A loud guitar riff filled the car as the driver lowered the window to let air into the car. The beat of the drums quickly followed, making the man let a lopsided smile slip onto his face. Soon he started bobbing his head up and down and singing along Bon Scott, going over a hundred miles per hour on the highway. He loved being dramatic, drama was what he lived for. He sped up as he sang Highway To Hell at the top of his lungs, suddenly having the urge to go home with that song as his theme song. Have the gates to hell open and descend over a hundred miles per hour like a total diva. But he would leave that for his Juniper. His lovely boy waiting for him back home.

His green eyes focused on a golden glow a few miles away, making him speed up more. When he was a few hundred feet from Michael, he moved the steering wheel to the left, barely grazing one of his wings with the vehicle. He slowed down until he came to a full stop on the side of the road, singing as he patiently waited. When the song was over is when he allowed himself to look out the window and give the archangel his undivided attention.

Michael stepped back and motioned for him to get out with a tilt of his head. He rolled his eyes, lowered the volume down, and turned the car off before he stepped out. He made sure to shut the door and lock the car before he started following Michael. He caught up to him on a spot where they could see the town below them. The town lights looked beautiful in the dead of night.

"How have you been, Lucifer?" Michael broke the silence.

"Great. I think I'm ready to go home." Lucifer focused his green eyes on a big sign that read one of the many verses from the bible.

"Come, ye children, hearken to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD."

Lucifer swallowed thickly, fighting the urge to burn the whole town down to the ground. He wanted nothing more than to see ashes instead of buildings.

"No child was conceived tonight. There's no reason to take his life now." Lucifer looked at Michael, expecting an explanation that he knew would never come. "You and Harry are supposed to be long gone. His rotten soul is in the pits of Hell...going through the vile act he was intending to do. I personally made sure Juniper dragged him down. How does a red hot metal rod up the ass sound? Thought of it myself."

"The patterns changed." Michael spoke up, saying no more after that. He ignored Lucifer's forms of punishment when his nature was that of a protector, a savior.

There was a long pause full of tension when it had been a long time since they had actually interacted. They stared down at the town, until Lucifer started getting tired of standing there.

"Look," He turned to look at Michael. "I did what you asked me to do. Now do your part of the deal and take Harry back up there. I will be going home and none of us will ever speak of this again...or see each other."

"I can't do that." Michael spoke up, his deep voice reaching Lucifer's ears, and his gaze set on that one house. That small house. "God's children are still at risk. It isn't over yet."

Michael stared at the house, unable to look away until Lucifer's laugh brought him out of his trance-like moment.

"What!?" Lucifer tried to stop laughing as he looked between Michael and the house. "Are you regretting it? After twenty one years, you're regretting it?" He giggled. "You're a weak piece of shit."

When Michael stayed quiet, Lucifer kept talking.

"You're all weak pieces of shit!" He shouted. "I wouldn't have given a shit about Him! I would have gone back to claim what was mine. Because of you, this is happening now. I offered you a place for them to stay. This wasn't just for humanity, it was for him too. It's been twenty one years, Michael. Let him be...leave him alone."

Michael closed his eyes and opened them again, trying to will the tears away. He looked at Lucifer, a being so identical to Harry, but completely different.

Harry was merciful. Lucifer was cruel.

"I did it to protect them." Michael finally spoke up.

"I did it to protect them." Lucifer mimicked him, fisting his hands to mockingly rub at his eyes as if he was crying. "Boo hoo hoo, look at poor ol' me. I had no problem sinning, but I did when it came to manning up and be responsible. Get over it, Mikey. You fucked everything up fo-"

"ENOUGH!" Michael shouted.

"You know what? Fuck you! I am going home. Fuck all of you." Lucifer glared at him, but made no move to leave.

"I fell in love." Michael confessed. "I couldn't stay. We don't belong here. I made a mistake and I tried to right it."

"You can not right shit like that, Michael." Lucifer spat. "Even I would have stayed. And you know what they say about me. I am cruel."

"You're a monster." Michael said. "They like to blame you for everything."

"I know that, but you know I don't sit on their shoulder and tell them to fuck up their lives. They like to use me to make themselves feel better and that...that's exactly what you did. You let Him ingrain it into your brain. It wasn't my fault you were weak."

"Trust me. I've spent the last twenty one years wishing I could tell you none of it was your fault. I fell in love, I didn't know something like that would happen. I made a huge mistake, but staying would have been a bigger one. We were never going to have peace." Michael explained, knowing he hadn't convinced Lucifer when he saw him shaking his head.

