God advanced on the detective, stopping just feet away from her. "Hello, Detective Decker."
Chloe resisted the urge to back away from him. God's voice was kind, but his eyes told her of his anger. He knew she had something to do with what happened to his son.
"I didn't expect to meet you under these circumstance, or at all until your soul entered the Silver City. Now it remains to be seen whether or not that will even happen," God said coolly.
Chloe flinched. It just occurred to her that there was a good chance she'd end up in Hell. In fact, the chances seemed to be at least in the ninety percent range. She'd plotted against God's son. It seemed impossible for her to ever end up in Hell than anywhere else. But honestly, she was more concerned about what was going to happen to her now than when she died
"My son says you saved him, however, my other son has said without words that you are why he needed to be saved. Your guilty look backs that up. I may not be as familiar with the concept of guilt as my son, but I still know it when I see it. Tell me what you have to feel guilty about. What happened to my son?" God asked.
"I…I'm not sure why he turned into a child," Chloe said. She was stalling. She knew that wasn't what God was asking.
God smiled, but it was very clear that it wasn't a happy smile. "I see I'm not being clear enough. Let me explain to you what I want. I don't to know what exactly was done to my son and what part you personally played in it."
Chloe gulped. His voice was tight, indicating that he was getting angrier. "An exorcism or banishing ritual. I don't know what exactly it was, I didn't perform it. But it involved him having to drink a sedative."
"Which you gave him, I gather. Explain to me how and why you betrayed his trust. Do not lie to me! I detest it as much as my son, and I will know!" God warned loudly.
The thought of lying never even occurred to Chloe. She'd been pretty stupid lately, but it did go so far as thinking she could effectively lie to God, especially since Maze and Amenadiel already knew, though she didn't go into specifics with them like God was insisting she did know. "I…I saw Lucifer true face."
"It is not his true face. It is a manifestation of how he saw himself. Continue," God said shortly.
"I was scared. I didn't know what to think about him. I went looking for answers. I met a priest who seemed to provide them. He had information about the other times Lucifer had come to Earth, and how he influenced people to do terrible things. I didn't want to believe it, but I was scared. The priest said it would be best for everyone if Lucifer went back to Hell," Chloe said in a shaky voice.
Chloe waited to see what God's reaction would be, but he didn't have one. His face remained the same. "I was asked to slip a sedative that was needed for the ritual to send him back to Hell into Lucifer's drink. So, I got Lucifer to agree to go out with me, or actually to have dinner at his place. I slipped the sedative into his wine."
"So, you're telling me you manipulated my son's feelings for you in order to betray him," God said coolly.
Chloe remained silent. Nothing she said could make this seem any better.
"Tell me the rest. I want to know exactly what my son went through between the time that you drugged him and the moment be was reduced to a small child. You will omit nothing!" God said in tone that demanded obedience.
Chloe cringed. This was about to get worse, which she hadn't believed was possible. She was going to need to tell God of the physical agony Lucifer went through, that Samael still felt as he regained consciousness. She doubted God would be very forgiving. She knew she wouldn't if it were her child.
"Chloe Decker, even my patience and tolerance have limits. You are reaching it with both," God warned dangerously.
Chloe took a deep breath. "As soon as the ritual started, Lucifer started having a bad seizure. He was screaming as it continued. I'm not sure how long it all lasted, but it was at least a few minutes. Then there was a bright light. He was a child when it cleared."
"And from what he's told me, still in pain. You listened to my son scream as someone inflicted excruciating pain onto him. You deemed yourself qualified to decide where he was meant to be and went about sending him there!" God spat angrily.
"I…I was scared," Chloe said. Of course, she wasn't nearly as terrified as she was right now, standing before God and being judged for harming his son. What she'd felt regarding Lucifer was nothing compared to this.
