I am back : )

I originally had some of this chapter written during my trip, but gah, somehow google docs erased my work and man, i was devastated... cause sometimes when i write things down, i can't recreate it... So, i hope this version is not so bad : c. i apologize for the shortness of it too, just felt it was just right for the flow and a small break from tons of the angst that's been happening lately, though, thsi chap has some tiny angst i guess x.x

Thank you ConejoSama for editing the chapter and LunaReader for betareading : )

I will be responding to people's reviews once this website stops acting whacky :/, it's being so... glitchy, idk what's going on... it was a nightmare getting this chapter up here, but i promise I read them and loved them 3!

Chapter 23

Lucifer snatched a small set of keys from the floor and tried each one until he removed the collar from Adam's neck. The contraption, made of angelic steel, couldn't be simply magicked away. He wanted to free Adam from the shackles on his joints and wings but didn't want to cause further damage as blood trickled from beneath the binds.

He conjured a large, warm blanket to wrap around Adam, alleviating the cold chills caused by his damp body. Adam was unsure when his sobs and tears stopped while Sera cradled him close, her cheek nestled against his forehead. A subtle rhythm whispered in his ear, a delicate hum from her chest, like a gentle lullaby soothing the pain coursing through him.

The sleepless nights, lack of food, and torture had drained Adam mentally and physically. However, he felt at peace as the warmth from Sera, unlike anything he had ever known, gently caressed him, making him feel safe and loved. The feeling reminded him of Lilith when she—

"The only one that can bring you happiness is Valentino. You need Valentino," a static voice hissed in his mind, trying to pull him away from the memory of Lilith softly smiling at him as they were lying intertwined beneath the canopy of trees, the gentle air and warm sun on their bare skin. With the little strength he had left, Adam tightly gripped the memory, yanking it from the darkness to keep it close to his heart. He desperately didn't want to lose the moments that gave him a profound connection with someone, especially when it was related to Lilith.

As Sera gently withdrew her cheek from his forehead, a soft whimper escaped his lips. His heart ached like a child longing for their mother's touch. A terrifying thought crossed his mind: was he finally going to meet his end?

Sensing his silent yearning and fear, Sera drew him closer. Adam curled up more, letting out a soft sigh as she caressed the back of his head. Faint whispers drifted above him. He couldn't grasp the words but cared little for them. Instead, he closed his eyes and nestled against her, returning to the melody coming from her chest.

"What do you mean by terminating a deal first?" Sera inquired of Lucifer, keeping her voice quiet to avoid disturbing Adam. She used the small amount of magic she had to numb Adam's pain and tried to put him to sleep while deciding where he would be safest to hide.

Initially, she planned to force Lucifer to mend Adam's wounds—angels, even seraphim, couldn't heal sinners, so she required other means to help Adam—before taking him back to the Eden replica. However, she feared what Moro and the rest of her siblings would do if they found out he was there. She considered Charlie's hotel a temporary solution until she found something better.

When she asked Lucifer to create a portal to the hotel, he said he needed to end a deal with Adam first. Rage filled her upon learning Lucifer had made a soul-binding contract with her Adam.

"He can't return to the hotel until the deal is broken," Lucifer clarified, causing her to stare at him coldly. He averted his gaze, looking ashamed, especially when his eyes landed on the scattered black feathers and splattered blood on the cold stone floor.

He hadn't expected to find Adam in such a terrible condition after he had left the hotel. Or did he? Regardless, they had to bring Adam back to the hotel and tend to him.

"I'll explain later. For now, could you…?" He motioned towards Adam, who seemed to have fallen asleep.

Sera wanted to demand the contract's details, a sick feeling gnawing at her as she suspected it might have led to Adam's current state. If Lucifer had anything to do with Adam's torture, she would make sure he regretted it. He had done too much to Adam already. The weak body on her lap kept her from lashing out at Lucifer. She gently pulled Adam slightly away from her chest. His face contorted in fear as he opened his eyes halfway. His glassy eyes, filled with sadness, reminded her of when he was taken as a newborn. She brushed her fingers against his cheek and gave him a sad smile as his gaze met hers. Seeing him so beaten and scared made her chest twist with guilt; she remembered how she had turned a blind eye weeks ago when he was begging her on his knees.

