《Lucifer's true love》


 The new addition to the family

    Linda''s office


    "Lucifer?"


    "Yeah,doctor,what?"


    "I asked you to describe me what changes you have observed on yourself since Chloe''s death. But you seem to be half-asleep on my coach. Do nightmares still bother you?"


    "I wish I had time to sleep."


    "What keeps you awake at night?"


    "A little ball of flesh and bones which cant stop laughing for some reason."


    "Lucifer,do you mean your new little brother?"


    "Who told you,doctor?"


    "Amenadiel. He is so excited. He cant stop talking about him. But I see you dont share his opinion on the matter."


    "Then why do you keep asking me these stupid questions since you already know the problem?"


    "I wanted you to admit it yourself. But your description of him made him quite concerned. What are your feelings about him,Lucifer?"


    "How do I feel that my Mother and Father had sex on Earth, while they were in human form, and now Im stuck with the mess they left behind? Thrilled."


    "Okay,so you are frustrated. What makes you angry ,Lucifer? The fact your parents had sex?''


    "Yes. But this is not the issue here. Why should I be the one to handle this newborn?I mean, hy cant I send him to Heaven to be raised by his others siblings?"


    "That us a good question,Lucifer. Why cant you?"


    "Because I found a letter from my father alongside this new problem. It says that he is my responsibility from now on. Can you imagine?And it happened right after the Detective''s death."


    "I understand that you have a lot to deal with right now. You always hated being told what to do and now,in a time where you need your personal time and space to mourn,you must devote yourself to someone else. And you dont want that."The story has been taken without consent; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    "No. I dont. Thats why I dont care what my father says. "


    "What do you mean?"


    "I mean I dont pay any attention to the kid. Let Amenadiel take care of him."


    "Yes,he did mention that you refuse to even hold him. You described me how you feel about this situation but you haven''t answered my question. How do you feel about him?"


    Licifer stayed silent for a few minutes.


    "Nothing,in fact."


    "Nothing? You feel nothing about your new baby brother?"


    "I dont feel him as my brother."


    "Ah,yes. You see him as just another problem God has thrown at your way."


    "Exactly."


    "Just like you saw Chloe."


    "That was a blow below the waste and I think we are done here."


    "I mean I dont pay any attention to the kid. Let Amenadiel take care of him."


    "Yes,he did mention that you refuse to even hold him. You described me how you feel about this situation but you haven''t answered my question. How do you feel about him?"


    Licifer stayed silent for a few minutes.


    "Nothing,in fact."


    "Nothing? You feel nothing about your new baby brother?"


    "I dont feel him as my brother."


    "Ah,yes. You see him as just another problem God has thrown at your way."


    "Exactly."


    "Just like you saw Chloe."


    "That was a blow below the waste and I think we are done here."


    "All Im saying is that your fear and pride stole you precious time with Chloe. Just promise me you wont make the same mistake with your brother. Locking your heart again is a mistake. You will just go back to being who you were before Chloe appeared in your life.And she wouldn''t want that."


    Lucifer didnt answer,he just left.


    "God,please. If you have some sort of plan to save Lucifer from returning to the same void from which Chloe saved him,it needs to happen now. Because he is slipping. Fast.


    When he was out of the building,his phone started ringing. He picked it up,annoyed.


    "What?"


    "Lucifer you need to come here. Now."


    "What happened?"


    "Well,I had to go out for a few minutes,so l told Maze to keep an eye on our brother."


    "Maze? Was he injured? Or better yet,killed?"


    "Dont sound so amused and dont even joke about this. But he is fine. Physically,at least."


    "Oh Maze apllied some sort of phycological torture on him? What was it? "


    ''She told him you died. And now he wont stop crying."


    "She made him cry? Finally,now he will start acting like a normal baby. And because he thinks Im dead I can move to Europe. Or Australia. Or another universe",Lucifer said excited.


    Amenadiel signed,removed the phone from his ear and put it close to the baby who was clutching on him for dear life.


    It wasnt a usual cry coming from a baby. It wasnt screaming or a loud cry. At first Lucifer didnt hear anything. Then a quiet sob was heard and a few seconds after another one followed.


    Lucifer had heard all kind of cries in his life. Cries of pain in Hell,cries of grief on Earth but this one was new. It was the most sincere sadness he had ever heard in his life. He swore he could hear the tears running on his brother''s little face.


    Lucifer didnt know what he was feeling but he was sure of one thing.He wanted that cry to stop. Now.


    "Okay,I will be there as soon as I can. In the meantime put me on speaker. Maybe my voice will convince him that I am still very much alive."


    "We...kind of tried that. We played him a voice message you send us right before your appointment with Linda and it only made things worse."


    "How could it made it worse?"


    "Well,now he thinks you are a ghost and you are haunting him. And he wont let me go because he thinks that Im the one place your ghost wont approach."


    "And how did our brother tell you all that?"


    "With gestures."


    "Gestures?!"


    "Yeah,believe it or not my connection to him seems to be stronger than yours."


    "Either that or you have a vivid imagination. Anyway,I will be there in ten minutes."


    "Hurry please."


    "Fine",Lucifer said and he hung up


    It scared him how perceptive that baby was.And he was still only one month''s old.


    Author''s note


    And now Lucifer is no longer the youngest sibling. He is a big brother. What will happen? Will this new addition to the family become Lucifer''s lifesaver or the final blow to his already fragile sanity?Only one way to find out.


    More chapters will follow this.


    Dont forget to review and comment this story.

 The name

    Meanwhile at Lucifer''s apartment"What should we do? He wont stop crying.",Amenadiel asked panicked


    "How should I know? There are no babies in Hell and besides he is your brother anyway. How can you be so bad at this? Dont you have a son?"


    "Yes Maze I do but he usually cries because he is hungry or because his diaper needs changing. He doesnt sob in my shoulder for 15 minutes straight because a demon from Hell told him his big brother died."


    "I didnt expect him to understand. He is one month''s old for Devil''s sake."


    "Then why did you tell him?"


    "What are you trying to do,Amenadiel? Convince me that this mess is my fault?"


    "IT IS",Amenadiel yelled and that scared the baby who started crying louder


    "Lets just hope Lucifer gets here soon"


    "You called him five minutes ago. He wont be here for another..."


    "Damn you people. His crying can be heard from downstairs. I left you alone with him for two hours. Two hours and look what happened.",Lucifer said just when the elevator door opened


    The baby lifted his head at the sound of the new voice and when he saw Lucifer he started desperately reaching towards him. Amenadiel nearly dropped him but Lucifer catched him before he hits the floor.The moment Lucifer took him in his arms the baby clutched on him and he simply wouldnt let go. But the crying still didnt stop.


    "Amenadiel. A little help here. I dont understand why he is still upset. Im alive and Im here. So whats the problem now?"


    "Why dont you try comforting him?"


    "How do I do that?"


    "Say some nice sweet words. Reassure him that you are not leaving and that you dont want him to cry anymore."


    "Alright baby,listen up. For various reasons,I would really like to be dead right now but unfortunately I am stuck here with you. If I were to leave you,I have a feeling I would be in big trouble so I will stay alive for as long as I can. And its your fault. Also when you cry,you sound like a widow who has just lost her cat and its downright annoying. So If you yo stop that awful noise I promise to...let you sleep with me tonight. After all,you dont seem willing to let me go anytime soon."If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    The baby looked Lucifer in the eyes,at first puzzled but then he started giggling and everyone sighed relieved.


    "That must have been the worst comforting speech I have ever heard in my entire existence but it served its purpose so Im not complaining",Amenadiel said laughing


    "Great,since you are not complaining,how about you take it from here? Its bad enough I promised to keep him with me tonight and I have been holding him for two whole minutes,so I think I have done my duty for today. Take him"


    But the baby just wouldnt let Lucifer go. He was holding him for dear life.Lucifer was getting quite irritated by this point.


    "What should we do? This brat wont release me."


    "First of all,dont call our brother a ''brat''. Secondly,Im out of ideas"


    "Speaking of which,he is unusually light. You remembered to feed him this morning,right?"


    "I thought you did before you left for your appointment."


    "Oh,for the love of...Amenadiel,you mean to tell him that he hasnt been fed since last night?"


    "Possibly?"


    "Fine. Heat the formula for me and I will feed him. Do I have to do everything myself?"


    45 minutes later


    Lucifer collapsed on the couch excausted.


    "Finally,Im done. I fed him,changed him and bathed him.And just in time because I must get going. I have a very urgent business to attend to."


    "Lucifer wait. Im sorry to say it but I cant stay any longer.I have left Charlie with a babysitter but that was just until noon. Im already late."


    "What? You mean to say that you are going to leave me all alone with him? And how am I supposed to work? I cant exactly appear in meetings with mafia bosses and drug dealers with a baby"


    "You are still looking for Chloe''s killer?"


    "I will never stop until I catch that piece of scam. And then Im going to test my torturing abilities on him."


    "Lucifer,listen. I understand your anger,trust me I do. But things are different now.We have a new baby brother and for some reason Father appointed you as his guardian.This baby is not just another work Luci. He is the centre of your life."


    "Im gonna pretend I didnt listen all this emotionally cliche bullshit. You will come back tomorrow?"


    "Actually,Luci...Linda and I are leaving tomorrow for vacation."


    "What? For how long?"


    "The entire summer"


    "You got to be joking. I am gonna be left alone, for three whole months,taking care of a baby? And you lecture me about being an irresponsible big brother. I think you are the worst big brother in the family."


    "You are being overly dramatic Lucifer.I think you have very strong instincts as a big brother. And besides,I think caring for a baby comes naturally to you."


    "My patience is running thin,brother. Be careful what you say from now on."


    "Oh,look at the time,I really should be going. Have fun,Lucifer."


    Lucifer would have thrown something at him but his hands were preoccupied holding his baby brother.


    "And before I forget,choose a name for him,will you? Its been a month already."


    After that Amenadiel walked into the elevator and left.


    Lucifer had to cancel all his appointments. He would never find Chloe''s killer now. He knew his name and face but he needed the help of the underworld to catch him and convincing them to assist him was not the easiest thing. And now it was going to get even harder because he couldnt even meet them because of this...child.


    What was he going to do?


    At night


    "You are a real pain in the ass,you know that?",Lucifer said just as he was about to go to sleep. The baby didnt seem to care as he was tangled up in the sheets giggling,obviously happy he was going to spend the night in this large and comfy bed.


    Lucifer sighed and lied down.Suprisingly,he didnt sleep right away. He stayed awake for a few minutes just staring at the baby who had just fallen asleep.He had to admit that his brother was beautiful. Bright blue eyes,pitch black hair and porcelain white skin. He didnt resemble any of their siblings. And he was smart. Really smart.


    Now,Lucifer could feel his eyelids getting heavier.He should sleep while he still can because in a few hours that problem is going to wake up hungry.


    "Goodnight...David"

 The kidnapping

    Lucifer hid himself inside his blankets when he felt the first rays of sun touching his face. He wanted to sleep for five more minutes,despite feeling rested. A good night''s sleep is such a bliss.


    He hadnt slept like that, undisturbed and without nightmares,since...since...


    Lucifer threw the blankets aside and as he had suspected there was no baby. No wonder he had slept so well. But where was David? He was too little to move on his own and there was no one else in the house except Lucifer and...


    -MAZE


    Maze came running but she was very annoyed . She didnt like being called like


    a dog


    -What?Why are you yelling like that?


    -Did you notice something different about me this morning?


    -Yeah,you are more grumpy than usual. You usually start whining after you third class of morning whiskey.


    -Anything else?


    -Now that you mention it,yeah,you also slept in.So what? You wanted more beauty sleep?


    -Ah,so you noticed I slept more than usual. And tell me Maze,why,for the past few weeks,I have been sleeping less? Its only eight o''clock in the morning after all.


    -Because the little bastard woke you up every two hours,every night. Honestly,I dont know why you didnt lock him in a box or something.


    -Excellent. And now for the most important question:where is the little bastard,Maze?


    -How the Hell should I know? I didnt even know he was missing. Maybe he realised he was unwanted so he left.


    -Are you kidding me,Maze? He is one month''s old. He cant even crawl.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    -For a one month''s old child,he seemed perfectly capable of understanding what I said to him yesterday and causing a scene about it. Why do you care anyway? I thought you wanted him gone.


    Lucifer was starting to get really irritated. He approached Maze threateningly while looking her straight in the eyes.


    -I wont ask you again,Maze. Where is he?


    -Fine. Lorenzo appeared last night,out of the blue,about half an hour after you have fallen asleep. He said you owned him money and that he would tear this place apart. Of course,I knew I could kick him out and send him to the hospital without you realising a thing.


    -So why didnt you?


    -Because,Lucifer,it was an amazing opportunity to finally get rid of the newborn problem.I pretended to be afraid and I offered Lorenzo the baby .In exchange he promised to leave you alone. It was humiliating having to act all frightened and such but it was all worth it. Lorenzo agreed and I managed to take the baby from your side and handling him over without waking him up. Isnt this great news,Lucifer? You are finally free.


    All of the sudden,the glass Lucifer was filling, while Maze was talking,shuttered next to Maze''s face whose back was against the wall.


    -Yes,Maze,Im so grateful for your assistance. I feel so happy now that my brother is at the hands of the most dangerous mafia boss in LA. And since you have it all figured out,answer me this: What am I going to tell Amenadiel when he returns? That I gave away the baby I was meant to protect?He is going to kill me.


    -Since when are you afraid of Amenadiel?


    -Im not afraid of anyone,I just dont like someone accusing me and be right at the same time.


    -I still dont understand what the problem is.Let me deal with Amenadiel.


    -You think Amenadiel is my problem? I didnt think I would have to explain it to you but since you pulled a stunt like that,I have to treat you like an ignorant fool.I owned money to Lorenzo on purpose. I think he is responsible for Chloe''s death and I wanted to keep him close for awhile while I investigate. And I knew that the only thing in the world that make men like Lorenzo act irrational is money. But now,thanks to you,I lost my advantage and worst of all,Lorenzo can now blackmail me.


    -Its not my fault you have kept me in the dark. Again


    -Now its not the time to talk about...


    Suddenly the phone rang and Lucifer picked it up with haste


    -Hello


    -Lucifer,its been awhile. I came by your house yesterday but you were indisposed. I know the polite thing would be to leave you something on my way out but your hot assistant had an other idea.Unfortunately I dont have much use of newborns so I have a proposition for you. It has come to my attention that you are investigating me for the death of your girlfriend. Stop searching and the child will be returned to you unharmed


    -It was you,then. You killed her


    -Such a rush conclusion. I never said that. Its just annoying having to deal with your little suspicion.-You dont convince him. I am not making any deals. And you are not so well informed as you would like to believe.I hardly care about the child. Do what you want with him.


