Hello! Uff, I've finally made this chapter which turned out to be the most difficult to write for me so far (probably because of the character of God). Hope it's not entirely bad. Thanks to all the reviewers - SPCLjmm, mendenbar, Rush-of-eels and Landon for your great words which always lift my spirits. I can't believe we'll see new episodes tomorrow. I missed it so much. Until then, here we go again.

Chapter 8

The ride to Linda and Amenadiel's house was extremely quiet. Lucifer sped the car trying unsuccessfully to avoid the afternoon traffic jam. Every now and then, he was glancing at Chloe, wondering what was on her mind. Most of the time she was looking sideways, not really noticing the passing views.

Finally, a couple of minutes after six, they reached their destination. Lucifer parked the car in front of the house and gazed at Chloe. She was obviously somewhere else with her thoughts as she didn't even notice they had stopped.

"Chloe." Lucifer said and lightly touched her arm.

"What?"

"We're here."

"Oh, okay. I'm sorry I wasn't much of a talking companion during the ride."

"Don't worry about it. Is everything all right? Are you ready for this?" He asked, took her hand and kissed it tenderly.

"Are you?" She answered with a question.

"Yes, I guess. As long as you're with me."

His words made her smile. "Yeah, me too. Let's go."

"All right." With that he left the car and went around to open the door and help her out.

They made it to the house holding hands. Just as Lucifer was about to knock, the door suddenly opened, startling both of them. They saw Amenadiel who tried to smile and mask his nervousness.

"Wow, brother I haven't seen you this eager for a long time." Lucifer said wryly.

"Chloe, Lucifer, it's so good you're finally here. Come in." Amenadiel said, his voice sounding very cheerful and relieved. "Linda has been freaking out for half an hour. She was worried you won't come and she'll be…" He lowered his voice.

"The only mortal here." Chloe finished for him. "I understand it must be very stressful for her." She added.

"Chloe, you have no idea. Since the moment I have come back and told her about the dinner, she could neither eat nor sleep. She's walking around like a zombie. First, she started cleaning the whole house, then went to the kitchen and she kept snapping at me for nothing. So I took care of Charlie and Luci, he just wouldn't stop crying again."

Lucifer knew exactly what that meant. "Why didn't you phone me? You know I can make him stop."

"Yes, but I didn't want to interrupt you and Chloe. I had already done it and I know how much you needed this conversation." He said. "I'm sorry, Chloe." He apologized and met her eyes.

"That's okay, Amenadiel. I know you were worried about Charlie. That's a parent thing." She said and smiled a bit. "Actually, it's me who should apologize."

Amenadiel looked puzzled. "I should have phoned Linda and offer her some help. I haven't thought about it."

"No, Chloe. You know her, she wouldn't accept it anyway. She thinks she has to do everything on her own and doesn't want to burden her friends with her problems."

The moment these words left his mouth, Linda came to them.

"Who has got problems?" She asked as she heard only the last part of the conversation.

"What? No, no one. It doesn't matter." Amenadiel said quickly. Linda gave him a warning look. "See?" Amenadiel said to their guests and winked.

"I'm so happy you guys have made it here. I don't know what I would do without you." She smiled but they could tell it was just a façade, inside she was a nervous wreck. "Chloe, you look fantastic in this dress."

"Oh, thank you. You look very nice too." Chloe returned the compliment. After much consideration, Linda decided to wear a plain black dress with a bateau neckline and complete it with pearl earrings. Suddenly, they heard child's cries.

"I'll go and see how's Charlie doing. Excuse me." Linda stated.

"Wait. I'll help you." Chloe said, still feeling guilty about not being there for her friend before. They left their men and both went to Charlie's room.

"Did you see it? I told you she's freaking out." Amenadiel asked.

"Yeah, you're right. But tell me brother, where's our heavenly guest? I thought we would be the last ones to arrive."

"He should be here any moment."

"Maybe it was just a scam to make us stop fighting or maybe he chickened out or maybe…" Lucifer didn't finish his sentence as Amenadiel cut him off.

