Lucifer pulled on his shirt as he walked into his room. The girl was sitting in his bed crosslegged and leaning forward while his uncle was doing something to her back. He kicked the door shut, and the slam of it caught the girl's attention. Her head popped up as he crossed the room towards the bed, and Lucifer met the same bright green eyes he saw that night, but now they were different, no longer filled with panic or fear. She was also clean now instead of caked in blood. Her hair was a bright blonde with a slight hint of red. Her face was small and round with a stern look. He had to admit she was cute. He figured she would be scared and meek like the other night, but now she sat there frustrated as Belial tended to her back,
"My fallen angel awakes." He commented, reaching the foot of the bed, "I'm relieved, honestly. I was getting tired of sleeping in other rooms."
"Nobody told you to do that." His father remarked.
"I didn't want to wake up to find a corpse lying next to me." He grinned.
"Lucifer." His father snapped.
"Please tell me you're my betrothed Lucifer." She grumbled, looking at his father, who gave her a sympathetic smile before jerking his head to Lucifer.
"I'm offended," He gasped.
"You're offended?" She scoffed, adjusting her position and wincing in pain, "I don't care. You jabbed me in the back, nagged me for answers I didn't have as I bled out, and then stepped back so I cracked my head open on a cement floor. I couldn't care less if you're offended, Jr.," She spat as Belial and his father shared an amused gaze causing Lucifer to glare at them before quickly looking back at his bride-to-be,
"First off, snookums, this is Castle Damned. Our floors are made of tiles cut from the finest stone," He began.
"Don't ever call me that again." She growled, clenching her cute little fists.
"Fiesty." Lucifer grinned, "You may be more fun than I thought."
"I'm not here for your entertainment. I'm here to pay for my crimes." She sighed.
"Sounds entertaining to me," He replied, walking closer to his bed and taking in more of the woman who lay in it.
She looked young. For a human, he would have guessed early to mid-twenties. Her skin was rather pale, but he figured much of that was from blood loss. Petite, for sure; he couldn't tell her height because a blanket covered her legs, but her frame seemed small. She was wearing a button-down shirt backward, so the opening exposed the wounds on her back while her front stayed covered. It was an oversized shirt that hid any curves she may have had. Lucifer suddenly noticed something,
"Is that my shirt you're bleeding all over?" He demanded.
"What are your crimes, dear?" His father asked the girl ignoring his son's question.
"It's a long story." She sighed.
Lucifer's worry about his soiled shirt vanished as a hint of regret and embarrassment enveloped her, "We have time, sweetheart." he reassured, "Ew, no, sweetheart won't do." He mumbled to himself as she glared at him.
"Speak, girl." His father ordered.
"I had some issues settling in Heaven. I couldn't let go of parts of my human life, so God gave me a job to get my mind off the things I lost. A simple task of reviewing Heaven's entry log, verifying basic information about the individuals who passed through, and making sure they were all supposed to be there," She began.
"Did you fuck up and let someone in, darling?" Lucifer guessed and shook his head. Definitely not, darling. That sounded like something his father would call a woman.
"No. I looked at God's death book." She admitted.
"Foolish, for sure, but not damning, no," His father hummed.
"What is his death book, pudding?" Lucifer asked, sitting on the edge of the bed, "What! It's my bed. You're in my bed, honey." He snapped after she shot him a look and tried to push herself away. He didn't like either name.
"His death book is a constant log of souls about to die. Name, date, time, place, and cause. If I remember correctly, he left the book open on his desk." His father explained.
"Yes!" She replied excitedly, "My desk was in his office. Most days, there were at least two archangels or himself in there with me, but occasionally, I would be left alone and peek at the book. Just curious, you know, wondering if I would ever see anyone I knew, and one day I found someone, my husband. His death listed as a suicide, he was going to kill himself that afternoon, and I knew it was because of me, so I used one of the portals and visited my husband, begging him to carry on for me so we could see each other again one day." She explained as if it was a perfectly acceptable thing to do.
"How did you gain access to a portal?" Belial asked.
"Access to the portal? How did you get the blood to open it!" Lucifer interrupted, turning to his father, "Angel, okay. Human, fine, but I draw the line at incest, father!"
"Lucifer," His father began.
