A Bit of Hell in Heaven

by Katrina Potter

(Moments 10) When Adam went down to Hell under the orders of a nervous Sera to see why Lucifer has been ignoring her, he brought someone back with him by mistake. Now it's up to the Archangel Michael to figure out what they should do about this mysterious little girl Adam brought back with him without starting a possible war.

12. A Chest of Memories

AN: Goodness me, I didn't think I would get so many people angry with the last chapter. Don't worry, I know it's not at me. Squidy is not a wise man... fish... thing...

Also sorry for the late posting. Life has been crazy.

Anyways, back to Heaven we go.

UPDATE: Someone kindly pointed out some pretty bad spelling errors I had in this and fixed it. Sorry about that everyone. It was 1 in the morning when I posted)

Chapter Twelve

A Chest of Memories

"Now I know it's here somewhere," Uriel muttered as he shifted a few boxes to the side and peeked into the new ones that had been uncovered, pulling a pair of round spectacles from his breast pocket to read the labels better. "Maybe this one... no. That's not it."
Like all his siblings, Uriel too had an office where he spent most of his days working in silence and solitude. Being the proverbial keeper of records, it was hardly surprising that the room was not only the largest of all of them, but it also consisted of what Michael could only describe as absolute organized chaos.
Everywhere they turned and looked there were neat stacks of papers or boxes containing something deemed important with meticulous labels scribbled onto their covers or sides along with a series of numbers that were crossed out and rewritten again. It was still a neat room, only a thin layer of dust covering the top shelves as they were rarely used, so clearly Uriel did clean it at least once a week. But the amount of things he had accumulated over the years was astonishing, if not a little concerning.
In a few more centuries Michael would discover there was a term for his oldest brother's little habit: Compulsive hoarding.
Michael set Ava down on Uriel's desk, tightly wrapping the blanket around her small form as he peeked into a different box labeled 'ID RJ #AR15A47'. He wasn't sure what it meant, but inside he found it packed filled to the brim with different folders and a few figurines. Pulling one out Michael peeked into it and found it was a patent for some type of plant idea. There were a few sketches of a tall palm-like plant with three large roots that seemed to lift a round-bottomed trunk and a large flower-like structure on its crown with a few vines coming out of it. Reading into the file, Michael could see it was one of Ariel's old ideas from back when they were all working on different creations for Eden. He chuckled a little as he recalled how random her thoughts had always been a bit odd back then, combining several of her existing plants to create some strange new hybrid or monstrosity. Looking at the description reports, Michael noted several questions marked down by others, criticizing the demonic-looking plant. Things like 'Why carnivorous?', and 'Plant or animal. Pick one.', and finally a 'Seven feet tall! Why?'. Studying the handwriting, Michael realized it was their father's and instantly felt a foreboding feeling fill his stomach. This was a project Ariel had wanted to create, stepping out of her usual comfort zone of pretty flowers and cute animals, only Father hadn't liked it. With every note that followed, demanding reasons for her choices, Michael could see the ear markings of an instant rejection.
Now when he thought about it, he could remember there was a time when Ariel had been extremely frustrated before he was invited to join them in the meeting room. She had been so flustered and sad back then that she sometimes caused plants to grow in the halls and barricade the hallways and doors. Sammy had thought it was funny until they trapped him long enough for Sera to get a hold of him and scold him for running off.
'I wonder if this was what had upset her back then,' He thought as he flipped through the pages, seeing more and more of their father's comments written on the papers. It was like looking at his bee project all over again until he reached the last page and noticed a childish scribble along with a tiny quick drawing in the bottom right corner. "That looks like Sammy's handwriting... 'Smaller?'"
Looking at the sketch, Michael felt himself chuckle as he realized what had happened. Just like he had with the bees, Samael had lent their sister his creative skills and come up with a tiny suggestion that allowed the plant a better chance of being approved. Which it had been with a few more tweaks. After all, the tiny drawing looked an awful lot like a Venus flytrap.
"Maybe... ah! Found it!" Uriel grinned widely as haphazardly yanked an ancient chest out that had been buried beneath a massive stack of books and blankets. "I knew I had it here."
Briskly carrying the chest over to his desk, Uriel set it down next to the others and opened it. Peering inside, Michael was surprised to see a set of robes he hadn't seen in centuries as well as a worn-out rag doll. Michael nearly gasped as he picked it up, holding it delicately in his hands as he looked it over. It had been fixed countless times, sometimes by its creator and other times by its owner, a tapestry of random colored threads knitting the different pieces together where they had been torn. And even though it was long gone from wear, Michael could still remember the smile that had been on the doll's face.
"I thought I lost it," Michael mused as he held the doll. "Why do you...?"
"I've kept a lot of things over the years. I knew back when Gabriel was born that I was supposed to become 'God's Wisdom', hence why I kept so many records. When Father said your egg was to be the last to hatch, I made sure to make a keepsake chest for the most important things. Like the doll Jophiel made for you two."
"And Samael's?" Michael looked hopeful but sighed when Uriel shook his head. "Let me guess. His workshop?"
"He always kept it close," Uriel gave his little brother a sad smile before he started to rummage about in the chest. "I barely managed to sneak anything out of there when Father..."
They both fell silent for a moment, the joy of recovering an old toy instantly turned bitter by another. Uriel especially hated thinking about Samael's workshop. It had been a horrible day for all of them as it marked the beginning of Samael drifting from them.
"Let's see..."
Digging through the case quickly, Uriel pulled out several old parchments with scribbles and drawings on them that Michael hadn't seen in millennia. They varied in skill, starting as scribbles to stick figures to finally more detailed as the artist grew and all of the depicted happy memories with a happy family of siblings around one another. There were books too, small wooden carvings and clay figures that had cracked with age, and finally a few crudely sewn dolls of different animals that Michael knew all too well. The first was a better-sewn luff, then a duck, a fish, and finally Michael's own disastrous attempt of sewing a... well, he honestly couldn't say what it was then nor could he now. What he could remember though was that Sammy had loved it and refused to let him destroy it.
"I can't believe you kept all of these." Michael whispered as his fingers gently brushed against the terrible stitch work his young five-century old self had

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

"No... not that..."
Wrapped in the warm towel, Charlie blinked her eyes groggily as she watched the man Uriel pulling one toy after another out of the strange toy box. Was he expecting her to play? She certainly wanted to but she was starting to feel tired and just wanted to cuddle up with Daddy for her nighty-night time song and one last bottle of milk. Today had been filled with so many things already, both fun and scary, though mostly fun.
Trying to focus the best she could on the toys, she found most of them strange. A lot of them were small, which both Mommy and Daddy always kept away from her. She wasn't sure why, but they always panicked when she crewed on them so it was probably best to leave them alone. Then there were the animals which she knew except the funny-looking lump that Daddy took. Maybe it was Daddy's special toy? Charlie had one too after all, though that was only for bath time.
Looking back at the many stuffies being placed on the table, Charlie pouted as she thought they looked very boring. She was used to her toys having lots of color and fun shapes. At most, only the ducky was bright-colored whereas the fish was a very dull blue. It certainly wasn't as pretty as the fishies Uncle Vivi had made during bath time. Just as she was about to whine over being bored and tired, Uriel put down another toy that caught her eye instantly, and while neither men were looking, Charlie reached out and picked the toy up.
The first thing that caught her eye was the soft pinkish fur that covered most of its head before melting into a white face with two black button eyes. It had two curling horns on its head, perfect for her to chew on, in black and little hoof hands and feet like Charlie had. It reminded her a lot of Uncle Tan-Tan except for the tail. She wasn't sure if Uncle Tan-Tan had a tail but the toy had one that reminded her of the big lizard in Daidai's storybook. A dagron? Digon? It was something like that, she was sure. Its tail looked like one of those things at least, being long, black, and ending in a little spear shape like her own tail. But what she loved the most about it was, it had pink and black wings like a bat. Daddy had shown her pictures of those before and said they were cute.
Hugging the toy close, Charlie instantly loved it. It helped also that she could feel some of Daddy's magic woven into the toy, meaning this was a special toy. It wasn't something he had gotten from someone else but one he made like the duckies in the bathtub. That made the toy goat... bat... thing even better.
The fact that it was super soft and cuddly too just made it all the better.
Which was why Charlie let out a loud whine and whimper when the toy was suddenly snatched out of her arms without any warning.

