A/n: Wow, so first, apologies. There were some pregnancy complications and everything that wasn't school or my family went on hold. Then the pandemic hit. While I'm not against use of a hiatus, I like to give warning. A huge thank you to everyone and their support in these difficult times.
Second: Yes Black Lives Matter, Yes this is still a thing, No racism has never been magically fixed, No BLM does not mean that other movements are not important as well. There is a school of thought that all oppression is related at its core. A victory for one is a stepping stone to a victory for all.
That being said, let's get back to it. As an apology for my unplanned absence, this chapter is of an obscene length. The idea was that I still wanted to cover the same content that would have been released had the unplanned break not happened. With luck on my side, production will return to the normal release schedule.
"Love and Peave!",
Mint Tea and Skulls
Chapter 28: Lets do the Time Warp again!
Maze stared at the photo. She had read the file at least four times over. However, the photo of Lucifer with his devil face left her stunned.
"And she gave this to you, unopened?" Maze asked for the second time.
"Yes, completely sealed. I could only guess that she was trying to respect my privacy."
"Obviously not completely respecting your privacy if she had it in the first place."
"A fair point, however, she didn't look. That must count for something, Maze."
"How did they even get a photo?" She asked in shock.
"Hardly matters. We always knew at least a couple of government Joes knew who I was. It made our transition to the human world easier." Lucifer commented offhandedly as he poured another drink.
"Are you not concerned about this?" She asked him, anger already stirring within her.
"Again Maze, it doesn't matter. We should focus on discovering who and what Miss Varquez is. I find it quite interesting personally."
"You do have a soft spot for a mystery." Maze stated as she tossed the file into their safe.
"Ah, but you miss the bigger picture." He started with a smirk. "If she is not human, the rules of interaction change. After-all, I can't relieve myself to humans, specifically."
"Lucifer, no. She's still trouble, even more so now. You need to stay away from her." Maze said firmly.
"Lucifer, yes. Don't worry your pretty head, I can handle what ever she is." He said confidently. As he had turned away, he paused for a moment. "Oh yes, I wanted to ask you about the night Trixie was kidnapped."
Maze shifted from one foot to the other, "Why the sudden interest?"
"Miss Varquez had implied that you knew a great deal more about it than you told me."
She was going to thrash Natalie for outing her lie of omission to Lucifer. Maze shifted again, "Well, I guess you know almost everything now, so what can it hurt.
"When Trixie had been kidnapped, Natalie was tapped to recover her and take out all of the members of the wannabe's that kidnapped her. It was one of the last things Christenson paid her to do before he ended up in prison.
"Trixie was the only survivor. The feds were in on it, and Natalie slaughtered everyone else there as a warning to any others who tried to edge in on Christenson's turf."
"And then you told me that she was just an informant?"
"I never used the word 'just', and she was my informant on what happened."
"Has she ever killed an innocent?" Lucifer asked softly, eyes on Maze's face to catch any sign of a lie.
Maze returned his stare and crossed her arms, "Not that I know of, but that doesn't seem like something she would do. However, I don't know much about what she wouldn't do."
Maze could only stare after him in frustration as he walked in the elevator to go to the club floor. Since Miss Varquez had built new dance teams, she rarely appeared in the club during the busy hours. Her hours were mainly in the morning during dance practice. A quick check of his watch assured him that she and today's group should be there within the hour.
It seemed the universe had other plans for him, as his phone began to ring. Lucifer didn't recognize the number, and answered with a shrug.
"Hello?"
"Is this Lucifer Morningstar?" A male voice asked.
"Yes, who is this?"
"I'm Thomas Samson. I work for Madam Suzette von Ger. I am calling to inform you that you have been invited to this year's charity gala, in two weeks."
"Madam von Ger's gala? How delightful. Do I have a plus one?"
"Of course, sir. Shall I mark you under 'accepted'?"
"Yes, please do."
Lucifer ended the call with a smirk. The Madam's gala was the social event of the season and he knew exactly who he wanted to charm into going with him. Rather than catch the morning crew coming in as he had planned, the opening meeting was well in hand. With a patient smirk, he made his way to the bar for a morning drink while he waited.
Once there was a comfortable lull in the ongoings of morning practice, the smirking devil crossed the floor to slip behind a leaning Miss Varquez. When the dancer that she was speaking to wandered off, she leaned into him rather than turn around.
"I believe I still owe you a replacement ballgown after our last trip went a bit... astray." He murmured softly. Bracing one hand against the table, pleasantly near the edge that her hip was perched against, he loosely wrapped his arm around her shoulder to bring his glass back to his lips. As he licked the lingering drop from his lip, he ran the cool edge of the glass down her arm.
His reward was a strained giggle and her head falling back against his shoulder. Although her arms were stubbornly crossed, it still felt like a win. Turning his mouth toward her ear, he continued his pitch. "And I also owe you a thank you for that lovely little file you gave me. A beautiful dress needs an event to break it in."
"Oh? What social nonsense are you up to now?" She had a soft breathy tone he quite liked when she was avoiding drawing attention.
"The von Ger charity gala."
It was only for a fraction of a moment, but she tensed against him before relaxing again. Her body shifted against him as she turned to face him. There was a small frown on her face and Lucifer smiled hesitantly.
