Bishop Hoffman arrived at St. Monica Church about 4:30 PM, about a half-hour before the Decker/Morningstar nuptials were scheduled to start. He first stopped by Father Ramirez's office, to make sure his priest was not overly upset at the way his church had been co-opted at the last minute for a wedding ceremony involving non-Catholics who were to be married by somebody other than himself.
"Your Excellency," Father Ramirez said with sincere warmth, "A pleasure to see you. I assume you are here because of the … unusual … wedding ceremony that is scheduled to take place this afternoon?" He offered his Bishop a cup of coffee, which was gratefully accepted with a smile of thanks.
"Indeed, Esteban," Hoffman replied. "I thought I would drop by to witness the ceremony, if you don't mind."
"Not at all, Your Excellency. In fact, I had thought to check-in on the couple myself, in a few minutes."
"Then we are of the same mind in this regard."
"I understand we have much to atone for with this couple, do we not?"
Hoffman sighed. "Indeed, we do, I'm afraid. Terrible acts were committed in the name of the Church, by a fanatic Priest named Kinley. He was ex-communicated, but the spiritual side of justice was barely noticed by the two innocents in his machinations, who are the bride and groom today." He paused. "I feel strongly that we must try to make what amends we can. And I do very much appreciate your willingness to assist in this by … overlooking … certain irregularities."
"Of course, Your Excellency." Ramirez took a breath. "The man's name—'Lucifer Morningstar'—is quite unusual, is it not?"
Hoffman nodded. "Just the name was part of the problem. Kinley was convinced that the man was Satan, himself. He was convinced that Satan had left Hell and was living in Los Angeles under the name Morningstar. As if Satan would draw such attention to himself!" He paused. "Not to mention deciding to assist the LAPD in solving homicides. No, Kinley never could explain why the Devil had dedicated his suddenly mortal life to crime-solving for the LAPD." He shook his head. "The poor man was so convinced he was right that he resorted to murder just to try to prove the rightness of his cause to others. And he tried to induce Ms. Decker to murder her partner, Mr. Morningstar! Such a terrible tragedy."
Father Ramirez shook his head as well. "How tragic! I will pray for Father Kinley's soul. And I will pray that Ms. Decker's faith in the Church is restored."
"I know you will, Esteban. And I thank you for those prayers. I will pray as well."
They left Father Ramirez's office and walked to the narthex. When they arrived, they were met by two women. One had dark skin and fierce eyes, and the other was fair-skinned with large innocent eyes. The dark-skinned woman was wearing black leather pants and a red blouse, while the fair-skinned woman was wearing a red dress with a black belt. They seem to be nicely color-coordinated, Hoffman thought.
"Hey, you two!" the dark-skinned woman said sharply. "Private ceremony. No admittance."
"I'm Bishop Hoffman, and this is Father Ramirez. This is his church. We're here to represent the Church as witnesses."
The two women looked at each other and, after a moment of consideration, shrugged. The dark-skinned one said, "Okay. Whatever. Just … just be cool. Okay? No sermons; no holy water games. No speaking in tongues. Got it?"
They nodded. Bishop Hoffman felt compelled to engage these two in a bit more conversation. "And you are-?" he said.
"I'm Maze. Mazikeen. This is Eve, my partner."
"Ah, partners … as in romantic partners?"
"Hell, yeah. You got a problem with that?"
"My Church does, Ms. … Mazikeen. However, I do not."
"Whatever. It's not like I'm seeking your approval, anyway. I don't take advice on sex from people who are celibate. Or who are supposed to be."
The fair-skinned woman said, "Maze, don't worry about it. It's a Church thing. All they know is what they've been taught."
The woman's words caught Hoffman's attention. "Ah, Ms. … Eve, was it? Are you saying that the teachings of the Catholic Church are somehow lacking?"
She smiled at him. "Bishop Hoffman, I'm sure that you and Father Ramirez here are good men. And I don't want to offend either of you. Let's just say that there is more in Heaven and Earth than is dreamt of in your philosophy."
"Hamlet, Act I, Scene 5," Father Ramirez muttered.
The woman smiled. "Yes, and what Will was saying is that humans, by their nature, are limited by their senses. All you know is what you perceive, and what you perceive is so limited! The celestial realm is so much more than what you can perceive, and hence what you've been taught!"
Hoffman nodded. "Well, I don't suppose this is the time or place for a theological debate on the topic, Ms.-?"
