it comes with a price, tag wesley

let me tell you the story, about the way I live.
my streets are steeped in secrets. my memories in myths.

and you don't be concerned with the things they said I did.
I ain't got no regrets. and no one to forgive.


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Humans, even dead ones weren’t highly intelligent, he supposed. For many who may summon or pray to him, Lucifer would never go. He could be summoned, by a strong enough force. It was a ghost that had summoned him, a ghost that he learned quickly about, but had no reason to understand quite why he called on him. He didn’t go whenever a human wanted him. And this particular one may have been dead, but it didn’t put him above any other human. Ghosts were doing summoning now? He was curious, however, curious about how brazen he was not to mention he gave some wonder to why. He was a ghost under contract with Wolfram & Hart; that much he knew. And well, plenty of other little details about him. It wasn’t the law firm that was interested in him, however, and he imagined that it never would be. If it hadn’t been for the Senior Partner’s Hell on Los Angeles game, the rift would have never been created and Lucifer wouldn’t have been released. Now, he wasn’t there to personally thank anyone. He never would. It wasn’t intentional, but instead prophesised and a coincidence. He had other concerns that never involved the demonic law firm. At first, Lucifer never showed up. He was summoned, but made the conscious decision not to go. And while he could have decided to stay away inevitably from Wesley, he decided to make himself known to him. But, he would do it on his time. He didn’t act on a human’s timetable. Humans were low, little more than cesspools to Lucifer. His hatred for humankind hadn’t changed, but had worsened since his fall.

When his Father introduced them to humanity, Lucifer detested them immediately. They were not a creation to marvel over, as many of God’s creations had been. They were absolutely not a creature that he would bow to. He deserved God’s utmost love. Instead, he affronted God by being unable to love them, to love them above God or above anything else. He would never show his allegiance to the hairless apes. To be betrayed by his closest family and to be thrown into a cage only enraged him further. Of course, he was only locked up after he created Lilith, but he never regretted that. He proved that humans were horrific and nothing more than abominations. He twisted a human soul into a demon and every soul that entered Hell since had gone through the same process through other demons. Lucifer didn’t get his hands dirty with that. Hell regulated itself. Although now, Crowley seemed to believe that he could appoint himself as King of Hell. That was a title undeserving of the traitorous demon. He wouldn’t kill him, however. Not quickly, anyway. He had slow, painful plans for that demon. He would think twice before betraying or taking over Hell again. Lucifer would ensure that he paid for what he did and it would be especially painful for the demon. And that really was less than he deserved. Nothing would be fast. Fast was merciful and Lucifer had no intention of being merciful.

He appeared in the park, far enough from the ghost as not to have appeared out of nowhere. Although, he could have, if he felt like it. Instead, he decided to approach this discreetly. He didn’t know what his vessel looked like and so he didn’t expect any instant recognition. Acting casual, he mimicked a human and approached the ghost. He didn’t know what the ghost’s purpose was in a park. It had been hours since he was summoned and the initial calling hadn’t been done there. But, he wanted for it to be a surprise. Anyway, he didn’t care if he was timely. He wasn’t there to please anyone, but instead to satiate his own curiosity. It was shortly after dark as the archangel stepped up beside Wesley. “Calm night, isn’t it?” Somewhere, it possibly wasn’t. New York City wasn’t necessarily calm, especially not with vampires mixed up with the rest of the humans. If he was honest, he was waiting for the moment where vampires turned on humans. It seemed like a logical next step, but not even he knew much about the vampire agenda. It wasn’t that important to him. He could use vampires for his purposes, but that was all. He wasn’t interested in their struggle in society or whether or not they wanted humans dead. If they wanted to feed off of people, then more power to them. The less that walked on the face of the Earth, the better. Though, this time around, Lucifer was sure that he would be the winner and his envision of the planet would come into being whether anyone liked it or not. He didn’t care about humanity’s opinion. They meant nothing for the most part.

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There had been many aspects from his conversation with Dean Winchester that had intrigued Wesley, plenty of new information to consider and even new trails to follow in his research for a way to free himself from the contract that bound him to the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart. One of the most intriguing pieces of information related to the reality behind Lucifer's myth. This particular piece of information was intriguing not only because it shed a different light over certain religious myths but also because it opened new doors to Wesley in the path towards achieving his ultimate goal of freeing himself. He hated his current situation so much that he was willing to do anything to change it. Anything. The slight problem was that Wesley could not afford rushing into acting. The idea of discussing a way to free himself with the very Lucifer was very appealing but the former Watcher could not afford the luxury of speaking his mind, not when the three demons which held his strings were monitoring him very closely. After a couple of days of thorough thinking, Wesley finally managed to devise a plan.

Early in the morning, the ghost presented himself in the White Room and addressed the disembodied voices that always awaited for him there, letting them know that he considered that it would be very fruitful for them if they tried to form an alliance with Lucifer. Wesley had taken all the possible details into account, explaining to the three demons what he thought to be the advantages to such an alliance – advantages which, of course, included references to the end of the world and to endless pain and torture to Angel and the rest of the team. It had not been an easy task but, eventually, the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart agreed that Wesley should try and contact Lucifer in their name and propose for the alliance to be set into place. Once he was back in his office, Wesley wasted no time in having the necessary supplies gathered and set into place, so that he could perform the summoning ritual which he had already chosen. Unfortunately for the ghost, although it had seemed like the ritual had went along as it should have, nothing actually happened. Lucifer never made his appearance before Wesley, as he imagined it would happened.

The failure was discouraging for Wesley, just like all of his failures were. He should have probably gotten used to performing spells that lacked an outcome by now but apparently he didn't quite learn his lesson. Annoyed with his failure, Wesley decided to get out of the office and clear his mind before he would start searching for alternate summoning rituals. He didn't have a particular destination in mind but his footsteps ultimately carried him to the park, where he was strolling casually down an alley when a man walked by his side and initiated conversation. ”I suppose it is”, he replied flatly, his tone indicating the fact that he was not in the mood for petty conversations with strangers at the moment. Besides, it was debatable whether the night was truly calm or not. Of course, it appeared to be this way from the park but one could never know what was happening in other areas of New York city. Wesley continued to walk at a slow pace, not minding the stranger.

let me tell you the story, about the way I live.
my streets are steeped in secrets. my memories in myths.

and you don't be concerned with the things they said I did.
I ain't got no regrets. and no one to forgive.


