I want to thank peeps for not hunting me down for that april fools chapter 16 prank, hahaha, I enjoyed peeps' reactions : )

I'm sorry I didn't get this chapter yesterday as I promised. I got an editor joining my staff and they were fixing through things (Cause my grammar is meh and I can be too repetitive) : D. Their name is Conejo-sama and used to help me as well with 'Was Not The Hero' fanfic for the owl house fandom. Glad to have Conejo-sama back for this story, especially I'm taking the time to learn how to learn from them from the fixes they've made, cause that's something I want to definitely do, get better at writing : ).

Thank you Luna and kar-main for looking through things, and provided feedback : )
Thank you Conejo-sama for editing the chapter : )


Guest responses:

Blackrym : Thank you so much : ), i try to keep the story intersting as best as i can v.v, hahaha


Chapter 16

Present

After Vaggie had acted on instinct and leaped through the portal before it sealed shut behind her, she found herself surrounded by a forest. To her right, she saw broken bark strewn about and patches of charred earth in the distance. But the rest of the terrain was vividly green and beautiful. What seemed strange to her was the completely white sky.

Quickly, she pushed aside the countless questions she had and turned her attention to Lucifer, who stood facing Adam. As Adam slowly rose to his feet, she witnessed his eyes widen in terror as he looked around his surroundings - his expression filled with fear unlike any she had seen before.

Once, she might have enjoyed seeing such terror in Adam's eyes, but now, after the long conversation with Charlie and their friends, Vaggie couldn't help but feel uneasy, even though as she couldn't fathom why Adam was so terrified. She had a feeling he had a good reason to be. Lucifer was planning something by bringing him there for a reason, and she had to stop whatever he was going to do before it was too late.

Adam began to open his mouth, ready to lash out at Lucifer, but Lucifer's commanding voice silenced him before he could utter a single word.

"If you say even one word, I'll abandon you here without a second thought," Lucifer said coldly, causing Adam to fall into a stunned silence, his face turning paler than it already was. "No one else has the means to come here, other than Sera and the other high-ranking angels, and we both know very well they won't be coming for you. So, I swear, if you utter so much as a sound, you'll only have your own thoughts as a companion forever. Do you understand, Adam?"

Adam stood frozen, his heart pounding in his chest, unable to even nod in response due to fear's tight grip on him. He didn't understand what was going on, why Lucifer brought him here and threatened him with his worst nightmare. His mind raced to think about anything wrong he might have done to Charlie. He hadn't dared to disobey her. Was the destroyed room the mistake he committed? But… it was already fixed up and Charlie didn't seem mad at him about it at all.

Meanwhile, upon hearing Lucifer's words, Vaggie's mind buzzed with even more questions, but once again, she shoved them aside. "Lucifer, sir," she called. He turned, looking puzzled by her unexpected presence. "Look, Charlie and the others, we-"

"Do you know where we are?" Lucifer asked her, interrupting her.

Furrowing her brow, she shook her head.

"This is a replica of the Garden of Eden," he revealed. "Sera and the other high-ranking angels created it for Adam as his punishment, to spend eternity alone, for falling."

She stared at him in shock.

"They didn't want anyone else in Heaven to know that Adam had come back to life as a fallen angel. Charlie defied their orders, because you know how she is. She couldn't bear anyone receiving such punishment, even though it's well deserved."

Charlie's defiance of Heaven did not surprise Vaggie; it was something Charlie had done before and would likely continue to do in her quest to help anyone she could. However, she was taken aback by Sera and the others' decision. Adam was meant to be their favorite human, the 'shining' example for all humanity to follow. Most likely, his fall shattered the role they had for him, but condemning him to another dimension to have a life of isolation forever instead of casting him down to hell was completely messed up. She expected them to be more merciful towards him even though he had fallen from grace.

Were the angels so resentful of Adam that they would subject him to such torment – they very same they had afflicted upon Adam, based on what Charlie and their friends assumed earlier, for the past thousand years?

