AN: I am so sorry to all my guests out there. I honestly don't know how it happened but the ability to comment without being logged on to AO3 was turned off. Sorry about that.

I'm so happy that everyone loves Flare and Tabitha. They were fun to create and imagine their dynamics together. Flare when through a lot of changes in design, because first he was just a black nameless wolf. Then I made him a black great dane because my ADHD brain was reminded of Batman Beyond because of youtube and his name was going to be Ace. I think it was first when I got to the point where I was writing Adam's version of events that started to realize I hated the idea of it being a typical black dog, so I looked up other dog breeds that are known for being super protective of their owners and that's when I saw Bruce Wayne. And after I looked up what sort of coats a cane corso can have, Kablam! Flare was made.

Tabitha I think was inspired a little by Mary Poppins, as well as any of those prime and proper nannies.

A very quick thing to note. I've tried to write Raphael as if he's on the spectrum because he's mainly interested in plants and their uses and is terrible at social cues. And while I've worked for a short time with youths and adults on the spectrum, this is the first time I've ever tried writing a character with a form of autism. So it's very important for me if there is anything I have him do that comes off as insensitive or incorrect please PLEASE tell and I will do my best to fix it. This is not a story series I want anyone to feel like they are being mocked.

Which little update. A lovely reader on AO3 informed me that the Spanish Flu couldn't have happened yet. That's my bad for not double checking the dates. So I've changed it to be the plague of Justinian which happened during AD 541 - 549. I know it's a minor thing, but I do want the story to have most of it's historical facts to be correct when it comes to Earth.

Chapter Seven

The 'Best' Kept Secrets

Back in Heaven

Raphael had always been a little different from his siblings. The fifth born of the Archangels, right after Ariel, he had never been an overly social fledgling. He hadn't been interested in playing like his siblings had been nor had he been particularly motivated in learning how to fly. Sure, he liked it, all angels did, but he wasn't in a hurry to learn it like Gabriel had been. Instead, he was fascinated by plants.

Though honestly, fascinated was a mild term for it. Obsessed was more fitting.

While growing up, Sera had been so happy when he had shown more interest in sitting quietly and studying, but that joy was quickly turned to annoyance when she discovered his interest in learning was limited to plants and plants only. He couldn't really explain it, but he enjoyed studying plants and their properties more than anything in Heaven. He liked discovering the order of things, what purposes they had, and how they could be used for other things, be it cooking or healing.
But mostly healing.

The day he had been told about the humans needing ways to cure themselves of ailments in Eden, Raphael had been over the moon and back in figuring out how to do so. He worked almost feverishly with Ariel as she introduced him to the different plants she had created over time along with some of the animals she had designed with Samael's aid, explaining how they defended themselves and what their purposes were.

It was probably why the pair had always gotten along best, because of their shared love of nature.

Not that he didn't like his other siblings, they were all wonderful and loving. It was just, he had a hard time relating to them sometimes. Uriel had always shown up to steal him away from the ridge schedule Sera tried to keep him on, which sometimes stressed him as a child. And Gabriel was very sweet but he could be loud and often too high in energy for Raphael to handle without feeling like he was being drained. Jophiel and Zadkiel were okay, they at least knew to be calm and not wear him out, but he just never knew what to talk with them about when they were together and Camael, well... her fiery temperament was exhausting and stressful just thinking about.

As for Michael... when he was little, he would sometimes seek Raphael out to help with either a small scrap or preening his wings. Michael had been shy as a baby, sweet and quiet. Raphael had gotten along pretty well with him.

And Samael... Samael had been the one who understood Raphael the most. He never questioned him about why he loved plants. He never stopped Raphael when he would rant about what one plant did and how mixing elements from different ones would have a special effect that could cure or heal someone. Samael had always leaned back and listened, smiling as Raphael shared his passion with him. Sure, sometimes he would get Raphael to pause in his rambling, but that was only because Raphael would say something Sammy didn't understand and needed him to explain it better.

And it made Raphael happy that Sammy was interested in what he had to teach him.

In turn, Samael managed to convince Raphael to join in on their games sometimes, be it something like exploring Heaven or swimming or something as simple as a game of catch. Although, Raphael could still remember the time when he and the twins had played a game of catch with a light orb and fallen down a slop into a mud pit. They had all gotten covered in mud except Samael's wings, which ironically enough have been the one thing Sera had told his baby brother not to dirty.

They had needed Jophiel's help in cleaning up before Sera found out although it had hardly mattered. Back then Samael couldn't keep a secret when he'd get excited.

But that was a long time ago and Raphael was now no longer the twelve century old angel he was then. Now, grown and matured, Raphael had exchanged his childish robes for a white lab coat with a rich Earth brown trim and knee-high leather boots. He kept his golden blond hair nearly trimmed and brushed, finding that he had difficulty dealing with it if it was frazzled and out of place.

Raphael had been told by Sera that he looked like a proper man of science and medicine like this, rather than a young messy child he once had been with constant grass and dirt stains on his clothes and hands.

