"Lucifer!"
It had happened so quickly, and Chloe's normally quick-thinking detective brain seemed to screech to a halt at the sight of Lucifer so close to death – or being wiped out of existence, or whatever would happen if Michael were to run that sword through him. All she knew was that one moment they were there and the next they were gone. A single, sharp gray feather floated down in the empty space where the celestial brothers had stood.
Her cry was belated but not out of place. Chloe did the first thing that had come into her head when she was debating what to do but could not do at the time – she screamed as loud as she could in her mind for any of Lucifer's siblings; at least the names she could remember. She didn't know how she felt – panic? Was this panic? Her heart felt loud and unnatural in her chest. Breathing seemed more difficult than normal. She needed to focus on something, anything. Her feet brought her back up the stairs and to the bed, where she sat back down in dumbfounded silence, mind still reeling.
Azrael was the first to show up. Eyes wider than normal even in her owlish glasses, she gracefully approached Chloe as if she knew exactly where she would be in the oversized penthouse. The angel of death claimed the spot next to the detective, crossing her legs and waiting silently. She placed a calm, cool hand on Chloe's bare shoulder. Chloe shuddered involuntarily, remembering the getup she was still in.
"I'll be right back," she mumbled, catching out of the corner of her eye another presence. She didn't care right now. Once in Lucifer's much too large of a closet, she stared at the endless rows of suits and luxury clothing items. There was a rack dedicated to women's lingerie (something she wasn't too surprised at). Chloe reached for one of his suit jackets instead, wondering if it would smell like him. Sticking her arms through the sleeves, she pressed her nose into the fabric and inhaled deeply. Not really.
There was murmuring coming from the other room; more voices had joined the two that she had left. She peeked her head around the corner, unsure of what she would find, but not expecting to see five ordinary-looking people having a calm discussion.
"-can't just start something in the middle of a city," Azrael was speaking up, voice the audio version of 'duh.'
"We need to do something, and we need to do it now. Michael has gotten out of hand," a man answered with a frown, crossing his arms and staring towards the balcony where the hot tub lay silently simmering steam into the cool evening. Chloe brought the suit jacket around her more tightly. While this didn't create a noise, it certainly attracted the attention of all in the room, and she found herself staring into the faces of five celestial beings.
Amenadiel was in the corner. He offered a short but polite nod, mouth turned upwards in a serious, sympathetic line. Next to him was a young-ish man with sharp eyes and features that for some reason struck her as similar to fictional Peter Pan's. The third man was the one who had replied to Azrael, and he had a tall, serious demeanor about him, not unlike Amenadiel back when Chloe had first met him. Azrael was still sitting cross-legged on the bed, offering her a small encouraging smile. And finally, a tall woman with a set expression of seriousness gave her an impassive, disinterested glance.
"Uh, hi." Chloe swallowed dryly, trying to read the room. "I'm Chloe."
"What happened, Chloe?" Amenadiel asked, offering an arm for her to approach the group. She did cautiously, feeling a bit of hostility off the unknown tall woman. Peter Pan gave her a wink and a quick grin.
"Well, Lucifer and I, we…well, we came back here," she began lamely, trying to omit details of their intended plans for the evening. Azrael grinned from the bed and giggled. "Michael was here waiting for us. He ambushed us and threatened to kill Lucifer if either of us prayed. I don't know what he wants with him, but I'm not thinking it's good," she sighed, easing into the comfort that Amenadiel's presence provided. "He seemed to think all of Lucifer's siblings – you all – were being led astray from God's plan or something like that."
There was a hiss from Peter Pan, the sound of air being forced through teeth.
"He's always so touchy," he groaned. "What makes him think we would let Lucifer lead us 'astray'? Has he met Raphael?" He gestured to the serious man, who cleared his throat. Chloe stared at him; the very idea that this man could be led astray was indeed quite preposterous. She didn't voice any of this out loud.
"There's no need for humor, Gabriel," Raphael answered briskly as he directed a glare the younger man's way. Peter Pan – Gabriel, Chloe thought wryly to herself, easily recognizing that angelic name – just smirked and didn't reply. "Needless to say, we need to do something about Michael and we need to do it quickly, before he upsets the entire balance and makes a mistake."
"You mean like Samael's mistake with Uriel?" The tall, haughty woman pointed out, voice not pleased nor pleasant to behold. She stared coldly at Chloe and she shuddered involuntarily, snuggling deeper into the suit jacket. If she tried hard enough, she imagined she could smell Lucifer's scent of musk and familiarity. She wished he was here; this was not how she wanted to 'meet the family.'
As if sensing her discomfort, Azrael hopped up and appeared on her other side, so Chloe was enveloped in an angelic sandwich between her and Amenadiel. The young angel smiled reassuringly and wrapped an arm around Chloe's. She faced the other woman.
"Lucifer didn't have a choice," Azrael answered the other. "He was put in an impossible position that Uriel gave him with no way out but to change the rules. You know how Uriel was, and there was no way Lucifer would harm Mother or Chloe here. He cares too much, that Lucifer." She let out a quick smile again at Chloe, who flashed one of relief back.
"If you didn't want to help resolve this situation, you needn't have come, Jophael," Amenadiel told the tall woman sternly. She frowned back at him.
"Michael is not in his right mind, but that doesn't mean Lucifer has been forgiven."
