Chloe is definitely not lingering in the hallway when Lucifer opens the door to release the billowing steam after his very long shower, vigorously toweling his hair with a satisfied sigh.
"Uh, Lucifer?" she stands uncertainly with a small stack of clothes in her hands, offering them to him. He pulls the towel away from his hair, holding it in front of his bare chest as he gives her his attention. "I've, uh, been keeping these in the cruiser for you in case you ever… lost your clothes again. I didn't know if you'd want to sleep in them? I didn't know your exact size, but I guessed as closely as I could."
"Detective! How thoughtful of you," he grins. "I learned my lesson when I gave that homeless man my outfit and you made me walk home starkers… though I did have some memorable encounters that resulted from that experience…"
"Ew," she laughs, but holds out the clothing for him.
"You would be more comfortable if I wore this, I'm sure," he accepts them slowly, smiling as he rubs the soft fabric between his fingertips. She'd taken care to choose the nicest materials she could afford that would still be stretchy enough to offer some wiggle room in the sizing. He closes the door and she hears him shuffling about for a moment, followed by a deep belly laugh and she can't help the grin that spreads across her face. He opens the door again and stands there, dressed in his stylish new ensemble of soft black sweat pants and a long-sleeve T-shirt screen-printed to look like a white button-down shirt—complete with a printed-on tie and dark grey waistcoat. The pants fit fine, but the shirt is a bit snug, showing his broad shoulders and muscular chest and arms quite well. The effect is actually quite nice. It's definitely not his typical style, but it gives the appearance, if you don't look too closely. He looks surprisingly comfortable in it.
"I shall snooze in style this evening, Detective, thank you." His grin is so wide that she starts laughing, and his eyes sparkle with mirth. "Though even I think a tie is a bit pretentious for sleepwear."
"You've got to admit, it's much better than the green one you had to wear after the Sol de Javier incident." She teases, and he wrinkles his nose at the memory.
"Yes, that particular fashion crime went straight into my cleaning rag supply," he sighs. He gives his hair a few more swipes with the towel before asking, "Where should I deposit this, Detective?"
She directs him down the hall to the laundry room and goes to change into her own pajamas. She emerges in her own sweats and t-shirt combo and notices the lights are all off downstairs and a dim sliver of light shines from the partially open door to the guest room. He calls out to her as she passes his door to do her nightly perimeter check.
"Oh, I've already checked all the windows and both doors, Detective, but I know how thorough you are," he grins at her from his pillow, eyes already half-closed. "The latch on the south window of the Urchin's room will need to be replaced soon, and I also noted your security light is out on the west side of your patio. I've ordered you a replacement bulb, and it should be here tomorrow. Sleep well, darling."
A warmth floods her chest at this demonstration of his concern for her. The man doesn't even lock his own doors, but had taken the time and effort—despite his exhaustion—to not only check her doors and windows, but also to note seemingly insignificant details like a worn out latch and a blown security bulb and had taken immediate steps to rectify it.
"Good night, Lucifer."
The next morning dawns hectic, involving Trixie losing one of her shoes and Chloe burning breakfast as she tries to help find it before Trixie misses her bus. Trixie finally bolts out the door just in time—with both shoes on her feet and a Pop-Tart in her mouth as Chloe breathes a sigh of relief.
Lucifer had apparently slept blissfully through it all. Or, well, that's not precisely true. When the turmoil started, she spied him blearily standing at the top of the stairs, hair a completely untamed nest of curls, staring down with trepidation at the chaos brewing below. She'd called up to him that they were fine and he was welcome to sleep a little while longer, and he had bobbed his head once and turned to shuffle back to his room.
She climbs the stairs to get ready for work and finds his door wide open, his long form curled into a loose comma on his right side and chuffing deep, even breaths. The shadows under his eyes are better this morning than yesterday, but she still lets him sleep. She texts him, telling him to stay as long as he needs to, and they can talk later—maybe at lunch if he's awake by then.
She takes a deep breath before exiting the cruiser once she reaches the precinct, preparing to play her role. Okay. I'm in love. I've decided to move forward in a relationship that is stable and… and… boring. I've put all thoughts of a relationship with Lucifer behind me and I'm eager to have a future with Pierce. Marcus. I would be a little shy, awkward. I can do this.
Pierce catches her eye from her desk and she smiles at him shyly, looking up from under her eyelashes as he approaches.
"Hey Decker, how's the paperwork from the Winstead case coming along?"
"Slowly," she wrinkles her nose in a grimace, and he smiles at her, leaning close over her shoulder to look over it. She notes again the contrast between the warm feeling she gets when Lucifer does the same thing versus the cold chill she experiences with Pierce. How had she never noticed that before? "Since the family's got some clout, I'm just being extra thorough, making sure absolutely everything is tied up."
"Don't be modest, Chloe, you do that with every case and still manage to outshine all the other detectives on my unit." His shoulder brushes hers and she forces herself to lean into it a little rather than freeze or pull away. "Did Trixie enjoy her cake?"
"Not yet," Chloe scoffs – nor would she, Chloe had thrown it away. "She was so hyped up on sugar last night that I figured I'd wait 'til tonight to let her have any. I'm hoping to talk with her about us tonight… so we can maybe move forward together. As a… as a family."
"I'd like that, Chloe," He turns his head to look at her more closely and she feels a flush creeping up her neck at the scrutiny, but he only smiles a little wider, and to Chloe it has an edge of self-satisfaction.
"You two are so cute," Ella coos as she approaches the desk, and Pierce straightens abruptly, clearing his throat.
"Nice work on the case, Decker. Submit it to me when you're done."
He strides stiffly back to his office, and Ella turns her heart-eyes to Chloe with a wide grin. Chloe coughs, fighting her blush. "What's up, Ella?"
"Nothin'," she chirps cheerfully, "I just thought you might appreciate the interruption before you two started making out on the homicide floor."
Chloe snorts, then an idea occurs to her. "Hey… do you have a minute? I have a couple more "presearch" questions for you… and maybe a favor to ask."
"A favor?" Ella laughs, "Taking a note from Lucifer's book now? Yeah, I've got some results pending, but we can chat while I'm waiting, c'mon into the lab."
Once the door to Ella's lab is closed behind them, Chloe closes the blinds as Ella looks on, intrigued. "Oookay, privacy required. Got it. What's up, Decker?"
"Would it be possible to run prints without alerting the system that a match has been identified?"
"Hm." Ella thinks for a minute. "There's not a way to do a match search without running it through the system, which automatically logs the search and any matches made. Why?"
"Damn," Chloe mutters under her breath. She doesn't know if fingerprinting the figurine would do any good— what could they possibly charge Pierce for anyway, even if they did find a match? "Nothing, just… a theory I was spinning in my head. Well, that's a bust, but thanks for the info, Ella." She turns to go, then spins back abruptly, causing Ella's eyebrows to shoot up. "Actually… if you have time… what can you tell me about Cain?" She practically whispers the name, eyes darting to the Lieutenant's office.
