Lucifer was in Lux alone getting ready to leave for the night. He soon heard the door open and close. He sighed. "We're closed. It's three in the morning."

"Come on. You can give me a few minutes, can't you big brother?"

Lucifer turned to see Azrael. He stiffened a bit, not sure how he felt about her presence. He'd seen her not long after Pierce died, and it had ended relatively good, but then Sapphire was revealed to him. He had no idea how much any of his siblings knew, aside from Amenadiel, anyway.

"You probably don't want to see me right now. I get that. That's why I waited to come. I wanted to give you time to cool off a little."

Lucifer snorted. "Really? So, two months is long enough to get over a betrayal in your eyes?"

"I didn't know, Lucifer. I swear," Azrael told him.

"No?" Lucifer said before going around to the bar to pour himself a drink. "I find that difficult to believe. I know as the Angel of Death, you don't pop up to the Silver City as often as the rest, but I find it hard to believe you haven't been there in the last sixteen years, and that you didn't hear about my child when you were there."

"That's not what I meant. Of course, I knew Grace existed," Azrael said.

"Call her Sapphire. Her choice on what she wishes to be addressed by will be respected," Lucifer said firmly.

"Right, sorry. She started using it right before the last time I saw her, so it's hard to get used to. Anyway, what I meant was that I didn't know what Amenadiel had done.

"So, you believed that I would abandon my own child? I realize that it had been several millennia since we spoke, but you knew how I felt about being abandoned. You thought I'd do that to my child?" Lucifer asked resentfully. He supposed it was better than being complicate in taking his child away, but it was still hurtful, especially when it came from Azrael.

Azrael grimaced. She knew he was going to be angry about that, and he was right to be. She should've questioned it. She had a little, but not enough. "I know I shouldn't have been so quick to believe that, but I hadn't seen you in a long time."

"Whose fault is that?" Lucifer asked bitterly.

"I know. I'm just trying to say that I didn't know how much you might have changed, plus, the situation was completely unique. I didn't know how you felt about having a child. How could I? Before your daughter, no one even knew it was possible for us to have children. I was skeptical at first though, not wanting to believe you would do that, but Dad and Amenadiel were convincing. Dad told me what he asked Amenadiel to do and Amenadiel said that you gave her up willingly," Azrael explained.

"He lied," Lucifer said coldly before taking a sip of his drink.

"I know, but I couldn't see any reason for him to do that then. Then again, I never thought he'd go against Dad like that," Azrael said. Amenadiel had always been the most loyal to their father. He always did what was asked without question and never took liberties, at least they hadn't thought so. It wasn't until Amenadiel had taken it upon himself to try to force Lucifer back to Hell that any of them knew that Amenadiel had become so arrogant.

"Neither did I. I should've though. It's entirely like him to think he knows what Dad wants," Lucifer sneered.

"You should know that Amenadiel has been punished," Azrael said. She knew it wouldn't make much difference, but Lucifer should know that their brother hadn't gotten away with what he'd done.

"Really? What, has Dad sent him to Hell this time?" Lucifer asked with a scoff. Even if that was the case, it wasn't enough. Nothing would ever be enough.

"No, but he's been stripped of his rank. Dad doesn't trust him with anything, and he's made sure he and everyone else knows it. I'm sure you can imagine that that's a pretty steep punishment for Amenadiel.

Lucifer could acknowledge at least that it would seem like a terrible punishment to Amenadiel. Amenadiel cherished his title. He marveled at being his father's most trusted. Losing that, and having it made public, would hurt him. Sure, he'd sort of lost it when he was on Earth powerless, but it was different being back in the Silver City, where it would be in his face all the time. "It isn't enough. It doesn't change what he did to me or my child. I will never forgive him."

"I know you won't. Believe me, I didn't come here to get you to forgive Amenadiel. I know you never will. I won't either. I know Gr… Sapphire. I've seen her pain and anger from believing that you'd abandoned her. She shouldn't have been put through that," Azrael said. It wasn't just that either. There was also the hell that kid had been put through from the other angels in Heaven. That had happened needlessly. Azrael decided not to tell Lucifer about all of that though. That was for her niece to discuss with him when she was ready.

"Good. Amenadiel is lucky he's even still alive. If Chloe and my daughter weren't there, I'd have killed him on the spot," Lucifer said. Well, there was also his father, he supposed. The bastard wouldn't have let him kill his brother.

"But can you forgive me? I know I should've thought better of you. I should've questioned what Amenadiel and Dad told me," Azrael said.

"Why would this be any different than any other time? No one ever questions Father, and rarely even Amenadiel," Lucifer said bitterly.

"I'm sorry. If I'd talked to you, I could've ended it all a long time ago,"

"Hindsight being twenty/twenty and all that, I suppose. I guess it's not so unreasonable for you to believe what Dad says. He typically doesn't lie," Lucifer said. His father manipulated pretty much every second, but he didn't outright lie. "And I suppose you couldn't really account for him being lied to."

"Maybe not, but I should've trusted my instincts. It won't happen again, Lucifer," Azrael promised.

Lucifer nodded. He couldn't deny still being bitter over the fact that his sister hadn't at least spoken to him before judging him, but he could get past it. She hadn't set out to hurt him or keep him from his child.

"You should know that I did try to get Sapphire to see the good in you. I tried to get her to have an open mind," Azrael said.

"An open mind? About a parent she thought abandoned her? That's a ridiculous notion. Of course, she hated me. I would've too," Lucifer said. He hated what his daughter thought of him, but he didn't blame her for it. He blamed his father and Amenadiel. Sapphire's opinion on him was based on thinking he abandoned her. Of course, she hated him. "I appreciate whatever effort you put in, but it would obviously fail given what she was told."

"I know, but even though I didn't know the truth, I knew there had to be a good reason for what had happened. I figured you just thought she was better off being raised in Heaven than Hell. I hoped to get her to see that, but she couldn't," Azrael explained.

"I wouldn't either."

"How is she?" Azrael asked.

"Alright. I don't think she hates me anymore, but she's guarded around me. And currently angry with me because I made her go to therapy. It's going to take me time to get her to trust me," Lucifer said.

"Do you think I could see her? We were pretty close, I think. I'd go to see her anytime I was in the Silver City. I'd also like to explain myself, just as I have to you. I want her to know that I didn't have anything to do with this," Azrael said.

"Yes, of course, so long as she wishes to see you," Lucifer said. He saw no reason not to allow it. He knew of all his siblings, Azrael would treat his daughter well.

"Thanks. Thank you for listening to me too."

Lucifer nodded. "Well, I need to go, and I'm sure you do as well. Souls won't make it to Heaven or Hell by themselves."

"Right. See you later, big brother," Azrael said before flying away.