Chloe found herself repeating her question as her brain refused to compute what, or who, was standing in front of her. "Lucifer?"
She wanted to fly into his arms but stood still, almost not believing what she was seeing as her eyes ran up and down his suited form. He was dressed just as smart as he ever was; his usual dapper self, but despite it being a quiet morning, there were still too many people about for her to react with such a show of emotion. There were too many people passing judgment on where the consultant had gone this time too.
"Only me, Detective" he smiled, watching her keeping the desk between them but her eyes were flying around the room at anyone who might be watching. She felt blood rushing around her body and as she blinked again, Chloe could feel herself slowly starting to drift and separate from herself, feeling her body almost start to lift and lighten.
"Hi..." she said her voice higher that she perhaps expected it to be and she coughed trying to gain some semblance of control over her rapidly beating heart. "Hi...You're back then" Chloe whispered trying to play it cool, like he was just their civilian consultant turning back up again but he could see she was antsy. He was too. "How's your family?" Chloe asked, voice still slightly raised to anyone that might just be looking. This was her ruse after all that he had gone back again for 'still more family trouble'.
"Erm..." Lucifer started, smiling politely at a colleague who gently slapped him on the arm and whispered a 'good to see you man'. "I rather think it might be resolved", he offered cautiously but saw a light in her eyes that she tried and failed to control.
Chloe swallowed as expectation bubbled up inside her. That could go one of two ways. "Is this it? For good?" she asked, until she saw him take a pace closer to her desk, wary of thinking that they might finally have a chance. She could feel her cheeks were pink, burning.
He dodged the question though. "We are both back", he began quietly. "Me and Amenediel have come back".
"What?" Chloe asked, fingertips tapping nervously on her desk; still forming an unconscious barrier between them but she was rooted to the spot. "Where is he?" She was still not sure how she felt about his brother even now all these weeks had passed by.
"I sent him to the good doctor. Where else?" Lucifer smiled, trying to break the frankly strange mood that has descended between the two of them; this need to just hold her but tempered by the fact he probably should have gone to the house tonight rather than the station for their reunion. He could not wait though as this desperation to just see her took his feet towards her workplace instead.
"You sent him?" Chloe asked frowning. She had picked up his emphasis and she would admit it was an odd turn of phrase. What in God's na...what had gone on now?
"Yes, I erm..." Lucifer was frowning, standing even closer to her now and mirroring her pose; arms outstretched and fingertips too tapping on the desk. "I wonder Detective, can we go somewhere else and talk about this?" His eyes were pleading with her and he swallowed nervously. "Do you have any appointments today or a new stiff to start the day?"
Chloe stopped herself telling him off for using the word 'stiff' to describe a corpse and she did not hear the very slight innuendo in his tone. She did have to spend some time away from the station today as it happened so it was, well, ideal. "I've got to go and see a witness", Chloe began, knowing she would be leaving too early for a ten o'clock appointment but it might give them the chance to talk on the way. She could see he was as anticipatory as she was but this was just weird. "Why don't you come out there with me? Help me out?"
"Yes of course", Lucifer smiled, clasping his hands together and nodding far too furiously. "Excellent idea, Detective. We can catch up on the way". He was trying to sound casual too but he knew he was failing miserably as she picked up her keys and bag. He followed close on her heels. As well as Amenediel, having found out Michael had already been delivered to Hell and still with no proper word of Eve, Lucifer had travelled with his father. He had left him at Lux with an incredibly annoyed Maze.
"You are the only person I can trust Mazey" he had pleaded as he had propelled the demon into his dressing room; his father out on the balcony so he would not overhear them. "You have to keep him here until I can warn Chloe he's down here with me..."
Maze had sighed. Loudly, and with little disguise of the contempt she felt towards his father, she had agreed after some persuasion. She had been downstairs in the bar when they had arrived and it took all her might not to kick the pair of them straight back out again. God, Angel, whatever! Her first question caused Lucifer to roll his eyes. "Can I torture him?"