"Cain?" Ella repeats slowly, tilting her head. "As in, Adam and Eve's son? Abel's brother?"
"Yep, that's the one."
"Well, what I remember is that he was a farmer. He worked the soil and his brother tended the beasts. One day, God came down and basically invited the two of them to a contest to see who could please him better. Abel offered tender cooked meats, and Cain offered freshly baked breads. God liked the meat better, and blessed Abel and his herds. Cain got super jealous and he and Abel fought, which resulted in Cain killing his brother with a rock."
He killed his brother with a rock? Chloe's memory flashes to Cain's home, and his choice in décor.
"I like rocks," he'd said proudly. Oh my God, are they trophies? Does each one of those rocks tie to someone he's killed? She considers just how many of them he has… talk about baggage.
She snaps her attention back to Ella, who is blithely continuing her narrative, "God apparently came down again later and asked Cain where his brother was. Cain denied knowing where his brother was, and God punished him. The Bible says his fields were cursed and he could no longer grow anything, and that Cain was cursed for life as a fugitive and wanderer."
"So, he not only killed his brother out of jealousy and pride, but lied about it to God." Chloe muses. Why on Earth would you just let someone like that wander free… for eternity?
"Yep, doesn't seem like the smartest idea, ya know?" Ella shrugs. "But enough about Cain… I'm gonna need you to dish about how it's going with Pierce!"
Chloe nearly chokes, but manages to pass it off as a simple cough, trying to pretend she's masking modesty. She's torn, thinking that Ella could really be some help with this plan, but she also knows that without Ella really knowing what she's dealing with, a lot of time would be wasted trying to convince her of what needs to be done. What else can they… Oh! Charlotte! Charlotte knows now, and she's a fierce attorney. Maybe we can bring her in on the planning. A little of the weight lifts off her shoulders at the prospect of a new point of view… a new human, legal-oriented point of view. She glances at the lab clock and notices it's nearly lunchtime, and she still hasn't heard from Lucifer.
"Chloe?" Ella's concerned voice breaks through her reverie, and she realizes she's been inside her own mind a little too long. "Hey, you okay? Things looked pretty cozy between you two out there, was I wrong? 'Cause now you look… a little freaked out. You don't have to share deets if you don't—"
"No, no, it's… it's fine, Ella, it's just… there's nothing to share." Ella's disbelieving eyebrow lift tells Chloe that she knows otherwise.
"So my having to order new sample vials because my old ones shattered after getting knocked off the shelf over there a couple days ago has nothing whatsoever to do with you and Pierce disappearing into the evidence closet that shares that wall and coming out a bit later looking all sexified?"
"Oh my God," Chloe gasps, mortified, "Was it really that obvious? Do you think Lucifer noticed?"
A slow smile creeps across Ella's face. "Do we have a love triangle starting up here, Decker?"
"No," Chloe replies firmly, "not even close, Ella. You know how Lucifer is, though, he's relentless. If he knew Pierce and I had… he'd never rest until he got all the details, and… just no. No triangles."
"Okaaayyy…." Ella hums, unconvinced, but reluctantly lets the subject drop. "Where is Lucifer, anyway? I'm a little worried about him."
"I hope he's sleeping," Chloe mutters. At Ella's puzzled glance, she elaborates, "he told me last week he hasn't been sleeping well. He was beyond exhausted and I still practically had to force him home to sleep the other day."
"Hmm, maybe he needs a melatonin boost," Ella muses, "I think I've got some around here… I'll look for it." One of her machines makes a sound, and she alerts on it like a bird dog on a covey of quail.
"I'll leave you to it, Ella," Chloe chuckles as her friend enters her zone, putting in her earbuds and moving to the music. "I should finish my paperwork, anyway."
When she still hasn't heard from Lucifer by 2 PM, she picks up the phone to call him. She sighs in relief when he answers with a muzzy, "Mmh?"
"Hey, it's me," she explains gently, "I was just worried because I hadn't heard from you. Go back to sleep and we can talk when I get home, okay?"
A silence stretches a bit too long before a thick, " 'kay," comes through the speaker. She chuckles as she disconnects the call and goes back to work with a lighter heart. She's been careful to remember to keep glancing at Pierce's office and smiling at points throughout the day, catching his eye as often as she can and trying to seem aflutter with the buoyant feeling of a new relationship. She finds that it's actually not difficult to do… if she imagines the relationship with someone other than Pierce. Someone currently passed out in her guest room. A fond smile crosses her face.
"Penny for your thoughts, Decker?" Pierce materializes at her desk and she jumps, nearly scattering the file she was working on.
"Just… thinking about the conversation I'm going to have tonight, and its outcome." She replies honestly, grinning up at him. She reaches across the desk and presses her hand on top of his. "This means a lot to me, Marcus. I know we've been taking it slow, and I appreciate your patience, but… I've been burned a lot in relationships, so it means a lot to me to know that you're in it for the long haul."
She'd meant the words to help plant the seeds for what she was planning to tell him soon, hoping it would help set her supposed frame of mind for him, but to her surprise, he stiffens as though she's slapped him, and pulls away.
"That's… that's great Chloe," he stammers. "You mean a lot to me, too." He turns quickly and bolts back to his office. She watches him go, wondering at his response before shrugging it off and wrapping up her paperwork for the day and preparing to leave. She debates calling Lucifer again to see if he wants her to pick up dinner, but doesn't want to wake him if he's still sleeping off his week-long streak of consciousness.
Lucifer's Corvette is nowhere to be seen when she arrives home, but she finds her partner dancing around the kitchen as he assembles a meal that smells utterly delicious, while music plays from his phone. He's obviously been back to Lux at some point that afternoon: his hair is styled, his beard trimmed back to his normal immaculate stubble, and a fresh white button-down in place with the sleeves rolled up. A navy blue 'Kiss the Cook' apron firmly in place completes the look, and she can't help but chuckle.
"Where's your toque?" she asks playfully.
"Ah, Detective, that look never flattered anyone," he assures her with complete seriousness. "The apron at least serves a purpose. Two, if one were to honor the written directive."
He winks mischievously at her, and she laughs outright. Kiss the Cook, indeed.
"So, Trixie's going to be here any minute, she'll eat dinner, and then Dan's going to pick her up. Let's see if we can get this plan moving—the sooner we can get it over with, the happier I'll be!"
"Right," he's all business now, one eye on his meal-in-progress, but the bulk of his considerable attention on her. "How did it go today?"
"I think I managed to set the stage," she informs him proudly, "Ella called us adorable, and I kept flicking shy little glances at his office every so often, and I kept noticing he was looking back at me. He came over to my desk a couple times, and I made sure he knew I was planning to talk to Trixie tonight, and how much it meant to me to know that he's in this relationship for the long haul."
