Falling Into Darkness

by L. M. Brown

  “What’s so funny?” Michelle asked. She glared over her shoulder at Lucifer. “Are you laughing at me?”

  “Of course not, darling,” Lucifer assured her. “It’s just your dad knows I have a reservation in Hell, though not for sleeping with your Uncle Michael.”

  “Why do you think you’re going to Hell?” Michelle asked. “Have you got some dark and murky secrets in your past?”

  “Oh yes, but they’re secret,” Lucifer teased. “Now, we’re not here to chat about my misdemeanors, so what are you going to do about this Paulo?”

  “I already did something.” Michelle displayed her knuckles and Michael saw they were bruised and the middle one had split.

  “Have you been fighting?” Machidiel asked.

  “No, I just punched him a few times until he shut up.”

  “Yes, that would be fighting,” Machidiel said. “You’re grounded for the rest of the week.”

  “Dad!”

  “No arguments.”

  Michelle turned to Alastor and Tristan. “Papa? Daddy? Maria’s having a party on Friday.”

  Tristan and Alastor shook their heads. “You know the punishment for fighting.”

  “It’s not fair,” Michelle whined. “Everyone else is going to be there.”

  “Everyone else hasn’t been fighting with Paulo,” Machidiel pointed out. “Now, your Uncle Michael has come to talk to you about something important, so why don’t you two take a walk in the garden?”

  “Maybe this isn’t the best time,” Michael said. “Michelle obviously has a lot on her mind today.”

  “Stop scrambling for excuses,” Lucifer scolded.

  Michelle seemed to forget about her fight as she looked at Michael with curiosity. “I’ll come for a walk with you. It’s not as if I can go anywhere else now.”

  Machidiel stepped back so they could stand and Michael led his daughter out into the garden. Lucifer said his goodbyes and promised to visit again the following week. Michael knew, as soon as he left the room, Lucifer would go to the Underworld, since Michael technically no longer escorted him.

  “What did you want to talk to me about?” Michelle asked as they wandered through flowerbeds nearly as well kept as Gabriel’s.

  “It’s about your parents,” Michael replied, unsure where to start now the time had finally arrived. Perhaps he should have prepared a speech.

  “What about them?” The tone of her voice didn’t convey any great interest.

  “Have you ever wondered about who they are?”

  “Oh, you mean my birth parents?”

  “Yes.”

  Michelle shrugged. “I’ve not really thought about them. I’ve got my dads and you and Uncle Luc. What do I need any more parents for?”

  “Then you’re not even the slightest bit curious about them?”

  “Maybe a little bit, but I don’t want to upset my dads by trying to find them or anything.”

  Michael guided his daughter to the stone wall round the fountain. “Let’s sit down.”

  Michelle dipped her hand into the water and flicked a few drops. “Do you know who my birth parents are?”

  “Yes.”

  Michelle gazed at her reflection in the water. She didn’t face Michael when she spoke. “Do you know why they didn’t want me?”

  The words hit him like a punch to the gut and Michael struggled to maintain his composure. “I don’t know about your mother, but your father wanted you very much.”

  “Not that much,” Michelle replied. “If he did, he’d have kept me, wouldn’t he? There are plenty of single dads out there these days. Even if my mother wasn’t interested, he could have tried.”

  “It’s not quite so simple,” Michael said. “There were complications you don’t know about.”

  “Such as?”

  Michael hesitated. How did he begin to explain? “Your parents… They aren’t exactly normal.”

  “What’s normal these days?” Michelle asked. “I’m being raised by three men who have sex with each other, and to me, that’s normal.”

  “So, you’ve, er, had the talk?” Michael asked. “Um, the birds and the bees one, that is.”

  Michelle snorted. “Three times. It was so embarrassing the first time. By the third time I could have given the speech myself, and probably done a better job than Papa did.”

  “Do I want to know why you had the talk three times?”

  “I think they all thought the others wouldn’t go through with it.”

  Michael chuckled.

