Chapter One: Waiting All Night

"…No more going backwards."

Chloe turned her voicemail off with an aggressive jab at the screen. No going backwards, sure, but no going forwards either. She was in limbo, again. Because Lucifer was gone, again.

She turned to the paperwork on her desk and picked up the first file, intent on at least making some headway on the pile that needed filling in. And yet… and yet she really wanted to see if there were any developments in the missing persons case she opened yesterday for one Lucifer Morningstar.

I kiss him. On a beach. He gets married. I get poisoned. And he disappears!

Chloe stabbed the pen on the paper angrily filling in her notes.

It was the 'disappeared' part that had her worried, of course. Last time he left (as if there was a 'last time' in the relatively short amount of time she'd known the infuriating man) the apartment was set up as such.

White sheets covering every surface.

Lights in his personal bar (the only time she'd seen them so).

Car gone.

Maze unfazed.

This time? This time there were no sheets, his favourite scotch of the week still sat on the bar rather than stored on the shelf, his car was still in the car park underneath Lux.

No sign of a struggle, either.

Maze – well Maze was still unfazed.

She shook her head. Work, Chloe. Stop obsessing!

The clock ticked over to 6 pm. There was no point continuing the farce of her attempt at paperwork. She'd made a (very) minor dent: five case files, to be exact. Given that there were another seventeen still to be done, it wasn't very impressive.

She grabbed her coat and keys, a plan for the evening forming in her mind. She'd check in with Trixie at Dan's, hit the gym, then swing by Lux... Just in case there's something new, she told herself. Just it's all some silly trick he's decided is hilarious.

She felt less restless with a plan, with something to do, some action to take.

The traffic was, predictably, bad - but not awful – on the drive to Dan's apartment. She called ahead to let him know she was coming by while leaving the office. Normally, she'd not interrupt his nights with their daughter but… well normally her friend wasn't missing.

Is he just a friend, now? Did the kiss mean anything to him?

"Hey Little Monkey," she said when the Trixie answered the apartment door.

"Hey mommy!" Trixie grabbed Chloe's hand and pulled her in with the weak but determined grip of an excited child. "You want to come join my tea party?"

"Uh, probably not tonight sweetie. I don't wanna take any of your Dad's tea."

Dan was sat at the coffee table along with a stuffed bear, a doll and a stuffed lion. She smirked. "Nice glitter, Dan. Goes with the outfit."

He tried not to grimace, only partially succeeding when Trixie looked back up at Chloe with a pout. "I'll share my tea with you, Chlo." He gestured to an empty spot, "Be our guest!"

"Yeah mommy, please?"

"I can't tonight, Monkey. I have to go help find Lucifer again. I just wanted to come give you a hug, that's all."

"He's still hiding?" The girls pout deepened.

"He is, sweetie. It's starting to annoy mommy."

"He'll turn up, Munchkin, don't worry." Said Dan, sharing a look with Chloe. He hadn't agreed with sharing the status of Lucifer with Trixie yesterday, but Chloe didn't see how she couldn't. Odd as it was at first, her daughter and the would-be devil had struck up quite the friendship. Tentative though it was on Lucifer's part, of course, but he had stopped trying to feed her bacon like a dog on such a regular basis at least.

"What was she supposed to do, lie to her?" Chloe demanded.

"Yes, Chloe, that's exactly what you were supposed to do. She's seven!"

"She was asking about Lucifer. Lucifer doesn't lie – it felt wrong to lie to her about him."

"It wasn't your call to make, not on your own. Now our daughter is upset and she didn't have to be."

Chloe sighed. She could see Dan's point but she stood by her own, too. Lucifer was well known on the party circuit in LA and his absence would only go without mention on the hundreds of gossip outlets for so long. Trixie was bound to come across something, was her argument. Damned internet.

"So what do you say, Trixie Babe? Can I have monkey hug?"

Trixie grinned and jumped up, wrapping her legs around Chloe's waist when she bent to catch her. She literally wouldn't be able to do this for much longer, unless she started lifting more at the gym, but for now, she savoured the smell of her daughter's shampoo and the feel of having her so very close. When she held her like this it felt like she could protect her from everything, impossible though it was.

"Better, mommy?"

"Much better," Chloe smiled her first genuine smile of the day and rubbed her nose against Trixie's, "Eskimo monkey!"

She squeezed the girl a bit tighter – just a moment more – breathed in the smell of orange from her hair one more time – one more breath – and set her back down on the floor.

"Just what I needed, a monkey hug! Thanks, Trixie babe."

"You're welcome, mommy. Are you sure you can't stay for tea?" She spun around for the pink and sparkly (and empty) tea pot and held it out like a gift.

