Author's note: Here is an exciting chapter just for you. Thanks to my wonderful Beta, Apparition, who took the time to correct it even though she was chocking under tons of works at school. You really are the best my friend! Now place to the story, enjoy!
They were all stunned into silence for a long moment, everyone eying the medallion warily and all reaching the same conclusion. It was Amenadiel who voiced the obvious.
"It must mean that «The Pieces» can open the Gates of Hell and with it the path that leads to Earth," he said, horror stricken.
When he saw that Lucifer had nothing else to add, the dark angel continued urgently.
"We must call Michael now and get rid of it before it gets into wrong hands! It could mean the end of humanity if we lose it!" Amenadiel's mind was whirling with the horrifying possibility.
Even though Amenadiel's words were not a surprise for anyone by then, the two humans of the group paled considerably at hearing them. The reality of the menace felt a little too much for them to handle.
Still thoughtful, Lucifer shook his head in negation. "Don't be too hasty Brother! I won't hand it to Michael before I fully understand what the threat is and how to avert it. Besides, I don't trust Michael, or anyone else for that matter, to protect it. If it got stolen once in Heaven who's to say it can't be stolen a second time? No, we need to find out more about it before deciding of a course of action."
Amenadiel nodded reluctantly. Even though he was feeling a visceral need to send that thing as far away from Earth as possible, he had to admit that Lucifer had a point. Furthermore, they were not even sure if another of their siblings hadn't given a hand into stealing «The Pieces» back in Heaven. He tried to calm his panic down a notch to think more clearly. Something about the medallion kept nagging at him as if it was very important that he remembered. He took another look at it and concentrated.
He shook his head softly, trying to process his thoughts. "There is something that I don't understand. That medallion's image seems familiar but it can't be from my seeing it on the Gates of Hell because I never took the time to really observe them. I was too busy guarding the Gates back then and being angry at you Brother for having to take up your duty. I must have seen it somewhere else and somehow, it seems like a more recent memory." Then it came back to him and his eyes grew wide in understanding.
"The books! I think I saw the image of that medallion in one of your books. I haven't had the time to read them all, by far, but I flipped through them at least once to help decide which ones to read first. I'm pretty sure I saw it in an old one written in Hebrew that was translated from Sumerian. If I'm right, there could be some information about what it can do and how it works."
Lucifer's face lit up. "That's quite unhoped-for! It's definitely worth looking into. Let's not waste any more time here and head back to Chloe's place right now. I want to get rid of that thing as much as you do, Brother.
Before leaving, Lucifer realised he still had to dispose of the two dead beasts. So Amenadiel dragged down the lifeless Hellhound they had left in the crypt above and Lucifer burned both hellish creatures to ashes.
At the last second, Chloe reminded her partner of making Doom use its glamour to hide its true nature. She had no idea what to expect of the outcome really, but it turned out that its hellish origins were efficiently masked, while at the same time keeping a strange similarity to its real appearance. Doom now looked like a huge wolf with just enough German Shepherd in it, or something similar, to make the wild edge seem somehow softer. All in all, the hound almost looked like a normal dog, except for its height that was still well over three feet at the shoulders, a quite uncommon trait among dogs. The biggest change though was definitely Dooms' eyes. They were now of a bright mixture of orange and yellow reflecting wildness along with a rare intelligence.
Chloe smiled in marvel at the changes and crouched in front of the hound to take its head between her hands. "Look at you Boy! You look gorgeous!"
At her warm comment, Doom made a low sound that she now associated with a chuckle. To her surprise, the hound licked the entire right side of her face in one go, leaving her drenched in drool. She giggled as she pushed its head away to make sure she would not suffer another attack of affection. Lucifer didn't seem to find it as funny though.
"Getting the big head now that you look cute?" Lucifer chastised it.
Doom obviously understood the reprimand because it turned its eyes down and away shamefully, fearing the Devil's wrath.
"Next time make sure to keep all of your drooling substances away from my mate will you? Am I making myself clear?" There definitely was a dangerous hedge to the Devil's words even though he said it without raising his voice.
"It's quite okay Lucifer! I don't mind that much." Actually, she would have preferred the affection without the slimy touch but she didn't like being the reason for Doom's reprimands.
