In Derelicta Castellum

Chapter 1

Detective Chloe Decker

"Detective~~"

Chloe Decker wanted to sigh when she heard that oh-so-familiar sing-song tone. It used to grate on her nerves, but after working with the owner of said voice for so long now, she had grown used to the almost mocking greeting.

After taking a deep breath and steeling herself for the usual nonsense, Chloe pulled her blonde hair back into a tight bun and spun on her heel. The door to the LA police precinct clicked closed. Strutting towards her office, wearing a dapper dark suit (as always) was both the greatest and worst aspect of her job.

Lucifer Morningstar: suave club-owner, charming flirt, and quite literally the Devil. Also, a complete pain in Chloe's backside at times, but he did his job with her well, at least.

Lucifer extended his arms out in greeting. A wide, pearly-white smile cracked over his lips. His dark eyes flicked up and down over her, as they usually did. It was a gesture she had grown used to. He was always sizing something up. Probably trying to figure out how much her soul was worth today?

That's a bit cynical of me. She thought as she folded her arms and leaned against her desk. It might be a two cups of coffee kind of day.

"Lucifer," She greeted, still processing that his name wasn't some elaborate act. She didn't think she would ever actually get used to the reality that he was the Devil.

Just get to work, Chloe. That might help distract you from it for now.

"How is my favorite detective in all of Los Angeles doing today?" He asked as he drew closer. She could smell a new cologne on him. Definitely not a cheap one. "I got your message earlier. You said we have a case?"

Chloe's lips thinned. Straight to the point. Usually, when it came to murder cases, that's how Lucifer operated. When it came to everything else, he enjoyed dragging out the conversation to an almost unbearable degree. At least when it came to work he was focused.

"We do."

"Great!" He clapped his hands and grinned. "What will we be solving today? Do we have a homicide near Skid Row? I believe there are a few souls there that I currently own. Might do me some good to check in on them. Oh, has a Hollywood celebrity met an unfortunate end? I do enjoy those cases. Such tragedies make for wonderful stories to tell Maze."

"It's not in LA," Chloe replied.

Her gaze flicked to the thin file thrown on her desk when she walked in earlier this morning. As soon as she looked at it, Lucifer snatched it. With a smarmy smirk, he flicked it open. That smirk raced away when he saw the contents within.

"Sunnydale?"

Chloe nodded.

"Isn't that outside of your jurisdiction, detective?"

"When it comes to this case, apparently not," Chloe remarked. She reached for her to-go cup of coffee she had left sitting on her desk for too long. It wasn't even warm to the touch anymore, which disappointed her. She was looking forward to a hot cup of coffee. "Sunnydale specifically asked for us to look into this."

"Those backwoods sheriffs can't handle it? For that matter, why can't Detective Douche take care of this?

Chloe arched an eyebrow. This was strange. Lucifer was seldom hesitant to poke his nose into a murder case.

"What has made you so cautious all of a sudden?" She asked.

Lucifer uttered a sigh as he closed the file. "You already accepted."

"You didn't answer my question," Chloe plucked the file from his fingers. "And I don't accept cases; I'm handed them. I'm never given much of a choice."

"Right, right, orders and all. Pesky little things. You should try my suggestion and-"

"I'm not ignoring them," Chloe droned, stepping away from her desk and marching to the door. It was a bit of a drive out to Sunnydale, and she didn't want to spend all day out there.

"I wasn't going to suggest that. Protest them, maybe? I already know you won't ignore a case," Lucifer retorted as he trailed after her. "By the way, we are not driving to Sunnydale in your car."

As the automatic doors to the precinct slid open, Chloe twisted to look at Lucifer. The slowly building heat that came with living in LA smacked into her, making her flinch. Lucifer did not react to it.

"What's wrong with my car?" She asked.

"For one, the seats are not comfortable. For two, it reeks of a McDonald's Happy Meal-"

"I have a daughter, Lucifer."

"Nothing wrong with that, but that doesn't mean you can't at least get an air freshener. Oh, and finally, my car is faster."

Chloe extended an arm, stopping Lucifer in his tracks. She gave him a wry smirk.

"My car has a siren."

Lucifer pursed his lips. His jaw worked back and forth. "Okay, so yours is faster when you break those rules you refuse to break."

Chloe rolled her eyes. "We're taking my car."

"But-"

"No buts," Chloe interrupted. She had to suppress a small smile. Who else could say they could cut the Devil off mid-sentence and get away with it? "This is police business, so we will be using a police vehicle. Now, you can either join me or follow me. Your choice."

With that, she left Lucifer standing in the doorway and marched to her car. She hoped he would follow her to Sunnydale. That would at least keep him from endlessly commenting about her life for the couple of hours it would take to reach the little town.