Lucifer moved closer so Adam could see him, hesitantly meeting Adam's dimmed eyes. "Adam," he said softly. "Can you hear me?"

Adam couldn't make out the words; they sounded muffled. He leaned into Sera and started closing his eyes, but Sera gently guided his face back to Lucifer.

"Hey, buddy," Lucifer tried again. "We need you to agree to end the contract we made days ago."

Adam slowly processed his words, the fog in his mind lifting just enough for him to understand. His stomach dropped, and his body grew cold with terror as he had a terrible thought: Lucifer was going to dump him back in the Eden replica, even after everything he had just endured. Despair overwhelmed him, and tears trailed down his face again.

"No," he whimpered hoarsely, pressing into Sera, his body trembling. "Please, no... I… promise I'll be better. I learned my lesson… Please… I'd rather die than go back there."

His broken pleas bewildered Sera and Lucifer. Sera held him tightly and glared at Lucifer, accusing him of Adam's desperation.

Lucifer, initially confused, remembered how Adam had stood in fear when he threatened to leave him in the Eden replica. His face softened as he gently assured him, "You won't go back to that place. We're taking you to the hotel, back to Charlie. Where it's safe."

Adam initially didn't know who Charlie was, but a serene face gradually materialized in his thoughts.

"I'm not leaving you here," she said to him quietly through Adam's frantic breathing. "I promise I won't, so please, Adam, you don't have to be scared anymore." Charlie's voice reached his mind, and Sera's warm presence brought back memories of people who had been locked away in his memory. Right... Charlie... but then he remembered her face in tears before he left the hotel.

He shook his head, his voice sad and quiet. "She hates me," he murmured.

Lucifer was quiet for a moment before he smiled somberly. "Charlie doesn't hate you. To be honest, she's been looking for you. She's been worried sick."

Adam wanted to believe Lucifer's words, but guilt clouded his mind at how terrible he had been to her. He broke down into quiet sobs.

"I know… I'm the last person who deserves your trust, but you have to believe me," Lucifer said. "No one is taking you back there again."

Sera's heart broke as she finally realized what Adam and Lucifer were referring to. She imagined one condition of their agreement was not to take Adam back to the Eden replica. Did Adam truly fear the place that much?

"You won't go back there," she whispered to Adam. She pressed her lips to his hairline gently, hoping to encourage him to break the contract. "I promise you won't."

Adam's body shook with sobs, each one a dagger cutting through his fragile heart. The fear smothered him like a dense fog, blinding him to any hope of his suffering ending. It wasn't fair… Hadn't he endured enough pain? Wasn't his broken body and shattered wings enough to be forgiven for failing Heaven?

Sera continued to soothe him. Her soft touches on his tear-stricken face and comforting words tried to calm his sobs and ease his fears.

Eventually, Adam went almost silent, the blood loss from his wounded leg taking a severe toll. His gaze was weak and unfocused, staring at nothing, as if even crying had worn him out. He was too tired to care as Lucifer gently took his limp right hand, making sure not to hurt him, and tried to coax him. He continued to tell Adam to agree to cancel the contract, promising everything would be alright when they returned to Charlie.

Adam's lips trembled and his eyelids fluttered. Maybe he deserved to rot in the Eden replica for allowing those two sinners to break him. Death was too merciful for someone as pathetic as him.

With a heavy heart, he closed his eyes, and just like with Valentino, he gave up struggling. He whispered the words that brought forth a blinding red light around his and Lucifer's hands. The glow grew brighter before darkness finally swallowed Adam.

