Crossing The Line

Summary: s4e2 What if Chloe has resolved to go through with priest Kinley's exorcism plan earlier on in the episode? What if a certain father had something to say about that? Oneshot

Long ago, when Earth was still young, upon the creation of humanity, God set down the law that his children, his angels, were not allowed to take a human life. It was one of the most sacred laws with the most severe consequences if it were to be broken, so no angel dared even think about breaking it, not even his most willful, rebellious son. Angels were mistakenly thought to be protectors of humanity, but besides a rare few, angels had very little to do with them, mostly busy with their own celestial duties. As far as human safety from celestials was concerned, angels were no threat to them.

Vice versa, however, could not be guaranteed. Human minds weren't meant to know divinity. They were meant to encounter it through belief and faith. Even in death, humans don't see angels besides receiving Uriel's welcoming speech before they are lead to their version of heavenly bliss. Not even Azrael really communicates with them. Gabriel was the only one who had ever talked to a human and that was centuries ago. That, however, didn't stop humanity from encountering divinity from time to time. And that could only end up in disaster. The human mind often snaps when confronted with the truth of the world, of their existence, of what comes after life. Not always, but most of the time. Humans are driven to madness and they spend the rest of their days in perpetual fear and paranoia or simply take their own lives, wherein they then meet in infernal, too, before Hell loops start, making their torture that much worse.

There is, unfortunately, one other turn that the human mind could take upon setting eyes on divinity. Like, for instance, making a human what the celestials call aTrue Believer, a person who believes so much they believe whatever they do 'in the name of the Lord' is acceptable or simply go crazy, craving to collect all things divine or sacred that they could get their mortal hands on. These humans turn dangerous, for themselves and for their surroundings. Interestingly enough, no one believed they'd be dangerous to angels until Gabriel almost didn't return once. The rules about not exposing humans to divinity or proof of its existence only became stricter, the contact with humans restricted to mere glamours so an angel's true nature remains concealed. The 'birth' of True Believers is avoided at all costs, but sometimes it's not even an angel's fault, or a relic's or a prayer's. There are simply people who turn themselves into True Believers and it's always tricky sending them where they deserve when they feel no remorse in 'slaughtering demons' and 'heretics'. Azrael, the poor dear, often had to wrestle them into Hell and her elder brother's hands for their punishment because they believed they deserved heaven for their 'service of God'.

Let's just say that there's a good reason the Devil sneers at every priest he comes across. He's seen so many rotten ones that he can't believe his Father is still letting them preach in His name.

Still, despite the dangers of True Believers, interactions between humanity and angels wasn't forbidden. Angels can still roam the Earth as they wished, as long as they don't take human life or fight, because a celestial fight could easily end up breaking the Earth if it gets too heated. Besides, True Believers were rare, no matter how they came to be, so God just made sure they don't cross His son's path when Samael goes for his vacations on Earth, protecting him as best as he can without directly interfering while remaining absolutely subtle. It was always fun watching Samael wreck confusion amonst his mortal creations. He was a storm they couldn't fit into their view's of society or normal - not that he ever could fit into such limited parameters - but so irresistibly charming that they accepted him as he was anyway. It never went deeper than carnal desire and curiosity, a rare friendship here or there, but His son always returned to his realm to watch over those creatures of darkness and the damned souls with his most loyal demon. God had to watch as His son spent miserable decades to centuries in Hell before venturing a visit to Earth. He didn't care how long Samael stayed on Earth, as long as he occasionally checked up on the infernal realm and keeps the demons in line. Samael's punishment for his rebellion was to rule Hell for all eternity but not be it's prisoner. His son only viewed himself that way and God couldn't interfere enough to explain it was so only because Samael believed it to be so.

So He used His omniscience and looked through time, wondering if there will ever be a time where His son could start seeing himself as something other than a monster and He saw potential somewhere in the 20th century AD. Many years before Samael will come for a vacation and decide to stay on Earth this time. It had potential so God acted when He thought was right and Johnathon and Penelope Decker got a daughter, Chloe Jane Decker, after He sent Amenidiel to bless the couple. A little miracle to draw His son's attention, to get him interested, to care for her opinion so he would start trying to be worthy in her eyes until he realizes he no longer has to be the monster he perceived himself to be. God, satisfied with this plan, arranged for the two to meet, put the miracle in Samael's path and watched their adventures.

