"And with that we come to the last bit for now. We have a lot ahead of us and I want to be rested when it breaks loose. I understand that you people need a lot more sleep than we do. I would advise you to get some rest and that means you too Lucifer because you have been living at the rhythm of humans for a while now. But I leave the choice to you. Should you wish to retire there are rooms prepared for you. However, if you want to experience this theater until the rest of us have to leave I can give you a burst of energy just like Beatrice."
Said Alexander and he looked at Trixie:
"But not for you Sunflower you are going to bed. Your father will wake you when it's time."
She looked at him disappointed but stood up to go to the bedroom where Charlie was already asleep. Suddenly she turned and asked:
"Why do you call me Sunflower anyway?"
He laughed:
"Because that name suits you better than Monkey. You are as radiant as the sun and as beautiful as a flower."
Her face lit up at those words and with a broad smile on her face she joined Charly and the bed that had been prepared for her.
"As mentioned I can give you a burst of energy, this one is not unpleasant as you have seen with Beatrice and you will be wide awake for the next 24 hours and it has no harmful effects."
Only Ella more than enthusiastically nodded but Daniel and Linda relented.
"On either side of the room where the children are sleeping there is a room provided for you. Those have a connecting door so you can get to the kids easily and quickly if the need arises."
After both were out of sight Alexander continued:
"The difference between the two universes. There should always be a balance. We have in both a Heaven and a Hell with Earth and humanity in between. In their universe it is purely the people themselves who are responsible where they go after death. No stupid rules like guilt that can take you to Hell. They are judged there for their deeds committed based on their free will. Here in this universe we have Godfry who behaves like a tyrant, who has a set of laws chiseled in stone and from which he does not deviated for an inch. Our Hell is full of hundreds of millions of souls. Approximately two and a half billion who are innocent, who do not belong there."
Ella almost choked on her drink and asked shocked:
"Did you say billion with a B?"
Alexander looked at her and said:
"Yep"
And he clearly let the P pop. After taking a sip, he continued:
"Yes hell is full of innocent souls. That situation needs to be straightened out. Dad and I have had endless discussions on how to get that done. What we have accomplished so far, thanks to joining forces, is to change the passage of time in the different levels. Time in the cells on level one is practically at a standstill. For the souls trapped there it will appear as if almost no time has passed when we can free them from it. With each level we descended, it became harder and harder to manipulate the passage of time. From level 5 on, we didn't bother. From that level it is also extremely exceptional that there would be any souls left to save. There is also something to be said for the opposite scenario. In Heaven there must be a bunch of psychopaths who absolutely do not belong there, slipped between the cracks so to speak."
He pinched the bridge of his nose for a moment as if he felt a whopper of a headache coming on.
"Godfry cursed not only Decker but her entire bloodline. Everyone in her bloodline straight to Hell. So too her mother and Beatrice. Should he decide at the last minute not to destroy the universe, which I think is possible but of no consequence anymore because this coup has been put into effect and there is no turning back. That also means Trixie's children, grandchildren, great grandchildren and so on for all eternity. However, his pettiness does not stop there, oh no. The bloodlines of all the friends of Lucifer present here tonight are cursed. Why do you think I brought everyone here? But don't worry, it's a curse he put on by himself and thus can be easily nullified."
Ella gasped for air. Wanted to shoot into one of her Southern rage outbursts but couldn't get a word past her lips. Alexander continued sullenly:
"You will be protected by Crowley and Aziraphael! Not because I expect trouble from Heaven but against those two in the guest-house. Granted they are gentle idiots but when they need to protect someone they are capable of incredible things and can be real bastards!"
"Oi" said Crowley. It is my Angel who is the bastard, I am the mean Demon!"
"Of course darling."
Answered the Angel softly.
Alexander looked at his clock for a moment and continued:
"That's pretty much what the relationship between Heaven and Hell looks like in this universe. Now to the universe where I grew up. There, too, there is balance between Heaven and Hell just like here. The depraved souls go to Hell, the innocent souls go to Heaven. Two major differences, however. First, the literal Devil does not exist there as Lucifer played that role here. Second, there was no rebellious Angel to be thrown into Hell and become the King of Hell. When their humanity reached the point that Hell needed a king the Goddess and the God put their heads together. Instead of sending one of their children to Hell, the Gods decided to divide the roles. The Goddess as the mother of all Angels remained in Heaven and their God took the crown of Hell entirely voluntarily."
