Raphael, Jophiel, Gabriel, and Alexander stood at the end of the driveway, awaiting the arrival of Lucifer and his precious cargo. It had taken Alex more than a few minutes to extricate himself from the mostly world-weary angels present.
The heavy black luxury Mercedes Benz pulled into the driveway agonizingly slowly, stopping right in front of the door. The first to jump out-how could it be otherwise?—was Trixie. Alexander's first impression was that the girl looked more like a mini kangaroo with a giant sugar rush than a human being. The next one was Lucifer, sweating, pale as a corpse, and moving more or less like an automaton as he got out from behind the wheel. It was clear that he was now temporarily incapable of forming a simple, coherent sentence. Raffa and Jophiel shot to the back door to help Doc Linda out of the car and immediately took her to a bedroom that had been prepared for the delivery. At the same time, Maze came to a half-sliding stop with squealing tires and didn't even bother to park her bike properly. She just dropped the thing as she jumped off. She growled two things in a row that seemed like a single sentence because of the speed at which they were spoken:
"That damn fool, I should have skinned him! Where is Linda?"
Alexander began to feel more and more that this day was slipping away from him. The demon was in anything but a friendly mood; her best friend was about to give birth, and the house was crawling with angels, her natural enemies, whom she would love to snuff out one by one. What could possibly go wrong in this situation? He told Maze where to find Linda and urged her to leave Raffa and Jophiel in one piece, as they were here to make sure that both Linda and the baby would get through the birth perfectly. He gently led Lucifer through the house to the large bar in the living room. From the moment he saw the bottles, life seemed to come back to him. He flew behind the bar, grabbed a bottle of whiskey, took a big swig, not caring for a second that he didn't look too sophisticated, and only then filled a glass. Trixie had lost all interest in the Devil when she saw about twenty people standing in the garden through the large glass wall. Her eyes widened, for the clothes most of them wore simply betrayed that these were not ordinary people. She grabbed Alexander's hand and squeezed it enthusiastically. Had he not been celestial, he could have sworn she would have broken his fingers. She asked:
"Are they all angels?"
He replied:
"Yes, they are all here to welcome Linda's baby and to talk to me. Why don't you go out and say hello? Remember, most of them are not used to children and are not really aware of what has happened on Earth in the last few thousand years, so they may react a little strangely."
Like a whirlwind, Trixie disappeared outside. Satisfied that he had gotten rid of one problem for now and that he would probably not be the only celestial with a headache anytime soon, he turned his attention to more important matters. At the bar, Lucifer's face began to regain its color. The enormous weight of being responsible for Doc Linda and the baby for a while had been lifted from his shoulders now that he had left them in Raphael's more than capable hands. After chugging his second full glass, his eyes fell on Gabriel, who had been standing there in complete silence the entire time. The devil's face turned red, and he hissed:
"GABRIEL! What the hell are you doing here?"
"The same thing, we're all here for Luci. The baby and, of course, to meet Alexander. Not to mention that we are all eager to have you back among us after all these thousands of years."
The Devil looked toward the large glass wall Gabe had pointed to and only now caught sight of the group of Angels gathered in the garden. He instantly changed color again. But now it seemed like a mixture of green and gray. He forgot the glass from which he was drinking and again put the bottle to his mouth. Alexander thought this was the moment when he should intervene before the Devil either fainted or turned into his devil form. Frankly, he didn't know which of the two might cause more trouble or more harm. Were it not for the fact that Doc Linda was currently facing another little problem, this would have been a prime time for one of her sessions with Lucifer. Calmly, Alexander said:
"Why don't we go to the top floor very privately? I have turned it into a sort of suite with a pleasant sitting area. There is more than enough booze for you, diablo mio, so you can relax. The rest is for later."
