Gabriel fired off a prayer to the other universe, and in no time, Fuzzie appeared in the garden. The healer flew toward the boy on the couch to assist Raphael. Without looking up, he said:
"Mother is coming shortly, and she is bringing Michael and Samael with her, and none of the three are in the best mood..."
And indeed a minute later the Goddess appeared in the garden with her generals, and their faces looked like thunder. The Goddess stood by the couch and placed her hand on Alexander's forehead. It seemed that what had happened to the boy was only now beginning to fully penetrate Trixie, Anna, and Casiel. The girls embraced each other and looked anxiously at the motionless body of the young Antichrist, who was completely wet with sweat. Chloe, who saw how her daughter reacted, wanted to step towards her. However, Trixie's expression quickly changed. Gone was the fear, and in its place appeared anger. She bit at her mother:
"Stay away from me! You wanted to hurt Lucifer, and look what happened to Alex. I want you to stay the hell away from me!"
Decker had never heard Trixie speak so loudly and angrily. Her daughter may have been fast becoming a teenager, yet she always seemed to be good-natured and gentle. This was a part of her daughter she did not know. She was startled by the reaction and continued to watch from a distance. The newly arrived generals, Michael and Samael, saw their little brother lying helplessly on the couch surrounded by the visible concerns of two archangels, and their faces spoke volumes. Casiel and Alexander were the absolute youngest Celestials in their universe, and they were loved by all Angels and Demons for their cheerfulness and warmth to all. Seeing the boy so completely helpless hurt them badly, and Michael in particular struggled to suppress his anger. A few minutes later, which seemed endless, Fuzzie said:
"Okay, I got his breathing back under control. What about his heart rate?"
Raffa replied:
"That is slowing down and coming back to a normal rhythm. I have never experienced such a fast heart rate, let alone the irregularity of it."
The healer looked at the Goddess and said:
"It would be better if he were kept asleep for a few hours, My Lady. I don't know what the hell happened here, but it would do him absolutely no good if he had such an absurdly fast heartbeat a second time."
The Goddess merely nodded. Her hand resting on Alexander's forehead lit up gold. With that, the last signs of tension seemed to disappear from the boy's body, and his face suddenly looked peaceful again. When she spoke, the divinity in her voice was unmistakable:
I am going to put my son to bed, and then we will talk! The first person who even dares to think about having to start telling me a cock-and-bull story, I am going to burn out of existence immediately. Believe me, your Father will absolutely NOT be able to protect you. Understood!"
Those present kept quiet but nodded meekly. Angel, Demon and Human had more than clearly heard the gravity in the Goddess' voice and felt the message to the core of every cell in their bodies. The Goddess effortlessly lifted Alexander off the couch.
"Cas, show me his room."
The girl released Trixie and Anna and walked ahead of her mother toward Alexander's sanctuary.
There was a more-than-tense silence in the garden. The whole situation was out of control in record time. Everyone was nervously looking for a seat. Rae Rae sat down between Trixie and Anna and put an arm around the girls, who immediately snuggled up against her. Daniel dropped down next to Gabriel and Lucifer's twin. Lucifer, who still looked pale, after the verbal pandering he had received from Alex, sat between Linda and Ella. Baby Lucas was still held protectively in his arms, and Linda saw that this seemed to calm him down, so she left it that way. Ella sat close to the Devil and wrapped an arm around his upper arm. Against his nature, Lucifer permitted this intimacy and even found strength in the fact that the small Latina took such care of him.
Samael and Michael remained upright, each on one side of a comfortable seat that remained empty. One did not have to be a genius to know that the Goddess would be seated there once she put Alexander to bed. Both generals let their not particularly friendly glances slide over the rest of those present. The only one left standing was Chloe, who did not know how to react. Not only because of the confrontation with Alexander and the particularly harsh words he had spoken. The way Daniel and Linda looked at her made it clear that those two didn't want her company for the moment. Ella, who was leaning so close to Lucifer that she was almost sitting on his lap, looked at her, downright furious. However, Decker was also impressed by what had happened to the boy and how Trixie was reacting to her now that it appeared to be common knowledge that she had planned to send Lucifer back to Hell. She had been half in a panic earlier when she realized she had almost helped kill a child of God and still feared how God would react once He showed up. The knot in her stomach was ten times worse now because Lucifer's son was currently unconscious, and his mother, a Goddess that is, had shown up, and she seemed anything but pleased with what had happened. Chloe slowly began to fear that this night might turn out very badly for her. Her hand was still on the butt of her gun, although this was now completely unconscious, and she had absolutely no intention of drawing the weapon. The Archangel Michael from the other universe, better known as Micky, let his hostile gaze fall on the detective. The words he spoke were not exactly encouraging to her:
"Sit down, woman! And if you don't release that weapon of yours in the next two seconds because of the children present here, I'm going to make you eat it!"
She looked into his bright gray eyes and wanted to say something but was cut off by Samael:
"We know who you are, Decker! It's somewhat hard to grasp, even for archangels like us who have already seen everything humanity has to offer, but you seem to be an even bigger idiot than that Devil of yours, who is Alexander's natural father. You are the main reason why our baby brother came here. You and your entire planet are fucking lucky that Mother has given us strict orders and that she talks first before taking action. If you were still in doubt, let me introduce ourselves. We are the counterparts of your Michael and Lucifer. In our universe, we are like your twins, the Demiurge. If that word is too hard for you, see us as the literal Will and the Power of God! How much trouble do you think we would have to reduce this piece of stone, that you live on in this immeasurable universe, to nothing but space dust? And believe me, that was our first thought. Picking up our little brother and sister and then reducing this part of the universe to a black hole! So sit the fuck down and shut up until the Goddess gets back because I'm sure she has a few questions for you now that her little son is unconscious. If you think your God can go Old Testament, know that's nothing compared to Mom when one of her babies is hurt!"