"You could have. Your loyalty was and has always been to Him, not to her who deserved it. You failed her, just so you didn't have to fail Him." Lucifer looked back down at the town from where they were standing on top of the hill. "You are weak, Michael."

"I won't be anymore. That's why I need your help." Michael begged. "The patterns were changed and it has started. When He's done with humanity, He'll go after you and your world. I'm trying to stop a catastrophe and it won't be long before He figures it out."

Lucifer thought it long and hard. He weighed the pros and cons over helping Michael do something as crazy as he wanted to. It might not even work and they would all have to face His fury. But if it did, Juniper and his home would be left alone.

"What happens to Harry after?" Lucifer asked. "When he fully surrenders to temptation."

"That doesn't matter." Michael sighed.

"It does matter!" Lucifer exclaimed.

Michael looked at Lucifer and a small smile slowly formed on his lips, but it was gone before Lucifer could blink again.

"You care about him after all. You've been lying this whole time." Michael accused him.

"He's my brother, he never stopped being it, even after he did nothing to help me and much less follow me." Lucifer glared up at the sky.

"Offer him a place to stay." Michael shrugged. He looked at Lucifer when he started laughing.

"Family reunion." Lucifer giggled. "I quite like the sound of that. Just imagine, Mikey. I'm gonna have to clear out my home from those wretched souls. They don't deserve to be near something as pure as Harry's-"

"Are you going to help me or not?" Michael interrupted him.

"What's in it for me?" Lucifer asked.

"Juniper. When all of this is over, we'll have no choice but to go after you." Michael decided to tell him the truth. "His whole legion."

"As long as you make sure Harry's not forced to choose. As long as you make sure he's not forced to make sacrifices." Lucifer said, looking at Michael with sad eyes. He almost looked like Harry. "He and Juniper are all I have, I won't let any of you hurt them. And if you tell Harry I actually give a shit about him, I will personally cut your tongue off."

"You have my word." Michael said sincerely.

He would make sure history didn't repeat itself. Lucifer nodded and walked away to his car, starting it and putting miles between them. Michael looked up at the sky when he felt the first drops of water. When he touched the metal tracker around his neck, he wished he had done something about it back then. But he wasn't who he used to be twenty one years ago. He still had time to save the human race, His Father's children.

~*~

It had been exactly an hour since Harry had brought Louis to his apartment, and the boy was yet to react. Louis was laying down on his bed, while he was sitting on a chair. Harry had covered the boy with his blanket to keep him warm when Louis had started shaking. He knew he had to take Louis home and that Jay was probably already worried out of her mind.

"Louis?" Harry finally spoke up, his heart breaking when Louis whimpered. "I have to take you home. Your mom's probably worried sick that you're not back yet."

"C– Can I shower first?" Louis asked with a small voice. "I feel dirty." He whispered.

If Harry didn't have great hearing, he wouldn't have been able to hear that last part. It broke his heart.

Harry swallowed thickly and slowly got up to look for clothes for Louis. He found a pair of sweatpants, and a longsleeved shirt. He then grabbed one of the brand new boxers he had gotten and hadn't used at all. He walked up to a door and walked into the small bathroom, leaving the clothes on the sink then grabbed his extra clean towel from the cabinet.

When he walked back into the bedroom area, Louis was still in the same position, staring at nothing in particular. He was just lost in his own world, wondering why bad things happened to him all the time. Now he was starting to believe his mother. God had forgotten about them.

"Do you need help?" Harry asked him, bringing Louis out of his trance.

Louis slowly got up and made his way to the bathroom, feeling Harry's gaze on him. As soon as he was in there, he closed and locked the door before leaning his body against it. He was fast to turn the water on and take his clothes off. He looked at himself in the mirror and noticed his bruised arms and the bruises on his hips when Chris had held him down. The thought of Chris made him let out a sob when he remembered how they had left him. Chris was a bad person, but he didn't deserve to be left alone like that. Louis cried the whole entire time he showered.

When he got out of the bathroom he found Harry setting a plate full of food on the table. The soup was warm and it smelled delicious, something that had Louis' mouth watering when he hadn't eaten anything at all since lunch time.

"I made you something to eat. Come eat it before it goes cold." Harry pulled back the chair, letting Louis take his time to actually walk up to him and take a seat.

