A/N Thanks for sticking with me, guys! This is a long one for sure. Enjoy!

Chapter 16

"Lieutenant." Chloe knocked once, saw that Thompson was on the phone. He looked up, motioned her into his office.

"See that you do, or don't bother calling." He hung up. "Decker. To what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Well, sir, just wanted you to know that the escort case is-" The phone rang again, and the lieutenant glanced at the caller ID.

"Sorry, Decker, I need to take this. Thompson. Uh-huh."

"-closed." Chloe sighed, settled into the leather chair. Hope this doesn't take long. It had been quite a morning, and she was ready to finish up and meet Amenadiel.

When Chloe and her backup had parked outside Sean Matthews' residence, they had clearly heard an argument unfolding inside. When she crept up alongside the front window, she'd been able to make out a man's voice and a familiar female one.

"No, she totally bought it, but we still need to get outta here. C'mon, baby, it'll be fun! Like Bonnie and Clyde," Roxy wheedled.

"I'm not going anywhere. They can't tie me to shit anyway. We took those pictures outta her bag, remember?"

"Yeah, but that cop is gonna talk to Dave soon and then they'll be after you. We gotta go. I've always wanted to visit Mexico, and this is our chance!"

"I said no! Shut up!" The sound of a slap was followed by Roxy's shriek.

"What the hell!?"

Chloe motioned to the two uniforms who hadn't gone around the back, and banged on the door. "LAPD! Open this door now!"

"Shit!" The pounding footsteps had retreated towards the back of the condo, and she'd found the front door locked. She jumped aside to let the unis use the Ram, then swung through the open doorway with her weapon raised.

"LAPD! Freeze!" She'd sprinted through the home and towards the kitchen, where a back door stood open-ducking just in time to avoid the wild gunshot that came from behind the island. Rising from her tuck-and-roll, Chloe had taken a deep breath to steady herself. Dammit, I need my partner back! Sounds of a scuffle filtered through the kitchen door as one of the uniforms she'd breached with signaled that he'd go around the island to flush out the shooter.

"Don't shoot me!" Roxy wailed, dropping the gun as she backed up along the floor. "I didn't kill her, I swear! It was Sean! He stabbed her!" The escort began to cry.

"Save it, Roxy," Chloe had kicked Roxy's weapon aside. "I know all about the years of acting classes, so nobody's gonna buy your story. Maybe Sean did kill Misha, but only because you told him to."

"I-I don't know what you're talking about," Roxy gulped air between sobs. "I loved Misha, I didn't want her dead!" The cop slapped cuffs on Roxy and gave her a push towards the front of the house. Chloe'd tucked the second gun into her waistband and crept quietly to the open back door. The other uniform appeared behind her, and she'd motioned to him to cover her as she went low through the doorway. Outside, there was a cop lying on the ground clutching his midsection, while the other grappled with Matthews.

"LAPD-drop the knife!" She advanced slowly, gun at the ready. She'd waved the uniform behind her towards the fallen officer, steadily circling to where Matthews could see her. "C'mon, Matthews, don't be stupid. The more cops you hurt, the worse it's gonna be for you."

"Shut up, bitch," Matthews sneered. He was shorter than Hastings, but even more muscled and clearly no stranger to fights. He'd managed to get one hand free, and was just about to stab the cop in front of him when Chloe took out his left kneecap with a well-placed shot. He crumpled to the ground, holding his leg. The uniform had the presence of mind to kick the knife, clearly the murder weapon, away before jogging over to his injured partner.

"I need two buses around back, 1225 Oakhorne, officer down," Chloe'd called in while grabbing her handcuffs. She slapped them on Matthews, who was still cursing her. "Anyone ever tell you you've got the right to remain silent? You should try it." She sent the uninjured team back to headquarters with Roxy, and rolled her eyes at Matthews. Not exactly the strong, silent type. Where the hell is the ambulance? Her impatience was rewarded a few eternal minutes later by the wails of two sirens. The sound grew closer as Matthews raged on about bitch cops and stupid whores, until for a few blessed moments it had drowned him out entirely. A paramedic hopped out the back of the nearest bus, and Chloe pointed toward the wounded cop. The EMT waved towards his partner, a no-nonsense brunette, who tossed him a kit while she grabbed a folding stretcher. The second team approached her position. "Take your time, although you may wanna give him something to make him quiet. It's gonna be a long ride."

