Maze may not have landed any hits to Tony's face, but she had definitely landed good shots to his ribs. Lucifer had somehow managed to convince her mother to let her and Tony have the house. So they sat on the front porch with Trixie bringing him a pack of ice.
Despite what her mother feared, they were not a pair of horny rabbits. Sitting on the porch and staring up at the sky was just as romantic as cuddling up in bed.
"I nearly had her," Tony insisted.
"You nearly had your block knocked off," Trixie corrected. The two of them just laughed, just staring up at the sunset.
Trixie's mind was also lingering on Linda's words. Linda had protested that she is not that kind of doctor, but frankly google was of no help. But Linda assured her one inch of flesh sliced off the neck is enough to kill.
"You know," Tony remarked. "You've been a lot more positive lately. Something happen? Not that I'm complaining."
Trixie laughed and shook her head. How was she supposed to explain this? With any luck, he'll never find out. Last thing she needed was to explain how she was the stepdaughter of the prince of darkness.
"I'll tell you later," Trixie said. That did remind her she needed to finish her investigation. First thing she needed to do was find Manny, wherever the hell he was.
"Hey, wanna head inside?" Trixie asked. "Bugs are going to start coming out to feast this time of year."
Tony groaned and rolled his eyes.
"My dorm's air conditioning was broken at the beginning of the year so we all slept with our windows and doors wide open."
"Oh god, mosquitoes."
"Yup…"
Trixie laughed, imagining waking up to find a small swarm in her room. That would be awful. She wondered if there is a punishment in hell that is anything like that. Had to be. It was hell after all.
The two got up and went inside. Tony was nearing the end of his first year of college and Trixie was about to finish high school. Summer had hit so the heat was on the rise. Her mother had always refused to take advantage of Lucifer's money, but she did accept him getting some proper air conditioning for their house.
Thinking about the heat, she then realized that Lucifer never sweats even when he wears a three-piece suit in summer heat. Guess that just was a benefit of being the devil.
"Here, help yourself to whatever's in the fridge," Trixie said. "I need to be right back."
"You do know I can eat you broke, right?" Tony pointed out. Trixie did remember that Tony had a big appetite.
"Just leave the souffle. It's some unique French recipe. Lucifer made that special for my mom."
"Well, you shouldn't have told me. Now that you told me not to eat it, I just want to eat it more!"
Trixie pointed a finger at Tony, who rolled his eyes and raised his hands in surrender.
Trixie went up the stairs to the bathroom. She quickly relieved herself. But when she went to wash her hands, something caught her eye. She looked up, and her entire world just froze.
Correction.
Her entire world just came crumbling down.
A million thoughts ran through her mind at breakneck speeds. She had no idea what to say. What she saw was impossible. It defied logic. And yet there it was, clear as day and undeniable.
"That's…" Trixie choked. "What the HELL?!"
Trixie stared at the mirror. What she saw defied reality and yet she was staring right at it.
Trixie jumped when she heard knocking at the door.
"Hey, Trixie!" Tony called from outside. "Is everything ok in there?"
She must've been staring at the mirror longer than she thought. How long was she in there? There wasn't exactly a clock in the bathroom.
And what could she say to Tony? She couldn't let him see her like this. But if she told him everything was fine, then he'd stay.
So what if he does see? Then he'd know that Lucifer was the actual devil.
'Sorry. I don't if I'm ok dating the stepdaughter of the Devil.'
No, no, no, no, no…
She had to find a way to fix this.
"Actually, something's come up," Trixie said. "Can you come back tomorrow?
"Trix, you're worrying me. Let me in."
Trixie heard the doorknob rattle as Tony tried to open the door.
"Tony, I promise I'll explain everything later." Shit, she shouldn't have promised that. Still, she'll figure that part out later. For now, she needed to get Tony out of her house. "But, I need…to be alone right now."
Trixie listened to the silence that followed. She hoped she didn't hurt his feelings or anything.
"Alright," he said. "Just…text me later. Just wanna make sure you're alright."
"Ok," Trixie agreed. He would no doubt ask about what the hell just happened. She was going to have to find something to tell him. She listened to his footsteps as he left the house and closed the door behind him.
He was gone, right? He didn't just pretend to leave the house just to try to catch her and see what was going on, right?
She had to trust Tony.
In the meantime, she needed to consult someone, anyone. Trixie pulled out her phone and went through her contact list. She couldn't just ask anyone. She needed an expert. Finally, she picked out who to call.
"Maze…" Trixie said shakily through the phone. "I need a little help. No, no, no, I'm not in any life threatening danger…at least I don't think. But, could you come to the house?"
Trixie waited in the bathroom for a few minutes. She didn't know where Maze was but she imagined it would take a while to get here. So she jumped when the heard the door burst open.
Crap, who was that? Burglar?
"Trixie, babe!"
"Beatrice!"
Her mother and Lucifer? Maze must've called them thinking something was wrong. But how did they get here so fast? She didn't hear a car.
And what should she do now? There was a reason she called Maze and not those two. Should she come out? She never figured out if her mother knew Lucifer was the devil. Though if Lucifer's story was anything to go by, she already did.
Trixie sighed. She made her choice.
"Up here!" she called. Immediately she heard two people rush up the stairs followed by knocking on the door.
"Trix, you ok?" her mother asked worriedly.