"You'll have to learn to give it commands and boundaries Chloe, otherwise it won't be long before it tries to sleep in your bed. A Hellhound is already possessive enough of its charges, no need to encourage it even more." Lucifer sounded dead serious.
Chloe didn't want to argue with the Devil about Hellhound training, but she still had difficulty seeing what harm a little lick could do. So when Lucifer turned away to exit the crypt, she winked at Doom to let it know that she was not angry at its behaviour. To her greatest amazement, Doom winked back at her, seeming to sport a small grin at the corner of its mouth. Did she just imagine the wink? Somehow she didn't think so. A Hellhound really was nothing like a dog. It actually reminded her more of a teenager ready to push the boundaries at every opportunity. Maybe there was more wisdom in Lucifer's words than she had first thought. She was slowly realising that she would need to be more careful with how she treated the hound in the future to make sure not to spoil it.
They finally got out into the night, relishing in the smell of fresh air exempt of that dreadful touch of decay. Still on their guards, they reached the cars without any surprises and headed for Chloe's apartment.
Dan was in a near state of panic the whole time, jumping out of his skin at every sounds or shadows, then looking anxiously for possible pursuing cars. What was Vasariah waiting for to attack them? He figured out that the angel had probably been reluctant to face the Leech to get «The Piece», knowing that the beast was magically linked to Uriel and would then attack anyone coming close to the artefact. If he remembered well some of the things Lucifer said since he was in the know, an angel could teleport only one being at a time, which explained why Vasariah couldn't bring up on Earth a whole army of demons. So, it would probably have been a great risk for him to fight the Leech with only one demon by his side. And that was without forgetting that Lucifer could have possibly felt their presence before they reached their goal.
But what was preventing Vasariah from taking the opportunity now? He had no idea and that not knowing alone was eating him up. He would have liked to drive back with Chloe to make sure she'd be ok in case of a late attack, but suggesting it would have sounded illogical. Lucifer would obviously appear to be the best protector for her. So he settled for following close behind Chloe's and Lucifer's car, where Doom had also taken place, to make sure to intervene if she appeared to be in danger. He tried to reassure himself that nothing bad could happen to her since he had a deal with Vasariah to keep Chloe and their daughter unharmed.
Daniel felt a creeping fear invade his body and mind. Something was wrong and the worst was, deep down it felt like he always knew it would turn out badly. How could betraying your friends ever end well? He tried to remember the reasons that led him into this mess, but had a hard time focussing and thinking straight at first.
He remembered the overpowering fear he felt at the time when Vasariah showed him what would happen if he didn't work for the «good side», as he put it. There was also the horrifying new realisation that Lucifer really was the Devil and that he might have claimed Chloe's and Trixie's souls. Which was preposterous when you knew Lucifer and thought about it seriously for more than a few seconds. He also remembered his desperation to do everything in his power to protect Trixie and Chloe from getting hurt by Vasariah as well as by Lucifer. Strangely, even at the time, the idea of Lucifer harming Chloe and Beatrice had seemed farfetched.
Even though, somehow, all those feelings of fear and protectiveness had clouded his mind and apparently impaired his judgement. How could he have given trust in Vasariah's words and promises when his gusts told him he shouldn't? He had believed the angel when he assured him that «The Piece» was only a means to bring Lucifer back to Hell. Which was now obviously a lie, at least in part. At the time, Dan really believed that it would be best for everyone if the Devil returned to his rightful place, best for Chloe, for Trixie, for him, and for the world. Did he convinced himself of that or was it Vasariah who instilled in him that certainty? He couldn't be sure.
It was as if the angel had used his worst fears to his own advantage and twisted everything Dan had thought and believed in. And now, humanity was on the brink of an Apocalypse! And he was helping it to happen.
In a moment of clarity, he understood that the deal with Vasariah had been the worst decision he had ever made in his entire life and that he would regret it for the rest of his existence if he didn't do anything about it before it was too late.
He opened his mouth to confess everything to Amenadiel, who was driving beside him, but the words stayed stuck in his throat. Suddenly, he couldn't breathe anymore, feeling as if he was choking on the words he was desperately trying to spill out. A dizziness swept over him that he tried to fight with all his will, but to no avail apparently. However, after a few seconds that felt like an eternity, he realised that the less he was focusing on confessing, the more he was able to breathe.
