More to the Story

by MischaLoth

Something is wrong in Hell- other than the usual- and Lucifer has to take it upon himself to get to the bottom of it. But when old faces from Heaven pay him a visit, things are turned on their head as Lucifer starts to realize things go way deeper than he first thought. Will include a mix of lore including Lovcraftian Mythos. Subplot Pairings: Chaggie and Adam's Apple.

27. Snake in the Garden

"When I said to take care of Lucifer…" Sera's hands balled into fists as they were resting on her desk. "I did not think she would send Shoggoths!"

"Don't look at me, I just gave the order." Lute had her feet up on Sera's desk, sitting in the chair across from her, arms folded over her chest.

"He is the King of Hell not some wannabe Sinner with delusions of grandeur! He was an Archangel once, before his poor choices damned him and the others. He can't be destroyed by what equates to the Elders' house pets." Sera was livid her eyes in her hair and halo were all open, glaring at Lute who really wasn't at all bothered by the obvious aggression. "What was she thinking!?"

"Dunno," Lute gave a small shrug, "but from what I heard from the sources in Hell, it almost fucking worked. Like he got his ass handed to him. He had to be bailed out by brother dearest. Which had to be humiliating for him. Heh, kinda sad I didn't have a chance to see it firsthand."

"Michael..." Sera took a deep breath, trying to calm herself. She couldn't be all worked up when the Archangels returned. It would do her no good to be upset in the presence of her superiors. Michael was a fierce, powerful warrior but despite representing Justice, he had such a soft spot when it came to his Fallen brother. It made him weak. Not that Sera would ever admit it to his face. She liked her wings on her back, thank you very much. She really had hoped with the Orders of Extermination, that Michael had finally put his sword down on the beasts below. But saving the Devil? That was a waste of time and resources. "If he had truly understood the situation at hand, he would have stabbed the Devil while he was weak, spared Hell from the Corruption within."

"Yeah, why didn't he just run that toxic asshole through with the good old flaming sword?" Lute raised an eyebrow.

"That is a good question, but I can only assume he still feels some sort of... pity for him." There were times, such as this, that Sera was glad she served Gabriel rather than Michael. She would not have had the patience to fight day after day only to have her leader's weak will fail when the battle mattered most. "It's sad really."

"It's Hell, everything is fucking sad." Lute snorted.

"That is true." Sera finally relaxed completely, her extra eyes closing. She could still handle things here, Archangels or no. She had never done anything that was not in Heaven's best interest, and the Arcs would understand that better than anyone. "Do me a favor, Lute, keep your Exorcists scattered. Don't talk about what you do, who you are. Stay under the radar until I have had a chance to discuss everything with Gabriel and the others."

"That's fine. We've been flying under the radar for years until Adam opened his big fat fucking mouth. He never could resist a fucking song." Lute rolled her eyes. Sera could tell she missed Adam. And who didn't? He had been such a staple of Heaven for years, almost as long as Abel. (But Adam was not nearly as mopey. Of course, he had been at first about Eve, but the recent version of Adam had learned to turn that misery into anger, making him a lot more tolerable. No one was supposed to be sad in Heaven. However, Lucifer's actions still burdened souls even in the afterlife.)

"Yes, we'll, Adam has been more than punished given his current situation." Sera got to her feet. She wasn't sure how long she had to prepare things before the Archangels returned- and one could only assume they would bring the Metatron with them.

"That fucking moron... it's gonna suck having to kill him." Lute sighed, she didn't sound devastated by any means, but she had been friends with Adam while they were in Heaven. It couldn't be easy for her to learn of his fate. But Lute, unlike some other angels, had a great understanding of the bigger picture, the greater good. Lute not only recognized what needed to be done in situations, but she would be willing to carry out the difficult tasks.

"Don't worry, my child." Sera stepped out from behind her desk, she kneeled down placing a hand under Lute's chin, tilting her head upward so her golden eyes met Sera's pale ones. "With the helmet on, you won't even recognize him."

"I know." Lute met her gaze; Sera could see the rejuvenated focus in her eyes. If Lute could have created Exorcists, she would have been a fine captain. It was just a waste to keep her in a Lieutenant role. But unfortunately, that was simply the way things were. "So, what are you going to do about Abel and Seth? They're assholes who are definitely going to run their mouths around Heaven and spread all sorts of bullshit."

"Don't worry about a thing." Sera let her hands fall from Lute's face. "I have everything under control. Just focus on our girls, and we'll be in contact." She smiled, gently reassuringly. This would not be easy, but it was doable. She was the head Seraphim for a reason! And it wasn't simply because all of Michael's girls were out fighting.

"Sounds good." Lute hopped to her feet, following Sera toward the door. "I'll be waiting to hear from you. Until then, I'm going to stop Sugar from talking to anyone." Sera held open the door as Lute took her leave.

"That's probably for the best." She nodded. Not all Exorcists were created equal, it seems, and Sugar was one of the earlier models, she just wasn't as well put together as the later ones. "I trust you, Lute; you do good work."

"Anything for Heaven." Lute nodded, she gave a firm salute before heading down the hall and out of sight. If the Archangels were headed to Heaven, Sera needed to be certain everything was in perfect order. The last thing she needed was The Archangels hearing about her struggle to fill Adam's shoes. But that was fine. There were ways to handle situations like this, but not every angel was privy to the higher-ranking magic.

Sera took a deep breath, readying herself for what needed to be done. The idea had come to her in a dream, almost. Or rather- she had simply woken up knowing exactly what to do. She would need something that belonged to each of the Eden boys which was easier said than done. Abel would be simple; Seth would be the problem- especially since he had been elusive as of late. But there were ways to get what she needed.

This was Heaven after all.

It was time to start simply, with Abel. Bless Emily and her dear friendship with him, while Sera found it to be a little concerning that a Seraphim would be so close with a Winner, this would work in Sera's favor for the moment. She hurried to her home, which was momentarily empty (for the best really, she would rather not need to explain herself to dear Emily) and headed right for Emily's room. She had been inside many times before; her beautiful painted walls were always a welcoming sight. Even that silly collection of cute cereal bowls that Emily loved so much added a level of endearment to the atmosphere. (Overall, Sera found the bowls to be rather silly but it made Emily happy, so she didn't comment.) Sera looked over the charming little bedroom, the neatly made bed, the unfinished art projects on the desk, eyes scanning for what she needed. There had to be something in here that was of use.

On the surface, there was nothing catching her eye. Sera hesitated; she didn't want to press... but this was an emergency. She took a deep breath and started opening Emily's drawers, looking through her things. Emily had a rather absurd number of spoons, but otherwise, nothing of note. Sera sighed, turning her attention to the closet instead. There still was nothing that really caught Sera's eye. There were gifts from Abel, but that wouldn't do. Not for something this powerful this... potent. There was a closed shoebox shoved to the back. Sera pried it open and found a bunch of Emily's old art projects. Emily was a wonderfully creative Seraphim, and Sera adored that about her. Especially right now, as she picked up a small sculpture of a bird with a real, golden feather sticking out of its wings. There were other feathers as well, white, pink, blue, but the gold ones were rather specific to the First Family. Sera knew it belonged to Abel without a doubt.

There was the sound of the front door opening and Sera quickly plucked the feather and put it in her pocket, closing the box and shoving it back in the closet right as the door opened and Sera saw Emily looking rather confused as she saw Sera standing, hands behind her back, in her bedroom. "Emily! Dear! How are you?"

"Fine...?" Emily glanced around rather confused. "Wh... what are you doing in my room?"

"Looking for you, of course." Sera smiled, reaching over to place both hands on Emily's arms, giving her a loving squeeze.

"Me? Why?"

"Because, my dear, I have amazing news!" Sera smiled warmly, kneeling down so she and Emily were more along the same height. "Gabriel might be returning to visit!" If Emily was at all concerned with Sera's sudden appearance in her room, those worries melted away at once. The young Seraphim's face lit up and her arms wrapped tightly around Sera. The older Seraphim smiled, hugging her back.

"Really!? He's coming here!?"

"I believe so, yes." Sera pulled away before Emily had any chance to feel the feather tucked in the pocket of her flowing dress. "And I know he will want to see all your progress."

"And we can tell him about Pentious!"

"Emily..." Sera's face fell instantly. "I do not believe the Archangels will be as receptive to his intrusion as you think." She put a hand to the top of Emily's head. "He is a Sinner after all. He did horrible things on Earth. He has nothing good to contribute to Heaven. The Archangels will see that, and deal with him as they see fit."

"No, no, no!" Emily pushed Sera's hand away. "You don't get it!" This whole fiasco with Pentious was starting to put a wedge between Sera and her underling. Her frown deepened. "He is really sweet! He's creative too! He's an inventor!"

"So was Lucifer before he decided to turn his creativity to treachery."

"I think he could really do great things! Wonderful things! If the Archangels would just give him a chance-"

"That's enough Emily." The eyes on Sera's halo opened, looking down at the young, inexperienced angel that stood before her. Perhaps Sera had been too soft in her treatment of Emily. She had done so much to protect her, keep her unburdened by the responsibilities that fell on the Seraphim. That had been her own shortcoming... perhaps the Archangels would still go easy on Emily, given her youth. "The fate of that Sinner," she said the word with force, "is for the Archangels to decide. Not you or I." The eye in Emily's dress opened, glaring up at Sera for a moment before finally relaxing. (Since when had Emily been such a troublesome child? This was just further evidence that the Sinner was a terrible influence on Heaven.)

