4 part story. This one continues on from Talking It Through, in which Lucifer is having a bit of trouble right now controlling his anger, due to the abuse he's going through from his mum.

Ella

Doctor Linda had made him promise to go to his friends and close colleagues to tell them why he had been losing his temper more often than not recently and, while he had ran out of that session early, he had not immediately gone to tell anyone.

He had needed to do some major thinking first, mainly about in order of doing things and then what he'd say to each individual.

He had four people to go through after all. His partner and best friend who he cared for deeply, her ex husband and his growing friendship with him and their new forensics specialist.

Dan and Chloe's daughter Beatrice was the last of the four he had to tell and he was saving that one until last, because she was only an impressionable 8 year old and she was the one he was afraid of scarring mentally forever by the talk he'd have to give her to get her to understand why he was yelling at her.

But, he had chosen to do Ella first, as her relationship with him was the simplest. It was a normal every day common working relationship with a healthy dose of normal, healthy every day friendship mixed in. He liked her, but he didn't want her in any other way other than a friend.

Ella was uncomplicated, probably the only uncomplicated friendship he had.

He had waited until the detectives had gone back to their respective flats, before moving into the lab which was the space in which Ella Lopez generally could be found while working.

The radio was on, blaring out classic rock while Ella had her face buried in a microscope's eye lens to see what she could pick up from whatever case it was she was working on.

This was her domain, and she made it her home as much as her actual house was. Unless she lived in a flat too, like the rest of them now did. Things were beginning to get a bit complicated in his life lately, since the return of his mother. But his penthouse above Lux would always be his home.

He watched her for a bit, not worried at all that she would turn him away when she realised he was in the room, as she was always eager and ready for a chat with a friendly face. He also expected to be...

"Lucifer! Come here you," she stated as she looked up from her microscope and spotted him, pulling him into a hug.

He awkwardly patted her back in return, still unsure and uneasy with touch.

"So! I didn't know you were working a case right now?"

He shook his head. "I'm not. I'm actually here on advice from my therapist..."

Ella's eyebrows rose up and she grinned. "Okay! What did she want you to say to me? Keep you away from any churches in the foreseeable future?"

Jokes, she did have a weird sense of humour, which oddly tended to match his.

He managed to crack a grin at her. "Uh, no, nothing to do with churches. Well, not unless you plan on dying in one while bleeding out in my arms and then we can really avoid it."

She blinked at him. "What does that have anything to do with your therapist?"

He frowned, now confused. He wasn't following this conversation very well at all. "Nothing. You're the one that brought up church."

She came at him again, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding him close. "I'm sorry. I forgot about what happened with your brother for a second there..."

He shrugged out of her grasp and took a few steps back. "Speaking of traumatic memories, this is hard enough as it is without being completely side tracked by things that don't even have anything to do with this."

Ella smiled at him, took a step back herself and pulled the piece of glass under the microscope lens out, before packing it safely away. "Alright, so hit me with whatever it is you need to say then."

"I would like to apologise for my recent behaviour. I've been acting out a lot lately and taking my anger out on everyone even remotely close to me."

She smiled at him. "Aww, an official apology! That's sweet. Thanks, but I've already forgiven you for it."

He shook his head. "It's not just an apology. Doctor Linda also wanted me to give the reasons why. Or as much as that as I am comfortable with."

She nodded her head, sat down on her bench and patted the table next to her. "Well get over here and tell me then."

Taking a deep breath, he went up to where she was sitting, leaned against the bench and stared at the surface. Well, the part that wasn't covered in papers on whatever it was she was working on. He fought the temptation to peek at her files.

"Umm, I think it's no surprise to anyone, but I didn't exactly have the best childhood. My dad neglected me and kicked me out and forced me into a job I hated. My mum...well, since she got back into my life, I've been remembering things she said or did or completely ignored. I've been working through all that in therapy and...Well, I remembered even more things she did and some of the things she's beginning to start up again now."

Ella's eyes grew wide. "Oh wow. You aren't bruised so I'm guessing it's not physical..."

He closed his eyes. "No, nothing like that. I mean I had an easy target with my dad, because he basically ignored me and what was going on. He wasn't there, so he was an outlet and I blamed him for everything. And then suddenly mum's back in my life and I have gone through thinking she's going to kill me to thinking she was killing the people on my cases to thinking she was the perfect being of all perfect beings. It's been a rollercoaster. But, no, it's all emotional."

Ella patted the hand closest to her and gave him a sympathetic smile, but thankfully there was no pity there. She didn't feel sorry for him, though she probably wished it didn't happen. "Well, thanks for telling me. It makes me understand you a bit better actually. Why you have such trouble with emotions. You probably don't know how to emotion properly."

"Don't know how to...what, Miss Lopez?"

She laughed and gave his arm a friendly punch. "Come on, maybe having your friends on your side will help you to be more grounded when your mom is having a go at you now she's back in your life. It must be hard. I can't even begin to understand. I've never been abused. Two loving parents and four older loving brothers."

He shifted. "Do you think it will help?"

She nodded. "Sure! Some of the people who go to my church are survivors of abuse of all sorts, so I've heard that it does help to have friends on your side no matter what."

He let out his breath and nodded. "Okay, that's good to know. Umm, do you have any idea how I should tell the detective?'

"Chloe or Dan?"

"Both. Doctor Linda says the more people I have as friends and ally's the better, but I just don't have that many friends."

"Well, you have me and the detectives. That's plenty enough fighting in your corner. You'll do fine. As to what to say to them, just tell them what you did me."

He took in a deep breath and let it out. "Okay. Thanks. I need to go now. Bye."

"See ya. And good luck with the others. Not that you'll need it much with Chloe."

He grinned. "Thanks."

And with that out of the way, he felt a bit lighter, not necessarily from having told someone, but at knowing someone was willing to stand up and help him outside of Detective Decker and Doctor Linda.

It was a good feeling. He hoped it lasted after he talked to Dan...