CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

FAMILY


Linda can't shake the uneasy feeling itching under her skin that something is wrong; it lingers with her throughout the whole day. She already checked in on Chloe - and Lucifer. Double checked with Amenadiel, who reassured her that everything is okay, though even he didn't seem fully convinced. The more that she asked him, the more it seemed like Amenadiel shared her worries, despite trying to calm her down. In the end, it just made her worry more.

She only just started to put those worries away, tucked them deep enough as she went step by step on rationalizing the feeling before she went to bed, if anything to try to calm herself enough to sleep.

Ariel was with Carlisle - she texted early in the day on how thrilled she was about going to the farmer's market, sent her pictures of fruit and vendors even. Considering it was a newer, and passionate, relationship, not hearing from her after she said that she would be joining up with him soon is normal - they're probably too busy to stay in touch at the moment. Amenadiel is with her - he's fine - so is Charlie, who is currently asleep in his bedroom. Chloe and Lucifer already updated her multiple times that they're fine, though Linda declined Chloe's offer of coming over to help.

But then her phone went off and she stared at the screen with her heart in her throat, every inch of her just screaming that something is wrong - this is it.

Dr. Carlisle Cullen is calling.

And all those worries suddenly came back with a vengeance as she took the phone with shaking hands.

"-Dr. Linda, you don't know me, but I'm Alice, Carlisle's daughter."

Despite the higher pitched, melodic tone of voice, it does little to calm Linda. As much as she may be trying to hide it, Linda can hear the frantic, nervous, and tense undertone as she begins relaying a message that made all of her worries real.

"Ariel is hurt - very badly."

Alice's voice is heavy and she can tell that she is struggling to find the right words. She can hear something in the background - it sounds like Ariel's voice, but it is too faint for her to tell what she is saying.

"Carlisle has done what he can, but there is a possibility that her brothers may be able to do more for her than what he is able to. Our house is a mile to the north of Ariel's off the main road, please - hurry."

Alice's call is cut off suddenly as she ushers a brief thank you before no doubt, tending to Ariel. All Linda can do is stare back at her phone blankly, her mind processing the information as Amenadiel walks into the kitchen with a warm smile, arms outstretched to hold her before he stops short as she looks at him with frantic eyes.

"-Linda, what's wrong," his voice is firm and full of concern as Linda's eyes start building up with tears.

"-Ariel - Ariel's hurt."


Carlisle never leaves Ariel's side the moment that he gets finished hunting, replacing Alice who waited in his stead. He has to admit that he is not thrilled that Alice went behind his back to call Linda, but knowing Alice's intentions, it was hard to stay upset at her for it. He understands that Alice is simply trying her best to help him as much as she can; and having fed, he can understand why she was pushing for him to at least eat something before continuing. His mind feels clearer - calmer, more at ease - after indulging in his instincts to eat. It helps calm that beast that was still clawing at him, at least now he is starting to feel at least a bit more normal. A bit more together and ready to face the challenges ahead.

He only changes his blood stained clothes since he has to grab something for Ariel to wear after having torn her dress to tend to her wounds. He knows that whenever her brothers arrive, that at least having cleaner clothes would make him look like damning. But he changes Ariel first before himself, slowly tearing away at the rest of her dress.

She stirs when he changes her, waking slowly and still dazed, but she tries to help him as much as she can, as stunted as her movements are. She is at least able to stand when needed as she slips on one of the larger versions of Carlisle's button-up shirts. It's not a hospital gown, which would be easier to tend to her wounds, but it is the best that he can do while still making sure she is covered and comfortable with the shirt being put on backwards so that he could undo the buttons to tend to her injuries as needed and she mutters a thank you before she slips back into the bed, dazed and slightly confused.

Carlisle holds Ariel's hand tight, placing soft kisses to her knuckles as he listens to the sounds of her shallow breathing. Her eyes close quickly as she slips into an unconscious state. She would look almost peaceful if not for the bandages still peaked out from the edges of the collar. He's not sure if she can hear him, but he continues to whisper words of encouragement - stay with me, darling, you can do it.

Carlisle doesn't dare move until he hears the sounds of something coming at the house - not quite running, it lacks the solid footsteps of feet on the ground, more like a rushed wind before he finally hears something land outside of their house. As if a large bird has come to visit them; Ariel's wings briefly flash in his mind and he almost snorts at the unintended joke should her brothers have actually flown in.

