Hello, everyone! Thank you so much for all the faves, follows and feedback. And, once again, a big thank you to BelenP for her continued support as a beta. She always comes up with great suggestions.
Sorry this chapter took a little longer than the others. I was off last week. I hope you enjoy it. :-)
Chapter 22: Moonchild
It was barely dawn, and the parking lot was quiet and still on that chilly Sunday morning. Chloe parked her car in a space beside Maze's black Charger, then stole a glance through the rearview mirror. She watched as Lucifer parked his Corvette across the aisle, cringing when she noticed the sign that indicated the spot had been reserved for the handicapped. Dan's car was also parked at the far end of the parking lot. It was comforting to know that he had spent the night at the apartment, after all.
Her phone was about to die, but she checked it one last time before stepping out of the car. The most recent text reply had been from Maze yesterday just before midnight. A 'thumbs up' emoji in reply to Chloe's earlier message informing her that she was at Lux and to not to wait up for her.
No news was good news, she figured.
"So, that early meeting of yours that happened to be 'not far from my place'," Chloe smiled as Lucifer walked up to her, "Where is it again?"
They walked the short distance of the external corridor and came to a stop at her doorstep. Early rays of sunlight were beginning to compete with the artificial lighting of the building.
"In the Valley."
Lucifer had replied to her question casually, as if it were an afterthought. Weekends were particularly busy at the club. She had learned that much over the past few months. Chloe knew some of his dealings were a little shady, but she had been willing to look the other way for the sake of safeguarding their professional relationship. After all, she couldn't judge that which she could not see, and she was willing to live by those rules. From what he'd told her, however, this particular meeting seemed to be of the legitimate sort, despite it being on a Sunday.
"Hmmm… that's nowhere near here," she accused, eyes narrowing.
"Distance is relative, Detective," he replied sneaking his arm around her waist and pulling her close. "Ever heard of Albert Einstein?"
"Yes, well, apparently he got things all wrong," she whispered looking deeply into his eyes.
"Not really," he grinned. "He was pretty much dead on. Humanity is on the right track. Just hasn't quite figured it out yet…"
"But—"
Lucifer silenced her with a kiss. There were things he was clearly not willing to discuss, not with her, not with anyone else, she presumed. It was all still too fresh in her mind, anyway. Too raw for her brain to be able process just how vastly her life had been shaken in less than forty-eight hours. Last night had been, without a doubt, a life-altering event. She could almost feel it on a molecular level. He had changed her. Well, no. That wasn't entirely accurate. He had completed her. Strange as it was, Chloe knew he'd always been a part of her, somehow. Now, more than ever, that mysterious connection they shared was impossible to deny. Last night had rattled her sense of self. It was as if she had been living in a world where everything was cast in shades of gray, and now, suddenly, she was able to perceive color.
Their lips brushed against each other's softly a couple of times before finally breaking apart.
"Thank you for last night," Lucifer said. Chloe knew how hard it was for him to express gratitude, but whatever struggle he might have faced at that moment,could hardly be detected."And for this morning," he continued through a wicked smile. "I'm usually the one waking others using such tactics."
Chloe blushed, her lips tugging up at the corners. "Well, considering what happened in the shower right after that, I'd say we're even."
It was so weird. She'd never felt so physically in-tune with her own body. She had never been very vocal about sex either. Dan had always been kind and loving in bed, but she had never felt sexually free, and that had inevitably permeated into their relationship. Somehow, Lucifer had managed to tap into that primal instinct. He'd awakened that ancient yearning she'd kept buried ever since she was a teenager. Little had she known how starved she'd been for a partner's touch.
The whole night had been a series of long naps intertwined with spurs of passion, ranging from tender lovemaking to wild sex. It was a wonder how she was not at the verge of collapse. On the contrary, the rush that kept coursing through her veins was more powerful than any drug. Not that she'd ever tried drugs, but she imagined the effects to be quite similar.
Did Lucifer have this effect on everybody or just her? Was he feeling that strange high as well? After all, according to him, she was… special. Chloe was reticent to dwell on that particular subject. For one, she wasn't ready to believe her whole existence was centered on her meeting the Devil for God knew what purpose. It all played like a cosmic joke in her mind. She refused to be reduced to a mere tool in a divine conflict. No. She had her own thoughts, her own desires, her own mind… It couldn't possibly be all celestial manipulation. Her feelings were real.
"What's wrong?" Lucifer asked.
Damn! When the hell did he get so perceptive?
"It's nothing," she shrugged, failing to sound overly convincing. But when his gaze remained inquisitive, she caved. "I'm just having a little trouble coming to terms with the whole miracle thing."
