A day with the ChloTrixifer crew...what do you think it might be like? One step closer to can he stay or will he go?
Wrap Me in Your Wings – Chapter 17
"Your handwriting's beautiful," Chloe looked over at Lucifer who was just beginning to wake up after their post-breakfast lovemaking.
They both had easily fallen back to sleep in each other's arms and enjoyed a restful nap knowing the world was all as it should be…at least for the moment.
Lucifer hummed with his eyes still closed and tugged on the comforter trying to bury himself underneath it and nuzzled as close to Chloe as he could. She laughed at him, particularly when he found his way under her arm and lay his head on her shirt-covered chest.
"Hey," he whined, "when did you put your clothes back on? I need more naked cuddle time," he pouted.
Chloe had to adjust herself, putting the journal down on the bedside table so she could wrap her arms around Lucifer as he wormed his way farther onto her body. "I had to go to the bathroom and I was just a little afraid that Dan might barge in," she defended her partially clothed body. "He wasn't thrilled that I kicked him out last night. How's your cheek, by the way?"
She put her fingers under his chin and raised his face up to survey the area that Dan had punched the night before. She didn't notice any lingering bruising or redness. Lucifer grinned, blinked his eyes, and looked up into her face.
"You kissed it and made it better – a few times I do believe," he puckered his lips and waited for her to place a kiss there as well.
"Are you really insatiable? When it comes to sex, I mean?" she asked him bluntly and Lucifer chuckled.
"I would say I was quite sated with the brunch you provided. I was sleeping like a baby nuzzled up against your breast," his hand found its way under the hem of her shirt and wandered higher and higher toward her chest.
"Stop that," she smacked playfully at his hand but easily accepted another kiss from him as he began to sit up.
"What are you talking about, my handwriting?" Lucifer sat up farther and leaned his back against the headboard.
"When I read your letter and then in your journals… You wrote all this, right?" Chloe picked up the journal again.
Lucifer nodded, "I guess that's one beautiful thing I've got."
"Did you leave your journals on the shelf for me to read?" Chloe thought back to the first nights she spent at Lux after he had left.
"No one ever pays attention to my books," Lucifer started and took the journal from her hands. He opened it up and looked at a couple of random pages of his writing. "Eve lived with me but I don't know that she ever noticed my diaries right there in plain view."
"But I did," Chloe cut in. "Was I supposed to? I've read through almost all of them since you've been gone. I jumped around but I've enjoyed reading your thoughts on our cases and getting a little behind the scenes glimpses of what you were actually thinking."
"They're mostly about you, or us," Lucifer added as he closed the book again and sat it on his lap. "You made an impression on me from the first time we met."
"As if I didn't know that," Chloe smiled at him and then mirrored his position, sitting up in the bed and leaning against the headboard. "Why?"
"Hmmm?" Lucifer looked at her.
"Why did I make an impression on you? I mean, I know Delilah held a special place in your heart and you wanted to figure out who killed her and then you wanted to punish Jimmy…" Chloe drifted off slightly as she thought back yet again about their first case together.
"And then you got shot and I thought I might lose you before I could really get to know you," Lucifer supplied.
"Before you could get to know me? Don't you mean before you could get me into bed?" She nudged her shoulder against him.
"There was something different about you. You weren't affected by my Jedi mind tricks, you weren't interested in sleeping with me or asking me for a favor. You were a woman trying to do her job, trying to regain the respect of her coworkers and trying to regain your self confidence all while trying to be a mother to a young child. You may have been the first police officer I ever respected," Lucifer admitted.
"Really?" Chloe asked genuinely.
"Really," Lucifer nodded. "I now know why you aren't vulnerable to my mind games and why I'm vulnerable to you – why I bleed when you're close to me…" he started down a related path.
"I read something about this… God put me in your path?" Chloe tried to remember what she had read. She remembered having questions.
Lucifer took a deep breath. "Your mother and father weren't able to have a child, they couldn't conceive. So my father sent Amenadiel to earth to bless Penelope, so she was able to carry one baby to full term and give birth. You are that baby, of course. I've struggled with this for a while. In my mind, He took our choices from us. If He put you in my path…if you were created for me, much like Eve was created for Adam, then you didn't choose me. And, if that's the case then how could you really love me?"