Within two minutes, the EMTs had Matthews loaded into the ambulance and did indeed administer a sedative. The ride to the hospital had been delightfully silent, and Chloe'd dealt with the necessary paperwork quickly. She advised the desk to keep her posted on the injured cop's status, and called dispatch for a ride back to her car. From there, she'd driven back to the office to talk to Roxy again.

Cuffed to the table in Interrogation, stuck on an uncomfortable metal chair and with her makeup running down her face, Roxy had folded quickly.

"Mary got all the rich men, all the nice ones-everyone always wanted her. I was just sick of it, you know? Sean was the only one who understood; he said he didn't want her, just me. But 'Misha' was always so popular, always made better tips, always got more requests. Samantha actually gave her a raise-a higher commission, can you believe it? And then she had this one client who worked in commercials, and he got her a gig. An acting job! I couldn't take it anymore. Everything was always so easy for her."

"So you made Sean kill her."

"Hah, it was so easy. You know how men are." Roxy rolled her eyes. "It didn't start out that way, though. I just wanted Sean to scare her, maybe rough her up a little so she'd be out of the way and miss that commercial. I told him how awful she made me feel, and how she never shared anything with me. And when I told him about her raise, well, he practically begged me to help. We were gonna move in together once all this settled down. I figured with Mary Jo outta the way, I'd be the next big thing, and I'd get the commercial spots." She leaned forward. "You understand, right? It's so hard to make it in this business. Sometimes you have to do things just to get ahead."

"Uh huh. So how'd it go down?" Chloe crossed her arms and prepared for a dramatic retelling of the night of the murder.

"Sean's buddy Dave needed a date for some fundraiser thing for work. I had Sean set up a double date for us, and I used the opportunity to flirt with Dave-like, a lot. He's in advertising, so he has connections." Roxy went to flip her hair, and realized she was still in handcuffs. "Anyways, Dave left early—what a loser!- so the three of us were just hanging out. We kept buying Mary Jo drinks to 'celebrate' her commercial gig, and she got pretty drunk. We told her we were going to call a cab and we went out the back door."

"OK, how'd the rest of it happen?"

"Sean was such a gentleman! He helped her walk toward the street, and I came up behind her. I was just so mad about everything and before I knew it, I hit her with my purse, right in the head." Roxy shrugged and rearranged her face to an innocent look. "She turned around and came at me and I was so scared! So I hit her in the face in self-defense. She was stumbling around some, but definitely still alive when I was done. From there, we argued a bit because Sean thought Mary Jo'd rat us out. I said she was too drunk to remember anything, but when Sean talked about killing her instead...well, it just seemed easier." She sat back. "So he stabbed her, told her it was for me. He always carries that crazy knife so it was simple. Then he just dragged her over to the dumpster."

"So, I heard him talking about pictures earlier. Why did you take them out of Misha's wallet?"

"Oh, they were from earlier that night, we were all in a photo booth. Sean didn't want anyone to see all of us together, so I just grabbed them while he tossed her phone. Then we got in the cab and went home."

"Thanks, Roxy." Chloe had stood, stretched a minute before gesturing to the cop standing by the entrance. "Book her."

"What? Me? I didn't kill anybody! Hey! Where are you going?" Roxy was still protesting as Chloe had headed to her desk to finish the report.

Now, sitting in his office, Chloe realized it was going to be a while before the lieutenant was off the phone. She set the completed report on his desk and gave a small wave as she backed out the door. She snagged her bag from her chair and went back to her car. OK, just need to get Trixie, and then I'm gonna go see Lucifer.

