Sitting there in the church, Lilith was uncertain as to why she was suddenly so blessed to have both Lucifer and Michael embracing her. The last thing she could remember with any certainty was fighting with Asmodeus, then being stabbed and seeing the sun just beginning to set over the demon's shoulder. Now it was night, the dark prince was dead and there was a gaping hole in her normally perfect memory. Perhaps when they were all safely far away from here, they would explain it to her, but for now she just wanted to get to her daughter.
Wiggling free from the celestial bear hug, Lili climbed the steps to the dais eager to hold her baby. As she approached she found it strange that after everything that had happened, with all the commotion, noise and fighting, Inara hadn't moved at all. Was she scared that something else would jump out and get her? Surely she wasn't afraid of being in trouble. Lilith had never known her daughter to concern herself with the consequences, a trait not unlike her parents. The demoness knelt down and gently pulled back the sleeping bag, expecting to see Inara look up at her, but the child never stirred. The little girl's eyelids fluttered and her breathing was deep and steady, but she didn't awaken.
"Inara." Lili called gently, but nothing happened. She touched her cheek and brushed a few stray dark curls out of her little face, but still no reaction. "Inara." Lilith said a little sharper, but the child didn't respond. "INARA!" the demoness yelled, terror running through her. She could see that her daughter was breathing and her skin was warm to the touch so why wasn't she opening her eyes. She looked at the others in fear and confusion.
"She's probably just playing." Lucifer suggested, but despite his reassuring demeanor, his heart was far from easy. He went up to the and knelt by the child and gently shook her. "Come on, poppet, jokes over." He waited a moment, but there was no reaction, no movement of any kind. Hoping for answers every face turned and looked at Maze, but she could only stare back at them, pale and slack-jawed.
"What did you do to her?" Lilith demanded, trying to stay calm.
"I-I didn't do anything," Maze responded, throwing her hands up in a show of innocence. "She was under Misran's care. All I did was supply the food and drinks, that was it. I never touched the girl." Mazikeen was searching her mind trying to think of what her brother could have done to the girl, but couldn't come up with anything. Truth be told, the Lilim were a ruthless bunch known for their cruelty and sadistic torture so it could be anything. "The last time I saw her awake was yesterday. I had gone to McDonald's to get some food and when I came back she was completely fine and even ate like Squee of Flesh Fly Friday." Maze was confident in her innocence, but seeing the looks on the others faces, it was clear that the others weren't so sure. "Okay, she did mouth me a bit and I was going to teach her a lesson, but Misran told me to take a walk instead. I didn't do anything to the food and I never touched a hair on her head . . . I swear!" Maze remembered suddenly that when she had gotten back from her walk, Inara was already asleep and her brother had simply shrugged it off as the child being tired. She hadn't really thought much of it at the time, but the longer the girl continued to sleep the more suspicious she had been. Sadly, even with her misgivings, Maze had told herself that it was nothing. "Misran is the one who slipped her something."
"What was it?" Lucifer demanded.
"I don't know. Probably something from mom's garden," she retorted, her old attitude beginning to show itself again.
"That's impossible," Lilith interjected. "He was possessing a body so there is no way he could have brought anything with him."
"How should I know what it was? He didn't tell me anything about drugging the girl or opening the door and letting demons come to Earth," Maze snapped, tired of the accusing looks.
"Did he pick up anything while he was here on earth?" Lucifer pressed, hoping for more information so the pieces together could be put together.
"Not that I know of . . . Check out his backpack, its right over there." Mazikeen pointed towards an overturned pew and a dusty knapsack leaning against it.
Instantly Lucifer, Michael and Velius descended on the satchel, each trying to get their hands on it first. Ultimately it was the devil who got the upper hand and, opening the bag, started tossing the contents over his shoulder. After a moment he froze, his face becoming pale as he stared into the bag. the other immortals surrounding him started asking what was wrong, what had he found? The fallen angel closed his eyes, pinching the lids tightly as though that would somehow erase what he was looking at. Slowly he took his hand from the pack and revealed a small silver vessel not much bigger than his thumb that had a lid decorated with a silver ball.