From Lucifer's side, Ella's voice didn't sound too friendly either:
"Your mom isn't the only one who wants to have a heart-to-heart with Decker! Because of Alexander's speed of action, I hadn't gotten around to it yet, but I certainly have not forgotten it!"
Micky looked at her, and a moment later, a smile appeared on his lips as he said:
"You must be Ella Lopez. The bubbly girlfriend of that Angel over there who eats a truckload of happy pills for breakfast every morning. This could be fun..."
The next few minutes were spent in complete silence until the Goddess stepped into the garden. She lingered for a moment by the couch where Trixie and Anna were in Rae Rae's arms. She placed a hand on the girls' heads. The Goddess scanned the two superficially for a moment, and what she got to see pleased her. She spoke telepathically to the girls so no one else would hear her message for them:
"Don't be afraid, Anna. Yes, it has been a strange few hours, but you are safe, and Alexander is doing fine. He just needs some rest. He is still so young, and everything was a little too much for him, but he will be fine. Be welcome to the family, girl. I give you my word as the Goddess that from now on you are not only under Alexander's protection but under the protection of every Angel and every Demon from two universes. Something I am going to make absolutely clear to everyone in a moment. And you, dear Beatrice, a soul as pure and bright as yours, I have only seen a few times in my long existence. No wonder my stubborn son asked his sister to protect you and Anna. That wish of his is my pleasure to make sure it will happen. A great future awaits you, girl, if you hold on to your light and your dreams. But what is much more important right now is to remember to be a child, to want to be a child, and to enjoy that carefree time. You will be an adult long enough, and your youth goes by so damn fast, so enjoy every moment of it. And if the three of you, Anna, Casiel, and you Baetrice, would work together from time to time to give that sometimes much too serious son of mine a bit of a heartburn, see it as a bonus. And the same goes for you, Beatrice; welcome to the family, because now every Angel and Demon is family and will treat you that way. Not only because Alexander wants that but also because I, as the goddess, decided that you are more than worthy and more than welcome. So girls, if you want, and only if you want, just call me Grandma and my husband, Robert, Grandpa. Believe me, for him it will be as if all holidays will fall on the same day."
Both girls had gotten watery eyes from the Goddess' words and the absolute warmth and love they felt in those words. The Goddess took a seat in the armchair vacated for her, flanked by Mickey and Samael. Her facial expression suddenly became dead serious again. Her first words were meant for everyone and were not open to interpretation. She pointed to Anna and said:
"For those who wouldn't already know, this is Anna. Anna is the niece of Casiel and Alexander and thus related to every Angel in both universes. In addition, she seems to be a close relative of your Mazikeen. Anna is under the protection of Alex and Cas and therefore under the absolute protection of my husband and myself. The same goes for Beatrice! She is now part of the celestial family. You would do well to spread this message to all your brothers and sisters and act accordingly to it! That goes for both universes, and believe me, I'm in no mood to have to repeat myself!"
The Goddess' words were more than clear, and she didn't need to add an extra threat to make her point that ignoring her words would be very stupid. She looked at Lucifer and said:
"And Mister Morningstar, how do you like your son so far? I am sure he will have shown and made you feel his mischievous, warm, and loving side. That is just the way he is, and he cannot hide it even if he wanted to. But I feel and I see from your face that he has been giving you the rundown. Anything meaningful to say? Oh, I would advise you to drop your infamous adolescent attitude; we heard from Rae Rae that you seem to amuse yourself with that kind of humor. I absolutely cannot appreciate that kind of humor at this time!"
The Devil suddenly had a very dry throat. This was not just any Goddess drilling her gaze into his eyes. This was a mother who had to do her utmost to suppress her anger for the simple reason that something had happened to her youngest child. He remembered all too well his own mother's outbursts of rage that had nearly wiped humanity out of existence a few times. But this mother seemed a thousand times more dangerous because she was apparently in full control of her emotions. That restraint coupled with the power of the primary throne was reason enough to be cautious. So when Lucifer answered, there was nothing to recognize of his natural bravado and rebellion against figures of authority. He was as meek as a lamb:
"My Lady, forgive me, but all of this is still so new to me, and everything seems to be following in such rapid succession that I have barely had time to get my thoughts in order."
The goddess made a motion with her hand, and everyone suddenly had a glass with their favorite drink in front of them. Her eyes remained on Lucifer. She said:
"Then let's make it a little simple and break things down into smaller pieces. But first give me my grandson; it's about time I met him. Ever since Cas and Alex knew Linda was happily expecting, they have pretty much driven me crazy with their impatience to meet him. Not to mention my husband, Robert, who can barely wait to meet the little guy."
Lucifer stood straight and handed baby Lucas to the Goddess. Linda sat watching the event with wide eyes and stammered:
"Grandson...grandmother...a goddess has claimed my son as being her grandchild..."
