Disclaimers: All characters belong to rightful owners.
Story concieved by Lee.


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"Oh yeah, I'm great with going to places. And I was never a girl scout... I think." Lucia grinned and laughed at her little amnesia joke as she walked alongside the wonderful Nathan. A small smile played upon her lips. He was so absolutely amazing... charming, kind, intelligent, handsome, and oh so adorable. She had never felt this way about anyone else before... except... Him.

She tripped over her feet a bit, wobbling but not falling, as the thought stuck her... could this man be her beloved in disguise? Didn't He know who she was? Was His heart beating in His chest with the same passion as hers was at the moment? She grew quiet as she eyed the man up and down with scrutiny, looking for any little hint that he might be the deity that she loved so dearly.

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A mother and her four year old daughter walked to the tree-lighting festivities. Thalia carefully brushed the snow out of her daughter's hat and arranged the blonde curls that had escaped from it. The toddler meanwhile looked up at her mother with wide eyes and a grin from ear to ear. "So I get to spend the whole day with you, mama?" the child chirped. "You promise, right?"

Thalia gave a sober smile as she finished up her task. She hated leaving her daughter every night in the care of others. It wasn't right, but it was better than some of the conditions her own mother had put her through when she was younger. "Yes, baby," she said as she pulled her daughter close to her. "I'll even get to tuck you in tonight, won't that be nice?"

"That's what you said last time," the girl said quietly as she buried her head into her mother's hair.

Thalia said nothing in response as she ran her fingers through Charlene's hair. That was different, she had gotten an expected call from a frantic Madame Blanche after one of the other girls had fallen down a flight of stairs before the show started. She had no choice. Right? As they entered the park, she caught sight of last few minutes of a fight. There were two men involved, a young woman, and unfortunately a young boy who was left in tears even after the fight appeared to have dispersed. Charlene shook her head and headed straight for he place where the lighting was to take place. 'I have to get Charlene out of this place,' she thought to herself as she switched the young girl to her other hip.

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Noticing her silence, Nathan looked over at the young girl who seemed to be eyeing him. "Ummm... Do I have something on my face or something?" Nathan grinned nervously as they neared the park.

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"No... you just remind me a lot of someone that I knew." Lucia tilted her head to the side and squinted. He was kind enough certainly, and there was that attraction. Plus, a similar story to her own... but she had automatically felt Samael at the first flux of power. Why hadn't she felt Him before? Why would He be sharing the same air as her? He had been so angry and hurt...

'...but it was His fault for holding a grudge,' she thought darkly. 'After all, I came back on hands and knees. I _killed_ my very best friend because I was so whole-heartedly repentant, and that wasn't good enough for Him. I thought He was supposed to be Mr. All-Encompassing-Forgiveness... why is He putting me through this trial?'

In the midst of her thoughts, the girl had grown sullen, and she sniffled slightly, as if holding in some wracking sob that threatned to spill out. "I'm sorry... I think I need to go. Just keep following this path, and you'll get to the Tree lighting, okay?"

She wanted nothing more than to run away, but if He... if he asked her to stay, she wouldn't argue.

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It was a dramatic mood swing from happy to depressed all in a couple of minutes. She was fine a couple of minutes ago, and now Lucia seemed as if she was on the verge of tears. Was it something I said? Nathan pondered as he looked at her. "Ummm... Thank you for showing me the way. It's a shame you have to go, you were a great walking buddy," he said with a concerned look on his face. "Are you okay though? Did I say something?" As he said this, Nathan slowly let his mental barriers down, hoping to get some clues to what had caused her sudden change in mood. A surge of emotions was comming off of the girl; the same anger and sorrow he had felt before, only stronger. It was as if something he had done had triggered it. Whatever it was, it was the sign that he had been looking for all this time. It was as the wound that was the hidden source of her pain had reopened, in the process leaving her soul vulnerable for Nathan to see into. 'Of course I do it by accident, I always do,' Nathan thought to himself as he looked at the young girl. 'So here you are, my fallen little angel.'

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Chills ran up and down her spine. Lucia felt uncomfortable, as if Nathan was trying to bore holes into her skull with his eyes. She trembled just a little bit, stuck in the man's towering presense, but soon, she realized that if this was Him then he might very well be staring straight into her soul. Anger bubbled up inside of her. "Don't look at me like that!"

