Grand Design

*Three Months Later*

"How is she doing?”

Lucifer rolled her eyes, "How do you think? Poor girl is heartbroken, and your child is working her body overtime to make her happy.”

His heart ached, shattered as well. It’d gotten so hard to watch Eva from far away, he’d eventually stopped looking. Stopped trying his best to show her he was there, stopped watch his child grow in her stomach. The last time he’d looked at her, he’d watched her cry herself to sleep.

"You should talk to her.”

Alaric’s jaw twitched. "You know I was forbidden from doing that.”

Lucifer arched her brow, "Since when has that ever stopped you?”

The part she didn’t know was that he was really given no choice. His consequence for disobeying his father this time was that he would be killed. Even though he couldn’t be with Eva or their son, he needed to remain alive, for the day that he would be able to look again, the day seeing wouldn’t put a new crack in his heart. Deciding to change the subject, Alaric returned his eyes to the papers in front of him.

"Have you finished looking over the Grand Design?” Her silence made him look up. He arched his brow, "Please tell me you looked it over, Raien gave it to you over a week ago, and I need to review it.”

Lucifer looked at her brother, her face completely devoid of jest. "Alaric, you need to look at the Grand Design, Eva’s on it.”

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"YOU’RE GOING TO KILL EVA?!” Alaric seethed as he entered his father's office. Not looking up from his papers, he nonchalantly gave him a yes. "Why would you do that?”

Finally looking up, his father glared at him. "Because that’s the way it was always supposed to be Alaric, before you interfered.” Alaric looked at his father in disbelief, it growing as his father laughed, "What? Isn’t this what you wanted? All your complaining over the last few months, now she’ll finally be with you. You can have both her and your son.”

Alaric cut his eyes. "LOOK AROUND FATHER. WHERE IS YOUR WIFE? DO YOU REALLY EXPECT ME TO BELIEVE THAT YOU WOULD LET ME BE WITH MY FAMILY?”

His father threw up his hands, "When they get here that’s on you, but she will die Alaric as she was intended to in the first place. You can’t change that, so prepare for her arrival." With that, he waved his hand, pushing Alaric from his office.

Eva sat at the café and rubbed her belly. "Hey, you in there, I can’t wait to finally meet you.” Secretly, she hoped that her son didn’t look like his father, that would be the very thing that would stick the knife through her heart. She sighed and fidget with her ring.

*I know you had to go but I…I miss you so much it hurts. *

Feeling the tears well in her eyes, she quickly wicked them away. Sipping her tea, the warm liquid seemed to calm her. Eva hated thinking about Alaric, but she found herself thinking about him every day. She’d even tried to write in his book, but the words wouldn’t take to the page. It had been months since she felt his touch, that she’d look into his eyes. She craved him, and the more she did, the more it tore her apart.

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Pacing back and forth, Alaric found himself conflicted. Could he really let Eva die so that she could be with him? He missed her so badly. Inhaling deep, he finally opened up the portal to look at her. He watched her button her coat and gather herself. His breath caught in his throat, as she turned giving him a full view of her face.

*I know I had to go but I…I miss you so much it hurts.*

He couldn’t breathe knowing that she would soon die. He felt a tear fall from his eyes, as his thoughts traveled to her family. The life she’d built before him, the one he knew she’d build after. She stepped into the street, and the truck whipped around the corner. Erratic, the drunk driver didn’t see the small woman who was crossing the street. Had he, he would have realized there was a stop sign but so heavily impaired he blew right through it. Alaric watched as Eva’s eyes widened as she saw the eighteen-wheeler inches from colliding into her body. Shutting his eyes, Alaric felt another tear fall down his face. In a voice like a whisper, he murmured.

"I love you Little Human.” And with that, he scratched Eva’s name from the Grand Design, saving her and his son.

Searing pain coursed through Alaric’s body, making his knees buckle. His father struck him again, and he screamed out in pain.

"HOW DARE YOU BETRAY ME?!” His father seethed.

Breathless, Alaric hands hit the floor. "I-I couldn’t let them die.”

“EVEN IF IT MEANS THAT YOU'LL DIE INSTEAD?”

"…Yes.” Alaric shut his eyes and prepared for his father’s wrath.

"Stand up Alaric.”

"Wha-”

"Stand up” Standing, Alaric looked at his father.

Raien joined them, with a smile on his face. "I’m so proud of you.”

His father nodded, "I’m proud of him too.”

Alaric looked from one to the other, "I-I don’t understand.”

His father shook his head, "Look at your wings.” One black and one white, Alaric looked at his father. "For the one who’s soul pulls to the darkness, and yet someway still manages to travel to the light. For the one most like the people on earth, some good and some bad. For the one, I need to rule over the middle ground of heaven and hell."

"Something is coming Alaric, something I can’t tell you about. Something coming to Earth, that will decide its fate. If you accept this challenge without knowing what it is, your penance to me is complete.”

Alaric stared at his father in shock. "Wha-what about heaven?”

His father laughed, "Do you really think I would put you in charge up here after what you did to Cain and Abel?”

Alaric smirked, "I didn’t know you knew that was me.”

"Lucifer belongs in hell, and I belong here…but you Alaric…you somehow managed to find yourself in between.”

Alaric looked from his father to Raien and then his wings. "I accept.”

His father smirked, "I thought you would.” His father waved his hand, and Alaric felt a light course through him.

"Congratulations my son, you’re finally going home to your family.”