He couldn't look at Chloe as he talked. His voice broke slightly as he informed her of God's supposed interference in their relationship.
"But," Chloe stepped in, "If He, God, allowed me to be born, he put me in your path, doesn't that mean that we were made for each other? Isn't that a good thing? They say there's someone out there for everyone, that there's a perfect match, a true love for each of us. Doesn't this mean that you and I are blessed to find each other?"
Lucifer chuckled beside her. "If only I could've seen it that way a couple of years ago…"
Chloe looked at him and smacked his shoulder. "Instead you ran off to Vegas and got married to Candy. What was that about?"
Lucifer rubbed his shoulder and looked at her. "Ouch! That was me trying to protect you…from me. If I was married then you didn't have to choose me. I wouldn't be an option."
"Because I was going to believe that you got married to an exotic dancer and that was going to stick. Mr. Party-Every-Night, Bring-A-Different-Woman-Home…" She tilted her head as he smiled but stayed quiet.
"Amenadiel pointed out that I was taking away your choice just like I felt Father was taking away mine. He was right. And I didn't want to do that either," he fell quiet again.
"Maze told me that you have these rounds of running off and doing something stupid, but you always come back. I do need to ask…while you were in Vegas this time, with Eve and Candy…did you…" Chloe let her thought drop and watched Lucifer closely.
He chuckled. "I took a bubble bath with cherry blossom bubbles. I was hugged by the urchin more than my body could stand. I slept on the couch, wore a white t-shirt and plaid cotton pajama pants and then drove home wearing a God-awful Hawaiian shirt with a patch on the pocket that says "I Heart Vegas"."
Chloe laughed. "So no impromptu Vegas weddings, no hook-up with the world's first woman…"
"No. Absolutely none of that. Why do I suddenly feel like I need a cigarette?" Lucifer leaned over and placed a kiss on Chloe's shoulder. "I wanted to find Beatrix and bring her home to you. You know I would do everything in my power to keep both of you safe, don't you? I just wanted to bring her home. And I wanted to see you." He breathed out a long breath as he and Chloe again looked eye to eye and she pressed her forehead against his.
"I noticed changes in you, ya know, as I was reading through your journals. Everything you wrote about, I remember the cases, remember how you reacted and it made me remember how our relationship has evolved. I meant what I said, that you made me a better detective. I think a lot of that is because you were willing to believe in me when I wasn't sure I believed in myself," Chloe said.
"You were worried about babysitting me so you didn't have time to question your judgment," Lucifer smiled and pecked her lips with a kiss.
"That may be true," Chloe agreed and rubbed her nose against his.
"Do you remember the case with Father Frank?" Lucifer pulled away from her, looked back down at the book on his legs and thought about the priest that affected him quite deeply.
"Yeah," Chloe nodded and put one of her hands on top of Lucifer's also remembering Lucifer's reactions.
"While he stayed with me, that short time, he mentioned that God either put me in his path or vice versa. I've thought about that a lot. Frank said God has a plan for all of us. His life was cut short and I still can't figure out how that could be part of a good plan. And yet when all of that was said and done, you left an opportunity to work things out with your husband – now ex-husband – to come and be my friend." He stopped and breathed in and out shallowly a few times.
"You didn't ask for anything in return. You just came to be with me – to just sit with me because you thought I needed a friend. I can't say I'd ever had a friend before that. Because of Father Frank, because of his death, my eyes were opened. You became my friend. And with that, Chloe, suddenly it mattered to me what you thought, how you saw me."
Chloe leaned her cheek against his shoulder. That little bit of time with Lucifer had made a difference in her life as well. She had chosen to check on Lucifer instead of having dinner with Dan. It had been a good choice, one that both she and Lucifer needed. And she had to agree with him, Father Frank's presence had probably been a God-send. It had been a turning point for both of them.
"I need to go back and see what you wrote about that case," Chloe started but Lucifer shook his head.