Was she ok? The hell was she supposed to know?!
Trixie walked over to the door and unlocked it. Hearing the bolt get pulled, Lucifer and Chloe both stepped into the bathroom.
"Next time I tell Maze to come to the house, tell her I didn't mean come and call everyone she knows," Trixie sighed.
The expression on Chloe and Lucifer's faces was not quite shock. There was some shock in there but not as much as she expected. What was that look they had? It was like something they knew could happen but didn't think would happen finally did happen.
So how the hell was Trixie supposed to react? How was anyone supposed to react if they just one day sprouted wings?
"Wait a minute," Trixie said, her silver wings ruffling behind her. "Why does it seem you expected this?"
-.-
Four Years Ago
Down in Hell, Chloe had broken down. She didn't know how many times she had to witness her betrayal. Hundreds? Thousands? She's saw her friends. She saw Maze, Linda, Amenadiel, Ella, Dan. They were either angry or disappointed in her, sometimes both. And seeing Trixie look at her with those sad disappointed eyes was enough to crush her heart. But she also had to watch herself kill Lucifer over and over again, see the look of pain and betrayal in his eyes. And hell was mixing things up. If she wasn't slipping Lucifer poison, then she was finding other ways to stab him in the back.
'Seriously, what's the matter with you Chloe? The guy's an ass but he didn't deserve this. I really dodged a bullet, didn't I?"
"I can't believe you, Chloe. Why would you do this? I mean…why? What has he ever done?"
"He trusted you before I even liked you. Look where it got him. Burn in hell, Decker."
"There's nothing I can say to you. Well, with where you're going to go, you'll see him again soon enough. He'll decide what to do with you."
"I'm disappointed in you. You could've asked me any questions you had about my brother. No. You're a traitor Chloe. I've seen where traitors go."
"Why did you do it, mommy? Why did you do it?"
Kinley had long since vanished. There was no point in him sticking around. She knew she deserved to be down here, suffering every second of heartbreak and torment. For years he had put up with her attitude, gave her absolute trust, honesty, and support, even saving her life. And this was his reward.
Chloe blinked through her tears, watching as a doppelganger of herself walked up behind Lucifer, knife in hand. This dark twin of her must've been aware of her. It turned and looked at her, a malicious smirk over its lips. A knife to the back wasn't poisoning but the action illustrated plenty.
"NO!" Chloe screamed, snatching a knife off the countertop, rushing at her image. She brought the knife down upon her own neck, but the blade passed through like it was fog, her image vanishing as the knife instead buried into the back the man in front of it.
Lucifer turned around, his eyes wide with shock as Chloe recoiled, her hands over mouth as she took in what she did.
Chloe poured the elixir into the wine glass. She watched the event play out, wanting to scream but she could not speak. She wanted to throw away the glass, but she could not move. She was a prisoner inside her own body. Her mind had been restrained, forced to watch every second of what she did. Her body give a loving smile as she handed Lucifer the drugged wine.
Stop smiling. Stop Smiling. STOP SMILING.
Lucifer gripped Chloe in shock as the poison ran its course, and Chloe's body just smiled.
"I have never lied to you, and I will never lie to you."
Finally, as Lucifer's life left him, Chloe got control of her body. And she finally screamed. She screamed until her throat was hoarse. She screamed until her hell loop started once more.
Her doppelganger was back, ready to stab Lucifer in the back. And Chloe rushed it with a knife once again. But this time she went to tackle her twin, shocked to find that this time she could touch it. They both fell to the floor. But Chloe had to react fast. She had to stop herself. She brought her knife down onto her own figure, more tears rushing out of her eyes as she tore the knife out and brought it down again. She wiped the tears from her face and she gasped in horror when she saw that laying facedown on the now bloodstained carpet was not her but Lucifer, her knife firmly in his back.
How did that happen? She tackled herself, she was sure of it. And she was a cop. How did her first instinct to go stabbing?
No. Not stabbing. Betrayal. Her first instinct was to betray, to put a knife into the back of someone who trusts her.
"Lucifer is the best partner I have ever had. And I can only hope that he can count on me as much as I count on him."
"THAT GIRL IS POISON!"
The music made Chloe jump, the scene changing once more and the vial slipping out of her fingers and spilling into the wine.
"I didn't know I left the music so loud," Lucifer said, coming back down the stairs. Chloe watched, wanting to speak up, wanting to warn Lucifer of what was in his drink. But her lips would not move.
Notice the vial on the table. Please notice the vial on the table.
Lucifer picked up the glass and drank. The glass fell out of his hands and shattered on the ground. And again, she watched him crumple.
She deserved this.
"I've always been honest with you, Detective. And I always will be."
She was right where she belonged.
"Why did you do it, mommy?"
She deserved to suffer.
"Chloe."
Chloe was knelt over Lucifer's motionless body. She had betrayed him again, spiked his drink and was helpless to watch him die once more. She was so distraught over what had happened she didn't even hear the penthouse elevator ding or her name called. It wasn't until she felt a hand on her shoulder did she turn around.
Behind her was a familiar face. This was her last close friend, the one person who hasn't scolded her yet. Guess it was only a matter of time before she showed up.
"I'm sorry," Chloe sobbed. "I'm so sorry."
