Daily Disclaimer: My DA is EmeraldOverlord so feel free to check out any art you see since some of it is for my story.
Lucifer froze up on the spot as he felt the entire room's attention being directed at spectacle in droves. Chaos erupted as screams of terror boomed from the noble demons within the room, the other Deadly Sins desperately attempted to get everything under control and prevent anyone from getting too close to the scene. To say it was utter chaos would've been the greatest understatement in history and it was anything but a pretty sight.
The Devil rushed down the flight of steps. At the bottom of the stairs, Frederick clutched his wife in his arms, Bethesda cried in agony, her breathing labored and fast paced.
"Don't cry my lovely, it's going to be alright. There's no need to cry,"He ushered, attempting to assure his panicked wife as he stroked her hair as she wailed into his chest.
Lucifer reluctantly approached from down the steps and attempted to reach out to Bethesda only for Frederick to slap his hand away as he hissed at him,"Do not touch her you bastard…."
Lucifer flinched and backed away,"Frederick, I was just trying to help-"
"Oh you've helped just enough…" He snapped,"Can't you see that you've done enough damage as it is? Stay away before you make it any worse…"
The Devil tensed up at Frederick's tone. It was so firing to be yelled at in such a manner and the Devil was rendered speechless at his friend's venom towards him.
Lucifer's attention was soon captivated by the other noble demons in the room who were whispering among themselves, rumors flying around like wildfire. Others were trying to get a closer look at the scene, the only thing preventing them going forward were the other Deadly Sins pushing them back.
They were happening so fast that he couldn't tell what exactly they were saying but he knew it was nothing good. They had seen enough and he decided it was time to put his foot down.
Lucifer then barked,"Alright that's enough!" He then put up a force field around them, closing off the other demons from the area. They pounded their firsts on the force field but the barrier wouldn't budge. The Devil's eyes turned red as horns protruded from his skull as he spoke in a deadly yet cold voice,"Hate to barge in everyone but I have to inform you that this party is over! Leave now else I'll be forced to remove you by force. This is your only warning, evacuate yourselves from the premises else I won't hesitate to kick you out myself. And you wouldn't want that now, would you?"
That was all Lucifer needed to say in order to clear the premises as the wealthy demons flared in droves out the door in a panic. The once populated ballroom was now cleared out with the exception of the Deadly Sins themselves.
"And I thought those snobby jackasses would never leave," Satan grumbled.
"Damn, you still got it Luci," Mammon remarked,"Never seen a crowd of people that large run away so fast in my entire life…"
"Thanks…"
"Ahem," Lilith cleared her throat,"Hate to break the moment but I do believe we've got far bigger problems afoot." The Queen of Hell then turned her head to the side,"Belphegor, get on Bethesda, stat. Make sure she's alright for us now will you?"
"On it Lady Lilith," He nodded, the Lord of Sloth quickly hurrying to Frederick's side and tapping him on the shoulder,"Come on Frederick. Let's put her to bed. This is no place to treat her…"
Frederick nodded before carrying his wife in his arms, Belphegor following after as they headed to an empty room for privacy. Once they were gone, Lucifer turned his attention to his wife with an incredulous glance.
Lucifer cocked an eyebrow,"My love, are you certain Belphegor is suited for something like this? Shouldn't we call a nurse?"
"Belphegor can handle this. Besides, calling a nurse would take too long. There's still a chance the baby can be saved," She admitted before giving her husband a glare,"Lucifer, honey, how could you do such a thing?"
"Do what?"
"Don't play dumb, Lucifer. You know what you did," The Queen chided her husband,"I cannot believe you did such a thing. How could you push Bethesda down the steps like that?"
"It wasn't my fault!" He exclaimed,"She was pitching a fit on me and I shoved her on instinct!"
"Have you ever heard of something called mood swings?" She asked,"That is typical behavior in pregnant women."
"I had no idea she was pregnant," He grumbled,"I swear, I thought she was just being a bitch and insulting my authority. I had no idea she was carrying a kid inside of her…"
It was technically the truth, though it didn't exactly sound like a great excuse given the current circumstances.
"That hardly makes it any better," Asmodeus admitted, the large avian Lord pinching the bridge of his forehead,"You really fucked this one up, Lucifer. You better hope the kid pulls through else you're gonna have angry parents on your coattails…"
"Oh come on, it was an accident for crying out loud! It's not that big of a deal!"
"Lucifer, you pushed a pregnant woman down the stairs," Satan stated flatly,"You've mucked up big time and you better hope you didn't cause severe damage to that child's development or worse."
Beelzebub folded her arms over her bosom,"Not to mention you killed the party. This place is dead now cuz of your little fiasco." She then whined before tossing her empty glass to the side,"Ugh,all this chaos is making me thirsty! Someone give me a drink already! I'm parched!"