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Someone representative of Wolfram & Hart didn’t exactly appeal to him. Although, he knew more about Wesley than just that. He was Lucifer, after all, his knowledge extended beyond that. The demonic law firm or not, it was still a brazen move to summon Lucifer. Of course, he had no solid interest in them. They may have intentionally lifted aided the rift in the cage that released its prisoners, but he wasn’t the type to show gratitude. The intention wasn’t there. And he knew why they tried to swallow the city of Los Angeles into Hell and frankly, he didn’t care about it. The death of humans was nothing that he was going to mourn over. Of course, having some Hell dimensions monsters running loose on the planet wasn’t necessarily his plan of action either. But, he had his own goals and his own purpose; ones that he hardly felt were at risk with W&H around. He hardly considered them last time he was out. But the ghost bound to them struck a bit of an interest with him, if only to figure out why he thought it wise to call on him. He wasn’t some petty demon, he wasn’t a demon at all, or a lower ranking angel. Of course, he wouldn’t be the first one to try and there were humans on the Earth that thought that they had some kind of closeness with Satan himself. Naturally, he would have killed all of them too. Humanity was loathsome. His Father had given them love above everything else, above him. And they were worthless. By no means should they have ever been placed above him. He may have started the war, but he didn’t blame himself for it. His family could have sided with him, but they chose not to. They fought against him.

Some angels had fallen when he did; those that sided with him during the great war. But, even now he would stand against his closest brothers. Raphael had been the only one left in Heaven after Michael fell with him and as it stood now, Lucifer wasn’t sure where the eldest of them had disappeared to. And he wasn’t sure how Raphael dealt with Heaven, but he assumed he would take Michael’s place. Not that he thought he could handle the chore the way Michael did, but he still knew his brothers and what he expected of Raphael. Still, the dealings of Heaven right now were unknown to him. He had stayed quiet after his release and he hadn’t tried to get a handle on what was happening, except that he didn’t need Heaven on him immediately. Heaven would always be his second goal. Once he was through with Earth, he’d move onto the next level. Heaven was still his home. Despite his indefinite banishing. He supposed he could have ruled better than God himself. And God had long since vanished. So, for his brothers and sisters to follow his orders so readily, was baffling, when he couldn’t stand to when he had been there to tell them what to do. He would have been loyal; could have been, but too much was asked of him. And whose fault was that? If God planned everything, if he created them as they were, then this was what he had wanted. He wanted the devil. And for that, Lucifer had no respect for that game plan. The rage ran deep for Lucifer and it was humanity that would really pay the price for all of it. And suffer slow. This time, he wasn’t going to lose. He always had confidence, even before he was damn sure of what would happen, but Sam Winchester surprised him with his strength. Of course, he was sure strength was limited now, after everything they put that soul through in the pit. Lucifer and Michael were not full of mercy on him. And he’d run into Sam again, there was no doubt in that. And he would have his gain his true vessel, and eventually the First and he would be unstoppable.

But, first things first... Lucifer glanced over the human ghost and walked along as he did. It was obvious he would have no idea who he was speaking to, but that was part of what piqued his interest. He was silent a moment, before he started to speak again, his voice quiet and completely casual, as if they spoke of nothing more than the calm park. “You’re bold, most humans wouldn’t try to summon the devil. It’s a shame the ritual was flawed, but good effort.” He broke it easy, letting him in on what he knew, if not who he was. It was implied, although not stated directly. He didn’t want to beat around the bush for too long. The summoning might not have worked, but he had reached his attention.

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Although Wesley's objective had been to think of other summoning rituals which might have more success than the one which he already tried, it was hard for him not to retrace every detail of that ritual and try to figure out what had gone wrong. Until now, each time one of his spells or rituals failed, Wesley was quick to attribute the failure to the Senior Partners interference, as the failures all happened when the ghost was trying to free himself from the contract he had with them. This time, however, it was improbable that they would have interfered with the ritual, as they had seemed quite interested in him approaching Lucifer in their name. No, this failure was entirely his own. Wesley was beginning to think that he had severely overestimated his abilities to perform magic. After all, his powers were not innate, like that of wiccans. It was frustrating that all the other rituals Wesley could think of off the top of his head were far weaker than the one which had not succeeded. The chances of any of those other ones succeeding were close to none. This did not sit will with Wesley. The Senior Partners would be more than mad if all of his attempts to summon Lucifer would fail and the consequences... well, they could be quite painful, even for an incorporeal entity such as himself.

He needed quiet and calm in order to organize his thoughts, therefore the prospect of engaging in conversation with a stranger was not exactly pleasant to him. In fact, Wesley wondered why a stranger would suddenly approach him in the park. He was well aware of the fact that his appearance was slightly uncommon – after all, how many people came to have a walk in the park in the evening wearing perfectly neat suits? - but he imagined that it was the kind of uncommon appearance that would make others deem him insane and make them keep their distance from him. On second thought, there was no way to tell whether the man that approached him was entirely sane himself. His presence didn't raise any suspicion, any thought that the man might bear some connection to the ritual that had been performed earlier that day. Had Wesley suspected otherwise, his attitude towards the stranger would have been entirely different. As it was now, the ghost saw no reasons why he should make use of his manners and, at the very least, dismiss the man more elegantly than just by continuing his walk.

When Wesley realized that the man continued to walk by his side, he frowned slightly, throwing him a look that should have made it clear that he didn't want any kind of company. The man's words, however, made Wesley stop and turn to face him. ”How do you know that?” His tone was mildly threatening. The only way he could have known about the ritual was if one of the Wolfram and Hart paralegals, that had assisted, had given him the information – which was an offense that the Senior Partners would not have taken lightly. Unless... No... There was another answer Wesley could think of for his question but he was not quite ready to accept it as a real possibility. He had other expectations when he performed the ritual, such as a creature that would vaguely resemble the Beast appearing before him. ”Who are you?”, he questioned, looking at the man, trying to notice any sign that he would be something else than a normal human being.

let me tell you the story, about the way I live.
my streets are steeped in secrets. my memories in myths.

and you don't be concerned with the things they said I did.
I ain't got no regrets. and no one to forgive.


