Jonathan finished his next glass. Elise could tell by the look in his eyes that he was inwardly fighting with himself over what had happened. She could very well guess that the duel he was having had something to do with the fact that he hadn't burned the whole mess down while he was still there, starting with Michael. She laid her head on his shoulder, and it calmed him immediately. Azrael saw it and smiled softly. Yes, these two would save everything and all, would become the new gods. They waited for Raphael in silence. The three teenagers also remained silent, enjoying their tea. Raffa appeared and his face was thunderous.
Jon said:
"Raffa, before you kick my ass, it was necessary."
"I'm not angry with you, Jon. I want to slowly strangle the Elder Healers even though I am a healer myself. Yes, Uriel deserved it, Father had even decreed a much worse punishment. Had you not listened to my plea, he would have been snuffed out of existence, just as Father had decreed. But they took him to the infirmary and did the bare minimum for him and didn't even allow me to do more. Damn, you were right Jonathan, you have been right for years, they are all bastards!"
Jon asked:
"What about the others? Jo is already here and the three of you, so I still need 43 Angels."
He shook his head sadly and said:
"They are not all coming, Jon. Some are firmly convinced that if they behave bravely on the battlefield, they will be given a new role after the war. You know as well as I do that they will all die because they have absolutely no experience. We only have 25."
Jon closed his eyes and murmured quietly:
"Damn it, I wanted them all."
Elise said quietly:
"Sometimes you can't save everyone, Jon."
"I know, sweetheart, but I was so hoping to save those 47 from certain death. And give them an existence where they could use their powers at will and find fulfillment again."
He shook his head for a moment, which suddenly shot up with a jerk, and looked at Raffa sternly.
He spoke a single word:
"Cas?"
Raphael shook his head, preparing himself for the outburst that would inevitably follow. He only hoped that the apocalypse would not break out immediately.
"She wants to stay with Michael. He made her a seemingly impossible promise."
Jon took a few deep breaths and tried to control his temper, only half succeeding. Rae Rae knew what was coming when he looked at her with eyes that showed fire with all the intensity of hell. He crushed his glass in his hand and said between his teeth:
"Get her the fuck down here NOW! I want her ass here in five minutes! I don't care how! Tie her up, gag her, whatever, but get her here! May Grandmother have mercy on everyone, if she is not here in a few minutes, I will destroy all of Heaven and Hell as a bonus!"
The Angel just nodded and disappeared without a word. Elise could tell by the look on Jonathan's face that he was in no condition to answer any questions. A minute later, Azrael reappeared in the garden with an Angel who looked no older than eleven. The look in Jon's eyes was turbulent as he looked at her, and the Angel immediately looked at her feet. It took a lot of effort for him not to explode, but when he spoke it was more than obvious that he was angry:
"What the FUCK do you think you're doing, Cas?"
"I'm sorry Jon, but everyone said it was supposed to be like this..."
"Get your ass over there and I'll tell you what's supposed to be and what's not!"
He pointed to the couch where Muriel was sitting. She meekly sat down. It was the first time he had been so direct with her. He knew he was using the words, and he also knew that from that moment on, he would not use any other word to call her by. No more hiding and mind games.
"I AM YOUR FATHER... I am the fucking Antichrist, I am the fucking Crown Prince of Hell, I am the fucking Crown Prince of Heaven. I SAY HOW IT SHOULD BE! NOT GRANDPA, NOT GRANDMA, AND CERTAINLY NOT THAT LUNATIC MICHAEL! I SAY HOW IT IS, I, YOUR FATHER!"
He pointed a finger at her:
"Or do you think it's fun and exciting, like Michael, that billions of people have to die, that all of Grandma's work is being undone because all of nature is being killed, that it's exciting that thousands of your brothers and sisters are going to die? Do you think it's fun to be annihilated on the battlefield? You have ZERO fucking experience in combat, what do you think would happen to you if the first demon with a little experience met you on the battlefield? For fuck's sake, Cas, do you want to see me break down in despair? Die of grief?"
The young Angel cried, and Elise sat down beside her to comfort her. He took another deep breath and then said much calmer:
"Cas honey, please don't ever scare me like that again, I was terrified when Raffa said you were going to join this damn war. I almost had a panic attack on top of a heart attack!"
She looked up at him frightened:
"You're not really angry with me?"
"No, honey, but I'm freaking out. Please don't ever do anything stupid like that again. I love you as everyone in our little group loves you and we want nothing more than to have you in our existence, okay?"
