Chapter Two: You Will Find No Sympathy Here (Sin City)

A/N: Not spell checked, as usual, because I'm lazy and I've got a test tomorrow I should be studying for. Anyways… This'll be mainly about Lucifer, with a few scenes of his favorite siblings. Don't want to spoil anything big, so I'll just say enjoy. :)

Lucifer felt as if his heart was shattering into a million pieces, tearing at the seams, being frozen and beginning to crack. Maybe he shouldn't have destroyed his car when he let the truth dawn on him. Charlotte's words at the trial, looking back at everything up until now… Why didn't he see? Chloe shouldn't even exist, so of course their love wasn't real. She wasn't even truly real if he thought about it. Despite him feeling that way, his heart was breaking. He loved Chloe with every fiber of his being, would never love anyone the way he loved her. But he couldn't do it anymore. He couldn't stand being manipulated like a piece on a chessboard once again by a being who dared call him a son. He had had enough.

That's when he went up to his loft and made a decision. He couldn't stay here, at least not now. In an effort to test his and Chloe's love for each other, his, quote on quote, "father" and psychotic snake of a mother had nearly gotten them both killed! No more. He would leave L.A. to search for answers. More specifically, he would find someone who could help him obtain his answers. He knew just the person, and they currently resided in Las Vegas. Alright then. Before he left, however, he needed to tell Chloe… What exactly could he tell her? She would be heartbroken either way. He couldn't, in good conscience, leave without saying something, so he grabbed a small sheet of paper and began writing.

"Chloe, my love," he began saying to himself, writing on top of his grand piano. "I have no idea if you'll find this or if you'll ever read it, but if it is you reading it…" Every word made his heart ache just a little more, until his hands were shaking too much to write properly, until he found himself apologizing for ever coming into her life. He felt sick, worthless. He grabbed a nearby pencil, because he was sure he'd erase the words as soon as he wrote them down, and sure enough, I love you, always ended up getting erased, hurting him too much to keep. He put the pencil down and grabbed the pen again, signing his name before his emotions became too much. He felt the pen in his hand crack before bursting into several pieces of jagged plastic, ink dripping off his hand. He threw the remains on the ground before stomping over to the balcony, standing on the railing, shouting to the dark, starry sky. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME, YOU BASTARD?!" He wailed to the Heavens. "You couldn't even let me have… the one I love…" he whispered, voice quivering. "You could have killed her." He hung his head for a moment, trying to get himself together. "You ruin everything," he murmured into his chest before looking up again with devastated eyes. "You and mum just won't give it up, will you? You have to drag your children, and everything they care about, into your mess." He began shaking.

"You ruin everything! Everything! I'll never forgive you! DO YOU HEAR ME?! NEVER!" During his words, clouds had gathered above Los Angeles, thunder rumbling at his last statement. Lucifer, irate and beyond furious, screamed, wings outstretched behind him. He screamed in pain, in fury, lost, broken. It started as a scream, turning into an inhuman shriek, the angelic sound of distress, much louder and piercing than that of an average angel's. Everything fragile within a few miles radius splintered, shattered, or cracked, any human or other non-angel being being forced to cover their ears. Even then, they clutched their heads in pain due to the sheer decibel level of the sound. Lightning crackled continuously when the shriek began, a shadow of an angel with broken wings flashing in his apartment. No doubt every angel, human, demon, and tortured soul could hear him. An onslaught of rain bombarding the Earth. A flutter of large wings, feathers dripping.

"Lucifer!" Gabriel shouted, getting to his feet unsteadily, the shriek drowning out his voice. He had landed by the balcony before it blasted him back a few feet, causing him to lose his footing on the wet floor. His ears were ringing, vision starting to blur because of the pure agony he could feel coming from his beloved older brother. "LUCIFER!" he screamed, hands over his ears in an effort to block out the sound. Gabriel redoubled his efforts, using his grace to try and block some of the force of the sound. With a struggle, he made it to Lucifer, pulling him down from the railing unceremoniously. The Devil's shrieking stopped, replaced by sobs as his younger brother held onto him. "Luci," Gabriel whispered, taking in his brother's disheveled appearance. His hair was a wet, curly mess. His suit was ripped, body shaking, whether from emotion or some other cause he didn't know. His white glowing eyes expressed everything he couldn't voice. The sight made the younger brother have to swallow past a lump in his throat.

