Chapter Text
Gabriel was hounded for hours with Angels asking questions. She did her best to answer what she could. After making a list of names of Angels that had never met their parents, and making a box for the letters that will no doubt be overflowing soon, she asked Dariel if he would join her for dinner.
He was elated that she asked and went back to his aerie to bathe and change. If he was going to be given the right to court her, he wanted it to be done right. He met her at the palace gate, and she invited him into the Royal Family's private dining hall. This was reserved for the Archangels, and only by invite could anyone not of the Royal Family enter. It was a great honor to be there. A table had been set up just for them, and the food was beyond divine.
They spoke about everything from Dariel's training to Gabriel's work with Michael. Then the conversation of Michael and Lucifer had come up.
"I never even met him." he said, "I only heard the stories about the Light-bringer. I didn't believe most of them, they sounded too made up."
"Like what? I mean, I know most of them already, but if you want to know the real truth, you could just ask him." Gabriel smiled.
He stared at her with awe, "You know him well enough to talk to him? I was told that he doesn't talk to anyone and he hates people."
"Lucifer? Lucifer... the 'I need constant attention, so I opened a night club on Earth just so I could play piano, drink and party with people' is the biggest attention seeker I have ever seen. He loves to be around people and he has a ton of friends. Trust me when I say, aside from Michael, he's one of the nicest Angels you'll ever meet." she giggled.
With a small laugh, he replied, "I guess you do know him better than the rest of us. At least, the younger ones. You knew him before..."
"Yeah." she smiled. "Him and Michael were only a few hundred years older than me." she said with a hint of remembrance. "Back then, the Archangels, the firstborns... we were close. It's when the rest of the Angels came about that things started to change. Mom and dad were so busy that whenever one of the young ones was created, we would do most of the raising."
"So that's why I was with a group of the last created, they were so much older than me, though." he sighed. He stared down at his hands, "Did... did they even really want me? Do I even matter to them? I have no real function other than being a soldier. No domain to reign over, not even any special skills! I'm just a soldier, and there hasn't been a need for soldiers since before I was created." He looked at her with his eyes now becoming glassy.
She took his hand, "Hey... Never think that, okay? Every Angel mom and dad created was made for a reason." She gave his hand a squeeze, "Just because we haven't needed to fight a cosmic war, doesn't mean we don't need soldiers. Maybe your function was to lead a Battalion of your own."
"Or maybe it was just so I could meet you." his eyes brightened when he said that. "If that was the reason, then I'll forever be grateful to them."
Gabriel blushed, "Me too." She went still for a moment, then looked at him, "Would you like to join me to go visit Lucifer and Michael?"
His eyes widened, "On Earth?"
"Yup." she replied with a smile as she stood, "Michael just prayed to me, he wants me to come down. I asked, and he said it was okay if I invited you."
Dariel stood up and took a deep breath, "An invitation from the Commander, not just to see him, but to go to Earth, for me? I... I've never been out of the Silver City before, let alone to go to Earth, but I would be honored to go with you, Mistress Gabriel."
She put her hand out to him, "Then I suggest we go."
He smiled as he took her hand.
***
Chloe sat on the sofa with her head in her hands. Trixie knows what she did. She knew Dan didn't believe her, but Trixie does, and she loves Lucifer. She'll be devastated when she tries to see him and can't get into the penthouse. Even if she manages to see him, Lucifer can't lie, he'll tell her the truth, or at least try and worm himself out of talking with his usual distractions that no longer work. He would never lie or try to circumvent the truth for Trixie. He cares for her too much to do that. Trixie will find out what really happened and never forgive her for what she did to Lucifer.
The stab of pain from that thought felt even worse than the pain of losing Lucifer because of her own actions. That just added more guilt to her already heavy sentence in Hell. Knowing that she was dammed to never see Trixie in Heaven, she would now have to face her daughter being mad at her for what she did. She had no intention of telling her daughter what happened between her and Lucifer. She simply said he had to go back to his old job. He had to take his place in the family business, and Chloe made it seem to everyone like he was somewhere in Florida. Trixie never questioned her, well, she didn't before. Chloe figured it was better that she didn't know the truth, she was just a child, what could she possibly know? Then again, like Lucifer had said, she lied only to herself. She thought that Trixie finding out would never happen in her lifetime. Now she has one more thing... one more really bad thing, to feel guilty about. She sighed as her sobs continued. She knew she deserved to feel that pain too.