"...Fine."

"Thank you." Sera closed her extra eyes as well. She tilted Emily's chin up so she could meet her gaze, "I am sorry I had to raise my voice. I just have a lot going on right now. Things must be perfect for Gabriel's return."

"Can I help with anything?" Emily offered. Sera smiled. There was the sweet, obedient Seraphim she had been training.

"Yes! I would love a hand tidying up our home, in case he comes to visit! And maybe we could make a Welcome sign! I am sure Peter has some sort of elaborate dance already cooked up so I know Molly is quite busy. But what about Abel, and Seth? Maybe they could help us!" Sera smiled warmly. "Now, I wonder where those two are?"

"W... why Abel and Seth?"

"Hm?" Sera's eyes flickered to Emily before looking away as she laughed. "It was only a suggestion as you are friendly with the First Family."

"It's just... Abel said you've been acting kind of weird... and..." Emily looked rather distressed. "Sera, is everything okay?"

That little bastard.

"Why wouldn't it be?" Sera kept her expression friendly but neutral.

"It's just that Abel said-"

"Abel is a bit of a pessimist, my dear child. We love him, but he can take something small, and make it into something devastating. Clearly all this time in paradise has yet to help him recover from the trauma of his death." She looked at Emily's expression, trying to determine how much she knew- how much had Abel let slip? Emily looked concerned more than anything else, as she grabbed Sera's hand, holding it in her own.

"I worry about you too."

"You have no need..." Sera kissed the top of her head. "In fact, I think the next time you talk to dear Abel, you should ask him to elaborate. I am sure if you two talk things out, you'll be able to find the source of his concerns and prove that there was nothing worrisome at all!"

"I... guess..." Emily continued to hold her hand. "I just know you're under a lot of pressure and-"

"I promise you, I am fine, my little Seraphim." Sera didn't want to weigh Emily down with worry, she was the one in charge of keeping the Winners uplifted, after all. It would be a difficult task to do if she was burdened with concerns about things beyond her control.

"Okay." Emily released her hand at last. "When do you think Gabriel will arrive?"

"Soon." But hopefully not too soon as Sera still had much to do. "Why don't you start tidying up the kitchen, and I'll be right back to help!"

"Can I go tell Abel and Molly the good news first?"

"How about, you do just the kitchen, and then you absolutely can." That should give Sera enough time to assure that Abel would be in a much better mood. (He could definitely use it.)

"Yes, Sera." Emily smiled at her. Reaching up, she gave Sera a hug before hurrying into the other room. Sera would have relaxed, but she was now on a time-crunch to finish what she was doing. So, she hurried past Emily out toward the rest of Heaven. Hunting Seth down was going to be a pain. Theoretically, she could corner him at his job. He was a Winner after all, and it would be unlikely that he would make a scene to dodge her if they were in the public eye. She had been hoping to avoid anything so... crowded. But this would be quick.

Seth, fortunately, like most holy souls, was a punctual and reliable man who took pride in giving back to the community. He spent many days giving classes on woodworking to young souls, angels or cherubim that took an interest. Back in the day, Adam used to teach these courses, Seth would assist him when needed, but Adam became burdened with the job of the Exorcists. Over time, he abandoned the lessons on classic carpentry, carving, cooking, and other such things. (Not pottery, Adam was absolutely terrible at pottery- fortunately Seth's wife was a skilled potter.) Seth went from assisting his father, to filling in during his increasing absences, to finally taking over the class as Adam lost all interest in teaching. (As Sera reflected on it now, there was a possibility that this sudden lack of interest might have been a hint at Adam's inevitable Fall- why he had Fallen was still unknown to Sera, perhaps he had done things in Hell that tainted his Soul. His relationship with Lucifer did seem suspect. If that were the case, then the Corruption was an inevitability. Heaven could not save a soul that willingly accepted help from the Devil.)

She found the community center where Winners and angels alike could sign up to learn new and old skills. It was quite the popular destination, the brightly painted walls, the arching stained-glass windows, and the sparkling tiled floor made the building quite inviting, colorful and cheerful. Of course there were many citizens bustling about as Sera entered.

"Hello!"

"Good afternoon!"

"Sera! How are you!?"

"Great to see you, Sera!"

As soon as the doors were opened, Sera was greeted with a barrage of warm welcomes. This was the joy of Heaven, the sanctity that she struggled night and day to preserve. She smiled at the holy beings around her, reinvigorated in her mission. "I am doing well, it's so lovely to see you." Her smile was genuine as she floated across the floor to the little screens where the classes were all displayed. The building itself was massive, far larger than it appeared, but that was commonplace with Heaven's architecture. At any given point in time, there could be thousands of classes being hosted. However, the technology had a way of knowing exactly which one you wanted, so as Sera approached, Seth's class was listed, not exactly at the top, but Sera didn't need to scroll long to find it. It wasn't terribly far, and being an angel that served Gabriel, Sera was quicker than most. It didn't take her long at all to find the correct door, entering to see Seth setting up between lessons. There were still a few cherubim staying back to show him the progress on their bird houses.

"Oh, that is looking lovely, Rini. And what beautiful construction Sal. Truly wonderful craftsmanship Eri" Seth smiled at the students, before his golden eyes flickered to Sera. "Ah." She could instantly see him tense despite the fact he never lost his smile. "Sera! Fancy seeing you here, decided to try your hand at woodworking?"

"I've heard good things about your classes." She smiled as she approached, hands behind her back. "I thought I would see for myself."

"Sera!" The cherubim immediately surrounded her, eager to show off their current projects to such a high-ranking angel.

"Look what I made!"

"Seth says I'm really improving!"

"Do you think the birds will like it!?"

Immediately she was bombarded with questions. She chuckled, kneeling down to get a good look at all the creative houses her cherubim had constructed under Seth's guidance. "Why, these look amazing! Don't they?"

"They sure do!" Seth was closer to the door than he had been just a moment ago. Sera cleared her throat, standing up and walking toward him.

"Going somewhere?"

"Just low on supplies is all." Seth's smile never wavered.

"I can conjure you more. What do you need? You have another class coming in, don't you? I would hate for you to be late."

"Next is the advanced class." The cherub, Rini, sounded excited. "One day I will be able to take that class tool! Then I can make an entire wardrobe!"

"What would you do with a wardrobe?" Sal seemed unconvinced.

"I will find out once I have one." Rini was unperturbed. Sera let them talk, inching her way closer to Seth.

"Are you sure you don't need me to just conjure something for you? I'd hate for you to have to leave your students."

"It's really no problem." Seth assured her. "I promised I'd bring Abel lunch at the zoo, and I have a little bit of a gap." Seth's wings fluttered out and Sera tried to hide the smile widening on her face. It was fine, Seth could go if he wanted.

"You have to leave so soon?" Eri grabbed Seth's wing.

"I am afraid so, but I'll be back in an hour." Seth laughed and Sera took the opportunity offered to her as she knelt down, prying Seth's wing out of Eri's hand. She pulled a single feather free, sliding it into her sleeve as she got back to her feet.

"Well, don't let me keep you from your family." Sera smiled; hands folded in front of her. The Cherubs gathered around her as Seth threw the door open as if he couldn't get away quick enough. Despite that smile, Sera could tell he was uncomfortable. Perhaps the realization that he had turned down a real opportunity to make a difference for Heaven was finally catching up to him. But he would be free of that burden soon enough.

"Bye~" And with that, Seth took off flying down the halls. The Cherubim all scurried to put their craft projects back up before he returned.

"I should go too," Sera headed toward the door. "You three be good, okay~?" She smiled warmly to the Cherubim, who all stopped their tasks to wave an eager goodbye.

"We will Sera!" The words echoed like a chorus as the head of Heaven took her leave, her prize hidden in the cuff of her sleeve. This would be a simple task now, she had everything she needed and Seth was none the wiser- not that it would matter in the end. No, Sera was going to tie up this loose end quite nicely.

Her only real complaint was that she had waited too long and Abel had spoken with Emily, not in detail, from the sound of it, he was probably too intimidated by their closeness to explain the entire situation, and Emily was too polite to ask. The fact that she was still interacting with the Sinner that had wormed its way through Heaven's defenses was... alarming, but that would be dealt with too in good time, especially once the Archangels returned.

For now, Sera had to focus on more pressing issues. Having Abel and Seth acting avoidant and on edge would ruin the perfect, peaceful atmosphere of Heaven. She had failed to convince either of them to take their father's position, clearly their dedication to the well-being of Heaven was shallow. They were not willing to accept the heavy cost of Paradise. And that was fine for now. Sera could try again later, but having her failure on the records wasn't ideal.

Fortunately, there was a way to make this whole fiasco just... disappear. This was the true magic of Heaven, a way to keep Paradise perfect. There was an ancient magic that was kept far away, a sacred, holy text filled with such powerful magic, it could not be trusted even in Uriel's archives. No, this had to be kept far away, on the border of Heaven and Purgatory. The pearly gates that surrounded Heaven, keeping all the scourge out, had an old entrance that was used before Saint Peter had been given the job of guarding the way into Heaven. The old doors had been sealed, and the old building that had once been used to welcome souls to their perfect eternity had long since been abandoned.