"I can't do this anymore, Gabriel. I can't." Lucifer, arm slung over Gabriel's shoulder, made his way over to his note, folding it and picking it up and laying it in the center of the piano's top. "I can't keep doing this to her. I can't stay here."

"Luci, what are you talking about?" Gabriel inquired, worried.

"Chloe," he answered simply, moving away to stand on his own. "Everything that's happened, the poison, Uriel, mum, anything and everything that could've gone wrong because… because I fell in love with her. Then, realizing that all of it was orchestrated for reasons we may never know. I walked right into mum and Dad's trap. No more." Gabriel finally registered what his brother was implying.

"Lucifer, no." He grabbed his arm in an attempt to keep him from walking away. "She needs you, now more than ever. How do you think she'd react when she finds you missing?"

"She's safer without me! Besides… I don't even deserve her."

"Lucifer-"

"No! I…" He squeezed his eyes shut, fists trembling. "I just need time to think. I need to be somewhere else, anywhere but here." He jerked his arm out of Gabriel's grasp and started towards the balcony again.

"Lucifer, you can't leave. Think of everyone here who cares about you. Chloe, Trixie, Maze, Linda, Amenadiel, me," the brunette tried to reason. Lucifer cast his watery eyes in his brother's direction.

"I truly am lucky to have you, Gabriel," he whispered. "I fell because of something stupid, mainly my pride. I'm selfish, unwanted, dangerous, and the center of everyone's biggest problems. I don't deserve to exist and yet… Here you are, still at my side despite everything I've done, to others and to you…" With a snap of his fingers, all the furniture in sight found itself covered by sheets, the note visible against the piano's sheet. The lights went out, the room illuminated only by the lightning continuing outside. "I love you, brother." One moment, the two were in an embrace, Gabriel feeling a teardrop land on his cheek as he latched onto his beloved older brother. The next, he was clutching cold, thin air, just barely leaning forward, hands holding onto the space above him instead of soft curls. It didn't take him long to realize that the tear slowly trailing down his cheek wasn't his, and it was enough to make his knees buckle. He sat there, his own tears now falling slowly, silently. Lucifer's words, his low opinion of himself, his view of the current situation… He got to his feet, watching the rain slowly begin to back off, making a decision as he prepared to take off again. If Chloe went looking for Lucifer, he would do everything in his power to help her find him.

XxX

Amenadiel's head snapped up at the sight of an intense, raging storm outside. The sky had been perfectly clear mere moments ago. Then he heard it, an angelic shriek. He jumped to his feet, hoping he hadn't startled Maze awake, running out his front door right into the downpour. He flew to the roof, observing the city's skyline, trying to find the source of the quickly intensifying noise. He covered his ears for a moment as his eardrums rang violently before resuming his search, but as quickly as it had started, it stopped, and he let his hands drop back to his side. He flew back down to the front door, where Maze was getting to her feet, a look of pain on her face.

"Are you alright, Maze?" he asked her. She nodded.

"I was convinced I was dying for a minute, but yeah." She gasped silently in pain as she rubbed her ears gingerly. "What was that?"

"An angelic sound of distress."

"Lucifer?" He didn't know, but he would check in on his brother once they got out of the rain.

"I'll go check on him tomorrow morning. For now, let's get out of the rain."

XxX

"Gone? What do you mean gone?" Amenadiel asked Dan, leaning against the detective's desk.

"He left last night, ended up in Vegas, told Chloe he was never coming back. She went off to go get him. I want to find him first, get some answers out of him, but I don't want to go alone."

