Lucifer looked over the massive quantity of food spread across his table. After years of watching Xander's every move, he well knew what the boy liked to eat, and how much he liked to eat. He could only hope that Xander's hunger would overcome his fear. Looking at the massive clock above the mantle, Lucifer took a deep breath. "Well, no time like the present." He moved down the hall to Xander's room and entered quietly. He watched the slow rise and fall of his chest before moving to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Xander. Come on. It's time to wake up."

Xander reached up and pulled his pillow over his head. "Go 'way. Sleeping. Not getting up."

Lucifer shook his shoulder, "Xander, breakfast is ready. Your food is going to get cold."

Xander dropped the pillow and opened one blurry eye. When he saw Lucifer sitting on the edge of his bed he let out a startled scream and scrambled out the far side of the bed. He grabbed the silver candle stick from the bedside table and held it before him in a defensive position. "You stay right where you are."

Lucifer raised his hands and slowly stood up. "Calm down, Xander. I'm not going to hurt you, I gave you my word. I just came to tell you that breakfast is ready if you're hungry."

Xander laughed bitterly, "You promised to not kill me, you never said anything about not hurting me. And I doubt I'd like anything you consider food."

Lucifer smiled, "I suppose you've been told that I eat babies for breakfast for some other disgusting thing...I assure you, the food I eat is perfectly normal. And if it will ease your mind, I'd be willing to swear a blood oath as to your safety. You have nothing to fear from me."

Xander's stomach grumbled loudly, and his face turned red with embarrassment. Lucifer kept his hands where Xander could see them and backed towards the door. "Please, Xander, there is no need for you to go hungry here. You may keep your weapon if it makes you feel better, but let's go eat. Please."

***

Xander ate quickly, but kept one eye on Lucifer the entire time. After he'd eaten more than he probably should have, he decided to grab the bull by the horns. "You keep saying you're not going to kill me or hurt me, but you told Giles and the others that if they didn't give me to you that you'd open Hell on Earth. What do you want me for?"

Lucifer sighed wearily, "I'm sorry about that, Xander, but there was no other way. I had a limited amount of time and using your friends was the fastest way. I am sorry that they gave in so easily. I'm sure their betrayal hurt you a great deal."

"Yeah? What would you know about it?" Xander asked snidely.

"What exactly do you know about me, Xander? Other than the usual horror stories."

"Um, you're evil and...oh yeah, you're evil." Xander retorted.

Lucifer waved one hand carelessly, "Yes, yes. I know all about humanity's perception of me, but what do you actually know about me?"

Xander shrugged helplessly.

"My name has ever been Lucifer, but I was also once known as 'Morning Star', the most favored of God's ArchAngels. I commanded the Thrones of Heaven's Host and sat at God's right hand. Then one day, all of that changed. God decreed that the humans HE had made, in HIS own image, were a failure. I disagreed. Do you know the difference between Angels and humans, Xander?" Lucifer asked suddenly.

Xander fumbled for an answer, "Angels are good?" He said hesitantly.

Lucifer laughed and shook his head, "No, they're not. Angels are neither good or evil, because they don't have souls. And because they don't have souls, they were not given the gift of free will. They no choice but to follow orders, like the good little soldiers they are."

"But humans, humans have souls. Some are good, some are bad, but they are still more than Angels could ever hope to be. I knew, given the chance, humans could accomplish so much, but while they free will, they didn't have the knowledge to use it. So...I crept out of Heaven and came to Earth. I gave the first humans knowledge, something that God hadn't done and had no intentions of doing. HE had given them souls and free will, but didn't want them to change. HE wanted them to stay as innocent as the day they had been created. Needless to say, HE was not pleased by my actions, I was given a choice...take back the knowledge I had given them or be cast out of Heaven." Lucifer held out his hands, "I think you can guess what my answer was."

Xander shook his head, "I don't understand, if God was going to destroy us, why didn't he?"

"Because of the knowledge I gave them, humans knew fear for the first time. And in that fear, they called out to God for his love and protection. HE finally had what HE had wanted, a species of intelligence and capable of rational thought. But for me, it was too late. I had already been cast out of Heaven, never to return."

"Things were fine, for a while, but then man started to use their knowledge to kill and destroy God's creation HE declared them beyond redemption and set out to destroy them once and for all. I may have been cast out, but I argued against it. God had given them free will, and now wanted to obliterate them for using it. I managed to sway his hand, but as my punishment for questioning God's will, Hell was created and I was set over it as Lord and Master, forced to watch over the lost souls of the humans that had so angered their God."