"Why?" She asked clearly.
He paused for a moment, "As a thank you. Apologies, I hadn't realized a bit of sensation play was all it took for you to be momentarily struck deaf."
She studied him. Her eyes moved across his face and a small sense of warning broke through the remains of his haze. He had never seen her look at him quite so seriously.
After a few seconds, she replied, "Come with me to Evan's bachelor kareoke party."
His brows furled together, "What?"
"Evan's party. I'll go with you to the gala, you come with me to the party."
"Miss Varquez, are you inviting me to a personal outing? How scandalous."
His tone was light and teasing. He drained the last of the glass and wrapped his arm around her to place it on the table. With his hand freed, he brushed his fingertips along her jawline. He was very pleased with how the storms in her eyes were pushed to the edges. In the darkness of her pupil was an apparent hunger.
"You do love a scandal. And you do owe me a dress."
Whatever had set her on edge had seemed to have passed. Lucifer curved his hand to slide his knuckles down to her clavicle. Once his hand made the journey back up, his fingers spread to press his palm against her cheek.
"Meet me at the boutique a couple blocks down after your shift?"
A nodded was all the response he received before her hand landed on his chest. Her other hand steadied herself on the table as she reached up to catch his lips with her own. He let his hand thread into her hair as he responded in kind. His hand on the table slid up her hip so that he could skim his thumb across the skin just above her sweatpants. Using the kiss to mask the resulting moan, he squeezed her hip a tad tighter than he normally would. The hand pressed against his chest slithered up to wrap around his shoulders. Her other hand came up to fist the sleeve of his shirt. When she pulled away, her voice came out in breathes again.
"It's a date."
A low growl of approval passed through him as he gently pulled her into another kiss. It was cut short as a throat cleared beside them. Lucifer let his focus expand beyond the bubble of their embrace. The detective had a very disappointed look and was pointedly looking away.
"We have a new case, I was going to see if you wanted to get breakfast sandwiches before going to the scene, but I see you're busy."
Before he could answer, Miss Varquez stepped away from him and gave a tiny mock salute to the detective. She sauntered off to the back room. The dance squad – long desensitized to Lucifer's antics – fell in around her to ask schedule questions before practice picked back up.
"Charming." The detective muttered.
He barely contained the smirk that wanted to spill over. One last glance came his way and he basked in it before the group passed through the door. His attention finally turned in full to the detective. She seemed frazzled. Upon closer examination, several love-bites were visible along the edge of her shirt collar. A smirk lit across Lucifer's face. "Hello Detective, have a nice night did we?"
The sputter that erupted from her had him boldly laughing. Let it not be said he was without mercy, as he waved off the topic and inquired about the case.
"We got an anonymous tip for an old cold case. Since it was a very high profile case at the time, we're going to check it out."
0-0 0-0 0-0
The detective seemed pleased with the box of old photos. Lucifer could only stare at in horrified shock. Surely they did not expect him to sort through the small disaster.
Their tip had come from a young socialite who had stumbled on the family's trove of dirty secrets. Among them were photo's related to the murder cold case they were sent to collect. While the conversation behind him carried on, Lucifer held a peculiar photo up for his inspection. The detective stepped next to him and looked at the photo.
Her voice was nonchalant, "Huh, that looks a lot like that woman that works for you and Maze. Maybe they're related."
As he looked over the details, he knew the truth. In the photo of the last night of the victim's life, a woman with black hair twirled into a knot smirked at the camera over her shoulder. She was on the arm of the victim. The ball grown that curved around her body dipped low in the back to show the textured red wings on her back. For a moment, he recalled the first time he had touched those wings.
Lux was just closing. Miss Varquez looked exhausted as she took her drink from Patrick. She leaned forward onto the bar top, scoffing a laugh at something the bartender had said. Lucifer found he had stepped closer to her.
"Sweet mercy, I can see the knot in your shoulder from here." He stated as though the idea of it offended him.
The tumbler in her hand came to rest on the bar-top, rapidly emptied.
"You're welcome to see if your hands are as hard working as your mouth." She commented sourly.
Sarcastic or not, he took her offer. He stepped the rest of the way into the space behind her and perched his hands on her shoulders. Working in small circles, his thumbs shifted up and down the muscles that ran down either side of her spine. A soft sound came from the form beneath him, encouraging him to work deeper into her skin. Slowly, she melted against the bar. He couldn't help his resulting smirk.
The first time his thumb brushed one of the wings on her back, he paused for a moment. Rather than a smooth patch of inked skin, the red shapes and figures that made up the wing were slightly raised from the rest of her skin. A sensation to flee came to his mind with a shocking amount of force. With grit teeth, he forced the panic aside and returned to his self assigned task. Once the offending knot had been worked through,he let his hands come to rest on her shoulders again.
"Better?" He asked with a tight voice.
A grumbled thank you greeted him.
"Earth to Lucifer"
His head snapped up and he looked over at the detective. She looked rather annoyed, which caused him to wonder how long she had been trying to get his attention. His eyes dropped back down to the photo. 'It's her.'
"Apologies," he said, slipping the photo into his suit jacket pocket, "you were saying?"