Lucifer nodded slowly, his eyes intense on hers. "Are you afraid of me?"
"Yes," Chloe replied, her voice barely above a whisper. "But not in the way you think."
"Oh?"
She bit her lower lip while she gathered her thoughts. "Have you given any thought to where this is leading? If I'm truly what you claim… What's my purpose here? I'm not like you, Lucifer. I'm…"
When she didn't finish the sentence, he did so for her. "Mortal."
It was too much to take in. Rubbing her temples as if the simple gesture might help her sort through her thoughts, she forced the words out. "I'm aging as we speak. And, as much as I'd love to pull a Dorian Gray, there's no way around that."
"You don't know that, Detective," he countered. "I told you last night. You make me vulnerable. For all we know, I'm the one who's aging."
Chloe nodded, falling easily into his embrace. She felt his cheek on the crown of her head and wrapped her arms around him as they held each other in comfortable silence.
"The other day at the church, I thought I'd lost you," he said, his voice smooth as velvet. "When I realized the bullet had barely left a mark, I…" he swallowed hard, his chest expanding and deflating with a sigh. "I think my immortality might be rubbing off on you as well."
"You mean…?" she frowned into his shirt.
The events at the church had filled her mind with questions. In fact, she had tried to forget about it in order to focus on the investigation. Then all hell had broken loose, quite literally, and it wasn't until he'd brought up the issue of his vulnerability that his theory began to make sense.
"There's only one way to find out," he said.
She pulled away to look at him, her face sporting a cynical smirk. "You're not planning on shooting me, are ya?"
"'Course not!" Lucifer chuckled, dismissing her fear with a sardonic smirk of his own. "Any sharp object would do the trick."
Chloe was a bit stunned by how easily he had offered the alternative. "Oh, so much for a pain-free method!"
The door to the apartment swung open, and Chloe took a quick step away from him. The guilt riddled move was silly, and it made her feel like a school girl who'd just been caught by her dad making out with her troublemaking boyfriend.
Clad in black leather pants and a matching cropped top, Maze stepped outside and appeared relieved to see them. "Oh, it's you guys," she said relaxing her stance. "For a moment I thought one of your stupid siblings was back for another round."
"Another round?" Chloe asked, alarmed. "Were they…?"
"Relax, Decker. Not much has happened since you left," the demon said. Then, something seemed to pop into her mind and she flashed them a naughty smile. "Not on this neck of the woods, anyway. Speaking of woo—"
"Have you had breakfast yet?" Chloe cut in before her roommate could steer the conversation in a direction she'd rather avoid. "Cause, I'm starving!" Okay, not the best comment to make when trying to dig herself out of that particular hole. She winced and placed her palm up to keep Maze from saying anything else. "I promise to let you make the coffee." Then, turning to Lucifer, she added, "I might need some help flipping those omelets. Think you've time to stay for breakfast?"
"Thought you'd never ask," he grinned broadly.
While Chloe went upstairs to check on Trixie, Maze showed Lucifer around the kitchen. It took her a couple of tries to find the pots and pans, and seemed a bit surprised to find bacon inside one of the refrigerator drawers, but she managed to at least point him to the basics before turning her attention to the coffee maker.
"So," she said with a sly grin as she dumped a hefty scoop of ground coffee into the paper liner. "How was it?"
Lucifer was cracking the third egg into a bowl. "It?"
"You know… Last night. With Chloe!"
He pressed his lips into a thin line and avoided making eye contact. "It was fine."
Maze puffed out an incredulous little scoff. "'It was fine'?" she parroted. "Did you guys even—"
"Yes, Maze! We did!"
The demon was a little stunned by his sudden outburst.
"Since when does it bother you me asking questions about the juicy details?" she frowned, a bit hurt by his annoyance. "That's our thing, is it not?"
"Not when it comes to Chloe," he muttered, turning on the stove.
"I see," Maze said in a barely audible whisper. She propped herself onto one of the stools, her eyes on him as he began beating the eggs with a fork, his creased brow an obvious sign that he was aware of her piercing stare, but unwilling to acknowledge her. "She's special, is that it?"
His hand froze mid-beat and he finally lifted his gaze. "Are you jealous?"
She thought about it for a long moment, then offered him a nonchalant shrug. "So what if I am?" she said meekly, and noticed how his eyes softened at her words. "But not of Chloe," she added shifting on the stool and trying to keep her voice steady. "Of what you guys have."
Lucifer's expression turned somber. "What we have…" he whispered, his voice low and dangerous. "Even if the whole damned thing was real, what kind of future do you think awaits us?"
