Synching With the Devil's Son

Chapter 115

Lucien's P.O.V.

Bella calls me in the early afternoon to ask who our cell phone provider is. She's purchasing my mother a cell phone, which is a great idea. I ask her how her day is going, and she gushes about how much fun they are having, promising to bring food home for dinner. My father and I have also had a seriously great day. We went to the pharmacy together where we bought out their supply of condoms, and laughed with each other over the clerks' expression. Then we went swimming. I haven't been swimming with my Dad since I was about eight years old. He taught me how, then stopped joining me. I always wondered why, so I asked him.

"I got a frantic summons to return to Hell after we spent the day in the pool together. Xirus and a few other demons kept asking me what that intriguing odor was, kept sniffing the air...it was the fresh chlorinated water from the pool still in my hair. Their relentless questions made me worry they would try to come to Earth to experience 'swimming.' You can only imagine what would have happened if demons found their way here."

"Christ, you had wet hair and gave up swimming in case it put any ideas in their heads?" At his nod, I shake my head. He has sacrificed so much for me, for my Mom, for humanity. I realize I don't know my father very well...I mean, I know the big things, the major events that have shaped his life, but theses little stories and anecdotes...I still don't know how he got Mom to accept him once she found out he was the Devil.  I don't want to ruin this camaraderie we're sharing, but my curiosity gets the best of me.

"Dad," I begin and then stop. When he looks at me and doesn't look away I say, "How did you get Mom to...accept you and...give you a family?"

He purses his lips, and I can tell he's trying to determine how formulate his answer. "I didn't want a family, I just wanted your Mother." When I cock my head and look at him with a raised eyebrow, he rushes on, "I wouldn't change having you for anything in the universe, but at the time, I thought, any child of mine would be cursed." He's silent for a minute and I wait him out. "Your Mom wanted a lot of kids, ten is what she told me. I really hurt her when I said no." He looks down at his hands, then back up at me. "I was worried about what kind of father I would be. I don't listen to excuses or platitudes...I torture people and know I'm not exactly easy to live with. When your mother was pregnant with you, I spent every waking moment observing human fathers and what they did with their children. I soon realized nobody had the answers on how to properly raise their children, so I just...winged it. There certainly was no precedent on how to raise half an angel who's father is a demon," he says derisively.

"Dad," I say gently, waiting for him to look at me. "I think it's time to change your perspective on this. You are an angel, not a demon, and you are a great Dad." He scoffs and I say, "It's true. You made me come to Pigeon Forge to 'immerse myself in humanity' and in doing so, learn to be a better man. I know you tried to direct me and give me a purpose, and you bent over backwards for me when Mom didn't come back to us. I've been too self centered and immature to see it, and I'm sorry."

His eyes are glassy when he looks at me. "I love you, son. I know I don't tell you that enough."

Now my eyes are glassy. "I love you too, Dad."

A few minutes of companionable silence falls over us and then he says, "I didn't need to convince your mother to accept me. An afternoon spent talking while she was collecting flowers for her mother was all it took. We have a bond, an unbreakable divine bond, because she's my soul mate. She had the courage to ignore what society taught her about the Devil, and she was able to see past all that to the man underneath. She helped me merge my demonic side with my humanity, and when we lost her, I lost the force that kept my negativity and outlook on life in check. I know I could have been more present in your life, Lucien, but I couldn't replace your mother, and couldn't stomach another woman touching me." He is quiet for a moment and I nod in understanding. Then he says, "I knew I had to intervene when I saw you acting a lot like I was acting when I got kicked out of Heaven. I didn't want that for you, so I made you come here. I never imagined you would find your soul mate...I can see you and Bella share the same bond your mother and I have."

I smile at him. "Yeah, we do. For us it was an evening of cleaning her wounds, scaring a black bear away, and carrying her back to camp while she slept in my arms."

He looks at me, astounded. "Would you mind expounding on that veritable egg you just laid?"

I quirk my lips at him. "This from the man who invented the art of cryptic answers." I go on to tell him about the night I realized Bella was the one for me. He nods here and there, but doesn't interrupt. Then I begin to list all the things I love about her. "Bella has the courage to form her own opinions about Heaven, Hell, what is real and what isn't. She faces her issues with her head raised, and always listens before she reacts. Oh, and did I forget to mention she a fucking phenomenal lay?" I joke, earning a laugh from my father.

"Yeah," he chuckles, "so is your Mom."

Okay, maybe I didn't need to know that.