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

"Ah, no no, Ava. You can't have that one," Uriel gently tried to soothe the baby who instantly teared up when he took the prototype out of her hands. He had been horrified when he noticed Ava had taken it, clutching it tightly. "This isn't for you, Little One."

Quickly placing the toy on a stack of boxes next to his desk where he was certain Ava couldn't reach it, Uriel turned his attention to getting the little girl dressed in one of Samael's old robes. Ava was of course, not exactly happy at the idea of losing the toy and whined loudly for it as Uriel gently eased her small arms into the robe that nearly swallowed her whole. It looked a little silly on her, the sleeves bunched around her wrists even though Uriel tightened the cuffs a little more and her back had six small holes on it where Samael's wings once were which Ava lacked.

"It's a little big..." Michael muttered as he looked at Ava.

"It's the smallest robe we have," Uriel explained as he tried to gently hush the whining baby only to receive a pout. "It was pretty big on Sammy too, if I remember right. He was tiny as a baby."

"Yeah... fun-sized," Michael chuckled a little, recalling how Gabriel would often call their little brother that. "He used to get so mad when Gab did that."

"Well he was the baby of the family," Uriel laughed as he tried to fix the robe around Ava's neck so that it wouldn't fall off her. "And he was always getting into mischief too. Remember the time he snuck off from his lessons and fell asleep in Father's room? It took us hours before we found him."

Realistically he should just modify the outfit to fit her but he didn't want to ruin something Samael once had worn, that they all had worn once. But the idea of destroying something Sammy had worn... it didn't sit right with him. They didn't have a lot of keepsakes for Samael because he had been so young when he fell, so for Uriel the ones they had were precious.

"Isn't that one of Samael's prototype dolls?" Michael asked, peeking at the strange toy that lay flopped on the box. Ava seemed rather upset that it had been taken away from her but on the other hand, she looked exhausted. "I don't remember him presenting something like this at the meetings."

"That's because he didn't get a chance too," Uriel sighed as he calmly started to put things back into the chest. He only stopped because he realized that he needed to move some boxes around again to make proper room for them to be hidden away. "I barely managed to save it that day when..."

"When Father found out about Eden?" Michael asked, gently rubbing Ava's hair, enjoying the feel of her soft locks. She reminded him so much of Sammy when he was little, minus the lack of wings and red eyes. Her hair was longer too but beyond that, it was almost like looking back in time.

"Yeah..." Uriel nodded slowly, setting one box a little harder down than he needed to. "I've never seen him lose it like he did that day. Not even when we'd protect Heaven from beyond the walls."

Michael nodded silently. He hadn't been there to witness it but their father's rage, pure rage, was unlike anything any of them had witnessed before. Even Camael had been terrorized into silence that day and that was no easy feat. Their sister was known for her bravery and strength, her willingness to battle until her last breath, even when they were children. But when she saw the aftermath of Father's fury...

… none of them had even dared to breathe.

"Hey, Uriel?" Michael asked softly, noting how his oldest brother had turned his attention to the small doll with woeful eyes. It was as if he was happy to see it again after years of being buried and at the same time pained by it. "What... happened that day?"

"Huh?" Uriel blinked, rubbing his eyes a little from straining them. He knew he really ought to keep his glasses on but he hated how they made it look like he had an imperfection. Sera had always said it was just him wanting to appear more human but he had found himself squinting more and more as the centuries passed. Especially when he was reading something small.

"What happened that day when Father found out?" Michael asked, his wings rustling with unease as he knew he was discussing an uncomfortable subject for them both. Then again, when was Sammy ever not an uncomfortable subject for any of them? "I mean, how did he find-"

"Adam," Uriel answered, his voice almost sounding like a spear that pierced Michael's heart. "Adam was the one who told Father Samael was entering Eden."

"But weren't they-?"

"He didn't mean to. At least I don't believe he meant to," Uriel quickly added, already guessing where Michael's thoughts were heading. "It just... slipped out."

* * * Flashback * * *

Uriel let out a small sigh of relief as the meeting was finally called to an end. For once, there had been no yelling, no feeling that had been hurt or anyone feeling overlooked. Michael was pleased with the feedback he had gotten on his idea for the wind to help plants spread their seeds, Ariel had gotten her carnivorous plants approved and Raphael had gotten Father to agree that his toxic plant, a pinkish-purple flower, could also be used as a medicine plant for the heart. Unsurprisingly, Samael's newest idea had gotten approved as well.

Their baby brother had been a ball of energy that day, completely indifferent to Sera's angry lecturing that he had once again, turned in lesson work that was just barely passable. His rebellion against her had been a rather testing subject between Sera, Father, and Uriel for the last few years, with Sera trying to tighten her grip on him more and more and the young angel fighting her tooth and nail. Their relationship had always been testy from when Samael was little but once he had gotten to join the meetings, Sammy had been more stubborn in putting his creations and ideas first over his school work.

That and he would often disappear for hours on end and never tell anyone where he was.

But Father was willing to overlook his 'mischief' as he called it when Sera complained, mostly because Sammy really did create some wondrous things for Eden. Even if he didn't take credit for it, he had had his finger in almost everything in Eden from plants to animals. There was just something special about their baby brother and how his mind would imagine the most magical things, manifesting them into thought and reality almost at will.

It was probably also the reason why Father called him 'His little Dreamer' and favored him as he did.

"Uriel, are you ready?"

The oldest angel looked up and smiled at his father, pleased to see Samael for once following Sera for another lecture, even if he was already groaning. Even though he was nearly seventeen centuries old, Samael was still the smallest of them, looking more like he was fourteen. Even during the meetings and with his top hat on, Samael often had to fly up to be seen or stand on his toes on his seat to be able to see what was put on the table. It annoyed him, but Sammy didn't seem to let something so trivial stop him from presenting his newest ideas.

Like today with his little fireflies.

The moment Samael had talked about them appearing like little living stars that could fly about the ground, Father had instantly loved it. He had always loved Sammy's stars because they decorated the night sky that once had been so drab and dismal to look at. So Father happily approved them and was excited to bring them for the humans to see and name.

Of course, he never told Samael that. He felt it was best to let the little one believe that his creations kept the names he gave them to not stifle his creativity.

"Coming Father."

After gathering the approved ideas to be brought to Eden, Uriel flew up to hand in his Father's hand, fitting perfectly like a small doll in his palm. Father always made himself appear massive to humans as to remind them of his greatness. Ever since Father had created Adam and Lilith, Uriel had accompanied him to Eden to deliver any new blessings they had created for the pair to name. Not that they had ever seen what Uriel looked like, his father always covered him in a blinding light so that his features were hidden. Father had said that one of these days he would allow them to meet the humans properly but for now he wanted to help make them perfect.

Uriel wasn't exactly sure what that meant but he didn't question it. After all, Father knew best. He had always said so.

Arriving in Eden, Uriel fought the urge to explore as Father reminded him of the rules.

No touching the humans.

No speaking to the humans.

And always remain in the light, unseen.

It wasn't long before they found the pair. Adam was sitting beneath a tree with Lilith, the pair playing a game of some sort where they were making a rhythm with their hands clapping together. Despite their appearance of being adults, the pair were very much like fledgling angels in Uriel's opinion. They reminded him sometimes of Michael and Samael when they were small and running about the gardens playing. Michael had sadly distanced himself from such 'childish endeavors' but Samael seemed to have kept his child-like innocence and often encouraged them all into different games at the end of the day.

Sometimes it felt like if it wasn't for Samael gathering them all, they would all forget to spend time together like normal.

"Adam. Lilith. Arise, I came with new blessings for you both," God called gently to them, his smile soft and kind as the humans paused in their game and bowed in greeting to him. "Tell me, Adam. What were you and Lilith doing just now."

"We were playing a game, my Lord," Adam answered, smiling at Lilith who giggled in amusement with him. "One where we name the plants and creatures we know. Lilith thought up some of the moves."

