He raises his trembling hands disbelievingly, flipping them over to take in his normal skin. He looks over his shoulders to find the wings gone, presses his palms to his face and closes his eyes in relief.

"We did it, Detective!" he laughs, and it's only slightly hysterical with relief as he sags against the back of the couch bonelessly, and she leans into him, tucking herself under his right arm comfortably. "Bloody hell, we did it!"

"You did it," she corrects gently, and his lips press into her hair.

"Team effort, then," he murmurs. "Now I just need to work out how to keep it from happening again."

"Something to talk with Linda about?"

"Lucifer!" Trixie's somewhat subdued excitement rings across the room, "You changed back!"

"With your help, Urchin," Lucifer confirms. "I'm certain I'd still be stuck if not for the three of you, and Doctor Linda, of course."

"Does that mean you don't feel bad anymore?" Trixie asks innocently, leaning heavily against her father's side.

"I… think it means I've got some work to do, but I've perhaps taken the first steps toward that goal, Spawn."

Trixie nods quietly, and Dan squeezes her in a one-armed hug.

"I think I need to get this Monkey home to bed… again," he looks down at her admonishingly, and she has the grace to look contrite. "And I think we'll have a conversation in the car about leaving without telling anyone, and the repercussions of those actions."

The girl sighs, but knows better than to look to the other two adults for saving.

"I appreciate your coming to check on me, Beatrice," Lucifer says gently, injecting as much sincerity in his tone as he can. "But do listen to your father on this—your safety is important to all of us, and the world can be a dangerous place for a child traveling alone."

Chloe stands and crosses the room to speak quietly to Dan as Trixie crosses to hug Lucifer goodbye. She throws her arms around his neck and clings to him. His arms come up to return the embrace more slowly, as always, then he freezes as she whispers something in his ear. Chloe watches as his arms tighten around her and he murmurs something back, and Trixie pulls away with a beaming smile before pressing a kiss to the devil's cheek. His eyes are soft as he returns the smile and sends her back to her parents before leaning his head back onto the couch. Dan herds Trixie to the elevator and they take their leave, and Chloe watches her partner with a small smile on her face.

"What?" he asks without opening his eyes.

"Have you eaten today?"

"What?" he asks again, the question not at all what he'd been expecting.

"Because I haven't, and I'm starving. I'm fixing us lunch." Chloe moves toward the kitchen, and Lucifer watches her go for a moment before trailing after her. She's gathering ingredients for her usual go-to quick meal—grilled cheese—so he seats himself at the bar, unwilling to get in her way.

"How's the case going?" he queries tentatively after a moment.

"Waiting on forensics to verify some evidence before I call in a suspect for questioning," she replies simply, flipping the first sandwich. "I've got a strong feeling this is the guy, I just want the evidence in hand before I talk to him."

"Hmm," he muses. "Overconfident, then? Thinks he's too smart to get caught?"

"Oh yeah," she smirks. "I should have results soon, since Ella's on the case."

"Ms. Lopez is back to work already! She really does have ways of getting things done quickly," He watches her in silence for another few minutes before hesitantly asking the question that's really on his mind. "Are you angry with me?"

"I'm not," she replies thoughtfully, after consideration. "Maybe I should be, but no, Lucifer, I'm not mad."

"Ah," uncertainty colors his voice. "So, disappointed, then."

"How do you even know that phrase?" she huffs a laugh, and he tilts his head, confused. "The classic, 'I'm not angry, just disappointed?' I didn't think that was a parental phrase you would be familiar with."

"Oh. Just… Mum,"

"Wow, really? She used that on you?"

"Oh yes, me and Amenadiel… right before she threw us into the piano," he grimaces, glancing over to the conspicuously empty space where his instrument usually sits proudly.

"God—I mean… dammit, I need to find a new word to say when I don't know what to say," now it's Lucifer's turn to chuckle, and their gazes meet. "I'm not mad, or disappointed. I think you told me all you could about your situation, and that's really all I can ask… except that I didn't like you asking me to stay away. Would you have told me the rest of it, if you'd managed to reverse it before I got here?"

