Xander got his new group of kids busy painting the landscape around them, literally. The grass was a eye shattering combination of purple and orange and Xander was really glad that the trees weren't real because he wasn't sure they'd ever overcome the shock of being painted an obnoxious plaid.

Xander had gotten so good at this that he could keep them all busy and still keep an eye out for the ones that needed a little extra attention. He hadn't had any real problems yet, just the occasional bully that needed to be sorted out, but he could tell that his luck had just run out.

Peter, that was his name, was using his paint brush to aerate the lawn while chanting "Die, die, die." under his breath. Xander told a couple of his helpers to keep the kids busy while he went to talk to the little boy.

Xander crouched down next to him and gently took the brush from his hands. "Hi, Peter. Remember me? I'm Xander. Want to come over here with me?"

Peter shrugged and followed Xander over to the fountain. Xander patted the bench next to him and Peter sat down and stared at the brightly colored fish swimming through the bubbles. "Peter, if you tell me what's wrong I might be able to help you."

Peter shook his head, "Can't help. Nobody can help."

"Come on, Peter, give me a chance. I'm really good friends with the guy who runs this place, maybe he can do something."

"Do you think so?" Peter whispered.

"Maybe, but you need to tell me what's wrong."

Peter told Xander a story that was becoming all to familiar to him. Peter had died at the hands of his father, but only after the bastard had made his life a living Hell. By the time he was six, he knew things that no child should even be able to guess. And when he died at nine, his father had started passing him off to strangers for money. Peter remembered his death all to vividly and his rage had gone beyond his control.

Xander raised the little boy's chin and looked in his eyes. "What do you want, Peter?"

"I want him to die like I died." He whispered right before he burst into tears.

Xander put his hand on Peter's head and eased him into a peaceful sleep. He told one of his helpers that he'd be back soon and to ring the bell if there was a problem. The demon nodded and moved to a point where he could see everyone.

Xander slipped out the door and into the control room, he knew Lucifer would be there this time of day, he always was.

***

Lucifer closed the door to the throne room and sat next to Xander on the couch. "What's wrong?"

Xander sighed and rubbed his hands over his face. "One of the kids, I'm losing him. He's so angry, I don't think I can get through to him in the usual way."

"Tell me what happened." Lucifer said quietly, secretly pleased that Xander had reached the point where he automatically came to him for help. But any pleasure he felt was diminished by Peter's story. It was all to common these days.

Lucifer pulled Xander into his lap and they sat there quietly for a moment. "Xander, what would you like to do? I know you have an idea, I can see it in your eyes."

"Yeah, I do. I think it could work, but it's pretty brutal."

"Let's hear it."

Lucifer was completely startled by Xander's suggestion. "Xander...no child should ever seen anything like that. Not even here."

"I know, but that's part of the problem, he saw things just as bad before he was six. Luc, I really think this could work."

"Very well, Xander. When would you like to do this?" Lucifer asked.

"Tonight, after the others are sleep. I'll keep Peter separate and bring him out then."

"I'll talk to one of the Inquisitors and have them locate the father."

***

Xander led Peter out of Xanderland and down the hall where Lucifer was waiting for them. They exchanged looks and Lucifer took Peter's other hand. "Peter, we're going to be moving very, very quickly. I want you to close your eyes and keep them closed until I tell you that it's safe to open them, all right?" Lucifer said gently.

Peter gulped and squeezed his eyes closed. Lucifer look up at Xander and said, "You too, Xander. Trust me when I say that it is a very uncomfortable way to travel if you try to watch where we're going."

Xander started to protest, but the look on Lucifer's face made it plan that he wasn't going to back down on this one. Xander nodded and closed his eyes. Lucifer opened his mind and located the individual that they were looking for, moving at the speed of light, they traveled through the endless depths of Hell.

***

Lucifer came to a stop outside the cell, "All right, you can open your eyes now."