Chloe wrenched the door to her car open, sat down, closed the door, and put her key in the ignition. Then, the passenger door opened. Lucifer gave the passenger seat an apprehensive glance, sighed, then reached down and plucked a half-eaten french fry from the upholstery.

"You do know vacuums exist, right?"

Chloe did not reply. She started the car and threw it into drive. That was more than enough to prompt Lucifer to scramble into the seat and close the door. Her hands gripped the sun-beaten steering wheel tightly as he settled in beside her.

She should have gotten a second cup of coffee.

Buffy the Slayer

High school in Sunnydale was your typical, normal, teenage experience. At least, that is what Buffy saw every day on the surface. She'd arrive at school, prepared for another difficult day of Junior Year, and see the same sights. The jocks would be tossing a football back and forth in the yard out front before the bell rang. Skaters would hang out with their boards by the stairs, bemoaning how they had to be cramped indoors for so long. The cheerleaders would be oohing and aahing at the sight of the jocks while ignoring pretty much everyone else. That one got to Buffy a little, considering how she recalled life at her old school in her old town.

But, all of that was a shiny veneer. A glossy glaze that disguised a dark underbelly not just to Sunnydale High, but to the town in general. She knew all about it. It was her job to combat the darkness that seemed to be concentrated in her town. Being the Slayer meant she got to see all of the nasty things that go bump in the night. Things that no one else wanted to notice.

While today had started normal, for once, Buffy had the sinking feeling that would change. Gut instinct rarely failed her, and her gut told her that her day of math classes, Shakespeare, and nearly making the school blow up in chemistry would be rudely interrupted.

But, she didn't know what would cause it? Would it be a good, old-fashioned Vampire? It's been a hot minute since she saw one of their pretty faces. Or, maybe an ancient pack of cursed hyenas would terrorize the school again and eat the principal?

That might not be such a bad thing in that case.

Or, even better, an egg-fertilizing obsessed bug lady taking over a class for the day and seducing one of her best friends. Yeah… that was a fun day. She still had a hard time thinking that one was even real.

"Oh, hey Buffy," A soft, shy voice called to her, jerking Buffy from her thoughts and causing a genuine smile to form on her face.

A mousy, red-haired girl walked towards her, books clutched to her chest as her backpack hung from one shoulder.

"Willow," Buffy smiled. "You look… awfully smiley today? What happened?"

Before Willow could answer, Buffy's other good friend, Xander, made his presence known. He strode up to the two girls, one hand in his pocket the other clutching his book bag.

"I know why," Xander gave both a knowing look. "It's a good lunch today, right? Taco Tuesday! I can't wait."

Buffy snorted. "Do you have any idea what the meat they use probably is?"

"Doesn't matter. It tastes good," Xander shrugged.

"That's not it, b-but that's still a good thing," Willow muttered. She gave her friends a meek shrug. "It's just… I don't know. I have a good feeling about today."

Buffy arched an eyebrow. "A good feeling?"

"Yeah," Willow nodded, a little more confidence entering her voice. "It is going to be a good day."

"By good day you mean uneventful?" Xander asked.

"Hopefully," Buffy answered for Willow. "After how insane the past few months have been, I could use one day where I'm not worrying about Slayer stuff." She snorted and shook her head. "Can't believe I'm saying this, but I want to worry more about Geometry or Principal Snyder."

"Math and Principal Snyder versus man-eating Vampires," Xander bobbed his head back and forth. "That's a tough choice, actually."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Not for me," She uttered a sigh as the first bell rang. Almost time for class.

But, she would not be going to class. Something tingled in the back of her mind. A churning entered her gut. The gut feeling she often had when something bad was going to happen. Something supernatural moved nearby, maybe? It wasn't enough to alarm her, yet, but it was enough to catch her attention.

"I'll meet you two in class."

Willow gave her a puzzled look. "Going to the library?"

"Yeah, something's bugging me." Xander's eyes widened when Buffy said that, prompting Buffy to raise her hands. "N-not like that, Xander. God, hopefully never like that again. I've just got a feeling."

"Feeling?" Willow questioned.

"Did you have something bad for dinner?" Xander asked.

"Do you think it's a Slayer feeling?" Willow gulped immediately after, making Xander pale in realization.

"I think so?" Buffy admitted, uncertainty filling her voice. She still wasn't exactly sure if these sensations were a slayer feeling, or her mind playing tricks on her. Slayer powers were complicated, and their explanations vague and even more complicated.

Willow leaned in a little closer as a group of students marched towards the school doors. "Drusilla, Spike, or Angel?"