"Wait, what do you mean 'if it was real'? You guys like each other, don't you?"
"Come on, Maze," he said through a sad chuckle. "You know how this works. My Father engineered the whole bloody thing! It was predestined all along!"
"And, still, you played into His game. Care to explain why?" She watched him pour some batter into the buttered pan, his mind clearly elsewhere. When it became apparent he had no intention of answering her question, she pressed further, "Lucifer…"
"Because she thinks it's real, okay?" he growled. "It became quite clear last night."
A lopsided grin formed on Maze's lips. "It was that good, huh?"
"That's not what I meant."
"Well, then, stop speaking in riddles like Dr. Linda and spell it out for me!"
"I showed her my face again and she didn't even flinch," Lucifer said. "I could see it in her eyes, Maze. Nobody has ever looked at me that way before. So, why do I play into my Father's game, you ask. Because, stupidly, I've allowed myself to care about her a tad too much. I just… I couldn't stand breaking her heart."
Maze shook her head from side to side as she pondered on what he told her.
Sensing her disapproval, Lucifer simply rolled his eyes. "Look, if you're going to give me grief for sleeping with her, save it! I'm not in the mood for lectures this fine morning!"
"That's not what I was gonna say," the demon sneered. She then leaned across the counter to make sure she caught his eye. "Stop making everything so damn complicated! It's obvious you dig each other. So what if your Dad played matchmaker? You both got what you want. How is that so terrible?"
Scrambling for words, Lucifer opened his mouth to say something, failing in the attempt a couple of times.
"You'd never understand," he finally gritted, his scowl deepening.
"Oh, but I do," she told him, her voice soft. "I always have." Trying to get through to him when the eternal family feud was invoked, was like trying to light a match in the middle of a hurricane. But Maze tried anyway. "I'm on your side, Lucifer. I care about you. Stop being an idiot."
Lucifer jutted his jaw, more wounded by the truth behind her statement than the jab itself. Still, the hatred he harbored towards his Father trumped whatever reasonable argument posed in favor of His cunning manipulations, and that was perhaps the hardest pill to swallow.
There was nothing that warmed Chloe's heart more than watching Trixie sleep. Leaning against the doorframe, she indulged in the sight, making a conscious effort to ignore the turbulence that loomed over their otherwise ordinary lives. The sinking sensation that plagued her every time she thought of the incident at the church was enough to make her want to pack up a few essentials and leave town. Of course, knowing what she knew now, she had a feeling there wasn't a single place on Earth where they could be safe. So, braving up to the challenge, she simply stood there, basking in the quiet moment.
Only when she heard the door to the adjacent room opening, did she snap out of her reverie. A sleepy Dan padded over to where she was, a wan smile spreading across his face as he joined her at the threshold. Chloe returned the smile in greeting, tried not to feel too uncomfortable at his quick onceover, or how he'd clearly noticed she was wearing the same clothes she'd worn the day before.
So what? She thought. It was no secret she had spent the night at Lux. She, herself, had sent him a text message letting him know where she was for Trixie's sake.
In all honesty, she hadn't expected things to get so out of hand. Her goal had been to confront Lucifer about the truth, what it meant for their partnership moving forward and, perhaps, team up against an intangible threat in hopes to tackle it head-on. But that didn't dissipate her growing guilt in the slightest. The urge that had driven her to spend the night with Lucifer seemed much less justifiable as she stood next to her ex-husband outside of their child's bedroom.
"Thanks for staying," she muttered, unable to meet his eyes.
"There's no need to thank me. She's my daughter."
Chloe nodded. "I know, it's just—"
"You don't owe me an explanation, Chloe," Dan rushed to say. "And you don't need to tiptoe around the fact that you've clearly moved on. I'm a big boy. I know how it goes. We've been apart for a while, now."
Sometimes silence was the best answer, so Chloe let the matter drop, no use in dwelling in hopes and regrets.
"I have a meeting with the lieutenant tomorrow," she told him. "She wants to discuss my reinstatement. I think the best thing for Trixie is to go back to school. We cannot keep her away indefinitely. She needs some sense of normalcy. At least, there, she'll be surrounded by people at all times."
"I agree. Besides, even if you get reinstated, it's unlikely they'll let you work on the case. You'll probably be assigned to desk duty for a while. And that's not entirely a bad thing. Right now we need to focus on Trixie. She's been through a lot."
Dan made a good point. She really ought to spend some quality time with her daughter. But she couldn't fool herself. Chloe knew she'd be incapable of keeping her mind off the case. There was nothing she wanted more than to get to the bottom of it. It wasn't just about closure. It was about pride. Nobody threatened her kid and got away with it.