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Lucifer remained unfazed by the mild threat beneath the ghost’s voice. In fact, the look that he flashed him was almost questioning and sympathetic, as if asking what he thought he could do. In honesty, it was almost like he was a human looking down on a small dog that had too much bark. The man had no idea who was at his side, though he chose not to imagine what he might have envisioned. Humans, at times, had a twisted perception of what he was. Lucifer was an angel and his true form was that of an angel’s, but humans couldn’t see that. The form of any of the angels would cause a human’s eyes to burn out of their skull. And the sight of an archangel could leave them all just as soon dead. It was why he needed a vessel. And he supposed not many humans understood that angels had to have a human host. And for Lucifer, Nick’s body wasn’t going to be able to hold him forever. It hadn’t the last time, and he would soon burn it up from the inside out. But, he’d get his true vessel again, he was sure of it. Sam Winchester couldn’t stay hidden forever. His point initially was not to let him know precisely who he was. He could use his appearance to his advantage. “Because I’m the one you called.” Lucifer replied smoothly, as if he had simply phoned someone to stop by. He supposed he wouldn’t expect that answer, if he did, he assumed he may have spoken to him differently initially. But, then again, humans never exactly rose to any kind of expectation. And Lucifer’s were always extremely low to the ground. They were always far beneath that, proving him right in one million ways.

“Don’t feel too bad. Most rituals won’t work on me.” He explained, and it wasn’t a lie either. He was not an easy one to summon up. Nor did he like to go where he didn’t care to. He was not a demon or a petty angel. And he would insist not to be treated like one. His curiosity wasn’t his only reason for showing up, however. There was some interest in why, but at the same time, this man was from Wolfram & Hart and he would much rather not have their determination pointed towards him. He didn’t believe another attempted summoning would work, but he would rather them stop it. He had no interested in W&H and he would like to crush the idea that he ever would quickly. They did not scare him (nothing did) and they weren’t on his list of concerns. There would be no alliance; not with the likes of them. “And so that we’re perfectly clear, I have no intention of allying with the demons you work for. That’s a little beneath me.” Quite a bit. He had no love for demons, not the old world demons from separate dimensions or even gods. There was no respect and no need to be allied. The demons he created followed him and that was how his hierarchy worked. Lucifer’s pride was a thing of legend, practically, and it did not disappoint. He saw himself as above everything. There was nothing greater than him, except perhaps God himself. And after what his Father had done and his grand vanishing act, Lucifer would dare say he could outshine him. He would never be him. That was ludicrous; no one could. But, he could take everything for himself, as it belonged. “So, if that’s what you were looking for, you have your answer. If not, you have my attention.” And most wouldn’t receive that, especially not a human that he hardly thought deserved it. But, there could be some use for him here. And it was the only reason he did anything when it involved humans. Of course, he was well aware that the Senior Partners could probably monitor this entire conversation and if they wished to monitor him refusing, then so be it. Because, that was the answer he wanted to send them. It didn’t matter what they wanted, he had no interest. If he had wanted to, he could have cloaked himself from them and twisted and turned reality so that they would know no better. But, for now, none of that seemed important.

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“Because I’m the one you called.”

The look in the other man's eyes when Wesley spoke to him was a clear sign of the fact that there was more about him than what met the eye. The ghost of a man was prepared for anything coming from the stranger – anything but what the stranger said next. Wesley stared at him in utter disbelief. This was Lucifer, the fallen angel? His expectations were different. The devil had been portrayed in various ways all throughout time, be it in paintings, sculptures or literary descriptions. Wesley was ready to be met with a creature resembling any of those descriptions – a creature either very similar to the Beast that they had fought against some time ago, or a creature similar to the usual renditions of angels, carrying black wings as a sign of decay. A normal human being, however? It wouldn't have been the first case of a demon that required a human host in order to appear in this dimension, nevertheless Wesley had imagined that Satan himself would be different under this aspect and that he would be able to appear in his true form whenever and wherever he pleased.

He had to be cautious. Narrowing his eyes, Wesley gave the man another look. ”How can I know for sure that you are telling the truth?” Wesley could not completely overlook the fact that some other entity sensed the ritual that was being performed and decided that they could take some sort of advantage from the Senior Partners' wish to strike an alliance with the Devil. At a certain level, Wesley felt that he was not being lied to, a very strange sensation which he could not really explain to himself. In spite of it, in order to please the three demons that had agreed to the ritual being performed, it was better to make sure that there was no chance of an error having occurred. ”They should have added a note about it in the spell books”, Wesley muttered to himself in reply to the man's comment. Not that he wouldn't have tried summoning him if he would have know that the chances were very high that the ritual failed, it was just that Wesley would have had less expectations and would have felt like less of a failure when the smoke cleared, figuratively speaking, and he was still alone in his office.

“And so that we’re perfectly clear, I have no intention of allying with the demons you work for. That’s a little beneath me.”

Wesley looked discouraged when he was refused before he even had the chance of telling Lucifer why he had summoned him in the first place. Then again, it made perfect sense that he would know and, also, that he would be completely indifferent to anything the Senior Partners had to say to him. That was hardly the point now, though. Wesley needed to have a chance to give him the speech he had practiced about the alliance with the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart, only in order to establish some sort of connection with him, to leave open the opportunity to summon him again in the future in hopes that, one time, the three demons wouldn't keep tabs on him and he would be able to tell the Devil what he really had on his mind. As good as it was to know that he had Lucifer's attention, it was bad that Wesley couldn't really take advantage of it and speak his mind. All he could do was play his part and hope that he would be able to be subtle about wanting more with him than just offering an alliance. ”The Wolf, the Ram and the Hart would appreciate it if you would, at least, listen to their offer. They would not be happy seeing that I left without presenting it to you.” This was Wesley's best attempt at telling Lucifer that the Senior Partners might be watching them and that he could not speak freely.

let me tell you the story, about the way I live.
my streets are steeped in secrets. my memories in myths.

and you don't be concerned with the things they said I did.
I ain't got no regrets. and no one to forgive.


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Of course, the human would want proof. There were one thousand ways he could try to prove that he was who he said he was, though he did not feel rushed to do any of those. Lucifer did not forget who was in control of this little get together. It was him and when he felt moved to act, then he would. This was all on his time table. There was a lot that was beneath him. His pride lived up to all expectations and then some. And he did not owe those cockroaches that crawled on the Earth anything. Though, he would surely let the man know that the real Lucifer had visited him. He did not plan to leave him guessing or in the dark, although, perhaps he shouldn’t have cared so much. On some base level, Lucifer could find some understanding in the man. Betrayal and anger were key emotions that he was able to exploit with skill. After so long, they were the two feelings that Lucifer knew best. The rage and betrayal boiled deep inside of the fallen archangel. It was arguable that his vindictive nature knew no rival. He would see the world burn; humans die out, all in retaliation of Father’s plan and his brothers’ betrayal. His loathing for humanity was no small wonder. It had been deep from the beginning and throughout his long lifetime, it grew. They should have never been created to begin with. He could rectify it. Because, he knew better than all of them. Humans should have been destroyed as soon as they were created. And never should some hairless ape be put above him. To bow before them, to love them as they loved God was pure insanity, an abominable thought, at best. It sickened him and he couldn’t have done it. He wouldn’t.

