Lucifer has made it to Vegas but what does that mean? Can he stay? Can Trixie take him home? WWLD? What will Lucifer do...
Wrap Me in Your Wings – Chapter 12
"What the hell happened to you?" Candy began as soon as the door was shut.
Lucifer's shirt was torn, he had what appeared to be burn marks on his arms, ashen dirt and possibly a burn or two on his face. He looked like he had just walked away from a war zone.
"Where's Beatrix?" He asked again without looking at either woman.
"Lucifer is she in danger?" Eve finally asked, trying to lock into his concern as well as get his attention.
"No…" he finally looked at the dark-haired woman. "No, she's not in danger… I just need to take her home," he tilted his head and looked curiously at Eve. "Eve," he said quietly, still without smiling, "hello. What are you doing here?"
Eve placed a calming hand on his cheek, used her other to take his hand and led him farther into the room. Candy followed behind and pulled out a chair from the table in the dining room where he could sit down.
Candy went to get him a cup of water, Eve spent just a moment refilling her glass of wine which she then handed to him and then both women joined him at the table.
Lucifer took a long drink of the wine, a sip of the water and then sat there for a moment gathering his thoughts. He stared into the wine glass without looking up at either of the women.
"I never imagined her doing this… Beatrix, I mean. I had worried that the Detective might try to look for me, but she knows the truth now. And I told her I had to return. I couldn't let the demons come back. I couldn't let them hurt her or the urchin, or Charlie. I had to take responsibility," he breathed shallowly as he spoke and then shook his head.
"But the urchin doesn't understand. She's too young. She couldn't accept what I truly am, not yet. But I never thought she would go this far. I didn't think she would go against her mum's wishes and actually try to find me. Where is she?" He finally looked up at Eve and Candy and made his request in a less urgent manner.
The women both pointed toward the bedroom door.
"I- Is she alright?" Lucifer wondered.
Candy reached across the table and took one of his hands. "She will be when she sees you. But Lucifer, I- I don't understand, what's going on? Where did you go? Who hurt you? Why is Trixie searching for you?"
Lucifer looked at her and offered a sad smile. Like Trixie, Candy wasn't in on his celestial truths. He knew sharing that information with her would be more a hindrance than a help at this point although as with Linda and Chloe, he wouldn't lie to her.
"I've been in Hell," he answered straight-forwardly. "The demons there… I got a message from Amenadiel saying Beatrix had run away looking for me. I knew I had to get back. I need to talk to her and I need to see the Detective. But the demons weren't happy with the idea of me leaving again. They pulled me into flames and I had to fight to get away from them. They are contained, for now. I had to come back… I was working to strike a deal with my Father… I just don't know…I don't know how long I can be here before I'm forced to return."
He took a long breath, looked toward Eve who had a better understanding and then looked back at the two glasses of liquid in front of him.
"I want to be here. I want to stay here – well, I want to stay in Los Angeles. My home is there. I want to be home with Chloe and Beatrix but I don't know if Father will grant my desire or not."
Candy sat back, still not understanding everything. She knew she probably never would. But Lucifer was trying to explain. And what made the most sense of everything was that he really did want to come home. She simply hoped his father and these demons would have a bit of mercy on the man sitting across from her. He truly seemed like he had been through hell and deserved a little relief.
-
Trixie thought she heard the door open to their room and then voices. She first chalked it up to Eve or Candy going into and out of their room or the bathroom and getting ready for bed. She tried to open up the journal to read a little more but found she just couldn't concentrate on the words.
With the thought of not finding Lucifer now in her brain, she wondered if she should just forget about tomorrow's plans and ask Eve and Candy to help her find a flight home. Her heart sank a little bit but her mind replayed the phone conversation with her mother earlier in the evening. If Lucifer could come home, he would.
She let the line play over and over in her mind a few times. Then she held her hand up toward the creature on the lamp and felt a little brighter when Diablo moved to her knuckles. Trixie pulled her hand down to eye level and looked closely at the butterfly. "What do you think, Diablo?" She asked in a whisper. "Do I go home tomorrow? Sounds like mom needs us both. How will you get home?"
She watched as the butterfly's lengthy antennae moved silently over her fingers, seemingly kissing her skin and listening to her thoughts.
A second later the creature fluttered up, hovered over the bed for the moment and then quickly moved to the door. Trixie was surprised by the move. Until now she had only seen the large wings glide or jump from one place to the next. But now it seemed like Diablo wanted her to follow it toward the door.