"Sweetie, you drank an entire bowl of wine like five minutes ago…" Mammon huffed,"Do you have a black hole where your stomach is or what?"
"A lady's gotta satisfy herself, someone, can't ever get enough," She muttered, the Queen Bee rolling her insectoid eyes at Mammon's statement, the taller female batting her large lashes in response,"You know what? I'm done, I came all the way out here from my Sector to party only for it to come to a bitter conclusion like bad tree sap. Come on everybody, I believe it's time we go and buzz on out of here."
"Bumblebee is right," Asmodeus said,"I know an ugly situation when I see one and I've been to enough bad parties to know that this has gotten more rotten than a spoiled batch of drugs laced with cyanide. Let's split before it gets any worse."
"For once I agree," Satan concurred,"Let's go…"
The other Sins were about to leave but Asmodeus turned his head when he noticed Mammon hadn't moved.
"Mammon, what are ya doing?" He asked,"Come on. It's time to go…"
"You guys go, I'll stay here…" Mammon said.
"Why?" Satan asked,"This is Lucifer's problem, not yours. There's no need for you to stay here."
"I know. I just…want to stay here…" He mumbled. He narrowed his eyes when Satan sent him a glare of judgment and he gritted his teeth,"I do not wish for your judgment, Satan. Leave us be. It is my choice to stay behind after all and you should be enough of an adult to respect my decision."
He scoffed,"Whatever. Have it your way. Just don't say I didn't want you to get involved in someone else's business.."
"Enough, Satan. It's his choice, let Mammon do as he pleases,"Asmodeus states, placing his hand on the shorter demon's shoulder before the rooster turns his head to the bee,"Come on Bumble Bee, let's get a move on…"
The three took their leave out the doors, leaving the trio behind. Lucifer blinked in astonishment before looking at Mammon with a skeptical glance,"Why'd you do that Mammon?"
"What can I say? Wanted to see the gossip up close and personal," He chuckled as he scratched the back of his head,"Besides, I saw that you needed a hand back there and I wouldn't be much of a friend if I didn't try and hang in there for ya."
"You hung back here for me?"
"We're buddies, remember? Ain't just gonna leave ya like that. Especially since depending on how this goes, Frederick's gonna want words with you sooner or later and for your sake…you better hope this won't end badly…"
"Let's hope it doesn't get to that point,"Lilith reminded,"Bethesda's a dear friend of mine and I know you both feel the same about Frederick. This could have a severe impact on our friendship that might not heal depending on what happens next. We just have to hope both Bethesda and the baby pull through. And Lucifer, you better apologize to Frederick and Bethesda when you see them.."
"Apologize? Me?" He remarked, gobsmacked by the request.
"Yes you…" Lilith said,"It's the least you can do, Lucifer…"
Lucifer remained silent, his gaze averted to the ground, his teeth glanced. Mammon glanced at the shorter male with unease as he placed his hand on his shoulder,
Lucifer showing no response to his friend's attempt to comfort him.
Five days since that fateful day had passed. Lucifer was sitting inside of his office trying to distract himself from the issue they were having by burying himself in his paperwork to no avail, a creeping feeling chewing on in his insides with each passing second.
Not only that, but he had trouble focusing for a multitude of reasons…
"Oh Luci," Mammon called to him teasingly as he laid across the Prideful King's desk, his leg elevated at Lucifer's face in cocked an eyebrow at his fellow Sin, looking at him with an irritated frown.
"What do you want now Mammon?"
"Isn't it obvious?" He asked with a sly smile, across his features as he playfully nudged his boot under Lucifer's chin,"I'm quite bored, Luci and I wish for you to play with me. It'd benefit us both and I'm certain it would cheer you all, you do look rather stressed today and since your wife isn't here, I could always help ease the pain so to speak now that she's not around…"
He scoffed,"Mammon, for the last time, I'm not having sex with you.."
"And why not?" He pouted,"It's not like you're loyal to your wife or anything. I've seen both of you mingling with lower class demons and humans for that matter regardless of their gender. Why are you willing to sleep with them but not me? Is it because I'm not pretty?"
"I do not need to disclose my reasons for sleeping with someone to you Mammon but if you truly must know, it's usually another way of convincing mortal souls to sell themselves to me. It's not my primary method but I'm more than willing to do so if they are up for it," He replied flatly,"Also it has nothing to do with your looks, you're just annoying…"
"Oh now I'm hurt," He whined in a feigned sorrowful tone,"You're so cruel to me Luci…"
"Mammon, I'm going to punish you if you keep pressing me…"
"Oh do proceed with that, Luci~" He purred,"Go on ahead, punish me why don't you? I won't resist…"
Lucifer's eye twitched as the temptation to punch Mammon in the jaw formed in his stomach. Before he could act on this however, the door to his office came open and Belphegor stuck his head inside.