Her daughter... he precious, chocolate-cake loving, space-enthralled daughter, had known all along that Lucifer was the actual Devil. She never questioned him about it, and was never afraid of him because of it. From the time they first met, Trixie absolutely adored Lucifer. She'd even run to him, more than once, when she needed a friend to confide in. Chloe now felt even worse because of the way she acted toward Lucifer because of that one simple fact. A child; her child; was able to deal with the fact that she was friends with the Devil, better than a seasoned detective. It made Chloe want to curl up and die. Not that that would solve anything, because she'd only end up in Hell anyway. Hell... a place she was going to end up in well before she met the Devil, because she was a horrible person. She always was...
Her phone chimed and Dan let her know that Trixie was fine and she should get some rest. He was talking to Lucifer and his brothers, and he'd call her when they were on their way back. She replied to him, begging him to just take Trixie and get as far away as possible. He argued back that he would find out what the Hell was going on before he left. Chloe really didn't have the brain power to argue with him, but told him to be careful around Lucifer, that he was dangerous. Dan reassured her that Linda and Ella were there, and they were fine. After a bit of back-and-forth, she dropped it, knowing it would do no good. She let him know that she would understand if Trixie didn't want to talk to her after they spoke. Dan said he would call her either way.
She headed up to her bedroom, took off her boots and changed into her nightshirt and baggy shorts. She plugged in her phone, curled up in her bed and cried. Nothing would be okay. Nothing would be like it was before, because they would know the truth. She was going to Hell, and they couldn't stop it.
***
They had walked down the hall towards Lucifer's study, Dan couldn't get over how big the penthouse actually was. He'd only ever seen the main room, bedroom, closet and bathroom. The place was deceptively huge.
Lucifer slid the doors open and walked inside, heading straight for the bar.
'Because of course the so-called study had its own bar.' Dan said to himself. The room looked nearly identical to the main room, minus the balcony. Aside from the huge bar, there was a large bookshelf, writing desk, sculptures, sofas and chairs that looked as if they were hand made. "You have got to be kidding me. Dude, how many pianos do you have?" Dan pointed at the brilliant white Steinway baby grand.
"In the penthouse, or all my holdings combined?" he asked as if it were a normal question. He raised his eyebrow, waiting for a response.
"Nope, no, forget I asked. Just... dude, just tell me what's going on? I need to know, because Chloe seems to be acting the same way Barnes did after you were done with him." he stared at Lucifer as Michael and Raphael took their drinks and sat down. "I've seen her lose her cool before, but this is an entirely new level of..." he cut himself off. "Lucifer, she told me she's not allowed back here, and that you said you never want to see her again. Is that true?"
"Yes, Daniel, it's true." he said with a flat tone.
Dan shook his head, then nodded. "Okay." He pulled in a breath, "Yeah, well, just so you know, she's not doing well, man. She's really freaked out, like Barnes was after we found him."
Lucifer stared at him, he wanted to speak, but the words didn't come to him fast enough.
Dan saw the look, he knew it well. "Look, dude, the last thing I need right now is for her to be in a rubber room. Just tell me what happened, please."
Lucifer handed him the glass, and Dan tried to wave it off. "Trust me, Daniel, you'll need this. Probably several others as well before we're done." He offered it again, and Dan took it. "Please, sit. I can assure you we will not do anything but talk. Unless you want to." he smiled.
"Couldn't resist, could you?" Reluctantly he sat down on one of the sofas, Raphael sat next him, not too close, but close enough to calm him, if it was needed. Michael and Lucifer sat across from them, cuddled close.
Taking a sip of his whiskey, he eyed Dan. He took a small breath, "Where do I begin?" Dan tried to speak and Lucifer held up his hand, "It was a rhetorical question Daniel, I know where to begin." He scoffed, "Right, remember when your daughter was taken to Rome?"