He saw Ella's sad look and quickly assured her with a smile:
"No Ella, this is not a story of an impossible love. Eternally separated by an existence in different realms. They see each other very frequently. Almost daily, Sometimes in Heaven and sometimes in Hell. You must understand that their Hell looks very different from ours. Much more pleasant for the inhabitants and by that I mean the Demons. So visiting the palace in Hell is absolutely not a terrible nightmare for the Goddess. It will please you to know how close their bond is. Their youngest child, the youngest Angel is not like here millions of years old. Their youngest is now barely 23 years old and, like me, was born in 1999. She is the only one who was not created but born completely naturally. That is also why for thousands of years, tens of thousands of years according to the passage of time in Hell, I have been trying to make changes in our Hell in hopes of coming close to what they have done with their Hell."
Alexander lit another cigarette and poured his glass full:
"They too have a Lucifer but there he is simply still called Samael because that name has never had a negative connotation attached to it. Don't panic Lucifer he looks very different from your unique outstanding perfection."
He said with a mischievous smile:
"What he does have in common with you is a rebellious streak and he is also a hothead. He too wanted the same freedom for humans and angels. The difference is that Mom and Dad addressed the young Angel in a serious way. Told him that he had free will all along and that he, his brothers and sisters could go wherever they wanted but that they should leave young humanity alone. Why? Because humanity was meant to find its own way. If he wanted, he was welcome to go among humans as long as he kept his true identity hidden. With that, the rebellion was over for Samael because he understood his parents' purpose. There, too, Samael has a brother named Michael. As here, they are formidable warriors when they stand side by side. Samael is if necessary the general of the troops in Hell, troops absolutely loyal to the king. For as here, the deeper you descend into Hell the worse the condition becomes and the more the Demons tend toward violence and are more than willing to do something foolish such as attempt a rebellion against the throne of Hell. Who better to push back that darkness than the Bringer of Light. Michael is at the head of all the troops, those of Heaven and Hell combined should it prove necessary. In daily life, he has a small force in Heaven and it is more symbolic than anything else. They serve ceremonial duties and that is all they are needed for because there is a constant peace with Hell."
Ella and Lucifer sat open-mouthed listening to this account.
"I think it has become time for me to tell what happened on the day I died and how I ended up back in the right universe."
One could clearly see the pain in Alexander's eyes even though it had been so long ago.
"When my soul went to their Heaven they struggled for a while to patch me up. But once that happened thanks to their Raphael I saw her, the youngest Angel, a daughter, Samantha. And by The Magdala, the term Angel is not nearly enough to describe her. The first morning after I had recovered and could think clearly again was also the first moment I could talk to her clearly and within a half hour she saw me in a rather embarrassing position, well especially when you are thirteen and insecure."
Alexander took a big gulp, lit a cigarette. To Ella it seemed for a moment that his eyes lit up with bright pure golden light and she knew that she had indeed seen it and that it was not imagination. She brought him back from his pondering:
"Is she that special?"
He shook his head softly to dispel images. Rubbed his eyes for a moment as if wiping away a tear and said with a sad look:
"That is the underestimation of the past few million years dear Ella. For her it has only been three years since we have seen each other. For me, thanks to the idiotic behavior of my uncles and aunt and my obligatory trip through time, it has been over two thousand years. In the last six thousand years I have seen her twice, more was not possible, more we dared not risk. But I assure you that not a day went by that I did not think of her. The nights I dreamed of her are uncountable. She is the reason Gay Moore wrote the song 'Still got the blues for you' because I had a hand in that."