"Lucifer, we need to talk about the current situation and-" Belphegor's sentence cut off when he saw Mammon on Lucifer's desk, mere inches from each other,"Um..was I interrupting something between you two? Because it seems you two were…busy prior to arriving here ..."
"Yes-Ow!" Mammon hissed when Lucifer smacked him,"What was that for?"
Lucifer didn't bother to respond as he said,"Pay no mind to him, Belphegor. You weren't interrupting anything, he was just being a child. Now what did you come to tell me?"
Belphegor winced as he rubbed his metal arm with his normal one,"I've come to tell you that the child….didn't make it.." His voice was barely above a whisper but the two had managed to hear what he had been trying to tell them.
Mammon and Lucifer both froze up, the jester's smile immediately falling. Had Lucifer's skin not been naturally light he would've turned pale white just at those words as a sense of apprehension and unease consumed him.
Mammon chuckled though it wasn't genuine, it was a chuckle that reeked of nervousness",You must be joking…"
"I wish I was," He said,"I did everything I could but the child was unsalvageable…"
Mammon tensed, his voice now becoming rather panicked at the words the Lord of Sloth said,"How far along was she?"
"Seven months, approaching eight," He said,"The fall was quite major as well. Worst part about it was that the force you exert caused her to fall right onto her stomach when she landed. The fall was already bad and landing on her stomach caused such severe trauma that did in the baby…"
"How long has it been since the baby died?"
"Baby has been dead shortly after the fall, I've just been tending to Bethesda and stabilizing her while Frederick was in the other room," He admitted slowly,"Not to mention I had to remove the dead fetus from her stomach. There was..so much blood. It was anything but pleasant and while Bethesda has fully recovered from the incident physically outside of being tired, mentally however…..is a different story."
"Does she know the baby is gone?"
"I told her when she woke up not too long ago after the anesthetic wore off. Other than being tired and sore, she was alright and she requested me to bring her husband in. Only then had I bothered to break the terrible news to her and Frederick about the baby and…it was horrible. She was screaming, crying even, demanding that I 'give her son back' and other delusional statements about giving her child back and to reverse it, something that was obviously impossible…"
Mammon narrowed his eyes,"What about Frederick?"
"I couldn't tell you what he was feeling. He's never been an emotional man after all and this party is the first time I've ever seen him raise his voice at anyone or show true fury. After I told him the news he just…just.."
"Just what?" Mammon pressed.
"He…didn't say anything for that matter. I've never seen a man go silent that quickly in my entire life. Wouldn't have believed it had I not seen it with my own eyes. No tears, no agonizing screams, just silence. His expression, I don't know how to describe it. It was grim and betrayed yet composed at the same time…"
"This is bad…"The Greedy Jester muttered,"This is very bad…He's never acted like that before…Lucifer, you need to talk to him…"
"What? Why me?"
"You caused this, Lucifer. The least you can do is try and comfort him,"Belphegor said.
"It was an accident, Belphegor," He grumbled,"Don't act as though I intentionally killed his child…"
"Doesn't mean you shouldn't at least try and be there for him," The lazy Lord refuted,"At least pretend to feel sincere about this, Lucifer. You already drove a big wedge between your relationship with the Von Eldritch's as it is,do yourself a favor and don't widen the gap."
"Ugh, fine…" He groaned,"I'll do it, so long as it gets you to stop pestering me…"
It's not for my sake, Lucifer. It's for yours…" Belphegor admitted,"You don't have to heed my advice, because either way, this falls on you…Now if you excuse me, I'll be leaving. I've done all I can and there's no point in me staying any longer…"
Lucifer scoffed at this,"Farewell, Belphegor. Do make sure the door doesn't hit you on the way out…"
He then left to go and find Frederick. It didn't take long for him to find him, seeing Frederick standing out in an empty hallway.
"Frederick…" He called out to him, the Lord of Envy flinching upon hearing his name. He didn't turn to face Lucifer and his posture became tense as he grit his teeth, spitting venom towards him,
"What do you want?"
"I…I just wanted to speak with you.."
"Oh, did you know?" He asked bitterly,"How quaint. Did that idea truly come to you, or did the others force your hand into doing this? Don't bother lying, we both know the answer to that…"
"I made my choice to come here, Frederick, and that's what matters," Lucifer assured,"I understand you have…issues with me however, there's no need to be so hostile. It was an accident after all. Surely we can put this behind us now can't we?"