Normally she would have felt terrible pulling Trixie out of school, but she wanted her daughter in good hands if anything bad happened. Trixie, however, was all too happy to leave school early, and bounced happily into the backseat.

"Hi Mommy! Are you ready for your mission?"

"Yes, Monkey. We're going to Linda and Amenadiel's house, and you're going to stay with Aunt Linda while I go see if I can help Lucifer." Chloe pulled away from the curb and pointed the Charger towards their destination.

"Awesome. Will you tell him I said hi?"

"Yes I will. Now, Monkey, this is a dangerous trip I'm taking, so I need to tell you some things, OK? Are you listening?"

"What do you need to tell me, Mommy?"

"Well, the most important thing is that I love you very much."

"I know that Mommy. What else?"

"I may be gone a while, and it's even possible that I may not come back at all. So if that happens, I need you to be a good girl, OK? Listen to Linda and Amenadiel, do your homework, that kind of stuff."

Trixie thought for a moment. "OK. I can do that. Mommy, where's Daddy?"

"I don't know, Trix. He must be really busy, because he isn't answering his phone, and I didn't see him at work. But you know what? I'm sure he's fine, and he loves you too. He'll be here for you, just like always."

"OK Mommy. Oh look, there's Maze!" Trixie hopped out of the car before Chloe had even put it in park, anxious to see her friend. Chloe popped the trunk and plucked Trixie's old backpack from its recesses. She shut the hatch with some finality. I wonder if I'll ever see this car again, or this house.

"Hey Decker." Maze nodded at her. "Come on in. He's ready."

Chloe climbed the two steps to stand next to the demon. "Here." She handed over her phone, her gun in its holster, and her badge. "Take care of these for me, OK?"

Maze nodded. "I'll keep them safe til you get back." She looked at Chloe for a long moment before setting off for her motorcycle.

Moving into the living room, Chloe spotted Linda sitting with Trixie on the couch. "Hey, thank you so much for watching her. I just need to make sure she's with people who care about her, you know, in case."

"No problem at all. I totally understand." Linda glanced over to where her son was blissfully smashing buttons on his bouncer. "I'd do the same thing. Trixie, maybe you can help me with Charlie. It's almost time to feed him."

"OK, cool!" She followed Linda into the kitchen, leaving Chloe with Amenadiel. She leaned over and picked up the ancient book from the coffee table, frowning a bit at its weight as she stuffed it the backpack to keep her hands free.

"Thank you for doing this. I know it seems crazy, but right now it's the best chance we've got."

Amenadiel shook his head again. "Chloe, I must warn you again, this could be very dangerous. We have no way of knowing what will happen, how Hell will respond to you. I will do my best to protect you, but there are some things even an angel cannot control."

"I know." Chloe took a breath, met his eyes. "I'm ready."

Amenadiel led her outside. "All right. Hold on tightly. I'm going to take it slow, since you're new to this." He waited for Chloe to shrug on the backpack and hop up into his arms, then spread his wings. He took off gently to give her a chance to get used to the sensation, then stopped and hovered mid-air. "Hang on—I'm going to shift us, but I'll take it easy."

The ground below them flashed by rapidly, but Chloe didn't feel like they were moving at all. Her only clue was the coastline spooling along at warp-speed below them. "We're heading north...where are we going, exactly?" She asked.

"You'll see," was all he'd said, then the scenery had changed as they turned inland. A red-roofed mansion came into view, surrounded by lush gardens and perfectly-manicured hedges.

"Is that...the Winchester Mystery House?" Chloe was incredulous.

"Yep."

"This is the entrance to Hell?"

"One of them. There are others-the Devil's Bridge in Germany, the Richat dome in Mauritania, the Bermuda Triangle, even the 'door to Hell' in Turkmenistan. That one always gets me. Humans thought they were drilling for oil, but they found a lot more than they bargained for."

"So that's the mystery of this house? Huh."