Xander crouched down so he and Peter were eye to eye. "Peter, I want you to listen to me very carefully. On the other side of that door is your father." Peter jumped and Xander grabbed him. "Peter, he can't hurt you, he won't be able to touch you. He died not long after you did. The police found out that your father was the one who killed you and when they tried to arrest him he ran. He got shot and died. Because of what he did to you, he's been sent here to be punished. I'm going to pick you up and let you look through the window. You'll be able to see that I'm telling you the truth. He is hurting just as much as he hurt you. Are you ready?"

Peter, eyes wide, nodded solemnly. Xander picked him up easily and held him up to the tiny window in the door. Peter turned pale and began to shake. Xander started to pull him away, but Peter shook his head. After almost an hour, Peter finally spoke, "You can let me down now."

Peter's face was pale and tear tracks streaked his cheeks, but an odd sense of satisfaction gleamed in his hazel eyes. "I'm hungry. Can I get something to eat now?"

Xander shuddered when the tension that had been knotting his muscles suddenly released. "Yep. Let's go have dinner and then it'll be bedtime. No more bad dreams, I promise."

Peter nodded as if he knew anything Xander said would be true. "But..." he whispered.

Xander picked him up and grabbed Lucifer's hand for the trip back, "But what, Peter?"

"Can I play again tomorrow? I missed a bunch today."

Xander and Lucifer both laughed. "I think that could be arranged, Peter." Lucifer said in a quiet voice. "We'll just have to bribe Xander with ice cream."

***

Xander tucked Peter into bed and watched as he slowly faded to join the rest of his group. It would be years before Xander saw him again, but to Peter, it would be tomorrow. Xander stretched and finally left the room for the night. He went back into the throne room, knowing Luc would be waiting for him there.

They weren't lovers in the physical sense, but Xander did love him. They shared a room, slept together almost every night and when they had to be apart because of work, neither slept worth a damn. Over their years together, Xander had come to realize that he could no longer imagine a life with Luc. He didn't want a life without him, and if that meant he had to stay here forever, well, there were worse things.

Xander found Luc half reclining on the couch and curled up on his chest like he had a thousand times before. They didn't talk, they just enjoyed the chance to be alone together. "Luc? How long have I been here?" Xander asked quietly, hoping to lead Lucifer where he wanted them to be.

Lucifer frowned, "Let's see, above it's been about six weeks, but here it's been almost fifty years. Why?"

"I haven't changed at all have I?" Xander voice was incredulous as he realized how many children he'd met in that period of time.

Lucifer pulled him back down onto his chest, "Physically, you haven't changed much at all. You've gained some muscle and your hair is definitely getting long." Lucifer said as he tugged on an overly long strand.

"How is that possible?" Xander asked.

Lucifer sat them both up so they could talk. "Time moves differently here, Xander. And the fact that you're alive instead of a disincorporated soul means that it affects you differently than most. As long as you're here, you won't age, but you will change physically. Your hair will grow and you can gain or lose weight, but those are probably the only real physical changes that you'll notice."

Xander was quiet for a minute as he thought his way through the implications of that statement. But then he grinned, "That is so cool. Weird, but cool. But, can I ask you something else?"

"Of course, Xander. You know you can ask me anything."

"Okay. We've been sleeping together for what? Forty years now? We spend every spare minute together and plan our rare time off around each other. So, after all of that, why aren't we lovers?" Xander asked curiously.

Lucifer was absolutely speechless. He'd taken Spike's advice to heart and was trying to show Xander just how much he meant to him, but he thought it would take centuries. But Xander obviously wanted an answer now. Lucifer's mouth opened and closed several times, but no sound came out.

Lucifer's reaction told Xander that his feelings for Lucifer were more than mutual. He smiled gently, "Speechless, huh? Well, since you're not talking..."

Lucifer's flame filled eyes watched in fascinated disbelief as Xander came closer and closer. When the lips he'd been dreaming about finally touched his, Lucifer groaned deep in his throat. He pulled Xander closer and deepened the kiss, letting his hands roam up and down Xander's strong back.

Xander finally broke away and pulled Lucifer from the couch with him and led the way to their room. "Do you think maybe we could take tomorrow off? Spend the day alone together?"