"Yeah, Chloe wanted to take some time after Pierce died. She took Trixie to see Rome and visit the sights, learn about the paintings and sculptures and stuff." He actually thought it would be good for her, she loves to draw and make clay figurines. "You know Trixie loves art."
"I suppose they showed you all the wonderful pictures they took then?" he asked, already knowing the answer. "All the artwork and statues they saw while they were there on holiday?"
Dan shook his head, "No. Chloe said her phone got messed up, they lost most of the pictures they took. She had a few from a restaurant and the hotel. Trixie forgot her phone at home, so she didn't take any."
Lucifer leaned up, "I see. Well, that was a lie, Daniel. Beatrice didn't forget her phone, it was taken from her before they even left. Your ex couldn't show you any pictures, because they never saw the sights. Instead of your spawn visiting one of the most beautiful cities in the world, learning about the paintings, and sculptures of Michaelangelo and other artists, young Beatrice was left in a hotel room with a nanny most of the time. Sitting around watching tele in a language she didn't understand was not the vacation in Rome she'd expected. The only time the child left said hotel, was when she was taken to be fed at the local eateries."
That piece of information was new, and it angered him. His eyes narrowed, "She... she didn't tell me that." he drained half his glass in one swallow. The liquid burned but easily stopped him from yelling, because that's really what he wanted to do right now. He leaned back into the sofa and took a few deep breaths. "She didn't tell me any of that."
"Yes, I would imagine she lied about that as well, of course she would. Why wouldn't she?" His face was firm, trying not to let his anger get the better of him.
Michael squeezed his hand, "Babe, stay calm."
Lucifer took a breath and settled down.
"Trixie never said anything about it either, why? Why didn't she tell me?" Dan looked at Lucifer, "What did she do? How do you know what they did on her vacation, did you follow her?"
"No, he didn't. Your daughter didn't tell you what happened because she thought you and her mother would fight if you knew what had happened." Michael responded. "She wanted to avoid that conflict. Young Beatrice is very intelligent, for a fledgling."
Lucifer picked up as soon as he finished, not wanting Dan to have a reason to question Michael just yet. "Daniel? Do you really want to know what she chose to do instead of giving Beatrice a dream vacation in the most beautiful place in the world?" he raised his eyebrow, but gave no time for Dan to respond, "Why she denied your spawn the knowledge and wonders of Rome?" his voice was now the way it sounded when he interrogated suspects. "Not that I don't plan to make it up to the Urchin at some point, of course, but would you like to know why she was left alone?"
Dan nodded, he knew when Lucifer got like this, it was with good reason. He nodded his head, "Please."
"Easy brother, please." Raphael suggested as his hand made a slight gesture toward him, "For his sake."
"Okay, okay." he took a calming breath and continued. "She went to the Vatican Library to do research on the Devil."
Dan shook his head, and palmed his face. "Fuuuck. The one place on Earth with all the wrong information. She could have just asked me. Dammit, Chloe. How could you be so stupid?" he looked at Lucifer who now stared at him as if he were intrigued. Michael simply smiled. Dan let out a small laugh, "What? It's true and you know it. The Vatican? Ugh..."
"Well, of course I know it, Daniel! Question is, how do you know it?" he replied with a sarcastic tone.
"Come on man, you really believe that a creature the size of two of me has horns and hooves, red skin, a tail, bat wings and carries a pitchfork? Na man, that's a made up story to keep kids from doing bad crap." He drained the rest of his glass as he heard Lucifer scoff a laugh. "Think about it, the Devil is the son of God, right?"
Lucifer scoffed, "Unfortunately, yes, I am."
Dan let the metaphor slip by. He was used to it by now. "Okay, so there is no way God creates something like that, then calls him His most beautiful son. Dude, I know you have this whole Devil thing going on, I get it, it works for you. You built a successful business out of it. But seriously, even God wouldn't put an evil being in charge of the prison. The Devil story makes no sense."
"In that, you are correct." Lucifer replied. "I'm not Evil, I punish Evil."
