Archive of Our Own ^beta

They say beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and Lilith Morningstar found a great many things beautiful.

Her home was one of these things. She would probably be one of the only few to readily admit that Hell had a certain charm to it that appealed to her. Of course, it hadn’t started that way. When they first fell, their new home was empty and desolate, a stark contrast to the Garden she had been accustomed to. Only once they had established themselves into positions of power did the land start to build itself into something cohesive, something that could be considered liveable. Over the course of several millennia, and with their careful guide, seven distinct Rings made themselves home to billions of Hellborn and Sinners alike, each Ring with a ruler of their own.

Though, true to its name, she held the most love for the Ring she and Lucifer had ultimately made their home. It was where the Sinners resided, and maybe it was her innate humanity that found solidarity in them, but there was something about the demons that brought her a certain happiness. When she reflected on it, perhaps it wasn’t Lucifer’s Sin of Pride that caused them to fall, but rather her own. Lilith was a truly selfish creature, and it was for this reason that she felt resolute in her position as Queen of Hell.

Still, her husband, her wonderful, creative, beautiful husband, didn’t seem to share her feelings on Hell. It wasn’t for a lack of trying, either. He seemed to find more joy when he was dealing with the various Hellborn or other members of their rank, but he let her handle anything to do with Sinners. It was an arrangement she was more than happy with, but she wished he would open his eyes to the good that had come from humanity, rather than just the negative.

Lilith had asked him once why he refused to interact with the denizens of their land, and his answer had all but shattered her heart at his expense. The Sinners just served as further reminder that his gift of freewill had been used against his intentions. Instead of using it to dream and create without limitations, humans had chosen to use it to hurt and kill one another. The very idea of his punishment forcing him to only see the bad in humanity had all but drained Lucifer’s spirit into something much smaller than it had been when she first met him.

Despite his feelings towards their people, his creationism never faded. As much as Hell and especially Pentagram City, evolved with its inhabitants, her husband had put great care into their own home. Everything was created with purpose. Though Lilith had always believed it was just a little bit big for just the two of them, she loved the manor.

It wouldn’t just be the two of them forever.

One of her favorite features he had included was the garden that spanned many acres behind the manor. He had handpicked each plant and flower that grew, as if he was attempting to keep a small piece of Eden for themselves. Much of the fruit they enjoyed with their meals also came from the vast orchard that contained a variety of produce, though none more so than apples. Lilith had found it funny that the fruit that had damned them had ended up becoming the angel’s favorite, but she didn’t fight it when he started incorporating them into nearly everything (even if she did think he went a bit excessive with it at times).

Regardless of the irony, the apple had become a part of the Morningstar family crest, and Lilith would be lying if she said she found any fault with that.

One of her favorite things to do in the evenings, once all of her meetings had finished and she was trying to organize her thoughts from the day, was to walk through their garden, admiring the colors that managed to bloom against the red of Hell. That’s what she found herself doing at that moment, though she found herself alone. Lilith loved to take those few hours with her husband to walk together, but she had been unable to find him in his normal locations, and she had not been made aware of any meeting he might have had. As she walked along blossoming alstroemeria flowers, a familiar melody graced her ears and she smiled lightly.

That explained where he had disappeared off to.

Lilith hummed along as she followed the music, and she finally found Lucifer standing under the shade of a gazebo, his gold violin settled securely in his grasp. His eyes were closed and he was lost to all except for the song he was pouring his heart into. She stepped into the gazebo beside him, opening her mouth to join the melody, her voice rising to harmonize with the beautiful instrument.

“And grace, it holds my hand. And tells me I am worthy to love, and not hold back…”

At her voice, his eyes flew open and locked onto hers. A smile formed on his face that matched the one she still held as she continued through to finish the song with him. As soon as the final notes faded into the darkening evening, he banished the violin back into the separate plane it normally resided in. He then moved forward, arms open to embrace her in greeting.

“Lilith…it’s good to see you out in the garden.” He murmured, pressing a kiss into her cheek. She pulled away a bit, and his hands settled on her waist.

“I was going to say the same thing about you.” She hummed in response. “Is everything alright, my love?”

“Yes, yes, I’m fine…” he dismissed halfheartedly. She cupped his cheek gently, forcing him to look up at her and meet her gaze again.

“You can talk to me, you know.”

Lucifer managed a small smile as he rubbed his thumbs in gentle circles against her waist absentmindedly. One of her hands moved to settle by his. “I’ve been doing a lot of thinking recently…”

“What about?”

“Different things. I’ve been…thinking a lot about Heaven recently.”

Lilith frowned. “Why?”

“Don’t worry, my dear, I don’t miss it. I’m just…worried is all.”