"Eve. Just Eve."
"Very well, Eve. I look forward to meeting you ag—"
At that moment a large man in some sort of vaguely Greek or Roman costume walked up to the women. He nodded and said, "I'm here, as promised. What's next?"
Mazikeen said, "Raphael. Great. Glad you could make it. You need to sit on the groom's side, over on the right."
"On the right. Got it. But what's a groom?"
Mazikeen rolled her eyes. "Lucifer is the groom and Chloe is the bride. Okay?"
"Uh, yeah. Okay. I sit on the right side, which is the Lucifer side. And then what?"
Bishop Hoffman and Father Ramirez looked at each other in disbelief. This man—Raphael—apparently had never been to a wedding before. They listened to the Maze woman as she filled the man in on what to expect. It was as if she were talking to a child.
"First, you sit. Then there will be some music. Then Chloe will walk down the aisle. When Chloe walks, you stand up. Stay up until Amenadiel tells you to sit back down. Then Amenadiel will say some words, and Chloe and Lucifer will say some words. Then they will kiss. Then you stand up again and Amenadiel will say 'Mr. and Mrs. Morningstar' or 'Mr. and Mrs. Deckerstar,' or whatever he says, and then people will clap. You can keep clapping as they walk out of the church."
"Sounds like a lot to remember. I hope this ceremony thing doesn't take too long. When do we start drinking?"
"We have a bus to take you to Lux, where the reception—the wedding party—will be."
"A bus? Like a human bus with wheels that go round and round?"
"Yeah, how else do you think you'll get there?"
"Same way I got here, I'll—"
Maze interrupted him firmly. "No. No you will not. Remember the deal. While you're here, you do things the way that humans do them."
Raphael nodded. "I remember. It's just so … inefficient. And smelly, too."
"Eve, why don't you escort Raphael to his seat?"
"Good idea."
Bishop Hoffman just shook his head. What kind of people were coming to this … this circus … of a wedding ceremony? He looked at Father Ramirez, who was perhaps having the same thoughts and misgivings that were assailing him at the moment. "I think … I think we should go inside as well," he said, weakly.
"Yeah, you two better get inside," Mazikeen said. "And make sure you sit way in the back, as far away from the other guests as possible. Unless you want more debates about theology. And trust me: most of the other guests aren't going to be as patient or understanding about your limited viewpoints as Eve is."
#
"You'll sit next to me," Penelope told Eddie. Eddie was wearing a new suit and tie—one that Mom had helped him pick out at Barneys NY—and he didn't feel at all comfortable sitting on a pew next to Trixie's grandma. Still, better to sit next to her than next to one of the assorted strangers who were scattered in the pews behind him.
The three of them had arrived early—very early—so that Trixie could get ready. He'd given her the red rose corsage that Mom had picked out. She gave him a big smile in return and told him that she loved it. She'd put it on her wrist, and promised to wear it during the ceremony. After that, she'd disappeared into a back room, along with her mom and somebody named Linda, to finish their putting on their makeup and to get dressed. Since then, he'd been playing games on his phone, just to have something to do.
He was glad the ceremony was about to start, because he'd gotten pretty bored. What could you do in a church? Not much, that was for sure. Now he was sitting next to Trixie's grandma in the front row, while people sat down behind him. He didn't know any of them, and he was starting to see why Trixie had asked him to accompany her. Trixie and he were going to be the only people younger than twenty at the wedding party. He could only imagine the kind of music the others were going to be dancing to …
And some of those strangers were, well, strange. There were only a few men in suits and ties, and only a few women in nice dresses. The rest were wearing some kind of cosplay outfits. He shook his head. Trixie warned me they were going to be weird. He could see a couple of priests in the very back row and, if he wasn't mistaken, they thought the other wedding guests were kind of weird as well. They kept looking around and whispering to each other, and then shaking their heads like they didn't believe what they were seeing.
"Don't stare, young man," Trixie's grandma said. "It's not polite."
He turned back around and watched the empty stage or altar, or whatever it was called. He watched a big black man in a nice suit and tie come up, accompanied by a tall man in a tuxedo. That must be Lucifer, Trixie's step-dad, he thought. Lucifer looked good, tall and well-built, with a permanent five o'clock shadow. There was a third guy who was dressed in some kind of toga. Another cosplayer, Eddie guessed. The three of them stood there, waiting. Eddie thought Lucifer looked nervous, but the black guy looked chill. The third guy just stood there without moving, like some kind of tree.
