The portal Lucifer drew led straight to the throne room. It was the middle of the day, and a gathering of people was standing around the room, waiting for their chance to speak to his father. Following the small family through the door, he was greeted with an annoyed look coming from his father,

"Everyone out. We'll resume tomorrow." His father ordered, causing the room quickly clear, and within a minute, they were the only ones in the massive room. "It was one child, Lucifer. Why does an entire family stand in front of me?" His father asked.

"Father, mother, and child." Lucifer answered, pointing to each, "Give him here." He finished reaching for the baby, who he was handed cautiously, "Little, er, what is the child's name?" Lucifer asked, realizing he hadn't bothered to ask.

"Sorlo," Boxgurn answered.

"Little Sorlo here has a couple of distinguishing features," Lucifer informed, walking the child to his father.

The doors to the throne room opened, causing everyone's heads to turn. In walked his Baby Girl along with Azazel, Vassal, Milril, and Orad. Her eyes immediately caught his but quickly shifted to the bundle in his arms,

"Apologies, Milords, we need to get some measurements for the ceremony. Should we return later?" Azazel's voice rang out.

"No, you're fine. Do what you must." Lord Lucifer replied, turning his attention back to his son, "Lucifer, you were saying?"

He hummed, snapping back to the task at hand, "Right, here, take a look." He said, bringing the child to his father.

"No, I don't wish to hold it." He refused.

"And everyone wonders why I have issues." He muttered.

"Come now, prove your point, Louie. He looks to be a normal child. Please tell me why a whole family stands in front of me." He snapped.

Lucifer looked down to see the boy sleeping peacefully, "Sorry, little one." He sighed as he gave the child a slight pinch, not enough to hurt but enough to scare and wake the naive little half-mortal. His eyes flew open as expected, and he began to cry, which echoed through the throne room, "The eyes, father."

"Yes, that is a problem." His father agreed as Lucifer quickly worked on soothing the child, "But enough to bring him back? Usually, this trait can be controlled or, at the very least, concealed by contacts,"

"I am aware, father, but the poor little guy also has a tail growing in."

Lucifer rocked and comforted the infant till he quieted, and his cries turned into curious gurgles.

"Mommy dearest here seems to carry the eye gene," Lucifer informed, "says she can, in fact, teach little Sorlo to hide it once he's old enough, but the tail. He's a baby and will have required doctor appointments which cat eyes and a tail will raise a few too many questions."

"Agreed, but that still doesn't explain why all three are here." His father huffed.

"They're both half-demons who are aware of their genealogy that didn't want to leave their child, and I saw no reason why they couldn't accompany him. Better to be raised by his parents than servants, speaking from personal experience, of course." He smiled, taking a jab at his father.

"Our castle isn't a resort, Lucifer." His father snapped.

"Come on, father, have a heart."

"Ha, and I thought I had heard it all. You, of all people, telling me to have a heart. What's in this for you?"

"I'm offended, accusing me of ulterior motives. Now come on, father, they'll be here maybe a year or two, and besides, you'll forget they're here in a week. Let the child have his parents." He responded as Sorlo grabbed his finger and looked around while Lucifer felt her eyes on him.

He didn't know how he knew it was her, but he did, and when he looked up, it only confirmed his suspicions. She was staring at him with a smile.

"Fine, one room, and if they're staying in the castle, I want them to work. Vassal will find a place for the woman in the kitchen, and you will find him a job in the city. You!" He called to one of the servants. Coincidently it was the same boy Lucifer had messed with right before he left.

"Yes, Lord Lucifer?" He jerked to attention.

"Get a crib from storage and whatever else infants need." Lord Lucifer ordered.

"We had everything. I'm sorry, my Lord, but I would really like to have his things if there is a way to return." Hilren pleaded.

"I'll go." Lucifer offered, still holding little Sorlo, "I have to retrieve my bag and check out of the hotel anyway. I'll grab the child's things from your house." He offered, not looking at the woman but instead at her child, "Vassal, set them up in one of the larger rooms and ensure they have everything they need. Boxgurn, write down your address." He said, tossing the notepad in his pocket.

Lucifer handed Sorlo back to his mother as Boxgurn jotted down the address, "I'll leave in about an hour. I need to freshen up a bit, Azazel. You come with me." He called as he made his way for the door, with Azazel quickly appearing by his side.