She slowly crawled out of bed, creased her eyebrows and although she felt silly, she asked the question, "What is it Diablo? What's at the door?"
Trixie didn't immediately open the door. There was too much of her mother's detective knowledge inside of her to do that. Instead she put her ear to the door which seemed to be enough to calm the insect.
What she heard outside was familiar. The male voice, the proper accent… Her eyes widened and she took a deep gasp of air. "I want to be home with Chloe and Beatrix…" she stopped listening at that phrase and latched onto the name… Beatrix…
And as soon as she put the pieces together her breath quickened and she slowly opened the bedroom door just a crack. At the sight of him, sitting at the table, she opened the door wider and felt tears covering her eyes.
"Lucifer?" she asked quickly but in a quiet tone. For some reason she had to be sure.
When his face turned toward her and the first semblance of a smile formed on his lips she began again.
"Lucifer!" her childlike voice went straight to his heart as she took the few steps toward him and for the first time in her life she put her arms around his neck.
Lucifer looked at Eve and Candy both. She smelled like cherry blossoms. He blushed but then went against his anti-offspring feelings and wrapped his arms around her back. Trixie squeezed tighter at that move and put her cheek against his temple.
"I knew you were here. I knew it. I told Mom I could find you," she pulled back enough to place a kiss on his cheek and then she squeezed him in a hug yet again.
Eve and Candy looked on with smiles and a couple of happy tears. Neither had a clue what was supposed to happen from here but the blush on Lucifer's cheeks was enough to make them both happy for the moment.
"Alright, Urchin," Lucifer began wriggling out of her hold as though he were the child. "That's enough of that. You're in for a lecture and a long chat. It's time for you to go home." He looked into her face and did his best to ignore her wide grin.
"Wait, how long have you had braces?" he noted with a childlike distraction.
Trixie rolled her eyes. "Since before Mom and I went to Europe. How long have you been in love with my mom?" she countered with a raise of her eyebrows but still couldn't wipe the smile from her face.
Lucifer opened his mouth to answer and then stopped, looking somewhat like a fish out of water. He looked back at Eve and Candy who each held smirks on their faces.
"Do you see?" Lucifer pointed toward the girl. "D'ya see what I have to put up with?"
Candy shrugged her shoulders, "I think she deserves an answer," she took Trixie's side.
Lucifer sounded more like himself, seeing his urchin and hearing her sassy tone. He would never admit it to her but he was more than tempted to take her in his arms and hug her again for the next hour.
-
Before Lucifer could offer an answer, Trixie took a closer look at him. She quickly pointed to the burn marks on his arms and one that sat at the corner of his lips. He again blamed his wounds on the 'demons in Hell' but promised her they would quickly heal.
At 11pm, Trixie suggested the devil take a bubble bath, like she had done earlier, to relax and settle in for the night.
He rejected the offer at first, telling all three of the women that he needed to get Trixie into a car and headed home. He wasn't sure how much time he could spare and wanted to get her back to Los Angeles, back to Chloe.
"Mom!" Trixie thought for a moment. "We need to call Mom. She'll want to know!" she turned to go back in the bedroom to get her phone.
"No!" Lucifer stopped her by grabbing her wrist. "Beatrix, no," he looked at her seriously and Trixie's smile finally faded slightly.
"Why not?" she wondered honestly.
"I – I'm just not sure I'm ready to face your mum again, yet. I want to see her, but this all came about so quickly…me coming back, I mean… I was prepared to find you and get you home, but I'm just not ready… the Detective…" he stumbled.
"But you told her you love her, didn't you?" Trixie asked.
"Well, yes…no…I did, but not in those exact words," he admitted.
"Then you need to see her and tell her those exact words," Trixie instructed.
Lucifer nodded but kept a loose hold on her wrist. "But not over the phone. That's not how I want to tell her that."
Trixie sighed with a touch of exasperation and a lot of sleepiness beginning to take its toll. "Then you should get cleaned up, rest tonight and take me home tomorrow. We won't tell Mom that I found you –"
"I - found you," Lucifer corrected.
Trixie rolled her eyes, "Yeah, but only because I came looking for you. If I weren't here you'd still be in Hell," she said sarcastically. "Wherever the hell that is…"
"Urchin!" Lucifer chastised her cursing.
Trixie looked back at him and raised her eyebrows with a very mothering type of glare. "Mother flunker, Lucifer. You're the one who paid me to use loophole swear words in the first place."
Lucifer sat back in the chair feeling like he had just been put in his place by a child…which he had. "Point taken," he admitted. He took a deep breath and looked toward the other women in the room who had become amused and enamored at his and Trixie's conversation.