She nodded meekly and said quietly:
"I'm sorry Jon, I'll never do it again.
The first traces of a faint smile appeared on his face and he said:
"You'd better, Cas because you're not too damn old to be put over my knee! Oh yes, one more thing Casiel, for now you are grounded! Right here on earth, literally! You are a teenager and you have two sisters your age in the house, Samantha and Jules, and you will take a damn good example from them. You also have three older sisters on that couch next to yours, Fay, Hope, and Pamela, and you will follow their example just like Sam and Jules and listen to them because they only have your best interests at heart! You will not go anywhere without someone with you until I say otherwise. Either me or Elise or Rae Rae and the use of your wings, you can forget about them for a while, they stay out of sight! Understood?"
The young angel nodded meekly, and with that, the tension in the air was greatly reduced. Everyone took a breath until Azrael asked:
"What happened Jon?"
He took a deep breath and another sip:
"The first part I will tell; I don't care who finds out. The second part stays with those here. No one outside this small circle will hear about it for now! I mean it!"
He raised a finger to emphasize the importance of what he was about to say.
"I went to see this madman first; he was in the middle of a ritual to summon a Demon because his plan to kill the children and get Liz had failed. He wanted more power to try again. I briefly played along to find out what he was up to. After a minute, however, I was completely fed up, because that jerk really was as crazy as a revolving door and I stepped out of his circle. I gave him the fright of his life and just pulled out the information I needed out of his brain. Then I delivered him to Dad. He was still angry that the girls had almost been victimized. He takes his grandfather's role very seriously. So I have no doubt that the price that fool will pay will be terrible. Then I went to the throne room in Heaven and, as I said, I scared the hell out of the Archangels and Elders and torched Uriel. He was behind the whole thing, and by now he had also whispered the names of Elise and the other girls into that idiot's ear."
He had heard his daughters and his future wife gasp. He refilled his glass and continued:
"No doubt in collaboration with Michael and Sandalphon. Those two I could not burn because they play a leading role in what I am planning. What those idiots wanted to achieve, no idea. Surely they had to know that I would notice immediately and act upon that. But they did! Hubris, I don't have any other explanation. What I did notice was that Gabriel was trying to make herself as small as possible. And looked at Uriel with disgust. This tells me that the three idiots, as usual, did not think things through and assured themselves of a master plan and trap that I would fall into with both feet at the same time. Whatever Gabriel wanted to accomplish is now off the table. She has no time to set anything else in motion, so she is out of the picture, but not out of my little black book. No matter what her masterplan was with the souls that have been send to Hell or have been marked for Hell but do absolutely not belong there. Grandpa is at this moment so pissed off that no Arch or elder will dare to approach him for a couple of days. They will all keep their heads down and be good little Angels. We have been behind all along and Uriel has handed me the upper hand on a silver platter. Because now the ball is in our court. Michael can forget his orders because the UNO reverse has been played. Grandfather not only gave me the group, but he also gave up his divine power over them forever! The only thing that remains to be resolved is our problem with those who have a marker for Hell and those who, unfortunately, are already there unjustly. Fortunately, that is not in such a hurry."
He lit another cigarette and took a sip of his vodka.
"Grandpa and I played a verbal game for Michael's benefit to get him all hot and bothered, you'll see why in a moment. I covertly let him know that I already knew what he was planning, and he let me know that of course he already knew, through Grandma and her visit to us, who else? The next step was that I made him a proposal, the 47 younger Angels against his Archangels and the Elders. He gave me the younger ones, of course, because that was always their plan, including their authority over them. This was his first move on the board in the endgame. His condition for the youngsters was the apocalypse, which was my plan anyway."
Elise was the only one more or less aware of this plan. Suddenly there was a cacophony of voices. Jon raised his hand:
"Relax, I'll get back to the apocalypse in a minute."
There were nods in the seating area.
"My counter condition was a family dinner tomorrow at the Deflin house because there's a lot more room in the main hall. With everyone present, Grandpa, Grandma, Uncle J, Aunt M, and my father. But also everyone who is here. So I want to use the main hall because I expect a lot of people. Everyone along this far?"
There was a nod.