"And you didn't pick up any suspicion from him?" Lucifer watches her worriedly, waiting for her answer.
"He… responded kind of oddly to that… when I told him how much his dedication meant. He stiffened up and nearly ran away. But… he said I meant a lot to him too, so he still seems to be on board."
"And you're still all right with moving forward, Detective?" He prods gently, "I… I don't want you to do anything you're not comfortable with."
"I'm not comfortable being the focus of a murderer and criminal mastermind, Lucifer, so I am really invested in this plan."
"Very well, Detective," he sighs, visibly steeling himself. "Have you considered what happens if he doesn't move on when his curse doesn't lift?"
"I…" Chloe gazes up at him blankly before admitting, "I really haven't. I mean… this is our best shot, isn't it?"
"Planning isn't my strong suit, Detective," he smirks at her as he goes to tend to the food on the stove. "You're talking to the man who plotted his own death to save… someone important, after all."
"You…what?"
"Neither here nor there, Detective, we need to focus on the task at hand, yes?" He hurriedly tries to put them back on track. "Are you still willing to go through with this idea, knowing that it may not work? If he sticks around and you choose to break up with him, we may wind up in an even deeper problem if we have a 'jilted ex-lover' murderer-slash-criminal-mastermind on our hands."
Chloe considers this carefully. "If his objective is to die, and his current plan involves winning my affection to make that possible, once that plan fails he should cut his losses and run. From what I saw of him when he first arrived, he doesn't make personal connections, so there would be no reason for him to stay here any longer than necessary. Right?"
"Perhaps we should ask Linda—"
"I am doing this, Lucifer," Chloe interrupts, exasperated. "I know it's not the best plan, but… but I can't take the risk of him circling around Trixie, especially after what you told me about him taking kids and… grooming them to be in his organization."
"I don't know that he did that with anyone other than our false Sinnerman, Detective—"
"I don't care!" she cries, her voice breaking. "I need to get him out of my life as soon as possible. I wish I'd never met him! Are you going to help me or not?"
"I am sorry, Detective," he murmurs, backing away to tend the stove again, flipping the burner off and removing the pan from the heat. "I'll help you however I can."
"Then we're doing this." She crosses the kitchen to grab plates and silverware, starting to set the table for the three of them. His words catch in her mind, and she turns them over as she works. "Why are you sorry?"
"Because none of this would be happening to you if not for my presence here," he confesses quietly. "Cain came to LA because his spies told him of the Devil bleeding, which led him to you. If I'd only managed to stay away, perhaps in Las Vegas, you would be safe."
"This isn't your fault, Lucifer," she turns and finds him behind her, serving plates in hand. Her eyes meet his warm brown ones, and if his hands weren't full she would have liked to step up and hug him. "And I'm glad you came back."
He smiles at her, but there's a sadness to it that makes her heart hurt. She's about to say something more when Trixie bursts in the door, her sitter following at a more sedate pace, calling laughingly after her to slow down.
"Lucifer!" the girl cries excitedly and Lucifer backs away a pace, lifting the serving plates as a shield as Chloe stifles a laugh.
"Easy, baby, Lucifer's got his hands full with dinner. Go wash your hands while I settle up with Heather." Her daughter hugs her quickly and goes to put her bag away and wash, as Lucifer breathes a sigh of relief and sets the food on the table. Chloe converses quietly with the sitter and pays her before watching her get back in her car and drive safely away.
"Dan will be here in about an hour and a half to get her," Chloe murmurs as she approaches the table, "We can put the finishing touches on the plan after that, okay?"
"Of course, Detective," but there's still a reluctant edge to his tone.
"Hey," she moves into his space, looking intently up at him as she breathes in his soothing, familiar scent. "I can do this. We can make this work."
"I have faith in you, Detective," he whispers, taking a half-step toward her, closing the small gap she'd left between them. His warm exhalation washes over her face, and she feels that pull again—like a magnet—drawing her willingly into him. Her fingers trace his cheek as his head tilts down toward her, his eyes flickering down to her lips. Her stomach flips pleasantly and she leans in toward him just as he straightens and takes a step back. Chloe stops and stiltedly pulls back again, looking up at him in confusion. He lifts his head a little, his eyes traveling beyond her shoulder just in time to hear Trixie's cheerful voice,
"What's for dinner, it smells so good!"
Chloe shakes off their little moment, writing it off as nerves. She can't pronounce whatever it is that Lucifer made, but it is delicious. Trixie laughs as she tries to copy Lucifer's pronunciation, and he finally gives both of them up as a lost cause, declaring them both entirely too American. Trixie says something tartly to him in Spanish that makes him crow with laughter, and when his reply makes her dissolve in giggles, Chloe's too wary to ask what was said. Trixie catches them both up on her day, and Lucifer's commentary has them laughing all through dinner. As they're clearing the table, Lucifer comes to attention, narrowing his eyes in the direction of the parking lot. Trixie has gone to gather the belongings that she needs to take with her to Dan's, and Chloe approaches the sink with an armful of dishes.
"What is it?" she asks softly.
"He's here," the words rumble in chest like a growl, but he relaxes minutely as Chloe rests her hand on his arm. "Pierce, I mean, not Daniel."
"I gathered that," she replies dryly, and she feels his chuckle ripple through him. "You, what, heard his bike?"
"Mmhm," he confirms, and she presses close into his side. "He appears to be waiting, I can't hear him moving about. He must be intending to come up once Daniel retrieves your Offspring. Bit of an eager fellow, you'd think immorality would have forced him to cultivate some patience."
"Lucifer," Chloe smirks up at him, "you're immortal, and you're probably the least patient person I know."
"I can be patient when I have to be, Detective," he looks down his nose at her, but his eyes are warm with humor. "It's just so dreadfully boring."
The minutes tick by, Chloe packing the leftovers into containers and Lucifer pre-rinsing everything before loading the dishwasher, occasionally shooting suspicious glances in the direction of the parking lot but he says nothing more about Pierce. Finally his expression lightens a bit.
"Is he gone?" she whispers hopefully.
"No, but Daniel is here." He mutters. She looks toward the door and a faint breeze hits her back, rustling Trixie's drawings on the fridge. Trixie emerges from her room with her weekend bag and looks around, puzzled.
"Did Lucifer leave?"
Chloe turns to her partner, confused, only to find the space he'd been occupying next to her empty. She looks around before focusing on Trixie. "Yeah, sweetie, he had to get back to Lux. I think there was an emergency."
"He didn't say goodbye!" The girl pouts a little, her bag sagging to the ground. "Will he come back again soon? I didn't like it when he stayed away so long."