"But, God forgives anyone."

"True, but if, and only if, they ask for HIS forgiveness. And if they've been baptized in HIS faith. But what about the others? The ones who were not baptized, the ones unable to ask for that forgiveness, or even those who don't know enough to ask? What happens to them? I'll tell you. They come here."

Xander just sat there with a stupid look on his face, Lucifer didn't have any reason to lie to him, it wasn't like he'd be able to do anything to the King of Hell, so why was he telling him these things? "I don't understand, what does all this have to do with me?"

"It's simple, I use some of the souls that come here to help me take care of things, to help me care for the lost ones, that is what I wanted you for."

Lucifer leaned forward in his chair, "I know this is all terribly confusing for you, and I'm sorry for that. I had planned to wait until you were a little older before I came to you with my proposition, but fate worked against me. Two days from now, if you were still on Earth, you were going to die, in a particularly painful way. And because you haven't been baptized, you would have come here anyway. I just...preempted...your arrival by a few days."

Lucifer smiled at the look on Xander's face, "I have watched you since the moment of your birth, Xander. I know everything there is to know about you. I know your hopes, your fears and the full measure of your being. I have a job for you, here with me."

Xander was totally creeped out by the fact that Lucifer had been watching his every move. "What are you? Some kind of stalker? Why were you watching me?"

"Your father, idiot that he is, promised you, his first born son, to me if I do would just one little favor for him. I granted his request which made you mine. You are not the first to be promised to me, and probably won't be the last. I usually wait until the child is of age before I appear to them, and then I give them a choice...serve me in whatever capacity I choose, or be released."

Lucifer quirked up one brow in amusement, "Most choose to be released for some reason. Then they must immediately be baptized in God's faith and adhere to his law. If they don't...well, they know what will happen to them. I had planned to appear to you on your twenty-first birthday and give you the choice. But I knew that if I showed you what I wanted from you, you would agree to serve."

Xander shook his head, "I doubt that. I fight against evil everyday. Why would I want to serve you?"

Lucifer pushed away from the table and stood up, "Come with me, Xander, there's something I want you to see."

Xander followed him out of the dining room and down the hall to a large window set in the stone. Lucifer waved his hand over the window and a picture formed. "Look here. Tell me what you see."

Xander saw an enormous room on the other side of that window, a room filled with children. None of them younger than four and none of them teenagers, but all of them huddled in little balls of misery. "What...why are they here? They're just kids."

Lucifer put his hand on Xander's shoulder and squeezed it gently, "These are some of the lost ones. They died too young, and many of them in horrible ways. Some of them had been baptized but none of them asked for God's forgiveness before they died."

Xander turned and stared into Lucifer's eyes and all he saw was pain. "But, that's not fair. They don't deserve to be here."

"No. No they don't, but God's law says that anyone, and I mean anyone, that does not live by God's laws and does not ask for HIS forgiveness, comes to Hell when they die." Lucifer closed the window and led Xander into another room. "Please, take a seat." Xander picked the chair closest to the fireplace and Lucifer sat across from him.

"According to God's law, a human is born in sin. The youngest ones, the babies, are forgiven without question if they die. Christ saw to that. But once a child reaches a certain age, they know the difference between good and bad. That usually happens around four or so. If they die after they reach the age of knowledge without being saved, then they come here. Christ argued against this, but God would not be swayed. However; Christ did manage to sneak a provision into God's law. If a child's soul stays here for a period of time equal to their time on Earth without being corrupted, then they will ascend to Heaven."

Xander was confused, "What about the people who don't believe in God, or worship somebody else? What happens to them?"

"Most people who say they don't believe in God really do. At some point in their lives, even for a split second, they believed. And that's all it takes to bring them under God's dominion. As for people of other faiths...God is all things to all people and he has many names, every religion has it's own rules and it's own Heaven and Hell. But the principles are the same. If you looked I think you would find that every religion has the same basic tenants. A primary God, lesser Gods, what we call angels, prophets to spread his word and a teacher that lives among the people and shows them the way to the light and eventually joins the light himself.

Xander grinned, "Got 'cha. What about Willow? She worships a Goddess, not a God. What about her?"

