Azrael did not like having to threaten his brother like that, Gabriel was the one who taught him most of what he knows now, it is not something he takes easily but he needed to ensure that his brother got the child back to his parents.
Lucifer was doing so well, so much progress was being made he'd gotten to meet that little nephilim, and he did not need to take three steps backwards now that he'd made so many forward.
He trusted Gabriel to get the boy back though, with his entire being, there was no doubt on his mind on whether or not he would. Gabriel adored children, despite contrary belief, and would do anything to make them happy. Even if that child was the son of the devil himself.
With that taken care of he expanded himself, feeling for his other two charges, and his eyes narrowed slightly.
He had no business being there.
...
Word gets around quick in the world of the angels, it didn't take Gabriel long at all to track where his new nephew was being holed up and hidden from the world, and he didn't waste time in getting there either. Azrael was many things, but his word was good, and he had no intention of allowing his adopted daughter take the punishment for not fulfilling his debt.
The Messenger collected himself, taking a moment to simply observe the little group of four.
He was not the only one brought back, Mrs Mary Winchester was most certainly dead last time he'd heard of her, and not she seemed to have another death wish in helping her sons and his sorely misguided baby bro kidnap Lucifer's little guy.
Sam and Dean were as codependant and close-minded as ever. Castiel still so devout to their word being law and he had to resist the urge to rain down some well earned justice on that sad quartet, really had to resist the instinct. But he withheld for the moment turning his attentions to the little nephilim instead.
Jack, as Azrael had supplied for his name, was cute as a button.
Already a head full of just naturally messy dirty blonde hair, wide stormy blue eyes, and just as curious as a new born kitten.
He was so much like his older brother, his father, as he once was. Before all of this war and the extreme blame game. Little Jack was so pure. So bright. His mother must have a bright soul, and it was obvious who the other was, he was innocent of all wrong in this world he'd been born into.
Just a little thing too.
Could barely stand on his own.
Gabriel's eyes narrowed on their own accord when Castiel tried to play daddy to the tot, while he may agree that Lucifer being a parent was something of a joke, he seemed to be doing alright. The kiddo had a nice little belly on him, not missing any meals, and he looked as healthy as a horse.
Jack whined, calling for his 'dada' and fell back onto his diapered bottom, Gabriel looked to his right when a light bulb exploded.
"Oh kiddo,", he decided enough was enough and revealed himself, "You wanna see your mama and papa don't you?"
Castiel drew his blade and Gabriel glared at him for daring to draw a blade on him, he was not in the mood for playing those games, they had kidnapped a fledgling and as far as he was concerned that was still a great offense accordingly to Heaven's laws. He knows Michael had changed greatly over the eons but he was sure that even he would still stand by that rule.
He flicked a hand at the seraph and Castiel went flying back like a ragdoll.
"You boys done messed up big time, you know that?"
Lazily he pointed at the two Winchesters, sending both boys crashing into the wall painfully, Sam grunted as his back hit the wall and he couldn't move.
"Gabriel?"
"One and only!", he spouted cheerfully as he bent to scoop the little one up, barely a year old yet, just new, still at the 'new' feel to him, "You must be my little nephew! Hey kiddo! Nice to meet you! Heard you've been softening my brother up nicely!"
"Dada?"
To Jack, this angel felt like his father did, he was strong and bright. The power was comforting, the strength of it made him feel safe, and he looked up imploring. LIttle mouth pouting when he didn't peer up into those desired cool blue eyes.
"Not your papa kiddo, but I'll take you to him," he turned slowly at the sound of a gun cocking behind him, he'd forgotten about mama Winchester, "Make sure that thing kills me. Because if it doesn't and you make me drop the baby I'm going to make sure you wish Auntie Amara left you where you were."
Mary didn't so much as flinch but he saw the fear cross her eyes in a fleeting moment. Gabriel turned fully and held Jack closer.
"You four are in enough trouble as it is, and as I see it I'm the only thing keeping my brothers from grinding your asses back to the dirt you humans were made from, do you really wanna piss me off by shooting me?"
He shook his head and turned his back to her, bouncing little guy on his hip, and glared at the three on the wall, "Do you even realize what you could have done?"
"Gabriel-"
The Archangel cut off the seraph, "Castiel, for once, save yourself something and do as you're told, be silent."