This went above and beyond solely what the demons wanted and Lucifer narrowed his eyes thoughtfully, considering what he said for a moment. Naturally, he shouldn’t truly care whether or not the Senior Partners saw or heard what Wesley had to say. If they were not happy with him, it was hardly his problem. If they punished him severely, it wouldn’t touch Lucifer. Though, it gave him the opportunity to give him what little proof that he needed. So, after a moment of thought, he snapped his fingers and the world phased flawlessly into the lobby of the Hyperion. LA may have been in shambles, but it was only an illusion here. The hotel stood in its old glory, everything as it had been when Angel Investigations had been at its peak. It had everything down to the smallest details, as if the team had just stepped out. Papers on the desk in front, the weapons cabinet full. And the entirety of his alternate reality was cloaked; the Senior Partners would have no way of seeing it or seeing any difference in the park, if they were in fact spying on Wesley. They would see the two continuing their discussion and Lucifer was confident that no one would see through it. He was extremely adept at illusion and shifting reality. Lucifer glanced around it and took a step back, as if to circle the lobby. “I hope this is more fitting for you.” He said. “And consider it your proof.” Although, Lucifer knew he wasn’t the only one who was able to accomplish that. His brothers could perform the same feats. As could other creatures with that kind of power. “You’re safe from your bosses’ sight.” He told him, easily enough. He had no reason to trick him. Although it wasn’t any of his business what happened between him and Wolfram & Hart. He would grant him this moment, despite having his own uncertainties about what he could want of him. It was still extremely bold to want to speak to him at all. “So whatever it is you had to say, the floor is yours.”

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When he asked for a proof that the man in front of him was actually Lucifer – or, better said, Lucifer housed by a human shell – Wesley had nothing particular in mind in terms of what sort of display of power he expected to see in front of his eyes. In fact, thinking about it again, he realized that it had been a rather foolish request on his behalf because, if another entity had been powerful enough to sense that the ritual was performed and to dare to impersonate Satan, they would surely have the ability to do something out of the ordinary and continue pretending. Not even the demon appearing in his true form would have been good enough proof because Wesley had no way of knowing what Lucifer should have really looked like. The man (or entity) in front of him must have surely deemed him ridiculous for asking for something of the kind. Then again, was a ghost acting as a messenger for three demons not ridiculous per se?

Wesley was ready to start the speech which he was supposed to deliver but he stopped himself when he noticed that the other man snapped his fingers, in order to see what would happen next. What did happen took the ghost by complete surprise. Right before his eyes, the park changed into the Hyperion hotel – not the Hyperion which he cast a glance at before leaving Los Angeles for good, a decaying ruin, no. The Hyperion hotel that he was seeing in front of his eyes right now was the exactly as Wesley remembered it from the good days. Turning around with a slow motion, Wesley looked at the lobby. It seemed so real that he was almost expecting the phone to ring and Cordelia to yell at someone to pick it up because she was busy painting her nails, to see Gunn and Angel returning exhausted after taking out a nest of vampires and Fred coming down to the lobby with the first aid kit, muttering that they could have asked her to tag along too, because she didn't need to stay inside all the time and could fight.

Blinking a couple of times, Wesley tried to chase away the day-dream. He nodded to Lucifer's comment. It was proof enough for him to be sure with whom he was dealing. How many entities could have recreated a place from his memories with such fidelity? His attention returned to the scene and Wesley moved towards the counter, reaching out towards it. Much to his surprise, his hand didn't go through it and he was able to trace his fingers over the surface, listening to Lucifer's words. ”Thank you”, he murmured. Whether he was thanking him for bending reality so that the Senior Partners would be unable to see him, or for bringing this memory to life, Wesley did not know himself. Moving away from the counter, the ghost slowly paced the lobby, taking his time to stop and look at all kinds of insignificant objects and details that were somewhat tied to memories from his life. It did not occur to him that his behaviour might be considered appropriate or insulting because he might be wasting Lucifer's time. When he arrived in front of Lucifer, Wesley stopped and cleared his throat, looking in the eyes of the devil's shell. He reminded himself that he had put up the entire performance with a purpose: ”I want to make a deal with the devil, of course”, Wesley replied. ”I want to be freed from my contract with the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart and, if possible, I want them destroyed or completely humiliated. I am ready to hear the price.”

let me tell you the story, about the way I live.
my streets are steeped in secrets. my memories in myths.

and you don't be concerned with the things they said I did.
I ain't got no regrets. and no one to forgive.


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Lucifer waited patiently for the ghost to have his look around and for him to get his feel for the place. His eyes wandered for a moment, around the lobby before they settled back on Wesley. He expected it to have an impact, because it was a place that he presumed meant a lot to the man in question. But, he wasn’t here to give the ghost his own personal Heaven. Not only was he not God, but he was hardly that interested in making anyone’s existence better; especially not a human—or in this case, a dead one. He was out for his best interests, to complete his plans and if someone of interest appeared, Lucifer followed that. If he had his way, humans would be eradicated. And if this one was wasting his time, he could make him pay a price, even with his bind to Wolfram & Hart and his non-corporeal state. He could hurt him still, ghost or not. He wasn’t restricted that way. To the man’s thank you, he nodded. Humans could be so sentimental and easily distracted from the point at hand, it seemed. He could have easily cloaked them from the Senior Partners without the show around them. He did not have to bend reality to the Hyperion in order to conduct a conversation with him. But, it seemed appropriate and it was hardly a stretch for his power. But, he would have liked to have heard what he had to say more than he wanted to watch him wander around the lobby. It wasn’t offensive, and although Lucifer may have plenty of time, this was not how he wanted to spend it. There were plans to work out, creatures that needed to be done away with. But, for now, Wesley had his attention and he hoped he would take advantage of it.