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"Whoa, calm down there," Nathan said put his hands up in the air as if in attempt to show he had no weapons on him. "Look at you in what way?" It seemed as if her tempermental personality had followed into this life as well. Who knew what other characteristics had followed the former angel into this human form.

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"You're not looking at me..." Lucia set herself in her resolve. Either this guy was her beloved or he would think she was crazy. "You're looking into me. And I know better than to let you keep prying...

"This is a bet. And I'd say it's pretty unfair and underhanded of you to pull a trick like that. You're not giving me an equal chance! It's like you WANT me to lose!" She shouted at him, her blue eyes tearing.

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Nathan solemnly looked at her as she teared up in front of her. It seemed as if he too had been found out. Should he reveal who he really was to her, or act like he had no idea what she was talking about? He knew that sooner or later that they would cross paths again; he just didn't think it would actually happen. She was right though. It wouldn't have been fair if he knew who she was and she was left in the dark. At least give the girl a chance to stop him from undermining her plans. He let out a sigh and looked around to see if they had drawn any attention. The streets were mostly empty at hte moment, and those who were there seemed to be preoccupied with hurrying to the lighting or getting out of the cold to pay them any mind. No matter what the case, no need to let the entire world that their God and their Devil were on the streets bickering about a bet. He finally let out a sigh and looked at the young girl, "Really Lucifer, do you have to make a scene?"

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"A scene? I'm hardly making a scene! I haven't even begun to make a scene!" She was rambling now, and she knew it. Lucia took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "You knew... you knew who I was this entire time. Am I? Am I only an enemy to you..."

She let out a shuddering sigh. She reached a trembling, tentative hand out towards him, wanting to touch him and hold him and grasp that perfect thing that she loved so dearly, but something was holding her back.

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Despite all she had done to him, to the things he had loved the most, it still broke his heart to see her this broken up over the situation. He had deceived her, yes. But this wasn't a game. And she obviously hadn't learned anything from the entire experience. She still wasn't sorry for her act, that she had slaughtered most of the human race in a fit in jealousy, turned His other angels against Him, left Him alone and isolated from his creations. She was sorry she had fallen out of his graces. "You made the first move against me, remember?" Nathan said bitterly as he looked at her hand. "You made an attack against me. I would have thought spending all that time you would have at least figured out how much you hurt me. At least be sorry for what you did, as opposed to just wanting to be near me again."

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'Oh no. Oh no. Oh no. He's pulling away. No no no!' Lucia's thoughts were frantic. If only she could do something, _say_ something that would change his mind.

"I know that I hurt you! I know! Do you think I wasn't sorry?" A few tears had rolled down her cheeks already, and there were many more that threatened to flood out her words. She couldn't let them. She had to speak her peace. "I had known that I had hurt you for such a long time... and I am sorry for what I did. I've already told you this...

"This... this isn't just about me wanting to be near you. I _need_ to be near you. I lost everything I had to you... I lost my heart. I lost my friends. I lost the ability to be close to anyone. They all left me. Each and every one of them was too much of a coward to realize that I was right for repenting! That we had hurt you so much, but I knew... so I fought them. They came at me from all sides, and I fought them, and I won, and then..."

By now she was in tears. Every word she said was marred by a heaving sob. "And then they were afraid of me... afraid of what I would do to them because I'm the horrible, evil one. And all I hear is Lucifer did this to ruin the world and Lucifer did that to her fellow angels... and all I ever did was love you too much. I made a wrong choice, I know. But if I don't win this... and I... I don't prove myself to you, or even worse, if at the end of this all, you really truly wanted me out of Heaven... if you take me back, and you in your all-encompassing forgiveness and goodness and holy perfections that make you the one being that I hold dear above all else... if you can't forgive me, I'll have nothing!"

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The girl was sobbing heavily in front of him while she poured her heart out to him. Funny, there was something about her being human that made the apology much more effective to him. Then again, he was angrier back then and terribly lonely after he sealed the angels away. Still, it was her fault, her pride. But he couldn't help but feel guilty. Her sobs had attracted the attention of an elderly group of women passsing by, shaking their heads at the ungentlemanly behavior that these young'uns had these days. Nathan sighed and walked towards her. "Come here," he said as he wrapped his hands around her. It felt so awkward to do so, but he had to calm her down. "Calm down, okay." He patted her on the back and looked over at the older ladies to show that he was making an attempt to calm the frantic girl down. Females were complicated creatures, he thought to himself.

