Chapter Text
Charlie stood beside her mother, clutching her glittering, crimson binder tightly in her hands. She vibrated with excitement, her entire body tingling as she watched the line of people stretching out in front of the embassy.
“Ohhh! Mom, I can’t wait for you to see the activity! I think you’re gonna love it!” Lilith smiled softly, her gentle hand resting on her daughter's hair, tousling it affectionately.
“I can’t wait to see it. It’ll be nice to see what a Charlie original looks like.”
The princess's face lit up with a warm smile, her eyes becoming glassy with emotion. “Aw, thank you, Mom," she whispered, a shy blush creeping onto her cheeks.
Across from them, Adam stood with his arms crossed tightly over his chest, his jaw clenched slightly as he watched the mother and daughter. He wasn’t particularly bothered by their display of affection; rather, it was the fact that the woman was Lilith that unsettled him. A groan escaped his lips as he turned away, eyes darting to any point that wasn’t the tender scene before him. His gaze settled on Emily again, and her earlier words echoed insistently in his mind, fueling his inner turmoil. It was true—no one could truly predict the future—but the gnawing nerves refused to subside. Adam shifted his stance, casting his eyes away from her, and instead focused on the other half of his ongoing inner battle—Lucifer, who stood beside him with a sullen, almost defeated expression. Lucifer's gaze was fixed on the ground, as if he were a kicked puppy. Adam let out a slow, exasperated groan before speaking in a quiet voice.
“Hey… I’m sorry for calling you clingy. I was just… overwhelmed with my thoughts.” The king looked up at Lucifer, his brow furrowing as he searched for sincerity.
“Something bothering you? You know, I said you could talk to me,” Lucifer replied softly, his tone genuinely caring but tinged with fatigue.
The man fanned his hand at the seraphim. "There's nothing you can help with; I can handle it myself, no big deal," he said casually. Lucifer studied the man with a skeptical gaze, his expression unreadable before he slowly nodded in acknowledgment.
“Yeah, I’ll pretend that’s true, and just wait for you to tell me yourself," Lucifer replied with a calm yet pointed tone. Adam rolled his eyes, irritated, then pushed away from the car and strode over to the younger princess.
“Can you tell us what we’re doing here now? I’ve had enough of this surprise bullshit," Adam said, his voice tinged with frustration as he looked at the woman.
“I know you guys are gonna love this one! It’s not much to do, actually,” she said cheerfully, flipping open her binder. As the others hurried to gather around her, she flipped to a page filled with handwritten notes and sketches. Once she found the paper she was looking for she turned the binder around to show everyone.
“Today, you all will be finding something from your lives that got you here, and bring them back to this location,” she explained, her finger pointing to a small, slightly faded picture of a brown box with a tangled string of wires, nestled among green leaves and broken branches in the photograph.
“I’ll give you all a map, don’t worry,” she continued, gesturing to a folded-up sheet of paper tucked inside the binder. “But you all will be burning them, as a sign of new beginnings.” She closed the binder with a satisfying snap before looking up at her mother almost expectantly.
Lilith smiled warmly at her and gently placed her hand on her head, giving a light pat. “That sounds like a wonderful plan. I can’t wait to see everyone start fresh.”
Charlie’s smile widened as she clutched the binder more tightly than before. “Actually, Mom, I want you to be part of this too.” The princess reached into her pocket, unfolded a carefully folded piece of paper, and pressed it into her mother’s hands. “I even decided on partners.”
Adam’s head suddenly shot up from its previous downward position, and his eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Hey, wait a second. I never agreed to any partners.”
Charlie stepped away from her mother’s side, walking over to him and clasping her hands tightly in front of her chest. “Come on, Adam, please. I promise it’ll be fun,” she pleaded with a hopeful smile. The man frowned, narrowing his eyes as he looked her up and down. After a few more seconds, the princess’s eyes widened in an innocent expression as she edged closer to him, her voice turning even more pleading. “Pretty please?”