Not that he didn't still get his hands dirty but he generally wore gloves now to protect himself from the plant's natural defenses.

Walking around in his room, Raphael always felt at ease. Massive in size, it functioned as part laboratory and greenhouse. Nearly everywhere one looked, hanging gardens or planting boxes were placed and overflowing with different plants that seemed to grow wild and out of control. To the untrained eye, it looked like a gardener's nightmare, overgrown and chaotic, but to those who knew Raphael well, there was order in the chaos. Plants were sorted according to their usage and traits as well as how often he used them. As a healer, Raphael spent most of his time researching different cures for different elements as well as testing a few diseases to understand how they worked and how to best cure them. Some were easy enough, like chickenpox had been while others were still being rather bothersome and slow in their progress. Sera hated that the place looked like such a mess but Raphael was old enough now that he could willfully ignore her comments and keep it as he pleased.

Besides, it wasn't as if anyone else ever entered the room for long periods other than himself, so what did their opinions matter? And he preferred to be alone. It meant others wouldn't disturb his work.

Raphael was sighing hard as he glared at his failed experiment, the two hundred and sixtieth attempt he had been working on trying to create a cross-breed of two different plants in order to create a new drug that could help cure a rare illness on Earth. The humans hadn't noticed it yet because it only affected a small group of people who lived isolated from the rest of the world, but if there was one thing Raphael knew about the mortals it was that they could rarely leave anything alone.

So he wanted to be one step ahead before they had another case of the Black Plague on their hands... or the plague of Justinianic...

Raphael hadn't liked dealing with the confused souls who had died young because of those illnesses... they had demanded answers as to why and he had none to give.

None of them had.

Scrapping the useless remains of the experiment, Raphael got ready to try again when his door opened and he heard a yelp of surprise followed by a light bell-like laughter.

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Jophiel blew a puff of air up towards her eyes as she gently brushed a few long vines out of her face. Neither she nor Zadkiel had been prepared for the bushel of vines to get knocked loose when they opened the door to Raphael's office, nor had they been prepared for to enter what felt like a private botanical garden inside the main tower. Jophiel had always known that Raphael had taken to growing the plants he needed in his office so that he wouldn't have to waste time hunting down the plants around Heaven, but she did wonder for a moment if it hadn't gotten out of hand.

If they hadn't known better, Jophiel would have assumed they had accidentally walked out into the gardens if it wasn't for the distant clinking of glass.

"Raphael? Are you busy?" Zadkiel called as she gently pushed the overgrown plants out of her face while the baby in her arms giggled as they tickled her cheeks. "May we borrow a moment of your time?"

Stepping about the room carefully because they knew not all the plants were harmless, the two sisters went looking for their brother who had busied himself in preparing to restart his experiment. It wasn't uncommon for Raphael not to answer others, not when he was in the zone and working. He had always been difficult to pull away from his interests even as a child.

"Raphael?" Jophiel called gently as they neared him, wanting to give him some time to acknowledge them, to find the break in his work he needed to be able to handle shifting his attention to something different. After a minute or two, he finally started to show signs of being ready to talk to them. "We know it's a little out of the ordinary, but do you have a moment to do a check-up for us?"

"A check-up?"

Raphael paused for a moment before he immediately went over to wash his hands, donning his healer persona immediately. Experience had taught him whenever one of his siblings asked him to do a 'check-up' it was because something unpleasant was about to unleash itself onto Earth and bring with a flood of souls for both Heaven and Hell and he would need to find a mortal cure for it to inspire some human doctor. With the practiced movements of a man used to readying himself to collect samples and jot down notes, Raphael had only managed to put on his stethoscope and grab a tongue presser before he faced his sisters, expecting to see some newly arrived Winner standing nervously before him.

Instead, he found himself staring confused at his two bemused oldest and youngest sisters, no Winner in sight. He frowned as he tried to figure out what they could want, knowing neither of his sisters needed a check-up since they couldn't get sick. Raphael frowned a little as he was about to ask them if they were trying to play a prank on him when suddenly-

"Aaaaa brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!"

Eyes widening in surprise, Raphael looked down at his table to find a strange tiny creature clapping its hands together as it made a loud sound before trying to spray him with spittle. Crimson and yellow eyes looked curiously up at him before a bright smile, the pacifier she once had in her mouth now lying on the table ignored. Raphael felt his wings give a tiny jerk of surprise as it slowly clicked for him that his sisters had brought him an infant of all things to examine.

"Sisters... what... is that?" He asked unnerved, as a slight cold sweat broke out over his skin. He frowned a little as the pair giggled at him while the tiny being before him 'oo'ed at his wings, fascinated by the light forest green shine his inner feathers gave off. "And why do you have it?"

No one ever brought him infants to look at, he was terrible with them. They made terrible patients and would cry loudly when poked or prodded. He wasn't even sure when was the last time he had handled an infant Winner, but he could remember that the experience had been painful as it had yanked one of his flight feathers out and then screamed loudly when he had checked its lungs.