After a minute, the black guy nodded and some organ music started to play.
#
Lucifer paced back and forth, filled with nervous energy. I am about to be married! he thought. Marriage and family were foreign concepts to him. At least, they had been, until recently. Now he found he couldn't wait to start his new life with Chloe and Trixie. Soon they'd have their own house, one with a dedicated room to play games in—together!
His heart felt so filled with love and nervous energy that he thought he might burst.
"Ready, brother?" Amenadiel asked.
He couldn't speak, so he just nodded. He grabbed Zadkiel's arm to indicate it was time to go.
Zadkiel said, "I'm ready, Amenadiel." Then he had a thought. "Just to be clear, I walk with you two up to the front of this church, then I stand next to Lucifer until it's all over. I don't have to say or do anything else. Right?"
Amenadiel said, "That's exactly right."
Zadkiel sighed with relief. "Okay," he said. "Now I'm ready."
Together, they walked up to the altar. They stood there, side by side, for a minute, while they looked at the guests in the pews. Most of their celestial siblings were there. In the far back they saw two Catholic priests, probably there to safeguard their church. Amenadiel smiled. He always enjoyed being around men of faith.
After a minute, Amenadiel nodded to the organist. The sound of Handel's "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" began to fill the church.
#
Linda looked at Chloe and Trixie when she heard the music start, and said, "That's our cue."
"How do we look?" Chloe asked.
"You both look beautiful. I love your gown so much!"
Chloe smiled. "Thank you, Linda." She looked at Trixie. "Are you ready, Monkey?"
"Yeah, Mom," came the reply. "Let's do this!" She played with the corsage Eddie had given her, making sure it rode properly on her wrist.
They walked to the narthex and waited for "The Wedding March" to start.
#
Ella and Jerry sat on Chloe's side, two rows behind Penelope and a young man who must have been Trixie's date. Ella had nodded to some other members of the force as they'd walked into the church. Chloe was well represented today. And on Lucifer's side were his siblings, with diverse skin tones and each wearing different clothing. All angels, she thought. I'm surrounded by angels!
As they'd been seated, Jerry had started to say something about the guests on Lucifer's side of the aisle, but Ella had squeezed his hand to quiet him. "Just ignore them," she'd whispered. "Remember what I said yesterday." He nodded at her words, but he couldn't keep his head from swiveling around trying to make sense of all the costumes Lucifer's guests were wearing.
The organ music started and Linda came into the church. She sat down next to Ella and patted her hand. "They're all set," she said. "And they look beautiful."
#
"Finally, something traditional," Father Ramirez whispered to Bishop Hoffman, as the organ music started. "The Arrival of the Queen of Sheba" was always a popular choice, normally to be followed by Mendelshon's "The Wedding March," as the bride walked down the aisle.
Bishop Hoffman nodded, but didn't otherwise respond. He was having trouble focusing at the moment. His eyes kept looking at the guests on the groom's side of the aisle—the Morningstar guests. He counted about a dozen, each in a different costume. And they obviously knew each other. He had seen nods and handshakes, and a few hugs. He was fascinated by them, and he knew he was going to find an opportunity to engage in conversation with one or two of them after the ceremony was over.
The two women with whom he had already conversed came in and sat down across from he and Esteban, on the Morningstar side. Eve smiled but the Maze woman scowled and pointed at them with two fingers, meaning that she had her eyes on them, he supposed.
The bride—Detective Decker—and her daughter waited at the back of the church for the song to be over. The bride looked beautiful, he thought, as almost all brides did. But the bride today was radiating a certain confidence, a certain self-possession, that was rare, in his experience. He couldn't detect any signs of nervousness in her—in clear contrast to the groom, who was waiting for her on the altar, and who could barely restrain himself from pacing back and forth. He saw their eyes meet and the groom immediately smiled and steadied himself, as if just being in his bride's presence was a calming influence. Bishop Hoffman supposed that was a very good thing for the couple.
He wished he'd had a counseling session or two with them before the ceremony, as he would have done with other couples being married in the Church. But alas, there had not been sufficient time. And if he were being honest with himself, he doubted they would have agreed.