"There are a lot of curse words toward my father, if I remember correctly. You can read it later… But right now, what I wanted to say is – those things still matter to me. I started changing when I met you, when I met Frank. You said our relationship has evolved, and you're right. I have evolved because of you. And we talked about it a little bit already, but I want to be here with you. Chloe, I feel at home, with you."
He looked across the room at nothing in particular. "I think I started feeling that way that night when you came to the penthouse and sat down beside me on the piano bench. I was sitting there feeling alone, and then you came in. Nothing makes me feel better than being with you. You're my home."
"Stop," Chloe whispered and kissed his shoulder. She sucked in a shaky breath. "You're not supposed to pull that kind of stunt…"
"What?" Lucifer wondered.
"Out of the blue, pulling at my heartstrings, sappy kind of…stuff…" she tried to explain. "Just, shutup," she said and turned toward him.
Lucifer pushed a breath through his nose and knew that Chloe spotted the tears in his eyes. Everything he had told her was true and every moment with her made him sure of it. He easily pulled her into his arms and they simply held each other for the next few minutes.
"I love you," Chloe decided the words probably couldn't be said enough between them.
"And I, you, Detective," Lucifer spoke against the top of her head.
He glanced up toward Heaven hoping he might soon hear from his father. He needed to know if he could stay with the woman who taught him friendship and love. Was this part of God's plan? He wanted to believe Chloe was right: she was created for him and that was a good thing because ultimately they had found each other.
When Trixie got home from school she was happy to find her mom and Lucifer sitting on the couch. Well, Lucifer was sitting. Chloe had her head in his lap and was comfortably napping again as Lucifer played with her hair, caressed her cheek with his thumb and massaged her shoulders and bicep.
Why again had she not taken him up on this kind of relationship sooner? Oh yes, he was the devil and practically drove her insane.
Trixie smiled as Lucifer put a finger to his lips, shushing her before she said a word, hoping to let Chloe sleep just a little bit longer. His urchin followed the instruction but immediately came around the couch, noted both adults were clothed and then proceeded to give Lucifer a hug around his neck.
"What was that for?" the devil attempted to sound put out by her actions but as usual, Trixie didn't care.
"Thank you for going into school with me today. Some of my friends saw you taking me into the office and asked about you. I told them about my Vegas adventure and how I found you and brought you home!" She explained.
"You found me? Urchin, need I remind you that –"
"That you wouldn't have come back if I hadn't gone looking for you?" She raised her eyebrows, put her arms over her chest and looked at him, "Yeah, I know. So I think it counts. Besides, they really just think it's cool that I actually went to Vegas and stayed in a penthouse suite. I think I'm gonna have to write a paper about it," she cringed slightly. "Are you gonna write my note for me to take to the office tomorrow?"
"Sure he is, cause he's the one who knows all about this family emergency," Chloe's sleepy voice spoke from Lucifer's thigh. "Just…don't include anything about going to Hell, or demons, or drug gangs – please, for my sake don't include those, or else social services will be here wondering if I'm fit to have custody of my own child," she added as she sat up and adjusted the ponytail on the back of her head.
Lucifer looked at her, "I thought you'd write the note. I didn't think we had to give them every detail. I thought it would just say 'Beatrix was out of school due to a family emergency…'" He looked between mother and daughter and both smiled at him.
Chloe patted Lucifer on the thigh and smiled at him before getting up and heading toward the kitchen. "Monkey, what do you want for an afternoon snack?" She smiled as Trixie followed her and hopped up onto one of the barstools.
Lucifer took another moment or two on the couch thinking about this simple, family-like conversation that was happening. He turned and looked at Chloe and Trixie in the kitchen and had to smile. One other time in his life felt this content – and that evening had involved the same two people. He was beginning to realize that perhaps he wanted more time like this.
He joined them at the counter when Trixie decided on popcorn for a snack. She grabbed apple juice from the fridge for all three of them and laughed as Lucifer crinkled his nose at her.
"Don't you have anything stronger?" Lucifer wondered.
Trixie tilted her head at him. "You want a beer?"
"Not the disgusting kind your mother drinks. No, what are my other choices?" Lucifer sat as though he were at a bar.