And he did. Curiously, his eyes returned the ghost’s gaze. “Naturally,” Lucifer replied, with a subtle hint of annoyance, akin to the vocal equivalent of an eye roll. A deal with the devil seemed to become nothing more than a turn of phrase for a lot of humans. Before the sixty-sixth seal was broken, Lucifer hadn’t walked the Earth since before he was imprisoned the first time and deals were not made through him. Hell was incredibly self-sufficient, to be honest. Demons made deals, twisted souls and turned out more and always would. Hell ran smoothly with the right leadership and without Lucifer’s direct influence. He created demons, was their father, but while trapped in Hell, there was little he could do. And now, Hell had a new appointed king; one who wouldn’t last. Though, whether or not he died was another question completely. Lucifer had no problem drawing out that traitorous demon’s life, enough to force him to suffer as long as he liked and if anyone knew how to dish out the suffering, it was the devil himself. Crowley would pay for what he did and for standing against him all of this time. But, it was just that, if a deal was to be made, demons were sufficient. There was a limit to what they could accomplish, naturally. But, even Lucifer had his limitations, they far exceeded most, yes. But, it was going to take a lot more than someone’s soul and a petty wish for him to be interested. What Wesley asked for, however, wasn’t so trifle. It wasn’t money, it wasn’t the revival of another human or some kind of success that many humans gladly traded their lives away for. The wolf, the ram and the hart were not unknown to him, not in their power or what they were capable of doing. They were very old, very powerful demons. He had never had any contact with them, not until this arrangement where they used one of their employees to try to strike an alliance. There was nothing in Wolfram & Hart that he trusted. It would be a battle of egos, wouldn’t it? Creatures in that powerful of a station would not be beside him, just as he would not want to be at their side. One would want to be above the other, surely. And Lucifer took orders from no one, nor did he allow himself to be bound to anyone. Not that he thought such a task would be easy or even possible. But, even he had managed to bind Death to him and to his plans at one point in time. And Death far exceeded him in age and power.

“That’s a tall order,” Lucifer commented, almost commending him on having the drive to try it. “Their destruction is no easy task, not for anyone.” And he imagined that Wesley would know that. Even for a creature of Lucifer’s power, he could not simply walk into Wolfram & Hart with a mind to destroy. Sure, he could kill an entire room full of Pagan Gods like nothing, but this was different. And he was positive that W&H was smart enough to have defences against angels. At the very least, they would know how to keep their system intact and protected from an attack by Lucifer. He would have to take that on with a certain amount of tact and planning. “The contract, on the other hand,” He began, as if weighing out the options. “It’s more doable.” He didn’t know the terms of the contract or what precisely bound him, so there would be questions there, but he wasn’t going to contemplate on it until he knew what he was putting on the table. He told him to name a price, but Lucifer shook his head, stepping around the ghost, circling slowly in a form of pacing. “That’s a fair question, what do you think a ghost could offer me?” He asked. He could probably name things, yes, but he wanted Wesley to sweat it out a little, to worry that maybe there wasn’t anything and to force him to think about it. Lucifer wasn’t there to make it easy.

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It would have been a lie to claim that the entire situation was not unnerving for Wesley. It was one thing coming to peace with the thought that his well-intended betrayal of Angel must have earned him eternity in Hell and a completely different thing finding himself face to face with no one other than the mythical fallen angel called Lucifer. As if the situation in itself was not enough to send shivers down his spine – in a metaphorical sense, as sensations as such were foreign to him now – Lucifer went ahead and showed him that he had some sort of access to his thoughts or memories, by recreating the hotel. In case this speculation was true, Wesley imagined that Lucifer might have known all along that the reason for being summoned through that ritual had nothing to do with an alliance with the Senior Partners and he also imagined that he came to the park to find him for more than just telling him that he was not interested in allying himself with the three demons. There were other ways in which he could have shown his lack of interest. The ghost was aware of the fact that he was threading on very dangerous ground and that choosing to ally himself with the Devil in order to betray three other demons might just pull him into deeper trouble than he already found himself in.

Lucifer knew what his weaknesses were, that much was obvious. Wesley made a mental note to be very careful not to give him any opportunities to exploit them – it was probably something that would be very hard to put into practice but that did not mean that he would let his guard down. A part of his mind urged him to pull his attention away from the recreation of the hotel, to look less impressed and affected by the Hyperion and its meaning. Unfortunately, nostalgia ruled his actions and, were the circumstances different, Wesley could have easily lost a couple of hours trapped inside his memories, slowly stepping on the marble floor and feeling every piece of furniture with the tips of his fingers, touching every small detail that had been perfectly fit into its place – down to the papers on the counter and, as far as he could spot earlier, to the papers that usually laid on his office. Seeing the Hyperion like this again, having everything return to the way it used to be – Angel Investigations and its members included – was almost worth making a deal with the Devil; almost because the priority was regaining his freedom from the contract that bound him to Wolfram and Hart.

The tone of annoyance in Lucifer's voice was not escaped by Wesley. ”I imagine you must hear that often”, he replied. The ghost imagined that there were plenty of insane or desperate persons into this world that offered their souls in exchange for something from Lucifer. Wesley counted himself into both the categories. His only issue was that he could not offer his soul, because that did not really belong to him so he could bargain it. In fact, the soul was going to be the stake of the deal for the moment and the ultimate win on a slightly longer term – that must have been something Lucifer did deal with too usual. ”I am well aware that destroying them is not easy”, Wesley answered to Lucifer. After all, he died trying to bring them down and they were still standing as powerful as they had always been. The only thing that had fallen had been the city of Los Angeles and a great number of innocent humans – collateral damage. The ghost continued: ”Nevertheless, you are who you are, therefore I imagine that the task would not be impossible for you.” Pursuant to all of the researched he had managed to do on Lucifer since his discussion with Dean, one thing was clear to Wesley: the fallen angel seemed to possess more power than the Senior Partners did. The only issues was that no two authors appeared to fully agree on what exactly Lucifer's powers were. When Lucifer sounded slightly more optimistic about the chances of breaking the contract, Wesley looked hopeful. Bringing his hands behind his back, Wesley stood still as Lucifer circled him, trying to follow him only with his eyes, to the extent possible. Naming the price was something which he had wanted to avoid because, no matter how much thought he gave it, he had not been able to come up with one. It was hard when he was in the dark about what could present interest to Satan. ”As you can see, what I can do is limited by the fact that I am not able to interact with my surroundings and, as you figured it out, by the fact that the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart are monitoring my every move”, he began. ”My mortal soul is not mine to offer right now and I imagine it might present little interest to you anyway. I do not presume to know what interests you.” Wesley imagined that it was safer not to make assumptions, so as not to insult Lucifer and lose this opportunity.

