"So you're the ones who have been picking off my brothers..." the voice was soft, but menacing all the same. The figure stood from where he was kneeling down the aisle of the church and turned. Golden wings radiated in the mellow light that came in from the stain glass windows.
"I wouldn't say 'picking off'... it sound so... mean." Shep stepped forward, standing even with Lex. Michael gave a small smile and flexed his wings. His black hair was a stunning contrast to his bright blue eyes. When his lips spread in a smile Lex shivered at the pointed fangs that were a match for his own. "By the way..." Shep whispered for Lex's ears only. The angel turned his back to them and began running his fingers along the pews, walking lengthwise with the wooden seats. "I got a new toy," Shep finished.
"Is this really the place to talk about this?" Lex asked, looking at Shep like he was crazy. "I mean, I know I think about sex as much as a thirteen year old boy but come on Shep... in front of the angel?" he nodded at Michael who was obviously listening to their conversation.
"It's not for you," Shep said, and reached into his coat. He pulled out a short barreled shotgun, and fired. The pews not more than a foot from Michael shattered, sending splinters in every direction.
"Where did you even keep that!?" Lex shouted, confused. Shep cocked the gun and fired again, as Michael hissed and showed his true form. His glowing tan skin turned gray and his blue eyes went black. A fleshy tail sprouted from the bottom of his spine, feathers covering the tip. He climbed the walls of the cathedral, disappearing into the shadows of the corners for a moment.
"Wal-mart?" Shep shrugged. Lex rolled his eyes and pulled the chains from his chest.
"Well... I can have nice things too." He tightened his fist around the cold metal until it began to warm up, the temperature rose until it suddenly caught fire, spreading to the rest of the metal links. "Huh, huh!" He swung the chain and smiled, sticking his tongue out at Shep.
"I didn't know you could do that," Shep frowned.
"Yeah well I didn't know you bought a shotgun, so we're even," Lex said. A loud screech echoed in the building and Lex was picked up by his shoulders. His head spun as he was lifted to the rafters of the tall church. "You know I really don't like heights, I wish you guys would respect that," he groaned, as his stomach heaved. He gripped the wall with one clawed hand, and swung his chain with the other, wrapping the end around the angels tail. He pulled hard and listened to the pleasurable sound of flesh hitting the concrete floor of the church. He smiled even wider when he heard a pained groan and the sound of rustling feathers as the angel tried to stand. He watched as Shep cocked the shotgun and aimed for Michael's gray-skinned head. He fired, but missed by inches as the angel scurried away.
"Don't worry about me... I'll... figure out how to get down from here... goddamn it," he grumbled to himself as he tried to figure out how to scale down the wall.
"What's the matter, Demon? Those little wings don't do much do they?" Michael laughed hard, his voice bouncing from wall to wall.
"Hey..." Lex frowned and looked down at the ground below, trying to decide if his wings could carry him down or not, he decided not to risk it and continued scaling the stone wall.
"Take your time Lex," Shep said, getting annoyed. Michael pulled his sword from his sheath, and Shep was surprised to see that it was almost identical to his own, Solais. Before he could even react, Michael swung his sword. He moved, but was too slow and cried out when the blade hit his arm, cutting a deep gash just below his shoulder. "I didn't actually mean take your time, Lex!" Shep growled.
"I'm trying, bitch!" Lex snapped, his foot slipping from a ledge. He caught himself and pulled his thin body back up onto the thinner ledge.
"Show some respect, this is a church," Michael hissed.
"Then you should probably get your ugly ass out of it, you're offending the big man upstairs," Lex retorted. Michael hissed and turned to face him, but was hit with a shotgun blast to the face. Lex smiled and cheered, letting go of the ledge for a moment and nearly falling again, he gripped it and held on tight. "Go Shep, ra-ra-ra!" he cheered, while clutching the stone walls.
"Yes... 'go Shep'," Michael smiled, his grin being cut off by the bloodied flesh where the shotgun had struck him. The angel grinned and pulled back his sword.