    - Haha,Lucifer,you have developed a sense of humour. I guess its true what they say that death makes us appreciate life.Dont underestimate me. I have been watching you for sometime now but you were grieving too much to realise it.I know you care,Lucifer. I know how you act around this baby when everyone leaves and you are alone with him. I know how weak your mental defences are when it comes to this child.


    -You dont know what are you saying.


    -But I do,Lucifer,I do. I saw you that night with the thunderstorm when you sang him a lullaby to calm him down. I was surprised with how fast you returned home yesterday the moment you heard him crying. So cut the bullshit with me,okay? Meet me toady at Pershing Square,twelve o''clock. And come alone.


    -How do I know you havent hurt him already?


    -He is okay,but Im afraid we gave him a little sedative to stop him from crying and he hasnt woken up since. Thinking about it,he may not be as okay as you would like.Would you like to meet earlier? How about now?


    -Its not like I have anything better to do.


    -That is a devoted big brother. I will be waiting


    Lucifer hung up, signed and went to get dressed


    -What happened,Lucifer,where are you going?,Maze asked


    -To fix the mess you caused. And you are not coming. I will deal with this myself.

 The meeting

    "I have to go. Lucifer agreed to meet. How is our young hostage doing?"


    "Not good boss. He hasnt woken up yet and he seems to become paler by the second. Maybe injecting a baby with a sedative wasnt a good idea after all."


    Lorenzo didnt respond,he just approached the crib and picked the baby up.His face didnt betray any emotion. But the way he was holding the newborn was tender and careful,like he had done this a thousand times before.


    "I guess we wont be needing a stroller,then.",he simply said


    "Are you sure he is going to show up? He may send a hitman to eliminate you when you arrive there. At least allow some men to accompany you.


    "No. I will go alone. Lucifer wont try anything. Not while I have his brother in my mercy."


    "With all due respect sir,I dont think Lucifer cares about this child at all. He sees it as a project,at best. Why risk anything for it?"


    "That is something only I know and understand. Now leave me alone. I have to get ready and leave immediately.",Lorenzo ordered angrily


    When his underling exited the room,Lorenzo''s expression softened. He looked down at the baby and gently caressed his cheek.


    "He will come for you,little one. Lucifer may not know it but we are more alike than he thinks.I had a little brother once. And at that time I was just like Lucifer. I cared and loved him but I was too proud to admit it. I couldnt control or understand my protective insticts. When my little brother was in danger they simply took over my actions and words.My pride and egoism were powerless to stop them. Like a fence made from paper trying to stop a tsunami wave. I hated myself for that lack of control and I mistreated my brother to feel better,to feel in charge again. When he was hit by a car and was in a coms,everyone told me to say goodbye,to say I love him,even if it was the first and last time. But I didnt. I thought of it as an opportunity to finally convince myself that I had control. When he died,I realised that control is your friend but if it becomes your best friend,it also becomes your enemy. I never forgave myself. I started taking drugs to alleviate my grief and sorrow. I see myself in Lucifer.And all I can do is pray that Lucifer will turn back. He loves you. I can see it in his eyes. But in the end,the important thing is for you to see it. Lets go,now. Your big brother is waiting.If you stumble upon this narrative on Amazon, it''s taken without the author''s consent. Report it.


    Half an hour later


    -Sorry if Im late,Lucifer. Traffic was a nightmare. I must admit you got here pretty fast.


    -I like to deal with insignificant matters quickly so they dont get in the way of important business.


    -You must be a very busy man or a stupid one to consider your brother and his kidnapper ''insignificant''.


    -Speaking of my brother,is he okay? He looks very pale. Is he even...?


    -Alive? Yes,I checked his pulse 10 minutes ago. Im afraid the sedative we gave him did more harm than good. I believe he requires medical assistance. Why dont we get this over with so you can take him to the nearest hospital? I maybe be a mafia boss but even I have a soft spot for children.


    -What do you want?


    -I already explained it to you on the phone. I want you to stop investigating me for the death of your partner. I had nothing to do with it and your persistence is starting to draw unnecessary attention to me and my business. And,as a gesture of goodwill,I will even delete your debt. What do you say?


    -You cant be serious. How can I possibly believe you weren''t the one that killed the Detective? You were the last case she was investigating,you cancelled an important meeting the night of her murder and I have camera footage that place two of your men at the scene and at the exact time of murder. You should be asking me not to hand you over to the police wrapped up as a farewell gift,not come here and have demands.


    -Damn you,Lucifer,I thought you were smarter than this but either I overestimated you or the grief has clouded your judgement. You cant possibly think you have control over this situation,can you? Hand me over to the police? With what evidence? With whom as witness? You know as well as I do the clues you have gathered can never be used in a courtroom because you collected them through blackmail, extortion and I dont know what else illegal method you used.


    -Them why are you so concerned about my involvement?


    -Because,even if you dont care to admit,you have friends in the police department who have been keeping a close eye on you. And if you are searching me that means the chances of my operation being discovered by the cops raise dramatically. Because thats the only thing for which I will be going to jail,Lucifer,if I am ever arrested. For drug possesion,drug trade and other similar offences. But not for murder. And certainly not for the murder of your precious detective. You see where Im goimg with this. Let me be and you can have your brother back and move on with your life.


    What do you say?


    -I know you killed her...but I cant prove it,at least not officially, and now that you realised that I have been investigating you,it would be pointless to continue the same course of action. Dont misunderstand me. I am not letting you go just yet but I will take a step back,for now.


    -Excellent. I love when we have finally understood each other. Too bad I have to leave. The work never stops, unfortunately. And to show you I am a man of my word,here is your brother. Such a quite child. You should be proud.


    Lorenzo sat up and left with a quick pacing but when Lucifer took David into his arms,he panicked for a second. He checked for a heartbeat and thankfully he found one.It was weak,too weak. He had to get him to a hospital. Now. But where could he go that he wouldnt have to answer a dozen questions?

 Hospital

    He quickly got in his car,lay carefully the baby in the back seat and started dialling a number.


    -Come on,woman,pick up.


    -Hello?


    -Hi,Johanna.Its me,Lucifer


    -Lucifer! Its been awhile. How have you been?


    -Not good,but thats besides the point. Listen,I need a favour. You got your medical license back?


    -Yes,thankfully. What an adventure that was. The judge...


    -Not now,Johanna. I have a baby here that needs treatment now. Where are you working? Im coming there.


    -Im just a general surgeon.Not a pediatrician. I dont know how to treat children.


    -Dont be so modest. Your passion for Medicine is unprecedented. You can do anything from brain surgery to delivery.


    -...Fine. Im at the Country Medical Center. Can you describe me the symptoms?


    -He has been unconscious for hours and the hear rate drops really fast. I dont know anything else.


    -You are not helping me much,Lucifer. It could be anything.


    -He was also injected with a sedative.


    -What? How did this happen?


    -A long story. I will be there in five minutes.


    After that Lucifer hung up and turned around at the back seat where his brother remained unresponsive.He touched his little arm gently and said:"Hang in there,little one. If you die,my problems will only increase"


    Later,at the hospital''s entranceThe narrative has been illicitly obtained; should you discover it on Amazon, report the violation.


    A young blonde woman around her thirties came running out of the building frantic the moment Lucifer parked his car at the entrance.


    -Lucifer. I managed to convince the Chief Pediatrician to treat this baby himself.


    -I thought I was clear. I want you to be his doctor.


    -And I already told you I cant. At least not formally. A general surgeon can''t appear as the attending physician in the Pediatric Department. But dont worry. Doctor Jones values my input so in reality I will be treating him. Now can I see him?


    Once Lucifer handed him the baby Johanna''s face went pale. She run back inside with her young patient in her arms and she reached the Pediatric Department in record time. Lucifer didnt run with her but he was clever enough to realise that his brother''s condition was probably worst than he had imagined. He was starting to feel a tightening feeling in his chest and it was getting more annoying by the second.It was probably due to stress.


    Johanna returned after a few minutes in a state of panic


    -Lucifer,I need to ask you some questions.


    -Now? Werent you supposed to be treating my brother?


    -He is in good hands,dont worry.Doctor Jones is the top pediatrician in America. But right now,you have some explaining to do and I must tell you that you should feel very lucky that it is me you will be giving your explainations because if it were anyone else he would have called Child Services by now.


    Lucifer didn''t like her tone but for some strange reason he didnt have the mental energy to answer accordingly. That must also be a result of stress.


    -Fine.You better sit down.


    After a 10 minutes talk,Johanna seed to calm down and laid back on her chair.


    -Im sorry that I was so aggressive,Lucifer. Its that I couldn''t understand how this substance was found in a newborn''s body.


    -And you thought it was me? Come on. I may be devilish but I wouldnt hurt children. Besides,why would I bring him to the hospital if it was me who did it?


    -You wouldnt believe what my eyes have seen.


    -How is my brother?


    -I wont lie to you Lucifer. He is not doing good.When you brought him in his pulse was so weak that I had to run to the department to check if he was even alive. He was,but barely. I wasnt allowed to be present afterwards. They are treating him right now. But I guess they will come the same conclusion.


    -Which is?


    -A very rare type of allergic reaction. The body usually reacts to the foreign substance by fighting back. In your brother''s case his body is simply shutting down.


    -You can save him,right?


    -I dont know. You brought him in a bit late,Lucifer. I can understand why but still valuable time was lost. It is going to be a long day. If is still alive by tomorrow,he may have a chance but...


    At that moment a sound was heard from her phone


    -Oh no. They are calling me back.Something very serious must have happened for them to put their ego aside and call me. Stay here,Lucifer. If anything happens,I promise you will be the first to know.


    After that Johanna left in the direction of the Surgery Department.Lucifer decided to sit down for a while and put his thoughts in order but luck wasn''t on his side today.His phone started ringing a few minutes later. He didnt bother looking at the name,he would simply hung up rudely.But he changed his mind when he heard the caller''s voice.


    -Lucifer,hi!


    -Amenadiel. How is your vacation coming along?


    -Great. I just called to see how things are going with you and our brother. How is he by the way?


    At times like this,Lucifer was thankful for his talent to lie.


    -He is fine.Listen,I cant talk right now because we are out on a walk. You know how fresh air is good for the babies,right?


    -Excellent initiative,Lucifer. I knew you had big brother insticts in you.You sound tired however,you didnt sleep well last night?


    -You know the answer to that. I haven''t slept well in months.


    -Well,at least this happens for a different reason now.I must leave you now,me and Linda are on a cruise and I promised to watch her win the bingo contest. Glad to hear that things are going okay,Luci. I was concerned you would get involved with thugs and criminals and put our baby brother at risk.But you surprised me.I am very proud of you little brother. I must go now. Bye.


    After Amenadiel hung up Lucifer felt the last ounce of his energy leave him and he just sat there. Unmoving.


    He was a terrible big brother. But why did he care so much about that?

 Dead end

    Johanna literally stormed inside while the surgery was taking place.Doctor Jones was the leading surgeon.


    -Johanna. You have finally arrived. Get ready and come help me. You will be my main assistant?


    -With all due respect,Doctor,what are you doing? He was stabilized mere moments ago and now he is undergoing surgery,something extremely dangerous for his age?


    -His lymph nodes got swollen all of the sudden. He couldnt breathe so it was decided to perform tracheostomy.


    -Tracheostomy? On a newborn? That is not just dangerous,it is madness.


    -We didnt have any alternative.Now,stop questioning my decisions and come help me. Because by the time you regain control of your body I will be ready to close him up.


    Johanna managed to control herself and started getting ready. There was no going back now. The surgery was on-going and all she could do was take advantage of the opportunity to be present and have some control over the situation.


    The surgery was progressing smoothly,much to Johanna''s surprise. Things were near the end and for the first time since she took her young patient in her arms,Johanna allowed herself to hope. Hope that when she gets out of here she will have good news for Lucifer. Hope that she will see that sad,defeated,full of guilt expression on Lucifer''s face disappear.


    A hope that vanished as swiftly as it was born when June heard the distinctive bipping sound and a nurse yelling.


    -Heart rate is dropping fast


    -The stress is too much for his young body. Doctor,we must close him up now. There may still be time to stabilize him.


    -We cant.


    -Why?


    When Johanna looked down,she understood why.There was blood gushing out of the patient''s open throat. She rushed to help stop the bleeding.


    -What happened?


    -The lymph nodes started reducing in size. Rapidly. This made the whole neck''s shape unstable and so my movements became sloppy. I must gave cut an artery by mistake.Stolen from Royal Road, this story should be reported if encountered on Amazon.


    Johanna wanted to yell at him. It was obvious that he was in a hurry to finish the surgery because each minute he was spending operating it was another minute of stress on the newborn''s body.And due to this haste he made a critical mistake. But this could wait. All that mattered right now was for this baby to survive surgery.


    They spent another thirty minutes trying to stop the bleeding before finally closing up. Thank God,they had enough blood with a blood type compatible with that of the baby.


    Johanna wanted to collapse. Partially due to exhaustion but mostly due to anxiety. She didnt go to find Lucifer immediately after surgery. First she wanted to check on the baby''s condition after the surgery. She hoped the news were good.


    Unfortunately it seemed that today a feeling of hope was equivalent to a premonition of bad news.


    Doctor Jones had his suspicions but the neurosurgeons confirmed it. Lucifer''s brother was clinically dead.June wanted to cry.


    She knew how proud Lucifer was and that he never cried,at least not in public. So she decided to cry instead of him. To mourn in his place that which he lost way too soon.


    In the hospital''s cafeteria


    Lucifer was browsing on his phone while taking a sip of his coffee. He suddenly threw his phone on the table with such force that startled the nearby customers.He felt nervous and angry. Johanna was surely taking her sweet time. Something must have happened for her to be late. No,maybe she was busy flirting with the pediatrician. Maybe he should go search for her.He picked his phone and he saw that he had accidentally opened a picture on his cellphone when he threw it.He thought he had deleted it.


    It was the photo that Amenadiel insisted on taking and by "insisting" he meant that he took it when Lucifer wasnt looking,the first day they found David crying on their doorstep alongside a note from their father.The baby was wrapped up in a white woollen blanket inside a basket. He remembered how scared their brother was when he felt two strangers picking him up and holding him. It took a long time to calm him down. Well,truth be told,Amenadiel did most of the work. He was simply sitting aside, whining about how he couldnt stand the screaming. But Amenadiel was a smart fellow,he somehow managed to make Lucifer hold the newborn,sort of,and snap a photo


    The picture was a mess.Neither of them were still when Amenadiel was taking the photo but looking more closely,Lucifer could see all details of David''s face. His bright blue eyes,his white,silky skin and his small nose that was lost under these big eyes. Come to think of it,it was actually the first time he took such a careful look of his brother''s face.Why? What was he so afraid of?


    -Lucifer


    Johanna''s voice snapped him back to reality.Her eyes were full of tears. Panic began to rise inside him but he didnt have time to analyse it now.


