Luke knew that his mother was going to love Christmas. She was a strange woman but ultimately she still simple at heart. As they got themselves ready to head over to Cassie and Azazeal's church on Christmas Eve, he noticed that she'd let all of her concern go today and he was glad.
He was looking forward to the next two days as well but wasn't about to tell them why. The two of them were in their own world again now that he was grown. He loved them dearly and knew that they loved him just as much, but even he knew that his father needed her more than he did. And as his father's son, it made perfect sense to him, especially now that he'd been educated on sex and was eagerly awaiting his first foray into love. He was good at everything, too good, and the only thing that truly fascinated him was the love and the unfailing devotion that not only his parents but also most of the other angels exhibited, including Azazeal. He knew he was someone who would require a partner and could feel the need inside himself, searching for its mate, but he had not yet found her…not for lack of trying, but maybe it was too soon.
He'd asked a few of his angel friends about it but only his father had really understood what he had meant.
"It's a good thing you've got your mother in there too," he had said, "If all you desire that much is a love like that then it must be her in there keeping me under her heel."
But in fact, Elizabeth thought he was almost a perfect balance between the two of them, just enough of Lucifer's power and passion, along with just enough of her control and practicality. He was fun and adventurous without being dangerous and he knew when enough was enough. She had actually thought to herself that he was so perfect that she didn't want to have another child who was bound to be different and possibly difficult.
His parents were ready to go and Luke noticed a telltale grin and look in his father's eye that always signaled something devious, and he smiled at his mother, who rolled her eyes.
As soon as they arrived, Elizabeth was ecstatic and quickly figured out the basic idea of what Cassie had planned (to Cassie's slight disappointment). Everyone was there or would be at some point. All the angels from around the world, many with their lovers, human or angelic, all together, really for the first time. Elizabeth didn't honestly know how Cassie pulled it off but there was wonderful food and wine and a tree and just everything that screams Christmas. She rushed to mingle and catch up with old friends and see everything. Cassie had told her that since the angels hadn't really seemed to understand the gift giving aspect of the holiday, they had all eerily suggested that they bring or do whatever it was that corresponded what they were good at. So the food and flowers and decorations and entertainment were all inspired by angelic talents and it made everything much more meaningful. And then there was the singing, which at first made Elizabeth chuckle to herself because it was just too sweet, but it was so beautiful that she stopped to enjoy it whenever it started up. It was perfect because to Elizabeth, Christmas was about family and these beings were her family now.
Elizabeth didn't actually get to see much of Cassie, as Azazeal saw fit to drag her around excitedly to old friends and regale her with stories, each revealing more and more about himself and all the angels. Cassie was enjoying herself immensely and she'd never seen him so bright and happy. She must be doing something right, she figured.
As everyone enjoyed themselves, Luke began to amuse himself by flirting shamelessly with all of the female angels practically simultaneously. He'd only been with humans so far but now he wanted to try something new. His father had let him loose now and the only lessons left had to do with more extreme appetites. Luke enjoyed the attention he was getting from these lovely angels all the more because he was drawing it to himself but tried not to be too conspicuous. He noticed Malachi looking at him across the room, he and Ella were home from Las Vegas where they had been occupying themselves, and with a gesture invited him over. Malachi laughed and shook his head. Returning his attention to his companions, he noticed that Sara was walking over to him. Wordlessly, she looked the other women away and sat down next to him.
"Are you bored?" she said, with a mock "aw poor baby" tone.
"No, actually, I was being entertained quite well, thank you!"
"Why can't you just pick one? How hard is it?"
"Because it's not about the final choice, it's about the selection process," he said with a wink.
She rolled her eyes.
"So how are your adventures going?" he asked. She had told him about Araqiel, but not by name, because she couldn't stand him thinking that she was not having sex too. The two of them were very competitive about almost everything and she wasn't about to let him get the upper hand.
"Ah, I was supposed to stick with one angel…but I grew out of him too soon. Now I have a few lovers now."