They didn't speak a word as they walked through the halls to his room. Once they got there, he began to strip his clothes off, and with an audible sigh, Azazel began to unbutton her shirt,

"What are you doing?" He said, noticing her actions, "Stop that. I didn't ask for your body, did I?"

"I just figured when you called me to follow you instead of your fiancée." Azazel shrugged as she began to rebutton her shirt.

"She is why I called you. How are the plans coming along?" He asked, turning his attention back to changing.

"Fine, just about done. Everything is prepared and acquired except for the wedding dress. It would help if you took her into Central City," Azazel began.

"Nope, I already have the dress taken care of." He quickly snapped, sliding on a pair of fresh underwear.

"You can't keep her confined here, Lucifer. She's already growing bored." Azazel protested as he turned for the closet.

"I believe that is what I asked you to address. Be her friend and keep her company," He halted.

"And I have, but that doesn't make her feel any less imprisoned," She replied, "oh and, for the future, assuming you want me to keep up this 'friends' thing, it's not a good idea to call me to your room before even telling her hello."

"We're not doing anything?" He rolled his eyes, walking into the closet.

"Bet that's not what she thinks," Azazel called after him.

"So what if we were anyway? Everyone knows this is an arranged marriage," He called back, flipping through his shirts before choosing a maroon v-neck.

"Still shouldn't embarrass her like that." She mumbled outside the closet.

"What?" He asked, unable to hear what she said as he pulled the shirt over his head.

"I said you should consider taking her out somewhere, maybe the borderlands, if you fear her going into the city," Azazel said instead.

"No!" He snapped, getting very annoyed with the conversation, "She has plenty she can do in and around the castle." He insisted, pulling up his jeans and buttoning them.

"A cage is still a cage, Lucifer. It doesn't matter how grand or pretty it is." She sighed as he returned to the room, "Keeping her locked up in here,"

"Did I ask your opinion on how to treat my Baby Girl? Hum?" He asked, stopping only an inch or two from Azazel, who had stiffened at his glare. She shook her head and swallowed hard. He knew his eyes had started to change. Though Lucifer still maintained control, he was becoming a bit concerned with how engaged his normally dormant side was becoming. However, at the moment, this nosey demon needed to remember her place. "That's right. I didn't. I asked you to be her friend and keep her company, a pretty straightforward task Azazel. Yet I come back, and you're telling me how I should treat my future wife as if I need help handling her." Lucifer lifted his hand and ran his nails down her neck as she shuddered, "You seem to have forgotten who gives the orders here," He let out a soft hum as he pressed his nails hard enough to break the skin leaving behind a trail of blood.

"I apologize, my Prince. It wasn't my intent to overstep." She quickly replied, cringing as he continued to cut her skin.

He leaned forward and slowly ran his tongue up the broken skin as he enjoyed the taste of her blood, "You may be a good friend but remember your place." He hissed, turning his back on her and walking toward the door.

~~~

He and Azazel walked back to the throne room. Lucifer walked a few feet in front, his hands crammed in his pockets and brows knitted in frustration. He didn't like Azazel calling him out, but that wasn't the real issue. Ever since that day he returned from dealing with Olreth, a part of him, his demon half, had been fighting for control, and he didn't know why. Was it because of Olreth or something else? When they walked in through the grand doorway, all eyes but his Baby Girls turned to them, making his mood worse. The small family had been scurried off to get settled, but everyone else was still in the large room. When they entered, Azazel rejoined Vassel, who was standing with the brothers discussing something while waving her hand at the wall, and Lucifer approached his Baby Girl, who was chatting with his father,

"Hum, well, that will look pretty, I suppose." He mumbled, looking around the throne room,

"Well, if you have any other suggestion, my Lord," she shrugged, "How was the Throne room decorated for other weddings?"

"I don't. This is the first." He explained.

"Oh? Where do you host weddings then?" She asked, a bit puzzled.

"In the throne room." He smiled.

"How are the wedding plans going?" He interrupted, pulling her attention to him as his father slipped away.

"Fine." She replied coldly, looking away from him and opening the binder in her hands as Lucifer inhaled frustration and annoyance.

"Hum, I feel you didn't like the little project I left for you." He teased with a grin as he walked around her forcing her to look at him.

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"Look, I still have a lot to do, so unless you plan on actually helping, just leave me be and let me do it." She sighed, rolling her eyes at him.

"Oh, Azazel informed me that you lot were almost done, in which case I was going to bring you with me to gather the baby's things, but if you still have so much,"

"Really!?" She asked excitedly as the air around her suddenly changed. A huge smile formed on her face, and her happiness was intoxicating.

"I thought you were too busy? I'm sure I can handle it on my own." He shrugged.

"Oh, come on!" She sighed, dropping her shoulders.

He chuckled. His Baby Girl was even cuter when she was flustered, "Come on then, we need to be quick, it won't take long for the small family to be missed and an investigation to start."