He doesn't even need to check, he knows who it is. He knew that if Ariel's speed was anything to go by and Amenadiel's previously known protectiveness of her, that they would make their presence known quickly after receiving the call; or at the very least, Carlisle hoped so.

He presses a soft kiss to Ariel's forehead, whispering to her that he will be back before he disappears into the living room hoping to ease whatever chaos is about to come their way.


The chaos does come. It gives no warning and it comes too fast to properly react.

In a swift motion, before anyone can even answer the door, it is knocked back on its hinges as it flies to the wall as a towering and imposed figure enters. His large frame and noticed muscled figure makes them all nervous as Emmett immediately lights up at the potential of either fighting or sparring with someone who may be able to keep him on his toes in terms of strength. But the man doesn't look in the mood of any sort of games nor any taunting - Edward hears Emmett's thoughts and very quickly puts a hand out to signal for him not to say a word. Jasper can feel the intense anger radiating off the visitors; it hits him hard enough that his nostrils flare as he takes a step back as Alice tries to reign him in. The rest of the family is tense, ready to jump in at a moment's notice, as they wait for any signal from Carlisle.

The man's brows are furrowed, creating deep creases in his face. His eyes look dangerous, hooded and serious with a locked jaw. He looks at them each slowly, sizing each one of them up as he counts the equally unfamiliar faces before his eyes finally meet Carlisle's. The man's face is only familiar to Carlisle, who greets him calmly with a sad smile.

"Amenadiel and," Carlisle's voice is soft, unimposing and nonthreatening as he tries to raise his hands in a sign of peace, " - I'm sorry, I don't believe we've met? You must be Ariel's other brother."

Carlisle peeks around Amenadiel as another man saunters in, more casually but off putting. He looks less serious than his (assumed) brother, but just as intimidating with haunting eyes that seem to look through each one of them. Like Amenadiel, he sizes each one of them up with a cocky smirk, hands tucked into the pockets of his expensive trousers. He doesn't do anything to stop Amenadiel from lunging toward Carlisle before introductions are made; instead he steps between the rest of the family who all immediately react the moment that Carlisle is pinned to the wall by his neck.

"What did you do to my little sister," Amenadiel's voice is deep, wavering with emotion and as angry as he is, Carlisle can see the genuine worry deep in his eyes."You monster."

He doesn't fight Amenadiel. He simply glances toward the rest of the coven, who are all ready to start a fight on his behalf and Ariel's other brother (he assumes it's the younger, club owner one she mentions so often - he certainly is dressed like he just came from a club). Ariel's younger brother seems just as ready to fight, edging them on with a wicked gleam in his eyes and unfaltering grin, his arms open as if daring them to even try to fight. Carlisle gives the coven a signal to stand down, nodding as much as he can with a hand gripped around his throat so tight that he can feel his skin starting to splinter.

Hesitantly, they listen, taking a step back and watching the scene uneasily. Ariel's younger brother watches them with mild annoyance and disappointment before glancing over toward Amenadiel and Carlisle. Unlike Amenadiel, the other brother looks at Carlisle very closely - as if he can see something that Amenadiel can't. He hums thoughtfully as he examines the guilt, the shame, and the understanding in Carlisle's eyes and it seems like a question is on the tip of his tongue before a startling voice cuts through the air like a vice.

"AMENADIEL. Let him go."

She doesn't scream it, she doesn't have the energy to. But Ariel's voice still booms throughout the room with a startling roar, with an unexpected power behind it that seems to shake all the anger out of the air as a gust of wind floods the room as her wings unfurl. Ariel leans against the door frame as much as she can, hunched over with wheezing breaths, looking just as tired as before as her arms wrap around her midsection. Dark circles have settled just between under her eyes and the light sullenness of her cheeks; they create a stark contrast against her still too-pale and colorless still struggles to stand, but her wings still stretch out from the doorway to where Amenadiel stands in the living room.

Carlisle blinks at seeing the presence of the feathers again - white and gold speckled that are just as enchanting as when he first saw them are now pressed in between him and her brother with the tip of her wings grazing Amenadiel's cheek just hard enough to light cut into his skin while her other wing stretches in between her other brother and the rest of the coven as a way to separate them. Carlisle barely processes the presence of her wings before his eyes snap toward her with concern - and hope - and then, and only then - does he start to try to break free from Amenadiel, just to get to her.