"Well, funny story about that..." Zadkiel laughed nervously as she kept a gentle hold on the baby who was trying to inch towards Raphael.

"We found with Michael," Jophiel added before giving Raphael a very serious look. "Alone... napping."

Raphael blinked. The words 'baby', 'Michael', and 'napping' were not words he would ever have thought he would hear used together in the same sentence. Heck, the words 'napping' and 'Michael' sounded more like some sort of fever dream and if it wasn't for the fact he knew both girls were responsible women, he would have told them they needed to cut down on their day drinking.

Not that angels could get drunk easily.

"Michael? Napping?" Raphael repeated with a perplexed look. "Are you certain it's not Michael I should be checking on?"

"You know Michael doesn't often sleep, Raph," Jophiel chuckled a little though she understood why their brother was confused. "And he looked like he was resting peacefully."

"With a baby... of unknown origins," Raphael supplied skeptically. He peered down at the infant before him again as she stared back at him with wide innocent eyes. The longer he stared at her, the more nervous Raphael felt. It was like she was peering into his very essence, seeking out some unknown truth about his being. "... and you brought it-"

"Her, Raphael," Zadkiel gently corrected gently but firmly. "She's a little girl, Raphael. Not an object."

"-here... for me... to do a check-up on?" Raphael willfully ignored her as he took a slight step away from the infant as it reached for him before it stuck its hands into its mouth to suck on. "Jophiel, please. You know what happens whenever I deal with something less than half my height. Screaming, crying, and general pain on my part. The moment I touch it, it will start screaming."

"Well, she's not crying yet," Zadkiel tried to assure him as she gently pulled the baby's hand away from her mouth, cooing softly. "Don't you think that means she's alright with you?"

Zadkiel knew better than to try and get Raphael to try and personify anything he found unpleasant. Raphael had always had problems when it came to connecting with patients, and just others in general, Raphael had always had difficulties. A lot of Winners who had met him thought that the Archangel looked down on them for being lower angels and that he saw his time as too valuable to be wasted on normal beings. The truth was, that Raphael had always had trouble understanding social cues and facial expressions. His obsession with medicine and plants was mainly because he generally found that these things didn't talk about to him and left him feeling like he had said something weird or wrong or insulting.

Heck, even to this day, Raphael would still find himself being scolded by Sera for saying something inappropriate to someone in Heaven. She'd do it in private of course but it would often leave Raphael confused as to what exactly he had done wrong while giving a hollow parroted apology because that's what he always had done.

"Won't you please try and give her a quick look over? Just to be sure she's not ill," Zadkiel softly spoke, her voice gentle and filled with love and understanding for her brother's plight. She waited as she looked at Raphael struggling to decide if he should give into their request or simply accept that they couldn't force him to compensate on their behalf. "You don't have to, Brother, but we would be grateful for it."

Raphael looked uncomfortable, his hand drifting up to his mouth as he pressed his thumb hard into his canine so that he could focus on the pain rather than his discomfort. Pain he could deal with, after all, it was easy. Just clean the wound and wrap some gaze around it. Emotions were harder.

But as a healer, wasn't he supposed to put others before himself? That's what Sera always said.

It was what Father had told him as well...

"If she starts to get upset, you promise to bring her to one of the other healers instead?" Raphael asked, his eyes nervously turning to look at his sisters without meeting their eyes. "Promise?"

Zadkiel deemed as him as Jophiel smiled softly, happy that her little brother was willing to push his boundaries a little for them. For some, it might not have seemed like a big ask but for them, they knew it was a massive step out of his comfort zone for Raphael to try.

"Promise."

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

When the two pretty ladies had brought Charlie into the room filled with plants, Charlie had had an idea that she was about to be touched and prodded by strange things. She was used to this with her Auntie Belphegor, the Healer Sin always doing a quick once over whenever she got to see her. It helped that Mommy and Daddy took her often to see Auntie Bels so that she could listen to her tummy and see how long she was getting. The last time she got to see Auntie Bels was when her newest tooth bit her tongue hard enough to bleed. She hadn't liked that because it had hurt.

But this strange man wasn't Auntie Bel nor was he someone she had seen in Auntie Bel's big house that smelled funny. But she did recognize the listening thingie around his neck so Charlie figured he had to be a healer too and was going to look her over. And that was fine too, Charlie was used to getting check-ups. Mommy and Daddy took her often to Auntie Bel to look over and every time Charlie saw her, Bel always gave her a once over no matter how long ago she had just seen her.

So when the strange man placed the listening thingie onto her chest, Charlie only flinched for a second from how cold it was. The man looked like he was ready for something to happen, his body tensing like the nurse ladies who worked with Auntie Bels did whenever Mommy and Daddy would flock around her. Charlie wasn't sure what it was it was he was waiting for, but she could remember sometimes Auntie Bels or Mommy or Daddy would try and get her to make sounds when the listening thing was on her. Maybe that was what this man wanted too?