It was the perfect place to store the most sacred of texts, things that were only for the highest ranking of angels. Even Sera, with all her power, could sometimes struggle with such potent, pure magic. But if it meant restoring order, she would take any and every risk. She found the old building opening the door with her magic. Of course, it appeared empty, it always did. For one, she couldn't risk an innocent Cherub or Winner accidentally stumbling on something not meant for their eyes. So, Sera felt along the wall until she found a weak point. She pressed her palm against it and the part of the wall caved in, allowing her hand to reach behind it pulling out a sacred book. Her hands felt as if they were tingling just from touching the holy text.

The purest magic in existence. If this didn't solve her problem, then nothing would and poor Abel and Seth would possibly Fall due to their unwillingness to participate in the protection of Heaven. But hopefully, that wouldn't happen. Seth and Abel were good boys, if not a bit soft. But Adam had been soft once too, it was hard to find a Winner willing to do what must be done. They were far too comfortable soaking up the luxury of a perfect afterlife. But with Michael back, surely that would be fixed.

Sera opened the text, fingers trailing over the paper as she searched for the spell in question. The vision at the corner of her eyes began to sparkle, obscuring things just slightly. The holy power enclosed in the spells written in this particular text was just so potent that even she struggled to gaze upon it. She reached in her sleeve and into her pocket, pulling out the two golden feathers, one from Abel, one from Seth. She held them forward in one hand, as her other hand kept the sacred tome aloft. She cleared her throat, finding the spell in question, it was easy to locate, she had used it so many times before. This would finally fix her problem.

"I call upon you, powers above, to erase the offending memory of these two souls, and return them to their state of blissful ignorance!"

As Sera spoke, her tongue tingled, it almost hurt, but every time she did this, it became easier and easier to tolerate. The edges of the feathers in her hand started to blacken, the feathers themselves losing their luster and beginning to slowly curl up. Sera could feel energy, raw power, coursing through her body like a current. She kept her mind focused and clear, concentrating on the conversations she had engaged in with each of the Eden boys, the way they had turned her down- how they hadn't even tried to hear reason. To understand. None of it mattered now, that discussion would stay between them. And, as the feathers rotted away into nothing in her grip, not even Seth and Abel would remember the incident. It was better that way.

Sera took a deep breath, she was shaking from all the energy that had filled her, allowing her to alter the memories of souls. It was sad that she had to resort to such measures- but anyone who knew the story would understand. It was for the best. She couldn't risk Seth or Abel blabbing about the inner workings of Heaven.

They would distress the Winners. And that would upset the Archangels.

Sera was exhausted as she placed the book carefully back, covering it perfectly so the wall was, once again, entirely intact. She would have time to rest once she returned home.

Of course, the moment she stepped outside, she felt better. The old building must have had some poor ventilation, because as soon as Sera was back under the sky, she felt rejuvenated. She headed back to her office. Things had finally started to settle down. Now, when the Archangels finally arrived, they would be prepared.

Heaven would be perfect.

Sera worked at her desk until it was time to go home. However, once she was done for the day, she heard a series of voices down the hall. This wasn't too uncommon, given that Sera worked in the center of Heaven, but rather, it was the voices themselves that drew her interest. They sounded so... familiar. Sera stood, opening her door just in time to see Raphael, Uriel, and Gabriel heading down a different hall toward their respective offices. Sera cleared her throat. "Gabriel? Is that you?"

"Sera!" He smiled and, in a flash, he was by her side. Sera felt herself getting lifted off her feet into a big hug from the Archangel in question. "Oh my goodness! How have you been! How was holding down the fort while we were away? Not too difficult I hope!"

"You're already back! This is a surprise." Sera laughed as she was put back down. In all actuality, Sera had expected Gabriel's arrival much sooner. Perhaps he had gotten distracted after making a scene in Hell, maybe he had to get his scepter dirty with the tainted blood of Sinners before he could make a proper return.

"Yep! For now, at least. We made some pretty good progress on the Azrael case but we hadn't realized how long we'd been away. You know how time gets a little... funny... beyond the pearly gates." Gabriel was being vague because they were talking in the middle of a Hallway. Sera knew where the Archangels had been, but she didn't blame them for not wanting that information to be spread to all the Winners. Even Azreal's death had been kept somewhat on the down-low so as not to cause panic in Paradise.

"Well, it is wonderful to have you back." Sera smiled. "I hope you'll find I did well in your absence." She looked to the three Archangels who stood before her.

"I am certain you did wonderfully." Uriel bowed her head politely.

"Everything's still standing, I'll take it as a win." Raphael seemed less concerned with pleasantries, and more interested in whatever was on the electronic pad in his hand. "And if my office is still in none piece, I would like to go there."

"Of course it is." Sera gestured down the hall. "I tried to keep your offices closed to the public while you were away. I know how much important information is kept there, and while I trust the Winners with my whole heart," Seth and Abel aside (but they had only recently been trouble), "I figured why risk any accidents?"

"Good call, Sera!" Gabriel put a hand on her shoulder, he was one of the few figures in Heaven that was tall enough to do so with ease.

"Good seeing you, Sera. Let me know if you need something." For the Virtue of Patience, Raphael seemed to be at his wits end as he gave Sera a small wave before vanishing down the hall. Sera saw his office door slam shut. Uriel and Gabriel's halos exchanged glances, as the eyes on their face kept eye contact with Sera.

"Sorry about him! He's had a bit of a rough day. Actually... a rough few hundred years." Gabriel let out an awkward laugh, rubbing the back of his head with one hand as his other hand gave Sera's shoulder a gentle squeeze. "He's not trying to be rude, but I think he needs to start making notes about everything that happened while we were gone."

"As do we all," Uriel let out a small sigh. "It's not Heaven without the paperwork." She snapped her fingers and a stack of papers appeared in the air, which she caught, balanced on her open palm like a tray of drinks.

"We'll all be probably catching up on things for a bit." Gabriel made a face as he watched the stack of papers in Uriel's hand continue to grow. Sera was not sure if these were actual requests sent to the Archangels, or if she was simply making a point.

"Oh, then please don't let me keep you." Sera bowed her head politely. Overall, she was just overcome with relief. Having the Archangels back was a good thing for Heaven. It brought back their strongest defense against the inevitable Sinner uprising. At first, she had been concerned because of her failures to keep Hell under control, however, it sounded as if the Archangels had taken matters into their own hands in that regard. Sure, they had not killed Lucifer which would have been the logical thing. But maybe there was more to it than Michael's bleeding heart. And surely now Lucifer would be forced to listen to reason.

"I hate to just say hi and run, but you know how backed up things can get when we're gone." Gabriel picked up Sera in another hug. "Though, if you need anything, you know my door is always open. I... probably should have started by asking you that."

"I'm fine." Sera had no desire to add to the stress of the Archangels after they had been gone for so long. "Is Michael not coming?"

"He's... still investigating some stuff. He's off to Purgatory. Why? Do you need him for something?" Gabriel's answer was a little more... evasive than Sera was expecting. What could possibly have caught Michael's interest in a wasteland like Purgatory?

"No, I was just wondering." She clasped her hands together in front of her, a smile still on her face. "I have missed you all, and I know that all of Heaven will wish to celebrate your return." Not that they really knew the Archangels were gone that sort of information was on a need-to-know-basis and only angels of the highest ranking had that sort of clearance.

"Sounds like fun!" Gabriel gave her a thumbs up as he and Uriel turned back toward their own respective offices. "We'll definitely have to do something! I haven't seen little Emily in forever! BUT! That will have to wait, sadly." Gabriel put his hand on his door. "Let me know if you need anything Sera! Great to see you again!"

"The same goes for me." Uriel gave Sera a warm, welcoming smile, "if there is anything you require, please feel free to ask."

"Everything is fine. Much better now that you have returned." And with a sweeping wave and a friendly smile, Sera left the Archangels to their tasks. Back so soon, and immediately they hole away in their rooms, hard at work. It was one of the many reasons the Archangels were constantly held in such a high regard. Sera had nothing but the utmost respect for them, for their pure dedication to their jobs. If only others could emulate them. But not everyone was capable of following the examples the Archangels set forth- especially when it came to Winners. (Sera was still a bit bitter about Seth and Abel and their unwillingness to cooperate- despite the fact that the problem was solved, for now. Sera was sure they would listen to Michael when he explained everything.)

Things were more or less normal for the next few days. Sera saw so little of the Archangels that she almost wondered if she had dreamed the interaction. Even when she was in her office, just down the hall, she didn't hear a thing from Gabriel or the others. It was strange, to be sure, but if they were busy, then it was not Sera's place to disturb them. So, she kept doing her duties as expected, and keeping the information about their return to herself. If they wanted to be known, they would have announced themselves, rather than slink quietly into their respective offices and shut the doors. Sera could assume the Metatron had returned alongside them; however, she hadn't come across her either. Though, it wasn't like the Metatron to make many public appearances, outside of an emergency. So, unless Sera wanted to go directly to her office, she would just have to be left guessing. Which was fine. No one wanted to end up in the Metatron's office as it was rarely good news.

Sera returned home in the early afternoon, as her day had been rather easy. (Thankfully, she had taken care of the major issues of Heaven prior to the Archangels' return.) She thought she could spend some much-needed time with Emily. Her young trainee had been rather busy, as of late, though Sera was not sure what exactly had been taking up her time. So long as her studies weren't neglected, she supposed it didn't matter. But still, it would be nice to spend time with her little one. "Emily dear," Sera opened the door with a smile. "I was thinking we could have lunch together- oh." She blinked.

