A/N: So we all know the show won't kill of Chloe, so... this story is set a short while after the episode 2x09 "Homewrecker".
Chloe rode the elevator up to his apartment wringing her hands. She had no idea what to expect; Lucifer hadn't spoken to her in weeks. Every time she caught a case, she called him and hoped he'd finally pick up and come to help her, but it always went to voicemail. In fact, his voicemail came on so quickly that Chloe knew he was not just letting the phone ring. He was sending it to voicemail.
The ping of the elevator must have been too quiet to be heard over his seat at the piano. She watched his fingers dance across the keys and listened to the heartbreaking melody. Somewhere deep in her mind, she recognized the tune and tilted her head, trying to remember the lyrics. Then, he began to sing and she felt even more confusion over his song choice.
Wish I could be the one
The one who could give you love
The kind of love you really need
Wish I could say to you
That I'll always stay with you
But, baby, that's not me
You need someone
Willing to give their heart and soul to you
Promise you forever
Baby, that's something I can't do
Oh, I could say that I'll be all you need
But that would be a lie
I know I'd only hurt you
I know I'd only make you cry
I'm not the one you need, babe
I love you. Goodbye.
Chloe stared at his back as he played on, a small instrument break between verses. She felt tears streaming down her cheeks as the words echoed through his apartment. Part of her hoped that the song was for her, that she was the one he was having all these feelings for. Yet, she couldn't for the life of her imagine why he'd feel like he needed to leave her. Didn't he know her life was better for knowing him? He continued to sing and she stayed frozen in place.
I hope someday you can
Find someway to understand
I'm only doing this for you
I don't really want to go
But deep in my heart I know
This is the kindest thing to do
You'll find someone
Who'll be the one that I could never be
Who'll give you something better
Than love you'd find with me
Oh, I could say that I'll be all you need
But that would be a crime
I know I'd only hurt you
I know I'd only make you cry
I'm not the one need, babe
I love you. Goodbye
His fingers pounded into the keys with more emotion that she'd ever seen him play with. His shoulder tensed and made her want to rush to him and take him in her arms. She wanted so desperately to comfort him, but he'd been avoiding her for so long now, she didn't know if her comfort would be accepted or not. And the thought of Lucifer turning her away made her feel sick to her stomach. More tears flooded her face, but she noticed as he sang, his voice took on an angry undercurrent and she heard his voice begin to crack.
Leaving someone
When you love someone
It's the hardest thing to do
When you love someone as much as I l...
Lucifer stopped playing mid-word and the last note from the piano's strings died and gave way to heart-wrenching sobs. Lucifer was bent over his piano with his face in his hands, crying so hard his shoulders bounced. Chloe watched for a moment and was about to take a step towards him when he swiped his arm across the top of the instrument and sent the bottle of alcohol, a glass and several other items flying halfway across the room, the sound of their crashing making Chloe jump in surprise. She must have made a noise because he turned on her and for a moment, she was sure his eyes had flashed with literal flames.
"What are you doing here?" he sneered. He sounded pissed... and disgusted... and it was aimed at her. And she had no idea what to do about it. "I would have thought my dodging your calls and texts and everything else in between would have been enough to make you understand, but, oh, no! That bloody detective side just had to come and investigate."
"Lucifer..." she began, but he cut her off.
"I fight, with every fiber of my being to stay away from you. I all but chain myself down every time I get the urge, the need to see you, but why did I even bother? You just come right over and walk right in. Listening in on private playing, might I add?" he seethes and she recoils, never having seen such fury directed at her. Her tears came faster and she tried her best to stand her ground, but his verbal abuse is coming close to breaking her.
"Why couldn't you just leave me alone, Decker?" he asked, his face twisted with pain. He looked like he was close to begging. "All you had to do was stay away! Now, I don't know if even I can protect you!"
That was when the tension in the room shifted. Chloe was still sobbing silently, but she straightened at his words and the last several weeks began to make sense. She knew why he was avoiding her; he thought he was protecting her.
"Lucifer, what do you mean?" she asks and finally has the nerve to step closer to him. He tried to duck away from her, but she reached out and took hold of his hand. With her touch, her nearness, he was paralyzed. He couldn't move no matter how much he wanted to.
"What do we have here?" came a new voice. Chloe spun on her heels and looked behind her to the gorgeous blond woman stepping out of the elevator. She recognized the lawyer instantly from several cases back, but couldn't for the life of her figure out why she and Lucifer were still in contact. Had she become some jealous lover who thought there was something between Lucifer and her? Surely, he realized she was a cop and could take care of herself.