"Chloe." Chloe felt her wrists get seized, snapping her out of her trance. "Chloe, it's me. I'm not part of your hell loop. It's me, Charlotte."
Chloe blinked to get the tears out of her eyes. She knew it was someone that looked like Charlotte Richards but there was something different about this manifestation. She could actually feel a real presence.
She didn't believe it at first but the longer Charlotte held Chloe's wrists, she soon realized it really was Charlotte. Not some hellish manifestation but the actual soul of Charlotte Richards.
"Charlotte?" Chloe stuttered. "What are you doing here?"
"I'm here to rescue you," Charlotte said, a hand on Chloe shoulder to lead her away from Lucifer's body and toward the bar. Chloe tried to glance back at Lucifer's body but Charlotte quickly directed her face away.
They walked behind the bar, making sure Lucifer's body was out of sight. Charlotte waited for Chloe to compose herself. Charlotte could personally attest to the tortures of hell. Even a short amount of time would have taken a toll on her mind. Charlotte could personally attest to this.
"Charlotte," Chloe said, still sniffling. "What are you doing here? How are you here?"
"I'm here to get you out," Charlotte said. "You don't belong here."
"Yes, I do," Chloe said, leaning to look over the counter. But Charlotte grabbed her shoulder to stop her. "I betrayed him. You wouldn't understand but…" Chloe's voice trailed off. How could she explain this?
"You found out Lucifer is the devil," Charlotte said.
"You saw what happened from Heaven?"
"Well, I saw that you saw. But I knew he was the devil for a few months."
Chloe looked up. Yet another person who knew Lucifer was the devil. She really did belong here. She was the only one who tried to kill him after the discovery.
Charlotte could see exactly what Chloe was thinking. Every negative thought, every negative emotion, every tinge of guilt was enhanced and multiplied.
"You know Lucifer was the one who helped me escape hell," Charlotte said. That nugget of information snapped Chloe out of hell's trance of guilt.
"What?" she asked.
"A few years ago, I was murdered by my coworker at Richards and Wheeler," Charlotte explained.
"I remember that case," Chloe said. "But you didn't die. You got away."
"Afraid not," Charlotte said with an awkward chuckle. "I died and went to hell while Lucifer's mother used my body. Next thing I knew, I woke up on the beach."
Chloe vaguely remembered Lucifer telling her this. This was back when she didn't believe him. Frankly, he had said so much that she had dismissed that she didn't even remember it all. She didn't even bother going back to put any of it together just because of how much there was.
"The amnesia…" Chloe muttered. She thought Charlotte was simply traumatized by a second near death experience. "So, you were in hell that entire time?"
"Yeah, so I know what you're going through," Charlotte said, looking around. "And as someone who once deserved to go to hell, you probably least belong down here."
Chloe once again turned to look at Lucifer's body, but her eyes fell upon a priest standing over it.
"My child," Kinley said in the same calm voice. "Are you still doubting that this is what you deserve?" Kinley chuckled, walking around the counter and up to her shoulder. "If you need proof this is where you belong, then look down at your hands."
Chloe complied, looked down at her hands but she already could feel what was in them. She gasped when she saw the empty vial, proof of her treachery.
"No Chloe," Charlotte said, stepping next to her. "Don't listen to him."
"You don't have to listen to me," Kinley said, walking up to the other side of Chloe. "Just listen to yourself. Or would it help if the man you loved told you as much, told you how much he resents you for what you did."
"I won't say you didn't do wrong," Charlotte said. "Everyone does wrong. God knows I freed enough criminals to fill a prison."
"And she went to heaven, Chloe Decker," Kinley hissed. "What does that speak of your crimes?"
"We all do wrong, Chlo," Charlotte said, trying to think of a way to shut Kinley out. "But that doesn't mean you deserve punishment."
"Really?" Chloe asked, sniffling. Even without hell manifesting it, she could already hear Lucifer's pain and disappointment. 'I don't care that he was trying to hurt me. I care that you were.'
"Then what do I deserve?" Chloe asked.
"Redemption," Charlotte answered. Chloe didn't know what it was, but hearing that word clicked something inside her head. She saw old memories. Of herself in a car with Lucifer, talking about his desire to be a better man. Of her and Amenadiel, talking about how he once resurrected a murderer to try to kill Lucifer. Of Dan, hard at work after his demotion, obeying her every command to make up for what he did at Palmetto. And of Charlotte, suddenly changing from defense attorney protecting the slimiest to a district attorney to put them away.
"If you really did something wrong, then hell isn't going to change it," Charlotte continued. "What will change is living, living and making up for it."
Charlotte could see the change in Chloe's expression. She became a cop after her father so she could make a difference. Chloe looked around, realizing that in the hundreds of hell loops she's been through, nothing had changed. She had made no difference. Not in her life and not in Lucifer's.
Lucifer was dying, and she was his only hope of saving his life. This was her chance to make a difference.
But before she could do that, she turned and pulled Charlotte into a tight embrace.
"God, I've missed you," she said. She could feel Charlotte hold her back.
"I know," Richards said back. "We'll see each other again soon. And tell Dan I love him." Chloe pulled back to look at Charlotte one last time. But all she saw was air. Charlotte was gone. She looked around for her friend, and her eyes fell upon the elevator. She couldn't see into the elevator but she could see the elevator doors. And she could see three people standing there, smiling at her. Charlotte Richards. Frank Lawrence. And between them was…
"Dad," Chloe choked. They were all there, smiling at her. She blinked and they were gone, the elevator door dinging as it closed.
