Loving Lucifer [COMPLETE]

Chapter 37

"Catherine Adamson," she started, "Do you swear to tell nothing but the truth?"

"I swear."

"Can you please tell us what plans you and Lucifer had the night of the incident?"

"He was meant to pick me up..." I said tearfully, "So we could celebrate our decision to move in together after summer."

"I understand this is hard for you," she replied gently, "But please...did he inform you of any other plans he might have had?"

"Yes. He was supposed to be at the garage to fix up the Porsche. He was supposed to meet Matt."

"And did any of this come to pass?"

"Yes...he was at the garage with Matt when I got there."

"And how did you know to look for him there?"

"I wasn't...Sam was worried when Matt didn't show up and wasn't answering any calls...I was walking home so I stopped by to check if everything was okay."

"And what did you see?"

I paused, but then proceeded to painfully recount everything. My memory was as clear as crystal. There was not a single doubt in my mind that every detail I had communicated had been true. At the end of it all, tears were streaming down my face and I was shaking uncontrollably.

"Child, we are so sorry for the pain that one of our own has caused you."

"I was more upset about him attacking my friend for no reason."

"Are you sure there was no reason, Catherine?" Gabriel asked softly, "No reason would justify what he did, but..."

I turned to look at Luke, my heart breaking at the sight of his face and the tears rushing down his cheeks. His eyes were bloodshot and filled with agony. Michael held his arms back tightly. His face was coated in anguish.

"It wasn't me," was the only thing Luke said.

"I know what I saw," I said.

"I never came to Matt's garage!" he said, his voice ringing with false sincerity, "I never got there! I was too busy preparing a surprise for you, Catherine."

"Oh, you surprised me all right..." I said.

"I swear, my love."

"Don't call me that."

"Beautiful Catherine...Kate...I swear."

"That word means nothing on your lips - you lied to me for months. I still don't understand why you would take the time to get to know me, just to do that to me in the end. I don't."

"Wait!" a loud voice rang from the back of the room as the door clicked open.

"Yes, Raphael?" the Creator asked.

"We have another witness."

My heart stopped. Had they brought in Matt? What was going on? Would Matt find out I had been lying about who Luke was for months? Would he be mad?

But it wasn't Matt.

Barefooted and calm as ever, Bee marched into the great hall, his head held up and a bounce in his stride. Gabriel's eyes widened and he turned to look back at me. I shook my head at him. Luke's eyes became filled with rage as he saw his housemate striding past with a smile plastered to his face.

"Gabriel, Catherine, Michael, Creator, Luke," he said, bowing at each of us.

"How did you enter this realm?" the Creator asked.

"Raphael was roaming Earth and I told him I had to see you."

"Is that so?" she asked.

"Of course, Sweet Mother."

"You can no longer call me that, Belial!" she snapped.

"Apologies. Old habits." He shrugged.

"Well; have you anything of substance to share with us, boy?" Michael asked, his voice thick and stern.

"Yes," he replied, "Catherine has told the truth...I saw Luke running away from the garage."

"Was he now?" the Creator asked, "And how would you know?"

"As Catherine may prove, I spent most of the evening at Terry's Bar. The food there is in-cre-di-ble! To die for, seriously. And the drinks are out of this world!" he exaggerated with his arms, "So I spent most of the evening there. Paimon can also prove this, although he was far too lost in his human to pay much attention to me. But we crossed paths."

"Anything valid to add?" the Creator asked impatiently.

"Of course...a few moments after Catherine left, I realised there was nobody worth it left to annoy." He paused and flashed me an apologetic smile, "So I started walking back. And that's when I saw him. He ran from a large garage. He was breathless. And I have brought proof...here," he said, producing a sweater from a bag I hadn't noticed in his hand, "This is the sweater he was wearing on that night, and it is covered in Catherine's blood, and her friend's." He handed the sweater to Gabriel who handed it to the Creator. She smelled it and passed it on to the judges. Her eyes watered.

"I recognise your smell, Lucifer," she said.

"It wasn't me, Creator," he pleaded.

"So much evidence against you and yet you persist in your lies..." she said, looking at him before turning her face away in disgust, "Perhaps life on Earth has taught you all the bad things you never learned from our realm - how to cheat and how to lie. You were proud, Lucifer, but not dishonest."

"I am not dishonest now, Creator," he said, "I swear."

"He is guilty, Creator," one of the judges said, "We have two witnesses and this item of clothing as proof. It belongs to him and it truly has the blood of the human and the half-breed."

Half-breed? Did they mean Luke?

His chains rattled and I involuntarily turned to look at him, when I realised that Michael's face had tightened and his back was stretched out straight.

"Once my child, then my traitor, and now the traitor of another so dear to us," the Creator said, "Lucifer, I have your sentence."

"Creator, please."

"No more!" she said, holding up her hand, but never turning to look into his face. Luke looked up at her with large pleading eyes and desperation on his shivering breath. His face was coated with the tears he had shed, and his eyes produced more tears anew. But she never turned to look into his face. She simply said, "I must revoke your wings."

My heart stopped. Luke had lied. He had deceived me. He had hurt me. And because of that, he had lost me. But now he was about to lose the only thing he had left. I turned to look at him and his eyes met mine. Pain filled my soul as I watched his glorious black wings unfurling before my eyes and then catching fire. Agony defined his face and I felt a similar ache in my soul. In a matter of seconds his wings were all burnt out and gone. He wept and wept and wept.

"I hope loving the half-breed was worth it," one of the judges said.

"I would appreciate if you did not use such language!" Michael said, turning to look at the judges, "You've already used that word once. No more!"

The judge snickered. "What is it to you, Michael? You never showed interest before this very moment."

"I'm showing interest now!" he bellowed, slamming Luke's chains into the floor and opening his chest further. He glared at them and seemed to glow.

I looked at the Creator with confused eyes. What was all this panic about Luke? Was it because Michael had been his guardian once?

"Sweet angel Michael," the Creator said, "I think you had better explain."

His muscles relaxed at the Creator's suggestion and the glow died down. He took in a few breaths and the room was silent. And then he turned to face me and Gabriel and walked up to us. He knelt in front of me and took my hands in his.

"Catherine, I'm your father."