"So you want me as backup in case Lucifer… what exactly?" He heard Dan grumble, talking about him being Lucifer's brother, thinking that would make a difference. Amenadiel looked at Chloe's computer screen, frowning at the picture of Lucifer. He focused for a second, slowing and almost stopping time as he flew to Lucifer's penthouse. He looked around in shock at the covered furniture, eyes traveling around the room until they landed on a figure on the balcony. His head lay on his arms, looking out over the now bustling city. He let out a breath, voice and demeanor much less positive and peppy as usual.

"Amenadiel," he whispered sadly. "What brings you here?" He sounded so… lost.

"So he really is gone," the other angel stated. Gabriel nodded.

"He needed somewhere to start fresh, away from Chloe and all of this. I don't know where he is."

"The shriek and the storm." Gabriel nodded again.

"Yep." The brunette pulled a Tootsie Pop out of his pocket, ripping off the wrapper and sticking it in his mouth. "He… He was so broken, Amen. He… He looked like he'd just lost all hope of having a life here. He just left…" Amenadiel wanted to go over and comfort him, but thought better of it.

"I need your help finding him. Well, me and another person concerned about Chloe." Gabriel scoffed.

"If I knew where to look, I'd already be there, dragging him back into town. I'll do what I can, but I don't know how much help I'll be." A moment of silence.

"I'll be back," the angel replied, disappearing briefly. He was turned, facing Dan back in the police station. Time resumed at its normal pace. "There's no guarantee he'll listen to me either… But I know someone who'll definitely be able to make him talk." Dan didn't look like he believed him.

"Who?" Amenadiel put on a small smile, imagining a conversation between his two brothers as they played poker or rolled dice together in a Vegas casino.

"You'll see," he responded, putting a hand on Dan's shoulder and flying them to Lucifer's penthouse. Gabriel was facing the city again, sucker nowhere in sight now. He turned around this time, however, attempting a smile. It was amusing to see Dan freak out over them being angels, though it was worrying at first. He felt relieved when Gabriel seemed to become his usual self, satire and sarcasm thick in the air. He couldn't believe his ears when Dan asked if Gabriel was Michael. In the end, without much explanation, Dan took the revelation pretty well, all things considered. He and Gabriel went to his side as he explained what he wanted to do. They would later pack and get into Dan's car because, "There's no way I'm ever flying anywhere with you two unless I'm in a plane. I felt like I was turned inside out for a second." They, with a shared laugh, agreed, and began the few hours journey to Nevada.

XxX

Lucifer didn't really pay attention to where he was going. All he really saw were the blurred lights of city skylines, bright stars above him, the clouds shrouding him from view below. A strong breeze flowed underneath his wings, blowing his hair in his face and making his eyes sting. He discovered long before that, however, that he was crying. Tears streamed down his face as he tried to figure out where to go. He didn't really know anyone outside of Los Angeles, except… But she wouldn't want to see him nowadays, would she? He'd already decided on going to Vegas to get her help, but would now be the best time? He was the Devil, and could go anywhere really and be just fine, but… He could use a familiar presence right now. He dropped down silently in front of a casino, well known for its underground operations and being a safe haven for a select crowd. He'd been welcomed into the Eden casino the last time he was here. Surely nothing's changed.

"Angel, demon, or human?" someone at the front desk asked him as soon as he walked in.

"Pardon?" Lucifer asked back.

"Gotta know whatcha are, pal. Protocol, you see? Hafta know what every person who comes in here is, for safety reasons and rules. So, angel, demon, or human?" Lucifer observed the man behind the desk in a cheap suit, hair slicked to the side, eyes staring at a computer. Taking a closer look, he saw gnarled skin and dark, soulless eyes.

"Well, you're a demon! Surely you'd recognize me?" The man at the desk looked up briefly before doing a double take, gaping. Lucifer half smiled, thinking about how he must seem with his curly, windblown hair, ripped clothes, and once again angelic aura.

"M-My Lord!" the demon exclaimed quietly, demeanor changing at once. "What happened to you? We all heard the shriek, but…" He gestured to Lucifer's dress with worry. His suit jacket and button down were ripped down the back and on the sides, bits of fabric dangling feebly.

"Nothing of importance. Now," he began, clapping his hands together, "Is she here?" The demon knew he would only ask about one person.