"I didn't want you to see me like that, Detective… certainly not your spawn, or even Daniel," she tenses as she brings their plates over to the bar, but he continues, "But I did intend to tell you, yes. Show you even. I took some photos that I will be ever so glad to delete just as soon as possible."

"You took pictures to show me?" His gaze doesn't waver as he nods.

"No more running," he reminds her, and she relaxes on her stool next to him as they eat. "Thank you for… for staying. For helping."

"I'm not afraid of you, Lucifer. All in. I'm not running either." She seems like she has more to say, but a text interrupts her train of thought. "Ha, tests are in. We got him."

"Well, sounds like you're off to work again, then," he gives her a proud little smirk and she grins back at him.

"Coming with me?"

"I'd love nothing more, Detective, but I'd like to make sure I've got a good hold on this self-forgiveness before I venture out in public just yet. I still need to order another new piano, and restock my shelves. I made the list yesterday, but it was too late to place the orders."

"That makes sense, I guess," Chloe sighs dramatically. "I just miss you. My job is so much more lively when you're around."

"That's because I wisely have other things to do when it comes time for paperwork. You should try it sometime."

"And the paperwork would never get done," she points out dryly, standing to clear their plates away.

"I've got these, darling, go get your murderer."

.

The afternoon passes slowly. He texts the Doctor after Chloe leaves to go pick up her suspect, letting her know the situation has been resolved for now, but he'd like to keep his extra session for tomorrow for tips on maintenance. He sends a prayer to Arael letting him know as well, since he's still not sure how often his brother checks his phone for messages.

Finally, he's done all he can do, and he can't take the inactivity anymore. He exits the elevator to Lux around four, and moves straight to the piano. The club isn't crowded at this hour, maybe two dozen patrons scattered about chatting and drinking, but the music is softer and no one is dancing yet.

He seats himself on the bench and folds the fallboard back, running his fingers lovingly over the keys before closing his eyes and simply beginning to play. The club music stops and the people all focus on his music, but he pays them no mind. His eyes remain closed, his fingers dancing across the keys by memory and long practice alone. The music pours directly from his heart to his fingers with no thought involvement whatsoever, and his weary mind welcomes the respite with open arms. He spins himself a protective cocoon of melody, washing away the stress and anguish of the past few days in a river of song as the jagged fragments of his fractured peace soften and settle with the familiarity of the healing notes that fill the air. He plays, and they listen, and no one pays mind to the passage of time within reach of the resonating harmonies that flow from him.

He returns to himself when a flare of warmth in his chest and a gentle hand on his thigh cause his fingers to stutter to a halt. He turns his face toward his Detective without opening his eyes and feels as though he's lifting his face to the warmth of sun, as though her light shines through his eyelids, turning the world a wash of pale rose gold.

"Hello, darling, you're back early," he murmurs, and opens his eyes to find her smiling fondly at him.

"Lucifer, it's nearly 9 PM. You haven't been responding to your texts and everyone was worried," she tells him quietly, and his eyebrows shoot up in surprise. He looks around, astonished to note how the attentive crowd has grown since he took his position. "Patrick told me you've been playing for hours. Are you ready for a break?"

"I'm always ready for a break with you, love," he purrs, and she laughs, grabbing his hand and tugging him up off the bench. A smattering of applause breaks out as they realize he's done for the night, and he smiles briefly at them all before following Chloe to the elevator. "Did you catch your killer? How is the Urchin?"

"Yeah, we got him. He seemed disappointed that he wasn't as clever as he thought he was. I stopped at the apartment after work— Trix is doing better. No more vomiting for the past several hours, she was actually hungry for dinner—and managed to keep it down. If she makes it through the night with no vomiting or fever, Dan will send her back to school tomorrow."