Raphael had gotten up and walked to the bar, retrieving the bottle. Dan's eyes followed him with a heavy flow of desire. Lucifer picked up on it and easily prayed the info to his brothers. Raphael returned and refilled all their glasses. He smiled brightly at Dan.
Dan thanked him and continued, "Look, what I know about the Devil is that he was Gods most beautiful son. That makes him an Angel with a title of Devil."
"Archangel, actually." Raphael added softly as he looked at Dan. "One of eight."
"Archangel." Dan repeated with a smile back at him. He continued, "The story my grandmother told me was that he was sent to Hell to learn what asking for free will had done to humanity. That's - I believe - why Hell's there. Most people suck dude, you worked with us long enough to know that. Hell, you got most of them to confess just by asking what they desired in that voice of yours, and they just spilled their guts. You do the crime, you do the time, it's that simple man. The way I see it, Hell is the prison of the afterlife. Nobody's perfect, but if you try and do right, make amends for the wrongs, and ask for forgiveness, you just might make it upstairs."
Michael was impressed, Dan almost had it right. His soul, though not perfect, would go up if he died right now.
"I appreciate that, Daniel, honestly. It's not often that people see me for what I really am. That brings us to what happened when they returned." Lucifer smiled wickedly. "You do remember how your ex was different in the weeks following her holiday, do you not? I can refresh your memory if need be."
"Yeah, I remember." he nodded, "She did seem a little off, but again, I was going through a tough time from losing Charlotte. I wasn't in a good place, myself. You know that. I'm going to therapy now, so it has gotten better. I know it wasn't you, but Amenadiel that got her involved with the Sinnerman, Pierce. He was the one that killed her. I'm sorry that I blamed you for it, but I really wasn't thinking straight. That was wrong of me."
Michael sighed, "I'm sorry for your loss, Dan. Charlotte did earn her way to the Human Heavens though."
Dan nodded. 'Great, the husband has the same delusions as Lucifer. Shame, he's sexy as Hell.'
"Thank you." Michael smiled and winked. Oh yeah, they were listening to his thoughts on purpose. He tipped his glass to his lips and took a small sip.
"Crap. Did I say that out loud?" he flushed and looked at Raphael with slight embarrassment.
Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose. "He's the Archangel Michael, he can read your soul, Daniel."
"Come on man, stop it with that." he shook his head, "It's bad enough you think you're the Devil, but now you want me to believe you're married to the Archangel Michael, the Sword of God? Na, no way." he shook his head and looked at Raphael, "So I suppose you're gonna tell me you're the Archangel Raphael, the Healer, right?"
"Yes, I am." Raphael replied calmly as he took a sip of his beverage. He gave him a flirtatious smile. "I would love to heal you."
Dan felt his desire rise again as his cock began to tingle. Was Lucifer's brother flirting with him right now? He stared at Lucifer, "Seriously? Is your whole family like this, bro?" He couldn't believe what was happening. The last thing he needed was to get an erection with Lucifer in the room. He'd never live it down.
"Daniel, regardless of your obvious attraction to my very handsome brother, it's important that you understand who, or rather what we are, so this will all make sense to you. The longer you deny it, the harder this will be." he sipped his beverage.
He rolled his eyes and leaned back into the sofa. "Whatever dude, just tell me what happened so I can try and help her." he was trying to avoid looking at Raphael. He knew if he did, he'd get a raging erection. He was taking deep calming breaths.
"Right. When your ex saw my Devil face, she ran off in fear, something that most people do. I'm not offended by it..."
Michael cleared his throat and side-eyed him.
"Most of the time." he looked at Michael and smirked, then continued. "The priest she met with had given her a lot of wrong information. Most of it was taken out of context, or completely fabricated. After a few visits, he handed her a vial that contained a poison. She had been told it was a sedative. Oh, and she never even had it tested by the way, so that was not good in my eyes. Her being a de- well, you know what her job is, you would have expected her to at least want to know its contents, but no. She didn't even question it. Now, under normal circumstances, the poison, any mortal poison, wouldn't have harmed me. Unfortunately, at that time I had a bit of a mortality sitch when your ex was in my proximity." Lucifer's voice seemed angry again.