"We need to get these to the lab, and go dig out the files for the case."
With a nod, Lucifer collected the handful of boxes and brought them out to the car. The detective exchanged thank yous with their socialite donor and then joined him. He was certain that she had spoken for most of the trip to the station, however he could not recall what was said. Once the many boxes of files came out for sorting, he excused himself with a comment of previous plans.
0-0 0-0 0-0
The boutique was usually only a short drive. The addition of heavy traffic changed the matter. Once Lucifer pulled into the parking garage nearby, he was running considerably late. Hurried steps carried him down the walkway. On a bench outside the shop, was Miss Varquez. She wore a light summer dress with an emerald tone. A distracted part of his mind noted the ease with which such an item could be removed.
However, her normal practice bag wasn't sitting with her. He slowed his pace and checked the time. He realized, with a frown, that he was considerably later than he thought. She had probably gone home and changed and then returned to this part of the city. As he neared her, the sound of a phone chiming reached his ear. Her hand slipped into the pocket of her dress and removed her flip phone. She opened the relic and fidgeted the hem of the skirt.
"What ever it is, the answer is no." She said with little ceremony.
"Sure you didn't... Yes I know... You're a lovesick idiot... Oh, I'm sorry, I thought we were stating the obvious..." She seemed to be leaning toward annoyance as the call went on. "No, Evan, I really don't care what you want to do. It's your fiasco, thus your problem. If Devin wants a different venue, you have to work that out with him. My opinion doesn't matter, so why would I waste time making one?"
There was a long pause before she sighed. "Of course I didn't know he was going to propose. It's the 21st century, you don't need anyone's permission to ask someone to marry you. Besides, for the millionth time, my opinion doesn't matter. But if it will shut you up: I think he's a great guy. I know you didn't expect for this to become what it did, but that's how love works."
She stood up and Lucifer leaned back to stay out of her line of sight for a moment longer. She paced a short distance, her expression almost pained as she went on.
"It just happens. You're minding your own life, having fun, and then- then they just waltz into your life like they always belonged there. And they smile, and say something that is actually funny, instead of just stupid. And for just a moment the whole fucking world tilts, and you realize you are completely screwed."
Her voice sounded pained and almost weak. There was a light sniffle and then she cleared her throat.
"This isn't about me. It's about the two of you. So, go and talk to him. Take the bottle of wine on the counter, go to the deli by his work, pick up a couple sandwiches, demand a picnic, talk it out, and then fuck him in the park... Then in the car! I don't care; just deal with it... Yeah, I'm heading out soon. Morningstar probably got himself thrown in holding... Tomorrow, then."
Lucifer took that as his cue and strolled up as she hung up the phone. He kept his pace casual, and stopped within a few inches of her. Slowly, he lifted her hand and grazed his lips across her knuckles.
"As though a mere human prison could hold me." He said with a smirk.
Genuine surprise flashed across her face before she scoffed and smiled up at him. His thumb trailed lazily along her knuckles. Using her hand to guide her, he turned them both so that they faced a shop window. A gentle tug led her toward the store. He held open the door and motioned her in.
"Now then, I do believe I have a dress to replace."
That strange look of happy defeat met him as she breezed past. Rather than be greeted with racks of dresses, bolts of fabric covered the walls. Confusion gave way to realization, followed quickly by surprise. Lucifer couldn't help a chuckle at her reaction as he greeted his preferred tailor. They carried on a brief conversation in Italian before he returned to Miss Varquez's side. Before he could get a word out, she interrupted him.
Her tone was hushed to avoid attention, "I can't accept this. It's not even remotely equivalent. That dress was expensive, but it was still just a rack dress. This? This is a custom shop."
"Yes, I am quite aware. I come here for the final fittings on all of my suits. I've been coming to this store since I found it my first time in L.A.. As such, I refuse to be a disloyal customer when given a chance to sample new aspects of their services. And," he continued with a stern look as a second interruption was attempted, "consider it interest for time since the... incident, compounded with an apology for doubting you."
She finally stopped trying to interrupt and watched him, speechless, with her mouth slightly agape. After a few moments, shock melted into a soft blushing heat. A sigh heaved from her as she dropped her forehead against his chest. Rather than continuing to press the matter, he gestured over his shoulder and then brought him hands to rest on the gentle slope of her hips. Behind him, the stout Italian man rolled out his dress-form and began collecting bolts of fabric and trim.
"Besides, you already agreed to letting me replace the dress. That agreement never included details on restrictions for how I achieved my end of the deal." His use of the word 'deal' had been intentional, and he watched as she flinched slightly when he said it.
She lifted her head before responding, "We didn't make a deal, and I'd rather not discuss the incident further."
The resistance to the dress shop seemed to have left Miss Varquez, so Lucifer moved a hand to the small of her back as he stepped behind her and guided her toward the shop's work space. Valentine Vinci was a meticulous man. The emerald sundress was thin enough that she wasn't forced into one of the silk chemises for measurements. Intricate, tiny, cramped notes went into the small notebook he held as he measured and mumbled. The fabric and trim had been sorted into groups to create color palates to choose from.
To Lucifer's infinite pleasure, when presented with the color choice, there was a pause in the work flow. A tiny frown appeared on Miss Varquez's face as she looked over the choices. She turned to him and asked a question he didn't realize could excite him so.
