thank you Conejo-Sama for the editted chapter : D

This is a (short) chapter just 'cause it fits with the flow o.o

Next chapter it's gonna be pretty long : O

Thank you LunaReader for beta reading this chapter : )

Chapter 24

Sera continued to hold Adam in her lap while he slept; his brow would furrow, and his breathing would become uneven if she didn't. Cradling him close, she brushed her fingers gently through his hair, whispering soothing words to keep him at peace.

Adam had been healing slowly for the past few days. At least, that was what she observed from the injuries that didn't appear as ugly as they had before. The wounds that were taking longer and appeared concerning were the ones on his wings and on the back of his leg. She would lay him back on the bed to allow the nurses to replace his bandages. The doctor assured her that the wings would heal, but the wound on his leg may have problems since Val had used angelic steel on it, making her regret not giving the sinner a more painful death.

Adam rarely stayed awake for long, and when he did, he was often disoriented because of the heavy dose of painkillers injected into him. His eyes would flutter open, glazed and unfocused, before slipping shut again, which she preferred. He needed to get as much rest as possible after everything he had been through.

As the days passed, she refused to let anyone see Adam. She didn't allow Charlie - who insisted on seeing Adam - nor even Lucifer to come into the room, not while he was in a vulnerable state.

Maybe she was selfish for not allowing anyone to take the time she had with her Adam, but she also wanted to help him maintain some dignity, especially after seeing his bloody, exposed state at the Vees' tower.

Sera longed to have Adam eat proper food to help speed his recovery. He was so frail, which caused her stomach to churn with guilt as she recalled how she had body-shamed him. However, he couldn't stay conscious enough to take a bite of anything.

While he slept soundly in her arms, her mind would often drift to what would come next for them. She was deeply worried about how she was going to help Adam once he wasn't spending most of his time asleep. He was deeply traumatized, and she didn't know the best way to deal with it. She had failed him for thousands of years already, and she didn't want to continue doing so.

But what could she do?

The question gnawed at her heart before Emily's word replayed in her mind: "He wanted to be loved, Sera. He wanted a family, yet all you gave him were high expectations that he couldn't meet. You all couldn't be proud of him for just being Adam. You all were just obsessed with having your 'perfect' creation instead of genuinely wanting him to be happy."

The words made her tighten her embrace. Her eyes glistened with unshed tears.

She didn't know how to be a mother. It wasn't one of her duties, but… as she thought about it more, based on her time observing mothers in the human world, she had somewhat taken on being a motherly figure towards Emily. She was affectionate towards the younger seraphim, guided and protected her. She supposed that was what she had to do, to show Adam that he was loved, just like Emily was, and to allow him to be himself, free from the pressure of being the perfect being that was expected of him, to give him the family he had longed for. She knew how difficult it would be with everything that was taking place in Heaven right now; she imagined her siblings were most likely looking for her while Moro was seeking Adam himself.

As Sera held Adam in her arms, she felt him tense up, his breathing becoming rapid and shallow. His face was pinched in discomfort, the peacefulness of his sleep slipping away. Concerned, she caressed the back of his head, pressing her lips gently against his hairline to soothe him. But instead of calming down, Adam seemed to grow worse, his body beginning to tremble uncontrollably. Something was off. She stared down at him, slowly reaching over his chest, noticing an odd sensation from the black mark that covered his skin. The moment she touched it, her eyes widened as she felt something dark and malevolent trying to latch onto her. Instinctively, she yanked her hand away before, suddenly, the room plunged into an almost pitch-black darkness. The walls, the light, everything seemed to vanish, leaving only the bed visible. Across from her, a shadowy figure stood, a black silhouette with long hair.

She stared at it with narrowed eyes, recognizing the figure's form. At least, she believed to know who it was: Eve.

Before she could say anything, a twisted, red smile appeared on the dark figure's face, followed by large red orbs that shot open unrealistically wide, causing Sera to feel a dread build up in her chest as she stared at the creature that now had no resemblance to the second woman ever created.