"Perhaps you can show this game another time then," God smiled kindly at the pair, petting them gently on the crowns of their heads like he would his children when they were young. With one of his eyes turning to look at Uriel, God continued calmly. "But first, you must both fulfill your duties and name these new blessings I bring you. First, Lilith, I bring you this plant..."

Just as he had done many times before, Uriel slowly summoned the approved ideas for his father to manifest into reality and the pair of humans went about naming them. Some came quickly, like clover or bluebird, whereas others were harder for them to name like Raphael's flower which became foxglove, or Ariel's Aye-Aye which shocked Adam a bit when he saw it. It was the same old routine that Uriel now knew by heart.

That was until Father created the small flying lights.

"Fireflies!" Adam cheered, his excitement almost greater than normal as he gently grasped one in his hand and showed it to Lilith. "Lilith look! Fireflies. They're just like how we made them."

Uriel could feel the wind grow cold as his father stiffened, neither believing at first what they had just heard. But judging by Lilith's horrified face and how Adam babbled on about the creature he should have known nothing about, clearly they weren't wrong.

"'We', Adam?" God asked gently, drawing the excited man's attention as he released the bug from his hands. Lilith tried to grab a hold of him to say something but was silenced when God continued. "Tell me, Adam. Who is this 'we' you speak off?"

"Oh, that's-" Adam started but then turned pale as if he had realized he had said too much. Nervous, Adam began to fidget with his hands, scratching his wrists in discomfort. "Err... nothing my Lord. Lilith and I had just been talking one night about how if the stars were in the garden of Eden we would... errr... call them fireflies. Yeah, that's it."

Uriel let out a small sigh of relief. So it was just by chance. A mere coincidence that Adam had thought of the same name Samael had given the tiny creature. Looking at the pair, they looked nervous though, Lilith eagerly nodded her hand in agreement as Adam rambled off his explanation. Father however didn't seem convinced. Sitting down on the ground but still towering over the pair, God gently pressed on, his face still gentle and kind.

"Oh, I see. You truly are a clever man, Adam," God praised, making Adam visibly relax and blush at his praise. "Can you tell me how you came upon this name?"

"Of course my Lord," Adam smiled and continued. "Well, a few days ago, Lilith and I were exploring Eden at night, so we could name the plants and animals that are awake at night. And we were resting down by the lake and waking the ducks swimming about and-"

"Waterboppers."

"My lord?" Adam looked surprised when God interrupted his story, missing how Lilith's eyes widened in horror. Even Uriel felt the ichor in his veins run cold as he realized the mistake the First Man had made.

"Waterboppers. The little bird that swims in the lake," God answered with an ever-present smile on his face that didn't seem to meet his eyes. "That's what you named them when I first showed them to you."

"I... err... yes. I did, didn't I..." Adam looked nervously around, casting Lilith a pleading look for help. He had realized too late that he had called the small birds by a different name than what he had given God the first time, assuming the great deity wouldn't notice. "Well, you see my Lord. I err..."

"Though up a better name for them," Lilith slowly added, only to smile nervously as the many eyes of their creator turned to look at her, peering into her very being. "Right, Adam. You started to think the name was silly and thought the 'duck' was better."

"Yeah? I mean yeah, exactly," Adam eagerly agreed and laughed a little too forced as he looked at God. "Don't you agree my Lord? Waterbopper sounds a little silly for such a kind creature."

The silence that stretched between them was torturous. Uriel could feel the dread fill his very being. He knew Samael had been in Eden before, they had both crossed paths by chance when Uriel had snuck in to see how his trees were doing about Lilith had named them olive trees. He had been curious to see how tall they could grow and where Lilith would plant their seeds when he stumbled upon Samael petting a rabbit. He had been so shocked at finding his brother there that he hadn't been able to react until Sammy grabbed his hand and dragged him to an olive cover, somehow knowing that this was what he wanted to see. Once the shock had worn off, Uriel had scolded him about how they weren't allowed to be there, dismissing the fact that he too was breaking the rules, but Samael had just smiled and said it was okay. They were just looking, right? What harm could there be in that?

They had sworn it would be their little secret as long as Samael never went into Eden again.

Clearly, Samael hadn't kept that part of his promise.

"Adam," God's eyes peered down at him with disappointment, his voice almost depressed by their falsehood. "It is wrong to lie, Adam. I am your God. Your creator. I know all and see all. To lie to God is a most horrible thing to do."

"It... it is, my Lord?" Adam looked confused and nervous, his innocence truly slowing.

"Indeed, Adam. Falsehood and lies can cause your soul to rot until nothing is left," God pressed on as a matter of fact, pretending he couldn't see the distress on the two humans' faces. "It a most terrible thing to feel Adam. It leaves you empty. But if you tell me the truth, all will be forgiven."

Adam looked nervously at Lilith who silently shook her head. It didn't seem like Lilith believed what God was saying.

"You.. you won't be angry with us, my Lord?" Adam asked slowly, reminding Uriel of how his siblings would look when they were caught causing mischief they knew they shouldn't. "We... he meant no harm."

"He?" God asked as Adam fidgeted more and more. "And who is this 'he', Adam?"

"Adam," Lilith hissed in a whisper, firmly tugging on her partner's arm. "Don't. We promised."

"But Lilith, if we don't-"

"We promised not to tell, remember?" She pressed again, looking nervously at God from the corner of her eye. "He said God could never know."

"Know what Lilith, my Child?" Uriel could feel himself sweating. Surely he hadn't.

"You promise you won't be angry with us, my Lord?" Adam asked, his voice small but hopeful, eager to seek forgiveness from their creator.

"Adam, don't!" Lilith hissed hotly at him. "We promised."

"Of course my child," God assured him, gently picking Adam up in the palm of his hand and rubbing his back with comforting encouragement. "All is forgiven as long as you speak the truth. Now tell me, who is this 'he' that you created the fireflies with."

"Adam!" Lilith tried to call again but it was too late.

"It's Lucifer," Adam answered honestly only to be met with a bewildered look. "That's the name we gave him. He said his name was... ummm... Sag... San... Sam..."

Uriel felt his body go cold. Surely Adam wasn't going to say-

"Samael. That's what it was," Adam smiled before happily continuing. "The last time he came we-"

He didn't hear anything Adam said after that as he rambled about how Sammy would visit them and they would play and brainstorm ideas. Uriel knew that their father had already guessed it was Samael from the start. There weren't many possibilities of who it could be and after all the fireflies were Sammy's creation. He had made them and presented them. None of the others had had the idea of bringing the stars to Eden like this but him. All Father was doing was confirming what he already knew. By their father's side, Uriel could see Lilith standing silently as she stared angrily at Adam, her hands fisted by her sides to avoid yelling anything she would regret.

"I see," God answered calmly as he gently rubbed Adam's back and set him gently on the ground again "Well done, my child. Do you not feel better now that you are freed of this burden?"

"Yes, my Lord. I'm so grateful for your understanding and forgiveness, my Lord," Adam seemed almost elated, unaware of the storm he had unknowingly started. However, just before God could pull his hand away from the first man, Adam looked nervously at his creator and asked. "You... you won't tell Samael I told you right? He didn't mean any harm by visiting us. He's our friend. You aren't angry with us are you?"

There was a moment of silence as God stared down at his tiny creations, studying them carefully as if he were seeing them for the first time. Uriel was holding his breath, a cold sweat breaking out across his skin. He kept telling himself that while Samael had broken the rules, Father was forgiving and kind. That he loved his children dearly and that Samael was his favorite. His little dreamer. Surely he would forgive them for this little act of disobedience. After all, Samael had meant no harm. He was just a curious child, eager to explore and learn by doing. He had always been like this, always. From the moment he had convinced Michael to help him escape the Aviary for the first time, Sammy had always been eager to push the boundaries and see what lay beyond the limits.

It was a childish mistake, one that surely-

"Of course, I forgive you, my child," God answered a soft smile on his face. "We can all make mistakes at times. Like grabbing a rose without knowing to beware of its thorns. It is how we learn."