At the sight Chloe was horror struck. She knew that bottle and exactly what it contained. Father Kinley had given it to her years ago after she had first seen Lucifer's face and ran away to Rome. It was supposed to be used to sedate the devil so the priest could perform a ceremony that would send him back to Hell. It had almost been used on Amenadiel's son Charlie too. The detective had hoped that the celestial concoction had been destroyed but there it was, a mocking reminder of her own poor judgement and bad mistakes.
"What . . . what is that?" Lilith asked, staring at the small silver container.
"It's a drug used to force an angel into a coma." the devil turned his dark gaze towards Mazikeen who immediately took a step back. "This was safely locked away in my safe, Maze, so how exactly did Missy get his hands on it?"
"Uhh . . ." she stammered.
"HOW?"
"Okay . . . I took Misran to the penthouse when you were still off in Hawaii so he could get a change of clothes. While we were there I opened the safe so he could grab some cash for necessities and other odds and ends," she explained.
"And you just let him take this vial too?" Lucifer pressed, his temper once again riled at her over-reaching presumption.
"No, no no. I didn't know he had taken it. I ran to my old room to grab a couple of items I had left there and had no idea he had taken anything else."
"Maybe you should make it your policy NOT to allow every less than trustworthy person you come in contact with to access my safe." the devil growled as his eyes glowed red.
"Okay, so what if he took it. You don't know that he used it," Mazikeen argued. In response Lucifer opened the small container and turned it upside-down. It was empty, nothing poured out of it. Maze went pale as the devil smashed the vial in his hand.
"Okay . . . okay," Lilith interrupted as she gently set Inara back down on the floor of the dais and walked over to Lucifer. "What's done is done. Now we know what she was drugged with so how do we wake her back up? What's the antidote?"
With that one question Lucifer froze and his anger changed to trepidation as well as a deep sadness. For a moment he couldn't even answer as he felt the full weight of what Misran had done wash over him. How could he possibly break this to Lilith? He would have rather taken on Dad himself then deliver this devastating blow. Yes, Inara was his daughter too and it hurt him deeply to know that he would never really meet her, but it wasn't as though he had any paternal feelings or even a fatherly attachment. He could only mourn what might have been. For Lilith it was going to be different. She had given birth to the child, taught her to walk, talk . . . nursed her. This was going to break her heart and crush her soul and he couldn't bear to do it.
"Aḻakāṉa," Lucifer began, taking her hand in his. Again he hesitated, trying to find the right words that would somehow soften the blow, but there were none. "Aḻakāṉa . . . there is no antidote." Lilith stood there frozen in place, staring and unblinking. "We would either have to perform a ceremony that involves sending her to Hell permanently . . . or she remains here . . . eternally asleep." The devil watched Lili, expecting her to cry out, wail in pain, cuss, hit . . . something, but she didn't. Instead she was as still as stone, so much so that the fallen angel began to question whether she had even heard him. "Aḻakāṉa, please say something." He turned to his twin brother and looked at him helpless to know what to do, but Michael had no answers, no one did.
"You knew what this stuff could do . . . and . . . and you kept it?" Suddenly Lilith's knees buckled beneath her causing her to collapse like a rag doll into Lucifer's arms.
"Mama . . ." Maze started to say, concerned over her mother's reaction. When she started to approach, the devil quickly waved his hand, gesturing her away.
"Just go, Mazikeen . . . Please . . . just go," he softly commanded as he gently took Lilith's hand and stroked her cheek with the other. He had reached his limit on Maze and her foolish mistakes and for now he didn't even want to look at her. Mazikeen did as he asked and without a word she walked out the door, glancing back only once in hopes that someone would call her back but they didn't. The fallen angel never even glanced her way, his own culpability was enough of a weight for him to carry, he didn't need to deal with hers too.
Why had he ever kept the vial? As foolish as the choice seemed, Lucifer still could not see what other choice he had. He had considered burying it somewhere but was afraid someone would discover it and use it. He had considered flushing it or pouring it into the earth, but decided not to because of the risk of it ending up in the water supply. Locking it away in his safe seemed like the perfect solution. How could he have known that Maze would start letting random demons into it? He wanted to say something, beg her forgiveness, but it all seemed so feeble. The devil glanced at Chloe momentarily as she stood by the wall, his eyes seeming to ask her 'why'. The detective could only look away, ashamed and wishing she had never stepped foot in Rome.