"No Maze" he'd replied quickly.
"Go on please" she had asked. "Just a little bit...your Detective's spawn helped me choose a new knife...!"
"No!"
By the time Chloe and Lucifer had made it to the car park he noticed she was driving a different car; a brand new black and rather dominating SUV. "The other ones in the shop" she started. She did not have to read his mind; the slight look of panic on his face at the change said it all. "Blown exhaust yesterday so its only temporary". It was a shame actually; she liked this car.
Lucifer nodded. Why he was suddenly so twitchy with the simple change of her driving a new car, even if it was for a few days, he would never know but could probably guess. He watched her as she fished the keys out of her pocket. It was as though she was moving in slow motion and he stepped closer to her back, crowding her space as a warm hand arrived on her hip, thumb moving in a circle; something just driving him blindly to touch her. "Luce?" she asked curiously as she turned around, feeling his grip on her. He was still silent, yet the next thing she felt was his hand on her neck and his mouth on hers; almost violently but with a desperation she had not felt before, forcing her lips apart as he almost devoured her. He could have his moments, when he got a little carried away where he had been a perhaps a touch rough with her in his keenness before, but he was the Devil after all. He wasn't hurting her by any means but Chloe was surprised at just how intense this kiss was. Her hands hovered in mind air as it took a moment for her brain to catch up with what he was doing, before she found herself throwing her arms around his neck and letting him take her over.
"Fuck..." he breathed through the kiss as the quietest of sighs slipped out of her. "I missed you so much. So, so much". He heard her whine and felt a push to his chest. Lucifer quickly broke away. "Sorry..."
"Don't be sorry" Chloe breathed as she bit her lip, quickly checking that no-one was in sight at this very public display of his affection towards her. "You should go away more..." she started, looking at him from under her eyelashes, before she saw a flash of horror on his face. "No, no... I didn't mean that...I didn't mean that!" Chloe pleaded, her hand over her mouth appalled at her own words.
"I know what you meant", he smiled, removing the offending appendage. He couldn't help himself, that need to be closer to her was overwhelming. "What day is it?"
"February nineteen. Friday", Chloe responded, feeling his palms creep up to her jaw again, leaning towards her. "Luce no, stop it", she whispered. He felt a more forceful push on his chest. "Do what you like when we get home but not here". He nodded carefully and opened up the car door for her and she slid in trying to dampen down the fire that had reared its head by that kiss.
The drive was quiet, edged with a tension that neither wanted to put a name to. It wasn't an overspill of the kiss, although that still lingered, it was the question she had asked at the station. "Is this it? For good?"
Lucifer started to recognise some of the streets and houses as she drove and realised, almost too late, that she had pulled into her own drive. He looked at her with a confused expression. "I thought we were going to interview a witness, Detective?"
"We are" she replied, killing the engine. "He lives over the street, just at the bottom" she started, gesturing towards the way the house was much closer to the beach. "Easy place to park" she shrugged. "I thought we could go and see him and then come back here to have something for lunch". It sounded innocent. It could be innocent but Chloe was out of the car before he had a moment to ask.
The witness, an acne-ridden 18 year old trainee chef called Lewis, was actually more use than Chloe expected and from that she had managed to build up quite a good picture of their suspect. She had noticed Lucifer was quiet throughout the whole interview, not even trying to chip in and the mojo was well and truly absent. It filled her heart with dread; this absence of commentary from him that she had got so used to. Maybe he wasn't back permanently. Maybe this was just a visit.
They had walked from the witnesses' house back to hers in that strange silence again but Lucifer finally spoke when the front door was closed. "Where's Raphie?" he asked, eyes wandering around the room, trying to remember each book, each picture of the urchin and the smell of bacon and egg.
"Gone" Chloe replied, dropping her phone and keys onto the breakfast bar before she turned back to him.