"E-Excuse me?" He snapped,"You think just because it was an 'accident' means I'm just going to let this be swept under the rug!? To pretend this never happened? Is that how you think this is going to go? Because if so, then you are sorely mistaken…"
Lucifer then grabbed his sleeve as Frederick attempted to back away,"Now now, old buddy, old pal, there's no need to be so hasty. You wouldn't really wish to throw away all our years of friendship over one little incident now would you? Especially after everything I did for you after the Fall, letting you have your own domain and everything and this is how you repay me? Oh, I'm hurt…"
"Don't even try it, Lucifer," He scowled as he tore his hand away,"Your silver tongue may work on others but I'm not as susceptible to your charm as mortals are. You cannot sway me to your whims like that and you're beyond foolish if you thought I'd be able to look past this."
"Frederick, for Heaven's sake, it was an accident. I didn't mean it."
"Is that all you have to say for yourself? You constantly claim it was an accident yet you show very little remorse or sincerity in not only your words but your actions…."
"And what do you want me to do about it?" He balked,"It won't change anything. It's not like apologizing is going to bring your child back. Besides, if you truly cared you would've been there for your wife instead of letting someone else do the dirty work for you like a pathetic weakling…"
The last part more or less slipped out, it wasn't something Lucifer had intended to let slip but his big fat mouth just had to end the conversation on a harsh note. Frederick's eyes widened, staring at Lucifer as if he had been slapped in the face, Lucifer himself covering his mouth and staring at Frederick in disbelief.
The King of Hell winced as he attempted to reach out to the man he once called friend, now attempting to grab onto his shoulder,"Frederick, I don't know what came over but I swear, I didn't mean it like that and-"
"You've made your point rather clear, Lucifer," Frederick intervened as he shoved Lucifer's arm aside with bared teeth,"There's no need to clarify. The message was crystal clear…." The way he spoke sounded hurt yet composed at the same time, as if he wanted to remain in control.
"Frederick, I didn't mean-"
"Oh you meant it alright," He cut in,"No matter what you may pretend, we both know you meant every word you said to me. To think you thought this way of me this entire time and I had no idea…"
The Lord of Envy then turned around to leave and Lucifer shouted,"Hey! Where are you going?"
"Going to take myself and my wife home, why? What's it to you?" He growled.
"I…I just wanted to know, are we still friends?"
Frederick scowled,"What do you think!?"
"I'll take that as 'no'..." He mumbled in disappointment as Frederick turned his back on him and before leaving whispered one last thing,
"If we were truly friends, Lucifer, you'd know your best option is to leave me, else a severed friendship will be the least of your worries right now…." He hissed before turning his back on him and walking away.
"Frederick, get back here!" He shouted as he chased after him to no avail. Frederick seemed ready to open the door to take his leave until Lucifer suddenly teleported in the way.
"Step aside, Lucifer…"
"Not until we settle this…"
"We already have. Now get out of my way or else… He hissed, his tone veered on the edge of what sounded like a warning, his voice becoming more demonic and far less friendly by the second.
Lucifer refused to budge, standing in front of the door.
Frederick's scowl deepened before letting out an terrifying growl and turning into his Leviathan form as he grabbed Lucifer by the collar and hit him several times before tossing him to the ground. It happened so fast that Lucifer had no time to react and could only scream as he collided to the floor.
"I SAID, STEP ASIDE MORNINGSTAR!" Frederick screamed, his voice channeling echoes that shook the ground itself like an earthquake.
The Devil grunted as he fell to the floor, his eyes wide as he witnessed his friend's demonic form glaring at him with utmost disdain and hatred. The last time he had seen it, it was far larger than this but it seemed Frederick was making sure to manipulate his size while still tapping into his power.
Lucifer winced,"Frederick, there's no need to get so violent. We both know what would happen if demons like ourselves began to fight and I'd hate to hurt you.."
"Oh you already have, Lucifer…you already have…" He chuckled darkly,"Can't you see you've done enough damage, Morningstar? What made you think talking would fix what you did?"
"I didn't mean-"
"You said that before…" Frederick snarled,"That changes nothing and you know it! Saying you didn't mean it wont bring my child back! Tell me, Lucifer, what good will your talk do for me at this point?"
Lucifer was unsure how to respond, he had never heard Frederick like this before. He sounded so betrayed and enraged. He had never seen Frederick so furious in his entire life and he felt almost intimidated by it…
Almost…
Frederick didn't give him a chance to respond as he said,"You know what? Nevermind. Talking to you is just a waste of time. I should've never come here, should've never bothered with this…I'm leaving and I'm taking my wife with me…"
He then reverted back to his normal form.
Despite his better judgment, Lucifer prompted himself to ask,"When are you going to come back?"
