To heal a broken soul

by Cengiz

Betrayed by those they trusted. Hurt in the cruellest ways. Vengeance seemed the only way to heal their broken souls. But when Chloe and Lucifer find themselves, once again, thrown into each other's paths, they realised the prices they had to pay might have been too much. Set after 2.13. Rated M for violence, language and sexual content.

4. Stay

A/N: Hello, my dear readers. Thank you again so very much for all your reviews. Most of them were lovely, some were confusing, some frustrating, but all of them were very welcome. :D And yes, I do reply to each one of them which were posted under an account (if the PM is enabled). Sorry to those of you who review under guest, I read them and I love every one of them.

Here comes the fourth chapter. For those of you whose emotions run rollercoaster with every chapter. For today, I'd recommend an anti-stress ball, you might get angry or frustrated, and definitely some tissues, especially in the end. Yes, there are also some funny parts included, but you don't need anything to laugh :D So much for that... :D

This chapter was beta-read by Daemon. As always, you're awesome, and it's an honour for me to have you. Sorry for making you cry, dear. The next time, I'll send tissues to you with the chapters ;)

Enjoy!

---

Stay

o ~ o

It was one of those days that couldn't get any better. Lucifer's plans were all set, the forger finally had finished the right documents, everything went neatly in the registrar's office, and now there was only one thing left on his list for today before he could go back to the hotel. Even the sun was shining brightly, leading him down Flamingo Road. It could have been perfect... If he hadn't to constantly pull Candy away from the shop windows and other distractions like people, cars, or even fricking water hydrants. She was worse than a three-year-old. But at least, she also was silenceable with sweets as easily as them.

Candy had licked off her ice cream all the way down into the waffle cone, and when her tongue couldn't reach the delicious sweet in the tip, she tugged at the arm around which her free hand was wrapped, getting his attention, and demanded in a sad tone, "I want another one!"

Lucifer rolled his eyes at her. She not only behaved like a three-year-old, she also currently looked that way. He didn't want to waste any more of his time explaining to her how a waffle cone worked, and most of all he didn't want her to get even messier, he mentally added when he looked from her face down to her hand, and simply grabbed the cone and tossed it into the nearest corner. Then he took out his handkerchief and cleaned her mouth and hand until no evidence was left of her eating one in the first place. "Maybe tomorrow," he eventually denied her in a low tone and put his handkerchief back. "You have to take care of that body, dear," he sternly reminded her, put her hand back around his arm and continued his walk, explaining further, "You need nutritious food to keep yourself healthy, and cold, sugared milk isn't one of them." Glancing over at her and seeing her pout, a smirk flashed across his face. He quickly brushed it off, and mentioned casually, "Besides, we're here for something more important."

"More important than ice cream?" she wonderedbewildered, and stopped walking, staring at him in disbelief.

He turned to her, nodded firmly, and then pulled her with him again, quickly turning his head back ahead before a grin curled up his lips. The shop he wanted to go to finally appeared in front of them, and he guided her to the door, opened it, and let her enter first.

Candy awed as she saw all the sparkling jewellery. She was eager to explore everything, but still contained herself and turned around to Lucifer, awaiting his instructions. When his answer was a dismissed wave of his hand, she almost squealed with delight, turned around and walked up to the first thing that drew her attention: Dozens of brightly shining necklaces, that sparkled at her from out of a glazed counter.

"Can I help you with something?" a young, friendly saleswoman asked, and stepped to her from opposite of the counter. She expectantly looked at her newest customer, but without causing discomfort, awaiting a reply. With her uniform, a white blouse, black vest and black trousers, she blended neatly into the design of the shop: Plain, but elegant. Only her dark red bow-tie and the matching lipstick and ribbon she'd fixed around her into-a-bun-curled hair allowed a piece of colour.

"No," Candy denied politely, her eyes still fixed on all the necklaces with their different colours, forms and gemstones. "I'm just looking at the jewellery while my Lord is buying something," she added and glanced up at the saleswoman to flash her one of her well-trained bright smiles before her head went back down again.

"Your Lord?" the young woman repeated, perplexed. She saw Candy looking up at her again, eagerly nodding with a delighted "yes", and pointing over to where Lucifer was. When the woman's eyes landed on him standing in the wedding rings section, being attended by her colleague, the wide smile was back on her face. "Ah, you're getting married!" she exclaimed with a sparkle in her eyes, and quickly added, "Is it soon?"

"No." Candy shook her head. "It was today," she corrected, and explained, using the new term she'd just learned, "We wanted to get married much earlier, but he had to wait for my papers to arrive."

The saleswoman looked at her, slightly surprised that, despite her customer's dress looked definitely from the upper part of the fashion range, it still was nothing one could even in the broadest sense regard as a wedding dress. "Congratulations on that," she quickly replied, shaking herself out of her thoughts, and flashed her another one of her professional smiles. "I'm sure it was lovely. Was it in a white chapel?" the woman questioned curiously and leant over the counter a little, keen on getting some insight into another person's private life.

Candy shook her head again and looked from the jewellery back up to the woman. "No, it was a little grey room with a lot of chairs and a black edging that went across all walls." She halted for a moment, trying to recall something else from her memory her master hadn't told her to forget and then added, "But the man who married us was really nice. His name was Elvis, I think."

"Aww," the woman enthused, and instantly her little fairytale-loving-inner-child took over. "Did you elope?" When she saw Candy's perplexed look, she quickly rephrased, wallowing in her own fantasy. "Were your parents against your love and you two ran away to get married?"

Candy tilted her head to the side, still not understanding what the woman was telling her. But Lucifer had commanded her to be nice to humans, so she put on a wide grin and corrected her, "No. My Lord ordered me here. From down there." She pointed with her finger to the floor, making sure to not spill the word 'hell', that her Master had strictly forbidden her to use.

"Oh!" The saleswoman was baffled for a moment and watched her customer looking closer at some jewellery, while the wheels in her head turned rapidly: Despite her flawless American accent, this woman was acting rather strange, and she quickly assumed that she must be a foreigner. Maybe from Australia? That could also explain why they had to wait for her documents to be delivered. But she was definitely not the brightest candle on the cake, it shot through her head. When she saw how Candy's gaze had fallen onto a particular necklace, she smiled cheekily, hoping for a possible sale, and suggested in a friendly manner, "Do you want to try it on?"

"Am I allowed to?" she responded, taken by surprise. She saw the other woman's eager nod and beamed all over her face. The woman pulled back the lower part of the shelf and took out the necklace, closed it again, and then stepped over to her. Candy held up her hair while the woman adjusted the jewellery around her neck, and let it fall back when it was done. The woman reached for a mirror that was attached to the counter and positioned it so Candy could admire herself in it. The necklace was sparkling around her neck, with its white-golden tiny chains and the little diamonds in their settings, and Candy was instantly hooked.

"You look so lovely," the saleswoman complimented her truthfully.

Candy sighed and simpered even wider. The woman was right. She looked lovely. Perfect, rather. She felt someone approaching and quickly glanced over her shoulder with a wary glare but grinned again when she realised it was Lucifer.

"Did you find something you want?" Lucifer asked, took a quick look at the thing around her neck and then reached for her hand to put on the wedding ring.

"Yes," Candy answered, unperturbed by his indifferent peek onto her necklace. She stared at the ring on her finger. It was small and golden, with a little white diamond in the middle. She liked it, she decided. Leaning into him and wrapping both her hands around his arm, she pleaded, "Can I have the necklace, too? Please!"

Lucifer ignored the light pout Candy gave him. She still thought this would influence his decision and he smirked at that. But he also had to admit that she looked quite cute with the forward pushed bottom lip. Being in a generous mood today, he reached for his credit card with the words "anything for you, my dear," and held it out to the saleswoman in between his index and middle finger, flashing her an extra wide smile that turned her cheeks into the same colour as her lips.

Coyly, the saleswoman tucked an invisible strand of her hair behind her ear and looked out at him from beneath her eyelashes. With a "thank you," she grabbed the card, typed in the price, and swiped the card through the reader. "Your husband is very generous," she stated, addressing Candy, and gave Lucifer back the card, not without another shy smile sent to him.

"Oh no, he's my ma-"

"Darling, don't discommode our dear Miss here with my boring heritage," Lucifer quickly interfered with his deep English accent, cutting off Candy before she could speak any further. Her head turned to him, and Lucifer saw her baffled look, but also that she was about to open her mouth again. He tightly gripped her hand to make her understand that she better remained silent now, and smiled pleased when he saw her matching his expression with an equally wide grin. Turning his head back to the saleswoman, he said their goodbye to her in a honeyed voice, "It was a pleasure to buy here."