"He left you alone?" Lucifer replied sternly as his head shot around to her. "I told him. I told him to..."
"He had other things to do Luce" she offered with a shrug. "It's fine..." It wasn't but Chloe wasn't particularly interested in his brother. She looked up and he was frowning. "Luce...don't just stand there like a statue..." she offered, regarding him as he stood stock still. She had to break this odd feeling between them.
"Hmmm?" he asked, finally focussing on her properly.
"I said don't stand there like a statue", Chloe repeated walking over to him and winding her arms under his and around his waist. She saw the side of Lucifer's mouth turn up in a smile and the next thing Chloe felt was her back hit the wall just by the stairs; his lips buried in her neck. She giggled at the ticklish feel of his breath on her skin. "I missed you so much..." she breathed feeling the weight of his body against her and yes, she had missed him so very much.
"I too Detective", he replied, muffled by her hair and half distracted, but realising that he had to tell her sooner or later about the time bomb ticking at Lux. Assuming Maze hadn't taken to knife throwing practice."I erm...I brought someone back with me that wants to meet you".
"Oh who?" Chloe asked, her head flopping back against the wall so he had better access to her skin.
"Dad" he offered. There was no other way of saying it so he said it
Chloe blinked as her brain short circuited and he felt her straighten up. "Your Dad? As in...?" she swallowed, taking her hand from his bicep and pointing upwards. "God...wants to meet me?" She had maybe expected another brother or sister but not this.
"Yeah" Lucifer responded, going for the buttons on her shirt, popping a few and despite what he had just said, she let him carry on. She was calm about it. Too calm as though she had slipped into some kind of shock for a minute or two.
"Well", she choked pushing his jacket off his shoulders, hearing it hit the floor."You met my Mom so and I've met your Mom –sort of - so I guess your Dad is next and God is supposed to walk amongst us, isn't he?" She looked up at him with wide blue-green eyes.
Lucifer laughed; well more like he snorted. "How true my darling" he responded, "but...well, it's okay?" He had stopped pulling her shirt out of her waistband so he could look her in the eye. "I'd admit it would be surreal to meet someone who two years ago you didn't believe in so you can refuse. If you don't want to, or if you are well, overwhelmed by it you can say no" he insisted, rubbing his thumbs over her sides.
"I'm not going to say no" Chloe smiled before her face fell serious. Her curiosity was peaking and that anger she felt towards his father was biting closely at its heels. "Luce, I want you back here permanently not flitting off all around the place and its time someone told him to stop playing games with his son!" Lucifer laughed at the fearless creature in front of him; her hiccuping and laughing too at the same time. "So when do I meet him? He's not coming here is he?" Now that particular thought made her panic.
"No", he replied, pulling her shirt finally free of her jeans; getting back to his task. "He's at Lux with Maze". He was about to dive for her again, when her hands felt onto his to still him.
"You left a demon in charge of God?!" she exclaimed, wondering how on earth...actually no, that's just what Lucifer would do!
"Yeah!" Lucifer responded with a devious smile. "I thought it would be good...for sport you know". Chloe laughed and shook her head and he took it that she wasn't going to say anything more."Excellent Detective..." he breathed. " Do you know I will make a devil worshipper of you yet"
"Oh, trust me, Satan. I'm a devil worshipper already". Chloe swore under her breath as his eyes flashed scarlet before his mouth slid down and attached to the valley between her breasts. He felt her palm land with gentle thump on the back of his head as he took handfuls of her hips, massaging that little bit of padding she had got back now she was eating properly. Well most of the time. "Luce?" She heard some kind of muffled response that could have been a 'yeah' until she spoke again. "Not here. Come to bed", she purred before he raised his head.
"Your offspring", he started, it springing in his mind whether they might be interrupted. "Where is she?"