"I know, sweetie, I missed him too," Chloe agrees. And she had. She'd been trying so hard trying to stuff Marcus into the Lucifer-shaped hole in her life that she'd not only pushed her best friend away, but also invited an immortal crime boss into their lives. "I hope we'll be able to get back to normal soon. But hey, I need to ask you to do something for me tonight, okay?"
"You do?"
"Mmhm, and it's really important, it's about what Lucifer and I were talking about yesterday."
"Okay…"
"Can you not talk about Lucifer being here tonight? We need it to be a secret for now. Not to your dad or anybody else, can you do that?"
"Are you guys dating now?" Trixie asks suspiciously, and Chloe's eyes widen, flickering up the stairs where she can almost hear Lucifer's lascivious raised eyebrow and matching leer.
"No sweetie, we're not dating right now."
"Oh," she sighs, disappointed. "I was really hoping you were."
"Sorry to disappoint you, Monkey," she wraps the girl in a hug, and she snuggles in. "It's just for tonight, okay?"
"Okay Mom, I can do that."
"Thanks baby." There's a tap at the door and Dan lets himself in as always. "Hey Dan."
"Hey Chlo'. All set to go, Trix?"
"Yep!" the girl chirps cheerfully, grinning at her mom. "You'll be okay by yourself, Mom?"
"I'll be just fine, Trix," Chloe laughs, pushing her daughter gently toward her father. "I'll see you Thursday."
Chloe waits until they're out the door before she whispers, "Lucifer?!"
"I told you, Detective, I can be very fast," his laughter rolls down the stairs like warm honey. "Hush now, Pierce will be on his way up once Sir Douche and your Offspring depart."
Chloe rolls her eyes at Lucifer's commentary and does a quick sweep, making sure there's no evidence that Lucifer has been here this evening. He took his jacket with him, no shoes by the door, no extra glass out on the counter or table… all appears in place. She's putting the last of the leftovers in the refrigerator when the heavy knock thuds on her door. She pulls in a deep breath, readying herself to play her role. "I've got this," she whispers to herself.
"Marcus!" She opens the door to a fidgety Pierce on her doorstep in a t-shirt and jeans, and she gives him a happy grin. "I didn't expect you tonight, what a pleasant surprise! Trixie just left, she loved the cake."
"Oh, did she?" his tone is distracted, agitated. "I must have just missed her, I only got here a minute ago."
Hmmm… try thirty minutes ago, stalker.
"Well, I'm glad you're here now," she bats her eyes at him, trying for flirty rather than awkward. "Trixie's really excited to meet you, and she asked if you were the reason I'd been so happy lately."
"Are you sure?" he asks hesitantly, and she looks up at him, confused. That's not a response I was anticipating.
"Oh, I'm sure." She laughs, and it feels awkward. "Yeah. I-I'm done walking on eggshells. I'm done worrying about how this affects everybody else because the way that I feel about you is... just... don't get a big head. All right? We're both adults and it's not that big a deal." She pulls in a deep breath It's not a big deal at all, because it's not real. But Lucifer's upstairs listening, and… focus Chloe. She reaches out to him, smoothing her hands across his chest and shoulders. "But anyhow, here it goes. Um... I... really... like spending time with you. And I know why. Because, Marcus, I lo—"
"Stop!" His voice is strident, almost panicked. She furrows her brow, puzzled. He holds out his hands, steps away from her. "I can't do this."
"What?" No. Nonononono, this isn't the plan, this has to work. "Wait, no. Marcus, I mean, I know that this is scary, but sometimes you-you just have to take a leap of faith. You know?" He steps further away, putting more distance between them as she steps forward, trying to play out her role. "Hold on. Did something happen? Did... is it something I did or said? Because, look, we can take this slow. I just thought that..."
"You're just making this too hard." His tone is cold now, and she can't quite comprehend what's going on.
"What?"
"It's not worth it."
"I'm not worth it?" Her stomach twists. Despite this being a ruse on her part, the words strike deep into her core, that driving fear inside that no matter what, no one will ever think she's worth it, worth committing to, worth staying for.
"I have to go." He practically runs for the door, scooping his helmet up on the stoop where he'd left it and slamming the door behind him.
"What just happened?" she murmurs dazedly to herself, her arms wrapped over her stomach to soothe the confusing emptiness inside.
Chapter 6
She sinks down onto the couch and pulls her knees up to her chest, huddling into herself. A few minutes later, Lucifer appears at her side.
"Detective?" his voice is hesitant and low. "Did he hurt you?"
"No," She registers a growl building in his chest, and shakes her head quickly. "No, Lucifer, he didn't hurt me, he just… some of the things he said hit a little too close for comfort."
Lucifer glares at her front door, his body tense, and she realizes he's considering going after Pierce, so she reaches out and takes his hand in hers. "Will you… sit here with me?"
He glances at the door only for another fleeting moment before bending to her request and sinking down on the couch. He leaves a small distance between them, and she immediately scoots to close it, leaning into his chest with her head tucked into his shoulder. He freezes at her sudden movement, but quickly pulls her close—the same way he had when she passed out on him on his own couch.
"What did he say that hurt you so, Detective?" he murmurs, and she can hear the rumble of anger in his voice, though he's keeping it soft for now.
"Nothing I should be worrying about," she tries for a laugh, but it comes out more than half a sob, and he gathers her in further, into a true embrace.
"And yet, here we are, darling," he murmurs into her hair. "Will you tell me?"
"I'm not worth it," she whispers into his shoulder, and she feels his arms tighten around her, his cheek pressing against her temple as if he's folding himself around her.
"Detective," he breathes softly into her ear, "For what it's worth, I think I know exactly what inspired his little cop-out just now, if you'd like to hear my thoughts."
She considers for a moment. Wrapped in Lucifer's arms, Pierce's words don't have quite the power that they did before, but she finds herself curious, so she nods slowly against his shoulder.
"He was within moments of potentially realizing the only goal he's had for thousands of years. All his plotting, all his efforts, his desires, leading up to this moment… and everything would be different afterward." His words surround her, a soft cocoon of reassurance, "I think he was terrified, darling, he thought that if he didn't stop you from saying those little words, he would be faced again with mortality, and the possibility that he may wind up in Hell when he shuffles off this mortal coil, just like every other human on the planet." She feels a grin tug at his cheek, still pressed against her temple. "Didn't work, though."
"I know… I didn't get to say it," she groans into his chest, and one of his hands comes up to gently stroke her hair. "What do we do now?"
"No, darling, you were magnificent," he assures her, his other hand stroking her back soothingly. "Your performance was masterful… I'm sure the silver screen would welcome you back with open arms just based on that bit of talent you demonstrated tonight. Whatever happened, though… our plan worked. Cain's curse is lifted."
"What!?" her head pops up, her eyes searching his. "How do you know? Did you… sense it or something?"
"In a way," he chuckles. "I told you I can see quite well in the dark—I was watching him from the upstairs window as he fled back to his motorbike. Halfway across the carpark he fell to his knees, clutching his right arm. After a few moments, he staggered to his feet and yanked his sleeve up… his mark is gone. That means he's mortal now."
