Lucifer had to pause outside the precinct door, it had been 2 months since he had left. Two months since he had last seen her face. He readjusted his cuff links again and took another deep breath. He wasn't ready to see her yet, he was not sure if he could ever look at her and not want her still.

No, he couldn't go in, he turned and walked back down the street to sit on a nearby bench. He wouldn't even be back in Las Angels if it wasn't for Amenadiel. He could still remember the slight under tone of panic in Amenadiel's voice when he called him.

"Luci, we have a major problem…" Amenadiel said.

"Not my problem." Lucifer said back blankly.

"NO, Luci I am serious, I think the piece is here in Las Angels." Amenadiel said almost urgently, "and I am not the only one looking for it."

"What do you mean?" Lucifer said with slightly more interest.

"Mother…. She is so mad…Luci I have never seen her this angry. It's like she is at war with dad now. She thinks the piece will help her kill dad. I … I am mad at dad, but I can't let her kill him Luci. Help me please." Amenadiel finished softly.

Lucifer took a deep breath, his voice had a soft tremble, "I can't come back there, I …... I can't see her. I'm sorry brother." Lucifer rubbed his hand down his face.

"Luci, if mom succeeds in finding the piece and it's what we think it is…. She will use it to kill father. What will happen to earth….to HER then?" Amenadiel countered. "If mother kills father and takes over heaven she will not let her in Luci…. mother hates her, mother blames her for you leaving. Mother blames her for you refusing to talk to her…. Luci I didn't want to tell you but... I had to stop mother more than once from hurting her.

With that statement, Lucifer stood and growled into the phone, "She is trying to do what? I told mother to leave her alone."

"Lucifer just come help me find the piece so we can keep it from mother, you can tell mother to leave her alone and you never have to see her while you are here. It's a big city Luci...you don't have to see her." Amenadiel plead.

"Fine." Lucifer growled into the phone. He paused for a few seconds eyes closed before he asked softly, "How is she."

"Luci, leave it alone, if you don't want to be part of her life…. Leave her alone." Amenadiel sad gently.

"Has she… is she ok…seeing someone?" Lucifer ask softly, "IS that why you won't tell me."

Amenadiel sighed, "No Luci, she is not seeing anyone… do you want the truth?"

Lucifer closed his eyes, a tug of war at his heart. He had left because he wouldn't…. couldn't be by her and not want her. Even if his father had set it up, his heart and body called out to her and he had to leave. He wanted to know that she was happy and ok. He only ever wanted her to be happy and safe. Yet another small dark part of him wanted her to be hurting as much as he was, so he would know that she felt it to. That she had those feeling for him... that it was real. In the end, he had to know, like his own sweet exquisite torture. "How is she." He asked softly into the phone.

He heard Amenadiel sigh before saying back just as softly, "She is brave, trying so hard to smile and be happy… but she hurting so much Luci…. It's almost like she is broken. You can see the cracks in her smile." Amenadiel gave a soft chuckle, "It's like her world is dark and she is making it dark around her… it has rained every single night since she found out you left Luci. The sun doesn't come out…its Las Angels and there is no sun. I have been wondering if because she is a miracle she can project her pain out into manifestations like the rain."

Lucifer exhaled harshly, "She is hurting that much?"

"Look I already said too much, just leave it ok." Amenadiel said softy, "You need to let it go if you are not going to come back. You need to leave her alone, ok? Plus, all you are doing is torturing yourself."

Lucifer closed his eyes in pain, knowing Amenadiel was right, but she was like a sweet drug that he knew was going to be hurt but he had to have in his life, even if it was only asking about her. "Fine, I will come help you but I can't see her…. I don't know if I can walk away again, even if father did all of this…." Lucifer whispered.

Lucifer heard his brother whisper back ok and took another breath, "I will be there tomorrow."

Lucifer had been in Las Angels for just over 2 weeks and they had a lot of leads that led to nothing and the argument between Maze, Amenadiel and himself had been huge. Amenadiel and Maze had been searching for over 2 months for the missing piece and Lucifer had been helping them the last 2 weeks and they had nothing. They knew they needed help…...they needed her help. They could trust her and they knew that she would point them in the right direction based on current crimes. But Lucifer had been adamant that he would not see her. He swore he would not see her. It was only Maze and Amenadiel begging that he finally broke down to come ask her for help.