Everything happened so fast. Lucifer conjured a portal that led to one of the hotel rooms on the top floor, far from the other occupants; he wanted to prevent Charlie from seeing Adam's current state, knowing it would destroy her. Sera stepped through the portal with Adam and carefully made her way to the bed, cradling him on her lap. Lucifer disappeared for a moment, returning with his family doctor and two imp nurses carrying medical equipment. The doctor surveyed Adam's wounded body.

"Lay him down on his stomach," the doctor instructed. "Carefully."

Sera tightened her grip on Adam, glaring at the doctor with a cold, hostile gaze. But the shallow breaths against her made her eventually follow the doctor's instructions, making sure not to disturb the bloody mess on his back as she removed the blanket.

While the doctor assessed the injuries, one nurse cleaned the wound on the back of Adam's leg while the other focused on the two gaping holes in Adam's skull. "We'll need more equipment," the doctor said, looking up at Lucifer, who nodded before teleporting himself and the doctor out of the room, leaving Sera alone with the nurses and the unconscious Adam.

She stood there, her eyes fixed on the ugly wound on Adam's leg as it continued to bleed profusely. His face appeared pinched, as if slumber had not provided him any peace. That changed when one nurse injected Adam with painkillers. Sera wanted to sit on the bed and run her fingers through Adam's hair, but she didn't want to get in the nurses' way while they removed the shackles from Adam's joints.

They carefully pried off the metal restraints from his ankles, revealing the raw, bloody mess underneath. Sharp objects were driven into the joints, likely to prevent any movement. They pulled out the jagged pieces of metal, slick with blood, causing Adam's body to twitch slightly. Sera's heart boiled with rage, wishing she had the power to disintegrate all of Hell.

The nurses quickly pressed gauze to the injuries, staunching the flow before dressing them for now, then moved to the last shackled joint on his right wrist. The minutes stretched in silence before the portal appeared once more, Lucifer and the doctor returning with an array of medical equipment. They connected the machines to Adam, placed an IV drip to administer fluids and nutrients, and monitored his heart and oxygen levels.

Sera had never seen anyone hooked up to so many machines. Seeing Adam lying there connected to them caused her anger to grow, and tears welled in her eyes again. She moved to sit by Adam's side, gently holding his hand, a finger caressing it.

"Sera, I think it's best we give the doctor and nurses space to take care of Adam," Lucifer said quietly. "We should probably leave the room."

Sera glared at him, refusing to leave Adam alone with demons, especially in such a vulnerable state.

"We're just getting in their way," Lucifer gently insisted.

After a tense moment of glaring at him, Sera eventually bent down and pressed a gentle kiss to the side of Adam's head. "I promise everything will be better," she whispered, and she meant it too. She stepped away from Adam, staring down at the blood that stained her dress. She used a spell to make the stains vanish – though she could still feel them on her - before she and Lucifer teleported from the room and appeared in the lounge area where Charlie, Vaggie and Husk were trying to calm down Angel.

Angel had been locked up in a room as chaos erupted in the Vees tower after trying to help Adam. There was so much screaming silence, then the shackles that bound him to the soul contract with Valentino flashed brightly before they shattered into small sparkles of magic dust. Initially, Angel felt bewildered before realizing he was free; years ago, he had seen the same thing happen to a sinner liberated after the owner of the contract was killed by an exorcist.

But… there was no way Valentino was dead. While Angel had tried to make sense of his situation and break free from his room to save Adam, another of Valentino's victims released Angel with joy, informing him that Lucifer and another angel had come down to bring terror to the Vees. Angel wasn't sure how Lucifer found out Adam was in the building, but he was certain he had saved Adam, so he ran as fast as he could to the hotel, hoping Adam hadn't suffered more.

He had barged into the hotel in pure panic, having a hard time articulating any words to his friends until he finally saw Lucifer and Sera appear in the room. "Please tell me he's okay," he pleaded when his eyes landed on Lucifer.

Charlie immediately glanced at her dad with worry. "What happened? Where's Adam?" she asked.

Lucifer avoided everyone's gazes. "He's being tended to by our doctor and nurses in one of the rooms."