"He's…" she trails off. "But, Lucifer… I don't love him!"
"I'm not saying you do, or do not darling," he assures her gently. "If you say you do not, well, I believe you. Perhaps rather than being terrified of mortality, he decided he didn't want to hurt you by dying so soon after your profession of love." He ponders that thought for a moment. "If that's the case, then perhaps by trying to stop you confessing your love, he performed a selfless enough act to actually lift the curse himself… Hmm."
"Nobody really knows what's going on with this celestial stuff, do they?" she asks softly, pressing her cheek against his shoulder again and snuggling in.
"No-one but my father," Lucifer confirms with a sigh, "and he's not talking."
They sit in silence for a long time, each drawing strength from the other as they consider what their next steps need to be. After a while, Lucifer murmurs quietly, "You are, you know."
"Hmm?" They'd sat for along enough that she'd started to drift a little in the warmth of him.
"You are worth it," the conviction in his declaration is a healing balm to the fresh wound instilled by Pierce's words. How can a man so clueless when it comes to emotion manage to nearly always say exactly what I need to hear the most? "You are worth… everything. Anything, Detective."
"And yet you ran," she shudders in his arms. "When you could have had me… we could have had each other, but… you ran to Vegas."
"I did." He acknowledges, and she knows the sharp edge in his voice is aimed at himself. "I ran, and it was the bloody hardest thing I've ever done in my eternity of life… leaving you without a word, when you were barely recovered. I told you before that you deserve someone… better… Detective, that I am not worth it, and nothing is truer than that."
What if I disagree? she doesn't say. What if "better" than you doesn't exist in my measure, what then?
"Why didn't you say anything?"
"Because if you had asked me to stay… I would not have been able to deny you," he whispers into her hair, "And I don't know how I could have stayed without hurting us both even more."
"Will you tell me?" she asks tentatively, keeping her voice low inside their little bubble. "Why you ran?"
"I wanted to… to save you from me, I suppose." he sighs sadly, "And I couldn't even manage that properly, because I found I couldn't stay away. I'll tell you anything you want to know, darling, but if you truly want to address one celestial clusterduck at a time, you'll want to wait for that story."
"Oh…" she breathes, tensing, "Is it that bad?"
"I didn't react well to the reveal, Detective, and since we have no more real answers now than I had then… I have reason to believe you'll… be quite upset. Probably with me."
"If… you weren't happy when you found out about… whatever it is… why would I be angry with you when you tell me what it is?"
"I…" he considers for a moment, "I suppose because of the way I'm involved in it. It's difficult to explain without truly explaining, and I hope you believe me when I tell you that now is not the time to address it, not with Cain still in the picture."
"But it's not your doing?"
"Most certainly not my doing. I would never ask to be involved in… in a situation like this," he huffs a heavy sigh, "Let alone an innocent like you."
"I believe you, Lucifer." His arms tighten briefly around her and he moves to pull away, but she clings. "Will you… will you sit with me a little while longer?"
"If that's your desire," he settles back down, and she nuzzles against him, feeling the heat of him sinking into that cold void that had opened in her stomach at Pierce's words. "I should be going back to Lux soon, though, darling. I've stayed here the past two nights, you wouldn't want your neighbors to start talking."
"Nobody knows you're here but Trixie, Lucifer," she laughs against his chest. "Where is your car, anyway, I didn't even see it?"
"I parked 3 streets over. It's rather easy to spot, you know." He scoffs.
"I'd noticed."
She wakes softly, feeling warm and peaceful. She realizes she's still wrapped in Lucifer's arms… basically in his lap, really… on her couch. She cracks her eyes open and the lamplight surrounding them seems different than usual. More white than yellow… did Lucifer replace all the bulbs in the house, or just the blown safety light?
She starts to pull back, and meets an incredibly soft blanket of warmth against her back. She reaches for it and realizes that it isn't lamplight surrounding them at all, but Lucifer's faintly glowing, luxuriously soft wings mantled around the both of them. She takes a moment to stare at them in awe. The feel of them under her fingers is softer than rabbit fur, and she carefully strokes them, noticing a few crooked ones here and there, and nudging them so they line up with the others and lay flat. Lucifer twitches around her, sighing contentedly into her hair where his nose is buried at the crown of her head. Her eyes drift closed as she continues stroking them absentmindedly, so she doesn't notice the tiny sparks of brighter light dancing in the feathers cocooned around her. Eventually, Lucifer's arms tighten around her with a groan, and a muttered, "Bloody hell, what on—"
Then the wings are gone. Her eyes pop open and Lucifer's eyes are wide, trained on hers, and full of questions. She's barely jostled as he quickly disentangles them and then he's across the room, still staring at her with wide brown eyes. She stares back at him.
"Are you all right, Detective?"
"I'm fine?" Her voice ticks up at the end of the statement like it's a question. "Are you?"
"Yes," he replies quickly, sitting on one of the barstools and carefully crossing his legs at the knee. "Quite. My apologies, my wings don't usually manifest as I'm sleeping. Grow back yes, manifest, no. I just… I don't know what prolonged exposure would do to you, Detective, so… best to keep them hidden."
"I feel fine, Lucifer," she assures him. She pulls out her nearly-dead phone. "Ugh, it's after 2 AM. We still need to figure out what our next steps are with Pierce…"
"I think it's best you get some rest, Detective," he suggests gently, standing and gathering his jacket. "I'll head back to Lux, and… what's wrong?"
"Nothing," she protests, trying to wipe the disappointed expression from her face. "You're right, you should go. I'm sure you'd rather be back at Lux."
"There's never anywhere I'd rather be than at your side, love," he says softly, and a warmth ignites inside her at that simple offhanded proclamation. "But surely you must be sick of me by now, I've been practically glued to you for the past 3 days."
"Stay the night?" she wheedles hopefully. "We can hash out the rest of the plan in the morning?"
He glances away for a moment, then back with a sigh. "Very well, Detective. I also need to figure out how to address Maze's treachery in all this as well… and see if I can suss out what their plan will be, going forward. With any luck at all, the oversize oaf will take care of the problem for us this evening, and we'll only have to deal with Mazikeen."
Chloe stands and stretches before turning out the lamp and crossing the room to stand in front of him. "Thanks for being my backup tonight, Lucifer. And… thanks for staying with me."
"Of course, darling," he murmurs warmly. "After all, you wouldn't be in this mess if not for me." She grabs his hand and tugs him up the stairs behind her. The door to the guest room is open and she spies his new "sleep suit" neatly folded at the foot of the bed. He smiles brightly as he spots it and turns to her, "If this is going to become a regular thing, I'm going to need to bring some actual sleepwear to keep here, Detective."