"And her sentence for running out again without notice?"

"Dan confiscated her phone, removed the Uber app, and put a lock on her app store. She also doesn't get to train with Maze for two weeks."

"Oof," he breathes sympathetically. "Good choices. Very fitting, as I'm sure it was Maze that taught her how to guess passwords in the first place."

"You're probably right," she sighs, shaking her head as the lift doors slide open on their level. "You need to check your phone and let everyone know you're all right. I'm going to order us dinner."

"My apologies, Detective, I'd no idea so much time had passed, I would have had dinner ready for us…"

"You looked pretty lost in the music," she smiles softly at him as she pulls up the menu to a nearby Italian restaurant and places their order.

"Indeed I was," his eyes go a little distant and a wistful smile crosses his lips, and she wants to kiss him. "I needed… I needed not to think for a time, and the only way I can do that is to play. Well…" his gaze sharpens and he leers at her suggestively, making her laugh, "there is another way, but you were busy, so I had to go with the backup."

"Let everyone know you're okay," she reminds him, "and we can see about not thinking after dinner."

.

"Lucifer, good morning!" Linda looks him over as she ushers him into her office for their session. "How did you manage to get rid of your spot?"

"Oh, if only that spot had been the worst of it, Doctor," Lucifer laments, pouring himself a glass of water.

"It got worse?" She leans forward anxiously, looking again more closely in case she'd missed something.

"Worse than I've ever seen," he confirms grimly, "and I'd like very much to avoid ever seeing it again, so please tell me you have some ideas for me?"

"I wish I had better news for you," she shakes her head regretfully, and his hopes fall. "I just don't know enough about how your self-actualization works. Guilt is a tricky thing, as you well know. How did you reverse it?"

"It is tricky," he sighs, rubbing his palm over his face exhaustedly. "I can't adequately describe just how bad it got, Doctor, but in the interest of full disclosure, I did take some photographs if you feel it might help give you an idea of just what I'm dealing with here. Be warned—as I told the Detective—it is really bad; truly monstrous."

She considers for a moment, then holds out her hand in a request for his phone. He pulls up the photographs and passes it over, watching her closely for her response. She manages to keep her professional mask in place as she reviews the images that could have come from a horror movie, only a slight widening of her eyes betrays her concern for her patient.

"How quickly did it progress?"

"Fast. The more I thought about how to absolve myself, the more things surfaced that I should feel guilty for. When Arael came to visit me that evening, everything was present but the wings… they showed up while I was trying to get to sleep late that night."

"So how did you reverse it, then?"

He sighs and gives her a lopsided smile. "I had help." She lifts her eyebrows and tilts her head in a silent invitation to continue, and he does. "The Detective's offspring snuck away from her father the next morning and came to see me – she found me sound asleep in that form, and when I woke, she told me that my eyes were 'really cool'. That little minx is terrifyingly clever you know—figured out straight away that I was punishing myself for what had happened."

"She wasn't afraid of you?"

"Not in the slightest," he shakes his head, incredulous. "I was petrified that I was going to break her tiny brain, and the Detective would never speak to me again. And of course, I'd never be able to forgive myself for that…" He shakes his head, dispelling the thought before it takes root, "then Daniel appeared, chasing after his offspring."

"Dan saw you like that? Is he okay?"

"He was okay enough to ask me about my lack of tail," he grumbles, but a pleased look flashes across his face as Linda laughs.

"Well, that's certainly progress. I'm sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt, please go on."

"More of the same, Doctor," he waves a casual hand, "They told me that I'm not a monster, the things I was feeling guilty for aren't really my fault, blah-de-blah-de-blah."

"And it worked?"

"Not straight away," he admits easily. "Logically, I already know all those things, but that didn't stop the feeling of guilt. It was… Beatrice wasn't afraid of me. At all. Daniel was nervous, but was advocating for me anyway, and he… he told me that he doesn't blame me for his current situation, or Charlotte… but he offered me forgiveness anyway. He told me that I needed to forgive myself, and I wanted to… that's when we noticed that my hand had returned to normal." He stares at his left hand in wonder for a moment before continuing, "And then the Detective came…"

"How did she take it?"