"Okay, I told this to Elise, Azrael, and Zelo earlier, so this is the second part that is not leaving this group. These five have staged some kind of coup against themselves. Grandpa and Grandma want to step down, my father wants to get off his throne, and Uncle J and Aunt M along with David and Sarah obviously want nothing more than to go along with Grandpa and Grandma. The only way to accomplish this is through what will happen tomorrow, the family dinner. Grandma will transfer her connection and the power of her throne to Elise; Grandpa and my father will do the same with their thrones for me. After that, I will start the apocalypse."
He raised his hand when a few people started to protest again. With his now more than familiar smirk, he spoke:
"Didn't I ask you to be quiet? What is it with women and not being able to keep quiet for a few minutes?"
This earned him a slap on the shoulder from Liz as Elise was still comforting Casiel. Knowing the meaning of his smirk all too well, they immediately became very quiet again.
"Yes, I am going to start the apocalypse, but not in the way you seem to think now and what those winged idiots up there and those little morons down there are hoping for. What I am going to do is shut down Heaven and Hell. No Angel or Demon coming out, so no war and therefore no thousands of dead Angels and Demons and I don't know how much irreparable damage to nature. In other words, no carnage and no irreparable environmental disaster. No Angels and Demons dying in an unnecessary fucking war. Just souls getting in, except those we choose."
Without thinking, Muriel had taken Zelo's hand and squeezed it encouragingly. She asked:
"Jon, is all this possible? Do you even have that power?"
"Dear Muriel, I am already as powerful as Grandpa without him and my father transferring their power to me. My dear Elise made me realize something yesterday that I had never thought about myself before. Something that Grandpa and Grandma probably don't know either, or at least have never said a word about. Somehow I have been tied to Grandpa and Grandma's throne since I was very young, and I sit on the secondary throne of Hell. Apparently, this already makes me more powerful than Grandpa. Once they transfer their full power to me, my power will increase exponentially. Exactly how powerful and what I will be able to do with that power, I don't know yet, that remains to be seen. I have a sneaking suspicion that will come in very handy for what I want to do once all the idiots are locked in their cages. I am sure that those five together have settled their differences ages, if not centuries ago, and just want to get rid of all that misery without a bloodbath in the family. In other words, a so-called bloodless coup. Although this is not really a coup, but rather a transfer of power. The coup itself is more a piece of theater to keep Michael and his people in their corner for a while longer until everything is ready. They just want to live quietly in a corner somewhere in the new heaven. Remember, if there is a New Heaven, then there is no longer a prohibition for Dad to enter that Heaven. So he can be back with his Francesca, my Mom. Then the four of them can happily play the role of spoiling grandparents for the rest of their infinite existence. No throne in Hell, because it will be ruled by Demons like Zelo, who will function as the managers of Hell. Once the powers are transferred, Elise and I will have to create a new Heaven and Hell in a flash, and two new thrones will automatically appear for us to bond with for a few hours. The thrones in the old Heaven and Hell will disappear at the same time as the two new thrones appear, so there will be no more thrones in Heaven and Hell. This will make the closure of Heaven and Hell as we now know them permanent."
Elise asked:
"But then why all the extra protection, Jon? It won't be needed after tomorrow, will it?"
He replied laconically:
"Drama, honey, pure drama. Yes, Dad and Grandpa were really shocked when they heard what Uriel had done. If the stakes weren't so high, they would have gone on the warpath together, believe me. God and the Devil riding side by side... Fuck me... The extra layers of protection set the stage. Every Angel and Demon had to understand that this was just part of the preparations for war. That this war was about to break out very, very soon. So, to get them all foaming at the mouth, I gave them a date, eight days from now, at midnight, the war would begin for them. At least they think so, because everything will be over in the next thirty-six hours. Why all of a sudden there is such a rush, I do not know yet, that will become clear tomorrow. So now they will all stay in line and can begin to prepare for their desired slaughter. These preparations will be hectic, so they won't look at Earth for the next few days. A few days is nothing to a Demon or an Angel. I bet there must be a bunch of Angels like Michael and a bunch of Demons frothing at the mouth in anticipation of going to war. The bodyguards that Dad is sending are for protection against people who are involved in black magic, because no Angel will ever come to Earth again, except for our Celestials."
Liz asked fearfully:
"And what about humanity, Jon? We can't implement our plans so quickly."
He smiled mischievously at her:
"Don't have too little sis."
You could just see Liz light up like fireworks at being called that by Jon.
"Once Michael and his are trapped in the old Heaven and the Demons in the old Hell, we can simply forget about these two components as no longer applicable. The strategy remains unchanged, Deflin House is the first step, the next step is Eden."