The Goddess, Salome, smiled warmly at the therapist and said as if it were a given:
"Well, if my daughter and son see Lucas as their little nephew, then I guess that makes the grandmother. I would caution for Robert because he will absolutely try and spoil this beautiful boy as rotten as possible. He's a bit of a nutcase who tried it with every child we ever had. Somehow since the arrival of Cas and Alex, it has only gotten worse. I can only imagine what it will do now that he has his first grandchild. Unless you would have something against your son becoming the grandson of a pair of gods, Linda?"
The blonde energetically shook her head and said:
"Oh, no, absolutely not. I no longer have parents of my own, and the only two grandparents Lucas has I can't exactly call trustworthy. Okay, I understand that Char ... hmmm ... Talia has totally changed. But what I experienced with her when she was still in Charlotte's body was terrifying. And Amenadiel's Father, well, the stories I've heard about him from Lucifer aren't exactly to get excited about either."
Salome nodded understandingly:
"Perfectly understandable, Linda. But don't worry about Talia. The only danger she represents now is the danger of extra pounds. Those cookies and cakes of hers are to die for... I learned very quickly that if Alexander was suddenly missing, I didn't have to look far to find him. That he was stuffing his face with a giant piece of chocolate cake at his grandmother's little farm. I really have no idea where that little guy puts all that cake. And as for El, I have a feeling that it will be fine, too. He may not be a loving present grandfather or ever become the warmest person you've ever met, but I think there will be peace. Trust me, you will encounter enough challenges with my husband Robert to prevent him from overindulging this precious child."
Lucas looked at the Goddess, grabbed a lock of her hair in his baby fist, and suddenly lit up again. The Goddess laughed and said to the baby:
"When your cousins were as old as you, they did the same thing, Lucas. The more fun the two had, the more light they emitted. Sometimes it seemed like a second sun had appeared in Heaven."
Her facial expression had gotten a whole lot warmer now that she had the baby in her arms. She looked back at Lucifer and asked:
"What startled you the most when our Alex ranted at you, Lucifer?"
Without hesitation, the Devil said with pain in his voice:
"That my father and I are equally massive idiots, that we do not seem to differ from each other in that respect."
"And is he wrong? Is it something he blurted out in his anger, or is there a source of truth in his words?"
Lucifer thought for a moment and then said softly:
"To be honest, I don't know. I have been angry with my father for thousands of years, and since two thousand years, when he let my youngest brother die all alone without so much as a word, let alone intervening, I hate him. I don't know if I can still think about him in a balanced, non-biased way."
Salome considered that answer and thought for a few seconds, after which she said:
"Angels like you were created by your God and Goddess. However, the problem is that this creation is not that much different from how humans procreate. It is extremely rare that children do not resemble their parents in some way. Genetics. Some children bear a striking resemblance to their father, while others more closely resemble their mother. Sometimes, just sometimes, it happens that a child looks very much like one of the parents. That the child looks like a mini version of the father or the mother. That may be physical but also in terms of their personality. That what I know about you is what I was told through Rae Rae. But I am not so careless or backward that I did not scan Alexander when I put him to bed and saw what your Hell looks like and what he was fed in there about how you have ruled and behaved in the past. You know very well that such things cannot be hidden from a Celestial Lucifer. Your being is intertwined with Hell, so also your past thoughts and behavior still reside in every stone of that rotten place, and it is going to take an eternity to get that out."
The Devil was about to say something, but the Goddess raised her hand to silence him, but it was clear to everyone that she was doing it in her mother role and not as a Goddess:
"This is not the time to talk, boy. If I want to hear you, I am going to ask a clear question. This is the time to listen and think. Understood?"
Lucifer looked down like a child who had just been lectured and only nodded.
"What I know from the stories Rae Rae and Talia told us is that your father is a huge bonehead who thinks he's always right. That's why he had completely shut Talia out of his little project. His ego has always kept him blind to the fact that Lilith and the way he created her were completely wrong. Maybe the last few thousand years in isolation have brought him some more insight, but I doubt it. In our universe we did not make that mistake; there has never been a Lilith. Because my husband and I always make important decisions in unison. Yes, our humanity project started like yours with a prototype male and female, an Adam and Eve, so to speak; other names, sure, but the principle is the same. We mirrored them more on ourselves. A strong man and a strong woman who could do great things together. Your Father did it all himself, and the project flew immediately off the rails because your Lilith was too much like your Mother, not the fit for his Adam like he had envisioned. That he banished her to Hell instead of welcoming her to Heaven shows that he hates to be confronted with his own mistakes. And that it is also the same reason why he exploded so incredibly when you rebelled. You were created as the personality of light and justice. Of course, at some point you would ask him that your brothers and sisters be given the same freedom that he gave people. He ignored that question, and the question became a demand, and that demand became a rebellion. However, his ego could not allow him to accede to your demand. Had he done so, over whom would have been left to have control over? Angels, Demons and Humans are al based on the same prototype. The Demons in Hell have better things on their minds than being grateful to God. The residence and job he gave them are not exactly things to be thankful for at this point. Robert and I made that same mistake in part with our Hell. That is not a pleasant place either, but we have never seen our Demons as some sort of necessary evil, and Hell itself has never been a dump. Look at Celine; she is a Demon but she is as much a daughter to Robert and me as Casiel is a daughter. After Alex's first visit to our Hell, the boy was so incredibly pissed. I had never seen him so angry before, and it was absolutely clear that this was not a temper tantrum you can expect from a child when they are freaking out. He lectured us. The kid was ten years old, so angry he was as red as a tomato and simply told God to stay out of his and Cas way from that moment on. That he would not tolerate dissent because the two of them were going to fix things up as they should have been since the day we created Hell. And I have to admit that he was right. That we should have known better, should have done better. What he and Cas made of Dis and the first four circles is simply breathtaking, and it is a world of difference from what your Hell looks like. Seeing that your Hell, having to accept kingship in those circumstances, will have hurt him tremendously because he simply hates it when persons have to suffer because of the fault of others. Humanity? They are merrily going about their business. Yesterday they had dozens of gods, today one god, and tomorrow they believe in the great spaghetti monster. Because our two universes are so closely related, there is very little difference in the way our history and yours evolved. That seems to be the nature of humanity mixed with complete free will. What you were demanding was that your Father should give up control over the only group left. Giving the angels, unlimited freedom as you demanded so that in time they could also turn away from him? That was a bridge too far. Your Father looked at you and was not so much incredibly furious with you as he was with himself and his thinking that he had failed. Accepting the fact that he, God, could make mistakes was something he could not swallow, so he mirrored his anger on something else, and you were the perfect scapegoat at that time. Why? Because you two are, in many respects, very much alike, and in others, you are each other's mirror image. Was his punishment completely inappropriate and far too heavily dictated by the wrong motives? Absolutely, I don't doubt that for a second."