  “Um, that’s not what you want to talk to me about, is it? I really don’t need to hear it again.”

  “No, like I said, I need to speak with you about your parents.”

  “Do they want to see me?” Michelle asked. “Do my dads know?”

  “Your dads know everything I’m telling you today.”

  “You’ve not told me much of anything yet.”

  “Cheeky.” Michael smiled indulgently. “This is hard, you know. I think I’d rather be giving you that other talk right now.”

  “Why is it hard?” Michelle asked.

  Michael took his daughter’s hands in his own and drew a deep breath. “I think perhaps it might be easier to show you.”

  Readying himself for her reaction, Michael transported them both to his beach, changing into his robes and revealing his white wings to her for the first time.

  Michelle gasped. “Oh my stars. Where are we? Holy crap! You have wings!”

  “This is where I live,” Michael said, gesturing to the luxurious beach house at the edge of the dunes. “We call it the realm of angels, though you’d probably know it better as Heaven.”

  “I though Heaven was all clouds and stuff.”

  Michael smiled. “The main concourse is more as you would imagine Heaven to be. That’s where the newly deceased arrive, and we like to ensure their transition to this realm is as smooth as possible. But everyone’s idea of Heaven is different, which means this realm has just as many locations as you would find on Earth. For me, this beach is the most perfect place I can imagine. Others may prefer the mountains or the forest. One man’s Heaven may be another’s personal hell, and all should feel safe and secure in this realm.”

  Michelle reached out toward his right wing but stopped short of touching the feathers.

  “Go ahead,” Michael told her. “They’re real.”

  “You’re an angel? Holy crap, you’re a fucking angel.”

  “Your language is appalling,” Michael told her. “I think I might be having a word with your dads about that when we get back.”

  “I’m sorry, but you’re an angel.”

  Michael smiled. “Yes, I am.”

  “Is Uncle Luc an angel too?”

  “He used to be, and I keep hoping one day he will be again.”

  “How does that work?” Michelle asked. “I thought once you were an angel it was forever.”

  “It usually is, but sometimes things don’t work out quite as we would want them to.”

  Michelle took a few steps in the direction of the house. “Does Uncle Luc live here with you?”

  “No.”

  Michelle frowned. “I always thought you two lived together. You act as if you’ve been a couple for a long time. I guess now I know why you never invited me to visit you.”

  “Your Uncle Luc and I have been in a relationship for centuries, and even though we can’t live together, we are very much committed to each other.” Michael hesitated a moment, but he had brought Michelle here to tell her the truth, and that meant the whole truth. “Your Uncle Luc is better known by other names. Usually I call him Lucifer.”

  “The devil?” Michelle whispered. “Uncle Luc is the devil?”

  Michael smiled. “Yes.”

  “How long have you known?”

  “Forever. I fell in love with him when he was an angel. He used to live in those distant mountains you can see on the horizon. He fell from grace a long time ago, and I’ve made it my life’s w
ork to bring him back to the light.”

  “Wow. When you said you’d been together centuries, you really meant it, didn’t you?”

  Michael let the two of them into the house. “But we’re not here to talk about me and Lucifer, we’re here to talk about you.”

  “I thought you were going to tell me about my parents?”

  Michael smiled and drew in a deep breath.

  “You’re my father, aren’t you?” Michelle blurted out. “That’s why you’ve brought me here, isn’t it?”

  A part of Michael was relieved she had figured out the truth without him having to say the words, but her shock didn’t tell him anything about what she thought of the revelation. “Yes,” he said, because it was the only word he could manage to force from his lips.

  He couldn’t face her, couldn’t bear to see whatever was in her eyes. Would she be disappointed or angry?

  “Uncle Michael, are you okay?” She placed her hand on his arm and Michael felt his inner turmoil recede as though it had never been there. Her powers were strong. To bring calmness to an archangel was something most angels could never achieve.

  Michael finally faced his daughter. “Shouldn’t I be asking you that question?”