She turned her attention back to Adam, who was now trembling with trepidation. His eyes were fixed on both of them, and this time, the terror he had was not only directed at Lucifer but also at her, as if he believed she had been part of the plan all along.

Yes, she had called Lucifer earlier that day, hoping he could aid in getting Adam to leave the hotel, but abandoning him in a dimension forever was not something she was on board with, especially after what she had found out about Adam.

The mere thought of leaving Adam to endure endless isolation turned Vaggie's stomach. Adam's psyche, from what she and the others had discussed, had already taken a severe toll after being alone for so long. Leaving him stranded in such a state would be a fate worse than death. She couldn't even imagine what such a thing would do to someone who couldn't die.

Angel's words crossed her mind: "Do you know how it feels to be fucking alone for so long?"

"I do understand." Her own replayed right after, reminding her of her own suffering, even though it wasn't on a grander scale like Adam's. But she understood enough to refuse to let Lucifer abandon him.

However, Sera and the others sentencing Adam to such punishment also left her conflicted. She knew all too well that defying Sera and the other angels could bring dire consequences upon them all.

She didn't know what to do. What was the right choice?

She had to protect Charlie and her friends, and she wasn't sure if risking everything for someone who might never change his ways was worth it.

Then again, Lucifer had only threatened Adam with abandoning him, so maybe he had something else in mind?

"Charlie's compassion sometimes clouds her judgement," Lucifer remarked as he spoke to Adam. "Much like it did with Eve." His voice softened as he spoke her name, a pang of sorrow clear in his tone. Adam's jaw clenched. "Despite everything, she stood by your side in life, loyal, obeying your every command even as you blamed her for the situation you guys were in. She was a good woman, Adam, yet you treated her as insignificant, as a burden…"

The fear Adam had slightly diminished as anger began to rise within his core, but he refrained from speaking out even then due to Lucifer's earlier warning.

"Do you know why you fell, Adam?" Lucifer asked.

Adam still didn't respond. The first man was bemused by the question because he honestly wasn't sure why he had fallen. It could have been for speaking out a lot, playing his 'rebellious' music, for disappointing Sera and the others, for not keeping up the image he was supposed to follow, maybe all of the above.

"We angels had rules to abide by," Lucifer continued. "I'm not sure if things have changed up in Heaven, but knowing how strict they are, I highly doubt there was much change, especially for someone like you. Lust, gluttony, sloth, greed, envy, and pride - the seven deadly sins. Anyone who succumbed to even one was to be cast out."

Adam remained silent, still confused about what Lucifer was saying. He tried to recall if the angels had ever educated him on such matters, but the more he tried to remember, the more he believed they never told him a thing.

Vaggie, on the other hand, remembered her history lessons on the ancient seven deadly sins. There was a time no one in heaven would commit such terrible sins, but that had changed over time. She couldn't help but realize when things started to change… and the one responsible for that was standing before them.

"Sera mentioned your temptation. I think it's very clear just by looking at you that you fell victim to one of the sins." Lucifer looked at Adam from head to toe with condescension, making Adam feel disgust and self-loathing churn within him, as if the last smoothie was rising in his throat. Even Vaggie felt a pang in her stomach at Lucifer's words, recalling how hard Charlie and the others had worked to coax Adam into drinking his first smoothie, and how terrified he had been to do so.

"You've taken many souls for your own pleasure. That's another deadly sin," Lucifer stated. "I wonder how many more you've committed."

Adam's complexion grew paler as he thought about the countless times he had slept with women, especially after some of his shows, the many times he slacked on his responsibilities by doing nothing in bed; how he demanded many materialistic things that gave him some temporary joy like owning two huge homes for himself just because he wanted to show off how great he was.

Envy…? But… he wasn't envious of anyone, at least… he didn't think he was. Though… seeing others happy with someone close in heaven did stir something ugly in his chest.

"Even in your final moments, you couldn't resist committing one of them," Lucifer said. "Believing yourself superior to others? Demanding others to worship you? Do you truly see yourself as a god, Adam?"

Adam glared at him.

