Guys, I've been waiting for this chapter way too long. I won't spoil it but beware that this chapter is about Lucifer and his Fall. It has poorly done biblical aspects and I do have God portrayed.

Lucifer had been trapped in his Cage for longer than he would ever wish to remember. The Cage was his prison. His Father's worst creation. While he was well aware of how long passed on Earth, it did not matter. The time on Earth passed by so slow it was as though it never moved. Time trickled by slowly, day after day, week after week, month after month, year after year, decade after decade, it kept moving and Lucifer was forced to remember each and every moment of it. There was nothing else to do but count and wait.

A single month of time on Earth was a thousand years for him. Over the millions of years in his prison he had memorized every corner of the damned Cage. Every inch from bottom to top. From to corner to corner. Every nook and cranny. Nothing ever changed. It all stayed the same.

Nothing ever changed.

In the beginning of his imprisonment he had been exhausted. He had gone willingly after he'd battled Michael and lost. What was he punished for? The answer was simple. He had been banished for loving what Father had given him. For doing as told. That single thing had destroyed him. Lilith had belonged to him. Him and no one else. Father had given her to him and it had been perfect. Everything had been perfect in Heaven. Everyone had been happy. Then Lilith had died.

.-~*~-.

On the first day of humanity, God had gathered the Archangels and spoken to them. As he rose the first of humanity from the soil, he had addressed Debriel first, "Spread the word among Heaven. Debriel, you will teach this to each of your brothers," in the early days angels had not taken on the term of sister. They were brothers in arms. "These humans are yours, children. Each of you will have one. One Soul that is yours to love. Love it more than me, more than anything. They belong to you. Now and forever they are yours. However, you must remember this. Should your Soul ever die, you must allow them to move on. You have to allow them to travel to Heaven. They must move on. You must never return them to life. As long as you do this, you will have your Soul. It will be yours for all of eternity."

Lucifer had thought he had understood what his Father meant at the time. They had all accepted the orders, as they were meant to do, and Debriel had spread the news among their brothers. In the long run, an order like that, it was setting them up for failure.

Popular belief and knowledge was incorrect. Most everyone believed Lucifer was the first of the Fallen. It was inaccurate. No one had understood Falling in that time so it had not been spread as the first Fall. An angel by the name of Ramiel had been the first to Fall. Ramiel had been the first being in existence to sin. Their Father had not explained this to any of them though his actions had set the line for what would cause a Seraph or lower to Fall.

When Ramiel had Fallen it had been sudden and quick, ended far too quickly. It was in truth probably something that most of Heaven probably had never learned of happening. Maybe it was best that he took all of the blame.

Ramiel had been angry. Angry about what? Lucifer was unsure. The events that had led to Ramiel's Fall had started in Heaven. Lucifer had left Adam to be with Lilith so he could spend some time with his younger siblings. Lucifer would always regret that choice. If he had done differently, Lilith would not have died. Her death, the downfall that followed, it was all his fault.

Lucifer had said something to the young angel. What? He could not remember. To this day he could not remember what words he had spoken. What were the words that had ultimately destroyed Heaven? What thing had Lucifer spoken to his younger sibling that had broken Heaven apart?

When Ramiel had flown away Lucifer had attempted to follow the angel but he had been unable to keep up. Ramiel had been fast and when Ramiel had demanded to be alone Lucifer had obliged, choosing to give his sibling space. They would speak again later. Lucifer had left Ramiel and returned to Heaven's Garden to speak with Debriel before he returned to Earth. Before he returned to Lilith.

.-~*~-.

Sometimes Lucifer would stand in his Cage and stare out across Hell from inside the walls, watch things trickle by in the slowest possible way. Lucifer would draw his blade from within his Grace and stare at the beautiful piece given to him by his Father.

An object older than all of humanity. One of the only things on the planet that could destroy him completely. He would hold that blade and he would contemplate ending it. Contemplate freeing himself from the burden of his Cage. Until he would remember. Until he would remember why he did it. Why he stayed.

"Lilith." He would tell himself, a promise, one day he would be free. One day he would return to the light and beauty of Heaven. One day he would take Lilith and return her to Heaven. One day he would sit in those beautiful fields with her.

One day he would return and reunite his siblings with their own Souls.

.-~*~-.

It had happened suddenly. Lucifer had never expected what it would feel like. He had never once considered the possibility that it would happen so soon. Not for a very long time. Their Father had told them that it could happen. That it would happen one day. However, it was not supposed to happen so soon. He was supposed to have more time.

Lucifer had been in Heaven's Garden following his encounter with Ramiel, him and Debriel had been speaking. A Seraph by the name of Jibril, the same Seraph that would become God's Messenger one day, had brought them a new creature. It had been a strange contraption that had made Debriel's Grace flicker with amusement.