Charlie didn't like the sound of that. Their doctor and nurses? Last time Adam was injured, only the doctor attended to him. She had a terrible feeling that something seriously awful had happened to him. "I need to see him," she said, making a dash for the stairs.

"Charlie, wait!" Lucifer called out to her. Sera extended her hand, creating a force field that blocked Charlie's path, causing her to collide with it, her hands pressing against the invisible barrier.

"Let me through!"

"Charlie, you can't see him right now," Lucifer informed her quietly, worsening the sick sensation in the pit of her stomach.

"Why not?" Charlie tried to calm herself down but wanted answers now. "What happened to him?"

"After everything you've done, you think you have the right to know?" Sera's voice dripped with bitterness. Charlie's eyes narrowed, but Sera pressed on. "Adam is not doing well, thanks to you. He wouldn't be in this situation if you left him in the Garden of Eden replica. You are just like your father, doing whatever you want without caring how it affects others."

Charlie's eyes flashed red in irritation. She couldn't believe Sera was blaming her for whatever happened to Adam, accusing her for not considering other's feelings.

Before she could defend herself, Lucifer stepped forward. "Sera, don't blame Charlie," he said firmly. "If you need to direct your anger at someone, direct it at me. I threatened Adam to make a deal with me that forced him out of the hotel and kept him from coming back. She has nothing to do with what those sinners did to him."

"Adam should have never left that dimension," Sera persisted irately. "Your daughter should have never dared disrupt the order of things. Just like you, she's causing disorder, and many are paying the price for it now."

"All I've been doing is help my people," Charlie argued. "Why can't you and the rest of Heaven understand that I'm not your enemy? And you're crazy if you think I was going to turn my back on Adam after you and the others abandoned him in that world alone forever. That was the most heartless thing I could imagine anyone doing to someone else. How could you call yourself an angel after doing that to him?"

Sera's jaw tightened. Again, Emily and Charlie's thoughts were in sync. "I was going to go back and visit him," she revealed, catching Charlie off guard. "I never intended to abandon him."

The room was silent for a moment before Charlie frowned. "I don't believe you."

"I made him believe he would be forever isolated to trick the rest of the Seraphim. I was trying to protect him."

"Protect him from what?"

Sera didn't respond.

"And how often were you planning on visitin' Adam if that was true?" Husk asked after listening quietly, his tone skeptical. "Were ya plannin' on droppin' by once in a blue moon, like you and the Seraphim used to years ago?"

The Seraphim's face briefly betrayed a flicker of emotion—something between sorrow and regret—behind the carefully composed mask she usually wore.

Husk snorted and rolled his eyes as she remained silent. "You're out of your mind if you think you can blame Charlie for what happened to him," he said coldly, visibly annoyed. "She's the only soul who's bent over backwards tryin' to help him." He narrowed his eyes at Sera piercingly. "It's plain as day from the little time we've spent with Adam that you seraphim didn't give a lick of attention nor care. Y'all let him down. Yeah, Lucifer messed up, too, but you're responsible for what happened to him."

"He didn't fail you guys. It was you who failed him." Emily's words echoed in Sera's mind, reminding her of the mistakes she had made with Adam.

"You don't get to stand there and act like you did nothing wrong," Husk continued. "I, for one, ain't gonna let you pin this on Charlie when all she's ever tried to do is help him."

Charlie stared at Husk in genuine surprise. She wasn't the only one; everyone in the room, except for Sera, couldn't believe Husk, of all people, was defending Charlie. They expected him to stay silent and observe, not lecture a high-ranking angel.

Meanwhile, Sera remembered how Adam had broken down earlier, thinking they were going to take him back to the Eden replica, and how he had begged her weeks ago not to leave him there alone. Adam hadn't known she would visit him after leaving him behind, and she couldn't blame him; she had made everyone believe she wouldn't.

After Emily's earlier outburst and everything concerning Adam, especially how miserable he had been for so many years, Sera felt rage boiling in her chest, but this time, it was directed at herself. Emily was right; she had no right to blame Charlie for what happened to Adam.

