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2024-05-30
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2025-06-22
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Sera tries to do better

Summary:

The news of the exterminations has leaked to the other angels, Emily is barely talking to her, the latest extermination has ended with the death of the first man and a Sinner had been redeemed. Sera knows she needs to change and just as she resolves to do better, an unexpected complication in the form of a young, toddler Lucifer appears.

Notes:

Doing this for fun as I struggle with my other fic. Let me know if you think it would be a good story to continue.

Chapter 1

Chapter Text

Sera sat in her office, making her way through various reports and paperwork trying to not be bothered by the silence. Usually Emily would be there completing her own work, humming in concentration or sometimes even singing little tunes under her breath. Ever since the news of the exterminations had come out and the former Sinner, Sir Pentiouse, had been redeemed, Emily had taken to avoiding her. Only interacting for the most official matters.

A spiteful, petty part of Sera wanted to blame the new Winner, the Morningstar’s Daughter, or even Adam for her current situation, but she knew the truth. She only had herself to blame and it was time for her to act like the Seraphim she was and face what she had done, no matter the consequences.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a surge of power accompanied by a heavenly light she saw from the corner of her eye. She froze, half-fearing this heralded another redeemed sinner, another piece of proof of her multitude of sins. As she took a breath to muster her courage to face this new hurdle, she suddenly heard something unexpected. The sweet, high giggle of a child.

Quickly turning to face the sound, Sera found herself faced with the last thing she had ever expected to see. A small angelic child with perfect porcelain white skin and golden curls sat on the floor, looking around in curiosity. Spotting the apple red cheeks, Sera already had a growing suspicion of who this child was, but it was the eyes that confirmed it. A soft baby-blue that no earthly shade could hope to match, this could only be-

“Lu-Lucifer?”

Chapter 2

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“Lucifer if this is your idea of a joke, it’s not funny.”

Sera’s statement was ignored by the child, who continued to look around her office in innocent fascination, attention caught by the colorful stained glass windows that decorated the walls.

“I know your upset with me about the exterminations and your daughter’s treatment, but this is taking it to far!”

Once again, Sera was ignored. The child was now completely entranced by the play of colors created by the windows. This was a behavior that she remembered from long ago, as this child had always been easily distracted by bright, colorful things. With a sinking feeling, Sera was coming to the realization that this was not some cruel prank on her by the Morningstar, or by any other angel in heaven.

Slowly approaching the child, Sera tried to get his attention. “Lucifer? Lucifer can you look at me?” After receiving no response, Sera tried a new tactic.

“Samael?” she softly called.

Blinking to attention, the child turned to look at her. Recognition and joy filled the soft, achingly innocent blue eyes. With a happy squeal, he held his arms out to her, hand opening and closing in a silent plea to be picked up.

Unable to resist, Sera all but lunged towards the little one. Falling to her knees, she quickly lifted him in her arms and pulled him close. Tears prickled at her eyes as she felt his little arms encircle her neck and felt the familiar weight of his head rest upon her shoulder as he giggled happily. It was then Sera finally took notice of the child’s aura. Young, happy and bright, unmarred and unscarred by the toxic mix of pain, sadness and anger she had last felt from him. Sera’s breath caught as what she also felt, or more accurately, didn’t feel in his aura. There was not a bit of Hell’s energy, of Hell’s taint within him. As though the fall had never happened. At this realization, Sera could no longer hold back her tears.

“Samael….Samael….my Samael.”

Holding him tightly, Sera curled in on herself and wept as her heart broke once again.

Notes:

Me: You know what's fun, humor to write? Fics where the characters get turned into children! I'll do one with Lucifer

Also Me, stupidly: Know what I haven't seen, one with Lucifer getting turned into a kid and heaven getting involved. Sera would get so annoyed, this will be hilarious.

Me, two chapters in: Fu-

Chapter 3

Notes:

For the record, I know very little about very young children and their capabilities, especially regarding their verbal skills and comprehension.. So anything that doesn't line up, we are just going to put down to angel babies being different.