"Aaawwwooo," Calling out to him, Charlie let out what she thought was an 'aahhh' sound like Daddy would do. The man looked puzzled again as he had only slightly lifted the cold disk from her chest in surprise before he slowly put it back again. "Aaawwwooo."

"Aww, oumhwounnflin pi sweet?" The small pretty lady said, making Charlie twist around excitedly.

They spoke the same language Daddy did sometimes when it was just him and her. It wasn't often he spoke it, but when he did he would always repeat it several times with whatever it was nearby so she could understand what it was. And when he had taught her the word 'teckseal', Daddy had used little candies that he would give her while saying 'Teckseal, Charlie. Sweet.'. Only when Charlie looked at her, she didn't see any sweets nearby. Instead, she found the two ladies smiling at her with adoration and cooing almost like doves when Charlie pouted in disappointment.

"What's the matter, Little One?" The bushy-haired blonde lady asked, rubbing Charlie's cheek a little as the baby pouted. She was a nice lady after all but Charlie did feel a little tricked when there wasn't any candy for her despite them talking about it. "Did the stethoscope surprise you?"

"Strange," The man muttered as he gently slowly undid the little yellow dress she was wearing, noticing the red splotches on the skirt. "She seems fairly calm still. I... had not hypothesized such an outcome. Curious..."

Turning her attention back to the man, Charlie looked curiously at him as she cocked her head from side to side. He still seemed scared to touch her, his hands very soft and gentle as he lifted her arms and looked her over. A slight brush behind her ears had her giggling again and squirming slightly to get away with a smile. Auntie Bels did that sometimes too, tickling her so she would laugh. The was a second where he seemed to jerk again but Charlie was faster this time and grasped a hold of his fingers, exploring them herself.

His hands reminded her a little of Mommy and Daddy's, in the sense they were pale and thin like Mommy's but long and nimble. When she thought about it, that was how they were all here, but there was one thing they didn't have. Claws. Curious she peered at his fingers and then at her own before pointing curiously at his hand.

"Aw, look Raphael. El oup she likes you." The woman with the large puffy hair laughed as she watched Charlie peeking curiously at the hand before Raphael meekly moved to hold hers and studied her tiny fingers.

"Oohas sharphwunnhwun te. They sem cut sclotcun," The man muttered as he pressed his finger lightly against her fingertips. Charlie stared in fascination as bright golden water seemed to spring from the man's fingers, a small 'oo' sound escaping her while the big-haired woman took her hand to look as well. "Careful, Jophiel."

Charlie smiled as the woman, Jophiel started to look at her hands too, eyes looking in awe at the tiny kitten claws that Charlie possessed. Charlie wasn't sure if there was something wrong with them, but Mommy had trimmed them not that long ago so they couldn't be too long. And Ms. Tabby always made sure to scrub them during bath time so they were clean. But Charlie didn't get to ponder what it was that Jophiel was curious about when Raphael demanded her attention once more with a few snaps of his fingers by her ears. As she turned to look at him, Charlie noticed he was holding a finger up in front of her face, moving it from side to side. This made Charlie squeal with joy. She knew what this was. It was a game that she, Daddy, and Auntie Bels did whenever Auntie Bels gave her a big look over.

Looking intently at her hands, Charlie struggled to copy the healer's hand gesture, concentrating hard on lifting the right fingers, before she started to wave it back and forth as she mirrored his movements. The two women chuckled as Raphael looked utterly perplexed as she copied his hands before looking expectantly at him.

"Cin ol oo flupflo?" The man asked, looking at the woman for an answer.

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

"What is it doing?" Raphael asked, confused as to why the baby was mimicking him. Was it supposed to do that? Had infants always done so? But then she started to wag her fingers and looked expectingly at him. "Zadkiel? Jophiel? What is it doing?"

"She, Raphael. She's a little girl," Jophiel lightly scolded before looking curiously at the baby. The little girl giggled excitedly as she wiggled her index fingers with a lot of concentration and looked expectingly at Raphael as if he was supposed to do something. "And... I'm not sure. Maybe she's trying to play a game with you?"

The baby made a slightly irritated sound as waved her hands impatiently at Raphael, clearly believing he was being stubborn about completing the game, but Raphael wasn't sure what game it was she was trying to play. He had never been in most of the games as a fledgling after all and had rarely played with the others until the twins were born. Both Michael and Samael seemed to understand that he didn't like being touched much, though Samael did have trouble sometimes understanding that he wasn't fond of loud sounds either.

Not that that stopped his baby brother from trying to spend time with him. In fact, it almost became an obsession for the little angel to find a way to spend time with his brother beyond preening. It had taken a few years but with Ariel's help, the twins had found a guessing game to play with him where they would practice naming the different plants of heaven which Raphael loved.

He had liked the simple games that the twins would play.