Maybe he didn't believe he was a god, but he did believe he was meant to be worshipped. Sera and the others had told him so many times he was great. Humans were meant to respect him, to follow his example. All the human souls in heaven were always ready to fulfill his wishes, and that was exactly how he expected the losers from hell to behave as well.

"Look at yourself, no god would look as pathetic as you," Lucifer tilted his chin up, causing Adam to boil in rage and wings to twitch. "You have a very delusional image of yourself, Adam, because to Sera and the others, humans are mere creations. And you especially were nothing more than a glorified pet, painted in gold."

Adam's glare dropped, replaced with a hurt expression.

"That's all you were to them, nothing more, nothing less," Lucifer said apathetically.

"Ya know, I'm starting to think those goody-two-shoes up in Heaven probably didn't like you at all," Cherri eventually said in a bored tone, completely disregarding Adam's threat. "That's why they kicked yer sorry ass out the second you fell. You were nothin' but a nuisance to them, and what's even funnier is you're so full of yourself you never even noticed how much everyone fucking hated you. Bet they saw your fall as the golden opportunity to fucking dump ya for good."

Adam's golden eyes dulled as he absorbed Lucifer's words and Cherri's words.

Oh, how he had cherished his golden wings so much, powerful compared to the weaker ones given to the other human souls. How much he enjoyed the praise given to him by Sera and the others, their adoring smiles from the early years, the time spent in his company, how much he had truly cherished such moments so close to his heart. But now, the more he thought about it… Yes, they had made it clear he wasn't one of them, wasn't part of their ranks or 'family', as Emily had tried to make him believe. Was he merely a pet, dressed up and paraded around for their own pride this whole time? They lavished attention on him when it suited them, but they never truly cared about what he wanted, did they? The thoughts were so painful for him to bear, and he couldn't help but feel angry and humiliated. Because if he accepted Lucifer's words to be true, then, that meant he had been so blind, so foolish to believe he was something more to Heaven, to Sera, to the other high-ranking angels.

But… if Lucifer was right, then the whore from the other day was also telling the truth. Sera and the others probably saw him only as a nuisance and were waiting for the best opportunity to get rid of him for good. Maybe that explained why they had grown so distant from him for the past millennia.

Adam lowered his gaze, doing his best to hold back the tears gathering in his eyes. His wings folded tightly against him as he desperately tried to fight against believing Lucifer.

Vaggie had been quiet the whole time, listening to every word coming out from Lucifer. Angel's angry words echoed in Vaggie's mind:

"We're not fucking toys."

She recalled how Adam used to seem compliant before he had visited Earth. At that time, yes, he fit the ideal image of Heaven, but now, she was beginning to realize that he had played the role of a perfectly obedient pet. And the sickening part was, she had once also believed Adam to be the angels' favored plaything.

"But he's a human, with feelings."

Yes… humans were more than mere creations meant to follow what Heaven wanted. Vaggie had learned this during her time in Hell, thanks to Charlie and the friends she has made in the previous months. And, in some way, her sisters in heaven had already known that as well, based on how they adored Adam and treated him with respect. She had been so foolish to be so blind for so long.

If Sera and the others truly neglected Adam for most of his existence, it was no wonder why he craved attention in any form he could find. The music, the concerts, the adoring fans - these were perhaps the only things that helped ease the void Adam felt, one that he probably felt he could never fill. She knew this feeling all too well, though for her, she was lucky. Charlie's love and support had filled the darkness within her.

"I would gladly leave you here, just as you deserve," Lucifer's voice cut through the tense air, causing Adam's and Vaggie's to stiffen. "But even I'm not that cruel, so let's make a deal."

Vaggie frowned, getting a bad feeling in the pit of her stomach. Adam still hadn't raised his lowered gaze.

"I want you to leave the hotel. Leave and never return. And the moment you step out of the hotel, I don't want you to ever speak to Charlie again. Do you understand? If you so much as step foot near there or even glance in Charlie's direction, I'll bring you back here and leave you behind. And of course, since I can't trust you, we're making a soul binding deal."

