chapter 4:

Nathan was a bit flabbergasted. Not because of the fact that Duke had a relationship with a man nor that it was a celestial being, they lived in Haven after all but more than Audrey had succeeded in bringing them through the big smog.

He shook his head to clear his mind again, "Of course, you both can use my bathroom. I am glad that you are willing to bring our Duke back to us."

"My pirate means a lot to me so it was no brainer to come here and try to help." Lucifer smiled, "I don't want to be rude but it's nicer to talk when we don't smell like Hell."

Audrey nodded, "Come on I will show you the way."

"Why don't you go first, Luci," Amenadiel said, knowing that he hated the smell as much as he hated the place.

"Thank you, brother." Lucifer followed Audrey to the bathroom. He saw the small shower and he knew he had to find a way to wash the ashes from between his feathers. He hated it though of how they looked afterward.

"So, Amenadiel right? Do you want something to drink in the meantime?" Nathan asked between coughs.

"Yes, it's Amenadiel, water is okay. Sorry about the smell but we didn't want to travel on our own because we didn't want to lose sight of each other and then Hell is the only way to fly underneath the mist that prevented us from entering this town." The angel said, he wasn't used to the smell himself but he knew how prideful his brother was.

"I am sorry, the religions of this planet are not my strongest suit," Audrey confessed, I know what the real Audrey Parker knows and I don't think that's much. The only thing I know is that he is supposed to be evil but he clearly isn't.

"Well, Lucifer is not evil, his weakest spot is his pride. We always thought that the rebellion he had led against our father was Lucifer's idea. My Father, who has many names among humans but God is one of them, punished my brother for that rebellion, and Lucifer was banished from the Silver City, forced to rule Hell for all eternity, now we found out that the idea of this war was not from Lucifer but his twin brother Michael, who is punished now. So Lucifer can't enter the realm of the Silver City better known as Heaven but I can enter the underworld so there was no choice in the matter. We didn't know if the border was a great idea, not knowing where the list stopped." Amenadiel explained.

"It's good that he has you." Nathan answered coming back with a glass of water, "Loneliness is hard."

Amenadiel swallowed and looked down with a sigh, "It's only the last few earth years that we get along. For the longest time, we hated each other, I was the one who pulled him back to that awful place because I thought I was doing the right thing. The only thing Lucifer ever wanted was to be his own man."

"What changed?" Audrey asked, curious about his explanation.

Amenadiel looked ashamed, "My brother thought he was smart when he refused to go back to Hell. He had cut off his wings so that I couldn't force him to go back. That was smart until I found out that his best friend and partner, the LAPD detective Chloe Decker made him vulnerable, like in human and killable."

Nahan shook his head, "You didn't."

"I did." Amenadiel sighed, "I hired a soul from Hell and brought him back in his body, I promised him, Heaven, of course, that was a bluff because we have absolutely no say in who goes where, if he killed my brother, the devil, Lucifer Morningstar. Anyway, he killed my brother for a moment there but father brought him back to earth for a mission, to find mom, who had escaped Hell at the time."

Nathan shook his head and he thought, the Crocker family and their curse was fucked up, "How did you finally come to your senses?"

"He walked a mile in my shoes," came a voice from behind them, "Amenadiel, was a fallen angel but where I had my angelic grace, once my wounds had healed, he had none, no wings, no powers, An angelic human among humans."

"I am going to take a shower now," Amenadiel said silently. He hated that period but on the other hand, he was grateful, it gave him a little insight into what his brother went through.

Lucifer nodded while he took a swallow from his flask.

"You forgave him?" Nathan asked, a bit shocked.

"Eventually, yes. At the beginning I thought he was pathetic, I even told him that." Lucifer said with a serious tone in his voice, "In the end, he got his punishment and he changed his ways, started to see humans like I have seen them since my vacations on earth. The only one I am angry at was my father, even that was something I told myself because I didn't want to see what was really going on. I didn't want to admit that all I ever wanted was to hear five words from him, "I am proud of you."

"Now I see what Duke sees in you except for the fact that you look good." Audrey smiled, "You have a big heart Lucifer. You are a good man."

"Thank you but you are one of the few who think I have a big heart. Probably because you are used to strange things for one and second that you aren't human." Lucifer said.

"Not like the humans you know anyway. Can I ask you how you met Duke?" Audrey was curious how Duke of all people had ended up with the devil of all beings.