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so if you meet me, have some courtesy, have some sympathy, and some taste
JUST CALL ME LUCIFER, ‘CAUSE I’M IN NEED OF SOME RESTRAINT
use all your well-learned politesse, or I’ll lay your soul to waste
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Humans were very quick to sell their souls, although those that truly knew how to do such things, knew who to go to and it wasn’t Lucifer himself. Not that Lucifer would answer or could when he had been locked away. They were so petty, though. Many would just as happily sell their soul to a demon for a few dollars as anything else. Money, power, love, you name it, people did it and for it, they suffered in Hell at the end of their expiration date. Generally speaking, it was a ten year time limit before the hellhounds collected. Lucifer could make deals and could tag a soul if he desired; all angels could. But, it wasn’t necessarily common practise. And he happened to have a nice little system running. Still, Wesley said nothing to surprise him with his desire to make a deal. And at the question, Lucifer took a moment, as if considering before giving a giving a brief shrug. Every movement he made was casual and so close to human and by design, really. He understood how to move as they did, how to mimic humans despite his reputation for distaste in the whole species. “Enough. Not so much in person, and probably less than you think. It’s become a bit of a scapegoat phrase really, don’t you think? Someone makes an inch of progress by less than acceptable means, my name gets dropped.” And not even his true name, most of the time. But, humanity loved to use him as a copout as it was. He was behind all of their pain, their sin—all of it. While he had released the First Evil onto the world, he didn’t take any responsibility for what humans were. He saw them for what they were when they were created. Murderous and broken.

Under his breath, Lucifer nearly chuckled, although his humour in it was faint. Flattery? Humans; they were predictable at best. Though, he was correct that it was not impossible. Or so, he never imagined it to be impossible. It would be difficult, because strength or not, he had his weaknesses. And they weren’t necessarily unknown either. There were limits to what he could and couldn’t do. Wolfram & Hart could hardly be called stupid. They would know how to keep the archangel out. But, impossible? Hardly. “Impossible, no.” He decided, but it was still a task that would take a lot of work, even on his behalf. “Just complicated.” And that was putting it mildly. Even with his extensive pride, Lucifer knew that it wasn’t a task that he had answers for right away. To kill the demons behind the lawfirm would be easier if he could see them face to face, in an area where the game was fair. Because then, it would be his power against theirs and Lucifer would have revelled in ripping them open from the inside out. But, they were talking about inter-dimensional, powerful demons with resources at their fingertips, resources that Lucifer did not have complete insight to. They opened up Hell on Los Angeles and Lucifer was sure that they could have unleashed worse. Now, that move had also pulled him from the cage, which he as grateful for, naturally. It was a nice little coincidental fulfilment of a prophesy. Now, if they had known it would happen, he was unsure and frankly didn’t care. He did not owe anybody anything.

He was right that the human soul presented little for him to want. He paced around him still, almost predatory, but without any change in his calm demeanour or the curiosity in his eyes. “No,” he agreed thoughtfully, tapping at his chin momentarily and looking away as if thinking about it and then shook his head, gesturing to him. “If you’re looking to sell your soul, you’ll want a demon.” Of course, they couldn’t do anything anyway. His soul already had a contract on it, but perhaps they could figure something out. But, he doubted it. He imagined even Crowley would have his hands full with that task. Not that his hands wouldn’t be full very soon, when Lucifer finally caught up with him. “Not that it’d do you any good.” He shrugged, and finally stopped the pacing to stop in front of him again. “You should’ve done a little more homework there.” His tone was almost admonishing, albeit laced with some mockery at his own wording. “I’m curious though,” he began, although he still wasn’t getting down to what he wanted. But, as far as he saw it, this was his time and he could spend it as he wanted. Whether that meant drawing it out or going quickly. But, if he tried to control that aspect, then Lucifer would harder have it. “What gave you the idea to summon me? Of everyone you could have gone for?”

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\\WORD COUNT: 817!?\\STATUS: done!?
\\TAG: wesley!?\\WEARING: ---!?\\LYRICS: sympathy for the devil—rolling stones!?
\\NOTES: <333!?\\CREDIT: xosunflower@caution2.0?&&blank pages!?
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Perhaps it was the peculiarity of finding himself face to face with Lucifer and the slight fear that he was feeling that was making Wesley pay very close attention to details, to the angel's smallest of gestures. He was mildly fascinated with how natural Lucifer's moves appeared to be. Wesley was absolutely convinced with the fact that someone that would have passed Lucifer on the street they would have taken him for an ordinary human being – just like he thought at first, when he was approached. A demonic – or, much rather, a fallen angel – sheltered inside a human body, a fragile shell. This was a scenario not at all foreign to Wesley. Yet this was were the similarity between Lucifer and Illyria stopped. Illyria's way of carrying herself inside Fred's body contrasted powerfully with Lucifer's natural gestures. Admittedly, the night when he met her in the park Wesley noticed the fact that the God-King had become more comfortable with her “shell”. It was concerning that his mind wandered towards Illyria when he was right in the middle of making a deal with what humans had considered, for centuries, to be the supreme evil. His attention returned fully to Lucifer and to his words. ”No, not really”, he dared contradict Lucifer. ”From what I have seen, more often than not, there is some sort of a deal with a demon behind such cases. You are the only one to get named because the majority of humans are blissfully unaware of the fact that there are numerous demons out there, even now when they know that vampires are more than a myth.”

“Impossible, no. Just complicated.”

Wesley never imagined that taking out the Senior Partners would be an easy task for anyone, Lucifer included. How could anyone successfully fight them if they were an invisible threat? Wesley's researches for their exact location had been completely inconclusive. Then again, chances were very high that the Senior Partners themselves had made sure that he would have no access to any piece of information which he might end up using against them – at least the obvious ones. Wesley was determined to make use even of absolutely anything he could find out in order to free himself from then and, hopefully, cause them as much damage as possible in the process. With or without Lucifer's help, Wesley was going to make sure that the Senior Partners would regret having had the idea of using him the way in which they did. ”Dare I guess... a waste of your time as well? You must have other priorities now that you are free from your cage”, Wesley replied. Judging by Dean's portrayal of Lucifer, there was a very high chance that the plans included destroying the entire human race – a horrible scenario.

If the pacing was meant to be intimidating well... Lucifer was succeeding. Wesley was finding it increasingly harder to keep his stance and not turn around, in order to make sure that the Devil won't make any move that would take him by surprise. Listening to Lucifer, Wesley was tempted to give a sarcastic reply to him pointing out that he might be more successful with selling his soul to a demon but he eventually decided against doing such a thing. The last thing he wanted was for Lucifer to leave that soon – taking the skilled illusion away with him. Even if he disliked the tone in the Devil's voice, Wesley forced himself to look as humble as possible. The final question was met with a few moments of silence, as Wesley thought of the best way in which he could phrase his answer. ”For years I have known that my deeds have condemned me to go to Hell after my death. After finding out that you were more than just a myth, it seemed rather... appropriate to call on you. As strange as it sounds, out of all the demons that might have dared go against Wolfram and Hart and breach my contract, I feel like I can trust you the most.” Wesley was aware of how strange his statement sounded and he was ready to explain himself in case Lucifer asked for it.