Castiel's mouth shut quietly, but his eyes portrayed his emotions, Gabriel stepped closer and narrowed his eyes, "Watch yourself seraph, I may not be as short tempered as my brothers are but the laws you have broken on this day are dire. Your crimes far sarpass any angels. Mind who you think you are in the presense of."
"Gabriel", at last one of the Winchesters piped up, can always count on Sammy, "You have to agree that Lucifer having Jack is a bad idea. He's satan. The devil."
He nodded, wiping at the kids nose, "Perhaps. But he seems okay to me. Healthy, got a bit of a potbelly going on", he poked at Jacks little tummy, "besides, even if that may be, it's not your decision to make. Lucifer clearly cares for the babe or he wouldn't still be here today."
Jack giggled and cooed up at him, cuddling into his shoulder, and he smiled, "If he's like this with him it might do some good. Lucifer could use someone to cuddle him like little guy is here. Maybe he'll melt that exterior shell of ice he's grown to protect himself."
Gabriel looked up, gaze meeting the other angels, and he grew serious once more, "Kidnapping a fledgling, no matter the intention, is a crime punishable by having ones grace taken. But seeing as you have already experienced a graceless life, during one of your 'for the greater good' escapades, I think I can come up with a more fitting punishment for you. Pray it will be merciful."
Dean glared at him, too bullheaded to see when he'd been beat, like in the face of an angered Archangel Gabriel, "Who are you to judge us like that?"
"Archangel of Justice, Deano, kind of in the title."
He snorted, "How are you even alive? Last we saw big brother scewered you."
Gabriel glared at him, minding his grace with the little one in hand, but his face was an open book. Dean shut his mouth and leaned backwards, away from him as much as he could, this Gabriel was not the same Gabriel they had met before.
"Yea, and in thanks for my selfless sacrifice, you go and unleash Auntie Amara?", Gabriel shrugged, growing less serious, a smile flit over his features, "You pissed Azrael off. Bad move guys. Az does not have the best temper, nor the greatest track record, you think the plague was planned thing?"
Castiel licked his lips, looking between his charges carefully, "You are in his debt?"
"Up until I turn kiddo here over to his mommy and daddy. Azrael can bring anyone back from anywhere. He warned you Castiel and in your bullheaded stubbornness you disregarded it."
Not that he was defending his younger brother, Azrael had crossed a couple lines here, but it was a defence in it's own right. The other archangel had warned them all not to take the baby and split. Though he hadn't seen exactly what it had done with his brother yet, Azrael did not get this invested in nothing so he had trust in him.
Even if he was an eternal optimist.
"So here I am. He needed someone to come find kiddo here, and boom, Archangel of the Hunt."
"But I thought-"
"We have more the one title Sam."
...
Lucifer glared at him, wings raising protectively behind him, invisible to the human eye but Asmodeus still took a step back. Uppity as he was not even he was ballsy enough. He curled one around the human hanging onto his arm and nodded.
"I am fond of her.", the fallen angel spared her a look, his eyes meeting hers, "She gives me what others wouldn't."
Kelly looked up at him, her eyes still glistened with tears of fear, and her fingers tightened around his arm. She was terrified but she would stand by him, until he told her not to, she would stand there. Lucifer smiled at her gently.
"She doesn't treat me like a monster.", he turned back to give him a warning glare, "So I will protect her with all my being."
Asmodeus yawned in mock boredom and reached into his jacket for a shiny blade, in glistened in the light, and she gave a small noise of fear. He twirled it around in his hand.
"Word on the street is, that you, My King, are not what you once were."
"You think you can come into my home and threaten me?"
He got a chuckle and the demon looked up at him carefully, eyes seeing passed the human exterior into what he really was, and he smiled cruelly. Never was he one not to take advantage of what was given to him. Lucifer drew his own blade, fingers relaxed around the hilt, and turned to Kelly in kind.
"Go to the kitchen and stay there."
She nodded, looking between the two, the battle of titans about to commence in their living room, and turned to run to the kitchen.
"You have grown weak, my king."
Lucifer flexed his shoulders, turning back to face the demon prince, "You've grown power hungry. A bit too big for our britches aren't we?"
Asmodeus circled hims calmly, "I have others out searching for your son, we will get him, we will train him to be great, and you," he pointed his blade at him, "You will be dethroned."