'Maybe...' Moving to mimic the baby's posture, a small smile broke across her face as she bounced her hands up and down. Raphael followed her movements as a wave of nostalgia gently washed over him. Hadn't he seen something like this before? He wasn't sure, after all, he didn't exactly play games but there was something-

"- Little rabbit, hurry up and open the door, I want to come in," Zadkiel suddenly started singing softly. The baby turned her head to look at her with a surprised expression, letting Raphael see the fine little set of sharp teeth she had. They looked oddly sharp, unusual for a Winner or Heaven-born but not unheard of. After all lion cherubs existed too and they had fangs, but they also had wings. "No, my mommy isn't back yet, so I can't let you in."

Whatever song it was Zadkiel was singing, it wasn't the one the little baby was expecting but she seemed to like it regardless and started her hands happily to the rhythm of the song. As Zadkiel had the little one's full attention, Raphael quickly went about checking the reflexes of the little girl, tickling her hooved toes which jerked away with a giggle.

"Everything seems to be fine," Raphael muttered as he gently pulled the dress off the little girl, taking notes of any little bumps or bruises he saw. She had a few, but judging by how she would crawl towards Jophiel or Zadkiel to play, as well as how small they were, he was guessing they were normal bruises and not abuse. "She's a healthy weight too... I think..."

Raphael focused his senses on to the child's back. He could sense that there was something there that he couldn't see, each with their own familiar markings, and yet he had no idea what they were. She had them near her head too but whatever it was, it seemed like they were either surpressed or that they needed the correct trigger in order for them to appear. Which really brought to question, what exactly was this baby that his sisters had brought him.

"Can you hold it-... her for a moment Jophiel?" Raphael asked, pausing only when he realized he was distancing himself again. His passion lay with plants but it had been millenia since he had last seen something he was curious about. Walking over to his desk, Raphael readied a syringe and alcohol swab. "I just want to draw a little blood."

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Meanwhile...

Michael felt lighter somehow. Like all the weight and stress of the Heavens had been lifted from his shoulders and allowed him to breathe with ease once more. His muscles were no longer twitching with tension like an overstrung harp nor was his mind racing about at the speed of light, trying desperately to remember what needed to be done when and what could or could not be set on the back burner for later evaluation.

Instead, he felt warm and at peace, like he had as a child lying in the gardens of Heaven, napping in the sunlight while his sisters either sang or chatted away softly in the behind him or Sera would gently preen his wings as he rested. Those were simpler times for him, for all of them. When Father hadn't decided to assign them each an important task to fulfill in his absence. Back then, Michael's biggest worry hadn't been whether or not the Winners were happy in finding purpose in Heaven or that the Saints were fulfilling their duties regarding life on Earth or the new souls. Back then his biggest worry was whatever mischief his twin might come up with and lead them into trouble. Samael had always been a tricky little thing, though never out of malice. It wouldn't have surprised him if the mortals had mistaken his games as trickery and caused the inspiration for mythical beings like Loki, Pan, Coyote, and such.

Except Samael had never done any of his pranks or tricks with the intent of harming others. Not even when he-

The thought was as quickly silenced as it came. Michael didn't want to think of sad things right now. Not when he felt so relaxed and well-rested. When was the last time he and Sammy had slept like this anyway? Just lying in the warmth of the evening sun and allowing time to pass them by before Sera would come to fetch them or Uriel or Gabriel or Jophiel would come and pick them up to carry away to bed or cuddle.

Speaking of cuddling, Michael was certain Sammy had fallen asleep on top of him. He could remember feeling a slight weight on his chest after all, hearing the soft thumping of another heartbeat. Gabriel was crazy to say that he had been the clingy twin after all. After all, Samael had always sought out the others for hugs and cuddles, especially Michael. He had even been told when they hatched, Samael was tucked tightly against him, hidden in his wrapped wings until Father had awakened them.

Not that Michael minded Samael being clingy to him. His hugs were the best and the little cooing sounds he made when happy were just wonderful. It was probably why Ariel had made the little birds with the red cheeks that made the same sound when happy. Michael really missed that sound sometimes. Maybe if he started to comb his hand through Sammy's hair, he'd make the sound again.

Reaching lazily up a hand, Michael felt around in his sleep for the baby's soft toffs of hair he would often tangle his fingers into when they shared a nest or bed. Only, he didn't find a mop of soft hair to pet.

In fact, he didn't find anything.

As he slowly crawled his way back to the world of the living, pieces of fragmented memories slowly bubbled to the surface. He had been irritated, not unusual given his workload but it had been because of something else. Because of Adam and Gabriel and Philomena... Adam had done something, but what was it? He had... taken something... a cherub? No not a cherub but something like it... something small. He remembered crying and red curious eyes and Adam standing with a skin full of milk because... because he was feeding a baby...