Adam's chest tightened. For some reason, the thought of never being able to talk to Charlie, never feeling her hand in his again tore at his heart. He didn't want to lose the only person who seemed to care for him, even if she only did out of some sort of obligation. But if he didn't make the deal, Lucifer would leave him in his 'cage' forever.

He grew frustrated knowing that he had no choice.

"You will not harm any of her friends, either," Lucifer added on. "So, is it a deal, Adam?" He held his hand out to the first man.

Adam hesitated, his heart racing. He couldn't lose Charlie, but he was more afraid Lucifer would change his mind and just opt to leave him behind. He clenched his teeth hard and glared at Lucifer before stepping forward.

"Wait, Adam, don't do it," Vaggie exclaimed, surprising even herself, as she started running towards him to stop him the deal. Lucifer quickly conjured an orb around Vaggie, keeping her from interfering.

She cursed and quickly summoned her spear, stabbing at the orb to crack. Little, by little, cracks started to appear, but not deep enough to free her. She continued to yell at Adam, but her prison kept her pleas from escaping the orb.

Adam reluctantly and bitterly took Lucifer's hand. Suddenly, red flashes enveloped them, bursting from their clasped hands. Adam felt a tightening in his chest, the darkness within him growing heavier, while Charlie's warm smile played in his mind before it faded away.

"Good, I'm pleased we've reached an agreement," Lucifer declared once the magical binding came to an end. He let go of Adam before turning away, reopening the portal, and releasing a very distraught Vaggie from her magical prison.

Adam stood there silently, staring at his right clawed hand, his mind processing everything that had just taken place. Once again, Lucifer had taken someone from him.

His gaze lifted to the portal through which Lucifer disappeared, gathering his thoughts. He assured himself how he was safe, he wasn't going to be stuck in his prison, and yet, he found himself unable to find the will to move toward the portal, as if something was holding him back. Panic rose within him, thinking that Lucifer had tricked him and did something to his body. Gradually, his breathing grew labored, and he internally screamed at himself to move before it was too late.

His wings trembled uncontrollably. His vision blurred further. And just as he thought the portal would vanish before him, he felt a supportive grip on his arm, immediately easing his racing heart.

"Come on, Adam," a soft voice beside him said. "Let's get out of here." He felt them guide him forward, causing him to feel slightly numb, and eventually through the portal.

"Dad, what did you do?" Charlie's angry voice reached Adam's ears the second he stepped back into his room.

Disoriented, he glanced in Charlie's direction as she glared at her dad. Her expression shifted to one of genuine concern when she noticed him. She grew puzzled upon seeing Vaggie standing beside him, who wore a guilt-ridden expression. Without hesitation, Charlie rushed over to him, placing a hand on his trembling back, which he hadn't been aware of until her touch grounded him. Her fingers gently pressed against his shaking form made him feel a wave of warmth, but then it quickly vanished as he reminded himself of the deal he had just made with Lucifer.

"Charlie, listen to me," Lucifer began. "I understand you're trying to help him redeem himself, but he won't change his ways. It's too late for him. I'm not going to let you risk your life for someone like him."

Adam felt time slow around him as he absorbed Lucifer's words. "Re…deem…?" He glanced at Charlie, utterly confused. His hoarse voice momentarily broke Charlie's attention away from her dad.

She turned to him, offering an empathetic smile. "Yeah, that's what we're trying to do, Adam. We want to help you go back home."

Adam stared at her for a long moment, trying to make sense to what she had just said. He thought of the past days where she was trying to have him socialize and get along with her friends. Slowly, his features twisted into ire. He forcefully pulled away from her touch and stepped back, leaving Charlie bewildered.

"Are you… fucking serious?" Adam's voice trembled with rage as he fixed a piercing gaze on Charlie. "Are you… fucking messing with me or something?"

"I'm not," Charlie insisted softly. "I really want to help you, help you become better. And the way to do that would be -"

"I fucking told you before, Hell is forever, you damn bitch!" Adam spat, cutting her off and catching her off guard. "I sang a song about it when we first met! There's no fucking way I'll ever be able to go back up there! Or are you that fucking stupid?!"