Chloe closed her eyes and wiped the last of her tears from them. She knew what she had to do.
She marched around the bar and headed for the elevator. She didn't know where the cell door was, but she figured that was a good place to start.
But she found Kinley standing between her and the elevator.
"Detective Decker," Kinley said, shaking his head. "You spent your life putting away criminals, giving wrongdoers what they deserve. And now you have the opportunity to put another one away and you want to let her walk out?"
"You're right," Chloe said. "I betrayed Lucifer, took advantage of his trust and love. And I know exactly what I deserve."
"And what is that?"
"I deserve to make it up to him. And you're in my way of that."
Kinley's eyes widened, realizing his words no longer had sway over her. His eyes darkened, his whites turning black. Chloe stepped forward, picked up her foot and drove it into Kinley. And he went flying backwards, further than any human could kick a person. Kinley went flying into the elevator doors. But instead of hitting them, he flew right through them. Kinley turned to dust as the doors went flying off the frame.
Chloe could once again feel something in her shoulders, but it wasn't burning this time. She didn't have time to think about it.
What she thought was the penthouse elevator doors were actually the doors to the outside, a world of darkness and ash.
Stepping forth, the clarity of the penthouse was replaced with a hazy post-apocalyptic wasteland. Clouds swirled in the skies, ash raining to the ground like a nuclear holocaust. The black clouds swirled around a massive central tower like there was a tornado being formed around it. The landscape was uneven with random stone columns jutting from the landscape, all of them with doors to other cells. She could hear screaming and wailing echoing across the landscape. Many of the doors rattled and shook, the occupants inside crying out.
There was something more. There was something out there, hiding in the shadows. She could feel them watching her, whispering about her.
"It's her."
"The first love."
"The miracle."
Chloe looked around. They were in the shadows but she could see them. Humanoid, but their forms twisted and distorted. Some stood upright. Others crawled on all fours. They were on the ground or hanging from the walls. These were the demons.
She didn't miss them calling her 'first love'. They recognized her as Lucifer's love.
"I need to see Father Kinley!" Chloe shouted. She could hear the demons whispering again. They were contemplating her order. How could a human presume to order them?
Chloe took in a deep breath. She was still trembling as the memory of her torture. And these were demons.
But she was more than a human…
Her birth was ordered by God and she was Lucifer's lover. Lucifer was the king of hell. And as his lover, she must have some weight she could throw around.
"As your queen, I order you take me to Father Kinley!"
And the whispering subsided. One of the demons stepped out. Chloe fought the urge to cringe. She was the queen and these were her subjects. She was not going to wince away from the demon. It looked like a human, but it didn't move like one. It was crawling on all fours, but its belly faced up to the sky, its arms and legs twisted like they were either dislocated or broken so that they could serve as legs. And it was no exaggeration to stay his face was almost falling off.
"My queen," the demon said. "Follow me."
Chloe obeyed. Hell's been accumulating souls since the beginning of humanity so there were probably billions of inhabitants by this point.
She did make a few pit stops, visiting familiar faces.
She passed by Malcolm's cell. His cell was pitch black and barren. Malcom had been reduced to a blubbering mess as he scrounged for something, anything. She could see in, but she knew that his cell was deprived of light. In fact, it was deprived of anything. No light, no sound, no food, no water, no people. He was stuck forever alone in absolute pitch black silence, suffering from starvation and thirst.
She passed by Carlisle's cell, the professor that had poisoned her. He had also gone insane. He was forever tormented and mocked by people around him including people he knew or cared about. His wife screamed at him, how she was leaving him. His colleagues all turned on him. He was on his hands and knees, begging them to stop. As his hell loop restarted, in one instance he stayed in the car and let himself be consumed by the flames in some attempt to end it. To both his and Chloe's horror, he could not die and so he came out burned and maimed to be mocked once more. They kicked dirt at him. They threw bottles at him. In a few loops, the roles were reversed. It was Carlisle that was in the driver seat, stuck in the car and helpless to watch as the uber driver took the new role of the one choosing to run and let him burn. Difference was, Carlisle didn't die in the explosion and was instead left to burn in the vehicle until the next loop started.
She stopped by Pierce's cell next. Out of all the inhabitants, his was perhaps the most heartbreaking. She may not have loved him, but she did care about him as a friend, no matter what he did. She did nearly marry him. And so, it was heartbreaking to see him crying on the floor. And in the next loop, she saw his punishment. Pierce hid in the shadows, watching Charlotte talk with Amenadiel. He aimed his gun.
Chloe felt chills go down her spine. She never figured out the exact details behind Charlotte's death. Was this how it happened? Did Charlotte die trying to protect Amenadiel? Why was Pierce after Amenadiel? Lucifer had said Pierce was Cain. Did Pierce know Amenadiel was an angel?
She could ask the right people later. She watched as Pierce pulled the trigger, an all too real bang echoing in the chamber.
But right as he fired, Charlotte leapt to shield the angel from the bullet, but it wasn't Charlotte anymore. She had morphed into a doppelganger of Chloe Decker. Peirce looked up in horror, rushing out of the bushes as Amenadiel dissolved, leaving Pierce to weep over Chloe's body.
