Little Regan rushed to her sister's room as fast as she could. A large bag dragged along the floor as she hauled it with her small arms. She opened the door as the older sibling made the final preparations around the ominous red-painted pentagram that lay in the center of the bedroom.

"Did you bring it?" Rosemary asked.

"Right here," Regan peeped. She then dropped the bag by the bedside. "Will this work?"

"It's the only way," Rosemary confirmed. "All we have to do now is say the incantation."

Rosemary pulled out an ancient book and skimmed through each page. The hard cover resembled a decaying corpse and each page she flipped felt like layers of skin and tissue. At last, she found the page and read its dark inscription aloud. A cold air filled the room with each word she spoke. A violent gust swung around the sisters as her voice grew louder.

"Arise, O Fallen One,

Spill the blood, and blacken the sun.

I call upon you from your darken rest

For you to perform a simple request.

Arise from the pit you dwell!

Rise, Satan, Lord of Hell!"

Black fire sprouted from the pentagram's heart like a deadly geyser. Sulfuric smoke engulfed the room. Rosemary and Regan clung to each other like helpless birds in a savage, fiery hurricane. They both peaked their eyes out and saw a large pair of red eyes staring back at them from the abyss they conjured.

"You have summoned me, mortals," The shadowy beast bellowed greedily. His hollow eyes gleamed like a hungry predator. "What are you willing give? What is your dark request?"

Courage filled Rosemary's soul as she stood against the devil. She then raised the bag before the Beast and furiously declared. "Mom said stop hiding in your office and take out the trash already."

The smoke cleared the bedroom in a bright flash. Out of the fading abyss was the devil's human form, who dropped down to his knees and pleaded. "Come on. Can't it wait until after dinner? It's spaghetti night!"

Mrs. Carmen Gravely entered a large classroom and walked towards a seat across from the colorful desk. A big smile from the teacher welcomed her in. 

"Thank you so much for coming in on such short notice, Mrs. Gravely." She said with a gentle voice.

"It was no problem," Mrs. Gravely said as she struggled to find any comfort in the child sized chair. "You said you wanted to talk about Regan?"

"Yes of course, but let me just start off that she is a terrific student. She is well behaved, all her homework is turned in on time, and she always shares."

"Well she is very close to everyone. Me and her big sister in particular. When her father, bless him, passed a year ago, we all were devastated. My eldest was greatly affected by this loss and it rubbed off onto Regan. I was afraid for a while I wouldn't see them smile again. Then things changed when I remarried. Lu was just a godsent, in more ways than one. He's been real good with the kids, especially Regan. I think she adores him so much."

"That's kind of the reason I wanted to talk to you about. Yesterday I asked for the students to draw a picture of a place their family likes to attend at, and she drew this."

The teacher reached from her desk drawer and presented Mrs. Gravely the kindergartener's drawing. Mrs. Gravely studied the image closely. She recognized three individuals as herself and her two daughters holding hands along another individual. Her eyes then glanced at an ominous figure that clenched the small hand of her youngest child. The animated figure had bright red skin, long horns, and hoofed feet. Surrounding the four was a scribbled sea of of red and orange colors that looked like fire and brimstone.

"Perhaps you should show this to your husband as well." The teacher said.

                                                                ***

A tall man dressed in a blood red suit and thin black tie typed away at his computer. His right hand pressed rapidly at the small keys as his other free hand stroked his small goatee that leeched off his skeletal chin. The clicking keys drowned out the screams and the wails from outside his office space as the damned is continually tormented.

A knock at the door shifted his eyes to a quick glance. A dashing purple skinned succubus wearing a dark lavender dress enters the large office space. She flaunted her lustrous legs with each step as she approaches the Lord of Lies' massive desk.

"New contracts for you, boss." The succubus said with a flirtatious tone as she hands him a stack of folds.

"Thank you, Lilith." The devil smiled.

She gave her boss a wink and headed for the door. Her lavender eyes caught something new in the Devil's room: a drawing of three humans and the boss together. "What's this cute little thing?"

"You like that? My wife showed it to me yesterday. Said that Regan drew it and she was so happy that it showed us being one big family. Figured I should hang it in the office."

"How sweet. The red guy kinda looks like you."

"Keep an eye on her, Lilith. Girl's got talent."

The great debate has begun. Blood from both parties have been spilled. Now the time has come for peaceful negotiations to take place. On opposite ends of the dining table, Rosemary and Regan Gravely eye their mother and stepfather carefully. Rosemary spoke first. "We think the time has come that we had a pet of our own."

"Is that so?" Their mother said. Her tone balanced between calm and concern.

"Yes. Owning a pet will help us prove we are responsible." Regan cheered in.

"I'd agree with you if you knew what responsible meant." The devil sarcastically chimed.

Carmen then continued. "It means that the two of you must equally take care of the pet, which means feeding, bathing, and picking after it."

The Gravely sisters looked at each other with big smiles. "We can do it."

"Then let's make a deal." Lu sneered. A swift snap from his pale fingers summoned a small spark of fire on the fire. The fire then fabricated into a long sheet of paper with numerous of scribbled words. "If you two can agree on a pet, we'll buy said pet.

But only if both of you like the animal and agree to take care of it."

"Not bad." Carmen whispered to her devilish husband. "They don't have to sell their souls, do they?"

"Only if they signed in blood. Anyone got something sharp?"

"No signatures necessary," The eldest daughter remarked. "We agree."

"Very well." The devil smiled. Another snap from his fingers and the contract incinerates. "It just so happens you girls are in luck. Big Mommajam just had a litter of puppies. Why don't we take a look?"

The Lord of Lies snapped a third time as a fiery portal opened in their kitchen. The family migrated to the hellish gateway to the realm of nightmares.

                                                                   ***

The Gravely family stood behind a large glass window, watching the small black, cindered creatures at play. The pups barked, wrestled, and ran all around the large enclosure. 

"Aww, they're so cute." Regan said, jumping up and down in excitement.

"What do you think, hon?" Lu nudged.

"I don't know," Carmen said. "I don't like the idea of cleaning sulfur stains out of the carpets."

At the other end of the pen a door open wide. Out flew the small bat-like demon Scrugs, personal assistant to the Fallen One, hauling a large slab of meat. His small bat wings fluttered rapidly as they tried so hard to carry his little body while dragging a boulder sized meat slab. 

"Dinner's here!" Scrugs huffed and puffed. "Come and get it!"

The pups then paused their playtime and ran towards the tired demon. They all pounced on the meat at once. The impact knocked little Scrugs down to the pen floor as the pups began tearing chunks apart with their carnivorous teeth. The family watched in horror as the monstrous infants munched on their caregiver.

"NO, NOT ME!" Scrugs hollered frantically as the feeding frenzy started chewing at his feet. "I'M NOT ON THE MENU. OH GAAAAAWWWWDDD!"

