Loving Lucifer [COMPLETE]

Chapter 41

"That's...wow...your mum really went through a lot," he said, sipping on the milkshake I had brought him. The two of us were sitting in their backyard. He sat with his leg propped up on a wooden bench his father had handcrafted. I sat on one of the steps leading down to the yard.

"Yeah..." I said.

"I would never in a million years abandon Sam if she were pregnant...I can't believe Michael did that."

"To be fair to him, I've met the Creator - I have a hunch she probably had expectations for him which were quite high." I shrugged, "He was still kind of an ass to my mum. He shouldn't have disappeared like that, without a trace, for the duration of her pregnancy."

"How was your father throughout the whole thing?"

"Amazing, Matt. He's amazing. I can't believe how much he's done for both of us, and how much he loves me in spite of the fact that I'm not his. It's incredible."

"Hey, I know I couldn't marry you, but you know I would be there for you if you ever got pregnant, right?"

"Of course I know, Matty. You're my best friend..." I paused, "I thought I wouldn't be able to ever have kids for a while...but that's all over now."

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Luke can't have kids. It was his greatest punishment after the fall."

"It's quite harsh," he replied, "Even for Luke."

"Yeah, and what he did to us cost him his wings."

"Wow, this Creator surely knows how to dish out sentences."

"Yeah."

Sam spent two weeks with us, mostly with Matt, and then the three of us drove back together. I was looking forward to working at Terry's again; I had missed everything and everyone. My first shift was one of the busiest I'd ever worked, but I was truly in my element.

It had been a good summer - I'd had time to let myself grieve over the relationship I had lost while maintaining logic and reason as to why I shouldn't miss him; maintaining the knowledge that the man I had know had been a lie - a fake version of the real Lucifer. My relationship with my parents had grown even stronger, and Matt had recovered. He would always have a little limp, but nothing he couldn't live with.

"Hey Katy!"

"Zoe!" I wrapped my arms around her when she came in for her shift, "How was summer?"

"It's been great!" she said, "You were right; I love working here."

"I told you so."

My fourth and final year at college would begin in a couple of weeks. After work, Sam and I took Zoe out on a girls' night, which consisted of happy hour drinks and a sleepover at Sam's apartment, and the following day the three of us went shopping to anticipate the start of semester. Although Sam wasn't a student, she took advantage of our needs and bought a few outfits and novels for herself. It was a fun day. I'd really missed Zoe, even though I hadn't known her for a very long time.

"Hey! Yeah, I'm just around the corner. See you!" she hung up, her face beaming. I sipped my hot cocoa and Sam drank a bit of coffee. We were sitting on a bench, surrounded by bags and tired from an entire day of running around from shop to shop.

My heart got stuck in my throat when I saw a familiar head of curls bobbing up and down. Zoe stood up and pressed a kiss to his lips. He turned red and then turned to us and waved. His eyes avoided mine and I could tell he felt awkward.

"Hi Mo," I said. What Luke had done wasn't his fault, after all.

"Hi," he replied.

What followed was the most awkward two minutes of my life.

"We should all go for lunch," Sam said. Zoe agreed excitedly while Mo and I reluctantly accepted. Sam linked her arm into Zoe's and they discussed restaurant options, while Mo and I hung back.

"I'm sorry for what happened," Mo said, shrugging awkwardly.

"You didn't do anything," I replied.

"Yeah, neither did Luke."

"Mo! You're his friend and his ward; of course you'd say that. Please, don't take me for a fool!" I said, suddenly feeling angry.

"I'm sorry; it's just the truth."

"I don't want you to lose faith in your guardian and friend, but you won't restore mine. I know what I saw with my very own eyes."

"You can't always believe everything you see..."

"How does McDonald's sound?" Zoe asked, interrupting our conversation, "We've splurged so much today; we should press the brake on spending and splurge on calories instead."

"Sure," I replied, "It's fine."

We found a table and Mo offered to order for everyone. Lunch was animated. Zoe was a bubble of energy who wouldn't stop talking and it was the most adorable thing, but I really wanted to continue speaking to Mo; to figure out what it was he had meant.

That night, I tossed and turned. Seeing Mo had triggered something in my stomach; a longing for the life I used to share with Luke. I missed everything; his friends and housemates, his brother, the ridiculously large mansion they lived in, the smell of pine inside his Porsche, the warm sheets at his apartment, the breakfasts, the dinners, the late-night talks, the laughs, the tears, the hugs and kisses. Him... I missed him.