His fractured wings, bleeding wounds, and broken mind were on her.

Without saying another word, Sera teleported back to Adam's room. She stood by the door, allowing the guilt to grow as she sadly watched the doctor and nurses remove the metal contraption from Adam's wings. Tears formed in her eyes at the sight of his mangled and broken wings, some feathers missing, others stained with blood.

She couldn't do anything to help Adam and was likely a burden to those tending to him, but she felt she had to witness the consequences of her actions. She had berated Charlie for acting without considering how it would affect others, yet here was Adam, suffering from her insistence on following the "order of things".

How tragically ironic.

As she forced herself to accept how gravely she had wronged Adam, she began to think about Lilith and how she had also abandoned her in Hell for a millennium. Her own daughter, who she also failed to protect and love.

Six obscured angelic figures flashed in her mind for a moment, those she hadn't seen in so long and now held resentment towards.

She truly was the worst mother for being selfish, foolish, and not standing up and doing what was best for her children…

Adam found himself in absolute darkness. He wondered if Sera had finally granted him peace, yet standing there surrounded by nothing filled him with terror, making him believe he had received a worse punishment than being thrown into the Eden replica. Suddenly, he saw a glowing figure standing before him, the same one he had dreamed of before.

This time, he could feel their loneliness, grief and anger. How long had they felt like that? It reminded him of how he had felt in Heaven for so long, and he somehow knew the darkness that surrounded them hadn't always consumed them.

As they hovered in the black void, Adam sensed that they couldn't endure it any longer. There was no reason for them to have all these terrible emotions; they believed it was hindering their potential for perfection.

Bit by bit, they gathered a large reserve of their power before their body shifted, removing all that they believed to be flaws. Adam witnessed their body convulsing and contorting until they were two distinct entities.

The one glowing white with undertones of pink emitted a small sound of bliss. His long hair flowed behind him as he enjoyed the peace and tranquility he felt. Meanwhile, the other figure, with blackened flesh and crimson blood, buried her face in her hands and screamed in pure agony.

After observing the black figure's anguish, the white glowing figure extended a hand towards her. "I apologize," he said softly, "but for things to be perfect, there is no room for you." With a wave of his hand, he unleashed a powerful spell, enveloping the black figure in its radiant glow. In an instant, she vanished, leaving behind only echoes of her agonized screams.

A whisper brushed against Adam's ear. "You and I are alike. We are nothing but flaws to their perfect universe..."

Adam turned around to see the black and red figure floating behind him, her twisted smile causing him to freeze on the spot. "And they will eventually get rid of you too," she continued as she moved closer, her hands reaching out to touch Adam's cold face. Two large orbs opened with a crazed look on the dark figure.

"God doesn't want you, but I do. I've saved you."Her face leaned close to his. "You're mine... Now find me, and I promise we will get our revenge…"

Adam stared at her in fear before another voice erupted around him: "Adam, don't listen to her!"

Adam jolted awake, his vision blurred by the haze of heavy painkillers. His mind, clouded and groggy, struggled to make sense of where he was. He heard beeping beside him, causing him to turn his head, only for his vision to fail him.

Suddenly, a gentle touch brushed against the back of his head, causing him to tense up instantly. His heart raced as panic set in, believing the not-Eve creature had followed him out of his nightmare.

Desperate, Adam tried to move, but the agony in his mended wings shot through him like a burning blade, causing his panic to grow worse and the beeping to speed up.

"Shh, it's okay," a soft voice murmured. It sounded tender, nothing like the sadistic voice that had been haunting him in the past weeks. Adam turned his head, his vision slowly clearing to reveal the soft, smiling face of Sera, her hand gently caressing his head.

For a brief moment, he stared at her weakly, confused. Then fear washed over him; the evil creature was probably using Sera's face to deceive him. Panic blinded him again, and he tried to pull away, his body trembling with pain and terror.

To make matters worse, there was a desperation clawing at his heart as the static voice whispered in his mind, "You need Valentino."

