Chapter Three
He felt him before he saw him.
Fury, the likes of which he'd only felt from his serpent once in their long lives, burned through his infernal aura. It flared, violent and angry, grieving against his own and he was on his feet before they even made it inside.
Even Adam seemed to feel it, his eyes flashing red in response to the demon's fury, his brow furrowing in worry.
"Crowley?"
His infernal lover entered the room, long scarlet curls flickering like the flames they were always so likened to, topaz eyes blazing just as fiercely. Behind him, Warlock and Ella were huddled close, the concern in their expression telling.
You see, as long as the kids had been around them, Crowley had always tried to keep them from seeing his darker side. To them, he was their mischievous Uncle Tony, Aziraphael taking the role of the more serious uncle. He was the uncle they went to for advice while Crowley served as the uncle they went to for fun and adventure. He was firm in his rules, but his rules and everyone else's were two very different things.
This said, they'd never seen him so angry.
None of them had…
Reaching forward, Aziraphael tried to grab his husband, but the man avoided his hand, turning that burning glare on the angel before it softened.
"Angel…"
Alarm welled in the principality as tears welled in his love's eyes and with nary a thought, he swept the demon into his arms, turning his bewildered gaze onto his godchildren.
"What happened?"
Warlock scowled, lips curling into a snarl that was so like Crowley's that in any other situation the angel would've been proud.
As it were, is alarm only grew, especially with the words that left the boy's mouth.
"We met Lucifer."
Adam paled, his eyes flashing once more, while Ella frowned.
"It's not- he's my friend!" She protested, and Aziraphale frowned, so she continued. "I thought he was a method actor until tonight…he doesn't feel evil like Mom described in the stories and he gives great hugs."
Anathema went to speak, but to everyone's surprise Crowley spoke first, voice softer than they'd ever heard it.
"That…that wasn't Lucifer, not as history portrays him or as madness drives him. That was Samael, albeit more jaded than the Morningstar should ever be. Amenadiel and The Goddess are here as well."
His angelic lover froze, while Newt frowned. "I've never heard of an angel named Amenadiel before. Even when Ana told me about Mrs. Nutter's prophecies and explained all of this."
The demon shook his head. "You wouldn't have. He has been in Hell since the fall, tasked with guarding hell so that Lucifer could not escape. His name was struck from human history when he was Tasked with fragging Mo- the Goddess to Hell. In the case that she escaped, Fa- God thought it would keep him safe."
His husband frowned, turning the demon in his arms.
Despite what humans believed, not all Angels called the Creator and his Wife by the human titles of Mother and Father. Most called them Lord or Mistress, depending on who they were speaking to. Only the elder Angels, and the Seraphs called them as such, a habit that he knew had never left even the Fallen. Even Lucifer still called them Mother and Father, despite having Fallen long ago.
More so, very few knew the Goddess had been gone from Heaven.
Who exactly had his husband been before falling?
"Why were we never told this? How do you know this?"
His lover hummed, golden eyes distant. "I was there. I Fell just before she did and when she joined us in Hell, I thought-" He cut himself off with a self-depreciating snort.
"Well, doesn't really matter what I thought, does it? All she would speak of is Samael. He'd gone mad during the Fall, the burning of his Grace and his body seemed to rip all sense from him and upon landing, I tried to help him. To heal him. He nearly killed me, so I ran away. His dearest Lieutenants started calling me 'Crawly' because I could only barely move. They sent me up to create some trouble, so I did. Amenadiel never knew I Fell. She wiped my very existence from memory of everyone but the Seraphs and the Archangels."
"Charlotte?" Ella asked, remembering his volatile reaction to the woman who had become a friend to her over the past few months. Her uncle shrugged, but the fury in his eyes suspiciously absent.
"Is that what she's going by now." He deadpanned and she nodded despite herself. Ana stood, placing a hand on her friend's shoulder.
"It's getting late. Let's head to bed and think about all this tomorrow. I'm sure Agnes would've told us if another apocalypse was afoot."
Nodding the demon sagged in his husband's hold, closing his eyes wearily. To absolutely none of their surprise, moments later, the angel had a large serpent draped over his shoulders. A fond smile curled the blonde's lips before he turned to his goddaughter.
"I am accompanying you to work tomorrow, my dear. I would like to meet this Lucifer myself. If he is who he says he is, we could all be in a lot of danger.
The young woman nodded, reluctant but hopeful.
As she'd once told Lucifer, she'd always felt like the Devil was misunderstood. She just hoped that she could show her Uncles that.
*/*
Raphael had Fallen.
Unlike Lucifer, he'd known that the Healer was no longer in Heaven, however hearing that he'd Fallen was…unimaginable.
