Why Can't We Be Friends?
Lucifer paces furiously on his balcony, fidgeting with his lighter and ignoring the view of the city below. The Lord of Hell does not get nervous, he thinks to himself. Certainly not about having a conversation with a mortal. He takes a long pull of his scotch and resumes his agitated pacing which seems spurred on by the traitorous echo of a thought, Not just any mortal.
The elevator opens and he sighs before finishing his drink. He looks up, a saccharine mask affixed to his face, "Detective! So good of you to come by. I…was wondering if we might…have a chat."
Chloe Decker steps cautiously into the club owner's palatial suite and is instantly suspicious of Lucifer's solicitous tone. "What did you do THIS time, Lucifer?"
He waves her off and gestures to a sofa. "Nothing. Well…yet, at least. For now." He stops, realizing he is stammering. Pathetic. Lucifer walks behind his bar to pour another drink, grabbing a glass to pour for Chloe as well. He hands it to her and gestures again for her to sit, "Please," while taking the chair across so they are face to face.
She narrows her eyes as she perches on the edge of the couch, "What's going on, Lucifer? You're being more weird than usual." She takes a sip of her scotch and waits for him to calm down. Finding he can't stay seated, he gets up and begins pacing again. Chloe moves to stand but he motions for her to stay, "Please. I…need to talk to you about something and…well. Quite honestly, I'm not sure how to approach it."
"I'm pretty sure I can handle anything you have to say, Lucifer. Remember my job? I've seen just about everything," she tries to reassure him.
His hand still in mid-gesture, he shakes his head with a soft laugh. "No, I promise you've not…seen…this and I don't want….I…" he finishes the scotch in his glass then turns to the bar, slamming it down in frustration. The glass breaks apart, "Dammit!" he exclaims.
Chloe gets up from the couch and gently puts a hand on top of his shoulder, "Look. Just say it. Whatever it is. Friends listen to each other, right? I'm not going anywhere, so take your time." She gives him a hopeful look and soft squeeze as he turns to look down at her.
Friends. He rolls the word around in his head for a moment and lets it reach the tip of his tongue. Tasting it. Lucifer gives an absent-minded nod then reaches into his pocket for something. She sees it's a key fob of some sort that he points at the elevator. With a click of the fob, the call button turns off. He looks down at her again, "You're right, Detective. You aren't going anywhere. I need you to sit down and just….listen."
Chloe feels anger bubbling up at being trapped in Lucifer's apartment. Locked in a penthouse with a stressed, delusional, alcoholic sex addict. What could possibly go wrong? she thinks. Swallowing hard, she nods and sits down while he continues to pace.
He takes a deep breath and doesn't look at her as he begins to speak. "I've tried to envision how this would go down with you, Chloe. I really have. I want to be careful because…I find myself caring. About your safety. Your…" he glances at her and rakes a nervous hand through his hair, "…sanity."
How WHAT will go down? She opens her mouth but remains silent when she sees his expression. "Not yet," he says. "Q and A at the end, darling. I promise." She frowns and gestures for him to continue, "Okay." Lucifer fidgets with his cuff as he resumes pacing. She is momentarily distracted by his beautiful hands and graceful movement.
"Chloe," he turns to face her and takes a very deep breath. "You've not believed when I have told you repeatedly who I am." He arches a brow and shoots her the same sort of look her teachers would sometimes give her in school. Ah, the old 'if only you applied yourself' look. "In spite of seeing things you cannot explain, and in spite of being a clearly intelligent woman otherwise, you cling to this notion that I am….playing a role, if you will. Or perhaps you think me insane?" The brow goes up a little higher as his expression grows more pointed. Hot shame creeps across her face and she pulls her eyes away.
"I thought as much," he sighs. "I wish that were the case, honestly. How much easier all this rubbish would be if it were only a figment of my imagination. The grand delusion you believe it to be. But it's not." He barks a harsh laugh, "It would preferable to this gift my father bestowed upon me, that's for bloody certain."
Chloe opens her mouth to defend her position and he stops her with another gesture. "Really, darling, please. You'll have plenty of time for that in a moment." She snaps her mouth shut and watches him continue to wear a path into his floor. "In your defense, I've not offered definitive proof." She nods as he continues. "I don't have these mythical horns everyone imagines. No tail to wave about as evidence. Not even sure how that would work with my Armani," he mutters, "…but I digress. I even destroyed my wings – not like you believed me when I told you about them, either." He unconsciously rolls his shoulders at the twinge that shoots through his scars. "But I do have….something."
