Firmly gripping Trixie's hand, Chloe made her way through the church. Church. Was she going to have to start going to church? She had so many questions roiling in her brain that she was having a hard time focusing on just one. She detoured around a priest - looked like a nice enough guy, but he was honestly not the person she wanted to talk to just now - and in doing so nearly ran into Linda.

"Hey, there," Linda said brightly. "I was wondering where everyone went." Catching sight of Chloe's strained expression, she guided the detective and Trixie through the front door of the church, out of the crush of the crowd and into the cooler air outside. "What happened?" she asked, her expression concerned.

Trixie had gone along quietly with her mother, despite having seen another child come down the hall with what she was fairly certain was a chocolate cupcake, but could contain her excitement no longer. Breaking away from her mother, she asked gleefully, though at a relatively low volume, "Doctor Linda, did you know that Rae can fly?"

"Really?" Linda replied after the briefest of pauses and a darted glance to Chloe, almost sounding like she was humoring Trixie. "I didn't know that. How wonderful for her. That sounds like a lot of fun."

Chloe regarded Linda through narrowed eyes. She had been watching the therapist, and had noticed her reaction, slight as it was. "You know," she breathed.

"You know?" Linda gasped. "Chloe, when? How did you find out?"

"Just now," Chloe replied, still sounding a little stunned.

Linda exhaled a soft sound of surprise. "Okay, let's go back to your place," she said reassuringly. "Are you okay to drive?"

Chloe took a moment to consider her answer. "Yes," she said finally. "Yes, I'll be okay. Thanks, Linda."


Not much later, Chloe let Linda into her place. "The Christmas decorations seem... a little surreal, in light of all this," she admitted, indicating the tree and the stockings - including, at Trixie's insistence, one for Maze. Initially skeptical, the demon had acquiesced to the stocking when she'd learned that presents would be involved. Chloe hadn't commented when the red, fluffy stocking she had purchased had been replaced with a black leather one. Maze hadn't commented when Trixie had written MAZE on the stocking in silver puffy paint. Compromise.

"Right?" Linda agreed, as the pair moved to the couch. She hadn't realized how much she needed someone to confide in about their bizarre situation. Fortunately, she had discussed it all with Maze, and so wouldn't be breaching confidentiality. "I put up my tree last week and kind of had a moment." Looking over at Chloe, she added, "How's Trixie handling it?"

Chloe shook her head, her smile fond but a little disbelieving. "She thinks it's the best thing ever. I'm pretty sure I managed to convince her that asking Rae to come to school for show-and-tell was a bad idea. She's upstairs now."

"Ah, the resilience of the young," Linda observed, with a smile of her own. "And how are you? I have to ask... how did you find out?"

Chloe leaned back against the couch, her eyes closing. "I don't know, Linda. This is huge." She did not open her eyes as she continued speaking. "I found out because of the apple juice."

When Chloe didn't seem to be forthcoming with more information, Linda prompted, "Was there something... special about the juice? I mean, I've heard of holy water..."

"What? No." Chloe almost smiled. "It's just that Trixie drank so much of it. I was sure she wouldn't make it through the play, but she insisted on watching Rae. We slipped out during the carol-singing, and when we got to the bathroom, Rae was there. And she had wings." She opened her eyes and turned to Linda. "Actual wings. Not the ones from the play."

"Oh," Linda breathed, one hand lifting to her mouth for a moment. "Oh, she got her wings back. She must be so happy."

Looking puzzled, Chloe said, "Did she not always have wings? And... how is she a child, Linda?"

Shaking her head, Linda couldn't help but smile. "No, the wings are new, apparently. Well, not new new. She had them before she came to stay with Lucifer, but not when she got here. I'm not really sure why. As for how she's a child, well, she's not. She told me her father sent her here to learn humility and I suppose that being in a child's body is a quicker way to accomplish that."

"Her father," Chloe echoed. "I mean, I never believed in God. This feels so weird. I mean... he's real, right? He's Lucifer and Rae's father. Dear old Dad," she added, in a not particularly accurate mimicry of Lucifer's accent. "But it still doesn't feel real."

"Of course it doesn't," Linda replied gently. "Chloe, you just found out about all this. It's a little to take in."

Shaking her head, Chloe exhaled a soft, disbelieving breath. "This... guy that I've been thinking was a awful parent... is God. The God."