Uriel felt himself relax. Of course, Father would be forgiving, especially with Samael. He was their baby brother, after all, the surprise in the last egg to hatch and Father's dreamer. The favorite of the lot of them. Father would probably just give him a stern talking to as he had done the others when they made mistakes and have him listen to Sera lecture him about the importance of obedience.

"I must leave now, Adam. Lilith," God suddenly roused to his feet, taking Uriel with him as he started to leave. "Until we meet again, my children. Remember your duties."

Uriel schooled his expression so that their father couldn't see how nervous he had been. Honestly, he thought Father would become upset at finding out Samael had entered the garden without permission. After all as loving as their father could be, Uriel knew that he could be strict as well. After all, that was why when Uriel was old enough to carry a sword and use it, Father had brought Uriel out to the edge of his realm to defend it from the other beings, and likewise with their siblings. These creatures, abominations and 'elder gods' as they called themselves were often arrogant and prideful beings Father had warned to keep their distance only to be ignored and his limits pushed. A lot of foolish beings whose hubris led quickly to their demise or banishment to the nothingness that was the void.

Uriel nodded and felt himself smile a little at the memory of one such being's pleading for forgiveness and mercy when it had sent its army of monsters to try and take Heaven and Eden for itself. The creatures of its army were massive and wild, beasts that knew nothing but how to fight and destroy everything they touched.

Everything but celestial steel.

Even someone as meek as Zadkiel had managed to slay a fair four or so dozen before the battle was over and then Father had delivered the final blow, casting the remnants of their master into the pits of the Void.

Yes, Father could be terrifying when angry, but he was all loving to his own. Sammy would be fine if a little chaste for his misdeeds. And who knew, maybe this would be a good thing and Uriel could lessen the punishment if he told Father how he too and gone into Eden to look once, his curiosity to see how his gift to Eden was fairing. Father would understand, right? Of course, he would. He had said all was forgiven.

"Uriel, where is Samael right now?"

"Huh?" Snapping out of his thoughts, Uriel was surprised to see that they were standing near the tower where all of them had their different workshops. Usually, when they returned from Eden, Father would place him just inside the gates but today seemed to be a day full of surprises. "Err... I believe he's having lessons with Sera. He still has a few he needs to complete per his agreement with you Father."

"Ah yes... his... lessons..." God mused for a moment, his voice strangely strained. Shrinking in size, God snapped and formed a small orb in his hand and summoned an image of Sera who looked surprised at his sudden appearance. "Sera, is Samael with you currently?"

"Samael?" Sera asked before taking a deep breath and looking irritated. "He was... but then he snuck of out his lessons again, claiming he had other more important things that required his attention, my Lord."

Uriel stood silently by his father's side, frowning as he knew where this was going. Sera was going to complain. Complain that Samael wasn't taking his studies seriously enough, that he was spending too much of his time seeking out inspiration and not enough on his studies. She still babied him at times, stepping in the way and trying to pull him back into her hold, all the while she ignored how Samael just pushed hard and harder to get away.

"-he's too impulsive, my Lord," Uriel blinked as he tuned back into Sera's rant. "And he honestly believes he can charm his way out of any of his responsibilities with a smile or quick display of his wit. I... I worry for him, my Lord. That he will stray."

Uriel had to fight rolling his eyes at this. He had heard Sera's mantra of complaints so many times that he practically repeated it verbatim. Sera had always been a bit controlling when it came to the twins, but over the years her focus had seemed to become more and more fixated on Samael. And sure, he was the smallest of them and the youngest. And yes, he had his childish moments like wanting to play with everyone or craft his little toys. But that was just Samael's nature. He worked hard when he was creating his ideas and participated in the meetings.

"I see... that will be all for now Sera."

With a dismissing wave of his hand, God burst the orb before making his way down the many halls of the tower, passing the different workshops of his children along the way. Uriel figured he was looking for Samael and followed him, ready to lend their father a helping hand in scolding Sammy as well as comfort the little angel once it was over. He pondered for a moment what their father might do when he found their little troublemaker. Probably lecture him or ground him for a few years. That was the usual punishment Father chose though for very serious offenses a few swats might be given. Camael had probably received the most from him though, in fairness, they had all been on the receiving end of their Father's palm when they stepped too far out of line or did something dangerous.

Like the time Sammy snuck outside of Heaven's walls. Father had been far from pleased that day.

Before long Uriel found himself standing out of a set of familiar doors and peering into a room that could probably only be described as a child's dream. The room was well-lit, and the walls were painted in bright and cheerful murals that were buried beneath countless drawings. Bits of fluff and fabric were lying about everywhere from the many stuffed toys Samael loved to crate to visualize his ideas, and hanging high about their heads on a lamp, was an ornate collection of clear gemstones that cast a beautiful array of lights about the room. Looking around through, Uriel was surprised to see their father looking over a small notebook that Samael usually carried with him most of the time. It was a sort of diary journal where he wrote down his ideas and thoughts. Azrael had suggested it once to him when he was little and very frustrated over that he and Michael couldn't part take in the meets, the little book giving him a sort of outlet from Sera's constant coddling.

Watching their father pick it up and look through its pages, Uriel couldn't help but feel it was an invasion of Samael's personal space. It was his place of venting and secrets, where he could write and draw anything he pleased and not be afraid of it being used against him.

And yet despite this, Uriel couldn't get himself to ask their father to stop. So instead he looked about the room, examining some of Samael's newest ideas. A horned goat horse, a multi-headed serpent, and many-tailed fox, and a bird made of fire, there was even a creature that looked like a collection of several different animals. Only one of them had a tag on though, clearly something he planned to show at the next meeting. It was a strange combination of what Uriel would say was a pink goat or ram with a black lizard's tail.

'Dragon?' He read, looking at the toy closely. 'What's a drag-?'

The sudden slamming of a book shut made Uriel jump and turn to face his father's back. For a moment he thought everything was alright and their father had just realized it wasn't polite of him to read his son's private thoughts. But when Uriel looked up at him, he felt a chill run down his back and wings. Father looked silently about the room, taking in the workshop with its countless trinkets. Reaching out calmly, he picked up one of Samael's old stuffies he had made, a prototype of a spider with a peacock tail on its back. It had been approved of some decades ago, Ariel having loved how it would use its fan to dance and win over a female.

Before Uriel could say or do anything, God took the toy and tore it apart, ripping the seams and fabric from one another until nothing was left.

"Father? What are you-?" Uriel asked, quickly tucking the dragon into his robes, hiding the thing out of instinct as their father looked at the drawings on the walls with angry distaste.

"It seems my little dreamer forgets himself," God muttered with a cold smile as he raised one hand, ready to snap his fingers. "My little Dreamer seems to think he's above the rules I set, Uriel. That simply will not do."

Uriel looked nervously as God summoned a small flame in his hands, the aura around him twisting and darkening with his silent rage.

"Spare the rod... spoil the child."

* * * Flashback Ends * * *

Uriel allowed the silence to stretch between them, a bitter taste in his mouth as he finally told Michael what had happened that day. He hadn't spoken about what had happened before, why he wasn't sure. Maybe it was because he thought that it was God's right as their father. Maybe it was because he was used to obeying Father and never questioning him.
Or maybe it was because, like the others, he had been terrified into silence by the carnage that followed.
Michael in the meantime stared in disbelief. Adam had been the one who told Father? He wanted to be angry with the first man almost instantly but just as fast as his anger flared in him, it instantly faded. Getting angry at Adam for something that happened back in Eden was so long ago, that he probably couldn't remember it. And Michael could remember how Samael had described Adam and Lilith back then.
Both humans had been innocent beings then, curious and playful like Sammy himself. They had played in the water and rolled in the grass until they were tired and then talked about anything and everything. Sammy had even mentioned how he sometimes lifted them and flew about with them so that they could feel the joy of flight. He had talked about Adam and Lilith showing all the times they had created in Eden and how they would change with time and in return he would show them some small magic tricks with light.
They had all three just been children back in Eden. Little ones that had found likewise spirits and shared in their innocence until the piper came demanding his due.
And what a price it had been to.
"Adam... really didn't mean any harm in telling Father?" Michael asked, still shocked at the revelation.
"Father said that they were forgiven," Uriel sighed as he focused on cleaning his glasses, needing something to busy his hands with. "IT was just... none of us realized he only meant the humans. As for Samael, well... you remember what happened after all."
How could he forget? How could any of them forget the carnage of their father's wrath? He had immortalized it so that even to this day they all avoided that half of the tower. None of them wanted to remember that day if they could help it.