"Maybe we should go to an actual pet store now." Carmen nervously gagged.

"Good idea." Lucifer replied as he snapped open another portal. The family rushed their way into the portal just as the speakers made their announcement. 

"Clean up in the dog pen!"

                                                                   ***

When the family arrived at the pet store, the Gravely sisters were free to look around as their mother and stepfather waited by the register. They wandered into the encased wilderness of the large pet store, gazing at each animal both exotic and strange alike. They both liked each animal, but one could not agree with the other. 

Regan presented a family of mice but her older sister insisted on a parrot. Rosemary bargained for a tarantula while her younger sister requested for a tank of fish. As they kept searching and disagreeing, a large box toppled to the floor. Cautiously they crept to the box for further investigation. Both girls stared at the unusual creature that nested inside.  Carmen and Lu waited patiently at the front desk for their daughters to return. 

"Hey!" A voice cried behind the duo. "We found a pet."

"Find someth- OH MY FATHER! WHAT IS THAT?" Lucifer shrieked. 

In the Gravely sister's arms was a large seven-foot python with cream-colored scales and small, soulless, pink eyes. The massive snake calmly greeted the surprised parents with a quick flicker of its forked tongue.

"Eww, it's a snake." Carmen Gravely squirmed at its sight. 

"Geyaw, that's a snake!" The devil cringed. 

"Wait. The Serpent is afraid of a serpent." Rosemary chuckled as she carried the python's upper half.

"Afraid? No. Terrified? Yes!" Her stepfather corrected as the teleported behind his wife. His pale hands clung to her like a narrow shield.

The pierced faced cashier looked over the counter and witnessed the two girls holding the elongated creature. "Oh hey, you found our albino python. We've been looking all over for him. So you guys want to buy him or what?"

"Look how cool he is," Regan praised. "He's all long and slinky."

"Hey, that's a good name for him." Rosemary joined in. "We'll call him Slinky!"

"I like Slinky. Can we have him? Please, please, please?" The youngest begged jumping up and down.

"Oh yeah right." The devil begrudged. "Like we'd ever-"

"Um honey." His wife interrupted. She signaled her deceptive husband to look at the puppy-eyed girls as they hugged their new friend.

Lu was confused. He remembered the deal. If they could find a pet they both agreed upon, it was their pet. But they wanted that? He never liked snakes, nor could understand why mortals associated him with snakes. He wanted to say something, but words never came out. He stared at their sad eyes. Normally he had no problem turning down a pitiful bargain or a tearful plea, but this time felt different. For some reason he couldn't find the urge to say no to these two girls. As he continued to ponder on his next move, the snake slithered away from the girls and looped around Lu's legs. It coiled around his body until resting around the devil's neck. Lu stared into the serpent's eyes, begging to be brought home too. With a small sigh, Lu finally said. "Welcome to the family, Slinky."

The girls cheered loudly as their mother pulled out her checkbook. They danced around their stepfather, and even Slinky thanked his new master by giving him a strong, loving squeeze.

"Look!" Regan said. "He likes you too. He's hugging your neck."

"That's...not...hug-gin'..."

"Alright class," The teacher, Ms. Kat, announced to her kindergarten class with a welcoming smile. "Today is day two of Parent's Career Week. I want to thank everyone's mommies who showed up yesterday and talked about their careers. Now we move on to the daddies, and we learn about their careers."

All the children cheered loudly. Their small hands waved like flowers in the breeze as the teacher settled them down.

"Alright, alright. I can see we are all excited." She spoke with qualm tempo. "Like before let's go down line."

One by one each father stood before the eccentric children and talked about their careers.

"I'm a police officer. I make sure to catch the bad guys."

"I'm a fireman. I put out fires and rescue folks."

"I am the mayor of this fine city."

"I run an ice cream shop. I even brought free samples for everyone."

With each new parent waving goodbye, the class roared with praise and excitement. Their easily influenced minds swarmed with dreams of becoming future professions. Yet their was one child that remained. Her father has not made his presence known in the classroom.

 "Now Regan, it's your turn." Ms. Kat called out. "Wait, where is your daddy?"

"My step-daddy should be here any second." Regan said. Her tone mixed with brief confidence and uncertainty.

Suddenly a blast of black fire erupted in front of the classroom. The flames burned bright and hot. The searing heat melted the class' given ice cream treats and glued them to their small wooden desks. As the flame died away, A tall man dressed in a dark red suit, a thin black tie, and dark leather dress shoes appeared before the surprised classroom. The children and fathers looked in awe at the stranger's jet black hair that greased backward forming a pair of bull horns. They also caught note small goatee leeched off his skeletal chin. His left hand danced with a cane back and forth like a creepy waltz. Resting on the cane's head was a golf ball sized silver skull with a serpentine body that constricted around its long ruby-encrusted body. Smiling rows of dagger-like teeth greeted the innocent youths.

"Hey there kiddies. My name is Lu, and I'm the Devil." He said with a bow. "But I’ve gone through many names in many lifetimes. Lucifer, Satan, Beelzebub, the Lightbringer, call me whatever you’d like just don’t call me late for dinner. I am this cute little bundle of pumpkin pie's stepfather. 

"I'm not just a part time daddio and a full time love machine to a rocking hot mama, but I got the craziest job you've ever heard of. I make deals with grown ups, like your parents, in exchange for their mortal souls, and then I punish them for their sins. Speaking of which, how's it going, mayor? Ready for that second term? 

"I'm also what you would consider a prison warden, and a king. I basically rule all of demons of Hell and it's my duty to ensure that every condemned soul spends the rest of their miserable eternity suffering in the most foulest of torments. Don't worry. They're bad guys. I'm also like a superhero too. Look at me. I got magical powers out the wazoo. Can your parents do that? So to sum things up, I have the best job of all of creation. Any questions?"

All the confused children slowly raised their little hands high for the sky.

"Any questions not regarding to the Bible, Book of Revelations, Judgement Day, Adam and Eve, Paradise Lost, Dante's Inferno, Zdzisław Beksiński, Tenacious D, Donald Trump, or The Witches of Eastwick?"

And their little hands slowly slid back down.

Carmen Gravely and her husband Lu made their way towards the entrance door. Their daughters, Rosemary and Regan, followed close behind as they watched them prepare to leave. 

"Now remember, girls," Mrs. Gravely said. "Be sure to behave and be nice to the babysitter."

"Why do we even need a babysitter?" Rosemary groaned. "Can't I just look after Regan myself?"

"Sorry, Hon," Her mother said. "You're not quite old enough yet."

"Besides you three are going to have a great time," Lu exclaimed as he straightened his tie. "You guys already know here anyway."

A knock at the door catches the family off guard. Lu opened the door and is greeted by a tall purple skinned woman wearing lavender velvet dress. The moonlight gleamed off her silky dark purple hair and her lustrous lavender eyes beamed from the shadows. A small flirty smile curled on her face as she meets face to face with the family.