Chloe looked at him. "We aren't at Lux, Mr. Morningstar. Your choices are apple juice, beer, orange Fanta or grape KoolAid."
Lucifer looked at her and sighed. "Orange Fanta for now, please. We're going to need to make a trip to Lux in order to stock your bar."
"We don't have a bar," Chloe motioned her hand around the apartment and laughed.
"Well, then you'll just have to make some cabinet space for scotch and whiskey," Lucifer stated without a second thought. "I'm going to need something around here to get me going in the mornings."
Chloe let a little sideways grin emerge on her face. They hadn't even delved into this conversation yet but it was one that made butterflies flit in her stomach. He was talking about being here in the morning. She didn't want to ask anything more, she decided quickly. Just in case she was reading too much into his words, she just let them pass without an added comment.
"Trix, I assume you have homework?" Chloe tried to focus her attention back on her daughter.
Trixie nodded. "Yeah, but I need my backpack. I forgot to take it with me today and I had a folder in it…" She climbed off the stool and went to look for her school bag.
"Ah, that's something else we need to talk about, Little Miss," Chloe moved from the kitchen to the living room where Trixie's backpack was sitting by the coffee table.
"Yeah?" Trixie asked slowly and Lucifer turned to watch them both.
Chloe had gone through the bag while Lucifer was in the shower, expecting to just find clothes and maybe the girl's plane ticket or food items.
"Do you want to tell me where you got this stack of cash… this book," Chloe pulled one of Lucifer's journals through the zipper opening, "and where on earth did you get this…feather?"
Trixie took a deep breath. Lucifer knew she had two of those items. She had told him that on the ride home. She had not shared it with her mother – and knew there was a real punishment phase yet to come.
"Lucifer's safe," she pointed at the cash; "the box of stuff you brought home from Lucifer's penthouse," that explained the journal; "and the balcony of Lucifer's penthouse," she pointed at the feather. "But you should know, I found the feather the day that Maze brought me over there to get the computer from you. And…" Trixie looked toward Lucifer, "while I was sitting on the balcony I swear I heard Lucifer telling me to hang onto it for him… that you would need it back," she looked at him with some real tears in her eyes as she remembered feeling him, talking to her. "It was one of the big reasons I knew I had to try and find you," she was being truthful but looking for a little sympathy at the same time.
"What's the feather from, anyway?" Trixie wondered before Lucifer could say anything.
"My wings," Lucifer answered honestly making Trixie give him a weird look completely. "Keep it, Urchin, use it as a bookmark. But do hang onto it for me, alright? I may need it back someday," he continued without giving her any more of an explanation.
Trixie smiled at him and picked up the feather. She knew exactly where she would keep it; in the same box with his letter and her book.
Chloe smiled as she looked between the two of them, but then she shook her head and looked at the other things she had pulled from her daughter's travel bag. "Trixie, you went through the box in my room?"
Trixie nodded shyly. "That's where I found Lucifer's phone and wallet. I used those to get my flight and hotel room when I found his credit cards," she cringed as she said the words out loud. "And I found the letter that Lucifer left for you that had his safe combination. I went to Lux one night that I was staying with Dad, after he went to bed, to get the cash."
"Wait," Lucifer interrupted. "You snuck out of the douche's apartment to go to mine?" he grinned widely as Trixie nodded and held his fist toward her for a knuckle bump. "Well played, Urchin!"
"Lucifer!" Chloe rolled her eyes and took a deep breath, "While I'm happy she sneaks out on both of us, I really don't want to celebrate that fact."
Lucifer pulled back his fist after a short tap with Trixie and attempted to put on a more serious face. "Oh! Right! Bad, Child. You know that's dangerous. Don't ever do that again," he creased his eyebrows and pointed at the girl who was trying to look sorry for her actions behind her grin.
"And she broke into your safe and stole money and used your credit cards…" Chloe looked at Lucifer.
"Well I wouldn't say she broke into the safe…" he stood up for the urchin again, "she found the combination in your letter… and I knew about the credit card thing. She and I have talked about that already and I told her she was grounded," he nodded.
"Oh did you?" Chloe nodded, crossed her arms over her chest and quickly noted how Lucifer stepped behind Trixie as the talk began to unfold.
