Thank you all for your patience! Here's the next installment, ready away and enjoy!

Chloe sat Lucifer at the table. He refused to lie down and rest, and it was better than him standing and moving around. His usually tall, graceful form was hunched and weary. Though his appearance was haggard, he was mentally prepared for the situation. He wanted to help Chloe map out their next move, because it meant her safety just as much as his. And whenever Chloe's safety was threatened, Lucifer was all ears.

Chloe sat across from him, eyeing him every few seconds to make sure he was alright. She gave him his medication just a short while ago, and he had managed to sleep for a few hours. Now, it was time for them to act. Though she wanted Lucifer to rest as much as possible, she needed him alert.

"Okay," she drew out a crude map of the house on a notepad, "Maze managed to lock down some of the entry points before she left. That leaves three main entrances the shooter could access." She pointed to them on the map, "We can't leave my home now, that will prove too risky if thr gunman is near. We'll be vulnerable out in the open."

"I concur," Lucifer agreed, "It would be wise to stay on the bottom floor. If we remain upstairs, it would be more difficult to escape should we need to."

"Right, good thinking. Stay away from windows and doors-"

The lights cut out.

Chloe felt her adrenaline spike. Lucifer looked up, as did she. The room was flooded with darkness. The was nearly entirely set.

"Detective," Lucifer said cautiously, on alert, "He's here."

Chloe slowly reached for her gun. It wasn't at her side. She looked down at her belt, alarmed. Then her eyes shot to the counter in the kitchen. Her gun lay in its holdster on the countertop.

Lucifer caught her eye, "Detective, don't."

"I need to," she said with a tight whisper. The gunman was an experienced shooter, he managed to knick Lucifer from afar at Lux, he could definitely do it again.. With Lucifer injured, they needed some sort of defense.

Lucifer was not moving a muscle. He knew that he was the target of this mysterious gunman's fancy. Mazikeen and he had discoverd that the shooter was also carrying a celestial weapon, that meant he could be killed even if the Detective was not near. He only barely escaped the first time by quickly ducking out of the way when the first bullet was fired at his night club. He was not completely successful given his wound, but it was doubtful he would escape this time if he acted incorrectly.

Chloe moved slightly, positioning her body to run for her gun on the countertop.

"Detective," he said again, voice filled with warning, "I implore you to find another solution. By the time you reach your weapon, one of us could already be dead! The gunman is sure to be watching."

Chloe patted her pockets for her cellphone. Her heart sank when she felt it was also missing from her. Lucifer saw her look to the countertop again. Her cellphone was beside her gun. His phone was in his jacket in the hospital bag where his bloodied clothes were. He hadn't had a chance to fish it out.

They were out of options. Not only did Chloe have to protect an injured Lucifer, but her mind was reeling with worry for Trixie, Maze, and Dan.

In the dark room, the sun just about set, along with Lucifer and unarmed, she never felt more vulnerable.

Seeing her desperate expression, Lucifer felt a rage build up within him. His breathing quickened with anger. How dare some pesky shooter running around a celestial weapon threaten him, the Devil?

Lucifer felt himself slightly rejuvenate. He was not about to let the Detective be in further harm because he could not act to his full potential.

He staged a war in heaven. He challenged his Father. He was thrown out of the Silver City and survived. He rulled Hell for millenia. He was not about to be put down by this.

Lucifer stood up.

"Lucifer, what are you doing!?" Chloe looked at him, mouth agape.

Lucifer spoke, not to Chloe, but to the shooter who was listening.

"You wield a weapon you're not worthy of holding," Lucifer said with a menacingly low voice, "And you have the audacity to use it against me! If you possess such a qeapon, then you understand the myths behind it. Well, I assure you they are not myths. They are history. You know who I am, and you threaten me, the Devil? Yet, you do not show your face. Who is the frightened one now?"

Chloe could only see Lucifer's silhouette in the dark room, but his speech made her skin crawl with goosebumps. There seemed to be an undertone to his voice, something deep and ancient.