"No, I'm not marrying my aunt!" He growled, "This is messed up,"
"Enough!" His father ordered, "She's not an archangel, Louie,"
"How do you know? You said you were suspicious of Grandpapa's actions. Maybe it's because he's making me wed my aunt!"
"Wait, what? I'm your aunt?" The girl asked, scared and confused.
"No, you're not his aunt. I think I would know my own sister," His father chastised, "besides, portals,"
"You sure about that? How many years has it been since the last family reunion? A few million, or is it billions?" Lucifer scoffed.
"Interrupt me one more time, and you will regret it." His father warned, "as I was saying, Heaven's portals work differently than ours; besides, she's mortal with a mortal soul. Use that demon side of yours. Does her soul feel like ours?"
Lucifer did as his father instructed, and he was right. Her soul was mortal, and he relaxed. "Now, back on the subject. Tell me, darling, what made you think you could get away with something so stupid?"
"Didn't figure he knew every name." She admitted.
"He's God." His father responded.
"Even God has limits?" She shrugged with a painful cringe.
"No. So he caught you, Baby Girl?" Lucifer asked. That was it!
"Yes, I thought I had gotten away with it, but within an hour, I was grabbed and tossed in this weird cell called the void."
"Every day seemed to drag?" His father asked.
"Every second dragged. There was absolutely nothing, no walls, floors, sounds, and definitely no company. I don't know how long I was in there, and I was losing it. I began seeing things and other people. They were telling me things, I was losing my mind, then I was pulled out, told I would marry the prince of Hell, and if I refused, I would burn instead. Wings ripped off, lightning, and here I am."
"He ripped your wings off?" Belial asked.
She nodded, "He said it was necessary,"
"That explains the damaged," His father noted.
"If he would have cut them off, it would have been easier to stitch." Belial fussed.
There was a long silence as Belial carefully wrapped her torso,
"She needs rest and a lot of it. I don't want you leaving that bed except for the bathroom, and Louie, she may need your help with that." Belial finally said, snipping the bandages and packing away his tools.
"Great." She sighed.
"Everyone out then." Lucifer instructed, "I'm tired, and my Baby Girl needs her rest."
"I'm not your," She protested.
"Yes, you are, You are my future wife, and I think that allows me to have a pet name for you." He replied, getting up and walking around the bed as his father and Belial left the room.
"Pet names? How does asshat sound?" She huffed.
"Lucifer or Louie will be fine for me. However, you will always refer to my father as Lord, My Lord, or Lord Lucifer." He answered, and before she could reply, he stripped off his clothes.
"Ugh! This is how you present yourself in front of guests?" She hissed, averting her eyes.
"Depends on the guest," He smirked with no shame, "besides, you are no guest. You're my fiancée. You should get used to seeing me naked. Once you're healthy and we're married, we'll work on making little devils. After all, a good wife gives her husband many children." Lucifer laughed, turning his back to her and walking towards the bathroom, "You heard Belial, now sleep." He demanded.
Lucifer walked across the room and shut off the lights before slipping into the bathroom. He turned on the shower and let the steaming hot water wash over him. By the time he had scrubbed, rinsed, and dried, he was much more relaxed. Despite his calm demeanor, this whole situation was stressing him out. Too many things were happening simultaneously, and the questions were stacking up.
He roughly towel-dried his hair and brushed his teeth. Just as he reached for the door, he heard it. Sniffling and muffled sobs. The girl was crying. Lucifer opened the door, and the sniffling stopped. She was curled up on the very edge of the bed, trying her hardest to fake sleep, but the poor little thing had no idea who she was up against, which made him chuckle. He smelled her anxiety and fear, but his smile faded as he noticed the pain and sadness. Why should he care, he didn't want to marry her, and she probably hated him, so what if she was sad? Yet as much as he tried, he couldn't get those green eyes out of his head.
Lucifer, who usually slept naked, pulled on a pair of underwear before climbing into bed, where he felt her shaking, "What can I do to make you stop that? I would like to have a decent night's sleep?" He mumbled.
She didn't say a word but seemed to settle, "Good, now go to sleep." He grumbled and rolled over, but it wasn't long before she disturbed him again. "What in all of Hell is wrong with you?" He snapped, annoyed by her fidgeting.
"It hurts," She hissed.
Lucifer sat up, turned on the lamp beside his bed, and looked over at her. She was facing him, and in the dim light, he saw tear trails on her cheek, "So weak."