"SERA!" Emily was practically glowing with excitement as she stood in the kitchen with her (rather substantial) collection of cute cereal bowls spread out over every available surface. In the middle of them all, the young Seraphim stood right beside a towering, powerful figure that was currently sitting on the floor to get a better look at a bowl in the shape of a snail with the actual bowl structure located in the spiraling shell. "Look who's here!"

"Gabriel!" Sera had seen so very little of him, as of late, and she certainly had not expected her next encounter to be in her own kitchen. "What an unexpected surprise." She carefully made her way inside, trying to avoid knocking into any of Emily's expansive collection.

"Sorry to drop in on you like this. I have been so busy with work-stuff that I hadn't even had the opportunity to say hi to Emily!" Gabriel held up the snail bowl over his head. "I think this one is my favorite one so far." He got to his feet, placing it on the only available space he could find on the counter. "Look Sera!" Gabriel grabbed Emily from behind, picking her up and hugging her. "Look how big she's getting!"

"Yes, she's much older than when you left. Perhaps, a little too old to be tossed about like a sack of feathers." Sera kept her smile on her face, though she was worried about Gabriel knocking something over. He was always careful, of course, but accidents do happen, even when Archangels were involved and Sera would rather not have Emily's lovely collection reduced to shattered glass. It could be fixed, of course, this was Heaven after all. But still, why take the risk.

"It's fine!" Emily assured her. "Look Sera! It's Gabriel! It's really him! He's back!"

"Yes. I can see that." Sera couldn't help but chuckle at Emily's reaction. She really was the heart of Heaven, able to uplift when all else seemed to be spiraling toward disaster.

"And these are some awesome bowls!" Gabriel released Emily back onto her feet so she could grab another one in the shape of a cloud. Emily held it up for Gabriel to inspect.

"When you pour milk in this one it looks like a rainbow!"

"I love that! That's so cool!" Whether or not Gabriel had any real interest in the bowls was irrelevant. Seeing him had brought Emily some much needed joy, and watching them interact reminded Sera of the many reasons Heaven was worth protecting, no matter the means one had to take. Such pure moments could never happen in Hell. Sinners were incapable of happiness.

"And I have this one! It can play music!" Emily showed Gabriel one of the bowls Sera had gotten for her. It was in the shape of a drum set, and it would play a song when it was filled up. Sera found it a little annoying, but Emily adored it.

"I love it! They've added so many features! If this is what you've done with bowls I can't wait to see the progress Heaven has made on other stuff and-" Gabriel was cut off by the sound of drums and guitar. Emily blinked.

"That's not the song it usually plays... I haven't even filled it up yet." She turned the bowl upside-down to investigate the noise.

"Oh! No! That's me, actually." Gabriel laughed, pulling out his phone. "Mikey! Hey! What's up bro-bro?" Michael? How unusual. Typically, the Archangels didn't contact one another over the phone. "The Hell Liner? Seriously? Is everything okay? Do I need to like bring a weapon or-" Gabriel went quiet, concern visible on his face. "You handled it? Really? Shouldn't you have like called someone and gotten backup? Things don't usually attack the Hell Liner, you know? Jezebel has that thing locked down tight. And I highly doubt that-" He fell quiet again and Sera saw the eyes in each of his halos narrow in mild annoyance. "So, we're just calling it Port Gatory now? Not Purgatory? Honestly? It's cute. I kinda like the change, I feel like it's going to be a lot easier on the human souls." He his multiple eyes scanned the plethora of bowls that surrounded him. "I mean, I would love to, but Emily is in the middle of showing me her collection of cereal bowls with fun designs!" He fell quiet again. He glanced over at Emily. "Hey, Charlie- the princess of Hell- says hi."

"AHHHHH!" Emily bounced up and down, her wings fluttering with excitement as Sera tried not to visibly cringe at the mention of the upbeat little up-start from down below. "Tell her hi back!"

"Emily says hi back. I will be right over; I just have to wiggle my way out of here and then I'll be right to you! You're welcome, Mikey." Gabriel hung up the phone, putting it back in his pocket and shaking his head. "I swear I can't leave that guy alone for ten minutes." He was clearly joking, but Sera did have to wonder why Michael would even need to call upon Gabriel for something as trivial as the Hell Liner. Burn the boat. It was such an obvious solution. Why let the Sinners take an easy path? Let them risk the dangers of Purgatory. But it was not her place to make such suggestions, so she kept her mouth shut.

"You have to leave so soon?" Emily looked rather heartbroken by the realization. "But we aren't even halfway through the collection!"

"Sorry kiddo," Gabriel ruffled her hair affectionately and it flared out like feathers. "But Big Blue needs some backup. And who better than I?" He playfully flared his wings out, posing dramatically as Emily laughed. One of Gabriel's massive wings bumped the counter and sent one of the bowls careening off the side. "Whoopsie." In a flash, Gabriel vanished, reappearing below the bowl to catch it, before vanishing again, reappearing beside Sera at the exit. Despite not seeing him, she could feel the wind caused by his rapid movement as it struck her face, sending her hair flying backward. "Sorry about that." Gabriel held aloft one of Emily's bowls, this one in the shape of a frog. "Oh, Mikey will love this. He's going to want to see all of them, but this one is going to be his favorite. Hands down."

"You think he'll want to see them too?" Emily tried to make her way over to Gabriel and Sera. Gabriel vanished again, reappearing behind Emily, lifting her up, and vanishing once more to reappear in the doorway and putting her back on her feet. "Thank you!" Emily clapped her hands.

"No problem." Gabriel gave her a warm smile. "I happen to know that Michael will want to see your collection because he told me."

"I haven't seen Michael in so long!" Emily's eyes sparkled. "Oh! Speaking of Michael... and well... of Charlie I wanted to get his input on something really important." Sera felt her heart plummet into the pit of her stomach as dread washed over her like an icy splash of water.

"Emily no-"

"What's up kiddo?" Gabriel didn't let Sera interject and Sera felt her own breath catch in her throat as Emily looked up at the Archangel above them both; her hands pressed together.

"There's a Sinner who came up to Heaven! He got redeemed, I think. And I know that's really not how things work and that you're thinking he probably has nothing to offer Heaven! But I have been working with him and he has made something truly wonderful! And I want him to show Michael- and you- of course." Emily looked a little sheepish as Gabriel was quietly staring at her.

"Gabriel, I am so sorry, I talked with her about this, but she's just so young-" Sera desperately tried to plead Emily's case. But Gabriel held up a hand, causing her to fall silent.

"Now that is quite interesting. I... do think that's something Mikey needs to see. Judgement is his whole thing." Gabriel laughed, but Sera felt no relief as she tried to read his expression. "But I really need to get going. The Hell Liner is stranded. But I think that idea sounds fun!" And with that he was gone again, leaving Sera and Emily alone in the doorway. Emily took a deep breath.

"Sera, I know you're upset. I know you said to leave Pentious alone, but he really is a nice guy! And I think his weird little chicken friends... or children... or whatever they are might be a little insane but they truly mean us no harm and-"

Sera took Emily into her arms, holding her tightly, making the Seraphim fall silent. "My poor... poor little one..."

"Sera...?" Emily was tense in her grasp.

"You are so sweet, and you see the best in every soul, even if there is nothing good to see." Sera pulled back, placing her hand on Emily's cheek. "I love that about you, we all do. But the Archangels are Heaven's final defense against those that wish to do us harm... I just... don't want your heart to break."

"But Gabriel thinks it's a good idea! And I have been helping Pentious with his invention and everything! He really just wants to help."

"You are still young, still naïve, Emily. That big heart of yours can be so easily deceived by those with bad intentions. The Archangels are not so easily fooled and I just don't want you to get your hopes up for some amazing miracle just to have them dashed when Michael must perform his most sacred and difficult duty."

"You don't think he'll kill Pentious, do you!?" Emily looked truly horrified and Sera simply pulled her close into another embrace, a tight one. It was never easy to learn the truth.

"I am sorry my little one-"

"No!" Emily pushed herself away, gasping a bit, all the eyes in her halo were open and glaring at Sera. She was upset, understandably so, but Sera was simply the messenger. It brought her no joy to shatter Emily's heart this way, but it was better she be prepared for what awaited the Sinner on whom Emily had taken pity. "I don't believe you! He's good Sera! Pentious has changed and he only wants to help people! Michael will see that."

"No, he won't." Sera felt her own extra eyes open. Perhaps Sera had been too easy on her underling, she had coddled her to the point that Emily had blinded herself to the harsh realities around her. She was too old for such childish fantasies.

"Yes, he will! You'll see! Once you see what Pentious has made, even you'll admit that he's a changed man!" Emily was mad. Sera hadn't seen her like this since she discovered the Exterminations from Adam's poorly timed, and very public outburst (mid-song). That had been reactionary, Sera was willing to overlook the obvious wrath because Emily was only just learning about the necessary atrocities the angels had to commit to keep the balance between Heaven and Hell. It was a great weight upon any soul, especially one as light and hopeful as Emily. But this time... this time she had no excuse. Emily should have known her actions were wrong. She was optimistic, loving and forgiving to a fault, but Emily wasn't stupid. She should know what was coming.

"Emily, you're being foolish right now." Sera's voice was stern, she drew herself up to her full height. Emily's only saving grace was that Gabriel wasn't around to see this atrocious behavior. It would break his heart.

"You're being obstinate!"

"I just don't want to see you have your heart crushed." Sera reached toward her but Emily pulled away, her eyes bright and blazing.