He looks up and offers a rueful grin. "I can see it in your face. You wonder why I haven't shown you before. A reasonable question to be sure, but truthfully, Detective, I fear it would drive you mad. It does seem to have that effect, you know. I'm still concerned, but events have transpired which leave me no choice. This must be done as soon as possible and for that, I….apologize."
Chloe feels a tightness in her chest and recognizes it as fear. Not the pedestrian variety of apprehension that comes from running late to work or racing through a red light during a car chase. This is a primal, in her soul need to run or die. But her trust in Lucifer is stronger than her fear, as is her curiosity, so she stays seated.
I don't deserve this, he thinks as he walks behind the bar and watches the internal battle play out in her glass-green eyes. "I'm going to stand over here." He removes the elevator fob and clicks the button again – the call light turns on. "You can leave if you truly feel the need….but I desperately hope you don't," he finishes softly. And please don't bloody scream. "Ready, Detective?"
She takes a deep breath, looks him squarely in the eye and nods, "Okay," she answers nervously.
He decides that showing his face is too heavy-handed, so he opts instead to let her see his eyes for now. Small steps. She'll see too much soon enough. "Believe me now, Detective?" He asks quietly as flame replaces the black-brown of his eyes. His voice is low and she feels it in her chest almost as much as she hears it with her ears.
Chloe's mouth falls open and she stands quickly, never looking away. I'm going to DIE and Damn, he's beautiful jockey for the primary position in her shocked mind.
Lucifer stays behind the bar to pour himself another drink and to give her the comfort of a large piece of furniture between them. It's her turn to pace but she never takes her eyes off him. Prey watching the predator, as it were. And Old Scratch is the ultimate predator.
She tosses back the rest of her drink and sets the glass down. She finds her voice and carefully takes a small step forward. "How? Why? I….oh my God. Oh– sorry! It's just…this isn't possible."
He chuckles in spite of himself and his eyes return to normal, "It's fine, my dear. Process as you need to. I assure you it's quite possible. As for the how and why, you'll need to ask my Father. Let me know if he gives you an answer, will you? We don't really talk much anymore." He tosses back two fingers of whiskey as she watches him. Just bloody once, I wish I could get drunk, he thinks. I really deserve it after this. "I see you're not moving to shoot me again, so that's very good, isn't it?" he asks hopefully.
Chloe forgot about her gun and feels a spasm of panic up her spine, "Should I shoot you? Are you going to hurt me?" She frowns as she stands a little straighter, narrows her eyes and steps forward with her hand unconsciously moving toward her hip holster, "Or Trixie?"
She dares threaten Satan himself, in his own home, if she thinks he means to harm her spawn. Fascinating. And adorable. He smiles softly, "Absolutely not, Detective. The sad truth of the matter is that I have come to care what happens to Beatrice." He pauses for a long moment then lowers his voice, "And about what happens to her mother. Which brings us to why you are here."
Chloe gives him a confused look, "you…care….about us? About…me?" Confusion changes to suspicion, "Why? What do you want?"
He refills his glass and walks from behind the bar with the bottle in hand. She steps backward carefully as he approaches, her posture wary. A wistful grin slides across his face, "I believe I've made 'what I want' from you abundantly clear, darling.'
Chloe pales, Oh my God, The Devil wants to…
For a moment, the only thing Chloe can hear is the pounding of her heart, and then Lucifer shrugs, "As for why I care, I've been trying to figure it out, truth be told. This whole thing with you being immune to my charms, I can be injured when I'm near you. Feelings." He refills her glass then walks slowly to his chair, turning his back as if offering her an opportunity to escape or shoot him. Not that he'd try to stop either action. The Devil is tired and everything in his posture shows it.
Lucifer sits heavily before continuing, "Perhaps it's because you don't want anything from me."
Chloe looks confused again, "I don't understand." His expression turns sad and he sighs, "Humans since the dawn of time have wanted things from me. Power, wealth, sex…name it. All these ugly, selfish little desires they feel the need to bother me with. Trade favors for." He shrugs again, "You don't, and it intrigues me."