"You know, as often as your clothing gets destroyed on cases, keeping a spare suit here wouldn't be a bad idea, either. There's room in the closet in here… What?"
"I—I was only joking, Detective," he stammers, his playfulness evaporating. "I don't think it will be necessary to keep clothing here. I had assumed…" he lets his sentence trail off, puzzlement written all over his face.
"You assumed what?" she rests her hand on his forearm, and he stares down at it, a small frown on his face.
"I… had assumed that once we were past this crisis and you had your answers, that you'd be quite willing to see the back of me," he admits candidly. "Certainly you won't want the Devil in your life any longer than he has to be—look what trouble I've lured to your doorstep!"
Chloe gapes at him for a moment before shaking her head. "Lucifer, of course I want you in my life. You're my best friend."
He sighs, shoulders sagging. "You're tired, Detective, and you don't have the whole story yet. We'll discuss this more later, I'm sure."
"Lucifer," she pulls him into a hug, and feels his familiar freeze-and-relax routine before his arms carefully return the embrace. "Good night."
He hums into her hair, then releases her and disappears into the guest room, gently closing the door behind him.
"Are you all right, Detective?" Lucifer slides her plate of fluffy scrambled eggs and sausage in front of her with a piping hot cup of coffee and a concerned expression in his eyes. "You're not still upset over what the man-ham said last night?"
"I'm fine," she chuckles, picking up her fork and digging into her steaming breakfast. "I just didn't sleep well last night, that's all."
"Ah," he nods carefully, "That's… likely my fault, Detective, I told you divinity affects people in odd ways. It's possible that my wings—"
"I don't think it was your wings," she shakes her head and reaches across the bar to pat the back of his hand reassuringly. "they're pretty but they don't really affect me other than me just not being used to them yet. I had some nightmares, but that's all."
The corner of his mouth twists downward, but he surprisingly doesn't press her. "Well, Ms. Lopez will certainly ask you what's wrong, because you look as though you've been crying."
"At least I've got an easy answer for that: Pierce broke up with me last night, after all." Lucifer's brow wrinkles in concern until she grins up at him, earning her a slow smile in return. It lights the warm brown of his eyes, and her heart beats a little faster. Adding in the barely-tamed bedhead and the easily discerned musculature under his "sleep-suit", Chloe thinks she could get used to seeing Lucifer like this.
"Clever, Detective." He starts on his own plate, and neatly inhales it before she's even halfway through her own. "What is the plan for today, then?"
"I thought about that a lot last night," she replies slowly, "I think it'll just be easiest to go into work as usual and see if he even shows up. If he… took care of the problem last night, then we're in the clear. If not, maybe he'll already be planning to move on. That's what I'm hoping for, anyway."
Lucifer nods thoughtfully. "Do you want me to make an appearance at the office this morning?"
"Yes," Chloe replies immediately, "but if Pierce is there it would look strange if you appeared before I'm assigned a case. So… as much as I want you there, it's probably better to wait. I'll hide out with Ella in the lab if I need to."
Lucifer's doubtful expression says everything it needs to about his opinion on Ella's protective capabilities when it comes to Pierce, but he doesn't voice an objection to her plan.
"Very well, then, I'll be on my way," he glances down at his clothing and a wry smile manifests, "Once I've changed, of course. I need to speak to my brother and Linda to see if either of them have an inkling as to what Maze may be plotting…"
"Oh! I meant to tell you, she called me the other day," Chloe offers, hoping it will distract him from leaving immediately, and judging by the interested expression, it works.
"And what did our demonic diva have to say?" he purrs, leaning back on the counter. The shirt strains across his chest as his arms cross in front of him, and Chloe tries to shake herself from the distraction before he can notice.
"Not much, but it was… weird," Chloe thinks back to the conversation. "She said she wanted to make amends, and I told her it was going to take some time, that Trixie and I were still upset. And she just seemed… fine with it."
"Well, you know how she is with emotions—"
"No, not like, disgusted fine, just… accepting. Almost like I was saying exactly what she wanted to hear. Then she said something that sounded just like what Pierce had said to me just a day or so before that—'Fast or slow, whatever it takes.'." Her nose wrinkles in disgust. "That made me suspicious, even when she tried to wave it off that she'd learned it from sex."
"I can assure you that nothing about Mazikeen is willingly slow when it comes to sex." He remarks dryly, and Chloe chokes on her mouthful of eggs.
"Lucifer, ew," she takes a sip of her water and starts laughing. "I don't need to know things like that."
He shrugs cheerfully, "I suppose you'll just have to miss out on some interesting stories, then."
"I'm sure I'll manage to survive, somehow," She shakes her head, chuckling at his utter lack of shame.
"Okay, so the plan for today is what… I text you if Pierce shows up, you text me if you get a lead on Maze?"
"That seems reasonable, Detective." He nods, straightening from his leaning position. "And the Spawn is safe with Daniel for the next couple of days, yes?"
"Yeah, Dan's got her until Thursday." Since she and Dan each only get one weekend off a month, they split their weekends off and then trade off for 3 days during the week on the other weeks. It's complicated to track, but fortunately they have a good relationship now that they're no longer married. Trixie seems to enjoy the variation, so they just go with it. Lucifer nods slightly once more in acknowledgement, then strides upstairs to change. Chloe follows him a few minutes later to ready herself for work, and finds him fully dressed, attempting to tame his curls in front of the bathroom mirror with his fingers and some water.
"Does that work?" She asks curiously, smirking at his expression of concentration.
"Not for very long," his nose wrinkles as his eyes meet hers in the mirror, "but it will do well enough until I reach Lux and some proper equipment and products." She snickers and he whirls to face her, all full of false indignance and charm. It all falls from his face and shatters when his eyes drop to the pendant she's wearing again around her neck. His gaze fixes on it, and the raw emotion she reads there breaks her heart.
"I never should have taken it off, Lucifer," she murmurs, and his throat bobs as his eyes slowly move up to meet hers. "I'm sorry I let him get into my head, and between us."
"It's not your fault, Detective," his voice is suddenly hoarse, as though his throat is too tight for air to pass through properly. "He's had thousands of years' experience at manipulating people to get what he wants, and I didn't adequately warn you. You made a choice, as I'd hoped you would. You owe me nothing, certainly not an apology."
"What choice were you hoping I'd make?" she asks suspiciously, narrowing her eyes up at him and stepping closer. "Wait. You said last night that you ran to Vegas to save me from you. You were afraid your dad was messing with my feelings… you think He was forcing me to choose you?"
"What—" his face pales and he paces backward, only stopping when the small of his back rests against her vanity. "How do you know about that, Detective? Have you known all this time after all?"