A moment later, Adam let out a reluctant groan, reaching out a hand to gently push her back. “Alright,” he muttered. “Shit, what did I tell you about that fucking face?”
Charlie grinned happily and stepped back, turning her gaze toward her mother. “He acts as if he hates it, but he always caves when Dad and I use it on him.” Lilith glanced over at Lucifer briefly before looking back at the first man with a knowing smile.
“Well, he was always fond of Luci, and you do look exactly like him,” she remarked softly. “So I can’t say I’m surprised.”
Adam frowned sharply, crossing his arms over his chest as he gave the woman a piercing glare. “What the hell would you know? Not like you wanted me around anyway.”
“Wha- I never thought such a thing,” she stammered, surprised by his harsh tone.
Adam scoffed mockingly, his arms still crossed. “You sure as shit didn’t act like it, given how you and Luci were sneaking off almost every day to some secretive corner in the garden.” Lilith’s eyes narrowed slightly as she stared back at him, her expression sharpening with frustration. She was well aware of his low opinion of her and what had transpired in the garden. Frustration had begun to simmer within her, fueled by his constant judgment and misunderstanding. She had valid reasons for her stance, yet he refused to listen. Despite her multiple attempts to explain her side before the exterminations—appointments she scheduled with hope—he consistently dismissed her, talking over her about himself, denouncing Lucifer, or outright insulting her existence. Each time, his stubbornness shut her out entirely, leaving her feeling unheard.
“That is not true. I’ve tried to explain myself to you, but you never wanted to listen to me.”
“Because I knew it’d be all bullshit!” Lucifer stepped beside the man and placed his hand on his arm gently. This caused the man to turn and glare at him for a moment before sighing and pulling his arm away.
Charlie happily stepped back, a bright smile spreading across her face, as she reached into her pocket to grab another folded piece of paper. Unfolding it with a slight flourish, she held it out for everyone to see, her eyes sparkling with anticipation. “Now, these will all be your partners; they are final, and I will make no changes to them.”
Adam squinted at the list, his gaze lingering on the first pair: Lucifer and Angel. The combination struck him as rather odd, yet he couldn’t say he hadn’t expected something unusual. The next pair was Husk and Cherri, a pairing that didn’t surprise him at all. Then his eyes landed on the last pair: himself and… His breath hitched as he made eye contact with Lilith, who looked just as surprised, her expression a mix of shock and curiosity.
“No disrespect, but also all disrespect, what the fuck is wrong with you, princess?” Adam said sharply. Lilith turned to face her daughter, her hand instinctively resting on Charlie’s shoulder in a protective gesture.
Charlie sighed as she put the binder under her arm. “Oh come on Adam, it’s only for now, and who knows, right now you might not like mom, but maybe later you will.”
“More like never," Adam sneered with an angry expression, his arms tightly crossed over his chest, emphasizing his guarded stance.
“Hey, I said the teams are final. Plus, you won’t be partnered together long; after today, you can go back to not talking if you want," the man
narrowed his eyes, his face showing frustration. He turned to glance at the queen, glaring at her once again as she held her hands calmly in front of her, as if trying to diffuse the tension. Groaning softly in annoyance, he turned his attention back to the princess and fought the urge to flip her mother off, clenched fist and all.
Charlie smiled knowingly as she reached into her pocket and somehow managed to pull out several more crumpled pieces of paper. She began passing them out methodically. When Adam received his, he unfolded the paper and read his clue aloud: "To find your clue, first you must head to the place that started it all?” He looked back up in confusion and then stuffed the paper into his pocket. “Why did you pair me with her of all people? I mean, I get along better with literally anyone else.”
“That's the point, I put people together that haven’t had time to talk or get to know each other.” The princess smiled as she clapped her hands, and the binder disappeared. “Alright, I’ll be taking Emily around Hell to recruit souls for the hotel!”