"I call it a Platypus." The Seraph had told them proudly.

Lucifer had knelt before Jibril, he knelt before him and inspected the strange creature. Jibril had not been the first angel to make new creatures and ask for approval. He certainly would not be the last. After the events of that day, Lucifer would never see another one of these creatures. Jibril and the platypus would be the last Seraph and creature Lucifer would see for a very long time. Lucifer might have laughed at it now, if he could find the humor to do so. If the reasons why had not been so terrible. "Good job, Jibril."

The Seraph's wings had fluttered behind him, his Grace shining brighter. "Do you like it, Lucifer?"

"It is strange yet interesting, brother. Take it now. Make it a second so that it may make more then take it to Father. Father will find its place on Earth for you."

Jibril had lit up brighter and taken flight, cradling the strange creature within his Grace. When Lucifer had risen Debriel had spoken something. Something Lucifer would never know. Something he would never remember because in that single moment his entire being had changed.

Words could not to begin to describe the agony and fear that tore through him. Panic, knowledge, hundreds of other things all in one single terrible moment. All he had known was fly. Save. Rescue.

When he landed in Eden it was too late, Adam was in panic. The First Man was holding onto Lilith's body and there was so much blood. Lucifer saw Ramiel, standing there, cloaked as to hide from Adam. To hide from the terrible crime that he had committed. The first sin ever committed by any creature. Lucifer did not think before he launched himself at his younger sibling.

The first sin Lucifer ever committed was running his blade through Ramiel's Grace. It was an action that Lucifer would never regret simply because no one else would have done it. However, as time passed, Lucifer would grow to regret that he had killed Ramiel. Ramiel deserved so much more suffering. He deserved the years Lucifer had spent in The Cage. Death was a mercy that Ramiel did not deserve, however he was gone. He would never walk any of the dimensions again.

Lucifer had only briefly seen as Ramiel's wings had begun to shed their feathers. The first angel to Fall was killed in an instant. Lucifer was possessing Adam in the next instant.

Lucifer had held Lilith in his arms and shouted. Shouted so loud all of Heaven had heard. 'Lilith is dead. Lilith is gone.' It was not right.

Lucifer took flight again, vacating Adam with so much force that he nearly killed him. It was terrible and cruel but Lucifer did not care.

He knew where Lilith would go, where she would arrive, The First Heaven. He would find her Soul there and he would bring her back. She was not meant to die, not yet, it was not her time.

Lucifer had been aiming for The First Heaven, when Lucifer instead arrived in front of his Father. He was furious. Angry, terribly angry.

"You will not, Lucifer." His Father had told him. Lucifer had not thought for a second, his wings flaring out behind him as he stood before Him.

"Father, it was not her time. Ramiel took her time from her." He bristled.

"It was her time. Lucifer, you may visit her but you can never return her to life. I told you in the beginning, Lucifer. Once your Soul is dead it will not return." Pause. "You nearly killed Adam with your carelessness."

Lucifer had stared at his Father for several long moments, uncaring of what he had done to Adam. It did not matter. Adam would survive. It could have been decades before Lucifer allowed his wings to droop. "She should not be dead, Father. You are wrong."

That had not earned a reaction at the time, God had simply watched him until Lucifer had finally taken flight, arriving in Lilith's Heaven.

.-~*~-.

Lucifer did regret his choices from that day. What he regretted was how he had handled it all. All of his time in The Cage had given him time to think, to regret. What had been done was unforgiveable. It was wrong and unfair to her.

What had followed also was not completely his fault. No matter what he had been told. It was not his fault. Lilith had meant more to him than all of Heaven, more than God or his brothers. Lilith had been the center of his entire being. Lilith was all that had mattered. God had given her to him and he had done as told.

Lucifer had done it without a thought. He had loved a single human more than anything. He had done what he was told then been punished for it.

Of course, Lucifer had also been naïve then. He had been naïve and stupid and allowed Lilith to push him, allowed her to push him into making the wrong choices.

There was time when he would sit in the center of The Cage and stare out it and remember what their Father had done. What He had made Michael do to him. Lucifer did not blame Michael for following the orders. Not when he had Fallen for disobeying orders. It did not change that Lucifer would sit in that Cage and stare out. Stare out and wish.

It was not The Cage that was breaking him down. The Cage was not what was ripping him apart. He could have and would have taken another million, another ten million, the rest of eternity in The Cage. The Cage was not the issue. It was the isolation. The Seals kept him locked away completely. He could not hear his family, could not know anything more than the time and his memories. That was all he had.