"What color are you wearing to the gala?"
"Black tux, white dress shirt, no pocket square, and my first choice in dance partner on my arm. I wonder if there will be a competition. I do so enjoy those."
She gave another slight smile and turned back. The flick back and forth of her eyes stopped on a particular shade of purple. With a step closer, she inquired about the dye. Valentine explained that it was the closest modern replica of the purple dye once used by roman emperors. The twist in her smile was cruel as she ask for a draping sash to be included with the dress design. The tailor gave a knowing chuckle and assured her it would be done.
The next hour was spent in discussion about different lengths, style cuts, trims, and various other tiny details. Lucifer occasionally timed in, but mostly he focused on the fabric samples for this seasons newest shades and materials. Valentine completed his notes and flipped the small book closed. Both patrons received a hand shake before he declared the dress to be ready for a final fitting the following week. When the pair finally left the shop, the sun had begun to set.
Miss Varquez reached her hands skyward, having a proper stretch now that she was freed from leaning over the work table. She twirled to face Lucifer as her arms dropped. With a faint smile, she commented, "I see the dress making process remains steadfast no matter how long of a break one takes from it."
"Do you have much experience with such things in your sordid and untold past?" He playfully teased and stepped forward to offer his arm. "It has been quite the afternoon. I should apologize for stealing away your time with a proper dinner."
Her hand slid around his arm, and she let him steer her toward his car. "Only if I get to pick where."
"Then, allow me to pick up the check?"
"Maze does pay me, ya know."
"Consider it a date then: I invited you, so the check is mine by default."
Since they had reached the convertible, Lucifer didn't notice how still Miss Varquez had gone. After he had opened the the door and turned back to face her, she had a strange expression on her face again. Her head was tilted to the side as she gave him a cautious look. His attention, however, was drawn to the skin of her neck that was stretched as she tilted. Without his realization, his tongue flicked across his lips.
Her reaction was instant and unguarded in her distraction. Eyes locked on to the movement and her pupils blew wide. The hand on his arm clenched his sleeve tightly. A flush filled her skin. In the setting sun, she already looks like a molten goddess, but that flush? That flush would kill a lesser man. Part of his mind begged to press his mouth against that gorgeous, flushed skin to see if he could taste the flush itself.
A clear rumbling sounded between them. It was followed by an awkward chuckle. "So, I know this great Thai place that's close by..."
0-0 0-0 0-0
Natalie was always surprised when Morningstar went along with one of her ideas, despite the frequency with which it happens. However, here they were, eating Thai on the beach, like they were normal people. Her companion looked a tad scruffy. They may have kept finding various walls to press each other against when a teasing comment went to far. The last wall before the takeout diner ran through her mind. 'Damn that mouth of his.'
She stared down at the small carton that held her rice. Her mind wandered back to the sensation of the brick facing against her back, as he pressed against her to hold her in place. A challenge to his physical strength had ended with her lifted from the ground and ravished till her grumbling stomach once again interrupted. When the carton was gently lifted from her hands, it drew her attention back. A knowing smirk played across his lips as he set the last of the food aside.
A spark of irritation flared to life in her. As his mouth began to open to comment, she took firm hold of his shirt collar and pulled him to her for a vicious kiss. When she bit the left half of his lower lip, a rumbling moan caused a surge right to her core. She felt his hands wrap around her wrists. With a reverent gentleness, he pulled her hands free from his shirt.
Another deep moan came from him as he dragged them up to his shoulders. Rather than let him shift her, Natalie scrapped her nails against his collar bone till the greedy digits found the neatly trimmed hairline at the back of his neck. The limit of her focus had become the feeling of him under her hands and lips. A steady tug pulled her into his lap. She finally pulled her lips away and leaned back just enough to see this face.
Fascination danced across her face as she watched the pleasured shudder that passed through his when she ran her fingers down the edge of his face. Before the question fully formed in her mind, she ran her tongue along his jaw to see if it tasted as good as it felt. The hands at her waist and hip began to aggressively wrinkle her sundress. She pulled back to tease him when a shrill ringing sounded.
Her small flip phone was quickly fished out of her pocket while Morningstar reclined under her with a confused look. The number caused her blood to immediately cool. Rather than answer, she silenced the phone and took on an apologetic look.
"I have to go." She muttered.
An expression she didn't recognize flashed across his face, as she climbed to her feet and dusted the sand from her dress. Morningstar stood and collected their abandoned containers. After shifting back and forth, his eyes snapped to hers.
He asked, "Can I ask where you're going? Usually when I interrupt our fun it's in the name of helping the detective dispense justice."
"You can ask, but I can't answer that. I've told you before, I'm not giving Maze an excuse to think I'm helping you get into the mob business."
A scoff was the only response that she received. With a casual wave of good-bye, Natalie made her way to the subway station to return home. Back at her abode, a frown was firmly set to her features as she changed into a more reasonable set of jeans and a comfortable shirt. In the quiet of the small apartment, she admitted to herself that she didn't much care for her new boss. Something about "Sinner Man" left her on edge.