Lucifer pulled Xander to a stop outside their bedroom door. "Xander, if this happens, you'll never be able to go to Heaven. I was cast out, loving me means that you'll share my fate. You'll be stuck here, damned for eternity."

Xander shrugged and opened the door, "If I get to stay with you and the kids, I don't care."

Xander was pulling them closer and closer to the bed. Lucifer tried one more time. "Xander. I promised that I would try to return you to the world above once it was safe for you, if we become lovers, I won't want to let you go."

Xander just laughed, "You love me, and I love you, so we're already lovers, we just haven't had sex, yet. And there's nothing above for me now. You're here, I have friends here and the kids need me. What else could I possible want?" Xander pushed until Lucifer fell backwards onto the bed.

Lucifer started to say something, but Xander put his hand over his mouth. "Luc, I haven't had sex in fifty years...I'd really like to quit talking now."

Lucifer laughed and rolled them until he had Xander where he'd wanted him for so long, sprawled under him in their bed. Lucifer gazed into smiling brown eyes and felt something inside him melt. He kissed Xander as gently as he knew how, trying to convey what he felt, but couldn't find the words for. The smile on Xander's face told him that words weren't needed.

***

Life, such as it was, continued undisturbed for the next several decades. Xander guessed that he'd been missing from Sunnydale for just over a year now. He occasionally wondered what people had been told about his disappearance, but decided that he didn't really care.

Lucifer had confessed a long time ago that Anya had originally been sent to Sunnydale keep an eye on him and to help protect him if he needed it. He'd seen her several times since then and they'd actually become friends. She was happy to be back at her old job; her boss was even happier to have her back. Xander and Lucifer both speculated that the two would be making a pairing before long.

***

Xander had even managed to grow used to the occasional Angel popping in unexpectedly. They came to retrieve the souls of the children that had passed their probationary period. Xander had been afraid that the other children would be upset to see their friends leave, but he'd been worried for nothing. The children would gather around to say goodbye to their friend and then just go back to their games.

There had been minor problems with a couple of children not wanting to leave, but Xander had finally managed to convince them that Heaven would be just as much fun, if not more fun, than Xanderland. The angel sent for the retrieval had given him a strange look, but said nothing about it. Xander shrugged and forgot the incident. It came back to haunt him later.

***

Urta always noted the arrival and location of the angels from Heaven sent on retrieval. While five angels arriving at the same time was unusual, five arriving together and going to the same realm was unheard of. Urta sounded the alarm and met Lucifer and his seven Lieutenants in the hall. "Five, Sir, and all of them appeared in Xanderland thirty seconds ago."

Lucifer and his Lieutenants were armed and armored with a thought. Even Father Maguire looked blood thirsty with a very large axe on his shoulder. Lucifer opened the door to Xanderland and screamed in rage.

Xander was on his knees and the ArchAngel Michael was standing over him with the flaming sword of Justice raised, ready to remove Xander's head from his shoulders. Lucifer took on his angelic form for the first time in a millenia. He met the down stroke of Michael's sword with his own and thrust the ArchAngel back, away from Xander.

"What are you doing here, Michael? You and your host hold no dominion here."

Michael sneered, "This one was meant to die! And we find him here, subverting these young souls! Some of them didn't want to ascend to Heaven when their time here was over! God has decreed that this human shall die and his soul be cast back into chaos."

Lucifer took a step back, to destroy a soul was unthinkable. And to destroy Xander because he was a kind, compassionate man? Lucifer felt a feeling sweep over him that was new to his experience. He'd been angry before, but this was not anger. This was an ice-cold rage. The King of Hell stalked towards Michael and raised his sword. Screaming so loudly that every soul in Hell could hear him, he made his intentions known.

"By my right as the King of Hell, I declare war on the Hosts of Heaven! They would kill an innocent and destroy his soul!"

Michael blanched, "Lucifer, you can not do this! Not over a human!"

Lucifer sneered at his former captain. "This human has a soul, Michael, an innocent soul. It is against every tenant known in Heaven to destroy an innocent soul. God has broken his own law, the restrictions are lifted. Leave this place, Michael. Leave now with your life intact. HIS gift of immortality will not protect you now."