"School" Chloe replied, yanking his belt from his trousers. "We had a fight. She's thinks she's staying with Dan another night but he's got a date with Ella tonight so she's got me whether she likes it or not". All he heard was the 'whip' of the leather of his belt as she fought it free. He, however, pulled away from her and she read the look on his face. "Yeah a fight. A doozy too" Chloe continued, watching her own hands as she worked on his trousers. "She hates me for you going now. Blames me".
He frowned, suddenly distracted from her and he stilled her hands. "Do you want me to speak to her?"
"What about your Dad?" she asked, blinking up at him as her concentration was broken.
"He can wait. I will inform her I will collect her from school tonight. She and I will talk and I am sure there is some stocktaking Maze will have left behind that will keep her occupied for a while" Lucifer replied his mind made up and nobody was going to sway him.
"There are rules about child labor" Chloe responded, as he picked her up, legs wrapped around his waist as he started some random dance around the living room spinning her as she felt almost weightless. She had longed for this.
"I am not sending her down a coal mine Detective" he replied bluntly, stopping at the side of the couch. "Until you return from work I will take her to Lux and will bring her back here contrite and apologetic for upsetting you and she will be filled full of strawberry milkshakes and chocolate cake". The look of absolute horror on her face was enough. "I was joking Detective. Banana milkshakes".
Chloe just tutted. "What about your Dad?" She knew she was repeating herself. "Won't he be there?"
Lucifer smiled slyly. "Of course he will be", he responded, eyes brightening as he lay her down on the settee, kneeling to follow her. "Your offspring and my Dad in the same room..."
"You daren't ..." She sighed as he settled down on top of her, dotting kisses to her forehead, cheekbones, jaw, anywhere he could reach. "I mean I know Trix would love it to meet your Dad. Actually I retract that. Her feelings towards your Dad are about the same as mine but even if I said no, she would take no notice of me anyway. Not right now". She thought for a second breathing through these sensations he was creating. "Maybe don't. Bring him here instead."
He kissed her on the cheek, nuzzling his way now along her jaw. "Very well". He paused for second. "There is still something else".
"Oh?" It was more curious than wary. Nothing could be worse than God wanting to meet you. She was far too interested in the warm palm that was sitting on her ribs.
"I met your Dad as well" he responded. Immediately Chloe felt tears spring to her eyes and her body relaxed. Of course he did, just like Amenediel had too. He wouldn't say that just to please or appease her. "He told me to tell you he loves you and he said he is still looking after his precious apple blossom in his own way". Chloe's face crumbled and pressing her palms to her cheeks her whole body started shaking. Blindly Lucifer sat up and scooped her up in his arms."I didn't mean to upset you. I thought you'd be happy". Human emotions still confused him and he has so much to learn.
"You haven't and I am" she mumbled into his chest before she swallowed back her sudden emotion. "Dad always said whatever happened to him, with the job being dangerous, he would always find a way to look after me. In his own way. Those were his words. I don't think he called me apple blossom after I was about 6". She let out a watery laugh as his arms tightened around her shoulders. Now she knew he had met him. Apple blossom. He could never have known that.
"And he knows I love you with all my stone cold heart and I will look after you" Lucifer stated. Maybe that was it. Maybe that was one of the reasons her Dad had been so accepting of him. She had the devil on her side.
Chloe laughed before it dissolved into a puff of air as he grabbed her left thigh and hiked her properly onto his lap. "Did you hear me trying to communicate with you?" she asked, going for the collar of his purple shirt and forgetting her temporary breakdown.
"I did hear you" he replied, shifting her so she was tighter against him even more and diving for her neck again as his body started to gently hum at the presence of her warmth. "It was like... some of it was like radio static. I caught some of it though. That disc was a good idea, no?"
"Perfect idea" she sighed, almost forgetting what it had been like these past weeks to be like this, kissing him, holding him. "What did you get?"
"Enough to understand what you were up to" he replied, mouth still roaming wherever he could uncover skin. "Firearms training, cheesecake with Daniel and I miss you..."