"Evening, boss," The purple woman greeted with a small curtsy. "And to you, missus."

"Thanks again for watching the girls, Lilith." Lu said, eyeing his secretary. 

"You're sure your secretary is up for this?" His wife whispered into his pale ear.

"Don't you two worry about a thing, love." The sexy succubus said with a sneer. "We're going to the best of friends."

"Alright everyone we are off to the movies," The devil chimed. "See you in three hours."

"Number's on the fridge if you need to call us, help yourself to any food we have, and no seances." Carmen Gravely said as she rushed out the door. "Love you, girls. Be good."

The Gravely sisters quietly watched as their parents ran from the door and drove off into the night. Their babysitter gave the adults a wave and slammed the entrance door shut. Finally alone with the helpless girls, the demonic secretary's head rotated around. Her neck snapped as it made a complete one hundred and eighty degree spin. Her lavender eyes turned savagely yellow as her warm smile became a beastly maw.

"Alrighty then." She hissed. "Now that the adults are away. We can finally play."

                                                               ***

Lu and Carmen arrived later that night after their date. They had their red car parked out into the driveway and made their way to the front door.

"Honestly, it wasn't that bad." Carmen conversed with her husband, her hand softly grasping his. "The acting could be better though."

"At least the effects were good." Lu agreed. "Wonder how our girls are getting along?"

The pair jumped when they heard a loud pitched scream come from inside the house. They've heard that same scream come from the youngest before. The couple burst through the door and witnessed the unbelievable horror.

"This game sticks!" Regan complained, tossing her game controller onto the living room floor. "I can't do anything."

"It's not the game's fault you suck at it." Her older sister groaned as she focused at the large TV screen. Their favorite video game Major Rager flashed on the monitor. A series of laser fire and bloody violence filled the screen as she and the babysitter mowed down hordes of monstrous enemies.

"Cheer up, deary," Lilith said, moving her arms back and forth as her avatar dodged endless attacks from monsters. "You've gotten further than you were last time."

DING! A loud bell alerted the gaming trio.

"Brownies are done!" The babysitter exclaimed, pausing their video game. "Who wants one?"

The Gravely sisters cheered and jumped from their seats. The trio made their way to the kitchen and noticed the frozen couple standing by the door. Awkward silence deafened the whole household as everyone stared at each other with surprised expressions.

Mrs. Gravely then finally broke the silence. "Lilith, would you by any chance be available again next Saturday?"

Lu sat on a park bench under the shade of the tall oak tree, flipping through the pages of his favorite comedy book, The Amityville Horror. He chuckled as he flipped each page and read every vivid detail of haunting paranormal activity. The whimper of a small child averted his attention for a minute. His stepdaughter Regan ran towards his bench, tears draining from her little eyes. He also noticed that her yellow dress she wore was coated in small dirt blotches and a tiny tear on her sleeve.

"What's wrong, sweetie?" He said, lifting her onto his lap. 

"A mean boy took by bouncy ball." Regan stuttered through her rows of tears. "I told him give me back my ball, but he pushed me into the ground and tore my dress. And he laughed at me and walked away with my ball."

"There, there, there." The devil said, patting her head full of golden hair. "Let me help you with your bully situation."

Lu pulled out a black handkerchief and dried away her eyes. He then set his stepdaughter on her feet and followed her towards the playground. Standing in the middle of the sandbox was a small boy tossing a large, red rubber ball up and down. Little Regan hid behind her towering stepfather as they encroached the oblivious boy. Lu smiled as he comforted his sensitive child and tapped on the boy's shoulder. The boy turned, giving a scornful glare at the duo. 

"Hello, young lad." Lu greeted. "My name is Lu, though you may refer to me by different names. Lucifer, Satan, The Lord of Lies, call me whatever you'd like just don't call me late for dinner."

The boy remained quiet and continued to glare. Ignoring the Lord of Lies, he continued tossing the ball into the air.

"I see that you have acquired a little item from my stepdaughter," He continued. "And we'd much appreciate it if you could return it."

"No way, dweeb." The boy said harshly. "This ball's mine."

"Cute. Look I'm trying to not to unleash my nastier half right now. So if you could return the ball to this child and say you're sorry we'll all be good. What do you say?"

"I say your face looks like a butt-ugly goat!" The boy said with a crude laugh.

Lu's eye gave a swift twitch yet he remained calm. He knew that mocking his human appearance was the boy's biggest mistake, but he continued to smile. Judgement would be upon him. "Ok then. Just so you know, there's a special place for rude little bullies like yourself. Here's a little sneak peak."

Lu tapped his pale finger on the boy's small forehead. The boy jolted from the devil's icy poke. Every hair in his body stood on edge as a cold chill spread throughout his whole body. He was frozen. Frozen from fear.

Dark images flashed inside the boy's mind. He briefly saw haunting imagery of cages on fire and burning skeletons that wailed inside. Short glimpses of mangled corpses melting and nightmarish creatures feasting on charred remains. The last vision made him most queasy as he witnessed a great red dragon, whose hide was armored in brimstone, bathing in a pool of liquid fire. The macabre visions finally stopped flashing in his head. The boy quivered as he stood in front of the still grinning stepfather. His pale hand was still spread out before the child.

"Now, how about that ball?" He asked with bigger malevolent grin.

The traumatized boy extended his quaking arms and handed the rubber ball to the sly stepfather. He then bolted from the scene, screaming and crying as he waddled away in his urine soaked shorts. Lu gave a boastful chuckle and tossed the ball back to his stepdaughter. "Here you go, Pumpkin." He said.

"My ball!" She cheered. "Thank you, Lu. Can we get ice cream now?"

"Sure but that's going to cost you." Lu fibbed. "Not much just...one tickle, two tickle, three tickle."

Regan laughed as Lu's fingers tickled her sides. Their hands clung to each other as they walked together to the ice cream shop.

"You're really good, you know?" Regan said graciously.

"Nah. I'm really bad." Lu chuckled.

"No. You're really good."

"Okay, maybe I am really good...at being really bad."

A grand display of fireworks rocketed through the night sky, blasting waves of colorful streams that glittered along with the stars. The spectators below applauded for each color-coated pop that gleamed in their joyful eyes. Among the celebrating spectacle was the Gravely family enjoying a late night Fourth of July picnic.  Lu, planted a large rocket in the middle of the field. His sinister smile curled with glee as he aimed towards the sky. 

"What's that there, Hon?" Carmen asked while she sat beside her daughters. 

"This is what I'd like to call the Apocalypse Wow," The devil proclaimed. "This thing is suppose to deliver a light show so grand you can see it in space. It'll make Mt. Vesuvius look like a night light. Plus, it's only illegal in forty-eight states, including this one."

