Previously in gone in the wind:
Mario had just put his phone down when the bell of his door announced a customer. He was on high alert, so he looked through the one-sided window in his door who had entered his store.
The man looked exactly like the man he just heard on the phone, so he knew that it was impossible, that and the man was obviously alone.
"Hide the child and call Lucifer. His twin brother is in my shop." Mario said to Lorenzo, the brother who was the closest to him, "Lucifer will know what to do."
Lorenzo nodded and walked to the back of the house where the child was sitting in the living room.
On with the story:
Chapter 12:
Mario closed his eyes and sighed deeply, he never felt this nervous. How was he going to handle this? How was he going to stall Michael long enough until Lucifer would arrive? God only knows where he is right now, the only thing he knew was that he was on his way.
He walked towards the door that separated his store from his working place and his private space. The private space and the workshop were separated by a small patio with a little fountain in the middle. The fountain was in an old Italian style made of white marble, decorated with gold, it had been a gift from Lucifer Morningstar himself when they renovated the little place between the two buildings and filled it with plants. The only thing that connected the two buildings was a small but long colonnade in Roman style. So the house was a beautiful mix of Old Spanish and Roman style. They were able to completely renovate it with the best materials from what they earned from Lucifer's hand-made suits alone.
Mario sighed one more time and opened the door, "Buona Giornata, signore. Come Posso aiutarla?" (Good day, sir. How can I help you?)
Michael rolled his eyes, "Please, my good friend, why to talk to me in Italian when I buy my suits here all the time."
"I am sorry, sir, but I don't know you and I know all my good customers," Mario said in English with an Italian accent.
"It's me Lucifer Morningstar." Michael lied through his teeth.
"I am sorry, sir, but I really don't know you. How can I help you though?" Mario lied through his teeth, but he still felt nervous though.
"I am here for little Beatrice, I know you are hiding her from my brother." Michael tried. He hoped he was right though.
"I am sorry, sir, but I don't know what you are talking about?" I live here alone with my brother. We don't have any children." Mario said while looking him straight in the eyes.
"How is that possible? I did ask you to hide her, didn't I?" Michael tried knowing that his brother would have asked one of his closest Italian friends for help, "I know my brother is coming after her."
"Please, Lucifer, come fast, I don't know how long I can fool this guy." Mario thought in a sort of prayer before he answered, "I really don't know what you are talking about, sir. There are no children here."
"Tell me, what is your biggest fear?" Michael asked with a grin.
"That won't be you. I will make sure of that." Came a voice from behind Michael.
"Thank the lord." Mario sighed. It was still strange though. It was like seeing one person, but double. He shook his head in confusion. He knew twins could look alike, but these were really identical.
"Sorry, my friend, but you have the wrong deity I am afraid. Although sometimes Michael thinks he is Dad." Lucifer grinned while Dan passed the two angels quickly and went straight to Mario. He had seen the look on the Italian man's face.
"Mario, go and hide, take Daniel with you. I will take care of my brother." Lucifer said.
Mario nodded, but Dan didn't want to give up that easily, "I am not leaving your sight Lucifer."
"Go with him now, Daniel." Lucifer said sternly, "I want you out of the way, plus I need someone to keep everyone safe."
Dan nodded, he didn't have to like it though. He was torn between staying with the man he loved and going with Mario and see his daughter back for the very first time in weeks. In the end, he knew that he couldn't do much here, so he decided to follow Mario to where they had hidden Trixie.
They run through the portico into the house that was waiting on the other end. They were just inside when they heard a door breaking into a million pieces. Dan wanted to return to see if Lucifer was alright, but Mario grabbed his arm and shook his head, "Don't. There is nothing you can do in a fight between two celestial brothers."
Dan look turned his head in shock, "wait a minute, you know?"
"I had my suspicions, I mean I live in Rome, you know. He isn't really shy about it either." Mario smiled.
"Tell me about it." Dan sighed, still Dan was worried about the sounds he heard from behind the wooden door. "I don't understand, if you know who he is or what he is, why don't you run away in fear like anyone else?"