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so if you meet me, have some courtesy, have some sympathy, and some taste
JUST CALL ME LUCIFER, ‘CAUSE I’M IN NEED OF SOME RESTRAINT
use all your well-learned politesse, or I’ll lay your soul to waste
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Lucifer dipped his head, a quiet chuckle escaping, despite there being only dry humour behind it. His counter was barely taken into account. Blissfully unaware? That was a very quaint and kind way of putting it. Those weren’t words that Lucifer would ever use to describe humanity. There was nothing endearing about humans, nothing worth his defence. He’d never held any allegiance or compassion towards the species. They were cockroaches, if nothing else; hairless apes that should have been destroyed upon creation. They were mistakes, not one of his Father’s better creations. They were murderous, traitorous and nothing more than that. It was miserable to think that these were the creatures that He had wanted the angels to bow down to. These were the ones that Lucifer had rebelled so strongly against looking down with anything but loathing. He had never been predisposed to following God’s orders. Not as other angels had been, and it had to be by design, didn’t it? God created him just as he was, with a mind of his own, one to see through the absent figurehead and through the orders that made absolutely no possible sense. There had been angels that agreed with him, that sided because somehow they had half of a mind as well. But, there were also too many that were so strongly set against him. His own brother was willing to follow every order God gave without one question. There was no reasoning with him. No amount of it would ever change Michael. He looked at Wesley, almost as if he questioned how serious he was. But, he knew he was and in that, there was mockery in Lucifer’s humour. “Selfish ignorance, you mean.” He pointed out. “Unfortunately, I don’t have any pity for their pathetic inobservance.” Again, he shrugged, like he was talking of nothing more than the weather.

To him, it really was nothing more than that. He had no sympathy for humanity or for their reasons why. He knew how much he was blamed for by humans. He was the source of all evil, the one that corrupted and tainted humanity. Little did they know, they were never so pure. This wasn’t his fault. It was their own and while he could give a little push, it didn’t make it him fully accountable. Humanity could be evil on its own. They could slaughter their own for nothing—for something as petty as money, religion or race. Humans turned on one another, fought and killed but at the end of the day they had to blame something and someone for their horrific mistakes. He could release evil onto the world but they already knew what to do with it. All that Lucifer did was prove a point; he thought he beyond proved it to Heaven and to anyone who cared to pay attention. Humans were nothing more than brutal, vicious creatures who also happened to be horrible gluttons for sin. But, they wouldn’t take accountability and instead, he would take all of the blame for the destruction they caused. And he had plans to wipe them out, to finish what he started when he was first released from his cage. And if the world was taken, he could move further up. “Naturally.” Lucifer purposely didn’t offer that suggestion much of an answer. He wasn’t going to talk game plans with a ghost. They were still in the process of being worked out. He never expected to escape from the cage when he did, nor did he want to end up having his plans cut short again. He had underestimated the last time. And now that he was back, he was sure that Heaven felt it. They would. But, he kept himself low to the ground, because if he didn’t have room for mistakes this time. He didn’t take advantage of the opening so that he could stand back and take in the scenery or to give into what some human might want of him. He had plans, but this wasn’t going to be the place where he shared the extent of them. He thought it was no surprise that he would have them or that they wouldn’t bode well for humanity.

“You’ve known?” Lucifer asked, with a curious furrow of his brow. It wasn’t so peculiar to say, given the man’s history and the things that he had done. Yet, he still made himself to sound a little surprised. “You would be surprised who is admitted into Heaven.” That wasn’t a lie, necessarily. Lucifer himself was surprised with some of the souls who weren’t condemned to Hell. It was one of those little things. Now, he couldn’t give him a clear answer on where he would have gone. But, he meant to implant that little bit of doubt in him. But, really it was too late now. And he supposed it could have been as fitting to go to the self-proclaimed King of Hell. Once the pacing was over, he folded his arms, watching the ghost. “You’re not wrong.” He commended. “I’m more trustworthy than a demon and I don’t lie.” Of course, demons who made deals didn’t lie about said deal. They were bound to keep them. But, they could lie and twist their words in manipulation. Whereas Lucifer saw no reason to lie. The truth worked just as well. “But, demons, they’re a little easier to summon, a little more reasonable. They’re everywhere, after all.” And not all of them had the authority to make deals, but the ones that did were easy to summon. “But, you still had a hunch I was available to call.” There was a chance that W&H knew what their part had been in his release this time. But, Lucifer couldn’t know for sure or care if they did or not. So, there was a chance that Wesley knew from that, or from any other power that would feel his return. It wasn’t a guess, because he had mentioned the cage. Though, he could have simply followed omens from the year before. He knew a lot, but not everything.


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\\WORD COUNT: 817!?\\STATUS: done!?
\\TAG: wesley!?\\WEARING: ---!?\\LYRICS: sympathy for the devil—rolling stones!?
\\NOTES: <333!?\\CREDIT: xosunflower@caution2.0?&&blank pages!?
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““Selfish ignorance, you mean. Unfortunately, I don’t have any pity for their pathetic inobservance.”

Lucifer's reaction was not a surprise for Wesley and neither were the words that followed. The ghost considered them for a couple of moments. Were the humans selfishly ignorant? Thinking back at the the now destroyed Sunnydale, Wesley found himself inclined to agree with Lucifer's portrayal of humans. With all of the things that used to happen on top of the Hellmouth, it was nearly impossible not to realize what sort of creatures lurked in the darkness, waiting for an opportunity to show their ugly faces and, yet, the inhabitants of that town acted as if they were living in the most normal place in the entire world, as if it was completely normal not to be willing to go out of their houses after sunset, as if it was natural for so strange disappearances to happen ever so often. Humans did like to think that they were the embodiment of perfection and that there was no other species that was anywhere near as evolved. ”I believe that is a better name for it, yes.” The agreement was sincere and not just for the sake of making himself pleasant in Lucifer's eyes. He might have been a ghost but he had been a human, so it was safe to assume that he was just another selfish ignorant in the eyes of the Devil, one that was not worthy of his pity. Lucifer's words served to make Wesley aware of how lucky he should consider himself for the fact that the fallen angel had shown himself at all pursuant to his calling. He really needed to play all of his cards right, because this was the kind of once in a lifetime opportunity.