"I did miss you and I will keep telling you that until you believe me" Chloe replied, letting him take off her shirt from her shoulders before it was flung to the floor. Something in the back of her mind registered her mismatched underwear. Oh well...It wasn't as though she had been expecting him, not that he cared.
"I know you did and I you, Detect..." The word was lost as she slid a hand between the two of them, rubbing the front of his zipper and letting out a moan of appreciation as to what she found.
"It helped me" she offered. Her lips were on his neck now; hair draped over his face, feeling how warm she was. "Until Raphie took it off me..." Chloe offered casually, shifting to his jaw, feeling a few days stubble under her lips.
"Bloody do gooder that brother of mine" he muttered, popping the button on her jeans hearing her laugh somewhere near his ear. She wasn't going to ruin the moment by telling him she was starting to slip again. Maybe she might never need to.
Whilst one reunion was going on in one part of town, and rather well if the parties might say so, the other one was, well, at best interesting and Amenediel was tense.
"You have to go and rule Hell?" Linda stammered, trying to keep her voice level and calm but inside there was such a mix of anger and fear that she did not know where one started and the other ended. "Now I know why Lucifer railed against his father so much", she added. A lot made sense these past weeks as she had spent more and more time with Chloe and more and more time understanding how the other woman truly felt.
"Not rule" Amenediel clarified as he sat straight backed on a single dining chair wondering if he was welcome. She had hugged him when she answered the door but their son was clearly unsure, looking at him like some kind of stranger. "Luci still does that, but I have to guard it for him".
"Until you repent..." Linda responded, pacing the floor now with Charlie asleep on her shoulder. She had still not handed him to his father and Amenediel was not convinced he could ask even though the boy had smiled at him eventually and babbled nonsense.
"I have repented". The pain in the angel's voice was obvious. "I need to apologise to Chloe again and again and if she will see it in her heart to forgive me but I have to win back my father's trust too". He swallowed, watching her spinning on her heels. "Yours as well".
"Why did you do it?!" Linda sighed heavily, sitting down with an exasperated thump and rearranging her son on her knee. "Why did you even think of it?!"
"Because I thought it was what Father wanted" Amenediel responded, rubbing his palms over his face, so frustrated and angry with himself. "Luci had to go back to Hell and I thought it was the only way – to separate him from Chloe so he would have to leave Earth".
"By getting her and Trixie killed?!" Linda shook her head in despair. Did she know this person at all? Was he so blind as to follow his Father's will, no matter who might get hurt in the process?
"I am no son to my father and I am no father to Charlie" he said. "That's why he took my wings away. Linda I am truly sorry. For it all. It was so very, very wrong". He saw her expression harden even more. "I don't when I am meant to go". He shook his head, arms aching to hold the child who was starting to stir. "Luci seems to think he had a way around it and I want to be here for Charlie...and for you", he added, wondering how that would be taken and he did see a twitch on her face.
"And he hasn't sought to share this information yet?" Linda asked, seeing him shake his head. Lucifer had been quiet on their return at best. "Well, its time he did". She got up and passed the now wide awake child to his father at last. It was like he was home. He understood Luci'ss need now than ever before.
Chloe had left the Devil himself in an extra long shower and was tidying downstairs making it look like they at least just hadn't had sex on the couch, but a knock on the door disturbed her. She frowned and pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear; its damp ends wrapped up in a bun. She wasn't expecting any parcels and normally she would be in the station or on the road now. Her cell had also been silent for a while so it wouldn't be Dan or work; both of them would have called first. Hoping she didn't look as ravaged as she felt, Chloe opened the door finding Linda and a contrite looking Amenediel standing behind her with Charlie in his arms.
"Is he here?" Linda asked, in no mood for pleasantries but seeing a brief look of confusion on the Detective's face.
"Sorry" Amenediel stepped in, cautious as to how his presence might be taken. "Chloe, is Luci here? We need to speak to him if you don't mind?"