As if ice water had been dumped over him, Michael shot up in horror as everything finally came crashing down together in a single solid picture. Adam had taken a baby Hellborn back with him and left her with him. The tiny thing had gotten ahold of his hair and fallen asleep so they had laid down for a a nap and-

"Ava? Aaaava!" Michael called as he scanned the room in hopes of finding the tiniest glimpse of blond locks or the soft sound of baby babbling. "Ava? Little One? Where are you?"

Getting up, Michael looked under the sofa before rushing over to his desk to see if she had hidden under there only to find nothing. Michael could feel his heart start to race as he started to have a panic attack. This couldn't be happening, it just couldn't! He had just given Gabriel and Mena shit for losing Ava and assured everyone he could handle her just fine and what does he do?! Fall asleep and lose the bloody girl just like they did.

"This... this isn't good..." Michael gasped as he shoved his frazzled hair out of his eyes. "This is bad. This is bad. This is bad..."

Mentally he knew he had screwed up. It was probably the biggest fuck up he had ever done since the time he had let Samael talk him into sneaking into Eden. They had both been fools to do that when Father had told all of them to stay away from his new pet project but Samael just had to see those damnable ducks he had created and make sure they were alright in their new home. He had promised it was only that one time and then... then she happened and everything started to fall apart.

Pausing in his panic state, Michael felt the pit of his stomach drop as he started to accept that despite his best efforts, Ava was no longer in his office. Still, it didn't make sense. The door was closed and she didn't have wings. And unless she was secretly a genius in disguise, Michael doubted that the infant had just magically managed to jump out, grabbed the door handle, and then closed the door silently upon leaving. So had someone taken her? Now that was more likely but then the question was who? With the exception of Gabriel, Michael didn't get many visitors if any. Even Sera who had been bordering on obsessive in his youth rarely visited his office unless it was urgent and even then she would have noisily opened the door upon entering.

Had it been Gabriel? Philomena? Maybe Adam had taken her, though Michael wasn't sure why he would take the baby. Despite being the most knowledgeable about children, he also seemed the most reluctant to deal with her. So who could have-

As Michael mentally grasped for possible answers, he finally noticed that the slip of paper lying innocently on his desk, the bright blue ink almost mocking him for missing it. He didn't even need to see the name scribbled onto the bottom to know who had written it. He had spent years reading and corresponding with his siblings to the point where he was sure he could duplicate their handwriting with frightening ease. Especially the chicken scratch scribbles that once had been elegant when she had cared to put the effort in. Grasping the scrap, Michael felt the ichor turn to ice in his veins while his skin turned impossibly pale.

M.

Saw you asleep and took the baby with us.

Who is she?

Gone to Raph to have her checked.

J.

"Oh Father, no." Michael groaned as he rushed out of his office and paused in the hallway. He needed to calm down or else he would raise suspicion that something was wrong and that there was a reason for panic. After all, he was supposed to have everything under control, the stand-in for Father until his return. If anyone saw him running about like a beheaded chicken, worried whispers were certain to follow and spread like wildfire across Heaven, warping and twisting until some panicked fool would demand some unspeakable action to be taken.

Michael couldn't risk that. So taking a deep breath, Michael did a quick once over to make sure he looked somewhat presentable in case he ran into anyone else in the hallway as he made his way to Raphael's office. He winced a little as he found a wet spot on his chest, silently hoping it was drool from Ava and not his own. He was pretty sure he didn't drool when sleeping, but he did recall Azrael once whining about how he once had drooled all over his hair as a fledgling. That and who knew how long it had been since he slept so peacefully last. He might have let his guard down. Once he was certain that he didn't look too suspicious, Michael turned left to head down the hallway only to pause for a moment as he looked around.

'Wait... Is Raphael's office this way or...'

He felt his cheeks flushing gold as he realized that he could, in fact, not remember where Raphael's office was. And the more he thought about it, he wasn't sure where any of his sibling's offices were. Except maybe Gabriel and Uriel's but even then it was more like the general idea of what floor than an actual location. He contemplated whether or not Philomena might be able to point him in the right direction when a sudden surge of dark energy prickled at his senses. It wasn't massive but it was enough for him to to tell where it came from and that it wasn't from a heavenly being.

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Raphael felt uneasy as he watched the baby stare curiously at his hand as he sterilized her arm. He knew from experience that the skin often felt cold as the alcohol sterilized the area and while infection wasn't something they normally had to worry about in Heaven, he preferred to go through the motions out of habit. Bright red eyes blinked owlishly at him, a small confused coo escaping from her lips as Zadkiel gently took the tiny hands into her own. The little one giggled as his sister thankfully stole away her attention, the tiny hands trying to see how different the size of their hands were as her tiny legs kicked in excitement.

'It's now or never,' he thought as he readied the syringe, pulling the stopper off the needle and holding it at the ready as he used a bit of his grace to find her veins so that he quickly drew some blood from her. Once he was certain where the best vein was, he mentally readied himself for the scream that would follow. 'Right, so one... two... three...'