She pointed to Samael next to her, and a soft smile appeared on her face and pride in her eyes:
"Let me tell you a story that happened millennia ago about this one here and then something about his little brother not so long ago. Samael went the same way as you, Lucifer. Just as proud as you, our great Lightbringer, the Archangel who hung the stars. One day he stormed into the office of his father and me in the palace. This was shortly after man had left our Garden of Eden to begin their great adventure. Like you, he is older than our universe. Billions of years old at that time, and yet he reacted like a rebellious teenager. He demanded that he be given the same freedom we had given humans. Instead of reacting as idiotically as your father, his dad and I took a moment to pull his ears and lecture him. Explained to him that he has just the same freedom as humans but that he was apparently too stupid to see and understand that. Did we punish him for his behavior? Flying into our office without any respect for protocol in the middle of the day and accusing us of something without having thought about it. Yes and no. Certainly no punishment in the traditional sense of the word. He kind of forced our hands. We could not let it slide, or the others might have thought we were playing favorites, and that is something we will never ever do; all our children are the same in our eyes. All our children are equally loved. When a child crosses boundaries, we will express our thoughts clearly. Think of his punishment as kind of a community service. On the one hand, to think about his mistake, and on the other side, to learn. We sent him to Earth to live among humans and get to know them for a while and partially stripped him of his powers so he couldn't make himself known as an Angel. And then we sent him to Hell for a while. Call it a forced apprenticeship at the side of his Dad so that he learned the inner workings of that place and got to know what kind of souls end up there. The difference with you is that his stay was not an exile, not a permanent situation. He was always able and welcome to come home when he needed one of his siblings or his Dad or me. Samael learned his lesson and is now still the right hand of my husband, the King of Hell, and is the commander of the warriors in our Hell. The lesson Samael had to learn was that the Celestial and the humans do not mix. Unlike your Father and, yes, your Mother at that time, Robert and I never had any problems when our children stayed on Earth among humans for a while. The problem with people is that when they are confronted with the Celestial, they start to worship the Celestial, whether it is an Angel or Demon and usually not for a good reason. Usually behind that worship there is something dark lurking; help us defeat our enemies, help us with your celestial powers to take revenge, make us rich and powerful, fulfill all our wishes, etc. Something we realized very quickly when humans still resided in the Garden, and that's why we instituted the prohibition that Angels and Demons are not allowed to make themselves known as Celestials. Are there exceptions? Of course, no one can control real love. Some of our children have fallen in love with humans. So we gave them the choice: temporarily give up all your celestial powers, become fully human, and after your life on Earth, you can live for the rest of your eternity with the partnet of your choice in Heaven with your powers restored. And we have quite a few of those couples running around in Heaven, I might say."
The Goddess took a sip of her drink:
"There is something about creation and evolution that has a will of its own. Have a chat with Alexander when he is back on his feet and has put this misery behind him. He has a much clearer view of it than Robert or me. Sometimes it seems like that kid can reduce the most complex things to an explanation or theory that is much simpler to digest than anything we could ever come up with. Evolution creates opposites. It has taken care of Celine and many others like her in our Hell. In your Hell, evolution has taken care of Mazikeen, and in a next step, if you look at that sweet girl over there next to Rae Rae. Anna and with her others in your Hell are that new step in the evolution of your Hell. However, in the past it has also created a new kind of Demon. something we did not envision at all when we created Hell and the Demons. Something that also seems to have happened here but at the hands of your Lilith. Somehow evolution always seems to find a way. A kind of Demons who are much and much more violent than the others, much less intelligent, more beast than beings who can make conscious complex thoughts for themselves. We have had millennia of problems from time to time with that group, and with each generation, the situation seemed to get worse. Rebellions, civil wars, attempts to take over the throne. But that is not unknown to you, Lucifer. This lasted until Alexander appeared and, at some point, decided he had enough of the BS and wanted to intervene drastically. He divided our Hell in two, as he apparently just did with yours. The worst Demons to the lower five circles where they have far-reaching autonomy. Demons like Mazikeen in Dis and in the first four circles. He gave them a choice, but it was not much of a choice. Either they agreed to his plan, and everything would proceed smoothly, or he would eliminate all the Demons from the lowest five circles, without any exceptions! He had to intervene a few times to make that state of affairs and the fragile peace between the two parts more or less permanent. It didn't matter that he was so young. I can assure you that as a mother, I worried terribly about that kid so many times. He was always at the forefront, the first to charge into battle. Alexander is a natural leader, consistently leading by example and never asking for anything he wouldn't be willing to do himself. His blond curls and combat gear are more than familiar to every Demon and Angel in our universe. And believe me, the two groups together gather behind Alexander as one man, and they don't care what orders he would give them; they follow them without asking a question because they know they can trust him absolutely."