    -What is his condition? Is he going to be alright?


    After a brief silence,Johanna decided to just say it. There wasnt an easy or pleasant way to announce it,anyway.


    -No,Lucifer. He is clinically dead.


    -What? How did this happen?


    -A complication in surgery.


    Why was Johanna protecting Jones? She should just tell Lucifer the truth. But there was something in his eyes. Something so raw and dangerous that made her fear for her colleague''s physical integrity or even life.


    -Why was he in surgery? You were fully capable of dealing with this without putting him through this.


    That hurt more than anything because it was true.


    -I didnt manage to prevent them. By the time that I arrived they had already started. I could only participate. And things...didnt go smoothly.


    -So once again you have the knowledge but not the power.At least when you locked a doctor in the basement to save a patient''s life you had more courage. But I see you have softened since then.


    -Yeah,being in danger of going to prison tends to shake people up.


    Lucifer simply sighed disappointed and then his eyes sparkled.


    -Listen,I may have a idea about how we can save him. But you must promise me to do as I say.


    -What? Why?


    -Do you want to save him or not?


    -Fine. I promise.


    -Excellent. Keep him alive for tonight and tomorrow morning I will come back with the solution.


    -You frighten me. What do you have in mind?


    -Its best that you dont know.


    Normally June would protest but she was so overwhelmed with guilt that she simply nodded.


    Lucifer left the hospital in a quick pace. He never though he would have to use this. But desperate time called for desperate measures.


    Why was he desperate again?

 The cure

    Lucifer didnt care about any speed limits. He violated three red lights,eight stop signs,he nearly run over half a dozen people and when he arrived at the club he didnt even bother parking. He simply left the car in the middle of the road blocking it but Lucifer ignored all the angry voices and the horn sounds.


    All that noise stopped when he closed the door behind him,anyway.His eyes scanned the room and when he spotted Maze he walked quickly towards her


    -Lucifer,where have you been? You have been gone all day. What happened? Did Lorenzo...


    She didnt have time to finish that sentence. As soon as Lucifer approached her,he grabbed her and pushed her to a nearby wall.


    -Listen here Maze. I am not here for small talk. I want a very simple thing from you and I am going to make sure you tell me what I want to know. When Amenadiel first arrived on Earth he brought a stack of books with him. Where did he put them?


    -How the hell should I know? I didn''t even know he carried his personal library with him. What a geek.


    Lucifer pushed her with more force against the wall. He was getting angrier by the minute.


    -Dont play dumb with me,Maze. I know how proud my brother is of his collection. There is no way he didnt mention it during your little "meetings". Now,where are the books?


    Maze was seriously starting to fear Lucifer.


    -Whats wrong with Lucifer? You have never behaved like this. Not even with...


    Lucifer''s eyes turned red and he grabbed her by the neck.She tried to escape his grasp but it was impossible. She was trapped.


    -Where are they?


    Maze was chocking by this point but she still managed to utter a few words.


    -I... promised... Amenadiel...not...to...tell. He...fears...what...you...might...do.If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    -Right now the only one who should be afraid is you Maze. I will ask you one more time and if you insist to anger me I will send you back to Hell and I will personally make sure you never see the light of the day again.


    He released her and she fell on the floor trying to breathe.


    -Where are the books?


    This time he repeated the question calmly but this didn''t calm Maze''s fear


    -In his house. The one he shares with Linda. In the attic. Inside a big silver-crafted box. It doesnt open easily. You dont have the key so you will need to break it.


    Lucifer smiled and whispered in her ear.


    -There. That wasn''t so hard now,was it?


    He left the club while Maze was still lying on the floor. Defeated,confused and most of all,afraid.


    In the meantime,Lucifer has taken his car and was heading to Linda''s.


    A few minutes later


    It was already dark by the time he arrived to Amenadiel''s house. Luckily,Lucifer had convinced his brother to allow him to have a key to his place so he simply unlocked the door quickly.


    Just as Maze had described him in the attic he found the silver box. It wasnt easy,Amenadiel had hidden it inside a bigger wooden box,to keep Linda from finding it no doubt.


    It was unlocked much to his surprise but he ignored it for the time being and frankly searched through the pile of books until he spotted the one he was searching for. A big book with an opal blue circle in the cover. He took it and left the house as quickly as he came not forgetting to place everyone back where he found them. If Amenadiel ever discovered any of this he would be in big trouble.


    As he was driving to his next destination his phone started ringing. It was Johanna.


    -Johann,what happened?


    -Lucifer,we have a problem. The owner of the hospital brought his baby daughter here a while ago. She desperately needs a heart transplant.


    -So what? Do you want me to bring you one on my way there? From where do I buy them?


    -This is not a time for jokes. He found out your brother is a perfect donnor and he demands his heart. He claims that we are keeping a dead person alive and you are letting an alive person to die. He is using all his power and influence to get that heart. I managed to delay him with some nonsense about paperwork but that is all I can do. I dont know what you have in mind and I prefer not to know but whatever you have planned,you must do it now.-I will be back in about an hour. In the meantime,keep that bastard away from David.


    After that he hung up and speeded up.Now the fun truly begins.


    He parked in front of a luxurious restaurant and went inside. He didnt have time to look for his target because he heard a voice calling him.


    -Lucifer. What a surprise!


    -Lorenzo.


    Lucifer moved towards his table where he was sitting with his wife and children. This complicated matters


    -How are you? A better question would be how is your brother?


    -Can I have a word with you? Outside?


    -Oh,Lucifer,of course you cant. I wasnt born yesterday.


    -Are you okay?


    -What? Of course I am...


    At that time Lucifer started whispering in his ear a paragraph he had just memorised from the book. Almost immediately,Lorenzo became pale and fainted. Everyone panicked, especially his wife and kids. Lucifer managed to persuade them to drive him to the hospital. Little did they know that he would never get there.


    At the car a blue liquid started coming out of Lorenzo''s mouth and Lucifer started collecting it in a small plastic glass. After 20 minutes or so,the strange substance stopped coming out of him and Lucifer just dumped him on the side of the road. He was dead anyway.


    The next thing he did was continue driving towards the hospital but not before he sent a text to Johanna


    "I got the cure. Will be there in 10 minutes. Keep him alive and whole until then"


    Lucifer looked the little plastic glass with the blue substance. He had to admit. He had never held a liquefied nervous system before.

 Its over

    -This is ridiculous. With each passing moment my daughter''s chances of survival are decreasing and you insist on toying with a child''s life.


    -I understand your frustration,sir,thats why Im not offended but you must understand that I dont have the power to make that kind of decision.


    -Thats not important right now.I own the hospital. I can protect you from any legal issues. Just get me that heart.


    -Johanna! Why are you wasting your time talking with this bear? I thought I told you to keep an eye on my brother.


    Johanna looked past the shoulder of the man she was talking with only to see Lucifer running towards her direction holding a small plastic glass with a strange blue substance inside. She was delighted to see him but didnt show it. Unfortunately,her joy didnt last for long.


    The owner stopped in front of him having a threatening look on his face. Johanna had the sudden urge to run and hide. Lucifer hates being insulted,let alone when he was impatient or angry.


    -Good morning sir.Im sorry to inform you that you have interrupted a very important conversation I was having with the doctor. Would you be so kind as to leave us and return later?


    -No,I would not. I hate being kind especially when I dont have to. Now,let me speak to her because each minute you delay me you are making me more angry.Whats your name again,sir?


    -Its not something you are required to know.


    -I beg to differ.I think Im entitled to know the name of the man who demands my brother''s heart.


    -So you are...?


    -Yes. I am. And you might as well start planning your daughter''s funeral. Because he is going to be okay.June!


    Lucifer moved past him and handed the blue substance to June.


    -Make him drink it. Dont use a syringe to inject it into his blood system. It must come down his throat. He may experience some side effects like spasms,temporarily paralysis,lose of touch or a small fever but dont worry. Whatever you do,dont make him spit it out or drink half of it. Okay? Now go.


    Johanna took the glass and run towards the medical ward.Lucifer wanted to follow her when he suddenly felt a strong hand gripping on his arm. He turned around furious only to see the owner of the hospital who was looking at him with a sad,defeated face.


    -Please,sir. You must understand. This is my baby girl. My whole world. If she dies then I might as well die too. You cant compare the love of a father with the love of a brother.If you discover this narrative on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the violation.


    Now it was Lucifer''s turn to grab this man''s arm,only this time Lucifer''s hold was much stronger than his was, and lead him to an empty staff room,where he locked the door.


    -I dont have time for a prologue so I will get straight to the point. I did a little research on you on my way here. And I have only one thing to say.When we get out of here you will go announce to your wife that your daughter can not be saved.You will cry with her,support her etc.Because if you dont,your wife will find out about your other wife and your other children.She will divorce you and you wont see your child ever again,thats for sure. And when your daughter grows up,if she survives the transplant surgery,her mommy is going to tell her that you forgot all about her because of your other daughter. But how silly of me,I forgot. You dont care about your daughter.At least,not as much as you declare it.Thats not why you fight for her survival. Your hospital receives generous donations and a vast amount of money from the state. Why? Because this is the only hospital in the country with a zero mortality rate. However,if your daughter were to die here that would destroy that reputation. Your hospital would stop receiving so much money.And in the end you would lose a valuable "source of income".But you couldnt bring your baby anywhere else but your own hospital.So you were prepared to do anything in order to keep her alive.


    -You are insane.


    -Trust me. You dont want to test neither my patience nor my sanity.Now,if you will excuse me,I must get going.It was nice talking to you.


    Lucifer unlocked the door after that and left in a hurry while the owner remained sitted inside the room,silent and afraid.


    A few hours later


    Lucifer was pacing outside the ward growing more impatient by the second


    -Why is it taking so long? I did it correctly,didnt I? I must have because he would be dead otherwise and June would have told me.But is it possible that I indeed made a small mistake and now he is suffering a slow and painful death?I should have called Amenadiel. Screw the lecture,I should have told him.


    -Lucifer!


    He didnt have time to turn around before Johanna hugged him tightly.


    -You are a genius,Lucifer. I dont know how you did it. I would love to know but I am aware you will never tell me. The important thing is that your brother is alive and well.Im sorry for the delay. In truth the potion you gave us took effect rather quickly,with the side effects you described,but the doctors wanted to run all kind of tests on him because they couldnt believe their eyes.


    -Im glad it worked. I must go home now. Im excausted.


    But Johanna nudged him reluctantly without looking him in the eye


    -Whats wrong Johanna?


    -I know I dont have the right to ask this of you and I understand how tired you must be but...


    -Speak clearly,woman,stuttering doesnt suit you.


    Johanna breathed deeply and regained part of her confidence.


    -Could you stay and hold your brother tonight?


    -What?


    -He is a baby that has been hooked up to machines for almost two days with no physical touch. Babies need contact, especially skin to skin contact and you are the closest person to him. I strongly believe that your presence here will soothe him and complete his recovery. Moreover studies show that...


    -Alright,alright,I will stay. If it makes you stop blubbering I will sleep with him tonight.


    -Great.Let me lead you to him


    Johanna started running excitedly. She didnt think she would get this far.


    When Lucifer and Johanna arrived,Lucifer didnt have time to observe the room because his eyes fell immediately on his brother.He was pale,not unhealthy pale but pale nonetheless. He was sleeping soundly and he seemed excausted.


    Lucifer suddenly felt a stab of guilt for putting his brother through this but it was the only way to save him. An unknown force started pulling him towards the baby and Lucifer was already reaching for his brother before June picked the baby up and handed it to him.Thankfully he wasnt connected to any machines. David didnt wake up,he didnt even stir. He only snuggled closer to the warmth of Lucifer''s body.


    -I will leave the two of you alone.Lucifer,your room for the night is next to this. If anything happens call me. Although I doubt anything will occur. His tests came back negative. All of them.I have to go now,I have a shift.


    Johanna exited the room and Lucifer was left alone with his baby brother who the only thing he was doing right now was breathing.


    He moved to the next room where he removed his suit jacket and shirt,without putting David down,and laid down on the bed.He placed the baby on his bare chest and surprisingly David started swifting and he ended up sleeping right above Lucifer''s beating heart.


    Lucifer left a faint smile reach his lips and he placed his arm around the baby and patted gently in the back.


    -You are an even bigger problem that I had anticipated. I think my life will be a living hell from now.What did I do to deserve such cruel punishment?


    He felt himself slowly drifting to sleep while feeling the extra weight on top of his heart with each breathe.


    -Something terrible,indeed.


    He whispered half asleep and that was the last thing he said before finally falling asleep.

 The trip

    18 years later


    -David!Time to get up! Breakfast is almost ready.


    18 years have passed and David as well as Charlie have become two very handsome young adults in their final year of highschool. It was decided years ago that it would be best if everyone were to live together in one house.


    So for the past 10 years Amenadiel,Lucifer,Linda,David and Linda have been living in a two roof house. On the upper floor there were the boys'' bedrooms and the bathrooms. On the ground floor there was the kitchen,the living room and two other bedrooms. Overall,there was enough room for everyone to live comfortably.


    Linda''s career has taken a turn for the better. She wrote a book about the psychological effects of denial in the lives of modern people which became a huge success.As a result her number of patients has increased exponentially. Also she frequently receives invitations for interviews and talk shows so she is always busy.


    Amenadiel is performing miracles again. Not only that but he also decided to work as a volunteer at an animal center and he is very happy to be able to help others in such a humane way.Besides,with the money Linda makes every month,Amenadiel doesn''t need to search for a paying job.


    Lucifer has resumed his duties as king of Hell although he prefers to handle his affairs from Earth.In the past years he has learned many useful new skills,the most important of them being cooking.Lucifer made the decision to start cooking when Linda slightly undercooked a steak during a dinner when the boys were younger.Lucifer didn''t let David eat the food, scolded Linda and after that incident he didn''t let anyone approach the kitchen ever again.


    Surprisingly,he became fairly good at it. He made a diet program for the boys,according to the principles of the Mediterranean diet,which he has been following for the last 8 years. Many neighbors have laughed at him,saying he takes his job too seriously. But truth be told,David and Charlie haven''t gotten sick not even once,not even a cold so Amenadiel ignores the comments of the neighbors and lets Lucifer do what he thinks is best.


    David has taken the position of Azrael as the Angel of Death after they discovered his great talent for collecting souls around the age of 12. Azrael was demoted to David''s secretary that handles most of the paperwork. Her demotion was inevitable after the incident of her losing her blade. They just waited for a suitable replacement.


    Lucifer wasnt happy at all that David would have to roam the world to collect all the souls of the deceased meaning he would have to be present at every batterfield,murder and bombing. Amenadiel was worried too but he trusted David to be careful and in the end he managed to convince Lucifer to allow their brother to take that job.