Adam opened his mouth to speak, but once the princess's hands met, the two younger women were gone. The man groaned before turning to look at the king. Lucifer chuckled awkwardly as he proceeded to disappear along with Angel. Just like his daughter, he clearly couldn’t rely on him when it came to his feelings about the woman in front of him. Looking beside him, he noticed that Husk and Cherri had disappeared at some point. Angrily, the man reached back into his pocket and pulled the paper out. Opening it, he began to reread it. After a few more minutes, he glanced at Lilith and forcefully shoved the paper into her hands.
“You should understand exactly what she means.” Lilith shot the man a glare before unfolding the paper and carefully reading its contents. Once she finished, she handed it back to him with a measured look.
“I’m guessing it might refer to two possible locations—either here at the embassy or at the site you chose to reduce the extermination wait period by half.”
Adam groaned and threw his hands into the air in frustration. “Well, the second option is entirely off the table, so that leaves only one possibility.”
The man angrily stomped towards the double doors of the golden building and braced his foot before kicking them open. The woman behind him grimaced at the brashness before following him inside. Once her heels hit the marble floor, she began to look around. It hadn’t changed as much as she thought it might have; then again, she herself or Adam hadn’t changed that much over the thousands and thousands of years, so maybe she shouldn’t be that surprised. The woman stayed behind as they walked inside, her eyes focused on the man in front of her. She wanted to say something, anything to get rid of the icy tension, but seeing as Adam maintained his distance, he clearly wasn’t inclined to small talk.
After a few more minutes of silence, she took a deep breath before speaking. “So um…about the riddle. Do you suppose it may be for both of us?”
Adam raised his brow but kept his back to her. “The fuck do you mean?”
“I mean, she only handed us one piece of paper.” The man stopped as his eyes landed on a thin, shimmering thread leading from his feet behind a door.
“If that’s true, it wouldn’t make any sense. What the fuck would you have to do with the embassy?”
Lilith thought for a moment as she caught up with him, her eyes catching the thread. Stepping forward, she brought her hand to the door, and before her fingers could touch it, they slid open. Now that both of them stared into the pitch-black room, Adam raised his hands and clapped. The lights turned on instantly. Now that they could see the room, their eyes landed on the table in front of them.
“Is that-” Lilith was cut off as Adam rushed past her and grabbed the helmet.
It was his exorcist helmet, but it had been glued and taped back together in odd places, the screen itself missing a chunk. Holding it in his hands again felt so surreal that it made him shake a little. Remembering that wasn’t the only thing on the table, he turned around and let his eyes make contact with the object in Lilith’s hands. It was dark green with white and yellow flowers decorating the round shape.
“Is that a flower crown?”
Lilith held the crown tightly as she stared at it, with what seemed to be reservation. Sighing softly, she looked back at the man. “It’s the first gift I gave Luci.”
The room fell into silence as he took the time to let the words settle into his head. The crown was the start of just what exactly? Their relationship? Eden’s downfall? Or could it maybe be all of the above? Unconsciously, he slid his hand into his helmet and was met with a folded note tucked into the half-stitched lining of the helmet. Pulling it out, he opened it and began to read it aloud.
“You have both your items, but can you figure out where to use them? I will give you one hint: It rhymes with Cattle field.”
Adam glanced up from the note to gauge Lilth’s reaction; this one seemed to stump her more than the first. This time though, it was his turn to show off his intelligence. “Easy, she’s gotta be talking about the ruins of the first hotel.”
Lilith raised one of her delicate eyebrows as her eyes roamed over the broken helmet in the man's hands. “Isn’t that behind the new one? What could she possibly have hidden back there for us?” The woman thought aloud as she tapped her chin. Adam shrugged his shoulders as he stuffed the paper into his pocket.
“Whatever it is, let’s hurry up and start walking. The faster we get this over with, then that’s less time we have to talk to each other.” He made a U-turn and pushed past her once again as he walked out of the room and back into the lobby.