"It was a pleasure to have you here," the saleswoman replied with a bright expression and watched them turning around and leaving the shop. When they were out of sight, she sank down onto the counter. "Rich, that handsome, and an English Lord? I wish I'd be that lucky," she mumbled, wallowing in self-pity.

Her colleague stepped next to her, letting his upper body slouch down as well, and commented enviously, "I'd wish that, too, honey."

She turned her head to the side, glancing at him through narrowed eyes. "You're straight! He's mine!" she quickly made clear, and turned her sight back to the front door, breathing out a deep, audible sigh.

/-/

Lucifer dragged Candy back to the car as quickly as he could, and then drove back to the hotel they were staying at. The only word he'd spoken to her on the way was a harsh "Shush!" to keep her mouth shut. He wasn't angry at her, not much at least. After all, three weeks in this world weren't enough to get her accommodated to human customs. Still, had this been around his foes, this could have ended pretty badly, and he needed to make clear that she understood what was important before they would go back to L.A.

Within the safety of their hotel room, he dragged her into the back of the living area, pushed her against the wall, and firmly gripped her shoulder to keep her in place. "Don't you ever dare say to anyone that I'm your Master or your Lord!" he rammed into her with a warning tone.

"But," Candy halted, not getting at all what she'd done wrong. "You are my Lord," she pointed out, her voice meek, afraid of getting punished.

Lucifer took a deep breath, calling himself to order, and replied to make her understand, "Yes, but the others mustn't know that."

"You want me to lie?" she wanted to know, horrified about that order.

"No!" Lucifer countered, elongating the word and releasing his frustration about her. She always had been simple, and the last one to understand things, but this also made her a great, loyal follower of his. Forcing a smile back on his face, he explained to her calmly, "Just don't tell the whole truth. Alright?" When he saw her blank stare, he elucidated, "We're married now. So I am Lucifer Morningstar. Your husband. Nothing more."

Candy tilted her head in puzzlement, feeling less anxious now that his grip on her shoulder had eased slightly. "But you told me to forget what Elvis had said," she quickly reminded him.

"Yes! But not that I'm your husband." Geez! Sometimes he wondered if it really had been clever to have summoned her from all the demons in hell. She could be so stupid at times. But then again, he needed exactly that: Someone who blindly carried out his orders, no matter what.

Drawing her own conclusions, she inquired, "So no one must know that you're the devil?"

"No!" he almost shouted and let go of her, clutching his head. Putting his hands on his hips to keep himself from placing them around her neck, like he used to do down in hell, he replied in a calm voice, "People know I'm the devil because I tell them. They must not know that you're a demon!" he added through gritted teeth, biting back his anger.

Candy looked down on the floor, feeling sad that she'd angered him once again. That she couldn't do anything right since he summoned her into this world. That everything seemed so difficult to understand. There was a rule for everything. But there also was an exception to every rule. At times, her head was spinning so much from all the do's and don't's that she thought she was a roundabout. Remembering suddenly what he'd already told her, she countered, looking up, "But last time, you told me that with this human shell around me, I'm a human now."

"Yes, you are!" he answered and nodded, pleased that she got something right, at least. "But no one must know that you've come from hell. Do you understand that?" Seeing her firm nod at his question, he went on, "When anyone asks you, you're Candy Morningstar. From Las Vegas. We're married. You're my wife. I'm your husband."

"And I don't bow in front of you," she added with a smile, remembering that order from him the day he called her into this world.

"Exactly!" he exclaimed and sighed. Finally, they were on the right track. Deciding to further probe her understanding, he began, "So, whenever you talk to someone else about me, you refer to me as who?"

"Lucifer Morningstar, my husband," Candy answered with a wide smile that stretched even wider when she saw his lips lifting up as well.

"And who are you?" he went on, looking sternly at her while he waited for her reply.

"Candy Morningstar, your wife," she answered right away and again matched his bright, pleased smile.

"That was really good!" he praised her, adding in a lower tone, "I think you deserve a reward for being so obedient." He grabbed her by her hand, pulling her away from the wall.

"And do I get to call you by a pet name?" she asked as he led them into the bedroom. When she saw his puzzled stare he sent her over his shoulder, she quickly added, "In the movies, you showed me, the women always called their husbands by a pet name."

Lucifer shrugged his shoulders. "You can call me 'honey', or 'darling', or 'dear' if you like." He stopped in front of the bed and turned her around to open the dress zip.

"Uh-huh," she nodded her comprehension, keeping still while he pulled the dress straps off her shoulders. "And Luci! The woman across the floor calls her cat this way, and I like that name. Can I call you Luci?" she begged him after he'd turned her back around.

He offered her his hand to hold onto, and when she did, he helped her step out of her dress and pumps. Then he gestured her to lay down on the bed. "If you really want to," he answered brusquely, shrugging his shoulders, and started to undress.

"Luci, Luci, Luci," she singsonged, probing the name on her tongue. "Luci, Luci, Luci."

"Now stop!" Lucifer called her to order, slightly miffed, and pulled off her panties. The repetition didn't help his arousal to come up in the slightest. It rather reminded him of the times Amenadiel had chased him around in the Silver City, calling him by this short name the whole time, and now, he couldn't un-see that in front of his inner eye and he shook his head in disgust.

"Are we having sex now?" asked Candy, curious and delighted. She opened her legs like he'd told her to do the first time he'd introduced her to this human pastime, two weeks ago, and waited in anticipation.

Lucifer shook his head, and ran his hands along the inner sides of her thighs before he explained, "Not right away. First, you'll get your reward. Whenever you do something right, this will be what you get in return."

Candy nodded, not quite knowing why his head between her legs should be a reward. But when she felt his tongue on her, giving her a pleasurable feeling and stirring something up inside of her she had never felt before, she quickly realised what he'd actually meant. From now on, she would do anything to feel that again!

o ~ o

"Lucifer?" Candy called out when she sauntered into the living room. She halted, puzzled that no response came, and was about to give into her disappointment that he, once again, had left her alone, when she spotted the black suit jacket lying across the armrest of the couch. She smiled lightly and instantly walked over, feeling for the evidence of the book inside its pocket. Getting the assurance, she breathed out a sigh of relief. "Lucifer, you were right," she loudly went on as she made her way over to the bedroom, looking for him. "The Brittanys are really fun to hang out with."

When she found the bedroom empty, she turned and headed for the dressing room. "They know how to party," she kept on talking. After checking the dressing room, she looked into the bathroom, she even stole a glance into the unoccupied room that used to be Mazikeen's. Confused, she turned around and headed back to the living room. 'He must be here somewhere,' she silently assured herself. He would never leave without his notebook.

"Lucifer?" she called out again, and this time, her voice was filled with worry. She looked around some more, and finally made out a figure standing at the railing. Heading for him, she loudly scolded when she stepped out onto the balcony, "I've called you!" He still didn't react, and she walked up to him, stopped beside him and stared at him, baffled.

"I've heard you," he quietly answered and took another drag from his cigarette. His sight was fixed onto the colourful lights of the city around them. He breathed out the smoke from his lungs, releasing a sigh in the process, and looked at the glass of bourbon in his hand, letting its auburn colour distract his troubled mind as he swayed the liquid around.

Candy gingerly wrapped her arms around him, one gripping his biceps, one running up and down his back. "Are you alright?" she whispered worriedly and snuggled her chin against his arm. He slowly nodded in reply and took another drag from his cigarette, his eyes gazing at the sky ahead. Still, she didn't believe him. She'd never seen him like that before, not even when he was in one of his dark moods. Carefully, she raised her hand and placed it on his cheek, gently moving his head towards her. She wanted to look him in the eyes to see if he really was fine, but when she spotted the burst lip, she gasped, appalled. "What happened?" she cried out and cupped his face.

"I told you I'm fine," Lucifer responded and pulled himself out of her grasp.

She didn't believe one word. Her features darkened in anger when she voiced her first and only suspicion, "Was it that woman? Did she hurt you?" She growled lowly, releasing some of the rage that had welled up inside of her, and added, mumbling, "I'll make her pay for that!"

"You won't do anything to her!" he shouted, his fiery-red eyes flashing up, threatening her. He dropped the things in his hands, and grabbed both her wrists, pulled her against him, and warned her insistently with a cold voice, "Understood?" When he saw her frantic nod and her with fear filled eyes staring at him, he let go of her again. His eyes turned back to their warm, dark brown colour, and he stated firmly, feeling the need to defend Chloe, "It wasn't her fault!" After a brief moment, he added sorrowfully, "It was mine."