The timing was too strange. A few days after she says she can't afford to get in for his idiot gala job, Morningstar invites her. It reminded her of that movie with the girl in the ruby slippers who had the yappy dog. She chuckled at her own joke as she slipped her favorite combat knife into her boot. With a mental note to ask Evan about the name of the green floating head, she made her way back out into the night. After all, Lord Jackass seemed fond of nicknames. Her chuckle died out, 'Shame about Christenson; he was definitely the lesser of two evils.'
The warehouse was quiet on the outside, thanks to the heavy insulation. Once she passed through the loading door, the jeers and shenanigans of the bored under-linings reverberated in her skull. The sheer number of excess people concerned her. Usually it was just her and maybe one or two other crews. There was maybe six to seven crews crammed into the building. Bottles and trash littered the floor and surfaces. The three minions that had been assigned to her stood up and dropped their cards and bottles when one spotted her and altered the others.
"Boss!" They chorused, stumbling over each other in their eagerness to be the first to report in.
Finally one stood panting and victorious, "Boss! The Big Boss is in, wants a meetin' with you about that special shipment we're liftin'."
With a roll of her eyes, she gave the eager minion a pat on the head and moved past them to make her way to the stairs. She tucked her hands into her pockets and leaped up the stairs three at a time. The two thugs in front of the door looked like twin bulls: Large, stoic, and with sizable septum piercings. She also knew from experience that their resemblance to bulls didn't stop there. As though they could sense her thoughts, the one on the left gave her a playful swat on the ass as she passed by.
The command room had once been a boardroom. It still sported the lengthy table and Natalie chuckled to her self at the idea that the activities around it hadn't changed much. At the head of the table was the newest King of L.A., "Sinner Man". He reclined back, tight shirt intended to exaggerate the span of his chest. As much as he annoyed her, he was devastatingly attractive.
It was the cruel way of the universe. After years of nothing of note, gorgeous men start popping up everywhere when trouble starts up. 'Evan's right. I need to get laid.' She sighed to herself, eyes rolling off to the side, 'Like really laid, the kind that leaves you stupid the next day laid.' A traitorous voice in the back of her mind whispered that she knew where to find that.
"-and you haven't heard a damn thing I've said, have you?"
Her attention snapped back to the man in front of her. "Sorry, I just couldn't help but be the smallest bit annoyed. What happened to 'delegation' and leaving me to my 'own devices' when handling whatever nonsense you ask for?"
"Oh yes, your own devices. Like the disaster that the Frenchmen hit left behind?"
"Which resolved itself, just like I told you it would."
"Which brings me to the next problem. What exactly did you give the feds for them to let you walk like that?"
A slow smirk spread across her face. "Oh, does the great 'Sinner Man' not know? And here I thought nothing was out of your reach."
"There's an easy way," a pause to stand from the chair, "and a hard way of doing things." He took a few long steps to stop a few inches from touching her. "I had assumed that I could trust you to uphold your end of the deal."
"Oh I can, and I have. If your worried about being compromised, don't be. However, you are not owed my every secret."
He stared down at her for a moment, before turning to return to his chair. "The timetable has been moved up. The weapon shipment is moving tonight, apparently someone on your team let the night of the job slip. I expect you will deal with this accordingly."
With a curt nod, she turned on her own heel and left the boardroom.
0-0 0-0 0-0
Lucifer tossed the containers in the rubbish bin and made his way back to the convertible. He didn't get much time to lament the lost company, as his phone rang. The number brought a small frown to his face. Nothing good came from late call from the detective as of late.
"Good evening, Detective. How goes the sorting? I'm afraid I still have plans if you're calling for assistance."
"I need your help. I got this tip about a weapons shipment moving through the district. But the source isn't exactly reliable, so no one will listen to me. Not even Daniel, which is insane, because he knows I'm usually right about these instincts I have. But I KNOW this is good info. I need someone I can trust going in with me."
"Sounds dastardly indeed. Of course, I'll come along. This is exactly the sort of nonsense that demands punishment. Where shall we meet?"
After a short drive, Lucifer pulled into an older bookstore. The detective fidgeted with her jacket with a severe look on her face. She quickly walked over to him once she saw him. There was a deep frown on her face to go with her fidgeting. As he opened his mouth to great her, a rush of words came from the detective.
"You've always backed me up. You'll believe me. This kid we picked up on a basic auto theft said he was trying to impress someone called the 'Sinner Man'. I dug up some old files from the mid-west, but everyone at the station thinks he's just a myth used to blame unsolved cases on. But there was something about how scared the kid was when he said the name. No one is that afraid of something that doesn't exist. There has to be some-"
"Detective." He interrupted, "As much as I enjoy being privy to your thought process, you don't need to convince me that he exist, I believe you."
"Oh thank go-"
"Because I've known about him since the France incident."
Lucifer had never known a sidewalk in L.A. could be so quiet. The detective's frown had been replaced by a slack-jaw look. However, the shock was short lived and quickly replaced with rage.
"You KNEW?! And it never occurred to you to tell me about a potential criminal empire developing in L.A.?!" She gave an exhausted sigh, and rolled her eyes. "Well, at least I know I can count on you to believe me. There is a heavy arms shipment being smuggled in by the Muerte Bueno Cartel. Apparently, this 'Sinner Man' is planning to take it. No one else believes the information, but we're going to sneak in, snap a few photos, and prove there is a real investigation to be had here."