    Charlie is very good at sports but quite average in his studies. He is the complete opposite to David when it comes to talents. David doesn''t have a muscular body type so he isn''t the athletic type but he is extremely good at science lessons, especially math. He is competing in the national mathematical contest in Seattle in four days.If you discover this tale on Amazon, be aware that it has been unlawfully taken from Royal Road. Please report it.


    Unfortunately Charlie and David aren''t as close as they could have been because Charlie doesn''t know the truth about his family. Linda asked Amenadiel and Lucifer to keep their angelic nature a secret from Charlie and both of them agreed to this.


    -David! Charlie! Don''t make me get up there and drag you down myself. Your waffles will get cold.


    Meanwhile in David''s bedroom


    -Damn,David where did you put my jacket?


    -It''s in the chair by the window. Hurry up! We are going to be late. And I don''t plan on missing today''s field trip to the Natural History Museum.Of course we will be there faster if we leave right now and skip breakfast.


    -Try telling that to my uncle.


    -For your information,one morning I tried to leave climbing down the window.


    -How did I miss that?


    -You were in summer camp.Anyway,it didn''t work. He caught me and dragged me back in and he scolded me afterwards.And guess what?


    -What?


    -To stop me from running he threw me a spoon. And as strange as it may sound, not only did it find its target but it also hurt.


    Charlie laughed so hard he nearly fell on the nearby bed. He continued to giggle until they reached the kitchen. Today''s breakfast was waffles with melted chocolate.When David saw the time he nearly panicked.


    -Brother, please,it''s already late. Can we go? We will miss the bus. I promise to eat a big lunch today.


    David begged but Lucifer answered flatly without turning to look at him


    -That''s impossible David. I already packed your lunch. Besides,I can drive you to the museum myself or you can take the bus directly to the museum. I''m sure your teacher wouldn''t mind.


    David sighed defeated and went to eat annoyed. But the waffles were so good that he lost track of time and finally agreed to use public transport to reach the museum. Charlie was also eating but slowly while playing with his food. It was obvious he was anxious about something.He finally made up his mind and turned to Amenadiel.


    -So,Dad,the final game of the season is coming up.


    -Yes,son,I know. I told I will be there.


    -What about mom? Will she come?


    Amenadiel stopped eating and looked around awkwardly.


    -I haven''t found a chance to tell her yet,Charlie. She comes back home bone tired everyday for the past two weeks.


    Charlie threw his fork on the plate angrily.


    -I promise to tell her today,son.


    -Oh, come on dad. We both know that for mom to do anything she has to be notified a month in advance. Does she even know I play baseball?


    -Of course she does,Charlie. She loves you.


    -Well I don''t see that.


    -You wrong her David and you should be more careful about how you speak about your mother.


    -Look at the time. We really should get going.


    In truth,they had some more time before the bus to the museum arrives but David wanted to get Charlie out of this house before he has a full-blown argument with his dad that would that would ruin his entire day.


    -You are right. Lets go.


    As they were heading towards the door David saw Lucifer signaling him. He said to Charlie that he would be out in a minute and walked towards his older brother.


    -Where are you going after school?


    -Iraq. After the recent bombings the number of dead people has increased exponentially. If I dont collect them now I will end up having enough paperwork to occupy myself for an eternity.


    -Are you sure you want to handle this yourself? You could sent Azrael. As I hear she is not too busy this period.


    -You know I like to handle these kinds of affairs myself so why do you keep bringing it up?


    -Its just...


    -David! Hurry it up!


    Charlie sure was getting impatient.David didnt wait to hear what Lucifer had to say to him,he just grabbed his bag angrily and left the house.Lucifer sighed defeated.


    -You worry too much. He has enough experience and skills by now to take care of himself. You yourself taught him self defense techniques.


    Lucifer turned to Amenadiel and quoted a phrase he once read in a book


    "You can return home safely a thousand times but dead you will only return once"

 Kidnapped again

    Thankfully they had managed to catch that last bus. David was over the moon.The National History.He wanted to go there ever since he was a child. In fact he wanted to go to a lot of places that Lucifer didnt permit him to visit.


    Most guardians were against their children visiting museums and other historical sites due to religious or political beliefs.Lucifer was more afraid for David''s physical health than his state of mind.


    It all started when he was about 5 years old. Lucifer decided to take David with him while he was doing some of his usual business.On their way to a building Lucifer was interested in bying to expand his nightclub they came across a gun shop. Lucifer decided to take a look and so they went in.While he was inspecting some revolvers a loud firing was heard, smoke was coming out of the back room and David was nowhere to be seen


    Both Lucifer and the shop owner run frantically only to find a crying child holding a gun. As it turned out David had gotten bored and had decided to wander off until his eyes spotted a pistol with beautiful engraving. Mesmerised as he was he took it in his hands. Everything was going well until he pressed the trigger by mistake and the bullet hit a nearby wall.


    Needless to say,David was grounded for a month.He was whining all day long during that time. One night he was extra grumpy and when Amenadiel came to put him to sleep he asked why Lucifer was so angry. His brother''s answer rooted inside him despite not understanding it to this very day.


    "When you stop playing with your brother''s emotional stability he will stop being afraid"


    Charlie''s angry sigh interrupted his thoughts.Ever since they left the house Charlie was acting as if he wanted to punch something.


    -Come on,Charlie. Cheer up. We are going to have one hell of a day. No school,no assignments,just having fun. Why are you so grumpy?


    Charlie didnt answer,he just shot an angry glare in David''s direction.


    -Okay.I understand that you are upset your mother will miss your baseball match.And that your patience has reached its limit. But this is a chance to relax and let go of these nasty feelings even for just one day. What do you say?You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.


    -What do I say? Frankly I stopped listening to "I understand". What do you understand? What it feels like not seeing your mother? To have to set an appointment to speak to your own parent and even that its not enough? Growing up realising your mother has missed most of your life''s most important events because she was too busy making money?


    -Hey,dont lash out on me. I haven''t even seen my mother. Hell,I dont even know if she is alive or dead. Everytime I tried to ask my brothers about it they immediately changed the subject.So dont act as if you are the only one in this family with problems.


    -Are you kidding me,David?You must me otherwise you have no sense of reality.What emotional or physical need you have that is not being fulfilled?I would prefer to have a brother like Lucifer than a mother like Linda.


    -You dont mean what you say. You are just angry.Besides,Lucifer can be overwhelming at times. I cant begin to count the numerous things I have missed in my life because Lucifer was too afraid of me getting hurt. I mean,what if I do get hurt?Its not like I am going to die because I fell during ice skating.


    -Are we talking about my problem or just complaining about our guardians? I feel neglected because have a parent who is absent and you are nagging about uncle who is overly present.


    -Both are serious issues.


    -You know what the difference is? I tried to do something about it,I still do, and each of my efforts has resulted in failure.You havent even complained to uncle about his overprotectiveness.


    -Because I know he will not listen. Besides,I drop him hints every day.


    -That is all excuses and you know it. In truth,you enjoy being dotted on.You love that constant sense of security and certainty.I dont know why you have such vast need for them. Maybe it was something to do with the fact that you disaplear every ounce in a while and Im the only one who doesn''t know where are you going.


    -How dare you? Im 18 years old. I dont have an emotional addiction of any kind. And Im not obligated to report to you every time I want to do something without you present.


    The bus reached its stop and David stormed out angrily with Charlie following him.


    -Sure. You a 100% independent big boy. Keep telling yourself that.


    The museum was just 300 meters away on foot but David and Charlie were still angry with each other so Charlie was walking at least 20 meters in front of David.


    Suddeenly a black van stopped and when the door opened two men wearing hoodies grabbed David. David struggled at first but then they drugged him by injecting him with something.They dragged him inside the van and then they left as swiftly as they had come.


    It all happened so fast that by the time Charlie reached the place of the kidnapping they were already gone


    -David!


    This was basmd,very bad. And it was all his fault. If he was walking besides David as he normally does these kidnappers wouldnt have found the opportunity to grab him. And it was such a stupid argument to begin with.


    He had to go to the police. They would know what to do.No,the police was too slow and they would ask him so many time-consuming questions and he couldnt risk losing precious time.


    He had to find someone efficient,quick,who cared enough for David to try his hardest.By the time he finished the thought,he was already running back towards the bus station. Home. He had to go home.


    He needed to find Lucifer.

 Linda is home

    lucifer''s house


    amenadiel was staying home for the day. he didnt have anything of importance to do so he decided to treat himself to day of relxation. honestly,he couldn''t remember the last time the house was so quiet. he could almost hear the crackling sound. of the wooden floor under the weight of chair. amenadiel felt so calm. he just wanted to close his eyes,still his mind and lose the track of time.


    but a monent later he heard the sound of keys on the front door. that was strange. lucifer told him he would be at his clubs all day and the boys were on their trip so who was it?


    when the door opened the first things he noticed were long blonde hair falling down gracefully on slumped shoulders,one of which was supporting a big brown medical bag that was undoubtedly very heavy.amenadiel recognised the middle aged visitor immediately and happiness exploded inside him.


    -linda!


    he run happily towards her and embraced her strongly and she hugged him back with equal force


    -what are you doing here? i thought you were in chicago for a conference. you even told me you were a presenter and that you wouldn''t be able to return home until real late this evening.


    -well,the conference was cancelled. a big storm broke out and all flights to chicago were cancelled and no one came. can you believe it? everyone was waiting up until the last moment to come. and i cant blame them. this conference was going to be a big fiasco anyway. like the last one in paris? remember? like...


    amenadiel stopped her rambling with a passionate and long kiss that linda was quick to reciprocate. the kiss ended due to their need for breath but their eyes remained fixated on one another.


    -I missed you,Linda. you haven''t been home in ages.


    -I think you are overreacting. I was only gone for a couple of hours.


    -You know what I mean. Even when you are here all you do is eat,sleep and work.


    Linda crossed her arms across her chest and moved past Amenadiel, clearly annoyed.


    -We have already discussed this,Amenadiel. I am working so hard so that our son can have the best.


    -I dont remember agreeing on you being absent on Charlie''s most important events.


    -When I met you,you were a realist,perhaps a little too much. Now you have developed a tendancy towards drama. I think living together with Lucifer has affected you more than you have realised.


    Amenadiel didnt answer right away.It was obvious than an offensive approach would prove to be ineffective. So he thought it was time to try a different method.He took a step back and drew a big breath.


    -When are you leaving again,Linda?


    -Next week probably. The weather forecast predicted that the storm will continue for a couple more days but after it is over Im sure they will want to reschedule the conference as soon as possible. It is remarkable how people attach themselves to things that are condemned to fail.


    -You dont know which day you will leave?


    -No. Why do you want to know? Looking forward to getting rid of me again?Find this and other great novels on the author''s preferred platform. Support original creators!


    The last sentence was said with a smile but Amenadiel wasnt in the mood for jokes.


    -Thats not it Linda. I have to tell you something.


    Suddey her phone ringed,the sound indicating the arrival of a new message.


    -Wait,I have to see this.


    She read the message slowly and carefully but when she finished she put the ohone back in her pocket angrily.


    -I dont believe it.These bastards already rescheduled it for next tuesday. Why the sudden hurry? Anyway,you now have your answer. Why have you grown pale all of the sudden?


    -Tuesday? But Linda in Tuesday is...


    He didn''t get the chance to finish his sentence because the sound of keys turning was once again heard and this time,when the door opened,Charlie bursted into the room nearly bumping into his father. He was sweaty and clearly panicking but Linda was so happy to see her son and she didn''t notice either of those things.


    -Charlie?


    -No. Why do you want to know? Looking forward to getting rid of me again?


    The last sentence was said with a smile but Amenadiel wasnt in the mood for jokes.


    -Thats not it Linda. I have to tell you something.


    Suddey her phone ringed,the sound indicating the arrival of a new message.


    -Wait,I have to see this.


    She read the message slowly and carefully but when she finished she put the ohone back in her pocket angrily.


    -I dont believe it.These bastards already rescheduled it for next tuesday. Why the sudden hurry? Anyway,you now have your answer. Why have you grown pale all of the sudden?


    -Tuesday? But Linda in Tuesday is...


    He didn''t get the chance to finish his sentence because the sound of keys turning was once again heard and this time,when the door opened,Charlie bursted into the room nearly bumping into his father. He was sweaty and clearly panicking but Linda was so happy to see her son and she didn''t notice either of those things.


    -Charlie?


    -No. Why do you want to know? Looking forward to getting rid of me again?


    The last sentence was said with a smile but Amenadiel wasnt in the mood for jokes.


    -Thats not it Linda. I have to tell you something.


    Suddey her phone ringed,the sound indicating the arrival of a new message.


    -Wait,I have to see this.


    She read the message slowly and carefully but when she finished she put the ohone back in her pocket angrily.


    -I dont believe it.These bastards already rescheduled it for next tuesday. Why the sudden hurry? Anyway,you now have your answer. Why have you grown pale all of the sudden?


    -Tuesday? But Linda in Tuesday is...


    He didn''t get the chance to finish his sentence because the sound of keys turning was once again heard and this time,when the door opened,Charlie bursted into the room nearly bumping into his father. He was sweaty and clearly panicking but Linda was so happy to see her son and she didn''t notice either of those things.


    -Charlie?


    -No. Why do you want to know? Looking forward to getting rid of me again?


    The last sentence was said with a smile but Amenadiel wasnt in the mood for jokes.


    -Thats not it Linda. I have to tell you something.


    Suddey her phone ringed,the sound indicating the arrival of a new message.


    -Wait,I have to see this.


    She read the message slowly and carefully but when she finished she put the ohone back in her pocket angrily.


    -I dont believe it.These bastards already rescheduled it for next tuesday. Why the sudden hurry? Anyway,you now have your answer. Why have you grown pale all of the sudden?


    -Tuesday? But Linda in Tuesday is...


    He didn''t get the chance to finish his sentence because the sound of keys turning was once again heard and this time,when the door opened,Charlie bursted into the room nearly bumping into his father. He was sweaty and clearly panicking but Linda was so happy to see her son and she didn''t notice either of those things.


    -Charlie?


    -Mom? How are you...? Nevermind that now,dad where is Lucifer?


    -Lucifer? He said he was going to inspect a new delivery of drinks in one of his clubs downtown.But why are you looking for him? And how come you are not in the museum with David? What happened Charlie?


    -Something horrible and I need Lucifer''s help to fix it.


    -First of all,if it is so serious as you say,I doubt talking with Lucifer over the phone is going to help you solve anything.


    Linda decided to help her husband in his attempt to calm their son.


    -Also, whatever it is,it will affect us all so it would be best to let us know now. Maybe we can help in a way you haven''t thought we could.


    Charlie grew angry at his mother and he wanted to shout at her for offering to help him while she was always absent and didn''t know in what he needed help in his life.But suddenly,the image of David being dragged inside the van flashed through his mind and he couldn''t contain his tears any longer. He launched himself onto his father and started explaining everything through sobs.