"What? No," she shakes her head, trying to step closer, but he holds up his hands as though warding her away. "I talked to Ella last week after I saw your wings and internet research was getting me nowhere. She told me about your Vegas trip, and something about me being put in your path, and you being worried that my feelings were being manipulated…"
"Oh," he pulls in a deep breath and he relaxes a little, but doesn't move any closer. "Ms. Lopez, of course. That makes sense. Yes," he continues, going on to answer her question, "that was essentially what I was afraid of, and obviously it has to do with the situation that we agreed to discuss once Cain has been taken care of."
"Fine," Chloe scoffs, frustrated almost to tears at being so close to having some answers, but knowing they don't have time to delve into whatever it is this morning, anyway. "But we are going to talk about this, Lucifer."
"I would expect nothing less of you, Detective."
Chloe arrives at her desk with her sunglasses on. She'd started thinking a little too hard on the drive to work and her irritation at her current lack of answers had boiled over in the form of tears, enhancing her already reddened eyes. She applies herself to the never-ending stack of paperwork in her inbox for most of the morning, until she notices movement in the Lieutenant's office. She glances up and finds Pierce's blue eyes peeking through blinds at her before they snap closed, hiding him from view.
Chloe snaps her head back down to focus on the Duckworth file in front of her, cursing under her breath. So much for him taking care of the problem for us. She clings to the hope that perhaps he's merely packing up his office in preparation to move on. She decides to check with Ella and see if the forensics report for this case is in yet, so she can close it and file it. She pops up from her chair, casting a nervous look over her shoulder at the Lieutenant's office as she walks away.
"Hey, Ella," she breezes through the door, trying for casual. "Do we have, uh... the-the forensics on the Duckworth case?"
"Dope shades, missy!" Ella greets her with a cheerful grin.
"Thanks." I need to text Lucifer and let him know Pierce is still here. Hopefully he's found out something about Maze…
"Yeah, I only wear mine inside when I'm like, super hungover or, you know, for some reason I've been crying."
"Right," she replies absently, still considering her mental to-do list. Too engrossed in her thoughts to pull back before Ella can pull down her sunglasses.
"Oh, no," her friend sighs, seeing her red and puffy eyes, "What happened?"
"It's..." she huffs, annoyed at having to go through this song-and-dance routine, "Pierce and I broke up."
"What?" Ella gasps, jaw literally dropping open in shock.
"Yeah."
"Why? You were so great together."
"Uh, yeah." Thanks for telling me I match well with a criminal mastermind/murderer, buddy. "I... I don't know. I guess he just, he freaked out and he ran. I-I'm guessing he's terrified of intimacy. I... I'm just trying not to take it personally, 'cause it's not like this is the first time this has happened, so I just... wonder if it's something I'm doing."
"No way. That is some buttload of crap, right there." Ella's expression has gone from shocked to angry, and Chloe tries to deflect the storm she can see brewing in her tiny friend.
"Okay, anyhow..." Ella bulls right over her attempt, and stalks toward the door to her lab
"I'm gonna walk into Pierce's office and I'm gonna give that studly, big-armed man a serious what for."
"Hey." Chloe catches Ella by the arm, gently turning her back to face her with a pleading expression. "Please do not say anything. All right? It's just gonna make things more complicated." And I don't want you getting hurt by putting yourself in his psycho crosshairs.
"Fine." Ella concedes, backing down after a tense moment that stretches far too long. "Okay, I-I won't interfere."
"So… the Duckworth report?" Chloe nudges, with a small smile.
"Right!" Ella snaps to attention, crossing the lab to retrieve the appropriate folder. "Right, here you go Decker. You need anything, you come to me, got it?"
"Yes ma'am," she salutes her friend, puts her sunglasses back on, and heads slowly back to her desk. Once there, she pulls out her phone to text her partner.
He's still here. Any luck for you?
Not yet, waiting to hear back from Linda, she's in appointments all morning. Are you all right?
Fine. You were right about Ella noticing.
Of course I was. Care for a lunch escape? I was going to meet with Charlotte for a check-in.
Yes please.
Excellent. Pick you up in an hour?
See you then.
She breathes a sigh of relief at being able to escape the precinct for a little while, and tries to convince herself it has nothing to do with seeing Lucifer. She doesn't notice Ella slipping into Pierce's office while she's chatting with Lucifer.
She's gathering her things to meet Lucifer in the parking garage when Pierce calls her into his office. She glances up, surprised. Normally when he's assigning her a case he just drops it at her desk, but she approaches the office confidently with her head held high.
"Close the door," he orders as she enters, and she hesitates, narrowing her eyes at him suspiciously. "Just for privacy, I wanted to speak to you on a personal level."
"You were very clear last night that there is no personal level between us, sir," she replies warily, keeping her hand on the door frame.
"Please, Chloe." She exhales heavily and closes the door. He smiles widely, coming out from the behind the desk to approach her. She stays where she is. He pulls in a very deep breath, and releases a torrent of words on the exhale, as though he's afraid if he doesn't get them all out, they'll drown him. "Okay, I know you probably hate me right now, but please, just hear me out. You were right, about last night... I got scared. Things got very real between us and I... I couldn't handle it. And... I'm not used to feeling this way. And I realize that now and that's why I promise it'll never happen again, because... because I love you."
"What?" She can't keep the horrified note out of her voice. Oh, this can't be happening.
"I love you, Chloe." He huffs an enormous sigh, as though a heavy weight has been lifted from him by saying those 3 damnable words, and smiles at her happily. She takes a step back from him, bumping into the door behind her.
"Wh-What do you expect me to say to that?"
"Well, that you love me, too." As though the answer is obvious. And maybe a week ago, she would have been naïve enough to say it. She tries to consider her response, to think her way out of this situation on the fly without setting off her criminal mastermind ex.
"Look, Marcus," she tries to inject a note of patience into her voice to temper the panic she can feel rising in her throat, "as much as I appreciate hearing you say those words... that's what they are: they're just words. I can't trust them anymore.
His eyes zero in on her fingers, which have automatically gone to her collarbone, and the bullet pendant resting comfortably there. In an instant his eyes are no longer warm and inviting, but icy cold and calculating.
"It's because of Lucifer, isn't it." His tone sends a warning thread of ice skittering down her spine.
"No, Marcus, Lucifer had nothing to do with our conversation last night," she tries to be as firm as possible about that, remembering Lucifer's certainty that Pierce would go after him if he thought Lucifer stood in the way of gaining Chloe's love. "I took this off for you, despite the fact that it means a lot to me, to prove that I was willing to make sacrifices for our relationship. You made it clear last night that you're not willing. That has nothing to do with Lucifer, and everything to do with you. Now if you'll excuse me, sir, I'm going to lunch."
His narrowed eyes follow her possessively as she hurries up the stairs to the elevator for the parking garage.
"Detective!" Lucifer waves at her jauntily from the driver's seat of his Corvette the moment he spies her exiting the lift. "I'm afraid I haven't been able to track down Charlotte, but Amenadiel is on the case. Believe it or not, he actually volunteered to help us with this mess—"
"We've got a problem, Lucifer," she murmurs quietly, "Can we go somewhere? Private?"