It's her turn to pace, "What's to stop me from doing it now that I believe you?" Lucifer gives a tight smile that doesn't quite reach his eyes. "Tease." Then he shakes his head in the negative, "If you were so inclined, you'd have done it already. Even people who don't entirely believe me at least recognize that I'm someone who can make things happen for them if they desire. You've never asked for anything that you haven't first given yourself."
Her stomach drops. "What have I given you, Lucifer?" she asks quietly. His gaze softens, "Don't look so concerned, my dear. I'm simply referring to your friendship. And…your trust. I believe they were mine, at least until 5 minutes ago?"
Chloe frowns, "But you make these deals. You get reimbursed, sort of. What about that?" He scoffs and shakes his head, "Meaningless, for the most part. I can take what I want, from anyone I want, at any time. Well, "he gestures at her, "except as it relates to you, of course. I don't call in even half of it, and when I do, it's still more often than not something to benefit the other person." He looks away for a moment before continuing softly, "Delilah was going to pull herself together. She never got the chance before that wanker Jimmy Barnes had her riddled with bullets."
She cocks her head, "Then why do you do it?"
He shrugs, "To see what happens, really. To stave off the inevitable boredom that comes with immortality. It doesn't happen much, of course, but you humans can occasionally be unpredictable. I do love a good surprise."
"But, if you're the…um…Devil," she continues, "I thought you're supposed to hurt people and tempt them and stuff. You don't seem evil at all. Just, maybe a little strange." I'm not evil? Lucifer feels something warm in his chest, and his mouth twists into an ironic grin as he raises his glass in a mock toast, "Oh, I am Temptation itself, my dear, but I am still an angel. An archangel, really, if we're splitting hairs; condemned to carry out Father's orders. The torture I mete out is more often than not self-inflicted by the recipients. Never had a taste for most of it, myself, really. I'm usually just a facilitator, if you will. I manage the asylum where these miscreants all flagellate themselves for the rest of eternity."
"So, all this murder, rape and mayhem that you're credited with causing…lies?" she asks. His face flushes with anger as he visibly struggles to control himself. "Angels, even fallen ones, cannot kill humans, Detective. Still subject to Dad's rules on that note, as much as I've occasionally desired otherwise." The muscle in his jaw clenches for a moment and he fairly growls between gritted teeth, "Rape is especially abhorrent to me. Sex is something I enjoy a great deal and this violent act has nothing to do with it. It's about power and taking away another person's free will. Why in Father's name would I encourage such a horrible thing? My own quest for free will is what started this whole bloody 'Hell' business in the first place, so I'm obviously very committed to the concept. I have a very special wing set aside for these people and have, at times, taken a very personal interest in dealing out their punishment." He closes his eyes to take a steadying breath.
"I'm sorry, Lucifer. I didn't mean to bring up bad memories for you." She pauses, "You really had wings, didn't you? And Maze cut them…I can't imagine how much that must have hurt. Do you miss it? The wings….flying?"
His eyes pop open. The look on Chloe's face is unexpectedly kind, and sad, and absent of any fear that she'd overstepped her boundaries with the Lord of Hell. "Sometimes," he replies, trying to ignore another twinge on his back. "It would certainly keep me out of traffic snarls if I could just fly about, right?" he chuckles lightly and she smiles back at him.
Lucifer's dark eyes travel over her as he sits forward and she can't help the delicious shiver up her spine. "Nobody cares for the Devil's person, my dear. It's all about them, of course. But you…you seem genuinely concerned about my well-being. It's a novelty I've decided I rather like. I don't recall ever having a friend before. What do I…DO with this, since you won't let me shag you senseless, I mean? I find I'm rather out of my element."
The Devil Himself is my friend, Chloe thinks to herself. Her chest feels tight and her hands feel cold. She paces a little more, keeping him in sight while she taps her finger to her lips. He silently watches her process the evening's events and desperately clings to the small amount of patience in his possession. She nods to herself, as if having made a decision, then looks him in the eye and points her finger at him, "Show me the rest of it."