So instead of strengthening his resolves to break his deal with Vasariah, he started convincing himself that it had been the right thing to do. After all, Vasariah was clearly very dangerous and would hurt his girls if he broke the deal. Furthermore, he had seen the Devil's real face in that cave and no one with a face like that could ever be good, right? Anyway, even if Lucifer truly was a good guy, he could never succeed in protecting Chloe and Trixie from Vasariah and his demons. Even though Dan had a hard time believing in his own reasoning, the thoughts allowed him to breathe more normally and soon, the dizziness lessened then disappeared entirely, leaving him breathless and totally dumfounded. What the hell was wrong with him?
"You ok man?"
"What?" Daniel was surprised to be able to utter a word.
"You look like you're about to faint!" Amenadiel sounded worried.
"I'm fine, really! It must be the adrenaline. I'm only human you know!" He tried to sound convincing.
The reminder of Daniel's human status and thus, of the enormity of the situation they were in for someone human, were enough to convince Amenadiel that it was all there was to it.
"I'm sorry Daniel, for everything you are going through. I tend to forget that all of this is new for you and Chloe. You are doing great by the way, everything considered. Just, try not to think too much about the weird stuff and just focus on the people we are trying to protect, which is what matters most in the end."
Yes, Amenadiel was right, he should focus more on making what's best for the ones he loved, no matter what. That thought lifted the last remnants of the strange weight pressing down on his torso. He felt like waking up from a dream in which memories were slowly fading. He could barely remember why he ever thought of breaking his deal with Vasariah.
Daniel forced a smile on his face. "Thank you man, I already feel better."
After that he safely turned his mind and gaze back to the car in front of them. Yet, his anxiety kept rising with each mile they made without seeing any sign of Vasariah, until they finally arrived at Chloe's place, all safe and sound.
They all came out of the cars, followed by Doom who was sniffing around curiously, and made it to Chloe's apartment's door. Maybe everything would turn out well after all mused Dan, who was finally feeling the tension ease from his shoulders.
He saw Chloe unlock and open the door, then his world came crashing down around him.
The apartment was mess!
More like a war zone. Every piece of furniture was either broken or tipped over, frames were on the floor and holes had been punched in the walls. But all of that barely registered in Daniel's foggy mind. All he had eyes for was Trixie's bedroom door pulled out of its hinges and lying about. All he could register was the silent darkness in his daughter's room.
No… This couldn't be happening!
Reality seemed to distance itself from him, like in a dream, a nightmare. Frozen into place, he couldn't move a muscle.
"Noooooooo!"
Mind blurring, he first thought that the scream had come from him. But no. He saw Chloe run to their daughter's bedroom and understood that the cries were coming from her. He could now hear her desperately calling Trixie's name over and over as she entered the room. But he couldn't hear any answer in return.
"This is all my fault!" He whispered, in a horrifying realisation.
Beside him, Lucifer turned to gaze coldly into his eyes, as if he'd just heard his softly spoken words and knew all about his deadly sins. The Devil didn't say anything though, and instead ran inside to go crouch beside what appeared to be the body of a woman sprawled face down in the middle of the devastated living room.
Maze's body. All bloody and unmoving.
Maze put down her glass of wine to angrily grip the remote and flip channels for what seemed to be the hundredth time in the last twenty minutes. She was bored and fuming! She was a demon damn it! Not a pathetic babysitter.
She whirled her dagger around in her other hand, to try and keep her body occupied and take the hedge away. She felt restless. She should be at the graveyard fighting hellish beasts and having fun instead of keeping an eye on the small human. She knew she loved the spawn as much as her demonic heart could allow and that she would do anything to keep her safe, but in this moment it was hard to remember.
They spent a quiet day of combat training like Trixie loved doing when her mother was not around to complain that it was not a proper activity for a kid. Trixie was improving quickly in her combat skills as well as in throwing and handling daggers. Maze was quite proud of her pupil. The kid could become a very deadly bounty hunter someday.
After ordering pizza, they passed the evening playing board games while Maze did her best to stay patient in answering all kinds of questions the kid had about angels and demons, Heaven and Hell, and supernatural stuff. With everything that was happening, Maze thought that the spawn deserved answers. Chloe would certainly not agree with her though, which was probably why Trixie only took the opportunity to ask now and not when her mother was around.