"I don't want to talk to you right now." Emily crossed her arms over her chest, all her eyes averting their gaze.

"Don't be like that my little one-" Sera reached for her once again, but Emily pulled away so quickly, that she took several steps back.

"NO! I..." She met Sera's gaze again. "I need to help Pentious." And with that, she turned away, heading into the city toward the Hotel where the Sinner was being kept under the supposed watchful gaze of the Exorcists. Sera would need to tell Lute to get rid of the door guards before the Archangels arrived. It would reflect poorly on all of them if Michael realized that they had been letting Emily fraternize with the enemy. Clearly, that little monstrosity had already started to negatively influence her darling Emily. It was to be expected.

This wasn't the first time a snake had spoiled the garden.

Sera pulled out her phone, going right to Lute's number. "Lute, I need to speak with you at once." Sera started talking the moment the phone connected.

"Do you ever say fucking: hi?" Lute sounded annoyed, but Sera didn't have time for formalities or bickering.

"Emily is conversing with the Sinner again. They've got something planned. Something to help Pentious prove himself to the Archangels. I assume it's some sort of weapon. He's going to try to pin some horrible attack on our innocent little Seraphim."

"Wow, so Emily's actually kinda fucking stupid, huh?"

"I don't need your attitude, Lute. I need you to make sure whatever he is planning fails and that Emily is unharmed. Do you understand?"

"Yeah: solve all of my problems for me because you're the only one who's actually good at your fucking job, Lute. Please." Lute's impression of Sera was lackluster at best. "Guess I gotta add babysitting to my list of fucking jobs now."

"Would you prefer to have this talk in person?"

"Nah." Lute seemed rather dismissive of the orders and Sera could hear the sound of chewing on the line.

"A... are you eating right now?"

"I'm hungry. So, sue me, bitch. Now if you're done, I'll see what I can do to bail out Princess Sings-a-Lot before she gets her fucking kidney stolen or whatever."

"Good." Sera let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding. While Lute was not the most... formal of angels, she got the job done. Emily and this whole... Pentious Situation would be under control. "Thank you."

"You owe me though."

"Of course. Goodbye Lute." And with that Sera hung up the phone. With Lute monitoring Emily and her poor decisions, Sera could rest easy. Give Emily the time and space to see reason. If not by Sera's hand... then perhaps when Lute revealed Pentious's true intention, Emily would finally give up on this childish dream and return to Sera's open arms. Regardless of what happened, it would be safe, Lute had it handled. She could relax.

For now.

Sera spent some time cleaning up the bowls when there was a knock at the door. Assuming it was Emily, she hurried to open it and accept the incoming apology. However, she was a bit taken aback to see Raphael and Gabriel at the door instead.

"Aw! You're putting the bowls away? Raph really wanted to see them!" Gabriel peeked his head inside looking at Sera's progress.

"My apologies, please, come take a look, they're not all put up." Sera, never one to turn down a visit from Heaven's highest-ranking officials, opened the door and allowed them both inside. "If I had known you'd be by, I would have waited."

"It's fine. Looks like you might need some help putting them away." Raphael knelt down to help and Sera went to stop him.

"No need, I can handle this. I'm sure Emily will be back soon enough to assist." She gave the two Archangels a reassuring smile. They did not need to lower themselves to menial tasks such as cleaning when they had only just returned.

"Where is Emily?" Gabriel had already picked up several of the bowls, carrying them in his arms. He was far too kind. (Of course, as the Virtue of Kindness, that was to be expected, but that didn't make Sera appreciate it any less.) "It's unlike her to leave things out like this. At least, I assume it is. I haven't seen her since she was fresh off the angel assembly line-"

"Don't call it that." Raphael gave him a look.

"Why not? That's kind of what it is." Gabriel grinned at him.

"No. It's not. Calling it an assembly line suggests that there are a bunch of angels being pieced together in parts. It's more like... you haven't seen her since the finishing touches were added to her carefully sculpted form. It's both more poetic and more accurate." Raphael ignored Sera's protests and began helping her with the bowls as well.

"It's really not necessary, I can handle a little bit of clean-up. And Emily will be back soon-" Sera tried to insist, but Raphael shook his head.

"It won't be for long, I assure you. I have to head off in a few to check in with Mikey."

"He called you too, huh?" Gabriel looked relieved.

"That he did. But I want to give him a little bit of time to do whatever it is he had planned. You know how stressed out he can get." Raphael smirked and Gabriel snorted. Sera wasn't sure she found any real humor in the words, but she smiled too so as to not be left out. Michael was not an angel to be messed with- though if anyone could it would be his fellow Arcs.

"In all seriousness," Gabriel smiled faltered, "this stuff with the Hell Liner is a little concerning. We're lucky there were no souls on board."

"I'll be interested to see the reports Uri gathers from Jazeerael." Raphael nodded in agreement. "He's always taken good notes."

"Has he said anything to you about issues in Port Gatory- love the name change, by the way." Gabriel turned to look at Sera.

"Me?" She blinked, before returning her focus to the task at hand. "No... not really. His visits were not very frequent, I'll be honest." And he, statistically speaking, had the worst timing. Sera often had to delegate her discussions with Jazeerael to lower ranking angels. The Exorcists seemed more than happy to take notes on her behalf, but they never seemed to report much. (Plus, as much as Sera hated to admit it, even to herself: Jazeerael's words had to be taken with a metaphorical grain of salt. He WAS forced to spend all eternity working side by side with Infernal scourge, fresh out of the boiling cesspits of Hell.)

"We'll see what Uri finds- oh I like this one." Raphael lifted up a bowl that almost looked like it was made with bandages, but it was far more solid. Sera had been informed by Emily and Molly that it was supposed to resemble a mummy, which was a very human thing indeed. However, Sera was fairly certain that Raphael liked it simply because it appeared as if this bowl was made from medical supplies. (That's what Sera had thought it was at first, until Emily insisted that it was supposed to be cute and spooky.)

"I'll tell Emily." Sera smiled, putting a few more of the many bowls still left out in their correct locations. It was fortunate that all the storage space in Heaven was capable of storing about ten times the capacity that one would expect.

"I should probably head out. Can you give me a lift to the Port?" Raphael turned to Gabriel who stood up and nodded.

"Sure."

"Will Michael be returning too?" Sera had to ask. She had seen every other Arc except the one with whom she needed to speak with the most.

"He should be." Raphael's tone was more serious than it had been as he and Gabriel exchanged a sort of knowing look that filled Sera with concern. There was more going on. The Archangels had been back for days and had been out of sight. But there was simply no way that they were doing nothing in that time frame. No. There was something happening behind the scenes. Sera could push, but she knew they would tell her in due time.

They trusted her.

She had done a good job.

"Then please, have a safe journey, both of you." Sera bowed her head politely, seeing them off to the door. That was all for the best, whatever Michael needed must have been important. Perhaps he had to slay the Devil's daughter and was having Raphael dispose of the body safely. Of course, given his weakness for his brother, he would have tried to explain things, but Sera had long ago learned that Lucifer's spawn was far too uncaring and stubborn to listen to reason. Or maybe she was just delusional. If she had tried to take a stand against Michael, then calling her delusional was a bit of an understatement. Sure, she had a powerful father, but such a foul being was incapable of causing any real damage to Michael. It was possible their fight injured some bystanders, and Michael, in his infinite kindness, was having Raphael patch them up.

Whatever the case may be, the Archangels would handle it.

Things were peaceful as Sera finished cleaning. She really did have a light day of work, the benefits of having the Archangels home were already trickling down to her. She even had time to organize all of Emily's educational material for when she finally came to her senses. With the Archangels around, it would only be a matter of time.

She settled down to relax, reading a rather interesting book written by one of the Winners. She hadn't had very many opportunities for relaxation, as of late, so this was a rather welcome change of pace. She even made herself a nice cup of tea, which was perfectly warm as she sipped on it.

The room felt a little colder, Sera shivered, picking up her cup, perhaps she had just been so engaged in her reading that she was just shivering from excitement. However, the steam over her cup slowly started to dissipate.

Odd.

Angelic food was never supposed to lose its warmth.

Sera lifted the cup to inspect it further, when she heard a soft knock on the door. She put her cup and book down, fully expecting to see Emily's apologetic face at the door as she walked toward it. The room felt even, colder. Sera could see her own breath crystallize before her eyes as her hand touched the doorknob and it completely shattered to frozen pieces on the floor. Sera stepped back as the door swung slowly open and Michael stood before her, he was smiling but the eyes in the halos above him were blazing.

"Hello Sera!" He sounded so cheerful, however, the voice he used was brimming with power. It reverberated against the walls of Sera's house as Michael stepped over the threshold. His hands were behind his back, his sword hovered over his shoulder, twitching as if thirsting for blood.

"Michael!" Sera immediately bowed her head, greeting him with enthusiasm. Finally, she had her chance to speak with him! He was mad... or rather... livid, whatever had happened in Purgatory must have been weighing on him. "Good to see you home."

"It is wonderful to be home." Every step Michael took left the ground completely frozen in his wake. "And to see you as well."

"You... seem upset." They had much to discuss, but Sera didn't want to press if Michael was already in a bad mood.

"An excellent observation, I am quite upset, it seems."

"Is there any way I can help-" Sera started to offer but the flaming sword behind him surged forward, she gasped, backing into the wall behind her, the sword struck directly beside her head, clipping the top of one of her wings. It was not enough to do permanent damage, but it stung and pain was not a sensation with which Sera was too familiar. It had been so long since she last experienced it.