Her warm smile and the soft look in her eyes did not change as she looked straight at the Devil:
"But apparently you are already as stupid as Samael was, Lucifer. You've been living on Earth for a few years now. Tell me, to what extent are you less free than Ella, Linda, Daniel, or Chloe sitting here? What things are they allowed to do in daily life that you are not allowed or able to do? And leave out for a moment the obvious, like walking down the street with your wings visible to everyone."
Lucifer parted his lips to speak, but swiftly shut them again. He tried a few more times and began to look like a goldfish on dry land. A mischievous smile appeared on Salome's lips:
"Hmmm, I thought so. You are just as free as them, Lucifer; you can do just the same as them. The only limitations are those you impose on yourself. And those are just the same limitations that your friends and every normal human being put on themselves. You never lie because it is your nature, and you hate it when people lie. That hatred does not come because you are created to hate lies and liars. It comes from experience with the consequences of lies, from what you have seen in thousands of cells in Hell. How those scenes you saw angered you and hurt you time and time again. Lies bring misery, and sooner or later they hurt others. And every fiber in your body resists innocent people being hurt in any way. You don't commit crimes, but neither do good people. You did have a problem, before you started working for the police, that you didn't realize that making deals with criminals can lead to worse or more crimes. All the people here present and the officers at the precinct, the place where you put so much value on and find so much satisfaction, make you a little better every day. And every day you appreciate yourself more; you love the person you are becoming simply by growing through what they show you, experience, and feel. You have not made a deal with a criminal in years because you saw the ramifications that could have. In that respect, I can only give you one piece of advice: keep growing, Lucifer. But that is also the end of the good news. You are inherently insecure just like your Father, and that insecurity causes you to be mean to people sometimes. You jump to conclusions, and in the case of a confrontation with a criminal or an alleged criminal, your first reaction is harsh punishment. And like your Father, you are a stubborn jackass who dares not confide in anyone to share your concerns with. You think you can or should solve everything on your own. If you cannot solve it, then you eat it up inside you until it becomes too much, and you take out your anger on yourself. You think your Father hates you; therefore, you have come to hate yourself. In your head and your heart, you are the literal Devil. Something everyone should be afraid of because you would be dangerous. You are convinced that you belong in Hell because you think you are a monster. Because your Father exiled you to that place and some of your siblings call you the great beast, the monster, and you believe them. You have come to believe the lies spread among people by some of your brothers and sisters. When you look in the mirror, how often do you see the monster as your Father called you in a rage shortly before he had you thrown into Hell? And if you see yourself as a monster, how could you accept that someone could love that monster? How could a human being accept you for who you are? How can a monster be worthy of another's love?"
Not a sound could be heard in the garden, and Lucifer wept silently. Ella embraced him and laid her head on his shoulder, letting her own tears flow. Her heart ached for the Devil beside her and for the thousands of years of pain, self-hatred, and loneliness this one must have felt. The Devil felt her; he felt her compassion and her support in that simple gesture. However, he also felt something new, something foreign to him but certainly not unpleasant. He felt that she was sincere in her feelings for him and knew for the first time since his banishment from Heaven that with her he did not have to worry about a hidden motive. Ella, what she felt, what she made him feel in that moment, was real. The Goddess, however, was not finished:
"Lucifer, dear boy, here in this little garden you have everything you need. This small group of Angels, Demons and Humans are the medicine you need. It is time for you to stop being angry with yourself because actually you have not been angry with yourself but furious with your Father. Over the centuries, that image has become so unified that you no longer see the difference. Forget your father; he is the past and no longer matters. This universe will find out that simple truth soon enough and see the new dawn that Rae Rae has been dreaming of since the day of your exile. You have more important things on your mind now, Lucifer."
The Devil looked the Goddess in the eyes and asked almost inaudibly:
"What things then, My Lady?"
She laughed amusedly and took another sip of her wine:
"For starters, I would start preparing mentally. I remember like it was a minute ago, the first time I held Alexander in my arms. I was heavily pregnant and could give birth to Casiel at any moment. Suddenly my belly lit up, and I knew the two would become inseparable. But they, like Michael and Samael, are opposites in some ways. Cas is the free spirit, always carefree and flying into everything without thinking twice. Without Alex, I would be incredibly worried about her. But from the moment I lit up, I felt Alex's soul reaching out to Cas' soul as if he wanted to take her by the hand to calm her down. Alexander is so young, but he can be incredibly serious, fretting over the smallest things and always worrying about everyone's well-being. Your title may be the Lightbringer, but Alex is the literal Lightbringer in the lives of everyone he meets. But make no mistake, Lucifer, that boy hides a hard, dark side. He can and will go Old Testament if forced to. Some of the worst demons in our Hell have experienced that firsthand and no longer live to tell the tale. If he is awake, then he is going to want to have a conversation with you in private. Your Father may be a screamer who thinks the volume of his voice impresses and makes others submissive. Alexander? This one is going to talk pretty quietly, but believe me, it's not going to be your best moment. Do yourself a favor and listen to what he has to say; let him speak his mind, and that will be the end of it. Our boy is not going to hold on for millennia to a stupid argument that can be settled in a few minutes. And if you are honest and think about your time in Hell and how you treated your Demons then deep down you know you deserve the lecture."
