"Luci?"

The Morningstar hummed in acknowledgement at the call of his name, not looking away from the hymn he was writing for his choir, humming under his breath the tune that had come to mind for the flow.

A slight shuffling had his writing come to a slow pause, it had been a quite three weeks since Hasmal had combusted and Erathaol had been forbidden from being in his hound form until further notice, and they all waited on bated breath for the other shoe to drop again.

"You told me to tell you if it happened again."

The archangel inhaled deeply, dropping his pencil on his desk, turning to look at the companion behind him in alarm. There was only one he had ever told that to.

Cael stood in the door way to his bedroom, tears streaming down his face, his fingers curled around a red stained blade. His eyes widened at the red tears that dripped down his arms, slowly dripping to the floor underneath him, the Morningstar threw himself forward out of his seat and came to kneel before the young angel, hymns completely forgotten at the red blood that dripped slowly to the floor under them.

His voice shook, almost as much as he physically did. "It happened again."

"Oh, Cael." He took his hands into his grasp as gently as he could. "Why?" he pulled his hands up, turning them over so he could looked over the gashes that had been carved into his forearms, frowning at the depth to them, the younger angel had dug in as much as he could.

"I had to feel again, Luci."

Lucifer gave a sad hum, "Oh, Cael."

He sniffled deeply. "I'm sorry Luci."

The archangel looked up at him quickly, "Oh, Cael, don't apologize." He released one of the hands he held and reached up to wipe away the tears with his thumb. "Don't ever apologize." He stood quickly, stepping quickly to his desk for a clean cloth, and kneeled back down to press it rather firmly to the gash on his left arm and then to the one on his right. "It's okay. It's going to be okay."

Cael nodded numbly, watching him try and staunch the bleeding with shear pressure, words leaving him before he could speak them.

Lucifer looked up to meet his eyes, caressing a free hand around his left cheek, giving him a gentle smile.

"It's going to be okay." The fingers of his other hand curled around his, the fingers that held tightly to his blade, and gently lifted it from his grasp. "I'm going to take your blade, okay?" Cael nodded as his blade was slowly lifted away from his grasp, his older brother reaching behind him to tuck the ornate blade into the leather belt around his waist. "Is it okay if I hug you?"

He nodded, leaning forward against the archangels shoulder when he pulled him into a gentle embrace, sniffing harshly into his older brother's shoulder.

"Okay, we're going to go to the Infirmary, alright?"

Cael nodded again, "Okay." Lucifer smiles at him again and hugs him close to his side as he stood from his kneeling position. The younger angel grips at the back of his tunic with as much strength as he can manage, ignoring the stain he was surely creating on the back of his older brother's tunic, and steps closer when Lucifer pulls him close as though to hide him against his side.

The archangels mind whirled with possibilities, Cael had been doing so good, he had stopped the nasty habit some time after his return to their family's embrace and had even been trusted to have his blade back. And now they were heading towards the Infirmary with one bloodied arm clutching to the back of his tunic and the other wrapped tightly in a red stained cloth, all the progress that had been made had unraveled in one foul moment.

They walked in silence for the Infirmary, the archangel shooting everyone who turned to look at them a particular look that had them looking away once more, no one wanted to be on the bad side of an archangel, depending on who the archangel was, they may find themselves turned over something.

Oren met his eyes upon entry, his gaze quickly moving down to the young angel tucked in his side, the red dripping down thin arms caused his eyes to widen. He tapped his Commander on the shoulder, and the Healer turned to him over his shoulder to see what was the cause for the interruption, as he was busy working on a patient and had told the others to leave him be while he worked on that particular day.

He followed his Captain's gesture and his eyes widened at the sight that had beholden them, gesturing for him to take over the duty he had been taking care of, and stepped away quickly to tend to the new patient waiting for him with his older brother.

Raphael kneeled like the older archangel had, taking hold of the young angel's hands, lifting them slightly to look the gashes over with a keen eye. They were deep, they were meant to be felt, and if he were to judge it by the shiver of the arms he held up, Cael most certainly felt it.

"Oh, Cael." He let the arms go for the moment, cradling his face in his large warm hands, pressing a kiss to his forehead tenderly. "It's going to be alright. We'll get you all patched up again and into bed. It'll be alright."

He sucked in a deep shaky breath. "I'm sorry, Rapha, I didn't mean to."

