Author's note: Thanks to occasionalreader for wanting to see Lucifer and Amenadiel with Jack. I hadn't planned to write that, and it took things in a slightly slightly different direction. Also thanks to Leonore09 for insight on why Azrael pushed Chloe to see that her wings were real.


"No." Despite her refusal, Ella laughed, shaking her head at Lucifer and Amenadiel. "No way."

"Come on, Miss Lopez," Lucifer wheedled, his charm turned up to eleven. "Help a brother out." Catching Amenadiel's raised eyebrow, he added, "I'm Rae's brother; that's what I meant."

Gathering up a pile of discarded costumes, Ella moved to a hanging rack in the room that had served as a staging area for the play. "That's why I'm not telling you where Jack is," she replied with a grin, starting to put costumes on hangers. "I have brothers, remember? And most of them are older. I like Rae. I wouldn't help you embarrass her like that."

Trailing behind the forensic tech, Lucifer protested, "We wouldn't embarrass her at all. We just want to..." He shot a brief grin over his shoulder at Amenadiel. "... ascertain the young man's intentions."

"Which would embarrass her," Ella completed, not fooled in the slightest. "You don't have to worry about Jack. He's a good kid, I promise. I mean, he's an altar boy."

Lucifer drew himself upright, brows lifting. "An altar boy, really? Serving dear old Dad? Well, we can't have that, not for Rae."

"Nothing wrong with altar boys," Ella said brightly. "I mean, I dated an altar boy and we... actually, never mind, don't listen to me." She paused. "But we were older than Rae and Jack. A lot older. And he was a former altar boy."

Leaning closer to Ella, Lucifer purred, "That sounds like a story for later."

Ella smiled, but made no promises.

Amenadiel nodded to the entrance, where Jack had entered, a pair of cookies in hand. "Luci, there he is."

"Ah, yes," Lucifer agreed. He considered the young man: not overly tall, but there was time enough for that to change. Dark hair in need of cutting, flopping in his eyes... or maybe that was the intended style? He could be attractive to boys and girls of that age, Lucifer supposed, in a non-threatening, boy band sort of way. "Thank you, Miss Lopez," he said, with a vaguely predatory grin in Jack's direction. "You have been absolutely no help whatsoever. Now, if you will excuse us..." He strode lithely across the room, Amenadiel in his wake, and approached the boy. "Hello, Jack," Lucifer said brightly, popping the final consonant.

"Hi," Jack replied, sounding puzzled. He attempted to move past the pair, but found his movement arrested by Lucifer's hand on his shoulder. "Uh, do I know you?"

Lucifer steered the young man to the opposite end of the room, though Ella still kept an eye on the trio. "Lucifer," that person explained, indicating himself. With a nod to his looming brother, he added, "Amenadiel. And we've already established your identity."

"Lucifer?" Jack echoed. A good Catholic boy, he had obviously heard the name, and studied Lucifer with wary interest before replying, "Wicked."

Lucifer grinned despite himself. "Yes, quite," he agreed. Expression sobering, he added, "We recently learned that you have an interest in - wait, where did you get those cookies?"

"Focus, Luci," Amenadiel rumbled, folding his arms over his chest

Jack pulled his gaze from Amenadiel's biceps to gesture back the way he had come. "The fellowship hall. There's a lot more, if you want some."

Lucifer cast a look in the direction that Jack had indicated, but a nudge from Amenadiel got him back on track. "Right. We've heard that you're interested in our sister."

His expression perplexed, Jack queried, "Who is your sister?" He flicked his gaze between Lucifer and Amenadiel, brows lowering. "You guys are brothers?"

The siblings looked at each other, then leveled their collective gazes on Jack. He edged back a step.

"Of course we're brothers," Lucifer replied, sounding exasperated. "Why wouldn't we be? And our sister is Rae. Azrael." He gestured vaguely toward the sanctuary. "The angel in tonight's ridiculous performance."

Jack's expression cleared. "Oh, Rae," he said. He nodded, though not without a trace of uneasiness, aimed mostly at Amenadiel. His brows lowering, he asked, "How are you guys Rae's brothers?"

"We have a very large family," Amenadiel replied, his voice deep and not particularly reassuring.

Jack looked up, and then up a little more. "Yeah," he agreed. "Okay." He didn't seem inclined to add to the conversation.

With an exasperated huff, Lucifer said, "There's a much simpler way to do this." He leaned down, catching Jack's suddenly fascinated gaze. "Tell me, what is it you desire?"


Azrael made her way into the room, and was almost immediately swept into a hug by Ella. "Hey, chickie, you were great!" When Azrael didn't respond, Ella pulled away a little and asked, "Everything okay?"

Azrael look a deep breath. "I... sorry, I just need to talk with my brother."

