Frank landed toward the front of the large group of angels and demons that had flown out to halt Lucifer's approach before he could get into the main part of the camp, his knees aching a bit from the force he had hit the ground with, but he was too pent up to be graceful at the moment.

They had chosen to stop at a raised rocky area that overlooked the beach, which would force Lucifer and his troops to position themselves on the sand below, giving them a serious disadvantage if a fight did indeed break out, but knowing Lucifer, he wouldn't let that slow him down much if he was truly determined to reach them.

Bob stood stiffly on Frank's left, his hand still clutching at his weapon as he glared at the rapidly approaching demons. Brendon and Ryan were also close to Frank, both of them looking grim and tense, which was an accurate representation of most people present.

Frank turned away from the horizon for a moment, meeting Gerard's eyes before motioning him to move forward so he could stand next to him, his face scrunching up in a quizzical expression when his husband shook his head vehemently in response, even going so far as to back up as much as he could without bumping into the row of people behind him.

"Baby...come here, there is plenty of space," Frank spoke in a hushed tone of voice, not wanting to disturb the heavy blanket of silence that was smothering their group with an intensity that felt almost sacred.

"Frank...I - I don't want to see him, I can't do this," Gerard whispered softly, his body trembling erratically even though Frank could tell he was trying to hide how much this was affecting him beneath his arms which were crossed over his chest.

"You don't have to be afraid Gee, I swear to god, I won't let him touch you this time."

"I know, but I - if I see his face, it will make me remember everything, and I can't...I'm so fucking scared," Gerard admitted, his gaze roving everywhere except toward the group of demons that were drawing closer with every passing second.

"It's okay love, I've got you." Frank pulled Gerard into a fierce embrace, allowing his husband to bury his face in Frank's shoulder as he exhaled heavily.

A part of Frank wanted to take Gerard away from Lucifer, to hide him somewhere that the one-time angel would never be able to find, but at the same time, he couldn't stand the thought of giving Lucifer the satisfaction of knowing that he had run off and cowered at the mere thought of him, and he wasn't going to let Gerard out of his sight for a second.

"I'm sorry," Gerard whimpered quietly. "I shouldn't be this fucked up, I mean - it happened ages ago, but sometimes it still seems like it was yesterday that I was trapped in the Wastelands with him."

"Baby," Frank choked out, his own emotions going haywire as Gerard began to sniffle quietly, "don't apologize. I won't force you to stay if this is too much for you, in fact, we can leave right now, just say the word."

Frank immediately pushed his stubborn pride away, because Gerard was more important than presenting a brave face in front of Lucifer, and Frank did empathize with his husband. Although they hadn't seen Lucifer in over fifteen years, with the way their memories had been restored, they hadn't been given any time to process or move on from the physical and mental wounds they had received back then, they had just stuffed them away in the dark corners of their minds to be dealt with at a later date, so it wasn't a surprise that Gerard was starting to snap under the strain.

"I'm okay," Gerard finally spoke after a brief period of nothing besides shaky breathing and whispered words of comfort, his hold on Frank loosening slightly. "Can I stay behind you though? I'll head to the back if it gets to be too much for me."

"Are you sure?" Frank asked hurriedly, painfully aware of the audible beating of wings that preluded the demons arrival which were growing louder by the second. "Bob and Brendon can deal with this, and I don't want you alone right now." Frank knew that he could ask Billie Joe or anyone else really to escort Gerard away, but he had learned from his past mistakes, so he wasn't going to assume that Gerard would be safe unless he had visual confirmation of that fact, that had ended in disaster last time, and Frank wouldn't allow himself to repeat his previous actions.

Gerard was barely given the chance to nod before the demons touched down on the sandy beach below them, the muted thud of hundreds of feet sounding out much too harshly in the quiet air. Frank stiffened when Lucifer swooped out of the sky, waiting until his troops were situated before placing himself at the front, his pitch black wings creating strong currents of wind that Frank could feel buffering him even with the space separating them.

Appearance wise, Lucifer looked almost identical to Frank's memories of him; his face was angled and stern, but otherwise unremarkable, and if he hadn't been the King of Hell, Frank wouldn't have remembered his features if they had passed each other on the street. His pinions more than made up for that though, they were massive in size, and they seemed to cast a dark pallor over what was in all reality a decently sunny day. He was wearing the same armor that he had donned when Frank fought him all those years ago, but it was perfectly polished now, free of any scuffs and scratches that it had once contained.

"Don't look so happy to see me," Lucifer called out when no one immediately moved, a sinister grin pulling at his lips as he took a few steps forward. Gerard whimpered fearfully at the sound of his voice, his nails digging into Frank's arm which he had latched himself onto. His head was still buried in Frank's shoulder, blocking his view of what was happening before them.

"Stop right there," Brendon commanded sternly, moving up a few paces so Lucifer would know who was addressing him. "You are not welcome at any gathering of Heaven's hosts, so leave now and we will not pursue you."