Dan noticed he cut himself off. He hadn't used her name once since they've been talking. It wasn't like him at all. He hadn't even referred to her as 'detective', and he had to ask. "Why do you keep calling her my ex instead of Chloe or detective like you always do?" He was trying to wrap his brain around the fact that Chloe would even consider such a thing.
"Yes, well I'm getting to that, aren't I?" He shrugged, "Eventually." he drained his glass. "May I continue, uninterrupted?"
He nodded as he held up his hands, "Sorry, sorry. Go on."
"Right, well after I had learned of their rather devious plot to send me back to Hell, I confronted her." He leaned up and refilled his glass, "She denied it, of course, and lied right to my face. I informed her that I knew of the plans the priest had made with her, and that an exorcism wouldn't work on me. I may be the Devil, but I'm also an Angel, and you cannot banish me to my own domain. Even dear ol' dad couldn't do it. Throw me into it, yes, but not keep me there." He scoffed. Taking a breath, he continued, "Anyway, when she learned that their plan was rubbish, she finally confessed to her part in the plot. By then, the priest had enlisted the help of another man, who murdered three people while trying to get me to reveal my identity. Kinley was arrested, later killed by Eve, who proceeded to summon a demon into his corpse."
Dan leaned back on the sofa listening to this tale. He did remember the case Lucifer was talking about. It just seemed too fantastical to be real. He let out a grunt as he wiped his hand down his face, "Ugh, come on man... You honestly expect me to believe this?" He knew Lucifer wouldn't take this seriously.
"Please," Lucifer held up his hand, "let me finish, Daniel."
"Fine, crazy person, what happened next?" he figured it would be easier just to let him get it all out so he could finally get the truth. Maybe he'd just ask Maze or Linda what happened.
"Now, I'm sure you remember the fiasco that took place at the Mayan, do you not?" Dan nodded, and Lucifer continued. "Well, all those recently deceased bodies had been inhabited by demons."
The story Lucifer was telling went right off the rails. Dan knew he would do something like this. "Come on man, you really expect..."
"Let him finish, Dan. There's a lot more for you to hear." Raphael said softly, dragging Dan's eyes to his. He placed his hand on Dan's shoulder, calming him. "You need to hear it, to understand. Please?"
Dan practically melted under his touch. "Oh... okay."
Lucifer smiled at the interaction, and spoke again. "It seems Amenadiel, in what his twisted version to return me to my domain was, had given permission to Dromos, a demon, to come to Earth. By doing that, he removed the wards I had in place for the others. He left the bloody gate of Hell wide open, and gave an invitation to Dromos to waltz right out. Without shutting the gates, my idiot brother had not only disrespected my domain, but allowed dozens of demons to come to Earth. Something I have not allowed in thousands of mortal years. Well, aside from Mazikeen, but I brought her up here myself. Seventy-eight people lost their lives because of the actions that your ex-wife, and my misguided brother took. He is now in Hell in a Loop of his own making. She could have talked to me Daniel, we had been working together for years. I could have answered all of her questions. Instead of doing that, she trusted a stranger, a priest no less. She didn't bother to research or verify anything he told her. So now, her Loop awaits."
"I... dude, that's a lot." his breathing had picked up slightly. Chloe did admit to all of that at the house, but he thought she was just freaking out.
"Right. Well, I'm not quite finished, Daniel. You see, after that night at the Mayan, I did return to Hell. I slaughtered every demon that came to Earth and harmed innocent lives. Then I spent nearly six thousand years going over everything that your ex had ever done to me. I have an eidetic memory, and can remember even the smells and ambient sound of that memory if I choose. Once I came to the realization that I was not to blame for the actions of what others had done, I was able to let it go. I was then given a very precious gift. Something my beloved had entrusted to a demon for me." He held Michael's hand, and gave it a gentle squeeze. "That's when I returned to LA. Michael met me here, and we vowed never to be apart again. He proposed, as you would call it, that night. Your ex however, did not take the news well. She had been under the assumption that I was somehow pining for her during my exile. That I would only return for her." He scoffed, "As if her lies and betrayal weren't bad enough, she expected a relationship with me. After what she did, after the way she treated me, I could never trust her again."