"Where's the loo?" he asked somewhat amusingly defeated. "I don't suppose you've got any more of that cherry blossom bubble bath do you?"
All three females laughed at him and he sighed. "Will you call the front desk to see if they might have pajamas in my size? Or at least a t-shirt and shorts would be something."
Trixie smiled at him, thrilled that he was going to accept her plan and suggestion. "Let me just go get your credit card. I'm sure we can find you something."
Lucifer was left with that fish-out-of-water expression once more before simply shaking his head and making his way into the bathroom. He was going to drive the urchin back to Los Angeles? It was going to be a long five hours.
-
Trixie was awake at 5AM. She was ready to get on the road, with Lucifer. She had so many things she wanted to discuss with him and she wanted to surprise Chloe, bringing him home, to her.
Unfortunately Lucifer's earthly form had other intentions. It had taken him hours to get to sleep even after the hot bath. Eve had sat up with him as he tried to put pieces together in his mind, telling her that he was trying to formulate a plan that would let him come back home. But just as he had a strong option and a new, fresh, open line to his Father, a messenger had brought an urgent word from Amenadiel – Beatrix was missing.
There's no rest for the wicked, or so they say, so he had spent nearly a week, in Hellacious terms, locating the urchin on earth. And once he pinpointed her in Las Vegas, he fought to return.
Now he was afraid to go to sleep, fearful that he would be taken away with no hope of seeing the ones he loved ever again.
"Pray," Eve told him simply. "Like when you want Amenadiel's attention. If you had an open line with God, pray. Tell Him your desires. Tell Amenadiel for that matter. Lucifer, your Father needs to know that you've changed. It may not make a difference but if you don't tell Him, then you'll never know."
Lucifer looked toward the door behind which Trixie was sleeping. Eve was right. He had to let go of his pride. In the wee hours of the morning he dropped to his knees in the silence and asked his Father for mercy and for time.
-
When she awoke, Trixie looked out the door into the living room. Lucifer's 6'3" body was stretched out on the couch wearing a plain white t-shirt and some sort of plaid pajama bottoms. She could see a hint of the pants above his ankle on the foot that was sticking out from under the blanket.
She tiptoed closer to him and watched him breath in and out a few times before taking a closer look at the injuries on his arms. Within the burns he appeared to have scratches, almost like an animal had attacked him in a fire.
The burn on his mouth oddly resembled a lip. Trixie shook her head, she was overthinking this. However, she wondered exactly what he had gone through to get back here. It couldn't have been easy, obviously. She knew he was anxious to get her home but she still didn't understand why. Did he need to leave again? How long would he be with her and Chloe?
She breathed in and out a little too heavily as she sat down on the coffee table. Lucifer rustled slightly and turned his face toward her. "Urchin," he mumbled in his sleep.
Trixie tilted her head and looked at him. "I'm right here, you just rest," she whispered.
She watched him for just a few more minutes and then went back to her room. She wasn't sure when the other ladies would be up, or when Lucifer would be for that matter. So she decided to open up the journal again and read a few more of his words – before he took the book away from her.
I've lost the Detective. I've lost Maze which means I've lost a piece of myself. I've driven Chloe straight into Pierce's arms and then as I complained about that to Maze, I drove her away as well.
For a self-confident devil I'm not feeling very confident at all.
I even reached the point of hallucinating apparently…I thought I was an angel that's been helping people in my sleep. Turns out Maze and Pierce were gaslighting me…feeding me with my own fears and thoughts of Father manipulating me yet again. All to help Pierce win Chloe's heart.
All to help Cain lose his mark.
Does he care for her at all? I know he doesn't but how could I convince Chloe?
In the middle of it all, I had to keep working with Chloe because we are work partners. Isn't that a fine kick to the crotch? I watched her flirt with the lieutenant at work and of course he tagged along on our cases. No wonder I couldn't sleep – to see them together behind my eyelids is a nightmare in itself.
Linda was right. The precinct couple-dome bothered me to no end. Of course it did! Who was I kidding?! But I couldn't tell Linda. She would've eaten that up and thrown it right back in my face.
Instead I took Chloe's idea to stop sleeping. And then… and then… in my sleeplessness, in my attempt to not be the rogue angel, I lost my composure with the Detective and pushed her right to the edge.
She nearly told me that she's in love with Pierce. Her lips were forming the word but she stopped herself. Not soon enough…it was obvious what she was going to say. After all, she had just told me how good of a man Pierce – CAIN – is. She stormed out…and straight to him.