Lilith walked quickly as she had no trouble catching up with him. “I don’t have a problem with talking to you; you’re the one who won’t give me a chance to speak.”
“And I’d like to keep it that way, thank you very much.” He said bitterly as he pushed open the entrance doors and began walking back to the hotel.
“Oh come on Adam, I really need to talk to you. Let's sit down somewhere and talk.”
His strides became faster as he tried to create distance, but the woman, ever the same height as him, sped up her steps as well. “Please just give me a chance to talk, I have so much I need to tell you.”
Adam angrily spun around, his eyes narrowing as he glared at her. His hand shot out, poking the woman’s sternum, causing her to recoil slightly with a scowl. “No, I’ve got important shit to tell you! Like how I found a letter from Michael to you and how you were hiding stuff from Lucifer about what was really happening to me on Earth!” He took a deliberate step forward, causing the woman to instinctively step back, trying to create distance. “And I also know that you and him were screwing behind my back way longer than I fucking thought!” He sneered at the thought, though he fought to suppress the mounting rage within him. Speechless, Lilith stared at him for a long moment, her eyes narrowing slightly. Adam took a few steadying breaths before standing upright again. “That doesn’t matter right now. Let’s just go to the ruins and get this over with.”
Their journey was marked by an oppressive silence, broken only by the sound of their footsteps echoing on cracked cobblestones. Sinners and imps alike moved aside or watched intently as the woman strode past. The imps craned their necks, eyes wide with recognition. Whispers rippled through the streets, with shifty glances and murmured speculations, each being eager to catch a glimpse of the absent ruler.
Adam inwardly groaned, feeling the weight of growing impatience as he struggled to maintain his composure amidst the whispers and stares. His fists tightened in his pocket. When they finally reached a narrow alleyway, he was caught entirely off guard when a rough shove from behind sent him crashing against the damp, graffiti-covered wall. Bitterly, he shot a glare at Lilith, who had approached with a cold, calculating stare, and forced out his words through clenched teeth.
“The fuck do you think you’re doing?!”
“I’m not joking, we really need to talk, I want to make things right with you.”
“As if I want to fucking talk to you! There’s no way you can explain everything you did to me!”
“Please! I know I have stuff I can’t apologize for, but there is so much that I can and will explain, if you just give me the chance to.”
“God, you don’t get it, I fucking hate you, Lilith! Do you even understand what you guys did to me?! To Eve?! You ruined our lives! You ruined my descendants' lives all because-”
“I know! I know ok!” Silence fell over the man as he stared at her. He couldn’t believe what she had just said.
“What…What the fuck do you mean?”
Lilith stood upright again, taking a slow, deliberate breath to steady herself. “I know I’ve made mistakes. I’ve reflected on them over the years, and now I want to talk—to make things right.”
The man reached out cautiously, his eyes searching her face for any sign of deception. Frowning, he pushed her back, causing Lilith to stumble slightly before catching her balance. She looked at him with a glimmer of hope shining in her eyes. Adam clenched his fist, his jaw tightening in frustration; this was the last thing he wanted to deal with right now. After a tense, uncomfortable silence that stretched on, he exhaled slowly and rubbed his forehead.
“Fine, you’ve got twenty minutes.” Lilith’s lips curved into a small, tentative smile as she clasped her hands firmly in front of her.
“Thank you, you have no idea how much this means to me.” Adam held his hand up before rolling his eyes.
“Yeah, come on… let's just find some place to talk.”
Lilith nodded her head gently before bringing her hands up to her mouth. The man watched as she began to sing softly into her palms. Suddenly, a faint purple glow emerged from the narrow cracks between her fingers. With a deliberate motion, she opened her hands and held them out in front of her. As her fingers unfurled, the surrounding area was bathed in a shimmering light. He observed as the purple hue intertwined with musical notes that floated in the air. It would be a lie to say he didn’t find the spectacle visually captivating, but that was the only compliment he was willing to give her. After several more minutes of the pulsating light, it gradually faded away. When he looked around, he realized they were no longer in the alley; instead, they now stood inside the lobby of the hotel, illuminated by soft lighting.
