Day One.
Lucifer had, of course, told Mazikeen that she couldn't torture his older his brother. He was pretty sure that dying had been enough of a punishment for Michael, anyway, and he of course didn't want to do anything to potentially hurt Ella. And, as much as Lucifer disapproved - heavily - she loved him, and that was something that Lucifer could understand and accept, for the most part. So, no torture. So far, Michael had been decent to him. He was keeping his distance, actually; Lucifer hadn't seen him much since the day before, but he wasn't too worried about it. What he was worried about was the lack of his powers.
The former Devil clicked his teeth together and spun himself around in his chair - Chloe's chair, actually. Chloe was… Somewhere. Lucifer actually didn't know where she was… He should find out where she was. He sighed, sitting back a little, then looked up when a familiar person passed him. "Daniel!"
Dan stopped, sighed, screwed his eyes shut and looked like he was internally cursing for a second, then turned to face Lucifer and forced a smile. "Lucifer."
Lucifer studied him curiously for a moment, genuinely wondering what that reaction had been about, but he brushed it off. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?" He asked with a grin, cocking his head to the side and raising his arms up, crossing them behind his head and leaning back in the chair. "Booty call?"
Dan opened his mouth, then closed it, a frustrated look on his face. "No, Lucifer, I was-" He stopped, his gaze flickering beside Lucifer, resting on something on Chloe's desk. Lucifer didn't have to look to see what it was, but his expression changed, turning smug to sheepish when Dan turned to glare at him. "Really? Really?"
Lucifer frowned, glancing at the empty pudding cups scattered on the desk. "What? I was hungry," he responded casually, gesturing toward the cups and looking back up at Dan. "And they were there, conveniently."
Dan stared at him for a moment, not speaking, then threw his hands up in exasperation. "Not conveniently, Lucifer, those were mine!"
Lucifer turned back to look at the pudding cups - obviously labeled Dan in sharpie along the side - then glanced back at Dan. "Well, obviously. But you should know to bring enough for the rest of the class," he said innocently, and Dan looked like he was about to pick up Chloe's computer and chuck it at him. "Relax! I'll make it up to you later," the former Devil said dismissively, raising one hand complacently. "Now, have you seen Chloe? She hasn't come in yet and work is awfully boring without her."
"She's off today. Watching Trixie," Dan said irritably, narrowing his eyes at Lucifer, who visibly deflated at the news, eyes narrowing faintly as well. "You could just work."
"Without my partner?" Lucifer asked skeptically, putting his hands back down and folding them neatly in his lap as he leaned forward once more. Dan sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose between his fingers wordlessly, and Lucifer sat still and silent for a moment before speaking again, faintly curious. "Well, perhaps I could…" He trailed off, clicking his teeth together. "Working isn't too horrible, I've learned." It was true, Lucifer was starting to actually like working in the precinct. Usually, it was just to be there with Chloe, but when Michael had arrived, Lucifer had actually started working - and despite the circumstances, part of him had enjoyed it.
Dan hummed faintly in acknowledgement, raising an eyebrow at him. "Great. I've actually got a case I could use some help on," he offered, somewhat reluctantly. Lucifer understood that - Working with him wasn't exactly easy. Or, it hadn't been. He'd been unfocused, childish - He still was, for the most part. But he'd proven that he could focus and work when he needed to, too. Dan seemed willing to give that a chance.
"Wonderful," Lucifer hummed, flashing him a grin. "Daniel and the Devil, at it again." He paused, his expression changing as he remembered something, and he let his shoulders slump forward with a slight pout. "Well, actually, not quite. I'm not really the Devil anymore, not since my Father took away my powers. Completely." He narrowed his eyes faintly. "I suppose it doesn't quite seem like he's trying to control me now, though it does feel like there's something to be learned from this. I wonder if he'll return them, or leave me mortal…? Perhaps…"
By the time he forced himself to focus again, Dan was just kind of staring at him in complete silence, an odd look on his face. Lucifer blinked a few times, looking up, and frowned. "... What?"
"You," Dan started, and shook his head. "You are a really… really weird person." He then turned and walked off toward his desk, picked up a file, and walked back over, tossing the file over Chloe's desk to Lucifer and heading off without another word. Lucifer squinted, watching him go, then picked the file up and flipped it open. He scanned the pages, humming, and tapped his fingers against the folder wordlessly as he read, taking in every detail.