"You've lost your chance," the creature whispered, its voice resembling the sound of stone scraping against stone. "He's mine… They are all mine now…"

Sera glanced up and felt her blood run cold. Above her, countless twisted bodies hung in the air, suspended by their necks with glowing collars. The sight was horrifying. There were thousands of what appeared to be sinners filling the red tainted sky, and there were even bodies of the exorcists that were killed in the last battle among them.

Sera wasn't sure what was going on, but she knew what she was seeing was an illusion. Yet she could feel the shattered souls screaming in agony, those she had originally thought were just lifeless bodies.

She looked down at the dark stain on Adam's chest before a glowing collar appeared around Adam's neck and it tugged him up. Serra immediately gripped the chain and clutched Adam tightly to her chest, glaring at the creature with pure hatred.

"Who are you?!" she demanded. The countless eyes on her body flashed open, ready to defend her son.

The dark figure's body shook as she laughed with sadistic glee before elongated, twisted limbs and sharp, claw-like appendages shot out of her mouth at Sera, who immediately sent a wave of holy light from her soul to blast around her surroundings, causing the dark creature, the countless doomed souls hanging above, and the darkness that surrounded them to vanish.

"We need to speak privately," Sera said to Lucifer seriously after reluctantly leaving Adam with the nurses that were changing his wraps.

She found the fallen angel in the kitchen with Charlie, Vaggie, Husk, Angel, and Alastor.

"Is this about Adam?" Charlie asked. There were dark circles under her eyes, evidence a rough couple of nights; she had been so worried for Adam and, truth be told, Sera's refusal to let her see him was frustrating her. She didn't understand why her dad forced her to follow Sera's demands after everything she'd done to Adam.

Sera was hesitant for a moment, but to Charlie's surprise, she replied, "Something is wrong with Adam's soul."

Alastor's smile turned sharp.

"What do you mean there's something wrong with his soul?" Charlie's face morphed into full-blown worry. "What's wrong with it?"

Angel ignored the sick feeling in the pit of his stomach, as if he could still feel Valentino's hands around his neck, and hoped his former abuser didn't do something terrible with Adam's soul.

"I'm not entirely sure," Sera said, glancing over at Lucifer. "I have to return to Heaven to investigate further."

Lucifer's brows furrowed. He had a feeling Sera was hiding something, but he knew better than to push her into revealing more.

Little did he know Sera was planning to tell him what she had seen in Adam's room later.

"Wait, you're just leaving?" Charlie hoped the Seraphim wasn't taking Adam with her. There was no way she was going to let Heaven take Adam while he was vulnerable. Who knew what they would do to him now?

Sera looked down at Charlie, taking in the young woman's defiant expression, one she would have found irritating before but now…

Her own expression softened, ignoring the fear she had for what she was about to do. Though she had grown tired of obeying the "perfect" rules handed to them by certain individuals. "Your friend was right," she said, making Charlie's brows raise in bewilderment. "I should have never tried blaming you for what happened to Adam. What I did, the things I said to him were terribly cruel. I've failed him and your mother since the day they were born."

Charlie stared at her, surprised, and she wasn't the only one either. Lucifer shared her expression while her friends glanced at one another in confusion before glancing back at the Seraphim.

"I should have done more for them," Sera continued. "Instead, I allowed my pride to blindside me for so long… especially when it came to you. You were right about redemption being a possibility. I was foolish to deny it even when the proof stood right in front of me."

"Proof…?"

Sera gave Charlie a small smile. "Your friend, Sir Pentious, the one you believed to have been lost forever, is in Heaven, as a redeemed soul."

The room fell completely silent before everyone's eyes slowly widened. A crackling noise spilled from Alastor as his smile turned more twisted.

Charlie was completely frozen on the spot. "What… did you say…?"

"Sir Pentious is in Heaven, as a redeemed soul," Sera repeated, still holding on to a smile that now appeared slightly ashamed. "Some time after Adam incinerated him, he appeared to Emily and me."

"Sir Pentious... is in Heaven?" Angel was the one who spoke up this time, unable to believe it himself. "He's not… dead, like, double dead?"

"Are you serious?" Vaggie asked Sera, unable to believe the news herself. She hoped they weren't being tricked for some manipulative reason. Sera responded with a nod, and Vaggie's mouth hung open. "Holy shit."

