WhoDunit?

A/N: This is sorta the other side of the 'aftermath' in the same timeline as Shards. Hopefully it's not too terrible as I have trouble 'hearing' Chloe. I mean, Lucifer's a pretty expressive guy and the sessions with Linda give the audience some serious insight into his character we don't see so easily with the Detective (added to the fact that's he's the Devil, duh, so lots of obvious angsty backstory to draw from there). But I was thinking it was important to pick at Chloe and Trixie's perspective, too (and for the love of Pete; sheer weight of evidentiary weirdness means the woman has just GOT to start thinking outside the box here at some point soon - honestly). Jury still out on certain 'sorts' of Lucifer/Chloe attachment; just that it's happening (freaking finally). SO looking forward to Sept 19th!

[ - ]

"…Lucifer Morningstar."

"That some kind of stage name, or something?"

"God-given, I'm afraid."

And now she was.

Afraid, a new sensation. Of lots of things, God perhaps being one of them. How else to explain seeing her partner, her…Lucifer, like that? Gut shot and bleeding out, then suddenly resurrected and saving her (again) (and Trixie by proxy, too) from Malcom before she blasted him?

Her teeth gritted, not in pain, but feral pleasure…she was GLAD it had been her that took the bastard out. How DARE he threaten her daughter, injure her partner…her...

Yeah well whatever. Him, too.

Jaw still clenched, she glanced into the rear-view mirror to see Trixie staring out the window. Crap. She was hoping her daughter would have fallen asleep on the way home…it had been a harrowing day for the little girl to say the least, then the long session afterwards at the station…then…

"Where's Daddy? I need him, too."

"I'm so sorry baby…Daddy's got some trouble we need to take care of, okay?"

"Worse trouble than ours, Mommy? More important than us?"

Chloe had wanted to dissolve on the spot: wasn't THAT just a kick in the heart? And the way Trix had stared at Lucifer…vacantly. Not even speaking to him even though it was usually all she could do to pry her daughter off with a tire iron before her partner levitated in child-aversion arm-flailing tactics. Like a daddy-long-legs caught on a hot skillet.

She smiled a little bit at that thought; her first relaxed expression in many hours.

Lucifer was okay….how, exactly? God only knew.

Crap again.

Unwilling to think on that too deeply for the moment, considering everything else Chloe was grateful to pull into her own driveway at last. Well, not quite her own…but right now seeing her mother's car in front of the garage made her heart soar and head spin in relief. She'd called from the station to tell her what had transpired, and that they were okay – sort of. For once flighty Penny had her act together.

"Pumpkin, I'll meet you at the house when you're done and I'll stay until you don't need me. I'm already cancelling next week's appearance at the Furry SciFi Convention so don't you worry about a thing."

Chloe didn't know what that was (and probably didn't want to, being honest), but was thrilled to steep in the blissful relief and mild irritation her mom always immersed her in. It felt like something normal and man did she deserve some of THAT after today. And maybe a stiff drink, too.

Pushing the errant thought of shotglasses lined up on piano tops out of her mind Chloe collected Trix from the backseat and carried her in. Her 'little girl' wasn't so very little anymore, but right now her daughter needed her soft mom, not the hard cop. Walking up the porch steps, cradling her baby and kissing her hair, Chloe was met at the open door with the open arms of her own mother.

"Mom." Warm smiles and slightly teary eyes from all three as the Detective's voice barely cracked.

At exactly the same moment across town near exactly the same word.

"Mum."

No warm fuzzies in that utterance. Hell, no.

After the three Decker women had untangled themselves from a long hug, Penny took Trixie to get a bath, hoping to calm everyone's jangled nerves with a little domesticity. Planting a kiss on her daughter's head, Penny left Chloe sitting alone at the table, desired but ignored glass of angst-quencher in front of her. Lost in thought.

"When I see something I don't understand, yeah, I look for answers."

No answers easily coming this night. But her mind was sharp and memory nearly photographic. It made her an excellent detective. It also made it hard to sleep at night sometimes, too. She already knew what would keep her up tonight, other than residual worry for Trixie.

Lucifer and those dark fathomless eyes that almost made convinced her there could be windows to a soul, if she believed in that sort of stuff. Which she didn't…right?

Eyes, awash in hurt and betrayal as she held him at gunpoint in Lux. Hurt she'd laid in there.

Eyes, glinting in wariness and frustration when she found him at the brewery…then beginning to glow with dawning trust again.

Eyes, wide in disbelief and gratitude hearing Dan give himself up, knowing the ramifications of what it meant to everyone involved.

Eyes, resigned with trepidation and fear (for her!) as he watched her go after Malcolm alone in the parking lot, blood money slung over her shoulder in that duffle.

Eyes, lit with cunning as he reeled Malcolm in with what she'd called voodoo.

Eyes, flying open in shock and pain.

Eyes, closing slowly as his blood ran over the dirty concrete under a body twitching as life left him. She'd seen people die. She knew without a doubt what she was looking at.

Only self-preservation and fear for her daughter had kept Chloe from screaming then. She could still hear it ringing in her mind.

And oh, those eyes…how strangely they'd looked at her after…such a new expression, jolting the stupid question out of her: "What's wrong?"

What WASN'T wrong?

And no answers for what was so suddenly right, either. Lost in her thoughts, Chloe startled a little as her mother laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Pumpkin, you didn't even touch your drink…or anything else either." Penny looked at the small plate she'd fixed for her daughter, knowing she would sometimes forget to eat when focused and secretly being glad when her granddaughter was with her. At least then Chloe remembered some proper self-care.