Candy nodded, making clear to him that she'd listen to his words. Even if she still wanted to go against that woman, she wouldn't disobey him. Tenderly, she gripped his arm again and leant into him. "Let me kiss it better," she whispered, aiming for his mouth, but he quickly moved his head out of her reach. She pursed her lips, feeling sad that he, as so often, turned away from her when she tried to comfort him. She lowered her mouth to his arm and planted a soft kiss on the fabric instead. "Then come," she said calmly and kissed his arm again, her hands gently clasped around him. "Come to bed with me." She placed another kiss on his shoulder and then carefully pulled him with her as she made her way over to the bedroom.

When they were inside, she guided him to his bed and made him sit down. She quickly hopped onto the bed and placed herself behind him. And while he was busy with opening the buttons of his shirt, his mind deep in thoughts again, she leant down, kissed along the back of his neck, up to behind his ear, and ran her hands down his chest, further, until she felt the soft skin around his navel.

The feeling of her wrapped around him, with her teeth lightly nibbling at his earlobe and her fingers scratching across his belly, eventually brought him out of his mind. He tensed under her touch, quickly grabbed her hands, and gently pushed her away from himself.

"Did I do something wrong?" Candy asked with a mixture of worry and irritation. She sat on her heels, supported her hands on her knees, and stretched her upper body to attentively look at him from the side.

Lucifer shook his head, voicing a soft "no," while he undressed his shirt and let it drop to the ground.

Candy narrowed her eyes, and this time, her annoyance outweighed. "Then, why don't you want to sleep with me?"

"I'm not in the mood!" he countered and huffed lightly, hacked off by her insatiable hunger for sex, lately.

She growled lowly, clenching her teeth to keep down the anger that blubbered up inside of her. "It's because of that woman, isn't it?" she questioned darkly. When he didn't show any reaction, she pushed against his shoulder, shouting at him, "That Detective caused all this! Am I right?"

He turned his head halfway to her, his eyes staring into space, and answered, tight-lipped, "Don't know what you're talking about."

"You're my husband!" she yelled, angry and jealous. "She can't have you! You're mine!"

"No, I'm not!" he yelled back, denying it. He turned around, stared at her with black eyes and spat through gritted teeth, "We might be married, but I neither belong to you, nor am I yours!" he made clear, and with a slightly lower voice, he added, "I've brought you into this world just for one purpose! Don't you ever forget that!"

Candy glared back at him, not intimidated in the slightest by his demeanour, the rage inside of her was simply too strong. She grabbed her wedding ring, pulling it off, and held it towards him as she burst out, "Then this doesn't mean anything!" Furious, she turned her upper body and threw the ring against the window wall. It bounced off with a loud thud, and rolled under the bed.

"You put that ring back on," he growled darkly, his eyes fiery-red. "Right now!" he ordered loudly and added in a threatening voice, "Or you'll get to know me!"

Her narrowed eyes opened again, revealing the fear she felt at his look, and she quickly stood up from the bed and crouched down, crawling under the bed to find the ring. When she finally found it in the back corner, her body had almost completely disappeared underneath. She reached for it and startled for a moment when her fingers felt something else than just the ring. Something small, made of metal. She grabbed both and crawled back out. Using the light of the bedside lamp, she looked at the items in her hand. She quickly put her ring back to where it belonged, and stared at the golden necklace for a little longer, before she turned around and held it towards Lucifer, asking curiously, "Whose's this?"

"What?" Lucifer grunted and turned to her. When his eyes landed on the item in her hand, however, all his anger instantly vanished, and he moved closer to her, grabbing the necklace. He stared at it in disbelief, examining it closely to reassure himself several times that it was the one he assumed it to be. "This can't be!" it softly left his lips.

"It's pretty. Can I keep it?" Candy begged and expectantly looked at him.

Lucifer hadn't even noticed that she'd crawled back on the bed again and was now right in front of him. Denying her, he shook his head and closed his fingers around the precious object before she could reach for it. He turned around, jumped off the bed, and without caring to explain anything, he rushed into the bathroom.

The cold light of the mirror was bright enough for him to properly examine the necklace. Indeed! This was Chloe's. But why was it inside his bedroom? Under the bed? Chloe would never take it off. It was a gift from her father for her 16th birthday, she'd once told him. And since back then, she'd worn it day and night. So why was it here?

Taking a closer look at it, he saw its chain was broken, as if it had been ripped off her neck, and he wondered how that had happened. 'And why was it so dirty?' he further wondered at the brown colour that covered most of the little golden item. He turned on the tap, waited until the water was warm enough and then held the necklace beneath it to wash off the dirt. He carefully rubbed it, and then, when the dirt seemed to get off, he recognised with surprise that the flowing water had turned into a light shade of pink. His mind stopped working. He didn't want to think any further about why Chloe's necklace had been lying there, or why it was covered in... He cut himself off and strictly concentrated on cleaning it as best as he could. There most probably was a more reasonable explanation for it! When he was done, he took a towel from out of the shelf and dried it off. He knew someone who could properly clean and fix the necklace. Now, in the middle of the night, wouldn't be the right time to go there, but he promised himself that he would go directly tomorrow morning, getting it properly done, and then he would go to Chloe, demanding answers. Or at least, giving it back to her. Maybe it could help them to talk normally again.

/-/

When Lucifer walked into the precinct, he got greeted by a very unusual sight: All the people inside had stopped working and were looking at the Lieutenant's office. He quickly found out why when loud shouts came out of the room. Walking closer, he spotted Ella sitting on top of a desk and stopped next to her. "What's going on?" he asked curiously, his eyes fixed on the windows that were covered by the blinds.

Ella didn't look at him. Like spell-bound, she stared at the office, munching away gummy bears as she answered him low-voiced, "Chloe is either getting on Dan's case, or she's getting fired."

"Oh," he exclaimed, surprised, and looked at the lab technician. "And how are the odds?" he wanted to know, his tone carrying a bit of the worry he felt at her prediction. Without waiting for an answer, he turned his head back, not wanting to miss a bit, even if he couldn't see what was going on inside.

Ella raised her hand, twirling it up and down a little as she replied, "Fifty-fifty." She shifted on the desk, making room for him to have a seat next to her, and slightly smirked when he walked around, but only leant against the desk. When another loud yell came out of the office, startling her, she instinctively ducked behind his shoulder, mumbling concerned, "This woman gets herself fired!"

"Nah!" Lucifer countered nonchalantly, shrugging it off. He turned his attention to the lab technician, giving her an assuring smile. "And even if so, the Lieutenant and I are tight," he affirmed her, supportively showing his crossed index and middle finger to her. "I'm pretty sure I can make Monroe reconsider her decision and get the Detective back into her job." Hearing Ella's relieved chuckle and receiving a grin from her, he asked inquisitively, "So, why is she so adamant to get on this case?"

Ella fully turned her head to him, hunching her shoulders and apologetically raising the corners of her lips. "Sorry," she voiced and shook her head to make clear that she wouldn't say anything to this.

Lucifer nodded. "I know, that's also confidential," he mumbled, and huffed, miffed. As an offer of peace, Ella held her gummy bears bag towards him, and he eagerly grabbed a bunch of them and shoved them into his mouth. "The Lieutenant seems quite calm with her outburst," he mentioned, and stole a glance around, noticing that the faces of the other Detectives and Officers rather revealed curiosity than concern. "It seems like this isn't her first one inside of here," he commented further.

Ella sighed. "Yeah. That's kinda normal for the last three weeks. She has them like every second day, but not like this," she indicated and pointed towards the boss's room, ducking her head again when another shout was heard, followed by the clear, loud warning, "Get a grip, Detective!"

"Hm," Lucifer hummed, his mind already working: For three weeks now. So something must have happened at that time, that had made her turn into that woman, he concluded and silently nodded his head.

When the tumult suddenly stopped and quickly after that the door was being ripped open and Chloe rushed out like set on fire, banging the door shut behind her in anger, everyone hastily turned their heads away. Ella jumped off the table, dodging her head to not be seen by her friend, and acting as if she had something very important to do.

Lucifer stood up as well, but remained near the table, curiously watching the people pretend they weren't interested in the things going on, when in reality their heads shot back, tacked on Chloe, as soon as she wasn't looking in their direction any longer. He found it quite intriguing, this human sort of game. He watched her tramping back to her desk, slumping down on her chair, and burying her head in her hands, stifling the frustrated outcry that left her throat. 'Oh dear,' he thought to himself at her obvious display of dissatisfaction. He straightened himself and walked over to her. "Hello, Detective," he greeted her in a jovial mood and flashed her a wide smile.