Chapter Text

As the wave of emotion receded, Sera’s tears slowed and she eventually came back to herself. Feeling a small hand patting her cheek, she turned to see Samael gazing at her with concern.

“Sa-Sa?” came his tremulous voice, his own eyes beginning to look shiny with tears. Though hearing his old name for her nearly set her off again, she took a deep breath and smiled at him.

“It’s alright Samael. I’ve just been very tired today. I feel much better now that you’re here.” Though she kept her tone light, Samael did not look entire convinced and turned to hug her again, adding a kiss to her cheek. This caused Sera to let out an unexpected chuckle, and Samael gave her a pleased smile as he accomplished his goal of making his caretaker feel better.

“Sami,” the old childhood affectation, somehow, falling easily from her lips “do you know where you were before you came here?” At the child’s look of confusion, Sera tried a different avenue of inquiry. “Were you with other people before you saw me?” Samael nodded. “Did you know them?” A head-shake this time, and Sera decided to attempt a more complex question. “What did you see?”

“Wed.”

“Wed?” Sera asked, confused. Samael nodded in confirmation, his hand moving to pat his cheek.

“Wed,” he repeated.

“Red.” Sera repeated, now understanding. There was a good chance he must have been in Hell before this then, for the color was so prevalent there. The question now was who in Hell was aware of this situation and did they know where their King was now. Go-, no, powers forbid that any of the Sins knew or were made aware of this, for they were strong enough to cause real issues if—

Her train of though was interrupted as Samael began to squirm in her arms, letting out soft whines of complaint.
“What is it Sami?” She asked in concern as she turned her attention to him. Blue eyes stared at her pleadingly as Samael moved his hand to clutch at his middle, letting out a pitiful whine. Recognizing the gesture, Sera let out a sigh of relief.

“Of course,” she said, more to herself, as she took in his lack of halo, another sign of his young age. “You must be quite low on energy right now. Just let me move us to somewhere more comfortable first.”

As she rose to her feet, Sera frowned slightly as she now noticed how light Samael felt in her arms. Though the white smock he was in hid most of his form, she could see how thin his faced look, lacking the chubby cheeks one would associate with children his age. Samael had always been smaller than most angels and, even when grown, he remained significantly smaller than his siblings, but he had never looked so…..gaunt.

‘Just how long has he been stuck as a child?’ Sera wondered, as she settled into her chair. With a small surge of angelic magic, she transformed her usual high neck dress top into a more low cut blouse for easier skin access.

Unlike their grown counterparts, infant angels are not able to independently regulate and maintain their own energy levels. Nor can they gain more by absorbing the ambient energy in Heaven or by eating. Until they grow enough to be able to do so, which is indicated by the appearance of their halo, they need to be “fed” energy from an adult angel through direct skin to skin contact.

With Samael’s head resting on her chest, Sera returned to performing this long unused, but still familiar process. Summoning up her energy, she was able to reach out with it and easily establish a connection with Samael. Abandoning her other senses, she allowed herself to focus entirely on the flow of energy between them. Of the feel of Samael’s soul beside hers, radiating joy, contentment and love. In all her long years of life, there was no other feeling she had found that could compare to this and Sera had always felt a little mournful when her charges outgrew the need for it.

Her cares and worries falling away Sera, for the first time in ages, allowed herself to exist entirely in the moment. Figuring out what to do next could wait.

Chapter 4: Chapter 4

Notes:

Finally managed an update!! Not to much action this chapter, mostly Sera thinking on what to do. Things will start happening soon!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

With Samael drowsing in her arms, Sera continued to sit in her office, frozen in her indecision. Once again, she felt that she had reached a major crossroads but last time this happened, as recent events had shown, she has chosen so terribly that she felt she could hardly trust her own judgement.

‘No!’ came the fierce thought, ‘This time I will not let my own fears guide my decision. I will, I must focus on the facts I know.’

