Disclaimer: Don't own Lucifer, don't claim to own.
AN: Based on the song Caravan by Passengers.
Daniel Espinoza knew he had an unfortunate habit of lucking out on a good thing and completely messing it all up with actions he claimed were good intentions, but really just turned out to be insanely bad decisions when looked upon with the benefit of hindsight.
Chloe was… Well, she was the best thing that ever happened to him, tied with the birth of their daughter. Growing up in a rough neighbourhood with very few people willing to be his friends – and fewer girls willing to date him – he was known as "Danny the Dweeb" at school. Then he became a cop, left that life behind, and suddenly he was dating the stunning Chloe Decker, beautiful and kind. He didn't deserve her attention, but he wasn't about to tell her that. He only vowed to never mess things up with her.
But there was always a small part of him; a little voice that whispered they weren't right for each other. They only saw what they wanted to see, told themselves that they wanted each other when they didn't, because their personalities didn't mesh. He ignored this little voice, especially after Trixie was born.
Of course, sat in his jail cell, awaiting a decision from the Chief, Dan thought that maybe he should've listened. He didn't regret Trixie, but honestly, he should've ended things with Chloe the second it became apparent that they would never work out. And since Chloe was too stubborn to end things herself…
That had nothing to do with Malcolm. Dan thought he still would've followed Chloe, still would've shot the man dead had they not been together. He didn't regret shooting Malcolm, because the bastard had it coming. He regretted lying to Chloe.
She was right; he cared more about his job and reputation than he did about her, and the entire incident highlighted that fact loud and clear. Things with Malcolm could've been buried months ago, but instead Dan had feared for what would happen to his reputation if he'd taken Chloe's side and gone against the entire department. And he'd also feared the reaction of his wife and friends, if such an action had revealed he'd known about Malcolm's corruption but hadn't said anything.
It was one bad decision after another. Turning a blind eye to Malcolm, lying to Chloe, refusing to spend time with her and Trixie… In the end, realizing that Lucifer Morningstar came out better in comparison forced him to step back and take a good look at his actions. His marriage was ruined, and he had no one to blame but himself.
Please God… he found himself praying. If you're up there, I want to make amends. Give me another chance to make things right. Please.
Then an officer came and let him out, led him to the Chief, who explained that they were reinstating him with a warning but also demoting him as punishment…
He didn't care. He had another chance, and wondered if there was someone up there, after all.
"You're not bad, you know. I've had better, but I've had worse, too."
Dan ignored his bed-mate dressing. He was sat with his back to her, bare feet against the carpet, the sheets covering his naked lap. His hands rubbed down his face, and he knew he was done for if anyone ever found out what he'd done, but he didn't regret it.
There hadn't been any other way. It was his fault that the court case had gone south; he'd slept with Charlotte and had let her get a hold of his phone. It was unconventional, but making sure that Perry Smith got his just desserts cleared his conscience. It fixed his mistake.
He hadn't wanted to make another one. Not after almost getting his ex-wife and daughter killed by the maniac he'd put in a coma.
"I'd be up for another round sometime. Just don't ever sleep with Charlotte again. That fact alone made me almost not sleep with you."
Or maybe he'd already made another mistake. Sleeping with Maze probably hadn't been his brightest idea, but he'd needed to forget.
"Are you leaving?" he asked her, glancing over his shoulder.
She was already dressed, and shrugged at his words. "Sure. I'm gone. I was gonna indulge myself in the Brittanys tonight, anyway. Poor girls haven't been getting the attention they need, since Lucifer isn't paying attention to anyone but Chloe."
Dan didn't hear Maze leave.
He'd known that Chloe felt…something for Lucifer. Had even teased her about being jealous when it looked like Lucifer was sleeping with Ella (they weren't).
But the two of them in an actual relationship? A proper one? That could lead to marriage and children?
He had to be OK with it. But feelings didn't die slowly.
And Chloe deserved better than Lucifer.
One minute, Lucifer was untying him, then the next there was a gunshot and the club owner stumbled back from the force of it.
Dan leapt to his feet, his arms out ready to catch his (reluctant) friend, preparing himself to stay focussed and not think about Lucifer bleeding out in his arms, push away the thought of losing two people he cared about in the same day…
But then Lucifer rose to his feet, brushed himself off, and punched out the man who had shot him.