Seeing his distress, Sera moved carefully, sitting on the edge of the bed, and gently lifted his bandaged body into her lap. She was mindful of the tubes and cables connecting him to the machines, pulling him close to her chest as her arms wrapped around him protectively while his breaths came out in ragged gasps.

"It's me, Adam," she whispered as she pressed her lips on his head. "Don't be afraid. You're safe. I'm not letting anyone hurt you anymore…"

The words, the warmth, the delicate lavender scent, and the soft rhythm coming from Sera reduced the trembling of his body, and he pushed away the need for Valentino as curled up to her. The beeping in the room slowed to match his calming heart. She continued to stroke his head ever so softly. He gazed at nothing, basking in the warmth like he had before Lucifer had him break the terms of their deal.

Right… He gave up again… Yet… He wasn't in the Eden replica, abandoned, as he had believed would happen if he agreed to Lucifer's demands. Which, truth be told, made little sense to him.

He leaned on Sera's chest. Ignoring the pain in his wrists, he weakly grasped the soft fabric of her dress. He closed his eyes, feeling her gently massage the back of his scalp, sending waves of comfort through his exhausted frame.

"Is this real?" Adam whispered, his voice trembling with yearning and hope as tears welled up in his eyes. This was what Heaven should be like. "Is this really happening…?"

He felt her arm tighten around him. "Yes, my little star," she whispered softly. She set a trail of kisses along his hairline, bringing a smile to Adam's teary face as he savored the affection he had never imagined experiencing from her. He nestled closer into her, wanting more of her warmth. Her hand gently continued to massage the back of his scalp.

"I have been foolish," she whispered, her voice cracking with what sounded like regret. "I am so sorry, Adam. Sorry for failing you in so many ways."

Adam's brows furrowed and his eyes slowly opened halfway in confusion as he tried to understand her words.

"I promise, I will do better," she said before kissing him softly again. "My dear son, I won't fail you again."

For a moment, everything seemed to have gone still, and Adam's eyes widened when he heard what he didn't think was possible.

"Adam is not your brother. He is not your family."

More tears flowed freely down his cheeks, but this time from despair. He buried his face in Sera's chest, his body trembling as he did his best to hold back his sobs. "Sera… what's… happening?" His voice muffled against her as anguish gripped his heart.

"You know very well what he is."

Adam pressed on with a shaky voice, "Why… why are you…?"

Sera held him closer. "Because..." She tilted his chin up, making him look at her. His choked sobs slipped past his parted and trembling lips. Her eyes, filled with remorse, locked onto his swollen tear-brimmed ones. "I finally realized you are mine, and I won't deny it anymore," she said, her voice breaking slightly, causing Adam's sobs to grow stronger. "I am so sorry for ever making you feel otherwise, for making you feel so unloved."

"I-I don't understand. W-why are you saying this?"

"Because I see now how much you mean to me." She leaned her forehead against his tenderly, her fingers gently stroking his tear-stained face. "Emily was right. You are more than just some perfect creation. You are family, my child. Please, forgive me, my little star, for not realizing it sooner. Please forgive me for hurting you so much."

"Sera's not my mom," Adam said coldly. "None of the high-ranking angels are my parents. They're my creators."

Adam was lost, and honestly, he was too exhausted to try and make sense of it all. For now, he closed his eyes, pressing against her forehead, taking in the warmth before she pulled her head back and brought him close to her chest once more.

Nestled against her, Adam continued to shed tears silently. He allowed himself to let out his broken emotions, release some of the pain he had felt during the years he endured alone in Heaven, feeling rejected by those he hoped to feel loved by.

He didn't believe Sera's words and thought maybe the not-Eve was playing some cruel joke on him, or perhaps he was in a wonderful dream. But for now, he was too desperate to fight it and decided he would be a fool and believe that Sera and her words were real - that he was truly someone's child and not just some flawed product to just be discarded.

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I will be updating chapter 24 tomorrow : )

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