"Who says I will?" He asked,"And what's it to you?"
"Frederick, we're fri-"
He scoffed,"Lucifer, you really think so, despite all you've done? Well, I'll tell you this, Morningstar…if we were truly friends, you would've never come here…"
He then left, turning his back on Lucifer who stood there in shock. He didn't dare move from his position and hadn't even bothered to blink until Mammon had showed up some time later, the jester looking down at him with a look best described as utmost pity.
"So, I take it that the talk didn't go too well, didn't it?"
Lucifer rolled his eyes,"What do you think?"
Mammon sighed,"I had a feeling this would happen…" He then outstretched his hand,"Come on, Luci, quick looking like a fool and get up…"
Lucifer stared at his hand, scoffed and stood up on his own,"I don't need your pity, Mammon…"
"A little pity never hurt anyone,"He shrugged before summoning a tissue,"Not to mention you've got a bloody nose and a black eye. Did Frederick hit you hard or what?"
Lucifer blinked in astonishment before feeling above his mouth and looking down at his glove, now seeing a red substance on his hands. Not to mention he now felt his left eye swelling up in agony and he grit his teeth in pain,"Shit, he got blood on me…"
"Considering what you did, you should consider yourself lucky he didn't do worse. Had you been anyone else I'm certain he would've reduced the person to nothing but a bloody smear…"
"Mammon," He grumbled,"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure…What is it?"
"Do you think the two of us can ever be friends again?"
The jester made a face of uncertainty before outright admitting,"i…I don't know, Lucifer…It's far too soon to tell and given what happened, you'll be lucky he even wants to speak with you after this…"
"He can't avoid me forever, Mammon. He'll have to talk to me eventually…"
"But who knows how long that'll take. And if it's debatable if he even wants to be your friend after time will tell for certain whether you two can reconcile…Even then, it likely won't be the same…"
The Devil's gaze softened as he looked directly at the ground, his fist clenching up. The Lord Of Greed glanced at him wearily before Lucifer said,"Mammon, you're dismissed."
"W-What? Why?"
"You need to go back to your realm, Mammon. You have your own duties to tend to…"
"But what about you?"
"I'll be fine.." He muttered,"Just go…Now…"
Mammon frowned before bowing his head,"A-as you wish, friend…"
The jester teleported out of the room and left the Devil alone. Lucifer looked at the room and grumbled,"Lilith's not going to be happy about this…Better call someone to fix this mess before she comes back…"
Several Centuries Later…
Lucifer narrowed his eyes as he drank wine. Today was their baby shower and all the Sins were invited for the celebration along with a fair amount of noble demons
He of course, sent a letter to Bethesda and Frederick despite Lilith's advising him not to, claiming it would go unanswered just like every other letter they sent to them.
It had been centuries since the Von Eldritch's and Morningstars had spoken though it wasn't from a lack of effort on their part. The Eldritch simply refused to speak to them and went out of their way to avoid them at all costs.
Even after all these years since the controversy, Lucifer was fairly certain Frederick and Bethesda hadn't forgotten and were intent on holding not only him, but the rest of his family accountable for it.
He had expected this celebration to be treated like every other invitation they had given them, ignored and likely tossed into the fireplace as it burned to a crisp.
Not that he wasn't used to their absence, though he did find it a tad sad they never attended the parties or meetings they held and it never felt the same without them…
Suddenly, he felt someone's hands cover his eyes. He nearly jumped before groaning when he heard a familiar crackle whisper into his ears,"Seriously, Mammon?"
"What can I say, Luci? It's always fun seeing you wince…" The mad Lord of Greed sneered only to cry out in agony when Lucifer elbowed him,"Ow! Luci, what was that for?" He whined.
"You know damn well what that was for, Mammon," He retorted,"You're lucky I like you else I would've killed you for pulling that on me…"
"Aw, so you do love me!" He cooed.
"You're pushing it, Mammon," He growled,"Now tell me, what do you want out of me this time?"
"Oh what makes you think I want anything, Luci?" The Lord of Greed smiled, batting his lashes suggestively.
"Quit your games, Mammon. I'm not in the mood for your flirtations,"Lucifer grumbled,"State your reason for being here else I'll shove my fist up your face…"
"Oh don't be so rude, Luci, I was just having a bit of fun you know,"He huffed,"And as much as I adore getting on your nerves, I did have a reason for bothering you…"
"And what reason might that be?"
"The Von Eldritch's are here…" He said Lucifer nearly spat out his drink for a split second.
"You're joking, right?"
"Would I even be here if I was?" Mammon asked,"I'm not pulling your leg, Luci. they're here. And if you don't believe me, take a look for yourself…" Lucifer then grabbed Lucifer's face and directed him to the sight.