Buffy's jaw worked to and fro. She didn't know the answer to that question, because she'd never felt like this before. The supernatural and demonic put her on edge, yes, but it never gnawed at her mind like this. Was this something new? A new power she had been unaware of until now? If so, why was it manifesting now?

Maybe I did have something bad for dinner last night?

"I'm not sure, but," She drew in a deep breath and exhaled, "it won't hurt to check in with Giles at the library."

Willow and Xander nodded.

"Okay," Xander agreed. "But, maybe it's just a stomach ache?"

"Or anxiety?" Willow suggested.

"Both even?" Xander pointed out.

"That would be the best-case scenario, but I'm still going to check. I'll meet up with both of you later."

With that, Buffy marched into the school with Willow and Xander. They parted near the main entrance, with her two normal friends marching towards their class while she made her way towards the library.

As usual, Buffy found the library unlocked. A part of her wondered if Giles, her Watcher, lived in the place. Whenever she needed him, he was always in the library. The time of day did not matter. If she walked in, he was there.

A couple of students who always came to school early exited the library as she entered. Once inside, Buffy shut the door, gave the space a cursory glance, saw it was empty, then locked the door. The small click from the lock caused an Englishman's clipped tone to dart through the air.

"Ah, Buffy, there you are," Giles remarked from behind the librarian counter, busy cleaning his glasses. He replaced them over his eyes, blinked once, then nodded. "What brings you here now? Don't you have class, specifically, Geometry?"

Buffy sighed as her backpack slipped from her right shoulder into her hand. She sank into a seat near the library counter. "Don't remind me," She groaned. "Proofs... that's what we're learning this week."

"Logic and reasoning skills- those exercises will be good for you," Giles remarked as he closed a book and placed it on a shelf behind him.

Buffy gave Giles a hard glare. "Are you saying I'm illogical?"

A long-suffering sigh escaped Giles. "Buffy, you are a teenage girl. Illogical is your state of mind, but that is not a bad thing. Merely a phase which you will grow from."

Giles, ever dispensing wisdom disguised as biting wit. Usually, Buffy had a retort ready. Verbal spars with her Watcher were always fun, even if he usually won, but she found her mind distracted still. The gnawing in her gut refused to go away. The tingling in her mind raced through her skull. Pulsing like a signal that would not end.

When she did not spit a barb in reply, Giles leaned against the counter, a concerned look in his gaze.

"Is something the matter?" He asked.

Buffy huffed. "Not sure. I-" she pursed her lips "-I've got this strange feeling out of nowhere."

"Did you, perhaps, eat something bad last night?" Giles asked.

Buffy snorted. "Xander said the same thing. And, no, dinner was delicious last night and I'm not sick from it." She shifted in her seat, pulling her legs up beneath her as she leaned against an armrest. "I think it's a Slayer thing, but I'm not sure."

Giles raised his brow. "Do you believe you are sensing something?"

"Yup," Buffy replied, popping the "p" with mild irritation.

"Well," Giles drew in a deep breath as he folded his arms. "You have not developed such skills yet, but it can manifest without training if a particularly powerful entity is nearby. How do-"

A pounding erupted from the library door, startling both of them. Buffy's gaze whipped to the door. To her surprise, she saw Willow and Xander peeking through the narrow, glass window in the door. Both of them had expressions of fear and panic written on their faces.

Buffy marched to the door, unlocked it, and threw it open.

"Oh, thank goodness, you're here and okay," Xander breathed.

"Y-yeah. It's um…" Willow ducked her eyes as she remained standing in the doorway with Xander. "It's not going to be a good day."

Buffy's shoulders sagged. "Who died?"

Xander and Willow shared grave looks. They spoke at the same time.

"Theresa Klusmeyer."

Detective Chloe Decker

Sunnydale looked like your typical, Southern California town. It especially looked like a town that desperately wanted to emulate some of the quainter suburbs of LA's massive sprawl. But, it was too far out from the City of Angels center to be considered part of its enormous mass, so it got relegated as a backwater little town. Although, it wasn't as dusty as many backwaters Chloe had been to.

The main thoroughfare through town seemed rather cute. Main Street was lined with shops and restaurants, usually the family-style kind and one or two Mexican joints. She spotted an advertisement for a nightclub somewhere else in town when she brought her car to a stop at a stoplight. At the far end of the main street, she could see City Hall.

Yes, it was a typical, California town. Hardly the place she expected to be the sight for a brutal murder investigation. Yet here she and Lucifer were, about to pass through the now green traffic light towards an alley roped off by cop cars and police tape. A small crowd of onlookers had gathered nearby, held back both by sheriff's deputies and police barriers.