"Bloody hell. This was my favourite suit, as well…"
In seconds Dan was upon him, hands against the other man's shirt and ignoring the many innuendos that left Lucifer's mouth (none of them were surprising). There was a hole in his suit, but there was no blood. No mark. No bullet-proof vest. Nothing that could've stopped the bullet, no sign (other than the hole in his shirt) that the bullet had even hit him.
It was only then that everything sunk in; everything the man had said since the moment they met, everything Lucifer had told them, and holy fuck, his name was actually sinking in…
The man who had become his ex-wife's partner was the Devil himself.
Dan didn't know what to do. He thought about grabbing a gun, but clearly bullets didn't hurt him. There were no crosses, nothing holy to repel him… He could run, but wasn't in a state to…
Then the artist returned, and Lucifer turned his attention back to him, leaving Dan standing there gaping as the self-proclaimed Devil himself bargained for the ingredients that would save Chloe's life. Like she actually mattered to him.
Did he have some kind of twisted plan for her, which required her alive? Was that the only reason he was saving her?
When he got back to the hospital, Dan considered moving Chloe. Finding another hospital, getting her to safety and away from the creature that had taken an interest in her. But how would he explain that to the doctors? "Yeah, sorry, but I need to move my ex-wife to another hospital because the Devil is trying to steal her soul."
He was wondering if he could use another excuse when Lucifer walked towards him, saying he had a plan to get the antidote, and Dan saw red and pinned Lucifer against the wall in anger. A voice told him that he hadn't learnt from his mistakes – that getting angry had wasted time back at the gallery, had led to them being tied up and him being beaten to a pulp – but he was out of options.
Was there even a right way to confront the Devil outside of crosses and holy water?
"What do you want with her? Her soul?" he hissed.
Lucifer frowned before rolling his eyes. He didn't even seem bothered by the fact that Dan had him pinned against a wall. "Why does everyone assume I steal souls? I'm simply a jailer of souls in Hell. I don't take them." He sighed. "And I suppose you wish to talk about the whole 'I'm really the Devil' revelation? Well, it'll have to wait until the Detective is well."
Dan scoffed. "What, so you can do God knows what to her?"
There was a flash of red in the Devil's eyes, and Dan let go of his shirt to stumble back in fear.
"Do not bring my Father into this, and I mean the Detective no harm," said Lucifer, his tone thinly concealing the rage Dan could see in his eyes. "She's my friend, and I care a great deal about her. Not that I expect you to believe me. Everyone always assumes the worst about me. But right now, I don't have time to explain my actions or prove my good intentions. I need you and Miss Lopez to gather the ingredients for the antidote."
Briefly overcome by Lucifer's words, Dan said, "But we don't know the amounts or how to make it."
"Leave that to me," said Lucifer. "I intend to return to Hell and find the scum who poisoned her in the first place. Hopefully I can persuade him to tell me the cure before the Doctor revives me."
"Revives you?"
Lucifer rolled his eyes with impatience, but explained anyway. "Since I cut off my wings, the only way I can return to Hell is to die. So, Maze is going to stop my heart, wait sixty seconds – time passes differently in Hell, mind you – and then Linda will revive me."
"But…how can you die?" Dan remembered the sound of the gunshot, Lucifer moving in front of him in order to take the bullet…
"I can only die when the Detective is around." He nodded at the door leading into Chloe's room. "I've…only recently discovered why, but that's a story for another time."
Dan can only stand there staring, because there was the Devil himself going against everything Dan had been taught, trying to save the life of one woman simply because he cared about her. He was the same man Dan had come to know over the past few months; a man who was flawed and made mistakes, but had a good heart and did try to do the right thing.
And remembering his anger during the Satanist case, upset over how everyone blamed him for their own sins…
Suddenly his anger was gone, and Dan stepped back. "Just do what you have to do to save her."
Then Lucifer was gone, and Dan wasn't far behind him, taking his phone out and contacting Ella. They had ingredients to find.
