duties."
Hearing that, like his mother, Amenadiel looks around, he looks at all his younger siblings, at his parents, at Lucifer and Ariel, and as he does he thinks about the people on earth he thinks about Dan, and Maze, and Chloe, and Linda, and as he does he realises exactly what he wants.
"I'll return to Earth." Amenadiel answers, to everyone's shock.
"New you were growing fond, brother." Lucifer says with a grin, being well aware of the choice his brother just made and honestly he finds it rather amazing.
"I'm disappointed." God admits, giving Amenadiel a look which makes him fill with shame.
"Of course you are, when are you not?" Lucifer asks angrily, as Amenadiel looks down in shame, "Let's just get this over with so I can get away from you." Lucifer says, and as he does he wishes he kept the flaming sword on him.
"Lucifer's right, you should be proud of our children, not judge them, but love them." Mum says angrily, and Lucifer feels rather proud as his mother calls him proud.
"Weren't we trying to stop a fight?" Valoel asks.
"Yep, but we wouldn't be our family if there wasn't another fight." Azrael says.
"Let's just get this over with." Mum requests as she knows the process won't be pleasant and it's going to end with her being weak and so she would like to get it over with as soon as possible.