"I assure you that Inara was never the intended target for that bloody melange," he sighed as he looked back down at Lilith. "And I had assumed that my resident Traitor Hotpants had made her quota of dastardly betrayals for the millenia. Wishful thinking on my part." This last part was flippant and he knew it, but he was hoping to break her out of this almost catatonic state, but it didn't work. After a moment large tears began to fill her eyes and make their way down her cheeks, although her face never changed expression. Seeing this, Lucifer gently laid her head against his chest and held her so she would know she was loved and not alone in her pain.
Wracked with the guilt of knowing that she was the one who bought that stupid vial of sedative to LA, Chloe bowed her head and walked towards the dais, her arms folded around her. It seems that her sins would never go away. Why had she ever listened to Kinley? Yes, at the time she had freaked out over finding out that Lucifer was the actual devil, but everything in her gut had told her what she was doing was wrong and she still chose to listen and follow that misguided priest. Not only had she almost drugged Lucifer, but it had nearly been used on Charlie and now . . . now it had been used on Inara.
Walking up the steps of the raised platform, the detective went over and sat down beside the sleeping girl. Trixie would have been about the same age as Inara when Lucifer had first entered their lives. It was hard to imagine that a full decade had passed since then. At the sight of the girls fluttering lashes, Chloe's eyes started to fill with tears. Over her long career she had witnessed so many horrific scenes. Man's inhumanity to man had ceased to shock her, except when it came to the most innocent victims. Crimes against children were always the hardest to deal with. True, this was no homicide and there wasn't so much as a scratch on the child, but ultimately it was still devastating.
Carefully, the detective lifted the small prone body into her arms and lap, the girl's head falling softly against her shoulder. A couple of soft dark curls fell in front of Inara's face, which Chloe gently brushed aside. She was such a beautiful girl and looking at her Det. Decker could quite decide who the child favored more, Lilith, or Lucifer. Her hair wasn't quite as dark as the devil's but it curled like his and her little face had the same soft heart shape that the demoness had. If only she could see her eyes.
Holding Inara, Chloe found herself remembering many nights seated on the couch with her own daughter Trixie in her arms. Clasping her small hand, the detective couldn't help thinking about all the dreams and the wonderful tomorrows that were now lost. This was certainly true for Lilith and Lucifer, but it also extended to Velius, Michael . . . and even herself. Until this moment she had never even considered that Inara might have been a part of her life.
This little girl might have been another daughter, or a sort of niece she could spoil endlessly. Images of game nights filled with lollipops and face painting danced before Chloe. Sugary thoughts of Halloween costumes, bedtime stories, trips for ice cream, and amusement parks filled her imagination and saddened her. Funny how something as small as this little girl on her lap could hold so many hopes, dreams and promises, yet the detective knew well that they did. In the light of a child's eyes shone a brighter tomorrow, pure innocent wonder and an unabashed love. It was the most incredible thing a person could experience and it was heart-breaking to think that all of that had been silenced forever. Who knows what this little girl might have been capable of or what she would have accomplished.
Maybe it was the sadness of the moment, or perhaps it was the way holding Inara brought back so many warm memories of raising Trixie, but whatever the reason, Chloe started to sing. It was a simple tune, yet seemed to have a power all of its own. It's melody harkened back to an age before humanity that had long been forgotten by the angelic host. The detective's voice was pleasant with warm tones that possessed a natural musical ability, although she would be the first to say it wasn't so. At first, no one in the little church seemed to notice the music, except for Lucifer. Hearing the faint lullaby, he raised his head and looked over at dais, listening intently to what she was singing.
What she sang was a hopeful prayer that called out to a soul that was lost and adrift on a lonely friendless sea. The words beckoned to the nameless wanderer and offered to be the lighthouse that guided them safely back to shore and home. To human ears it could easily be a sailor trying to navigate the ocean, but to Lucifer it spoke to a greater kind of 'lost'. The soul in question could be wandering through endless time and space, trapped in cold darkness and silent emptiness. The devil imagined that this would be a worse fate than even Hell itself. What was odd was that he found the song was strangely familiar, although he couldn't place it.