He jumped when something hit the desk in front of him, and took a moment to recover before looking up, eyebrows raising faintly in confusion for a moment before his expression smoothed out, focusing on Ella with a small grin. "Ms. Lopez! What can I do for you, my dear?"
Ella smiled right back at him, looking extremely happy, then pointed at what she had set down on the desk. Lucifer followed her gaze, and had to do a double take, staring for a moment to make sure he was seeing correctly. It was a cross. A cross necklace, actually.
"For you," Ella stated, "since you and God, you know, reconciled."
"Ah… Well, it's lovely," Lucifer said slowly, staring for a moment. A cross necklace. To represent that he was no longer pissed at his Father, perhaps. It wasn't such a bad idea - To be fair, Lucifer had considered getting himself one more than once. Because despite it mainly being a religious symbol, he actually liked crosses. And, to be fair, they represented Jesus more than his Father, so…
After a moment, the former Devil reached out and picked the necklace up, rubbing his thumb across it for a moment before looking up and tilting his head at Ella, who was watching him with excitement flickering through her eyes. Lucifer chuckled slightly, closing his fist around the necklace. "Thank you, Ms. Lopez."
Ella just shrugged, then smiled warmly. "For what it's worth, I'm really glad you and your Dad managed to sort out everything," she said curiously, cocking her head to the side. "Like, really. It's great, Luce."
Lucifer hummed in agreement, a smile tugging at his lips. "... I agree," he finally replied. "It's nice. Not being so angry at him." He paused, turning his head to look toward Michael's desk, and he raised his eyebrows faintly when he saw that Michael wasn't there. He actually hadn't seen him at the precinct at all that day. "Did my brother not come in today?"
"Ah…" Ella bit her lip and gave a slightly sheepish smile. "We were, uh, taste-testing alcohol again. Apparently angelic powers also include a heightened tolerance to alcohol. He passed out, woke up with a bad headache, so he's back at my place resting and nursing his first real hangover."
"Yay Michael," Lucifer mumbled curiously, a soft chuckle escaping his lips. "Ah, the poor sap. He'll be alright, though, hangovers never killed anyone," he mused. "I expect he'll be keeping his distance from alcohol for a while, however." He chuckled a little, brown eyes flickering with amusement, and Ella let out a small giggle.
"Agreed." Ella paused, looking away for a second, then her expression changed, turning slightly unreadable. Then, finally, she turned back to him, frowning. "This might sound stupid, but- does the name Rae-Rae mean anything to you?"
Lucifer sat absolutely still for a moment before leaning back, staring at Ella with an almost disbelieving expression. He snapped his mouth shut, throat constricting, and forced himself to swallow as he glanced away. Rae-Rae.
"So this is it?" Lucifer stared down, teeth clenched, trying to fight back the tears brewing in his eyes. He drug his thumb across his palm roughly, allowing his nail to sink into the soft flesh. For a moment, he pressed harshly, almost as if he was trying to break the skin. Then he stopped, abruptly, and let his hands fall to his sides. "After everything, this is how it ends, Rae-Rae?"
"I don't want it to end, Sam-" His sister started to protest, staring up at him through wide, desperate eyes. Her wings ruffled behind her, brown eyes searching desperately, and Lucifer whipped around to face her, his own wings bristling.
"Samael is no longer my name, Azrael," he told her firmly, but there was no real bite to his words. He curled his lips back slightly. "If Father thinks I'm so undeserving of being in Heaven then I must be undeserving of the name he gave me. Screw him!" Lucifer hissed, squeezing his eyes shut. "My- My name is Lucifer."
Azrael stared at him wearily, biting her lip for a moment. "Talk to him, Lu," she encouraged quietly. Lucifer scoffed, turning his head away, and Azrael stepped forward as she continued, "please! I don't want to lose my favorite brother. Don't you get it? This will rip all of us apart!" She begged.
Lucifer spared her a look, then glanced down the long silver hallway, his eyes flickering across the doors lining the walls. Then he started laughing, "why am I fighting this, anyway? I hate this place."
Azrael looked like she'd been slapped in the face. "You- What?" She breathed, eyes wide with disbelief. "S- Luce, this is your home!" She reached out and grabbed his arm, turning him to face her again. "This is where you belong, not- not down there!"
"After everything I've done," Lucifer seethed, glaring at her, "how can you possibly stand here and tell me that this is where I belong?"