"Maybe, it's a part of his plan." He stated which made his brother even more irritated. Amenadiel's words struck something in Lucifer's mind but he didn't start thinking about it as he heard his name being called.

"Lucifer, can you come here, please?" It was Linda who showed up coming from Charlie's room with her crying son in her arms. "I'm being told you are a miraculous baby whisperer." She added. "Chloe, can you hold him for a moment? I need to check on the turkey." She asked her friend.

"Of course. Come here, Charlie." She said, took the boy from Linda and held him against her chest. "Shh, don't cry sweetie," she whispered in his ear, stroking his head, "your uncle's here and he says he can manage to calm you. I'd like to see that." She said and squinted her eyes at Lucifer.

He came closer. "Of course, I can. Your aunt is right. We've been through this before, remember?" He said that to his nephew but he glanced at Chloe to check what her reaction to naming her 'aunt' would be. At first, there was a small hesitation as she stopped lulling the baby but then she got back to it. She didn't comment on it so he wasn't quite sure if she was okay with it. Maybe he has overdone it?

Chloe recognized the fear in his eyes. "Go on, baby whisperer. Show us what you can." She smiled at him.

"All right. I hope you're ready." He said.

He swallowed hard and started to change first his eyes and then his whole face into a Devil one. As soon as Charlie saw him, he became much calmer and soon his cries subsided. Lucifer kept glancing at Chloe, remembering her first reaction to this look. He still felt insecure. Fortunately, this time she knew what to expect. She was talking to the baby and smiling but then suddenly, her face changed from playfulness and sheer happiness to fear and even shock.

"Oh no, Detective, not now. You're not afraid of me again, are you?" He exclaimed and studied her closely. Finally, he noticed she wasn't looking directly at him but at something behind him.

"Good evening, my children." Lucifer heard a long-hated voice, he changed his face back to normal and spun around.

There, in the middle of the living room, was no other than God himself surrounded by sparkling rays of light.

"Dad." Lucifer whispered but everyone noticed that there wasn't any hint of happiness for a long time no see parent in his voice. "You always have to make a grand entrance, that's so typical of you." He snickered.

"Dad, welcome to our house." Amenadiel decided to step in before it would be too late. He went closer and shook hands with him.

"Thank you, my son. I'm really glad to be here." He said, wearing a radiant smile.

"Dad, I want you to meet Linda."

Upon hearing it, Linda snapped out of her shock, took Charlie from Chloe's arms and walked towards their guest.

"It's so nice to finally meet you. Should I bow?" She asked.

"Oh no. A handshake'll do." He smiled at her and extended his hand.

"Weird. These are exactly the same words you said when I thought I met you for the first time." Linda said and noticed it just made him confused.

"What?"

"Doesn't matter." She answered, took his hand and shook it. "As I said, it's great to meet you in person while still being alive, as I guess people usually meet you after their deaths, right?" There was a moment of awkward silence. "Sorry for my babbling. Don't pay attention to it."

"No, it's okay, my child. It's understandable you may be quite nervous in this situation. Don't worry, everything is fine." He said, his voice was soothing like a sound of flowing water gently cascading on the rocks. He touched her arm and her whole body visibly relaxed. She felt almost serene.

"Thank you." Linda said gratefully.

God just smiled and looked at the boy who was observing what peculiar events were taking place around him.

"And this is Charlie, our son." Amenadiel said, sounding like a proud parent.

"Charlie, what an adorable baby you are. So, I guess I'm a grandfather now." God said, his smile never leaving his face. He gently stroked the boy's cheek which Charlie really enjoyed as he started giggling.

Everyone in the room laughed. Well, everyone but a certain Devil. Chloe felt something was wrong so she cast a glance at Lucifer and studied him closely. His lips were pursed, forehead creased and eyes reflected disbelief and hurt. She wanted to support him so she took his hand and gently gave it a squeeze. He first looked at their joined hands and then he met her gaze. He knew perfectly well what was the meaning behind this gesture. She was giving him her strength, confidence and most of all love.