"Where she usually is, rolling sevens to beat the band. She'll be happy to see you, no doubt."

"Why's that?"

"You'll find out," was all he offered. With a quick thanks, Lucifer strolled into the rest of the casino, turning heads as he did so. The loud chatter of each person died down quite a bit as they took in his appearance, the blanket of sound almost muffled as he made his way to a crowded craps table. At the end, with a huge pile of betting chips taking up most of the space in front of her, stood a stunning blonde in a leather ensemble that would make Maze jealous. The outfit showed just the right amount of skin in just the right places, allowing a viewer to interpret her however they wished and leaving certain things to the imagination. She had a woman next to her blow on her dice before she threw them with a confident grin. Lucifer snatched a die off another table, using a bit of grace to land it on the number he wanted before throwing it in unison with hers. The blonde's grin turned into a confused frown as she observed the three dice in front of her: six six six. She looked up to find Lucifer standing at the opposite end of the table.

"Hello, darling. Miss me?" he inquired, meeting her gaze with a charming smile. She scoffed and everyone turned to look at him. Her frown transformed into a hard stare, and as she made her way over to him, he felt some of his bravado wane. "I'll take that as a maybe?" That's when he felt his head wrench to the side and his cheek sting just a bit. He paused, as did everyone around him, before turning his head back to face forward slowly, flexing his jaw. "Alright, that's a no then-" He was cut off as she embraced him tightly, much to his confusion.

"You do not know what a relief it is to see a familiar friendly face around here," she murmured in his ear before letting go, a now pleasant smile replacing her frown. "So what brings you back here at this time of night?" She took a step back to look him over, raising an eyebrow. "And what did you do to your clothes?"

"That is a tale for another time. Right now, I have a favor to ask of you." She quickly grabbed a drink from the bar nearby as he told her this, snagging Lucifer's arm for a photo where he threw up a fake smile and hoped he looked halfway like he was enjoying himself. Her smile grew into something more devious, and she headed for a guarded staircase, security parting for her.

"Shall we?" Lucifer gave a sheepish smile. That's not what he had in mind at all, but he would explain things to her once they were out of the open.

"Lead the way," he answered, gesturing for her to proceed. He followed her, reaching a penthouse situated above the casino that she'd managed to buy off the owner. She closed the door, making sure it was locked before grabbing Lucifer by the lapels of his suit jacket towards her. He let out a surprised noise before quickly dodging her attempt at a kiss, moving his head out of the way. She fixed him with a let down and confused stare.

"You didn't come here for sex? I've never seen you turn someone down before." She slowly let him go, watching him put a bit of distance between them.

"I hate to turn you down, really, I do, but I came to ask for your help. I need someone who can get me information without arousing suspicion, and you are one of the most well equipped for the job. You're also one of the only people I can trust to do this."

"Me? You trust me? I was under the impression that you hated my guts after everything that happened between me and your brother."

"Gabriel may have taken offense to that, but I thought it was actually rather amusing. He doesn't like being tricked. That's his thing, if you know what I mean, at least when he's on Earth." She nodded absentmindedly, seemingly lost in thought.

"How big of a favor are we talking?" she finally asked. Lucifer eyed her dubiously.

"Remember that you still owe me. I did save your life after all."

"Oh, so my helping you establish a place in Los Angeles and starting you out here on Earth wasn't payment enough?"

With his arms crossed, he replied, "Well I could've done just as fine on my own."

"But if it wasn't for me, you and Mazikeen wouldn't have known where on Earth to go after leaving Hell." Lucifer attempted to reply before being cut off. "My point is, if you want my help, then you need to… Fix a problem for me. Nothing too serious, just cleanup and all that." He eyed her warily as she took a seat on the queen sized bed in the room.

"If you wanted someone taken out, why not hire a hitman or assassin? Better yet, why not do it yourself?" He sat down on a rather comfy, plush chair situated near the closed window.

"Because I'm undercover, genius! No one knows who I am here except you and I'd like to keep it that way, for both our sakes. Besides, the guys after me aren't… exactly… human…" She looked down and away after that, expression almost embarrassed. Lucifer automatically guessed.