"Sarah Winchester realized what she'd found here, so she had the house built around the entrance in order to hide it from the rest of the world. Hold on. This is where the ride gets a little...bumpy." Grasping his passenger tightly, Amenadiel halted above the house, then banked a bit before plunging into a steep dive. As the house grew closer, Chloe noted they were heading for a tiny courtyard walled off inside the mansion. No windows or doors opened onto it, and for good reason: a gaping black cave opened straight into the ground, tunneling beneath the house at a sharp angle. Chloe swore she could feel waves of terror and despair emanating from its mouth. I feel like I'm about to be swallowed alive.

"Oh God." She held her breath as Amenadiel hurtled toward the hole, pulling his wings in close at the last second to avoid clipping the edges of the entrance. Inside was damp and pitch-black, and after a few seconds Chloe had the sensation of the cave walls opening up around them. In front of them was a reddish pinprick of light, steadily growing as they closed in. "Is that a volcano?"

"Yes. There are thousands of them here-that's where all the ash comes from." The air around them was thick with sooty clouds, but it wasn't overly warm. Before them, the ground rose in fits and starts from forbidding, jagged cliffs, flattening out just slightly to accommodate a monstrous pair of gates. A line of people shuffled slowly through them, towards the sounds of screams, sobs, and wails. Amenadiel landed at what he judged a safe distance from the entrance, and gave Chloe a quick once-over as he set her down. "You OK?" She nodded. "How are you feeling?"

"Um, OK, I guess, if you don't count the vertigo." She shook her head to clear it and hitched the backpack higher on her shoulders. "I'm fine, Amenadiel. Come on. Let's go." She began the hike to the gates.

At first, the main problem was the loose rubble and uncertain footing, but after a short while Chloe began to feel like she was wading through quicksand. Each step became more difficult, each footfall heavier.

"Chloe, are you all right?" Amenadiel called anxiously.

"Is it always this hard to get in?" she responded with a question of her own as she focused on getting up the hill. At least the surface is more level here. Damn, I'm short of breath already. C'mon Decker, get moving!

"If it's too much, just turn around. I promise, I'll wait here. Remember, Hell is trying to keep you out. What you feel is it rejecting you because you're alive."

"Well then, how do you stand it?" She pushed forward another step, and another.

"Oh. I just land inside the gates."

Chloe rolled her eyes as she plodded along. Soon she was able to clearly see people and demons within the entrance-and they could see her.

"Baalzephon-Cap! Hey, we got a live one!"

The larger demon looked over to Nybras, then followed the point of his sickly finger in Chloe's direction. "I will maintain order here-go and inform the King immediately." Nybras scurried off, and Baalzephon shook his head as he watched her approach. "Human! Go home. You shall have all of eternity behind these gates. Turn back, or the Devil himself will escort you away."

"I'm counting on it," Chloe muttered. It's like the air is molasses, and I'm so tired. Maybe I should just stop for a moment, catch my breath...what is Amenadiel yelling about?

"Chloe, don't stop there! It's a trap—you'll never make it. You'll be stuck there forever!"

It's...what? Trap? Dammit. OK, not that much further.

"This is too dangerous. Come back!" Amenadiel called to her, waving his arms to get Chloe to turn in his direction.

"No! I'm...so close now. Gonna keep...going." Steeling herself, she pushed forward yet again, into what now felt like a thickening wall of soft cement. "Let...me...in! This is important!"

As usual, Lucifer's current brooding mood led him to his piano. He sat slowly, and played a few scales while he let the music come to him. A melody started to take shape, and after the first few chords he recognized a recent alt-rock ballad

Whoever said this pain would ever go away
Didn't know what it meant to be here without you
Is everything you see reminding you of me?
Does it hurt when you breathe, too?
'Cuz it does when I do, it does when I do

When anybody says your name I wanna run away
I keep remembering I can't forget you
It doesn't matter what I try, it happens anyway
It's been forever and I can't forget you
With every single day, it won't go away
The way I feel about you
And when it's said and done, you're the only one
And I can't regret you, so I can't forget you

Warming to the song, he played on, channeling the rush of emotions into the music. As cathartic as having an outlet was, he could hear his voice beginning to crack when he reached the bridge.