It's how he came to be sitting in front of the precinct trying to pull enough courage together to go inside. He was not ready to see her….. he was terrified of seeing her. Yet there was another part that was pulling him inside and to be honest that was the piece the scared him. He wanted her even though he knew it wasn't real. He craved her like the next breath of air. Like a moth to a flame.

Lucifer looked out into the streets and sidewalks, so many people rushing here and there with no real understanding of what was at stake. And he envied them at that moment. To know that they could love, when he could not have a real love. To know that they would continue to live and not understand anything but were still so happy.

He shook his head and looked to the sky, Amenadiel was right. It was so dark out, especially for the middle of the afternoon. It was like the sun was gone and all you could see was the grim darkness…it reflected his mood. He sat and wondered if it affected her mood also…. Or if Amenadiel was right and her mood was affecting the weather.

He leaned forward putting his elbows on his knees and his head in his hands and sighed, he couldn't do this. He was not ready. But his head snapped up when he heard someone sit down next to him. Maze was looking at him with compassion in her eyes, his demon looking at him like at him like that was something he never thought he would see. "What?" he said softly putting his head back in his hands.

She shook her head and leaned back to look at the streets, "I can go ask her." She said back softly, "If you really can't do it, I don't want to force you. We should have never told you to do it."

Lucifer sighed and sat back, "You have been asking her for months, dropping hints without coming right out and saying it. She won't share police information with you. She did with me once, she might again."

Maze shook her head, "But at what price to you… and to her…. Lucifer, she has become my friend. I already hate lying to her about you being here. Seeing you will hurt her all over again and then she will figure out I have been lying to her and that will hurt her." Maze looked down at him finally, "Is it worth it, this piece. It's been lost for thousands of years… what if we never find it. Will it have been worth all of this…... this pain?" she asked softly.

Lucifer clenched his jaw not wanting to answer her but knowing he had to. "That piece… its dangerous and if my mother got it, she could destroy earth, destroy everything …including her. I can't risk it." He said.

Maze gave a small nod, "Ok… then you need to get up and go in. Just do it because the longer you sit here the more you will find reasons not to go in."

Lucifer looked at Maze closely, "Thank you Maze… for everything."

Maze gave him a sarcastic smile, "Don't thank me, you know how I feel. It is so stupid how much pain you are both in…THAT YOU are causing." She spat back.

"Maze don't." he said softly.

"Fine, I won't tell you to just beg her for forgiveness and love her. I will continue to watch you both rot in misery."

"MAZE." He growled, "You know why I choose to leave, why we can't be together."

Maze shook her head and stood up, "No, I know why you think you had to. That doesn't mean I think you are right.' She sighed again, "Just go in, ok."

She turned and walked away not looking back. He knew that Maze was hurting because he was and now he knew that Maze was hurting because she was hurting. Seemed like the pain could really get around easily. He stood up and just walked as fast as he could. Maze was right, the longer he waited the harder it was going to be.

He cleared the doors and was almost to her desk when he heard her in Ella's office. The sound of her voice was like drinking water after being in the desert to his being. He had to pause and just listen to it for a moment. And when she gave a soft laugh he involuntary smiled at the sound. He slowly walked over to the doorway stopping only when he could see that she had her back to the door. He drank in the site of her tall slander frame, blond ponytail pooling down the middle of her back. His heart stuttered when he heard her give another small laugh. Her words were not registering, just the sound.

He had to put a hand on the doorway to keep his balance and to help fight the pull of walking over to her and drawing her in his arms. His spell broke when he heard Ellis's sharp indrawn breath. He looked over to see Ella's eyes growing huge and her mouth opening slowly. He heard her ask Ella what was wrong before slowly turning to the door way. It was like the room was in slow motion. Like everything else stopped and faded away. All he could see was her turning until her eyes met his and then the world shattered around him.

For one small moment, he saw the joy and happiness in her eyes, then like a tidal wave it was washed over with pain and hurt and anger. He took a step forward and she took one back and the movement was like a knife to his heart. He took another step forward and again she took one back and the pain was the same. He had to stop because the pain of her being afraid of him, of her backing away from him was like when he fell from heaven. Sharp and exquisite, yet long and dull. He couldn't do that again.

So instead he looked at her to see the tear running down her cheek and slowly reached out a hand and whispered, "Chloe."