"That sounds a little extreme, doesn't it?" Carmen asked. 

"Nonsense!" Lu said. "Now who wants to see this baby go off?"

"We do!" The Gravely sisters cheered.

"Alright, here we go. Scrugs, light this candle."

The bat-like imp took a huge gulp and fluttered over to the massive firecracker. He took out a small lighter and cautiously tried to light the short fuse. He flicked once, no flame popped out. He flicked twice, a gusty blew out the flame. His scaly palms were trenched in sweat as he kept flicking the inactive lighter.

"Oh for God's sake," The devil growled, snatching the light from his sweaty minion. "I'll do it myself."

Tossing the lighter aside, Lu bent down and made his fingers to form a triangle near the firecracker's fuse. A swift snap of his fingers sparked a small flash of fire that chewed away at the flammable fuse.

"Now let's get going before-"

An atomic hue of colors erupted from the bottom of the large firecracker, launching it into the starry sky. At its maximum height, a color-coated series of explosions flashed overhead followed by an overture sound of snaps and crackles. The amused crowd roared with eccentric applause as the celebration continued.

"Wow," Carmen cheered. "I have to admit that was pretty exciting."

"Glad you enjoyed it." The singed skeletal remains of Lu and Scrugs coughed as they crumbled to dust inside the devastated blast zone.

Happy 4th of July to all on Prose!

Part 1

A man stood outside of a large red house quietly staring from a distance. Ignoring the breeze that brushed against his long dark brown hair and brown leather jacket he continued staring at the house. He had memorized the address a thousand times: 999 Milton Avenue. He always thought about approaching it before but could not summon the strength to knock. This time, he knew it was going to be different. This time he was going to the front of the house to see someone he hasn't seen in a long time.

As slowly approached the house painful memories bloomed around his thoughts. He remembered how he and another were young and he had a lot of fun. Then he remembered the tragic event that shattered their unbreakable bond.

The man walked to the front door, gently tapping his large fist against the door. The door opened and was answered by an invisible phantom. The man looked to his left and right yet no trace of the mysterious answer. He then gazed down surprised to see that a small girl wearing a light yellow dress staring up at his tall stature.

"Are you a giant?" The girl asked.

The tall man smiled. He noticed a red hooded cloak covered her long blonde hair and asked. "That depends. Are you Goldilocks?"

"No. I'm supposed to be Little Red Riding Hood." The girl chuckled, unveiling the hood from her hair. "This is for my school play."

"Sorry for the confusion. The golden hair gave me a clue for someone else. Do you have a name?"

The girl just stood and smiled at the friendly man.

"I get it." The man laughed. "You're not suppose to talk to strangers, right? Smart girl. I bet if we introduced ourselves, we won't be strangers anymore. My friends call me Mike. What's yours?"

"My name is Regan." The girl replied.

"Nice to meet you, Regan." The man extended out his large and lightly grasped the child's puny hands, giving each other a light shake. "I was wondering if you could help me out. I'm looking for your stepfather. Is he around?"

The girl was then lifted into the air by a pair of pale hands by a tall, slender gentleman behind her. Regan scream and laughed as the man spun her around and tickled her sides with his long fingers.

"Looks like the Big Bad Wolf has nabbed himself one of the little piggies. Num num num!" He hollered joyfully.

"Wrong character, buddy." Mike interrupted as he watched the two laugh and play.

The second man turned and locked eyes with Mike's. His playful demeanor faded away. His jaw dropped in shock and his red eyes widened as if he saw a ghost.

"Mike?" The man whispered.

"Hey Lu." Mike said. "It's been awhile."

Two more characters then walked up behind Lu. A girl dressed in black stood behind her sister Regan and their mother softly clenched her husbands arm and greeted Mike with a kind smile.

"Whose at the door, Lu?" Carmen, the mother, asked. "Friend of yours?"

"Honey. Kids. Meet my brother, Michael - the archangel."

Part 2

"You didn't mention you had a brother." Carmen said as she cleaned away the dishes.

"I don't really talk about my family." Lu said, watching his older brother Michael talk with his stepdaughters at the dining table. "Just like I don't talk about Him."

"I know you and, um, your Father have...issues," Carmen continued. "But your brother is here and looks like he wants to spend some time with you. How long has it been since you two talked?"

"Since my fall from grace." He replied, sucking away at a bottle of a cold alcoholic beverage.

"How many siblings do you have again? Thousands right?" She asked.

"No, I have seven." Lu corrected her. "Seriously, why do all mortals think all angels were related somehow. It's like being related to a person with the last name Johnson."

"Aren't all angels God's children?" His wife asked.

"Please don't ask about the complexity of our order. We'll be here until next Saturday. Anyway, well there's Gabi, my sister. She was always athletic and liked to torment me. Then there's my other brother Raph, the angsty one of the bunch. My third brother Uri was always cool to hang with. He was quite an inventor. Then there are the twins Rami, the bookworm, and Sari, the hippie. Finally, there's the second to last child Jermy. always the quiet one, that one. And lastly we have me, the black sheep of the family.

"And of course you have Mike, the oldest and Pop's number one kid. Mike was always good to me. When Father became...distant...Mike always looked after me. He taught me how to catch, he stood up to the bullies that picked on me, he even helped earn my wings. Everything really changed afterward. I led the demons into Heaven and Father ordered Michael to stop me. We fought and then he tore my wings off."

"Some fight." His wife commented.

"Do you know what it's like to have your wings ripped from you?" Lu said. "It's like slowly pealing off an arm or a leg. A part of you was removed and you're left broken, incomplete, damaged. After Father banished me into Hell he made Michael a full fledged archangel. He became Heaven's greatest champion while I raveled with the damned. Yeah I eventually became king but he got glorified for beating his own brother. But why now? Why find me now? Why come talk to me after all this time?"

"I don't think it matters why, but it's better that he's here now." Carmen said, comforting her husband with a light hug. "Wouldn't you two like to reconnect that bond you had rather than continue hating each for another thousand years or so?"

Lu sighed and wrapped fingers around his wife's soft hand as he continued watching the three talk. He knew that someway Carmen was right. He too wished to make amends with his brother, but he wondered how could he forgive him for his brother's treachery and his own sin.

                                                                  ***

Michael, Rosemary, and Regan all sat at the dining table quietly staring at each other. Michael tried thinking of several different conversation starters, but he knew he was bad with children and children always made him uncomfortable.

"So...you girls are in school, right?" Michael finally asked his nieces. "Do you like it?"

"I like my school." Regan said cheerfully. "My teacher Ms. Kat is very nice and we play outside and draw pretty pictures."

"It's school." Rosemary groaned. "You're not suppose to like it. You're supposed to deal with it."

"Sounds...interesting." Michael said. He then looked over and noticed the large tank housing Slinky. "That your snake?"