Lucifer's eyebrows go up and his jaunty grin reaches his eyes, "Cheeky! Are we to be friends with benefits, then? Well, right-o!" he reaches for the buttons on his shirt. She gestures to stop him, "No-no-no. Your appearance. It's not just your eyes that change, is it? This isn't what you really look like." It wasn't a question. His brow furrows, "What leads you to believe there is more, Detective?" he asks carefully.
Chloe shrugs, "Jimmy and Lindsey were both somehow driven insane just by you looking at them and as freaky as it is to see your eyes do…that, it's not enough to explain them going crazy. There has to be more."
He nods slowly, "There…is…but…" "Show me," she interrupts. "I need to see." He stands up and gives her a pointed look, "I rather like your sanity intact, if you don't mind. Hard to solve crimes if you're a gibbering idiot, don't you think?" She raises her gaze to meet his, "I'm not afraid of you, Lucifer."
He scoffs and walks to the bar to put his glass down. He looks down into her face as he passes close enough to touch, "That's not the point. Can I be afraid for you? This is no small thing you ask, Detective." She nods, "I know. If you're not ready right now, it's okay." Lucifer releases a breath he didn't realize he was holding. "Thank you."
She resumes pacing, clearly deep in thought. "A penny, Detective?" She looks up at him and he can almost see gears turning. "So…it's all true?" she asks. "God and angels and….you. All of it?" He nods slowly, "In some fashion, yes, although a fair amount of the details have been exaggerated a bit."
"The Virgin Mary?" she asks, "and Jesus?"
Lucifer pinches the bridge of his nose and sighs heavily. "First off, Mary was no more a virgin than I am. And I promise that my Father never came down and shagged some random peasant girl. The Divine can't even MAKE spawn. Begotten son, my angelic ass." Chloe can't help but laugh. "Your…um…father isn't going to hit you with lightning or something for saying things like that is he?"
Encouraged, he grins back. "Please, Detective. If he were going zap me, he'd have done it well before today, I assure you. Jesus was largely the beneficiary of good marketing. A stroll over some barely submerged rocks, take advantage of some poor sod who can't count fish, that sort of thing, then whammo! You've got miracles and whatnot."
"So, what now, Lucifer? You told me that something has happened that forced you to reveal yourself to me. What happened?"
"Ah yes. The real reason you're here." He takes a deep breath and begins pacing again, trying to figure out how to proceed. "You recall the recent unfortunate events in that airplane hangar, yes?" She nods a wordless reply. "And you also recall that I…"
"Oh my God, you ACTUALLY died," she gasps. "To save us," she whispers, as her hand flies to her mouth. Tears suddenly fill her eyes as she stares at him.
Puzzled, he observes her reaction for a moment then takes a careful step toward her. Then another. Then he is arm's-length away but moves no closer, uncertain how to proceed. His eyes seem fully black now as he gazes down at her, concern etched into his face. "Chloe, I…yes…" he begins then stops as she reaches out to carefully touch his abdomen through his shirt. "You were shot….here…and…" she stammers, fat tears rolling down her face. So much blood. She grimaces and looks up at him, "But how could you die if you're…if you're you?" His smile is sad as he reaches to gently stroke her cheek. She closes her eyes and leans into him, and he swears to his father he feels something in his chest break apart.
Lucifer gathers her into his arms and kisses the top of her head, "For the same reason I as able to come back, my dear," he responds softly. Unbidden, her arms work their way around his waist while he comforts her. She can't help but notice how very warm he is as she holds him. Of course he's warm, she thinks, then her eyes pop open, I'm hugging Satan. No, her heart replies, This is lovely. You're hugging Lucifer…he feels so good. What took you so damned long?
Lucifer feels her tense and grudgingly loosens his arms to let her go if she wants. She simply looks up at him, arms still around his waist. Her giant green eyes blink the last of the tears away and he smiles softly. He brings his hand to her cheek again and softly strokes it with his thumb. Unable to resist any longer, he lowers his mouth to whisper a kiss on her lips. Lucifer purrs gently as he pulls away, "I'm sorry. Not really." Father, make her stop looking at me like that.
Chloe blushes and shakes her head, "Don't be sorry." She starts to let him go, "I shouldn't have …I didn't mean…oh, I got mascara on your shirt…"
"To bloody Hell with the shirt," he growls then moves in again. This kiss is demanding and passionate; heat, smoke and spice as he nips her bottom lip, insisting she let him in. He tastes her as if he has all the time in the world, conducting a thorough exploration of her mouth with his tongue. It's everything she would have expected if she were honest about the number of times she's thought about it. But she's not.