"He is" she replied, opening the door further to let them in but her voice was tight. Chloe gestured towards the couch, not thinking, before she shot upstairs to find Lucifer who followed her back downstairs, dressed but hair still soaking from the shower. Under some duress he had outlined his plan; his 'loophole' as the two couples sat in some kind of summit.
"Father never said how I was to rule," he started, sitting elbows on his knees and tapping his fingertips together. Chloe was beside him, her hand on his back, over where his wing scars once stood. "He never said what I was to actually do with you and Michael. Just that you two would act as my guardians and spend a sentence in Hell. As far as I am concerned, Michael can stay in Hell until kingdom come." He saw his brother nod. Amenediel could not disagree with that regardless. "I couldn't give a toss about him but I have a nephew who should have a father. So I can do with you brother what I wish".
Amenediel nodded, unsure what his brother's words truly meant. They had such fights, even not so long ago, and been so much at odds that Luci could well exact all kinds upon him with that level of control. His honour, however, meant that Amenediel would take whatever was handed to him.
Lucifer swallowed, feeling Chloe's hand washing up and down his back and it was soothing him. "I wish to join Chloe full time at work if she will have me". He took her spare hand and threw a glance at her. It was something they had not talked about but Chloe was finding she was not immediately adverse to the idea, subject to a few conditions of course. "I also need someone to oversee Lux whilst I am otherwise engaged".
"What about Maze?" Linda asked.
"She will be free to do as she wishes and I am going to release her from her subservience to me unless she wishes to stay that way" Lucifer began. "All decisions will still be made by me mark my words, but you brother well, frankly, you need a job". Amenediel smiled. He had a point. "The way I see it is you will be assisting me in taking care of Lux so I will be able to work as Father wants me to do up here and down there too".
"But, what about Hell?" Amenediel asked. "That was my sentence".
"What was your personal Hell when you first arrived?" Lucifer asked, Chloe wondering where he was going with this.
"Humanity, your excess, Lux...Oh..." Amenediel responded, until a thought struck. "But, well, humanity does not grate on me as much as it did. I have seen its worthiness, Luci". He shook his head. "I don't think this will work"
"And Hell is your Hell", Lucifer stated. Stated the obvious actually. Amenediel nodded cautiously. Hell is my Hell. Any time I spend there will feel like...well, Hell and may be punishment enough. "Father and I talked a lot whilst I was there. He has fully restored my powers. He endorses it" Lucifer concluded.
"What?" It was the first word Chloe had said since the other couple had arrived.
"In a way. Look", Lucifer started quickly before she could ask more. "He realises what I can do here, you and Michael have been sentenced to be guardians of Hell under my command but Father never said to me how I would do that. As long as I well, behave myself, I will have that omnipotent power. I am restricting Michael to Hell, you will look after Lux for me and travel to Hell with me where you will spend a portion of that time carrying out my wishes there and you will then return with me here. Here I can work with Chloe, you can provide for your son and seek forgiveness from all you need to here too".
"I have to ask one thing first" Amenediel started, looking at Chloe who was feeling more uncomfortable as each second went by. He addressed the woman to Lucifer's side. "Chloe?" Her head shot up. "Can you forgive me for bringing Malcolm back? If you can't my obligation is that I go to Hell permanently to repent regardless of Luci's plan".
Chloe sighed. She could forgive him. One day but certainly not now. She chose her words carefully. "Charlie needs his father. I know what it's like to bring up a child virtually on my own". She looked at Linda who nodded carefully. She knew where Chloe was going with this. "We can work at it, yes?"
After reaching some kind of agreement, Chloe and Lucifer were left alone. She still had her doubts that his plan would work. "Can you do it?" she asked him the second she shut the door. He was standing in the kitchen, putting coffee grounds into cups for them.