"Because this is your home!" Azrael repeated, much more fiercely. "This is where you were raised, where you were born! Doesn't that mean anything to you?!"
"You think I want to leave, Azrael?!" Lucifer yelled back, jerking away from her and stepping back. He jabbed a finger down the long hallway, gesturing toward the room at the very end of the hall. "You think I just want to leave you behind?! You, and Amenadiel, and Uri?!"
"Then stop!" Azrael exclaimed. "Stop fighting against Dad so much!"
"It's a little too late for that!" Lucifer spat. "And even if I was willing to stop, I'm not willing to stand by while he pushes his family away for- for-" His lips curled back slightly, and his eyes flared up, blazing a bright red. "For those anomalies!"
He ignored the gasp from Azrael completely, standing still for a moment before his eyes slowly faded back to normal. "... If he's going to push his family away one by one," he started quietly, "then I will be the first."
"Lucifer," Azrael pleaded, gazing at her brother desperately. "Think about what you're doing."
Lucifer scoffed, then chuckled bitterly. "I am thinking, Azrael." He turned his head, glancing back to the door at the end of the hall, then gritted his teeth and simply marched past his sister. "I seem to be the only one who is."
Lucifer stared down, shoulders tense, not reacting as Ella called his name. He felt her hand on his shoulder now, shaking slightly, heard her yelling his name right in his ear, but he didn't react for several minutes, lost in thought. Finally, however, he did manage to jerk his head away just as she had been about to scream again, twisting his head to look up at her. "What do you know about Rae-Rae?"
Ella blinked, looking genuinely dumbfounded for a moment. "Well, she's a ghost. And I'm the only one that can see her - could. Could see her. She's gone now, actually," she added tentatively, frowning. "Do you… Did you… Know her?"
Lucifer blinked, sitting back slowly and staring up at her blankly for a moment, thinking before speaking again. "Rae-Rae is short for Azrael," he finally said, closing his eyes. "My younger sister."
There was a long few minutes of silence in which Ella processed this information and Lucifer processed the fact that Azrael knew Ella - Azrael had spoken to Ella. Azrael had used the nickname given to her by Lucifer himself as her introduction, apparently. His chest ached at the thought of her, the familiar anger gone and replaced with a sense of longing. He would give absolutely anything to see his little sister again.
"Wow," Ella finally mumbled. "I knew an angel before I'd even met you." After a pause, Ella spoke again, much more quietly, and Lucifer blinked his eyes open. "I'm guessing things weren't so smooth between you two, huh?"
"Azrael was one of the few that didn't turn their backs on me during the rebellion," Lucifer replied faintly, shaking his head. "That's not to say she was on my side, however. After Dad kicked me to Hell, I never saw her again. Even Amenadiel came to visit from time to time - Uriel, if he was feeling up to it. Gabriel, once or twice…" He trailed off, a pained expression crossing his face. "We didn't exactly…" He stopped, and spoke again carefully, "we… parted on relatively bad terms."
"Oh," Ella murmured sympathetically, giving his shoulder a soft squeeze. "Well… she's your sister, Luce. I'm sure she misses you."
"I'm sure she does," Lucifer agreed with a shrug. "She probably thinks I wouldn't want to see her. Which is understandable, I suppose. For the longest time, I…" He trailed off. "Well, I was angry. At all of them. I expected at least a few of them to stand by me during the rebellion, but they all took Dad's side." He chewed on the inside of his cheek, thinking, then frowned. "Which, I suppose, was… a good thing. Considering it all. Still, at the time, it hurt."
"Too bad I don't see her anymore." Ella made a face. "Or I'd pass the message along." She studied him for a moment, then smiled reassuringly and added, "hey, but I'm sure you'll see her again one day, you know? And you'll have a chance to make it right again. I mean, you fixed things with your Dad - Fixing things with Rae-Rae shouldn't be difficult, not after that, y'know?"
Lucifer tilted his head, looking up at her, then let out a low hum and smiled faintly. "... I suppose so," he finally responded, blinking. Then he started chuckling. "You would make a fairly good therapist, Ms. Lopez." Which reminded him, he had a therapy appointment tomorrow.
"Thanks, but I'll stick to being a forensic scientist," Ella laughed and pulled her hand back, and then got a very oh, shit expression on her face. "Uh. Speaking of this. I'm supposed to be working!" She exclaimed, smacking herself in the forehead.