When he was sitting down, Harry walked up to a cabinet and grabbed a glass then the apple juice from the fridge. He found Louis eating the soup a little too fast, but he said nothing when there was nothing to say. By the time Harry set the glass down on his tiny table, Louis was halfway done with his meal. He busied himself with putting away the dishes he had done that morning, looking up when Louis got up with the plate and glass in his hands.

"Just put them in the sink, I'll do them later." Harry said.

"I can do them." Louis told him, not letting Harry say or do anything else when he started washing them.

Harry could see how bad Louis' hands were shaking, and it was killing him to know that if he hadn't let Gabriel distract him, then none of that would be happening. He wanted to apologize, but he didn't even know how to start without making Louis remember.

"Could you please drive me home?" Louis asked, startling Harry. "I don't want to walk."

"Of course!" Harry finished putting the dishes away, then grabbed a jacket and gave it to Louis who refused to take it. "You just took a shower and it's chilly outside. You're going to get sick."

Louis didn't say anything after that, he just let Harry guide him to the car and open the door for him. The ride there was silent between them, but the radio was playing an unknown song. The heat was on full blast to keep Louis warm, who had his arms wrapped around himself.

"We should have called the police." Louis spoke up.

"I called them." Harry lied, knowing very well that either Michael or someone else had taken care of it.

"They're going to know it was my fault." Louis started panicking, and when he started shaking, Harry pulled over on the side of the road.

He grabbed Louis' hand in his and made sure to look him right in the eyes.

"It wasn't your fault, Louis. He attacked you and what happened was an accident." He told him as Louis cried. "I'm sorry I wasn't on time. I'm so sorry."

"I thought something bad had happened to you. I was worrying and then he came out of nowhere. He..." Louis trailed off, trying to erase those memories from his head.

"He won't bother you anymore." Harry placed his hand on Louis' cheek, rubbing small circles with his thumb. "I should get you home. Your mom is probably worried sick." Harry let go of him and Louis found himself missing his touch.

When they arrived to Louis' house, the porch light was on and Jay was sitting outside with Lottie next to her. They sat up as soon as they saw Harry's car pulling into their driveway. Harry made Louis put the hoodie of the jacket over his head then got out of the car and jogged around it to open the door for Louis. He held onto his hand and helped him out, then walked him towards the porch where Jay was waiting, having sent Lottie inside.

"Mom." Louis said before he couldn't hold it in anymore and burst out crying.

Jay wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tight against her chest, giving him the comfort that only a mother could give her child. Jay's eyes full of fear made contact with Harry's kind green eyes, letting the man guide her and her son inside. Harry looked behind him, focusing his gaze near a few trees where he was the only one who could see the golden glow and those blue eyes full of sorrow. He looked away and closed the door once he was inside.

"What happened?" Jay asked Harry after she had made Louis sit down on the couch and she sat next to him

She ignored Harry when Louis wrapped his arms around her stomach and hid his face on her chest, trying to escape the cruel world he lived in. He refused to let go of her, even when his sisters walked in and huddled together, unable to do anything but watch their brother holding onto their mother.

"Lottie?" Harry slowly walked up to her, feeling bad when he saw the unshed tears in her eyes she refused to let fall and roll down her face. At such a young age, she had learned it didn't do good to cry. "You should take your sisters upstairs. He'll be okay."

"What happened?" She asked as she ignored his request.

"It's not my place to tell you." Harry told her, out of respect for Louis when he could see the blue eyed boy couldn't even bring himself to tell his mother he had been attacked in the most vile way.

Lottie let it go and with Fizzy's help, she convinced the twins to go upstairs after she had promised them to let them sleep with them. Harry watched them go until they disappeared from his sight, then turned to look at Louis and his mother. He found her staring at him with tears in her eyes as she rubbed her son's back and tried to calm him down.

She looked away and Harry stayed where he was, not moving when Jay took Louis upstairs, not even as she made him tea. She offered the cup to him with shaky hands and Harry thanked her, giving her a kind grateful smile.

"He told me what happened." Jay took a seat next to him, leaving a few inches of space between them. "Thank you." She looked at him, wondering what they had done for life to bring someone like Harry into their lives.

"It was my fault...I– I was late to pick him up. I'm sorry." Harry looked down at his still full cup of chamomile tea.

"The world is full of cruel people, Harry. Don't blame yourself.." Jay told him. "He doesn't want to do anything against that man. There's really nothing to do, nothing will be done to make him pay."

"Everybody will face judgement one day." Harry said, remembering the way his own brother had dragged that soul down to hell where he would remain for eternity, facing punishment over and over for eternity.