Ella looked worriedly at Celine after these words because Alexander had clearly said they were lovers and best friends. The Demon naturally saw this and said playfully but with a sincere smile:
"Ah Miss Lopez, don't worry about me. I'm certainly not jealous that Alexander is completely over the moon with that gorgeous Angel. In fact, I have known her a little longer than Alex, a few years which is not much but I have known her since she was born, I was there at that moment. And she knows about Alexander and me. Of course Alexander and I have been lovers for thousands of years but we are not soul-mates. I haven't found my soul-mate yet, not in Hell and not on Earth. So that leaves Heaven. And let no one doubt I will become the resident Demon in the Silver City."
She looked mischievously at Alexander for a moment:
"You desperately need to change that name Alex because man what a shitty name it is."
She continued with her own bit of the story but the others could hear the sadness in her voice and wondered why her mood had turned so suddenly.
"We both knew it would be a long and difficult journey and that's why we stuck together. But I knew from the moment I saw Alexander and Samantha together that his soul belonged to Samantha and I am not jealous of it. Someone has to dampen Alexander and his temper and someone has to make sure those winged idiots up there don't let everything go tits-up from day one. Dampen Alexanders temper is Samantha's job, keeping an eye on those winged idiots, that's my job. Our agreement is clear, if I should find a soul-mate and want to go monogamous Alexander will graciously accept it. The day he is reunited with Samantha I will graciously accept. Until then we will remain lovers, together for sure but from time to time we also enjoy a little company."
Ella asked Alexander softly:
"Want to tell about her?"
She already feared that this story would not end well for him. The sad look remained on his face:
"Even though it was two thousand years ago for me and we were both young just twenty. Well she just twenty I was already four thousand years on the road by then and then I forget to count the years in Hell. I remember exactly what she looks like, it is burned into my retina and engraved in my heart. Shiny red long hair, eyes as blue as the purest ice with a purple tint and the warmth of a thousand stars. A smile that could melt the poles. The day I last saw her she was wearing a pale yellow robe with soft green accents. Small earrings with emeralds, a necklace with a discreet emerald in the center, the small necklace that I gave her as the very first gift ever that she never takes off, by the way, and a ring with an emerald surrounded by blue diamonds. Yes everything is still exactly etched in my heart."
Lucifer smiled softly at him:
"You've never told me this before son. It sounds like you are completely off the rails for her."
"You can say that again Dad. In love at first sight when I was thirteen and I could see in her eyes that it was mutual. Unfortunately for both of us, this doesn't seem to be for us. Samantha is scheduled to become the new Goddess in their universe because her parents feel they should retire from the throne and hand over power to the next generation. And I, I am scheduled to become the new God of this universe. There is no wall between the two of us but a wall between two complete universes."
Ella had tears in her eyes:
"But everyone is entitled to true love, to a soul-mate."
She said as she snuggled all the way into Lucifer's arms. Alexander sighed deeply:
"Indeed Ella. But heavy is the king's crown. I could have stayed in their universe with Samantha but I couldn't turn my back when this entire universe was about to be destroyed by an utterly twisted tyrant. Because it has been clear since the fall of Lucifer that sooner or later he would do so. So this is unfortunately my fate, my cross that I will have to bear forever. For I have not yet found a way for our two universes to function together"
He looked at Lucifer and Ella on their bench. Because of recent events and the high emotions of the day, they did not yet know it, did not yet realize it. But they had taken the first step toward their future together.
"Another task accomplished"
He thought. One that had been two thousand years in the making. Something he had to keep secret and could never, ever share with anyone. Indeed, heavy is the king's crown. If he could give true love a nudge here and there it might be worth it all.
"Why an embarrassing position."
Ella asked. Alex's eyes lit up with undisguised pleasure. And he said:
"When I was in the infirmary and ready to move again I wanted to go get dressed in the bathroom. Once there I saw in the mirror my true face and body, I must have cried out like a little girl. Raphael and Samantha came up to the screaming but of course I was standing there in the nude. So that was pretty embarrassing. And now if you'll excuse me. I need a little movement to think about our final preparations and if I certainly haven't forgotten anything."
Without waiting for an answer, he turned away from his company and walked toward the jungle where a path disappeared among the trees. He was soon in the company of Celine who took his hand and stepped with him into the jungle. Everyone on the patio knew what was really going on with Alexander. He needed some air, to break free from the image of Samantha. Because not having his head fully in the game right now could have disastrous consequences.