Ella nodded agreeably. "No problem. Just don't forget to give me your robe and your wings before you leave." She straightened the cockeyed halo, with a smile, adding, "You can keep this, though. It suits you."

Azrael nodded, rummaging in her cat backpack for the clothes she had worn to the church, exchanging the robe for a simple red knit dress. She handed the robe to Ella, then froze as she caught sight of Amenadiel and Lucifer with Jack. "What are they doing?" she asked, her gaze not leaving her brothers.

"I did not tell them that Jack likes you," Ella assured her. "But they found out somehow and... well, brothers. You know how they can be."

Azrael watched them in silence for a moment. "Linda must have told them," she decided, with a sigh of frustration.

"She must not have brothers," Ella suggested, hiding a grin.

Azrael nodded. "They're going to ruin everything." She strode purposefully over to the group. Just then, anger was easier than fear.

Watching her, Ella let out a low whistle, then trailed along behind the girl.

"There you are," Lucifer greeted Azrael, with a bright grin. "Sad news, little sis. He's interested in you, but more interested in playing pro basketball."

Azrael glared at her brothers, rounding on Lucifer. "What are you doing?" she demanded, her voice quiet but intent. "This is completely unnecessary."

"Yes," Lucifer agreed unrepentantly, "but it was amusing, and after sitting through that fiasco of a play, I deserve a little entertainment."

Jack, his eyes still a little glazed, blinked at Azrael in some befuddlement. "Why did I tell him all that?" he asked.

"I'm so sorry, Jack," Azrael said, stepping closer to the boy. "My brothers are..." She sighed and shook her head, clearly not finding the words.

Amenadiel cleared his throat. "I didn't do anything," he pointed out. Azrael ignored him.

Jack smiled. "It's okay." He darted a glance toward Lucifer and Amenadiel. Then, in a daring move, he stepped forward and kissed Azrael's cheek before bolting out of the room.

Hooting gleefully, Lucifer called after the boy, "You need to work on your technique, but extra points for moxie." Azrael looked after Jack, and Lucifer added, "You're better off without him, little sister. His mind isn't complex at all; he folded like a cheap suit."

Azrael turned back to the others, her lips compressed into a thin line. "I need to talk to you two privately. Now, if you please." She stalked to the exit opposite the one Jack had taken, clearly expecting her brothers to follow.

"Was that her first kiss?" Ella asked Lucifer, brows lifted.

"I have no idea," Lucifer replied, looking after his sister, "I certainly hope not; it was dreadful." Turning back to Ella, he added, "She's a real peach when she gets her dander up, eh?"

Ella nodded, her expression full of sympathy. "She's at that age where everything starts getting complicated. I thought my brother Manny was going to lock my oldest niece in a convent when she was eleven."

"A convent, there's a thought," Lucifer said, turning to Amenadiel with a grin. "Dad would approve, don't you think?"

Amenadiel forebore from rolling his eyes. "Come on, Luci," he said, with a nod to where their sister was waiting, clearly tense.

With a rather exasperated sigh, Lucifer nodded and started across the room. "Good evening, Miss Lopez."

"Good luck," Ella replied brightly.

Azrael watched her brothers approach, then glanced around the room. A few people milled around, cleaning or just chatting, and then there was Ella, watching with interest. When Lucifer and Amenadiel reached her side, she moved down the hall and into the room where she and Michael had spoken recently, pushing open the door so her brothers could precede her.

"Here? Are you sure?" Lucifer asked, looking amused. "I mean, there's always the confessional. I can be really creative when it comes to penance."

Azrael shot a look over her shoulder at the church's exit. "Here, please."

Lucifer shrugged his acquiescence and moved into the room, Amenadiel following. Azrael brought up the rear, closing the door behind them.

"Lucifer, why would you do that?" she demanded.

"Rae -" Lucifer began, still clearly seeing the humor in the situation despite his sister's upset.

Azrael interrupted, on a roll, "It's not like he's one of your criminals. He's a child!"

"Rae." Lucifer's brows lowered, and he exchanged glances with Amenadiel, who shrugged. He surely had no idea why Azrael was reacting this way.

"Just because you got the idea that he's interested in me - which I don't reciprocate, obviously - you think it's appropriate to mess with his brain like that?"

"Rae!"

"Lucifer, will you please stop saying my name?"

Lucifer stepped to his sister's side and rested a hand on her shoulder, brows lifting when she stiffened. "Sit down," he said gently. "You're shaking."

Just when she needed it the most, Azrael's anger drained away, leaving only a cold, hard knot of fear. She nodded, easing herself into one of the uncomfortable wooden chairs.

"What's all this about?" Lucifer asked, tucking his hands in his pocket and looking down on his sister in sincere puzzlement. "You can't honestly be this upset about the boy..."