Muriel, who knew nothing about this, started to laugh out loud and said:
"Jon, that's brilliant! Gather as many people as you can through Deflin House and other places and transfer them to Eden. We'll build a new society, completely protected from climate change in the outside world, and when nature is restored, people can start inhabiting the rest of the world again."
"Indeed, Muri, a completely new society. Literally a coexistence between Humans, Angels, and Demons, no more separation. No more Angels and Demons, only Celestials. I will never accept anyone who wants to change things, who wants to go back to the old days. Celestials living together in Heaven or on Earth. Whatever they choose of their own free will. Because I don't want a Celestial to have to live in Hell. It is so damn easy to get from Heaven or Earth to Hell that we can just do it in shifts, three shifts, 24 hours a day. Call it a commute. A real society without race or species distinctions so we can gently steer humanity in the right direction, towards progress without destroying the planet. There is a whole damn universe waiting for them!"
Azrael said:
"And that is why you are our big brother, the leader we have been waiting for. Whatever you want from us, brother, just say the word and we will do it! One question I have, My Lord. How long..."
He did not let her finish her question because he knew exactly what she was going to ask:
"Since I was five and lived happily as a boy with my Mom and Dad. If the Devil could fall in love with a human being and be completely happy on an equal basis. Why would it not be possible for you to live together, work together, support each other as equals?"
He pointed at Domino and Argo:
"Why should my dad and mom be the exception that different species cannot fall in love as perfect equals? I refuse to believe that."
He had tears in his eyes and you could hear the emotion in his voice:
"After my mother died, I fell into a black hole. Not at home in Heaven, not at home in Hell, alone on Earth because everyone was fucking afraid of me once they knew what I was".
He slowly looked into the eyes of everyone present and said with deadly seriousness:
"We will build a new future for Humans and Celestials, but the first one who forgets who is responsible for your survival, your life, and your future will regret the day I call you into my office. Remember the name and use it only in reverence, for she will be the new Mother of all. Her name is Elise!"
After those powerful words, there was silence for a minute or two as everyone processed what he had said. Until Liz responded in silence and awe:
"Amen to that!"
"Well, now that we have that clear, there is work to be done. We need to take care of some things for tomorrow night and unfortunately, we can't waste any time because the endgame is set. Okay?"
Liz immediately shot into her PA role and asked:
"What do you need Jon?"
"Call Tezz and Franklin. Tell them to turn on the water and electricity for all the trailers, we are going to have a lot of guests using the trailers for a few days. And most importantly, stay out of the main hall for a while because I'm going to set it up for dinner. We need a caterer to deliver a menu an hour before the scheduled time we will be at the table. Some of your sisters from the coven, or the sisters who are already in the village now, who would like to serve as waiters for a short time. It should be a cold meal, a self-service buffet so that everyone can walk around and talk to each other. A friendly meet and greet, so to speak. We can't have outsiders because they'll run away screaming when they see a bunch of Angels, Demons, the God and Goddess, not to mention Jesus fucking superstar and my father, appear out of nowhere."
He pointed and looked at Rae Rae:
"You need to go upstairs and make it clear to the others that they need to be at dinner. And I want all 21 of them fucking understood!"
She had a smile on her face as her big brother was clearly in his new god role:
"Absolutely boss, I'll take care of it!"
Now he turned to Zelo:
"You will go to the throne room shortly; my father will be expecting you and will send everyone away when you arrive. All the Demons he has chosen must be present at the dinner tomorrow night! Tell him to come up with some stupid fucking reason but I want all the Demons to be level on five or below, except for the ones from Dis. Have them do a roll call of every single damn soul in the lower circles to keep them busy for hours. If he asks why, tell him because I said so! After that, you come right back here. Understand?"
Zelo didn't know how fast to nod. Jon leaned back. He took a deep breath and said quietly:
"Elise dear, would you please join the girls in dividing up the rooms a bit for one night as we have more guests than rooms? The triplets still seem to like sharing a bed, so that's easy. Ask Sam, Jules, and Brandon if they would do the same. I don't think you'll have much resistance there either."