"What is it with you all and forgiveness?" Chloe asked suddenly, effectively turning all eyes towards her again. She swallowed nervously but pushed forward. "Michael's obsession with punishment, Amenadiel's need to see tests from God everywhere he goes… Don't you all think that you make your own fate? Is it your job to decide whether God has forgiven Lucifer? I guess I don't know much about 'celestial rules,' but you all spend so much time focused on worthiness it's a wonder anything gets done. I for one would like to figure out a way to get Lucifer back without anybody being harmed. I would like to stop Michael from whatever dastardly villainous deed he has planned up his sleeve. And I would like to help Lucifer save the souls of Hell from their own guilt. I would hope that his own siblings would at least meet me that far."
Having finished her small speech, Chloe instantly felt a heat rising to her cheeks. She hadn't intended to rail on the angels, but the words had slipped out, as they tended to do when she had a strong opinion on the subject. She excused herself from Azrael's hand and the group, wandering over to the liquor stash to help herself to some whiskey. If she was going to get through the rest of this, a strong drink would do her some good.
She blinked in surprise, stopping mid-pour when the tall woman – Jophael – showed up behind her, expression impassive.
"What would you have us do?" the other woman asked, and Chloe thought she could sense curiosity in her voice. Chloe downed the half glass of whiskey, set the cup down in one simple movement, and met her eyes as she felt the warmth from the liquid spread down her throat and into her chest. Liquid courage indeed.
"If you want to confront Michael, you need to get out of the city," she answered, remembering Azrael's sentiments she had walked back in on. "If you want a place with nobody there, you could head to Death Valley up north. Hottest place in the country, so nobody stays there long."
"I like it," Gabriel chimed in with another wink. "I've heard that place has plenty of room. One angelic death match in an appropriately named valley!"
"We're not trying to kill anybody," Amenadiel chastised, but he didn't object to the location. "That would make a good place. How do we get Michael out there?"
"He'll know it's a trap, obviously," Azrael responded.
"We wouldn't have the element of surprise," Raphael added somberly. "We don't want to do harm. Perhaps we should get Father involved after all."
"Let's make that a last-case scenario," Amenadiel replied a little too quickly. "Lucifer, you know."
"I thought he was forgiven?" Jophael asked with an eyebrow cocked.
"Would he come? God, I mean," Chloe interjected, eyes widening. She couldn't even imagine what God would look like in person. Was he an old shepherd looking guy? Was he Morgan Freeman? Was he some being that she wouldn't be able to see without aging crazily like Moses in The Ten Commandments? In addition, couldn't he just snap his fingers and stop Michael and Lucifer from fighting one another? Couldn't he just return Lucifer to Hell? That thought made her mouth dry. She quickly poured another drink and downed it. Maybe she should call Ella. This seemed much more up her alley.
"Dad makes his suggestions…selective," Amenadiel told her. "He's not one to interfere directly, although I imagine he likes to make indirect interference from time to time. He's brought Lucifer back from death before, back when he first found out he could get injured by your presence."
Chloe blinked a few times.
"And now he can get injured at any time, would God have caused that?"
"What do you mean?" Raphael frowned at their conversation. "Lucifer can get injured? Does he bleed? Can he die?"
"Yes," Amenadiel nodded. "At first it seemed to be just because of Chloe's presence, something we never really understood until I realized that she was a miracle – directly from Dad himself. Now it seems Lucifer can get injured and not heal no matter if Chloe is in his presence or not. If it's something to do with his self-worth, I don't understand it."
Gabriel whistled lowly. "Didn't see that coming. Yeah, we should probably act soon. Knowing how easily annoyed Michael gets and how easily annoying Lucifer is, those two won't last long in each other's company without tearing each other apart. I mean, do you remember the day Lucifer fell? That was absolutely horrendous."
"Yeah, we should get on it to Death Valley," Azrael nodded her affirmation. Chloe's eyes fell back on Jophael and Raphael, the two that stood on even footing with Amenadiel in terms of charisma and character. They were looking at each other. Maybe they were communicating silently?
Silence fell over the room for a second as some unseen conversation occurred.
"Absolutely not," Amenadiel exclaimed after a moment. "We do not need to use bait. Chloe is a living, breathing human, not a worm on a hook."
Chloe rolled her eyes; she should have expected as much. She sighed.
"I don't plan on missing this, even if it goes sideways," she retorted to the entire group, breaking the mental argument. "I have a friend that would agree, and we can play bait just fine. We're coming with and we'll stay out your way. Make us the S&R if you must."
"S&R?" Raphael inquired.
"Search and rescue."
The angel nodded and turned back to Amenadiel.
"She is fine with it," he said simply. Amenadiel let out a huff that reminded Chloe that they were actually siblings. She felt the tension ease from the moment. Azrael grabbed her arm again, this time with a reassuring squeeze.
"We better bring Ella in on this then and figure out a plan," she said seriously. "I'd like you both to not die very much. I don't want to know the feeling of bringing you both to your next destinations." She gave Chloe a serene glance that made Chloe shudder; sometimes she forgot that the angel next to her had the most gruesome of tasks.
"We're going to need a plan," Chloe said to the group, letting her assertive detective mind take over. "If this operation is going to go smoothly, we're going to need to think this through." She whipped out her phone and pulled up Ella's name, pushing the call button.
This was going to be a long night, and not for the original reason she had hoped.