Well, she knew that Samael, through some unknown means, had been reverted back into a child. She knew that she was most likely the only one in Heaven who was aware of this, as she had yet to have anyone come to her office about it. Based on from what little she had been able to get from Sami, there may be some beings in Hell who are aware of his current condition. However, she was unsure if they knew of his current location.

Much to her vexation, as she continued to think on the issue, Sera began to realize that for everything she did know about the current situation, there were a plethora of details she had no idea about.

‘Alright, the main issue is that Samael is here. I have no idea how this happened and if it is a temporary state that will wear off on its own or if it is something more permanent that would require some intervention to end. If it wears off on its own, then he just needs to be kept safe until then. If it doesn’t…..’

If it doesn’t……should he be turned back…..?

Without Lucifer at it’s helm, Hell would be significantly weaker and could more easily be forced to come to heel. Sure, there would be some chaos and political upheaval for a time, but that would eventually sort itself out. Even if it didn’t, if things never fully re-stabilized, it wouldn’t be Heaven’s problem. Heaven would also gain the benefit of getting it’s Morningstar back. So much had changed with Samael’s Fall and Heaven had become a bit dimmer, a bit lesser with his loss. If he returned, if Heaven got its light back, then maybe the old wounds left festering from the Fall could finally heal. Samael would be able to be with his family again and…and…..

‘I would get another chance. I could do things right this time and make sure it all turned out better.’

Maybe this was the Universes way of giving her a chance to redeem herself. In the end, it would also mean a much happier and safer life for Sami. It’s not as though he had any strong attachments to Hell since she had left him and-

Sera’s train of thought abruptly halted as she suddenly remembered, ‘The Princess.”

Princess Charlotte Morningstar, heir to the throne of Hell and the author of her current difficulties. She was also her Sami’s beloved daughter. She knew that Samael would never choose to abandon a member of his family. That Lucifer would fight tooth and nail to get back to his daughter. She also knew that, if he could speak to her now, he would say he wanted to go back.

‘But what Sami wanted last time turned out so terribly for him and for everyone else,’ came the whispered thought.

Once again, Sera felt frozen with indecision, still staring down those crossroads. How had she gotten to this point? Things used to be so much easier before….

‘Before I was High Seraphim, before I was a council member. When I was still serving my original purpose.’

That was the key! Forget politics, forget Heaven and Hell. All that was important was Samael and what would be best for him. With this new, yet old, point of view, Sera started from the beginning. Re-examining the issue, her various options and the possible outcomes for each. Soon, she came to her decision.

Penning a short note, she quickly sent it to its intended recipient with a small burst of power. If she was going to do this, she would need some help.

Notes:

In case anyone is wondering, Sera is referring to pre-Fall Lucifer as Samael and post-Fall Lucifer as Lucifer in her thoughts. It's not as though she sees them as separate people, more that she is aware that, with all he went through in the Fall and with living in Hell for so long, Samael has changed from his pre-Fall self.

Thanks to everyone for waiting so patiently for an update. Hopefully this next one should come sooner. Expect to see some more characters in the next chapter.

Chapter 5: Chapter 5

Notes:

Hope you all enjoy!!

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Emily flew above the streets of Heaven, higher than she usually would in order to avoid encountering any of the Winners or Cherubs. Though such antisocial behavior was unlike her she just….hadn’t felt much joy lately. How could she, knowing what she did now? How could she interact with the Winners, smiling and acting like nothing was wrong, knowing that some of them may have had friends or loved ones in Hell whose souls had been obliterated?

She couldn’t, which is why she had been doing the bare minimum of her official duties. Fortunately, she had not been called to task for this. After Sir Penthouse’s redemption, the full Heavenly Council and Court had decided that he would need to be closely monitored and to have supervision for any public excursions. This was to make sure he adapted “properly” to Heaven and that he did not talk to anyone about Hell. Emily had volunteered for and been given this task, as it wasn’t unusual for the Winners to see her around and sometimes she would spend more time around any new arrivals who were having a particularly difficult time adjusting.