Stop haunting my dreams
Please set me free...

Was that really what he wanted? Do I want to be free-to forget all of it, forget her? If I could do it all over again, was it worth it? Was it worth it to her? I've ruined her life, haven't I? Dragged her into this mess, couldn't leave well enough alone-and now look where I am, back where I started. Well and truly mired now in the bog of self-loathing, it took him until the end of the song to realize someone was trying to get his attention.

"Sire!" Nybras was hopping from foot to foot, clearly agitated. "Come quickly, to the gates! There's a human trying to enter Hell!"

"Ugh, come now, Nybras. I believe yourself and Baalzephon are more than capable of dealing with it. Did you tell him the eternity thing?"

"It's a her, she's kinda pretty, and yeah. Baalzephon got into that whole spiel as I was running here to get you. He sent me!"

"Very well." Lucifer stood and strode out the door, passing Clisthert as he was sweeping the ash off the granite floor of the entry. The second he cleared the door, he unfurled his wings and prepared to take off.

"Your Majesty, sir!"

"What is it now, Nybras?"

"Well, if it isn't too much trouble, sire, could you...give me a lift?" The little demon looked up hopefully. Rolling his eyes, Lucifer grabbed one of Nybras' scrawny greenish arms and towed him along behind. Once at the gate, he set his passenger down again beside Baalzephon.

"Now, what sort of human is this that you two can't-Detective! What on Earth?"

Blinking her heavy eyelids, Chloe looked up from the bland, ash-gray ground to see Lucifer standing within the gates. "Lucifer!"

"Det-Chloe, what are you doing? Get away from here! I'm calling Amenadiel to take you home!"

"That's...how I got here," she panted. "I need...need your help." One more step.

"No. I mean, of course, I'll help you, but please, you must leave. It isn't safe here. Please, go back!" Far from overjoyed to see her, Lucifer was horrified as he watched Chloe try to fight her way into Hell.

"No, Lucifer!" Another step. "For too long, that's what I did-I ran away from you. And it was stupid, and it was wrong, and that's not what I want. And it's not what you really want, either." She paused, just a few yards outside the gate now. She could clearly see the worry, the pain, on Lucifer's face as he watched her inch closer, speechless. "You were fighting all along, so now it's my turn." Her voice raised over the wind that had picked up around her. "I'm not giving up until I get in there."

"But, you can't. It's not possible. Don't you understand? There's a reason no other living souls are here-Hell won't let you in, let alone stay here. Please, Chloe, I beg of you, go back to Amenadiel. Go back to Earth, to your life. Just forget about me. This-" he gestured behind him, at the towers of rubble, the rivers of lava, the ash clouds, "this is no place for you."

"If it's where you are, then it's...good enough for me. We might have found a way to get you out anyway. That's...that's why I'm here. Maze said-ugh." The wind was stronger now, blowing soot and ash into her face. "Maze said you're the only one who can read this. So you're gonna tell me what it says, and then we are gonna figure out who is supposed to be down here..." Damn ash! This is awful. "And we are getting you home. So just-just let me do this!"

Her goal now in sight, Chloe put her head down and redoubled her efforts-and so did Hell. The wind howled at gale force, tearing her breath from her, pelting her with bits of rock along with the constant ash and soot. Its temperature skyrocketed, scorching her skin, while the ground was suddenly so cold she felt every bit of heat leach right back out the soles of her shoes.

"Chloe, no!" Lucifer and Amenadiel both moved toward her, but there was nothing they could do to help.

"Lucifer!" she called as she pushed forward with everything she had. That gate is only three steps away...I can make it three more steps. God, this hurts.

"Chloe, turn back!" Lucifer begged. Amenadiel yelled at her to stop right afterwards, but she showed no signs of giving up. She's going to kill herself. She's going to die, right here, while I watch, and there's nothing I can do. Damn you Dad, must there always be something worse? I'm already in bloody Hell, for Your sake!