  “I’m fine,” she replied with a smile. “Though I’m not sure why I’m taking this so well. I feel like I should be shocked and angry at being lied to, but I’m not.”

  Michael knew the reason for her calmness was her angelic nature, but he wanted to give her time to digest what he had told her before he dropped the next bombshell.

  “I guess I’ll be the only girl in school with four fathers,” Michelle continued. “What do I call you? I’ve already got a Dad, a Papa, and a Daddy.”

  “You can still call me Uncle Michael. Your dads are the ones who raised you.”

  A knocking sound came from the front door. Michael was tempted to ignore it, but few angels disturbed him at home, and it could be something important.

  “I’d better see who that is,” Michael said. “Wait here, okay?”

  “I can’t exactly go home,” Michelle pointed out.

  Michael nodded as he went to answer the door.

  “Gabriel, what brings you here?” he asked.

  “I need your help with one of my charges,” Gabriel explained. “But I see you’re busy. Hello, Michelle.”

  Michelle waved from the sofa. “Hi, Uncle Gabe, er Gabriel? As in the angel Gabriel?”

  “Yes,” Gabriel replied. “We thought perhaps having uncles by the names of Gabriel, Raphael, and Michael might be a bit obvious.”

  “You mean Uncle Rafe is an angel too?”

  Gabriel laughed. “You’re too smart for your own good, you know that? I’ll stop by tomorrow, Michael.”

  “No,” Michelle interrupted. “Father can go with you. I’ll just stay here and relax. Do you have a telly?”

  Michael laughed and his heart warmed at hearing his daughter refer to him as Father. “No, there’s no television here, but I’m sure I can find something to keep you occupied for a little while.” With a snap of his fingers he produced Michelle’s homework and passed the books to her.

  “Father!”

  “That’s just cruel,” Gabriel said. “You bring her to our paradise and make her do school work. Come on, munchkin, we’ll give you the tour.”

  “Great!” Michelle tossed aside her school books and ran to the door. “What do I get to see first?”

  “Now you’ve done it,” Michael said. “She’ll want to come here all the time now.”

  Michelle laughed as she waited for them on the path. “Oh look, they have wings too.”

  “All angels have them,” Gabriel said. “We just don’t generally show them on Earth.”

  “Can I see yours? Do they just burst out of your clothes?”

  Gabriel turned round and let his wings appear, thankfully without tearing his garments.

  Michelle clapped in delight. “Are they heavy?”

  “No. They’re light as a feather, or a lot of feathers would probably be more accurate.” He spread his wings wide and hovered a few inches off the floor.

  “Show off,” Michael coughed into his hand.

  Gabriel laughed and they set off after Michelle, who rushed ahead of them to see everything in sight.

  “I take it your news went well?” Gabriel whispered as they followed Michelle toward Gabriel’s home, occasionally calling out the direction for her to take.

  “So far, but she doesn’t know everything yet.”

  “Obviously she knows you’re her father, and an archangel, but what doesn’t she know? Just so I don’t accidentally say the wrong thing.”

  “She knows who her Uncle Luc is, but that’s about it. She doesn’t know about her mother, or her own powers.”

  “I’m sorry I interrupted. I didn’t realize you intended to bring her here.”

  “It was a spur of the moment thing.”

  “Clearly she’s taken the news about her biological father well.”

  “Yes, she has, much to my relief.”

  “You sound surprised. You forget, she’s half angel herself, and whether she knows it or not, her nature will always be one of acceptance.”

  “She’s only half angel,” Michael reminded him. “She’s half demon too.”

  “Let’s hope that news goes down as well as the rest.”

  Michael pushed the uneasy thought from his mind and changed the subject. “What is it you need my help with?”

  “One of my angels has become involved with a demon, a pain demon to be precise.”

  “Ah.” Michael nodded. It had become quite common over the centuries for the archangels to let Michael know when one of their charges became a little too friendly with an inhabitant of the Underworld. Michael took them under his wing, so to speak, and also ensured that Lucifer was aware of the relationship. He also made sure to give the angels advance warning of any petition—usually brought to the table by Raguel—to ban such relations.