"Pretty cool, huh?" Rosemary said. "So, you're an actual angel."

"An archangel," Mike corrected. "It means I'm one of their guardians and most powerful warriors; and I'm one of Heaven's leaders."

"How many archangels are there?" The Gothic older sister asked.

"Nine. We each help govern Heaven as one voice, one unity. We are called the Archangel Council."

"Where do angel babies come from?" Regan then asked.

"That's a very adult question that I'm going to respectfully deny an answer until you're older." The archangel muttered."

"What's the difference between an archangel and a regular angel.

"My wings are bigger the average angel's." He continued. He then noticed that the girls were smiling at him. Their smiles grew inch by inch as they waited for something.

"You want to see the wings, don't you?" Mike asked. The girls nodded with anticipation. Mike stood up from the table and pulled out a pairs of sunglasses. "Fine. You might want to put these on. It'll get pretty bright in here."

The Gravely sisters placed the sunglasses on their faces and continued watching. Michael positioned himself in the center of the dining room. He took a deep breath and clentched his fists together. He then arched his chest forward, forcing two pillars of light to fire from his back. The pillars arched out into the shape of wings that stretched from one side of the room to the next. The Gravely sisters watched in awe as the wings popped out.

A loud sound of thunder echoed through the household. The wings shined brightly as the sun. They looked like giant eagle wings but were coated in light with streams of energy surges flowing around the tips. As quickly as the wings appeared, Michael retreated them back into his large body. The girls applauded loudly at their uncle's showcase. Lu and Carmen then entered the dining room, joining in on the small family gathering.

"You know it just dawned on me that Regan's costume is going to need a few more details," Carmen said as she gathered up her children and led them to the door. "So we're going to head out for a bit, pick a few things, maybe see a movie, you know Gravely gal time. Lu, why don't you show your brother around town? Then we'll meet back here for dinner. It was nice to meet you, Mike. Say bye, girls."

Rosemary and Regan waved their goodbyes to their new uncle and followed their mother to the car outside. The girls were gone and the immortal brothers were alone. They stood there in silence, wondering what two brothers turned enemies should do next.

"Want to go to a bar?" Lu finally said, breaking the awkward silence.

Part 3

Dante's Inferno was populated that afternoon. The usual crowd of bikers, families, friends, and loners gathered into one urban bar. Now two brothers, who haven't spoken in so long, are laughing and sharing cold beers and stories for the first time in their eternal lives.

"Seriously, it looks like you have a nice bunch of kids you got raising." Michael said, finishing his second drink.

"Yeah but do you want to know the weirdest thing they do,"Lu said, waving his hand for another round. "I've heard them take showers together. Who does that?"

"It's not that weird. They're girls. They're sisters. Siblings do that sometimes. They'll probably grow out of it." Michael said. "How's business been?"

"Can't complain really. Little dark, little moody, but you never get tired of every waking hour to hear the wailing screams of the damned forever tortured for their sins. Other than that it's still the usual business."

"Hey, what happened to your old partner? What's he been up to? What was his name again?"

"Mephistopheles? He's spending his damnation locked away in the deepest, darkest hellhole I found. Never to be mentioned by anyone ever again."

"Things didn't work out, huh?"

"Not at all. But without him, Carmen and I couldn't be together. What about you? Archangel life treating you well? You still polish that old sword and shield of yours?""

"Haven't picked up those things in ages. Life's been good but, honestly, gets pretty boring. I miss the action. Things are far too quiet. Our siblings are doing well too. Father's the same."

"No surprise there." Lu groaned, rolling his eyes and sipping his new beverage.

"Don't be like that," Mike defended. "He loves us all. He just hasn't been the same since...you know."

"Yeah, I know." Lu sighed. "I wish I knew her."

"She loved you," Mike comforted his little brother. "That matters."

The immortal brothers continued to sit and drink away their harmful memories from the past. They sat silently in their seats reminiscing their childhood. Lu then spoke out, "Why exactly are you here, Mike?"

Mike stared into his drink. "I just wanted to see you is all." he muttered softly.

"No," the devil fired back, "No that can't be just it. You don't see me or speak to me for over two-thousand years, and suddenly you're here. Why?"

"For dad's sake, Lu-"

"Is this something from the Council? Usually they send one of their errand boys, but you're here alone. Archangels don't usually come on their own. Unless..."

Lu leered down his brother. His eyes lit up when he found the answer. "They don't even know you're here, do they?"

Michael kept silent. He said not a word but gulped down a large sip of his beer. The silence that the devil received was more than enough to confirm his suspicions.

"Well I'll be damned all over again." Lu said. A sly grin stretched. "The obedient son is rebelling. Not only are you breaking a law of seeing me, but you've broken the highest law for interacting with humans."

Their social bonding was then interrupted by a howling rant that echoed into the bar. "SINNERS REPENT!"

"Not this guy again." Lu growled under his breath.

"He a regular?" A confused Mike asked.

"A regular pain in the ass." Lu mocked. "He's the local preacher here.

A mad-eyed, mangy haired preacher waltzed into Dante's Inferno, waving one hand freely as the other safely guarded a small bible. He walked around the bar beseeching everyone to his spoken rants. His gospel holler echoed throughout the bar and rang through the ears of the crowd who continued to ignore him.

"Hear me!" He cried. "We live in a world of sin. We can all be saved. I have spoken to God, and he has told me of his great plan."

"Really?" Mike shouted to the preacher. "He never mentioned you."

The patrons laughed at the archangel's truthful jester. The preacher's face burned with hellish fury as he made his way to the immortal brothers.

"You think you're funny, son?" The preacher scowled. "You think you can mock the work of the Lord? We didn't evolve from monkeys, you know."

"You're definitely right about one thing." The devil added. "You didn't evolve from monkeys. You evolved from apes, there's a difference. Also, at what point was he mocking Father? He was just mocking you, old man."

"Silence your forked tongue, devil!" The preacher hissed. He raised his hand to deliver a smiting slap across the devil's cheek. Mike grabbed the old preacher's wrist and gave an almighty squeeze.

"Back off my baby brother!" Michael bellowed, ramming his fist between the old man's eyes.

The preacher flew to the other end of the bar, crashing into a large grizzled biker. The biker picked himself up and glared at the brothers. He ran towards them, his fist readied for impact. Lu then slipped his foot under the charging giant, tripping him onto the dirty bar floor. One of the biker's comrades grabbed a beer bottle and smashed into the serpent's head.

"Was that seriously supposed to hurt?" An unfazed devil said as glass and alcohol rained from his impenetrable skull. Lu's fist crashed into the surprised comrade's nose, knocking him onto a pool table. Another biker whipped out his knife and jabbed it into Mike's side only for the archangel to quickly grab him, pulling the stainless blade out his body.