Seeing a copy of herself was unnerving given what she's already been through with her own dark doppelganger. Seeing that copy get killed was worse.
Why didn't he stop? Surely, he would realize that events were repeating. Why couldn't he just not shoot?
Then Chloe remembered her own torture. The times she just poured the vial into Lucifer's glass, her body moving of its own accord in spite of her brain screaming for it to stop. Hell wasn't giving it an option.
So, he did love her after all. This was Pierce's hell. He gets to relive the sin over and over again, inflicted upon woman he loved.
As they walked past an open plain with a lake of sickly green water, Chloe noticed the craters in the ground all around the lake.
"What happened here?" she asked her guide.
"Civil war," the demon replied. "There were some questions about Lord Morningstar's ability to rule. Confirmed thousands dead. Five still remain unaccounted for. Mammon would have been your guide had he still been around. He was the caretakers of the cells. Unfortunately he turned on Lucifer and has not been seen since the war. Asmodaeus and Asag stood with Lucifer. Both died in the first battle. Balam stood against Lucifer but surrendered upon Lord Morningstar's return. He remains in his cell along with Dromos and Squee."
Finally, the demon had taken her to the cell of William Kinley. He was on his knees, his hands covering his ears while he recited his prayers as loudly as possible.
Chloe opened the cell door and stepped in. She had seen Kinley. What she did not expect to see was a manifestation of herself walking around Kinley, goading him for his actions. And before him were the bodies of those he had either manipulated or manipulated someone to kill.
Chloe had to take a deep breath to remind herself that this dark twin before her was not for her hell loop. Still, seeing the dark manifestation of herself was rather chilling, especially with it sneering at Kinley and mocking him for his failings. But with the real Chloe around, this darker copy smirked at her before vanishing.
Chloe stepped forward, letting herself be known.
"Father Kinley," Chloe announced. The former priest had his hands over his ears to make sure he could hear nothing. She had to grab him by the shoulders. But when he turned around, his eyes became dinnerplates at the sight of her.
"All this time…" he whimpered, his hands reaching out toward her as if he was somehow awed by her. "Please…forgive me."
Chloe didn't have time to interpret his strange ramblings.
"How did you know about Lucifer was the Devil, Kinley?" Chloe asked.
"Your brother told me," Kinley stuttered, still in awe of Chloe. Chloe looked down at him in confusion. She didn't have a brother. Could her mother have had a miscarriage and she didn't know it? That the spirit of her long dead brother came to Kinley out of anger of being forgotten and told him about Lucifer.
No, her mother couldn't bear children. Chloe was only here because of God. So, what brother?
Chloe didn't have time to piece together Kinley's mystery.
"Did my brother give you the vial?" Chloe asked, playing along with the game. Kinley nodded vigorously.
"He presented me with a number of items to help send the devil back to hell," Kinley stuttered. "A vial that binds the soul to hell."
"What do you mean?" she asked. That must've been the elixir she drank.
"The devil is banned from heaven," Kinley said. "But he could always go back so long as he had a means of tearing down its gates. And he can still go to Earth so long as he finds a body to possess. The elixir tethers the soul to hell, making it so heaven could never be achieved. And the exorcism would have pulled on that tether, effectively pulling him back to hell."
Chloe felt something lodged in her throat. The elixir binds the soul to hell. She drank the elixir. Her soul was bound to hell. She thought the elixir was her ticket to hell but exactly what that meant never occurred to her until now.
"Is this…is it permanent?" she asked shakily.
"I don't know," Kinley said. Chloe stepped back. It wasn't confirmation but she was hoping he could alleviate her fears.
Could Heaven still be achieved? Did she just bar herself out of heaven? When she dies will she go straight to hell, the only place she could go?
Chloe took in a deep breath. She didn't have time to linger on that.
"What else?" she asked.
"An angelic blade that could kill the devil," Kinley listed. "A vial of venom taken from the higher planes."
"Is there an anti-venom?" she asked.
"Of course," Kinley stuttered. "He feared that I might end up poisoning a human. Angels are forbidden from killing humans and he feared the consequences if one were to die that way. In the church where you arrested me, hid all related belongings in an empty space beneath the floorboards at the entrance. There is another elixir, a green one. He need only drink it"
"And is there an antidote for the tether?" Chloe
"No, Michael assured me the subject would live so there was no point."
Did this mean she could never go to heaven? Did she want to go to heaven in the first place? She didn't want to go to hell. But heaven meant she'd never see Lucifer again.
No, she won't let this distract her. She had the information she needs. She just needs to get out somehow. That burning sensation in her back was stronger than ever.
"So, am I forgiven for my sins?" Kinley asked, his voice shaking as he clasped his hands as if he was praying to her. But Chloe looked down disdainfully. She didn't forgive him. But what she thought didn't matter.
"I'm afraid that's not up to me," she said bitterly. She turned around and headed for the door of the house. Glancing behind her, she could see the maimed corpses of his victims standing behind him. And her dark doppelganger was back too, smirking down at Kinley. "I guess not," Chloe said. The last thing she heard as she slammed the cell was Kinley's cries of despair and horror upon realizing he was trapped down here.
Her demon guide was waiting outside, looking at her to await her commands.
"What is your desire, my queen?" he asked.