    -Im sorry. Im so sorry. It was all my fault. David and I were on the bus but we had a little argument so I decided to walk a few meters ahead of him. If only I havent. Then I would have protected him when the black van stopped and the guys that came out assaulted him. But I wasnt.And now David has been kidnapped and I am so scared what will happen to him and I dont want to go to the police because we will lose valuable time on pointless questions. I believe Lucifer will be able to help. Gid,how will I look him in the eues ever again?


    Linda and Amenadiel looked at each other in shock. Thankfully,Charlie seemed to calm down after his breakdown and was now trying to regain control of his breathing.


    -Hush. Its not your fault. We will save him,dont worry. Why dont you go and sit with your mother on the couch while I call Lucifer?


    Charlie nodded weakly and while Linda was trying her best to be a supportive mother,Amenadiel was dialling Lucifer''s number. Finally,he picked up


    -What? Dont you know I am busy? Especially today? These idiots messed up my order. I am going to...


    -Lucifer,come home.


    -What? Why?


    -Trust me,Lucifer. This is very important. The sooner you get here the better.


    -Something is definitely wrong. I can tell by the sound of your voice. Ok. I am leaving now.


    -Ok. And one more thing,Lucifer. Practise your breathing exercises on your way home.I dont want you to tear this house apart.


    Before his brother had a chance to reply,Amenadiel hung up and then he grabbed his head.


    How was he going to announce this to Lucifer?

 Kidnappers

    WARNING :Torture in this chapter


    The first thing he acknowledged when he woke up again was his splitting headache. What had they given him? Alcohol in a syringe?The next thing he realised was that he couldnt move. He tried to stand up but he felt that his hands and feet were tied up.


    He had been kidnapped. Again. David sighed. The truth was that he had been captured twice before,one by American soldiers thinking he was a terrorist and one by terrorists thinking he was an American soldier,in South Arabia and Iraq respectively. Thankfully,he managed to escape but when he returned home he immediately started missing his captors.


    Lucifer was furious. He gave David a LONG talk about allowing himself to be kidnapped, about how dangerous his job was,about how he proved that he didn''t know how to protect himself. David started shouting at his brother,telling him it obviously wasnt his fault that he was captured and that if Lucifer was so concerned about his safety maybe he should handle it from now on.


    Later on,David would regret these final words because Lucifer grounded him for three months and he wasnt allowed to go anywhere but school. But thats not all. David waited patiently for his punishment to end so he could get back to work because the paperwork that had piled up was a nightmare.


    However,when he was finally allowed to go back to collecting souls Lucifer would text him or call him every half an hour to check up on him. And if David didnt respond immediately,he was greeted with more yelling.


    It was ridiculous. After all,even if he got injured he could...


    His thoughts were interrupted by the sound of the door that opened. Two people stepped into the room. The man must have been around his thirties,tall and muscular,with pitch black hair. It was obvious he was the kind of guy who couldn''t solve any of his differences without hitting somebody. A type of modern barbarian who considered fighting a sign of physical and medical health. He was looking at David with eyes full of anger and hate. He couldn''t wait to start torturing him.


    The woman however was his complete opposite.Shorter than him with a thin and slender figure.Her skin was white as milk which matched with her black brown hair and crystal blue eyes. Her hair was carefully drawn back and tied at the back of her head in a classic ponytail.She didnt seem mad or revengeful,instead she was calm and collected but the determination wasnt absent from her eyes.She was the one that spoke first.


    -Good evening. Are you comfortable?


    -More than I should be,in fact. Im a prisoner aren''t I? Next,you will bring me a cup of coffee.


    The man made a threatening move against him but the woman stopped him.


    -I see. You dont get scared easily. I respect that. Unfortunately for you,that is of little concern to us. In truth,you should consider yourself very unfortunate. You are paying for someone else''s mistake.As you must have noticed,we arent wearing masks. That is not because we are idiots,as you may think,but due to the fact we dont expect you to be in good physical or mental health when we are done with you.


    -I havent heard such a long speech since the time my nephew explained to me the importance of gymnastics.And yes,I believe you are idiots.Because obviously you didnt conduct the proper research before you chose to do such a huge mistake.The author''s narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    The woman sighed. It was obvious that she wouldnt get the responce she hoped for out of him.She turned to the man.


    -George. Deal with him.


    -I have been waiting to hear this all day.


    The woman turned around and left the room. George had a sadistic smile on his face but David wasnt afraid.


    -Is this what you have been waiting for? And I thought my social life was non-existent.


    George punched him in the face. The hit was so hard that David spit blood.


    -Is that you best hit? What happened? You were bullied at school for being weak so you decided to prove them otherwise? Pathetic.


    If George wasnt angry before,he sure was now. He kicked David on the ribs so strongly that he heard them break but David didnt let any sound escape him despite the pain. He would let him enjoy it for a little while before scaring the life out of him.


    After a few minutes David was covered in bruises,cuts and other injuries.George seemed quite pleased with his work.At that moment,the woman re-entered the room. She looked at him satisfied.


    -I see our little "guest" has started enjoying himself? Do you have anything to say before we proceed to the main course?


    Daivid started laughing loudly and his two captors looked at him puzzled. Then almost immediately all of his injuries started healing themselves and in a matter of seconds his body was back to his healthy state.Both of his kidnappers looked at him in shock and terror and David was enjoying every millisecond of it.


    -Im sorry. I didn''t know you wanted a second round. I would have healed myself sooner. This poor weak-spirited man has only one fun in life.Who am I to deprive him of that?


    David laughed again but George looked at him in an empty and deadly way.


    -Carolina. Get out.


    -What why?


    -Do as I say. And dont come back inside until I tell you to. No matter what you hear.


    Carolina reluctantly obeyed and she waited a few meters outside the door. A few minutes later she was hearing soul-piercing screams that were occasionally muffled by the sound of a cloth inside the mouth.After a moment she couldn''t stand it any longer and she burst through that door.


    David was still tied up on the chair with no injury visible on his body. But something was different. Tears and sweat were running down his face. He wasnt looking up proudly but down,like he was ashamed of something. When she ordered him to look at her,he silently obeyed with no sneaky remarks or mockery. The look in his eyes was one she would remember for as long as she lived.Dead blue eyes like a sea with no life, like a sky with no birds. Beautiful but without purpose or focus. She turned to George terrified who was looking at David with a big grin of pleasure on his face.


    -What did you do to him?


    -Its of no importance. He will not cause us any more trouble nor will he interfere with the "courses" again.


    He laughed maliciously and he left the room,with Carolina following him,leaving David alone in the dark room but the moment they exited the abandoned warehouse Carolina grabbed George''s shirt angrily.


    -Answer me,now. What did you do to this man?


    George started laughing so hard he nearly choked


    -A man? He isnt a man,anymore. I made sure of that.


    Carolina was petrified.


    -You didn''t.


    I did.And it was also his first time. For a boy his age to be a virgin. What a freak.


    Carolina was going to be sick. She let him go and started moving away from him slowly like she was backing away from a monster, her eyes never leaving his. She blindly put her hand in her back pocket,praying with all her might that her gun was there,so she could shoot him but alas God didnt answer her prayers anymore. She had left the gun at home,in fear that the prisoner would take it,if the opportunity was given.


    -Why are you looking me like that sister? This is what we wanted,isnt it? To take revenge on Lucifer for killing our father?


    -NO. This is what you wanted. I hated our father. The only reason I agreed to this is because our mother was murdered by the rest of the family because they thought she killed him. I hate Lucifer for the death of our mom but I will be forever grateful to him for killing our father.


    -I know he was a bit strict with you but it was only because he loved you.


    -HE WAS RAPING ME FROM THE AGE OF 10. AND NOW YOU DID THE SAME THING TO AN OTHER PERSON AND YOU ACCUSE ME OF WANTING IT. You are just like him.


    -You are overacting,as usual. What I did to him has nothing to do with what our father did to you. You were a little girl and you confused things.He never raped you.


    -I dont care what you think or how you feel anymore. And after what you did tonight,I refuse to continue being part of our initial plan


    -And what are you going to do?Call the police? Lucifer?


    -If you dont back down as well then yes


    He started walking to her direction slowly,in an attempt to intimidate her but she stood her ground bravely.


    -I think father was right about you. You are just as weak as our mother and you deserve to be treated like her.


    The last thing Carolina felt before she lost consciousness was the pain in her skull from where the back of her brother''s gun hit her.

 Lucifer finds out

    By the time Amenadiel hung up,Linda had managed to calm Charlie down a bit.The poor boy was still shaking but he had at least regained control of his breathing but Linda was still trying to comfort him.


    -Dont worry, sweetie. Lucifer will be here in a while and he find a way to deal with this. You wont believe the connections your uncle has to the police.We will have David back with us before you know it.In fact,I believe that when he is back he will complain that you made it a bigger deal than it needed to be.


    Linda''s attempt to lighten up the mood was unsuccessful,to say the least. Amenadiel suddenly took her arm and pulled her away from the couch, leading her to the kitchen for a private talk.


    -Linda,you and Charlie need to leave.


    -What?Why?


    -You know why. Lucifer will not take the news calmly.You really trust Lucifer not to reveal his true form in front of Charlie in his anger?


    -You are right. This is neither the time nor place for Charlie to learn the truth about his family.


    -It is more than that. Charlie is emotionally unstable right now. I fear what the shock would do to him.Thats why I am telling you to get him out of here.Go to the park,to the mall,anywhere but here.


    Linda folded her arms nervously and avoided meeting Amenadiel''s gaze.


    -Whats wrong,Linda? Why are we even discussing this? It would do him good to get some fresh air and walk to clear his mind.


    -This is not what he will understand.


    Amenadiel looked at her questionably,giving Linda the opportunity to explain.


    -Charlie is feeling guilty right now and believes that David being abducted is his fault.If I tell him that we need to leave,he will think that we are trying to hide him from Lucifer because he will blame him. It would be like confirming his fears.


    -You are right but it is something we will be able to handle.Charlie having a heart attack by discovering that his uncle is the Devil,will be much worse.


    -Yeah,but...


    At that time everyone in the house heard,with terror,the sound of keys turning on the lock,the door slowly opening and saw Lucifer stepping in the house, obviously irritated.Unauthorized reproduction: this story has been taken without approval. Report sightings.


    -Amenadiel. This better be important. And by that I mean,the end of the world should be coming otherwise I will be very angry. One of my new clubs is at risk of losing his good reputation unless I correct the mistake my useless employees made when they ordered the drinks and you decide to suddenly call me at that time to come here.Charlie? Whats wrong? Why are you so upset?


    Lucifer didnt notice at first,due to his own whining,Charlie who was looking at him with an expression of terror,like he was about to be killed. Tears were threatening to fall from the young boy''s eyes and it was a miracle,considering his shaken state,how he managed to stop them. Lucifer sit besides him in the couch in an attempt to comfort him but Charlie stood up quickly and Lucifer noticed that his knees were shaking.


    Amenadiel understood that it was only a matter of time until Charlie loses the last ounce of his mental strength and collapses,telling Lucifer everything about David.And he decided he did not want Lucifer to learn the bad news in this manner because it would only worsen his reaction.


    Linda seemed to have thought the exact same thing bacause she hurriedly left the kitchen and gently held her son''s arm,urging him to follow her


    -Linda? Its so good to see you. When did you return?


    -Lucifer,I am afraid something terrible has happened. I believe that Amenadiel should be the one to break it to you. Charlie,why dont we go for a walk and leave these two alone?


    -But,mom,I was there. I saw...


    -And you are going to tell Lucifer everything. I am sure every little detail will prove to be extremely useful but for now you need the fresh air.


    -...Okay.


    Charlie followed Linda reluctantly out of the house but Lucifer could see signs of relief in his nephew''s eyes. Like the boy was somewhat glad he wouldnt be here when the storm broke out.


    When they left, Lucifer almost run to Amenadiel and looked him straight in the eyes.


    -Start talking. Now. I have never seen Charlie so upset. That added to the fact that he should be in the field trip with David means something very serious has happened


    -I need you to be calm when you hear this. Or as calm as you can be.


    Lucifer lost his temper at that point and grabbed Amenadiel by the collar of his shirt.


    -I am calm,as you can see. Now,I will ask one last time:What has happened?


    Amenadiel sighed and turned his eyes away from Lucifer''s


    -David was kidnapped on his way to the museum. Some guys in a van,thats all we know for now. Charlie was too upset to explain further. Im sorry,Lucifer. We will get him back dont worry.


    Amenadiel hadnt finished talking when Lucifer let him go.By the time he finished explaining,Lucifer was staring at him with a blank expression on his face,like he was still processing what he had just heard and it scared Amenadiel.


    He was ready to shake his brother when he noticed Lucifer''s hand was turning black. Oh no,this was bad. Lucifer was transforming to his most ancient and deadly form. A state of black energy filled the misery, hatred and pain of every condemned soul in Hell. Amenadiel had never seen it before,only heard of it.By what he did know was that if Lucifer completed this metamorphosis not only their house but the whole city could be turned to ash.


    He dediced to stop it so he grabbed Lucifer by the shoulders firmly and made sure he was looking at him.


    -Lucifer,calm down. I know you are upset but destroying all of the city will not help anyone. Especially David. Please,try to take a few deep breaths. They are mortals. What is the worst they can do to him? He will be home soon and unharmed.


    The black aura started to disappear and Amenadiel felt a brief wave of relief washing over him, thinking he had succeeded in calming Lucifer down but when he looked up again and saw the murderous look on his brother''s face he grew scared once again.


    -I hope you are right. Because if I find one scratch or bruise on our little brother I will send them to Hell personally and make sure their screams of agony keep every human on Earth from sleeping at night.


    Amenadiel took a step back and realized that Lucifer wasnt making empty threats.He was surprised when he saw his brother heading for the door.


    -Lucifer,where are you going?


    -You told me it was a van. I know whose help to ask first. Tell Charlie to text me the details as soon as he returns.


    -Wouldnt it be better if you were to talk to him in person?


    -He is too shaken up for that and my presence will not help make things better.In the end,I doubt he would be able to talk without crying,let alone remember facts with accuracy and small details.


    Lucifer didnt wait for Amenadiel''s reply and closed the door behind him as he left and started walking with only one thought in mind.


    The hunt had just begun.

 Ellas help

    Lucifer was standing with his back against a tree watching two kids play in the garden of their house. He couldn''t move and he didn''t know why. The children,a boy with short black hair and his twin sister,almost identical to him except she had longer hair and a bigger smile,were playing hide and seek. They were running,making all kinds of noises.


    Suddenly the image he was seeing changed. The young girl was nowhere to be seen and the boy was playing all alone but he had paler skin,bright blue eyes and longer black hair. Suddenly the little boy turned and Lucifer was surprised to see a small David looking at him. But he was more surprised to see himself coming out of the house,which had changed and now looked so similar to his own house.