"I like this jacket." He commented as he tossed him into a table full of angry patrons. The crowd turned into a fighting frenzy as punches, kicks, bottle shards, and beer were thrown around the bar. The brothers joined in the bar brawl, punching out every worthy opponent they engaged.

"Let's make this interesting." Mike said. "No supernatural powers during this fight."

"Why do you always have to take the fun out of everything?" Lu said.

The brothers still fought on. No magic, no powers, just their knowledge and skills of fighting. They both battled and laughed as they remembered how they did before their eventual separation.

Part 4

Mike and Lu stumbled out into the rain, laughing after their victory in the battle of Dante's Inferno.

"Just like old times, huh?" Michael laughed.

"Yeah." Lucifer smiled. "Speaking of old times."

Lu's fist flew through his older brother's lower jaw. A small drool of blood leaked from Mike's mouth.

"Ow! What the hell was that for?" Mike retorted.

"Why didn't you stand up for me then?" Lu shouted furiously.

"Seriously, you want to start this argument?" Mike barked, wiping his blood away.

"You always had my back for a long time," The devil continued. "But when the Almighty gave you an order you obeyed like the good little soldier that you always were. No matter what it was you always did it without question."

Lu threw another punch towards his brother. Mike blocked and retaliated with his rage-filled fist smashing into Lu's ribs. Lu felt the bones crunch together, forcing him to choke out a painful cough. Mike then swung another punch into his little brother's cheek, leaving a large swollen imprint in its place.

"Maybe you should've listened to him all this time so you wouldn't still be wallowing in your self pity." The archangel said. "Dad wanted someone to talk some sense into you, so I volunteered."

"You sure did a good job talking some sense to me." Lu growled. "Fighting me, beating the crap outta me, and then ripping my wings off. You could've said no to him for once. After that everyone praised you like some kind of hero."

Lu tackled Mike against the wall and delivered a couple blows against his stomach. The light drizzling rain suddenly poured harder and harder from the sky. Mike launched a kick into Lu's sternum and grappled his arms. The two wrestled back and forth as the rain showered them more rapidly.

"Father had a plan." Mike argued.

"Don't give me that!" Lu retorted. "Was it his plan for you to beat me? Was it his plan to banish me from my home? Was it his plan to drop his youngest child into some godforsaken abyss. To be abandoned with all the others who have been left to be tormented only to be seen as nothing more than the bad guy?"

"It wasn't his plan for you, his son, to lead a rebellion inside Heaven's own gates. You were out of line then. Your little temper tantrum nearly destroyed Paradise."

"I only started that revolution so I could prove that not everybody had to obey him. To prove not everybody had to do what he said. But more importantly, I wanted him to notice me for once in his damn life."

"You're a selfish little piece of crap, you know that!? Do you honestly think you would have done better in his position? Do you honestly still believe he still resents you after Mom-"

"DON'T YOU DARE MENTION HER, YOU SON OF A-!"

Lu slammed his head against his brothers only for Mike to crash his fist into Lu's jaw. The pair delivered a series of punches against one another, each hateful blow harder than the last. The raging rain drenched them as they continued fighting. Finally both brothers delivered their last punch. Both punches crashed into the other's cheek, knocking them both down into the soaked streets. A flash of lightning erupted from the heavens as the brothers finally ended their match. Both brothers sat quietly in the streets, allowing the rain to wash down their blood into the sewers and instantly heal their cuts and bruises. Sorrow and regret once again filled their hearts as they remembered their last bloody brawl.

"But you're right about one thing," Michael finally spoke, his tears blended with the rain. "I'm not a hero. A hero is meant to protect everyone he cares for. I should have protected you from Him. I should have stood up for you. Every time he was mad at you, and even when he ordered me to stop you. I'm so sorry."

Lucifer look at his brother and said. "It's not your fault. I was angry. You and others always got his attention. He never acknowledged me. It's funny that everyone called me the Betrayer after my fall, but it wasn't until my rise to power I finally realized the one I truly betrayed was you. You raised me, and I let you down. I'm sorry too."

"This is why I came to see you. I don't want us to hate one another. I don't want us to fight anymore, even if Judgement Day may come. I want to make things right with us. Please, let us be brothers again."

Michael picked himself up and stretched out his mighty hand before his baby brother. Lucifer looked at both his brother and his soaked hand, pondering the next step. He knew he couldn't completely forgive him for their infamous fight, but he knew he could never forgive himself again if he had to abandon the bond they had. Letting out a regretful sigh, Lucifer grasped his brother's hand and hoisted himself up into his brother's arms. Lu hugged his brother tightly as Mike did the same, finally able to bury the guilt the both carried for so long. The rain slowed to a halt as they brothers finally let go.

"You know, Dad wanted you name you Samael." Mike said.

"Seriously?" Lu laughed.

"Yeah it's true. I remember that." Mike continued. "Luckily, Mom convinced Him otherwise. She always wanted to name one of us Lucifer. I'm glad she finally did. You know, I've been watching you recently."

"Pervert."

"Funny, not like that. Seriously, I noticed that something's changed in you. Ever since you been with that family of mortals you became different."

"Yeah, how so?"

"You're happy. I'm glad to see that in my baby brother again."

Lu's fiendish lips curled into a heartfelt smile. He then jumped when he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. He whipped out his phone and answered a text. "Ah, Carmen's texting me. She's wondering if you're joining us for dinner?"

"I don't know if I should..." Mike hesitated.

"Please, brother, I insist. After all, they're your family too."

Mike smiled and the pair walked back to 999 Milton Avenue, arms wrapped around one another. Finally they were brothers again.

He kept souls in a skull he wore around his neck. Tens of thousands of dark, corrupted souls locked away in his amulet. He carried a dying, wooden staff in his decrepit right hand with dark magic spewing from his left. Garments as black as the moon's shadow covered his insectoid body. A towering papal tiara with sinful symbols engraved in the metalwork rested on his round head. A ragged scarf covered much of his hideous face with the exception of three pairs of black spider-like eyes poking out.

He was as old as the old ancient city of Dis, perhaps even older. It was said that he had explored many of the dark corners of the Inferno, even to regions still unknown to all of demon-kind. Locked within inside his twisted brain was an archival library of knowledge of all things dark and damned that he alone scribed onto his sacred book, The Condemned's Testimonial: Guidebook to All Spells, Hexes, Creatures, & Realms of the Afterlife Volume 1. Many of the denizens of Hell respected his great command of sorcery and sought his dark guidance. Even the devil would visit him in his cottage, where he experimented with his dark magic and questionable science experiments, to seek out his wisdom. Today was no different.

"Legion," The devil said, entering the old demon sorcerer's home. "I seek your guidance."

"I live to serve the Ruler of the Nine Circles." The sorcerer bowed to his master. His voice echoed of a haunting whisper. "I sensed something troubling you when you first entered my home. What disturbs you, my lord?"

"There is a child that holds unbelievable power." Lu told his most loyal follower.