"The Wedding March" began, and the bride and her daughter walked slowly down the aisle toward the altar. Nobody was giving the bride away, which seemed a bit unusual, but perhaps not if this was her second marriage. He supposed her father had passed, may God have mercy on his soul.
All the guests stood, but Hoffman noticed that a couple had to be prompted by the ones sitting next to them. He saw at least one guest roll his eyes, as if standing for the bride was a ridiculous amount of effort. The bride and daughter reached the altar, and the groom—Morningstar—stood next to her in front of the officiant, who was a big black man dressed in a suit and tie.
While all eyes were focused on the front of the church, Hoffman noticed a man slip in and stand at the back of the church. He looked ready to flee at the slightest provocation. Hoffman didn't get much of a look, but the man looked … disfigured. His right shoulder seemed to be crippled. At least the strange man was properly dressed. Unlike many of the other guests, he wore a turtleneck and a sport coat.
While the guests sat back down, Bishop Hoffman motioned to the man, inviting him to sit next to him. The man hesitated, then accepted the offer. The motion must have caught the attention of the Maze woman, because she focused on the man and her eyes widened. She got up and moved toward him, as if to offer violence. But the other one—Eve—stopped her. Hoffman heard her quietly say, "Not in a church, Maze." Maze nodded reluctantly, then turned her attention back to the altar, where the officiant had begun to speak.
The man sitting next to him whispered in his ear. "Don't be afraid, Your Excellency. I'm not here for a fight; I'm just here as an observer."
"And you are?"
The man said, "Michael." Bishop Hoffman nodded. It was a common name. But he couldn't help but noticing how many of the guests had a single name. Raphael, Michael, Maze, Eve. Didn't they have any surnames?
Meanwhile, the officiant had joined the bride and groom's hands together and was addressing them on the altar.
"Chloe, Lucifer. You are here today to profess your love for each other. Love is a precious gift from our Father, and a wedding is a celebration of that gift. We are here today to witness your vows to each other, and to support you in keeping those vows. May the promises you make here today reflect your love for each other, and the sincerity of your intention for this union. When life is peaceful and when it is painful, may you continuously be reminded of the intention of the vows you make here.
"Just as the waters touch and nourish the many shores of the earth, may your love be a moving sea between the shores of your souls. Just as there will never be a morning without the ocean's flow, there will never be a day without your love for each other. The life that each of you have experienced until now, individually, will hereafter be inseparably united, for the two shall become one.
"Do you understand?" They both nodded.
"Lucifer Morningstar, in the presence of these witnesses and in this temple dedicated to the love of our Father, do you vow to love and cherish Chloe Jane Decker? Do you vow to respect and to support her dreams, to trust and always believe in her, to grow with her, to shelter her in times of trouble, to faithfully journey with her through the rest of your lives together? Do you solemnly promise to love her forever, with all of your heart?"
Lucifer said, "I do. I will. Forever."
"Chloe Jane Decker, in the presence of these witnesses and in this temple dedicated to the love of our Father, do you vow to love and cherish Lucifer Morningstar? Do you vow to respect and to support him, to trust and always believe in him, to grow with him, to shelter him in times of trouble, to faithfully journey with him through the rest of your lives together? Do you solemnly promise to love him forever, with all of your heart?"
Chloe said, "I do. I will. Forever."
"Your rings seal the vows of marriage and represent a promise for everlasting love. It is a physical manifestation of the promises joining the bride and groom together. Lucifer, please put your ring on Chloe's finger. Chloe, please put your ring on Lucifer's finger."
"Very good," Amenadiel said. Then he spoke to the church.
"Today we have gathered here to witness the formal union of Chloe and Lucifer. They have made their vows and exchanged rings to represent their promises to each other. We know that Adam and Eve didn't have a choice; they were made for each other and commanded by our Father to join together. However, these two today have a choice. And having free will, they have freely chosen to join together, to become one.
"Our Father is difficult to understand, his motives and plans often inscrutable to us. However, we all know that He blesses marriage and that those joined in marriage may continue to be joined after death, in Heaven. Therefore, we all know that the decision to marry is not one to be taken lightly, nor are the marriage vows to be taken lightly. I know that neither Lucifer nor Chloe has made the decision to enter into marriage before you today without a great deal of thought and intention. I know their commitment to each other is real and shall be everlasting.
"Chloe and Lucifer, you have expressed your love to one another through the commitment and promises you have just made. It is with these commitments and promises in mind, that I pronounce you husband and wife, under the Earthly authority of the Universal Life Church and Ministries.