"Of course, darling," he doesn't question her, other than to make sure she's all right. She nods stiffly, feeling a little of her apprehension fade as he pulls out of the parking garage and into downtown traffic, heading toward Lux at speed.
He turns to her once they're in the elevator, eyebrows lifted in expectation of enlightenment. She closes her eyes and leans her head back against the wall of the elevator car. "Pierce is not only still here, he thinks he's in love with me."
"Oh," Lucifer breathes quietly. He takes a couple of breaths as though he's about to speak, but no further sound emerges, and when she opens her eyes he's watching her with an unreadable expression.
"What?"
"Well," he visibly pulls himself together, his public mask that she's really learning to hate sliding seamlessly into place. He'd worn that mask constantly in the early days of their partnership, and she couldn't stand him until he'd started giving her glimpses of the man underneath… the man (angel, devil, whatever) that she's only now starting to admit to herself that she's fallen in love with. She doesn't like it when he feels that he needs to hide from her. "I dispatched Amenadiel with the goal to set dear Charlotte on figuring out how to prove Pierce is the Sinnerman. If anyone can do it she can… and now that he's mortal there's a good chance that once convicted, he'd actually be out of our hair until he's truly dead. But… Detective, I can still call them off if you're considering giving him another chance for your affections."
"You really think I'd consider a relationship with him? The crime boss? The manipulating bastard? The murderer?"
He flinches almost imperceptibly, and she remembers too late his words from last night, that all those accusations could also be laid at his feet. The elevator doors chime before he can reply, and he quickly exits the lift and heads for his bar. He chooses a random decanter and moves toward the kitchen, calling behind him, "Come along then, Detective, is grilled cheese all right? I should at least feed you before you need to be getting back to work, I did promise you lunch, after all."
She follows along after him, considering what to say next. "You were right again, by the way."
He pauses in gathering the ingredients he needs, glancing her way. "I usually am, Detective, but what about this time?"
"He noticed that I'm wearing your necklace again, and when I shot him down, his first assumption was that it was because of you."
"Ahhh, lovely," Lucifer grins widely, and Chloe is reminded a bit of a leopard that's just spotted a wounded gazelle. "So the man-ham fancies himself jealously in love, does he? Well, things just got more interesting."
"Lucifer, it's not interesting," she reminds him patiently, raising her voice when he waves off her concern and goes back to preparing lunch for them. "You're vulnerable when you're around me, and if Maze is still working with him, he'll be able to hurt you even if I'm not near you."
"Oh, I haven't forgotten, darling, not to worry." The griddle sizzles as he places the buttered bread on it and starts adding the cheese. "But perhaps we can distract him by letting him stalk me while Charlotte gathers her evidence, hm? Give him something to do besides pant at your heels?"
"Are you suggesting I let him think he has a chance with me if he gets you out of the way?"
"I would never put you in harm's way like that, Detective," he turns to stare at her, affronted. "It sounds as though he's already made up his mind regarding me anyway, and nothing you do or say is likely to change it… I only wonder if he'll try coming after me himself, or call in one of his favors…"
She growls in frustration. "Have you heard anything from Linda about Maze?"
"Unfortunately, Mazikeen is not on speaking terms with Linda at the moment, apparently she's still angry that she and my brother had gotten together against Maze's wishes."
"Linda and Amenadiel?" Chloe stares at him in shock. "Really?"
"I know!" he scoffs, "I was quite disappointed, I'd really thought the Doctor had better taste than that, but, well, she's only human. I told Mazikeen she was being greedy, not wanting Amenadiel for herself but not letting Linda have her fun, but she's certainly taken it too far now."
"That's why she wants to go back to Hell?" Chloe considers, thinking aloud. "That's why she started acting out around the house, and having that entire band over, and saying those horrible things to Dan… and insulting Trixie."
"It seems highly likely, yes." He sighs, flipping their sandwiches adeptly. "It's reached a point now where I'm almost willing to just tell her I'll take her back there, if that's what she wants so badly… though I don't think she'll be happy once she's there. She's changed as much as I have in our time here… perhaps more. Going back won't be a pleasant adjustment for either of us."
"Are you planning to go back?" Chloe asks quietly as he slips a plate in front of her, along with a glass of water. She watches him as he scoops his sandwich onto his plate, dreading his answer.
"I have no desire to return to Hell, now or ever," he admits carefully, "but there is always the possibility that I will be required to. For example, as a bloody Uber service for wayward demons."
"What happened between you two?" she wonders, trying to distract herself from the idea of Lucifer leaving for Hell.
"I called her here after the winery case," he takes a sip from his tumbler before turning to his sandwich, "to apologize for behaving so badly when I thought she was trying to manipulate me. She refused my apology, and asked me to take her back to hell, saying that she couldn't handle the torture that actually feeling emotions was putting her through—a sentiment that I thoroughly sympathized with."
"She said you wouldn't."
"She was telling the truth," he doesn't meet her curious gaze, but speaks to the sandwich in his hands. "I told her that I couldn't take her back, because I couldn't stand to lose her, too."
"Too?"
He huffs a soft laugh. "That's what she said, as well. I'd… I'd just watched you ride off with Pierce, you see, and… you looked so happy. You'd pulled away and it was all my fault. If I took Maze back to Hell, I'd be all alone here, and… and I don't know if I could…" he clears his throat. "Well. You seemed happy, and that's what was important at the time. I didn't realize refusing her request would send her into a revenge-fueled mission for manipulation and mayhem."
"Lucifer," she murmurs, steeling her nerves as she waits until his eyes lift to hers, "I wanted you. You'd been pushing me away, and… and Pierce was there and seemed interested. It… it made me feel better, like someone wanted me."
"I know I pushed you away, darling," he smiles sadly. "I was trying to keep you off my father's radar because I was afraid that I was putting you in danger by helping Cain try to die. And when I pushed you far enough, Cain was ready to take advantage. As I said, my fault."
"You know, I've never asked you to protect me." She finishes her sandwich, thinking carefully. "In fact, I think I've been pretty clear about demonstrating that I can take care of myself."
"I'm quite aware of your excellent capabilities, Detective," he agrees mildly. "But even you must admit that angels, immortals, and demons might be a little out of your realm of experience?"
"I don't think I can wait for Cain to be dealt with before I start getting answers, Lucifer."
"I was afraid you were going to say something like that, Detective," his smile is wry, but eyes are alight with pride in her inquisitive nature. "I only hope the answers that you seek don't melt your brain. There is quite a lot to explain."
"Can we start tonight? I've got to get back to work."
"As you desire, darling." He collects her plate and glass, placing them both in his dishwasher and returning to the bar. "Hopefully we'll have some news on Mazikeen by then."