Arriving at the top floor, Lucifer immediately flew to the sitting area and grabbed the bottle of Macallan Alexander had manifested especially for him. He took the first big swig from the bottle, and only then did he pour himself a glass. He dropped onto the sofa, his gaze fixed tightly on the seemingly perpetually smiling Gabriel. Alex quietly waited out the storm that was undoubtedly about to erupt. Gabe let his gaze glide over the large, open, loft-like space. A third of it was occupied by what was clearly Alexander's sleeping quarters. The middle section was more of a youth-hanging area than a sitting area. A couple of very easy chairs, a very comfortable sitting/hanging sofa, and a couple of beanbags. In addition, a bunch of classic pinball machines and arcade computer games. The third area was more serious. A large antique-looking desk with a luxurious office chair surrounded by a multitude of bookcases and bookshelves that were still mostly empty. Alexander closely watched the Devil's eyes that never left Gabriel's sight for a second. The color was somewhere between his natural brown and the red of hellfire. Gabe spoke softly:
"Hello, Luci, long time no see."
Lucifer's eyes now lit up completely with Hellfire, and he said snidely:
"And how would that be? For thousands of years, tens of thousands if you consider the progression of time in Hell, I have not seen any of you, not heard a word! And now you sit here and pretend we wouldn't have seen each other for some weeks. You have left me all on my own!"
"You're right about that, brother. We made mistakes; we let you down. We realized far too late that you were right from the start. I can only express my sincere regret and ask for your forgiveness, brother."
Lucifer emptied his glass and filled it again. He was about to fly off the handle again but seemed to change his mind. He had always had a special spot in his heart for Gabe. The fire disappeared from his eyes, and he seemed to deflate like a balloon. He muttered:
"Oh man, what a shit show this is. Even Hollywood would reject it as too unrealistic. And believe me, I have seen some crap in this town. Ever since Father started his project, everything has gone tits up!"
Gabriel sighed deeply and said:
"Yep... Father and Mother, who were constantly at each other's throats. You were the first to see what the project, humanity, was hiding within themselves, the potential they have. And then the rest of the Host first divided into two camps. Your camp and Michael's camp. Well, the camp Mi was forced to lead, much against his will. Father had to intervene, or it would have come to an open war between the two camps. But the way he did it was completely misguided, far too much, too harsh, and far too far-reaching. And now, thousands of years later, we no longer have two camps in Heaven but three. First, Michael and his group want nothing else than to prevent a war between the other two camps and keep the peace. Then we have Amenadiel with his zealots, who still want to carry out Mother's wish and destroy humanity. Last but certainly not least, Rae Rae and her camp. She didn't deviate from your point of view for a second and constantly defended you even though she became something of an outcast in the Silver City. Were it not for Michael holding a wing over her head, making her absolutely untouchable then, euch..., accidents could have happened. Her camp may be the biggest, but they consist of our brothers and sisters that are not exactly made for battle. You have trained her well; she has become a power that should certainly not be underestimated, as Muriel had to find out to her great humiliation and shame on the training field."
With that last sentence, Gabe laughed out loud, and for the first time, a broad smile also became visible on Lucifer's face.
"She hasn't lost faith in you and your rightness for a second, Luci. She has continued to defend you relentlessly. So much so that right now half or even a little more than half of us are on your side and want change."
Gabe pointed to the large glass window behind Lucifer, where he could see the garden. The Devil stood up and looked out the window and instantly turned deathly pale. The sight of nearly two dozen angels getting comfortable in the garden was almost too much for him. With difficulty he returned to the bench, filled his glass to the brim, and knocked it back in one gulp.
"What are they all doing here?"
Alexander replied in Gabriel's place:
"They are not just here to see me and the new Nephilim Diablo. They are equally here to see you, to re-establish contact with their brother. So please don't be an ass and ignore them, and for Heaven's sake, don't burn them with hellfire! Give them a chance; let them exchange a few words with you. They are warned to give you space, that you need time. But they are your brothers and sisters, and they not only believe in you, but they still love their big brother, their Lightbringer. Okay?"