Lucifer narrowed his eyes and at first, saw nothing other than the other rich party goers. But slowly, his eyes caught sight of a familiar sight. And then, he saw them.
Frederick and Bethesda were talking with Lilith at a table.
"They came? B-But why?"
"I'm not sure,"Mammon admitted, shrugging his shoulders,"I tried to ask them about their reason for coming here and they didn't give me a straight-foward answer. Claimed they wanted to catch up and apparently this party was the perfect opportunity they've been waiting for…"
"Are they still mad about…you know…"
"I wouldn't know. I'm not the one they're mad at," Mammon said as he sipped on his drink,"They seem…a lot more collected and calm when I talk with them. Perhaps enough time has passed to where they'd be willing to reconcile after the incident. Especially now that they themselves are having children…"
"They are?" Lucifer exclaimed,"They're having kids again?"
"I know, I was in disbelief too, but it seems they decided to give it another go. Perhaps that's a sign they're moving on…maybe there's still a chance for you two to be friends again…"
"You really think so?"
"I can't say for certain, but it's not out of the realm of possibility. After all, it has been centuries since you two have last seen or spoken to each other ..."
"Do you think I should try talking to them?"
"It's your choice, Luci," Mammon said,"Though if you do talk to them, please choose your words carefully. You wouldn't want a repeat of last time now would you?"
"No…" The Devil then made a decision as he sighed,"I'm going to go talk to them. Wish me luck…"
"Good luck, Luci…"
Lucifer approached the table they were sitting at. None of them had taken notice of him and the women seemed to be discussing something amusing judging by how wide their smiles were.
"And then I told him that if he was going to act like a bitch, I was going to treat him like one!" Lilith laughed,"Adam was so surprised when I said that! You should've seen his face!"
"Men can be such fools, Lilith," She cackled,"All of them are nothing more than tools for us and sometimes they're not even that…"
Frederick narrowed his eyes,"Ahem…"
"Not you darling, other men…" Bethesda reminded,"You're the exception to the rule…"
"Surely we're not all that bad, Bethesda,"Lucifer intervened as he approached their table and stood beside his wife.
His intrusion caught everyone off guard for a moment and Bethesda stuttered as she accounted for his presence,"Y-Your highness…I hadn't expected to see you so soon…"
"I hadn't expected to see you at all," He admitted,"Not that I'm against that of course. We're happy you two decided to show. After all, it's been so long since either of us have seen each other and your arrival was quite unexpected. Speaking of which, is there a reason you decided to show up out of the blue? Because as much as I adore having you here, it seems odd you chose to come now of all times…"
"To enjoy the celebration of Hell's newest addition to the Morningstar bloodline of course," Frederick stated,"After all, why would we miss something so crucial? It's a once in a lifetime opportunity for crying out loud. You couldn't possibly wish to miss this."
"I see…" Lucifer said before looking at Bethesda's stomach which was larger than Lilith's.'That's a large baby…'
He then reached out to touch Bethesda but not only did she flinch away from him but Frederick stopped him, grabbing his hand in an iron grip.
"Gngh!"
"Do not touch,Lucifer," He said in a calm yet firm voice.
"S-Sorry," He mumbled before retracting his hand and relinquishing his arm back to his side. Things likely would've gotten awkward had Lilith not intervened as she said,
"So, when is the baby coming? Our dear Charlotte is coming in several weeks. At least, that's what the doctor said…"
"In another week or so," Bethesda said,"And we're not just having one child. We're having two…"
"Twins?" Lucifer asked,"That's…unexpected. Twins are usually a rarity, let alone royal twins. Do you have names for them?"
"Seviathan and Helsa," Frederick said,"Those are the names we came up with for them…."
Lucifer would've said how tacky the names were however Lilith seemed to have caught on to what he was thinking at that moment and sent him a look to keep his opinion to herself. Lucifer bit his tongue and instead said,"Say, Frederick, you know it's been a while since we've last spoken to each other. What do you say we have a little something between us? Just a small chat so to speak…"
Frederick fell silent for a second before looking at his wife,"Will you two be alright?"
"We'll be fine, Frederick,"Lilith assured,"Just try and behave yourselves, boys…"
"We will. Come along, Frederick. Let's chat…"
Lucifer led Frederick away into a separate room away from the public eye.
It was a small yet comfortable room with a table, two chairs and a wonderful view provided by the window. Lucifer took a seat and Frederick followed after, the King of Pride taking a deep breath,"It's been a long time since we've been able to talk like this, Frederick."
"Indeed it is,"He replied dismissively,"What of it?"
"I was just wondering…after all this time…how are you doing?"