"Of course you can, Miss Parker." Lucifer thought back at the moment he first laid eyes on the man he promised his heart to. The thought was enough to give the devil a nice warm feeling in his heart and soul. He didn't show it but he didn't know what he would find if he would see his love again after a very long time. " I needed a temporary bartender because one of them was pregnant and I sent her on maternity leave the moment her belly got too big. Most nightclub owners would fire the girl but I don't, I even pay them."

Audrey was shocked, "That's illegal to fire a woman who is pregnant." She didn't know how cruel the business could be.

"Yes, It is illegal and they usually find another reason to fire them and if they don't find it, they just stop paying them. My staff is fully paid without the use of sick days. It meant I needed a temporary replacement for her so I made it known by an ad on all the channels I could use." Lucifer continued.

"Duke reacted to that?" Nathan asked curiously.

"He was the last one which I chose to see. I must admit I am rather picky when it comes to my staff. I was already sure that I wasn't going to find what I needed, most people thought they had a chance to work for a longer time when Duke entered my club. He looked good and he showed me that he had experienced as a bartender, and if that wasn't all he was only looking for a temporary job, he told me he had been traveling through America but that he didn't know what to do next, continue his travel or go home. I guess he chose to come home." Lucifer smiled. He still missed the love of his life and maybe the time was right to open a second club a little closer to him but he had to help Duke and these people first.

"Was it love at first sight?" Audrey loved listening to the story about how they met. She loved a good romance like any other woman. It made her forget the problems of Haven for just a moment. It made her want to bring them back together even more.

"You must know that I am not very good with human emotions. I once thought I was in love with my best friend but we decide to stay friends so I didn't trust my feelings plus who would love the devil of all beings." Lucifer sighed, "I didn't even think he would believe me when I told him what I was."

"Duke was born in Haven, Lucifer. He doesn't let fear rule his life." Nathan knew his friend didn't judge people on the stories but on what his experience was.

"We started talking and we soon found out that we were both survivors. That the only one we could depend on was ourselves and that from a very young age. You see I was at the human age of 14 years when I was banished from the only home I knew. He was the first one who truly understood me. He wasn't even scared of me. Not even after I showed him my true self." Lucifer sighed deeply.

"Your true self?" Audrey asked, She knew that Duke had to steal to survive at a young age."These aren't your real looks?"

Lucifer shook his head, "Well yes and no, these are my looks from before my banishment. I fell into a river of hellfire when I was thrown into hell. burned skin all over my body. It took thousands of years before they were healed enough to pull up a glamour, to even use my wings again for a bigger distance. In the beginning, I could barely fly to my throne. Anyway, we grew closer with time until it was time for him to leave again. We agreed to try the long-distance, open relationship. This was a few years ago."

Amenadiel stood in the next room. He was listening to the story. He never told him his wings were that damaged. Yes, he saw the burned skin but only now he realized what his brother went through all those eons ago.

"Why didn't we see you before now?" Nathan asked.

"You see, Duke told me about this town and later on about his own curse. He had a very hard time with everything he needed, a place where he could forget everything, a home far away from home. I once asked him to move to Los Angeles permanently but he said he couldn't leave this town behind, he didn't want to leave his friend behind. So I picked him up every weekend to spend time together." Lucifer tried to explain.

"That still doesn't explain why we never saw you before, it only makes it stranger," Nathan replied.

"Of course not, I usually came at night mostly because I want to keep my partner and best friend safe during working hours. I am a civilian consultant with the LAPD, he was usually ready when I arrived. So I would pick him up from his boat and fly back to Los Angeles for the weekend." Lucifer added, he knew this question would come if he ever met Duke's friends.

"We haven't seen you fly either and I have nights I need to work so." Nathan continued his interrogation.

"That's because people only see what they want to see plus we fly in different realms. It's all too complicated to explain." Lucifer said.

"Why didn't you use that realm to fly over the smog?" Audrey now asked, "It would have spared you the smell and memories of Hell."

"There was no time to lose and Hell is still faster," Lucifer answered.

Amenadiel shook his head and sighed. He was going to save his brother from the questioning, "My wings are itchy from all the ashes. Can we wash them somewhere?"

Both Audrey and Nathan looked at the angel standing in the doorway.

"I think we can arrange that." Audrey smiled now.

"Good because mine are as gray as his." Lucifer quipped.

Audrey and Nathan looked at each other. This was going to be an adventure they wouldn't forget soon.

TBC