Sunday Part 3

Just before seven, Jonathan left the garden. Elise, knowing what was about to happen, joined him in the kitchen. He took a large baking tray from the refrigerator containing a stew he had made earlier in the day. There would be no time for elaborate cooking, but he refused to have takeout delivered. He would consider it incredibly rude of him to put something like that on the table in front of his family and friends, not to mention an assault on his taste buds. Once in the oven, it would heat up slowly and perfectly. He snapped his fingers, and once again he was wearing his black outfit. This time, not to impress those he was expecting, but to scare the shit out of those who would get a visit. She came close to him and he hugged her tightly. Neither seemed to need to talk. A few minutes later, Zelo appeared with Argo, another young demon from his group. He looked at them and was surprised to see that they were wearing battle gear that seemed to be a copy of his. Instead of a large red dragon on their chest, they both wore a badge with the red dragon on their right shoulder. Jon asked:

"Have we started a new fashion line, a boy's band? And I hope we're not going to relive what happened yesterday?"

Zelo replied:

"No worries boss, Argo is fully informed. Do not worry, as you asked us yesterday, from now on we are one group, your group!"

Before he could say anything, Rae Rae appeared in the kitchen. She wanted to say something, but when her eyes fell on the two Demons, the words stuck in her throat for a moment until she could say:

"Jon, since when did you employ a bunch of Mini-Me's?"

"Sister, I didn't even know I had Mini-Me's. Zelo?"

"I took the liberty of testing something in Dis Jon. Your combat equipment is more than known. So this more or less copy of Argo and myself should also be very recognizable."

"And what was the result of your test?"

"Ambiguous, and that in itself is pretty crappy. In the Circles, everything seems to be going normally with their preparations for war, now that the King has confirmed your authority, so they know you are not an enemy. This equipment we are wearing, along with the mark you have placed on us, should let any Demon know immediately that we are in your inner circle and have your full trust. That we are collaborating closely with you to prepare and initiate the attack. However, there is a great deal of suspicion, far too much, and it is almost cutthroat. If you agree, Boss, I suggest that everyone in our small group wear the same from now on. Like you said, we don't have enough time to be subtle. Then let it be known loud and clear that the Antichrist and his faithful are in full preparation for war and have no time for whining."

"In other words, what I suspected yesterday. Both camps are dealing with infiltrators. Grandpa and Grandma on one side and Dad on the other. They don't know who they are, so their hands are more or less tied, so we have to do all the heavy lifting ourselves. Okay, give the order Zelo, from now on everyone wears the same uniform! But Zelo, you are my general now. If you think something is important, like the uniforms, just give the order. You don't have to come to me for permission for every mosquito fart. If I didn't trust you, if I doubted you, I would never have made you my general, little brother. Okay?"

It was as if the demon grew a little bigger and wider, and he nodded. Jon looked at his Breitling for a moment out of habit:

"The dojo in my warehouse. I'll take you there. I'll just have to take the wannabe Capone with me to Hell. The thugs are for you to play with, no need for niceties."

The three nodded and Jon gave Elise another kiss before pulling his balaclava over his mouth.

A snap of his fingers later and they were standing in what looked like a squeaky clean, very traditional Japanese dojo. He snapped his fingers again and Clemenzo and his thugs appeared. The look on their faces was one of pure bewilderment. One moment they were comfortable in their social club, the next they found themselves in a completely unfamiliar room. This soon gave way to the first signs of fear when they saw the three figures dressed in black with a skull balaclava in front of their faces. The small woman in her tight leather suit only added to their surprise. Jon grabbed the mobster he needed by the throat and lifted him off the ground with ease. Even before his thugs could recover. Jon's eyes lit up and he said icily:

"My name is Jonathan, I'm the son of Lucifer, I'm the Crown Prince of Hell and I fucking hate fat little fucking imbeciles like you who want to kill pregnant young ladies with a shotgun! I'm taking you straight to hell with me, motherfucker..."