    -Lucifer,Lucifer come play with me


    The little boy threw a ball in his direction but much to David''s disappointment,Lucifer easily caught it with one hand and tossed it back at the child.


    -No,David. I don''t play childish games and besides it''s almost time for lunch and you are more dirty than we take a bath.


    -No. I don''t wanna.


    -You never do.


    -Well,today I don''t want to more than usual


    -Do tell. Then that proves that the dirtier you are,the more you hate baths.Now come on.


    -No.


    The young boy turned around and started running towards a tree,in an attempt to climb it and be free of the future torture,called a bath.But Lucifer'' s patience was starting to run thin.


    -Come back here,young man.I swear,if you climb that tree,I wont cook you another pie for at least two months.


    But David had already climbed the tree and looked at his brother from above,sticking his tongue out,feeling safe and in a position of power.


    -If I am a young man,then I can decide for myself if I want to take a bath and my answer is no.


    -And unfortunately for you,I am in charge of you,young man, and you will have a bath.


    -No.I am staying here. And if you don''t promise me to make me apple pie every day for the rest of the year then I am not coming down and when Amenadiel comes back,I will still be up here and he will get angry at you for letting me stay up here for so long. And then you will be in SO much trouble.


    Lucifer normally would be furious but a careful look at the tree altered his perception of things. He didn''t say anything more,he just went back inside,he got a glass of ice lemonade and sat comfortably on a chair a few feet away from the tree and waited.


    A few minutes passed and the child was starting to get bored and Lucifer noticed that. He got up and went inside pretending to have something to do but in reality he hid behind the curtains,waiting,with a devilish smile across his face.The author''s content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.


    David didnt see the deceit and decided it was time to, carefully,come down now that Lucifer wasnt looking.But as he looked down at the other branches he realised,with terror,that he couldn''t come down.The little boy got scared but he knew that if he called for Lucifer to help him down,defeat was quaranteed and the bath assured.


    So,despite the voice of logic,he still tried to climb his way down the tree but a few centimeters from the ground,he slipped and fell.Lucifer was still hiding behind the curtains but when he saw his brother falling,he immediately came out of his hiding spot and rushed to the young boy''s side who was crying loudly.Thankfully, nothing was broken but David''s knee was bleeding.


    -Lucifer,it hurts


    -Disobedience hurts,now you know it.


    -You are so mean,sometimes.


    -And you are causing me more trouble than necessary. Now,it''s time for your bath. And we need to treat that wound.


    -No,you are putting that thing that makes it hurt more.Please.


    -Fine.I will clean it with water and soap. But you are forbidden from climbing any more trees for a long time,it''s late anyway and your apple pie will get cold.


    -Yay,apple pie!!Thank you,Lucifer.


    -Lucifer! Is it really you?


    A female voice brought him back to reality,a reality harsher than his memories.


    -Ms Lopez. It''s so good to see you again.


    -My children told me a strange man was watching them but I could never have imagined.How are you? Come inside. My husband is away on a business trip so we have all the time in the world.


    Lucifer followed her inside quietly,while looking at the children one more time. The young boy reminded him so much of David that he almost ran inside before the memories had another chance to torment him.


    When they sat down,each with a cup of coffee in their hands,Lucifer tried to speak first but was unsuccessful.


    -To tell you the truth,I was quite surprised to see you. After Chloe died,you disappeared almost immediately.You never contacted us again. You ignored our calls,our texts.So what brings you back after all these years?


    -I need your help,Ms Lopez.


    -It''s actually Mrs Jones now but you can just call me Ella.


    -Thank you,Ella. As I said,I need your assistance. Specifically,your talents.


    When she heard that,she got up quickly and went to stand in front of the big window,with her back turned to Lucifer.After a silence that lasted a few minutes,she returned to the table but now her initial joyfulness was lost and was now replaced with an obvious nervousness.


    -Listen,Lucifer. Things have changed since the last time we saw each other.I don''t work for the police anymore. It''s true I have a more quiet life than the one I wanted eighteen years ago but I am fine with that. I have a husband and children and I don''t want to get mixed up with anything that would put them in danger.


    -I understand and I respect that but I would not have come here if it wasn''t terribly important. My brother was kidnapped.


    -Amenadiel?!


    -No. My younger brother.


    -I didn''t know you had a younger brother.


    -He came into my life shortly after Chloe''s death and now he is in danger and he needs me.And I need your help.


    -Lucifer,I''m sorry,I can''t help you. Maybe you should go to the police.


    -Oh,come on,Ella. You know how slow they are


    And he doesn''t have much time.You know this is true.


    Ella didn''t answer. She went to open the door,an obvious silent request for him to leave.


    -Ella,please.


    She stopped and turned to look at him,shocked. Then she signaled him to get up and led him to the basement where she still kept her laptop from her days at the Police Department.


    -Okay,Lucifer. Tell me everything you know.


    -First of all,he was kidnapped near the National Museum,at Columbus Avenue.


    -That''s a good start. It will only take me a minute to hack into the street cameras.


    After a few minutes they had a clear view of the street during the time of the kidnapping and Lucifer clearly saw the two men grabbing his brother and throwing him inside the van,like a sack of potatoes,just as Charlie described.. Lucifer was growing angrier by the minute.


    -Can you zoom in to take a clearer look at the vehicle''s plates?


    -Sure thing. Thankfully they are within the camera''s range. I can run the plates to the database and find the owner of the van and let''s hope it wasn''t stolen.


    Lucifer waited and each minute seemed like an eternity until finally the driver''s license came up on the screen. And Lucifer couldn''t believe his eyes. Ella was looking at him with a scared look on her face.


    -Lucifer...The vehicle is registered to George, Lorenzo''s son.


    -That bastard. Even dead he brings me trouble through his offsprings.Thank you,Ella. I own you one. Now I know what to do.


    As he turned to leave Ella stopped him.


    -Lucifer,wait.Go find Dan. He recently got demoted for putting a coworker of his in danger and is now working as a patrolman for the LAPD. He still has connections to the underworld and he will surely be able to help you.I know you two don''t always see eye to eye but trust me when I say that he is what you need right now.


    -Okay,I trust your judgment. I can''t thank you enough for your assistance. I promise you,you and your family are in no danger.


    -At first I was hesitant to help you but you said "please". For you,to put your ego to the side by saying something like this,means that your brother truly means much to you.I hope you find him and that he is ok.


    After that Lucifer left her house,with his heart content for the information he managed to acquire but also full of regret because he had a feeling why Lorenzo''s kid was after David.


    It was because of Lucifer.

 Dan

    Dan Esposito longed for a quiet day. A day when he wouldnt be forced to remember all that he had lost,all that he could have been if he had just been more careful. You might think that he is overreacting. After all,he is a patrol officer. How stressful can his everyday life be?


    A lot actually. When he was on the streets,his mind was constantly occupied and for that reason he enjoyed active duty. But when he returned to the Department and he had to write all the necessary reports, that''s when the nightmare began.


    First of all,the noise of people passing by, yelling,asking him random questions distracted him and he couldn''t work as fast as he would like. But that wasn''t the worst of all. Hearing the detectives talk about their cases and how they catched criminals only rubbed salt in the wound and it was the most difficult part of his everyday life which he never got used to.


    And today was worse than most days because a really interesting case had come their way. Lorenzo''s long lost daughter Carolina was found by the local patrol wandering around injured. She was immediately taken to the hospital where after the necessary exams,they found out that she had been raped.However,she adamantly refused to reveal who did it.As a matter of fact,she didnt tell the detectives that questioned her anything. She said that she would only tell them what she knew only in the police station where it was relatively safe.


    Dan hasn''t heard about Lorenzo''s family in years. It''s true that he had dealings with him and his family but that was years ago,when he was the head of the biggest mafia gang in the city. But after his mysterious death everything changed. No one managed to figure out how he died and who killed him. All they knew was that he was found dead without any nerves in his body, except in his brain. The doctors were stunned when they saw it. They pressured the police to arrest the murder because they needed his vast medical knowledge.


    When it became obvious that the culprit wasn''t going to be found, Lorenzo''s wife,Annita,seized the opportunity to escape his family. It was a known fact that Lorenzo abused both his wife and kids but she was never able to get away from her husband due to his family.So after his death,she took her daughter and son,3 and 5 years old respectively and ran. Soon rumours started spreading out that she was the one who murdered Lorenzo and was now hiding.


    In the end,Annita''s plan backfired. Lorenzo''s relatives hunted her down across the world until eventually they killed her in Barcelona approximately 10 years ago.The kids were given in foster homes and years later they reunited but after a while it became too hard to keep track of them.Unauthorized usage: this narrative is on Amazon without the author''s consent. Report any sightings.


    Until now, Lorenzo''s daughter appeared on their doorstep. Dan found it odd then none of the other family members seem to be aware of the fact that she has returned.


    At that moment he heard the door opening and lifted his head expecting to see Carolina. Today was the day she was discharged and was arranged to be brought directly here. But the sight that greeted him was a true surprise indeed.Lucifer was here. Dan recognised him immediately and Lucifer did too because he moved in his direction. This day was getting worse by the second.


    -Lucifer? Is that really you?


    -Dan! My old pal. How are you?


    Dan really wanted to punch him right now.


    -Nothing more than what you can see. So what brings you here after an eternity?


    -Trust me to know how long an eternity is. I come straight from Ella''s house actually.


    -Ella? Haven''t seen her in years. How is she?


    -She has got herself a normal boring life. Husband,wife,that kind of stuff.


    -We all have a normal,boring life nowadays Lucifer.I will ask you one last time. What do you want?


    At that moment the door opened again and this time Carolina came inside accompanied by two police officers. When her eyes met Lucifer''s she turned pale but after a moment she regained her composure and ran towards him but the two officers held her.


    -Lucifer. I need to talk to you.


    -Im sorry,do I know you?


    -Im Carolina. Lorenzo''s daughter.


    That seemed to catch Lucifer''s attention who started walking towards her but Dan could feel aggressiveness radiating from him so he standed between the two of them to prevent any unpleasant accidents. And he remembered that whenever Lucifer was involved in "unpleasant accidents" it usually meant a bunch of unexplained phenomena he would have a hard time explaining in his reports.


    -I know you are angry and I can completely understand your anger but I need you to trust me. It was wrong of me to believe my brother. He is a mad psychopath and you need to get your little brother away from him.


    -You worked with your brother in kidnapping David and now you come here and offer me alliances? Do you have a bet with your future dead brother which one of you will make me angry?


    -You are right and there is nothing I can offer you to earn your forgiveness except the chance to end it. Please believe me.


    -Hold on a minute,guys.Miss,you just admitted that you are an accomplice in kidnapping. We have to arrest you.


    -I beg to differ from an officer. In truth,you can''t arrest her because nobody has reported a crime and you have no evidence.


    -Im sorry sir,who are you?


    -Lucifer Morningstar. I used to work here about 20 years ago so I know your regulations and their weaknesses.If you please release her and we will be on our way.


    But Dan wouldn''t move out of his way when all other officers left awkwardly but stopped when they heard Dan''s words towards Lucifer


    -No but we can arrest you because I can testify that you have anger issues and that you will most likely harm or possibly kill whoever is behind the kidnapping.


    -And what evidence do you have to support that,Daniel? Because the only thing you have is your opinion and your experience from our interactions which I doubt you will feel comfortable sharing. For various reasons.


    Dan didn''t say anything,he merely returned to his office, defeated. Lucifer grabbed Carolina''s arm and literally dragged her out of the police station and pushed her in the car,in the co-driver''s seat.


    -I will guide you to the warehouse.


    -If you try to trick me,girl,your punishment will be worse than your brother''s.

 Rescue

    Carolina was terrified,to say the least,but she tried to hide it as best as she could. If Lucifer were to discover what her brother did to David,then no one was safe,not her and especially not George.


    At the moment they were following George and David. Carolina was smart enough to place a tracking device on her brother''s phone so they chose to follow the signal rather than going to the warehouse and discover that George had taken David and they had fled.


    Lucifer''s phone rang again but he denied the call.Again. Carolina wasn''t curious but she wanted to open a conversation to protect her sanity from her ingrowing nervousness.


    -Who was it?


    -Amenadiel. David''s other older brother


    -He has another brother? Why isn''t with you,helping you find your little brother?


    -His strict morals would only get in the way. I like to deal with things my way.


    For whatever reason,it sounded more like a threat than a personal observation.


    -Is that all there is to it?


    -What do you mean?


    -I know I am pushing my luck but the look on your face reminds me so much of my mother.


    -How come?


    -I don''t remember much from her but what I do remember is her smile. A smile full of guilt. A guilt that never left her face. Whether she was sad or happy. One day I heard her crying,sobbing more like,from the living room. I was supposed to be sleeping but I wasn''t. I left my brother,who was snoring. He rarely cared about our mother''s pain anyway,he always blamed her for our "unstable" lifestyle.


    -You think this is some sort of field trip? Do I want to hear your childhood memories?Keep your eyes on the phone because if I lose him or I discover that all this was some sort of trick with your brother to disorient me then this will be the last time you remember anything.


    She chuckled and continued talking, seemingly ignoring Lucifer''s threatening glare.The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.


    -When I asked her what was wrong I expected her to send me back to bed.But instead she simply...broke. She started apologizing again and again,saying that it was her fault that we never had a normal childhood,that she should have been more careful with the man she married. She kept hugging me,repeating over and over again how much she loved me.Next day they shot her in the plaza. You can''t imagine how many times I wished that my brother was awake that night. That he could have heard our mother''s confession. Maybe then things would be different now. Maybe our mother''s love could evaporate the hatred in his heart. If only she had expressed it sooner.


    -Oh I swear that...Wait. He is near. His car is just 200 meters away from us.


    -Did you tell your brother you love him, Lucifer? Do you feel responsible for what happened to him?


    Lucifer didn''t answer but took the turn too fast and


    Carolina hit her head on the side of the window. She wanted to complain but was forced to hide when her brother started shooting at their car. This seemed to anger Lucifer even more who,in return,took the Revolcer out of the glove compartment and started shooting as well without reducing the speed of his car.


    One of his bullets hit one the tires and the car in front of theirs crashed in an abandoned garage and George came out of the flaming car holding an unconscious David. At the sight of his brother unresponsive,Lucifer lost the last ounce of his self control and moved to his direction but Carolina grabbed him before the bullets of her brother''s rifle hit him and hid him behind a column


    -Are you mad? You want to get killed?


    -Me? No. But your brother is going to be begging for it when I am done with him.


    -Lucifer! Come out wherever you are hiding.You killed my father and now I will have my revenge. If you don''t appear,I am going to shoot your brother.Or maybe that''s what you want? Because the truth is that all of this is your fault.