Emily had been grateful they had agreed, as this gave her an excuse to be away from Sera. The other reason was that…..she just didn’t trust any of the other Angels not to try to get rid of him!!

What a terrible thought. That she could no longer trust her fellow Angels, those who she’d known her entire existence, to not do something so horrible. Angels, who are supposed to be the bastions of light and virtue. What other secrets was she unaware of? Just how low had Heaven truly fallen?

‘Or maybe,’ whispered an insidious thought, ‘it was always like this, and you just didn’t notice. Emily the Joybringer, so blind, so naive, so easily led. No wonder you are treated as a child.’

Shaking off these dark ideas, Emily was relieved to notice she was almost at Heaven’s gates. This feeling increased when she saw that Peter N. was currently on duty.

Some of the Winners, when they arrive, become quite confused when the Saint Peter who greets them looks nothing like they would expected, from a biblical or historical standpoint. They soon learn that the various Saint Peters throughout history all take shifts manning the gates. After all, it wouldn’t have been fair to make poor Simon man them for all eternity, never getting a chance to enjoy paradise.

Peter N. had been on duty when Charlie had arrived. His shift had ended soon after and, curious about what the Princess of Hell was meeting Heaven about (a meeting that had been set up by Lucifer Morningstar!!) he had slipped into the court room that day. Currently, he was the only Winner aware of the Exterminations and the newly redeemed sinner, as the Angelic Council and Court had decided to keep this information quiet from the Winners. He had become a much needed confidant for Emily, as she no longer felt comfortable talking to Sera or any of the other Angels. He also would also visit Sir Pentious from time to time and was the only other person the serpent could talk freely with.

“I didn’t think you were on shift today,” she greeted, as she came to a stop near the pulpit.

Peter smiled as she hovered in front of him. “Hello Emmy. I wasn’t originally but I switched with Peter B. since there was a concert he wanted attend. I don’t mind, as I get an extra long break once I’m done.”

He ended this with a grin and a wink, and Emily tried to smile in return. She must not have been very successful as concern filled Peter’s features.

“Is everything alright?” he asked softly

“No,” she admitted, “I just can’t seem to move past this! Knowing Heaven has been doing all these terrible things! How can I be Heaven’s Joybringer when I can’t feel any joy myself?!?”

Landing so she was sitting in front of the pulpit, she hugged her knees to herself. “The Council…the Court….everyone has been meeting. They’ve been arguing if redemption should be allowed or if they should continue with the Exterminations. Even with proof that redemption can work, some of them still want to continue exterminating those down in Hell!”

She turned as Peter sat beside her, showing him the missive she had received. “Now Sera wants to meet with me and I’m not sure I can bring myself to go. She was my mentor, I looked up to her but now I am just so angry with her!”

They both sat in silence for a time, Peter patiently waiting for her to gather her thoughts.

“I’m afraid to see her and to talk to her again,” came her quiet admission, “I’m afraid I might be unable to forgive her. That I might hate her. An Angel isn’t supposed to hate.”

‘Though, from what I’ve seen recently, there are many Angels here who act quite un-angelic,’ came the rueful thought.

“I think the fact that you are so worried about hating her is a good sign that you don’t,” Peter replied, “and you must not feel guilty if forgiveness does not come right away. You have experienced a great betrayal and upheaval of your worldview. Forgiveness may take some time and there’s nothing wrong with that.”

It was easy for people to forgot that this man, who acted so flamboyantly, who was always willing to join in on her songs no matter how ridiculous or undignified, had spent his life as a guide and councilor to his flock. That he was willing to show both these sides of himself, depending on if a Winner needed counsel or just needed to be put at ease, is what Emily had come to truly appreciate about Peter N.

“What do you think?” She impulsively asked,“Are you for redemption? Or the exterminations?”

Humming in contemplation, Peter looked out over the expanse of clouds and sky that surrounded them.

“Though it is not for me to pass judgement, I do believe that some souls can be redeemed. Not all. There are some who will never repent and there are those whose sins are just to vast and terrible for redemption to be possible.”