Some days he thought of the platypus that Jibril had brought him that day. The kangaroo that him and Debriel had made days before. The narwhal that Raphael had made on one of the first days. All of the strange, interesting creatures that him and his family had come up with. Remembering his time in Eden with Lilith. If he could not see his brothers and Soul; he would remember them. Remembering them, remembering that one day he would see them again. That was all that held him together.

.-~*~-.

When Lucifer arrived in Lilith's Heaven, it became all too real. In the past when Lucifer had seen Lilith it had been within the confines of her Vessel. From the first day.

The day of her creation the Archangels had stood with their Father and watched Him create both her and Adam from the ground. From the Earth the first humans had been born. There had been minor flaws, imperfections, their Father had told them that they were meant to be flawed. Lucifer had been awestruck.

"She will be yours and you hers, Lucifer. For all of eternity." God had told him directly before turning to address his brothers.

Lucifer had felt the change, his Grace reaching out and seeking. In that moment he would never be the same angel. Never again. Even when he was spending time with the other angels Lilith was always the first thought. The first thing. Lucifer had seen her and nothing else.

"These humans are yours, children. Each of you will have one. One Soul that is yours to love. Love it more than me, more than anything. They belong to you. Now and forever they are yours. However, you must remember this. Should your Soul ever die, you must allow them to move on. You have to allow them to travel to Heaven. They must move on. You must never return them to life. As long as you do this, you will have your Soul. It will be yours for all of eternity." The brothers spoke agreements as they watched their Father finish the creation of Adam and Lilith. The first humans.

Lucifer had thought he had understood. In that single moment Lilith was his. Lilith was all that mattered. All he had seen was the girl that belonged to him, the gift from their Father.

Despite popular belief, angels did not love their Soul to begin with. Not in the way that angels always spoke of. Blind loyalty was there, like with their Father they would do anything for their Soul. Perhaps more. Falling in love with the Soul was an entirely different matter. Lucifer had fallen in love with his Soul over time. Had stopped seeing her as simply his Soul. He had seen her as Lilith. As the girl he loved. The woman he loved. Adam had become Lucifer's first Vessel. The first Vessel on the planet. Once Adam had said 'yes', or the closest thing to a 'yes' at that time, Lucifer had been free to possess him whenever he wished.

Standing in Lilith's Heaven reminded him all of this. Made him regret ever leaving Adam. If he had been there. He could have saved her.

Lilith was dead but her Soul was so beautiful. It was the most beautiful thing in existence. Lucifer was by her side in a moment, his wings wrapping around the both of them as he held her close.

He would never leave her again.

Their Father created a new woman, a new human that replaced Lilith. Lucifer did not leave Lilith's Heaven. He stayed with her and they did everything they could together. Back then he was able to manipulate Heaven to a certain extent. It had only been days on Earth but for them it had been years or more. Lucifer lost track of how much time he spent with his Soul. It did not matter. Lilith was his.

Each of the Archangels visited at least once. A single Seraph had visited before he'd sent it away with an angry warning. Never again.

Lucifer would never leave her again. Her death had been his fault and he would do all he could to protect her. Even when it was in Heaven where, in theory, it was as safe as it could be.

They stayed there until the day Lilith finally asked him a question. A single question that would destroy Heaven's very structure.

"Can you return me to life?"

.-~*~-.

Lucifer would never forget the day The First Seal broke. In one single slice of a human Soul he could hear again. Time in The Cage changed. He could manipulate it for the first time. He felt power over his surroundings. Just enough control over The Cage to align it with Hell.

His brothers, no, now they were his brothers and sisters. Interesting. They were loud in his Grace and he clung to that. His brothers. His sisters. He could hear them again. Feel them. His remaining unbroken wings flared up behind him. Eight remained. Eight of what had once been twelve beautiful wings. The four remaining ones hung limply from him as those eight wings flared to life behind him, stretching and moving. For the first time in a very long time he tried to fly. He launched himself at that Cage wall and cried out when it did not let him leave.

'The First Seal is broken.' He heard Raphael announce to Heaven, the words mournful.

One step to freedom. He would do anything, do everything he could. It had been somewhere around five thousand human years since his entrapment. He picked through all of his brothers and sisters minds until he had gathered the information he needed.

The world had changed drastically and his suspicions were correct. Someone had corrupted his story. The story of his Fall manipulated by who he suspected was either Debriel or Raphael. Corrupted and changed until he was no longer the angel who had loved his Soul too much but the angel that had defied Heaven and destroyed his Soul in his anger.

It appeared that over time, more angels had gained then lost their Souls. After Lucifer's Fall their Father had locked all of the angels from their Souls' heavens. In their minds it was Lucifer's fault.