One hand delicately rests on her cheek as the other snakes its way down her spine, pressing her against him as it travels. When it gets to her lower back, he gently thrusts forward with a soft groan and she is immediately acquainted with what the Devil's pleasure may entail for the evening.
Her mind spinning, Oh my God, I'm kissing The Devil, Chloe grasps for some vestige of self-control. Lucifer moves his lips to her neck, his hot breath raising goosebumps. Panting, she puts her hand on his chest to give a weak push. "Stop…" Unhearing, he gently bites her neck while pulling her lower body closer. Devouring her. She feels her knees giving way and tries again, "Lucifer….please…" she whimpers.
He stops and looks down at her with black eyes, his ragged breath on her her mouth as he seems to consider his next assault. "What's wrong?" he asks, his voice hoarse. He narrows his eyes as he takes in her expression and feels her shaking, "Hold on, are you really going to say no?" She blushes and extricates herself from his arms, "I…um….yeah. Lucifer, I…can't."
Lucifer cocks his head as he begrudgingly releases her, completely confused, "I don't understand. You most certainly CAN, as I'm sure all the parts fit perfectly fine together. It's more a case that you WON'T, is that it? Two very different things, my dear. And don't try telling me you don't want to," his dark eyes rake over her body before resting on her face and he smirks. "You can't lie to the Devil, darling. I can smell how much you want it." He pauses and a hint of sadness flits across his face, "Are you afraid of me?"
Her stomach clenches and her mouth is dry as she tries to answer. What is WRONG with you? LOOK at him, she thinks. Lucifer begins to walk slowly around her, watching her carefully.
Chloe puts a hand up to stop his prowling and she notices it's shaking almost as much as her knees. "I didn't say that." She tries to look at anything except the devastating man in front of her, "It's a bit…overwhelming." His smile drips with sin, "You need to be kissed like that more often, then, my dear. Detective Douche a bit lackluster in the snogging department? Color me not surprised. So then why…"
"This is not what I want from you right now, Lucifer," she blurts out. "You're a friend. A GOOD friend who happens to be funny and irritating and great on the piano and charismatic and…yes….damned good-looking and…I have never been kissed like that." He can't help preening.
"But I need you to simply be a friend right now," she continues. "Nothing else. Please. I'm not ready for something more than that. Especially with…"
"With whom? The Devil?" Lucifer interrupts with a huff of frustration. "Beelzebub? Satan?" This is why I can't have nice things, he grumbles internally.
Chloe looks irritated, "I was going to say 'with all these other complications in my life right now.' Dan's in jail, Trixie can barely sleep after the kidnapping, I…" she stops in mid-sentence. I see you die every time I close my eyes. "…am trying to get back to a normal routine. This isn't just about you, Lucifer."
His eyes widen as understanding breaks over him, "Oh." He rakes his hand through his hand again and steps back to put some space between them. "Of course." Lucifer stands a bit straighter and adjusts his shirt, "I suppose I have given you a bit to think about with the whole…me…thing." She nods, "Thank you for understanding."
He offers a half-laugh, "Yes, well, that's what friends do, isn't it? Understand?" Even when they don't really? Especially when they don't WANT to? Chloe smiles weakly and gives a short nod. "Yeah. Look, it's late, I should…go." Lucifer starts to nod absently, lost in thought then raises his hand, "Wait! You can't go just yet. I still need to tell you the whole reason I asked you to come in over in the first place."
Chloe frowns, "Lucifer, I'm exhausted. Can't it wait?" He has the grace to look pained, "I'm afraid not, Detective. You may wish to sit down again." He turns to the bar for the bottle, "You'll certainly want to refill your glass. I know I do."
She silently watches as he pours a double for each of them then returns the bottle to the bar. "So," she begins. "What is it?"
Lucifer takes a deep breath, "My mum's escaped Hell and she's no doubt come topside to wreak havoc of some sort." Chloe shoots him a sharp look, "I'm guessing by your reaction that Mom is worse than…Dad?" Lucifer slowly nods and…
Maze exits the elevator, "Lucifer, I found him."