“However,” his voice suddenly took on a fierce tone, “I do not believe that Sera or any of the Angels, no matter their rank, have the right to decide on the destruction of a soul. Soul’s were made by the Almighty, and only They have the right to make that decision. Sera allowing this, the Exterminators’ actions, even the Heavenly Council and Court debating if they should continue, is a severe overreach of power and authority.”

Peter turned and looked at her gravely, “Mark my words, once the Princes return there will be a reckoning.”

Emily looked away, hugging her knees tightly to herself. “That’s another thing I’m worried about,” she softly admitted, “What Sera did was wrong, and she should face some kind of consequence for her actions but what if they decide…..what if she……”

Emily couldn’t bring herself to say it.

Peter wrapped an arm around her, giving her a comforting squeeze, “One thing I learned while I was alive, is that all we can do is take things as they come, do what you can and continue forward. The Universe won’t stop, no matter how terrible a person’s tragedy or grief. Just know that there are people who can and will help and support you during these times. You just need to be strong enough to ask for it.”

Peter gave her a soft smile, which she found she was able to genuinely return.

“Thank you Peter.” She rose from the floor, “I think I’m ready to meet with Sera now.”

“Best of luck Emmy, if you need to talk, I’m always ready to listen.”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Emily arrived at Sera’s office but, to her surprise, she was no longer there. The cherub assistant informed her that Sera had gone home but she left a message that Emily was to meet her there. Emily did know where Sera’s home was, she had been there a few times before, but she also knew Sera rarely used it, spending most of her time in her office or completing other tasks around Heaven. The fact that she had left in the middle of her work was extremely out of character.

‘Maybe she’s been more affected by this than I realized,’ Emily thought to herself, feeling a pang of guilt for avoiding her.

Once again taking to the skies, Emily flew quickly and soon arrived at her destination. Knowing that Sera was expecting her, she gave a quick knock before letting herself in. As she closed the door behind her, she immediately noticed how much darker it was than usual. Looking around, she saw that all the windows had been shuttered. There was a strange stillness in the air that made a prickle of discomfort run down her wings. Moving deeper into the house, she soon found Sera in the small sitting room, and her eyes were immediately drawn to….was that a crib!?

“Sera,” she said cautiously, “what is this?”

Sera was standing beside the crib with an odd expression on her face and she motioned for her to come closer. Moving cautiously forward, Emily peered down into the crib, letting out a surprised gasp at what she saw.

“A baby?! A new Prince!?”

Only the Princes of Heaven, God’s direct children, had ever started out as infants. Every other angel had come into existence fully grown.

‘But why would a new Prince be made now? After all this time?’ she wondered, gazing down at the slumbering babe.

She looked to Sera for answers, who had a weak smile on her face.

“He’s not a new Prince. Not really. He’s….he’s…” Sera’s voice started to tremble. Her smile began to quiver and she took in a sudden, gasping breath.

“It’s Samael! Lucifer!”

As if her strength had left her with these words, Sera sank down on the couch behind her and placed her face in her hands, taking in short shuddering breaths. When she looked up again, Emily was shocked to she tears welling in her eyes.

“Oh Emily!” her voice came out as a sob, “I need help!”

Moving to sit beside her, Emily took Sera’s hands in her own, looking at her gravely.

“I think you need start by telling me everything that’s happened.”

Notes:

Were any of you worried for a bit there? 😏

My head cannon for Saint Peter is the only way I can reconcile with how he appeared in the show. Besides, it does make sense. Why should Simon Peter spend his entire afterlife working? That certainly wouldn't be my Heaven.

I hope you liked this. Feel free to leave comments or questions.

Chapter 6: Chapter 6

Notes:

(See the end of the chapter for notes.)

Chapter Text

“….and since he was getting fussy, I teleported us here, bathed him, changed him into a clean outfit and put him down for a nap.”

“So you have no idea how he got like this?” Emily asked.

Sera, who had grown calmer as she told her story, responded with a steady voice, “No. I felt his aura when he arrived and there was no other power or magic clinging to him. Nor was there any sign of any recent interference.”