    Lucifer couldn''t contain himself any longer and rushed out of his hiding spot,leaving Caolina there,only to see George falling to the ground and Amenadiel holding the back of a gun which he immediately dropped after the kidnapper collapsed and he took David in his arms.Lucifer was besides him in seconds.


    -Amenadiel?! How did you find me?


    -I knew you would be too busy to inform me so I put a tracker on your phone.I knew you wouldn''t pick up your phone but I kept calling just to check if your phone was on so I could use the tracker. You can''t hide from me brother. Especially,when it comes to our baby brother.


    -How is he?


    -Unconscious but alive. I called Johanna and I texted her the coordinates.She is on her way.


    Lucifer took David from Amenadiel''s arms and cuddled him while checking for injuries and was surprised and horrified to find quite a lot.


    -He is covered in cuts and bruises. Why didn''t he heal himself?


    -Good question.Maybe he didn''t want to scare or anger his kidnapper?Or maybe they come from the crush


    -No. He is much too brave and clever for that and these injuries are days old.


    At that moment Lucifer heard the sound of tires screeching and a car stopped just a few meters away from them.They were relieved when they saw Johanna coming out of the vehicle.


    -Johanna? How come you are alone? You said you would bring an ambulance.


    -All of them are busy at the moment but I have notified my coworkers and they are expecting us but we need to use my car.Lucifer,please carry him in the back seats and sit with him. Amenadiel will be at the front with me.We need to hurry.His pupils are unresponsive. He is most likely drugged but I need a sample and hospital tests to make sure.


    -No. I will go with you and David to the hospital. Amenadiel,I want you to take that scumback back to my old apartment and "treat" him accordingly until I return


    -I am coming with you to the hospital,Lucifer. That is not up for discussion.


    -Listen to me. I promise that whatever happens you will be the first to know. But that man is going to wake up soon and if we leave him here alone,he is going to run and you know as well as I do that the police won''t be able to do anything without proof,which Im sure are nonexistent.You hate him as much as I do,I can see it in your eyes.


    -.....Okay. But I expect constant updates.


    -You will have them brother,you will.


    -Okay, let''s go.


    Lucifer didn''t let go of David, not even for a moment during the ride to the hospital.

 The damage is always worst than it seems(part1)

    - I need more oxygen! Why is his blood pressure still dropping?


    -We dont know!


    -How can you not know for what reason we are losing him?!


    -Im sorry,doctor,but there are no injuries in his body to justify his current condition


    -Heart rate dropping!50 beats per minute!


    -Damn,give him 2ml of adrenaline


    -Thats too much!


    -We need his heart rate to go up,now! I am his doctor and I will make the decisions.


    -40 beats per minute


    -Give me the syringe,now!Injecting now


    -Heart rate going up. 45,50,60,65 beats.He is stabilised.


    Johanna wanted to collapse from exhaustion and relief. Maybe Lucifer''s baby brother would make it.But she still wasnt sure how bruises and cuts had led him to the surgery table. All of his toxicology exams came back clean.No drugs were found in his body.Then why he has been at death''s doorstep for the past two hours?


    -Heart rate rising dangerously high! Over 100 beats!


    -This cant continue. His body will not be able to take much more of this.Give me 20 mg of acetylcholine and we need to intubate him.


    If you find this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen. Please report the infringement.


    -But doctor.....


    -What?


    -We dont have a medical reason to intubate him. His body only has a few broken ribs,some bruises and a couple of face cuts.


    -It is a mystery to me also but the facts speak otherwise. If we dont intubate him,he will die. That is something I know.


    ¦¯nce the surgery was over and David has been moved to the ICU,where his life continued hanging by a thread,Johanna took a moment to sit down and relax but she couldnt. What was she going to say to Lucifer? How she was going to explain why his brother was dying when she didnt even know the answer herself.


    -Johanna!


    That was Lucifer''s voice. God,she wasnt ready for this. He continued to march her way. It didnt matter if she was ready or not. Amenadiel didnt manage to hold Lucifer any longer and now she would have to face him.


    -What are you doing sitting around? Is the surgery over?


    -Yes....but


    -It was only for precautionary reasons,right? I mean,he didnt have anything except a few minor injuries


    This was going to be harder than she originally thought but it had to be done.


    -You know Lucifer that no surgery is done for precautionary reasons.He died three times on the operating table,his heart rate kept going up and down and.....


    -And?


    -We had to put him in the ICU.


    What happened next was both expected and surprising. Lucifer grabbing her from the collar of her robe and looking at her furious was anticipated.But the tears that threatened to fall from his eyes were a sight new to her. He was using anger to hide his grief.


    -I brought him here merely uncouncious and now you are telling him that his life is in danger? And you expect me to believe that you and your team had nothing to do with it.


    -I understand that it seems surreal and I dont blame you for accusing me. But you have known me for years and trust me when I tell you that we have no idea what is wrong with him. No drugs were found in his system,no major injury was detected. I dont say this often but please believe me,Lucifer,when I tell you that I dont know.


    Lucifer let her go and seemed to relax a bit. But Johanna quickly realised that she was wrong. It wasnt calmness that reduced his anger. It was self-blame. Lucifer was still angry but now this anger wasnt directed at her.


    -Johanna. Im sorry he just stormed out.How is David?


    Amenadiel has just appeared running behind Lucifer. Johanna was about to answer him but just as soon as Amenadiel took a better look at Lucifer,he panicked and leaded Lucifer to the nearest chair.


    -Lucifer! What happened? You are pale and you are shaking.


    Then Johanna realised that in midst of her panic she had avoided looking Lucifer in the eyes but now that he sat down she realised with terror that he was at the brick of collapse due to the shock.


    -Johanna! What are you staring at?! Quick,bring him a glass of water before he faints.Lucifer,try to take deep breaths and please tell me what Johanna told you.


    At that moment Johanna returned with the glass of water but Lucifer shoved the glass out of her hand which landed on the floor and broke to a million pieces. Then he stood up quickly and started yelling


    -My brother is fighting for his life in the ICU and your main concern is if I am going to faint?!!Johanna,I want to see him.


    -But thats not possible at the moment. No one is allowed in outside of visiting hours,except the doctors and nurses.


    Johanna was sure that if Amenadiel wasnt holding him,he would have grabbed her again.


    -I dont care how you make it happen but I want to be by his side in the next 10 minutes. Understand?


    -....Let me go talk to the supervisor

 The damage is always worst than it seems(part2)

    After she left, although running would be a better word for it, Amenadiel made Lucifer sit down again.


    -How did he end up in the ICU? He wasnt so severely hurt.


    -I dont know. But if those doctors made any kind of mistake,I swear I''ll..


    -Relax, brother. You know Johanna is the best there is. I doubt she would make a mistake of such gravity.It surprised me that you let Carolina go.


    -There was no point in keeping her any longer. I gad to make a decision at that time and I concluded that David''s wellbeing was more important than preventing a depressed girl get away. Besides,she was most likely being used by her brother. I saved all of my rage for him. Where is he now?


    -In your old apartment. Dont worry. No one will know that he is here. What are you going to do to him?


    -First,I have to find out what he did to my brother.I want the extent of his pain to be equivalent to his crime.Did you tell Charlie that we found his uncle?


    -Not yet. I wanted to bring David to the hospital first where,I believed, we would get a clear view of his condition and then phone Charlie and be able to answer all his questions. But now,I dont even know what to tell him.


    -Tell him the truth. If he finds out that you have been lying to him it is only going to make him feel more guilty. Tell him that his uncle is critical but we have the best doctors working on him.


    -Do you think that is wise?Charlie is very close to his uncle. He will be very upset.


    -It is always best to be a part of your loved one''s misfortunes even if it hurts that be left out and remaining happily ignorant.


    Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.


    -That was....very mature of you to say.


    At that moment Johanna returned and both brothers stood up anxiously.


    -Half an hour. That was all I was able to get you. But you can return tomorrow morning at 10.


    -It is not enough but I understand that was the best you could do.Amenadiel,why dont you go home? I am sure Charlie will be eager to learn the news.


    -No,I am coming with you. I too want to see David and you need all the support you can get at these difficult moments.


    Lucifer ignored Amenadiel''s last comment and followed Johanna to the ICU. When he saw David lying on the bed,barely visible between all these wires and machines,unmoving and with his mouth half-open,he was suddenly grateful that Amenadiel was with him.


    He didnt know where he found the strength to walk to the bed but it was enough to only bring him there because he collapsed on his knees and took David''s cold hand between his own,trying to avoid all these wires. After Johanna left to give them some privacy,Lucifer turned to Amenadiel,panicked.


    -He has given up.


    -What?


    -I have been in Hell for a long time,brother.I know when someone has given up.When someone has lost his will to live and my little brother doesn''t want to live anymore. Thats why his condition worsened so quickly


    -Do you believe it was something George did to him?


    -I am sure of it and we need to find out what.


    -Normally,I am against violence but when someone hurts my family,he pays a very high price.Stay with our brother,Lucifer. I will go to George and I promise you that I will make him confess everything. And I will not use gentle methods.


    Lucifer''s small happy and relieved smile was a hopeful sight as Amenadiel exited the room and left Lucifer alone with David. Then Lucifer,with the utmost care,caressed his little brother''s hair while continuing to hold his hand.


    -You need to wake up,brother. Your birthday is coming up next week and you wouldnt want to miss your party, right? Because then we would have to celebrate your birthday alongside David''s. You wouldn''t want that right? Maybe this year we will finally be able to throw you a surprise party without you finding it out. I dont know what that bastard did to you but it will be okay.I will make it all okay.You dont need to be afraid. Your big brother will take care of everything. You managed to hold on until I found you and I am very proud of you for that.But I need to ask you for one last favor.Please,wake up.I know that sometimes it hurts to be alive,trust me,I know that better than anyone but it is worth it. Even when you dont believe it anymore you need to believe me.I know how calming and comforting the deep abyss is.No pain,no emotion,nothing.But the pain is not gone.It never is.It always waits for you until you face him.But you are not alone.You are never alone.I am here.Come back to us and no matter what happened we will face it together and in the end there will be no more pain.All you have to do is open your eyes.


    Johanna returned after half an hour and found Lucifer alone at his brother''s side.If she could,she would let him stay here the entire night.It was obvious he needed it. But if the supervisor were to find out she had broken their deal,both Lucifer and her would be in big trouble.


    -I heard your footsteps,Johanna.I guess my time is up, right?


    -Im sorry Lucifer.


    -Dont be.It was better than nothing.I will come back tomorrow anyway.


    Lucifer left David''s hand but Johanna could tell how much it hurt him.It seemed like that from now on,every time Lucifer would be forced to leave his little brother''s side,something will break inside him.

 The dream

    He was cold.So cold.But at least th extreme cold distracted him from the pain he was feeling.He wasnt injured but he wished he was.The more things to distract him from what he was feeling the better.He felt destroyed,vile,broken,disgusted of his own self and rotten.The feeling of his being decaying slowly from inside out amplified his desire for death.Why was he still alive?He felt so alone and miserable in this everlasting darkness and wanted nothing more than to be free of the darkness and th pain.


    Suddenly he felt someone approaching.He didnt move from his position in which he was sitting down hugging his knees,although he wasnt sure if he was sitting or floating,hoping that whoever was coming was there to end his suffering.He knew when the mysterious visitor arrived besides him but did nothing.Neither of them did.


    A few minutes later the strange man kneeled in front of him and laid his hand on David''s knee.Thats when David realised that he wasnt a man.He would recognise the gentle touch of a woman''s hand anywhere.That thought was soon accompanied by a vivid image of Linda which created a new wave of grief and sadness that caused him to hug his knees even tighter but the hand never left his knee.


    Slowly David made the brave decision of lifting his eyes and seeing the intruder of his loneliness.As he had expected before,before him was a young woman around the age of 35,with blue eyes and brown-blond hair and a gentle look on her face full of worry.David had never seen her before but she seemed to know him.


    -Hi,David.Im so glad I finally get to meet you.


    David didnt answer but the puzzzled look on his face was enough for an answer


    -You dont recognise me?


    -No.Should I?


    -My name is Chloe.Your brother never told you about me?


    -No,he never mentioned you.


    Chloe stood up and extended her hand to him with a bittersweet smile on her face.


    -Thats unfair because everytime he came to visit me all he would talk about was you.Now,come on,stand up.


    -I dont want to.


    -We never do but we always must.If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    For some strange reason David felt that he could trust her so he took her hand and standed on his two feet.Chloe took his hands into hers.


    -Listen,David.We dont have much time so you must listen very carefully.This darkness,this numbness,is intoxicating.It paralyses you.If you dont fight your way out of here you will die as you are shallowed by it.


    -When will it happen?


    -Soon.Very soon.


    -It takes too long.


    -No.No.You can not give up.


    He violently released his hands from her gentle grip


    -You have no right to tell me what I can and cannot do.You have no idea what I have benn through.I had suffered things that my family can never know.Especially,Lucifer.


    -Why?


    -Because he will hate me.All of them will.I would rather die know than go back and be killed by Lucifer''s disgusted look when he hears it.


    She approached him yet again and very carefully touched his shoulder,a gesture which he did not object.


    -I wasnt planning on telling you this much but it seems the situation is more serious than I had initially thought.I know what George did to you.And Johanna knows too.An intern mixed your medical exams with a poor girl''s who arrived in the ICU whose husband beat her uncounsious.As you can imagine checking for rape in thes cases in the standard procedure.Well,in the end she did your pulmonary function testing and you¡­..


    Chloe didnt get the chance to finish her sentence before David collapsed and started sobbing which made her think if she had done more harm than good.


    -If June knows then it is a matter of time before Lucifer finds out.And he will kill me.


    -Lucifer would never harm a hair on your head and wouldnt let anyone hurt you either.Whatever signs of hate,disgust or anger you may see on his face I can assure you that it wont be directed at you.


    -You talk like you know him.


    -I do.And I know how much he had suffered.He cant bear to live any more pain.You dying will be the final blow.


    -You are just exagerating because you want to save me.Lucider is strong.He will be fine without me.Probably even better.He spends most of his everyday life dealing with me in some way.


    -Thats a lie and you know it.I can understand how you feel.Wanting to die so badly that you convince yourself that everyone will be better off without you.Thats how I felt when Lorenzo killed my daughter.I lied to everyone else except her father telling them that Trixie had gone abroad to study and I went to see Lorenzo with the intention of making him kill me too.And I succeeded.But when I saw the pain I caused to all the people that loved me and supported me thoughout my life I wished I had fought.Please,dont make the same mistake I did.


    -Everyone loves me except Lucifer.For him I am just a burden.


    -It seems that you have your brother''s incomporable skill at lying to yourself.


    -He never said it.For 18 years I never heard him say he loves me.And every time I tried to trick him into saying it,he understood it and he got angry.