Lucifer nodded:
"I understand, My Lady."
"Good, and now that we have this nonsense about the past out of the way, I want to start talking about what you plan to do with the future. Alexander will be the very last person who would want you to change yourself, Lucifer. But your... lifestyle, let's say, is a reflection of that past. It is a constant reflection of that rebellion against your Father. Doing everything that he hates, that goes against his so-called moral code and how he wants and demands that humanity would be. And doing it in amounts that you hoped would make him feel sickened. What did that get you, and what do you plan to do with it in the future? And please be honest because, besides myself, entrusting my son to you in this universe, there are a few more people who would like an open and honest answer to that question."
The Devil wiped the tears from his cheeks and thought deeply for a moment. When he answered, his voice sounded extremely tired:
"Nothing; it brought me nothing. I had a conversation with Alexander in the penthouse last night after everything had settled down a bit after the birth of Lucas and everyone had gone home. I was about to do something stupid, as usual, when he suddenly appeared. As we were talking, he made it clear to me that I was an idiot for believing I was something that did not exist. That the Devil does not really exist, that it is not a person but a personification invented by mankind. A convenient excuse to avoid their own responsibility, to hang all their bad deeds and miserable behavior on. I pondered his words for hours. This morning I told Linda that I think the boy is right. In the past, excessive amounts of drinking, drugs, making deals and my..."
He took a quick glance at Trixie and Anna and chose his next words carefully.
"My nightly company, let us say, was to be able to forget things for a while. To escape my punishment of being the Devil, of the stigma of the fallen Angel. Except temporarily not having to think, it brought me nothing. Conversely, I learned that my person means nothing to others either. Some time ago there was a case where I was a suspect for a while. Of course, the detective, Daniel, and their colleagues had to investigate it and had a multitude of conversations with some of those people. Apparently I was good for a fun night but meant nothing else to them. The same goes for closing deals. It seems as if I, as a person, do not mean a thing as long as I could deliver what they desired the most at that moment."
He swallowed hard after uttering those words. Knowing that people thought so little of him still did something to him; even though it had been a long time since he had heard those words, they still echoed in his head from time to time. He took a big sip from his glass:
"I like having fun; I like it when people have fun at Lux, and that's why I don't want to give it up. Life seems to be hard enough as it is for humans, and those Pius rules from Father are, in a lot of ways, totally over the top. Let people have some fun; let them feel really alive for a while; celebrate life instead undergoing it as some kind of punishment. The endless excesses that bring nothing? I had already made the decision to end that. Not because anyone would demand that of me. Not because I now suddenly know I am the father of a son and have seen the light and want to become the prime example of what a father should be. No, it is that son, Alexander, who made it clear to me that I am who I am and that I should not change but rather look at the priorities in my life and ask myself what is really important to me. No, I want things to be different in my life for two reasons. First, to prove to that son of mine who loves to call me an idiot that I can be a responsible Devil. Responsible but at the same time still Lucifer Morningstar, the Devil. Secondly, because I want to seek and find something that is real where I do have something to gain. I thought I found this in the detective, but all that happened was that she weakened me. To the extent that when I am around her, I am as vulnerable as a human being, mortal even."
He silently lit a cigarette and emptied his glass. The rest waited quietly because everyone could sense that Lucifer had not yet spoken his last words on the matter.
"Everywhere I go, I see people in love and couples in love. Sometimes I am jealous when I see a couple enter Lux. When I look at their souls and see that they feel real love for each other, something that seems to strengthen their souls. With that kind of couple, there is not a trace of doubt about each other even though they are in Lux and even though their partner is observed more than attentively by other guests. Instead of doubt, a kind of pride can be seen and felt. Pride that they are the partner of and pride that their partner is aware of the attention they are receiving but that that attention is not taking a thing away from their devotion to their partner. In those couples, I don't feel a trace of jealousy because they are so damn sure of each other and themselves as a couple. That's why I don't understand. The souls of those couples I see reinforce each other. I thought that what I felt for the detective was real, but she made me weak. Throughout the millennia, I have seen real love in souls time and again during my visits to Earth. All this time I thought I was the Devil, thrown into Hell for a reason, a monster, not worthy. And yet my heart yearns, longs for love more than anything else. I would give up my immortality without thinking twice or having a single regret to be granted a single moment of being allowed to experience true love."