Watching Samael was always a pleasure. Samael might have demanded free will, so many eons ago, thinking God was giving more to humanity than his family, but Samael did not know that he was the inspiration for it. None of His other angels dared defy him, only Samael. And while He shouldn't have lost His temper and overreacted at a single bout of teenage rebellion, He couldn't let Samael think he can do whatever he wants without consequences. It would have truly turned him into the monster that humanity had made out the 'Devil' - such a silly moniker and not at all accurate title for His Lightbringer - to be. As it was, God got the unique chance to watch as 'Lucifer Morningstar' tried to understand humanity and started unknowingly redeeming himself in his own eyes as he helped Detective Chloe Decker and the LAPD to catch and punish bad guys. He chuckled every time His son was confused by the miracle or tried to understand why she was annoyed with him, had to refrain from outright laughing when he later met young Ms Ella Lopez and she accused him of being a method actor, held back his rage any time His son got hurt, just barely stopping Himself from smiting humans who dared harm one of His children, especially His Samael. And not all times were so simple to watch.

His son's heartbreak over Father Frank's death was not easy to bear, nor was the pain in His son's voice as he yelled at Him for letting the good priest die. Mazikeen's betrayal, too, had left Samael unbalanced. She had been his most loyal for so long that it was almost incomprehensible she'd go behind his back. The theft of his wings and Samael's reaction to that, too. Watching His gift to His son burn hurt almost as much as watching Samael's pain when Mazikeen had been cutting them off. Samael dying at a human's toy had been unacceptable and He would have helped him whether His boy had asked or not, but Samael preferred to deal with favors so God made a deal. His wife had to be dealt with, anyway, but He regretted it when He saw how much pain She brought Samael for her own selfish purposes. Though young Uriel, too, was partially to blame. God still mourned his young son and He mourned Samael's grief. He wished 'God Johnson' could have been a true mouthpiece and He wished Samael would know that He would say those words to him only if Samael would let himself hear them. And then just when His wife had been dealt with, Cain had to come and start messing with Samael's healing. Seriously, knocking His son out, kidnapping him and dumping him in the desert? Of course God would intervene. He might not have given Samael his wings back, that had been all Samael's doing with his growth and accepting his own kindness, but that didn't mean He hadn't made them pop out so the kidnappers, fake or not, couldn't accidentally harm Samael.

Cain's presence really messed up the relationship between Samael and the miracle. One moment they were inseparable and the next Cain stood like a wall between them, the Detective refusing to listen to His son's warnings and then never acknowledging later that he had been right. She hadn't believed him about Cain being the Sinnerman, she hadn't believed him about being kidnapped, what else could she expect than Samael stopping confiding in her? And it hurt that Samael had wanted to turn himself back into a monster just to spite Him. God had been hoping they could finally maybe make up now that His son didn't hate himself so much, but then desperate times called for desperate measures and Samael became the first angel to kill a human. Through a loophole about being indirectly responsible like making humans direct their weapons at each other or through the butterfly effect like Uriel had threatened to kill Chloe, only he did it by guiding Mazikeen's blade with his own and Cain's broken hand into Cain's chest. His hand may not have touched the blade when it pierced the First Murderer's heart, but Samael still punished himself like he had broken that so long ago made law, like he was evil for defending his loved ones.

And to make things worse, the miracle saw his 'true face'. She saw the 'Devil face' Samael had made for himself to punish wicked souls because he had felt like a monster. She saw, she got scared and she ran away. And while His son felt guilty about that, Chloe Decker conspired with a corrupt priest in Rome about how to send His son to Hell and bind him there for eternity. If He had wanted Samael bound, He would have done so at the beginning of time! He never wanted Samael forever out of His reach and this woman, the miracle He had given life to - and more directly than any other human for she exists only because He had seen she could help heal His son - was going to do just that, was going to betray Samael's fragile heart and precious trust because she believed the words of a stranger more than the words of a man whom she had worked with every day for two years just because she's scared! Dr Linda Martin had been scared and yet she had never thought to raise a hand against Samael. They had seen the same thing and Dr Martin had somehow found it in herself to accept Samael, all of him.