"Why don't you?" Mario simply asked, "Why did you decide to start a relationship with the fallen angel?"
"I know Lucifer for a couple of years now, and yes, he can be annoying, but is a good man. Fallen or not, he is still an angel. I don't care what people say about him. I know better than to think my boyfriend is evil." Dan answered with a small smile.
"Well, there you have your answer, not only is he my best customer, but he is also my friend. Lucifer Morningstar is a good man. He even helped me search for someone who could help me build my dream home early in my career." The older man said, "Now I think Lucifer can handle himself just fine. Let me show you where we have hidden your precious child."
Dan nodded. He followed with a torn heart. On one side, he was eager to hold his daughter back into his arms, but on the other hand, he wanted to be sure that Lucifer was alright.
"Lucifer will be just fine. He is the only outsider who knows where we will be. Oh, and I still have my gift from Lucifer for situations like this." Mario pulled Dan towards the hidden leverage to open up a panel behind the mantle in the old library.
Lorenzo was telling a story about how they had met Lucifer and how he brought him and his brother back together when he heard the panel open up. He took one of the two swords Lucifer had gifted him. He pushed Trixie behind him.
He relaxed the moment he saw Mario appear, followed by a man he never saw before, but Trixie's reaction said enough. She ran past Lorenzo and jumped in Dan's arms, "daddy!"
"Hey monkey, are you alright?" Dan asked with a shiver in his voice.
"Now I am, where is Lucifer?" Trixie asked, looking for her favorite devil friend.
"Lucifer had something to handle first." Dan didn't know how much she knew, "we need to stay here until he comes and get us alright."
"He is fighting his brother, isn't he?" Trixie asked even more worried now.
Dan sighed and nodded, "You know Lucifer, sweetie, nothing can keep him down, not even his brother."
Trixie nodded, "Did you fly here with Lucifer?"
"We fly here with his jet, monkey," Dan answered because again he didn't know how much his little girl knew.
"Couldn't he fly you here with his wings? I could have been faster." Trixie countered back.
"How did you…?" Dan was even more shocked that his daughter knew.
"Lucifer tells us all the time, and he never lies, so why would he lie about that?" Dan looked at his daughter with pride, "You are too smart for your own good, you know that right?"
Trixie grinned, "I know."
"Where is your mom by the way?" Dan suddenly asked, "he had a thing or two to say to his ex-wife."
"Still at that awful place in the forest, she wanted to destroy Lucifer, daddy." Trixie said with a sad tone in her voice, "I don't want that. Lucifer is my friend."
"Everything will be fine, monkey. I sure of it." Dan tried to comfort the little girl. Maybe just maybe he was not only doing that but also trying to ease his own mind.
Dan turned towards Mario, "You said Lucifer had gifted you two swords? How do you know they will help in the worst case?"
"They were forced in Hell. This can easily kill an angel." Mario said simply, "But how do we know it's Lucifer?"
"Don't worry, I would recognize my Lucifer with my eyes closed." Dan smiled.
Trixie grinned at the use of the word 'my', "Finally! You two are together."
"You have no problem with it?" Dan asked a bit unsure.
Trixie shook her head, "It's about time that you told him how you felt and that he told you."
"What do you mean?" Dan asked now a bit startled.
"Dad it was so obvious that you two loved each other. I am not blind, you know." Trixie grinned.
"Luckily someone wasn't blind." came a voice with a British accent from behind Dan.
Mario and Lorenzo both raised their swords in the direction of the voice until Lucifer came in to view. He was seriously beaten up.
"Be careful, my friends, those swords prick." Lucifer grinned.
"Lucifer!" Trixie yelled and ran towards him, and hugged his waist fiercely.
"Be careful, little urchin," Lucifer said with obvious pain in his voice, although he tried his best to hide it.
"Lucifer, are you alright? You look awful." Dan said worried at the sight of the blood and bruises that covered his face and the torn clothes.
"I will be fine, love. Nothing a good night's sleep won't heal up." Lucifer smiled while he opened up his arms. This was all the invitation Dan needed to snuggle into his side. Lucifer occasionally hissing in pain. His brother was dealt with.
TBC