They jumped at each other in the next moment, two forces, blinding as they crashed into one another. Lucifer grit his teeth, snarling at him, holding him back.
"You will never get your hands on him."
Asmodeus laughed darkly, "And who will stop us?"
Lucifer screamed in rage, throwing his arm around, knocking their blades to the side, and bodily tackled the demon to the floor. They crashed into the tree, breaking it and the ornaments, Asmodues scrabbled for purchase when his hands closed around his throat. Fingers closed over something, a piece of a broken bulb, and jammed it into the archangels ear. Lucifer howled, reeling back, hand going up on instinct.
Flipping them over they crashed into the little coffee table, splintering it to shreds.
"You will never see your offspring again."
Lucier gave a growl of rage, deep, gutteral, and thrust his hand into the Prince's chest. Asmodeus gasped, eyes going wide, cold fingers curling around his heart.
Kelly huddled back in the kitchen pantry, hands curled around the handle of a large kitchen knife, sniffling softly in fear. She jumped, her breath catching when someone stepped up to the door, she watched the shadow of the person from the little slit under the door. Her grip on the knife tightened as the door handle began to turn and her heart skipped a beat.
She had listened to the fight in the other room from her hiding spot.
There had been screaming, from Lucifer, from Asmodeus, and then silence.
The door opened and she sprang up with her knife, knowing she most likely would not stand a chance, she wasn't going to go out a cowered.
Cold hands caught her wrists, "Kelly. Kelly. It's me. It's okay."
Adrenaline kept her moving, trying to rip her wrists free, and she gave a scream of her own.
"Kelly. It's okay. You're okay. It's me."
The adrenaline clouding her vision in her fear finally started to ebb away, the cold hands she recognized, the deep voice she knew, and the woman looked up.
"Heylel?"
"It's okay, you're okay," easily he disarmed her, fingers curling the knife away from her hand, reaching behind to deposit it on the counter, and then he drew her in, "It's me. It's okay."
She broke into a sob, clutching at his shirt, and held on tight. His arms encirled her, carefully, but protective and strong. Lucifer held her close, feeling her shake like a leaf in the wind, and tightened his hold just a tad bit more.
"I was so scared."
"I know,", he lead her out, arm curled around her waist, keeping her pressed to his side, "Come."
She followed, half of her didn't really want to see what was in the living room now, she had heard the crashes and the breaking of items, she didn't want to see the destruction, but then on the other hand she didn't want to leave his side either.
The protection he offered.
He lead her back into the living room and she gasped silently, hand coming up to cover her mouth, everything was fine.
"Let me tell you, it wasn't like this before, but I fixed it. Here", he held a small glass angel up to her, the ornament that had been broken when they crashed into the tree, and she took it delicately, "Thank you.", he nodded and pressed her closer. They turned, and there he was, Asmodeus was curled on the floor, blood was coming from somewhere. Kelly froze, drawing back slightly, but Lucifer held her there, his arm still around her waist.
Lucifer stepped on the princes broken hand, making him yell, his breathing quickened in pace, "I am your King and I will always be."
With his free hand he bent and lifted the demon from the floor by his neck, holding him up in front of them, he was beaten horribly. Lucifer hadn't had an mercy.
"And this is your Queen."
"She...She...Is...Human..."
"She is your Queen."
Asmodeus spluttered and nodded weakly, eyes averting to the floor, Kelly looked between them both. This was so much to take in for her and she could hardly wrap her mind around it all so quickly, but it didn't stop her from stepping forward, reeling back, and slapping the prince across the face as hard as she could.
Lucifer let his grip go slack and the pure reaction from such a slap sent the demon prince tumbling over to the side. He smiled and settled him arm around her waist again, "That, that is why I am fond of her."
The defeated prince picked himself back up, carefully, "My King," he bowed his head in submission, "My Queen."
"Get out of my house.", Kelly bit out, hands curling around the glass angel, Asmodeus bowed again, a prince shamed, and was gone in a moment without so much as a sound.
She smiled, looking down at her glass angel, and stepped away from his side to place it on the tree.
"So, Queen?"
Lucifer chuckled behind her, "Well, I am King."
"And Jack would be..?"
"Prince. Of Heaven and Hell, if we're being technical about it."
She turned to look up at him, smiling, "You make a great King."
"And you a Queen."
...