"Adam, I understand you're upset and that you don't believe in redemption, but you have to believe me when I say there has to be a way for you to go back to heaven." Angel and Husk suddenly appeared outside the doorway after hearing the commotion. She ignored them as she continued, "I'm trying to help you. You can't truly think it's too late for you."

Adam continued to stare down at her, his expression unwavering. Honestly, he started to think she was mocking him. Was her kindness just a way to give her some sense of false hope just so she could squash it later?

"You have no right to speak to my daughter like that," Lucifer said irately. "It's not her fault you lost everything."

"You, shut the fuck up!" Adam snapped, immediately diverting his anger at the other fallen angel in the room. "You're the one that caused this whole damn mess! If you hadn't screwed things up by making Eve eat that damn apple, we'd all still be fucking happy. But nooo, you had to drag us all down with you!"

"I gave you free will," Lucifer shot back. "You had your damn choices. It's not my fault you made the wrong ones."

"Don't give me that bullshit! Fucking free-will you say?! You cursed us with all these screwed-up emotions and thoughts that we weren't meant to have! I didn't want any of that!" Adam's eyes glazed with frustrated tears as he recalled everything Lucifer had said to him earlier, making him feel terrible and shitty. He was pissed that not only had Lucifer lectured him, but he wasn't allowed to defend himself. Now Lucifer was pinning all his problems on him, filling him with lies, because that's what they were: lies. "I was happy, at peace, but thanks to you, you fucking piece of shit, you fucked me up! I felt so angry, afraid, and sad, all the goddamn time, and it got to the point where I didn't want to live anymore! I wanted to destroy everything just to get rid of those damn feelings! I couldn't handle them! Nothing made sense anymore! For thousands of years, I had to feel like fucking garbage because of you. And you got the nerve to blame all my problems on me?!"

Lucifer said nothing as he glared back, making Adam grow more furious. Lucifer obviously didn't feel culpable for what happened in the Garden of Eden.

And without Adam's knowledge, red fur began to be making its way on his skin.

"Fuck you and your made-up fucking sins! You screwed me over! I was perfect. I was what Sera and the other angels wanted me and all other humans to be. I was happy, but you, you were so damn miserable and jealous, you had to ruin it for me. But of course, it's all my damn fault, isn't it? I'm the fucking first man, I was their Adam, they loved me, they didn't see me as just some pet! Everything was perfect but you screwed it all up! You always fucking screw everything up! That's why they all hate you! That's why even Lilith hates you after she finally realized you fucked her life up too! No wonder she came to me to save her and fix the damn mess you've made!" Adam snapped, causing everyone to stare in dead silence, Charlie and Lucifer looked baffled as Adam continued. "Because, unlike you, I actually love her."

"Mom… did what?" Charlie murmured.

A part of Adam knew he had just screwed up big time, but he didn't give a damn. He wanted to see Lucifer's suffer a bit from the same anguish he had endured for most of his existence.

Oh, how he had waited for this moment for a while now. He started to feel his frustration get overshadowed by a dark pleasure.

"She came to me, years back, begging me to stop these fucking losers from Hell from messing with heaven," he told Lucifer, cold and cruel. "She even helped me get stronger so I could take you all down."

For a moment, Lucifer was at a loss for words, but in the next, he was back to glaring at Adam. "You're full of shit."

Adam felt more of the darkness surge in his being, driving him to press on. "She said she was done with you, that hell was nothing but a damn mess. That you were nothing but a shadow of yourself. Hell, she didn't hesitate to strike a deal with me just so she could stay in heaven with me, away from all of you."

Everyone in the room was stunned into silence.

"Mom… she… she wouldn't do that," Charlie stammered. "She… she cared for her people."

"I beat you, you damn loser!" Adam continued to bark at Lucifer, completely disregarding Charlie. "I had her! I fucking had her! But thanks to you and your little bitch of a spawn, you had to screw everything up again! You always ruin everything for me!"