Everyone listened in complete silence to Lucifer's words coming from the depths of his soul. Chloe, Daniel, and Linda suddenly had a very different picture of the man who usually had a personality larger than life itself. Rae Rae, Jophiel, and Trixie cried softly as they had clearly felt the pain and tremendous loneliness in the words. Even Gabriel's and Michael's eyes had become watery with the realization of how their brother had led his existence after being banished from Heaven. Michael, who until that moment belonged to the camp that tried to be neutral to keep the peace in Heaven, changed camps. He would no longer be on the sidelines for one minute. A surprise awaited the zealots in Heaven, and his Father upon his return better make the right decision as far as Lucifer and Alexander were concerned, or he would start a rebellion, and Lucifer's would seem child's play with the one he was going to unleash. The hardened Mazikeen did not know where she should position herself. As Lucifer spoke, she saw herself confronted with her own past behavior toward him, and for the first time in her existence, she seemed to feel shame for what she had done. She therefore offered no resistance when Celine put an arm around her, as if she seemed to sense what was going through Maze at that moment. Without thinking, Maze laid her head on the blonde Demon's shoulder. However, it was Ella who, as usual, pleasantly surprised everyone. Well, everyone. The little Latina placed her hands gently on Lucifer's cheeks, pressed a soft, fleeting kiss to his lips, and said as tears ran down her cheeks:
"My stupid dear Devil, your son is absolutely right; you are an idiot! True love makes you stronger, not weaker."
Lucifer's mouth fell open after the kiss and Ella's words. It seemed like something exploded in his brain. Chloe watched the scene between Ella and Lucifer and felt jealousy and disgust at the same time. She was jealous that Ella had kissed Lucifer. But again she saw before her Lucifer's devilish face as she had seen it that fateful day when he killed Cain. For a moment she imagined Ella touching and kissing that repulsive face. She was about to say something but the Goddess was too quick for her;
"Lucifer, my dear boy, do yourself a great favor. Stop thinking about it and just act! The most important things, like love, come naturally and usually from an unexpected place. Open yourself, and you will find what your heart and soul so yearn for; that is a promise from a Goddess to you! And that weakness around Miss Decker? That is something you are doing to yourself. I think you heard about it; it's that pesky self-actualization some angels tend to do from time to time. I suspect that somewhere you will have picked up that people should be more vulnerable in a relationship. Because you thought you wanted to be in a relationship with your detective, you actually became vulnerable. What they mean by that, Lucifer, is that you have to allow yourself to open up, be truthful, and be vulnerable emotionally. Not physically, my boy."
Ella laid her head on Lucifer's shoulder, and the Goddess shifted her attention to Daniel:
"And you, Mister Espinoza? I understand you've had some trouble staying on the straight and narrow in the past. But you seem to have regained yourself under Lucifer's influence. Good for you. Let me let you in on a little secret. Now that your daughter is under the protection of my daughter and son, she is automatically under my protection as of now; she is my granddaughter as well. So you would do well not to repeat your old mistakes. Your daughter is the most important thing in your life. Dare to hurt or grieve Beatrice for any reason, and then you will not have to fear your God, not even Alex or Cas. That, what I can and will do to you, should frighten every cell in your body! Am I clear enough, Mister Espinoza?"
Daniel turned sheet-white; not even his own mom could scare him like this with just a few words and he said with a dry throat:
"Yes, Ma'am!"
The Goddess shifted little Lucas slightly in her arms so that he was in a position where he could fall asleep more easily. She manifested a pacifier that looked partly perfectly normal but partly seemed to be made of delicate crystal with a small figure of a baby Bugs Bunny. She put the pacifier in Lucas' mouth, and he seemed extremely taken with his new acquisition. The warm look vanished from her eyes that suddenly seemed to become steel-hard as she looked at Chloe. Decker suddenly became terrified, and the Goddess said with a voice in which one could hear fake friendliness:
"Detective Decker, maybe you can help me with a little problem. Apparently I am a little stupid even though I am a Goddess. Maybe a tiny human like you, who means as much as a pesky mosquito in the grand scheme of this universe, can bring me some illumination."
The unconcealed contempt that echoed in the Goddess' words absolutely hammered Decker, who was beginning to feel very ill at ease under that Goddess' steely gaze.
"Could you perhaps tell me what is so complicated about your God's law that murder is a very big no-no? Indeed, how did you, as a police officer sworn to uphold the law, suddenly find it a good idea to have to go kill someone? It doesn't fucking matter if that person is Lucifer or not! You agreed and were part of a conspiracy to murder a person in cold blood! Every person here present and all the police officers you have worked with think you are a by-the-book kind of person, a rational person who does everything according to the law and some kind of moral code. Yet you have allowed yourself to be lulled to sleep and believed that you would get away with such a despicable act with impunity and the blessing of your God because your envisioned victim was Lucifer."
Softly, Chloe said, but the accusing, chastising look in her daughter's eyes did not escape her:
"I've already said this to Alexander. It was absolutely wrong of me, and I fully realize that. I don't think I could have gone through with it even if Alex hadn't shown up. But my actions were motivated by fear."
The Goddess nodded softly:
"Yes, fear. Fear because of an image you've been given in your life by myths, legends, popular literature, and theological writings of which people have the incredible audacity to claim those are prompted by God Himself. Did that sickening little figure, that little priest who killed innocent people with his exorcism bullshit, bother to tell you what Satan means according to the Bible, or did he conveniently omit it?"