"I need a way back to my body," Chloe said. The demon looked at her in confusion.
"My queen…" he said. "Don't you already know?"
-.-
Maze was still pacing the room when she looked up. She could feel it. Power. Raw power. Power to control demons.
"Amenadiel…get the defibrillator," she said. Amenadiel looked at Maze in confusion. Chloe had been dead for five minutes. Yes her body was buried under ice packs but five minutes was pushing it "NOW!" Maze ordered. Linda didn't need any more prompting. She ran over and grabbed the defibrillator. Maze got to work clearing the ice packs they had buried Chloe under after they had killed her to slow her cells dying.
"Clear!" Linda announced, pressing the paddles against Chloe.
What happened next caught them all off guard and sent Linda and Maze flying. Amenadiel managed to leap up and catch Linda before she hit the ground while Maze bounced over the bar.
Chloe had also been launched off the couch. She fell to her hands and knees, coughing as she took in a breath of air.
The three of them were stunned speechless as Chloe got to her feet, wobbling a bit. For them it had been five minutes. For her it had been…so much longer. There wasn't exactly a clock in hell.
Maze and Linda rushed over to Chloe.
"Chloe, look at me," Linda ordered. But Chloe seemed unresponsive. "CHLOE!" she yelled, clapping her hands in front of Chloe's face. Chloe looked up. She took in a few more breaths before finding the words.
"Amenadiel," she said, her body still shaking. "I need you to go to the church on Normandie Avenue. That was Kinley's old church. At the entrance, pull out the floorboards."
Amenadiel had questions. But he had to wait. It was obvious Chloe found something out. He unfurled his wings and, in the blink of an eye, vanished.
Maze and Linda helped Chloe to the couch. She had literally come back from Hell. And, unlike Lucifer, she had no experience with the place. She was still trembling.
"I'm fine," Chloe said. "I just…I just need time."
"Chloe…how?"
There was a whoosh and Amenadiel reappeared, a wooden box in hand. Chloe was about to curse when she saw a padlock, but Amenadiel reached over and crushed the padlock in his palm before tearing it off. He opened the box, revealing the contents within.
"What?" Maze hissed, reaching into the box and pulling out an ornate dagger with gold trims and a white marble handle. "How did Kinley get his hands on an angel dagger?"
Linda reached in and pulled out a medallion.
But Chloe knew exactly what she was after. She reached in and pulled out a vial of green liquid. It looked almost like an avocado smoothie.
"Keep everything else away from Lucifer," Chloe ordered. She remembered Kinley got all these things to send Lucifer back to hell. She didn't want to find out how they worked.
"Chloe, wait," Maze said. "You sure that'll help Lucifer? How do we know that won't just kill him?"
Chloe had to admit Maze had a point. But they were out of options now.
"We don't have a choice," Chloe said, rushing past, knocking over things on the table as she walked past them. She ran over to the bed and popped the cork of the vial before pouring it into his throat. Chloe didn't know if she had saved him but this was all she could do.
And when she turned around, she saw Linda, Maze, and Amenadiel staring at her. They were all at a loss for words, not sure what to say. Before they could say anything, Lucifer let out a gasp.
Chloe ran back to the bed. He was still deathly pale and would need time to heal, but at least he was awake. He looked around, still dazed and confused while Chloe stroked his cheek.
"You ok?" she asked worriedly. But Lucifer's eyes darted to something behind her.
"Detective…" he gasped. "You have wings."
-.-
Chloe called sick the next day. Lucifer needed time to heal, and she wanted to watch over him. Besides, it was kinda hard to go to work when she had a pair of wings on her back. Maze, Linda, and Amenadiel let Chloe have the guest bedroom. She couldn't sleep on the couch.
To say the night was restless for Chloe was an understatement. Every time she closed her eyes, she was back in hell. Several times she would get up to walk back to the penthouse to make sure Lucifer was still in bed.
When she woke up the next morning, she had hoped her wings would be gone. She won't say she wished it was a hallucination. She didn't know why she had wings but she was sure it was tied to something bigger.. Still, she really needed them to go away. She went to the bar and got herself a strong drink as she stared at the mirror, a massive pair of golden wings still attached to her back.
One by one, the rest of the group woke up. Linda had to go to work but she told Chloe to call her if she needed to talk. There was so much to discuss and figure out.
Though the first thing Lucifer did when he woke up the next morning was take a shower. Lucifer straightened his collar as he stepped out of the closet. He could see Chloe standing in the middle of his penthouse, staring at the mirror at his bar. There was no expression on her face. She just stared. Lucifer reached out, ready to call her. But he reconsidered. He walked past and headed for the balcony.
Maze and Amenadiel were waiting for him.
"How is she?" Amenadiel asked. Lucifer sighed and shook his head. "You think we should go talk to her?"
"Right now, I think the best course of action is to just step back and let her process," Lucifer suggested. "The Detective already has enough on her plate: going to hell and coming back with wings. I do have more than a few things to say regarding sending the Detective to hell and all! But…right now, let's just focus on the wings first."
"I don't see what the big deal is," Maze shrugged. "Isn't having wings a good thing?"
"You need to understand how overwhelming it is," Amenadiel said. "I mean, a human with wings. Nothing like this has ever happened before."
"Yes, and it seems that I found what was causing the disturbance in hell," Lucifer said, drinking from his flask. "The Detective said the demons recognized her authority. Which would mean they recognize her power over them."