Whilst driving to find the last ingredient, Dan couldn't help but say, "Sorry to get all religious, but what do you think about the Devil?" He had to ask, because Ella was religious and knew this stuff, and he needed someone else's opinion. Ella seemed open-minded enough not to be super judge-y.
Ella didn't take her eyes off the road, but her eyebrow rose. "Are we talking about the Biblical Devil, or our Lucifer?"
They're the same person, Dan almost said. "The first one."
She shrugged. "Personally, I think he gets a bad rep. I mean, what did he do that's so terrible? Rebel against his Dad? Teenage boys do that all the time. Ask a naked lady if she wanted an apple? He didn't force Eve to eat it. She chose to eat it herself. And I agree with what our Lucifer keeps saying; he only runs Hell. That's like saying an average prison warden is the Devil because he's in charge of criminals. I mean, Perry Smith was pretty shitty, but… Anyway, people blame him for their sins, but in doing that they're refusing to take responsibility for their own actions. Some people are just horrible. That's not the Devil's fault."
Dan felt a little better at her words. Even if the idea of his ex-wife possibly being in love with Satan still didn't sit well with him.
He found Lucifer's brother in the office opposite Linda's, carrying a box.
"Hey, Amenadiel, is it? I was wondering-"
"I don't know where Lucifer is."
The denial was fast, and said even before he knew what the question was. Dan wasn't buying it for the second. "Don't give me that, man. I'm a cop. I interrogate people all the time. I know what lies and evasions look like. Now tell me: where is Lucifer?"
Amenadiel stood staring at him for a long moment before he sighed reluctantly and put the box down. "He went to Las Vegas. I can't guarantee that he's still there, but that's where he was heading when he left. But please don't tell Chloe."
"Doesn't she have a right to know?" Dan felt himself getting angry, and this time it wasn't unwarranted. Lucifer had already hurt Chloe enough, and he wasn't about to let Amenadiel do the same. "Right now, she's refusing to leave Lucifer's penthouse, determined to wait until he comes back. She's drunk, she's reckless, and Maze and I are the ones watching Trixie, because Chloe isn't. If telling her where Lucifer is stops all that, then I'm gonna tell her."
"Wait."
Something in the man's (Angel, he's an Angel) voice stopped Dan in his tracks, and before he knew it they were getting drinks and talking things over. Amenadiel explained everything – about how he blessed Chloe's parents, about how God had apparently planned for Chloe and Lucifer to meet – and while Dan found himself understanding why Lucifer left, he was still determined to make things right.
Because all that mattered to him was Chloe's happiness, even if it was with another man.
Thankfully Amenadiel didn't try to stop him. "Just don't say I didn't warn you," is all he said on the matter. "Now, if you excuse me, I need to get back to clearing out the office."
"Clearing out?"
"My funds ran out," the Angel explained. "I only had enough for a short stay. I didn't expect to be staying here for so long. I was kicked out of my apartment a month ago, and now I'm being kicked out of the office, too. Lucifer gave me a job at his club, but I'm staying in a hotel until I can find my own place."
Before Dan could fully think things through, he said, "I could use a roommate. I've been living alone since Chloe and I initially separated, and I've been digging into my savings to keep the place for when Trixie visits. As long as we split the rent…"
Amenadiel was smiling, and Dan found himself with an Angel for a roommate.
Better than having a demon roommate, he supposed. And as much as Lucifer had grown on him, he definitely preferred Amenadiel.
Tracking down Lucifer wasn't a problem. He just followed the crowd.
The Devil was stood in front of a table with people all around him, drink in one hand and a blonde hanging off his other arm. She looked like a stripper, or maybe an exotic dancer, and Lucifer looked like he had months ago when Dan had first met him. It was hard to believe that a little under a week ago, Lucifer had risked his own life to save Chloe's.
Dan used his badge to get through the crown, before he removed the glass from Lucifer's hand and pulled him away from the table. The blonde on his arm was dragged with them, and Lucifer's protests were cut short when the Devil laid eyes on the one who broke up the party.
"Daniel?" His gaze broke away and he immediately searched the area.
"Chloe's not here," said Dan, knowing who he was looking for. "I came alone."
"Why?"
He seriously needed to ask? "I came to drag your sorry ass back to LA."