"Well, would you look at that?" Husk chuckled, turning to Alastor with a smirk. "Charlie was right this whole time."

Alastor narrowed his eyes at Husk before he vanished from the room, amusing Husk even more.

Charlie continued to stand there, tears slowly gathering in her eyes as she glanced at her father, who was staring at her with a mixture of surprise and awe. "Sir Pentious is alive," she whispered. "Sinners can change. Redemption is possible for our people. Sir Pentious, he's..."

"Charlie, I owe you so many apologies," Sera said to her quietly. "I was too proud to accept I was wrong, that Heaven was wrong. I should have never hidden Sir Pentious' state from you and from everyone."

"Sir Pentious is alive," Charlie repeated slowly, still processing Sera's news. She glanced at her friends with a wide smile, tears finally trailing down her cheeks. Angel, Husk, and Vaggie were smiling at her. Vaggie's held pride, Angel and Husk's filled with hope and utter relief that their friend was not gone forever.

Tears were forming in Angel's eyes before he scrubbed them away. "Should have known that dickhead wouldn't stay dead forever," he laughed ever so playfully.

Charlie was so happy she hadn't failed Sir Pentious; she didn't let a friend down. Her chest was filled with so much light and warmth, she couldn't help but run to Sera before throwing her arms around her, burying her face into the Seraphim's dress, completely catching the Seraphim off guard.

Tears trailed down Charlie's tender cheeks, soaking into the fabric of Sera's gown. "Thank you," she whispered, causing Sera to be even more surprised. The angel had expected anger, resentment even, for keeping such a significant secret, "It means a lot to me to know that my friend is still alive."

Sera hesitated for a moment before placing a soft hand on Charlie's back. She finally saw how wrong she had been about Charlie in so many ways. Instead of rubbing at her face how right she was about redemption, the young woman was showing her gratitude; she was simply relieved that her friend's soul wasn't gone.

A gentle smile spread across Sera's face. "I'll be returning to Heaven tomorrow," she said. "And, Charlie, I'm leaving Adam with you. You're the only one I trust with my son's life."

Charlie pulled back slightly to look up at Sera, once again surprised. She desperately wanted to ask one of her friends to pinch her to make sure she wasn't dreaming. "Did you… just call Adam your…?"

Sera nodded, her expression earnest. "I should have never seen him as anything else. I can't deny what he and your mother are to me any longer."

"You know, if you think about it, if Sera is Charlie's mom's mom, doesn't that make Charlie Sera's granddaughter?" Angel brought up curiously.

Sera and Charlie blinked in Angel's direction before they looked at one another.

Charlie's eyes brightened up even more.

She had a grandmother this whole time? Actually, now that she thought about it, weren't the rest of the Seraphim where her grandparents, too?

"You know what the bigger plot twist is?" Husk asked Angel with a calm amusement. "Since Adam is our ancestor, that would make-"

"Sera's our double great, great, great, great, great, great times a thousand grandma?!" Angel glanced over to Sera, who now stood there looking a bit disturbed. That would imply all the sinners were hers in a way.

"Oh my god, we are all related!" Charlie exclaimed with glee before leaving Sera and throwing her arms around Husk and Angel, who smiled at her. "I can't believe we've been family this whole time!"

Charlie was so thrilled to know that she had a bigger family than she had originally thought, and of course the news made her cry from joy. Angel patted her back with a chuckle while Husk rolled his eyes playfully.

"The family tree just got even more confusing," Vaggie pointed out to Lucifer in amusement, who was standing there in silence. His mind was having a hard time coming to terms with everything that was revealed in that moment.

And now he felt like a total jerk for telling Charlie how Adam was not her uncle after Sera was so open in claiming Adam and Lilith to be her children.

After Charlie shed some more tears from the rollercoaster of emotions she was experiencing, she eventually released her friends and dried her face with her hands before looking up at Sera with a smile.

"I promise I'll watch over your son," she vowed. She knew Adam was going to need her and her friends after everything that had happened to him. And whatever was wrong with Adam's soul, she was going to do her best to also fix it herself. "I won't let you down."