"There is nothing to apologize for. It'll get better again, I promise, but there is no need for apologies."

Long nimble fingers curl around his shoulders and they guide him to a rather large bed, the Healer pulls the blankets back and guides him to sit on the edge, turning to his older brother for a moment.

"Can you get me a new tunic, and a pair of trousers, there's some in the supply closet."

Lucifer nodded silently, squeezing the young angel's shoulder in comfort as he stepped away to gather what had been requested of him, and the Healer smiled to him softly. "Let's get you cleaned up, shall we?"

He turned for a small basin of water and some cloths, kneeling before him once more, he took hold of his right arm with as much gentleness as he could muster. The Healer dabbed at the gash with a gentleness some hadn't seen for some time, clearing away the red painted over his lower arm, revealing the deep self-inflicted wound. He moved onto the left soon after, clearing away the red with a new cleaner cloth, and upon setting the cloths aside he was able to get a better look at the wounds on both forearms.

They were deep, incredibly so, but smoothly cut. There was no jagged edges, not debris to pick out, just two even deep lines from his wrist up to just under the curve of his elbow.

"Rapha, I'm really sorry." A soft cry turned his head up, bright blue eyes swimming with concern as they met his watering eyes, Cael looked as though he was on the verge of breaking down into extremely distressed tears. "I shouldn't have. I know I shouldn't. I just had to feel something. Everyone's going to be so mad."

"Hey, hey," the archangel wiped the tears that escaped away with a clean cloth, rubbing a finger over his nose, and his thumb over his chin. "No one is going to be mad. I wasn't you fault, we know that, you are far from being in any trouble." He rubbed his nose with the cloth he held. "We'll get you cleaned up, bandaged, and well taken care of. It's alright."

Cael nodded, sniffling sadly, "Can I have a hug?"

Raphael smiled. "Always, little Cael, come here." He stood from where he knelt, stepping forward to sit next to him instead, Cael sniffed pitifully and leaned forward into his older brothers chest. Raphael smelled like the garden, he smelled like ozone from the lightning that he produced from his fingertips, he smelled like the antiseptic from the Infirmary. It was comforting, the smells, the warm weight of his arms curled around him so protectively, the hand that stroked down the back of his head. "It's all going to be alright, okay, everything's alright."

"I feel so bad."

"I know you do." He stroked a hand down the back of the younger angel's head. "But we'll get you feeling like new again in no time. You're going to be just fine. Do you hear me?" he pulled him away slightly, curling the fingers that had been stroking through his hair down around his cheek instead. "You're going to be alright." He leaned forward to stand again, humming softly at the whine that emitted from the younger angels chest at his leaving, and he squeezed the back of his neck soothingly. "I'm just getting some bandages. I'm not leaving you. Not going anywhere."

True to his word, fingers never leaving the back of his neck, the Healer leaned forward to pick up a swath of bandages. Settling back down beside him, he unrolled a portion of the thick bandages, and reached for his left arm with gentle fingers.

Cael watched silently as he wrapped up the deep gash he'd cut into his arm, Raphael pressed a kiss to his palm, hoping to entice even the smallest of smiles from the broken little angel, and felt hope well up within him when there was a slight curve in his features.

That was something they could work with.

"They don't look bad enough to need stitching." He reached for his right arm and wrapped it up just as snuggly as he had the left. "But we'll keep an eye on them just in case."

Cael looked down when his nimble fingers curled around the bottom edge of his tunic. "Let's get you out of the bloody thing." He nodded, lifting his arms for the archangel to pull it up over his head. The archangel tugged lightly on his hands. "Stand for me for just a moment." Cael slowly climbed to his feet, looking down as his older brother gently tugged his trousers down, lifting his right foot, and then his left, as he undressed him.

Lucifer returned as he set the bloody tunic and trousers aside, and he turned to look up at him with exasperation. "Where have you been?"

"You have, like, twelve supply closets and failed to say which one they were in."

Raphael shook his head, shooting an exasperated look back to his younger brother and was rewarded with the faintest of smiles for such efforts, taking the tunic in hand he folded the ends up. "Let's get you into some clean clothes." The soft fabric of the tunic slid over his back and stomach as it was pulled over his head, and the trousers were soft against his legs as they were pulled on, Lucifer sat next to him on the bed as the Healer turned away to mix together a tonic for him.