The smell of her pain was annoying him, and the fact that it was annoying him made him angry. Usually, he loved the scent, but something was different with this human. She didn't seem to deserve it, and Lucifer couldn't understand why his Grandfather had done it. If what she did was so bad, why send her to marry him and not damn her. Lucifer was so lost in his thoughts that when she spoke, it startled him.
"Then why don't you just kill me?" She mumbled, wiping her face with the back of her hand.
He huffed and got out of bed, "I can't kill you; it goes against the contract. Besides, if I did, you'd end up back here anyway, and believe me, what we do to fallen angels would make those wounds feel like paper cuts." He explained, pulling on a shirt as he left his room.
Lucifer was aggravated by the girl but also a bit worried. After all, she was the only way for him to ascend the throne, and his father told him he wouldn't get another one. She was also cute and feisty; it could be fun. She was his, after all.
Lucifer knocked on Belial's door before pushing it open to find his uncle standing in front of a large table against the back wall.
"Do something about her. She's in pain." He demanded, walking into the room.
"And you care, Louie?" The fallen angel asked, Pulling a glass bottle off one of the many shelves on either side of the table.
"No. I want to sleep in my own bed, and she keeps crying about her back." He defended, walking over to peer at what his uncle was doing, "What is that?" Lucifer asked, looking at the pale green paste in the large stone mortar his uncle was working in.
"It's for her arm. It should help soothe the pain." Belial explained as he began scooping the paste into the jar.
"What's wrong with her arm?"
"One of your Grandfather's famous tricks, some use to call him Zeus just as they called your father, Hades. Same story, different writers."
"Zeus and Hades were brothers, not father and son." Lucifer reminded, and Belial gave him a bored look.
"Her arm's burned from the lightning he used to cast her down." He explained as he moved over to another shelf and started shifting through bottles. "Here, This will help the burn, and this will help prevent infection. The salve for her arm ought to be rubbed in, and the pills are taken once a day with a full glass of water. Make sure she takes a pill toninght, Louie." He instructed.
"Okay." He yawned as he grabbed the medicine and turned for the door, "Oh, her back?" He stopped and looked back over his shoulder at his uncle.
"The pills will help, but I also left a disinfectant and salve in her bedside table," Belial informed, "Along with clean bandages."
"Her bedside table?" Lucifer huffed.
"She's here to stay, Louie. The sooner you accept that, the better it'll be for you both."
Lucifer rolled his eyes and left his uncle's room. He thought this whole situation was bullshit, he wasn't a babysitter, and if his dad wanted the girl alive, he needed to handle it. Sure he was going to marry her, but he wouldn't be responsible for her medical care, and as weak as she seemed, it would probably be a lot. Lucifer walked back into his room and over to where the girl lay still awake and faking slumber,
"Here, this will help the burns, and this the pain; take it with a full glass of water," Lucifer instructed, dropping the medication onto the bedside table, "Take it soon so we can both sleep, huh?"
Without a second thought, he walked around the bed and lay down. He was exhausted and glad to be back in his own bed, so it didn't take long to fall asleep.
~~~
Lucifer woke the following morning, stretched, and sat up. He had forgotten about the woman he was supposed to marry sleeping in his bed, causing him a sudden shock when he noticed her,
"Feeling better?" He yawned, but she didn't respond, "Baby Girl, are you feeling better?" He repeated, using the pet name he gave her, but all he got was a soft groan. He got out of bed and walked around to the side she slept on, "Great, you're lazy too? Plan on spending all day sleeping? Though I suppose you can't do much more than that." He shrugged, reaching over to rouse the girl, but he noticed the warmth through the shirt she wore when his hand touched her arm. He didn't know much about illness but knew hot was bad. He kneeled on the bed and rolled her towards him before placing his hand directly on her cheek, "What's wrong with you?" He demanded, noticing the untouched medicine on the side table, "You didn't take your medicine as I told you. Belial said your wounds could get infected. Is that what you want? To die slowly in Hell?"
"How?" She asked, barely opening her eyes.
"What? How what, you stupid girl?"
"How was I supposed to take the medicine, Lucifer?" She repeated in an almost whisper.
"I told you the paste was for your arm and the pills with a glass of," He stopped as the realization hit him, "Why didn't you say anything?"
"Why would you have helped?" She mumbled, "You don't want me here. Not in your bed and not in your Hell."