When I finally figured out what Maze and Cain were up to I couldn't get to the detective fast enough. He didn't care who he hurt and I knew Chloe was his target.
I got to her apartment and the urchin opened the door… There she was on the couch… I knew I was too late. He had hurt her. I knew she had opened her heart to him and he had hurt MY Detective. She was never his to entertain. She has MY heart, she is my l- … I wanted to kill him.
I realize now, it was yet another time that I should've put my pride aside. Had I simply been a humble man, I should've gone to her on that couch, wrapped her in my arms and listened or held her, or just have stayed there with her.
But I went after Cain. I wanted to hurt him as deeply as he had hurt her.
I found him. Sitting alone in his home. Sitting at that table staring into thin air. Contemplating what he had just done. He wasn't surprised when I shattered his window. He wasn't surprised when I punched him and threw him across the room. And he didn't fight back. He knew better. He was ready for me to kill him then and there because he knew he had hurt her and there was no excuse for it.
Then I saw it – or rather, it wasn't there. His mark…his mark that was put on him by Father. The never-ending circular brand that represented Cain's eternal damnation on the earth… it was gone.
My mind was reeling. I wanted him gone. I could've killed him right there. But in that instant all I could do was walk away. Cain had somehow found a way to lift his curse. Chloe's love had apparently lifted his curse.
Would there ever be a way I could lift mine?
-
Trixie's heart hurt for both Lucifer and for her mother. She remembered that night vividly. She had been at a birthday party. Chloe wasn't there to pick her up at the end of the party. Her friend's mom called Chloe and then proceeded to bring Trixie home.
When Trixie walked in Chloe was on the couch. All she said to Trixie was that she and Marcus had broken up. She had never witnessed a real broken heart before but as she looked at her mother, she knew that's what had happened.
She didn't understand why Marcus would do this to her mom. She had no clue what had happened. Lucifer's journal shed a little light on that. Although she didn't completely understand what Lucifer was writing about – who was Cain anyway? – she did figure out that Marcus was using her mom. That's what led to this heartbreak.
Trixie recalled Lucifer coming by that evening. She wondered why he walked in and then walked right back out. Why didn't he stay with Chloe? If he was her partner, why didn't he try to help?
Now she knew he had. He had gone to Marcus's home to stand up for Chloe. On a much bigger level than he had done for Trixie, with the bully at school, he was taking Chloe's heart into his own hands and standing up for her.
No wonder Chloe nearly saying she loved Marcus to Lucifer hurt the devil so much. He was in love with her then…probably a long time before that.
The 11 year old fell back to sleep around 6:30AM with the thought of Lucifer's heartfelt adoration of her mother warming her; and the feel of the hug that he and Trixie had shared just hours before.
-
"We need to go find Lucifer some clothes," Candy woke Trixie up at 8:30 with a smile and quiet words. "Eve said that she and Lucifer stayed up talking until nearly four in the morning. He was worried about going to sleep but she finally talked him into laying down on the couch and he fell asleep there. She thinks it's a good idea for us to go out and just let him rest as long as possible."
Trixie sat up in the bed and thought for a second. "Is he alright?"
Candy nodded. "I think so. Eve thinks so. She knows him better than both of us, you know? So I'm gonna take her word on it. She said she would stay here with Lucifer if we wanted to go out and do some shopping, maybe get some brunch and go site-seeing?"
"I dunno," Trixie hesitated. "What if he wakes up and wants to get on the road? Or what if he just…" her eyes widened and Candy quickly understood her thought.
"He's not going to leave again, Sweet Pea. If he fought to get here to take you home, he's not going to leave again without doing that."
"What if he doesn't have a choice?" Trixie asked shyly.
Candy shook her head and smiled. "That's why Eve is going to stay with him. We'll just be gone a few hours. Let him sleep and we'll bring him back some clothes. He'll be ready to drive you home before you know it."
Trixie thought for another minute. "Okay," she agreed. "I get to help pick out clothes for him?" She asked quite seriously.
Candy nodded and quirked an eyebrow at the girl, "What are you thinking?"
"Remember that 'I Love Vegas' Hawaiian shirt we saw in the gift shop yesterday?"
Candy laughed a bit loudly then put her hand over her mouth, "Mmm-hmm," she giggled.
Trixie grinned widely, "If he won't wear that for his urchin," she pointed both her thumbs at her own chest, "then I'll be a pouty 11-year-old the whole way home!"