"How the bloody Hell did you get mixed up in underground demon dealings?"

"It wasn't me; it was my vessel, this, this, Candice McBride. She worked for them, thinking they were human. She did some shady things, like seducing and killing any of their known enemies, infiltration in busy places like this… She messed up along the way though, so now there's a gang after her, ergo, after me." Lucifer gaped at her for a moment.

"You act like they're attack dogs that I can call off at any moment."

"Well, they are, aren't they?" the blonde questioned, looking at the Devil curiously as an unsure look passed over his face.

"I'm not so sure they will now. It's been a few years since I've been in Hell full time, and even then, there were those who chose to reside here on Earth away from my domain. Do you know who leads them?"

"It started with a "z" I think." A "z". Z z z… Zephyr? A loyal one, so not him. Zaine was a newbie. Zenmas? Dead. Hmm…

"Zagan?" Lucifer finally supplied. "Looked like he just got out of bed, threw on a suit, and went about his day? Small eyes, reddish black hair?" She nodded. Lucifer threw his hands up, silently cursing. Of course she would get mixed up with a Legion member. Of all the factions to come across, it had to be the Legion. Come on! Hasn't he gone through enough already? "Legion of the Dark. Of all the factions-"

"Just get them off my back. I've already had a few close calls and, frankly, I'm sick of looking over my shoulder 24/7 expecting someone with demon knives to show up out of nowhere."

"Give me your word that you'll pay me back in kind once I've dealt with the issue and I'll give you mine." She gave him a disbelieving look, head in her hand, elbow resting atop her leg. "You of all people know that I don't lie and that my word is my-"

"I know!" she shouted before releasing a long breath. Quieter, she tried again. "I know. Look, these days, I can't trust anyone, especially here in Vegas. There's a reason they call this place Sin City. Everyone looks out for number one, every man, woman, demon, and angel for themselves. Force of habit I guess. Yes, I'll help you. Who am I going to be looking into back in California?"

"Mum. Because of her, much of my life there has become meaningless, revealed to be a downright lie: her purpose here on Earth, my one true love-"

"You tried to settle down with someone?" she asked, intrigued. He nodded.

"Chloe Decker, a brilliant detective, a charming, brave, beautiful woman… a human. She's special though, in more ways than one… And that's why I had to leave her…" She observed the change in his mood, "almost" feeling sympathy because of the look that settled over his face.

"Am I supposed to feel sorry for you?"

"No, I suppose not." He hadn't expected her to be, but it would've been a nice change.

Harshly, she told him, "You will find no sympathy here." She crossed her arms to further highlight her point, cold eyes looking right at him. "Sorry to disappoint," she said with a hint of sarcasm. "I'm not here to hear you talk about your feelings. I'm here because we're friends from a different time. That aside, I think I can handle it, your mom, I mean."

"Alright then, where shall we start on your end?"

"In the casinos. If I keep up appearances, make a little too much money here and there, maybe make a scene, they'll send someone after me, and then you can get them to talk without lifting a finger. We'll go from there." An absentminded reply from Lucifer caused her to frown. There was an awkward silence between the two for a few minutes before she spoke again. "Got a place to stay tonight? You're always welcome here. We'll have to share the bed, unless you want to sleep on the floor?

"No, it's fine. Thank you-" Before he could say her name, she cut him off.

"Call me Candice, or Candy I guess. That's what the vessel's friends called her. Candy, Candy M. You don't know who's listening." As she spoke, she climbed under the sheets of the room's bed, making herself comfortable, beckoning him over.

"Candy then." Hesitantly, cautiously, he joined her, keeping a comfortable amount of space between them. Turning on his side, facing away from her, he closed his eyes, falling into a fitful slumber, thoughts a whirlwind of I'm sorry and Chloe…

A/N: This had been about halfway written and today is the first day of the school year where I didn't have homework, so I thought, "Hey, let's get this done, shall we?" I feel like the conversation with Candy dragged on, but other than that, I expect this plot to be much more complex than originally planned. Hope you enjoyed and see y'all next update (most likely in the very distant future).