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Charlie giggled as the pretty woman with lavender hair allowed her to spray her fingers over her hand. She smelled nice, like one of Mommy's soaps or funny waters that she liked to spray on in the morning, but sweeter. Charlie tried to grab a hold of the long delicate fingers when she felt someone gently pinch her arm, like they were trying to feel how soft the limb was. She was about to turn and see why this strange man was pinching her, when the poofy-haired woman, Jophiel started making loud sounds and funny faces, making Charlie giggle loudly.

Then she felt it.

At first, it was just a prick, a small sting in her arm like that of a bug bite. It wouldn't have mattered a whole lot if she hadn't jerked in surprise from the pain, causing whatever it was to move inside her arm and hurt more. Turning around, Charlie came face to face with the nasty needle and understood that the strange man had poked her with it while the two others had distracted her. She couldn't understand why they had done that though. Auntie Bel had poked her with needles before and while it hurt a little, Daddy and Mommy were always there to soothe her. They never tricked her in such a mean way and yet these strangers had.

As she watched the stopper on the tube the man was holding drawback, Charlie's eyes widened as she watched the tube fill with red liquid, recalling how Ms. Tabby had been covered in red back in the park and that it wasn't something good. So not only had these people tricked her, but they were trying to take red stuff from her.

"Oh, it's okay, little one," The lady, Jophiel if she recalled correctly, started to plead as Charlie drew in a deep breath. "No need to panic. It's ok-"

* * * Hazbin Hotel * * *

Despite her best attempts to stop it, none of the siblings were ready for the wail of anger and pain the baby unleashed. Zadkiel hadn't been prepared at all, having been too young to remember when the twins were small and how they would do the same when they got badly hurt. She didn't have the privilege Jophiel had to recognize the signs.

But the main reason Zadkiel jumped back was because as the little girl took another deep breath to repeat her scream, her appearance started to change. The first thing they all felt was a small blast of demonic energy. Nothing strong or malice, but it hissed at them like a frightened kitten, warding them off. The next thing she noticed was then she felt the light 'thwack' of a spade-shaped tail beat against her hand with a light slap, hardly hard enough to hurt but hard enough for her to understand that the little one wanted her to let go. Two small nubs formed on her forehead which Zadkiel thought for a moment were bumps before she realized they were infant horns trying to form while the now golden eyes filled with tears as she let out a second wail.

'A demon?!' She thought in shock, utterly confused at what she was looking at. How had an infant Hellborn managed to get into Heaven? Why was it here?

Before any of them could react though, the doors to Raphael's office were flung open and with a rustle of feathers and a gust of wind, the little girl was quickly plucked up from the table and cradled closely against a chest as a voice gently hushed her wails.

"Shhh, shh. There, there. It's okay, Ava," Michael gently hushed as the baby tightly gripped his rob, sniffling loudly as her wails calmed. "It's okay Ava. You're safe. It's alright."

Michael wasn't sure why he had rushed to her when he heard her crying. Maybe it was because his angelic nature demanded that he take responsibility for the little girl since he had said he would watch her. Or maybe it was because he had never liked hearing anyone crying. Whatever the reason, her wail had tugged hard on his heartstrings and he had immediately wanted to comfort Ava. And it seemed to work too as she clung to him, her tiny nose sniffling loudly as she hid her face in his chest. However, now that he was certain she was calming down, Michael was becoming aware that he was now cradling the little Hellborn in front of not one, but three of his siblings, each of them watching him with a curious expression.

Well, almost all of them. Raphael looked like he was trying to get the ringing in his ears to stop first. Ava apparently had quit the pair of lungs on her when she wanted to.

'Okay, not what I wanted to happen but it's alright. They can keep a secret,' Michael thought, hoping that he was right. Zadkiel certainly could if he spun it right. As God's Mercy, she would want the little one to be safe. And Raphael could probably be convinced if he was allowed to study her a little or Michael promised him a new plant. And if he got them on his side and maybe too some of her workload, Michael was positive he could get Jophiel to swear to secrecy as well. 'It's fine. Everything is fine. Everything is under con-

"What is going on in here?"

'Fuck!'

Michael stared in horror as the one person he did not want to discover the baby entered the room. As the oldest of all of their siblings, Uriel was annoying well kept together compared to all of his siblings. His hair was neatly combed and his shirt was clean pressed with a well-starched collar. No one was exactly sure when he had adopted the style but he had trimmed his hair to follow his sharp jawline while framing his face, making his rose-colored eyes more noticeable. He had been the last of them though to cast aside his heavenly robes, changing to the dress shirt, vest, and bow tie with a set of black slacks. He had been inspired to the more 'butcher-like' attire when he had by chance crossed paths with a Winner who had worked as one and found the strangely constricting outfit more freeing them the long robes that seemed to always snag on everything as he organized the Great Library and kept the records of all souls that had judged after death. He was also the only sibling Michael didn't need to correspond with, which Michael was happy about.

After all, Michael was certain it was awkward for Uriel that he had to take orders from someone he once gave baths to and would sneak into his bed because a monster was in his closet.