Of all the Angels, he'd known the Healer the longest, for all that Lucifer was definitely his favorite. They'd been created within days of each other, both as Seraphs. They'd been The Firsts.
Raphael had been Light and Creativity, his touch gentle as he crafted stars and planets at their Father's side.
Amenadiel, he'd been Time and Temperance, kickstarting Time at their Mother's behest.
They'd grown together, nest mate's even as the others came along. They'd been the ones to teach the younger angels as Mother and Father's relationship grew strained, and he'd watched amazed as Raphael crafted earth in an attempt to soothe them.
None knew that the planet had been a "date resort" for their parents, an attempt by a desperate Angel to heal the rift growing between their parents.
How could they?
Raphael had demoted himself to Archangel in an attempt to stay close to the fledglings.
Only the Seraphim and the Gods knew different, Amenadiel included.
He thought back to the man he'd seen at Lux.
His hair was the same fierce scarlet it had always been, as untamed as its owner, but those eyes…
The eyes were what had made the change sink in.
Raphael's eyes had been a bright starburst of color, shifting swirls of reds and oranges ringed by glittering gold…but his demon form…
Those bold topaz eyes were almost heart wrenching to see set into that face, burning with rage and millennia of pain, but were no less expressive.
He sighed, turning his gaze to Lucifer, who was pacing in front of the bar, a frantic gleam in his eyes.
"We need to talk to him."
He winced at the words, remembering the way his now demonic brother had glared at them.
"He may not speak to us, Luci. He was furious."
"He Fell!" The younger celestial cried, and the pain in his voice was almost outweighed by the anger. "He Fell into my domain and I didn't- I never knew. He said we'd met before, but I- I don't remember."
Amenadiel frowned, thinking back to those early days, but their mother entered the room before he could grasp the thought lurking in the back of his mind.
"You wouldn't." She murmured subdued. "Raphael happened upon you shortly before the whole garden of Eden affair. You'd been driven mad from the pain of your Fall, Michael's betrayal…he never told me what exactly happened but from what I gathered you beat him nearly to death. When he could move, he could only crawl away from you so the demons named him Crawly. It was only after my arrival that he managed to heal you, but he never shared how."
Lucifer paled violently at her words, wanting to deny them and yet…
Yet suddenly, he could remember.
He could remember pleading amber eyes, a broken voice begging him to calm down, pleading for his mercy and understanding.
Could remember the blinding pain and red that had overtaken him because all he wanted was to give it to someone else, anyone else.
Worse, he could remember a warm smile, centuries later, visiting him in the throne room he'd locked himself in. Gentle hands running over his scarred head as their owner whispered soft reassurances and a choked cry of pain leaving said owner who fled moments later.
Could remember the clarity that followed and being told that the demon Crowley had vanished.
He could remember later being amused that the demon had been sleeping and had stayed so for over ninety years.
Worst of all, he remembered his brother sobbing as he promised to heal him, listening as he cried and took the same memories from him.
Unbidden, a sob escaped the former King of Hell's lips as the brunt of his sins hit him and he found himself praying that should he come before his brother again, the man would forgive him.
He doubted it.
*/*
Chloe was confused.
Since Lucifer had joined their department, she'd grown used to him confounding her, yet the night before was the first time in a long time that he done so and not even on purpose.
She'd watched the drama unfold between him, Ella's Uncle, and Charlotte and still it made no sense.
The pain in the red-haired man's eyes, the way he'd glared were so contradictory and yet…
Yet, seeing the look her partner was currently wearing she couldn't help but wonder what the hell was going on in his family.
Part of her was seriously beginning to think that he'd been telling the truth about his claims of being the devil, about immortality, but something was holding her back and she didn't know what.
"Aziraphael!" Lucifer's cry drew her from her thoughts, and she turned in the direction of his call to find Ella entering with another man. Clad in a tartan suit and a bow tie, his blonde curls forming a halo about his head, he reminded her of all the Sunday school paintings she'd seen of cherubs.
In fact, he looked almost the exact opposite of the man from the night before.
The man started at their informant's call, blue eyes flickering in the club owner's direction before they hardened slightly.
"So, I see. Anthony was right." He stepped forward, and something about him suddenly seemed a lot more dangerous.
"If you harm one hair on any of my family, Anthony included, Lord of Hell or Not, I will end you."
Lucifer flinched, and Chloe's felt her frown deepen.
"I'm not that man. Not anymore, I just want to talk."
Aziraphael stared at him for a long moment, then his grim expression softened into a warm smile.
"I see," he repeated, before turning to Ella who was beaming brightly.
"Text your Uncle. Invite him for lunch. Invite, Amenadiel as well."
She nodded rapidly, already texting and he chuckled indulgently, turning his attention back to a grateful Lucifer.
"This will be your only chance, Adversary. Use it wisely."
TBC…