Chapter Four

Chloe was done. Done with getting hit on in the club. Done with having her calls ignored. Done with having Lucifer dodge her. D.O.N.E.

She got it, okay? He was pulling some macho crap, embarrassed about opening up about the nightmare his mom was, but this was ridiculous! She'd watched his brother go up, she'd watched Maze go up and dammit, he wasn't running from her any more. Maybe with other people there it would be harder for him to make an escape and she could make him see it wasn't weird between them. That things could be like they were before even though he'd opened up some – it didn't change evertyhting. She didn't see him differently.

Okay, so maybe she saw him a little differently. Knowing that his mom had physically hurt him in the past still made her stomach roll, but she'd already known his home life growing up wasn't the stuff of fairy tales (just biblical mythology…). His father sounded like a controlling SOB and those scars…

Shaking her head, she downed the rest of the drink she'd been nursing and headed for the elevator. Dwelling on the tragic past of her partner wasn't going to get her in the mindset to show him nothing had changed between them. One hint of doe-eyed sympathy or even empathy and he'd be in the wind again.

In the elevator, she rolled her shoulders, mentally preparing herself for some verbal sparring, obscene quips and the misdirection of a master. That was fine, he could be his stereotypical Lucifer self and she'd just roll with it. As long as he knew he didn't have to run from her anymore.

But her plan crumpled to dust as the elevator door opened and revealed a room that looked like a tornado had been through it. Chloe's jaw went slack as she took in the broken bottles, shelving and table along with the upended couch. Relief washed through her when she spotted Lucifer - until she really got a look at him, anyway. He was on the ground, long legs slightly pulled up in what looked like an aborted attempt to stand.

And he was a mess.

Blood drenched half his face and had soaked one side of his shirt collar, then the stain picked up again on his ribcage, making the front of his shirt more red than white at this point. But what had her throat tightening with fear and anger was the look on his face. He looked… confused. And when his dark eyes met hers, he looked scared. It made him look younger and somehow smaller than the man she'd grown used to. Especially with Maze and Amenadiel standing over him.

"Oh… oh my god!" She said, darting forward. "What happened?"

Before she made it halfway there though, she was intercepted by Maze. And while threats of violence weren't unusual for the bartender, this was the first time Chloe actually felt a tendril of fear slide through her. She looked… feral, was the best word she could come up with.

And she was holding a knife. A knife with blood on it.

Chloe had her gun out before she thought it through. Probably why you shouldn't carry a gun and drink…

"Step away from him," she said, gun tracking between Maze and Amenadiel.

Maze looked shocked, then impressed before she laughed. "You think we did this to him?"

"I know this isn't the first time you've destroyed this bar fighting with Lucifer," she said to Amenadiel.

"And me?" Maze asked, still looking amused.

"I know you're sleeping with him," she said, nodding toward Amenadiel and souring Maze's amusement. "And I know Lucifer looks like he's been stabbed and you're holding a bloody knife. You want to tell me it isn't what it looks like, fine, but do it away from Lucifer."

"De- Detective," it was the first time he'd spoken since she'd gotten there and his voice sounded as wrecked as the rest of him looked. "I'm fine. And it wasn't them."

"You are not fine," Chloe said, mentally cursing when it came out a little more furious and a lot more watery than she wanted, but she could feel the telltale tightening of her throat that meant tears were imminent as she watched him wince as he tried to get his legs under him, one arm dangling uselessly next to him with the other pressed into the glass strewn floor for leverage.

The flinch he gave when his brother reached out to help him didn't help either of their cases.

"I said get away from him," she barked, moving forward a quick clip toward Lucifer and moving the gun between the other two.

Amenadiel rolled his eyes and started to raise one hand in an odd shape, with some of his fingers straightened and some bent – he wasn't holding a weapon but Chloe felt her hands tighten on the gun anyway.

"Don't," Lucifer said.

She didn't know if it was meant for her or for his brother, but the tiredness in his voice more than the word made both of them freeze.

"I'm fine," he said, looking like he was attempting a smile, but falling more toward a grimace. "Amenadiel and Maze didn't do this. They actually-"

Words seemed to fail him at that moment, and he sent a strangely loaded look at his brother. One she didn't think she'd ever seen on him before – somewhere between embarrassment, shame and gratefulness.

Chole, not positive it was a good idea yet, but wanting to put Lucifer at ease, put the gun away.

"Then what the hell happened here?" She asked, ignoring Maze's strange growl and moving closer to Lucifer.