He even placed his hands on her shoulders knowing that he had somehow put himself into the crosshairs along with Chloe's daughter.
"I did get my credit card back from her," Lucifer nodded, trying to put a positive spin on the situation. "And look, thanks to Eve and Candy…and my card… I bet she didn't spend over a hundred dollars or so of the cash. And the book – well, you've been reading them too, so that's not that big of an issue, is it?"
Trixie was smart, staying quiet as Lucifer made excuses for her. She felt his hands grip a bit more tightly on her shoulders with every additional explanation that he spoke.
"We'll have her write her own letter to take to school tomorrow and she's grounded – no going to Vegas again for at least a year," he suggested.
Chloe stared at Lucifer, "Are you finished yet?"
Lucifer moved his lips slightly for a moment as he looked at Chloe and thought about what he had just said. "Of… of course," he slid his hands slowly off Trixie's shoulders and put them on his hips as he stepped away from her and over toward Chloe, nervously. "You're much better at this stuff than I am, so whatever you decide for her punishment is probably better than my suggestions."
When he stepped behind Chloe, trying to look somewhat parental, Trixie began to laugh. She knew she was in trouble. She knew she would be punished. But Lucifer's entire, fatherly act was one she wanted to commit to memory.
"What?" Lucifer pointed toward Trixie, "What's so funny? Punishment is not something to laugh at, Young Lady."
Chloe turned around and looked at him. Her rolling eyes had turned to smiling ones and she quickly placed a hand on his chest. "For the King of Hell who has doled out punishments for eons, you are not good at punishing your urchin just yet," she explained.
Lucifer's shoulders dropped slightly as he began to pout.
"You can't make excuses for her and then proceed to try and ground her. She'll take all those words and throw them back at you in about two days when she's tired of being grounded. And you will give in to her." Chloe watched as Lucifer glanced around her and looked into Trixie's face, confirming what her mother was saying.
"Not the Vegas part. I won't take her back there until she's old enough to gamble," he threatened.
"Can I keep the cash till then?" Trixie reached for the money on the table but Chloe grabbed it away from her.
"No!" Chloe and Lucifer said in unison, making Trixie laugh again.
"Well, at least I get to keep the feather. But, Lucifer, you have wings?" The girl wondered curiously.
"Take your feather and put it in a safe place, Urchin," Lucifer instructed her. "I really do need a drink now. Go do part of your homework. I'll take you and your mother out to an early dinner and then we'll swing by Lux to put my journals and my money back in their proper places. And I need to pick up some clothes for the next few days…unless you've brought my entire wardrobe over here?" He turned his focus back to Chloe who was simply smiling.
Trixie took the feather and her backpack into her room and partially closed the door. She had heard the same thing her mom had latched onto. They were going to have a guest staying with them for the next few days at least. The girl smiled to herself. That idea made her grateful, and happy.
"So, my wardrobe," Lucifer raised his eyebrows wondering about his clothing.
Chloe found herself smiling wider, and putting her hands around his neck. She used her fingertips to play with his hair that obviously needed to be trimmed. Hell's barber shop probably wasn't up to Lucifer's standards.
"What's that smile about?" Lucifer asked but didn't hesitate to wrap his arms around her waist loosely.
"You want to pick up clothes to stay here? And you want to grab some drinks to put in the cabinets here?" Chloe asked, making Lucifer realize what she was referring to.
"Well it's either I stay here or you and the Urchin stay with me at Lux and that's probably not the best option," he said without a moment's thought. "I'd really rather not let you out of my sight," he admitted.
Chloe nodded. "Okay," she agreed, softly. "I… I think that's a good idea…for Trixie's sake," she nodded again.
"For the urchin, right," Lucifer winked at her slowly before bending his neck and placing a kiss on her lips. "So that's alright with you as well?" He really hadn't planned on asking permission.
Chloe nodded as their lips pressed together again. "Yes, please," she smiled as they kissed.
Lucifer's eyes closed instinctively. What they had discussed earlier, about his life changing because of Chloe, it was true. And he knew more changes were likely on the way – he hoped those would come with his father's blessings as well.