And the miracle he had been placing His hopes on was contemplating binding Samael to Hell forever, as though her small human mind could even grasp the concept of it all.

He watched her as she watched Samel handing out coffee and pastries at the police precinct through the blinds on the windows of the forensics lab. He watches as Samael gives her and Ms Lopez their coffee, in high spirits, probably still elated that the person he loves would want to go on a date with him even though she now knew 'what he truly is'. God shook his head at His son's insecurity but paused when Ms Lopez left to get some new information they got, leaving the miracle and His son briefly alone.

"Cannot wait to solve this case," Samael says as they endure the awkward small talk, the miracle barely even looking at the Devil. "You?"

"Same," she replied in a short, curt answer, just nodding along with His son's excitement. If God had blood, it would be boiling.

"Good, good. Because, obviously, the sooner we solve the case, the sooner we can go on our date." When he noticed she wasn't as excited as him, Samael immediately offered her a choice. His son, always about choice, about free will. "Unless, of course, you were using the case to back out ... " And always far more perceptive and intelligent than his siblings or anyone he met ever gave him credit for. He had noticed, but not the reason behind it, not the struggle she was having over betraying him or not.

"No, we're still on." That gave God pause, a rage the likes of which he had not felt in two millennia surging through him like the closing of the Red Sea on the Egyptians hunting the Israelites as they fled slavery. "I even marked it on my calendar."

Her lack of guilt at His son's excitement over the fact was the last straw.

He had not been on Earth since He had blessed Sarah at an old age with Abram's son, but it was His creation, as were humans, so He knew how to fit in. He appeared at the precinct, smiled at the secretary and radiated safety and calmness so she'd let Him through without question, walked by Detective Espinoza turning down Amenidiel's offer to a concert, grabbing a bit of attention but He couldn't care less. He was on a warpath. His son was in danger. And it would seem it was all His fault. Well, God was here to finally make things right.

Somehow, unlike Amenidiel who hadn't noticed Him beyond His dramatic entrance - Samael truly was His Father's son - Samael tuned in on His presence immediately. He didn't seem to realize what it was, at first, but then those almost black eyes He hadn't seen for so long this close up locked on Him and Samael cocked his head a little to the side, obviously confused. As someone who had been deprived of divinity for so long, one would think he would have forgotten the sensations felt only in the Silver City. But Samael had always been different. And God knew Samael realized what was going on as soon as He burst into the lab.

"Hey, you can't be in here," the miracle told him in a voice that would be authoritative for her fellow mortals, but God didn't even spare His mistake a glance, moving right over to His shocked son. "Hey! What's the big idea? This is the police. If you don't state your intentions and listen to what I say, I'll have no choice but to arrest you-"

"Give it a try," God finally told her in a cold voice that obviously sent shivers of fear down her spine. He smiled at Ms Lopez - He hoped they don't stay in a tiff forever - and took His son's hand, starting to lead him out. "We're leaving and you're going home."

"What!?" Ah, it would seem His son has recovered from his shock of seeing Him here. Unfortunately, they only just made it barely out of the lab when Samael dug his feet in and started resisting. Stubborn as always. "No! What the bloody Hell are you doing!? Why are you even here!? Let go of me at once!" He thundered the last part and God turned His head back a little to see his eyes burning with the eternal fires of Hell. Fires His own son had created, no less. Fire is light and Samael is the Lightbringer. Hell had been the Pit, a cold, dark place before the Devil was made its king.

"This temper tantrum is beneath you, Samael. Now please stop resisting. We have much to discuss but not here. You are in danger."

"The only thing I'm in danger from is you!" Samael roared, digging his feet into the ground hard enough to make dents in the floor and tugging almost hard enough to wrench himself free. But he was only an angel trying to break the grip of God and they were both far too stubborn for either of them to let go. Like Father, like son and all that, it would seem. "I won't let you take me back to Hell!"

"I'm not trying to take you back to Hell, I'm trying to save you from an impromptu one way trip there," He replied as calmly as He could, glaring at the miracle, who was now pointing a gun at Him. In a split moment decision, He acted and made His son invulnerable, even in her proximity. He won't let His son's feelings get him accidentally killed and sent back to Hell. He had set out today to make sure that doesn't happen.