Right as Chloe brought her car to a stop along the side of the street, Lucifer unbuckled his belt and hopped out. Chloe followed him. As she shut the door to the driver's side, she could hear an arrogant, British, sigh slip out of him.

"Wonderful," Lucifer sniffed the air near his shoulder. "I smell like McNuggets now. Do you have any idea how difficult it is going to be to get the smell out of this suit?"

"Buy a cheaper suit then," Chloe shrugged, choosing to try to avoid any bickering by marching to the crime scene.

"Buy a- do you know who you're talking to?" Lucifer replied, aghast. He stooped under the police tape after Chloe. "I am the Devil, Detective. Master of all lustful and decadent desires. I cannot go traipsing around in something from… from… where do you even go to get a cheap suit?"

"Banana Republic usually has good ones."

Lucifer wrinkled his nose. "Is that where you go?" Chloe shot him a weary glance, but Lucifer was unperturbed. Nevertheless, he still apologized. It's amazing how much doing police work with her has softened the Devil. "Apologies, I forgot you're not, well, me."

"Yeah, I don't have the unlimited resources of Hell at my disposal," Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe spotted one of the local deputies approaching her. She cleared her throat, shot a look at Lucifer that told him to behave, then faced the deputy.

"I assume you're Detective Decker?" The Deputy asked.

He was middle-aged, and probably not long for his position, whether that be due to retirement or becoming sheriff himself. A thick, Wyatt Earp mustache hid his upper lip while salt and pepper hair sat beneath his hat. His hands rested on his hips, which would have been a show of confidence if it didn't look like he had seen a ghost.

"I am," Chloe replied, reaching out to shake the Deputy's hand.

"Good to meet you. It's not often we get city cops out this way, but...well, we might need one for this. It's," the deputy gulped and shook his head. "It's not pretty."

"Oh, really?" Lucifer chimed in, drawing a puzzled look from the Deputy. "Do go on? Let's hear all the grisly details."

Chloe sighed, noticing the deputy's confusion. "Lucifer Morningstar, LAPD consultant. He works with me because… reasons."

"Oh, you have to give me more credit than that, Detective," Lucifer remarked. He smoothed out some wrinkles at the base of his blazer. When he did that, he glanced past Chloe, and his dark eyes lit up. "Well then, grisly indeed."

Chloe turned her head. What she saw in the alleyway made her stomach flip and her throat constrict.

Blood was everywhere. It painted the asphalt floor, stained the stucco walls of the shops framing the alley, and covered the outfit of the poor girl that looked like she had been mauled. Already a terrible sight. But, what made it even worse was the victim herself.

She was just a teenager. Her brown hair was matted down against her forehead and neck. Once tanned skin from the So-Cal sun had gone whiter than a sheet due to blood loss. She would have been considered quite the beautiful girl when she was alive. A girl-next-door type. Or, that is what Lucifer probably would've classified her as.

"A girl-next-door, hm?"

We have worked together way too long. Chloe sighed and brushed a stray strand of her hair from her brow.

"Do we have a name?" Chloe asked the deputy. She did her best to hide the horror twisting her gut and threatening to choke her. Lucifer didn't give her a funny look, so she must have done a decent job.

"Theresa Klusmeyer," The deputy replied, his gaze avoiding the body. This must be one of the few, if not only, murder cases he had ever participated in. For such a sleepy town, that made sense. "A seventeen-year-old resident. She is- was- a student over at Sunnydale High."

"A mere child," Lucifer shook his head. Was that some sympathy Chloe saw on his face? He knelt closer to the body, peering at the wounds she had. Curiously, he focused the most on the pair of puncture wounds near her throat. "Detective, I think you and I might need a moment alone."

Chloe grimaced but nodded. Something was bothering Lucifer. She noticed it during the entire drive to Sunnydale. He was much quieter than normal. Less prone to complaining too. If she didn't know any better, she would have assumed he was nervous about this case. Or, maybe he was nervous about coming here?

"Could you give us a moment?" She asked the deputy.

The deputy looked like he wanted to protest, but he swallowed hard when Lucifer glanced over his shoulder at him. With a bow of his head, the deputy stepped away, giving her and Lucifer room to talk.

Chloe stooped down beside the body of Theresa Klunsmeyer, folding her hands over her knees as she studied the corpse.

"What do you think killed her?" She asked Lucifer, who remained strangely quiet. "I'm going to guess the-" She pointed at the obvious, deep gashes to her chest and abdomen "-gashes would have done it."

"You would be wrong," Lucifer mumbled. "Those occurred afterward."

Chloe furrowed her brow. She then focused on the twin puncture wounds by Theresa's throat. After tilting her head slightly, her gaze narrowed, puzzled.