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It was enough that anyone was showing her--the REAL her--any kind of sympathy or compassion, but being touched by Him, having Him try to calm her down... that was heaven. And yet... she had a feeling deep down that he was still to angry at her to be offering her anything more than a stranger's compassion. She let a few more shuddering sobs as she tried to quiet herself down.

"I'm sorry..." Lucia muttered, wiping the tears from her cheeks. She probably looked like a wreck and a crazy wreck at that. Pulling herself together as best as she could, she gave her beloved the brightest of her bubbly teenage girl smiles. "I'm really sorry for that stupid outburst. Didn't mean for it to come out soooo... whiny, y'know? Ummm, I really have to go now. Hope you find your friends without trouble. Good luck."

She shoved her hands into her pockets, kept her eyes on the ground and started walking. It didn't matter where to... she just wanted to go. Anyplace where she didn't have to see the complete lack of love in his eyes would be fine... but then, it wasn't complete was it? He still loved her. He was just angry. These were the things she reminded herself of as she plopped down sullenly on a bench.

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"Twenty-three," Darran gritted out, "and that can hardly make a goddamn difference, especially since _I_ don't even know her age. Not like I fucking card people on the street." Twisted logic, but true enough in Darran's own mind... this whole time, the fact that Para did seem younger hadn't really registered at all. Whoops.

Still, Para's intervention helped soothe Darran, even if it didn't work on the brother. He was damn lucky she was still on his side, considering where things had been heading... but then again, she wouldn't know what the outcome could've been, would she? For years Darran hadn't fought anyone he couldn't kill, and judging from what he'd seen of the other... well, he still hadn't. The thought that he could've _killed_ this guy, right there in front of his family, also went a long way towards calming the assassin down-- or at least made him realize that it would be a good idea. So, though the suggestion that he might've taken advantage of Para was pretty fucking insulting, to say the least, Darran tried to keep it cool.

"I don't really much give a damn if you feel like apologing or not," he observed dryly, "only get one thing straight. You're not saving your sister from _shit_, 'cause she's not and never was in danger."

Hey. Did the fact that he'd nearly lost control mean that he kind of owed the jerk an apology, too?

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"Apologize?! Why the bloody _fuck_ would I have to apologize?" Dante spluttered as he stared at the other male in open shock. Of course, in his own mind, Dante had done no wrong and, as such, he had absolutely no reason to be sorry... not that he'd likely apologize either way. Still, whatever else would have been said was thankfully lost as Cordy decided to reintroduce himself into the situation.

Having finally calmed from his tears, Cordy twisted on his sister's hip and, smiling hopefully, he stretched his arms out toward Dante in that universally recognized 'pick me up' gesture. As vulnerable to this-- or perhaps even moreso-- than anyone else, Dante pulled the boy from his sister's hip only to arrange the boy on his shoulders. Rather happy with his new vantage point, Cordy giggled a bit as he played with a few bits of his brother's hair.

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Para, smiling at this display, took the chance to try to, maybe, soothe things, even the tiniest of bits. "I guess introductions're in order, since...well..no one got the chance.." She giggled a bit sheepishly as she positioned herself between the two men. Not that her presence--as short as she was-- would be a detterant to further fighting if either wanted it badly enough, but it was a way to maybe get minds from the fighting. As she introduced each, she offered her best, brightest smile, even if everyone else was likely still glowering. "Darran Isanyeti, please meet my younger brother, Dante Delvidrio. Dannie, I'd like you to meet a new but dear friend of mine, Darran Isanyeti..."

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"Darran... Isanyeti..." Dante repeated slowly as he narrowed his eyes at the other man. That name was familiar and not in the best of ways. After all, what would one think when such a name was heard, even over the loud music of the S&G, bragging about fighting abilities? Really, only certain types did that sort of thing and it seemed to follow quite well with what he'd already seen. Not speaking another word, he took Para by the arm and, not breaking his narrow-eyed glance, he tugged her closer to himself in a clear protective manner.