Lucifer smirked, "God isn't a he or a she, God is the force of creation. We just say HE because it sounds better than IT. And as for Willow, she may not be practicing, but she was born and raised Jewish, she believes in the power of the Christian emblem of their faith to hold off evil, trust me, she's liable."

Xander was almost starting to enjoy this discussion. "Okay, but why do you say HE instead of SHE? Women are the ones who have babies, wouldn't a God that created life be a she?"

Lucifer chuckled, "Good point. But unfortunately, man wrote the books of religion, not God. The attitudes of the time are directly reflected in those writings. Here's a good example... Have you ever heard the phrase, "Thou shall not suffer a witch to live?"

Xander nodded, "Yeah, why?"

Lucifer grinned, "God didn't say that. God has never said that. That is in the King James version of the bible, and King James is the one who said it. His new bride was convinced that the troubles plaguing them and their countries were the work of witches. She then managed to convince the king of that little misconception. So he had the bible rewritten to reflect his beliefs, not God's."

Xander's mouth hung open and he stuttered for a second before managing to spit out, "You can't do that! You can't rewrite the bible so it says what you want it to say instead of what it's actually supposed to say!"

Lucifer just shook his head, "Unfortunately, that is just what happened, many times over the centuries. God's laws are actually very simple. Don't kill, don't steal, don't lie, be faithful to your God and his laws, love your family and honor the vows you make. That's it."

"But what about not committing adultery and wanting your neighbor's wife and stuff?"

"Marriage is a fairly new concept in the larger scheme of things, but if your neighbor has taken a wife then they've made vows to each other. Being faithful to the vow is what is important. HE doesn't care if the vow was made between men, between women, or between a man and a woman, just that the vow be kept."

"But the bible says that being a homosexual is wrong." Xander said quietly.

"Did you know that animals engage in homosexual acts, Xander? Animals are true innocents, the epitamy of nature, so how can it be wrong or unnatural? There are bigger things to worry about."

"But, didn't God destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because the people there were gay?" Xander asked.

Sodom and Gomorrah were destroyed because those people broke all the commandments. They raped, killed and did whatever they wanted, to whomever they wanted. And to top it all off, they were going to rape and kill the angels God sent to test them. Trust me, the bigots that spout that nonsense about homosexuals deserving to die for being the way God made them come here. All of them. They may ask for HIS forgiveness, but to repent, you actually have to be repentant, and they never are. The same goes for racists. God made humans in his image, that means that he them made with a soul, he didn't pick the colors or the sex, he doesn't even see the flesh, just the condition of the soul. That is what is important to him."

"But as for why I wanted you, Xander. You're a good man, a kind man. I want you to help care for those children. If you will agree to help me with this, then I will see what I can do about returning you to the world above."

Xander's face lit up, "It will not be easy, Xander, and it will take time. A great deal of time, I'm afraid. But, time moves differently down here. What seems like centuries is actually only months above. If you agree to this, I will sign a blood oath, guaranteeing my word of this bargain. So...what do you say?"

"Where do I start?"

Lucifer smiled freely for the first time in days. "Thank you, Xander. Now, let's go meet with my other Lieutenants, they'll be able to help you a great deal with your task."

***

Xander immediately liked Brody and Pierce, and was awe stricken to be sitting in the same room with Leonardo di Vinci. Father Maguire was the picture of what a priest should look like, while Borta wore his pride around him like a shield. Gunter would have made a great Santa Claus with his snowy white beard and twinkling eyes and Philip looked like a guy you would trust instinctively. They all seemed really happy to meet him, and were eager to do whatever they could to help. Xander was a little overwhelmed. "Uh, I don't want to bring up any bad memories or anything, but can I ask, why are you guys here? Is it because of that whole asking for forgiveness and baptism thing?"

Brody nodded, "I was baptized and spent my entire life trying to follow God's law, but I was a police officer in New York. I was forced to kill a suspect during a shoot out. When I died I had the Last Rights and asked for absolution, but when you repent, you have to be completely sincere. HE knows if you're not. I wasn't the least bit sorry for killing that bastard. He'd kidnapped and murdered five children when we finally cornered him with the sixth. He had a knife to her throat and I wasn't going to let her die. I ordered him to drop it, but he refused, so I shot him. After I passed on, I woke up here." Brody nodded his head at Lucifer, "Luc here was waiting for me when I woke up. He explained where I was and why. Then he offered me a job. We get a lot of police officers here. I help them adjust and try to work their way to redemption."