The man saw the fate that awaited him in Hell and began to cry uncontrollably as he lost control of his bladder. This seemed to be the moment when the other four awoke from their paralysis and grabbed their weapons. This was the signal for Azrael, Zelo, and Argo to begin their fun with their prey. Before the criminals knew it, they were disarmed and, to their utter horror, saw their weapons reduced to rubble by the bare hands of the attackers. Jon stood and watched, wondering if it wouldn't be better to manifest some popcorn, because it looked like it was going to be quite a spectacle. The two Demons and the Angel played nicely together and the four thugs seemed to go from hand to hand. The whole thing did not last too long, but it was extremely violent and bloody. The breaking of bones would have been just about sickening for a human being. Jon had ordered Baton Rouge to be cleared out by force the night before, and they took his order very seriously. Simply because he had given that order coldly and without hesitation and would not go back on it. Baton Rouge was in for a most unpleasant surprise. Police departments would have their hands full with investigations that would lead nowhere, and the press would be foaming at the mouth at the details that would undoubtedly come out. Bones were broken, tendons and muscles torn, teeth smashed, noses crushed. What was left was a sack of meat in more or less human form, but with the inside completely fucked up. When the fun was over, Rae Rae looked at Jonathan, who did nothing but nod and set an example. He grabbed the head of the criminal thrown at his feet and twisted it with a violent jerk so that the neck snapped with a sickening crack. With that, his soul was on its way to hell! The other three followed his example and then only Clemenzo was left in the dojo. Jon grabbed him by the throat again and lifted him up as he said:

"Dump these four meat bags in a very public place, hang a sign around their necks. Make up a warning, something to the effect that the hunt is on for scumbags. Clean up a bit for the girls and then go back to Elise, and have a drink, the fridge might hold something special for you kids, and dinner will be ready soon. The main act comes later. I need to talk to Dad first."

He snapped his fingers and appeared in front of the devil's throne. Jon threw the criminal hard to the ground and he slid a few feet towards the throne. Lucifer looked at him in silence, and everyone heard the ice in the Antichrist's voice as he spoke:

"Thank you for Domino, My King, she will be a great asset in the preparations to unleash the Apocalypse. Unfortunately, this pig almost succeeded in killing her and her unborn child. Fortunately, with your help, I was able to prevent something so terrible, such a monstrous act that could have disrupted part of my plan of attack."

"So your preparations are going according to plan, My Prince?"

"Absolutely My King. Your chance to deal with Michael and his once and for all. But as agreed I help you burn Michael, and you help me get my family to safety first. This is the deal we made and as long as that deal remains in place, I will remain loyal and continue to help you and serve your cause. You don't help me then... well you know what I mean."

Jonathan didn't have to wait long for the answer he was expecting. It made it abundantly clear that Lucifer was playing along, for no such deal had ever been made.

"Son, you know I always tell the truth and I never break a deal. So, yes, you can count on my help with whatever you need, if you keep your word and bring me Michael. No, not his head on a platter. I have plenty of platters and I will put his head on one of them myself and display it in front of the palace for all to mock! What do you need, Jon?"

"Nothing today, Dad. I'll bring you some more puke stains later. Argo, Zelo, and I are going to play with them upstairs first. Maybe you can do something fun with them after I drop them off?"

The devil got a mean twitch around his mouth and asked:

"Why something fun, my Crown Prince, and maybe you have an idea?"

"The why will immediately reveal the level of fun I had in mind. The small group you may be expecting has been holding Jules and Elise and would use your daughter-in-law in some ritual in the hope that you would reward them for services rendered. If that thought alone doesn't make me sick enough, I don't want to think about what they would have done to your granddaughter without fear of vomiting all over your Louboutins."

Every muscle in the devil's powerful body tensed and his face was set with hatred. You would have to be blind not to see where Jonathan got his muscular physique. The Devil usually wore a three-piece suit. Beneath the suit was a body that would make most heavyweight boxers jealous. When his muscles flexed like they did after Jon's words, it was definitely very bad news for whoever he was going to have a talk with. Jon continued:

"Dad, when I was about twelve, I played a game with Bearus. It is a kind of wheel of fortune or rather a wheel of misfortune. B can manifest what is needed. No doubt he will remember. In short, it comes down to this. You have a wheel that you can spin, and that wheel is divided up like the points of a cake. Each point represents a prize or, in this case, a punishment. Pick a bunch of Demons, preferably my little group first. There will be more for the rest. Because I'm going to deliver or have delivered some of these idiots in the near future, so the rest can wait their turn. Every Demon gets to turn the wheel, and where the wheel stops, that is the punishment the Demon gets to dish out."

