When the days are cold and the cards all fold
And the saints we see are all made of gold
When your dreams all fail and the ones we hail
Are the worst of all and the blood's run stale
I want to hide the truth, I want to shelter you
But with the beast inside, there's nowhere we can hide
No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come
Chloe couldn't stop herself from checking the clock constantly. It sat there innocently, strung up against the gray wall and ticking away in a slow, agonizing tick-tock. How could only two minutes have passed since she last looked?
She turned back to the kitchen, searching for something – anything – to distract her from the news-worthy slowdown of time that seemed to exist solely in the bubble of her home. The counters sparkled immaculately; the floors were spotless. Chloe turned next to the living room, where the pillows on the couch had been fluffed, and the TV was on and waiting patiently to load the movie past the "Netflix" screen. A bowl of freshly made popcorn took center stage on the coffee table, next to two empty glasses – set carefully on clean, stainless coasters – and a bottle of red wine that she had gotten from Lux.
Chloe paced over to the bathroom in nervousness, flipping the light switch on and checking to make sure everything was clean in here. Of course it was – she had cleaned it twice this afternoon alone. She caught her reflection in the mirror, and she tugged at her hair, adjusting it around her face better. Was her shirt too revealing for a movie night? She wondered if she should hop in the shower. No, that was ridiculous; there was only five minutes until the time they had agreed upon. She sighed, shaking her head at her ridiculous self in the mirror. This was Lucifer, of all people. And yet, she was still nervous.
Walking back into the kitchen, Chloe adjusted the folded and sealed piece of paper on the counter. It was folded clumsily, unfolded again, and then folded again, as evidenced by the slight crease near the current fold. It was taped shut with a single piece of invisible tape, and careful, cursive letters spelled out Lucifer's name. Trixie had been sad she wouldn't be able to see Lucifer, but it would only be a few days and she'd be back from spending time with Chloe's mom. Penelope had deemed it important to have Trixie for awhile so Chloe could properly mourn Dan's death.
Except that wasn't even on Chloe's mind now. The clock chimed at the exact same moment a single, solid knock came at the door.
Her heart leapt into her throat. Why in the world was she so nervous? Chloe took a deep breath in, sighed it out, and approached the door, opening it with a victorious flourish. The door revealed Lucifer, of course, who was dressed in one of his best black suits complete with a red tie and pocket square, hair slicked back, and a wistful smile on his face. In his hands, centered around his chest like a bride walking down the aisle, was an extravagant assortment of fresh-cut flowers, held together by a carefully-winding red ribbon that matched his tie. There was no obvious sign of his location of work during the week, for which she was grateful. In fact, he smelled like he had just enjoyed a shower himself: even from this far away, she could smell the distinct, expensive brand of shampoo that usually followed him after a shower. That was the smell she remembered from his jacket, what seemed like ages ago.
"Good evening, Chloe," Lucifer greeted with his most polite expression; of course, underneath she could tell he was a bit nervous too. And very excited. His eyes cascaded down her body in a way that made her heart leap and her cheeks flush. This was definitely the right shirt to wear, after all.
"Lucifer! Come in," she instructed with a smile, holding the door open wider. The formality felt off but also appropriate, given the circumstances. "How was your week?"
"Dreadful, as always," he returned coyly with a flourish as he presented her the flowers while stepping over the threshold into the cozy home. She closed the door behind him, discreetly sliding the deadlock into place. "Although this is working out better than we could have expected. With the demons helping, the amount of souls we've been able to help has been astounding! I just with Daniel would let himself leave, too."
"Not until everybody else has been saved," she reminded him carefully, "you know how he is."
"Still," he huffed. Chloe walked around the kitchen peninsula, grabbing a vase from its forgotten spot under the sink, filling it with water, and setting it to the side. She then took her junk scissors from the junk drawer, setting them next to the vase while she carefully unwrapped the ribbon from the flowers and pulled the plastic around the stems. Trimming the stems one at a time, she plopped them one by one into the water. They smelled heavenly.
"Ah, I see you got the wine I recommended," Lucifer called from the living room while she worked.
"Uh, yeah, that was the one you mentioned, right?" she answered back, distractedly arranging the assortment in the vase. To finish off the look, she picked up the ribbon and slid it around the narrowest part of the vase, nimble fingers tying the ribbon into an unequal but cute bow. She smiled at her handiwork.
Arms snaked their way around her waist and she started, nerves building in her stomach again. Lucifer peered over her shoulder.
"Did you moonlight as a florist?" he purred in her ear, tone complimenting and warm.
"Maybe," she said. "I'll tell you all about it over that bottle of wine and some fresh popcorn."
Lucifer unwrapped his arms from her waist, taking her left hand in his and leading her gently from her floral masterpiece back towards the living room.
"I may have sampled the merchandise," Lucifer admitted as she raised an eyebrow at the small dent carved from the popcorn mountain. She rolled her eyes, not at all angry, as she smiled and reached for the bottle of wine.
"This better be as good as you made it out to be," she muttered instead, working on the corkscrew for a moment. Twist, twist, twist, grab the levers, squeeze down, and a wonderful aroma hit her nostrils.
"I remember your taste in fine wine, my dear," Lucifer murmured back, prying the bottle from her fingers and pouring a heavy helping into the already waiting glass in his other hand. "Here, let me know what you think."
Chloe took the glass and eyed it, swishing the deep red liquid around a couple times before taking the smallest of sips. She closed her eyes and sighed heavenly, savoring the pleasant aroma that filled her nose and lifted from her tongue. Oh yes, that was good.
Eyes shot open in surprise when she felt the glass being taken from her hand. "Hey, I'm not done with that!" she protested, but Lucifer set it back on the coffee table, placed his hands on her forearms, and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
The desire on his tongue that darted out to greet her lips sparked an intense heat within her, melting any nerves away and replacing them with raw emotion. She kissed him back, not realizing the desperation at which she needed this, needed him.
They fell – gently, as Lucifer seemed to be more aware of their surroundings than she was – back onto the couch, Chloe barely noticing as she twisted her fingers up into his hair, teasing his locks with her slim fingers. He caressed her back gently but firmly, fingers dipping under the shirt she had been so nervous was too revealing before. Popcorn and wine lay forgotten on the table, Netflix stuck eternally on a dimmed pause screen, things the back of her mind had only a little regret about.
What a welcoming beginning for the rest of her life.
At the curtain's call is the last of all
When the lights fade out, all the sinners crawl
So they dug your grave and the masquerade
Will come calling out at the mess you made
Don't want to let you down, but I am hell bound
Though this is all for you, I don't want to hide the truth
No matter what we breed, we still are made of greed
This is my kingdom come, this is my kingdom come
A/N: It wasn't until I was working on the last chapter that I realized Demons by Imagine Dragons had the exact title of my story (my husband gave me the title idea). This is the end of My Kingdom Come, and what better day than the announcement of a final season 6? Not to mention August 21st is season 5 part 1! I hope you are all as excited as I am.
Anyway, thank you for joining me on this wild ride that was My Kingdom Come. Your reviews, favorites, and follows for my longest story ever have warmed my heart and kept me going this entire time. I appreciate you all!