"My story is much the same as Brody's." Pierce said. "I was in the Army, I followed orders and did my duty. I was a very good soldier and won a lot of metals. I died in a rice paddy in Viet Nam when a napam bomb was dropped in the wrong place. My life ended in an instant. Now I take care of the soldiers here."

Xander looked at the priest sitting quietly in the corner. "Father? What about you?"

Father Maguire smiled gently, "I was a priest in Ireland and had the bad taste to disagree with some of the Church doctrine. I marched to protest against the violence between the IRA and the British soldiers. A riot started and I was shot. I died without the Last Rights and spent my final breath cursing the idiocy surrounding me instead of asking for absolution for my sins against God."

"Um, are there a lot of priests here that need help?" Xander asked curiously.

Father Maguire chuckled, "No, lad, not a lot, but there are a few and the occasional nun too. But they work with me now. We work with the suicides that come here. Those poor lost souls that could no longer handle their misery above and chose to end their lives. For them the path to redemption is a long and difficult one, but we try to help them and offer what little comfort we can."

Xander gaped at the priest, unable to imagine how horrible his job must be. "Oh wow, that sucks."

"That is one way to put it I suppose." Father Maguire said quietly.

Leonardo patted the priest on the shoulder. "The boy is completely accurate, you're job does indeed suck. As for myself, I was declared a heretic by the church and was excommunicated. I believed that man should try to better himself, should experiment with nature. That science could do much for humanity. The local priests did not agree. I knew it was only a matter of time before the Inquisitor came for me so I hid away as many of my inventions as I was able. I was put on trial and declared a heretic. My friendship with the ruler of Venice prevented my immediate death, but I was already damned. Now, I deal with the scientists and inventors that come here. Many are innocent of any wrong doing, others..." Leonardo sighed deeply, "They failed to learn the most important lesson of science...just because you can do something, it doesn't necessarily follow that you should."

Borta laughed deeply, "You have always had a way with words, Leo." The large black man thumped his massive fist against his chest, "As for me, I was stolen from my home and sold as a slave. I would not bow down to the man who thought he could buy me. He had me beaten to death. There are many here whose pride led to their downfall. There are not bad, but they refused to back down and bow to those who would be their masters."

"Borta? Didn't you have Gods of your own? How did you end up here?" Xander asked.

Borta laughed, "My insatiable curiosity. There was a holy man on the ship that took me from my country. He told us of his God and his Heaven. He hated what was happening to us, and was trying to give us some comfort, I liked that old man. His sincerity and his faith spoke to my heart and I believed. He baptized and blessed me in his God's faith on that ship, but I died without absolution."

Suddenly a new thought occurred to Xander, "Okay, wait a minute. I've read the bible, people didn't start getting baptized until John the Baptist. What about all the people before him? They weren't baptized."

"True." Father Maguire said. "But being baptized in God's faith doesn't necessarily mean you've had water poured over your head. A better term would be dedicated. In antiquity, on the event of one's birth, the babe was dedicated to God to save him from being possessed by the Devil or being taken by evil spirits. Some peoples didn't even give their children names until they had reached a certain age. They believed that if a child wasn't named, then he was, in fact, hidden from evil."

Lucifer nodded, "As I told you, Xander. Every religion has it's own beliefs. The dedication or baptism is different for all, but the meaning behind it is the same."

Gunter looked at Philip, "Well, my old friend, shall you go next or shall I?"

"Go ahead, Gunter." Philip said quietly.

"Very well. I was born in Germany, many many years ago. When the Nazi's came, I refused to give up my neighbors who happened to be Jewish. I was killed for my refusal. Many of the Jews killed in the camps died asking God why instead of asking for forgiveness. They came here and I try to comfort them."

"And he does a wonderful job too." Philip said. "As for myself, I was a school teacher, I was also gay. My lover and I had an argument and he told some of the parents of my students about me. They took exception to my sexual orientation and I was beaten to death. I'd been baptized when I was a baby, but like so many others, I believed the lies that men had added to the bible. When I realized I was gay I decided I wanted nothing to do with a God that would encourage such hate so I ended up here. Those who die because of betrayal are mine to care for. If Lucifer hadn't brought you here when he did, Xander, you would have been one of mine. I've never been happier to lose one of my charges."