Lucifer gave him an almost bitter smile. "Well, I'm sorry, Daniel. I'm not going anywhere."
To Dan's surprise, the blonde woman stopped smiling and pulled away from Lucifer. Gone was the bubbly blonde façade, replaced with a serious expression. "Lucifer, maybe you should listen to him. From what you've told me about Chloe, that's not something you should mess up…"
"You too, Candy?" Lucifer looked between them with frustration before almost growling. "Just leave me alone." And with that, he stormed away, quickly disappearing into the crowd.
Dan went to follow, but Candy placed a hand on his chest to stop him. "I wouldn't. Not right now, anyway. Give him a little time to calm down."
Agreeing with her that it was probably for the best, Dan sighed. "I'm sorry. Chloe's my ex-wife, and I know she's been through enough heartbreak already. I'm the one who caused most of it. Seeing her go through more…"
"I get it," said the woman (Candy?). "Lucifer told me a little bit of what happened. She almost died, and it really messed him up. He was so worried, and he didn't know how to handle that. I think there's something else to it as well, but he won't tell me."
"There is, but it's not my place to tell." Also, trying to explain that Chloe was placed on earth by Lucifer's Father, the actual God, as some kind of manipulation, would only earn him a disbelieving look. "Is he gonna run again?"
"I doubt it. We made a deal." Candy sighed. "He saved my life, and right now he's keeping me safe. But in return… He wants me to marry him temporarily."
"What?" Dan could see it all play out; Lucifer returning to LA, showing off this woman to everyone, including Chloe, showing her that there's nothing between them but also breaking her heart in the process… "Why?"
"He wants to use me to find out what his mother's up to," Candy explained.
Dan's eyebrow rose. That made absolutely no sense. "And you being his wife would somehow make her talk?"
"I know, it didn't make much sense to me, either," she admitted. "But I owe him a favour, and that's what he asked me to do."
"He's just gonna mess things up for himself." Dan knew from experience. Lucifer was creating an even bigger mess; throwing away a shot at happiness and being with a woman he loved, simply because he thought it was some kind of manipulation.
And while he knew that Chloe deserved better, it was Lucifer who she had chosen. Dan wasn't going to let him muck it all up and lose her, like he did.
He convinced Candy to lead him up to their suite. She entered first, and after confirming that Lucifer was there, let Dan in behind her. Lucifer froze upon seeing him, but Candy didn't let him speak.
"The two of you are gonna go get a drink and talk things out," she said, before pushing them both out the door. "Until then, you're not welcome up here." And then she slammed the door in their faces.
Lucifer tried his best to look at anything other than Dan.
"You hurt her," Dan said, hoping to guilt the Devil into talking. "You said you had no intention of harming her, but you did."
"I didn't mean to."
"You left of your own violation, no doubt knowing what it would do to her. So yeah, you meant it."
"It was for her own good." He was frowning, confused. "She still…"
"What do you think?!" How did this being who had been around for eons, who had no doubt watched humanity for all of that time, not know the basics of human emotions? "Of course she still feels for you! What, you expected her to bounce back and stop loving you just because you left? Emotions don't work like that, Lucifer!"
"Love…" For a moment he looked amazed, before he shook his head. "I thought with me gone, she'll realize that her feelings weren't real and just a manipulation of my father."
What? Dan stared at him for a few moments before sighing. "Alright. Let's go get those drinks, and you can tell me everything."
They did just that, Dan ignoring the déjà vu from talking to Amenadiel. Lucifer told him everything, and Dan tried to keep an open mind on the matter. For the most part, it worked; Lucifer was attempting to give Chloe back her free will, believing that her feelings weren't real and that it was only a manipulation of his Father.
But something didn't add up.
"So, you left because you thought Chloe was being forced into loving you by God?"
"Yes."
Dan nodded. "OK, just one problem with that theory: she loved me."
Lucifer frowned for a moment before rolling his eyes. "Yes, and I'd prefer it if you didn't remind me-"
"No, man, you're missing the point," Dan explained. "If Chloe was only created to love you, you and only you, why did she love me? Why did she marry me? Why did she have a kid with me?"