“Is there anyone here we could ask to help? Any specialists with spells or curses who could be trusted?”

Sera shook her head. “There is none I can think of who I would trust enough to keep this quiet. For Lucifer’s safety, the less people who know the better.”

Humming in contemplation, Emily stood from the couch and moved back over to the crib. Looking down to examine the young Prince, she felt that she could understand the stories now, when they described the Morningstar as Heaven’s most beautiful. It wasn’t about his physical features, though with his perfect porcelain skin, golden silk hair and delicate features, this child could in no way be described as unattractive. It was his energy, his aura, the parts unseen by mortal eyes that could be called an Angel’s soul. Even in this nascent, immature form it was so beautiful, so comforting, so….just so much more than any other that Emily had encountered.

Already, it’s mere presence was changing the overall feel of the room. Making the atmosphere seem brighter and so much more welcoming. Emily could not fathom what it must have been like at its full strength and she felt an odd mix of mourning and relief at never having experienced it. She wondered if it was similar with the other Princes……

“That’s it!!”

Sera started at this sudden exclamation and Emily offered an apologetic look before she continued her thought.

“What about the other Princes? Surely if we can get a message to them explaining the situation they would-“

“Absolutely not!” came Sera’s firm rejection.

“Why? No one would dare to read a sealed message for them, so news of Lucifer’s current state wouldn’t get spread to anyone else.” Emily paused for a moment, a feeling of dread beginning to coil within her, “You don’t think that….that they would hurt him, do you?”

Emily ended this question in a whisper. Surely not. Surely the Princes, the Pinnacles of Heaven, could not have become as corrupted as some of the others. If they had…if even they had…..

‘Then what hope is there for the rest of us?’ came the despairing thought.

“No!!” Sera’s shocked, almost scandalized reply pulled Emily from her dark thoughts, “They would never harm Sa-Lucifer! At least, not intentionally……”

Letting out a resigned sigh, Sera continued, “The Princes would never, under their own wills, act in maliciousness to purposely bring their brother harm, but in acting out of love, harm would come regardless.”

“How can you be so sure of that?” Emily probed.

Rising to her feet, Sera joined Emily besides the crib. A sad smile on her face, she reached down and gently ran a hand down the sleeping child’s back.

“Long ago, before time had even begun, I was created and given my first purpose. I was to care for and to help raise each of the Lo-each of the Heavenly Princes.”

“I…I had always assumed that the Princes were the first of us to be created,” Emily commented, staring at her mentor in shocked surprise. Sera had never talked about her past before and Emily had no idea that she had been around for so long or that she once held such a high role.

Still looking down and smiling in slight amusement, Sera explained, “You are not the only one to think so, but the Princes came about later on. They were made to be the best of us, to one day lead the Heavens, and that type of creation takes extra time, care and planning.”

Moving her gaze from her former, now current, charge, Sera’s expression became grave as she met Emily’s eyes.

“I know them well, Emily. I know them better than even they realize or would want to admit. I witnessed the joys and sorrows, the triumphs and failures that shaped each of them into who they are now. I am intimately aware of their strengths and weaknesses. Their deep love for each other is both and if they found out about this? If they saw their brother as he is now? They would not be able to let him go.”

Casting her mind for other ideas, Emily ventured, “We could always try to contact our Lor-“

“No Emily!!” came the desperate cry as Sera’s hand covered her mouth to prevent her from finishing her thought.

Shocked, Emile stared mutely into Sera’s wide, panicked gaze. A small, sleepy sound of complaint from the crib broke this frozen tableau and Sera moved to lightly grasp Emily’s shoulders, whispering frantically.

“Don’t say it. Try not to even think of it. We do not want to risk drawing any attention. All I will say is taking that course has the same problem as the Princes. Even worse since there would be nothing to be done if that happened.”

Nodding in understanding, Emily felt a small fission of fear as the full severity of their situation began to dawn on her.