The constant chatting of Trixie had partly succeeded in taking her mind away from her frustration of being stuck here, but now that the kid was sound asleep in her bed, Maze was way too much aware of the turmoil in her body and mind. The new hole above the television where her second dagger was still embedded was a proof of that. She would need Trixie to draw another picture to hide it. Decker would not be very happy about it. Maze contemplated the idea of making a few more holes to accompany this one. Maybe if she created a nice pattern her roommate would not complain that much…
She was already thinking of a pattern when she felt a strange chill crawl up her arms. In a fraction of a second, she was up and in combat stance, dagger at the ready. Her first reflex was to face the back door but she realised quickly that the supernatural vibes were coming from inside the apartment. She turned to her right in time to see Trixie's bedroom door slide open to reveal a tall figure.
Lilim!
Her fear for the little one kept her from wondering how the demon could have ended up in there without being seen.
"What did you do?" She hissed dangerously.
Lilim walked a couple feet away from the door frame and stopped in front of it, efficiently blocking the way. She displayed that devious little smile of hers, seemingly way too pleased with herself, while she made a show of whirling her two demonic daggers around. Maze was a little relieved to see no blood on the blades.
"Look at yourself Mazikeen, not only are you obviously caring for the detective, but for her offspring too. Tss! Tss! Don't tell me you would fight me over a small human?"
"If you hurt her, you're dead!" She threatened with venom in her voice.
She was walking warily towards Lilim in the hope of taking a peek inside the bedroom to make sure Trixie were okay. But she didn't have the right angle to see the bed and it was too dark inside to see very far anyway. She was afraid to call Trixie and wake her up if she were still asleep.
She thought she saw a movement inside Trixie's room and realised at the same time that Lilim was stalling her. She also understood in that instant what was strange about the supernatural vibes she was feeling. There was both demonic and angelic energies mixt together, which made it hard to recognise and even pinpoint. At lightning speed, she ran into Lilim and tackled her backwards against the half-opened door, taking it down with them as they landed into the bedroom.
Maze lifted her head just in time to see an angel, with his white wings folded on his back, disappear with an unconscious Trixie in his arms.
A growl escaped her throat that rolled like a thunder. "Nooooooooooo!"
The painful desperation she felt in that instant crushed her from the inside. The feeling was one she had never experienced before and never even imagined could exist.
The pain was just unbearable!
Not even the pain of a dagger piercing suddenly her left flank could compare to the pain of having failed her little friend.
"That was easy! You lost your edge? Mazikeen," purred the demon under her.
Lilim pulled out the dagger and without a doubt was ready to plunge it again in Maze's belly. But Mazikeen wasn't distracted anymore and would not let the demon get under her skin with her teasing. Oh, no! She was much focused now. Focused on killing the bitch who helped kidnap her friend.
So Maze ignored the comment and in a swift movement rolled away from her. She was back on her feet an instant before Lilim. She knew she needed her second dagger to stand a chance against the demon so she used the little time she had before the other woman was fully back on her feet to rush out of the room and run towards the dagger that still protruded from the living room's wall.
Hearing the demon in pursuit close behind her, she jumped over the couch and reached the weapon just in time to turn and block both of Lilim's daggers that were aiming at her throat.
Lilim grinned at her viciously, but Maze made her swallow back that grin with a rapid knee kick to the stomach. It took the red demon's breath away for a second, which allowed Maze to headbutt her then push her away with a strong front kick in the middle of her chest. Lilim was forcefully thrown against the couch that toppled over with her. She was back on her feet in an instant, clearly pissed off.
"Maybe I didn't lose that much edge after all!" Mocked Maze with her most demonic smile. Her injured flank hurt her but she pushed it out of her mind. Nothing would stop her from taking that bitch down.
Maze waited for the next attack that came almost immediately. They exchanged a long series of stabs, kicks, and grabs without any of them succeeding at really harming the other or at taking the upper hand, both countering the other one's attacks efficiently every time. They threw each other around against the walls and the furniture, properly destroying the living room in the process. The coffee table got smashed to pieces, the couch was sliced up in many places, and the walls got indented a few times from kicks, punches, and bodies violently thrown against them. The fight slowly moved to the dining room where they now stood panting, a few feet apart, and facing each other with snarls worthy of the demons they were.
The two adversaries had always been of even strength in their combat skills and they both knew it. Things had not changed that much apparently. The fight was clearly promising to be a long one. That is, as long as Maze didn't bleed to death before the end…
Lilim backed off a few paces and raised her hands to stop Maze from attacking again.