The Morningstar recognized the color of the tonic as the same mixture that he had given to Nisroc for Hasmal to take on the days he started melting down again, and for Erathaol to take (though tweaked a bit) to keep him from changing forms, he watched as he knelt and held the cup out to the young broken angel.

"Drink it all for me?"

Cael nodded and gingerly lifted it to his lips, surprisingly at ease when the sweet drink touched his tongue, and he downed it quickly. Both archangels caught him when he swayed, guiding him gently down to the pillows, turning him to lay in the bed, and Lucifer pulled the blankets up to his chin as the affect took hold on him just as quick as it did on the others.

Raphael knew what he was doing, and he knew it rather well.

They sat at his bedside silently for a long few moments, until they were sure that he was well and truly asleep, and the Healer turned to his older brother.

"We will never know how lucky we are that he came to you." Lucifer looked over to him in confusion and alarm, his younger brother did not often say such things in such a tone he used now. "They were very deep, he was loosing a lot of blood, they don't need stitching, but I want to keep an eye on him for the night. At least. "

"You're going to keep him?"

Raphael nodded. "For the night." He glanced at his older brother. "I don't want him to be alone, not for a moment, when I let him go."

"I'll take him." There was no hesitation in claiming the young volatile angel under his protection. "He'll come with me."

"What about Akeelah?" The Healer watched him carefully. "He's going to need more attention then you'd be able to share taking care of a fledgling."

"She can stay with you."

"Me?" The Healer shot around to stare at him. "You think I'll take her? I come here at sun rise and leave at sunset."

"She spends most of the day running around to only Father knows where and she often comes to help you in the Infirmary regularly. She'll be asleep when you come here and you have more then enough beds to spare one for her to sleep in until she wakes up." Lucifer grinned at his younger brother. "Why, it sounds like you don't want to take her in." His eyes took on something mischievous. "It'll break her little heart. She loves you very much."

Raphael shot him a flat look. "You know that's not what I'm saying, don't put words into my mouth, she is more then welcome to stay with me for the time being." He smiled slightly. "I've been rather busy as of late. It'll give me some time to catch up with her. I want to give that belly of hers a rather close checkup."

The both shared a smile at the thought of the bright little fledgling, she was truly a fresh air in these tense times they were faced with at the moment, bringing back a brightness to them at the end of a long day that had nearly been extinguished. Her smiles made them smile and her giggles made them laugh with her.

"I take it you took his blade?"

The moment had passed, and it was back to business.

The Morningstar nodded, watching the gentle rise and fall of the younger angel's chest. "As soon as I saw what he had done." He curled a few fingers around his chin as he leaned to the side in the chair, he sat in. "I don't plan on giving it back for a while yet."

"Good. I don't want him to have any objects he could use to harm himself with for at least the next couple of weeks. I don't want him to be alone, not at all, not when he's asleep, not when he uses the bathroom, not at all. These next few weeks, especially directly following this, he's going to need close surveillance."

"I will take good care of him."

Raphael nodded. "I don't doubt that in the slightest." He watched the careful rise and fall of the young angels chest, leaning back in the chair to cross his arms loosely over his chest. "I'm going to send him home with you with the same tonic I gave him tonight."

The older archangel nodded in acknowledgement. "Have you found anything?" Raphael turned to look at him inquiringly. "I know you were looking into these sudden violent episodes."

"Not yet, I don't want to bring the matter up to Father yet, I fear there may be unnecessary jumping to conclusions if I do." He shook his head lightly. "Though He hides it well, He is still rather upset at Her taking His children captive like She had." And rubbed a hand over his forehead. "I have a few of my Virtues and Rahael looking into it. They also made others aware to keep an eye on the other Returned that haven't had any episodes yet."

Lucifer hummed in acknowledgement. "My Grigori are at your disposal." Glancing to his younger brother for a moment. "Just as I'm sure Michael's Powers are as well. And Gabriel's Principalities."

The Healer nodded. "Michael has given me command over them for the time being, unless he has need of them, they are all quite taken with Hasmal and Erathaol."

"Do you have any inkling of what could be causing this?"

He nodded slightly. "A few, but I will keep them to myself until they come to be proven if I am thinking correctly, there is no need to cause such strife while this is going on."