The last two steps were going to be her undoing, she was sure of it. It felt as if the blood in her veins was turning to sludge, and when she wiped the wetness from her eyes, the tears were red. She stumbled a bit as a huge wave of pain slammed into her, almost sinking to the ground. It feels like every bone is broken, every joint ripped apart...but they're not, Chloe realized, still just barely able to see her hands and arms. It's all in my mind. It can't hurt me. I belong here too, and I'm not letting Hell take me out when I'm two steps away from Lucifer. Frustration and rage fueled the biggest scream she could muster, and powered her forward-slowly, so slowly, this must be what they meant by time moving slower, it's like I'm passing through a bubble of slow motion—until finally, at last, she emerged pale and shaking into Lucifer's unwanted kingdom.

"Ha! I did it! Lucifer, Amenadiel, look! I made it through!" Chloe was ecstatic, the adrenaline of her victory erasing most of her pain. It's just my back that hurts-weird, I was mostly getting hit in the face-but hey, could be worse. "Lucifer, I have never been so glad to see y—what? What is it, what's wrong? Am I dead? I don't feel dead!" She patted herself frantically as Lucifer just continued to gape at her, speechless. She spun to see if Amenadiel was similarly affected by her superhuman feat.

"Hey watch it, lady!" the little demon squeaked, hopping away from her.

"Oh, my God." It was hard to tell whether it was a curse or a prayer Amenadiel spoke, but Chloe guessed the latter as he sank to his knees on the stony, ash-layered ground and clasped his hands before him.

"What in the world? And what is your problem-Nybras, is it?" Chloe raised one eyebrow in the direction of Baalzephon, behind whom Nybras was still shaking a fist.

"You put those away! Damn celestials usually have manners!"

"OK, right. Um, Lucifer? Care to explain?"

"Chloe," he took a step towards her, reached out one hand, let it fall. "You...you have..."

"Oh my God, just spit it out already, we don't have time for this! What, am I missing an arm or some-" And she, too, was silenced as her quick self-check encountered what felt like "-feathers? Oh my God, are those-I have wings?!" She could just see them out of her peripheral vision; they were a soft, iridescent gold, currently spread fully to a good seven or eight feet on each side of her. "Lucifer, I had no idea this was going to happen, I swear. But, uh, a little help here?"

"Chloe," he said again. "They're, I mean you're-beautiful, of course, but..."

"Lucifer? How do I, um, put them away?"

"Oh! Right, right." Her question snapped him to attention, and he focused on those big, blue eyes that were pleading with him to stay calm. He spread his own wings and then experimentally tucked them back in. "Just imagine...well, I suppose closing an umbrella is the closest thing, or maybe trying to squeeze into a tight space? It's hard to describe, really."

She fidgeted for a moment, then finally found the right muscles and awkwardly folded the wings away. "Where do they go?"

He shrugged. "A different plane of existence, sort of like a...parallel universe, if you will?"

"OK then. We'll just deal with that later." She closed the distance between them, wrapped her arms around him. "For now, hi." She tipped her face up to look at him as he pulled her close.

"I thought I'd never see you again," he murmured as he leaned in for a thorough kiss.

"Mmm, told you, not giving up." She smiled. "Now. I need you to look at this book. Maze said you'd be able to translate it for us, but from what she could tell it may have some answers." Chloe tugged the moldering text from the backpack and handed it over.

"Oh, that old thing, forgot I even had that. Wait, have you been staying in the penthouse?"

"Only once, the first night you were gone," she answered quietly. "I was so...so lost. But anyways, I told you that we were working on an answer. Ella found the book, and Maze thinks you can read it. So-read."

"Very well then," Lucifer shook his head a bit. "But let's go somewhere a bit more comfortable. Brother!" he called through the gate. "Come and join us." He took a few steps and unfurled his wings, preparing to speed back to his headquarters. "Oh, right." Almost forgot. "So, just the opposite of putting them away-there you go!" He smiled delightedly as Chloe frowned, then clumsily spread her own wings. "Think you can handle a short trip? It's fairly open here, and it's not difficult once you get the hang of it."