"Is that any way to greet an old friend?" Lucifer scoffed playfully, his eyes dancing across the assembled angels and demons curiously. "I just wanted to stop in and see how you were doing with the Leviathan problem. It's gotten everyone quite worked up hasn't it?"

"I will not ask you again," Brendon seethed, raising his arm slowly in a gesture that would signal everyone to attack once he let it fall.

"Calm yourself angel, I'm not here to exact my revenge this time, why would I after so many years of peace?"

"Because you're a war loving bastard that enjoys making people as miserable as possible," Bob shouted out, leaving Frank's side so he could join Brendon at the edge of the small cliff.

"Oh hello Bob, long time no see," Lucifer greeted him like they were at a family reunion instead of a tense confrontation. "I have to say, I thought you would have come running back to Hell with your tail between your legs ages ago, but you seem to be doing quite well for yourself...oh - Frank's here too, I wasn't sure if you would sign back up for this life, but I should have known you couldn't stay away."

"Because I actually have my priorities in order and I know how to put the fate of the world before my own needs," Frank retorted back instead of keeping his mouth shut like he had intended to, but it was so fucking hard to stay calm under the assault of Lucifer's endless taunts. Frank could sense Gerard stiffening in place fearfully, but besides crowding slightly closer to Frank's back, Gerard gave no sign that he wanted to leave just yet.

"And it appears that you have found a way to be reunited with your lover after all," Lucifer smirked coldly, and it took all the self-control Frank possessed not to punch the smug expression off of his face, but he managed to keep his feet grounded, clutching tightly to Gerard's hand to remind him that he had to think of his husband as well, no matter how angry he was.

"You don't get to talk about him, not after everything you put us through," Frank seethed, stepping back a pace so Gerard was directly behind him, blocking him from Lucifer's line of sight completely, thanking the angle of their position which was helping hide Gerard as long as Lucifer didn't take to the air.

"I should have known that God would be able to find a way around the final death," Lucifer shrugged indifferently, completely ignoring the fact that Frank had spoken. "Still - we had some fun, and he's alive, so no hard feelings right?"

"Fuck you," Frank spat venomously, his body visibly trembling as a sudden surge of rage had him seeing red for a split second, only Gerard's tight hold on his arm keeping him in place, otherwise he would have launched himself straight at Lucifer, consequences be damned.

"Get to the point Lucifer," Brendon cut in sharply, attempting to represent the voice of reason before this meeting turned into a bloodbath. "We don't have time for these petty squabbles, the Leviathan could wake up at any moment, so say your piece or leave us be."

"So impatient," Lucifer chuckled, making a point of idly observing his nails like the world wasn't on the brink of destruction, "and if you are too dense to figure it out, I've come to offer my help of course, why else would I be here?"

"Why...what's in it for you?" Brendon queried, his eyebrows pulling down in confusion as he tried to decipher if Lucifer was fucking with them or not.

"Oh use your brain for a moment," Lucifer sighed dramatically, waving his hands around widely as he explained himself. "As much as I love a good dose of mayhem, the Leviathan is as much of a threat to me as he is to you. If you are unable to defeat the creature, it will wreak havoc on the world, humanity most likely won't survive, and then where will I get my souls from? Hell will founder without new demons, and I'm not fond of that idea."

"We don't need you," Frank cut in, unwilling to even consider working with someone as despicable as Lucifer. "We have everything under control, and a few more demons won't tip the scales much either way."

"I wouldn't be so hasty Frank, your borders are looking a bit thin, and you have to consider the fact that it's not only the Leviathan you will be contending with. Its movements will surely bring a horde of wyrens to the surface as well, and my demons are quite skilled in the ways of killing them since I was their original creator, meaning I know all of their weak spots as well."

"Even if you are right, we can't trust you, and I don't have any spare troops that can watch you to make sure that you don't attempt to betray us," Brendon argued back, but Frank could hear the slight waver in his voice which meant he wasn't entirely certain that he was making the right decision. Frank hadn't even considered the wyrens and whatever else the Leviathan would bring with it, and he was becoming aware of the fact that they weren't nearly as prepared for this battle as they thought.

"Believe me, we won't even get near you. I for one don't want to lose any of my demons to the Leviathan, so we will hang back at the borders of the beach while you focus on the beast."

"Well..." Brendon paused for a moment, shooting Frank and Bob a questioning look to which Frank simply shrugged in return. Lucifer did have a valid point, and if he kept his word, his demons could change the outcome of this confrontation in their favor, but that was a very big if.

"I'm not doing this for you if that helps make up your mind, it's for the good of Hell, and if there is one thing I care about, it is that humanity survives so I can harvest their souls," Lucifer added on, and his reasoning did make sense. He gained nothing by being here, if anything, he was placing himself and his demons in danger. If he had wanted to truly attack them, he could have waited until after the fight with the Leviathan and picked them off when they were weak and exhausted, but he hadn't, and even though Frank never thought he would be siding on Lucifer with anything, his mouth was moving before he had time to process the words escaping his lips.