"Dude, you were gone for three months, not thousands of years." he said while shaking his head. "She told us you were in Florida. I get it, Florida is Hell for a lot of people, and I can understand that it felt like you were gone that long, but come on man. None of this explains why she's out of her mind thinking you had flaming red eyes and that she's going to Hell. What did you do to her?"
Lucifer stood up and stared down at him, "To show you would make you as insane as all those that have seen them before, and you don't deserve that, Daniel. I won't do that to you, or the urchin."
Raphael agreed with him, "We can prove who we are, but you may not handle it well."
"Most humans don't" Michael added.
Raphael smiled, "I can do it. I don't freak humans out as much as you guys, and I can keep him calm during it."
Dan ran his hands through his hair in frustration. Another one that's both hot and delusional. This was like dealing with crazy people. Why can't Lucifer give him a straight answer?
Lucifer heard his thoughts, "Oh for - Dan, look at me." Dan looked up, and was hit with a blast of air as two giant wings emerged from Lucifer's back. "Believe me now, or shall I have Mi and Raph add to your newly broken mind?" He furled them away, grabbed his glass and walked to the bar. Michael followed him as Raphael stayed and made sure Dan was alright.
Raphael placed his hand on Dan's shoulder to ease him out of his shock. Taking in a deep breath, Dan came around, "You... you're... you..." Raphael removed his hand quickly.
"Spit it out Daniel, we haven't got all day." Lucifer quipped. He was trying to be his light-hearted self, and wasn't sure it came off that way.
"He's..." he pointed to Michael who nodded, then to Raphael who also nodded. He stared back at Lucifer, "You... Fuck. It's real."
"Language." Lucifer replied, with a mechanical response.
Raphael placed his hand on Dan's shoulder again, causing him to jump. "It's okay. Be not afraid. We won't harm you."
Dan calmed considerably looking into Raphael's beautiful green eyes, damn he was hot. He tore himself from them as his desire peaked once more. He looked again to Lucifer, and things started to click into place. "Wait... those... those were your bloody feathers in the Loft when Pierce was killed, weren't they?"
"Yes. I shielded your ex with my wings from the hail of gunfire when Cain's henchmen opened fire on us." he really didn't want to talk about it.
Just the thought of that had Dan writhing in pain on the inside. "You're okay though, right? I mean... Lucifer," he looked concerned, "we found over three hundred bullet casings that had no corresponding bullets. That... Holy Fuck... Lucifer, that must have been agony." No, it wasn't agony, this... agony would be easy... this didn't even have a word, at least, not that he knew of. How was he even alive after all of that?
Lucifer scoffed, "I appreciate the concern, Daniel." He replied with honesty and sincerity in his voice, then turned cold. "Considering that your ex knew the truth, and never once bothered to see if I was even alive after the fact. You are the only person to show even a smidge of feeling that I may have been wounded in the mayhem, aside from Miss Lopez, who seemed very upset over a small scratch to my arm. Considering you were angry with me at the time because of Charlotte, I could understand you being slightly stand-offish." He saw the way Dan stared at him. "Yes, it bloody hurt! However, working the bullets out of the bones afterward was much worse than actually getting shot." The comment was vicious.
Dan knew now why Lucifer showed Chloe his eyes. He saw the flash of red... brief, but it was still scary. He shook it off easy enough. His thoughts turned back to Chloe and her actions that day. How could she've walked away so easily from the man that saved her life? That day was insane, and, now that he recalls, she barely made mention of Lucifer. Dan walked to Lucifer and threw his arms around him. "I'm so sorry, man. I didn't know... If I did, I would have come to check on you..."
"What on Earth..." Dan was hugging him and it was awkward.
Michael let out a small laugh, "I guess he really is fine. Or he just wanted to feel you up. It's hard to say." He raised his eyebrows in a joking manner to keep Lucifer calm. "Awww, I think he likes you."
Dan kept repeating he was sorry.
"Mi, behave." He smiled.
"Where's the fun in that?" he blew Lucifer a kiss.
