Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared behind Lucifer. The circle of angels standing around the Devil, Alexander, Trixie, and the baby gave way respectfully. An amused voice came from the shadow as an imposing figure stepped out:
"Who would have thought that all the Archangel of Light needed to find his light switch was the Antichrist..."
Lucifer looked at his brother with bulging eyes. A second later, he was standing in front of Alex, Trixie, and the baby, his white wings fully spread to protect the children.
"Michael, we shouldn't be doing this! Leave these children alone; they are innocent. If you want to drag me back to hell, I swear I will go back voluntarily if you give me your word that you will leave them alone."
You could hear a pin drop in the garden; it was so quiet. The smile never left Michael's face. He tucked away his black wings, and it was obvious that he was not carrying his sword. Amused, he shook his head gently and said:
"Still the same Lucifer, I see. Probably won't ever change either. Talk first, then ask questions and think logically, maybe in the next millennium. That was always the problem. That's where all the misery started. You don't think; you have an idea, and you go full speed ahead like an idiot without thinking about the possible consequences. You had an idea, and before you realized it, we had reached the point where a revolution was about to break out in Heaven. You may be so noble and peace-loving that it never occurred to you to take up arms to enforce your demands. But you didn't think for a moment that figures like Uriel, Muriel, and Amenadiel would have had no problem with that. Father and Mother had to intervene, or those zealots would have slaughtered you and your group! Did they do it all wrong? Did they go way too far in punishing you? You won't hear me argue against that. But they are Deo and Dea, not me! Brother, if I were hostile to Alexander or our newborn Nephilim, do you think I would have allowed this group to come to earth? That I would have let them come near you or the Antichrist? Father is not in heaven, nor has he been for an eternity. I fulfill this role as best I can, hoping to keep peace between the various camps, but I am not Deo. I do not have his powers, and I am not tied to the throne. To be honest, I am tired of it all. I am not here for you either, Lucifer. If you want to talk to me later, we can. If you want to beat me up later? Let's do it on one of the many inanimate planets far from Earth so that humanity doesn't have to share in the blows when you want to unleash your regained light on me."
Lucifer looked deeply into Michael's eyes and saw no trace of dishonesty or deceit. But he could not muster a response, so he simply nodded and stowed his wings. Alexander placed a gentle hand on the devil's arm and spoke softly:
"It's okay, Diablo Mio. I think Michael is here for other reasons."
Alex stepped toward the broad blond Angel, made a slight bow of the head, and said:
"It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Prince Michael."
To everyone's surprise, the greeting Michael used was quite a bit more respectful. He bowed to Alexander and spoke:
"No, My Prince, the honor is entirely mine. Father will be back in Heaven soon. He would like to have had a conversation with you. Once he has arrived, Gabriel will inform you. In the meantime, he sent me this to give to you as a sign that he is absolutely not hostile to you and little Lucas."
A small box appeared in Michael's hand. The Archangel opened it, and a signet ring appeared. A few Angels standing close enough could be heard gasping at the sight of the ring. Even Lucifer was shocked at the sight. This was once his signet ring as the crown prince of Heaven. But his seal had changed slightly. His Heavenly seal now had an extension that told every Angel who saw the seal that the wearer was not only the son of Lucifer but also the new crown prince of Heaven.
Not too much later, most of the angels had returned to heaven. Jophiel had taken baby Lucas, against the wishes of a disappointed Trixie, and brought him back to Linda. Then Daniel, who had more or less dragged Trixie with him, had also made his way home after Chloe had asked him if he could watch their daughter for a while because she needed some time to herself. The detective had stayed a little longer, but when she noticed that Lucifer made absolutely no attempt to talk to her or even be near her, she finally left as well. Maze was not about to leave her self-selected sentry post at the door of the bedroom where Linda and Lucas slept peacefully. The rest of the stragglers had moved into Alexander's living room. Lucifer, Gabriel, Michael, Ella, and Jophiel, who would stay for about three days until Linda was fully recovered. Alexander had dropped into an armchair. Across from him, on the other side of the coffee table, sat Michael. Jophiel and Gabriel were on one sofa, and Ella was on the other, quite close to Lucifer. Alexander pulled out a gold chain from under his t-shirt and took it off. He took out the new signet ring he had just received from Michael and hung it on the chain, which was now adorned with two signet rings. The moment he put the chain back around his neck, it seemed to vanish into thin air. Michael, like the others, had clearly seen two rings and asked:
"Two rings, two titles, twice crown prince?"
Alex chuckled and said:
"Not quite, Michael. Yes, two signet rings. Two celestial titles, yes, but only one crown prince of Heaven. I am the Prince in the universe I grew up in; my sister, Casiel, is the Crown Princess. But you forgot two titles, General. Recently, I am no longer the crown prince of this hell in this universe, but the King. Let us say that I have retired your brother. But I am also the crown prince in the other hell."