The Devil froze for a moment, but composed himself. "She possibly felt lonely because I wasn't there. And she separated from you when she met me-"
"We were separated before she met you," Dan interrupted. "You had nothing to do with our separation. I mean, we were trying to make things work, but it was only a matter of time before it ended. Meeting you didn't change that. Lucifer, if she chose me, then she does have a choice; she has free will."
"No…" Lucifer turned away. "She can't…she has to…"
"What's this really about, Lucifer?" he asked. "Why do you need to believe that she doesn't have free will?"
At first, Dan didn't think he'd answer. But then, very quietly, Lucifer replied with, "Because I don't deserve to be loved."
It was the last thing Dan expected to hear. "What?"
"She doesn't really love me," said Lucifer, "because who would?"
And in a moment of clarity – understanding Lucifer's actions, understanding Chloe's – Dan only had one answer: "Chloe would."
Lucifer turned his gaze back to him. "But-"
"No buts." Dan gave him a firm look, preventing Lucifer from interrupting again. "I believed that once too, you know. I thought I was unlovable. I couldn't understand what she saw in me. But you know what she saw? Good. She saw good in me. Chloe can see the good in everyone she meets, sometimes even criminals. Figures that she can see the good in the Devil himself. I'm flawed, and so are you, but that doesn't make us unlovable. Lucifer, I came here to stop you from making the same mistake I made; I messed things up with her, and I don't want to see you do the same."
The Devil was silent for a long moment, and Dan could see him processing the words. Then he said, "But my Father put her here. He…He has some kind of plan for her. For both of us. I left Hell to reject his plan, and to fall right back into it…"
"How do you know this isn't His plan?" asked Dan. "What if he expected you to find out and run? What if He wants to make both of you miserable?" Lucifer's eyes widened in realization. "And even if that's not the case, is it really so terrible to go along with it?"
"You don't understand-"
"I do," he said. "I know what it's like to have an overbearing father. My dad was a cop just like me, and he wanted me to follow in his footsteps. It was so much pressure, and back in high school I rebelled. I didn't want to be like him; I wanted to make my own choices. But you know what I eventually realized? I wanted to be a cop. Not because he wanted me to, but because I wanted to help people. I wanted to be a cop, for me. And because I was so concerned about rebelling against my dad, I nearly trapped myself in a miserable life I hated. Look, the way I see it, if Chloe wants to be with you, and you want to be with her, does it really matter if you Father set it all up?"
Lucifer turned away again, but Dan could see it in the Devil's eyes. His words had gotten through to him.
"But my mother…"
"We can find another way to make her talk," Dan told him. "Marrying Candy really isn't the best way to go about it; that was going to be more about pushing Chloe away, wasn't it?" Lucifer's expression confirmed his words as true. "You want me to interrogate her?"
The Devil's eyes brightened. "That might actually work. You've already slept with her, after all."
Dan frowned and was about to ask Lucifer what he meant by that, until he remembered the Devil's reaction to him sleeping with Charlotte. And what he had almost said.
He'd slept with Lucifer's mother.
Somehow that was more shocking than discovering that Lucifer was the Devil, and sleeping with a demon.
When they arrived back in LA, Lucifer went directly to Lux in order to talk to Chloe. Not only to apologize, but also to tell her everything; about his true identity, why he left…
Dan offered to be on standby in case she freaked out. He didn't believe that she would, but he didn't peg Linda as the type to freak out either, yet she had. Still, he drove Candy to the precinct in order for her to give a statement on another crime under investigation. They chatted the whole way there, and Dan was considering asking her on a date by the time they arrived.
She was talking to Ella when Dan got a text from Lucifer.
All went OK. No need to come.
Even so, hours later when Dan was making his rounds (dropping off Candy at Ella's place, who had taken to the blonde immediately and wanted her as a new roommate, checking on Amenadiel at his place, and stopping by Chloe's place to kiss Trixie goodnight and talk to Maze), he decided to stop by Lux to see for himself.
And when he arrived, he found Lucifer and Chloe asleep together on the former's bed, wrapped in each other's embraces.
He shouldn't have smiled at seeing his ex-wife in another man's arms, but he did. Chloe had moved on. He was happy for her.
Thinking again of Candy, Dan realized that he could move on, too. And maybe this time, he won't screw things up.