Chloe groaned into the palms of her hands before she lowered her arms, sent him a quick, mumbled "morning" and pushed herself away from her desk, standing up and walking straight to the break room. She didn't want to talk to him right now. She didn't even want to see him. She still had to wrap her mind around of what had happened last night with her. Him. Them. She knew she had to apologise to him for what she did. But in her current state, so full of anger and resentment, she feared that it would end in her yelling again, and he definitely didn't deserve that.

Lucifer simply walked after her. He waited until she was done with grabbing a mug and putting it under the coffee machine before he asked easy-going, "So, how did the talk inside there go?"

Chloe chuckled involuntarily. Of course! Out of all topics, he would instantly jump on that one! "Take a guess," she countered sardonically and bit her tongue to prevent herself from adding something more. She wanted to keep calm in his presence, she reminded herself. Taking a deep breath, she exhaled through her pursed lips to compose herself some more and then turned to him, avoiding his gaze when she stated concernedly, "Look. Maybe it's good for us if we don't see each other for a while. Just until I've calmed down a little. OK?" She mentally patted her shoulder at the professional sound of her voice.

"If you allude to what happened at mine yesterday," he started and, seeing the slight cringe in her eyes at the reminder, he quickly went on, "I'm willing to let this whole moment get wiped off my memory if you're answering me one particular question."

The relieved sigh that wanted to crawl up her throat at his offer instantly died down with his last words. She swallowed, took another breath and pushed the nervousness away that spread out within her. Assuring herself that he hadn't even said anything yet, so it would be useless to freak out just yet, she looked at him and replied dryly, "Shoot."

"What were you doing in my bedroom?" he inquired her full of curiosity and flashed her a toothy grin.

Chloe stared at him, gobsmacked. After blinking several times, she countered baffled, "Excuse me?"

"Have you been naughty while I was away?" he teased and leant a little into her. "Lying in my bed and dreaming about me?"

She instantly took a step back, getting defensive as she answered, denying, "Geez! No! Why do you think that?" She didn't like the way her voice trembled, even if it was only slightly. It made her sound as if she was hiding the truth. Well, she was hiding the truth, but for a completely different reason. To stop her hands from shaking, she grabbed for her mug, moved it to her lips, but, gladly, refrained from taking a sip as the steam of the freshly brewed coffee went into her nose and almost burned her nostrils, making her pull back her head at just the right moment.

Lucifer shrugged his shoulders and smirked smugly, stirred on by the nervous look she gave him. He slipped his hand into his pocket, encompassed the necklace, and when he pulled his closed fist back out, he positioned it in front of her head and countered cockily, "Because you've forgotten something very important, my dear." He opened his fingers and let the necklace dangle in front of her.

Chloe startled and dropped the mug. It fell down to the floor. The porcelain shattered into pieces and the coffee splashed all over the place. But Chloe didn't care. She also didn't care about the spills that left black stains on her dark blue jeans and her shoes. She could only stare at the necklace in shock. Images of the night flooded back into her head, and she suddenly remembered how he'd grabbed it after he was done with her, and had pulled it off. She'd thought up to now that he'd kept it for himself, as a souvenir... When she heard Lucifer's soft voice, concernedly calling her and bringing her out of her thoughts, and she saw him taking a step closer, she quickly shook herself out of her stiffness and rushed past him. She wanted to flee as fast as she could, but she was barely out of the door when something kept her back. She turned her head back and stared down, seeing that Lucifer had grabbed her hand, holding it tight. She couldn't even feel it.

"Detective, what is wrong so suddenly?" asked Lucifer, confused and full of worry for her. He hadn't wanted to scare her. Or make her run away from him again. And he was shocked to feel her ice-cold fingers in his hand. Hoping he could somehow calm her down again, he gently pulled her closer, intending on getting her back into the break room so she had a place where she could come down from her fright.

"Don't touch me!" Chloe screamed at him at the top of her voice. All of a sudden, she was free. For a moment, she stood there, stiff like a poker, torn between the urge to flee and the inner need to release the rage that had welled up at the first best person available.

He only wanted to give it back. He'd even let it get fixed this morning because he knew how important this little piece of memory was for her. But right now, he couldn't pin down the source of her anger in the slightest, or the terror he'd seen in her eyes when he'd first showed her the necklace. Not knowing what else to do, Lucifer stretched his hand, holding the necklace out to her, and asked her perplexed, "But, don't you want it back?"

Chloe's eyes wandered down to his hand and she stared at the necklace as more memories crashed in on her. "No!" she screamed at him, grabbed the jewellery and tossed it away.

"Chloe!" Dan called out from out of the evidence room and looked at her, having been startled by the loud scream. He rushed to her, gently grabbing her arms, trying to get her back into the break room.

"Don't touch me!" she screamed at him as well, and when he let go of her but still was blocking any other escape route, she turned around and walked back into the room, her hands protectively covering the back of her neck.

When Dan silently gestured Lucifer to move away, he was so aghast at the current situation that he did as he was told without a murmur. He looked back at the two in the break room. Dan talked soothingly to Chloe while she'd wrapped her arms around herself, nodding from time to time, making clear that she'd heard his words while shifting from one foot to the other. Lucifer was shaken. Unsettled by the terror in her eyes, the sudden outburst that had followed, and the ice-cold hand in his, soaked in sweat within the blink of an eye. As if on auto-pilot, he turned around and searched for the necklace, kneeling down when he found it and picking it up. No matter what had happened to her to cause such a reaction, it was still her father's gift. And one day, she might want it back.

The necklace had landed near the evidence room, and Dan had rushed out of it so hastily that he'd forgotten to close the door. Lucifer peeped inside, not seeing much, but recognised some pictures hanging on the rear wall. He wanted to help Chloe. And he still clearly remembered how inquisitive she was to find out what was in there. So, he turned around, making sure that no one was currently looking in his direction, and then, stepped inside.

At the back of the room, there was a whiteboard with five numbers written on it with a black marker. Some space and a black line divided the first four from the number five. Below them were hanging pictures, except for number three which was empty, completely. Lucifer stepped closer and was appalled when he saw what they all showed: Women, beaten beyond recognition. Some photos depicted their faces, others showed whole bodies, covered in their own blood. Some of it was on their heads, having run down their necks, but most of it was covering the insides of their thighs. Additional pictures of their necks revealed strangulation marks on them, and more showed resultant evidence on the bedsheets where the women were lying, painted in red and yellow. Then there were photos displaying that a number had been cut into the upper side of their left breast, disclosing that they had been marked. All victims were dead, only number five on the far right looked still alive, and all the photos of her showed her in the hospital, with the empty place of crime pictured next to them.

He couldn't imagine what horror these women must have gone through before their deaths, or still was, in regards to woman number five. Was it her Chloe had visited in the hospital the past day? He knew, she already took it to heart what had happened to the victims when they visited a usual crime scene. But to see this... Even by just looking at them he felt rage seething underneath his skin. And he directly realised why she'd been so distraught the last evening. Or why she'd acted out. If a woman would have told him what had happened to her, with this monster still out there... Now, he could clearly understand why Chloe was so adamant about solving this case. And with victim number three missing completely... Have they still not found her? Was it that what had made her snap? Because she was looking for victim number three, but couldn't find her? Because this monster had already attacked, violated and destroyed five women's lives, and was still on the loose?

Lucifer looked further through the photos and then went around the room, trying to memorise as much information as he could to later help Chloe with it. When he took a step to the side, he suddenly noticed a cardboard box standing in the corner on the ground; one of those the police used to store their cases in. The big letters "CLOSED" were written on it. So maybe, Lucifer concluded, they already had convicted a person of the crimes but were wrong. That would also explain why number five was put so far away from the other four. Maybe the real attacker was still out there and had just waited a bit until he continued with his crimes. Maybe Chloe had made a mistake, and that's why she wasn't allowed on the case. And maybe that's why she wanted to get the case back; to make it right again, this time.

Driven by his curiosity, he crouched down and opened the box. Inside was just one file. Even with his whole body shielding any direct light from it, he recognised the big black letters "CLASSIFIED" written on top. He shook his head. 'As if this would keep anyone from looking inside,' he thought and pursed his lips. He grabbed the file and straightened himself. When the ceiling lights fell on it, he also noticed two little letters written in the upper right corner: 'D., C.' What might they mean, he wondered and opened the file... and would have let it drop right away if his body hadn't instantly frozen in shock by the first photo that revealed itself: The head of a woman, again beaten, almost unrecognisable. But only almost. He could make out this face under a million, even in the state it showed. The soft outline of her jaw that was covered in dark bruises, the shape of her left brow where a slashing wound was going right through the middle, and the sea blue colour of her half-open right eye that stared blankly at the camera proved who he was staring at: Chloe! Gasping in shock, he quickly grabbed all the pictures from inside, carelessly dropping the cover to the ground. At first, he didn't want to look through them, but somehow he felt an inner urge to do so. He needed to see what had happened to her.