"I see. And what frightened you so much? Was it the lengths my son went to to save your life multiple times, putting his own life at risk? In fact, the last was just a bit over a month ago, wasn't it? He acted to save you from Cain. I'm certain you're not aware of this, but he enclosed his wings around you, taking bullet after bullet, causing great pain!" God said, his voice becoming louder the more he spoke. He'd been watching what happened with Cain. He didn't watch his son often since him meeting Chloe Decker, worried that he'd be too tempted to intervene, something he knew his son would resent. However, he had to pay close attention when Cain went off the rails. He wanted to be ready to intervene if his son needed him. It almost came to that, but it didn't.
Chloe shuddered and took a step back.
"Do you know how you came to be in this world? I don't mean humanity in general. I mean you specifically. Do you know how you were specifically created and why?" God asked.
Chloe frowned. She didn't expect that question and she didn't know how to answer it. She was created the way everyone else was. Somehow that didn't seem like what God wanted to hear, so she shook her head.
"You weren't originally supposed to exist. You wouldn't have without intervention. John and Penelope Decker could not conceive children together. But being who I am, I can make nearly anything possible if I deem it necessary. I can certainly make it possible for a specific child to be born," God explained.
Chloe was floored, so much so that she didn't know how to respond. She never thought of a possibility of her not existing before. God had created her, and not just because he created all humanity. He made sure she was born.
"I sent Amenadiel down to bless your parents, so that they could have you," God went on.
"Why?" Chloe asked in disbelief.
"To help my son. I'm sure you can see the irony in that now, can't you? I was able to determine when he would leave Hell. I could see that he'd escape Hell one day, and that when he did, he would be pretty much lost to the darkness and bitterness. I wanted to find a way to pull him out of it, but nothing I did personally would help. I needed someone else. Someone who was different than anyone else he'd ever come across. Someone he couldn't charm. That was the best way to get his attention. He'd want to know why you were immune to his advances and why his power didn't work on you," God told her.
Chloe's head was spinning. She'd had no inkling of this. She wondered if Lucifer did. Did he know that his father had actually created her to meet him? To somehow help him? If he did know, she could only imagine that he was angry over it. He'd made it very clear how much he resented his father's manipulations. "What does this mean? That I was somehow made to be with Lucifer?"
"No. What you were or weren't meant to be to each other was between you and my son. I had nothing to do with how either of you felt. If I had, you wouldn't have been able to do what you did. I am telling you this because I am beginning to regret my choice to bring you into this world and to place you right in my son's orbit. I thought you'd help my son. You did that and then you betrayed him, inflicting more pain onto him. He would've been better off never laying eyes on you," God said coldly.
"I didn't know any of this!" Chloe cried.
"Why should you have to? You knew my son. At least you should've. He's never lied to you. He's never attempted to manipulate you. You've known him for years, yet you seemed to have disregarded everything you built with him. And now my child is actually physically a child again, and he's suffering! His wings were savagely sliced into! His small body was left radiating with agony for I don't even know how long!" God seethed.
"I didn't damage his wings," Chloe tried.
"You bear the responsibility!" God's voice boomed, causing the woman to flinch and take another step back. "You allowed yourself to be manipulated into betraying him! It is because of you that this happened! I once thought that Samael was a threat to humanity. I never once considered that you might be a threat to him!"
"I'm sorry. I didn't want to hurt him," Chloe said. It was the only thing she could say, and she knew it wasn't enough.
"I want the name of the priest who mutilated my child," God said, completely ignoring her apology.
"William Kinley," she said.
God scowled. He knew who William Kinley was. He had been bound for Hell not long after he'd taken his oath. That man had been committing terrible acts in his name for years, which God loathed as much as his son did. There were people in the world who thought they could get away with doing what they wanted by claiming that God or the Devil told them to or that they were doing their work. God made sure those people went straight to Hell, whether they felt enough guilt or not. He took a personal offense to people like William Kinley, and that was before the bastard had dared to harm his child. "William Kinley. Congratulations. I don't think it's possible to find a more despicable priest."
"I hate myself for what I did. I'll have to live with it forever," Chloe said.