"Its getting late...I should go." Harry drank the rest of the tea and then got up at the same time Jay did.

He insisted on washing the cup so Jay didn't have to do it.

"I'll come by tomorrow to see how he's doing." He told her before leaving, having let her walk him to the door.

Jay watched him go and when he was gone, she walked back inside and into the kitchen where she grabbed her cup of tea. She drank from it and had to spit it out in the sink when the liquid burned her tongue. He looked at it and then at the now clean cup Harry had used. Her eyebrows furrowed before her face relaxed and she let out a loud sigh. She guessed people tolerated hot temperatures differently.

She got rid of the rest of her tea then made her way upstairs, going to check on her daughters who were all sleeping in Lottie's and Fizzy's bedroom. He slowly walked up to Louis' door where she could hear him crying. She rested her head against the door, wishing she could take his pain away. She wished she could erase those memories from his head. She opened the door and made her way in and straight to the bed where she laid down next to him, wrapping her arms around her child.

"Shh, it's okay. Everything's going to be okay, darling." Jay rubbed her back. "I'm here, and no one will ever try to hurt you again. As long as I'm here, no one's ever going to lay a finger on you." She kissed his forehead and wiped away his tears before laying her head back on the pillow already wet with Louis' tears.

Louis fell asleep soon after while Jay looked out at the black sky through the window. It wasn't long before she closed her eyes and let sleep take over. She never let go of Louis.

~*~

When Harry finally made it to his house, he stood at the door, trying to clear his head. After standing there for more than necessary, he unlocked the door and walked into his temporary home. He was tired, but he needed to find Michael, the archangel owed him an explanation. He was confused, and he didn't know what was the next step. He didn't know if it was time to go back home and accept that he had failed his Father.

"I know you're there." Harry spoke up when he felt his presence, turning around to face the archangel hiding in the shadows.

"I told you I would come find you." Michael stepped out from the shadows, wings nowhere to be seen. Just like Harry's.

"What was that?" Harry asked after a long minute of silence, one filled with tension.

"The patterns changed, you're not going home yet." Michael said as he looked around the small studio apartment.

"I– I can't cause his death. I won't do it. I don't care if He casts me out for disobeying. I can't do that to him." Harry's voice trembled. "He won't conceive a child, and there's no chance for humanity now. That's what Father wanted." He desperately said as his wings slowly made an appearance for the first time in days.

They were sore and they hurt his back as they stretched, still having to hold them back to some extent when the room wasn't big enough. They were long and heavy but beautiful, glowing golden and quickly illuminating the small apartment. Harry could finally be his true self after many long days.

It was that moment when Michael could see the difference between identical brothers. Harry's hair was short and his green eyes were kind. He was wearing jeans and a white button up while Lucifer wore nothing but expensive black suits or leather jackets. His hair was down to his shoulders and his eyes were an eerie green, nothing but cold and cruel.

"He hasn't sent his Legion yet, and we still have time." Michael explained.

"Michael, there's no time!" Harry exclaimed. "We shouldn't intervene. The world is a rotten place, you've seen it with your own eyes. W– We both were witnesses to it just a few hours ago! Most of them don't deserve a second chance. Father's right. Why should Louis' child guide them back to the right path when most of them are rotten. Why should Louis and his family have to suffer. You know there's a place for them at home. They will be better off there."

"Do you care so little about their well being?" Michael asked. "Are they not good enough anymore?"

"This is what He wants and I won't go against his wishes. They lost their way, Michael. And if He wishes to wipe them all out, then it will happen whether we like it or not." Harry tried to convince him, but mostly it was himself who he had to convince when he had seen enough.

"He chose them as the object of His love! And Lucifer, Gabriel, you and I were the first to bow down before them. He told us to love them." Michael took a step forward, stopping when Harry stepped back. "We can't turn our backs on them, brother. They need us, they're just lost."

"They've done enough." Harry stepped back, trying to erase everything he had seen during his stay there. He didn't want to think about what had almost happened to Louis. "They're worse than Lucifer. Even he and his demons ask for permission to enter a body, it doesn't matter in what way but they do."

"Don't let the actions of a few change your views towards the rest." Michael's eyes burned due to the tears.

"I've lost faith, but at least I'll guide the few good ones to Heaven, I'll make sure they find a new home after everything is over." Harry said, moving to take a seat at the foot of the bed.

"Louis doesn't deserve to live then?" Michael asked, knowing he had gotten to him when Harry looked up instead of closing himself off like he always did.