"Throat wound could do it, but-"

"That's not just any throat wound," Lucifer let out a long, heavy exhale. "I wish you hadn't taken this case. I'm already breaking a couple of rules being here."

"Breaking rules?" Chloe remarked, rising to her feet. "Since when did you care about-" The anxious look Lucifer gave her made Chloe understand right away. "Oh, your father made a rule about this place didn't he?"

"Daddy always loved placing unnecessary boundaries, but this one at least makes a modicum of sense," Lucifer grumbled, rising to his feet as well. He sniffed the air, thinned his lips, then nodded. "I'm thirsty. Are you thirsty?"

Chloe furrowed her brow. "After seeing this dead body, not really."

"Let's get something to drink. I can discuss more with you then."

Without another word, Lucifer marched out of the alley, heading right for the closest bar, which happened to be right across the street. Chloe did a double-take, rolled her eyes, and raced after him. Before she could cross the street, she made sure to inform the deputy to make sure the Coroner kept the body in excellent condition. Then, she raced across Main Street and followed Lucifer into the bar.

The place across the street was like any bar. A little dark, a little dingy, the kind of place she would have expected Lucifer to gravitate towards when he got in a mood. He had already found a seat and ordered two shots of whiskey by the time she walked in the door. The bartender, a blonde bombshell, couldn't stop smiling at Lucifer, giving him fawning eyes in the process. Normally, Lucifer would have given her some flattery in response.

He said nothing this time.

Something is definitely wrong.

Lucifer downed his shot of whiskey as soon as Chloe took her seat. Right on cue, the bartender filled him a new glass.

"Thank you, darling," Lucifer drawled, nearly making the girl behind the bar-counter swoon. The Devil cleared his throat and twisted to look at Chloe. "We're in the Hellmouth." And he took a second shot.

Chloe furrowed her brow, puzzled. "I'm sorry, we're in the what?"

Lucifer grimaced as he sucked in a breath too soon after downing his whiskey. "The Hellmouth: a point on Earth that is a little too close to Hell, cosmologically and geographically speaking. In layman's terms, it is a focal point of some serious demonic activity."

Some understanding began to dawn for Chloe, and that caused her to break the rules of the LAPD and down her own shot of whiskey. She grimaced, wincing as the strong alcohol burned down her throat.

"When you say demonic activity," She sucked in a sharp breath, trying her best not to wheeze on her words, "do you mean demons like Maze or-"

Lucifer snorted. "I wish they were so obedient. No, this is the place for the problem children to run amok. A bit of a free zone."

"Why would God allow that?"

Lucifer shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure myself. Hell, I suppose, is a bit like any big city. There's always one section where the lawbreakers are allowed to do as they please. So long as it doesn't leak out anywhere else, it gets ignored."

Chloe's mouth fell open. "So you're basically ignoring Hell's lawbreakers so long as they do their deeds here?"

"Lawbreakers? Detective, Hell has no law except my word and… well technically Dad's word too, but those are more like guidelines. This way, demons can wreak havoc and not cause me a bloody migraine."

Chloe couldn't help but frown. Sometimes, the laissez-faire attitude Lucifer held towards the supernatural bugged her. She could understand why he was so cavalier about demons, angels, and whatnot, but that didn't mean he could dismiss it so callously while working as a police consultant.

"So, if this is under your domain then-"

"Except it is not under my domain, just the demons are," Lucifer interrupted. "This place is a bit of a no-go zone for Angels." He flicked his eyes around the bar, towards the few patrons that drank in this place so early in the day. Several of them paid him no mind, but two near the very back of the bar glared daggers at him. They looked like they were seething. "For obvious reasons."

"So, why are you allowed?"

Lucifer shrugged. "Dad must be making an exception in this instance. Something terrible must have- oh right, we have a murdered teenaged girl who inexplicably still dresses like it is 1999."

Chloe bobbed her head. "More like 1997, but go on."

Lucifer blinked, exiting his anxious state for a moment to give Chloe a grin. "Oh, I need to see the photos of that."

"Of what?"

"You, with a terrible nineties hair-do and outfit."

Chloe didn't know whether to blush out of anger or embarrassment. Maybe a bit of both? Regardless, her cheeks turned red, and that was more than enough to amuse the Devil.

"Later," She muttered. "So, Theresa Klusmeyer; do you think she was murdered by a demon?"

"Not think. I know she was," Lucifer replied. He gestured towards the two patrons still glaring at him. "They might have an inkling of what is going on, but I'm not going to start a fight here because that will attract unnecessary attention."

"You live for unnecessary attention, Lucifer."