With each additional photo he beheld, his eyes widened further in horror. There were more shots of her head from different angles, her skin blue and swollen from the beating; images from her upper body, from where this bastard had incised a number into her as if she was nothing but an object. Close-up pictures from her throat with the strangulation marks on it. More pictures of her full body, covered in long-dried blood. His eyes landed on the marks between her legs, signifying that she had been... Lucifer stopped himself from even thinking the word. He couldn't. Not when it came to her.

"What are you doing in here?" Ella's sudden voice brought him out of his stare, and only in this moment, he realised that his body was burning from the lack of oxygen. He took a deep gasp, filling his lungs halfway and bit back the bile that had crawled up his throat. He turned to her, unable to hold back the little sparks of teardrops that had gathered up at the corners of his eyes. "Who did this?" he breathed, shocked, horrified. His voice failed to continue.

Ella stared at him in confusion. His face was so pale and his eyes so big and dark that he rather looked like a figure right out of her nightmares. Her gaze wandered down to the photos he held in his hands. She didn't need to step up to him to know what he'd been staring at. "Put them back!" she cried frantically, and rushed to him, snatched them out of his hands and squatted down to hastily place them and the folder back into the box. "You're not even supposed to be in here!" she scolded him, pushing down her own distraught feelings at the new glimpse of them. She'd been there in the hospital treatment room, taking these photos from her friend when Chloe was barely conscious, using the little moment the doctors had granted her before they would rush her up into the operation room, to fix her ruptured spleen, to rescue her life. When she stood up again, she startled and took a step back. The horror on his face had disappeared completely, replaced by sheer wrath.

"Who did this to her?" Lucifer shouted loudly, enraged. He clenched his fists to prevent himself from letting out his anger on the first best thing that was close him.

She didn't know what to say. Her mind was blank, and she was frightened by the look on his face. But before she had the chance to even form something, a dead voice resounded behind them.

"Get out!" Chloe ordered gravely. Her expression was dead-panned and her eyes narrowed down to thin slits when she glanced over to Lucifer.

"Detective," Lucifer whispered, pleading, staring right at her. The anger vanished as quickly as it came, putting him back in his state of shock, and he felt more tears welling up at the corners of his eyes.

"Out!" Chloe shouted and with disdain turned her gaze from him. Without waiting for any reaction, she stepped out of the room, walked the short distance to Dan and ordered him with a harsh voice, "Get him out of here. I don't want to see him ever again." With that, she stomped off towards the restrooms, disappearing inside.

Pulling herself out of her own shock, Ella quickly rushed out of the room as well, past Dan, directly following Chloe.

Dan walked up to Lucifer. He grabbed his arm, commenting with hushed words, "Come on, man." They'd remained silent the whole way up to the parking deck. Only when Dan's hand was on the door handle, he turned to Lucifer and quietly told him, "It's better you leave now." With that, he pressed it down and opened the door.

When Lucifer saw the sun shining above him, blinding him for a moment, his mind started back its function, working at full speed. "No! I don't want to leave," he refused and pulled himself free, feeling pain and rage inside of him battling for the upper hand over his body. He pushed both emotions back down, at least as much as he could to talk to Dan without losing it right here. "I want to find the monster who did this to her!" he growled and clenched his teeth. When Dan kept a straight face, he stared at him in disbelief, slightly shaking his head. He neither couldn't nor didn't want to comprehend that this man remained so calm in this situation.

"That's already done," Dan explained to him dryly. Being in his police-mode, he didn't show any visible reaction when he added, "That man is rotting in prison for the next sixty years."

"Then why is there a new victim?" Lucifer countered, outraged. He stepped from one foot onto the other to release some of his tension, while his eyes focused on Dan, irately staring at him.

Dan sighed, and nodded, easing some of his stiff posture. "Seems like someone is copying him," he explained, letting some of the frustration about it sound through. When his mind wandered back to the heated discussion he had with Chloe and Monroe inside her office, he slightly shook his head. How convinced Chloe was that this couldn't be just a random guy. That this man must have something to do with Galant, the man who'd been convicted for what he'd done to her and the other three women. She even was convinced that he had a twin, as absurd as this sounded, because she believed that the woman was right about who she saw.

"This is all my fault," Lucifer suddenly mumbled, bringing Dan out of his thoughts. He didn't see the other man shake his head in disagreement. His mind only spun further, driven by the sorrow that had won over his inner battle, and he grabbed inside his pocket, retrieving the necklace and holding it in his hand. He took a glance at it. "I should have prevented it," he mumbled further and quickly bit back his tears from falling free.

"No, man!" Dan countered, shaking his head again in contradiction. "No one could have prevented it. You weren't even here." At the reminder, Dan felt his anger build up inside of him again, and he bit his tongue, preventing himself from saying anything else. He thought back to the talk he had with Linda, when he'd yelled at her that if Lucifer had been here, this never would have happened, and when she replied with a calm voice that this could have happened anywhere.

Lucifer shook his head. "Exactly!" he stated before his eyes shot back to Dan. "If I had been here, I could have prevented it! Because none of you did. You didn't protect her!" The rage was back inside of him and he glared at him darkly.

"Don't you dare blame me!" Dan countered, equally furious. "You don't know anything about what had happened." Taking a breath to compose himself and sort his thoughts, he quietly added, "I didn't know she was in danger. We thought she was safe."

Assuming that it had happened to her in her house, Lucifer mentioned, "Well, I'm going to have a long talk with Maze about keeping Chloe safe from now on when she's at home."

Dan chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief that Lucifer was so damn slow with putting two and two together before he mocked him, "You really think this happened at her home? That she could still live there when it really had been there?" Seeing Lucifer's perplexed stare and hearing his aghast words "Then where-", Dan narrowed his eyes at him, cutting him off as he spat back, "Where did you find the necklace?" With that, he turned around and walked back inside the precinct, leaving Lucifer behind, frozen in terror.

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When Ella entered the restroom, she saw Chloe pacing up and down the little space. She wanted to encourage her with some soothing words as Chloe's finger quickly shot up, silencing her before she had the chance to speak them out.

Chloe shook her head, her features painted in rage. She didn't want to hear anything. She didn't want to be told to calm down when she already tried so desperately not to lose it right here in the precinct. Each thought she felt entering her mind, each emotion she felt welling up inside of her, she'd pushed back. Because when she didn't feel anything at all, when she didn't think about anything, that was the moment she could function. And she needed to function. What else was left of her?

"Want me to drive you to Linda?" Ella softly suggested, remaining at the door to leave her friend as much space as she needed.

Chloe looked up, baffled for a moment before she vigorously shook her head. "I'm not going out there again. I don't want to see anyone of them," she countered in a hushed voice, indicating to all the colleagues inside the precinct. Then she stopped, stared with wide eyes at her friend, and with a little firmer voice, she added, "I don't want to see him." She turned her head back and started pacing again.

Knowing right away who she'd meant, Ella gave her a supportive smile and soothingly replied, sure of it, "Dan has already brought him up to the roof. And I have my keys to the emergency exit door near the lab," she let her know with a smirk and held up the item. "We could sneak out without being seen. I've parked across the precinct today."

Chloe looked back at her, needing to think only briefly about the offer before she gave her a firm, assenting nod.

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Linda was sitting at her desk, mixing her salad with yoghurt dressing, when suddenly her door was being ripped open. She looked up, startled, to see Chloe entering her office and slamming the door shut again behind her. "Chloe," she greeted her, surprised, but the smile on her lips quickly died down at the distraught look on her friend's face. "What happened?" she uttered, deeply worried.

There it was again. The feeling as if a haunting ghost floated through her, instigating all the emotions she'd locked away inside of her. And all of a sudden, they broke free. They crawled up on her like millions of little critters, setting her nerves on fire, and the urge to cry welled up her throat, making it impossible for her to speak or even breathe while the salty liquid went forward, seeking release through her eyes. She tried to push them back down again. To keep herself together like she'd managed so perfectly after she'd seen Lucifer's eyes in the evidence room: His eyes that went from purest anger, to surprise, to shock, and to... Her heart started to race, increasing the needed oxygen from her lungs and her chest bobbed up and down as she panted rapidly. Losing more and more control over her body, her fingers started to shake and her jaw began to tremble. When the realisation of what had happened just there at the precinct soaked further and further into her consciousness, it finally set her tears free, letting them stream down her cheeks, and she blubbered out, "He knows." She buried her face in her hands and sobbed loudly while her body convulsed by the frantic gasps she took in between her bitterly weeping.