~~~

Within a few minutes, the two of them walked side by side up a street of Kelil towards the hotel he had stayed in for the last couple of evenings,

"Afternoon, Mr. Abaddon." The desk clerk called, and he waved his hand in return.

He led his wide-eyed Baby Girl upstairs and down the hall to the second-to-last room. Unlocking the door, the two of them walked in. The room was simple. Tan walls, brown carpet, one bed, a television, a small refrigerator with a toaster oven on top, and a tiny bathroom off in the corner. He usually preferred to stay in fancier hotels, but since this had been such a short visit, he hadn't bothered,

"Have a seat. I won't take long." He instructed, pointing to the bed, but she instead went to the window. She looked out, placing a hand on the glass as her eyes darted around, taking in everything. He watched her as he gathered his things from around the room. Finally, she settled on the bed, and he focused on packing up.

"I see you had company last night." She rolled her eyes as he followed her gaze to a pair of woman's underwear on the floor, "You're a shameless bastard, you know that, right?" She scoffed.

"Shameless, yes but a bastard, no." He smirked as he tossed things into his bag, "Everybody knows of my father." She sucked her teeth as the room filled with annoyance, "Why so upset? Do you wish to keep me all to yourself?" He laughed.

"Oh, please! Doubt you could survive monogamy." She snipped as he walked into the small bathroom to pack his toiletries.

"Careful, Baby Girl, you're starting to sound a bit jealous." He called, grabbing his toothbrush and paste.

"Try embarrassed." She corrected as he came out and crossed the room to see her now sitting with her arms crossed over her chest.

"Embarrassed? Only a select few people know who I am here, and none of them have any idea who you are," He began as he dropped his toiletry bag into his big bag.

"But everyone in the throne room sure as fuck knows who you are, who I am, and who Azazel is." She hissed.

"Is this because I called her to my room? We didn't do anything. I just had some questions for her about the wedding plans." He revealed.

"You put me in charge of the plans. Why ask Azazel?" She challenged.

"Fine, I fucked her. Is that what you want to hear? Get used to it, Baby Girl. As you said, monogamy doesn't look good on me."

"I don't care who you are with, but you don't have to flaunt around that you don't, you know what, never mind, just forget it."

"That I don't, what?" He asked, stopping what he was doing.

"Look, it's fine. Forget it." She grumbled, looking away from him.

"Answer me, Baby Girl." He demanded, but she kept silent. With a groan, he walked to the bed, placed a hand on either side of her, and leaned forward so his face was a few inches from her, "Do you have any idea how patient I am with you? If anyone else talked to me like you do or made me repeat myself twice, I would punish them. Now, I don't have to flaunt what?" His words came out slow and frustrated, which alarmed her, but her face stayed stern as her green eyes burned into his blue ones. A hint of red surrounded his pupils.

"That you don't care." She answered him holding firm, but her scent gave her away.

Lucifer scoffed, "Of course I care." He responded, "You're my ticket to the throne." He smirked, pushing up, and began giving the room one more look over as she sat silent, still annoyed and what smelled a little sad, "Why do you care anyway? Who I sleep with?"

"Jesus! You really don't listen, do you? You can sleep with whoever you want, Lucifer. I don't care. Look, I know this isn't something either of us wanted. I know I have no claim on you, but I'm asking for a bit of respect. How do you think it makes me the future queen of Hell look when the Prince she's marrying doesn't even try to be discreet? You come back from a trip, don't even give me a wave before taking your favorite plaything up to your room."

He walked back to his bag and zipped it up, "I didn't fuck her. Also, what does my Uncle have to do with this?"

"Does it matter whether you did or not? Everyone in that room thinks you did. You left your undesirable fiancée behind to finish planning the wedding you don't want." She explained as loneliness saturated the air, "And silly little me. I thought you would be happy to see the task done." She fought back angry tears, but the shine in her eyes didn't go unnoticed.