"And look at you," Linda encouraged. "Criticizing him, but not struck by lightning or anything." When Chloe turned to stare at her, Linda asked, "Too soon? Sorry." After a thoughtful pause, she added, "I keep thinking about that - what Lucifer has told us about his father doesn't really match up with how I've always thought about God."

Chloe nodded, clearly groping for words." I thought that God was supposed to be... nice. Or at least not a jerk. But the way he's treated Lucifer and Rae... "

Shifting back on the couch, Linda said, "So think about something your mother did that annoyed you." She knew Chloe well enough that she didn't have to ask if there was such an instance, and the detective soon made a small, impolite noise. "Would she describe that event the same way you would?" Seeing Chloe's eyebrows lift thoughtfully, Linda nodded. "They may be celestial beings, but they're also a family - and a pretty dysfunctional one, from the sounds of it. Not that I think Rae's lying, and I'm sure Lucifer isn't, but their father may have a different take on all this."

"Their father... God." With a slightly hysterical laugh, Chloe added, "Imagine that family therapy session."

"I don't have to," Linda replied, her brows arching meaningfully. "I mean, their father obviously hasn't shown up, not even their mother, but you would not believe some of the things that have happened in my office."

Chloe paused as she made the connection. "Their mother? I know Charlotte Richards is Rae's mom, but she's Lucifer's mother, too? And Amenadiel's?" Seeing Linda's nod, she frowned, her brows furrowing. "How is that even possible? Charlotte Richards... I mean, she used to be a cop before she was a lawyer. She has history here."

Linda smiled. She explained the situation with Lucifer's mother, talking Chloe through the takeover of Charlotte Richards' body and the sentence that Lucifer had imposed.

"Her poor family," Chloe murmured. "I mean, Charlotte's family. The actual Charlotte, not the... the Goddess. This has got to be so weird for them. But that explains why Lucifer kept insisting that he hadn't had sex with her."

"Right," Linda agreed, not bothering to hide her smile. She looked shrewdly at Chloe and suggested, "But we haven't really gotten to the elephant in the room, have we?"

Chloe didn't speak for a long moment. "No," she agreed finally. "It's Lucifer. If Rae is really an angel, then he's really the Devil, right? Linda, I'm friends with the Devil." Realization struck, and she turned wide-eyed to the therapist. "And you! You had sex with the Devil!"

For a moment, Linda's gaze went distant and reflective. She smiled. "Trust me," she said archly, "when I say that sex with the Devil is not a bad thing."

Chloe's eyebrows lifted and she didn't comment, though her cheeks went a little pink.

"But, really," Linda continued, her expression full of empathy, "he's still the same person - well, devil - that he always was."

After a moment, Chloe nodded. "He is," she agreed quietly, her expression thoughtful but still troubled. "And Maze... she's really a demon? Forged in the bowels of Hell? "

Linda nodded, with a fond smile for the mention of her friend. "She is, but, Chloe, she's come so far." She paused. "Not that I'm by any way an expert on this. I haven't met any other demons - well, that I know of - but I know I'd trust Maze with my life."

"I still can't - " Chloe began, sounding entirely disbelieving, "A demon. I live with a demon. I let her watch my daughter. I just really need my roommate to be somebody I can count on, and I can't believe I'm saying this, but I really can count on her. I mean, I don't think she's ever going to put dishes away without being threatened first, but I know she always has my back."

The two women talked long into the night, eventually making screwdrivers with the vodka that Linda had picked up on the way, anticipating that alcohol might come in handy. Feeling that forewarned was forearmed, Linda warned Chloe about Lucifer's other form. Chloe was somewhat dismayed, even when Linda assured her that, despite looking a little gruesome, Lucifer felt no pain. The conversation meandered as Chloe made new connections, and Linda was forthright and reassuring.

At the end of the evening, Linda took a Lyft home, promising to return the next day for her car. Chloe, after looking in on Trixie, collapsed into her bed, her head spinning with the alcohol and with everything she had learned. Blearily, she reached for her phone and scrolled through her contacts to find Lucifer's name. Trixie had at some point added a devil emoji, and Chloe smiled to see it, her thumb hovering over the screen. For all the information that Linda had given her, she knew she needed to talk to Lucifer. She took a deep breath, considering the phone for a moment longer, then pushed the power button, blanking the screen. She did need to talk with Lucifer, but tomorrow was soon enough.


Concurrently

Trixie paused outside her room, hearing a soft, familiar snicking sound from down the hallway. She turned and, seeing that Maze's door was open a crack, bounded to it and knocked. Her mother had told her - several times, actually - how important it was that she always, always knock before going into Maze's room.