"So you think the demons could feel Chloe's power," Amenadiel asked.
"And since they didn't know where this power was coming from, they got scared. I mean, another entity besides me that can command them? And the timing lines up too."
Lucifer glanced back at Chloe. He still had no idea what this all meant or would mean. Before, life was simple.
"I should have never come into her life," he concluded. "Once I'm done here, I don't think I'll be coming back."
Amenadiel rolled his eyes at Lucifer's comment.
"Sure, as long as you're not overreacting or anything," he remarked.
"What do you mean? I've gone and upended her life again."
"How about instead of deciding you what did or didn't do to her life, why don't you ask how she feels about it? You say you respect Chloe's decisions, her agency. Well, why don't you ask how she feels about all this instead of deciding for her?"
-.-
Chloe stared at her reflection and the golden wings behind her. This must've been what it felt like for a baby to learn how to walk. A person just doesn't feel the presence of their arm. And a person doesn't require concentration to move their arms. They just will their arm to move and it moves. Similarly, she could move her wings. She could expand them. She could contract them. She could flap them. She rolled them. She curled them. She stretched them.
She could do everything but put them away.
Trying to focus on the wings was all she could do to not freak out. She had so many emotions surging through her she was sure she was going to go insane.
Part of her was scared.
She had freaking wings.
Some part of her had always known that she had these. Daniel Romero thought she was an angel. But much like the truth about Lucifer, she cast it aside in her mind and refused to confront it, afraid of what it would mean.
She remembered when she was nearly gunned down, she leapt over a fence and landed gingerly on the ground on the other side. She had closed her eyes so she didn't see anything. But she had wondered why she didn't feel the hard concrete against her. Thinking back, she did feel the cement impact something. It was her wings. But these were limbs she's never had before, limbs she didn't even know she had. So she just shrugged off what it was.
Part of her was excited.
She had freaking wings.
What could she do with these? Fly? Fight? What else did she have? What sort of powers came with these?
Part of her wanted to run away from Lucifer.
She had freaking wings.
This was all his fault. If he hadn't come into her life wreaking all sorts of havoc, she wouldn't have these things.
Part of her wanted to run to Lucifer.
She had freaking wings.
She needed him to be there. To tell her everything was going to be ok.
She looked over at the three celestials talking by the balcony. An angel, the devil, and a demon. They were clearly talking about something involving her.
Taking a deep breath, Chloe marched over.
"Um…Detective?" Lucifer said as she walked up, her wings bouncing behind her with every step. "What are you doing?"
"Listening," Chloe said, folding her arms. "I don't know if I can wrap my head around all of it, but I'll try. Whatever it is, I want in."
The three celestials exchanged glances. Even though Linda knew, even she wasn't always part of these conversations. And Chloe was the newest.
"You two wanna do the recap?" Maze asked.
"Yeah, we'll take it from here," Amenadiel said. Amenadiel was certainly a lot more optimistic than Chloe expected so that gave her a bit of hope.
"We'll take it from here, Maze," Lucifer sighed. The demon nodded before heading toward the elevator, leaving the two angels to help Chloe. "Shall we sit down and I can pour you a drink."
"Yes, please," Chloe chuckled. She could use a big helping of Lucifer's strongest drink about now. Amenadiel held up his hand to pass on the offer. The three of them went to the bar with Amenadiel and Lucifer sitting on one side and Chloe on the other.
Lucifer poured a glass and slid it to Chloe who guzzled it down so quickly even Lucifer was in awe.
"So?" Chloe started, clearing her throat.
"So…we think that you…self-actualized…" Lucifer started.
"Self-actualized," Chloe repeated. "What does that mean?"
Lucifer and Amenadiel exchanged glances. This was going to take longer than they thought. Celestials alone had so much to them it would take forever to explain it all. Then there were the new discoveries made…
"We discovered a few years back that angels have the ability to self-actualize," Amenadiel explained. "A lot of things are based around the subconscious, a subconscious judgement of what we want and what we deserve."
"Ok, so that's what takes you to hell. But what does that mean for angels."
"Well, a while back I did some rather evil things after which I lost my wings. For the longest time, I thought Father was punishing me. But I realized that I lost my wings because I felt I was no longer worthy of being an angel. Remember what I said about the subconscious and objective judgement. Even though I consciously thought nothing was wrong, my subconscious did not agree. I lost my wings and my powers. Lucifer, for a bit, had lost his wings."
"Gotten rid of them," Lucifer corrected.
"But, thanks to you, he began to let go of the guilt he's felt over the thing's he done in the past. He regained his wings and even lost his devil face."
Chloe paused, an old memory coming back. If was Lucifer in Ella's lab. He said he was going to show her everything but all he succeeded in doing was look constipated.
"So that's why," she stuttered. "You tried to show me proof you were the devil, but nothing happened. I thought you were just making fun of me, but it's because you lost your devil face."
"You can certainly imagine my surprise when for the first time in thousands of years it stopped working," Lucifer remarked.
"Lucifer, I am so sorry…" Chloe said. But Lucifer held up his hand to silence her.
"I am sorry, Detective," he said. "I should've shown you the proof long ago."
"Ok, so you think my wings are because I want them?"