The Cullens don't say a word - too stunned as they blink in shock, taking an unexpected step back at the sudden wings that part them from the other man. Edward's mind swirls with assumptions and ideas that may or may not be true as his eyes become stressed. Rosalie mutters that they would have won as she crosses her arms tightly against her chest, getting over the sudden reveal faster than the rest of her family. Emmett only beams at the sight of wings, his eyes lighting up with excitement - questions about how fast she can fly already in his throat before Rosalie nudges him to calm down. Alice reacts more positively than her mate, who looks worried about the change of the situation. She grins wildly as her mind immediately thinks of the bright light always present around Ariel and how now - if what she is thinking is correct- that it makes sense. She practically buzzes with excitement and joy.

Amenadiel does as Ariel asked, his eyes narrowing at the presence of her wings before he drops Carlisle carelessly. The other brother pouts and mutters about wanting to punish someone, but Carlisle just runs toward her as her wings disappear as soon as they appeared. She collapses the moment that he gets to her, but he catches her before she reaches the ground. Carlisle doesn't acknowledge the presence of anyone else in the room, focusing simply on checking Ariel over and whispering soft reassurances as he scoops her up in his arms. She only protests lightly when he settles her down on the couch.

"I told you that he wouldn't have done anything to her," Carlisle catches the other brother whispers to Amenadiel as he scoffs, "Look at the way at them and tell me you don't see it."

Amenadiel still doesn't seem as convinced, watching carefully as Carlisle puts Ariel onto the couch. His arms are folded against his chest with his shoulders pressed back. The other man scoffs, muttering about how he'll prove it then. Carlisle glances up to see him sauntering over with a same cocky grin, his eyes staring at him intently.

"What is that you ~desire~, Dr. Cullen?"

The question is odd - out of the blue, off putting, but simple. Harmless. Yet it rings in Carlisle's ears and reaches down into his throat, as the man's voice is pulling the answer out from somewhere deep in Carlisle's soul. Carlisle fights it for a moment - he knows this feeling, he's felt things similar when he's talked with Aro - something that catches the man's attention as well as Ariel's. She glances at him with a cocked, questioning brow and an interested smile. It's that smile that makes Carlisle give in as he answers the question.

"I just want her to be okay. Alive. Happy. Loved." Carlisle's voice is soft, the sincere deep honesty that drips from each word that falls from his lips firmly, "Always."

His answer seems to pacify the man, who grins wildly as he takes a step back and looks back at Amenadiel as if to say I told you so. Amenadiel sighs deeply as he finally relaxes his stance, begrudgingly accepting the answer. The man claps his hands, pleased, before the grin on his face turns into something more vicious as he looks over each of the coven members and his sister's condition.

"Good - now that that's out of the way - who did this and where can I find them?"

There's a dangerous gleam in his eyes; a predatory look of unfaltering confidence and vengeance, his voice as sharp as a dagger. The rest of the coven share uneasy glances, unsure if they should disclose what happened, but it is Carlisle who meets her brother's gaze evenly. Ariel reaches out and though her grasp on Carlisle's hand is weak, it is still present and gives him the confidence he needs to continue.

"He's dead." Carlisle states firmly. "I found him digging into Ariel's back with a knife and I took care of it, myself."

The man seems pleased with the answer, nodding along with understanding as Amenadiel takes a step forward with concern.

"Digging into her back," Amenadiel questions and he looks toward Ariel in hopes that she can give him the answers that they need. His eyes glimmer with concern as he finally takes in just how bad her current state is - to the loss of color in her sunken cheeks, the wheezing underlying her breathing and the bandages that peek out from what he assumes is one of Carlisle's shirts.

Ariel simply solemnly nods, "Father Briar. He worked with Kinley. I guess Kinley had more of that stuff than we thought, I think Briar snuck it into my wine when I was at the market."

Her voice is soft and weak. It takes a lot out of her to say so much at once so fast, but she continues after taking a small break to catch her breath. Carlisle continues to watch her with both concern and growing confusion as she explains the situation; but he bites his tongue, withholding his questions. His questions can get answered later - when she is better.

"I hit the ground, woke up in the forest and he wouldn't stop babbling about taking my wings off himself so he could get his spot back at the Vatican."

She rolls her eyes, but her expression shifts when Carlisle squeezes her hand and she sees the uneasy worry in his eyes. She gives him a soft smile as her brothers take in the information quickly, with the youngest of them being the first to comment.