"Sure," Chloe shrugged. Why not? Could my life even get any wei-no, Decker, do not finish that sentence. She twitched one wing hesitantly, closed her eyes in concentration, and gave a powerful flap. She let out an undignified squeak as her feet cleared the ground, but rapidly corrected her initial sideways tilt and managed to hover in place. "OK. Great. How far is it?"

"Not far."

"Are you...laughing at me?"

"What? No, no, of course not."

"Because if you're laughing at me, I am gonna kick your ass."

"Well, my darling, you'll simply have to catch me first, won't you?" He took off in a straight shot towards his base.

"Ooooh, you little...Devil," she finished lamely, rolling her eyes. "Oh! Amenadiel! Hey, a little help?"

"Of course. It's very similar to rowing a boat. Just remember that you need to leave clearance on either side, and below you. We can go slowly at first. You ready?"

Chloe nodded, and Amenadiel glided slowly in the direction Lucifer had gone. While she struggled a bit with balancing her weight and controlling her pitch, by the time they sighted Lucifer she was feeling much more confident. They had to weave through a few of the basalt and granite pillars toward the end of their journey, and she found herself actually enjoying the challenge.

"So, landing. How does that work?"

"Slow down, try to get vertical, and don't rush it."

"Um, so Lucifer lives in a castle?"

"As befits the King of Hell."

Ramparts, battlements, and towers rose abruptly from the broken ground, almost black in the foggy gray of the ash-filled air. Forbidding spiked turrets of obsidian topped each tower and corner, an echo of the pillars and rubble that comprised the remainder of Hell's landscape. Despite the castle's sinister and terrifying appearance, there was something almost sad about it.

"It seems so...desolate," Chloe said, deciding on the word at the last minute as she focused on preparing for her first-ever landing. OK. Slow down, stay vertical...It's the vertical that's not so easy.

"Just hover for a minute, then reach for the ground with your feet. All right, are you ready?" at her nod, Amenadiel landed and walked a bit closer in case she stumbled. Painstakingly, she inched closer to the ground, finally touching with one toe, then the other.

"I did it!" she clapped her hands together, but almost lost her balance as she went to tuck her wings away. "OK, not so graceful. But I'm working on it. And you! No help at all," she shook her head at Lucifer, shooting him a mock-glare. "Let's go."

Dan circled the block around the warehouse, noting the steady stream of police traffic in and out of the building. Gotta figure out how to contact the Sinaloas, see what the hell was going down here. Mac obviously flipped on Frankie, but he was just a small-time crook...right? He parked a couple blocks down, trying to remember the map Vice had posted in their conference room. It delineated the borders of all of the known LA gangs as well as their centers of operations. I think they took over Mar Vista after Culver City got kicked out. This is really far south for them, though-isn't this Crips territory? He badly wanted to access the LAPD database, but he was trying to stay off the radar and it would defeat the purpose if they pinged his phone this close to the crime scene.

He loitered for a few more minutes, deciding where to head next. At least I don't have to worry about them making me. He'd dumped his easily-traceable car out in Compton and snatched a partially-rusted sedan whose remaining paint was so faded, it was practically colorless. There was a funny smell coming from the trunk, but Dan refused to investigate it. Shrugging, he started the ailing engine and aimed for Mar Vista Gardens. As good a place as any to start. The drive was a white-knuckle tour through most of LA's Top Ten Worst Hoods, but he arrived without incident and slowed down to cruise the streets. Now, find something that looks like a gang hangout.

The task proved more challenging than Dan had anticipated, primarily because this also was supposed to be a gang-free zone. There were no "FTL" tags or Jesús Malverde statues; in fact, the streets were cleaner than most of the rest of the city. Colorful flowers overflowed from terra cotta planters, and all doors and shutters boasted a fresh coat of paint. He thought he might be out of luck until he spotted a teenaged Latino sporting the telltale maroon-and-black bandana while walking his Rottweiler.

"Hey," Dan rolled the window down.

"Hey what," the kid replied, not even turning his head.

"Where's your boss?"