"Lucifer, you may now kiss your bride. Chloe, you may now kiss your husband.
Ladies and gentlemen, I now present you Chloe Decker and Lucifer Morningstar, husband and wife!"
Hoffman heard Maze whisper loudly, "You clap now." And the guests did. He noticed that Michael offered a clap that was so slow and deliberate that it was close to being ironic. He was about to chastise the man, when Michael got up and slipped out of the church without a word. It seemed that only he and Maze saw the man depart.
#
"It was a beautiful ceremony, wasn't it?" Ella remarked to Jerry as they waited their turn to exit the church. "I thought Amenadiel did a great job!"
Jerry nodded. "Absolutely. You say this was his first wedding ceremony? 'Cause I thought the guy nailed it."
Ella smiled, "He's always been a pretty spiritual guy."
"And you say he's going to the Police Academy?"
She nodded. "Yep. Soon to be Police Officer Amenadiel."
"What's his last name, anyway?"
She hesitated. "Uh, he doesn't have one, as far as I know."
"What, like Madonna?"
"Yep. Amenadiel. Like Madonna."
"Weird," he replied. "And speaking of weird—"
"Hold that thought," she said quickly. "At least until we're out of the church. Okay?"
"Okay. Fine. But all I'll say is that I'm glad you warned me."
They reached the narthex and Ella noticed two Catholic clergymen sitting in the last pew. One had on a cassock, marking him as a Bishop. She stopped and said to the Bishop, "Greetings, Your Excellency. Thank you for letting us use your church."
The Bishop smiled. "I'm Bishop Hoffman, and this man next to me is Father Ramirez, the priest of this church." He paused. "And you are?"
"I'm Ella Lopez, Your Excellency. And this is Jerry Dunleavy. I work at the LAPD as a Forensic Scientist, and Jerry's going to law school."
"Ah, and I see you're a member of the Church, Ms. Lopez."
She nodded. "Been a member for a long time."
"And how did you find this ceremony?"
"Oh, I think Amenadiel nailed it, Your Excellency."
"Is that his name? Amenadiel?"
She nodded again.
"I thought he 'nailed it' as well, Ms. Lopez. I was initially concerned that the ceremony might attempt to make a mockery of the Church, but my fears were not borne out. Not at all. The three of them, Amenadiel, as well as the bride and groom, seemed to take the marriage ceremony and the vows very seriously."
"Oh, they do! I can assure you of that."
"Good speaking with you both," Hoffman said. And they moved on.
#
Penelope noticed that Eddie and Trixie held hands as they left the church. She smiled. As they departed, they passed two Priests sitting in the back row. She stopped and said, "Thank you for being here today with us, even though Chloe's not a member of your faith."
They nodded. "It was our pleasure, Ms.—"
"Decker. Penelope Decker. Mother of the bride. And this is her daughter, Beatrice, and her companion today, Edward Middleton."
"Pleasure to meet you all."
"Will you be joining us for the reception?" Penelope asked.
"Nana, I don't think—" Trixie began, but it was too late.
"Well, we have not received a formal invitation."
"Please consider this an invitation. If you'll Google 'Lux nightclub' you'll have the address. The party starts in about an hour."
Father Ramirez said, "I'm afraid I have other duties tonight. I have to get ready for the Saturday night mass."
Bishop Hoffman just smiled and said, "I look forward to seeing you all at the reception."
#
"Thank you again, Esteban, for allowing your church to be used on such short notice."
"Again, Your Excellency, it was my pleasure. I think that I … have perhaps never seen such a motley assortment of guests at a wedding ceremony. However, I wouldn't have wanted to miss it. Despite the guests, I found the ceremony to be sincere and emotionally moving. I couldn't have asked for more."
"Indeed. I agree with you on that." Hoffman paused. "But the guests! How strange! There must be more to the story here."
"Is that why you accepted the offer to attend the reception?"
Hoffman nodded. "Yes. Perhaps I'll have an opportunity to learn more of this strange couple and their guests."
Ramirez said, quite seriously, "Please don't forget what that Maze woman said, Your Excellency. Not all of the guests may be emotionally stable. Please be careful."
"Oh, not to worry. The Lord will protect me. Have a good night, Esteban."
"And you, as well, Your Excellency. May you have a peaceful evening."