"Why not just arrest them now? Surely these weapons wouldn't need to be hidden if they were legal."
"It's a cartel weapons shipment. The equipment they're carrying will be almost as bad as what ever they're moving. We can't handle something like that alone."
He nodded his agreement, and held a hand out toward his car, "Shall we?"
"Actually, lets take the one I borrowed. Less conspicuous."
The drive was quite pleasant. The detective appeared quick to let go of her anger over his apparent slight. One might say they were even jovial by the time they got to the detective's chosen look-out point. As they settled in, armed with their cameras, head lights could be seen appearing around the far bend. As the lights approached, the sound of metal being struck and squealing tires caught both of them off guard.
The lead car of the caravan veered into the guardrail, and the vehicles behind it came to a stop. Absolute chaos erupted around all of the vehicles. Dozens of people descended on to the road and, despite the fire power implied by the detective, were quickly disposing of the cartel. Lucifer and the detective tried to capture as much of the scene on their cameras as they could. In their focus, they missed the approaching steps. However, the cock of the gun sounded unnaturally loud behind them.
"Well, well, well." A voice said in attempted dramatics.
With raised hands, the two turned to look behind them. Their cameras fell to the ground. Three burly looking thugs shared a grin as they looked down at their prize.
"Best get 'em to the boss." Another commented.
The two of them were roughly pulled toward a couple cars back on the road and tossed into the trunks. Lucifer and the detective were each tossed in their own trunk, so he couldn't plan an escape with her. For concern that she could not escape alone, he stayed where he was and waited. It didn't take long for his sense of time to become distorted. Even once the car began moving, it felt as though an eternity had passed in the damnable trunk.
The trunk opened again and rough hands hauled him out. The detective was hauled out of her own trunk shortly after. The pair found themselves frog-marched into one of the warehouses on the docks. Lucifer attempted to look around their surroundings, however, he couldn't spot Maze in the surrounding shadows. As he turned to talk to the one holding on to him, a piece of cloth was jammed between his lips. In short order, the detective and he had been gagged and cuffed.
A shove through a doorway here, a push up the stairs there, and they found themselves kneeling on the carpet of a small office. There was a large desk (probably only left behind because it was heavy as hell), thick drapes, and warped wood floors. Lucifer could imagine it was quite nice in its prime. Once the detective and he had been positioned to their captures satisfaction, the thugs began chatting excitedly at the back of the chair behind the desk.
"-and they look exactly like that pair the big boss showed us in that fancy slide show. We brought them straight here!"
There was a loud squeak as the chair bobbed. He heard the detective softly scoff through her gag as one Natalie Varquez stood behind the desk. Miss Varquez looked them over with a tiny crease in her brow. The other three in the room continued to ramble, each trying to be the one talking at any given moment.
She came around the desk and leaned forward to take hold of his chin. He let her tilt his face back and forth. While her eyes studied the damage the trip over had caused, he caught flickers of anger and concern before her face returned to serene indifference. She stepped back to lean against the front of the desk.
"Did you tell anyone else you found them?" Her eyes took on a glacial appearance as she turned to stare at the three thugs.
"No, we came straight to you."
She nodded, and stood upright again. She tapped her chin, as though in thought, and slowly walked in a circle until she was behind the detective. "'Sinner Man' informed me today, that someone let slip what we were doing tonight."
The three stopped their bickering and took up a fearful silence.
"Luckily, we're not going to have to go through the trouble of finding out who talked." She paused, and looked down at the detective. With a swiftness Lucifer could barely follow, the back of Miss Varquez's hand connected with the detective's temple.
Shock held Lucifer in place as he watched the detective slump to the side. After staring for a moment, he released a breathe he didn't know he was holding when the detective's chest continued to rise and fall. In an instant, he became aware of the room again. One of the thugs was crumpled nearby, decidedly still. As he looked around, he realized that Miss Varquez had been between the thugs and the only door.
She now held one by the neck, who had been used as a shield to protect her from the last as he fired at her in panic. With a casual toss, she discarded the dying man. The last thug standing had almost finished reloading, before he was shoved right through the industrial glass window. After a brief glace over the edge, Miss Varquez rushed over to remove his bindings. He didn't get a chance to turn to face her.
In fact, he was promptly tugged backward and arms wrapped around him. A soft chuckle cut through his daze.
"Maze is right. You have a gift for getting into trouble." The grip around him tightened for a moment, "Never let them take you by surprise like that again. Take your trouble magnet and go."
The room was much colder as she slipped away, and returned to the desk. "You saved my ass once, consider us even." She said softly.
Lucifer slowly stood. He stepped closer and slid his hands along her jawline. She tilted her head back to look up at him. "It's not about being even." He responded.
She gave him another soft look of happy defeat, but something behind him caught her attention. "You have to go. The others will be back soon, and you can't be here."
"What about you?"
She scoffed and waved him off. "It's fine. This way."
She opened a hidden panel in the back of the office, while he unbound and scooped up the detective. Before he started down the hidden stair way, he paused to give her a chaste kiss on the cheek.