"Much better than last time," he snorts softly, "which is really all I could ask for. She kissed me… touched me while I was in that form."

"Could that be a possible argument that her primary issue last time perhaps wasn't you, but the bigger truth she was confronted with?" Linda presses gently, "That her reaction then was more about the myth than the man?"

"Possibly," he allows, his eyes still locked on his left hand. "I told her that I'd figured out why I hate myself—that I ruin everything I touch, poison everything important to me… and she told me…"

"What did she tell you, Lucifer?" Linda prods, when it seems as though he's not going to continue.

"She said that I hate it when people blame me for their bad choices because I blame myself for them just as much, and that I need to stop taking responsibility for things outside of my control… and that I needed to forgive myself," his voice is ragged with suppressed emotion. "And, Doctor, I don't know how—but I wanted to."

"Perhaps the wanting was the step you needed to take to bring you through crisis mode, Lucifer," Linda suggests, nodding. "Now we just need to keep moving forward."

"If that means avoiding this particular incident in future, then I'm all for it," Lucifer agrees heartily. "But what do I need to do?"

"It's not easy—"

"Of course not," he grumbles, "nothing else has been, why would this be?"

"Here's some starters, Lucifer, and we can add more as you start to incorporate these," she leans forward and he mirrors her, attention riveted on what she's about to say. "You need to focus on the present, rather than dwelling on what's already happened—I know that's not easy—you have a lot more 'past' than your average person, but it's important to keep from dwelling on what's gone wrong."

He thinks about this for a beat, nodding slowly with a pensive look on his face.

"You need to accept that you're going to make mistakes—everyone does—and you'll have to accept them as they happen and let them go. If you can do something to help repair them, then by all means do, but if not… then apologize and keep moving. It's when you dwell and obsess over them that they entangle you and pull you down." She stops and waits until he has a moment to process that, then waits longer until his eyes flick up to meet hers. She holds his gaze steadily as she continues, "You have grown so much in our time together, Lucifer, and you need to know that even regrettable necessary actions can result in growth and learning. We can't freeze time in a time of split-second decision making and weigh out every possible action, reaction, and result—we have to do what we feel is best and hope that it works out. If it doesn't—then we remember that for next time, and take it into consideration then."

She sees the unvoiced fear in his deep brown eyes… But what if I mess up again? "Mistakes are part of life, Lucifer, unless you're not living. I told you and Chloe before—you've both been running in survival mode. It's time to stop running, and start living. You can't do that if you're mired in your past."

"You're right, Doctor," he breathes as though something has only just occurred to him. "Do you… do you think I should put off my return to Heaven for His announcement? That… The Silver City is my past. Would that be going backward?"

"The decision is yours," Linda says slowly, feeling her way carefully through the mine field before her. "But from what you've told me, negotiating the lift of your banishment wasn't about going back, it was about being able to visit your friends there in the future. And possibly rebuilding some of your relationships with your siblings. Is that still accurate?"

"Yes, I suppose it is," he sighs, rubbing his face. "There will be no stopping the announcement at this late stage anyway, and I suppose I can't not be present. It will be worth the headache to be able to continue to annoy all of you for eternity." He grins now, his eyes lighting mischievously and she smiles warmly back. The end-of-session tone sounds, and he springs to his feet. "Besides, how else am I to continue my sessions with you if I can't come visit you, eh?"

"Planning on never letting me retire, hm?"

"Oh, Doctor, how would I ever find someone to replace you?"

.

Chloe finds him at his new new piano that evening after finishing up her arrest reports from the case the day before. She settles next to him on the bench and watches his graceful fingers dance effortlessly across the keys, swaying slightly as the music washes gently over them both. When his hands drift to stillness, he leans against her with a contented sigh as the final notes shiver in the air around them.