Chloe didn't know where the song came from, only that she had heard it every night of her childhood. The music played through her dreams and made her feel so happy and peaceful. She asked her mother and father once if they had taught it to her, but neither had ever heard of it. As a teenager she forgot about the lullaby in favor of other adolescent diversions and it stayed that way through most of her twenties. All of that changed with the birth of Trixie. When her eyes first gazed down at her newborn daughter that song suddenly came back to her and it quickly became the lullaby that always managed to calm the fussy baby and make Trixie feel better when she was sick.
Singing it now, Chloe truly felt what the lyrics were saying. Inara was the lost soul adrift in an endless sleep and the detective's soft tones were calling to her, begging her to not let go and keep holding on. She swore to the child as she sang that the clouds would lift and that she would be the light in the darkness guiding her safely back. Listening to the music, Lucifer suddenly felt a soft cool breeze blow through the decrepit building and it seemed to move right through his soul. It was electric and filled with life and energy and with it suddenly appeared millions of tiny flecks of light that sparkled in shades of blue, teal and turquoise. Looking at his twin brother and Velius, he realized that they saw and felt it too. Lilith and the detective were the only ones who seemed oblivious to what was going on around them. Whatever this was, it was Chloe that was making it happen with her song.
The devil closed his eyes taking in each word and soft melodic tone. It was beautiful and haunting. Everything about the music called him back to a time of innocence and pure happiness. It breathed into his heart and set his soul on fire as if to say 'you are not lost either, Lucifer, The light is there to lead you home if you would only look'. Suddenly he realized where he had heard this song before. Long ago his own Mum had sung it to him, when he was a boy, along with Michael. Strange that he should have forgotten such a happy memory.
As the detective finished the lullaby vowing to never let Inara go, the child suddenly started coughing and choking. Immediately Chloe flipped the child over allowing the girl to gag and vomit up the dark, poisoned soda pop. With this sudden jolt of life the detective started crying out frantically for Lucifer and Lilith to come quickly. The demoness didn't hear anything and didn't move a muscle until Inara managed a feeble 'mama'. That small child's voice was like a jolt of lightning that went straight to her heart bringing her back to life again. Hurriedly they ran to the dais where Lili scooped the child into her arms, kissing her over and over.
As mother and daughter held each other, Lucifer smiled gratefully at Chloe. He had long been aware that she was special and created by his Father for a purpose, but this was the first time he had witnessed just what an extraordinary gift The Presence had created when he made her. What was strange was that the detective seemed completely unaware of what she had just done.
"What is it?" Det. Decker asked the devil as she approached him.
"Detec . . . Er . . . Chloe," he began. "I was just thinking how you've always been an incredibly beautiful woman, but I don't think you've ever looked more beautiful than you do at this moment."
Chloe had no idea what was prompting Lucifer to say such honeyed words, but she knew he meant them. After-all, the devil never lied. She wanted to put her arms around him and hold him close, but she was afraid to. She didn't know where their relationship stood anymore and didn't want to assume anything. To both her great relief and joy, Lucifer pulled her to him and held her as he softly and said 'thank you' over and over again.
Lost in their embrace, neither the devil nor the detective noticed the whispered conversation going on between Lilith and Inara. The child confessed what Misran had told her and that it was her desire to meet all of these half-siblings that had caused her to run away. Lilith assured her that she was not in any trouble and one day she would meet all her half-siblings, but not before she had fully grown into her power and could protect herself. Inara looked down at the floor in disappointment, but it was short-lived as Lilith began whispering into her ear and pointed towards Lucifer and Chloe. Full of excitement the child rushed over and tugged at the devil's french cuff, getting his attention.
"Yes?!" he said a bit harshly over the interruption before looking down and seeing who it was. Gazing down at the large brown eyes and small cherubim face that beamed up at him, he immediately chose a gentler tone. "Yes, child?"
"Mum says that you're my dad," she responded.
"Well . . ." he began, uncertain of what to say. "Your mother . . ." He looked at Lili a moment then turned back to the girl. " . . . Is correct. You are indeed my progeny." The last syllable barely passed his lips before Inara threw his arms around his waist and hugged him. "Uhhhh . . . Yes . . . Um . . . the pleasure . . . is all mine," he responded, giving her a couple of quick, uncertain pats on the head. "Why do they always want to hug me?" Lucifer asked the detective in a low voice.
"I guess the devil is just irresistibly huggable," she laughed.