"Shep!" Lex cried out. Shep pulled his own blade from its sheath, dropping the shotgun to the ground and lunged. Lex shut his eyes tight, as the sound of blade cutting through flesh filled his ears. After a long moment he opened them slowly and felt hot tears fill his eyes.
Michael stood there, nose to nose with Shep. Both men wore an angry scowl on their faces. Michael shuttered as his gray skin began to blister and crack. The burning red blade of Solais was jammed through his torso, sticking out of his back between his wings. He coughed black blood before shuttering one last time, and bursting into flames. Now all that stood in the spot where the final battle had taken place was Shep. The twin to Solais that Michael had carried was dug into his stomach, protruding from his back. He dropped his own blade, and it fell to the ground with a loud clang, the sound making Lex shiver. Shep stood for a second more before falling to his knees, and then collapsing onto his chest, shoving the sword even deeper into his body.
"Shep..." Lex whispered. He let go of the wall and jumped down. He landed hard on his feet and felt a sharp pain shoot up both of his legs. Ignoring it, he ran to his fallen lover and only stared at the giant pool of blood beneath him. "No..." he whispered. He fell back, onto one of the wooden pews. His legs throbbed, and his back was radiating pain from his fall, but it was nothing compared to the pain in his heart.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Lexington?" the comforting voice entered his head. For a moment he thought it was the voice of his love, the voice of Shep. Then the pain returned and he shut his eyes as tears fell for the thousandth time. "My dear boy, it's been a very long time," the Devil said soothingly. "It's time to move on. Come back to the party." He held a drink in front of Lex's face, the alcohol burned his nose. He shut his eyes and turned his head. He knew the Devil was right. He had lived in the run down hotel since the day Shep died, he wasn't sure, but if the smell of the room was any indication it had been several months. He knew he should get on with his afterlife, but how could he? Shep had yet to show up in hell, which meant that there was some other place besides the two well known options. Somewhere different. It had been all he could think about for months, alone, in the dark.
"I can't... I knew it would hurt if we..." his voice was raw and rough from disuse, only using it for sobbing or screaming. It seemed like that was all he had felt for months. Anguish, or sorrow. He clutched the worn piece of leather in his hands and looked down at Shep's coat. The leather had long since been made dull and rough by Lex's hands. He didn't think he'd put it down even once. It still smelled like his lover and he clung to the scent like it was fresh air, which he also hadn't breathed since Shep died. Not that he even really needed to breathe.
"I know it hurts, so does death, doesn't it? But a good party even made that go away, so I'm sure you can manage this too." He shoved the glass to Lex's mouth and tilted it back. Lex coughed and spit out the burning liquid, slapping the Devil's hand way.
"Stop!" he stood, and shouted. He knew he was insane, this man was more powerful than any other living creature he knew of. He could crush him like a bug or send him to some never ending place to rot. He blinked and stood up straight, the anger vanishing from his face.
"A never ending place..." he whispered. "Lucifer..." He used the Devils real name, making him raise an eyebrow, his interest was piqued. "Can you... can you send me where Shep is?" he asked, eyes watering at just the mention of his name.
"Hm?" Lucifer turned his head slightly to the side.
"Y-you have power... a lot of it." This made the Devil smile.
"That's true," he chuckled and looked at his well manicured nails.
"You can take me anywhere, do anything to me." Lex grabbed the perfectly pressed suit the man wore. "You can send me to where Shep is... if I... if I renounce my loyalty to you, but deny the angels that don't exist anymore... you would have no choice but to send me to where he is, right?" Lex said, frantically shaking the Devil's shoulders. Lucifer swallowed and narrowed his eyes.
"Yes," he said, simply. Lex beamed, he laughed and spun, kicking the chains and swords that lie on the floor of the hotel room. He only now realized how much dust covered everything, even him. Then he looked at the Devil's eyes, and was met with only sadness.
"What? What's wrong?" he asked, worried there was a flaw in his plan.
"Why would I release you, Lexington? I've told you more than once that you're my favorite." He brushed a lock of black hair from the side of Lex's face. He stopped his hand and caressed the soft skin of Lex's cheek. "I have nothing to gain from sending you back to Shepherd," he whispered.