"I suspected as much. I've seen the way Muriel looks at you. You've got to keep him under control."
"Yeah, well, I'm just trying to have some sex here, not find a husband."
"That's too bad," he said smoothly.
"And what are you doing then, Cassanova?"
"Enjoying the view," he said, leaning back on the couch, "How am I supposed to find my true love if I don't search everywhere?" He added, with a playful smile.
Sara rolled her eyes again, "Then I leave you to it," she said, not knowing that he actually was telling the truth…sort of.
After a grand performance by the "choir" at midnight, the party began to either settle in for the night or say their good byes and return home. Luke, Elizabeth, and Lucifer were staying the night, of course, and the celebration would continue tomorrow with a Christmas breakfast.
In the morning, before rising and joining the rest of the gang, Azazeal and Lucifer independently decided to give their Christmas presents to their ladies.
"Hey," Cassie said as she awoke to see Azazeal looking at her.
"Merry Christmas!" he said, glancing at a wrapped package now sitting on the table next to the bed.
"We said no presents!"
"No, you said no presents and I ignored you. Don't worry it's not like you could come up with something worthwhile to give me that you could put in a box."
"Hey," she said again and punched him in the shoulder, but she knew he was technically right.
She rose and took the box and put it on the bed while she sat cross-legged in front of it. She lifted the top and found inside…a kitten. He was a lovely orange color with beautiful light green eyes. He lifted himself up on the edge of the box and meowed at her as if to say, "Where've you been? I've been waiting!"
Lucifer had been insisting that giving her a worldly present for Christmas or her birthday was stupid and not at all worthwhile. This had stung Elizabeth a little but she had graciously let it go. In the morning, she had not expected to find a small box resting between them in bed as she opened her eyes.
"Oh, you're good," she said, admiring how she'd believed him all this time. And he smiled deviously. She opened the box to find a beautiful necklace with a pendant that was diamond actually cut in the form of a star. It was the most brilliant diamond she had ever seen and it was just big enough to be impressive but not gaudy. She smiled brightly, kissed him and immediately put it on.
A few days later, he would casually give her a few more pieces that had been made with "the leftovers."
At breakfast, Cassie and Elizabeth got their chance to talk and Cassie insisted on saying, "Happy Birthday!" which made Elizabeth smile. There were a few more gift exchanges to amuse the party but mostly among the humans. Elizabeth insisted on helping Cassie clean up a bit after breakfast but was eventually shooed out of the kitchen to have more fun.
Elizabeth had been having a great time again mingling and talking and hadn't seen Lucifer in some time. She looked around to find him and finally did find him sitting on a couch surrounded by obviously human women. He was relishing the attention, but when he laughed and leaned over to whisper something in the ear of the woman next to him, that was just a bit too much for Elizabeth. She laughed at herself but she went over to break it up.
When she reached him and he noticed her, he rose with the ease and cat like grace the angels had, but she could see in his eyes that something was off. He grabbed her arm and pulling her towards him said, "Give me some sugar, baby." She avoided his mouth and he added, "Don't be shy," with a grin.
"No," she thought at him and an angry look to crossed his face, the exhibitionist in him annoyed.
"Well, there are plenty of others who don't mind my company," he said, obviously trying to goad her.
"Let's just go home," she suggested, trying to be reasonable.
"And leave my adoring fans?" he said glancing back at them.
"What are you up to?" she asked
"Nothing…yet!" He responded wickedly and that was it. She took his arm and transported them home (very happy that she could now do this).
As soon as they were home, he growled, now utterly out of control, lifted her and flung her onto the bed. He kissed her roughly and she kissed him back, as he deftly began to remove their clothes. It was frightening how unmanageable he was but she didn't feel like she was in any real danger and she just wanted to get this out of his system. She'd scold him later, besides a little rough sex was always exciting.