Michael raised his sword and bowed, "What God has decreed, so it will be. If it is war you want, then it is war you shall have. Let's see how your demons and the lost ones do against the Hosts of Heaven."

Trumpets sounded and the air above Lucifer was literally filled with angels, all of them carrying swords or spears. Lucifer growled and his own warriors began pouring out of the ground.

Xander staggered to his feet and made his way to Lucifer's side. "Luc, what are you doing? You can't go to war over me, it's not right. And you're scaring the kids. Stop it, stop it right now! You're all acting like a bunch of assholes!" Xander yelled.

"Xander, you can't expect me to just stand here and let them destroy you! You don't understand, you won't just die, you'll cease to exist!"

Xander shook his head, "I'm not going to be responsible for a war between Heaven and Hell. What about all the people on Earth? Won't this hurt them? Forget it. I don't want this on my conscience."

Lucifer was stunned when he felt pain, real physical pain, coursing through him at the thought of loosing Xander. He'd expected mental pain, but not physical. He staggered and fell to his knees, Xander at his side in an instant. "Luc? What's wrong?"

Xander glared up at the angel standing over him, "What did you do to him?"

Michael shook his head and stepped away from the pair on the ground. What he was seeing couldn't be real, it wasn't possible.

A vague human-shaped light formed between the Hosts of Heaven and the Warriors of Hell. It grew brighter and brighter, but it didn't hurt to look at. It was warm and soft, like the first sunlight after a long winter.

'Arise, Lucifer, and be counted.' the command implicit in that voice could not be refused. Lucifer staggered to his feet, Xander at his side, holding him steady.

Lucifer inclined his head, "Christ, it has been a long time, a very long time."

"Christ?" Xander whispered. "That's Christ? The Christ? Oh shit."

The light grew a little brighter and soft laughter could be heard. 'Yes, the Christ.'

The Host of Heaven gathered around the light and bowed their heads, 'Your task is done here, Michael. Return to your place at my father's side.'

Michael backed away and with the Host following him, left the realm of Hell and ascended back to Heaven.

'Now, as for you, Lucifer...My Father's ways seem harsh to you, but there is a reason behind everything that he does. Growth is achieved through diversity, and you have finally fulfilled the promise of your creation. That pain you feel is a gift, one that you have won for yourself, and it will give hope to the others.'

Lucifer shook his head, "I don't understand."

'The birth of a new soul is ever painful, Morning Star. But with that pain comes joy. You are gifted with the right of free will. Use it well.'

"A soul? I have a soul?" Lucifer asked incredulously.

"What about Xander?" Lucifer asked suddenly. "God has decreed that he be sent back to the chaos."

Xander held his breath, he didn't want to leave Luc, but he wasn't going to be the cause of a war, no matter how much he loved him.

'God would never destroy a soul, Lucifer. HE just felt that you needed a little push. HE has always known that this was possible for you. Did you think that the idea to grant the humans knowledge was yours? HE set you on this path, goaded you into standing up for what you believed to be right and just, knowing that some day you would fulfill the promise HE saw in you. Your love for Xander, and his love for you, was the catalyst that allowed your soul to come into being. That same love will sustain your soul, and his, throughout eternity.'

The light grew brighter, and seemed to focus on Xander for a moment, 'Know this, child of man, your Creator is well pleased with you and your work here. He leaves these young ones in your care, knowing that their souls will return to him in the fullness of time. Be comforted knowing that what they learn here from you will stay with them, always.'

The light faded with those words and then vanished.

Xander and Lucifer looked at each and started laughing. "Okay. That was freaky. Really freaky." Xander said.

Lucifer pulled Xander closer so he could kiss him when Urta burst back into the room. "Lord! We have a serious problem!"

Lucifer groaned, "What is it now, Urta?"

"Lord, the lower levels have frozen over." Urta said in a panicked voice.

Brody started snickering, quickly followed by the rest of Lucifer's Lieutenants. Soon everyone was laughing helplessly. Lucifer gave Xander a quick kiss, "Life is never boring with you around."

Epilogue