"He doesn't deserve to suffer at the hands of cruel people like that man. He doesn't deserve to see his mother wasting away, or his sisters going to bed hungry." Harry got up, letting out a frustrated growl when one of his wings caught against the wall, destroying the sheetrock

"You're talking about a boy who will not give up. A boy that would do anything for his mother and sisters. A boy that has worked hard most of his life to provide for them. He sacrificed his childhood, his teenage years for them and we never heard him complain once. Life is cruel to him, people are cruel to him but look at him, he still wakes up everyday hoping for a better day and a better future. He has faith, Harry. That boy and others like him are the reason I still have faith in humanity." Michael said, never losing eye contact with Harry when he needed the younger archangel to understand. "What we need to do is save them. They deserve a second chance."

"I don't want to fail Him again." Harry looked down at his feet.

"You won't. Trust me." Michael begged. "Trust your heart to do the right thing."

Harry looked away, not wanting Michael to see his tears. The many bad things were weighing him down, but he had to admit there were still a few good souls out there. He had seen it in that diner Louis worked at. He had seen it in Zayn and his husband Liam.

A couple that had gone through a lot to be where they were now. Zayn had one of the purest soul out there, tormented with the fact that his chances of ever giving his husband a child were slim to none. He still had hope no matter how many times the doctors would tell him it was impossible. Liam's soul was just as pure as Zayn's, never asking for much. Never losing hope just like his husband. Then there was Niall, who he knew volunteered in every center he could to help out those who were less fortunate. They were people who did good things every day of their lives, never expecting something in return

More tears rolled down his cheeks when he thought of Louis and how selfless he was, when he thought about his mother and sisters. He made his decision when he thought of all the people, a small number but still a few, do good things everyday to help out the less fortunate. People that woke up every day and had hope for a better life.

"I don't want to fail Him again, but I don't want to fail them either." Harry looked up at the dark sky through his window.

"We won't be the sons who will give Him what we wants, Harry. We'll be the ones to give Him what He needs." Michael slowly extended his wings.

"And what's that?" Harry asked.

"His faith in humanity, His children." Michael answered, his voice full of hope, something he couldn't hide.

"What's next?" Harry asked again.

"You have to protect him. That's all you have to do." The archangel told him, reaching out to put his hand on Harry's cheek, making him look up at him. "No matter what."

Harry nodded and just like that, Michael was gone. Harry quickly dried his tears and retracted his wings once again, unable to stop feeling their weight, the burden that they inflicted on him. He decided to go take a shower as he made a promise to himself. He would protect Louis and his family no matter what. He would give them hope again. That was his new reason to stay on earth.

~*~

https://youtu.be/BhQD8e60ja4

The old digital clock struck four in the morning when he found himself in the small dark room. Michael held his hands against his chest, slowly making his way to the twin bed mother and son shared. She held her son with such strength even in her sleep, only moving when he did to accommodate herself around him. The archangel watched them for a few more seconds, then walked towards the window.

His eyes burned with tears when it was the first time in a long time he was allowed to be near her again. She was still as beautiful as that sunny day he had seen her for the first time, and his heart ached for her when she had already been through enough. She carried the burden of his choices on her shoulders.

Lucifer was right, he had been weak. Watching them, he wondered if his decision had been the right one back then. He wondered if his choices were the right ones now. Watching them made him doubt himself, but he quickly pushed those thoughts away and tried to focus on what he had to do.

He made his way to the bed again, feeling ashamed when he realized that the only beauty of a possible apocalypse was that he was finally able to be close to her again. He was finally able to get close to him. He watched the boy sleep with his blue eyes. A silent promise was directed his way. He walked around the bed to his side, careful not to make a noise, careful to stay as concealed as he could. He didn't need his kind seeing him now, he didn't want the sleeping humans waking up and seeing him.

He knelt down on Louis' side and as careful as he could, he caressed his cheek. He could sense it right away, that innocence radiating off of him. Not an evil bone in his body.

"Things will get better, but in order for that to happen, they have to get worse first." He whispered. "As long a you have faith, my child, everything will get better. It will be alright and you won't suffer anymore."

Michael gave him a smile, looking up startled when Jay moved and slowly sat up as she looked around the still dark room. He slowed down time and quickly got out of there, letting time continue at its normal pace as soon as he was gone. The last image of her being her looking down at her son, her expression changing from one of sorrow to one of the purest love out there. It was something he would always keep with him, deep in his heart and mind where no one would ever be able to touch it, to strip him off of it. It was safe within him.

Thoughts? :)