"If I can't find a way to retrieve the part of my son that was stripped from him, that may not be true," God said in a menacing tone. He then silently sent for Amenadiel to return to him.
Amenadiel appeared carrying Samael seconds later. He set the boy down on his feet.
Samael was grinning widely. At least until he saw his father's face. He knew his father was angry. He wasn't talking, but Samael knew that look. It meant someone was in very big trouble. He just hoped it wasn't him. "Why are you angry, Dad?"
"It's nothing for you to concern yourself with, my son. I'm not upset with you. Did you have a good time with your brother?" God asked.
Samael grinned once more. "Yeah! Dad, I can fly now. Amenadiel just showed me how. It was great!"
God wasn't thrilled that Amenadiel had done that on Earth. Anything could happen down here, and Samael had no experience flying by himself. But he wasn't going to take this moment away from his son. It was very exciting for an angel to master flying for the first time. "Did you? Well, that is wonderful. I told you that you just had to be patient and that you'd figure it out in time."
"Michael can't tease me about it anymore. I can't wait to tell him! And Mum. Can we go home now? I want to tell Mum," Samael said excitedly.
God cringed. That was a can of worms he really hoped he would not have to open. He did not want to explain to his son that his mother was gone. He was just a little boy right now. He could not understand the things his mother had done. God supposed he could bring his wife back, but he wouldn't. He didn't trust her to be around Samael. She wasn't like she used to be. "I'm afraid you're going to have to stay here a while longer. I have something I need to take care of."
"You're leaving? But you said you wouldn't," Samael said with a crestfallen look on his face.
God walked closer to him and knelt down to his level. "I said I wasn't leaving you, and I'm not. I will not be gone very long. I just need to handle something and then I will be back."
"But you said we'd talk."
"I know, and we will. For now, I will say that I'm sorry I wasn't here for you when you needed me. It wasn't because I was angry with you. I just didn't know you were in trouble until Amenadiel came to tell me. I came for you as soon as I knew," God explained.
"I thought you were trying to teach me something, or that I did something wrong," Samael said.
"No, Samael. You are not to blame for anything that is happening right now, and I would never teach you anything by letting someone hurt you as that man did. No one will ever get the chance to harm you again," God promised.
Samael nodded and hugged his father.
God hugged his son tightly, rubbing his back a bit. He had to admit, he missed having his son in his arms like this. It had been a very long time since he'd been able to do this.
Samael pulled away after a minute. "Are we going to go home once you're done."
"I will take you home as soon as I can if that's what you want," God swore. He meant that no matter how this worked out. If he was successful in restoring his son to the way he was, he would gladly bring him home. Punishing him the way he did had been a failure, and it was over. He should've known better than to deviate from his normal form of punishment anyway. "Amenadiel is going to stay with you until I return."
"Can we go flying again?" he asked with an excited glint in his eye.
"No, not right now," God said. If he managed to fix this after dealing with Kinley, he did not want his son in the air.
"But, Dad…"
"I said no, Samael. I don't want any arguments. I'm sure there are plenty of fun things you can do on the ground," God said in a firm tone.
Samael reluctantly nodded. He knew his father wasn't going to change his mind when he used that tone, and arguing would only get him into trouble.
"I'll be back soon. You behave for your big brother. I want glowing reports," God said.
Samael gave his father a cheeky grin. "Of course, Dad. I'm an angel."
God returned the grin before standing up straight. "Uh huh."
Samael ran off to go sit down.
"Amenadiel, stay with him. I'm going to deal with the priest. I don't want your brother left alone with Chloe Decker for any reason," God said firmly.
"Yes, Father," Amenadiel said. He had no intention of doing that anyway.
God turned and glared at the detective. "Detective Decker, you and are not finished."
Chloe shifted uncomfortably.
"Oh, and, Amenadiel, I keep forgetting to tell you congratulations on your son," God said.
"My s…son?" Amenadiel asked in shock. He knew he was having a child, but he didn't know it was a boy.
"Yes. I suppose I just ruined the surprise," God said before disappearing.