Philip bowed to Lucifer and he returned the gesture. Then Lucifer asked, "So, Xander, do you have any more questions?"

"Yeah, how come there are only seven Lieutenants and none of them are women? And what about the people who were murdered, or died because they were sick? Who takes care of them?"

"I have had many Lieutenants, men and women. Over time, the others have moved on and been replaced. And there are others here now, but they seldom leave their charges. Caring for the ones who were murdered is a horrific task, and the man caring for them was one of the first residents of Hell. He has more than earned his way to Heaven, but refuses to go because he doesn't believe that he deserves it. His name is Cain."

Xander's eyes grew wide and Lucifer nodded, "Yes, that Cain. As for the ones who died of illness, their caretaker was a doctor when she was alive. Her dedication to her 'patients', as she calls them, is astounding. But, as she puts it, 'I'm too damned busy to get religion.' She's perfectly happy where she is and has no intention of leaving. The children though...with them, we don't take into account how they died. Dealing with them takes a special touch, one that you have, Xander."

Xander grimaced, "I hope you're right."

***

Lucifer drew the dagger across the palm of his hand and then did the same to Xander's. The boy hissed slightly, "Sorry, Xander. I keep forgetting that you're still actually alive. This will only take a moment and then I'll take care of that. Now, give me your hand."

Lucifer sealed their palms together and spoke under his breath before pressing their joined hands to the door leading into the Xander's realm. There was a flash of light and the smell of brimstone. Lucifer pulled their hands away from the door and ran one finger down Xander's palm, healing the cut instantly, but leaving a small scar. "This room is now keyed to you, anything your mind can imagine, you can make real here. I've already set the spell for their sleep cycles, there won't be more than one hundred children awake at any one time." Lucifer looked over Xander's shoulder and smiled. "I've recruited some helpers for you." Xander started to turn, but Lucifer stopped him. "Before you look, I want to tell you that they are demons, not souls. I've spoken to each of them and they are more than willing to change their appearance so as to not frighten the children."

Lucifer released him and Xander braced himself for the worst. He was pleasantly surprised. He walked around each of the ten demons, unable to believe his eyes. "You...you're perfect!"

Lucifer frowned, "Xander?"

"Come on, look at them! They couldn't be any better for what I have in mind. They look like they came straight out of an anime cartoon. They look like elves and fairies. The kids are going to love them just the way they are."

Urta came out of the control room and whispered in Lucifer's ear. "Xander, I have something to take care of. Will you be all right now?"

Xander grinned and rubbed his hands together. "Oh yeah. This is going to be great!" Xander lightly pressed his hand to the door and it swung open silently. Xander stepped back and turned to his helpers. "Let's get busy. You're going to have a blast, trust me."

***

Lucifer left Xander with his helpers and closeted himself in his throne room. Staring deeply into the fire that continuously burned in the huge fireplace he concentrated and called up the images of Angelus and his Childe, Spike.

***

Wesley had given up on trying to change Angel's mind and now worked to find a way to ensure that Angel and Spike at least had a chance at success.

Angel had called Giles and told the Watcher that he would be in Sunnydale and that they were not to interfere. Giles had wanted to know what their plans were, Spike had yanked the phone out of Angel's hand and spoke to the Watcher at length. By the time Spike slammed down the receiver, Giles knew exactly what Spike had in store for him, chip or no chip. Wesley shook his head, remembering some of the things Spike had threatened, he really needed to write down a couple of those phrases, they might come in handy some day. Chuckling quietly to himself, Wesley bespelled another rope and harness, they would be needed to allow the vampires to safely descend into the Hellmouth.

When a spout of dark blue flame burst out of the fireplace, each man was armed in less than a second. Then a man stepped out of the flames, Angel lunged at him, screaming at the top of his lungs. "Lucifer!"

Lucifer raised one hand and Angel stopped dead in his tracks. "Well now, Angelus...I'm sorry, I keep forgetting that you go by Angel now, I've learned of your little plan and have come to set your minds at ease."

Spike vamped out and attacked. "Where is he?" Spike shouted as he struck Lucifer in the face. The blow had no effect on Lucifer at all, but Spike's hand broke with an audible crunch.

"Spike, Spike, Spike. You never think before you act. I'm surprised that you've survived this long." Lucifer pulled a cigarette out of mid air and lit it with the tip of his finger. "Why don't you gentlemen have a seat, we'll wait for the others to arrive and then we'll talk."

***

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