Sera smiled warmly. "I know you won't, Charlie. Thank you."

Before Sera could return to Adam, Charlie grabbed her hand gently. "When you go back to Heaven, can you tell Sir Pentious... tell him we're so glad he's alive, that we miss him so much, and that we're so proud of him." Charlie looked up at Sera hopefully.

"Of course," Sera answered before finally teleporting out of the room to return to Adam's side.

Adam opened his eyes tiredly, his mind still in a daze, but he was more aware now; he could feel the warmth from the arms that held him. Sera cradled him in her lap, just like before, this time with a warm blanket wrapped around him.

His fingertips felt the cool, smooth silk of her dress. He felt her tender hand gingerly caress the back of his neck, like a feather brushing against his skin. She left a small trail of kisses, moving from his forehead down to his cheek, each one delicate and warm. Adam let out a soft sigh from the tenderness of her affection, a gentle smile tugging at his lips, enjoying what he still believed to be the peaceful dream he's been having lately.

Mustering the courage that seemed to come more easily in his dreamlike state, he leaned into her and nuzzled his face into the crook of her neck. He felt Sera gather him even closer, the peaceful rhythm of her soul tickling against his cheek and ear.

Nothing and no one else mattered to Adam at this moment. He was happy and did his best to stay awake while fingers massaged the back of his head.

Sera's voice broke the silence that fell in the room. "Adam," she began softly, her fingers still caressing him. "I'm going to be gone for a bit. I need to return to Heaven to take care of something."

Adam's brow furrowed in confusion. His eyes half-lidded as he struggled to process her words through the haze of the painkillers. "Gone?" he murmured.

Sera's hand moved down to his neck, rubbing a thumb against his tender skin. "I won't take long. I promise I'll be back for you."

Adam curled up. "No… please… don't leave…" he pleaded, his voice barely a whisper as tears formed in his eyes. "Please, just… stay with me…"

Sera hushed him gently, pressing another soft kiss to his forehead. "I can't bring you with me. You'll be safe here. Charlie will make sure of that."

Adam's fingers gripped at the fabric of her dress. "But… I don't want this to end…" His voice cracked sadly. He didn't want this wonderful dream to end.

"I know, my little star." Sera pressed her cheek against his forehead. "But right now, I need to keep you safe, and the only way I can do that is to leave you here. I swear to you, I will return, and everything will be as it should have been since the very beginning."

Adam didn't believe her, and he hoped his dream was just teasing him and would continue to provide him with the warmth and comfort he desperately wanted.

"My sweet, beautiful boy," Sera kissed his forehead tenderly, causing him to close his eyes and relish the feeling as much as he could. "I promise I will come back to you."

So yeah, showed a bit more of Not-Eve : ), and a bit more of what is happening to adam, though i'm still being vague. i dropped a bit of hints too concerning the souls that were 'killed off' by angelic weapons o.o. but yah, there is a reason why Not-Eve showed up to Sera . ...

Adam regressing a bit to a mind state he wasn't allowed to have in a way v.v, but it won't last long since u will seee o.O

Welp, Sera and charlie found out they are related, hahah, well, basically everyone is related in some way, LOL

Next chapter will have a bit of lucifer reacting more about everything he's learned, charlie as well since there was just so much for her to digest, hahaha, and then some angst for adam (yeah I knowwww i am soooo sorrry , i wanted to start doing comfort BUTTTT there is one last thing I have to do before the true series of comfort scenes start up. I was going to do it after the comfort but just felt it was way too off so yah, doing angst first. but i promise after, comfort and fluff v.v. at least we got some comfort from sera, right? :'c)

i think peeps are gonna like the next events though : 3, it's gonna be, spicy

but yah, let me know what ya peeps think about sera finally revealing about sir pentious, and what ya think of sera's motherly affection towards adam : o

Thank you peeps for the comments/reviews/feedback/fanart : D, I really appreciate them 3

and thank you too peeps for those who jumped to archive of our own to leave a kudo : ), (peeps can also leave one without an account), i totally appreciate teh support 3