"Tell me about the Exterminations, Sera."

"O-oh of course!" So, she had been too late with Abel and Seth. News of her failure had already reached Michael. "I know what happened with Adam set us behind, but I am working on getting his replacement and-AH!" The flames beside her head flared up; though Sera felt no heat but rather a burning cold bit at her cheek. She could feel the frost starting to form as it started to crawl on her skin.

"On who's authority, do you DARE go to Hell and risk our natural order, risk OUR ANGELS, and MURDER HUMAN SOULS!?"

"What do you mean on-" Sera cut off as the sword dislodged from the wall and repositioned so the flaming tip was just beneath her chin. Despite not typically being affected by temperature, Sera's teeth chattered from the chill as frost started to crawl along her jaw.

"On who's authority, Sera!?" The sword started to press into her skin. Michael wouldn't kill her- at least- prior to this interaction, Sera would not have thought he would... but he had cut the wings off of his own brother, and fought maddening abominations in the past... perhaps what had hardened his heart against Lucifer and gave him the confidence to protect Heaven- had also made him cruel. Sera's breath hitched, she closed her eyes, turning her head away.

"YOURS!"

"What?" Michael's voice was so much worse when it was completely calm and collected.

"MICHAEL!" Gabriel's voice broke through the pounding of Sera's heart in her throat, and she cracked open an eye to see Gabriel rushing into the room. He grabbed Michael, pulling him backwards by his shoulders, though the sword at Sera's neck didn't move an inch. "What do you think you're doing!? You can't just attack her-"

"Under her orders human souls were executed with angelic blades. Under HER orders angels were slain by Hell in a fight they should never have taken. I want to know under who's authority she thought she could make such calls."

"YOURS!" Sera practically screamed the word. With Gabriel holding Michael back, she finally had a chance to speak.

"Excuse me?" All of Michael's eyes were boring into her as he slowly turned his head from Gabriel to look back at Sera.

"You gave the command, sir."

"I did no such thing."

"I have the paperwork!" Sera's head was spinning. How could Michael say such things? She would have lost her wings- or even her head- had Gabriel not intervened in her behalf. "I can show it to you if you would kindly remove your sword from my throat." Sera wanted to straighten up her posture, but she was concerned any immediate movement might just cause more damage.

"Let up on the sword, Mike." Gabriel put a hand on the smaller Angel's shoulder.

"I just wanted to talk."

"You're scaring her." Gabriel stayed firm. Michael sighed and the sword pulled back just enough for Sera to step away. "And maybe put the sword away for now. It's a little much for just talking, don't you think?" As always, Gabriel was able to keep a cool head and calm tone, despite the fact that the Angel of Judgement currently had his weapon drawn.

"No. I need it."

"You can't stab Sera." Gabriel's eyes narrowed.

"I'm not going to stab her. I just wanted to talk."

"You don't need a sword to talk." Gabriel's voice remained firm. Sera chose to keep quiet, feeling like her very life was on the line at the moment and she didn't want to say the wrong thing. Michael glanced at Gabriel, then back at the sword.

"I wasn't gonna use it." His voice stopped echoing.

"Really?' Gabriel raised an eyebrow crossing his arms.

"It's emotional support. Emotion sword-port if you will." Michael had visibly calmed down and the room was starting to return to a normal temperature. He took a deep breath, all his eyes closing for a moment, before he finally exhaled. "My apologies if I came across a little... harsh, Sera. However. I just don't like knowing that we were slaughtering souls for no reason and-" Michael's voice took on the reverberating tone once more and Gabriel cleared his throat loudly, cutting him off before he could finish.

"Michael."

"Yes, well," Michael's face returned to a more neutral expression, no longer sickeningly sweet or filled with righteous fury. "Why don't you show me the paperwork, please." His voice was back to normal once again.

"I..." Sera's voice trembled. She was almost scared to move, she was shaking. "Yes... of course." She snapped her fingers, summoning the document from her drawer at work. The scroll appeared in her hand. At the top, the words: Order of Extermination, were written in the language of the Angels, and at the very bottom, in shining blue ink, was the name: Archangel Michael. Michael grabbed it from her so quickly Sera jumped.

"I didn't write this. Where did you get it from?"

"Adam brought it to me. He said he spoke with you on the matter." Sera was trying to steady her voice as Michael paced back and forth before her. She could feel the room getting cold once again, the sword twirling idly in the air.

"I never spoke with Adam about anything like this. Why would I? Adam's not a soldier, he's just a human soul." Michael wasn't looking at Sera, but rather, staring hard at the scroll in his hand. "And you didn't think you should ask me about something like this!?" He held it up for Gabriel to see. Gabriel put a hand on Michael's shoulder once again, keeping him still as his pale eyes started to scan over Sera's evidence. (Her only saving grace.) "No like: Hey Michael, this seems a little out of character for you to order a slaughter when you, historically, are pretty vehemently opposed to wanton acts of violence. You could definitely interrupt me for something like this."

"How was I to know this was 'out of character'?" Sera wanted desperately to defend herself. Michael returning was supposed to be a good thing, he wasn't supposed to put Sera on the stand. This felt less like a reunion and more like an interrogation. "You are the Guardian of Heaven! You would do anything to keep us all safe!"

"But an Extermination!?" Michael tried to knock Gabriel's arm off of him.

"It's not like you haven't mentioned something like that before when we were discussing the possibility of Hell's Overpopulation." Sera recalled the incident in question vividly despite the fact that it had been thousands upon thousands of years ago. Michael had brought up an Extermination as a way of culling Hell's populace.

"When!?" Michael looked flabbergasted by the accusation.

"In one of our first meeting after the Fall. We were discussing what to do if Hell overflowed and that was one of your suggestions."

"I WAS BEING" Michael's voice was echoing again, "SARCASTIC, SERA!" The sword flew forward and sera stifled a scream, falling to the ground, as Gabriel reached out and grabbed the hilt, stopping it less than an inch from Sera's left shoulder.

"MICHAEL!" It was Gabriel's turn to use the booming voice. "You need to calm down." The sword returned to Michael's shoulder and he did look a little shocked by his own actions. He looked at Gabriel before going over to Sera, offering her his hand.

"I did not mean to scare you."

"It's..." Sera tried not to let her hand shake as Michael took it, pulling the much taller angel to her feet, "it's fine, Michael."

"The only thing Sera is guilty of, is following orders- your orders." Gabriel handed the contract back to Michael. "We have to figure out who made this. It's impressive they were able to forge your signature without going up in flames."

"Sounds like we'll have to talk to Adam. I saw him lurking in mirrors in our brother's domain." Michael crossed his arms, looking thoughtful.

"Maybe talk without the sword next time." Gabriel patted Michael on the left side of his back. Michael looked up at him.

"But... emotional sword-port..."

"I am pretty sure that's going to give Luc the wrong idea about your intentions, especially given this whole... Extermination fiasco. We are NOT recovering from this one any time soon. Our relationship with Hell is shot."

"Ah biscuits..." Michael's exclamation was far from swearing, but the Archangels never used vulgarity. Still, Sera knew he was upset. "So much for getting their help with the Azrael case. I doubt they'll be particularly eager to lend a hand after we've been repeatedly going down there and attacking big bro's citizens. Oof, I don't want to see the look on Lilith's face when we have to apologize for this. She's going to Eat. It. Up."

"I'm surprised we didn't see her during the Shoggoth attacks, if I'm being honest." Gabriel gave a shrug. Sera said nothing. It was not her place to correct an Archangel, especially not one who still had his sword out.

"I would say: How could you tell her apart from the Shoggoths? But that would not be very holy of me, so I won't." Michael gave a humorless laugh.

"Sera...? I-is everything okay?" Emily's voice came from the doorway, the shattered knob still on the floor.

"Oh! Yep!" Michael immediately snapped back into a happy, cheerful, and friendly voice as he gave Emily a big wave

"Why is your sword out?" Emily looked far from convinced.

"For talking. It's a talking point!" Michael gestured with both hands to the tip of the sword. "Get it?" Emily looked at the sword, then at Sera, then at Gabriel, and finally her gaze rested on Michael, before flickering to the sword once again.

"Is Sera in trouble?"

"Everything is being handled." Michael hid the Order of Extermination behind his back. He gave Sera a look and Sera forced a smile as well.

"What brings you here, my little one?"

"I... live here?" Emily arched an eyebrow, unconvinced by Sera's performance. "Also, I wanted to talk to Michael about Pentious."

"About what now?" Michael looked between Emily and Gabriel uncertainly.

"Raph and I texted you about that. He's the Sinner that somehow got into Heaven?" Gabriel kept his voice down, but Sera could still hear him.

"You guys texted me about a lot of things to be fair. We have a whole bunch of stuff going on right now. Sorry if I'm still a few steps behind here." It was difficult to gage whether Michael was genuinely pissed off by Gabriel's comment, or if he was simply stressed- though given his behavior moments prior, Sera felt it necessary to keep an eye on that sword of his, lest she witness a successful murder of an Archangel. (Michael seemed to have a short fuse, even more so than Sera ever remembered him having in the past. Had such a short stint in Hell done so much damage to the Archangel? Had Lucifer wormed his way under the Michael's skin like the parasite he was?)

"Yeah, there's a Sinner, like from Hell, that ended up here." Gabriel didn't seem at all off-put by Michael's tone.