"Not from my own kind, Detective. That kind of attention is complicated and involves a lot of familial blood feuds and covenants I've never kept. Besides, the less attention drawn to a demon's bad behavior the better, especially the particular kind of demon I suspect killed the poor girl."

"What kind?" Chloe asked, somewhat regretting she even had to ask the question. Part of her wanted to remain ignorant of all this stuff still. But, if knowing more meant she could give a murdered student justice, then she would suffer through the knowledge gained.

Lucifer grimaced. "Well, a Vampire. This also means our dead girl is not going to stay dead for very long. Did you tell the Coroner to keep her locked up?"

Chloe paled. "A vampire? You- you can't be-"

"Detective, I am as serious as the day I was cast out of heaven."

Fear gripped Chloe. Some sweat beaded along her brow. She shot from her stool and rushed to the door, hoping she wasn't too late. But, when she got outside, she found the Coroner's van already pulling away with a deputy escort. In its wake, she saw something strange.

Three teenagers were approaching the bar along with a professorial man in a tweed jacket. Two of the teens were girls, one blonde and definitely the cheerleader type, the other a redhead and certainly more of a drama club girl. The boy appeared to be… surprisingly normal, with his dark hair cut neat and an oversized, checkerboard, button-up thrown over a plain T-shirt. None of them looked pleased.

Are they demons too?

All four individuals paused as she blocked their way into the bar.

"Sorry, we need to enter," The older man said with a posh, English accent. What is it with supernatural occurrences and British people?

"You can go, of course," Chloe nodded at the three obvious teenagers. "I'll need to see ID from them."

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me," The boy sighed.

"Xander, I think I left mine at school," The redhead muttered.

"Way to give us away, Willow," The boy, Xander, groaned.

"Who are you to demand ID?" The blonde sassed, surprising her three companions. "You sure don't look like a bouncer."

Chloe slid her jacket to the side just enough to reveal the badge pinned to her belt. That made all of their eyes widen.

"Still want to argue?" She asked.

The blonde grimaced. "Not really, but I also don't have much of a choice. So, we can do this the easy way or the hard way. Well, actually both ways would probably be easy for me."

Chloe cocked an eyebrow and folded her arms. "Is that so?"

"Buffy," Willow muttered, her tone low and worried, "fighting a cop is not a good idea."

"It really isn't," Chloe nodded in agreement.

"Who is fighting who?"

Chloe's eyes closed. Of course, now Lucifer had to emerge from the bar and stick his nose into police business. She wasn't surprised, just irritated. However, her irritation evaporated when she saw the blonde's- Buffy's- eyes widen. The teenager took a step back, bumping into the middle-aged Englishman behind her.

Lucifer strutted to Chloe's side, his usual mischievous grin back on his lips as he looked at the group of teenagers.

"Well then, not only class-cutters but underage drinkers. I applaud you all… for…" Lucifer trailed off when his eyes landed on Buffy. His grin wavered, twitching into a nigh imperceptible snarl. What he said next made Chloe want to groan, sigh, and tense up all at once. "Hello there, Daughter of Senaya."

Should have gone for three cups of coffee.

Buffy the Slayer

They did not get to the crime scene in time, because of course not.

Sneaking out of Sunnydale High without any teachers or Principal Snyder noticing them always added extra time to their missions, even when she, Willow, and Xander had Giles' help. Seeing all of the deputies and police tape around the alley where Theresa Klusmeyer was murdered made Buffy wish she had those precious seconds where they hid near the gym back.

"How are we going to get close to investigate?" Xander wondered out loud as the group lingered down the road, near a postal delivery box.

"Maybe one of us could walk by?" Willow suggested.

"And get caught skipping school? No, thanks. I don't want to have to explain that one to my mom… again," Buffy huffed. "Giles?"

"Say no more," The Watcher replied. He smoothed out his tweed jacket and strode down the sidewalk, his dress shoes clicking against the sidewalk as he moved towards the police tape.

As Giles approached the police tape, Buffy thought she spotted a man and woman emerge from the alleyway and head across the street to the bar. She did not get a good look at them. After all, they were not the focus of this mission. Although, that tingling in the back of her mind grew stronger by the second. Something was close by. Something strong, and very, very demonic.

Maybe Angel is near? Buffy wondered.

Yet, she had a feeling that was not the case. If Angel was watching her right now, she probably wouldn't feel so anxious. The same could be said for Drusilla and Spike. No, this sensation came from a new source; a new evil. Giles said that it had to be something especially powerful to make her unknown abilities flare like this. But what could it be?

Giles did not stay by the police tape for long. He turned on his heel and marched back to Buffy and her friends as soon as the county coroner wheeled the dead body out of the alleyway. Judging by the pale pallor to Giles's face, Buffy felt it was safe to assume that what he saw was not pleasant.