"She came to see me," Lucifer said suddenly, standing up from the piano bench and taking careful steps forward, evidently trying to put himself between Chloe and Charlotte. Chloe's grip tightened on his wrist, but he ignored her attempts to talk to him. "The detective was just leaving."
"No, I'm not," Chloe declared, very upset that she was being told what to do.
"Yes, you are, detective," sneered the blond and Chloe cocked her head to the side.
"I'm a police detective; how do you plan to make me?" she challenged, but Lucifer literally jumped in front of her as the other woman drew her hand back as if to slap Chloe despite being more than three meters away.
"Mum, we had an agreement!" Lucifer bellowed so loud that she shrank away from him a little. Was it possible for a human being to project such a loud and resounding voice?
"You broke it!"
"No, I didn't! I still fully intend to return to Heaven with you and brother!" he said and Chloe no longer understood any of the scene before her. "However... if you hurt a hair on her head... if you look at her too harshly... if you even think about harming this woman... I swear on Father's head that you will not make it back to the Silver City or Hell. I will finish what Uriel came here to do. Lest we forget... I still have Azrael's blade. Remember, mother?"
Chloe watched in silence at the tense exchange between the two. Lucifer had his arms wide, holding Chloe back and staring down Charlotte Richards as she fixed Lucifer with narrowed eyes and a cold grin.
"Really? You would kill your own mother for this woman? This woman, who..." Charlotte looked past Lucifer at the detective and her eyes brightened when she saw the confusion on Chloe's face. "Who you evidently don't care enough about to show her who you truly are." Chloe felt Lucifer's stance change. He recoiled and she felt a new fear trembling through him. "You don't even know who he is, do you, human?"
"That doesn't matter, mother..."
"Oh, yes, it does!" she laughed. "Would you still think her worthy of your protection if she saw the real you and fled?" Charlotte asked. "Would you still pine after her if she was revolted at the knowledge that you truly are... the devil?"
Chloe looked up at Lucifer who hung his head and avoided the woman's gaze. He turned and took a good look at Chloe, his eyes still red from previous tears. Now, they filled with them again. He swallowed and turned back to the intruder.
"Yes." His voice was barely a whisper. "Yes, I would still protect her. Yes, she would still be worthy. Because whether or not what she thinks or feels for me changes...I'll always think the same of her." Charlotte chuckled and tossed her hair back.
"Oh, son... you always were so naive..." she taunted, taking a step towards them, but Lucifer stood back up, staring her down.
"Back off, mother. I will make good on my promise," he warned. She smiled.
"Alright... prove it," she said and both Lucifer and Chloe stared at her as if she'd lost her mind.
"What?"
They exchanged a look after realizing they'd both said it at the same time, but they looked quickly back to the woman.
"I said, 'prove it'. If this human is soo important to you and you're soo sure she is worth protecting... then, show her." Charlotte turned and walked over to take a seat on a bar stool. "I want to see if you still think so highly of her when she runs out of here screaming after she sees your true appearance, son."
"Lucifer, I don't..." He turned back and face Chloe with pools of sorrow and despair swimming in his eyes. His hand reached out and he brushed his knuckles gently down her face. "What is she talking about?"
"It's what I've been telling you all along, detective. My mum wants me to go back to Heaven with her and Amenadiel. I thought if I stayed away from you, she might leave you alone. But I know now she never will... not until she gets what she wants."
With a hard swallow, he leaned in and pressed his lips briefly to hers before bringing her over to sit on his couch.
"Detective... I promise you... no matter how I look... I promise I will not harm you. Please. Please, don't be afraid of me."
Chloe stared at him and nodded her head. Then, holding her breath, she watched as light envelopped him and when it faded, she gasped in shock. His beautiful features had been replaced by red flesh and it was painful to look at. He looked like one large chunk of scar tissue. His playful chocolate brown eyes were rings of fire surrounded by a black abyss and she could barely keep eye contact. But she did.
"Lucifer!" she gasped and watched as his eyes slipped closed and tears streaked his red face. He hung his head down and Chloe let her eyes flicker to the blond woman at the bar, who was sitting with her arms crossed over her chest, an expression on her face of triumph and contentment.
"It's alright, detective," he whispered to her and she felt herself relax upon hearing his familiar voice. Despite a change in outward appearance, he was still the same Lucifer. She could hear it in his voice. And she also heard the pain. He sounded so pained. Swallowing hard, she lifted her hand slowly and, when she was about three inches away, she froze. She looked at Charlotte, the gloading expression at least partially wiped from her face now. That alone gave Chloe the strength to finish reaching out and cup Lucifer's face, making him gasp.