"So... like Redemption?" Michael seemed to direct the question toward Gabriel who gave a little shrug in response.

"That's what it sounds like."

"Huh. Neat. That is something I should look into." Michael returned his attention back to Emily. "Okay I'm caught up! What about Pension?"

"Pentious." Emily corrected.

"Right, Pentious." Michael nodded.

"Well... I know it's strange to have a Sinner become a Winner. And I know what you're thinking: What could a former Sinner possibly have to offer Heaven?" Emily took the opportunity to launch into her (apparently) priorly prepared spiel.

"Is that what I'm thinking?" Michael looked a tad confused as he and Gabriel exchanged some sort of unreadable glance.

"Yes! So, Pentious and I have come up with something amazing! You see, he's an inventor and- oh! I'm spoiling it!" Emily covered her mouth. "You must come see it for yourself!" Michael gave a small shrug.

"Sure. It sounds like you put a lot of work into this."

"That's the spirit!" Gabriel nudged Michael playfully. "Let's see what this guy has to show us! It could be fun! And it sounds like we all need a moment to relax."

"Not necessarily," the eyes in Michael's halos all looked over at Sera, "our conversation isn't over, by the way."

"Of course not, sir." Sera had really hoped this was over, but it seemed they were just delaying the inevitable.

"You guys are going to love him!" If Emily was picking up on the uneasiness between Michael and her mentor, she wasn't showing it. She took the lead, bringing the Archangels to the make-shift prison in which Sera had been keeping the intruder, quarantined away from the rest of Heaven. There were no Exorcists around, which was both good and bad. Had Lute done anything to deal with this situation?

"Why is he in the hotel?" Michael looked a little confused.

"I was not sure what to do with him." Sera admitted quietly. "I did not think we should spend resources on what was probably a mistake. And I wanted him away from the Winners for... obvious reasons..." Michael squinted up at her.

"But the Hotel doesn't have any defenses, it's got like a spa, but that's really not going to help in an emergency... you were kind of keeping him locked up on the honors system."

"I have had him guarded." Sera did not want her girls to get into trouble, especially given Michael's rather volatile mood as of late. So, she decided to be a little vague. Michael watched as Emily walked straight up to the door throwing it open. The eyes in his halos narrowed, looking at Sera, as the eyes on his face stayed focused on the door.

"Right."

"PENTIOUS!" Emily let out an excited squeal, running to the intruder and giving him a big hug. "I brought the Archangels! Well, two of them! This is Gabriel! And Michael! And you already know Sera. They just got back and wanted to meet you!" She pointed to each in turn. Pentious was standing in front of a rather crude looking, slapped together abomination that wad poorly hidden beneath the Hotel blankets draped across it.

"Hello!" The intruder bowed his head in fake respect. "It's nice to meet you Gabriel," he offered his hand to Gabriel who shook it to be polite. "And... Michael." He had a huge grin on his face as his hand gripped the hand of Judgement itself.

"Yes, hi." Michael had an uncertain politeness in his response as everyone in the room could clearly see how giddy the prisoner looked to see him. Pentious leaned close to him.

"It's good to see you your majesty." He was clearly trying to whisper, but the Sinner had no concept of the word quiet. Sera had figured that out the day she first met him.

"Nope. Not Lucifer." Michael kept his polite smile. "I really am Michael. We just look alike because we were made using the same template. Luci will say he's taller but that's really a matter of opinion."

"Sssssuuuuuuure, Michael." The Sinner made a show of winking at him.

"Your eyes are beautiful." One of the Sinner's little chicken army dared to touch the pant leg of Michael. The Archangel glanced down at him.

"What are you?" He knelt down picking up the tiny golden feathered chicken in his hands. "You are so tiny."

"They're so cute!" Gabriel was, briefly, distracted as more of the creatures tried soiling his clothes with their dirty feet in an attempt to climb the massive angelic man.

"Those are my egg-boisssss. Well... chick-boissss now I suppose." Pentious was openly confessing to bringing an (admittedly incompetent) army along with him, surely Michael would bring his sword up now. The evidence was right there. "Not ssssure who they were in life."

"Not human." Michael replied sounding more amused than anything else. "All right, Cedric, you brought us here. What is it you wanted to show me?"

"You know my name!?" It looked like the Sinner might cry with excitement. "The King knowsss my name boissss!"

"Still not Lucifer." Michael snorted, crossing his arms. "But I know your name, and I know what you did that landed you in Hell. A lot of lying and conning people, Cedric. You took a lot of hard-earned money from people who needed it."

"I really thought thosssse tonicsss would do the trick." Pentious frowned.

"But they didn't. Also, there was the matter of reckless endangerment. But you never got anyone killed or even really maimed. You are in no way the worst person in Hell. But you're here now." Michael looked him up and down, a faint smile on his lips. "You sacrificed yourself for your friends... that's actually quite impressive. You always had a propensity for good, Cedric. You were always very kind to animals... still, I'm surprised."

"The King knowssss a lot about me." Pentious's eyes were still sparkling as he leaned over to 'whisper' to Emily. She giggled as Michael rolled his eyes.

"That's not the King, that's Michael." Emily fake-whispered back to him. Sera was annoyed to see her humoring this monster. Had she not just heard the list of crimes he had just committed? Had Michael's audit of his transgressions meant nothing to the little Seraphim?

"Well, you brought us here to show us something, right?" Gabriel was still playing with the tiny chicks, but the eyes in the halos looked toward Pentious.

"Are you a giant?" One of the chicks spoke up, pecking at Gabriel's shoes.

"By some standards, yes, but the Metatron's even bigger than I am." Gabriel was being far too kind- even for his Virtue.

"Right! I made something for you! For Heaven!" Pentious cleared his throat and the chicks all clambered off of the Archangels and scrambled to his side. "Behold!" He pulled the sheets off of the device behind him, it was definitely not as clean, pristine, and stream-lined as anything Heaven would use. It looked to be almost slapped together, the pieces only held to one another by the graces of whatever dark entity he served. Michal and Gabriel both applauded and Emily was bouncing with excitement.

"Well, that is definitely neat!" Michael looked over the odd contraption. "What am I looking at, exactly, if I may ask?"

"Ah! Yessssss! What is one thing that isss incredibly tediousss!?"

"Paperwork!" Gabriel was acting far too enthusiastic about something that was obviously some sort of trap. Michael responded a split second after him.

"Paperw- ah darn. Gabe beat me to it."

"Okay, yes! But we can't really help with that." Emily still sounded so pleased. Had Lute not spoken with her? Had she not seen this snake oil salesman was conning her the way that he had done to so many innocent souls on Earth?

"Laundry!" Pentious gestured to the machine again.

"Oh, our clothes don't really get dirty that often, but I suppose it is rather annoying when it does happen." Gabriel nodded. This was stupid, but Sera kept her mouth shut on the matter.

"And what's more annoying than washing clothes?" Pentious continued with his pitch despite the fact that it was pointless.

"Getting them dirty?" Michael was even playing along at this point.

"Yessss, your majesty, but also no." Pentious pointed toward Michael who sighed a bit at the your majesty comment. "Folding them!"

"I suppose that could be seen as tedious and boring..." Gabriel nodded.

"Right!?" Emily's wings fluttered joyfully. "And if you wait too long after you wash them, they get all wrinkly, and yeah, it's easy to undo it, but wouldn't it be even better if that never happened at all!?" Sera tried not to make her annoyance visible in her expression. Emily really should have known better. She was embarrassing them both in front of the Archangels.

"I made a device that not only washes your laundry, but folds it into a very neat pile, easy to put away!" He slapped the top of the machine. "It doesssss everything from sheetsss to ssssuitsss!" He gestured to his chicks, "allow usss to demonssstrate!" He balled up the sheets and threw them into the machine. "Now, if you'll watch..."

"This smells bad!" One of the chicks came in with a bottle of detergent over his head.

"That's because of the ghost." Another replied helpfully.

"I made the detergent myself! It isss very tough on ssstainssss!" Pentious's hood flared out proudly, his tongue flicked, and Sera tried very hard not to cringe. Michael and Gabriel waited patiently as the chicks poured in the fluid, and some water and the machine sprung to life. It began rocking and rumbling a bit. Sera could faintly see the water and soap mixing together in the more translucent parts of the device. Michael and Gabriel both clapped politely when the machine sprung to life. It kept making louder, more jarring sounds before one of the pillow cases that Pentious had tossed in emerged, clean, dry, and neatly folded up. Michael got to his feet, picking up the pillowcase in his hands as the machine continued jolting and shuddering while it processed the bigger items.

"Oh, that's quite nifty!"

"Oh no, your highness, I'm Sir Pentious, Niffty is still in Hell." Pentious gave a knowing nod.

"What?" Michael turned to face him.

"What?" Pentious met his gaze. Michael's focus returned to the pillow case quite suddenly as the machine let out another, awful lurch.

"Wait a second..." The eyes in Michael's halos started to squint at the pillowcase. The machine started to groan as if it were under a great amount of stress. "Ah cinnamon toast crunch! Gabriel, get them out of here!" Gabriel sprang into action, as suddenly, Sera found herself outside the room, or rather, outside of the Hotel entirely, with Emily, Gabriel, and Sir Pentious, (as well as most- if not all- of his stupid chickens) as there was a loud, echoing, boom and a wave of heat burst forth from within the room- Sera could feel it even from her spot on the ground. Gabriel spread his wings out above them all and Sera could hear the soft tinkling sound of glass raining down. For a moment, no one moved save for Pentious who began counting under his breath.