“If you could do this, why the fuck were we even walking?”
Lilith smiled softly as she pushed the doors open and held them open for the man. “I kinda wanted to get you back for being rude to me.”
The behavior reminded him of himself, and he let out a small chuckle before quickly clearing his throat. Now standing in the lobby, he turned to look at the woman and crossed his arms over his chest.
“Alright, we’re here. What is there to talk about?”
Lilith clapped her hands, and with a swirl of purple smoke, a delicate tea set and a small, table materialized. Adam observed as the woman settled into a chair, crossing her hands calmly over the top. She then extended her hand toward the empty chair across from her, inviting him to sit. Reluctantly, Adam lowered himself into the chair, crossing his arms over his chest in a defensive stance. Seeing that his comfort was limited, Lilith poured steaming hot tea into a porcelain cup, placing it delicately on the table before setting down the kettle.
“I want to start by apologizing for what Luci and I did,” she said softly, her eyes reflecting genuine remorse. "I know it doesn’t undo anything, but I believe it’s important to acknowledge it, even just to hear it out loud." Adam nodded slowly, his face composed but his eyes attentive as he processed her words in silence.
Lilith then grasped her cup, blew gently on the tea to cool it, and after a moment, brought it to her lips to take a sip. She paused, holding the cup below her lips, then spoke again with a hint of unease. "Regarding the letters, I never asked Michael to send me those. While I did hide them, I had no idea of their contents. I despised him for what he had done to Luci." The revelation caught Adam off guard; she had no knowledge of their contents. This implied she didn’t know what had happened on Earth. Yet, despite her statement, something felt off — as if a perspective was missing, or maybe someone was lying to him.
“But that doesn’t make any sense. If you never responded to him, and he knew you weren’t giving him the letters, why would he still send them?”
“That also confused me for a while, but I always just assumed it was because he wanted some contact with Luci.”
Adam furrowed his brow and brought his hand to his chin in thought. “When did he stop sending them?”
The sinner angrily clenched his fist as he connected a few dots in his mind, his eyes narrowing with realization. “His beatings worsened during that period. I initially thought it was because he was supposed to be overseeing them, but I wanted to rub it in yours and Luci’s faces, so I begged Sera to let me take over the responsibility.”
Lilith tapped her fingernails on the table in thought before speaking again. “It's possible it was a combination of both. He might have been furious that you took his position in the army, which could have prevented him from coming here to see Luci. Also, what do you mean he beat you?” Adam noticed that at her words, her jaw tightened slightly, her expression flickering with anger.
“When I began training for Heaven’s army, he often times just beat the shit out of me.” Lilith lifted her cup to her lips again, striving to keep her composure despite the tension.
“Adam, I need to tell you something important, and I want you to listen carefully.” The man narrowed his eyes, observing her closely.
“I love you. I love you like family, like a brother. That was the main reason I didn’t want to be with you. Sure, you might be a jerk today, but back then, you were the kindest and most genuine person I knew. Of course, I didn’t understand what I was feeling at the time, but I know now.”
The tension in his shoulders eased as he processed her words. Deep down, he had suspected that might be the reason all along, but that didn’t justify how they had behaved.
“Thanks, I’m touched, but right now, that means shit to me. Do you have any idea how long you two were fucking behind my back? Not to mention, you convinced Luci not to even offer me the apple.”
“I thought you wouldn’t want to get involved,” she admitted. “I know how awful that sounds, but I was just as confused and inexperienced as you were. I may have pretended to know it all, but I didn’t. I wish I could go back and do things differently, but I can’t.” She slid her hand across the middle of the table and held it out, her eyes pleading. “I want to make amends. You’re my family. I love you and want to heal what’s broken.”