Lucifer pat Dan on his back the same way he pats Trixie's head, "Yes, yes, you're forgiven, Daniel. Do let go of me, please. You're wrinkling my suit with your... well, your you-ness." He let out a small laugh.
Dan pulled back, "Na man, that's just... Dude, you could have been killed! I mean, what the fu- uh... Hell?" He took a breath, "Chloe told us you were okay! You said you were okay! All you had was a cut on your arm from where Pierce slashed you. But Chloe... Chloe saw your wings get shot up like that, and she thought you were gonna be fine? Like nothing was wrong?" he was near the point of shouting. He looked over at Raphael pleadingly, "Did you check... I mean... You're sure he's okay, right? Did he let you check them? I mean, they looked gorgeous, but still."
"It's okay. He's fine, Daniel. Our wings, when furled in the pocket dimension, heal rather quickly with a bit of time. Though, I'm sure Lucifer will tell you that it hurt like Hell when the incident itself happened." Raphael replied with a soft voice as he, once again, placed his hand on his shoulder. Dan gave him a smile that conveyed way more than just a smile.
Oh yeah, Dan was smitten. It was clear to everyone in the room but Dan himself.
"Oh, please, the battle with Chaos was a walk in the park by comparison." Lucifer quipped as he drained his once again near full glass.
Michael nearly spit his drink, "Fuck me, really?" He shivered with the thought. "That bad?"
"I would love to, but later, darling, we have company." He nodded with a wicked smile. "The worst part was after I'd gotten back to the penthouse. When I unfurled to check them, some of the bullets scattered around and finding them at that time was simply out of the question. It took another seven bloody hours of them being unfurled for the last of wretched things to work out of the bones as I healed. I preened all the bullet riddled feathers out, well, the ones I could reach anyway. Took a shower to wash off the blood, dried them as best as I could, and furled them away to heal. They took a bloody week before they were back to their proper state."
With a look of absolute shock, Dan shook. "You... you removed all the bullets by yourself?" The pain that Lucifer must have been in had made him queezy. He'd been shot before, and if one bullet hurt like that, he could only image what over three hundred rounds must be like.
Lucifer rolled his eyes, "No Daniel, my wings pushed the bullets out on their own. All I could do was sit and feel it happen as I preened myself." He rolled his eyes, "I'm still an Angel, so it wasn't nearly as bad as it would have been for a human. It's not like I haven't been wounded in battle before." He scoffed.
Raphael gave Dan's shoulder a gentle squeeze, "Dan, it's alright. Angels can withstand incredible pain that a human could never understand. Lucifer has been the only one of us to ever feel what it was like to have taken a projectile from a human weapon. A bullet, as you call it. Normally, your mortal weapons do not harm us at all. Thankfully, they no longer harm him either."
"Wait. Wait, wait..." Dan shook his head, remembering what he'd learned about Angels, "how were they able to shoot you, anyway? I mean... aren't Angels supposed to be immortal?"
Lucifer scoffed a small laugh, "We are. However, your ex is, or rather was, like kryptonite for me. She was created by God, as a Trojan horse, if you will."
"Wha-" Dan shook his head quickly, "You mean your... God, your father, tried to have you killed?" It flashed in his mind how often Lucifer talked about his father being 'a cruel, manipulative bastard'. Could that possibly be true? Was God really the 'Old Testament' deity and not the kind, loving God everyone believed him to be? If that was true, Ella was going to need Therapy... lots of it. "Seriously, man?"
"Meh..." Lucifer shrugged and refilled his glass, "Wouldn't be the first time."
Michael took Lucifer's hand, "He wasn't actively trying to kill you babe, you know that. He created the miracle to trap Amenadiel, and she did just that. You attached to her simply because your power didn't work on her, and you saw something familiar. That, and you missed me."
"I did." Lucifer smiled at him.
Dan saw the look between the two of them, now understood Lucifer's attraction to Chloe. Michael's long blonde hair, those incredibly bright blue eyes, he was the definition of beautiful. It all made sense now. That's why Lucifer hung around Chloe, to be close to Michael again. Then he remembered what she said about the boyfriend in Heaven. "You were the boyfriend in Heaven she spoke about, aren't you? How long were you two apart?"