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Eh. Fine. Fuck the apology, either one. Darran shrugged slightly to the other's vehement response and withheld the smartass answer just begging to be let out: _You're_ the one who brought up apologizing, dumb fuck.

So it was just as well that Cordy intervened, though the sight of him giggling and happy atop such a perfect asshole's shoulders was a little jarring. Normally that was exactly the sort of thing he could laugh off, maybe with a little joke-- 'Geeze, I thought I was doing okay as his personal carrier,' or something like that-- but in his current mood... *Wait, wait, wait. _I_, a total stranger, am getting jealous 'cause Cordy happens to like his older brother? This Dante must be getting to me even worse than I thought.* But hey, it didn't matter in the end, did it? He could keep calm, especially for Para and Cordy. Except...

His eyes narrowed a little at the odd tone of voice Dante repeated his name in. Yeah, he'd heard that sort of wary recognition before, many times, and the look in the punk's eyes cinched the deal. Darran's face shut down, falling into a neutral expression with only his hooded gaze to hint at the rising anger he was struggling against. Oh, he knew exactly what was running through Dante's mind as he pulled Para close, and it was getting the assassin just a little pissed.

*You're not so sparkling white yourself, angel. The only people who can connect me to Tiger Claw on name alone... I think we can safely say they don't usually come from Elysian Fields, y'know.* This thought brought a small, not entirely nice smile to hook at the corner of his mouth, and only goaded him further. At this point, Darran wasn't exactly thinking clearly enough to realize that the best way to come across as non-threatening would be to move _back_. Now, he was a little more preoccupied in making it clear to Dante that he didn't give a shit who the guy was or what he thought he could do. Taking a step forward, ostensibly to greet the other, he said carelessly, "Yeah. Nice t'meet you, Dante."

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Parajo, having no clue why Darran's name would get _that_ sort of reaction from her twin, could only blink at the sudden increase of tension between the two men. Of course, her confusion wasn't helped any when she suddenly noticed that Dante was holding Cordy out for her to take.

"Dannie, what's going on?" She asked slowly as she readily took Cordy into her arms. Rather absently, she smiled as her baby brother reached to play with her hair, but her attention was still shifting between the two men. Seeing that her twin wasn't going to give her answer, she was about to repeat the question to Darran, when her Dante's voice cut her short.

"Go, Para." He commanded in a monotone as he returned both Darran's stare and his rather unpleasant smile. Well, at least they were both on the same page, though what the fuck an assasin would want with his sister... well, that was common sense, too, probably. Not that he'd let it happen. Over his dead body. "Take Cordy to the tree lighting. I'll meet up with you later."

"Dannie..." She spoke slowly as she narrowed her eyes at her twin. She didn't like the look on her twin's features nor the look that Darran had taken since Dante had tackled him. All of this, it was just too weird and she didn't understand _any_ of it. What was so bad? What had _any_ of them done? "C'mon. This's stupid. What's so bad? He's an okay guy, really. He was really nice to us, me and Cordy both. There's no need to be like this..."

"Parajo." Dante started, then stopped himself. So, how does one go about telling another that the person with whom she was just flirting was one of the city's most ruthless assasins? Not easy, even for one as plainspoken as him. Barring that, he simply shook his head. "Just go. If you don't hurry, you'll miss the whole thing and Cordy'll cry..."

This stopped the protest which had been at the tip of Para's tongue and, with a sigh, she glanced down to Cordy. Cordy, for his part, only looked concerned, but she did know how much the boy was looking forward to the tree lighting. She didn't want to disappoint him, but she also wanted to know what was going on. She really _liked_ Darran, damnit.

"Oh, fine. Just... be careful. Both of you. I hope I can see you again, Darran." She sighed as she glanced to the man, but she really doubted the likelihood of that. After seeing what a psycho her twin was-- even if he was a well-meaning psycho-- she highly doubted he'd ever want to see her again. Still, she could always hope. Offering both men a smile she wasn't sure they'd see, she turned on her heel and headed off toward the tree.

"Yea, good to meet you too." Dante returned with a smirk, once his sister was out of earshot. Closing the distance between them, he stared down to the other's gaze, but not once did it strike him that this was the uberbad idea. "Darran Isanyeti, you said it is, right?"

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