Calmly entering the room, Uriel only paused for a second as he immediately noticed the little bundle in Michael's arms, the tiny devil's tail still wagging back and forth for a moment before tightly curling around Michael's arm. Michael could feel his face slowly turn two shades paler, an impressive feat given his skin was already an alabaster white, as Uriel gave him a lopsided grin, his eyebrows rising high with amusement.

"Michael?" True to form, Uriel's back stiffed almost instantly as his gaze fixed on the little one in his arms. Michael felt himself stiffening, instantly remembering how his oldest brother was notorious for making him feel like he was about to be put into time-out again. "What is that?"

"... a little girl?" Michael slowly answered, mentally cringing at how young he suddenly sounded. He was supposed to be Father's right-hand angel and here he was, bending to his brother like he was a newly hatched fledgling again as Uriel folded his hands behind his back and took a deep breath, waiting in silence. "... who... might be a Hellborn."

"What?" Jophiel gasped, and all the while Raphael muttered about loud sounds.

"I can explain." Michael quickly uttered as the baby held on tightly to him, her teary eyes now back to normal.

She looked curiously between him and the others, her tiny thumb slowly making its way to her mouth before sucking on it. Michael stared nervously at the many eyes fixed on him, all awaiting his explanation. It made him feel small, like he was seven again and he and Samael had gotten caught once more sneaking out and about when they weren't supposed to.

How was it, even now as an adult, could both Uriel and Jophiel make him feel like he was a misbehaving child all over again?

"Well?" Uriel uttered, his expression slightly amused. It didn't take an expert to know that the eldest of the lot had instantly guessed that despite his claim, Michael was lying through his teeth. "Care to share this explanation with the rest of us, Mikey?"

Michael felt his face flush hot gold as Uriel uttered the infantile nickname. No one had called him that since the Fall and he had insisted for centuries that no one ever did after. After all, who would listen to someone going by childish nicknames that were created by a child too young to say names properly? No one, that was who! He was the Archangel Michael, the Right Hand of God and Warrior. Michael demanded respect and obedience where as Mikey...

Mikey was a child too afraid to sleep alone at night or climb trees. He was a child who was afraid of the dark and followed the rules. Michael could feel the sweat starting to run down his back as Uriel stared him down, crossing his arms in his infamous 'I'm waiting' pose he used to use on the twins every time they did something they weren't supposed to do. Samael had always been better at resisting it, somehow strong enough to steel his back and maintain his innocent face where as Mikey... Mikey cracked under the pressure. But he wasn't Mikey anymore, he was Michael. And Michael wasn't going to fall under some archaic interrogation method his brother hadn't used since he was-

"It's all Adam's fault."

AN: Oh yeah, Michael. That resolve held real strong. Like wet tissue paper. So now Raphael and Uriel know about 'Ava'. All we need is Ariel, Camael and Azrael and we've got the whole brood. And this story is running away from me so dang fast, I wasn't ready for it. I'm catching up to what I have written faster then I thought. It's also evolved into more chapters then I planned. Oops. Well at least it seems like everyone's enjoying this so no regrets.

Probably doesn't help that sometimes I get ideas for other stories and start working on those too at the same time. Some for this series and some for Echos.

I also like to dapple in drawing and wish I could draw some stuff for my own story but honestly I cring when I do. I know lots of people draw the Hazbin characters in their own styles but Heavens above I cringe so hard when it's my style. Lucifer looks so cursed if I don't give him a nose and them it looks wrong. XD. Oh well, at least it's all for fun. If anyone is curuious I have on twitter a drawing of a young Lucifer/Samael and a Luff. They are awful but it's okay. I tried. I don't post often on twitter because it's more where I go hunting for inspiration.

Young Lucifer: /MajaJeppes74202/status/1814576974511141216/photo/1

A Luff: /MajaJeppes74202/status/1814577994872050059/photo/1

For the celestial speech when the story is in Charlie's POV, I used a DND Celestial translator. I did this because I want Lucifer to have taught Charlie a little bit of the language but not enough so that she understands it all.

The phrases used are:

"Aww, oumhwounnflin pi teckseal?" - Aww, isn't she sweet (cute)?

"Aw, hwup Raphael. El oup pi sut co." Aw, look Raphael. I think she likes you."

"Oo hwe hwunnhwun te. Pol sem shenntu sclotcun" - It has sharp teeth. They can cut easily.

"cin ol oo flupflo?" - What is it doing?

Regarding the sound I'm trying to describe Samael would make, I use to own a cockatiel who for reasons I will never know, loved head scratches as well as sticking her beak up my nose and she would make this very unique 'creacking cooing' sound which I sadly couldn't find an example of on youtube. Just know I found it super adorable and it was a sound she would make when she was the happiest.

Pictures for inspiration:

The archangels Michael, Raphael, Gabriel, and Uriel are inspired by MIO ( MI00M10)'s The Princes of Heaven : /MI00M10/status/1438596152513925121/photo/1