Giles was breathless when he reached the teenagers. The Watcher sucked in a deep breath through his nose, then slowly exhaled.

"Grisly," He remarked.

Willow shrank while Xander leaned in, a little curious.

"How grisly?" Xander asked.

"Plenty, and you don't need to know more than that," Giles replied. He took off his glasses, removed a cloth from his breast pocket, and wiped off his lenses. "Buffy, we are dealing with something rather significant. I get the feeling one of our old Vampire friends has sired Theresa. She'll be waking up in a few hours."

Buffy bit back a curse. Why did she not realize Theresa was being targeted sooner? A part of her felt guilty for seemingly failing. She did not know Theresa well from school, but they both took a self-defense class together at one point. She seemed like a nice girl. Someone Buffy could have seen being friends with.

Now, there would be no chance of that. If a Vampire chose to sire Theresa, then Theresa needed to die. Her soul was gone now. A demon would replace it in her body. It was only a matter of time. The poor coroner's office wouldn't know what hit them.

She opened her mouth to suggest they follow the coroner's van when the gnawing in her gut drew her gaze towards the bar across the street. Something was in there. Perhaps the perpetrator of Theresa's demise had revisited the scene of the crime?

"We need to check the Bronze," Buffy breathed. "Or Willy's. Care to join me?"

Xander gave a flat nod. "Not sure about Willy's, but at the Bronze there must be someone willing to talk."

Giles held out a hand to stop the blonde Slayer. "Buffy what are you-" She gave him a sharp glare. One that told the Watcher all he needed to know. "Something's in there?"

Buffy nodded.

"Well, if a demon or something is in there, shouldn't we come up with some sort of plan to deal with it?" Willow wondered out loud.

"How many stakes are you going to need?" Xander asked.

"I've got one already. Hopefully, that's all that I'll need," Buffy replied.

She took a deep breath and began the long march across the quiet street towards the bar. The others followed her. As she drew closer to the bar, the sensation of something evil within the hole-in-the-wall establishment grew stronger. It set every nerve in her body on fire. Adrenaline pulsed through her veins. Buffy's lean muscles clenched, relaxed, then clenched again as she prepared herself for a brawl. Subconsciously, she patted a hidden pocket in her outfit, where she knew she had a small stake ready.

Right as she approached the bar's door, it opened. The woman she saw exit the alley earlier emerged from the bar. She was probably in her early thirties, maybe late-twenties, if Buffy wanted to be kind. Her blonde hair was held back in a very professional bun, and she wore a white blouse with a black, business jacket and black slacks. No heels, just flats, which meant she wasn't trying to impress anyone. Buffy could respect that. She seemed like a strong person, and there was a sharpness to the woman's gaze that told Buffy she did not tolerate any bullshit.

Which meant she was the worst person possible to stop them from entering the bar. Even better, the woman turned out to be a cop.

Could anything else go wrong today?

As if to answer her mental question, the bar spat out a man with jet-black hair and a rather attractive five o'clock shadow. He wore one of the fanciest suits Buffy had ever seen. Definitely a designer brand, judging by how well it fit his lean figure. A red dress shirt sat beneath the suit jacket. He did not wear a tie, preferring to let the shirt and blazer do all of the talking. A dark and mysterious aura oozed from him, which Buffy would have found attractive if her senses didn't all go berserk at the sight of him.

She had not felt anything like it before. Every nerve in her body lit up like she had been set on her fire. A pulsing sensation rammed through her entire skull, emanating from the back of her head and radiating around to her forehead in waves. It took all of her self-control to not wince in the presence of the Lady Cop and her friend. Drusilla, Spike, not even The Master made her feel like this. It caused Buffy to take a panicked step back into Giles.

She stared at the man, both intrigued and terrified all at once. For a second, she swore she saw the man's dark eyes flash brilliant red. Then he spoke, and what he said made Buffy's heart stop in her chest.

"Hello there," He began, but beneath that posh drawl, Buffy detected a displeased growl. This guy hid his true intentions well. "Daughter of Senaya."

Giles tensed behind Buffy. "What did you say?"

The Lady Cop sighed. "Lucifer," Buffy's eyes bulged from her skull. "Explain before I get even more confused."

"Explanations can wait, Detective," The man named Lucifer replied as he stood over Buffy, glaring down at her. Managing to somehow intimidate her. No one intimidated her, she was the Slayer. So, how was this guy doing it? "I want to savor the look on her face for a moment."

"Hey!" Xander's arm shot out and gave Lucifer's shoulder a sharp shove. "Back off, man."