The Righteous Man who would become Michael's Vessel had been broken apart to break The First Seal. He did not want that. Not truly. It had to happen. It had to. It was the only way he could get to what he wanted.

Lilith.

Maybe things could be fixed. Maybe he could convince Michael to understand. To risk the Fall. He would need more angels on his side, more to voice for him.

'My brothers. My sisters. You have failed. Join us and we will stop. Join us and you will be free. No more tragic tales of Souls, no more pain, just freedom. You need not worry, brothers and sisters. I will take your hand. Lay your weapons down, show your loyalty to me. Take the freedom, make the choice. Father was wrong. He should not have done what He did. We are meant to be Guardians to them, and we are not meant to lose them. They break us. Ruin us. Follow me. Should you choose to join me, I will allow you to see them again. I will give them to you.'

His words came out harsher than he had intended and he realized how truly angry he was. That was not what he wanted. What he wanted was to return Heaven to its original glory. Why had he said those things?

In the end, he realized temptation would be the best way to get them to join. He would make every promise he could. He told Hell to leave any angel that lay their weapon down alone. Let them join him. He would give them what they deserved. What Father had taken from them.

.-~*~-.

Lucifer thought over what God had told him. He was not meant to return his Soul to life. He was forbidden to.

"Please, Lucifer. I do not wish to remain dead. I miss life, I miss the world. Please. I miss my body and I miss you residing in Adam."

He loved her. He loved her more than anything, more than anyone. Lucifer was hers. He would do anything for her. There should have been more thought before he wrapped his wings around the both of them, pulling her Soul into his Grace.

'Lucifer!' Debriel called after him in a panic as he launched himself from Heaven to Earth, holding Lilith to him. He would save her. He would return her to life.

He found where Lilith had been buried, he found the location that Adam had set her beneath the Earth. Not far, not very far at all. With a thought the ground was removed from her corpse and he was kneeling next to it.

"Lucifer." Eight wings flared aggressively behind him, four remaining wrapped around him to hold his Soul in his Grace. Lucifer rested his gaze on God as He stood before them. "Do not do this."

"Why should I not?" Lucifer responded bitterly, cradling Lilith closer to him. All he could do in that moment was stare at his Father and hold his wings higher, as though it may scare The Creator.

"I have told you before, Lucifer. She was meant to die."

"I can return her to life. Why give me that power if I cannot use it?" Lucifer retorted bitterly. Lilith did not wish to be dead, he did not wish for her to remain dead, why did it matter if he returned her to life?

God did not respond to that, his Father giving him a single look that told him more than words ever could.

Lucifer stared into his father's eyes as he touched Lilith's corpse, healing it, returning it to what it had once been. "You gave me this power, Father."

"I have also warned you, Lucifer. Many times, I warned you. You will not be the only angel who suffers for your defiance. Remember that what follows this is your doing." God flicked His wrist and Lucifer screamed.

.-~*~-.

Lucifer needed out. Out was the only way. Out was all he had. He had to get out, he had to see her again. He needed to return to Lilith. One last time. No matter how things ended, if this mess of events meant that Lucifer could take his True Vessel, if this meant that he could touch Lilith one final time, it did not matter what followed. If he was forced to, he would battle Michael. He would defeat his brother.

When Lucifer first began calling on his brothers and sisters he did not intend on asking them to fight. It was not his idea. Lucifer made promises to all of the angels. Promises he fully intended on fulfilling. It was not until the day that the angel Samuel retrieved his Soul, Michael's True Vessel, and rose it from Hell to return it to life, funny how that worked, that Lucifer shifted The Cage's time to coincide with Earth. Hell was a distant problem, a slow crawl in comparison to the things that had begun on Earth.

Lucifer watched the battles on Earth through the eyes of his brothers and sisters. Watched as his demons attempted again and again to conquer the locations of Seals. He saw everything. It was not going well. The demons may have possessed the willingness to throw themselves into the battle but they did not have the power. The years had given him plenty of demon Souls to dispose of, which he felt shame for. He was sacrificing corrupt versions of his Father's greatest creation to be freed.

It was not his fault. Not his choice. Their Father had forced this on him. It was on Him. Not Lucifer.

'Send us to fight, Lucifer.' One of his angels had told him boldly, Amarian.

Lucifer did not want his brothers and sisters to die. Less so the angels that had joined his cause. He would not have chosen to send them on his own, not ever. However, if he was a commander to a battle, trapped within the darkest pits of Hell. If that was what they wished to do, who was he to fight it?

Lucifer did not wish to kill his brothers and sisters, fear, something told him. Use fear to have them join us.

'Join us or die.' Spoken bitterly, harsher than he had intended. He could not take it back, instead he spoke to his own angels, 'Brothers and sisters, I will not force this of you. Join the battle if you wish, do what you must, break the Seals. If you do not intend on getting involved, then don't.'