"That was beautiful," she murmurs into his neck, "what was it?"

"I don't think it was ever named," he hums against her ear, making her shiver, "I know it never got written down."

"Did you write it?"

"I… might have helped it along a bit." His right arm snakes around her waist and pulls her closer.

"Mmmhm," she smiles, relaxing into his embrace, "when did you develop a sense of modesty?"

"Must be your terrible altruistic influence, Detective," he brushes a kiss to her temple and pulls away reluctantly. "I'll make some dinner, shall I? You must be starving, I'm positive you had one of those vile sandwiches from the machine at the precinct for lunch."

"What do you have against the sandwich machine?" she laughs, "What has it ever done to you?"

"It didn't need to do anything, Detective, it's existence is quite enough," he scoffs, "I'm all for technology and forward movement, but cuisine is an art form and should not come from a machine."

"Says the man who adores Cool Ranch Puffs and Teeny-Tiny Donuts?" she teases lightly.

"Snacks are different," he insists earnestly, and she knows a losing battle when she sees one.

"Of course they are," she capitulates, grinning, and his eyes narrow at her suspiciously. "What are we having for dinner?"

A couple hours later, after a simple but delicious dinner of stir-fry (and a wandering conversation about the difference between stir-frying and pan-frying… which Chloe still isn't sure she understands), they sit together on the couch and relax. The faint sounds of the city filter up to them through the open balcony doors and a languid, humid breeze drifts in. They sit in comfortable silence for a while before Lucifer speaks.

"The Urchin is well?"

"Yep, all good. Half the kids in her class have been down with that bug, it was only a matter of time," Chloe shakes her head against his warm shoulder. "Kids get sick all the time, it's part of being a kid."

"I can't say I'm sorry to have missed out on that particular human experience," Lucifer smirks down at her, "the child seemed fairly miserable."

"It's not a fun part of being a kid," Chloe admits, "but even though I hate seeing her sick, it's kind of nice as she's getting older to be reminded that she still needs me from time to time."

"She'll always need you, Detective, you're her mother."

"She's growing up fast, she'll be 11 soon," she bites her lip, tracing her fingers across Lucifer's chest absently. "She's already so independent, I'm a little concerned about what her teenage years are going to be like."

"Your offspring has a good heart, Detective, and she's incredibly clever. Much like you, really," he muses, brushing his hand absently up and down her bicep. Her heart swells at his sincere compliment. "While I'm sure there will be rough spots, I have every faith in you both to handle them with love and understanding. You'll be there for her, and I understand that's quite important. She's incredibly lucky to have you as a parent, you've got what Dr. Linda would call a bond of trust there."

"Actually, my credit with Trixie isn't so great right now," she sniffs. "We're working on it, but what little I do have is thanks to you."

"Your Urchin loves you," he twists his head, trying to make out her expression. "Whatever are you talking about?"

"Dan and I are both in the doghouse with Trix right now," she elaborates, "We both broke her trust badly with everything that's happened in the past few months. That's part of the reason why she keeps running to you, because she knows you'll tell her the truth."

"Detective, I—"

"You've defended us to her, and that's the reason she's been so willing to give us the benefit of the doubt, Lucifer. She knows you won't lie to her, and she loves you."

"Yes, she's told me so," he smiles softly and Chloe's heart melts at the warm expression in his eyes. "She was quite worried that I wasn't able to return her text the other night when I was so preoccupied by my self-actualization state." The look on his face reminds her of watching the two of them together yesterday, as she was speaking to Dan about Trixie's punishment for sneaking away.

"What did she say to you yesterday, when she hugged you before she left?"

"That she was glad I was feeling better," his eyes light and grow even softer as he adds, "and that she loved me."

"Of course she loves you," Chloe assures him, "she tells you every night!"

"She does," he laughs quietly, "but I think this was the first time she'd actually said it to me."