"It makes sense," Amenadiel insisted. "You said you started seeing hints of wings after Lucifer left. You wanted the chance to be with him so badly you got yourself the ability to do it."
"So…why hasn't anything like this before happened?" Chloe asked. "I mean, when I was a girl, I dreamed of having superpowers."
"I think it's because of a combination your new knowledge about the divine and your acceptance of it. You not only knew Lucifer was the devil, but you accepted him for it. And that's when your subconscious decided you were ready for wings. And finally proof of your free will, Chlo!"
Lucifer and Chloe looked at Amenadiel. He clearly had some sort of epiphany though neither of them could figure out what that could possibly be.
"How?" she asked.
"Whether you two wanted to admit it or not, what you two have would inevitably end in heartbreak," Amenadiel explained. "I'll mourn when Linda dies, but at least I can see her again in heaven. But when Chloe dies, you'll never see each other again."
And that was the last truth Chloe had been running away from. As far as she knew, there was no 'together forever' with Lucifer. Unless she was actually condemned to hell, once she died she would never see him again. Granted she had just drunk a vial that apparently tethered her soul to hell but that just happened yesterday. And so she had been faced with the choice of giving into her darker desires so she can go to hell, or remain on her current course and never see him again.
The decision to remain on her current course was not an easy one. What was heaven without the person you love with you?
"What, so I'm like an angel now?" she asked.
"No, the gates of hell are still locked," Lucifer said, taking a shot. "Only human souls can pass through."
"But I think the wings are just the tip of the iceberg," Amenadiel quickly added. "If you can self-actualize, imagine what other things you can give yourself. Perhaps…immortality."
Chloe let these words sink in. The only 'immortal' she knew about was Cain and from what Lucifer told her, he couldn't die. He would always regenerate.
"So…I can't die?" she asked.
"Well, I guess we can try to find out."
"Uh…and just what do you intend on doing to find that out?" Lucifer asked, fearing scenarios of permanent damage if he's wrong. "I mean, I stuck Cain with a knife, but Dad be damned if you get anywhere near her with my cutlery."
"Does anyone have a thumbtack?"
"Thumbtack, are you kidding me? She's not a pincushion. I'm not letting you stick her with thumbtacks."
While the brothers were talking, Chloe took matters into her own hands. She had left some papers on the bar when she first heard Lucifer was poisoned. She took out a paper and dragged it across her thumb. It didn't work the first time. Nor the second time. But the third time she finally gave herself a papercut.
She cleared her throat, interrupting the bickering brothers to show them her handywork. And they waited.
And waited…
And waited…
"How long is this supposed to take?" Chloe asked sarcastically.
"Look, there's more than one form of immortality," Amenadiel said. "Even if you can't heal every wound, perhaps you have stopped aging. And even if you haven't achieved that yet, if you can self-actualize wings, I think you will get there eventually."
Chloe let out a sigh. This was certainly a lot to take in.
"Alright, we'll figure that out later but how does this prove I have free will?" she asked. "I mean, if God gave me the ability to do this, doesn't that prove I don't?"
"No, your wings only appeared after you learned and then accepted Lucifer as the Devil," Amenadiel said. "I think those are the conditions, learning about the divine, then wanting to be part of its world. You may have been given the ability to self-actualize, but you only got these because you chose to be with Lucifer. And if you had chosen someone else, you live your life like normal and would be none the wiser."
Chloe was left staring at the table now. It felt like a massive stone weight had just been lifted off her chest.
"So, everything that I feared might be manipulation…" she stuttered.
"Is as real as it gets," Amenadiel finished. "You're not the gift, Chloe. That is. The ability to choose your own fate in all fields of life, including the divine."
Chloe couldn't stop the smile on her face. She really did have full control over her life. God simply gave her the power to follow Lucifer wherever he goes if she chose him.
Though her smile vanished when she noticed Lucifer did not seem as pleased.
"Lucifer…" she said. "What's wrong?"
Amenadiel turned to look at him, not noticing his troubled expression until now.
"Brother…" he spoke.
Lucifer was making faces like wanted to say something but was afraid to.
"Lucifer…" Chloe repeated. "No more secrets, remember?"
Finally Lucifer sighed and spoke his mind.
"This is great for the Detective, it really is. But I am wondering about the…ramifications."
"Ramifications?" Amenadiel repeated.
"Yes. If the Detective can self-actualize, how many others can?"
"I don't think I have the power to transfer this to anyone else," Chloe pointed out.
"Maybe not in a literal sense. But is there anyone who was technically made from a part of you? A very small someone that came from a part of you?"
-.-
A/N: Hello bad guys. So a few things to note. Keep in mind that this started out as scenes written back in S4. While I adapted some of S5's phrases in there, it's ultimately how I had imagined things to be before the first part of S5 came out. No more beating around the bush. Chloe has wings. So does Trixie. You can't just have Deckerstar walking into the sunset as, as Amenadiel stated in this chapter, it'll end in inevitable heartbreak unless something is done. So Mr Almighty had something in place.
Yeah, admittedly suspense as to whether or not Chloe gets out of hell was not my intent. Originally the previous chapter was to end with Chloe escaping hell. But I cut it in half because of length. Still, maybe this should've been two stories in hindsight as one half of the story is progressing at a faster rate.
Anyhoo, let me know what you think and I hope you enjoyed.