They were so lost in each other's eyes, that they didn't notice that God came closer to them and everyone was staring at them. To all those around them, it seemed strange, as if they were communicating without words. Seeing this, God was finally sure it was a perfect idea to put Chloe in Lucifer's way. It was obvious they were a perfect match for each other and true soulmates.

"Ahem." Amenadiel cleared his throat. They reluctantly broke their gaze but their hands remained joined.

"Samael, it's good to see you again."

With his old name being mentioned, everything came back to Lucifer. He felt a rush of anger or even rage surging through his whole body.

"That's not my name anymore so I'd rather you called me Lucifer." He said through clenched teeth, trying hard to suppress his emotions. Chloe could easily sense his feelings and she gently squeezed his hand.

"All right, as you wish my son." God said and turned towards Chloe.

"Chloe, it's a pleasure to finally meet you." He extended his hand. She shook it reluctantly. "You're even more beautiful and special than I thought."

"It's thanks to you or so I heard." She said, not sounding very grateful. Chloe remembered exactly what she felt when she found out that she was a gift to Lucifer and how much it affected their relationship then.

"No, my dear. It was just a little help to your parents. The kind of person you are or what you succeeded is all your doing, not mine." God stated and he seemed sincere to Chloe. He continued. "Through the way you are, your love for Lucifer and the fact that you don't perceive him as a Devil but as a real person he is, you are truly special… and so is your daughter." He added. When she heard those words, she felt even more confused.

"Trixie? What does she got to do with this?" Chloe asked.

"Trixie senses strong emotions. She can easily connect to people she cares about and actually feel what they're going through. It's like a therapy at Linda here," he pointed to the woman, "but with Trixie, it's on a much deeper level."

Now, it was time for Lucifer to support Chloe so he gently rubbed his thumb on her hand. She gazed at him so grateful for being there for her whenever she needed comfort. The corners of her mouth lifted slightly.

"Now that you mentioned it, it perfectly explains last night's event." She said.

Lucifer looked clueless at first but then the realization dawned on him. "Oh, you're talking about Trixie's dream, aren't you?"

"Yes." She turned to God and her friends in order to explain something more. "Last night Trixie had a nightmare and when she described it to me, it was the exact situation of me being abducted by Michael." She swallowed hard at mentioning his name. "What is more, she told me she could literally feel my exact emotions, that's why she woke up."

"This won't be easy for Trixie, especially in her age. Certainly, she'll have to deal with some confusion and doubt but I'm convinced that by having you, Chloe, at her side, she'll overcome any obstacles and turn out to be a fine young lady." God said.

Despite her initial fear for her daughter, God's speech, together with Lucifer's touch, somehow made her more confident and a little calmer.

For a moment, everyone in the room fell silent thinking through all the information that was given to them. Suddenly, Charlie started fussing in Linda's arms, getting louder with every second. Linda tried to hush him but it wasn't working much.

"I'm sorry. I need to change his diaper." She stated and at this moment a beep coming from the kitchen could be heard, signaling the turkey was ready. Chloe noticed that her friend hesitated and didn't know what to do so she spoke up.

"Don't worry, Linda. I'll help you with Charlie." She offered. "You can go to the kitchen and take care of the food."

"Thank you, I really appreciate it." Linda answered and handed her son over to Chloe who instantly cuddled him and carried him away to his bedroom. Linda busied herself in the kitchen, leaving the brothers and their Father standing alone in the living room area. There was an uncomfortable silence between them as no one knew what to say. Fortunately, it didn't took long for Linda to finish preparing the meal.

"Dinner's ready." Linda proudly announced. "Please, come to the table and have a seat."

"Let's wait a moment. Not all of us are here yet." God spoke up surprising them.

"Chloe should be back with Charlie any moment now." Linda said, taking the plates from the cupboard.

"Oh, I'm not talking about Chloe, my dear." He answered her, knowing well what was going to happen and what would be their reaction.