The question came out wrong and Lucifer was ashamed to admit he felt a tad small, if not embarrassed at how nervous he sounded. He bit the inside of his cheek as he tried to maintain his composure as Frederick stared at him with cold eyes.
"Is that truly the question you're asking me?" He inquired incredulously.
"Of course, Frederick. After all, we haven't spoken to each other in literal centuries, and that's not even mentioning the fact that you've been avoiding me for years…" He mumbled,"I just wanted to know if you were alright…"
"I'm fine, thanks," He retorted in a monotone voice, Lucifer flinching at how emotionless Frederick sounded. Frederick was never the emotional type but he usually showed some semblance of feelings.
Now…he looked rather stone-faced. The most you could get out of him was minor irritation and outside of that, he seemed completely stoic.
"Are you sure?"
"Yes, Lucifer. I'm very sure," He said boredly,"Is there a point to your questioning or are you going to divulge your true reasons for bringing me here? Because we both know you didn't just come to chat…"
"I…I just wanted to catch up. I didn't expect you to come here and I just wanted to know if we could…get back to where we started…" Lucifer then summoned a glass of wine for Frederick,"Want a drink?"
"Hmph…I don't see why not…" Frederick then took the glass and sipped on lacking pupils, Lucifer could tell that Frederick's eyes were still glued to him, his expression impossible to read.
"So…are you excited?"
"About what?"
"The children. You'll be having two babies soon, Frederick. I would've thought your spirits would be high yet you don't seem all too enthusiastic. Is something wrong with the babies?"
"No, the babies are healthy. So I'm told anyway."
"Then what's the matter with you? You don't seem too excited about having kids…"
"I do have other things to concern myself with, Lucifer. Ruling over a sector is quite a handful and I cannot allow myself to become distracted…"
"Fair enough. Though, you sound like something is on your mind. What's bothering you?"
"It's none of your concern."
"Frederick, I…I believe we're friends now…" He said slowly, treading carefully,"I don't mean any harm. I just want to know how you're feeling…"
"Why do you care?" He asked,"It doesn't even matter…"
"I just want to know. I'm your friend and I want to at least try helping you since you're not as…"
"Expressive? I'm aware, Mammon told me the same thing, claiming he could hardly recognize me. I don't get why, I'm still me, I'm just…not as attached as I used to be…"
"And why is that?"
Frederick sent him a look,"You know why…"
"Frederick, it was an accident-"
"Accidents…It's always an accident with you people. I know I shouldn't be surprised but even after these years, it still stings. Not that you would understand, you wouldn't know my pain…"
"You're not mad are you?"
"Oh I was…for the longest time. However, I will admit, what you did back there taught me something."
"And what was that?"
"It taught me to never allow my emotions to be swayed so easily. Back then, I was foolish, pathetic…weak. But you taught me that things you cared about could be taken away with just one…simple push. And I have to thank Lucifer for that. You made me realize just how foolish it is to love prematurely. For that, I owe you my thanks."
The Devil was uncertain how to respond to his friend's statement. Instead, he cleared his throat as his eyes darted to the side,"Say, Frederick, you know, I was wondering perhaps we could make an arrangement."
"An arrangement? What kind of arrangement?"
"Our friendship is rather strained and I wish for us to revive our relationship as a whole. So why not strike a deal? I have an offer you couldn't possibly refuse…"
"What's the deal, Lucifer?"
"In exchange for putting this prior event behind us, we can arrange a union between my daughter and your son."
Frederick put his hands together,"That sounds quite spectacular. Though are you certain your wife will agree with this?"
"Lilith…can be convinced. Even if she does disagree, I'm certain she'll come around. Besides, there's still time…So what do you say, old friend? Want to put this behind us?" He outstretched his hand out to Frederick.
"Hmph….I suppose it wouldn't hurt. Besides, the benefits outweigh the negatives…" He then grabbed Lucifer's hand,"You've got yourself a deal,Morningstar…"
Flashback End…
"So….yeah. That's basically how it went," Lucifer admitted as he stared out into the reddish skies,"Course the marriage didn't work out in the end but at least I managed to somewhat patch up relations between our two families…up until now at least. Worst part, it's not even just him. Everyone's just turned their back on me…"
"Not everyone. I'm still here…"
"Yeah but you're you, Mammon…." He dryly chuckled,"It just…doesn't feel the same now that everyone's against me…Now I don't really know what to do…"
"Don't you have any plans, Lucifer?"