The bloodshed that followed tore him apart. He held on. Hope. Hope that he could see her again. That he could see his family again.

"Lilith, I'm sorry." Lucifer spoke softly to no one.

.-~*~-.

The Fall of Lucifer was not pleasant. It was painful, excruciating. People spoke of his story, of how he created Lilith. How he turned her into a demon. They said that he twisted and corrupted her out of spite. That was not the case. When God had broken four of his wings the pain had been unbearable. At the time he had held her Soul close to him, within him. When that pain had ripped through him he had made a terrible mistake.

He had held on too tight.

He had squeezed too tight. Held on for all of his might as he tried to bear through the raw excruciating pain.

When he had managed coherency again he could feel his Grace fracturing and tearing. For more than one reason.

Lilith.

He dropped her onto the earth and what he had done to her was indescribable. "Remember that what follows this is your doing." Lilith had been twisted and distorted, broken and shredded, by one single action. Lilith was destroyed. The once beautiful white light that had fueled his Grace had been corrupted until she was barely recognizable.

Lilith had slid across the ground to her body when Lucifer had dropped her, forcing her way into the empty body and sitting up from where she was, looking across her healed form curiously then looking at him with pure white eyes.

"You did it."

It was wrong. Her voice, her words, they sounded wrong. She was tainted, corrupted. Something in him screamed at him to destroy her. He could not have done that. She was his Soul. He would never harm her.

"Lilith." It was all he could manage as she climbed from her hole in the ground, flexing fingers and muscles alike.

"Take Adam, Lucifer. Take him so we can be."

Adam had revoked his consent after Lucifer had failed at protecting Lilith. After Lucifer had nearly killed him. Adam could not be his Vessel. Not now.

"Lucifer, look at me." He lifted himself to look at her as she knelt before him, "I am still me, Lucifer. I am still yours." He may have been naïve, or desperate. Lucifer wished to believe this was true. He held onto that fact, held onto the fact that his corrupting her had not changed her.

As he had done many times in Heaven, he reached out with his Grace and touched her, she recoiled with a cry, falling on her back.

This was it. His punishment. He stretched his wings, cringing at the broken limbs that attempted and failed to stretch with the others.

"Lucifer, wait!" Lilith cried before he took flight. He landed in Heaven, in front of God who was watching him with no hint of what He may have been thinking.

"You knew." He accused his Father. God had known what would happen when He had broken Lucifer's wings. God had known what would happen to Lilith and He had not cared.

Simply. "I suspected."

Lucifer launched himself without a thought at his Father, attempting to do any damage. In the flick of a wrist Lucifer was caught midair, crying out in agony as his still functional wings were held there by invisible hands.

"You have corrupted her, Lucifer. Destroyed her. She will not be the first or the last. You will never return to Heaven again. I will give you a new dimension, a place where the humans your choices lead to will suffer for eternity. You will take Lilith and you will stay there. Neither of you will ever return to Heaven."

Then he was Falling.

.-~*~-.

Lucifer counted as each Seal broke. The birth of the Archangel Samael had thrown him off. How could a new Archangel be born? Was this meant to cement that one of the Archangels would soon die? Give Debriel, who was still missing at the time, incentive to return before the battle? Michael never spoke, not to anyone. Raphael was the only Archangel Lucifer had heard speak since The First Seal broke. They never answered him and Lucifer had to wonder what Michael was doing if he wasn't speaking.

Sometimes when Lucifer spoke to his younger siblings his words came across harsher than intended. It was not meant to be but part of him was extremely bitter. He had spent more time than he could remember in The Cage. He had every right to be bitter. What had been a few thousand years for Heaven and Earth had been so much longer for him.

When Jerusalem and half of Israel had been destroyed Lucifer had every intention of allowing them to mourn the loss of the angels. What he had spoken that day was true. That many angel deaths had weighed on him. It also was not just the angels that he mourned for, it was the humans and demons that had been present in that zone. All of that death and none of them had noticed, not until a single angel had found it. When Zachariah had stepped up and had Heaven's angels turn on them, there had been a line crossed. That was Zachariah's choice, not anyone else's. The Seraph would suffer for it.

It was not until after he had made his promise to Zachariah that he had learned the truth of what had happened in Jerusalem. Part of him had suspected but it had not been confirmed. He did not want to believe it was possible. Then he had heard Raphael speaking to Michael.

A single whisper. 'Six hundred and none of them suspect me, brother. We will free Lucifer. We will end this.'

When it had fallen into place, Lucifer had been angry. Not angry enough to reveal the truth to the others. Just angry. Raphael had killed six hundred of their brothers and sisters just to speed up the time in which he was released. Thousands of demons and more humans. It was wrong. It was unfair to those that were following Heaven.