All the Devil could do was nod silently with difficulty. Finally, he asked softly:
"What does Father think of all this?"
Alex got a smirk on his face and said:
"I have the feeling we're not going to have to wait long for that answer. He won't take very long to get back."
"And then, when he goes Old Testament again? What are we going to do then? I just got free from Hell; I have no desire to be immediately dumped back there, but now I'm in the company of half my siblings."
"Didn't your youngest brother once say, Ye of little faith..."
Before any further words could be spoken, the three heard the heavy engine of the Aston Martin growling like a wild animal coming up the driveway. Alexander giggled and said:
"I knew I had made the right choice; that woman would have a hell of a time with that car."
He stood straight to go welcome Ella and Chloe, and Gabe and Lucifer followed. As he opened the front door, he saw the two women loading a number of bags from the sports car, and the last thing to emerge was an animal transport box. A thought wrinkle immediately appeared on Antichrist's forehead, and his confusion intensified when he heard from the box the clucking of what was clearly a chicken. He pointed to the box and asked dumbfoundedly:
"What is that?"
Ella, with her eternal smile, quickly replied:
"Well, Alex, you are too young to live here alone, so I have decided to come and stay here for a while until something more permanent can be arranged or other living conditions can be established."
Alexander said:
"That explains the bags, but that doesn't explain why there's a chicken in that box, and it doesn't sound very happy."
"Oh, this, this is my pet, Margret. I couldn't possibly leave her alone in the bathroom of my little apartment for so long."
Alex rubbed through his curls:
"Chicken, pet, Margret, bathroom..."
He shook his head and said:
"Okay, you and Margaret are welcome, but that chicken is not going to live in a bathroom here or run completely free in the house!"
His eyes lit up gold for a few seconds, and he said:
"Take her to the garden; I've put an enclosure for her there; I think she's going to have a great time. Oh, be warned, the garden is full of angels. Please don't make them crazier than they already are!"
Throughout his conversation, he had been watching Lucifer and Chloe. The Devil made no move to get closer to the detective and barely looked at her either. The detective in turn looked at him sadly but seemed to reluctantly accept the distance Lucifer now wanted to keep between them. If Alexander thought this got the surprises out of the way, he was deceived. Suddenly Trixie came flying toward him with a very red head.
"Daddy's on his way! He called, and I blurted out that Aunt Linda was having the baby right now, and he said he would come over immediately!"
Alexander blinked his eyes a few times, shook his head, and turned to Lucifer. Stuck his finger out at him and hissed:
"Fix this! You left everyone more or less in the dark while you told them that you are the Devil. Done, enough with the nonsense! Doc Linda is being helped by Saint Raphael himself along with another archangel; her baby is no ordinary baby but a Nephilim, and we have a football team of Angels in the garden who absolutely do not know how to behave among ordinary people! Fix this, and may your Father help you when Raffa has to come down to cure Daniel of a heart attack..."
With those words, the Antichrist walked into the kitchen of his new home. He needed a cup of hot cappuccino. A little coffee and a lot of warm milk and foam—that would help him calm down. The sight of the authentic antique Italian machine brought him to a halt. It was completely disassembled. Every piece had found a neat little place on the countertops of the rest of the kitchen, and an Angel who looked like a California surfer was intently studying the parts. Pouty but inwardly boiling, Alexander asked:
"What are you doing?"
"Well, man, this is such a great piece of engineering to make a hot, dark drink. I wanted to know how it worked, you know, man."
Alex closed his eyes for two seconds, and when he opened them again, hellfire was burning in full force, and he said icily:
"Out there somewhere, Haniel, your archangel of technology is walking around. Get him and put this device back together. NOW! If I don't have a cup of cappuccino in half an hour, then accidents are going to happen! The Old Testament is going to be a laughingstock compared with what I'm going to do to you!"
The surfer Angel, Sandalphon, shifted color and fled outside in search of Haniel.