A tiny voice came from inside the bedroom, vivacious and alert.
"Smells so good! Did you make breakfast, mommy?"
Trixie sat up on the bed, wide awake as her gaze traveled from her mom to her dad, and then back to her mom.
"No, Monkey," Chloe replied with a smile. "Actually, Lucifer is doing the honors."
The child's face brightened instantly.
"Lucifer's here?" she beamed. She practically jumped off the bed and rushed past her parents. "Cool!"
Both Dan and Chloe followed her down the stairs, where they saw her running across the living room and make a beeline towards the kitchen.
"Lucifer!"
Startled, Lucifer turned around, eyes wide.
"Bwah!" he squawked.
The plastic bowl he was holding fell to the floor with a hollow clank. The few remains of egg batter inside it splattered all over the laminate covered area, along with the ladle he'd been using to scoop it. Back pressed against the far corner between the sink and the oven, utterly horrified, Lucifer glared at the fast approaching bundle of energy heading his way.
Trixie just laughed at the mess, hopping over it as if it were a game, and ran into him in a smashing hug, her tiny arms wrapping around his waist with candid affection. Lucifer's body became comically tense, his hands holding onto the edge of the counter in a white-knuckled grip. Noticing his face turning a ghostly shade of white, Chloe decided to pry her daughter away from him.
"Trixie, baby, would you mind setting the table?"
Both Maze and Dan bit back chuckles, finding humor in the innocent mishap, and Lucifer's reaction rather hilarious. But Chloe was troubled. His level of anxiety whenever Trixie directed so much as a glance in his direction wasn't normal. At first, she had deemed it quite funny. But back then he'd just been an acquaintance, so whether he got along with her kid or not didn't matter all that much. When he became her partner she figured he would eventually warm up to her, but being their relationship strictly professional she didn't lose much sleep over it. Then, somewhere along the line, they became friends, and his panicked outbursts around her began making her a little uncomfortable. Now that they shared something a lot deeper, she was beginning to fear such an obstacle might eventually come between them.
She observed him carefully over breakfast. Predictably, he had sat as far away from Trixie as humanly possible, and was clearly on edge the entire time. At one point, Trixie told him his omelet was the best omelet she'd ever had, and Chloe was mildly surprised when Lucifer offered her a bow of the head and a curt 'thank you, little human' before steering the conversation in a polar opposite direction by asking Dan whether his exercise routine was an alternative solution to plastic surgery.
Fortunately, Lucifer kept his derisive comments to a minimum, and even refrained from using the 'Douche' moniker the entire time. In fact, both men acted with commendable civility despite the obvious awkwardness that last night's development had brought about. And, even though the tension around the table could be cut with a knife, they both tried their best to sail past it with remarkable success.
They had already gone through the last piece of toast, when Lucifer glanced at his watch and let out a small sigh.
"Oh, dear! Look at the time!"
He downed the rest of his coffee in one long swig and excused himself. Whether his concern with being on time was genuine or a cunning way to extricate himself from Trixie's presence, Chloe couldn't really tell.
"I'll walk you out," she offered, hoping to have a brief word with him before he took off.
She followed him outside, not really sure of how to broach the subject. Perhaps she should just play it by ear, she thought as she closed the door behind her.
"Came out for a good-bye kiss, did you?" he grinned.
"Yes and no," Chloe answered.
Her tone had been more serious that she had aimed for, causing his smile to fade slightly.
"Alright," he murmured.
There was no easy way of bringing it up, so Chloe went straight for the kill.
"Why do you dislike Trixie so much?"
At that point, Lucifer's smile vanished completely. The question had obviously taken him by surprise. Judging by his hesitation, it appeared he didn't have an immediate answer for her.
"It's not really dislike, Detective," he said, visibly uncomfortable. "It's more of a phobia, really."
His blunt honesty was often misconstrued as rudeness, but Chloe knew him better than to take offense. Besides, it was better to bring these things out in the open rather than let them fester and later explode. Not that she had any idea how to respond to such an outlandish claim.
"A phobia," she mumbled, mostly to herself.
"An exaggerated, usually inexplicable or irrational fear," he clarified as if she didn't know the meaning of the word. The smug way he was looking at her led Chloe to believe he thought his answer had been satisfactory, no further explanation needed.
"I don't get it," she frowned. "She's my kid, Lucifer. It kind of hurts me when you react to her that way."
Obviously puzzled by her response, he cocked his head and regarded her quietly. To his credit, she could tell he was making a genuine effort to try and understand where she was coming from.