Just as Michael had been since the Seals had begun breaking, or longer, he had remained silent on the matter. The sooner it ended, the sooner he could see Lilith again. The sooner he could return his brothers and sisters to their Souls.

.-~*~-.

Hell had started out small, so very small. Lucifer had been the second being to arrive there. He had landed in the dark dimension, the cold infiltrating his Grace and pulling at him. It had hurt, it had hurt so much. Lucifer had been unsure what to do with his new domain. What did one do when they were banished from their home and handed an entire dimension to run as punishment?

Lilith was sitting on the ground next to what could only be described as a throne. It was wrong. It was made with human bodies. The humans that had been created following Adam and Eve. Lucifer was angry again. Angry at his Father. Angry at what He had done to him. Lilith was resting against its side and watching him with sad white eyes.

"Lucifer, what is this?"

Lucifer considered his answer, considered everything. Lilith was still so broken. Broken and destroyed. By what his Father had done to him. He could not touch her. Not until another suitable Vessel came to him. Your True Vessel. Instinct told him.

"It is…my domain." He finally spoke, "Hell." He said after another moment.

"It is fascinating." Lucifer watched his Soul from a distance as she stepped forward until she was inches in front of him. "Lucifer, find Adam." She reached out as though to touch him then recoiled in the same moment, no doubt remembering the last time she had attempted to touch his new form.

"I cannot." He stated. He wanted to fix things. Demanding a Vessel so soon after his banishment was not right.

Lilith held his gaze, a plea in them, "Lucifer, you can. You are one of the most powerful beings in existence. You are more beautiful than any of your brothers. Your wings. Pure and untainted, even when some are broken. It would be a gift to someone to be possessed. If not Adam, choose another. There are plenty of new humans you can choose from. Choose one. A man, a woman, I do not care. Choose one and come to me. Choose one and touch me in a physical form again. Everything is different when alive. Please, Lucifer. For me. You once told me you would do anything for me." Lucifer was hers. From the beginning until eternity. He loved her endlessly despite everything that had happened. He would Fall again for her. It was ignorant but he did not care. He would do what he must for her. He would be her everything.

So Lucifer flew, he flew to Earth and he explored. The land had changed, he found the humans he had been seeking out and spoke softly to a woman, told her he was an angel. He was an angel. A broken an angel but an angel all the same. This woman was different than Adam and Lilith had been.

She had nearly been blinded by his True Form and he had been forced to hide himself as he spoke to her. The newer humans could not safely perceive him. It was strange. Why would Father do that to them?

When she had finally consented he had been grateful. Unfortunately, things had not been that simple. Before he could completely overtake her form she had exploded from the inside out. Lucifer recoiled at his own actions, staring in horror at the damage he had done. He knelt next to what had once been her form and rebuilt her, muttering apologies as he recreated her physical form for her. He could not retrieve her Soul from Heaven when he was banished but he could at least give the other humans something to bury.

"Please, Lucifer. For me." Lilith's plea rang through him, a reminder.

There was only one other choice. He would try. Lucifer was aware Adam still lived in Eden. With a thought he was flying again, flying to Adam. About to ask the man he had failed for the one thing he had no right to ask again.

.-~*~-.

Sixty-five seals were broken. Lucifer felt it. Everything was so close, so very close. He could almost taste Earth. He could almost feel his Father's sun again. Sixty-five seals.

He heard rumors that Lilith was the only one that could break it. Whispers among the lower level angels and the Seraphs. Lucifer also heard Raphael asking Michael for guidance. Guidance that was never given. Where was Michael?

Debriel's refusal to meld with Samael followed by his freeing her had left Raphael angry and uneasy. Raphael had stolen his Grace from wherever it had landed to guarantee that Debriel would never return to Heaven, that left a question however. Where did Samael escape to? In the commotion that allowed Samael's escape from Heaven was worrisome in itself. Samael was an unknown force. Both Lucifer and Raphael knew the damage she could do.

Of course, Lucifer was also grateful that Debriel had done what he did. Raphael had been all but torturing the fledgling Archangel. Binding her Grace, imprisoning her.

Raphael had no right.

Michael needed to step up and do something.

Aside from what was happening in Heaven, Lucifer continued tempting his brothers and sisters.

Samuel had held his interest from the beginning.

Samuel was the only angel on Earth that all of Heaven knew had a living Soul. Samuel had been so very close to joining him many times. Lucifer had pushed and pushed. Reminded him that he would lose Gabriel.