The Lady Detective's eyes closed. "Lucifer-"

"He just touched me!" Lucifer exclaimed, giving the Detective a miffed look. He gestured at his now wrinkled sleeve.

"Behave yourself," The Detective warned.

"That little shit touched me though," Lucifer stepped back from Buffy and straightened out his blazer. He glared at Xander, but Xander refused to back down. A wry smirk cracked over Lucifer's lips. "Oh, he's just an idiot."

Xander was about to surge forward when Giles reached out and stopped him. Willow also grabbed Xander by the arm, keeping him from rushing at Lucifer. The entire time, Lucifer gave Xander a wide, mocking smile.

"A rather big idiot indeed," Lucifer nodded. "I'm not a fight you can win, but you are more than welcome to try."

"Enough already," The Detective huffed. She stared pointedly at Giles. "Do you mind explaining what you four are doing here? Me and Lucifer have police business to attend to, and you're taking up our time."

Giles met the Detective's gaze. "Police business? I don't recognize you from around here?"

The Detective sighed. "Detective Chloe Decker, LAPD Homicide."

"LAPD?" Xander remarked, his anger with Lucifer giving way to shock. "What is the LAPD doing in Sunnydale."

Before Chloe Decker could reply, Lucifer spoke up.

"Investigating a brutal murder your yokel cops are not equipped to handle, of course," He said. Every word he spoke made Buffy want to melt and punch him at the same time. He was infuriating and insanely charming. Just who, or what, was he? "Detective Decker and I were requested personally. Now that I have gotten a lay of the land here, I can sort of see why."

"Why?" Willow asked without thinking. She snapped her mouth closed when she realized she spoke out loud.

"Well, this is the Hellmouth, isn't it?" Lucifer remarked, making all four Sunnydale residents blanch. Buffy, in particular, gave him a stunned look. How did a member of the LAPD know about the Hellmouth? "And she," Lucifer continued, pointing a finger at Buffy, "is the Daughter of Senaya. Or, as you mortals call her: the Slayer."

"The what?" Detective Decker questioned, brow furrowed in confusion.

"What do you know about the Slayer?" Buffy breathed, her throat tightening when Lucifer's gaze fell on her again.

How the hell is he making me clam up like this?

"What do I know about the Slayer?" Lucifer uttered a derisive snort. "What do I know? Oh, darling, I know many things. Most of which you think you know, but in reality, you only have surface-level knowledge. But, I shall skip the melodrama, to tell you four this," His gaze lit up with delight. "I am Lucifer Morningstar. Or, to you four more well informed than the average mortal: I am the Devil, Satan, Beelzebub, if you are so inclined to call me. It's been a few centuries since that was the regular name." Lucifer cleared his throat, then extended a pale hand to Buffy. "How do you do?"

Buffy gaped at him. Lucifer? The Devil? The actual, honest to goodness, biblical Devil, was standing in front of her and waiting for a handshake? She would have laughed in the guy's face if her senses didn't scream the truth at her. The pure darkness he radiated was more than enough proof that he wasn't some crazy mental patient or drug addict. If Giles was right, and Buffy was manifesting new abilities due to the arrival of an extremely powerful entity, then the Devil himself would explain why this was happening.

"The Devil?" Xander snorted. "Okay, how much did you drink already?"

"He's telling the truth," Buffy muttered.

Xander whipped his gaze to her. "He's what?" He squeaked.

"Yes, I am," Lucifer said. A dark smile formed on his lips as fear washed over Xander's face. His hand fell away as Buffy refused to shake it. "Now, we're all going to have a nice, long chat. And, we are going to start with why, in the name of my humble abode, did you think it was a good idea to shove me?"

Buffy swallowed hard. There were many fights she knew she could win. But, a fight against the Devil himself? That might be asking too much. So, if she couldn't fight the Devil, she might as well do what he said, and have a small chat.

Lucifer gestured to the bar door. Detective Decker sighed, relenting and allowing Lucifer to take them inside. Once inside, Buffy drew in a deep breath.

I'm about to talk with the Devil.

The bar door clicked closed behind her. She shot Giles a worried look. One he shared.

The universe hates me, doesn't it?

New Commission, new story! All of the credit for this ridiculously fun story and idea goes to lipush (you were an absolute treat to work with!) who commissioned this story over on Fiverr. If you're interested in commissioning a story, please message me over there. My username is: thebobcat18

Now then, this was, as I said, such a fun story to write. These two shows, their characters, mesh so well together, it almost felt like I was writing an actual crossover episode of the show. The amount of sass and banter I got to put in here was such a treat, and I hope you all enjoy it too! Let me know what you all think. As always, have a nice day!

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