"Is everyone okay?" Gabriel lowered his wings, looking back at the Hotel, smoke was pouring from the window.

"SERA!" Emily was in her arms at once. "Are you hurt!?" Sera wrapped her arms and wings around Emily, holding her close, finally she seemed to be opening her eyes to the clear and present danger that was around them.

"I'm fine." Sera kissed the top of her head.

"One of my boissss!" Pentious's grating voice just had to interrupt what was turning out to be a rather important moment for Sera. "One of my boisss is misssssing!" He sounded distraught; his acting was better than most in Hell (which was saying something given the number of actors they had down there) given he had tears in his eyes.

"Hey it's gonna be okay, buddy." Gabriel patted his shoulder. Sera wanted to scream; how could Gabriel still show kindness after what was obviously an attempt on their lives. Sometimes Virtues could turn to Sin. Sera had seen it before, with her own eyes when Charity had twisted into Pride. Perhaps Kindness had its down sides too, blindness being one of them.

"Frank is gone!" One of the chicks cried out.

"I thought you were Frank." Another waddled its way over.

"I'm Frank!" A third piped up.

"Oh." The chicken that had initially spoken looked up at the window. "I guess they have Steven."

"I'm still just surprised we have names." A fourth chick joined the group.

"It wasn't supposed to do that..." Emily looked up, still in Sera's embrace. "I-I've seen him working on it! He just wanted to help!"

"That's definitely the first time that particular invention has exploded, yessss." Pentious was looking back up at the window.

"So, you knew this could happen!?" Sera pulled Emily away from him. "You willingly endangered Emily after everything she has done for you!? At the very best you're careless, at worst you just tried to assassinate Heaven's final defenses! What was in that blasted machine!?"

"Sera, calm down." Gabriel's voice was gentle. "But she's right, I too would like to know what was in that machine."

"Jusssst spare partsss!" The Sinner tried to plead his case to deaf ears. "Pleassse, is Sssteven sssstill inside? Or maybe Frank? I'm actually not sssure either."

"Where's Michael!?" Emily clung to Sera and it took everything in Sera's power not to smirk. But it would not be very holy of her to bask in being proven correct in all her suspicions.

"Probably clearing the area..." Gabriel's face stayed focused on Emily, but all of the eyes in his halos looked up toward the window again. Just then, the doors opened and the angels, Winners, and cherubim that worked in the hotel, or perhaps we're simply staying there to treat themselves to a well-earned vacation, came flooding outside. (Not that Winners needed vacations, but still, the amenities were nice.) "Oh boy." Gabriel's frown deepened. "Why don't we stand back everyone?" He started ushering the crowd away from the building.

"Gabriel!?" The angels were thrilled to see him. "I haven't seen you in forever!"

"I heard you've been so busy with work that you couldn't make any public appearances!" A Cherub spoke up, excitedly.

"That's definitely one interpretation of events!" Gabriel laughed.

"It's so nice to see you, Gabriel!" The angels were crowding him, the Winners stood back, whispering excitedly to themselves. And then everything ceased as the hotel went up in a pillar of blue flame. Sera gasped, shielding Emily's eyes with her wings as Michael walked out of the door, helmet on, holding the bottle of detergent in one hand, and cupped in the other, was a baby chick in a bespoke suit.

"Citizens of Heaven, be not afraid." Michael's voice carried over the crowd.

"Hey that's my line." Gabriel didn't really sound mad, rather just amused by Michael's choice of words. Michael nodded to him.

"For those of you who do not know me, I am the Archangel Michael and I am here to keep you safe. I will need everyone to please gather together and allow my brother Raphael to look you over for injury. We will..." he looked behind him at the flames, "be building a new hotel." He pushed his way through the crowd, wings spread outward as he approached Sera, Gabriel, Pentious, and Emily. He handed Pentious the chick which got excited upon seeing him.

"I was almost delicious!" The chick announced proudly.

"Michael, what happened?" Sera kept her voice hushed as they pulled away from the chattering crowd. Michael had soot all over him, the tips of his wings look singed but were slowly working to repair themselves.

"Gabe, take this. Wear gloves or have Raph clean your hands. It's got Corrupted blood inside of it. Potent stuff, no idea where someone could have gotten it up here." Michael practically shoved the detergent into Gabriel.

"Corruption!? Here?" Sera covered her mouth as Michael shushed her.

"We don't want to cause any panic."

"Wha... What's happening...?" Pentious looked rather worried as he put Steven, or maybe Frank, with the rest of the chicks. "Is thisss about the explossion? Becausse that really shouldn't have happened. I tessted this!"

"You tried to kill us!" Sera hissed. "You think Michael well let these sorts of transgressions pass? You're lucky you were unsuccessful!"

"But I-" Pentious dared try to argue for himself while all the evidence was pointed against him. Sera couldn't stand for it. He had almost hurt Emily with this stunt. If the Archangels hadn't been present, they could have ended up dead! Or worse... Corrupted.

"Your special detergent was filled with Corruption. We're not stupid." Sera snapped back.

"Sera, that's enough. There still needs to be a proper investigation." Michael had his hands held out as bottles of holy water appeared in front of him and poured over his outstretched fingers. "Ugh, I'm going to have to really clean off after this."

"A proper investigation!? You just said yourself that you have no idea how the Corruption could have gotten up here! It's obvious!" Sera gestured toward Pentious, careful not to touch him. "It came from Hell. It must have, there's no other options!"

"I said that's enough." Michael held up his hand and Sera shut her mouth. "I admit this doesn't look good for you Cedric, but we are going to cover all our bases before coming to a decision. Until then, we are going to have you under careful watch. And you will report to Raphael for treatment. If you handled this, even briefly, it could cause unimaginable damage to you. Your chicks too, they need to be treated at once."

"Damage?" Pentious recoiled away from him. "But I feel fine..." He immediately knelt down, checking over the chicks as if he actually cared about anything other than himself. Sera wasn't fooled for a second. She couldn't tell if Michael gave the performance any credence or not, given the expression on his helmet was unchanging from the threatening smile.

"Heaven masks the symptoms. So, these steps are all precautionary." Michael let out a sigh. "Gabe, can you help manage this? There's something I need to do sooner than later."

"Yeah man, of course. I already called Raph, he's on his way." Gabriel held the evidence carefully in his hands, keeping a safe distance from the others. "All right everyone! Raphael and his Seraphim are on their way to make sure no one got hurt in the explosion!" Gabriel's voice echoed across the open space, reaching the crowd of hotel guests and employees that were still watching the building burn. "If we could all just line up single file and wait our turn!" As he spoke, Michael spread his wings.

"Wait!" Emily separated from Sera, grabbing the bottom of Michael's wing. "I know how it looks, Michael, but I swear Pentious is innocent! He just-"

"We're looking into it." Michael gently removed her hand. How could Emily still be convinced of that Sinner's purity after everything she had borne witness to today? It was almost maddening. Sera held her tongue as Michael stepped back, taking off into the air. The crowd stopped to watch as he soared high into the sky getting higher and higher before the sky took on a blue tone.

"Oh boy..." Gabriel made a face. There was the sound of bells chiming, echoing throughout Heaven. Suddenly, the sunny sky of Heaven darkened and blue flames spread across, casting a brief, but chilly wind over the celestials below.

"Greetings Heaven," Michael's voice echoed across the clouds, reaching every Winner and angel alike. The flames pulsed with every word. "I am the Archangel Michael here to make an announcement. First: we are renovating the hotel and it will be unavailable temporarily. Second: We are aware that we have been difficult to reach as of late, but we are back now. Please feel free to stop in with any issues you may be facing. And thirdly: If you are asking about the 'so called' Exterminations, they are going to be stopped immediately. Any and all access to Hell, Earth, or Purgatory will go through one of us. Thank you all for your attention and cooperation, and of course, on behalf of the Archangels: Welcome to Heaven." And with that, the sky returned to normal.

Whispers spread across the well-organized line as Sera tried to hide her grimace while she stood at the fore front. How could Michael undo his own orders? What had he seen in Hell that made him incapable of recognizing his own signature. Sera wasn't stupid. She had been in Heaven far too long, and she was much too high in rank to fall for something like a forgery.

No.

Something wasn't right.

Sera narrowed her eyes watching carefully as Gabriel cleared the area, making everyone stand back, waiting for Raphael. No... Michael wasn't acting like himself.

Sera saw a single blue feather on the ground, the tips still blackened. Could it be from the explosion? Perhaps. But even when it came to Corruption, it shouldn't have really affected Michael. Michael had once stood against the Old Ones themselves. Something as simple as this? There shouldn't have been a scratch on him.

This was bad.

Very bad.

There was only one option, and it sent fear into Sera's stomach. She looked at Gabriel, wondering if he knew, if she could even trust him if she told him what she had figured out.

No... no she couldn't trust Gabriel. She couldn't trust any of them now that she knew the truth. Sera felt her breath hitch. She grabbed instinctively to Emily's arm. The realization had hit her like a thousand tons of weight on her chest.

That. Wasn't. Michael.

---

A/N: No egg bois (or chick bois) were harmed in the making of this chapter. Lol sorry the update is so late. T_T Sera can be exhausting to write for lol. (I feel like such a bit afterward). Pour one out for Abel and Seth you guys. I'm sure they're fine. Glad we checked in with Heaven. Seems everything is fine there. So back to Hell we go!