"Oh yay, you're dramatic," He rolled his eyes and got up. Lucifer quickly went to the bathroom and filled a glass of water before returning, "Take your medicine." He demanded, handing her the glass of water,
"Why not just let me die?" She mumbled as she pushed herself up, trying to hide the pain it caused, but it was a pointless attempt. How she genuinely felt filled the air around them and frustrated the already annoyed devil even more.
"I don't like dramatic. Now take the medicine, you stupid girl!" He growled.
"Stop calling me stupid." She snapped back, "I think we've established whose fault this was." She mumbled but took it as he insisted, then closed her eyes, leaning her head back against the headboard. With a sigh, he opened the side table drawer, took out bandages and the scissors,
"We have, and it's yours for not speaking up; now take that shirt off." He insisted, causing her eyes to snap open, and a powerful flood of dread surrounded her, "Oh, please, you're basically crippled with those injuries. Where's the fun there? Look, I know Belial wrapped you up like a mummy; take it off so I can help."
Reluctantly she removed his oversized shirt, and Lucifer finally got a glimpse of his wife's body. She was, as suspected, petite, but he was pleasantly surprised to see she was also curvy. White bandages hid all the good parts, but as he had told her, that wasn't something on his mind right now. Lucifer retrieved the scissors and began cutting away at the gauze that wrapped her right arm,
"What are you doing?" She asked.
"You didn't take your medicine. I'm guessing you didn't rub the salve in either." He fussed.
"What a kind and gracious Prince." She mocked.
"Funny." He huffed, cutting away at her bandages, "Not how I wanted to start my day, Baby Girl, already proving yourself a burden. Hey, are you okay?" He asked as her head swayed a bit.
"A little light-headed is all. I'm fine." She reassured, "I have a name, you know."
"I like Baby Girl." He said sternly, pulling the bandages off her arm, and it was gross. Blood caked, and bandages were sticking, "I'll be right back." He sighed before returning to the bathroom to grab a wet rag. After a bit of patience and a couple of trips to rewarm the rag, Lucifer cleaned away all the blood.
"That feels nice." She sighed as he ran the warm rag across her arm and a slight scent of relief wafted past him.
He noted that the medicine was working quickly as her breathing softened and the stench of pain faded. He turned his focus back to the girl's arm. The wound was truly a sight, the way it laced and spread from her shoulder to her elbow, it was beautiful, but it looked painful,
"I'm sorry for the next part." He apologized as he poured the disinfectant Belial had made onto the wound. She gasped in pain, "So, he actually struck you down with lightning?"
"It was worth it, assuming my husband didn't fuck up his second chance." She hissed as he dabbed the solution off and grabbed the salve, "He may already be dead. I don't know how long God kept me in that void. He could be there or here. Probably better, I don't know, right?"
"Tell me his name, and I can tell you if he's here at least. I know all the tortured souls here." He offered as he rubbed the ointment between his hands,
"William Dubois." She said.
He ran through all the names in his head, "If he's dead, he's not here." Lucifer informed, rubbing the lotion onto her arm, causing her to cringe. Lighter, he told himself, remembering she was a weak human, and after a minute, he saw what was almost a smile.
"Why'd you do it? You had to know it was a risk." Lucifer asked.
"I wasn't thinking. I just saw William's name and how. I knew if he killed himself, he would go to Hell," She began.
"Common misconception, people who take their own lives aren't automatically damned. A lie created by humans to scare other humans into doing what they want them to do."
She just laughed, but it wasn't an amused laugh, "I'm such an idiot."
"It would seem so." He replied. She tried to hide the tears and nonchalantly wipe them away, but he saw them, "Are all humans so weak?" He asked, grabbing the roll of bandages. He waited a moment for a response but didn't get one, "You must have truly cared for this William to sacrifice your soul to save his." He pointed out as he started to wrap.
"Yeah, I married him after all. We had our fights, but we never took them to bed. I loved him very much, and then when I..." She choked.
"Go on." He insisted, "When you what?"
"I don't want to talk about it." She quickly snapped, looking away from him.
"Come now, Baby Girl, I'm to be your new husband. Don't you trust me?" He coaxed as he grabbed the scissors again and snipped the bandages.
"Only as much as you trust me." She replied, and his mouth twisted into a sinister smirk.
"Well, that's not very much at all now, is it?"