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

While Uriel was talking with Daddy, Charlie was left pouting on the desk. She didn't like that Daddy was ignoring her. He wasn't looking at those round flat things with all the scribbles on them. Charlie hated those things because Dad always looked unhappy looking at them. Just like now as the man Uriel was telling him something sad. But she also knew that until Daddy was done, his focus wouldn't return to her which wasn't okay in her mind.

She was getting tired. It had been a long day and while the sky outside was a strange bright blue, she still felt like it should be dark instead. All Charlie wanted now was a bottle of warm milk, a stuffie to cuddle with, and a lullaby from Daddy just like he always did. But they weren't home and it didn't look like Daddy had any of her stuffies here so he must have made her the new pink one that Uriel took away.

Well, that wasn't nice or fair. She liked the toy and Daddy had made it. And Daddy always made toys for her. Crawling over to the box, Charlie tried to reach for the toy but it was just out of her reach, perched up high on the boxes like the princess in the tower Ms. Tabby had read to her as a bedtime story. True, Charlie didn't know how the story ended, she had fallen asleep pretty fast after Ms. Tabby started reading and snuggling into Mommy and Daddy's clothes, but she did remember there was a tower and princess.

What the stuffie a princess too? Maybe this was Daddy's way of letting her reach the end of the story but playing it out. But then, was she supposed to be the prince that saved the princess or the Dragon keeping her there? And how could she be the prince if she was Daddy's princess?

Then again, what was a prince and a princess?

Charlie let out a little whine and her thoughts raced about aimlessly, feeling exhausted and ready for bed, but Daddy kept ignoring her as Uriel talked. He was a little like Uncle Vivi when it came to talking though at least Daddy seemed interested in what he was saying. Usually with Uncle Vivi started talking a lot, everyone around him looked sleepy, and even Auntie Bell had once ended up spread across the ceiling. That had been a funny sight to see.

Looking at the toy again, Charlie tried to reach it again only to find it had not magically moved since she last tried. If only she was taller, then maybe she could...

"Come now, Ms. Charlotte. Let's try standing up. That's it..."

Charlie rubbed her eyes again as she recalled what Ms. Tabby and Doggyman had been trying to get her to do for the last few days. She had thought it was a strange game they were playing to see how many times they had to pick her up, but maybe there was something else to it. After all, Daddy didn't crawl on the floor and neither did Mommy. Not unless Charlie was hiding under the table or sofa from them. Maybe there was something about this... standing up that meant something.

Pulling herself up on unsteady and wobbly legs, Charlie used the boxes to steady her balance. The boxes shifted a little as she pushed against them, but after a moment, her legs seemed to stop quivering as she tested having her weight on them. They threatened to buckle a little but once she was pretty sure she could lock her knees, Charlie slowly moved one foot forward just as Ms. Tabby had practiced with her a few times. It wasn't easy to do, it took a lot of concentration and energy to keep her steps steady but still, she managed to move a little forward, the long dress covering her hoof clicks as she stepped on the fabric. Now that she was standing, the stuffie was a lot closer, her tiny fingers just barely reached its front paw. Concentrating as hard as she could, Charlie took another step forward and stretched for the toy until finally, her hand managed to grasp a hold of the toy and pull it towards herself. A bright smile broke out across her face, flashing the little pointed teeth as she came face to face with the friendly buttoned face and stitched-on smile. It looked almost as happy to see her as she was to see him.

Maybe it had been lonely too, put away in that chest for so long.

Charlie's legs wobbled a little again, her energy being quickly spent as she struggled to stand. She wanted to sit down again, or rather what she wanted to do was cuddle with Daddy and go to sleep. But the toy was so close, that her fingers were just barely grasping his little hand. If she just reached a little more, maybe then she could finally rescue him and-

Suddenly the box Charlie was pushing against shifted just as she finally got a firm hold of the toy. Giving a little tug on him, Charlie let out a tiny squeal of joy that she had succeeded in getting the toy with all her hard work. With her new friend in hand, Charlie hugged the stuffie tightly as her knees finally buckled and sent her stumbling down into the box and knocking it to the ground, with Charlie following closely after.

"Ava!"

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

As Uriel confessed what had happened the day when everything changed, Michael suddenly had an inkling he was forgetting something important again. Something important that he needed to remember. Was it a report? No, it couldn't be that, although he had pushed a fair bit of his work aside today, but surely a lot of it could wait just a little. Was it a meeting? No, that couldn't be it either, he rarely ever had those. No, it felt like it was something very important but what was it-
The shifting of a box caught his attention and out of instinct, Michael turned slightly to look at the desk where Ava was now standing on unsteady legs, the stuffed dragon in hand. He smiled as he watched her stand, her small feet shuffling slightly as she did her best to keep her balance.
'So she can stand too,' Michael thought as he watched her hug the toy tightly as he nudged Uriel to look at her. "I guess she really likes Sammy's prototype."
Uriel looked almost pained at her and the toy, slowly realizing that their little guest had fallen in love with the tiny plush and unless he wanted to upset her, it was unlikely he was going to get it back.
Just as he tried to recall if they had seen Ava stand on her small hooves, Michael watched as Ava's strength finally gave in and sent her tumbling into the boxes in front of her and over the edge of the desk. Everything felt like it was going in slow motion for a second as Michael watched her tumble head first towards the ground, her eyes wide in bewildered surprise. Someone yelled her name, possibly Michael but he wasn't sure. What he was sure about was that Uriel lunged forward with his wings outstretched and arms ready to grab her mid-fall. In a split second, Uriel cocooned Ava from above as one of the boxes knocked over a small tower on top of them, making Uriel let out a hard 'Umph!'.
"Uriel! Are you okay?" Michael yelled as he rushed forward and started to yank the boxes off. Whatever had been in them was now scattered and mixed together but that didn't matter to him. He was worried about whether or not his brother was hurt and Ava was okay. "Does anything hurt? Is Ava-"
A soft giggle escaped from the green and blue tinted wings and as Uriel slowly unfolded them, Michael saw that not only were they both alright, but Ava was giving Uriel a wet kiss on the forehead before looking sleepily up at him. She held the toy close to her face, snuggling it lovingly before a big yawn broke out across her face.
"That was a close one," Uriel let out a soft sigh of relief, happy to have caught her before anything could happen. "I don't think I've jumped so fast since you and Sammy were learning how to fly."
"Are you alright?" Michael asked, gently picking Ava up and cradling her in his arms. Ava seemed to sigh happily as she rubbed her face into his chest, trying to find his heartbeat. "That was a pretty impressive save."
"Well, I had a good few years of practice with all of you guys when Sera was busy," Uriel chuckled, checking his glasses to make sure that they weren't broken. "Especially with you and Sammy. You two were almost worse than Gabriel when it came to flying."
Michael scuffed slightly as that only to receive a raised eyebrow from his big brother.
"You were so impatient in learning how to fly that you convinced Sammy the only way you two could learn it faster was to jump off from the highest tower you could find because that's how the luffs did it."
Michael fought the slight blush that burned his ears. That's not how he remembered it, but he didn't dare to argue with Uriel of all people about this. With the man's obsessive need to record any facts about them, he most likely had a record of it somewhere hidden in here. Hell, it was probably lying on the floor now in a pile of chaos.
"I... don't think I'm going to get that bad again, am I?" Uriel asked as he pointed at the toy. Looking at Ava, Uriel had an inkling that he would be as successful in taking the doll back as Sera had been in taking the dolls Jophiel had made for Samael and Michael when they were little. The tantrum they both had was legendary that it had taken Father to calm them down. And looking at how happy Ava looked hugging it tightly and dressed in Sammy's old robe, Uriel couldn't help but remember back to when Sammy would fall asleep during Azrael's shadow plays and he would hold him until it was time to tuck him into bed. "You know what... she can keep it."
"You sure?" Michael looked surprised at this. Uriel wasn't exactly known for letting go of trinkets that he deemed important. And like he had said earlier, they didn't have a lot of things to remember Samael by. At least, not any that they wanted to see. "We can probably take it back when she's asleep."
"Nah, Sammy would love seeing his stuffed creature being loved by someone else," Uriel chuckled and gently brushed a few of her hairs away from her face. "It's better than if it's just sitting in a box collecting dust."
Ava let out a little whine, exhausted eyes pleading at them as if to ask 'Can we go night-night now?'. Uriel chuckled, recalling the same drunken look on all of his siblings when they were small. He hadn't realized that he had missed this, missed the unpredictable chaos that came in surprisingly small packages. Nor had he realized until now how far apart he had drifted from his siblings.
How far they all had drifted since... well since Samael broke away from them.
"We should find a place for her to sleep tonight. Somewhere where no one is going to look," Michael muttered, conjuring a water skin of milk like Adam had and gently feeding it to Ava. The little girl jerked away from it at first but once she figured out it was warm milk, Ava latched on to the nipple and started to drink lazily. "But it needs to be a place that's also safe."
They pondered for a moment, the only sound between them was the soft and slow suckling from Ava before both brothers looked at each other at the same time.
"Azrael's room."