"It ends at an underground tunnel that leads off the grounds."
He nodded and started down. The door closed behind him. He made it down a handful of stair flights when he heard a very angry voice yell, "THE ACTUAL FUCK, NATALIE!?" and began to descend quicker. He was trudging along the tunnel, when the detective began to stir. He stopped and helped her to lean against the wall while she finished waking up.
"What happened?" She muttered after a few minutes.
"Miss Varquez saved us, however, we have to finish the job. Can you walk?"
She nodded numbly. With a grip on Lucifer's arm to steady herself, the two began to shuffle down the tunnel.
0-0 0-0 0-0
Natalie had spent the last few minutes debating when seam would give first if he flexed hard enough in that shirt. 'How can someone so tasty be so bitter? Like a bright red berry that calls to you in the pains of starvation. At least you die happy.'
"-and the next time you ask me why you can't just run amok, this is going to be the example I list."
"Oh, please shut the hell up." She finally sighed.
"Sinner Man" looked less than pleased by her response, but did stop talking.
She pushed off the desk edge and invaded his personal space. "You wanted the rat handled. It was. Who ever it was, they're dead. If it was more than one of them, they're dead."
"I'm beginning to understand why you are always assigned solo-work."
"And yet, I have never failed to provide exactly what you asked for."
"Must you treat this like a child trying to negotiate dessert?"
"The only child here is you. It's not my fault you didn't think of all of your complaints before we made a deal. I have been nothing but generous with my time and efforts."
"Especially when those serve your own interests."
She smirked and traced a single fingertip down his puffed out chest. Every time he put his hands on his hips, and tried to look stern, he reminded her of a peacock. "And wouldn't you like to know what my interests are."
With a wink, she stepped past him, "You have your toys. I did my job. I'm going home."
A grumble came from the man as he followed her out of the office. She gave one last smug look before she exited the building.
Natalie enjoyed approximately four hours of glorious peace. Since Evan was busy, she locked up the house, set a few of her knives by the tub, and turned the small bathroom into a personal spa. The peace was shattered as one Mazikeen Smith kicked in her bathroom door. Unaccustomed to being startled, Natalie forwent the knifes and jumped up to intercept the offending boot. Jasmine scented bubbles exploded across the small space.
Still slightly unsettled, Natalie used her grip on Maze's foot to toss her backward and out of the bathroom. Maze tumbled across the bed and came up with the knife Natalie kept between the mattress and the box spring. The initial shock gave way to anger and Natalie's hands curled tight.
"Okay. I'll bite. What's eating you, Maze? If last night's set didn't sit well, you could have just brought it up a the next meeting."
"Stay the fuck away from Lucifer and Chloe."
Shock returned in abundance. "What?"
"I know what happened tonight. Stay. Away. From them."
For a moment, Natalie's mind burned an old memory into the center of her mind.
"You have to stay away from him. You will ruin his entire line. You have a place and so does he. Be grateful that those roles are as close as they are."
Her hand came up to cradle her head and she stepped back into the bathroom. One of the towels was roughly wrapped around her and she came back out. With purpose, she strode across the room and ripped the knife out of Maze's hand. The shock had passed to the other woman. Maze stared at the open fury that twisted Natalie's features.
"Get out. This is my home. And you will not tell me what to do here. I will see you tomorrow, and we will carry on as normal at work. But you will never return here again."
Natalie felt as though fire was pouring through her veins as she stared at her now former-friend. The shock turned to a strange expression that Natalie neither recognized nor cared about. Once her unplanned company had shuffled out, she put the knife back in its home. The sound of the door broke through the quiet rage that had taken her. She tightened her towel and went straight to the kitchen. This was the kind of nonsense that called for coffee.
The sounds of the machine were some what soothing, however there was still a nagging sensation in the back of her mind.
'She's right.'
0-0 0-0 0-0
Lucifer and Chloe could only stare in mutual and absolute confusion. The building before them was bustling with life and goods. A far cry from the wreck they had escaped the night before. On a hunch, Lucifer made his way to the office they had been taken too. The simple gift of his flask bought him five minutes of alone time in the room.
Long, careful fingers glided along the back wall till he found a small ledge. A concealed button opened the hidden panel. With a satisfied smirk, he re-closed the hidden door. When he made his way back to the group he discreetly nodded to the detective. He was quickly pulled aside by the detective.
"How do you know?" She asked softly.
"There is a secret passage. It's how we escaped."
She nodded and looked over her shoulder. The lieutenant was apologizing to the director of operations.
"Let's keep that one to ourselves for now." She responded.
The lieutenant made her way over to the pair. Her expression did not favor good news.
"Detective Decker. This 'Sinner Man' obsession has gone too far. Clearly, you need a break. Take a week, paid, and come back with your head on right."
While the detective collected her jaw off the floor, the lieutenant turned and left. After a moment, the detective's hands clenched at her sides. She slowly turned to face Lucifer. There was a deep seeded determination that shined through. Not sure of what else to do, he offered her a supportive smile.
The week went surprisingly quick. Since dear Daniel had sided with the lieutenant, the detective was left to her own devices. Which in turn, usually included Lucifer tagging along to look out for the detective. Consequently, Maze spent more time lecturing him about his detective-induced-mortality. The detective was rather displeased with their week of independent investigation. Other than Miss Varquez, they couldn't turn over a single lead on their mysterious target.