Lucifer rolled his eyes, giving a slightly amused smile. "Go work." He stood, picking the file back up and pocketing the cross necklace. "I have to catch up with Detective Douche, anyways."
"Have fun!" Ella launched herself forward, giving him a hug so fast that he didn't have much time to react, then she pulled back and took off in the direction of the lab. Lucifer smiled a little to himself, shaking his head, then looked back down at the file before pushing the chair back into place and heading off to find Daniel.
Hours later, Lucifer was walking into Chloe's house - he didn't even bother knocking, not really. He shut the door behind him, paused for a second while the silence sunk in, then called out tentatively, "if you're waiting with a gun, please don't shoot. It wasn't fun the first time and I doubt a second time would be much different." He smiled to himself despite that, however, remembering the time Chloe had shot him. No, it hadn't been fun. That had hurt. A lot. Being shot, in general, hurt like all Hell.
A second passed, and then the familiar; "LUCIFER!"
Lucifer bit back a grin and braced himself as the tiny human raced from her room, leaping up and throwing her arms around him in a hug. Lucifer fidgeted slightly, not quite uncomfortable, and patted the child's head a few times. "Yes, hello, spawn."
Honestly, he'd grown to like the tackle hugs. Even if the kid was messy most of the time, and loud, and sometimes annoying, she was genuinely happy to see him whenever he walked through the door. Which, to be fair, wasn't something Lucifer was used to at all.
Trixie pulled back and grinned at him, bouncing up and down excitedly. She was practically vibrating, Lucifer noted. She must have had chocolate cake. Or chocolate something. The spawn adored chocolate. "Guess what tomorrow is!"
"Ah. Tomorrow is your birthday, child," Lucifer replied without missing a beat, glancing up and grinning at Chloe as she walked out of Trixie's room, putting a bookmark in some children's book she was holding. She raised an eyebrow at the two, and Lucifer returned the gesture before looking back down at Trixie, who actually looked kind of surprised.
"How did you know?!"
Lucifer offered her a curious look. "I've known you and your mother for quite a few years now, Beatrice, do you truly believe I wouldn't have your birthday memorized by now?" He questioned, giving her head another pat before easing past her and walking over to Chloe. "Actually, that's why I'm here. Detective, I've been meaning to ask permission to take her to the mall."
Chloe was just staring at him blankly, seeming completely lost in thought, but she snapped back to attention after a second or so, frowning. "The mall?"
"Yes, well, I figured I'd let the urchin pick out a few things of her choice from a couple stores." Lucifer gestured vaguely, stuffing his hands into his pockets and turning to glance back at Trixie before looking back at Chloe. "I've learned that money is a better gift than actually buying something. At the risk of her not liking whatever I do get her-"
"I like anything!" Trixie squeaked, staring at him with wide eyes.
"-This seems like a better option." Lucifer then turned his head, sparing Trixie a curious glance. "I was considering getting her one of those toy oven contraptions. Something she can use to make her own chocolate cake."
"I had one of those and it broke." Trixie pulled a face. "And I'm not a good cook."
"Well, this is exactly why you'll be choosing your own gift, then." Lucifer flashed her a grin and turned back to Chloe, who was now smiling slightly, watching the two. After a moment, though, she seemed to realize they were both waiting for her thoughts on the matter, because her eyes suddenly went very wide.
"Oh! Yeah, yeah, you can take her to the mall, Lucifer," Chloe said quickly, and eyed him warily. "Maybe I should go, too. Just to make sure you don't get caught up looking at suits and lose her or something."
Lucifer gasped, a look of obviously mocking offense crossing his face. "I would never, Detective," he told her solemnly. "I'll have you know I plan to keep a very close eye on your spawn. I know about kidnappers and all. I was kidnapped once." He went silent for a moment, narrowing his eyes and glancing past Chloe.
"... Uh huh." Chloe shook her head, rolling her eyes, but she was chuckling slightly. "I think I'll come with you just to be sure."
"If you insist," Lucifer chuckled. "Tomorrow it is, then. You set the time, I'll be available." He paused, then raised a hand. "Not in the morning, however. I have a therapy appointment at ten. Then I'll be available."
"Yay!" Trixie exclaimed, and Lucifer grinned slightly, turning his attention back to the child. "This is perfect, actually, for my plan!" And with that, she threw herself at Lucifer and gave him one last hug. "You're the best, Lucifer!" Then she was bolting off again, disappearing into her room and shutting the door behind her with a click.