"It's not just about your spawn, Detective. Children in general creep me out."
"Yeah, but… why?!" she demanded, letting exasperation get the better of her.
She noticed how something clicked in his mind, as if he had just now realized how much the situation was affecting her. He quietly leaned against the railing and let out a lungful of air.
"I was the last of my kind," he began. "I guess my Father broke the mold when He created me, or so most of my siblings would tell you. So, as you can imagine, my childhood was relatively brief in the grand scheme of things. I don't really remember much of it. During my time in the Silver City, it was just us. Celestial beings. None of them children."
Chloe listened to his every word, her grip on reality faltering once again, though less so than before. Perhaps she was finally wrapping her brain around the whole supernatural deal. She noticed how, even though he tried to keep the tone light, there was a trace of that ancient pain still haunting him.
"I was cast out of there way before Earth was even created," he continued. "I'll spare you the grisly details but, as you can probably imagine, no children ever make it to hell. In fact, the first time I ever saw a child was during a brief trip back during the Neolithic. Eerie little fellow. Not many encounters after that, I'm afraid. Not up and close, anyway." He'd been focusing his gaze on the ground between them, whether it was to better gather his thoughts, or to avoid her intense stare, she couldn't be sure. After a long pause, he dragged his eyes up to her face. "What can I say? I can't help feeling jittery around them. To me, they look like mini-humans, way too hyper and completely unpredictable."
He didn't sound at all like the arrogant bastard Chloe had come to know and love. In fact, if she were to read between the lines, she'd say he sounded a little ashamed.
"She really likes you, you know," she told him quietly.
His gaze caressed her features tenderly. "Look, if it really means that much to you, I promise I'll try to conquer that fear," he said, looking unusually solemn. "Just… give me some time to get used to the little critter, okay?"
Lucifer offered her a hopeful smile that managed to disarm her. Chloe walked up to him and wrapped her arms around his torso, welcoming his embrace in turn. They had a long road ahead of them, but they would tackle the obstacles one step at a time, just like any normal couple.
It took all of Chloe's restraint not to sob at that thought.
Marge had been the secretary at Lincoln Elementary for over twenty-five years. She knew all the kids by name, remembered the birthdays of all members of the staff and janitorial services, and was probably the only person at the school who could match any child with their corresponding parent or legal guardian. She rarely called in sick, and often donated her vacation time to those who needed it more, claiming she'd rather be at the school than watching the People's Court at home. A widow going on ten years now, she was affectionately known as 'everyone's favorite grandma'.
She looked over the rim of her reading glasses to address the conventional looking blonde standing before her. As someone with limited sense of fashion, the secretary had little interest in personal accessories, so it irked her when people insisted on wearing sunglasses while indoors. The woman, however, was one of the more pleasant moms, and she'd always had a good rapport with her.
"What can I do for you, Ms. Malone?"
The blonde smiled briefly. "Soccer tryouts are today. I was asked to pick up Trixie Espinoza."
Marge studied her for a moment, sensing a strange vibe washing over her. She quickly dismissed it as nonsense, and reached for the clipboard across her desk.
"Oh, bless her!" Marge sighed. "I'm sure she'll do great. She's feisty that one!" Handing over the sign-out sheet, she watched as Cindy Malone signed her name above the "released to" line.
Not ten minutes later, the soccer mom was walking out of Lincoln Elementary holding Trixie by the hand.
"I didn't know there were soccer tryouts today," the girl said. "Is Denise going too?"
"No," Cindy replied in a strange monotone. "Just you."
They walked to the edge of the parking lot, where a tall woman awaited their arrival. She had olive skin and long dark hair that cascaded all the way down to her waist. Her dark, almond shaped eyes looked oddly familiar, to the point Trixie wondered if she might have met her before.
"Hello, little human!" The beautiful woman offered her the warmest of smiles. "I'm so glad to finally meet you!"
"Who are you?" Trixie asked, not really trusting her.
"My name is Cassiel," she replied.
Cindy remained still as a statue, unresponsive, as in a trance. Trixie looked up at her questioningly, but was unable to make eye contact.
"I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," the girl frowned feeling ill at ease.
"I'm not a stranger," Cassiel countered. "I'm Lucifer's sister. I came to take you to a very special place."
Trixie felt a chill running up her spine, and then her brain became foggy, unable to discern the physical world around her. She might have imagined Cassiel's embrace, she might have imagined the set of wings spreading widely outward, she might have imagined being lifted off the ground and carried through a strange tunnel of clouds.
She might have imagined it all…
[To Be Continued…]