"A child you say?" Legion hissed. "Tell me more of this power this child possesses."

"She has the unnatural ability to make those give in to her will with a mere look from her little blue eyes." He explained, sweat dripped down his face.

"Such power!" Legion sneered greedily behind his scarf. "Can she be controlled?"

"I'm afraid not. Many demons have fallen victim to her power. Even I myself am helpless before her. Please, aid me against this unholy power, my priest of heresy."

"As you wish but I must witness this power first hand. Where is this child you speak of?"

"If I'm right, she should be right behind me right about now."

The powerful demons turned and saw a small girl skipping through the entrance.

"Hi Lu!" She said, giving each an innocent wave. "Hi Legion!"

"Young princess." The demon sorcerer bowed.

"Don't give her ideas!" Lu growled. "What's up, munchkin?"

"I saw a commercial with the biggest, fluffiest unicorn plushy. Can I have it? Please, please, please?" Regan begged.

"No way!" Lu laughed. "You're not getting that! Don't you already have enough of those?"

"But this one is the biggest and the fluffiest just like the commercial said!" Regan boasted. "Can I have it, pleeeeeeeaaaasssse?"

"Forgive me, my lord." Legion bellowed. "But how can you say no to a face like that?"

Regan's eyes grew bigger. Her eyes twinkled like the eyes of a sad puppy. Her lower lipped quivered as her adorable face spellbound the demonic overlord. Lu cringed, struggling to resist his stepdaughter's powerful, cute gaze.

"Alright," Lu sighed. "We'll get it after work."

"Thank you!" Regan smiled, skipping back from whence she came.

"Incredible." Legion gasped. "I know what this power is, but in all my years I've never seen anyone wield it as she has."

"Legion, you must have something to combat this," Lu begged. "How can I fight it?"

"I'm afraid you cannot, my lord. Even with my vast knowledge of the blackest magic, I know there is nothing that can withstand the dreaded power of cuteness."

Part 1

A goat's head effigy hung in the shadows above a towering metal door. Its hollow eyes watched a crooked box-shaped elevator ascended into a darkened abyss plummeting like an atomic bomb. Through the hurtling descent, the elevator crashed into the tower's main floor, still maintaining its sturdy shape. The doors finally opened and two young girls stepped onto the hellish landscape. The pair stood outside the tower as the flashing neon letters gave an ominous greeting above, "Inferno Tower."

The eldest girl approached the large metal door and gave a loud knock, which echoed throughout the Inferno. "Hello?" She cried out and waited.

The once lifeless, metallic eyes of the goat head blinked in response to the child's pleas. Its lead mouth bayed out a haunting yawn and bent its heavy neck down to gaze at the guests. The head then spoke, "What brings you to our domain, mortals?"

"Dude, it's us!" Rosemary said, clutching her little sister's hand. "Open up!"

"Nobody gets to see the wizard not nobody not nohow!" The goat head hissed.

"Dude, come on," Rosie said. The reference made her and her sister laugh. "You've been using that Wizard of Oz quote every time we show up."

"Hey, it isn't called a classic for nothing." It chuckled. "Sorry girls, but the boss is busy at the moment."

"OK, I get it." Rosie said. Her smile then grew sly. "I guess we'll wait out here, but our stepfather is expecting us. I'd sure hate to be the one to keep his stepdaughters waiting so long out where any dangerous thing could potentially happen, and I'm sure he'd be very unhappy if said bad things were to happen."

"Oh," The head gulped. "Well when you put it that...alright, hold one a sec! Door's opening up."

The doorway started opening. Rosemary and her little sister Regan hurried inside, thanking the gatekeeper for their entry. They continued to walk down the corridors of the massive corporate building that led to their stepfather's office.

"But Lu isn't expect us, Rosie?" Regan pointed out as she held her big sister's hand.

"I know." Her sister said. "We're just going to hang out at Lu's office, do some homework, and derp around until he gets off work."

"I think you scared him." Regan said.

"Nah, I just fibbed and teased a little." Rosemary concurred. "No harm in that."

The pair then paused in their tracks as an ominous, toothy grin blocked their path. Attached to the grin was a face of a creature more reptilian than man with black, scaly skin, serpent-like nostrils, and hollow, greedy green eyes. Small horns punctured through the hood of its unzipped hoodie, exposing its muscly torso. The most unusual feature the stranger had were chains that coiled around his arms like snakes.

"Hello." The stranger finally spoke.

"Um, what's up." Rosie stuttered.

"Name's Balthazar." The figure said again. His gnarled hand extended out.

"R-Rosemary." Rosemary said, uncomfortably shaking the demon's hand. "This is my little sister, Regan."

"Rosemary and Regan." He repeated. "Someone must've liked some scary movies with demons in them, huh?"

"Yeah, we get that a lot." The eldest sister nervously chuckled.

"Tell me," Balthazar continued. "What's a couple of small, innocent mortals like yourselves doing down in a dark, corrupted place like this?"

"We're here to see our stepfather," Rosie said. "You may know him as the Devil."

"Oh yeah. That's right!" Another eerie voice said from behind, forcing the Gravely sisters to jump from their spot. They both turned to face another grueling face. This time it looked like a melted skeleton, the muscles and tendons peeled away exposing the skull beneath. This demon was much skinnier than his comrade. Practically skeletal underneath his black, leather jacket and biker jeans. "I remember the boss gettin' hitched."

"How do you remember anything?" Balthazar smiled. "We showed up to that wedding and drank all their alcohol."

"Yeah," The second demon laughed. "Man, those humans sure throw a helluva party. I'm Ghuul by the way."

"Right," Rosemary nodded. "Well it was nice meeting you, but we really have to get going."

"Where you off to in a hurry?" Ghuul asked, circling the sisters like a hunting shark. "Ain't you want to be friends?"

"You two are scaring us." Regan mumbled.

"Ah, don't be like that," Balthazar said. "We're just the welcoming committee. We don't want to keep ya waiting on the boss, so we'll just collect our fee and you can head off."

"Fee?" Rosie gasped.

"But we always come here for free!" Regan pouted.

"Ah oh!" The pair echoed, both giving cruel smiles. Thunderous booms rocked the ground beneath them. Each boom grew louder and closer towards the girls. They turn and look upon a giant approaching the group. The hulking demon was built with bulging red muscles, bare chest, and wore only moldy, grey pants. Every lumbering step from the demon's hoofed feet shook the tower all over. His face was more monstrous looking than his companions with rage red eyes, gnarled sharp teeth, bull-like snout, and massively large horns crowned above his brows.

The demonic minotaur stopped in front of the group, cracking his knuckles against his brutish palm. He bent down before the girls and gave a ominous growl. "No freebies."

"Big guy here is named Moloch." Ghuul said. "He's not one for small talk, unless you count his fists."