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Azrael's room was probably the second most untouched room of all the siblings. For one, he was rarely back in Heaven thanks to his work as the Angel of Death. Not that he was the actual Grimm Reaper, far from it. If anything he was more like the Greek mythos Charon the Ferryman thanks to his unique eyes.
When Azrael had hatched, his appearance had always been a sensitive topic for the boy. For one, his wings were a pure midnight black as was his hair, an unfortunate combination when compared to his white skin. As a child, Azrael had often looked sickly with his ash gray cheeks and sliver-clouded eyes, which had also led to Sera fussing over him endlessly until he could prove her wrong. It hadn't helped either that his grace seemed to be the polar opposite of his siblings, allowing him more control over shadows and his touch to wither things rather than let them flourish.
It had made both Winners and Heavenborn avoided him out of fear and moronic rumors.
It was especially his cloudy eyes that unnerved them. Many assumed he was blind because of this but the truth Azrael could see far better than any being God had created. His unique eyes allowed him to see Earth-bound souls, spirits of the dead who had gotten confused and lost on their way to judgment. It wasn't a job any of his siblings envied him for. If anything they wished they could lighten the man's load. Most of the spirits Azrael dealt with were either mortals who refused to believe their time had come to an end, or children who didn't understand that they were no longer part of the living.
Of the two, Azrael claimed he preferred the cantankerous souls in denial. With those, he could harden himself and act with a rough hand. Children's souls were more delicate and many of them still didn't understand even after he tried to explain it all to them.
It was probably because his work was so strenuous for him, they all gave him the time and space he needed.
Entering the room, Michael could practically feel the hollowness of the room. When they were children, Azrael had done his best to fill the room with color, doing anything and everything to bring some form of life into the space. It had helped a lot that Samael had loved to bring him pictures and encouraged him to embrace his black wings and hair by seeing it as a positive. Azrael had been skeptical at first but after a game of nighttime hide and seek, Azrael discovered his wings were perfect.
But when Samael fell, Azrael started to pull away from everyone and removed the pictures from his room. When they asked about it, he just said he needed to focus on his work. Uriel suspected there was more to it than that but he didn't push it.
But the solitude wasn't the only reason why they had thought of using Azrael's room for Ava to sleep in. Because of some of the souls Azrael had to deal with on Earth when he came home to rest, he would often twist and thrash about in his sleep. For the first century or so, he would just deal with falling out of his nest, hitting the floor with a painful thud. After that, he had his nest deepened so he would have to climb out of it. So if Azrael had to climb out of it, then there should be no way for their little escape artist to do the same.
"You don't think he'll mind, do you?" Michael whispered, gently rocking the toddler in his arms. Whether it was because the hour was late or because her tummy was full of milk, Ava had fallen asleep fairly fast.
"I doubt he'll ever notice," Uriel assured him as he summoned an extra blanket to cover the bottom of the nest. "You know with his work he's often away from months on end, sometimes even years."
"True, and he usually spends the first three days back sleeping," Michael agreed and gently lay Ava down, covering her with another blanket. The little toy dragon was clutched tightly in her hold as she slept. "She's really cute, isn't she? Hard to imagine she can cause so much trouble."
"Yeah. She kind of reminds me of you and Samael when you were little," Uriel chuckled. "Especially in that nightgown, though she's tiny compared to what you and Sammy were."
Michael nodded as he tucked the little girl in. Surely she would be safe in here with its high edges. Michael was an early riser so he was sure that he would be up before Ava was and be ready for them to decide how to get Ava home again...
Michael stilled for a second, frowning at the odd feeling he had regarding that. Maybe he was just tired, having been overworked so long as well as all the chaos they had gone through for the day. Leaving a small light on so she wouldn't awaken in the dark, the two brothers headed off to their respective rooms, ready to get as much sleep as they could before another day would begin.

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Back in her room, Jophiel looked about her room as if she was seeing it for the first time. She started to recall all the memories she had of the room from the first day Father had presented it to her. She could remember the tea parties she had with Sera, how Uriel would read to her at night when she was sad. She recalled all the times her siblings had wandered in looking for company or to show her something they had found. She could recall when Gabriel had made a mess in her room, thinking if he tied a bunch of her ribbons to launch himself into the air faster, or when both Ariel and Raphael stormed in covered in mud from head to two to show her the new flowers they had found. She could remember how Azrael would come to her seeking comfort and peace from Sera's coddling and how Zadkiel would sit by her windows and sing little silly songs.
Most of all, she could remember how Samael would come to sew with her and show his little creations and Michael would tell about his wonderful ideas. Picking up the luff Samael had made back in the day. It looked nothing like the real thing, not even if you squinted your eyes at it. But it was his first and he had been so proud to show it to their father. After that, countless more followed, each better than the last, but this one... it was special and Jophiel would never let anyone throw it away.
Still, having most of her siblings gathered in her room today had reminded Jophiel of the old days when they were all young and carefree in Heaven. She couldn't say when the last time was when they all had been gathered together for a meal and talked with one another. Like actually had discussions that weren't work-related. And move importantly, she hadn't realized how much she had missed it until today when they were sitting together feeding Ava.
As Jophiel started to clean up her room, sorting her clothing from dirty and clean and tossing out trash that had been left alone for too long. Looking at her old drawing table, Jophiel imagined herself redesigning clothing again and sewing once more, maybe even creating some clothing for Ava to wear.
Thinking of Ava as well, it wasn't lost on Jophiel that the arrival of the little Hellborn had caused a massive shift in her and her siblings. And she was an adorable little thing, all smiles and giggles and curious about everything. For something that came from a realm of chaos, murder, and sin, Ava was a very sweet creature. It was like she didn't belong there to start with. But come morning, Jophiel knew they would need to figure out how to get her back home again, fixing Adam's mistake. After all, it wasn't like they could keep her in here in Heaven... right?