"What?" Shocked, the Devil once more stopped resisting, the fire fading out of his eyes as he stared at his Father, obviously not being able to believe what he was hearing. "Why?"

"Lucifer, what's going on?" The miracle asked and His son turned to look at her, only to yelp when God shoved him behind Himself, standing in between them. The gun was immediately pointed straight to where His heart would have been had He been human. "Stand down, sir. Put your hands over your head and kneel on the floor."

"Detective, I assure you, there's no need for this," Samael said over His shoulder but at least not trying to pull himself away. God was pleased with that. "Please put the gun down so we can talk like rational celestial beings."

"Not this crap again," Detective Espinoze groaned somewhere behind Himself and His son but God wasn't taking His eyes off of the miracle, the first person whom His son loved so.

"Celestial-? What? Lucifer, do you know this guy?" Her resolve seems to be replacing itself with uncertainty and fear. God was pleased with that, too. She should know better than to target His son. The Old Testament was a good example of why one should not bring His wrath down upon themselves.

"What? Of course I do! Dad, would you just let me go so I can explain and then you can explain yourself." He didn't let up his grip, frustrating Samael further, but he enjoyed watching Chloe Decker go pale as a sheet as she realized what was going on. Her gun cluttered to the ground and she started backing away. God locked the door of the lab behind her so she can't escape. Samael saw her fear and his anger returned. "You won't touch her," came his hiss and God finally turned to look at His son again.

"Wow, dude! That's your dad? You look so much alike!" Ms Lopez exclaimed, looking between God and Samael.

Which was true. Every angel had at least some feature from both their Parents, be it in appearance or character, but celestial genetics aren't like human ones. Hence the differences between his children. Gabriel was strawberry blond, Michael was bleach blond, Raphael is chocolate brown, Amenidiel and Ramiel have darker skin, Samael is tall, dark and handsome while Azrael and Uriel are shorter than some of their elder siblings. Some of His children speak with exotic or classic accents, like Samael and his love of the British accent, other's don't. Out of all of His children, He and Samael look like each other the most. Same almost black eyes, same black hair, almost identical light tan, same height. One of the few differences was that God had a very short beard while Samael only had a stubble and God's hair was just slightly longer. Samael's hair would be as curly as his Father's if he didn't use human hair products. They both had slim hips, broad shoulders, long piano fingers and legs.

They truly looked like Father and son. To be expected. God had created the universe and Samael had lit it up.

Samael let out a put upon sigh, anger somehow momentarily forgotten in face of Ms Lopez's innocent excitement. "Yes, yes, I know. And yes, this is my Father, God Himself, though I have no bloody idea why He's on Earth. He doesn't usually visit." The Devil then moved around a bit to frown at Him but God made sure he couldn't get closer to the miracle. She noticed and slid down the glass door as her legs gave out on her in fear. "Yes, why are you here-? Detective? Are you alright?"

"Hey, Chlo, you okay?" When Samael still wasn't allowed to approach, Ms Lopez knelt down next to her and reached out to touch her arm to get her attention from where she was staring in horror at the two men, but that only seemed to startle her and the miracle let out a scared yell and scrambled away. The veil God had seen Father Kinley give her fell out of her pocket in her attempt to scramble away from the concerned forensic. "Whoa, easy there, girl!"

"What have you done to her!? Tell me!" Samael demanded, anger back in full force in an instance. The miracle only further coward away, rising guilt in His son. God almost hated her for it.

"It is her own guilt that makes her fear me," God explained, locking His eyes with His son's to let him see the gravity and truth in his words.

"Guilt? Why would she be feeling guilty?"

"Because she was ready to cross the line, to slip you a potion that would leave you unconscious and vulnerable long enough for her and one Father Kinley to preform an exorcist ritual that would return and bind you to Hell for all eternity and I couldn't let that happen."

His son stared at him with incredulity, skepticism and rage, but when he glanced at the Detective and finally looked at her, really looked at her how only the punisher of the damned and wicked can, he saw and it all turned into betrayal, despair, fear and heartbreak and God had to watch it all. "No," came the strangled denial. "Detective, tell him he's wrong. Tell me it's not true." He pleaded with her even though he knew that chances that his Father got something wrong were very slim. "Please. Chloe!"