“What should we do then?” she asked, looking to Sera for guidance as she hadn’t in ages.

“This is what I need your help with. I need to contact Hell. Secretly. I need to reach the Princess to see if she knows what’s happened. At the very least, I need to tell her of her father’s location. We can then figure out what to do from there.”

“W-why do you think I could help with that!?” Emily’s surprise and shock coloring her reply.

Sera gave her a soft smile. “Though I may not have raised you from the moment of your creation, I did teach and train you. We have been together for a long time and if I know you as well as I think I do, I bet you have been working on a way to get in contact with the Princess as soon as that Sinn-Sir Pentious' appeared. You may have even already succeeded in doing so.”

Emily felt a sliver of appreciation that Sera corrected herself and called Sir Pentious by name instead of ‘the Sinner’ like some of the other Angels had. She tried to focus on this and squash down the bitter thought that this ‘knowing’ between herself and Sera did not go both ways. She would have never thought that Sera would be capable of allowing something as-as evil as the Exterminations. She hadn’t even known until bare minutes ago that Sera had such a close relationship with the Princes, the Second Highest Authorities in Heaven. That’s not even taking into consideration of her relationship with Heaven’s Highest Authority, that had entrusted their children to her care…..

It hardly seemed to matter that a majority of Emily’s life had been with Sera, when all these revelations made her seem like a complete stranger.

‘Now is not the time,’ she scolded herself, ‘there are much more important matters to focus on than my own feelings. Poor Charlie must be absolutely frantic about her Father’s disappearance.’

“I do have a way to contact Hell,” she admitted, “but there is a bit of a time lag between each message. However, I may have a quicker and more direct way we can try, but I need you do something for me. If nothing else, I need you to trust me and my judgement.”

Returning her serious gaze, Sera nodded in assent.

Notes:

Hope you enjoyed the chapter. Now you all know why Sera's been trying to avoid saying or even thinking any title related to God.

The next chapter we will finally get to see Charlie and learn what is going on in Hell.

Also, there is going to be plot and drama ahead, but I would like to add some fluff and funny shenanigans a baby angel could get into. So feel free to suggest anything you think would be entertaining to read. I will give you credit in the notes if I use your ideas.

As always, feel free to comment or ask questions.

Chapter 7: Chapter 7

Notes:

I tried to add Sir Pentious' hiss to his dialogue, and remembered how much I struggle trying to write accents and verbal ticks.....

(See the end of the chapter for more notes.)

Chapter Text

Sir Pentious anxiously looked around the room, trying to spot any messes or clutter. Fortunately, everything was pristine. Unfortunately, this meant he had nothing to distract himself from his nerves. Even the tea he had put out was still the perfect temperature. That was one of the downsides of Heaven. Who knew no longer experiencing minor inconveniences such as having to rewarm a drink or dusting could be so….grating.

Pentious sighed as he sat in his chair to wait. He so badly wanted to make a good impression on whoever Miss Emily was bringing over. He wanted to prove to the angels here that her and Miss Charlie’s belief in him was not misplaced. He wanted to be able to move freely through Heaven like the other Winners. He wanted…..he wanted to not be so lonely.

Emily did her best to keep him company, to get him out to interact with the other souls in Heaven, but how often she was allowed to do this was strictly regulated. She had her other duties as well, so couldn’t be with him all the time.

‘At least I get to see her today, along with a guest!’

He nearly hadn’t believed it when he received Emily’s message, having to read through it multiple times. He had yet to have a guest outside of Emily in his Heavenly abode (the periodic inspections from his angelic wardens didn't count). He wasn’t allowed to. It gave him hope that some of the restrictions for him were lifting, that maybe he was finally proving that he did belong here. However, this hope had also been accompanied by a large dose of nerves, which was responsible for his current jittery state.

He nearly leapt out of the chair when he saw the now familiar portal that Emily often used when she came to see him, putting on his most welcoming expression. As the portal's light faded and he could clearly make out his visitors, he felt his hood wilt and his smile froze. With Emily had come the other seraphim, the one who had been with her when he had first arrived. He still remembered her expression when she had first seen him and how she never really looked at him after. How at all of the meetings he had been brought into, her eyes always looked to the side of or over him. As though he was to lowly to have his presence even acknowledged by the higher begin.