Even Lucifer didn't have the resources to watch all the angels at all times. Lucifer had not realized the plans that Debriel and Samuel had made with the brothers. Not until the last moment when Debriel had prayed to him, the god power tinting his brother's prayer the only reason he had listened to begin with.

'I'm so sorry, Lucifer. If there was another way to protect the planet, I wouldn't have given it to him. Forgive me, brother. There is nothing worse than allowing him to do this.'

It was then that Lucifer was on high alert. What was Debriel talking about? Heaven wasn't pushing against the final Seal snapping. If they were Raphael would have found Lilith and killed her to stop it from happening.

Debriel wasn't working for Heaven. What-

Frantically he searched through all of his brothers and sisters until at last he found Samuel's mind. 'Samuel, don't!' He shouted in the same moment that Samuel stalked forward, holding Debriel's Archangel Blade in hand. The moment that Debriel's blade ran through Lilith Lucifer felt.

Lucifer felt everything in one single terrible moment.

Lilith being destroyed.

The Final Seal slowly breaking.

Pain.

Agony.

He was going to be free.

At what cost? What had his freedom cost him? What had his choices cost them all?

The sight of Lilith's Soul burning out at his brother's blade played across his Grace like a terrible movie. The words his Father had spoken all those years played at the back of it.

"These humans are yours, children. Each of you will have one. One Soul that is yours to love. Love it more than me, more than anything. They belong to you. Now and forever they are yours. However, you must remember this. Should your Soul ever die, you must allow them to move on. You have to allow them to travel to Heaven. They must move on. You must never return them to life. As long as you do this, you will have your Soul. It will be yours for all of eternity."

"You will not be the only angel who suffers for your defiance. Remember that what follows this is your doing."

"Lilith!" He shouted as he spread his functional wings and launched himself from The Cage.

.-~*~-.

When Lucifer arrived at Eden he was barred from entry.

A single angel manifested in front of him. Gadreel.

A low-level angel, nothing more than a warrior.

Why had God entrusted the safety of Eden to this simple soldier?

Lucifer had never seen this angel. He was one of the newer ones. Once upon a time, he may have been delighted to see another of his new brothers.

Not now.

"Gadreel." He warned the other angel who shifted himself to a different angle, defensive.

Two wings rose up behind the young angel in a way that could almost be seen as a threat. If Lucifer wasn't an Archangel. "Father has told me not to allow you passage."

There were many things he could have done. He could have lied, he could have said something, instead Lucifer lifted his wings behind him, high and mighty in a clear threat.

Honesty. "I killed Ramiel, Gadreel. Think before you attempt to challenge me."

A shiver of fear crossed Gadreel's grace, his wings twitching as though he would surrender. He did not. Instead, he spoke to him. "You destroyed Lilith. I cannot let you pass into Eden."

His Grace flicked for a moment, reaching behind him towards the garden before returning to its place.

Ah.

Lucifer brought in one set of wings, watching the younger angel, "Father gave you Eve. I swear on Lilith. I will not harm her. I will never harm another human Soul."

His younger brother shifted again, clearly searching his brother for a lie. When he found none he stepped to the side, his wings bowing in submission.

Lucifer was grateful it had happened without bloodshed.

Eden was just as beautiful as it had been in the beginning. Always so beautiful. Now that he had passed his younger brother he was reminded. Reminded what he was doing. Who he was doing it for.

Lilith.

Lucifer was desperate. Desperate for anything. Desperate for Lilith. Whatever it took, he would give her everything she deserved for every time he had failed her. In the end he was going to destroy himself for her.

"Adam." He had stood before The First Man, pleading, desperate.

"No, Lucifer. Never again." Adam had been uneasy, stepped away from him. "God told me what you did. You are not supposed to be able to pass."

"And He is always honest?" Lucifer questioned Adam bitterly, his gaze moving to Eve as she arrived.

"Leave, Lucifer." Adam warned him, stepping between the Archangel and The Second Woman.

He would not harm Eve. That did not mean he could not push her into making her own choice. "Eve. Tell me. Have you never questioned what God has told you? The tree will give you knowledge. More knowledge than you could ever begin to comprehend." Eve had blinked at him, tilting her head in a curious way that reminded Lucifer much of the fledgling angels.

"Lucifer, go. If you do not leave I will summon your brothers. You should not be here." Adam threatened him. What he did following that didn't pass his notice. Lucifer caught it. Adam's curious glance at the tree.

"Think of the tree, Eve. Should you eat from it, you will be wiser than any other human. Father does not wish this because knowledge is the base power of the world." He planted that seed in their minds, it was enough. Adam would not consent, would not give him his body back, he deserved to suffer God's wrath when they were punished.

Anger was a funny thing.