Lucifer had an uncanny smile on his lips:

"I think I saw a similar game show on TV once, something your mother liked to watch. The answer to the question of how you and Bearus came up with this is now more than clear. Who was it again that you unleashed this on?"

"Rachel Homes' father, twelve, the brightest girl in my class, the sunshine and optimism of the school, she lit up everything and everyone with her infectious positivity. From one day to the next, she turned into a sad plant until she committed suicide a few months later. That leech had raped her and then forced her to have an abortion."

Lucifer remembered that day well when his son had appeared with a living human being and had shaken Hell to its foundations because his orders had not been obeyed quickly enough. He had seen immediately that Jonathan had not only an infinite supply of love and loyalty. His thirst for vengeance could also be infinite. Jon had kept the parasite alive for weeks. Every day after school he had come to Hell to torment it again and again to within a second of its life, after which he had patched it up with one of his feathers. Twelve years old, and his reputation in Hell had been established once and for all. Lucifer fired off a prayer to Jonathan so that no one would even notice:

"Sometimes I wonder why I sided with humanity all those millennia ago. Every day, this kind of filth is brought in here like it's thirteen in a dozen. And now you're trying to make a new start, Jon?"

He replied just as silently:

"Yes, Dad, they are worth it, they have the potential. Only Grandpa's hands-off policy must never, ever be repeated. Humanity is a toddler; you have to guide it, or before you know it, it'll stick a fork in the socket!"

Without showing anything, the devil said out loud:

"Bearus can take care of that for the little group you will bring. And what about this one?"

"Your lower-level Demons love to fight over the smallest things, don't they? Organize a little competition. A free-for-all in the arena and the winner gets this exclusive toy in its original packaging."

Lucifer laughed for a moment:

"Brilliant ideas enough for today, son. This will be a pleasant distraction from their busy war preparations and give our Demons some pleasant downtime."

"They deserve it, Dad. Oh, before I forget, Elise asked me to invite you over for a cup of tea, and the girls seem very eager to meet their Grandpa Lu."

In the Devil's eyes, fireworks suddenly seemed to go off and he said:

"I would very much like to accept this invitation, Jon. When will I be expected?"

"Let's say tomorrow afternoon at four o'clock. Dinner will be ready around six so you can join us. Bring B&B with you."

Without waiting for an answer, Jon disappeared in the direction of the house. He stepped out onto the patio and what he saw did his heart good. The children, the Angel, the Demons and the Humans were chatting comfortably in the sitting area. Elise spoke softly to him:

"Done?"

"Yeah, you might want to avoid the newspapers and the news on TV for a while because the coverage won't be quite PG13."

He watched what was going on in the lounge with a blissful smile. Elise had come to sit on his lap and was whispering in his ear:

"Why such a blissful look, love?"

"Look around you, Red. This is the first step to what we want to achieve. Humans, Angels and Demons in each other's presence, enjoying each other's company. Not a trace of segregation. The first step towards eternal peace between Demons and Angels, the first step towards the merging of Angels and Demons in the next step of their evolution, Celestials. All equal, working together, helping and supporting each other. Joining hands to lead Humanity into a future so bright that it will light the way to the end of the Universe."

He looked at his Breitling and said:

"Okay, it's time to put the food on the table, because I have two more surprises today.

After he had put everything on the table and everyone had served themselves, he just rushed ahead:

"Ladies, girls, and young gentleman, my father is coming to visit tomorrow. He really wants to meet his granddaughters and his future daughter-in-law. Dad will be here at four, with B&B, and will stay for dinner."

Elise had seen Pamela get quiet so she asked her:

"Pam, is there a problem with Jon's dad visiting?"

She turned red and stammered:

"No, I am very happy for the girls to meet their grandpa."

Jon immediately realized where Elise was going and asked:

"But?"

She turned seriously red and said quietly:

"I really want to meet him too..."

"But?"

Now soft tears began to run down her cheeks and she spoke almost inaudibly:

"I don't really have a family. The two who were supposed to be my parents stopped any contact between my grandfather and me when I was little. I never really knew my grandfather."