She was beginning to enjoy herself when he casually, too casually, sent her thoughts of love and for some reason that annoyed her more that anything else he'd done in the past few minutes. It was like he was patronizing her and that enraged her sense of pride. So before he was able to send any more insulting thoughts, she impatiently demanded more, indicating that it wasn't good enough. To her surprise, his attitude quickly changed and he responded more deeply as if this was what he had been expecting. Encouraged, she gradually became more insistent and specific in her demands, requiring deeper feelings and surrender from him in order to satisfy her. He willingly but wildly strove to comply with each request, as his passion to please her increased, until the luxurious feeling of being utterly hers filled him, obliterating all thought and his mind relaxed completely.
He had been moaning and shuddering all along but when he became fully aware again of their nakedness, the sensations that her body was creating in his own, and her crying out in pleasure, he groaned and came violently, trembling so fiercely that he thought it would never end. But eventually, his body began to relax too. Elizabeth ran her fingers lovingly though his dark hair as his rough breathing began to slow. He was exceedingly calm now as he had only been a few times before. She kissed the top of his head.
He lifted his head and smiled at her, "Now, that's more like it, honey."
"Will you behave now?"
"I am your puppy dog…for the time being," he added a little defiantly and she smiled at him with a raised eyebrow. Then as her expression changed to a more serious one, his expression changed as well. He pushed himself up off of her but remained over her. He kissed the corners of her mouth with gentle pecks and then began a contemplative journey over her body with the same gentle kisses. After a few minutes she spoke.
"You did that on purpose didn't you?" But he did not respond. "Why?"
"I like to be reminded of my place."
"And where is that?"
"At your feet," he said and since he was in the area he bestowed kisses on them too.
She smiled a little, but continued, "You're so calm. You've only been this calm a couple of other times. Where does it come from?"
"From you," he said simply and continued to kiss her undaunted.
She began to think about what he could possibly mean by this. When she thought of the other times he'd been like this it started to make some kind of sense. After the he had gotten involved in the genocide and after other horrible thing he'd done, when he'd come back to her, he'd been just like this. This must have been what he had truly been after when he'd done those things to incite her and what he had ultimately ended up getting from her even though she hadn't recognized it at the time and she didn't think he'd expected to get it in quite the way she'd given it to him. It was a release of some kind and it was an extension of what he normally got out of being with her only much stronger. It was beyond the control, the love, the attention, the pain, the desire, and yet had always existed behind all of them.
"I can't quite put my finger on it," she said.
He had made it back near her ear and whispered to her as if telling her a secret, "The release of absolute submission." He then rolled over next to her.
"Ah," she said, "I need to tease it out of you?"
"You could put it that way."
"In whatever way I can?"
He just smiled at her with a glint in his eye.
"Why couldn't you just tell me that?"
"You know there are things I can't talk about and I've only just begun to understand the intricacies of what you do for me."
She smiled and teasingly asked, "Well, why can't you just be a good boy and stay that way?"
An unexpected look of confusion and then sadness came over his face. He looked down and when he lifted his head to speak, tears were welling in his eyes, "I offered it to you, but you didn't want it." And his head dropped again.
Putting her hands to his face she said, "Hey, you know it wasn't you I was rejecting, but the idea of being completely responsible for you. And then after considering your graphic metaphors and the sense I got from you, I knew that you would be different. It wouldn't be you."
And though she had fully expected this to be the right thing to say, his tears were flowing more freely now and he said, hurt, "But it is me. At least what is left."
It struck her, then, the mistake she had made in saying what she had said. In her one experiment with him in that state, she had found that she had been both right and wrong in her impression of what he would be like. He did lose the wildness and unpredictability, which would have worn on her, however his love was not dull, but bright and warm and he was so content that it may have made up for the lack of adventurousness (but she selfishly doubted it). His true self, of course, was a perfect angel and unfortunately many of the things she loved in him were actually what was wrong about him.
"It's me then," she said, "I'm to human to appreciate that kind of perfection. I need a bad boy to keep me on my toes."
At this he did smile and put his arms around her. She promised herself that she would try harder with him as they drifted off to sleep.