"I'm sure, sweetie. Your dads very thirsty though, I'm sure he'll drink some more."

Dan gave her a frustrated look from behind the table. His plastic, princess tiara slipped down his forehead, ruining the effect.

"I'll pick you up from school on Monday, alright? And don't eat cake every day, missy."

Trixie smiled a little too sweetly. "See you on Monday, mommy."

That wasn't an agreement. Chloe shook her head but let it go. Clearly one of them had been around Lucifer far too long. Or both.

Chloe left the pair feeling a little lighter and arrived at her preferred gym feeling prepared for an actual workout – unlike yesterday when she'd arrived, walked on to the main gym floor… and left. The news on the muted TV screens was a local station reporting on the breaking news that local club owned, Lucifer Morningstar, had been reported missing.

Logan, one of the PTs, smiled up at her from the desk as she walked in, "Hey."

She nodded and gave a small smile in reply and hitched her gym bag higher. She knew that look and wasn't interested. He'd been giving her the eye since he started work there, six months ago. Aloof but pleasant, in her experience, was the best play here.

Peak time had passed – it was now well after eight in the evening – so the place wasn't packed and she had her pick of equipment. After a brief warm up, she grabbed some free weights and started working on her upper body strength.

Maybe one day I can through someone through a window, she thought, remembering when Lucifer had thrown Joe Hanson through a window. It was ridiculous, of course. She was 99% certain nobody of her size – of his – could be strong enough to through a grown man through a window. She'd concluded, after much thought, that there'd clearly been a weakness or manufacturing flaw in the window that wasn't obvious at the time. Perhaps it was thinner, or there'd been some hairline fractures in it not picked up by the CCTV.

The angle of the camera though…

Chloe shook her head. Not possible. The alternative was that Lucifer's delusion wasn't, in fact, a delusion, and he was, in fact, the devil.

And she'd tried to seduce the devil, not Lucifer (and been rejected). And she'd kissed the devil, not Lucifer (and been rejected. Twice).

The rich club owner had clearly changed his mind after calling her and run away, rather than deal with the situation, that was all.

But why didn't it sit right? What am I missing?

Chloe slammed the weights back on to the rack with a bang and ignored the other woman on the nearby mats who frowned at her through a downward dog. "Stop obsessing, Chloe."

With the evening ticking away, she finished up with a run. Despite some people – Lucifer – being able to eat, drink and smoke whatever he wanted, with zero consequence, Chloe was not as fortunate and liked to keep in shape. Thankfully just her day job and running around after Trixie kept her in pretty good shape, but she did like to 'top up' her fitness.

An hour later and Chloe was sat at the VIP bar in Lux. It was still far too early for the club to be open proper, even on a Friday night, but the place was still busy and the queue outside impressive.

To begin with, when she'd just been getting to know Lucifer, she'd felt incredibly self-conscious walking by the line of men and women dressed up in their sexiest outfits (which usually seemed to consist of very little clothing, for many of the women) and straight up to the doormen. Her usual 'outfits' (she snorted to herself at the thought) were whatever she'd thrown on for work that morning and so always functional: jeans, a shirt, a jacket, and sensible shoes. You never know when you'll have to run after a suspect, after all. It helped to dress in a certain way in order to be taken seriously at the precinct as well, despite it being the 21st century. God forbid I be a homicide detective and dare to wear dresses occasionally.

That feeling of unworthiness had faded quickly. It still sat in the back of her mind, that doubt, that you're not good enough feeling that had her fiddling with the hem of her sleeves and trying to make herself smaller. She may not fall for him the way that every other woman (and man) he came across tended to, but Chloe couldn't deny that Lucifer's constant interest in her had helped with that. His confidence was such that it seemed he left a little with her with every compliment, every glance. You started to fall for him her conscience nudged. "And now he's gone." She muttered to herself. "Stupid, Chloe. Stupid."

But the confidence he'd imparted lingered, and she had no problem striding past the queue of hopeful entrants and smiling at the doormen (Steve and Marcus, tonight) and settling into her preferred seat at the exclusive VIP bar.

The one next to his preferred seat.

She was waiting, again. For the third night in a row, she was waiting. Her preferred seat also had a good line of sight to the entrance steps (of course – a cop was never really off duty).

Now, as she sat and sipped her soda water, it gave her the perfect vantage point to watch the steps intently, hoping that he would arrive (a glass of scotch already in hand, of course).

The minutes ticked by, and the club grew busier. Hotter. More bodies and comings and goings and dancers and people wandering by. And still no sign of the enigmatic owner.

Another hour passed. The piano remained silent, untouched and unlit by the spotlights above.