-
Lucifer sat up startled at three in the afternoon and gasped for breath. "Where is she?" He pushed from his throat and looked around.
Eve was by his side in a moment with a calming hand on his bicep. "Trixie's out with Candy. We wanted to let you rest. What were you dreaming about?"
Lucifer breathed in and out a little more slowly trying to catch his breath and letting his mind catch up with his location.
"When Amenadiel left the message that she had run away I figured she had gone to Lux. I know Chloe has been staying there quite often since I left. I- it sounds silly but I had a little creature looking after her there, a butterfly, if you will, just keeping an eye on things. I didn't try to get to Amenadiel to ask anything more. And I know he struggled to get away when he left. I know he was injured by one of the demons… But I wasn't overly worried about him or Beatrix."
He took a deep breath and reached for the glass of water on the coffee table. He took a long sip and then held the cup in his hands as he leaned forward with his elbows on his knees.
"Until…" he began again, "until I closed my eyes and what I saw was the night that the urchin came to Lux to check on me while you were there. I saw the men with guns coming out of the elevator. Only this time they were demons and they were coming after Chloe and the child. This time I wasn't there to protect them. This time they took them and there was nothing I could do."
His voice faltered and his hands shook as he raised the glass to take another drink. "I knew something wasn't right. And the butterfly…the creature was no longer at Lux. It took me a week to figure out where it had gone and then I realized it had followed the urchin."
Eve rubbed his back lovingly and leaned her cheek against his shoulder. "They're both okay. And so is the butterfly."
Lucifer sat up slightly and looked at her.
Eve took him by the hand and helped him up from the couch. "Come, look."
The two of them walked into Trixie's bedroom and Eve immediately pointed at the lampshade.
"Diablo," Lucifer spoke and the insect immediately responded, fluttering toward him and landing on his hand when he held it out.
Lucifer pressed his lips together. "Exactly when did you decide to follow Beatrix instead of Chloe? You were assigned to the older Deckerstar, not the youngest."
The creature flapped its wings as though it was mocking Lucifer who huffed slightly. "You're as sassy as the little urchin, aren't you?"
Eve shook her head. "It's that damn snake all over again," she commented.
"You like this one more than the snake, don't you?" Lucifer looked at her as he wiggled his finger and the butterfly flitted back to the lamp. "Could you imagine if I had sent a black snake to look after Chloe?"
"She would've killed it," Eve answered with a raise of her eyebrows. "She owns a gun and is quite protective of herself and her daughter."
"Good point," Lucifer agreed. "She's shot me after all. Getting rid of a snake probably wouldn't be an issue for her."
Lucifer settled himself a bit more seeing the butterfly, realizing he had woken in the same place where he went to sleep and he was quite sure that Chloe and Trixie were also safe for the moment.
He made his way back to the table and Eve offered to order room service for him. She realized Trixie and Candy should be back at any time so she went ahead and ordered food for all of them.
Lucifer took the last drops of wine from the previous night's bottle and stood by the window looking out over the busy Vegas traffic. He began to think about taking Trixie home and how he would talk to Chloe if she gave him the chance.
The last thing he truly remembered about their last moments together was kissing her. The feel of her lips on his was what he wanted to remember forever, if he never got the opportunity to experience it again.
That was why he had used embers, the moment he returned to Hell, and held them to the corner of his lower lip. The scar that now sat there was his reminder of her kiss, her professing her love for him, and her request that he stay with her.
He touched the wine glass to that scar and pictured Chloe in his mind. He wanted nothing more than to simply see her smiling with her daughter back in her care. He felt a little antsy, wanting to get on the road. And yet there was a calm feeling working its way outward from his heart.
Maybe his prayer had been heard. Maybe his Father was considering his request. He had no clue how he was supposed to know the answer. But he would start by taking Beatrix home to her mother and hopefully he would have the opportunity to actually say the words.
"I love you, Chloe," Lucifer spoke out the window.
Was he practicing? Yes. Was he anticipating her response? Of course.
He looked up toward Heaven. "I need to tell her that. You know my desire, Father. But this is more than a desire… this is a need. Please."
Coming Up in Chapter 13...
Trixie's face immediately broke into a grin. "You do love me, don't you?"
Lucifer looked at her without a smile. "The jury's still out on that, Urchin. We'll see how this five-hour drive goes."
"I can help," she offered. "You still owe me driving lessons," she added.
Lucifer's eyes widened, "Did you go through my wallet?"
Trixie nodded truthfully. "Where'd you think I found your credit card?"
"Bloody Hell..." Lucifer muttered.