"She seemed very happy when she pulled away," Chloe remembers suddenly.

"I surprised her," his teeth flash in a proud smile, "I don't think she expected me to say it back."

Chloe's eyes suddenly brim with tears, and whatever she was about to say freezes in her throat, so she simply hugs him tight. She finally manages to swallow the lump in her throat. "No wonder she was grinning so much. She loves having you as part of her family."

She feels a faint vibration and Lucifer's hand slips into his pocket. "Ah, speak of the Urchin, there's my nightly notification. She's very consistent." He responds in his usual fashion and puts it away with a sigh. "Speaking of family, Detective, are we prepared for tomorrow?"

"How long do we think we're going to be there?" She looks up at him trying to gauge his expression, but it's carefully neutral. "Are you anticipating any trouble?"

"I asked Him about that. He said the announcement shouldn't take long, but the celebration afterward might take some time. He… said He's invited some of my friends that are already there." A small smile crosses his lips, and he looks down at her. "From what I've heard from Amenadiel, Arael, and Phanuel, the Host has taken the news of my pending return quite well since the truth has been bandied about up there. I don't think anyone would be cocky enough to cause trouble at a shindig He'll be attending, at any rate, so we shouldn't see any trouble. The announcement is bound to be dreadfully pompous and boring, but it will be marvelous to see Charlotte again, and Frank, if he'll be there."

"I knew you liked him." Chloe teases.

"Well, he wasn't half-bad at the piano," his smirk fades into a sad expression, "He knew who I am, you know. Frank… he knew that I'm really the Devil. And he became my friend anyway."

"I wish you could have known him longer," Chloe murmurs, and his arm tightens around her shoulders.

"Maybe I still can," he brushes his stubbled cheek against the crown of her head.

"Are they going to expect us to say anything? Make a speech or something?"

"I doubt they want to hear anything I have to say," Lucifer scoffs. "I'll likely be chewing my tongue to keep from saying something that some of my more aggressive siblings won't take offense to, so you'll likely be able to enjoy some rare silence from me, Detective."

"Lucifer, if you don't want—"

"No," he interrupts her gently. "I talked with Dr. Linda about this, if I should consider putting off returning in order to avoid immersing myself in the past. Her suggestion was that my banishment being lifted isn't about returning to my past, but paving a way to our future. If you decide that immortality is not for you, Detective, then I will let nothing stop me from coming to visit you in the Silver City. Well… provided that you want to see me, of course."

"I'm afraid you're stuck with me, because I'm not going anywhere," she reminds him firmly, melting into him. He hums into her hair, not arguing but not fully accepting her statement either and she sighs, knowing it's something she's going to need to prove over time. At least I know he's not going to run again. "Do we know what time we're supposed to be there tomorrow?"

"He'll send someone for us, probably Gabriel again," she feels the quirk of his lips against the top of her head. "I think you've got him quite intimidated, Detective, I'm very proud of you."

"God, or Gabriel?" she smirks and he huffs a laugh.

"I was referring to Gabriel, but it certainly seems like you've got D—His respect as well. As it should be."

"Still trying to work out what to call Him, huh?"

"Mm…" he heaves a sigh against her. "It's probably best not to refer to him as 'you bastard' in front of my siblings. There would probably be Celestial cases of cardiac arrest if I did. Which, admittedly would keep Raphael busy, but… still probably better to avoid."

"Has it been made public up there? Your disowning Him?"

"It appears not," he shakes his head in consternation, "Gabriel and Phanuel seemed absolutely shocked when I told them, but perhaps it's been spread by them now. I don't know why He wouldn't have said anything, except maybe by now not speaking to his children is just habit. I suppose it doesn't truly matter, but it might affect how well they accept my freedom to visit."

"Maybe He's hoping you'll change your mind?" Chloe muses, "He did say that He still considers you His son, didn't He?"

His muscles tense as he considers this and a low growl rumbles in his chest, the only response he seems willing to give.