    Chloe sighed and moved her head from left to right,disappointed


    -Learn to hear beyond the words and see beyond his expression to his actions.Lucifer loves you more than his life.Give him a chance to prove it.


    -You are trying to convince me to face the greatest pain of my life by telling me that I misjudged Lucifer.You arent a very good physiatrist.


    -I am not one at all.I used to be a cop.I am trying to find something that will convince you to fight your way out of here.And quick.I dealt with many painful stories in my career and I can tell you,from expereince, that dying while doubting about the feelings of your loved ones is the worst death imaginable.You know it better than I.You are the Angel Of Death.You are scared.I know you are and there isnt a more natural feeling in the world right now.But dont depart from this world having wronged yourself by treating it as weak and having wronged your family by using them as an excuse to give up and not to fight.


    -....How do I get out of here?


    -Just take my hand.Darkness has one weakness.If you dont want to stay,you cant stay.Thats why it is so dangerous.Because it convinces you that you want to be there.One last thing before we say goodbye.Tell Lucifer what you feel you need to say when you have the courage.Dont wait for th proper time.Time will never be ideal but courage is never wrong.


    David nodded slightly and took her hand, surprisingly with little hesitation,and he suddenly felt a bright light surrounding him.

 A step towards the truth

    Five days.It has been five days since David was first brought to the hospital and has yet to regain consciousness. Lucifer was coming anytime it was allowed too. He may have yelled at Johanna but he was forever grateful for all that she had done for him and he would never put her in a position that would jeopardize her job.


    He knew how hard it was for her to get over her past mistakes and find a job in a hospital. That woman must have been Hippocrates''s daughter in her past life.She was born to be a doctor and nothing less.And she nearly lost her chance to be one just because some jealous former colleagues of hers took advantage of her fragile mental state during a very hard period of her life and manipulated her into making some serious medical errors that nearly sent her to prison.


    Thats why she came to Lucifer,asking for a favor.It was obvious from the beginning that she wasn''t the usual scumbag wanting to get away with whatever crime they had commited.When he first met her,he was genuinely surprised and that didnt happen often.In front of him was a scared,betrayed and angry woman who was worried she would lose contact with the thing that she loved most in the world.


    Lucifer,for the first time ever,helped her without asking for anything in return.On the contrary,he went out of his way to make sure that the doctors that betrayed her were properly dealt with.


    Johanna''s entrance to the room interrupted his thoughts.She looked worried and tired.


    -How is he doing,Lucifer?


    -Same as ever.He isn''t moving and his breathing pattern hasnt changed.What did the tests show?


    When she heard the word "test" Johanna tensed up and looked away but regained her composure very quickly and tried to hide her nervousness by checking on the folder she was holding.Lucifer stood up and came behind her silently,trying to take a peak inside her notes but she quickly saw him and moved away from him while holding the exams tightly on her chest.


    -Lucifer! Dont you trust me? Everything is fine.


    -Then why doesn''t he wake up?If you come across this story on Amazon, it''s taken without permission from the author. Report it.


    -I dont know.I really cant explain it.


    -You are hiding something from me.You are terrible at keeping secrets.


    -.....I cant tell you,Lucifer


    -Why?


    -Because I dont want you to learn it from me.


    It shouldn''t be me to reveal it.Its not my place to tell.


    Johanna left the room before Lucifer had a chance to question her more.It was the most clumsy exit he had ever seen. She nearly fell on the door.


    He returned to David''s bedside and continued caressing his thick black hair.David never let his big brother touch his hair because he ruined it.Lucifer was always amazed by the pitch black color of his baby brother''s hair that run counter to his milk white skin but in the most beautiful way possible.David was a really handsome guy and in truth Lucifer feared the day his brother will fall in love and brings her home.He didn''t believe that there was a girl out there who will love David enough for who and what he really is and Lucifer wanted nothing more than to protect his brother from that rejection.After all,only one woman on the planet possessed the gift of acceptance and Lucifer was lucky enough to find her.


    Besides,why would David need the love of a woman? He was surrounded by love all his life.By Charlie,Linda,Amenadiel,his friends in school and...


    And....


    And.....


    And Lucifer''s last defence crumbled. His defences were being destroyed for years,ever since David came into his life but Lucifer was always too proud to admit.And now,as his last mental wall fell down like a pile of house cards,he couldn''t stop his tears from falling. He held David''s hand even tighter and approached David until their foreheads touched.


    -Wake up,please.Dont become another dead person to whom I tell the truth.I dont want to confess my feelings so I can ease my own guilt. Not again. I want you to hear what I have to say so you can live with it in your life.


    At that time his phone started ringing. Annoyed,his first thought was to decline the call but then he saw Amenadiel''s name on the screen.He reluctantly released David and went outside to take the call but not before he turned to his brother while he exited the room.


    -When I get back,I want to see you awake.


    He left the ICU and went to the corridor where he picked up the phone.


    -Yes? Amenadiel,what could possibly be so important that you couldn''t handle yourself?


    -Lucifer? Are you okay?


    -Fantastic. Never been better. Now,what was it?


    -...I broke him,Lucifer.I made him confess everything he did to David.


    -Excellent. Im coming over so he can tell me himself. I want to see every facial spasm his face makes combined with beautiful screams of pain


    -Get in line but.....I dont think you should learn it from him or even me.


    -Amenadiel,you stutter. You never stutter. What is it? What aren''t you telling me?


    -....I cant tell you.David should and must tell you but please try to stay calm when you find out.


    -Judging from the prologue,I doubt it will happen.


    -Im serious,Lucifer.I dont care how you handle it in private but if you have one of your usual tantrums of anger in front of our brother that could lead him to believe that you consider him responsible for what happened then I swear I kill you along with him.


    -Okay,okay.What has gotten into you? I know how to be sensitive when I need to be.But you have really worried me


    -You should be worried,Lucifer. Worried and afraid.


    Lucifer wanted to question Amenadiel further but he hung up and Lucifer was left standing there with no answers and with his heart beating fast which started beating even faster when he heard Johanna''s voice.


    -Lucifer! Come quick! He is awake!

 The truth heals by hurting

    -Johanna! Stop holding me and let me go see my brother.


    -You can''t.The doctors are examining him. He just came out of a coma. And to speak frankly,I should be in there as well.I am his main doctor after all.So you are going to wait here,patiently and most importantly,quietly,until me and my colleagues make sure David is doing ok.By the way,shouldn''t you be calling your family to tell them the good news?


    -Fine,I will wait.And I will call them after I have seen my brother. The last thing he needs in his fragile and disoriented state is a group of people all around him asking him questions. Especially,if they are strangers.


    Johanna was about to answer Lucifer''s last comment when the neurologist approached them.


    -Michael,how is the patient doing?


    -I have arranged for some more tests but our initial prognosis is that he is completely healthy. Which makes it all the more strange as to why he fell into a coma in the first place.Who is this man?


    Johanna answered the question before Lucifer to avoid a hallway fist fight.


    -His older brother.You don''t need papers,I know their family personally. He has been coming here every day ever since David fell into a coma.And as you can see he is very anxious to see him.


    -I don''t know,Johanna,I think it would be best if we let him rest.


    Johanna signaled him with her eyes pointing at Lucifer, who was barely containing himself,and Michael felt a shiver down his spine.


    -On the other hand,I can''t deny the positive effects the reassurance of a family member would have on the patient.Follow me,sir


    -I know the way.


    Michael was about to angrily chase after Lucifer when Johanna grabbed his arm


    -Dont misjudge him.He has been through a lot in the past couple days.Can you talk to the supervisor for me and explain why we let him in,thus breaking the protocols?


    -Maybe...if you agree to go out with me tonight.


    Johanna smiled fondly and gave him a quick kiss on the lips.


    -We have been together for three months already.Why do you insist on asking me out like it is always the first time?


    -Because every time I get to meet a new side of you.


    -You charmer.Okay,pick me up at 7.


    In the meantime Lucifer was already inside David''s room embarrassing him,overjoyed.


    -You are awake! Finally,you had me so worried.


    He released his little brother and looked at him sternly.


    -What have I told you countless times about worrying me? If my hair turns gray it will be your fault.


    Lucifer quickly understood that his humor attempt made the situation worse instead of better because David probably took the joke more seriously than needed and now he was crying while looking at his fists grabbing the sheets.


    -I''m sorry,I''m so sorry I know it''s all my fault,I should have fought back but.....but...


    Lucifer couldn''t stand seeing David crying,the more so when he was blaming himself for something that wasn''t his fault to begin with.When Lucifer got his hands on his kidnapper,his screams would be enough to shake the foundations of Hell.First he needed to know what the scumbag did to his brother but that wasn''t his first priority now.He hugged his baby brother again but more tightly than before This story originates from a different website. Ensure the author gets the support they deserve by reading it there.


    -Shhh,Shhh,calm down,it''s okay.Its not your fault,it never was and it never will be.


    -But...Im the Angel of Death


    -Then you know that your powers need to be locked up so you have more energy to collect souls.You couldn''t fight back. You are forbidden from harming humans.


    David seemed to calm down a little but not enough.


    -But,David,why didn''t you heal yourself?We found you injured.Those were simple wounds.You could have made them disappear in a second.


    -.....I didn''t want to.


    Lucifer felt like he was struck by lightning.It hurt when he heard this.More than he ever knew words could hurt.He grabbed David''s hand with both of his own and looked at him right in the eyes.


    -Why?


    -Because I wanted to die.


    Lucifer never knew how much inner strength he possessed until this moment.All he wanted was to cry but he needed to be strong, because David needed someone strong to place his trust.


    -I know it may seem impossible right now but everything is going to be alright.But I need to know,David.I need to know what he did to you.


    When David heard this,he violently released his hands from Lucifer''s grasp and held his shoulders tightly.


    -No!


    Lucifer gently guided David''s hands away from his shoulders and held them tenderly once more.


    -I can''t tell you how sorry I am that I am pressuring you right now that you have just escaped death but the sooner you face your fear the sooner your wounds will heal.Trust me,I made the mistake of waiting for the right time but it never came.You don''t have to make the same mistake I made.I am here for you.You can trust me with anything.I promise you that there is nothing that I cant handle hearing.


    -This you won''t be able to handle.You will hate me! I know you have only seen me as a responsibility,a job and I must admit that you did brave efforts of not showing it in your behavior while you were raising me but it was promptly obvious.I can live with you not loving me,I learned to live with it a long time ago but you despising me is not something I can''t handle.


    Lucifer couldn''t speak.He couldn''t move either.Why did he keep making the same mistakes over and over again? When will he learn? When would he stop hurting whoever mattered the most to him? Why whenever he fights his own egoism and doubts,he ends up losing precious time that doesn''t come back and memories he never got to have but that was only his fault?When the vicious circle ends?As Chloe used to say,now is always the best time for change.


    -Lucifer? Say something.Im.....


    Lucifer literally launched himself at David , crying but then put each of his hands on each side of his little brother''s face.


    -Listen to me and listen carefully. You have nothing to be sorry for.I am the one who should be sorry for more things than will ever know and I am.I can''t turn back time and give you what my attachment to the past deprived you but I can give you from now on what you wanted your entire life and you always had it.My love for you.Because I love you.More than I can express and more than I can admit.I can''t tell you the whole story but you came into my life at the best and worst possible time.You saved me when I didn''t want to be saved.I know you probably don''t believe me and think that I am only telling you this so I will make you open up to me but I swear to you that it is the truth.Just give me another chance to prove it.


    David was shocked and Lucifer was right.Under normal circumstances he wouldn''t believe Lucifer for the reasons he said but three phrases awoke inside him and wouldn''t leave his mind.


    "Lucifer loves you more than his life"


    "I don''t want to get up"


    "We never do but we always must".


    Maybe it was his weakened mental defenses,maybe he was more desperate and broken than he cared to admit,maybe the sweetness of finally having what he cried for silently in his sleep was too much to resist.Whatever the reason may be,David believed his big brother and he let his last painful defense fall down. He screamed and literally dived into his brother''s loving arms that quickly closed behind him, shielding him from the world,and let all of his pain reach his lips.


    -He raped me! At first he tried to beat me up but he was unsuccessful and that got him mad and he....he....


    -Shh. Don''t say anything more.


    Lucifer released David and started playing with his black hair but his little brother continued shaking, anxiously waiting for his big brother''s reaction.


    -Lucifer? Are you mad?


    -With you? No! By all means,no! We will get through this.I promise you.Together.But you need to rest now.I already tired you enough.I will call Amenadiel and Charlie to tell them you are awake.Will you be okay with them visiting?


    -I think so but I am not ready to tell them what happened yet.


    -Of course.It is your choice and yours alone.But Amenadiel''s torture already broke him and be confessed.


    -No! I didn''t want Amenadiel to know! What will he think of me?


    -What I think too.That you are very brave and very strong and that we are very proud of you for holding on and coming back to us.Shh,now,you need to sleep.


    -I don''t want to. I will see nightmares,I know it.


    Lucifer smiled at David and guided him to lay down.


    -I can do something about it.Close your eyes.


    David obeyed and he soon heard the soft voice of Lucifer singing the all familiar lullaby he hadn''t heard since he was a baby.


    "When the sun comes down


    When the moon comes up


    When the birds hide in fear


    For the moon wakes their terrors


    But the moon will protect you


    Will guide you to sleep,away from danger


    For in you she sees a friend


    Sleep,my boy,enjoy your sleep


    Let the night lead you to travels


    Beyond this world


    And when the morning comes


    Dont be sad


    For the sun will light all your days


    As a favor to the moon


    Sleep,my boy,sleep"


    By the time Lucifer finished singing, David had already drifted into a calm sleep and Lucifer was crying,thinking how many times he missed the chance of singing this song as he exited the room and nearly stumbled upon Johanna.


    -Lucifer! How is he?


    -He has a long way to go to heal but the first and hardest step has been made.I have to go.Call me if anything happens.


    Johanna nodded and wanted to tell Lucifer about the tests'' mix up and David''s real condition but he ran away while he was talking to the phone before she got the chance.


    -Amenadiel? David is awake.


    -Really? That''s amazing news. When?


    -About half an hour ago.He is sleeping now but I believe that it will do him good to see you and Charlie when he wakes up.


    -I agree.Did you talk about...?


    -Is George alive?


    -Unfortunately,yes.And he said some other things that we need to discuss. About you.


    -I don''t care what he has to say about me.Kill him.


    -What? Why? Don''t you want to deal with him yourself?


    -Of course I do.Thats why I am telling to end it.


    -.....You will torture him in Hell,will you?


    -Maybe.


    -It will be done.Then we need to talk.


    -Yeah,yeah whatever.


    Lucifer hung up before Amenadiel had a chance to answer.He then drove to the nearest bar where he ordered a drink and let himself cry, uncaring to people''s stares. Every time he thought he couldn''t fail in another domain,life loved to prove him wrong.