"Behave myself?" he asked, wearing what was definitely a devilish smile. Chloe nodded and walked to his side, leaning on the work top. "I want to" he continued. That was the first place to start, wasn't it? "And you are going to keep me to my best behaviour aren't you?" Yes that smile was back as his eyes flashed scarlet again for a brief second. Chloe smiled and shook her head. He was actually getting a kick out of this, that was clear. "Detective" he started, facing her properly. "Being with you, my sanctimonious brother having to ask me every time he makes a decision about Lux whilst I simply enjoy it, Michael jammed in Hell. Of course. I am doing all Dad wanted, but yes I do appreciate its open to interpretation but you know me, Detective...
"And you are going to come out on top again, right?" she asked. Chloe had stepped closer now and pressed a kiss to his bicep. "And before you say it, and I know you never mentioned it to me, but I do want you to work with me full time. I would like that very much". She let herself be pulled into his arms. "I am just wary that's all. I still don't understand all of this celestial business or just how bad your relationship with your father actually is".
"It's the only way for us all to have what we want, Detective" he responded, pressing a kiss to her hairline. "You, me. Linda, Amenediel, Charlie. Even Maze she is free to go where she likes now and Michael is blind in his devotion to father. Just like Amenediel used to be. In fact he is worse than Amenediel". She nuzzled closer. "Chloe, I know my brother. He knows how much of a grave error he made and as I said, neither of us care".
"How can you forgive Amenediel so easily?" she asked.
"Oh I haven't", he replied. Trying to separate him deliberately from the Detective and the spawn? No certainly not. "Call it me being subtle for a change. He can go down there full time if he wants, but he too is torn, just like I was". Chloe nodded carefully. She was really not sure what to say any more. "Come on," he continued. "You need to go back to work and I need to collect your offspring for our talk".
In truth, Chloe was right to be wary he knew that, mulling the plan over as he drove to the school. It was a risk and undoubtedly his father would find some way to interfere but there was no other way as far as he saw it. He was probably going to be tested for the rest of his unnatural life so what was another one? Was his father giving him so much rope that he might just hang himself? Or was this one last lesson? If it was it would be truly worth it. How he had changed.
Pulling up outside the school, Lucifer breathed and got out, patting his pocket for cigarettes he could not find. Instead, he just stood by the car waiting for her offspring. He didn't know much about their argument but it had to be made right.
He saw the child before she saw him, searching the playground for her Dad but finding him absent. "Beatrice! Over here!" Lucifer shouted, his voice booming over the sounds of chatty children and other greetings.
The young girl's eyes met his and she walked carefully to him, saying goodbye to another child who Lucifer didn't recognise. She arrived a few feet in front of him, Lucifer expecting one of her usual flying tackles, but there was nothing but an apprehension was screaming at him. He understood why, of course he did. "Your Hug Meter has run dry after all child" he offered as Trixie looked up at him. She was unsure, of course she was. As she took a tentative step closer, Lucifer could see she was wearing the lightning bolt necklace, put on in fury to defy her mother although he didn't know that right now. For a second he wondered if the Douche knew where she got it from.
It was as though time stopped still until maybe no more than thirty seconds later, he felt her arms go around his waist and hug him tight. Lucifer let out the breath he had been holding since walked across the playground to him. "Is Mom here?" she asked as his hands settled on her shoulders, feeling more comfortable and letting a quasi-hug slip out.
"No child" he replied, relieved as he seemed to see trust in her eyes. "She is at work. You and I are going to have a little chat". He smiled awkwardly at two Moms who passed them by watched them together, looking like father and daughter.
"About me shouting at Mom?" Trixie asked. In truth, whilst she could not place the feeling, she felt terrible. She loved her Mom and shouting was wrong; she knew that but she had not been able to stop herself.
"Yes, urchin. About you shouting at your mother unnecessarily and blaming her for something I did", Lucifer began. "You owe your mother an apology, now come on, get in. Strawberry milkshakes are waiting".