This netted Dan a derisive snort. "Damn 5-0."

"I'm not asking as a cop. I was-" he cut off for a moment, checking that no one was within earshot. "I was at that warehouse, in San Pedro. They thought I was dead, or I woulda been. I've got questions."

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. So come on, BG. Those losers weren't part of any gang. So why the hit?"

"I dunno nothin', man."

"Really, cuz you look to me like the kinda guy who wants to make it to the top, right? So no way you know nothing about an operation that big. Look," he leaned forward. "The cops don't know, can't know, that I was even there. I'm not police on this. I'm just some guy who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Just tell me what you know."

The kid was silent for a few moments as the Rottweiler sniffed at the grass in a small, well-manicured park. "Word is your boy Frankie had some entrepreneurial aspirations."

"Figured that. I knew he had some beef with someone, something about some missing blow. Let's just say I found him some."

"Hah, really?"

"Like I said, not involved as a cop. What I don't know is who he was beefing with, or why the Sinaloas would bother with a nobody like Frankie."

"Heard we got a tip that he was looking to fly Culver City colors. Maybe try to take the docks, start his own clique," the mini-banger shared casually.

"Hmm. So you're thinking he wanted to stage a comeback, maybe push you back outta your turf. He's still small-time, though-no access to the supply and the network."

"Might be he was frontin' for somebody."

"All he had was two damn kilos, and those weren't even his."

He shrugged. "Can't get no quote for free, man."

Dan pondered this information. So Frankie was trying to get in, needed to prove himself. Makes sense, I guess, but still leaves a few questions...

"The stuff at the warehouse was replacement for the original drop. So someone was already working against him before you guys shot Frankie up."

"Guess so."

"And you guys knew where the hideout was and exactly when to hit..." Turning it over in his mind, Dan saw only one possible solution. "It was Mac. He was your guy, tipped you off. That's how he got outta there without taking a bullet."

"Well, look at you. Sounds like you got all the answers. I'm done here anyways. C'mon, Bruiser." The kid tugged at the dog's leash and made to turn down a side street.

"Just one more thing."

"What now, man?"

"Why'd Mac come after me?"

"Simple, man. Ain't no shoulder-up complete unless you take out their supply line." The teen looked hard at him. "So if I was you, I'd get gone, and I'd be damn sure to stay that way."

"That's bullshit, man. I just met him in some bar, I didn't want anything to do with this gang crap. You can all just shoot each other, far as I care. I'm not involved. Tell your boss." Asshole kid thinks he can scare me.

But the kid just laughed. "You been hangin' out here a while, man. You can tell him yourself. Seems to me, though, it'd be easier for him to make real sure you stayed gone for good." Too late, Dan realized that several of the windows in the surrounding buildings were open, and a few cars had rolled silently up behind him. There's even a damn street sweeper around the corner! Don't want any blood on their Stepford streets. Anger and fear warred within him as a surge of adrenaline hit hard. Well, there's gonna be blood, but it's not gonna be mine. He slipped his new gun, bought in cash from an ask-no-questions pawn shop, quickly from its holster, and without even the barest hesitation fired two rounds into the teen wannabe's back. The Rottweiler started barking frantically as the kid slumped to the ground, and Dan used the distraction to lean out the window and shoot out several tires. He finished by firing wildly towards the open windows as he burned rubber out of the barrio. Angry Spanish shouts rang out in the wake of the gunfire, and a few stray automatic rounds chased his battered vehicle towards the closest on-ramp for the 405.

As he sped onto the highway, Dan's brain was in overdrive. Gotta get a new car, gotta get outta LA. New city, easier to hide...Portland, maybe, but that's a long drive. San Fran? And a shit-ton of ammo...Still not able to pin that cult thing on Lucifer. Gonna keep working it, once this blows over I can come back and close it and that will take the heat off me. Am I the only one who can see right through him? Even Trixie likes that snooty bastard. Trixie! They'll come after Trixie. Need to get her outta here too.

A/N Lucifer sings "Can't Forget You" by My Darkest Days.