Jophiel looked at him in utter disbelief. Gabriel's eternal smile had turned into a kind of smirk, as if he knew more than the others. Ella was already trembling to fire a series of questions at him, and Lucifer seemed to be looking at the blue screen of death, while Michael shook his head quietly. The general asked:
"So there are a few surprises in store for our Heaven and Hell, our Angels and Demons."
Alex said nothing, his smirk more than visible as he only nodded softly. Lucifer finally asked:
"But how, how can you be the Crown Prince of Heaven here, the King of Hell, and at the same time the Crown Prince of Hell and the Prince of Heaven in that other universe? How is that possible?"
The young Antichrist looked him sternly in the eyes and said:
"Lucifer, believe me when I tell you this. In some ways, I am just like you. I never lie, even when I promise the following. Your Father has always done everything in his own mysterious way. I have absolutely no intention of ever being mysterious or unclear. Well, yes, except for a little fun. Never for serious matters, never. I could give you my complete vision of the future right here and now. Were it not for two big buts. The first "but" will not be answered until I have that conversation with Grandpa and see how that turns out. The second "but" depends on your siblings. I don't know to what extent they will react to my plan and/or want to participate in it. So I will have to leave the answer to that question for a while, except to say that it is possible.
He took a sip of his tomato juice, stood up, and said:
"It's been an impressive day. And the next few days will probably be very busy. Besides, I'm still getting used to being tied to the thrones of Heaven and Hell, and that drains energy. So if you'll excuse me, I'm going to bed."
The group bid each other a friendly goodnight, but just as Lucifer was about to head out the door, Alexander said:
"Lucifer, do you have a minute for me, please?"
The devil nodded and closed the door, understanding that this was to be a private moment. Alex was quick to get to the subject:
"Do yourself a favor, Lucifer. Go home, and I don't mean Lux! You need time to think. You don't need any distractions in your bed, because that's only going to make things worse. Understand?"
The devil looked at the boy, his son, for a few seconds with those deep green, piercing eyes. Then he nodded and left the room without a word.
After everyone had left his sanctuary, the Antichrist had fallen back into his seat. He felt that this evening was far from over for him. He closed his eyes and decided to take a catnap whenever the opportunity presented itself. However, he did not have to wait long for the first disturbance of his rest. There was a soft knock at his door. Without opening his eyes, he said:
"Come in, Ella."
He had been expecting the little Latina and thought he knew what some of her questions would be about. The lab technician entered his room and saw that he was still sitting in his chair with his eyes closed. A little unsure, she asked:
"Is this a bad time?"
He chuckled and said:
"I would have found it much more surprising if you hadn't shown up, Ella."
She sat down on the sofa and asked:
"What's going on with Lucifer and Chloe? Something has changed in their dynamic since you more or less literally fell from the sky. I know it's often up and down with them, especially when Lucifer has something idiotic in his head. But this feels different."
Alexander took a deep breath and sat up straight:
"I can't tell you exactly what's going on, Ella. Not because I want to be a part of this secret, but because it's not up to me to tell you what happened. Either Chloe or Lucifer will have to tell you. Who knows when and/or if that will happen? If it doesn't happen in the immediate future, do me and yourself a favor and don't push and pull on Lucifer to get an answer to that question. You will get the opposite of what you want, believe me. The best thing you can do for him right now is to just be there as a friend. Once he has more or less processed what has happened and his blinds have fallen, he will know how to appreciate your sincerity."
Ella pondered Alexander's words, and there was a moment of silence.
"I worry about him, you know. He sometimes tends to have what we humans call an urge to self-destruct. It wouldn't be the first time he's tried to lose himself in booze, drugs, and...well, you know."
The smirk reappeared on Alex's face, and he replied, amused:
"Sex, Ella. You can safely say the word. Just because I'm a kid doesn't mean I'd never heard or read that word before somewhere. But I see what you mean. Indeed, his favorite outlets when he can't handle something emotionally are incredible amounts of booze, every possible variety of drug he manages to get his hands on, and... hmmm... a few people to get through the night with. Why do you think I'm sitting here on my couch instead of lying in my bed? I'm waiting until our ticking time bomb is about to explode and then going to attempt de-mining. Or at least an attempt to minimize the damage."
Ella looked at him piercingly and asked softly:
"You know what he's doing? Is this something divine, like The Big Guy being all-knowing?"
He laughed out loud and said:
"Not really, Ella. Believe me, even Grandpa El is not omniscient. Think of it as a volume control. He can turn it up or down depending on what he wants or needs to know. But if you have the volume knob at full blast every moment of your existence, it will drive you crazy. It is different with me. Think of it like a radio. I can tune the frequency. Right now I am tuned to Lucifer. It doesn't mean that I know, see, or hear everything that he does. It is more that I can sense if his fuse is lit and if he can put it out himself or not. If he needs someone to throw a glass of water on it."
A cold shiver ran down his spine at the thought he uttered aloud, making Ella laugh out loud:
"May Heaven protect me that I would be omniscient and know, hear, and see all that Lucifer is up to... eeuww..."