"Funny," he responded, the sarcasm dripping from his tongue. The sound of Lilith laughing at Chloe's statement met Lucifer 's ears and he looked over at her. There was a lot of talking they still needed to do and he couldn't help thinking that it would be best to do it now rather than later. Taking Inara aside, he pointed to Chloe, Michael and Velius in turn. "I am going to leave you in the care of your big brother, the lovely detective and my evil twin Michael, also known as doodles because he once spent a year eating nothing but cheese doodles."
"Lucifer," Lilith said, looking at him sharply.
"I never did that," the angel corrected. "That was Moroni and it was only for 4 months and he washed it down with ovaltine," He glanced over at Chloe who looked confused. "It was before he decided to have some 'fun' with Joseph Smith. Moroni really is a douche."
"From my experience, all pure blood celestials are a pain in the ass." Lilith sniffed.
At this both Lucifer and Michael began to talk at once, extolling the virtues of angels over demons, Lili quickly joined in arguing that the Lilim were just as great as them. The noisy chatter was almost deafening, making Chloe and Inara cover their ears. In between breaths Lili turned to her first and last born and informed them that they should be grateful they had her blood too. The brother and sister looked at each other then rolled their eyes.
"Good God the bullshits getting thick in here." The Nephilim mumbled to himself then turned to his eternally dysfunctional parents. "Let me be clear, neither of you have ever been, or ever will be shining examples of maturity and good decision making."
"I beg your pardon." Both Lilith and Lucifer responded indignantly. The demoness turned to the devil and mumbled under her breath.
"The disrespectful attitude he got from you." Her words were not quite quiet enough as Lucifer heard them and immediately bristled.
"Oh no no, you're not blaming that on me. He got it from you."
"Pleeease, you're the one who invented rebellion." Lili quickly pointed out. Immediately the two began talking at once again, only to be interrupted by Velius sticking his fingers in his mouth and emitting a loud shrill whistle to get their attention.
"Take it outside!" the Nephilim ordered while pointing to the door. Flashing a look of annoyance at their son, both the devil and demoness started up the aisle towards the front door.
"That he got from Amenadiel," Lucifer responded acidly.
Outside the two stood for a moment in silence unsure of where to begin. This was a moment long, long overdue and neither knew how to broach the subject. Lucifer finally broke the ice by asking Lilith what she desired, but he didn't ask this in his usual fashion. There was no locking eyes or raising of the eyebrows while displaying his wicked grin. No, it was just a simple question, heartfelt and genuine. In turn, Lili answered him openly and honestly. She told him that right now, what she wanted more than anything was to go back to Kauai Hawaii and just live peacefully with her daughter. If someone happened to come along who wanted that too and would treat her as an equal and not try to own her then perhaps she would consider the relationship.
"Michael," Lucifer commented softly to himself. He had hoped to hear her say she wanted him, but she hadn't. Of course, she hadn't mentioned his twin either, which was good, but the devil could already see the writing on the wall.
Over the last ten years they had both been growing and changing, but not in the same direction. It wasn't that Lucifer didn't see Lilith as his equal, quite the opposite. He had always believed them to be perfect complements of each other. His short vacation at her home in Kauai had been a much needed holiday and a very peaceful spot indeed, but to start a new life there? That was something he wasn't sure he could do. He enjoyed running Lux with its nightly parties and he also loved working with Chloe and catching bad guys. He wouldn't be able to do either of those in Hawaii. Michael could though. His twin brother and fellow Archangel had only just arrived on earth and had yet to put down roots or make any friends or relationships all. He obviously loved Lili and as much as he hated to admit it, he was probably what she needed right now.
The two talked for quite a long while, unaware of the time or the way the sliver of moon slowly passed over their heads from one horizon towards another. They discussed everything from the wounds they had given each other to the joys they had shared. They brought up moments of where they had raged against each other as well as moments of intimacy and deep affection, even if they hadn't realized it at the time. Both had used each other from time to time as well taken each other for granted, but both knew they had no closer friend or greater ally than each other.