"I demand you reveal yourself!" Lucifer bellowed.

His voice rang throughout the house. Lucifer felt his ancient powers flow through his veins. He could feel the flesh on his collar start to mend faster from the gunshot wound.

There was silence for a few moments. Chloe was holding her breath, eyes wide. She was fixed upon Lucifer, just waiting for the moment a bullet would go streaking through the window and strike him.

"Lucifer…" she whispered, "Please…"

She didn't want to see him die, not again. Already, she had suffered seeing Malcolm shoot him right before her eyes. He miraculously came back by methods she could not explain, but people didn't get second chances.

CRASH! The sound of glass shattering.

Chloe closed her eyes, turning away. She expected to her Lucifer's body drop to the floor, but after a few moments..she did not.

Slowly, Chloe opened her eyes. Relief flooded through her when she saw his tall, dark figure still standing a few feet away.

"Lucifer," she said breathlessly, slowly standing, "What...what was that?"

His head was turned towards an object on the floor of the living room. Chloe saw a part of her window was shattered. The gunman must have thrown something inside. Her friend slowly walked towards it. She followed closely behind.

Lucifer crouched on the floor beside it. His breaths were heavy and haggard. Though he had gotten a few hours rest, he was already spent. His stint of power against this gunman must've drained him. Chloe stood close by, knowing not to get too close.

Her brows furrowed when she saw what Lucifer was kneeling beside on the floor. It was a wooden gavel.

"What is this?" Chloe asked, confused, "What does it mean?"

She gave one look towards Lucifer, and knew that it meant something much more. His face was blank with shock and slight fear.

"No, no," he shook his head slightly, "this cannot be true…"

He looked even paler than before.

"What? It's a gavel, Lucifer," she went to pick it up, but found it surprisingly heavy. That's when she got another look at it. The gavel was rather large, clearly much larger for her small hand. The wood that crafted it was smooth and shining, but smelled like it had just been cut from the sturdiest oak tree. The golden detailing was sparkling, almost...alive. It seemed like the gold was churning within. There was a golden insignia on the strong handle, that of the Scales of Justice.

"Detective, you must go," Lucifer said in a wary tone that suggested further danger.

"No, I'm not leaving you," she said defiantly, "for the last time."

"You don't understand. This enemy is not one to be trifled with," he struggled to stand, but stumbled, still weak.

Chloe watched him with heartbreak as he picked himself up again. Every step seemed a struggle, but he was still somehow managing to stay tall.

"Then help me to understand," Chloe begged, "I know I don't know much about your past, but I am here to help you, Lucifer. If you know who this is, then you need to tell me. I can't call for back up, but I can help-"

"Detective!" Lucifer was getting increasingly frustrated, "Go be with Dan and your daughter. You don't have much time, you must go! I beg of you, please...Chloe, this person is not one to-"

BOOM!

Chloe and Lucifer went flying backwards. Chloe felt herself collide with the far wall. Her head smacked against the plaster painfully. Her blurry vision just saw shapeless figures and a blast of colors.

She did not know what it was that threw her and Lucifer back, but there was a blinding light coming from the doorway. Her spotty vision saw Lucifer struggling to stand beside her. He was calling her name, but she couldn't respond, ears ringing from the impact.

Lucifer had to grip the wall to help him stand. A wary hand shot to his collar. His bandage had fallen off and his stitches had tore .His fingers came away wet wih blood. Lucifer looked to the source of the blast. Chloe's front door had been ripped off of its hinges and had landed on the floor a few feet away, but a powerful force had blown them back. One that he recognized all too well.

Immediately, his eyes shot to the Detective, all worry of his own injures pushed aside.

"Detective!" he called for her, "Detective!"

She seemed to be in shock from the blast. Lucifer yearned to run to her side and protect her, but a blinding light grew from the doorway. Lucifer felt his heart beat fast, knowing exactly who was just beyone the threshold.

"Hello, Lucifer."

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