Caught in the Fire

Chapter XXXII: A Life on Earth

Chloe was at the penthouse, in the bathroom, sitting with her back against the door. She'd come here to get ready for bedtime, but the enormity of the decision she had to make about her life and afterlife crashed around her, and all she could do was sit against the door while trying not to panic. The fate of Lucifer's soul rested on her shoulders, and all she had to do was sacrifice Heaven for it. She didn't know what to do.

At least the rain was over. Of course it had rained; Michael had almost died. God had done the same thing when Lucifer died on the beach, perhaps to show how He was mourning His sons. She, however, was not impressed by God's spectacle. God was always ready to bring the rain, but He never lifted a celestial finger for His sons. It made her angry enough at God that she really did want to punch Him in the face, but she'd probably be obliterated for it.

She felt so alone. Lucifer was here in body but not in mind. And now that she knew that guilt was what sent people to Hell, she knew exactly why she was the key. If Lucifer had heard all her prayers, he must've known she felt guilty, that she was damned to Hell, and blamed himself for it. He must've felt like the monster she believed him to be when she saw him at the loft after Pierce's death.

I know history and religion paint me as a monster, but you have to believe me... I'm nothing of the sort—he'd said as he stood over the body of her ex-fiancé, red-skinned with fiery eyes, barely recognizable from the man she'd come to know—Or at least... I hope not.

That's when she heard a knock on the bathroom door. She hadn't even heard the elevator arrive as she was too wrapped up in her own misery. "Maze, I'm not in the mood, okay?"

"Mazikeen is not here. Are you all right?"

Chloe felt a chill running down her spine. Michael—God's executioner, and the twin who hated Lucifer and would stop at nothing to ruin his life. She told herself to stay calm, that it was possible that Amenadiel was wrong or just lying like he'd done before. Besides, Michael had power over fear, and he'd pick up on her fear in an instant. The last thing she needed was Michael knowing that she suspected his intentions while she still needed him to save Lucifer.

But despite herself, she was sad about this development. She did consider Michael a friend, after all. She fondly remembered all the arguments they had about cars, whether or not swords were better than guns, and traffic lights. She remembered how he cheered her up during one of the worst moments of her life by telling her that he'd do everything in his power to fix things. Coming from him, that meant the world to her. He had been her rock in the middle of all this tragedy, but he may very well have been the monster she thought Lucifer had been.

Michael knocked on the door again. "Is something wrong?"

She heard the worried tone in his voice, and she wondered if it was some kind of elaborate act like Amenadiel said. "I'm fine," she lied. She didn't know how convincing she sounded. "I just wish there was another way to save Lucifer."

"There is another way to send you to Hell, but the means to do so lie in another universe. I asked Gabriel to send a message to the ruler of that universe—my Mother, the Goddess of Creation—but She was either unwilling or unable to help us. I..." He sighed, feeling utterly helpless. "I am sorry. Truly, I am. I tried to save your mortality, but..."

"I know you tried, Michael." Despite the different accent, he sounded so much like Lucifer. How she wished that Lucifer was behind that door instead. She missed her partner so much.

"I can sense that you are upset. I know we have only known each other for two days, but I do consider you a friend. You may be my first friend in the entire universe, actually." He smiled weakly, but it fell when she didn't respond. "Please, if there is anything I can do..."