He hadn't given any thought to his actions earlier, but maybe he should have. She was right. Everyone probably did come to the same assumption, true or not, and Lucifer could see how the situation could embarrass her. He shouldered the bag,

"Come along. I have everything." She got up and followed him to the door, but before he opened it, he turned to her, "I'll try to keep my, er, personal activities a bit more discreet." He offered, and she gave a short nod as he opened the door gesturing for her to go first, "And for the record, you are my favorite plaything, my precious little doll. Despite not sleeping with you yet, you are quite a bit more entertaining than Azazel or any others." He put out his hand and stopped her, "Oh, almost forgot. Not a peep till we get to the house. Kelil is a tiny planet with only one language. If they catch you or me speaking another language, it may cause a problem, especially since we already stand out."

"Do we?" She asked, making him realize they hadn't run into anyone besides the clerk, who she must not have noticed when they arrived. He just smiled and gestured for her to go.

The two of them walked down the stairs, and he approached the front desk,

"Checking out, Mr. Abaddon?" The clerk asked as his eyes darted from him to her, and she stared at him wide-eyed. He could smell her shock and intrigue.

"Yes," Lucifer nodded, handing the key to the man as he kept stealing glances at his Baby Girl, who was trying her hardest not to be awkward, "It's genetic. She's my sister." He explained as the man took the key and placed it on the wall behind him with the others.

"I see. Doing ok today, Ms.?" He asked, sifting through papers and retrieving the one he was seeking.

"She's doing fine. However, she won't be able to answer you. She's mute. Vocal cords never formed properly." Lucifer lied as the man slid the paper to him along with a pen,

"My apologies; I didn't realize. I hope you enjoyed your stay, sir." The man replied as his embarrassment filled Lucifer's nose, "Can I be of any more service?"

"Yes, I need a map of the town, Loanna." He answered, signing his name on the bottom line of the paper. At the same time, the clerk opened one of the desk drawers and shuffled through a couple of stacks before retrieving a folded map and handing it to Lucifer, "Muchly appreciated, have a lovely evening." He smiled, turning around and heading for the door, his Baby Girl close behind.

Once out of the building, he retrieved his notebook from his back pocket and looked at the address Boxgurn had written down before unfolding the map. The town was small, so it didn't take long for him to locate the street,

"Come, we'll have to take the train. It'll be about an hour or two from here to Loanna." He told her after making sure no one was within earshot, "Remember, not a word." She smiled and nodded as her eyes scanned everything around her, trying to take in as much as possible.

They walked towards the train station. Lucifer led the way as her head darted back and forth. Suddenly, he smelt her panic and turned around just in time to see her hit the ground. She had been too busy looking around that she didn't see the curb and, in turn, didn't step down. He quickly back-stepped to where she had landed, His Baby Girl had caught herself on the knees, but the rough ground had no mercy. Her knee was bleeding pretty badly, and her palms had also taken some damage. He sensed her pain, and it showed on her face. To make it worse, he couldn't ask her if she was ok because the scene had captured the attention of those around, he looked at her with concern, and she opened her mouth for him to shake his head quickly, and she closed it.

"Are you ok?" He asked in the native language, knowing he had to say something or risk raising suspicion. He gave a slight nod. Catching on, she nodded and wiped away one loose tear with the back of her hand, "Good, come on, let's get you out of the road." She nodded again.

He picked her up with ease and carried her over to a public bench,

"Excuse me, Ms., are you ok?" A nosey stranger asked, quickly approaching.

"She won't be able to answer you, sir. She's mute," Lucifer replied.

"I see. Where are you two from? I've never seen anyone,"

"It's a genetic skin condition; our mother had it as well; she didn't go out much because of the stares and questions," Lucifer explained, opening his bag, retrieving a clean t-shirt, and tearing it into strips.

"Do you need assistance? That cut on her knee looks quite bad." He offered as Lucifer began to dab at it as she cringed soundlessly.

What a good doll he had, knowing it had to be hard not to make a sound right now,

"We're alright. I appreciate your concern." He replied.

"Here, at least take this to rinse out the wound." The man offered, extending a water bottle to Lucifer, who nodded and accepted.

"Thank you." He thanked.

"No problem, hope you heal quickly, Ms.," He said to her, and she gave a small smile as the man walked off.

Lucifer unscrewed the cap and gave it a sniff and taste to ensure it was water before pouring a little on her knee, causing her to shudder. Carefully wiping the dirt away, he then wrapped a clean strip securely around her knee but not too tight as he didn't want to cut the circulation off. Lucifer moved to her hands, gesturing for her to hold them out. He poured water over the scuffs. Fortunately, those scrapes were minor. Looking around to make sure no one was near, he leaned forward,

"Are you ok?" He whispered, and she nodded, "Can you walk?"