Lucifer flew again, flew and flew. Flew and mourned. He would have to wait. Wait for however long it took until a new suitable Vessel would come forth. Lucifer was unsure how long he flew. He had not seen Lilith. He could not return to her. He could not disappoint her. It could have been years or more before Michael arrived in front of him, acting as a physical barrier that forced Lucifer to land.

"Michael-"

"I have been ordered to lock you away, Lucifer."

Michael did not want to do this. Lucifer could feel it in the shifting of Michael's Grace. The unease in his words.

"You do not have to do this, brother." Lucifer pleaded, shifting slightly so that if his brother chose to strike he would be prepared to defend himself.

"Make your choice, Lucifer. As we all are aware you are capable of. Choose to fight me here or follow me and allow me to lock you away. Should you choose to fight, you are incapacitated. You will not win." Lucifer could almost hear the silent plea. Michael telling him he did not want to fight him. They were still brothers.

Lucifer stared for several long moments at his elder brother. He was at a major disadvantage. Almost half of his wings broken and tattered behind him. It wasn't just that either. This was Michael, God's greatest warrior. His older brother.

The First War was not a war but a single battle between brothers that led to his entrapment. Lucifer should not have tried to fight but he was fearful. Fearful of what being locked away would entail. Lucifer flared his functional wings behind him and launched forward, hoping that the suddenness of his attack would throw his brother off guard.

Michael was the greatest warrior in Heaven. He did not have a chance.

They fought and tore into each other, rising up off the ground and battling in the air. The two Archangels sliced and struck at each other, it was a fruitless effort. Lucifer was using only eight wings while Michael had the advantage of all twelve. He held himself higher above Lucifer, was able to rest wing sets and interchange which he was flying with. It hit a point where all Lucifer could do was attempt to fend off his elder brother's attacks, his own wings exhausted.

This battle should have remained on the ground.

It was when Lucifer made the mistake of lodging his blade in Michael's wing that the battle ended. It was in that moment that Lucifer was forced to choose. Death, or The Cage.

At the time, The Cage had sounded more promising. At least then, one day, he would be able to return to Earth. One day he would see Lilith again, hopefully that day would be when his True Vessel had been born. Maybe then he could be with Lilith again. Hold her one final time.

Lucifer had allowed Michael to guide him to The Cage.

"Father has told me, Lucifer. One day you will be freed. Freed by who, I am uncertain, but you will be freed. My True Vessel will break The First Seal on this Cage. Sixty-six total seals must break before you will be freed. Once you are free, you will battle me. In this battle, only one of us will survive. I am sorry, Lucifer."

"I will never want to kill you, Brother. Consider this when you find your Soul. I did as Father ordered. He told us to love them more than anything and I did just that. His orders meant nothing in comparison to her happiness."

Michael hadn't responded to Lucifer's words. Instead he had ripped Lucifer's blade from his own wing and left it before Lucifer.

Then Michael had shut The Cage, leaving his brother to his isolation.

Lucifer waited.

Be sure to check out the sequel Falling Apart At The Core!

Confession. I initially wrote this on October 19th. I couldn't resist so I wrote it early. Of course, I've revisited several times since then. Also, I apologize for this long note. I like talking.

1. I do not mean to make God come off as a complete dick but I have always seen him as a narcissist. (His way or the highway, or, in this case, a Cage.) I'm not saying Lucifer (in my story) did the right thing but God gave him an impossible ultimatum and like any angry child, Lucifer lashed out. He rebelled because he wanted his Soul, no matter the consequences. (God did tell them to love their Souls more than anything.)

2. Another thing, I'm not a religious person. I went off the most basic religious stuff I know, which isn't much. I'm pretty sure in actual biblical stuffs Luci made a few more appearances but I'm not positive. I also played off the idea that after creating Adam and Eve God added more humans to the planet. Enough rambling on that though. Religious connotations aren't my strongpoint. End of story.

3. If you don't like sympathetic Lucifer, well…Sorry but I did it. Luci wasn't our bad guy. Well our main bad guy. He was a cuddlebug whose Soul was literally just destroyed. (Sam, you better run like hell.) Okay maybe not a cuddlebug but not exactly the antagonist. (At least up until this point. Who knows what he'll do now that Lilith's dead?)

3. Another detail, Jibril is actually another name used for Gabriel (from what I read online, everything on the internet is true, y'know?) in Bible stuff and dammit I wanted Gabriel to create the platypus. Since Gabriel isn't an angel in our world Jibril took the place of Gabriel in lore and he made our platypus and there's nothing you can say to stop me. Also was the messenger of course. Exactly why I did that. Yep. Forget everything I said about the platypus. (Okay I'm full of it but sh.)

4. Enough rambling. Questions about anything? Message me or comment and I'll answer to the best of my ability without spoiling.