For the first time that evening, Lilith’s hand fully moved to the soft swell of her stomach, resting over the child that was growing within.

Their daughter.

“Are you worried they’re going to find a way to hurt us again?” She whispered. Lucifer rested one of his hands on top of hers, and she smiled a bit at the soft press of a kick against them.

“We know they’re always watching us, even if they aren’t vocal about it.” He murmured, his brows furrowing in concern. Lilith sighed and shifted a bit. It wasn’t a new anxiety of his, but it seemed to have come up more often ever since she had told him she was expecting.

“I think that no matter what happens, we’ll be strong enough to protect her.”

“And what if we’re not? What if Heaven goes after her in some sort of sick continuation of our punishment?” Lucifer pulled Lilith closer to himself, as if he were going to lose her in the very moment. When he spoke again, his voice was softer, almost more broken than it was before. “It’s not just Heaven I’m worried about Lili…”

“Oh, Luce…” She sighed again and wrapped her arms around him comfortingly. He buried his face against her, hiding the few tears that had managed to escape down his cheeks.

“It’s already a miracle we’re having a child, but Hell…it’s not a place I wished for her to ever experience. It’s our punishment. Not hers.”

“Who says this has to be a punishment for her?” Lilith frowned, moving away only slightly so she could look into his face again. “Our child is only going to know the love we give her. We can teach her the kindness that we couldn’t extend to humanity, and while she will have the freedom to make her own decisions, it is my hope that we can teach her how to lead from the goodness of her heart.”

Lucifer averted his gaze again. “I hope she takes more after you in this regard.”

She gently took his chin in her hand, once more forcing him to look at her. “My one wish is that she takes after both of us.”

It was quiet for a few moments, the only sounds around them those of the evening bugs that had manifested in Hell over the years. While she loved her home, she could only be grateful that Lucifer had built the manor far enough away from the City so they wouldn’t be listening to the screams of demons as they actively maimed each other. Eventually, Lucifer sighed and relaxed a bit in her touch. He finally smiled a bit, even if it was still a bit sad in nature.

“God, Lilith…I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have you. You’re the only being who could keep me grounded like this.”

Lilith chuckled softly. “If I don’t do it, I’d be afraid to lose you to your own mind.”

“That may be true, yet.”

She smiled and entwined their hands. “We should probably head inside. It’s growing late.”

“Whatever you’d like, my dear.” Lucifer hummed in assent.

The two of them left the cover of the gazebo and made their way back down the walking path in the garden. While nothing was ever exactly cold in Hell, there was a moderately nice breeze in the air as they headed back inside. Enough of one that Lucifer started growing anxious again and draped his jacket over her shoulders, not that she’d complain about the gesture. As they walked, Lucifer rambled happily about one of his more recent projects, and Lilith couldn’t help but smile and take it all in.

Yes, perhaps she was a selfish creature, but this was her life. One she had been willing to accept when she agreed to fall with Lucifer into Hell. It wasn’t ideal for everyone, but for her it was absolutely perfect.

-

A few months passed them by and Lilith found herself staring out at the garden from the balcony of their bedroom. The scenery hadn’t changed much except for the various colors as Lucifer manipulated which flowers were in bloom. Though this time, everything had a much brighter hue to it as she looked down at the bundled child in her arms. Charlotte had her father’s features, and it was a silent thrill to be staring into her bright red eyes as they looked up at her with so much love. She pressed a soft kiss against her daughter’s forehead before looking back out over the balcony.

“Look, Charlie. This is your home…our home. Isn’t it wonderful?” She smiled as Charlie cooed up at her in response.

“Ahh, this is where my two favorite girls went off to. I was wondering where you were!” Lilith turned, her smile widening as Lucifer joined them on the balcony. “And just exactly what are we doing out here?”

“I was just showing Charlie how beautiful it is out here. The flowers you chose to bloom this time are just lovely.”

“You know…I think I am starting to see what you see in our realm.” He smiled and wrapped one arm around her waist while his free hand caressed Charlie’s soft hair. She hummed in surprise.

“Oh really?”

“Yeah. There’s a certain charm to it that wasn’t there before. I don’t think I’ll ever love it as much as you do, but as long as I have you and Charlie, that’s enough to make this place better than it ever has been.”

Lilith smiled and nuzzled against his face gently, reciprocating when he kissed her. Hell certainly wasn’t for everyone, and she could understand why nobody would want a Sinner’s lot, but it was enough for her. It was enough for them. As long as she had her family by her side, she didn’t particularly care where she resided; Lucifer and Charlie were her home, and they always would be. Lilith still felt selfish, but perhaps she could let herself indulge in the innate selfish nature of her humanity to love her family.

After all, Lilith found beauty in many things, but the family she had made for herself had to be the most beautiful of them all.