Lucifer's gaze bore into Adam with such intensity that it seemed to pierce through him. Despite his urge to pummel Adam into oblivion, a wrenching pain gnawed at his heart upon hearing that Lilith had been in heaven all this time, plotting against Hell, all while standing by Adam's side. A part of him wanted to believe Adam was lying, but…

"No… it can't be," Charlie's stuttering voice made Lucifer turn to her as she slowly hugged herself, her hands shaking in disbelief as tears began to well up. "Mom wouldn't do that. She wouldn't have wanted anyone in hell to die…"

"You couldn't handle the fact that she no longer loved you!" Adam continued, not noticing Charlie's shocked state. "That she chose to remain in heaven with me just like we were meant to be!"

Lucifer's fury burned hotter as he locked eyes with Adam. "Leave," he hissed venomously. Adam had the nerve to wear a cruel, mocking grin on his face as he remained standing in the room. "I said, get the fuck out of here!"

Adam relished in the pain he had inflicted on Lucifer and wanted to continue making things worse, but the sound of Charlie's quiet sob stopped him. He saw tears slowly trailing down her soft cheeks, and her legs gave way, making her collapse to her knees. She wrapped her arms tighter around herself as Vaggie rushed to her side.

"Mom wouldn't have done that, she wouldn't," Charlie said sadly as she shut her eyes. She was having a difficult time processing everything regarding her mom and where she had been in the past years. "Mom loved us, she always loved us."

Once more, Adam felt the darkness within him swell in his chest, but this time it felt painful. He was starting to regret opening his mouth about Lilith while Charlie was around - his regret caused the red fur to vanish from his skin. He didn't think things through. But did it matter? He would not see her again, anyway. Yet… he couldn't help but feel terrible as she broke down into more tears, Vaggie wrapping her arms around her to comfort her.

Adam quickly tore his gaze from her, not able to handle the frustration and anger he had towards himself for making her cry. He turned away, made his way to the window, flung it open, and shot out into the sky without a second thought.

This time, no one called out to him, which left him feeling numb. He flew aimlessly over the city for some time before he eventually found himself on the roof of a building, sitting behind a large water tank.

He wasn't sure how long he was sitting there - it felt like hours - he simply stared at the red sky while he held his left arm against his chest, wings limp at his sides. No thoughts crossed his mind while a heavy exhaustion fell on him, making him close his eyes as he leaned his head against the tank.

He wanted to imagine he was in some sort of nightmare and would eventually wake up soon…

"You really fucked up, didn't you?" a familiar voice mocked him. Some anger stirred within Adam as he opened his eyes to glare at the one-eyed sinner who stood in front of him with a taunting smile, beers in hand. "Took you long enough." She chuckled before offering him a beer. "So, what do you say we give ya a night ya won't ever fucking forget, huh?" She smirked, making him look at her with a mixture of confusion and suspicion.

He wished he was back in the hotel room Charlie had provided to him, hiding under the covers, her hand holding onto his. But, of course, he won't be able to do that again.

He hesitantly took the drink from Cherri all while doing his best to ignore the pain growing heavily in his chest, the dark void getting larger…


Author's After Note

And this concludes Part 2 for this fanfiction : )!

I'm... gonna be removing the limit for this story as I'm not sure exactly how long it's gonna be. But, wooo, we jumping to part 3 next chapter : D. Good news is, I got 2.5 k words already written for the next chapter and will be doing to continue working on it today unless my left elbow says otherwise, hahaha

So yah, that happened, oh boi, oh Lucifer, oh Adam, oh vaggie x.x

And oh... Cherri...

Reminding peeps, peeps make mistakes, and not trying to make Lucifer as the bad guy here o.o. Trust on my plans : )

Also, note, Adam has never had alcohol before in this au of my story : )

Please let me know what ya peeps think : D, about revelations provided from all parties o.o

Thank you peeps for the kudos/comments/reviews/feedback/fanart I appreciate them : D!