She stood up and, while doing so, whispered, "I'm not as weak as you think I am."

They continued without another word, and though she said she was ok, he could sense her pain and discomfort, so he slowed the pace. They weren't far from the train station, and when they entered, he pointed at the benches indicating for her to sit, and she did,

"Good afternoon, sir. How may I help you?" Greeted a polite woman from behind one of the many counters, and though she gave him an odd look, she didn't say anything,

"Afternoon, two tickets to Loanna, please." He replied, pulling out his wallet.

"Any baggage?" She asked, looking at the screen to her left.

"Nothing that I can't carry." He answered as two tickets printed, and the lady handed them to Lucifer while he gave her the money in exchange.

He turned to find a small gathering around his Baby Girl and quickly walked over. He pushed past a couple of Kelilians to see his poor confused doll being accosted by an irate woman,

"Are you stupid, girl? You're supposed to answer when someone asks you a question!" The tall woman with dark blue skin and dark blonde hair demanded.

She had to be around midlife even though she was acting like a child, as she fussed, pointing a finger in his Baby Girls face. A small fat child stood next to the woman. He had slightly brighter blonde hair and an embarrassed look on his ugly little face,

"Is there a problem here?" He asked, approaching the scene.

The woman snapped around and stuttered at the sight of another one of them, "Yes, I'm guessing you know this brat?"

"Careful with your words, woman. She is my sister. Now, will you please tell me why you are loudly and rudely assaulting her?"

She scoffed loudly, "Me, the rude one? My boy just asked her a simple question, and she refused to answer."

"That's because she can't speak. She's mute and has been since birth, but even if she could, she has no obligation to speak to you or that little shit of yours. Whom, I have no doubt, was asking her about her skin color." He scolded as he felt his temper flare. She belonged to him, and he didn't appreciate other people messing with her. Crouching down to the child's level, they locked eyes, "To answer your question, little fat boy, it is a genetic mutation that runs in our family and unfortunately gets us a lot of unwanted attention from ignorant and judgmental people like your mother. There is nothing wrong with curiosity but understand no one owes you anything." Standing back up to meet the furious glare of the woman, he continued, "I can only hope that somebody in your son's life will teach him to be a kind and polite man, but somehow I doubt that. Now move along, and go bother someone else." He said to the fuming woman.

"How were we supposed to know she can't talk?" The woman defended angrily but was obviously embarrassed as chuckles and mumbles surrounded them.

"When she didn't respond, it should have been enough for you to understand that she couldn't or didn't want to speak to you, indicating you leave her be. As I said, move on before you embarrass yourself more."

The woman huffed but said nothing else as she dragged her son by the arm and stormed off.

They had about an hour's wait before the train would arrive. Lucifer could sense she was a bit agitated about the altercation. Unfortunately, the station was a bit busy, so it took a while before Lucifer felt safe enough to lean in close to her ear and whisper, "You did nothing wrong; don't worry about it." but it didn't seem to calm her any.

When it was finally time to board, Lucifer led her to a window seat where they could sit across from each other. The train wasn't very crowded, but there were enough people to make privacy impossible. The ticket puncher walked around, making sure everyone who was on the train was supposed to be,

"Excuse me, do you have a first aid kit on this train?" Lucifer asked as the man punched their tickets.

"Of course, sir. Have you injured yourself?" He asked, looking him over.

"No, but she has. Nothing serious, just a cut-up knee. However, I wish to bandage it properly." He explained, and with a nod, the man left them to finish his task.

He returned about twenty minutes later with a small kit, "Here you are, sir. Will this do?"

"Yes, this will be perfect, thank you," Lucifer replied, placing the box on the seat next to him before opening it.

Lucifer made quick work of disinfecting and cleaning the wound. It had stopped bleeding, so he took a good look at it, the skin was mostly just minor scrapes, but there was one rather deep gash right across the top of the knee. He added some ointment and wrapped it up properly with gauze before repacking the box and returning it. He put her leg down but not before giving her calf a soft brush. Her skin was so soft and delicate he couldn't help himself, but the action caused her to glare at him through narrowed eyes, to which he just smirked, knowing there was nothing she could say in protest. The ride was only about forty-five minutes, and when they arrived at their destination, they were in a much smaller station. They handed off their ticket to the ticket collector and headed for the doors without a word.