Atonement

Posted: June 2003
Title: Atonement
Author: Lanna Michaels
Fandom: Prophecy
Type: FCS
Characters: Lucifer/Thomas
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Sure as hell below and Lucifer Temptation that I don't own this. Am going to hell for it.
Warning: Written by a disenfranchised Jew, and this takes place the night of Yom Kippur. Yeah, kinda bitter. Y'think? Usual blasphemy warning for Prophecy fics.
Author's Notes: Written for the contrelamontre 60 minute flash-forward challenge. 54 minutes, 35 seconds used. Most of the Hebrew phrases are long ways of saying "forgive us" and are typical Jewish prayers said on the High Holy Days. Thomas' last line means, in short, "Forgive us because we've sinned." Do you know that Hebrew has an insane amount of words for 'sin'? 's true. Kiton Ton is the Jewish Tom Thumb.

Summary: It's Yom Kippur and Lucifer has taken Thomas to see the sights.

*****

"Adonai, Adonai, el rachum vichanun. Erech apayim virav chesed viemes. Notzer chesed la alophim, nosei ovone, vophesha, vichata, vinakey," they sang in the timeless haunting melody of those who fear damnation without forgiveness. Thomas wasn't sure why Lucifer had brought him here tonight. There were certainly better ways of spending a cold September evening, but Thomas was sure that Lucifer was trying to teach him something, so he paid attention. Either that, or the Devil was playing with him.

The congregation repeated the melody a second time, then a third. Several of the women were crying. Va ani, tifilosi, licha, Adonai, ais rotzon. Elohim, birove chasdecha, aneini, aneini, biemes yishecha. Va ani, tifilosi, licha, Adonai, ais rotzon. Elohim, birove chasdecha, aneini, aneini, biemes yishecha.

The voice was like a whisper on the wind, and one Thomas knew very well. It harmonized with the congregation.

"They're praying for their souls tonight," Lucifer whispered into his ear, and Thomas closed his eyes against the images the silken voice brought up in his mind. There was no place for such things in a house of worship. "And the souls of their children. And their grandchildren. And their great-grandchildren. Never realizing that they have no chance of entering Heaven, not yet. It'll be some time until Gabriel's mess is cleaned up, and even then there's paperwork. Vayomer Adonai, salachti kidvorecha."

Thomas shivered as the congregation repeated the words after Lucifer. It was like a poorly done puppet show, yet the congregation couldn't see Lucifer, didn't know they were being watched.

"They blow their horn to scare me off, say kra satan seven times before it. All the children know the story of Kiton Ton who saw the Devil blown out of the shofar one Rosh Hashanna. Shofar, sho good." Lucifer threw his head back and laughed delightedly. "They never dream they'll come to me."

-

Lucifer takes Thomas' head between his hands and squeezes it in warning. "Never forget who I am," he growls, and Thomas can feel a lion's roar rip through his body and leave him breathless. He sags in Lucifer's arms and allows himself to be carried to a convenient bed. Convenient? Somehow Thomas doubts Lucifer tolerates coincidences. The bed had been brought there for him, because Lucifer wants him to be lying down and to be somewhat comfortable while he is violated. Everything is for Lucifer's convenience. The world, New York, Thomas.

And God just didn't care.

Lucifer's forked tongue runs the length of Thomas' neck. "You taste delicious. It's always so much fun to corrupt the priesthood."

"I'm not a priest," Thomas whispers, but wonders how much of that is true.

"Yes, you are. You're my priest, Thomas. Think of those children tonight. Those lovely innocent children. How many of them are lucky enough to have me under the bed for them? How many of them are gifted with your perception of what matters most? How many of them," Lucifer's voice echoes against Thomas' chest and Thomas gulps for air. Lucifer chuckles and rests his ear opposite Thomas' heart, listening to the rushing, racing blood. "How many of them will never, ever doubt?"

"That's faulty logic, Lucifer. Better would be how many of them are unlucky enough to have captured *your* attention long before the cold of the grave?"

Lucifer's fist connects harshly with Thomas' jaw and Thomas cries out.

"Doubt God all you want, Thomas." Lucifer's eyes burn red, and the pain begins. "But never doubt me."

-

Children raced through the aisles, looking for parents, and those just old enough to know better were glaring at them with unabashed jealousy, fighting the urge to steal their candy. Every so often they would chime in a guilty "salach lonu, michal lonu, caperr lonu" with the congregation, but mostly they just stared.

"They'll be mine within ten years. Eleven, tops."

"Please..." Thomas murmured, unable to look much longer. "Stop."

"The destruction of innocence is always particularly sweet, isn't it? First the whisper, then the scream, and finally so completely, so entirely mine. Almost a metaphor for your life, Thomas."

"Why do you tempt me like this?!"

A throaty laugh was his only answer.

-

"Please," Thomas whispers. "Please. I can't - I can't."

"Can't what, Thomas?" Lucifer's voice is deliberately cruel. "Can't scream, can't cry, can't call for help? Can't want this to stop? Can't bring yourself to beg on your knees for me? Oh, but that would be a sight. My little doubting Thomas on his knees, begging me to end his torment."

"If it's my knees you want, you've had me on them often enough. But if it's my suffering you want, Lucifer-"

"Then I'll have it. I'll have every tireless, ancient cry. I'll have every moan, every groan, every sniffle in the dark. I'll have all your fears, your frights, everything that makes you evil, Thomas. And in the end, I'll have nothing but you. Don't try to say otherwise. Now say it. Thomas. Say it."

Tears spring anew to his eyes, but he refuses to let them fall. "Bivakashah, adonee. P-please."

"I'll think about it."

-

Thomas focused on the Ark and tried to ignore the Devil whispering in his ear. "Ki onu bonecha, vi ata ovinu. Onu amecha, vi ata adonainu. Onu carmecha, vi ata notrainu. Onu tzonecha, vi ata roainu. How completely pitiful. Do you know what they're saying, Thomas?"

"No. Nor do I want to," he added quickly.

"Too bad. They're beseeching Jehovah, amusingly enough. Begging his forgiveness, asking to be taking back. They just compared themselves to sheep. And to think they've resisted that title for so long," Lucifer tsked and it sounded obscene. "They're almost done, actually. Soon it'll be time to go, and they'll forget about now. They'll go and sin some more, and then come back next year, waiting to be forgiven. They'll say U'Nesana Tokef and they'll cry, but they'll be thinking about the tickets for next week's football game, and the mortgage they have to pay off. They'll speak about kedushas hayome, the holiness of the day, and worry about their child's failing grade in Algebra, and Uncle Irving's cancer. But they won't pray for it. They'll just..."

That was when Thomas socked the Devil.

It was a good punch, too, worthy of New York's Finest, but Lucifer came up almost immediately and Thomas felt his stomach drop. He should have known better than to act on instinct.

"Salachta," he whispered as he felt pure wrath hit him. "La'avonaina vilachatosainu, ki phashanu."

"Yes," the Devil answered and Thomas shivered in fear of what was to come. "You have."

*****

THE END

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