Lucifer watched her go, dumbfounded and confused all in one. "Plan?" He mumbled, then shook his head. "Well, whatever that means…" He narrowed his eyes. "She seems pleased."
"You've made her pretty happy," Chloe agreed, gazing at him. Her blue eyes flickered, a warm smile making its way onto her face. "This is really nice of you, Lucifer."
Lucifer smiled slightly in response. "Yes, well, I've grown rather attached to your spawn," he replied dismissively. "Don't get me wrong, I still dislike most children. Yours is just much more tolerable."
"She's a good kid," Chloe replied softly, setting the book aside and walking forward, closing the distance between them. "And I think the attachment is mutual," she added, eyes sparkling with amusement. Lucifer grinned back, staying silent for a moment as he gazed down at her.
"I think I've grown attached to you, as well," he added quietly after a moment. Chloe looked faintly surprised by that for a second, then, after a second or so, she took another small step forward.
"Now that, I can say with certainty, is definitely a mutual attachment," she told him softly. Lucifer couldn't help but laugh slightly at that, but the sound held more relief than anything.
"You know…" Lucifer started, smiling slightly, "the whole thing about me being the Devil… You took all of it very well. Considering the circumstances."
Chloe blinked, tilting her head slightly. "I'm still processing," she admitted. "But at this point, I guess, I've always known. You've never lied about it - You've never lied about anything." A weird look crossed her face. "Honestly, the shock of it's just worn off. All I can think about now is everything you've ever said - About you, and being the Devil, and Hell and Heaven and your Father, and…" She laughed hollowly, eyebrows furrowing, "it's all been right in front of me and I've never even tried to see it."
Lucifer hummed, a smile tugging at his lips. "Well, to you, I was probably just some crazy, overdramatic man you met in a nightclub who uses religious metaphors to describe his life," he mused. "You had no proof that any of it was real, and… Perhaps I should have shown you sooner." He frowned.
"You tried, didn't you?" Chloe asked suddenly, as if a realization had just hit. "That day in the precinct, you were going to show me something."
"My Devil face," Lucifer replied quietly. "It wasn't working." He made a face, shaking his head slightly. "That's when I got my wings back."
"And I thought it was just your way of distancing yourself again…" Chloe closed her eyes and shook her head. "Lucifer, I am so sorry I didn't believe you before."
Lucifer sighed, then smiled slightly and walked forward, putting one hand on her shoulder and moving the other hand under her chin, lifting her head up. Chloe blinked her eyes open, looking at him, and Lucifer simply brushed her hair from her face with his thumb as he replied, "you believe me now, Detective. That's all that matters."
Chloe blinked at him slowly, silent. Lucifer stayed still for a second or so before starting to pull back, but Chloe raised one hand to grab his wrist before he could, halting him completely. She moved his hand back to her cheek, leaning into the touch without moving her gaze.
Lucifer smiled slightly, shuffling forward and lowering his head, pressing his forehead against hers lightly. Chloe exhaled softly, a smile on her face now as her eyes slid shut again, and pulled herself closer until their lips were touching, just barely ghosting over each other.
And, then- "MOMMY! Mommy, come here, look!"
Lucifer bit back a sigh and pulled his head back, and Chloe was giggling to herself now as she pulled back, eyes wide with amazement as she glanced toward Trixie's room. "She has impeccable timing, doesn't she?" The former Devil groaned.
Chloe offered him a sympathetic look, then a thoughtful expression crossed her face. When Trixie called out again, Chloe walked forward and stretched up; Lucifer blinked, barely having time to register as she pressed a kiss to his cheek.
"Goodnight, Lucifer," she whispered in his ear when she'd pulled back. Lucifer took a deep breath, eyes widening slightly as he gazed down at her.
"Good…" Lucifer faltered for a second, swallowing and trying again, "goodnight, Detective." Chloe smiled at him before turning and grabbing the book she'd set on the coffee table, heading off down the hall. Lucifer watched as she disappeared into Trixie's room, the door shutting gently behind her, and he stayed still for a moment before leaving. He made sure to lock the door from the inside before he'd shut it, and immediately fell back against it when it clicked, staring ahead in complete silence.
And if you don't ask Decker out soon, son…
Then he exhaled, smiled, and started laughing.
