Lucifer was standing at the bar in his penthouse pouring himself a drink when he heard his phone ring. He grabbed it and looked at the caller ID to see that it was the detective. He was about to answer it when he heard a voice behind him.
"We need to talk, son."
Lucifer turned to see his father. "Dad? I thought we weren't meeting until the weekend." They'd decided to meet for drinks on Friday and talk, as Linda had suggested. They were still a few days away from that, so he was surprised to see his father.
"Yes, and I would still like to do that, but you and I need to have a conversation now," God said in a slightly stern tone.
Lucifer couldn't help the step back he took at his father's tone. Since they began speaking again, his father had not used that tone with him, and it made him nervous to think about what it could mean.
God sighed as he watched his son backtrack. He hated that he'd screwed up so badly that his son was frightened of being punished. God was going to have to work hard to make up for what he'd done. For a moment, it made him consider backing down, but he decided against it. Lucifer needed to know that he could be upset with him without a harsh punishment resulting from it. Even if they fixed their relationship, they weren't always going to get along. They would fight and disagree from time to time. That had to be okay. "I'm not here to punish you, son, but I need you to understand that it is not alright to keep things from me in an attempt to manipulate me."
"I didn't," Lucifer said, immediately denying the accusation.
"William Kinley," was all God said.
Lucifer cringed a little. Yes, he had hid that from his father, and he hoped it would work until at least his father decided to leave humanity be, so he supposed his father had a point, but Lucifer didn't see it as a big deal. He didn't lie, and the situation had been handled. "It's not a big deal."
"I disagree entirely. That man tried to kill you, and if your detective friend had not backed out, he might have succeeded," God said.
Lucifer's eyes widened as he realized that his father knew about what the detective had done too. That was something he'd hoped the man would never learn about. The fact that he had meant that the detective might be in danger. "She's sorry for what she did. Don't hurt her!"
God sighed. "Relax. As much as I don't think the woman deserves your loyalty, I have no intention of harming her. I know that she's sorry. I saw that in her eyes myself."
"You met the detective?" Lucifer asked in disbelief.
"Yes. That is how I found out about all of this. She saw fit to explain herself to me, which I also took into consideration after I found out," God said. He knew it had taken a lot of courage for Chloe Decker to confess to him, likely knowing how furious he already was with humanity. She didn't have to explain herself to him. She could've continued to try to hide it. The fact that she didn't earned her a very small amount of respect.
Lucifer gaped in shock. What had the detective been thinking. He specifically told her that he never intended for his father to find out about that whole mess because he knew he'd be furious. Didn't she have any self-preservation at all? She was lucky he didn't smite her on the spot.
"I do wish I had heard it from you. You've tried several times to speak to me on the subject of humanity, but you never once mentioned that yet another human had sought to harm you," God said in a stern tone.
"It didn't matter. He had been stopped. Please, Father, don't end humanity over this. All humans shouldn't be judged over Kinley," Lucifer said.
"No, we're not discussing that now. I am nowhere near the mindset where I can discuss humanity's fate. It is taking everything I have not to bring you home right now and lock the damned gates for your own safety," God said. He couldn't deny being more than a little tempted. The only thing that stopped him was that he knew that would only cause his child more pain, and he refused to allow that.
"Dad, I'm fine. Nothing happened," Lucifer said. He actually felt a bit good knowing that his father seemed so concerned, but he didn't want the man to do anything drastic.
God sighed and eyed a bottle of whiskey sitting on the bar. "Do you mind?"
Lucifer shook his head and went to poor his father a glass. He handed it to him and then picked up his own glass and took a large sip.
"Thank you," God said before taking a sip of his drink. "You do not get to keep it a secret when someone is targeting you. I need to know."
"This isn't like with Adam and Eve. I'm not a child anymore. I can protect myself," Lucifer said with a bit of indignation in his voice.
"It doesn't matter. I don't care if you're billions of eons old. It will always be my job to protect you. I couldn't protect you from Adam and Eve, but that is not a mistake I will allow to happen again. Do you understand?" God asked.
"Yes, but it's okay now. Kinley is in jail," Lucifer assured him.
"Not according to Chloe Decker. I imagine she didn't tell you because she hoped to save you from having to deal with it. She says that William Kinley was released and expressed his intent to come after you," God said.
