Lucifer stormed inside. He wasn't sure what he'd expected, but it certainly wasn't this. His thoughts were a jumbled mess. All he could think was that Chloe had been hurt, and he was going to make the man responsible pay. He was about to turn around, when Chloe looked up, noticing him.
He couldn't breathe for a moment. It felt almost like a physical impact on his chest. Her expression was just so lost, so hurt, so heartbroken. The hatred for Pierce flared up again, and he balled his right hand into a fist. Chloe shook her head slightly, her face a turmoil of emotions. She looked at him and he could see the questions clearly in her eyes. Why? Why does this keep happening to me? What did I do? Why me?
And he finally realized, with sudden and perfect clarity, the extend of what he had done to her when he went to Las Vegas, and came back with Candy. Sure, he'd intended well. He'd wanted to give her her choice back, her free will. But what he'd done instead was the one thing he never meant to do: He'd hurt her. And now Pierce had done the same, and she was in pieces, because none of this was her fault, and she couldn't possibly understand why people kept doing this to her, and he just wished he could take it all back, and make her happy again.
He walked over to her slowly, sitting down on the couch in front of her. He ran his hands through his hair, trying to order his thoughts, trying not to make an even bigger mess of things.
"I'm sorry", he said, voice rough.
She looked at him helplessly. "Why?", she asked, voice breaking, "Why? Why did he-"
"Because we're idiots. Because you deserve better than the likes of me or Pierce. I'm sorry."
She made a chocked off noise close to a sob, and he couldn't take it anymore. He leaned forward, putting his arms around her slowly, giving her every chance to pull back. Instead, she leaned into him, her head coming to rest against his shoulder, her arms reaching around him, holding on tightly. She started to cry quietly, and Lucifer wanted nothing more than to punch Pierce in the face for what he'd done. And maybe smash his own face into a wall while he was at it. Because he was just as responsible. For letting this happen. For pushing her away in the first place.
"Shhh. I'm sorry." He didn't know what else to say. After some time, he leaned back against the couch slowly, taking her with him. His head drifted down, coming to rest against hers. "'m sorry", he murmured, trying in vain to fight off the sleep that was finally claiming him, his eyes slowly dropping shut. Chloe calmed down slowly, her breathing becoming more even. Shortly after him, she was asleep as well.
Trixie appeared next to the couch, looking at the two of them for a moment. Then she went to her mother's bedroom, got the blanket from the bed, and draped it over both of them. She nodded, happy with her handiwork, turned off the lights and went to bed.