Chloe huffed and set her (second) empty glass on the bar. The temptation to order something else sat on the tip of her tongue. Just one, just to take the edge off of the hopeless anger, the embarrassment of falling for him, the worry over where he'd gone or what had happened.

"Another soda, Detective?"

Chloe looked up at the barman, Ethan, who'd arrived so promptly. Lucifer would be proud. No (possible) desire left untempted, it seemed.
A mojito really would help. So would tequila. She could practically feel the cool liquid and hot after burn calling to her from the shelf –

"No, thanks, Ethan. I'm gonna call it a night – is Maze around?"

The brunette nodded, his long fringe falling over his eyes in a way that Chloe bet had several of the women in here batting their eyelashes and pressing their arms together as they leant against the bar to give him a better view of (what was usually) ample cleavage. "Over there." He pointed to a couch where she was sitting with several patrons. Goodness knows what was being discussed – by the looks of their faces, something sexual.

Chloe walked around to the front of the couch and quirked an eyebrow at her roommate.

"Hold that thought." Maze ordered the nameless men around her.

"What's up, Decker?"

"Any news?"

"It's been three days. Of course not. He's probably still buried in a group of women!"

Chloe rolled her eyes and reminded herself that she was not jealous of the man that had run away after promising they'd move forwards (okay, not go backwards). "Thanks for that mental picture. The reports on his credit cards and phone came back – he's not used them."

Maze smirked. "He never carries that card about, you know. I think it's still in his desk drawer."

"How does he pay for anything?" Chloe shook her head and held up a hand, "No, I don't want to know. Favours, I'm sure. He was obsessed with that phone, though."

Maze frowned – well, frowned slightly more. "Yeah, he did. He probably found a new one he likes better."

Chloe thought about Candy. Tell me about it.

"So… you're seriously not worried. Like, at all?"

"No, Decker, I'm not." Maze shook her head. "I'll tell you when I am. Which will be... never. He's Lucifer."

As if his name was the explanation! Chloe resisted the urge to roll her eyes for about one millisecond, and then decided she was too tired to resist every urge. She rolled her eyes. How did Maze get so involved in his delusions? Had they grown up together? "Right. Are you coming back tonight?"

Maze turned to look at the three men on the couch. "Probably not."

Chloe nodded and left. Another VIP guest list perk: valet parking. She was in her car and driving back within no time, observing the considerably longer queue for the club as she did so. She was one part worried, one part angry and one part exhausted. It was now nearly one in the morning and she'd been up since five. Jesus, when did it get so late? It seemed like every night since Lucifer had disappeared she found herself trying to find an answer to clues that didn't exist. A puzzle with no picture. Was it his messed up family again? Was it something to do with the mafia? Some of the things he said had led her to believe at some point he must have been involved in something of the sort, although what the British equivalent was she was unsure. Was he just bored of her already? She'd finally admitted that she was interested and so, mystery solved. He could get to her, and now he'd moved on? Literally, moved on to somewhere new? To some new club and… some new detective to pester?

"Would I even be surprised?" she muttered to herself, flipping on the lights in the empty apartment and trying not to focus on how full the silence felt. Tiredness pulled at her limbs like an insistent child and instead of the empty quiet giving her comfort, she longed for Trixie's chatter and Maze's coarse attitude. Or Lucifer's endless innuendos.

I should be revelling in this! No Trixie and no case – when did that last happen? She thought, getting ready for bed. Probably before Maze and Lucifer exploded into her life, that's for sure.

The silence that settled over her, which usually felt so relaxing, felt smothering. She fell asleep trying to figure out which city Lucifer would try next, and why he'd left that voicemail.

"…I'm coming over now to tell you the truth."

Hours later – the light was different, paler - Chloe awoke with a jolt. The kind that left your heart pounding and the tiny hairs on the nape of her neck standing on end. She felt uneasy. Why? The cold sinking feeling of 'Other' lay thick in the air, like when she fell asleep in her old armchair while working the case with the shoes and the dead pig.

A scream stayed trapped in her throat. There was a shadow that shouldn't be there.

There was someone in her bedroom.

He – it was definitely a he – stood in the dimly lit doorway.

Breathing shallow, hoping he hadn't realised she was awake, she tried to reach the baseball bat next to the nightstand without it looking unnatural. Hey, I'm just sleeping, just having a little sleep stretch, don't mind me. Her heart pounded like a stampeding animal in her chest. How can he not hear that?

One solid hit to the groin and an elbow to the head should disable him long enough to get to the small gun locker under the bed.

Calm, Chloe. Stay calm.

"Chloe."

God, he knows my name?

"Detective…"

She sat bolt upright. Wait.

"Lucifer?"