"Kinley," he mutters thoughtfully, "I thought that stupid bloke didn't have any followers left - what did he use? Not one of Maze's knives, I hope."

Ariel shook her head negatively, not recognizing the blade as one of Mazikeens. Her answer makes both of her brothers frown; at least if it was one of Maze's, they may have had a chance at getting an explanation on who gave the knife to Briar (or who it was stolen from). With it not, there are a lot of questions that arise (some more important than others), about where the knife really came from and how Briar got a hold of it.

Ariel leans back, closing her eyes as she takes in a deep breath as she thinks about the knife before she shoots up from the couch with wide eyes. She mutters about the knife as she realizes that she isn't sure if they were able to retrieve it or not, a foggy confusion in her voice. Carlisle calms her immediately, ushering her back down as he explains that the knife has been placed in his office for safe keeping, but that he can show them the item after things have calmed down.

"Well I suppose that's it then," the overly confident man clasps his hands together, "Our dear sister is alive, I'm sure that this Briar bloke is being tortured eternally in Hell, we got the knife. I can always pop down for a quick spell to visit the dear old priest for a chat. Only leaves one thing."

The man grins as he bows elegantly toward the Cullens, "I never even introduced myself. Lucifer, Lucifer Morningstar."

Ariel winces when she sees the varying instant reactions from the Cullens - ranging from skepticism to realizations. While the deep settled concern in Edward's eyes catches her attention the most - noting the guilt in them - her eyes glance toward Carlisle. Carlisle doesn't have a vivid reaction unlike the rest of his family. He just seems to accept the information through tired eyes, his grip on Ariel's hand never falters. Instead, his thumb continues to rub circles on the back of her hand as he hums thoughtfully.

He thinks about what he knows, his past knowledge as a priest; he thinks about the research he's dug into while trying to figure her out. He couldn't make too many connections - too many leaps of faith without proof - but now as he looks back on all that he knows, he realizes that he's accepted that she would be an angel farther back than he realizes. That somewhere deep down, he knew, but had let his logic try to reason everything away. It is the only thing that suits her though; nothing else could quite capture the radiance she brings him and the light in her eyes as well.

He knew that if she were an angel - the implications it brings for him, his family, and the truth about things that he supposes they should have never known in life - that it would mean, by extension, that her brothers would be as well. The devil is a shocking surprise, but it is one that passes quickly. He remembers his time as a priest - he remembers the stories of Lucifer's fall and the past he had as an angel. That would still make him one of Ariel's siblings.

He may not know him or his intentions, both of which to a degree worry him. But all of Ariel's praise toward her younger brother comes back to the front of his mind and he settles down into his spot beside her. He cannot trust Lucifer - not fully, not immediately - but he does trust Ariel.

"The devil," Carlisle mutters softly, "Yes, I suppose that would make sense, wouldn't it? I suspect that the two of you really are angels then?"

Carlisle glances toward Ariel. The way that she can't seem to look him in the eyes makes his heart tighten in his chest as a dark flush of shame spreads across her cheeks. Amenadiel sighs deeply as Edward looks between his father (who is seemingly accepting it rather well) toward Lucifer and then toward Ariel, his mind spinning not only with his own questions, but the screaming questions from his siblings as well; their thoughts being so loud that they blend in with his own. Rosalie seems more skeptical, eying the situation as it plays out while Emmett looks thrilled as he mutters about almost throwing down with the real devil. Jasper is understandably the most tense - his eyes wide with a brief sense of panic as he thinks of his regret for his part, not just for the lives he took, but for being on the wrong side of the war. Alice isn't much better off, though still thrilled at the idea of Ariel being an angel, she glances toward Lucifer with caution and sticks close to Jasper's side as he wraps a tight arm around her.

"The Devil," Edward takes a tentative step forward, his face creased with deep worry as he dares to be the first of his siblings to speak - to question it. As skeptic as he wants to be about it, he can see the truth in Lucifer's eyes. When he tries to poke through Lucifer's mind - it's not any easier than it was to look through Ariel's.

Lucifer's grin grows, though his brows furrow in confusion,"Of course, who else would I be?"

He turns on his heels sharply toward Ariel, almost accusingly and hurt, "Ariel, did you really not tell them anything?"

His tone is only mildly accusing as the deep flush settling on Ariel's cheeks makes her answer obvious, "I - I never got around to it, no."

"Out of all the ways for this to come out," Amenadiel mutters, shaking his head in disappointment. "What am I doing to do with you?"