"Does searching for my daughter count? I know you all think she's dead but…I refuse to believe Charlotte's truly gone. Not until I see the body. The world may have given up on her but I'm not losing faith in her that easily…"
Mammon narrowed his eyes,"Your determination perplexes me, Luci…I can't and likely won't ever understand what drives you despite the odds but I have to say, it's quite an impressive trudge on despite the odds. I can't say I'd do the same thing in your position…"
"Being a parent does things to you, Mammon. You wouldn't understand but ever since I laid eyes on Charlie, I've wanted to protect her and I feel I failed now…"
"You didn't fail, Luci. Charlie made her own choice to leave, you had no idea she would do something like this…."
"But I should've been there for her and now she's…she's somewhere. I don't know where but she's just not here. Mammon…can you be honest with me?"
"Depends on what it is…"
"Do you think Charlie is still out there?"
"I…I can't say my hope for her is high, Lucifer. It's been months and there hasn't been a single sighting of her. Though without a body we can't exactly prove she's dead. Either way, the chance of her being alive is rather slim…."
"I figured you'd say that…"
"What? You did ask for my honest opinion, didn't you?"
"I was hoping you would pretend otherwise but I guess I'm expecting too much out of you…"
"Ha ha, very funny, Lucifer. Very funny," The jester chuckled sarcastically before frowning when he saw Lucifer wasn't laughing,"Luci, you OK?"
The Devil narrowed his eyes,"Couldn't be better…"
"Luci, I get you're upset but moping ain't gonna bring your daughter back."
"I know…which is why I'm gonna find her. I know many think it's a lost cause trying to search for her but until I see her, I won't believe otherwise that she's not out here somewhere. Because believe me, I've wondered countless times why I'm doing this and whenever I'm in doubt, I pull out a picture of her and remember why I'm continuing to fight for her, even if it's a battle I stand alone in."
"You're not alone, Lucifer…" Mammon said, placing his hand on the blonde's shoulders,"No matter how many people in the world turn away from you, I'll always be there for you. You don't have to do it all alone, there are still people who care…"
"And how would I know?" Lucifer asked,"How do I know anyone is on my side?"
"Because I'm right here, Luci. And despite my views on your daughter's situation, if you truly still desire to find her, I'll gladly assist you in finding her."
The Devil stared at Mammon in disbelief,"Really? You'd do that for me?"
"Why wouldn't I? You're my friend, Lucifer and while I can't understand your fixation on her I will assist you nevertheless. Besides, ifI don't help you, who will?"
"Thank you, Mammon. Though, honestly, I'm not too sure where to start."
"What do you mean?"
"I don't think Charlie is in Hell anymore. We've searched every crevice down here yet she's nowhere to be seen…"
Mammon frowned,"If she's not in Hell, perhaps she's somewhere else…"
"But where?"
The Greedy clown rubbed his chin,"I can't be sure, but if we're ever going to find out, we need to…open old wounds so to speak and you're not going to like it one bit…"
"Please don't tell me you're going where I think you're going with this…"
"Lucifer, do you want to find your daughter or not?"
"Yes…" He grumbled.
"Then let's consider putting our differences aside just this once. I understand we have a lot of bad blood with those Heavenly Suckers but I do believe that contacting them might get us somewhere. What do you say?"
Lucifer groaned,"Fine…Just don't expect me to be excited…."
"Wouldn't expect anything else out of you," Mammon assured,"Though before we even think of heading upstairs,we need to find a safe way in. After all, we're not exactly allowed to go up there…"
"Yeah, they are not fans of Demons mingling up there with all the pure and righteous ones. Go figures. Still, we did technically sign a treaty with Heaven to end the war on the circumstance that demons are not allowed up in Heaven's gates so getting inside is going to be a little difficult…"
Mammon paused to think about it for a second before an idea came to him,"Actually, my dear Luci, I believe I've found a loophole we could exploit within the system…"
"And what would that be?"
"The treaty stated those not native to Heaven's gates couldn't enter…And despite ruling over Hell, we hail from Heaven, not Hell. Do you catch my drift?"
Lucifer blinked, his jaw falling down to the floor,"Mammon, you can't be serious."
"Oh I'm dead serious, Luci…"
"There's no way this will work."
"Don't be so dramatic. Besides, it's nothing, a little makeup and a change in attire can't fix…"
Lucifer could already feel the dread bubbling up inside of him with each passing second. Something told him that deep down, this was only the beginning of the rabbit-hole and that they were in for a long, long journey…
Thanks for 14,686 views, tell me what you think below! Feel free to leave your opinions on this story below!
And yeah, Lucifer fucked up...like really hard in ya'll can't tell lol.
Enigmus-288: He's still a shark and honestly...they've got far bigger problems to deal with. It'll come when it needs to but they have FAR bigger issues to think of at the moment.
Gigastorm X: As many as I feel are necessary lol. I've got it all planned out on a doc but I don't got a specific number in mind. Just have to see how long it takes to get to the end.