Linda sprang up from her chair and bolted to Chloe, catching her collapsing figure just in time, and guided her to her couch. She sat her down close to herself and held her securely wrapped in her arms while Chloe cried her heart out.

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Lucifer didn't know how he'd managed to get back to his apartment without having an accident. He couldn't even remember the most part of the ride back to LUX. Maybe he'd been so used to this particular route that his subconsciousness had memorised every turn, every light he had to take to get here; or the people in L.A. were more attentive than he'd acknowledged them.

And now he was standing here, inside his penthouse, staring at the bed he'd still peacefully slept in not even six hours ago. But after he'd seen those pictures of Chloe, seen what this monster had done to her, and knew now that he was staring right at the place where it had happened, where someone so vicious, so evil, had scarred her soul so cruelly, had, within a moment, destroyed all that was sacred inside of her, now something inside of him broke as well.

It felt as if he was in a cloud. He knew he was standing right next to his bed, looking down at it, but at the same time, it felt as if he was far, far away. As if his mind was only communicating with his body over a thin line that connected both. Reaching down to the pillow, its satin cover stirred the nerve endings on the tip of his fingers. That was all he felt. There was nothing else. But there should be something! Anything!

His mind wandered back to the moment when he'd entered his apartment after he'd arrived in L.A. again. Everything had looked so neat. Nothing had indicated the crime that had been taken place just... When had this monster had attacked her? Was it really just three weeks? Lucifer highly doubted it and absent-mindedly shook his head. Her wounds wouldn't have healed in that short amount of time. Darn! He hadn't even registered the scar across her left eyebrow that surely must be there. And no superior, no matter how unemotional, would have ordered her or just let her back to work right after it had happened. The unknown about it tucked at his heartstrings. It sent an impulse through his body as if he was struck by lightning, from inside his chest right up into his brain and back down his spine again, setting each cell inside his body on fire. The noise of his increased panting came up to his ear. But it sounded as if from a distance. Why was he panting, all of a sudden? Was it because he didn't know when Chloe had been tortured almost to death in this very bed in front of him? Why did it even matter? Why did he want to know the exact day this had happened? It wasn't like he could have prevented it. Was this just a desperate attempt of his mind to make sense out of this?

As if on autopilot, he grabbed the pillow, zipped open its cover and pulled off the pillowcase, tossing it behind him to the ground. Then he turned it around in his hands, looking at both sides. There was nothing but the plain white colour of its fabric in front of his eyes and he wondered for a moment if he'd expected something else. He didn't know. Turning around, he tossed it across the living area, not caring in the slightest where it landed. Then he turned back, crouching down to reach for the pillow that lay further away and repeated the steps. This pillow was also plain white inside. When he reached for the blanket, he didn't even bother to remove its cover before he threw it across the room. Then he ripped off the bedsheet, stripping it down to the mattress.

Lucifer stared at the bed for a moment and walked around it, examining it from different angles. Still, nothing in the least pointed at the crime that had been taken place on it. Everything seemed fine. Everything seemed clean and new. Had Maze replaced them? Lucifer shook his head, clenching his fists, and gritting his teeth, his empty shell slowly getting filled with the rage that blubbered up inside of him. You can't just clean everything and replace it as if this had never happened! You can't just put everything back in its place as if it was fine again! "Because it wasn't! And it never will!"

Lucifer hadn't realised that he'd spoken his last two thoughts out loud, that he'd shouted them across the room. He sprang onto the mattress and rammed his hands into the material as if his fingers were sharp knives, ripping the fabric open, grabbing the foam and pulling it out. He went all over the mattress like a mad dog, yelling and screaming while he ripped off the material down to its metal springs. There was nothing that revealed the crime. No blood, no other sign. And it drove him crazy.

When he was done with completely destroying the mattress and tossing it out of the room, he turned to the frame. With full force, he kicked his foot down into it. It cracked loudly and quickly gave way under his weight. Then he turned to the next side and continued until the bed was shredded to pieces.

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Chloe sat in the furthest corner of the couch, a hot tea in her hands, a blanket wrapped around her. Still, this didn't keep her body from shaking uncontrollably. Once again, Linda held a little pill out to her, assuring her that this one wouldn't make her sleepy, that it would only calm down her nerves, and when another wave of emotion washed over her body, pressing new tears out of her eyes, she finally grabbed it and quickly downed it with a sip of her tea.

"You'll feel better in a moment, believe me," Linda assured her in a soothing tone, sitting close to her and softly stroking her knees.

"No, I won't," Chloe contradicted and shook her head, squeezing her eyes shut and pushing out the remaining drops. "He knows," she quietly repeated her words from before, and again her jaw started to tremble.

Linda sighed and leant closer. Caringly, she pressed her warm hands down on her friend's knees, rubbing them to generate some extra warmth, and she calmly told her, "The worst part is behind you, Chloe." Taking another breath, she went on, "Believe me, he will understand."

"What will he understand?" Chloe cut her short, her head angrily shooting up, and she had almost spilt her tea across her hands at the sudden movement. She leant forward to put the cup on the coffee table, and when Linda grabbed the tea from her to place it down, Chloe sat fully up, pulled the sleeves of her sweater over her hands and wrapped her arms around her body. "He doesn't know what I've been through. He doesn't know how I feel. I don't even know how I feel myself. So, how is he supposed to understand anything?" she grumbled frustratedly, pushing down the desperate thoughts that soared up as well. Tears welled up in her eyes again, and she quickly wiped them off, sniffling audibly. "You didn't see the look in his eyes! You didn't see the," she halted and took a deep breath before she completed in disgust, "The pity!"

"I'm sure that, whatever it was in his eyes, it wasn't pity he felt for you," Linda contradicted her full-heartedly. "I know Lucifer. I know what he thinks of you, and what he feels about you. And I'm sure if anything, it was sympathy he felt for you in that moment, or sorrow. But pity... " she trailed off and shook her head, letting her friend end the sentence herself.

Chloe squinted her eyes and pushed the little voice down that wanted to believe her friend. She didn't want to think about Lucifer any longer. She didn't want to think about what had happened in the precinct at all. Changing the subject completely, she mentioned in a hushed tone, "There is someone out there, doing exactly what Galant had done." She fiddled with her fingers and alternately looked between the wall and the backrest. She was glad that Linda didn't say anything right now. That she was giving her the time to swallow down the lump that had formed before she could continue. "I'm not," her voice broke. She swallowed and sighed, trying to keep the shivering at bay that had increased again. "I can't-" she started, but again her voice broke.

Linda pushed her own fearful thought about that unexpected insight to the back of her head. Chloe needed her right now. And she definitely didn't need someone who wanted to know more about a new monster out there. She clasped her hands around Chloe's fingers, gently holding them wrapped in her own, and informed her, "I will call Maze. And I will tell Ella to drive you home and wait until Maze has arrived. And then, I want you to sleep."

Chloe vehemently shook her head, denying that she would follow that order. "I don't need rest," she insisted sternly. She just needed a clear head to go back to her work.

"Yes you do," Linda countered calmly. "Your body needs to regain its energy." When she saw the objection in her friend's eyes, mixed with fear, she softly assured her, "Don't worry, Chloe, nothing will happen to you. We will protect you."

Again, Chloe shook her head. "I can protect myself!" she declared firmly, but her eyes that were fixed on an invisible spot on the ground didn't show determination. They showed exhaustion. And worry.

Linda warmly rubbed her friend's arm. "I know you can protect yourself, Chloe. I know how strong you are and that you can do anything on your own." She leant down a little, locking her eyes with her friend as she added, "But you don't have to. OK? Let us help you. Let us keep you safe."

Chloe wanted to roll her eyes and say something in return but her body betrayed her. The medication had already started to work, calming her down, and with that slowing down her movements. This time, her body seemed to react stronger to the pill than usual, and she sighed. Maybe it really was time for her to rest. Nodding her head, she finally agreed and glanced up to Linda, who sent her a warm smile before she stood up and made the call.

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"What the?" it slipped from Candy's lips as she made her way through the living area. There were pillows and blankets, their cases and the bed sheet lying around and when she walked closer to the bedroom, the path was covered in little pieces of foam and other textured material, in metal and wood and things she didn't know the name of. She walked closer and in between the completely destroyed remains of their bed she saw Lucifer sitting on the ground, facing the wall, and holding his hand at a particular spot. "Are you out of your mind?" she shouted, completely gobsmacked, and stepped closer, carefully, to circle the scraps.