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Back in his room, Raphael had finally dressed in some random clothing after being scolded by Sera for walking about the halls stark naked. Apparently, he had surprised a few Heavenborn when he had gone down to get some supplies for his tests and examinations. It struck him as strange though when the Winners had complained as well. Surely they knew that their bodies were based on his and their siblings, so he didn't see what there was to be shocked about. Father had created their bodies to be their own unique works of art and he was fairly certain that he didn't have anything that none of them didn't have or had seen before.
Still, Sera had been summoned rather quickly and she had urged him to get dressed immediately.
Somewhere in the back of his mind, Raphael did wonder if he should have told Sera about Ava and their dilemma as to whether or to return her to Hell and how. But Sera never asked him why he was so fixated on running his experiment so he saw no reason to tell her. If she was curious, she would ask and if not... well, he wasn't her subordinate after all.
Now that he was in the sanctum that was his room, surrounded by the peaceful silent whispers that were the rustling of his plants' leaves, Raphael turned his focus onto the small vial of red liquid before him. It wasn't a lot, but he had worked with smaller quantities before. He also didn't want to draw more than necessary from Ava as she was so little.
At first glance, Raphael couldn't see anything unusual with the blood. It was a bright crimson red, slightly thick like watered-down syrup but not too thick either. However, Raphael knew better than to just accept things at first glance and immediately summoned a notebook to start jotting down his notes as he went along.
"Subject Ava appears to be about a year old in age, very active and friendly," He muttered as he used his spare hand to write down notes. "Lineage unknown, birth place Hell, Pride Ring. Physical appearance-"
As he set out to make a quick medical record on her, his eyes stayed focused on the vial of blood, shifting it about in the light. As a healer, Raphael had seen his share of different types of blood, from demons to aberrations, to abominations and even living mortals. Ava's blood reminded him a lot of humans' blood, being bright red, but there was something else there too. He would have missed it if he wasn't so focused on his task, especially since it was only there for a second.
"Curious..." He muttered, turning the vial carefully again as the light of his room illuminated it, but he wasn't mistaken. Ava's blood had a unique shine to it, a slight sparkle-like shine that mortal blood didn't possess. "Sample appears to have reflective elements not displayed in other elements from beyond Heaven. Further test is needed..."
Setting the vial down in a base, Raphael fetched a needle, a glass slide, and his microscope, intending to look closer at the sample. While he studied the sample, he continued to write down and draw examples of what he saw. Her blood was filled with things he had been expecting like red blood cells, plasma, and such, but what he hadn't expected was to find specks of gold scattered about in it. For a moment he pondered if the vial hadn't been properly cleaned, but when he found a few of the blood cells had the gold embedded in them.
"Iridescent material appears to be part of the subject's biology," Raphael wrote down as he tried to recall where he had seen something like it before. Pausing for a moment, Raphael looked took out another set of slides and a small knife. Flinching a little from the pain, Raphael made a small cut on his finger and allowed a droplet to fall onto the slide before placing it under the microscope, and comparing the two samples. "Interesting indeed..."

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Finally alone in his room, Adam sighed in relief as he enjoyed the silence. Who knew that a bunch of archangels could be more exhausting than handling his own brood of kids running amok? Honestly, he felt like he had traveled back in time to when his kids started having their brats and he had to teach them how to keep them alive. They were so clueless when it came to taking care of Ava that it was almost frightening, and he was honestly tempted to go and take the kid back just to be sure she didn't die during the night.
But the way Michael had glared at him... it had made Michael rethink his idea.
It was funny, it sort of reminded him of the time Lilith and he had bad-mouthed his siblings once when Lucifer had complained about them in Eden. The little angel at first had gotten a little defensive but when they went too far with a joke, Lucifer had shown his anger almost instantly by puffing up and glaring with his many eyes. It wasn't until he calmed down that he could explain angels were very family-orientated. They were protective of each other and would do anything to keep each other safe.
It was the first time Lilith and he had ever had the concept of family explained to them.
And speaking of Lucifer, Jesus-fucking-Christ had that little prick had been popping up in his head a lot as of late. Normally he avoids thinking of the little shit until extermination day, but today just seemed to have been a proverbial kick in the nuts down memory lane.
Which was annoying because most of the memories were fond ones for him.
It sort of made him miss those days too before Lucifer screwed them all over. He missed the days they would play in Eden, talking for hours on end about it. He missed how when Lucifer would laugh with joy, his eyes would sparkle and his red cheeks would dimple with a smile just like Ava's did.
Adam froze for a moment.
He had been having an odd feeling all day but because of all the chaos around them, he hadn't had a moment's peace to think it all through. Now that he was in his sanctum without a baby or group of clueless idiots to distract him, his mind was finally getting the peace to focus on what had been bothering him so much.
Now Adam had never been the brightest of beings. It didn't take a genius to know a sharp stick can chase off a bear or farm some land. But he wasn't an idiot either. Taking a minute to try and recall what Lucifer looked like, Adam started to draw some similarities between Lucifer and Ava.
Lucifer and blond hair. So did Ava.
Lucifer had red cheeks and pale skin. Ava had that too.
Lucifer was the King of Hell and Ava was Hellborn. Could she be?
Adam scuffed instantly at the thought. It wasn't possible. Lilith was cursed to be barren for back-talking God over something she didn't like, and Lucifer... well, Uriel had once told him that as archangels, they had no interest in the pleasures of flesh, so there was no way Lucifer would be interested in that. Not to mention he was such a prude back in Eden, always staying dressed around them.
Then again, since when had Lucifer ever followed the norms of Heaven?

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Sometime during the early morning hours...

The halls of Heaven were always eerily silent during the early morning without a single soul in sight. It was the perfect hour as far as Azrael was concerned, he had been gone for about five months, dealing with several confused souls who were either in denial or confused as to what happened to them. It wasn't anything new to him, it was his main job for now until Father said otherwise, but he loathed it at times like this. The last group of souls he had to ferry had been a set of young siblings that didn't understand that they had parishes from illness thanks to the clothes their mother had worked so hard to give them. It was difficult to watch weeping mortals who unknowingly poisoned their children with Emerald Green. Their vanity for the vibrant color led many of them to cover their homes in the toxic color, draping it over their bodies and coloring their toys, never realizing that all they were doing was quickening their journey to a wooden coffin.

Worse still was having to explain to the little lambs that they were not comforting their mother and father by staying by their sides, but haunting them.

The whole ordeal had led to him returning home a little earlier to sleep.

Despite how rare it was for Azrael to return home, he looked fairly well put together. He was dressed in what could be called a typical undertaker's uniform, a white high-collared shirt with a black vest, necktie, and pants, and his hair was neatly combed and kept at bay with a hair tie. He had found if he looked familiar to most souls, they tended to not flee or panic as easily then if he showed up in a robe wielding a scythe like some of the death angels did.

Panic souls flee or fight. Azrael hated it when they did that just as he hated it when others looked at him with fear and terror. Honestly, the Winners and Heavenborn often liked to treat him like he was some sort of boogeyman snatching souls left and right all thanks to his black wings. It was all just a bunch of nonsense.

"Azrael, you're home early," A voice suddenly called from behind him. "Hold on, I'll walk with you."

He didn't need to turn around to know who it was calling to him. The sound of heavy metal boots was a dead giveaway as to which of his siblings was heading towards him, though he smiled nonetheless as he came face to face with his sister Camael.

Known also as God's Wrath, Camael was not the only redhead out of her siblings, but also the only one of them whose skin wasn't pure white. It had been when she was little, but once she had been deemed old enough, Father had given her the important task of training and leading Heaven's army, a task which she dutifully fulfilled. It had led to her being out in the sunlight for long hours daily and in turn, tanned her skin over the centuries. However, some would argue that it did her no favors when it came to her appearance. The tan skin highlighted the countless scars she had acquired over the years from across her legs, arms, chest, and face. Even her gray wings had battle wounds that left some patches bare of feathers until the end of time itself.

But with that being said, Azrael couldn't help but smile as she finally reached her, his pace slowly matching hers. At some point during the 1400's Camael had become inspired by the noble actions of a young French woman who fought for her country and looped off most of her hair, cutting the fiery red locks short into a messy bop. Sera had nearly lost her mind when she saw how short Camael had cut her hair but once it was done, Camael refused to allow her hair to grow out again.

She loved the freedom that came with short hair. She liked how it was fast to wash and cry, how she could easily feel her scalp breathe through the messy longs. But most of all, she loved not having to spend to hours in front of a memory as someone talked useless gossip with her.

After that Camael seemed to make it her goal to irritate Sera as much as she possibly could. For millennia, Sera had forced the sixth-born angel to dress in a certain way, usually very feminine and in gowns and robes as was expected of her. But Camael had quickly argued that skirts and dresses had no place on a battlefield. So when the first blacksmith made it into Heaven as a Winner, Camael had been quick to commission him to make her a modified armor. Using celestial steel, he crafted a chain mail long-sleeved shirt and arm guards. Her bodice was like a metal corset that pressed her ample bosom high on her chest and her boots reached to just above her kneecaps.

It satisfied Sera's unexplainable need to keep her femininity visible, Camael's armor also had a sort of tasset, or metal skirt with a sheer red fabric beneath that hid nothing. Sera loathed the outfit as being immodest which in turn had Camael loving it all the more.