"Thousands of years." Michael's voice was soft, but laced with sadness at the memory.
"Millions, in my case." Lucifer said with a sigh.
Dan was clearly confused. "How is it millions for you but only thousands for you? I don't..."
"Time in Hell moves much faster, Daniel. I was gone for three months when you believed I was in Florida, and on Earth you would be correct. For me in Hell, it was just over six thousand bloody years." Lucifer said with a soft voice. "It's Hell, nothing there is made to give you happiness. It's so hot it can freeze your bones, and no soul has ever gotten out."
"Mom did." Raphael replied, "So, that's..."
"Uh, She's a Goddess, and not a soul. So, it doesn't count." Michael raised his finger to interject, "Plus, she wasn't even supposed to be there."
Dan shook his head, all of this was too much. "Your mom was in Hell? Guys, I'm so sorry."
"It is what it is, no point dwelling on it." Lucifer looked at everyone, "Right. Now that we got that squared away, shall we return to the others?"
"Wait... What do I do with Chloe?" Dan asked honestly, "Lucifer, she's really not okay. I can't leave her like that, man, she's a mess."
Michael looked at him and let out a breath, "There's nothing you can do, Dan. She knows her fate now, and her guilt is starting to consume her. It's only a matter of time, if she hasn't already succumbed to it, that is." he looked to Lucifer and gave him a nod, hoping he would help Dan through this.
That scared the Hell out of Dan. She was home alone. He left her alone and she's going insane.
"It's not your guilt to carry, Daniel. Please, don't think it is." Lucifer took their glasses and placed them on a tray. He'd have to bring them to the main bar to be washed and return them later. "I'm sorry to say this, but Michael's right. Nothing you or anyone else does can help her now. Even if I were to forgive her, which I have no intention of doing, the rest of her guilt will still weigh her down. She has quite a bit of it from her past that cannot be forgiven."
"Well, I can at least try and help her."
"She can't seek forgiveness from the dead, Daniel." his face was stone, almost expressionless. He took a breath and continued, "Besides, once a soul has seen their fate in Hell, they can never unsee it. What's done is done, I'm afraid."
He nodded, as much as he wanted to help, he knew he couldn't. This was not what he expected when he woke up this morning. "Okay. Okay... well then... What do I do about Trixie? I can't leave her with Chloe, she's a total basket case right now." Dan sighed, "She kept repeating herself, and had no idea we were even in the room with her when we got there. I had to snap her out of it by talking to her, but even when we were talking, she'd zone out on me like she forgot where she was. I can't leave her alone with Trixie."
"Well, I hope you have proper accommodations for the urchin at your place." The look on Dan's face let him know he didn't, as his panic started to rise. He understood what he was going through, none of this was going to be easy. "Daniel, if you need assistance, I'm more than happy to help out. Considering I'm the reason you are now in this situation. It's not something you could have remotely prepared for. I have two empty apartments here at LUX, and several homes throughout LA that should suit your needs. Parting with one for the sake of your spawn's happiness is the least I can do. Fully paid for, of course, as well as the utilities, internet and such." he waved his hand as if it were no big deal.
Dan smiled at him. The Devil wants to help him with a home for his daughter, "I appreciate that, Lucifer. I do, but you're not responsible for me and Trix, and you're not the reason I'm in this situation, Chl - she is."
"Right, well, I am, in a way, partly responsible. Had none of you met me, this situation would not have come about." he tilted his head, waiting for Dan to catch on to what he was saying. "It's not like I can't afford it. I have more money than most governments."
After thinking about it for all of three seconds, he took a breath, "Let me talk it over with Trixie first."
Lucifer raised an eyebrow, "If you leave the decision up to the spawn, she'll want to move here." He eyed Michael, "We'll never have privacy in our penthouse again if that happens." he picked up the tray and motioned for them to get moving.
"I'd rather not have my daughter living above a nightclub, but thanks. I won't mention the apartments here, but if you could send us some info on those other apartments, that would be great." They walked to the doors and made their way to the main bar.