Lucifer took that information in. Things made a little more sense now. That's why the detective had gone to his father. She figured he would be able to easily stop Kinley. Still, Lucifer would've preferred she come to him first. He also didn't like that she was trying to shield him from the information. He didn't need protection. "I can handle him, Father."
"I will handle him. There is no other option," God said in a tone that booked no room for argument.
Just then, they both heard the elevator. Lucifer turned and laughed when he saw who it was. William Kinley had just stepped inside his penthouse. "Well, you have impeccable timing, don't you? This is certainly going to be interesting."
"Lucifer. I suppose Chloe told you that I'd been released. I'd hoped she'd have come to her senses by now and seen you for what you are. I fear for that poor woman's soul, but hopefully I can stop you before you've completely destroyed her," Kinley said as he moved closer to the Devil.
Lucifer only laughed harder. He could see his father getting more and more angry next to him, only adding to his amusement. This idiot priest was practically asking to be smote and he didn't even know it yet. "Oh, Father, I believe you just might come to regret your release. You may have been safer in prison."
"Threatening me? Showing your true colors finally. I'm not afraid of you," Kinley said..
"Oh, I'm not threatening you," Lucifer said as he continued to chuckle before taking a step forward.
God placed a hand on his son's shoulder and pulled him back, all the while staring coldly into the eyes of William Kinley. He doubted there was anything this human could do at this moment to harm his son, but he didn't think Adam and Eve had had the power to hurt him either, which was why this man would not be leaving here today.
"Sir, you don't want to do that. This man is very dangerous," Kinley warned the man standing with the Devil.
Lucifer laughed again. Perhaps he shouldn't find it quite so humorous that a human was mere moments from finding himself eradicated from existence, but he'd been humanity's punching bag since almost the beginning of time. He felt a bit of satisfaction that one of the worst of them would pay for that. Plus, he loathed this man for the way he used the detective and played on her fears. "I assure you. He needs no protection from me."
"Oh, the world needs protection from you. You are a monster!" Kinley said.
That was the moment God saw red. He was furious before but that this man had the audacity to call his son a monster was the last straw. The walls began to vibrate with his rage, and a large thunderbolt could be heard outside. "What did you just say to my son?"
"Oh, Dad, don't destroy my house in a fit of anger please. Some of this stuff is priceless," Lucifer whined.
Kinley's eyes widened in horror, and he stepped backwards. "N…no. It's im…impossible!"
God stalked forward towards the pathetic human. "The gall of you people astounds me! You dare call my child a monster after the atrocities your race has committed!"
"N…no. He…he's the Devil. He belongs in Hell. You commanded it," Kinley said. He could hardly believe he was standing in front of God, but it was hard to dispute with the earthquakes and storm happening right now. No other being could have such power. What he didn't understand what how the Lord could take up for the Devil. He was the definition of evil. Had God been tricked somehow. Was that the evil Kinley had feared for so long?
"I punished my son harshly for something that wasn't truly his doing, and that is none of your concern!" God snarled.
"He…he will release evil in the world. There is a prophecy," Kinley said in trembling tone.
"You dare speak of evil? You humans have created more evil than any other being! Did you know that things like murder and rape didn't exist until you people created them?"
Kinley shook his head. "That is the Devil's fault. He temps us and lies."
"My son has never told a single lie in his life! He has no capacity for it," God said.
"No. He has tricked you sir," Kinley said.
Lucifer, meanwhile, poured himself another drink and went and made himself comfortable on the couch, as if what was happening was the most normal thing in the world. "You really have no self-preservation, do you?"
God slammed Kinley against the wall and held him there with one hand on his chest. "The arrogance of you humans astounds me! I should write you off as failed experiment and do away with all of you, and I just might! If so, you will be the first. You people will not harm my child again!" God said.
Kinley gasped. He felt like his chest was being crushed. Then it felt like his insides were burning.
God watched as William Kinley slowly began to smoke and turned to ash. By the time he was done, there was no sign the man had ever been there, other than burn marks embedded in the wall.
"That's never going to come out, you know," Lucifer complained.
God waved his hand over the wall, and it was fixed immediately. "Happy?"
"Thank you. Another drink."
"I'd appreciate it," God said.
Lucifer got up to make his father another drink as though nothing had happened.