"Pam, I'm going to ask you a question, and I'd really like to hear a comprehensive answer. Is that okay with you?"

She nodded gently.

"What happened to you when we came to visit your grandmother and suggested that you come with us to live here with us, away from the negative influence of your parents?"

She had to think for a moment and answered with tears in her eyes:

"When Elise and you came in, it was like a bright golden light came into the room. It was like a dream I had had for years suddenly came true. Especially when you invited me to live here with you. For as long as I can remember, I have felt that my parents are not my real parents, but some kind of guardians. That one day in my life my real parents would step in and take me with them."

Elise spoke quietly:

"Pamela dear, you have the blood of the white witches in you and your grandmother will have told you the most important rule very early on. If you sincerely want something, then you must speak the words of your own free will. So tell us what happened to you this afternoon."

"When I saw you, I felt as if I had known you all my life. That you were the parents I had dreamed of all my life. That you would come and take me away from that couple. And it really happened. When you offered to let me live with you, all the pieces of the puzzle fell into place. The idea of you being my parents and me being your daughter just clicked and felt natural."

She looked at Elise and Jonathan with fear in her eyes, fear of being rejected after asking her question.

"Elise, Jon, you have given Fay, Hope, Samantha, and Jules a family with a real mom and dad who really care about them. I need that so badly. Please can I be your daughter too, please be my mommy and daddy?"

She had barely spoken when she burst into tears. Elise sat down beside her took her in a warm hug and said:

"Sweetheart, of course we want you to be our daughter, you are just as special as your sisters and we would be honored if you would call us Mom and Dad."

The girl buried her face against Elise's chest and let her tears flow. Elise allowed her to do so because she seemed to desperately need to be in the arms of a real mother. Jonathan spoke with a crop clearly audible:

"Well, if that's not cause for a glass, I don't know what is."

He snapped his fingers and the glasses on the table were refilled. Rae Rae raised her glass:

"Well Mom and Dad, congratulations, they are beautiful healthy triplets."

At the word triplets, Jon almost choked on his drink.

Liz, for her part, couldn't resist:

"Will Daddy please refrain from lighting a cigar in the house?"

This broke the tension and even Pam was able to smile for a moment between her tears.

Fifteen minutes later, just as everyone had returned to their seats, the doorbell rang. With his infamous grin, Jon said:

"Pam, Fay, and Hope, aka the triplets, as your Aunt Rae Rae christened you, this is for you."

They looked at him uncomprehendingly, but he was already standing and taking Pamela's hand as he led her and Fay and Hope through the front door to the driveway. Where her rust bucket had been, a brand-new blue BMW 325 convertible with a red ribbon was waiting for them. Al Three girls stood there stunned, not quite understanding what was happening. Jon said nothing and walked over to the red and yellow convertible. He opened the glove compartment and took out the car papers. He came to stand in front of the girls:

"I had already bought the red and yellow one for Hope and Fay. I have to admit I hadn't really thought it through at the time. That there would be times when Fay would have to be in one place and Hope in another. I solved that now. These documents remain in the glove box at all times. The keys are always on a hook by the front door. I count on the fact that there will be no arguments because all three of you want the red, the yellow, or the blue at the same time. I count on the fact that you can and will share like real sisters. Or do you have a preference for a color that will get rid of this all at once?"

Fay replied:

"I know Hope's favorite color is red, so it's okay with me if she has the red on Daddy."

Pamela still stood there, not quite understanding. What was happening was mostly lost on her. Fay and Hope saw her and hugged her and Fay said:

"Pamela sis, what is your favorite color?"

The girl stammered:

Blue, blue has always been my favorite."

To which Fay said very cheerfully:

"Good, because I love yellow, the color of the sun."

Jonathan relieved that this not very well-thought-out idea of his had worked out well, put the papers of their chosen convertible in their hands. Suddenly the full realization of what was happening hit Pamela and she stammered:

"But why? Why me?"

"Because you are our daughter, welcome to the family Pamela, enjoy it. Hop, hop, all your Hellions go away and compare your beasties. Oh yeah, before I forget. NONE OF YOU drive the Demon, EVER! That thing is too monstrous under the hood, and it'll try to kill you. So no, nope, big NO NO!"