"I trust him," Frank whispered to Brendon, hoping that Lucifer couldn't hear him from this distance. "If he stays back and leaves immediately after the battle, I'm fine with this." Bob shoved his chin upward sharply in agreement as well, solidifying their decision, and without a moment to spare since it was only seconds later that the ground under their feet began to shake with soft tremors which could only be caused by the Leviathan.

"We will accept your offer Lucifer, and as much as I hate to say it, we could use all the help we can get, but we will be watching you, so don't even think about double crossing us or it will end badly for everyone," Brendon sniffed sharply.

"I would say I'm offended by your lack of faith, but actually I would be more upset if you weren't afraid of me," Lucifer chuckled wryly. "Just so we are all clear, my demons and I will stay near this beach, we will only leave it to attack groups of wyrens that are easy to take down. We will avoid any areas where many of you are present, and if the Leviathan moves near us, we will relocate as well. We promise not to attack you or any of your demons allies for the day, and once the battle is over, we can all go back to hating each other. Anything else you want to add?"

"I have something to say," Gerard spoke up, startling everyone with his actions, but no one was more shocked than Frank.

"Ah Gerard, I could sense you lurking about, but I didn't think you would have the courage to show your face in front of me," Lucifer exclaimed gleefully, rubbing his hands together in a sick parody of delight that had Frank immediately regretting his agreement to work with this monster.

"Baby," Frank hissed, trying to get Gerard's attention as he stepped out from behind Frank, but Gerard ignored him, only giving Frank's hand a light squeeze before releasing it completely.

"I wanted to thank you actually," Gerard called out, and although Frank could see the soft tremors wracking Gerard's limbs, his voice emerged clear and unbroken, and Frank was so fucking proud of his husband that he had to choke back tears of adoration. "I know you think you won all those years ago by killing me, but you didn't. I still found Frank, and I got to experience a life with him. He is my husband now, and without you, I wouldn't have gotten to go to school with him, to date him, or to marry him, so in the end, you did me a favor, because the past fifteen years with Frank have been so fucking incredible, and it was worth everything you put me through and more."

Without waiting for Lucifer's response, Gerard spun on his heel quickly, making his way back toward the main camp with Frank following close behind him. Gerard didn't stop his forward motion until they had left the cliffs far behind them, and it was only when the tents came back into view that Gerard stopped abruptly, his body shaking so badly that Frank hurried to his side, wrapping both arms around his waist just in case Gerard was about to fall.

"Gee," Frank murmured reassuringly, cradling Gerard close as he spoke. "You did so well, I'm so proud of you."

"I-" Gerard stopped to suck in a deep inhalation of air, his chest heaving as he giggled softly once his lungs were filled, which wasn't what Frank was expecting, but it was better than tears at the very least, "I can't believe I did that - I mouthed off to Lucifer...holy fuck." Gerard lunged for Frank's mouth then, pushing their lips together in a messy kiss that was over almost before it began. "I sort of hope the Leviathan shows up right now, I feel like I could take on the world."

"I don't think you're going to have to wait much longer love," Frank grinned, another earthquake grumbling out as if it had heard Gerard's words and was given him what he had asked for. "I'm pretty sure it's almost here."

"Did I tell you that Billie Joe had no idea what pronouns to use for the Leviathan when I asked him?" Gerard mentioned casually, and Frank felt a rush of relief wash over him when it became apparent that Gerard had reverted back to his usual self. "That's the first time he hasn't been able to give me an answer, or at least a long winded theory."

"Even Billie Joe doesn't know everything, even though sometimes it seems like he does," Frank smiled, pressing a quick kiss to Gerard's cheek just because he could. "Now let's go wait for the others, it looks like they are heading back over here now."

"Frankie," Gerard spoke up, resisting Frank's slight tug when he tried to move them in the direction of the tents, "thank you for protecting me from Lucifer, both times I guess, and I just wanted you to know that I'm going to do the same thing for you today. I'm not as skilled a fighter as you, but I'm going to do everything I can to keep you safe."

"And I'll be doing the same for you," Frank choked out, an overwhelming rush of emotions clogging his throat as he gazed up at his husband lovingly. "We are going to make it out of this together."

"I know," Gerard nodded, "together or not at all."

And even though Gerard's sentiment held a slightly morbid edge to it, Frank was inspired by it, because he was following the same mantra. If by some chance Gerard did die, Frank was going to go down fighting as well, no other option was acceptable, and if worst came to worst, Frank would meet Gerard in the final death somehow, because after everything, he knew he would never be able to rest unless Gerard was with him, and nothing would prevent him from finding his husband in this world or the next.

Idk why but it always seems like when I finish one chapter on this book then I get a random rush of inspiration for the next one, so I knocked this out super quick while I still had it fresh in my mind.

I'm getting sick now though which I'm not happy about and I've got to focus on some of my other stories that haven't been touched in far too long, so idk when I will be back but hopefully it will be soon.

Votes and comments make me v happy if you feel like leaving one.

Chapter dedicated to SkeleBri

I'm a pain in women's clothes

<3 starr