"Who is it?"

"Maze, it's me!"

A pause. "Me who?"

"It's Trixie! Can I come in?"

The tip of one high-heeled boot worked its way in the small opening between the door and the doorjamb, then pulled the door open. "Come on, little human," Maze replied with a smile. She sat on her bed with an array of knives, sharpening one of them.

Trixie moved to lean against the edge of the bed, considering the knives with interest. Her mother had said to be very, very careful around Maze's knives. (Her mother tended to repeat words a lot where Maze was concerned.) "Hi!" she added brightly.

"You look particularly happy today," Maze observed, running the blade along the whetstone in smooth, easy strokes. "How come? Is there cake downstairs?"

"No," Trixie replied with a sigh, still lamenting the lost chocolate cupcake from St. Brennan's. "But I saw the play today, at Rae's church. It was really good."

After a derisive sound at the thought of the play - or anything at a church, really - bring good, Maze looked over with interest. "Did somebody get video? I told Linda..." Seeing the little girl's nod, Maze smirked, pleased. It was always good to have blackmail material. Azrael might be in a mortal body now, but that could change, and knowing that she could have dirt on the Angel of Death made Maze extremely happy.

But Trixie was still talking. "... and she has wings, Maze! She said she can fly, and it's so cool!"

The knife stopped its motion on the whetstone. Maze lifted her eyes to consider the excited little girl before her.

Trixie faltered. "You knew that, right? That Rae's an angel?" Her voice dropped to a whisper at the last word. "Mommy said don't just tell people, but you knew, right, Maze?"

"Yeah, kid," Maze replied after a moment. "I knew. So..." The demon cleared her throat. "So your mom knows, too?"

Trixie nodded, her eyes rounding. "She was surprised. She's downstairs talking to Doctor Linda."

Maze admired the little human's gift for understatement. Surprised. She just bet. "Good," she decided. "Linda will help." She started sharpening her knife again, the familiar motion soothing. Realizing that she was using too much pressure, Maze lightened her touch. Cocking an eyebrow at Trixie, she queried, her tone not quite casual enough, "So she just... told you she's an angel?"

Trixie shook her head, pigtails flying. "No. We went in the bathroom because I had too much apple juice, and Rae was there and she had these wings. Maze, they're so pretty!"

Maze huffed a short, derisive noise. "Of course it was apple juice. Can't get away from apples."

"Maze?"

The demon looked up, continuing the motion of knife on whetstone with ease. "Yeah?"

Almost, Trixie looked shy. "Are you an angel, too? "

Maze bit back her initial response, though her grip tightened for a moment on the knife. She didn't want to scare the kid, not when she was innocent of the insult she had given. Maze spoke carefully. "No, I'm something else. I'm a demon. It's the opposite of an angel. Kind of like how I like chocolate cake, and she likes vanilla."

Trixie considered the news for a moment and then nodded, apparently taking it in stride. She knew Maze, after all. "I don't know why everybody doesn't like chocolate best," she confided.

Maze smiled.

Trixie gestured to the whetstone. "Can I do that?"

Maze considered. It was a useful skill, really, one that every girl should know. The fact that it would tie Decker's panties in a knot was just a bonus. She patted the bed, indicating a closer spot. "C'mere. I'll show you."

Maze was not naturally a reflective individual. As she guided Trixie's hands, helping the little girl get just the right angle to put a keen edge on her blade, she couldn't help but think, just a little, on how her life had changed. Much as it still surprised her, some humans weren't awful. And if Lucifer's stupid little sister had messed everything up... well, there would have to be consequences.

Grinning up at Maze, Trixie got to her feet. "Thanks," the little girl said. She leaned in to hug Maze, then skipped to the door. "That was fun!"

"You're welcome, little human," Maze replied, with a distant smile of her own. She put away most of her knives, but took care to secret her Hell-forged blades in their usual spots, and to tuck another in the sheath in her boot. Slipping out of her room, she moved stealthily to the top of the stairs, where she could hear Chloe and Linda talking.

"I just," the detective began, sounding entirely disbelieving, "A demon. I live with a demon. I let her watch my daughter. I just really need my roommate to be somebody I can count on, and I can't -"

Right. A demon. Someone not to be counted on. Maze moved through the apartment, her supernatural speed ensuring that the two women didn't notice her presence. Time for consequences.


Author's note: This came in under the wire, as I leave for my trip in half an hour. ;) Hopefully I'll have some writing time this week.

As always, feedback is appreciated!