"I'm sorry. I'm so sorry," was all the miracle could babble and Samael recoiled from her, as though struck. "He said you were followed by death and destruction! I saw pictures of you in Nazi Germany! He said the Chicago fire happened because of you!"

"I thought you knew me." God looked in alarm at His son at his choked response and felt rage building anew when He saw a single tear dripping from his eyes. Making one of His angels, especially His favorite son, cry was crossing another line and utterly unacceptable. But before he could smite the mortal woman, she beat Him to it with a wail that hurt His son more than any exorcist ritual ever could.

"You're the Devil! The Prince of Lies! Evil incarnate, the creator of sin and tempter of man! How can I know you at all!?"

"Samael has never been anything or had a hand in anything that you humans attribute to him," God said harshly, tightening His grip on His son's hand when He felt it start to shake. He should have never let Chloe Decker cross paths with His so fragile son. "He has been nothing but honest with you from the start. He repeatedly told you that he was a punisher of evil, not that he was evil. You have no one else but yourself to blame for causing this pain."

"I'm sorry," she begged but He had no more patience for her, turning instead to His hurting son. Samael looked like his whole existence has been uprooted beneath him and God could practically feel all his self-hate and doubt festering, growing. Samael was once again taking the blame for the faults of humanity and his Father was having none of that. It has been going on for far too long and it's time that He fix it.

"Please come with me, son. We have much to discuss and I have many apologies to make. Afterwards, you may choose to go wherever you like."

At the notion of a choice, Samael's tortured eyes rose to meet his Father's and He saw only confusion and vulnerability there and just a smudge of what appeared to be ... hope? His son hoped to make up with Him? God dared not hope for that to be true because of a fear of it being His own wishes projected on His son.

"Can we ... " Samael trailed off, eyes darting to the ground in a rare show of uncertainty, though God suspected it was to be expected after everything that's happened to him. But when he met His gaze again, there was a sort of determination shinning in those dark eyes that pleased God. His son was a survivor, a fighter. He will get over this as he had gotten over worse things, like his fall. It was good to know one measly mortal woman hadn't destroyed His son. Though God knew Samael was a long way away from recovery. He'll probably go speak with his friend Dr Martin soon to figure it all out. He was just hanging on for now. "Can we just go to Lux for now? I need a really stiff drink or a bar of them."

"As you wish, son," He nodded and went to let go of His son's hand, only for Samael to twist his around so he was the one gripping his Father's wrist as he turned around and started leading them out of the precinct he'll probably never step foot into again. Everyone was staring at the handsome pair of parent and child as they made their way towards the exit, all of them shocked 'Lucifer' was so civil with his Father when they all knew the man had some serious Daddy issues. God found it amusing how simple things can confuse his creations so. By the stairs stood a stupefied Amenidiel whom Samael didn't even notice, too deep in his own thoughts and his need to get away from the miracle as fast as he can, but God, of course, saw him and winked at his eldest angel. Amenediel's jaw just dropped lower and God chuckled, highly amused.

He tried not to think about the miracle as she cried in Ms Lopez's arms, terrified of Him and His wrath, now more so than even the Devil. He tried not to think about how His son was really taking all of this - a little harder to do, since He was close enough to Samael that his emotions were impossible to ignore. And He did His best to reign in His temper and call upon all of His patience because the conversation that will soon come to be won't be easy, especially since His son still believed He was manipulating Chloe's feelings. This will be a trial in patience and temper management and trust but God was ready for it. Or, at least, as ready as He will ever be.

The miracle will have to be dealt with, too. He had made sure Samael was no longer made vulnerable in her presence, but his feelings for her stayed unchanged. Her feelings for His son, unfortunately, were still the same mix, too, but guilt was present right besides the fear, so God hoped something might be salvaged. He really wasn't holding His breath, though. Samael could be pretty stubborn when he wants to be. But so could the Detective. Perhaps that will be enough.

But not now. Right now, God wants to cross that final line that keeps creating conflict between him and His rebellious favorite son. And make a new law about humans not being allowed to harm His angels.

No more crossing the line.

THE END