"But we don't want any trouble right now." Balthazar interrupted. "Tell you what, we'll let you off with a warning and a pass. Don't get too comfortable with that. We like to get money one way or another."

"Right," Rosie said, tightly hold her sister's hand. "We should get going. Let's go, Regan."

The Gravely sisters darted away the demonic trio as fast as they could. They reached for another elevator and ascended up, fearfully staring back at the three demons waved them a goodbye.

"What a nice bunch of kids." Balthazar grinned.

"You think we scared them a little too much." Ghuul asked.

"Nah, just fibbed and teased a little. No harm in that."

Part 2

The girls raced out of the elevator as fast as they could. They both stopped in the middle of the office space, panting from their frantic encounter of the horrid demonic trio they met earlier.

"That was too close." Rosemary said.

"I don't like those demons." Regan said. "They were scary."

"Whose scary, loves?" A sweet voice asked from behind the girls.

The Gravely sisters screamed and jumped. They twisted around to find themselves face to face with a more gracious smile. This smiling face was wore by a very beautiful woman with purple skin and hair. Her lavender eyes blinked the girls a warm welcome. While the only inhuman features about her was her rows of sharp teeth that gleamed healthy and short pointed ears, she looked more human than her demon brethren. The sisters released a relieved sigh as they recognized their stepfather's succubus secretary and their favorite babysitter, Lilith.

"Oh, it's you Lilith." Rosemary said.

"Nice to see you too." Lilith said. "Waiting for your pops?"

"Yeah, if it's cool with you." Regan chimed in.

"By all means." Lilith happily said. "He's in a meeting right now, but your more than welcome hang with me."

The Gravely sisters joined their babysitter to her desk, enjoying each other's company. For the next hour, the girls talked to the sexy secretary about their school as she eagerly listened. Then Rosemary continued on working at her homework while Lilith and Regan shared drawings together.

"Look!" Regan cheered. She flashed her artwork before the others with accomplished pride. Her paper was littered with various scribbles of blues, yellows, reds, and lots of blotches of pinks. "I drew a family of unicorns!"

"That looks wonderful, love." Lilith praised. She sadly gazed down at her own drawing, which showed a very wildly colored and detailed recreation of The Birth of Venus. "I wish I was a great artist like you. Don't forget to carry the two, Rosie."

"Thanks." Rosemary said, correcting her assignment. "You know I was learning some stuff about mythology in my history class, and your name actually came up. It said that you were referred to as the Mother of All Demons."

"Aw, I did miss the old nicknames." Lilith said.

"Are you a mommy, Lilith?" Regan asked. "You act like a mommy."

"Sorry, love, I'm nobody's mommy at the moment." Lilith laughed. She then playfully rubbed the youngest Gravely's golden hair. "I got that name because I tend to act like everyone's mother down here."

The sound of flapping wings directed the ladies' attention to the far end of the room. There they all saw the small, pudgy, bat-like demon, Scrugs, flutter by and waved. "Need those papers, Lilith?"

"Yup." Lilith confirmed. "Now next time speak clearly when you talk. And also don't hunch like that. You'll hurt your back.

"Thanks, mom." Scrugs teased sarcastically. His teased distracted him from seeing one of the granite pillars in front as he collided into it. Scrugs plopped down from the crash course and felt dizzy. His wings helped him up and he fluttered again outside. The three girls laughed at the poor underling's clumsiness.

"Also, be sure to watch where you're flying, deary." Lilith reminded, waving a playful goodbye.

"You're really nice, Lilith." Regan said. "A lot nicer than those bullies downstairs."

"What bullies, deary?" Lilith asked.

The girls then heard a vicious cackle that echoed into the office space. "Hey Moloch! Do the thing again!"

The trio rushed to the large window and peered over the foundry section of Inferno Tower. Down below they saw the same three demons Rosemary and Regan had met earlier. Ghuul and Balthazar stood there laughing as the massive Moloch stirred his hand into molten tar. Scrugs fluttered by the trio, carrying a large stack of papers in his small arms.

"Hey Scrugs!" Balthazar called out. "High five!"

Scrugs paused and then shrugged. He placed the papers down and happily flew over with his hand stretched for a receiving high five. Moloch pulled his tar-heated hand out and slapped it against Scrugs' palm. Scrugs let out a painful yelp as his hand burned and blistered like it was placed on the sun's surface. The trio laughed tremendously as the smaller demon waved his hand around in little efforts to cool it off. Their infectious laughs even caused the sweet Lilith to chuckle.

"Oh don't worry about those three. They do love their jokes and pranks but they really are just harmless."

"Na, ah!" Regan protested. "They're a bunch of meanies!"

"Not true." Lilith calmly stated. "Balthazar personally volunteered to be the DJ at your parents' wedding. Ghuul's got a habit of knitting the most comfortable sweaters you'd ever seen. Even ol' Moloch's a loving family man with twenty-three kids of his own.

"Yeah right." Rosemary groaned. "They wanted money from both of us."

"Is that so?" Lilith said, now leering at the trio of jesters. "Excuse me, dearies. I'll be right back."

Lilith walked down and disappeared down the stairway. The girls shrugged at each other wondering what their babysitter had in store. Just then their stepfather finally stepped out of his office and walked towards his new daughters. His smile was ever more sinister than before.

"Phew, election year." The devil said. "Always the busiest time of the year. Yet it doesn't matter who wins, I always win in the end."

"Can we go home now?" Regan asked, giving her maniacal stepfather warm hug around his legs.

"Sure, sure, kiddo." Lu confirmed. "Wait...what's going on here?"

"Ello girls." Lilith's voice cried out. "I think these three have something they'd like to say."

All three Gravelys turned towards the stairway to see Lilith back in front of them. This time, she was accompanied by the demonic trio, whose ears are all violently clutched by her small hands. The demonic trio squirmed as their ears felt like they were clung to cold vice grips.

"Heh-ay!" Balthazar spoke first. "Uh, we'd just wanted to say sorry if our teasing and joking may have scar-aw-ared a little."

"We-eeh meant no harm." Ghuul followed. "Just a bit of fun. We think you're a nice lot, yow!

Even the mighty Moloch innocently moaned. "No harm. No fou-ow!"

Both Rosemary and Regan took a second and thought about their next step. They smiled at each other and looked on the trio with forgiving eyes.

"I guess it's cool." Rosemary said. "We were freaked at first."

"Yeah," Regan agreed. "Let's be nicer to each other next time."

"Hey, we're down with that." Balthazar agreed too. "Hey boss! High five!"

The devil smiled and stretched his hand out, waiting for their fair share of a high five. Moloch, with his hand still covered in molten tar, slapped against his boss' awaited hand. Lu hollered a high pitched yelp that echoed all throughout the tower. He tearfully waved his hand back and forth as the trio, Lilith, and the Gravely sisters all united with playful laughter.