He smiled:
"I still have to expose the little brat sooner or later. Argo, you can share a room with Zelo if you want. Unless the little Prada killer next to you has other ideas. Liz, I don't think you'll mind sharing a room with Rae Rae to discuss IMPORTANT work-related matters. Rae Rae, I know how passionate you get when you talk about work, so make sure the room is soundproof so you don't disturb the little ones. Muriel and Jophiel will have no problem sharing a room as they do it often enough in Grandma and Grandpa's suite. Raffa and Zelo we have only one room left, so you will have to share. Casiel and Davy can use the study next to the suite. I will redecorate it and put two beds there. Cas, if you think I'm going to let you out of my sight for the time being, you're sorely mistaken! And if I hear one false squeak from that room..."
His voice grew soft:
"Cas, Davy has been through hell most of his young life. If you and the rest of the kids could find it in your hearts to help and support him like a brother, I would be so damn grateful and proud."
It was Pamela who said:
"Daddy, we are not blind. You and Mommy look at him and you see a son. So we will look at him and see a brother and we will all be there for him all the way."
Everyone sat there in silence for a moment until Liz's eyes opened wide and she almost cried out:
"Holy shit! I know I said it before, but at the time it all seemed abstract.... Far away... Jon, you are the new god, Elise, you are the new goddess! Jon, you want to make Brandon and me Angels... Oh wow..."
Azrael looked deep into her eyes and said:
"Darling, you know what that makes you, don't you? Not an ordinary angel, but an Archangel, the highest rank, and the representative of God as His assistant. Since we have no replacement for Michael or Gabriel because we have no army and no need for one, you are de facto the most important Archangel in your position and you are above all of us in rank. Even me, the right hand, if God sees fit to keep me in that position. Congratulations on your promotion to Archangel, Leader of all the Celestials, Left Hand, and PA of God, darling."
Liz went pale and sat looking at Rae Rae with her mouth open. Rae Rae, however, did not seem to be finished with poor Liz and leaned a little closer, giving Liz a very good view of her breasts:
"Maybe in a few thousand years, you'll be able to teach me a thing or two, honey, Hmmm...."
Liz immediately turned red as a tomato again and could only sigh:
"Oh, fuck yes!"
The fact that Liz apparently couldn't resist Rae Rae at any cost provoked warm laughter from everyone. The air seemed to have escaped Jon for a moment and as he stood up he said rather wearily:
"If everyone will excuse me, I'd like to lie down and close my eyes for an hour or two. It's been quite a morning."
He turned and walked into the house toward the suite. On his way up, he met Davy, who had just woken up. A smile appeared around his mouth and he said:
"Good morning Davy, Elise is outside and she will probably make you a very nice breakfast, enough for ten plus. You will also find Raphael in the garden. Please talk to him and he will be happy to heal all the wounds on your body, nothing will show anymore and you won't feel any pain anymore".
The boy got tears in his eyes, fell into Jon's arms, and said softly:
"Thank you, Jon."
"No thank you, son, we are all happy to have you with us. I'll see you shortly after lunch and we'll talk. I need to rest a bit now as it has been a busy morning."
He hugged the boy tightly and planted a kiss on his head.
In the garden, Rae Rae sat down next to Cas and Elise for a moment before leaving. She took the young Angel's hand, who still hadn't recovered from Jon's outburst, and said:
"Cas, why don't you go upstairs and crawl into bed with Jon for a while, like you used to like to do? It'll calm you down and you know you can calm him down too. You're still a half-shivering baby sister, and you need his arms around you like you always did. Hop away."
Elise gave her an encouraging smile and nodded. The young Angel got up and made her way to the suite. She knocked on the door and entered hesitantly. Without opening his eyes, he said:
"Are you going to stand there waiting for a written invitation Cas or are you going to join me?"
He opened the covers to reinforce his invitation. She took off her clothes and crawled into bed with him, laying her head on his chest. She mumbled:
"I'm so sorry, Jon, that I scared you so much."
He kissed her head and said:
"Forget it, sweetheart, you're here and that's all that matters."
"Jon?"
"Hmmm"
"Are Michael and his group really gone for good? Will they really never be dangerous to us again?"
He knew exactly what the hidden meaning of this question was, but he also knew that he had to let it come out on its own.
"They're really gone, baby. Don't worry about them anymore. Now get some sleep, I think you might need it."
He put an arm around her and pulled her close. Afterward, he was surprised to find that he had actually fallen asleep again, and so had Casiel. Elise had gone upstairs about fifteen minutes later to see if everything was all right and if they needed anything. Seeing the two of them cuddled up like that gave her a warm smile, and she gently closed the door behind her and went back downstairs. The house was quite full and it warmed her heart, this was family, a big family and she couldn't be happier and she knew there was always room for more.