"I don't understand why we can't just ask Miss Varquez." He appeal again.
"No, I don't trust her."
"I am aware, but you don't need to trust her to ask her a question."
She gave him that annoyed exhausted eye-roll. As it was always a precursor to explaining something painfully human to him, he gave an eye-roll of his own.
"Yes, I do. I have to trust her to give me a truthful answer. It's not like I can haul her down to the station and question her where they are consequences for lying. I-" She stopped.
Realization gave way to quiet thought. Just before he began to inquire to her current line of thought, she gave him a pointed look.
"Go home, Lucifer." She said firmly, and then turned on her heal to go back to her car.
"Wait, what?"
"Go home, I'll call you with the plan later." She called over her shoulder.
Left quite put out, Lucifer scoffed and stared after the detective as she drove off. He wasn't left with too much time to lament his situation. The buzzing of his cell phone was a reminder to him that his final suit fitting for the gala was today. As was the accompanying ballgown. With his mood uplifted, he began the journey to his favored shop. Luck brought him an extra blessing as Miss Varquez and Evan were walking out of the shop as he came up.
Lucifer gave her a warm smile, "How does it fit?"
Her only reply was a coy smile that sent his imagination in a spiral of scandalous hemlines. She stepped into his space and pulled on his shirt softly. Rather than kiss him, she adjusted the collar.
"You shouldn't keep Mr. Vinci waiting, Morningstar."
With a twirl of her fingers, the material slipped from her hands. She turned to head toward the blue sedan that Evan drove everywhere. The young man in question gave Lucifer a strange look, before looking to Miss Varquez and then back at Lucifer. The strange look stayed in place as the young man left to follow his flatmate to the car.
0-0 0-0 0-0
Once they had returned home, Evan sat down before the table that was covered in notebooks and magazines. He shuffled a couple things about. "The two of you seem rather close. Normally you don't go to fancy parties with fuck toys."
"I'm not having sex with Morningstar."
"... Oh. OH. You.. you're catching feels!"
"I- what?"
"Feels! You like him, like in the 'hey, let's spend forever making everyone else regret the day we met' way! Holy shit! That's why you won't sleep with him!" Evan was practically screaming by the end of his rant.
Rather than response, Natalie glared until she could feel the reddening in her face passing.
"Wait, I don't think I've ever seen you catch feels. Have you even had a boyfriend before?"
"I've dated." She grumbled. "However, I would remind you that we are here for a reason. Specifically, planning your wedding. Ya know, that thing you agreed to."
He paused to bring out his laptop. His head bobbed a nod, but his smirk was firmly in place. "Plan now, and then you'll tell me everything later."
"Sure." 'No.'
The literal last thing she wanted to do was actually inspect how Morningstar made her feel. Thankfully, Evan has been a drama queen about his eventual wedding since he was 14. Easily goaded and highly defensive, he spent the next hour debating two different shades of green for the cummerbund. She had truly meant to help Evan with the planning. After another hour of the various meanings of shirt cuts and colors, Natalie's mind walked off on its own.
'He looked a bit ragged around the edges. I bet that damn cop girl has been poking her nose places it doesn't belong again. If she's not his ex, then who are they to each other that he keeps watch over her? Is she a human? I mean, it took me a while to figure out Maze and Morningstar weren't. Heh, I remember thinking they were the weirdest tourists I had ever met. '
She drew her attention back for a moment to make sure that Evan was still rambling.
'Too bad about Maze. Wish I knew what had her so pissed. She can't be mad about me saving her pet detective's life. It's not the first time that's happened. The only thing that has really changed is...'
Natalie forcefully snapped her attention back to Evan, "Let work on the menu!"
"I-Oh-okay. The one for the reception, or the after party breakfast bar?"
"The breakfast bar, that sound intricate and detailed. Silver finish or gold for the serving trays?"
He gave her an appraising look before smirking, "Silver body and gold details. Such sudden interest again. You wouldn't happen to be using my wedding to avoid anything, would you?"
"Nonsense. I know this is important to you. I just want it to be perfect. And I'm going to be eating that food, I care about meal design."
"Riiight. Meal design."
"So I'm thinking breakfast restaurant spread. Waffles, sausage, tofu, a million different varieties of eggs – everyone likes something different - , pancakes, donuts, especially those big apple ones-"
"Bear claws."
"Beat claws, the works. I know a nice place in downtown. I'll ask them about catering."
The quiet was uneasy as Evan's smirk held firm. "You know what I want to work on. The Kareoke Party guest list. Did you ever manage to fill your plus one?"
"Yes, you can mark the position as filled."
"Oh I bet there's a position that's gonna get filled, alright."
The sound of her flip-flop repetitively slapping his arm rang through the tiny apartment. With it came the laugh-filled calls of "I yield, I yield!"
Natalie sat back down, her face completely flushed. She forcefully stuffed the slender shoe back between the cushions of the couch. The teasing stopped, but Evan's smirk stood firm. He at least returned to the planning at hand. Although, the tiny tick mark in her plus one box brought a new flush to her face every time she glanced at it.