Angel Wings and Demon Pitchforks

30. Lounge Chairs Are More Comfortable Than The Floor Michael

That afternoon the Novak house was in a flurry of disarray as they prepared to welcome not one, but five more people to the family dinner.

"Where's the forks?" Balthazar called from the kitchen, staring at the empty cutlery drawer.

"Where they always are!" Lucifer yelled back from the dining room, setting the plates. Cassie raced past him, laughing, pursued by Gabriel who was waving a spatula at him screaming bloody revenge. Lucifer tried to call for them to help, but they'd already disappeared upstairs.

"There aren't any left! I have ten," Balthazar said, holding up the handful of forks, "but we're short of four."

"Have you tried the dishwasher?" Chuck asked from the stove, giving the dishwasher a tap with his foot.

"It's on."

"And?"

"Cassie! Gabriel!" Lucifer called. "Help dad make dinner!"

"I was!" Gabriel yelled, chasing Castiel back down the stairs, "but then Cassie spilled hot sauce on my favourite shirt!" He gestured at the stain down his shirt.

"It was an accident!" Cassie grabbed Lucifer as he past and put his brother's body between him and Gabriel.

"Gabe, go change," Lucifer instructed. "Cas, go find more chairs."

"Don't call me Cas," Castiel muttered, backing away from Gabriel slowly, never breaking eye contact. "And didn't we ask Raph and that to bring extra chairs?"

"I did, but do you really expect them to show up here with dining chairs? They're coming straight from picking up Zach from practise."

The doorbell cut through the chaos.

"That'll either be Alfie from drama or the guests!" Chuck called from the kitchen.

"I got it!" Balthazar rushed out but Lucifer hurried to stop him.

"Whoa! Put the knifes and forks on the table!"

"I'll get it," Gabriel mumbled and stalked to the door.

"You have hot sauce all over your shirt," Lucifer protested, "go change! I'll get the door." Balthazar and Gabriel walked away. The doorbell rung again. "Coming!" He hurried over and opened it to reveal Raphael, Zach, Uriel and Anna carrying a wooden chair each.

"We brought chairs." Zach held his up higher to show Lucifer.

Lucifer, not knowing what to say, stepped to the side to let them in. They'd made it half-way to the dining room before Cassie came in, carrying little multi-coloured plastic chairs.

"You said they wouldn't be bringing chairs!"

"I thought you were coming from football," Lucifer said. Raphael shrugged.

"Anna, Uriel and I went home while Zach was practising to grab them and we stuffed them in the car."

"It was a tight fit," Anna said, putting her chair down at the table. "But we managed. Then we picked up Zach and came here."

"We still have those?" Uriel asked, nodding at the plastic multi-coloured chairs. "I would have thought Dad got rid of them after the incident."

"Gabriel kept some in his closet," Castiel explained.

"Man, memories are coming back," Lucifer said, picking up one of the plastic chairs. "I miss The Princess Bride."

"May we never see it again," Raphael muttered and he, Uriel and Zach placed their chairs down. "Anyway, you never said who was coming tonight."