Lucifer snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of her voice. He looked up at her, perplexed for a moment. Then, he glanced around, and instantly remembered what he'd done and why he was sitting there. He turned his sight back to the spot he'd been staring at since who knows when. He didn't remember how long it had taken, but he clearly remembered the moment he found it. The evidence. The proof that Chloe had been here, beaten, tormented, and left to fight for her life. His hand was still pressed against the wall, and the outstretched sides of his forefinger and thumb bordered half of an area where a little splatter of blood was right in the middle. The spot was small, its length barely reached from one side of his thumbnail to the other. It was obvious that with this size, hidden behind the bed frame, no one could have found it without moving the bed. For a brief second, he'd even wondered how it had managed to get there in the first place. Maybe it was a drop of blood from her necklace that had smeared against the wall when the jewellery had landed there and had fallen down. He didn't care now. All he cared about was that it was there and gave him a silent testimony of the crime.

"Lucifer, what are you doing?" Candy asked, flabbergasted, and once again pulled him out of his thoughts. When he looked back up, she didn't wait for his reply this time but started her scolding right away. "Why did you destroy the bed?"

Shaking himself out of his stiffness, he stood up, quietly commenting as he walked past her, "It was time for a redecoration." He gazed down at his hands. They were flawless, as always. No scratch by wood, or metal, or sharp plastic had left a mark on them. In this moment, he hated himself for it. He was furious that his body was indestructible to human tools. And even with Chloe at his side, or when it was a celestial weapon, his body would heal back to its pristine form. He wanted scratches right now. He wanted to have scars. He wanted to feel the pain...

"Where are we supposed to sleep?" Candy demanded to know. Her sharp voice went directly through his head, once again pulling him back into the here and now.

Lucifer looked at her, shrugging his shoulders. He couldn't care less about that minor detail. "We have Maze's old room," he suggested and walked up to his piano, grabbing the jacket he'd placed on top of it and putting it on.

"I'm not sleeping in Mazikeen's former bedroom," she denied sternly and shook her head, pushing the fear down that instantly came up with the reminder. With her arms folded in front of her chest, she lightly tapped with her foot on the ground, waiting for him to reply.

"Then take the couch," he retorted gravely in her direction, and turned around, heading for the lift.

When she saw him leaving, Candy quickly rushed after him. "Wait! Where are you going?" she asked worriedly.

"Have to make some arrangements," Lucifer mumbled, loud enough for her to hear. The lift doors opened and he stepped inside, facing her again as he went on, "I have to keep her safe."

"Who?" Candy uttered, but before she could get an answer the doors slid close again. She huffed, disappointed and vexed, and turned around, looking back at the mess on the floor. Breathing a deep sigh, she walked up to the bar, grabbing the first bottle available and pouring herself a drink. With the glass in hand, she walked over to the couch and slouched down on it, taking a sip as she grumbled, "Bloody!"

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The doorbell rang, but Chloe was too slow to get up from the couch to keep her little weasel from rushing to the door and opening it.

"Lucifer!" Trixie shouted out and instantly beamed all over her face. She wanted to open the door further and let him inside, but her attempt was quickly blocked by the strong hands of her mother that had reached her side.

Lucifer looked down at Trixie, a wide grin on his face as well, as he greeted her back, "Hello, child."

"What do you want?" Chloe asked brusquely. She wanted to sound angry, or terrifying, but her body was still too exhausted to express any other emotion than tiredness. And so, all she could do was stare at him with a mixture of annoyance and fatigue.

Looking back up, Lucifer flashed Chloe a smile as well, albeit not as wide and as carefree, ignoring her expression for the moment. "I've noticed I've missed the offspring's birthday," he informed her casually and held up the bigger one of his two bags he was carrying in his hands.

"My birthday was three months ago," Trixie reminded him dryly and cautiously glanced up at her mother to check her mood before her eyes landed back on Lucifer.

"Exactly!" he replied cheerily and held the big bag towards her. When Trixie had taken the bag in both her hands, its size almost as big as her, he reached into his other bag, retrieved a small double chocolate cake and placed it on top of her bag, declaring brightly, "Happy birthday!"

Trixie put the big bag on the ground and opened it, peeking inside, curious of what she'd gotten. "Cool!" she called out when she spotted the All-American Doll, and her lips instantly stretched to a cheeky grin.

"Trixie, babe, can you please go to your room?" Chloe told her gently and assuringly smiled at her when her daughter sent her a wary glance. She didn't like it at all that Lucifer had shown up at this time of the evening to bribe her daughter with a doll, especially not since he knew damn well that neither Chloe nor Dan agreed to let their daughter have one of those. But right now she wasn't in the mood or condition to fight with him about it. Besides, her daughter had gone through enough because of her and didn't need to get in between another disagreement. Sensing no suspicion, Trixie nodded her OK, grabbed her bag and scurried off to her room. Before she could disappear inside, however, Chloe called her, "Trix?" When her child stopped and looked back at her, she calmly reminded her, "Didn't you forget something?"

"Right!" Trixie exclaimed quietly, put the bag down and rushed back to the door. With a loud thud, she bumped against Lucifer's legs and hugged him tightly. "Thank you, Lucifer!" She looked up at him, saw his rather awkward and uncomfortable stare at her, and chuckled lowly. "Bye, Lucifer!" she briskly called out, let go of him and ran back to her present, grabbed it and disappeared into her room.

"Bye!" Lucifer replied cheerfully, but it was rather out of relief to not have those tiny arms around him any longer. He breathed a low sigh, and his gaze wandered up to Chloe's face, finding the same expression as before staring back at him. Not knowing how to start, he briefly stretched his lips to a constrained smile and glanced around the room. The awkward silence that had fallen between them didn't make it any better.

Having finally enough of him standing in the door frame, looking like all dressed up and nowhere to go, Chloe raised her voice, making it clear, "I don't want your pity."

"I'm glad I only brought you dinner, then," he retorted jokingly and held up the bag that was filled with little boxes of Chinese. He flashed her another nervous smile and waited for her reply. A gesture, or a word. But nothing came. Instead, she simply turned around and walked back to her couch, leaving the door open. Taking what he could get, he interpreted that as the most informal invitation possible and stepped inside, closing the door. He walked to the kitchen area, grabbed some cutlery, and then made his way over to where she was sitting.

Chloe was huddled up at the outermost edge of the couch, and Lucifer shortly sat down in the middle, put half of the boxes in front of her on the coffee table, placed the chopsticks and cutlery aside, and then took his seat at the other end of the couch. He put his boxes on the table as well, then grabbed his favourite one and his chopsticks and sat back, leaning against the backrest. Before he started to eat, he turned his head to her, friendly prompting, "Dig in!"

Chloe stared at the food. Damn it! By the smell that came from out of the boxes, she knew he'd brought her her favourite dish. Still, she couldn't bring herself to reach for it. "I'm not really hungry," she mentioned in a low voice and glanced over at him.

"Come on!" Lucifer countered in his usual bantering tone. "I'm pretty sure you haven't eaten yet," he remarked, spurring her on, but then he turned his attention to his own box, opened it and started eating. He kept his attention strictly on his own food to not make her feel uncomfortable or forced to eat in any way. When he did his third mouthful, a movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention. He silently cheered to himself when he saw her finally grabbing her box, opening it and taking the first bite.

He was right. She hadn't eaten yet. She hadn't eaten anything at all that day, to be exact. She couldn't. She only managed to keep her tea down. But she also knew, her body needed something nutritious to work. Cautiously, she chewed on her noodles, savouring their taste. It was so good! Then, she swallowed them down and waited for the feeling of nausea to kick in again. But this time, it didn't happen. Even after the second bite, there was nothing except for the hunger within her that told her to keep eating. And so, she dug in. Slowly, bite for bite, until half of the box was empty.

Normally, she would have eaten the whole box and half of the next one by now, but suddenly something made it hard for her to swallow. The silence that had fallen between them and had been so comfortable in the beginning, had also allowed her thoughts to crop up into her mind and run around wildly. It wasn't just because of what had happened today that suddenly choked her up. Especially how she'd treated him yesterday played a big part in it: She'd yelled at him all day, but instead of being angry at her, he helped her to get into the hospital room. That she'd managed to calm down after what this woman had told her, was also mainly because of him. And how did she thank him? She yelled again and slapped him in the face. It wasn't even him she'd been angry at in this moment. Still, this morning he came to her, all nice, offering to forget the whole thing... But again, she yelled at him. And after he'd seen what had happened to her... Linda was right. He seemed genuinely upset about it. She was sure he also wanted to talk about it. Why else would he show up at her doorsteps, bringing her dinner? But instead of chattering away like he'd used to do back then when something tickled his mind, he remained silent. He waited... until she was ready.