"Did I hurt you?" she asked and withdrew her hand, but the sight made her face twist with even further bewilderment. Beneath where her hand had touched, his face had turned back to skin before gradually fading back to red. Like pressing a handmark into flesh that was retaining water that faded after several seconds.
"No..." he whispered. "You... you're not afraid?" Even black and red, his eyes still revealed his emotions as clearly as if he spoke them. She shook her head.
"No, Lucifer... I... I'm clearly shocked... and it's going to take a long time to wrap my head around everything you've told me since our first meeting... but it's still you under there, isn't it?" Lucifer nodded his head and, with one final look to the blond at the bar, she made up her mind. Giving him a tentative little smile, she leaned forward, inching closer until she was a breath away. "No... I'm not afraid," she whispered and pressed her lips to his in the most tender of kisses, honest and pure.
Light surrounded him once more and they heard the elevator ding closed which meant their uninvited guest had finally left. When Chloe lifted her lips from Lucifer's, his face had reverted back to it's human appearance and Chloe let out a little sigh of relief.
"Can't say I'm disappointed that your... your mom is gone. That... is going to take some getting used to," she said, cringing at the thought. Lucifer exhaled sharply and she stared back at him. "I... I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked and he took her face in his hands and brought her back in to his kiss, being just as tender with her as she had been with him.
"Chloe..." he gasped and she smiled. "What? What's so funny?"
"I think that might be the first time you've called me 'Chloe'. I... I like it," she said, trailing a finger down his cheek. He reached up and took her hand in his, pressing her palm to his lips and kissing it. "Lucifer..."
"Chloe, I... I don't... I'm not good with words. I don't know how to say..."
Lucifer looked into her eyes before his head tilted to the side and he stood up, leaving her sitting on the couch in confusion. She watched as he made his way back to his piano and took a deep, stilling breath, his eyes slipping closed. Then, he began to play.
Through the darkness
I can see your light
And you will always shine
And I can feel your heart in mine
Your face I've memorized
I idolize just you
She knew the song and felt tears well in her eyes as he played it for her, although he keep his eyes either focused on the keys or closed. With a smile, she understood and listened as he continued.
I look up to
Everything you are
In my eyes you do no wrong
I've loved you for so long
And after all is said and done
You're still you
After all
You're still you
Chloe smiled as he sang and slowly made her way to the piano. She sat down next to him as he played and, just as he was about to begin the next verse, she interrupted, staring into his eyes when he finally looked up at her while she sang.
You walk past me
I can feel your pain
Time changes everything
One truth always stays the same
You're still you
After all
You're still you
Lucifer's eyes rolled with unshed tears once more and she felt him shake next to her as he joined in, singing it with her as if it had always been meant for them to sing as a duet.
I look up to
Everything you are
In my eyes you do no wrong
And I believe in you
Although you never asked me to
I will remember you
And what life put you through
And in this cruel and lonely world
I found one love
You're still you
After all
You're still you
Chloe rested her forehead against Lucifer's and sighed, her heart slowly syncing to his as he wrapped his arm around her and held her close for a few precious moments. Then, with a heavy breath, she stood up, taking his hand, and went to the bar, grabbing a bottle and two glasses before heading to the couch. He watched her take off her coat and kick off her shoes, then she sat cross-legged in one corner.
"C'mon... sit down, Lucifer. I have the distinct feeling that this is a long story... and that I'm going to need this," she teased, holding her glass and taking a sip. As she set it down, Lucifer leaned in and pressed his lips to hers once more.
"You are amazing, Chloe."
Then, Lucifer sat down and basically repeated every conversation they had ever had together, watching as hidden meanings clicked into place in her brain. He even told her about his whole confrontation with Uriel and, when her eyes narrowed, he assured her there was nothing to be done as he'd killed with a celestial weapon. She knew no one would believe her, anyway, so she stayed silent and accepted with mixed emotions that he had killed his brother to save her.
When he finished, Chloe took another drink, then laid down along side him on the couch. His arms curled around her automatically and she placed her hands over his, interlacing their fingers together.
"So... I'm in love with the devil... who is on vacation in LA... and who killed his own brother to save me. Oh... and he's ready to kill his mom, too!" she added, laughing to herself. She turned in his arms and stared up into his worried face. "Well, I sure know how to pick 'em, don't I?" Lucifer chuckled and cupped her face, letting a small smile quirk the corner of his mouth.
"So... you're in love with the devil?" he asked and she sighed.
"Yeah... I think I am," she said.
"Good. Because he's in love with you, too, Chloe," he said and pressed a kiss to her lips before pulling her closer as she drifted off to sleep. "My morning star."
Songs used in this story:
"I Love You Goodbye" by Celine Dion
"You're Still You" by Josh Groban
Please review!