It was probably also thanks to this armor, that mortals like the Vikings had believed in the existence of the Valkyries.

"Rough day, Azrael?" She asked, hard cold amber eyes looking calmly at clouded silver. "You look awful."

Like her brother, most Heavenborn and Winners were intimidated when they spoke to Camael. Because of her scars as well as her emotionless-looking eyes, they often assumed she was annoyed for being disturbed or interrupted. In reality, Camael had suffered a nearly devastating blow during one of her many battles to protect Heaven, leading to a long and deep scar on her right eye and cheek. The scar didn't look like much now, but at the time even Raphael had been worried that she would look the eye. Thankfully it had recovered, but the same couldn't be said about some of the nerves in her cheek which caused her to have a sort of permanent scowl on her face.

"I have to bring some lost lambs to Saint Peter," Azrael explained as they walked along. "They... didn't want to leave their mother behind."

"Was she a good woman?" Camael asked softly, her left wings reaching out to hug him lightly.

"Both she and her husband," Azrael answered, rubbing his eyes tiredly. "They will recover and have more, but unless they discover the truth about that damned paint, things will only repeat themselves. And you? You're back early as well."

"Some eldritch being was testing the walls again," She answered calmly and pulled over her gauntlet to show him a bleeding cut that she had crudely bandaged. "Not to worry though. It's been dealt with."

"You should have Raphael clean that, you know." Azrael huffed, knowing it was pointless. Even if Raphael treated her injuries, Camael seemed to wear her scars with a sense of pride, like they were her badges or something of the sort.

"It's just a scratch. Flesh wound really," She shrugged as they both fell silent. Before long, they had reached Azrael's room where Camael studied her brother for a moment as he stared blankly at his door. "Do you need me to stay?"

"Would you?" He asked, knowing somewhere deep inside she would. Camael had always been a fierce protector of her siblings, risking everything and anything to protect them. It was how she had gotten her first scar after all. "I'm... nervous of what I might dream."

A slight yellow hue painted his ashen cheeks as Azrael felt he sounded childish for asking her to sleep in his room. He was millennia old now, too old to be afraid of nightmares and haunting memories. But at the same time, he hated waking in a panic, covered in sweat and nearly tearing his feathers out in fear from them. He sometimes wished he could ask the others for the same sort of help, but they were all too busy and probably wouldn't understand why he needed someone else to be there when he woke up from these bad dreams. He needed to know he was awake, to feel another heartbeat close by, and for someone to remind him he was alive as well. Camael seemed to be the only one who understood his need.

And sometimes, he wondered if it was because she had the same need.

"Always, little brother," She nudged him 'gently' by her terms, though it still left him tumbling and rubbing his shoulder in pain. She seemed to forget sometimes how strong she was. "Come on. I'll just borrow one of your shirts to sleep in and we'll greet the others in the afternoon."

Nodding his head in exhaustion, Azrael opened his door and stepped in, his fingers already undoing the necktie and vest. Camael made her way over to his desk, needing the chair to balance herself as she unbuckled the straps of her armor. Azrael smiled a little as he realized that in a few minutes, she would be asking him for help with the chain mail shirt as it was too heavy for her to lift over her head by herself. But that was fine too. It gave him time to fold his dirty clothes and find them both some night shirts to wear and an extra blanket if needed.

'Maybe I should change the one in the nest first. Father knows how long it's been there,' He thought, glancing over into it and giving a small wave to the sleep and curious scarlet eyes looked back at him. Without hesitation, he gave the little girl a friendly finger wave hello, pleased to receive a floppy hand wave back, before he turned his attention to his dresser to find a nightshirt. "Right, which drawer was ti aga-"

As if a bucket of cold water had been dumped on him, Azrael turned around fast and stared at the tiny tot who was currently sitting sleepily in his bed, stuffed toy in hand and a thumb in her mouth. For a second he was certain he was hallucinating, just like the time when Ariel and Raphael had tested some mushrooms on him they had found. The stupid things had been so potent, that he was convinced Uriel had shrunken for two days because he had walked in on Michael studying and that Samael was a luff that mutated. Was he really that sleep-deprived?

"Camael?"

"Yes?" Camael rolled her arms a little, easing the tension she had in them from her armor.

"Is.. is there a little girl in my bed?"

Camael froze for a moment, looking puzzled at him.

"Excuse me?" She asked, looking at her brother via a mirror near the desk. "Why are you asking that?"

"Because either I'm so REM deprived that my mind has broken," He answered oddly calmly. "Or someone else has already stolen my bed tonight."

"what are you-" Camael started to demand as she walked over to him, her armor forgotten as she needed to make sure Azrael was alright. But just as she got halfway to his side, Camael suddenly saw the tiny being in Azrael's bed. "What in the..."

The child was a tiny thing, a baby at most with golden blond hair and apple-red cheeks. For a moment Camael was convinced she was looking at Samael when he was hatched, her mind instantly recognizing the white night robe she was wearing. She could hardly forget it since Sammy had worn it for a long because he was so small. It was probably also because she was so small and had been asleep that Camael hadn't noticed her presence in the room when they entered. But now that she was looking at her, Camael could feel it, the blackened hot taste of sulfur that told her exactly where the little thing came from.

Camael felt her nerves tense, ready for a fight if need be. How had a Hellborn gotten into Heaven and the upper levels no less?! But rather than attacking them, the little girl just gave a little giggle at them before plopping back down into the bed, dead asleep once more.

"Ohhh fuck." Camael uttered after a moment, the horror evident in her eyes as she looked at Azrael's confused ones.

"I... take this isn't a good thing, is it?" Azrael groaned, rubbing his eyes in both frustration and exhaustion. He was too tired for this.

"No... No, it is not."

AN: Cliffhanger! Sorry everyone, I just managed to finish this chapter today. A lot has been going on in real life that's been taking up a lot of my time. Don't worry, I'm not stopping the story, but I might be a little slow in posting for a while.

Finally, we have Azrael and Camael meeting Charlie, so the drama is really about to start. And Adam seems to be putting the pieces together now as well as Raphael.

The plant reference is from another sci-fi book/movie/series called 'Day of the Triffids' by John Wyndham. The Triffids (depending on if it's the book and 1962 movie or the 2009 mini-series) provide oil for food or fuel. Problem is, that the plants are carnivorous and poisonous and if not cultivated correctly, can walk around wherever they please. This isn't a problem until most of the world suddenly goes blind overnight. The main character avoids this by getting struck in the face by a triffid the day before and says it feels like scolding oil has hit his face. It's a great book and series and worth watching.

I can also say from personal experience, that when it comes to burns on the skin, you do not want them on your face. Back in Oct, I spilled boiling butter over my right hand, giving myself 2nd-degree burns (I was making ghee and the container I was using was threatening to crack from the heat). Not a fun experience and while I have minimal scaring from it, I do have two dead zone areas on my hand where I can feel nothing and might never regain it.

For the flashback, the reaction of God to finding out Samael has been entering Eden as he pleases is supposed to have this feel to /GodHazbin/status/1755299032006607356/photo/1

Yeaah, he's not exactly a great guy in my version. Sorry.

A fun fact for those who don't know it, Emerald Green, Scheele's green, or Paris Green was a pigment color that was extremely popular color used during the 1800s because it was very bright and vibrant. It was used in all sorts of things from wallpaper, paintings, paper furniture lining, fabrics, candles, bookbinding, glass, and even toys. It was also extremely toxic as it was arsenic-based, which is something you do not want anywhere near you. It's sort of thanks to Emerald Green that the concept of taking a vacation in the countryside was made popular because doctors would proscribe it when people got ill. They would leave, and get better because they were no longer surrounded by the poison, only to return home to rinse and repeat. Thankfully it's a banned color so we no longer have to worry about it, but it explains a lot why anything from the 1800s that green tends to be behind glass in museums.

I've also posted on my twitter a colored picture of Camael. I've really had a lot of fun drawing her though the pose is a little too girly, but it is what it is./MajaJeppes74202/status/1832182564548734984/photo/1