"Detective?"

His sudden voice next to her ear shook her back into the here and now. She hadn't even realised that he'd moved closer to her and that he now gently removed her hands from her box and put it on the coffee table. Why did he do that? The answer came instantly when she lowered her eyes and saw her trembling hands.

"Detective?" Lucifer softly called her again and smiled warmly at her as she looked at him. When he'd glimpsed over to her, he was startled to see her like this: Her body stiff like a poker except for the shake of her fingers; her eyes wide and blankly staring into space, and her skin pale as if all blood had suddenly ebbed out of her head. He'd been worried. He still was. But at least, now she was responsive again.

Chloe lowered her head again, blinking to push down the beginning of little teardrops that had surged into her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered and breathed in, trying to get herself back under control.

Pursing his lips to a thin line, he lightly shook his head, disagreeing with her. "There is no need for you to be sorry," he told her in a hushed voice. Two teardrops rolled out of her eyes, down her cheeks, and he tenderly brushed them off with his thumbs.

"There is," she countered quietly, and snuffled to keep the other tears inside. "I slapped you. And I'm so sorry for that." Although her apology eased her heart, it also set free the other guilt feelings that weighed her down. "And I'm sorry for yelling at you, every single time. And for kissing you. Gosh! That was so inappropriate. And for jumping on you. And for biting you. And for trying to sleep-"

"Stop. Stop. Stop," Lucifer interrupted her, raising his finger to underline his word. He took a deep breath, exhaled again, looked directly into her eyes, and calmly replied, "I accept your apology for the slap." He halted a moment, making sure that she was listening before he went on, "But don't you dare apologise for that kiss you gave me." Tilting his head, he meekly suppressed the smirk that wanted to stretch his lips as he added, "Or any of the other things you did."

Chloe sighed relieved. She felt better. Much better now that it all was finally off her chest. She nodded at him, assuring him that she'd understood. When the movement caused fresh tears to escape her eyes, running down, she quickly pressed them shut. His softly whispered shush sounded close to her and quickly after, she felt his warm hands on her cheeks again, wiping her tears away. She leant into the touch, relishing it for a moment before she opened her eyes again. She felt safe. And she really had no reason to get frightened, but when she got sight of his body leaning into hers, she couldn't help but get completely stiff again. Her arms shot out and pushed against his chest until they were fully stretched. Any moment she expected a scolding from him, or any other sign that he wasn't pleased with her reaction, but none of them came. Only a whispered "It's OK" reached her ears, so softly that she wasn't sure if it came out of him or her mind. When she felt his body slowly shifting away from her hands, she was frightened anew. This time for the complete opposite reason. She grabbed his shirt, tightly holding onto the fabric with all strength that was in her, and whispered as loudly as her voice allowed her to, "Stay!"

"I won't go anywhere, " Lucifer assured her calmly and encompassed her hands as he went on, "Detective". Her hands were shaking again, and her fingers gripped his shirt as if it was a lifeline. He gently caressed across the knuckles, tracing each one of them with his thumb, carefully, as if her hands were made out of ice and every too strong pressure could harm them. "I will stay with you," he reassured her, staring at her full of worry.

Chloe nodded again but gripped his shirt tighter. She didn't want him to leave. Never again. And the realisation let new tears gush out through her closed lids. She leant into him. She wanted to bury her face into the crook of his neck, wanted to snuggle up until their bodies would melt together, but when the fragrance of his aftershave mixed with smoke and bourbon hit her nostrils, stirring up her memories, she quickly pushed herself away. This wasn't fair! She finally had him back, yet she couldn't bear having him close to her. Anger and despair welled up inside of her, fighting a battle within her, and she clenched her teeth and sobbed loudly. She quickly pulled one hand away to cover her face, hating it at that very moment to have a breakdown right beside him. Still, just the thought of him shifting further away from her let her fingers tighten until her knuckles turned white, and her heart convulse in fear.

Lucifer breathed a low sigh. He'd wanted to wrap her in his arms, to give her back the feeling of safety and warmth, and her hand that still held onto him so tightly affirmed him that she wanted the same. But whenever he came closer, or just slightly leant into her, she only shied away and tensed up. He didn't know how he could help her. And it made him feel lost and forlorn. He held both his hands wrapped around hers, kept on stroking across her knuckles, and in a brief moment, her grip softened. Like two magnets drawn to each other, their fingers quickly intertwined. He squeezed them gently, assuring her that he was there without interrupting the silence. And while he held her hand against his heart, his thumb not ceasing in the slightest with its caress of the outer line of hers, he watched her weeping softly. He leant against the backrest, his body as close to her as she allowed him to, and he waited, patiently, for her to calm down herself.

When her cries finally subsided, Chloe took several more calming breaths, exhaling the rest of her emotions, and letting in some peace into her heart. She sniffed audibly and wiped her face dry with the back of her hand. Then, she huddled back up against the couch and wrapped her free arm around her knees. "Thank you," it quietly left her lips and she glanced over at him, flashing him a brief smile.

"You're welcome," he replied softly and gave her hand another gentle squeeze. He took several breaths himself, slowly exhaling them through his nose, and when he had gathered up enough courage, he broke the new silence. "Let's find that bastard!" he declared, determined, but with a calm voice.

Chloe lowered her sight, sighed and nodded. She'd liked nothing better than that. Nevertheless, when she looked up at him, she shook her head and denied sorrowfully, "I'm not on the case." Taking another tension-releasing breath, she explained, "They made it pretty clear this morning, that if I won't step aside, I'll get suspended."

"What do you prefer: Finding that filthy excuse of a human being, or working your butt off in the precinct?" he countered, his own inner feelings too troubled to let him add his usual smug smile.

For Chloe, the answer was pretty clear. But she also had to keep in mind that she still had her own case to solve. "That would mean, I can't work on the church murder, then," she reminded him of the extent such an unpaid leave would have. Especially for him.

Lucifer pursed his lips and lowered his head to browse through his thoughts. His mother always had a card up her sleeve. That wasn't new. And right now he'd rather spend his time getting revenge for Chloe, than making sure that his mum kept her nose out of his business. Turning his head back to her, he gave her a quick nod and a soft squeeze of her hand, and asked further, "So, how do we track down that coward?"

She sighed again and pulled her knees closer until she could rest her head on top while she thought about it. Not about the next step, of course. She knew exactly what she had to do. She just wasn't quite certain if she'd have the strength to carry through.

Preoccupied, she didn't realise that she'd also pulled at her other hand, and with their fingers still firmly intertwined, Lucifer had no other choice than to let her drag his hand close to her. Not that he'd mind! He smiled lightly when he felt the warm side of her upper body pressed against the back of his hand, delighted and at ease about the new contact. Thinking about an answer himself, he rummaged in his head. When he remembered the brief talk he had with Dan up on the roof, he turned his head back to her and wondered, "Does this guy you'd already caught might know who this other guy is?"

His voice pulled her out of her mind and Chloe quickly turned to him, nodding her affirmation. "Most definitely! There were certain things they didn't tell the media back then, so this other man must have this information directly from Galant." She swallowed hard when she pressed that name through her lips. Back then, she'd thought it finally was over. That she never had to think about this man, this monster, ever again. But now... She inhaled, and then, reminding herself that Lucifer might not know who he was, she quickly added, "That's the one who-."

She didn't need to complete her sentence as Lucifer nodded and interrupted in a friendly way, "I know who you're talking about." He wetted his lips and then went on, "You can tell me which prison he is in and I'll pay him a visit."

"It's not that easy," she objected, already wincing at the thought.

Lucifer raised both his eyebrows in puzzlement. "What? Do you think I can't get the information out of him?" Before she even had the chance to answer him, he quickly added, "I can be very persuasive, if you remember." He winked at her, sending her a bright smirk as he added in his mind, 'And how persuasive I will be to make that bastard talk!'

Chloe shook her head. "That's not what I meant, Lucifer. Dan has already requested a visit with Galant." She took a deep breath, braced herself up, and then explained to him, "His lawyer made him understand that Galant would only talk to one person." She swallowed again, nervous at Lucifer's sudden wary glance at her, and then pronounced, "Me."

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A/N: Well, I hope you liked that chapter. Please let me know. And also let me know how you feel right now.

Have a nice day!

:o)