Let's Make a Deal

Family Reunion

   They had been having coffee for a good fifteen minutes while Alastor talked to his mother, explaining his Radio Show in Hell (without the murder part) and even a bit of what he was doing for the Hotel. It was heartwarming to watch him talk with his mother like this, the easy smile on his face and the occasional sight of his ears twitching on top of his head. For her part, Granny watched him like he hung the sun in the sky and as if she was starved of his affection. Probably was, not having her son around for so long had to hurt. Alastor's been in Hell for at least a hundred years almost, and he died before she did. That was a long time to go without knowing what happened to your son.

   Now knowing he was in Hell–well, that had to be a different type of cascading emotions. But Lucifer is starting to believe, by watching her and the way she observes her son, that she's starting to connect the dots. Thinking back to what happened in life, the way that Alastor died, the body they found with him that he had been burying. She might have tried to be ignorant, but the math does itself. The police would have investigated, searched his apartment, the bayou, they might not have been certain of everything Alastor did. They might not have decided serial killer, but murderer would have at least been a title that they gave him.

   Certainly, the mother of that person would have heard that news. Would have seen the evidence presented to her. Lucifer knows, without a shadow of a doubt, that she more than likely tried to deny it. Wanting to preserve the image she had of her son in her head, tell them that they're wrong, that her baby wouldn't do something like that. But now, with the realization of him sentenced to Hell, backed up by the devil himself no less, she wouldn't be able to deny it forever.

   Even with all of that dawning on her though, she still watched her son the way she did. Like there was nothing he could do that would take this from her. The single few minutes she had to see her son again. This was entirely worth the trip up here, seeing the pride and love of a mother for someone she cared about. Alastor was more than important to Lucifer, he was such a big part of his world and this right here was what he wanted for him. To remember there are people who care about him, who would want to be there for him if he just let them.

   It would be better if they didn't have a hoard of people waiting outside for them ready to drag them off to a tense meeting that was intending on consuming him alive. As much as he was enjoying this moment with Alastor and his mother, he was worried about what came next. Lucifer never anticipated or thought about returning to Heaven, much less for something like this. For what he was intending to do but more so–the people he was intending on doing it in front of.

   He was scared about standing in that room full of his siblings, voicing his thoughts again to people who never learned how to listen. He doesn't know how this was going to go, but the thought of how it always went? He knows he shouldn't let the past weigh him down that much, the entire point of his argument up here was that people can change. To not hold his siblings to that belief too, it was hypocritical.

   But they've burned him once before, and he doesn't want to be burned again.

   If they prove him right, that they still hold what happened in Eden against him, he doesn't know what he'll do. Lucifer isn't naive, he knows a big part of who he is and what he is, will play a part in this meeting. But how much it might is what made him nervous. Lucifer doesn't want who he is to ruin this.

   He wants them to hear and see the argument, not the person making it.

   The door to the diner opened, the bell ringing above it, and Lucifer drank down the rest of his coffee as someone stepped up to the side of their table. Setting the empty mug down he tilted his head back and blinked up at the Archangel standing beside it. "Time already?" He asked and Gabriel pinched his lips together tightly before nodding once. Sighing he turned his head back around and pulled a smile onto his face. "It's been a pleasure to meet you, Ma'am." Let no one say the devil was without manners. He slides his gaze over toward Alastor. "Take a few more minutes, I'll walk out with Gabriel." They deserved a chance to say goodbye, even if it cut into his five hours of his meeting.