The detective looked at the Goddess, not understanding, who said:
"I understand. Your little priest has fed you everything people have said Satan would be but not what it means according to the oldest Hebrew texts on which your whole faith and fear of the Devil is based. Let me guess: the father of lies, the serpent, the great dragon, the tempter, and more of that stuff. And what did he show you? Sketches and paintings and images from the Middle Ages? Did you know that the first known depiction of Satan comes from the sixth century? Before then, Satan was simply known as "the adversary," the Archangel who rebelled against God and was banished from Heaven. Only much, much later were all these fanatical stories brought into the world by, yes, humans. And those stories became worse, more horrific, bloodier with each new narrative or new adaptation. You are the opponent of criminals, detective; if one were to use the ancient Hebrew text, I could also call you Satan. Are you Satan, detective?"
"No, of course not..."
"See, you don't get it. You hear a simple word, and instead of keeping the meaning of the word in mind, you immediately see, to use Lucifer's words from earlier, the personification of that word. You see the image that has emerged from that word through thousands of years of bad translations and ridiculous fantasies of people. Based purely on the literal meaning of the word, you are indeed a satan detective, an adversary. You had a partner by your side, and once you knew the truth, that partner changed from who he really is to what the word satan has become based on bad fiction. Suddenly he was no longer that partner who would unquestioningly sacrifice his life for you. That partner who protected you at every opportunity. The partner who freed you from your stigma within the police force and made sure that you went from being a pariah to suddenly becoming a rising star. The partner who would ensure that you would one day become a lieutenant and much more should you have wanted to. That partner, and admittedly somewhat unworldly man, who genuinely loves your daughter and treats her as if she were a princess of Heaven. The man who would mobilize Heaven, Earth and Hell to satisfy her desires. A man who was so harshly punished, humiliated, and tormented by his father and yet did not hesitate for a second to throw himself in the dust before that Father, surrendering to his whim and begging to spare your daughter and your very lives. You saw his devilish face, and not for a second did you see the victim with terrible burns that he really is. No, you saw a monster, and that monster had to die! Congratulations detective, it is a true achievement to think on the same level as a Nazi who saw a disabled person and thought, that is not a human being; that thing must die.
Chloe was startled by these words but even more startled by the harsh truth in them. The Goddess took a sip of her wine and said:
"Do you know what the absolute irony of it all is, Miss Decker?"
When Chloe didn't answer, the Goddess said:
"That your ex hasn't yet brought out his handcuffs to arrest you for conspiracy to commit murder. That you are still free because of the Devil and the Antichrist. I do not know Lucifer very well, but I am sure that he does not want to hurt Beatrice, and therefore he will not file a complaint against you. That somewhere deep inside he, is so messed up that he blames himself for you wanting to kill him and probably even agrees with you that a monster like him belongs in Hell. Those days are over, Miss Decker. Lucifer is not a monster; he does not belong in Hell; he is a victim of a God that I would very, very much like to have some words with. Lucifer lives on Earth; this is the place he wants to be and the place he calls home. You should do well to remember that this is his home! Alexander I know enough to know that he will have given you a warning and now that he sees Beatrice as one of us, he certainly won't want to hurt her by putting her mother behind bars. In case you should doubt it, Miss Decker, let me be clear. Alexander does not repeat himself when he has given a warning. So you would do well to remember his words very well if you don't want him to make them a reality!"
Chloe turned somewhat green at those last words from the Goddess. Salome stood up, stepped toward Linda, and handed her the sleeping Luke. She said:
"Do not worry about the pacifier; it's unbreakable even if it looks delicate. A lesson I had to learn the hard way with Casiel."
This was also the sign that this conversation was at an end. She stepped toward Anna and Trixie and gave them a kiss on their foreheads and said again telepathically:
"We will see each other again very soon, girls, I promise. Be good, and if that son of mine is a jackass, you have my permission to kick his little butt."
She turned toward Daniel:
"Detective Espinoza, it has since become an ungodly hour. May I advise you to spend a few hours here in one of the guest rooms before you go to work later? Call Beatrice's school and tell them your girl is not feeling well and is going to stay home for a day. Let the kids have a day and have a bit of fun."
Then she looked at Celine:
"Take the girls to a room so they can rest a bit and recover from this day. Tell Casiel she can stay here until the day after their birthday but then come home because I want her ass back in school, and no excuses will be accepted, or I'll come and pick her up myself! Tell Alexander that his dad, myself, and probably a few more guests will be here to celebrate their birthday. And warn him that in the meantime I don't want to hear the slightest bit of nonsense from this universe because I am so not in the mood! Understood?"
"Crystal clear, My Lady!"
The Goddess stood a short distance from the sitting area surrounded by Fuzzie, Micky, and Samael. With a steely look in his eyes, Micky said:
"Just a minute, Mom..."
He manifested a thick Cuban cigar for Samael and for himself a blunt that would make even Snoop Dog get big eyes. At his leisure, he gave his brother a fire and lit the blunt. As he took a few puffs, his gaze slid over the others present, and finally he said:
"Now that Mom has done her Mom thing and said her Mom thing, one more thing to add. And this message is from Samael and me to all of you, and what Mom and Dad think about it, we could care less. If our little brother is in such dire straits once more that he needs two head healers, shit is going to happen. If just one of his curls is out of place or if he catches something as stupid as a cold, we will hold you responsible. If anyone in this universe has the brilliant idea of having to ram a dagger into his back, literally or figuratively, know what awaits you. Our armies from Heaven and Hell are at the highest state of readiness and awaiting orders. Only one order will be given. Simple for no one to misunderstand. That apocalypse you humans love to talk about will resemble a sunny day at the beach once we are done with this universe. We will bring about eternal peace because in a completely empty universe there simply cannot be war..."