"He's not worth it," Amenadiel murmured, eliciting a brief grin from Lucifer.

Azrael shook her head. "Of course I'm not," she replied. "I mean, I was hoping he'd keep his distance, as the last thing I need right now is some boy mooning after me, but -" She shook her head, her mouth working for a moment. "Amenadiel is right. He's not important. I just... I have to tell you something."

"What is it?" Amenadiel asked.

Seeing her brothers' expressions - Lucifer expectant and still a bit amused, while Amenadiel looked a little wary - Azrael swallowed, then asked Lucifer, "Do you have your flask?"

Lucifer grinned his encouragement. "Falling off the wagon? I couldn't think of a better place. Almost had a nip, myself, during that ridiculous production." He pulled his flask out of his pocket and offered it to his sister.

Azrael knocked back a healthy slug, then returned the flask to Lucifer. When the liquid courage didn't seem to suffice, Lucifer urged, "Come on, then. It can't be as bad as all that."

"Yes, it can," Amenadiel muttered.

"Well, unless the Boy Wonder out there got you pregnant," Lucifer added, clearly in jest. "In which case we'll obviously have to kill him." When Azrael didn't smile, his brows lowered. "He didn't, did he? I mean, judging from that kiss, I wouldn't think he knows how..."

Azrael made a short, exasperated sound. "No, he didn't, because it's not possible. Even if he did, I'd be at least as responsible as he was. Brother, if you would stop trying to be funny, I'll tell you." She took a deep breath and then looked away, scrupulously avoiding eye contact. "Chloe knows."

"Lovely," Lucifer replied lightly. "Knows what? You're being a tad opaque, Rae."

Azrael shot a quick glance at Amenadiel, then admitted, "She saw my wings."

"She what?" Azrael flinched at Amenadiel's harsh tone. Though he did have the self-awareness to keep his volume down, he made up for that in intensity. "Azrael, I warned you to be careful about that. You just couldn't resist showing them off, could you? Or are you too busy playing at being human to listen to your elders?"

Azrael risked a look at Lucifer; his expression was curiously blank. Turning back to Amenadiel, she replied, tone defensive, "I was being careful, I swear. They shouldn't have been able to see! It's not like I was... was flaunting my wings."

Amenadiel looked thoughtful for a split second, then shook his head and began a heated response. Lucifer interrupted, his voice deadly calm. "Be quiet, both of you. Azrael, what... how did the Detective respond?"

"She didn't think they were real," Azrael replied, and the overall tension among the males in the room in the room ratcheted down a notch.

"But you said she knows..." Amenadiel began, his tone implying that Azrael should continue.

Azrael nodded. "She does," she agreed, her voice quiet. When the silence dragged on and Amenadiel advanced on Azrael, a possible attempt at shaking the information out of her thwarted by Lucifer's hand on his arm, she confessed, rattling out the words in short bursts as if saying them faster would make them easier to hear, "I... made her see. Put my wings away, brought them back. Let her look, really look. So she'd know it wasn't a trick."

Amenadiel started forward again, this time without hindrance from Lucifer, who was watching his siblings but not quite seeing them. Amenadiel rested his hands on the arms of his sister's chair and leaned down, effectively trapping her in the seat. "What were you thinking?" he demanded, enunciating each word with deliberate care, his voice a low rumble.

Azrael's jaw worked for a moment. She didn't look away from Amenadiel; his proximity made that all but impossible. Her voice small but still distinct, she replied, "She wanted me to tell Trixie that angels aren't real."

"Then you tell Trixie that angels aren't real," Amenadiel replied, all but growling.

"Why should I?" Suddenly furious, Azrael shoved Amenadiel hard, though her mass wasn't enough to displace him and he smirked down at her. With an inarticulate sound of frustrated anger, she lunged up, catching his face hard with the top of her head, the tinsel halo coming off in a shower of bobby pins. She skittered past her brother when Amenadiel recoiled, lifting one hand to his nose. "Why should I?" she repeated, her eyes glistening. "I'm already trapped in this body. I'm not going to deny what I am. Not like that. Not to people who matter."

Amenadiel started after Azrael, but Lucifer interspersed himself between the two. "Enough." While his voice was quiet, the steel in his tone and the brief red glint to his eyes were enough to bring Azrael, at least, to heel. Amenadiel took a moment longer, but subsided as well, moving to sit in the chair his sister had recently occupied and wiping the blood from his nose with the back of his hand.

Taking note of the blood, Lucifer almost smiled. "She's been training with Maze. What did you expect? You're lucky she chose that target."

"She caught me off guard," Amenadiel muttered, chagrined.

"She shouldn't have," Lucifer replied.