  Gabriel’s charge was working in the garden when they arrived, and Gabriel soon put all idle hands to work, while he supervised.

  Michelle, Gabriel was amused to discover, was as ambivalent about gardening as Michael.

  By unspoken agreement, Gabriel set Michelle to work in one part of the garden, weeding the petunias, while Michael and Adam, Gabriel’s charge, talked quietly as they trimmed the hedge on the other side of the house.

  Once Michael had made it clear his door was always open if Adam needed advice, he went back to Michelle, thankfully before she uprooted Gabriel’s prized peonies by mistake.

  “I guess we have to go home soon,” Michelle said. “My dads will be wondering where I’ve disappeared to.”

  “They won’t even know you’ve been gone,” Michael told her. “Time moves differently here. I’ll return you home in plenty of time to get your homework done before dinner.”

  “Or I could stay here and you can tell me about my mum?” Michelle suggested with a sneaky grin.

  “What do you want to know about her?”

  “Her name would be a start.”

  “Her name’s Ardat.”

  “Did you love her?”

  Michael had hoped for a few more easy questions before getting to the tough ones. “My heart belongs to your Uncle Luc,” he reminded her.

  “I know, but you must have had some feelings for my mum, or you wouldn’t have had sex with her. Does Uncle Luc know you cheated on him?”

  “I never cheated on Lucifer,” Michael quickly assured her.

  “Did you have a fight or separate or something?”

  “No. It wasn’t like that.” Michael hesitated. How did you go about explaining to your fifteen-year-old daughter that you and your lover had invited other people—demons—into your bed? Then he remembered Michelle was being raised by three men in a relationship together. She was also smart enough to figure it out on her own, if given enough time. “Your Uncle Luc and I invited your mother to be with us.”


  “Oh.” Michelle blushed and ducked her head.

  “There’s something else you need to know about your mother. She’s not human either. She’s a demon, and an extraordinarily powerful one.”

  “My parents are an archangel and a demon. Wow.”

  “You’re taking this awfully well.”

  Michelle frowned at him. “There’s more, isn’t there?”

  “Yes, and I think you might know where this conversation is going.”

  Michelle studied the knuckles on her hand. The bruises had vanished and the cut appeared days old, rather than hours. “Sometimes I see other kids with cuts and bruises that last for days or even weeks. My bruises disappear in just a few hours.”

  “We thought you might have noticed that.”

  “I asked Papa about it once, but he just told me not to worry about it. Later that night I heard him talking to Dad about it, but I couldn’t hear all of what they were saying. It’s not normal to heal this quickly, which I guess means I’m not normal, am I?”

  “It depends on your definition of normal,” Michael replied. “Because of who your parents are, this is normal for you.”

  Michelle scowled at him. “But I’m not human, am I?”

  “No, you’re half angel and half demon. The accelerated healing comes from my side of the family, as do some of your other abilities, including being able to calm people down with a touch. You’ll also find it easy to see auras of those who are, or have been, angels. You can probably already see them, though you won’t have known what they were.”

  “Sometimes, when I see Dad out of the corner of my eye, I think he’s glowing.”

  “That’s his aura. Your dad used to be an angel, but he gave up his wings to live a mortal life because he loved Alastor and Tristan so much. Sometimes an angel might hide their aura, especially when they’re on Earth, but those who give up their wings, like your dad, can’t. Now you’re maturing, your powers are growing, which is why we felt it was time to tell you who you are.”

  Michelle nodded and stood to pace the room for several minutes. Michael gave her all the time she needed, and finally she returned to her seat beside him. “I’m glad you told me. A few people have said things before about how I seem to heal quickly. I just didn’t know why.”

  “Well, now you do. You don’t just have angelic powers, though—you’re also half demon, which means you’ll be getting some gifts from your mother too.”