"Oh, just a little family squabble," Lucifer said. "Mum decided to save me the trouble of looking for her and paid me a visit. Had a little mother/son bonding time.

Despite the relieving return of Lucifer's (albeit forced) levity, Chloe found herself choking back tears as she got closer to him.

"Jesus," she breathed, stopping within an arm's length.

His brow and lip were split and bits of glass were imbedded in the tiny cuts littering his face. His stubbled jaw had a ragged gash from near his ear all the way to his chin that made her breath catch as she swore she could see muscle and bone beneath. And the bloodstain on his shirt over his ribs had a suspicious hole in the middle of it.

She reached for the hole, but snatched her hand back like she'd been burned when he flinched away from her with a hunch and a stumbling step back. The look on his face after the involuntary jerk made her so furious that her vision shook with her heartbeat for a second.

Then his words registered.

"Your mother did this?"

"Hey, she's stronger than she looks," he said, looking defensive.

"That's not-" She shook her head. "Okay, I need to know exactly how she looks, because I'm calling this in. She's not getting away with this."

"You're damn right she's not," Maze hissed from the side at the same time Lucifer's eyes widened in alarm.

"No, no police. No- you, in fact. You should go. Go on vacation. Far away. Rome! Or Athens! All expenses paid! I'm sure that little urchin of yours would love to see-"

His words cut out and he swayed alarmingly. Even though Chloe was closer, Amenadiel somehow got there before her, steadying him at the same time Maze kicked an arm chair toward them, sending it sliding over the floor with perfect aim to rest behind Lucifer, who more fell into it than sat.

"She's making it worse, get her out of here," Amenadiel said, glancing at Chloe almost apologetically.

"No, wait," Lucifer said, shaking his head slightly and closing his eyes. "Not Rome or Greece…"

Maze appeared next to her, but Chloe jerked her arm from the bartender's grasp.

"Are all of you crazy! He needs a hospital!"

"He needs you to leave," Maze said, snatching her arm again, this time her grip bruising.

Chloe's hand drifted back to her gun, but Lucifer's next words stopped her cold.

"I'm sorry, detective, I think they're right."

His voice was slurring slightly now and Amenadiel had crouched down in front of him. He shot them an alarmed look.

"Go, now," he ordered. "I don't know the range-"

"I'm calling a fucking ambulance," Chloe said, her fear feeding her anger at the whole backwards situation.

"I don't need a bloody ambulance," Lucifer said, even though his listing position on the chair argued otherwise. "I need- I need-"

He scrubbed a hand over his face and Chloe felt vomit crawl up her throat as the flayed skin on jaw pulled away from the muscle for a second.

"Go!" Amenadiel barked.

Maze yanked, practically dragging her to the elevator as she tried to get her boots to find purchase on the liquor and glass strewn floor.

"Wait!"

When she looked back, Lucifer had bolted upright in his chair, looking even paler than before. His eyes darted from Chloe to his brother.

"Mum's still out there somewhere, if she knows about the Detective-"

"She doesn't know about her," Maze said, shaking her head and slamming her free hand down on the elevator button. "She didn't show until after she left."

"Maze is right. If that was her plan she'd have gone for Chloe first, to do the most damage before she killed you."

"She wasn't trying to kill me," Lucifer said.

"She shoved you off the balcony, Luci," Amenadiel said softly.

Kill him? Chloe found herself swaying in Maze's grip like she'd been the one assaulted. Shoved him off the-

"Yes, but she had other things in store for me after that," Lucifer said, eyes straying to the open balcony doors. "She just wanted to see me fall…"

The last part was quiet and Lucifer looked almost haunted as he said it.

"He's right," Maze said. "She wouldn't have known that would kill him."

"Excuse me? She wouldn't have known shoving her son out of a high-rise would kill him? Is she insane?"

"Yes," Amenadiel said, eyes locking on her seriously. "She is. And she wants to… hurt Luci. The more you're around the more vulnerable he is."

She flinched at his words. "I can't leave him someone's trying to kill him. We can set up a protective detail-"

"Protective detail… That's a good idea. Maze, go with her," Lucifer interrupted, not looking at her. "If Mum really doesn't know about her yet, then it's better she not be around me until this is sorted."

"No, no way-" Chloe started.

"You need me here. No fucking way-" Maze said at the same time.

"Keep her safe, Mazikeen."

Maze stared at Lucifer for a second before giving Chloe a furious glare and jerking her in the elevator. When her eyes met Lucifer's before the doors closed completely, she couldn't help but feel like he was saying goodbye.