Pre-Edit Count – 1,726 Words

Song I listened to for this chapter: Radioactive by Imagine Dragons

Previously:

They all wait to see who the victor is, the universe itself seeming to hold its breath while the rain pours from the sky to mourn the loss of one of the Gods.

Now:

The battlefield is silent, the rain cleaning the dust and ash from the air.  Everyone can feel the literal sorrow in their bones and they all wait to see who survived the battle that had ended so decisively.

Of the crowd straining their eyes, Eric is the first to see. He watches as the winner sags from their strike, the same sorrow he had been feeling in the very air showing in their stance.   He doesn’t doubt that the epic battle he watched had not been trying. Plus there is always sorrow in having to kill one of your immediate family.

The universe pauses in respect as the person straightens and the rest of the universe finds that it has been rearranged.

The Apocalypse has occurred.

And they are all still standing, survivors of what had been hinted to be the end of all.

Their eyes finally see what Eric has already seen. Lucifer is on the ground, gasping out the last of his breath, delaying his death as much as he can.  Fallen by the one he had formed to unknowingly be the instrument of his death. He is staring up at her in shock, yet there is pride in that look that it had taken someone who is his equal to bring him down.  His daughter, the only one he ever would call his equal in all.

Sookie looks down, saddened that it had come to this.  She can smell the blood and hear the cries of the injured that had been pulled out of the way for the final standoff between two gods.  No one should have been involved in this but them. All the needless deaths weigh on her soul.  If only she had stepped in sooner…

Her eyes rise and meet with her Mate, the man who she loves with every part of her.  When she opens their bond, she is flooded with his love and acceptance.  He reassures her, knowing the guilt that would be there. ‘This is why I wanted to be the one to fight and end him.  No one should have to end their father, even if you never actually knew him, Sookie.’

She nods, having known this is the reason.  It had been a driving force for Eric to protect her from this outcome, and he had done all he could to prevent it.  But then fury slams into her.

She looks down at her father, and asks quietly, “Why?  Why did it have to be this way?” It is the question that is foremost in her mind.  Why did he make it come to this?  Eric would have worked with him, done anything to prevent her feeling this way.

Swallowing, Lucifer answers her, “Because.  The universe needed to change to show that the age of the Gods is over.  You can take care of yourselves now.  Every growth spurt comes with its pains.”  He smirks then, “Welcome to the new age, Sookie.” Now that it is here, then end, he can see clearly all he has done.

There is much for him to account for to his father.  And he has no excuses for what he has done.  All the blinders are ripped off at the moment of death.

However, he is proud of his daughter for doing what she had needed to.  He had to be put down, he had been left too long without any guidance and he had failed in what he had been meant to do.  She will be the one to lead their people to their future. In a way, she and Eric had always been meant to be the ones.  They understood their people in a way he never could, or even thought of doing.

A tear falls from her eye, her frustration at the cost as well as her inability to understand why it had to be this way. “We tried everything to prevent this.  But your plans were not to be accepted.  The loss of all those people the first time had been a sin, and to have it happen again would have been a tragedy that the universe could not suffer again.” The last is said stronger, as she starts to slightly accept this. Only because the alternative is as she said.

A chuckle came from her father; she needed to understand what he can see now. “The loss was required.  And none were lost.  They are just spread through the alternatives that I set off with that one move.  Somewhere out there is a universe that has an entirely different result from this one.  Another never had Vampires and you never meet Eric.  Anything is possible, Gabriel, my darling.  Anything but there being another Goddess such as you, and a God such as me with this ending.  But our shadows are out there.  I just hope somewhere I was the father you deserved instead of the one you received.”  He then coughs, telling her, “Dying will be a new adventure.  I wonder if I will end up in one of those alternatives I set off?”

That had been his purpose, and why he never was allowed to recover completely.  He had needed to be the one who populated all those dreams, the possibilities that the dreamers, the ones who think what if. Those books, those stories that are told, he gave that life possibility, in a way his daughter never could have.

She falls to her knees next to him, grief overcoming her.  No child should have to kill their parent.

He smiles at her and lays his hand on her cheek, “You are more than anything I ever dreamed.  Don’t cry, Sookie, my Gabriel if I could have named you.  This had to happen.  Now you with your mate can lead our people to a new future.” He chuckles again, “With your husband at the helm, I expect that it will be quite different than anything I could have done.” He looks over at the man, sending him his expectations, as well as the threat that if he does not treat her well, he will find a way back to take care of him.

Then he frowns thinking of the idiot.  Gabriel does not need to deal with that, but he knew that Northman will be happy to take care of it and he nods to him. He chokes out, “If you go down the palace and through the stairs in the study, you will find someone you had been looking for.  I would advise that you not take my daughter with you, though.” He stares into the blue eyes, waiting for the moment that he sees the recognition.  And then he smirks.

At least he did something right there.

Eric frowns for a second, still taking in the information burst from Lucifer, then nods.

He moves to stand behind his mate, his hands on her shoulders as the Universe mourns the death of her first son.  With a last smile to his daughter, Lucifer explodes into light, whirling around Sookie and Eric. Sinking some of it in them, to give them what they need to know, as well as the link to the Creator that all the Gods have, to help them take care of their people.

Once done leaving the legacy that they needed, it burst out from them in a wave of light.  When everyone can see again, the world is healed along with those injured in the battle.

It is over.

Final count: 1,304

Fairfarren~