They also talked about Lucifer's drug-induced dream that Lili had once joined in and the way they had claimed each other and what it had meant. The two immortals agreed that they would always be a part of each other, there was no erasing that. They would continue to be the best of friends and agreed that when it came to Inara they would talk to each other before making any major decisions and never undermine the other. At the end of the day though, there was still no 'we', but two people ready to go and live their separate individual lives. It was hardly the end though, because they both knew that as immortals there was no limit to their time and with things constantly changing, who knows what may happen when Inara is all grown up or even a hundred years after that.
With so much to cover, both Lilith and Lucifer had completely lost track of time. They hadn't even noticed the thin strip of light beginning to appear on the eastern horizon. They certainly had forgotten about the four people patiently waiting for them to wrap it up inside the derelict church. What finally jogged their memory was Velius coming outside and interrupting the discussion. While he was glad they were finally talking things out, he had no desire to continue sitting around among the dust, dirt and broken furniture until Grand-dad knows when. He had better things to do with his time, namely Trixie Espinoza.
"Any chance you two are close to wrapping things up? It's almost dawn."
"Ah, well, I suppose it is," Lucifer commented, glancing up at the horizon and the glimmer of light. "The last twenty-four hours have been . . . rather exhilarating."
"Yes they have," Lilith agreed. The two looked at each other and the devil gave a half smile know that Lilith didn't even know everything that had happened . . . yet.
Going back inside the group worked together to gather and dispose of the demonic bodies. It was decided that they would pile them up and set fire to the church. The wood was so dry in the place that really all they needed to do was light a few pages of one of the scattered hymnals and it would be ablaze in no time. Placing several of the antique music books around the stack of bodies, the devil took out his lighter and began to roll the wheel beneath his thumb in an attempt to set off the flint, but nothing happened. What was it with these bloody lighters? He was about to fling it in frustration when the entire pyre suddenly took off in a fiery blaze causing Lucifer to fall backward in surprise. He turned and saw Inara's hand outstretched and a ball of flame hovering above her palm.
"Well, I wish someone would have warned me she could do that," he said, looking at Lilith who only shrugged.
"Are you sure this will work?" Chloe asked, unable to shake the feeling that they were doing something terribly illegal.
"Trust me. Have you ever heard of those fire-starter logs? Well, demons are basically a walking, talking version of those. There won't be so much as a bone fragment left."
He was right of course. In Hell he had watched demons be consumed by flames a million times and there was never anything left but ashes. As for Misran's host body, Aeron Darnell, it was decided that he would be found on the side of the road, just another mysterious death that no one could explain in a jurisdiction far removed from LA. Chloe was already preparing herself for the phone call she would receive once his body was found. All they had was his car and several witness depositions regarding him being in a single car accident and walking away from the scene. At least his family would have his body back and they could give him a proper burial.
When everything was done, the group left the church and met up again outside of Lux. Chloe was clearly exhausted, but determined to stick it out until she was certain all of it was over. Velius promptly left. He was a tad bit tired, but thanks to his immortal stamina, all he needed was a cup of coffee and he would be fine for at least another twenty-four hours, unless Trixie exhausted him. After seeing his wayward son off, Lucifer turned to invite Lilith in for a drink, but stopped when he noticed the way she and Michael held hands and how they were looking at each other.
"So . . . will you be going straight back to Kauai then?" he queried.
"No, first I need to get all my things from the hotel as well as Inara's, then there is the little matter of plane tickets and . . ." Lilith began to explain.
"Well, you still have the use of my jet so that should decrease your trouble considerably," Lucifer responded with a half-hearted smile. "In fact . . . why don't I take the little poppet for the weekend so you and Michael can . . . spend some time together." This had been harder to say than he expected, but it was the least he could do for his closest friend.
"A-are you sure? You're not exactly a kid person," The demoness pointed out.
"Yes, I'm sure and you have my promise that nothing will happen to her."
"What's the catch?" Michael interjected. He knew his twin and there were always strings attached. "Is this one of your 'favors'?"
"No, no catch, no favors, just . . ." the devil wanted to complete the sentence, but found the words impossible to say. " Well, at any rate it will give me a chance to get to know the little cub," he quickly deflected. With this assurance, the angel and demoness promised to run over to the hotel and return immediately with the girl's things. Once they had left, Lucifer turned to Chloe and told her she should go home and get some rest. She nodded in agreement then as she started towards her car she turned back to ask if he was sure he didn't need any help. "Of course not! How hard can it be to watch over one small girl!"