"No, sorry Mom. Thanks for giving Trix her bath." She stretched and yawned. It had been an exhausting two days, but she still felt in adrenalized overdrive.

"Well, she'd like her mom to tuck her in. I can wait up for you to do the same if you want." Penny ran her hand over her daughter's cheek, slipping a piece of hair behind her ear and hiding the depth of her concern in the slightly patronizing smile she knew got Chloe's goat. Yep, little aqua-eye roll there; distraction accomplished. She'd lost a husband to this job. And still struggled sometimes to work at the joy and verve of life she felt was so important as only someone who has suffered terrible loss can understand if they're lucky enough to come through it fairly intact. She most certainly did not want to lose her daughter as well. And her grandbaby…oh, beyond words.

Chloe stood, grimacing slightly. Her mother, just SO much sometimes. But she loved her dearly and it showed in the hug she suddenly flung around the older woman's shoulders. "I'm okay Mom, thanks. Just go to bed and I'll see you in the morning, okay?"

"Wonderful! I'll make pancakes…" watching an expression of horror dawn on Chloe's face "…or maybe just order out from Phillipe's down the street."

"Yes, please do that, Nana!" The interjection launched from behind the bedroom door mere feet away was warming with return of some spirit to the little girl's voice and although faint, was met with two pleased smiles from mother and grandmother.

"'Night Mom. Love you." Chloe brushed a quick kiss on her cheek.

"Love you too, Pumpkin. Try to get some rest." Sighing a little and hoping she could as she watched Chloe head into Trixie's room. Her daughter, like her father before her clung very hard to her tangles as she tried to unravel them. Penny found herself wondering exactly what kind of tangle her daughter's partner truly was. If she had any idea that at this very moment said partner was distracting himself by orchestrating a dance of light woven through glittering glass, she'd likely be up for days as well.

Trixie gave her mother a wan little smile as Chloe came to sit on the bed beside her, brushing her damp hair behind her daughter's ear just as her mom had done for her.

"Hey monkey, want a story?"

"No thanks, Mommy." Slightly downcast eyes as her little fingers plucked at the seam of her comforter.

That was a first. Crap thrice.

"How about a cuddle?"

"Yes, please." Trixie scooched over a little to make room. Today was too much…too much everything and she didn't really want to think about it anymore tonight. She had only a few questions, then she just needed her mom nearby. Feeling better already as she was wrapped in a strong hug.

"Mommy?"

"Yes, baby?"

"Daddy still loves us, loves me right? That's not why he didn't come tonight, is it?"

The kick to her heart Chloe had suffered earlier had left an invisible fracture, and now it cracked wide open. Jesus. "Baby girl, your father and I love you more than anything in the whole wide world. And if there was any way for him to be with us right now, he would be, I promise. Okay?"

"Okay." Trixie settled a bit more. Her mother had never lied to her, not ever, and she believed her words now. She was so quiet for such a long time that Chloe was beginning to think she'd drifted off.

Until the small voice, sounding smaller now, spoke again.

"But Lucifer came to help."

"Yes baby, he did." After he'd promised to let her go alone, splitting hairs with '…never said anything about following…'. Maybe he should have been a civilian law consultant instead of a police one. Wasn't what the Devil did in that DeNiro movie? Practice law? Jesus, she must be tired; rationalizing her wack-job partner's claims. If someone had ever described Lucifer to her on paper and said he'd be her partner, her friend and her…well she'd have said they were beyond crazy, but here they all were nonetheless.

The small voice got even smaller.

"And he got hurt. Bad."

"He's better, baby. You saw him."

"How, Mom? That was so much blood…"

Chloe could not give her daughter answers she did not have herself. But she was a mom, and good moms make even inexplicable things manageably better. She covered her daughter's face with quick little pecks and gave her a series of tickles Trixie always complained she was getting too big for. Chloe was relieved to hear some giggles, half-hearted though they were. "Enough of those kind of thoughts, you little weasel. It's very late and since it's been such a terrible day I want it over with to start fresh tomorrow. Don't you?"

Trixie smiled. She did want this day gone and done with.

"And besides, if Nana wakes up first she might actually try to make those pancakes she was threatening us with. Wouldn't that be awful?"

Trixie's smile bloomed over her face a little more just as her eyebrows quirked. "Eww."

"Yes ma'am, 'eww' is right. So get some shut-eye little monkey; I'll be close by."

"'Night, Mommy. Love you."

"Love you more, baby. Sleep tight."

Chloe could not bear to say 'sweet dreams' to her daughter, knowing that was unlikely. But she did plant a kiss on her forehead and tucked her in snugly before she left the room, leaving the door half-open.

And after the house had gone quiet, after the creak of footsteps overhead meant her Nana had gone to bed, after the water running in the sink meant her mommy had washed the dishes no one had eaten off of and after Trixie's eyelids began to lower under the weight of the day and the love she was given she heard one more sound.

Her mother, weeping softly.

And Trixie knew, with the pure litmus-test knowledge of children that her mother was not crying for anyone under her roof, her protection.

But for someone else.

And maybe it should have made her sad, that sound. But it didn't. Because that sound meant that her strong, brave, smart mother - the one who had saved her life…the woman who loved her beyond anything Trixie could understand…that sound meant maybe someday her mother could love someone else, too.

And the little girl smiled as she drifted off to sleep. Because she already did.