With Lucifer's proclaimed hatred and lack of pity for humanity, Wesley could only wonder what had made him follow his calling? There was a chance that he had nothing better to do that night, that he could afford taking a break from his greater plans in order to see why a ghost dared call on him. There was also a chance that Lucifer saw some kind of opportunity in being summoned by Wesley, that there was something which he could have helped the Devil with and this was the reason why he showed up at all, albeit on his own terms and making it clear that he was the one that was setting the rules of the game. Lucifer confirmed that he had his own agenda now that he was free from his cage but, naturally, Wesley couldn't afford to go ahead and ask what his plans were and if he could help him with any of them. The ghost aimed to find out the answer at the end of their encounter but not by asking directly. Wesley had to ask himself if it made sense to consider the thought that Lucifer might need him for his plans. How could he possible help the Devil itself? He was merely a puppet in the hands of Wolfram and Hart and, with his lack of corporeality, there was very little which he could do for anyone, even for the ones that he worked for.

”With what I did, it was easy to guess that I would not be spending eternity among fluffy white clouds, playing a harp”, Wesley answered. Traitors had a place of their own in Hell, he was sure that it was not just a legend or the result of the wild imagination of a poet. What Lucifer said next visibly shook the ghost – he suspected that it had been the exact intention behind the words. There had a been a chance that he would have gone to Heaven, even if he had kidnapped Angel's son and robbed him of the chance of having a normal childhood? Then again... Did it make any difference if he spent his eternity in Heaven or Hell? In the end, Fred's spirit would never be by his side so Heaven would be just as much of a torture as Hell would. Forcing himself to remain focused on the discussion at hand, he nodded when Lucifer confirmed that he was more trustworthy than a common demon he could have picked. ”It's because they are everywhere that makes me doubtful of their powers. They seem far too common and weak to stand a chance against the Wolf, the Ram and the Hart and whatever magic they have put into the perpetuity clause that binds me. You, on the other hand, are anything but common and weak.” The ghost gave another nod to Lucifer. ”Yes, I was told that you have freed yourself from your cave in Hell and my source seemed to know quite a few things about you.”

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so if you meet me, have some courtesy, have some sympathy, and some taste
JUST CALL ME LUCIFER, ‘CAUSE I’M IN NEED OF SOME RESTRAINT
use all your well-learned politesse, or I’ll lay your soul to waste
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Sympathy for humanity wasn’t Lucifer’s forte. They didn’t deserve it, no matter what other angels believed or what God had thought. Humanity was a loathsome, broken race. He was not in the business to try to understand them, although in many cases he had a strong insight on the way humans worked. He was not the silver-tongued manipulator because he didn’t see what they were or because he didn’t consider them to be completely transparent. He did not care why they were ignorant or what reasons they had. He cared nothing for them as a whole. Their ignorance and selfish proclivities were none of his business or concern. It didn’t change how he saw them. And no one could convince him otherwise. No shouting that they tried or that they were good in essence would change his mind. It was a stubborn belief that had been built up over millennia after millennia. When his Father created them, he hated them instantly. Mostly, because of how he tried to put them above even angels. Angels were not there to bow to such insignificant cockroaches. Lucifer, particularly would not have dared. “Much better,” he shrugged. He could not know how much of that Wesley meant or if he was doing it to humour or side with the archangel. He didn’t quite care either. Perhaps it was his own self-loathing or the hatred for the rest of the humans. Lucifer didn’t spend a lot of time contemplating it, he brushed by it, because his hatred for humans was not unknown. And it was no exaggeration either. He would have the entire race die out, for he never thought they should exist to begin with. They were destructive. The planet itself was a clear sign that humanity could not take care of anything at all.

Ghost or not, Lucifer considered the dead man to be human. He was not so different, only no longer alive. Curiosity, really, had led him to see what Wesley wanted and what gave him the gumption to call on him. He would not have arrived at Wolfram & Hart; not unless truly forced. There were too many chances for it to go awry if he did. W&H were powerful, even to Lucifer’s standards of power. Now, he believed that he could be stronger; naturally, he was that prideful. But, Lucifer wasn’t a fool either. He had tact and he was in no means prepared to lose to the establishment. It didn’t surprise him that they may want some kind of alliance, but the truth was, he would rather not ally and he didn’t want to be bound to the demons. He had too much self-respect for that. He was better than them and hence worked for no one but himself. He had servants and creatures bound to him, but he didn’t play it in the opposite way. Wolfram & Hart may have been silly for thinking so. And if Wesley was able to deliver something he was interested in, then perhaps he could give him a hand and let W&H know that he was no friend of theirs and if he had half the chance, he may take them out too. It might have been attributed to them that he was out, but he never had a great way of showing gratitude. The more that was out of his way, the better.

“Oh, but Heaven is forgiving.” While he knew it was true for humans, he still spoke it with that laced bitterness that ran deep. It was humourless and disgusted, if anything. Heaven was forgiving to humanity, but not to angels and not to the first and most renowned of all of the fallen. Not that he wished for forgiveness. He did nothing wrong to ask for it. He held no accountability and did not want Heaven to accept him again, he wanted to take it on for his own, to take what he could handle better than the absent God ever could. Hell may have been where he was trapped for a large chunk of his existence, but Heaven would always be a memory of a home that was once his. He had asked his brother to stand with him, not to cast him out and all the reasoning in the world didn’t sway Michael. Even now, after so long, when it was so obvious they were nothing but pawns in their Father’s plans, he refused to step out of the game. Lucifer had been his Father’s favourite and somehow it was still appropriate to cast him out and further into damnation. For it, many would suffer the hatred and cruelty that had time to boil and come to life. He thought of demons, naturally they were weaker than him. He created his demons and could kill them with barely a thought. But, whether or not they had the power or understanding how to break him free of his contract, Lucifer wasn’t sure. He doubted it. Not even the self-proclaimed King of Hell could, though he would love to see him try, fail and be ripped to pieces—though he had his own plans for him. “You’re right, but more of a danger to you.” He pointed out. Though demons could be too. He paused, furrowing his brow in curiosity. “Your source?”



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\\WORD COUNT: 817!?\\STATUS: done!?
\\TAG: wesley!?\\WEARING: ---!?\\LYRICS: sympathy for the devil—rolling stones!?
\\NOTES: <333!?\\CREDIT: xosunflower@caution2.0?&&blank pages!?
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