"She has a name," Azrael replied, though not without a triumphant look at Amenadiel. It was not every day, after all, that one bested the Firstborn.

Lucifer turned to his sister, whose self-satisfied look smoothed to one of careful neutrality. "Didn't you just ask me to stop saying your name?" She lowered her gaze, lifting a hand to rub the top of her head, and Lucifer continued abruptly, "Now. Share with the class, what was the Detective's response to your revelation?"

Azrael took a deep breath. "She was shocked," she replied. "Called on our father a few times. Asked a few questions. Then she left." Lucifer made a wry face at the mention of their father, and Azrael clarified, "She wasn't really calling on him. I mean, she doesn't - didn't - believe in him, right? She just... said the words. There was nothing behind them."

"No, she doesn't" Lucifer murmured, "And what a lovely thought, not believing in him."

Azrael hesitated, then asked Lucifer, "You're not angry?" She did not ask Amenadiel if he was angry. Noting the pointed omission, he shook his head with a soft, annoyed exhalation, then got to his feet and stalked silently out of the room.

"What, that the Detective knows our dirty little secret?" Lucifer shook his head, looking thoughtfully after Amenadiel. "It's not like I haven't told her as much a thousand times. I am a little put out that you're the one that finally convinced her, but..." He lifted his shoulders in an eloquent shrug. "It'll make things interesting, assuming she doesn't head for the hills."

Azrael exhaled a quiet sound of relief. "She won't leave." Ignoring Amenadiel's departure, Azrael tipped her head to one side, watching Lucifer with a small smile. "You could have convinced her any time you wanted, just by showing her Mr. Crispy."

"Mr. Crispy," Lucifer echoed, clearly torn between amusement and umbrage.

Azrael gestured vaguely at Lucifer. "You know. Your other form."

"I know what you mean," he replied pointedly. "But must you call it that?"

"Not if it bothers you," Azrael replied easily. "Sorry."

"It's just a little flippant, is all."

Azrael smiled just a little. "Says the epitome of seriousness and respect."

"Now, now, do as I say, not as I do," Lucifer chided. "As for why I didn't show the Detective my other side, you know what it does to humans. I thought I'd broken Doctor Linda when she saw."

With a thoughtful nod, Azrael replied, "Nothing against Linda, but Chloe's different."

"Yes," Lucifer agreed reflectively. "She is, isn't she?"

"Just... go slowly," Azrael suggested. "Don't rush over there and hash it out tonight." When Lucifer started to protest, she said, "She needs time to think about all this, brother. Really."

Lucifer nodded slowly. "I suppose," he agreed reluctantly. "I just want to make sure she's all right."

"You can," Azrael reassured. "Just maybe give her until tomorrow."

With a nod of acquiescence, Lucifer looked in the direction Amenadiel had taken. "You may have made an enemy there."

Azrael shrugged, though her unconcern didn't entirely ring true. "It'll be fine. He's gone off to sulk, but he'll get over it."

Lucifer smiled. "Sounds like someone else I know," he needled gently.

"I," Azrael replied with dignity, "do not sulk." At Lucifer's upraised eyebrow, she amended, "Much. Glad you were here, though. That could have gotten ugly."

"Funny how I was the voice of reason," Lucifer observed, inclining his head in acknowledgement. He regarded his sister thoughtfully, reaching to rest a hand on her shoulder. "Not that I don't have the occasional desire to bash our brother in the face, but that's not really your modus operandi. Everything okay?"

Azrael inhaled a shaky breath, caught off guard by Lucifer's kindness just as Amenadiel had been by her head butt. She regarded her brother, then looked away, nodding. She couldn't tell him what had happened with Michael. Not now. "Of course," she replied quietly.

Lucifer was silent for a moment. "If you're going to lie to me, Azrael," he said coolly, lifting his hand from her shoulder "You might at least try to be more convincing." Adjusting his cuffs, he added, turning toward the door, "I've spent quite enough time in this place. Coming?"

Shaking her head, Azrael replied, "I... I have some things to finish up here. I'll get a Lyft or something later." She hesitated, then called, "Luci?" He turned, one hand on the doorknob. "Thanks for coming today. I know you didn't want to do it."

Lucifer nodded and left the room. Azrael sank onto a bench and let her head fall into in her hands. She remained that way for several minutes, rocking slightly, shoulders shaking, and so didn't notice the door opening, or even the dark-haired figure sitting next to her on the bench. She startled when she felt the arm around her shoulders, lifting her head and wiping hurriedly at her eyes.

"C'mere, chickie," Ella urged. "Come on, it's okay."

"No, it's not," Azrael replied miserably, though she leaned against Ella, her eyes closing. Sometimes, occasionally, rarely, her father managed to send just the right person at precisely the right time.