Not that most of the other angels were much better, discussing him as though he wasn’t present, looking at him like he was some sort of interesting specimen to be dissected or with suspicion and disgust…….but at least they looked at him.

“Penni!!” Came Emily’s exuberant cry, rushing forward to envelope him in her usual greeting hug that he couldn’t help but melt into. They were so similar to Charlie’s.

“How have you been doing? Are you getting everything you need?” She asked

Feeling his smile morph into something more sincere, Pentious replied warmly, “It’sss good to sssee you again Missss Emily. Everything issss well, asss it alwaysss isss here.”

“I’m glad. Thank you for letting us stop by on such short notice, I’m sure you remember Sera.”

Pentious’ eyes finally moved towards his other guest, Sera, with trepidation. Wondering if her presence was a sign of some new edict, or potentially worse, some final judgement from the Council. As his eyes finally landed on her, he was surprised when their gazes met. She was actually…..looking at him? And she seemed….nervous?

His attention was pulled away from his unexpected guest by a movement near here right shoulder. It was then he finally noticed that she was holding a child. A child with Charlie’s porcelain skin and red dotted cheeks. A child with her joyous, welcoming smile. A child that….felt like……

“Issss that…..?”

“I hate to say it, but we aren’t just here for a visit.” Emily interrupted, “You see, we need your help with-“

“Hissss Majessty?!”

The reaction of the two angels from his exclamation was immediate. Emily froze, eyes going wide with shock and surprise as her mouth dropped open. Sera took half a step back, her expression becoming guarded as her arms moved protectively over her young charge.

“How did you know?” Emily asked wonderingly

“Well….he lookssss very much like Charlie, who looksss a lot like Hisss Majesssty, if taller. Alssso, he feelsss sssimilar….yet different….” he trailed off, not quite sure how to properly explain what he sensed. He never had much luck when trying to do so to any of the few Sinners he had trusted down in Hell either, most either not understanding or dismissing his claims as false bravado.

“You can sense a soul's aura? Well enough to be able to identify who they belong to?” Sera asked

“Only if I am around ssssomeone long enough, though with more powerful….beingsss, the feeling issss ssso disssstinct that they are easssy to identify. It wasss an ability I gained when I arrived in Hell. Mossst asssumed all I has wasss my ability with technology, but engineering and inventing were skillsss I cultivated in life.” Pentious shrugged, “Being able to…..feel othersss is probably the only reason I made it through all the exterminationsss. It’ssss the only reason I was ably to even become an overlord, though a low ranking one.”

“You still have this ability? Even after achieving redemption and being cleansed?” Emily asked

“I believe that most all souls have the potential to develop some sort of special ability,” Sera interjected, “It’s just that the souls up here don’t face the pressures and dangers that allow them to manifest it, unlike those in Hell.”

“SSSo…how did thissss,” Pentious gestured at the miniature monarch, “happen and why do you need my asssissstance?”

“That’s part of the problem, we don’t know,” Emily confessed, “He just appeared in Sera’s office like this. We need to contact Hell to try to find out what’s goin on, but we can’t do it the usual way. It we did, we would be unable to keep Lucifer’s presence and current state a secret.”

Emily paused before she went on to ask, “How close are you to completing the machine for contacting Hell?”

Pentious froze in shock, his eye darting to Sera. When he observed her non-reaction to Emily’s question, he cautiously answered, “I just need a couple more partsss. They ssshould be ready to pick up from SSSamir’s ssshop today.”

“Excellent! I’ll go fetch them!”

Before either party could protest, Emily opened a new portal and disappeared through it.

Notes:

I figured I'd give Pentious his own special power, as a treat. I thought I'd be able to get to Charlie and Hell in this chapter, but it may take one or two more. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and thank you for your patience in waiting for it.