"There is no need for us to fight, Sister. I have no grudge against you. It's not too late for you to join us. Come back to the fold and forget about those stupid humans. You are worth a lot more than them, Mazikeen."
"I am not your sister anymore! It is they who are worth much more than the likes of you, Lilim. And I am going to kill you for hurting the little one."
"Who talked about hurting her? You don't get it do you? She is worth a lot more alive than dead, for the time being at least."
Maze lowered her daggers. She needed to make sure that the kid was alright. Maybe she could even discover some important pieces of information if she let her talk. Lilim had always liked to show off and talk more than necessary. She could use that to her advantage and also take the opportunity to recuperate a bit. Her blood loss was starting to take its toll on her. She was not about to let that show to her enemy though.
"What do you want with the spawn?"
"Isn't it obvious? She is a bargaining chip! «The Piece», in exchange for the girl. No need for us to harm her if you don't give us reasons to." The red head also lowered her daggers slowly, trying to prove she didn't mean her any harm in the end.
"Do you really think Lucifer will fall for that? He'll never accept such a deal. «The Piece» is too important."
Lilim laughed with a clear voice. "Hooo! I think he will! He is way too bewitched with the mother to risk losing the child, and we both know that deep down, Lucifer doesn't care much about humanity. All that ever mattered to him are his own desires. Believe me, he will accept that deal!"
Worst thing was, Maze knew the bitch was right, Lucifer would never let any harm come to Trixie, whatever the cost. They were doomed!
"Maybe… But you won't be alive to see it happen, Lilim. I promise you that!"
With a scream of rage, Maze launched herself into a rapid succession of attacks that hit target a couple times, slicing open Lilim's right arm and giving her a deep cut at the base of the neck. With a well-aimed kick, Lilim sent her crashing against the kitchen table that got smashed into pieces. Taking advantage of the small respite, Lilim reached up to touch her opened neck. When her fingers came back drenched in blood, she snarled like a dangerous animal and shifted her face to her demonic one.
There was nothing left of her beautiful appearance. She still had some tufts of red hair here and there, but her face was almost entirely devoid of flesh, leaving in its place a nightmarish sight of muscles and tendons, and a grin full of sharp teeth. Only her green sparkling eyes remained the same.
"You're gonna pay for that, Mazie! You had your chance to make the right decision. Too bad, we could have had some fun together, like old times. Now, time's up! You're as good as dead!"
"We'll see about that!"
Now back on her feet, Maze didn't wait for the bitch to corner her in the dining room and instead attacked first to bring the fight back to the living room where there was more space. Lilim was now losing even more blood with her neck wound than Maze was and the effect was starting to show in the red demon's speed of attacks. Maze managed to give her a few more cuts over the arms and torso in the next few minutes of fight, but received a few in return.
They ended up in a heap on the ground, rustling together to get the top position. Maze pried away one of Lilim's daggers and pushed it out of reach. She got punched in the face in return by Lilim's now empty fist. Using the momentum of Lilim's punch, Maze rolled over and pinned the demon down on the floor.
Maze was tempted to brag, of course, but she was too blood thirsty at the moment to indulge in it. She only had one real goal; kill Lilim for taking the little one. Using a breach in her adversary's guard as she struggled to get free from underneath her, Maze plunged one of her daggers into Lilim's guts, and twisted.
She would always gleefully remember the pure look of fear and consternation in Lilim's green eyes, and cherish that memory for eternity.
Well…, maybe not for eternity! She mused, while looking down at the mirroring dagger also protruding from her own guts.
She heard and saw Lilim chuckle faintly before the light went out of her emerald eyes.
At least, she guessed that the last thing Lilim had seen in her own eyes was more surprise than fear, for Mazikeen was not afraid of death. What she was most afraid of, now that she was feeling the life pouring out of her, was to never be able to save Trixie.
Her little friend's safety was the only thought on her mind as she crawled away from Lilim and fell into the dark abysses of unconsciousness.
Author's note: I know, this is horrible to leave it like that! Yet, it's can't be worse than that damn cliffhanger the show left us in. And to think that it could be the end of that amazing show… makes me want to cry! At least I still have that story, and my other ones, to make it better. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please let me know, it will put back a smile on my face. Thank you for following this story!