His sudden words brought Linda to a halt. Lucifer had a bad feeling about this. He squinted his eyes at his Dad and then he gasped as it hit him.

"No! Bloody Hell, tell me you didn't do it." Lucifer shouted.

Linda looked puzzled. "What are you talking about, Lucifer?" Her instinct said it couldn't be anything good.

God's face was blank so Lucifer turned to Amenadiel and what he saw there, told him everything.

"Brother, you knew about it? How could you not mention it to me?" His anger was winding up. "For Dad's sake, I've brought the Detective here. You know what he did." He then addressed his Father. "And you! You told me he's out of the picture. I told her this! She was even fearing he would do something to Trixie." He took a deep breath. "That's it, the dinner's over. I'm taking the Detective back home. I won't put her through all of this again." He said with a set mind.

Amenadiel as usual tried to save the situation. "Luci, please calm down. I realized that you wouldn't come if you knew about it." He said, his voice full of honesty. "I'm sorry, brother but to me it was the only way to help you fix your relations with Dad."

Now it was God who tried to present his side. "Son, I invited Michael because I wanted to finally make things settled between you two."

"After all the things he has done to me and the Detective, any agreement is impossible." He huffed, being more enraged than ever. Now, all he wanted to do was to take Chloe far away from here and forget about any of it. Unfortunately, he didn't get to do it.

Chloe was walking out of Charlie's room when she heard some raised voices.

"What's happening? What are you arguing about?" She asked coming closer, holding the boy tightly in her arms. One look at Lucifer's face and she knew the situation was serious. "Lucifer, what's wrong?"

At that moment, there was a whoosh and she heard familiar words. "Hello, Detective. You look stunning as usual." He said and an evil grin spread across his face.

"Michael." Chloe whispered, his voice bringing back all the traumatic memories.

"And I must say holding this child really suits you." He stated and pointed to her and Lucifer. "Have you two ever thought about having your own offspring? They would look so cute."

Chloe's face turned pale, especially after she glanced at Lucifer and had a strong feeling he would throw himself at Michael any moment now. She acted in an instant – she gave Charlie back to Linda and rushed to Lucifer's side to prevent the fighting.

"Lucifer, don't." Chloe said and touched his arm. "Look at me. Please don't do this." She told him. After a moment, he met her gaze and his red Devil eyes went back to normal. His face visibly softened as it usually did when she was around him and he could feel their connection.

"We can leave if you want." Lucifer said.

"No, let's stay." She could see he wasn't much convinced. "I'm sure." She added.

Then Chloe turned to Michael. "What are you doing here?" She hissed, trying to overcome her fear and let out her anger instead.

"Dad invited me, my dear. After all, it's a family dinner, isn't it?" He snickered. "And it's me who could ask you the same question." With that, he winked at her.

"She came with me. She's a part of my family." Lucifer growled and was ready to attack his twin brother.

"Oh, since when?" Michael asked, knowing well that it would stir up his anger even more.

"Stop it, you two." It was their Father who finally decided to intervene. "I don't want you to fight anymore." His voice sounded stern, leaving no room for any argument. Both brothers froze and their eyes went to him.

"My children." God addressed his sons. "I wanted this family dinner for you to work things out at last. Lucifer, I know you hold a grudge against Michael. As I've already told you, I'm totally aware of the fact that it was Michael who led you to your rebellion against me and I'm very sorry that I let him do it and that I reacted so harsh. But you have to understand. All those things that have happened to you, all the bad or good experience together with all the people you've met over the years that became your friends and family," he looked at Linda and Chloe, "have shaped you. They have made you the kind of person you are today. It was all necessary – the pain, the anger, the friendship and most of all love." God said and came closer to Lucifer and Chloe. He took their hands and joined them.

"My dear children, the feeling you have is something truly wonderful. This special connection you share is exquisite, it keeps you going and makes you stronger. And know that it's not me who gave it to you but I have a piece of advice – I want you to cherish your love and follow it together no matter what." He smiled and gave their hands a slight squeeze.

Chloe couldn't believe what was happening. Has God just kind of given his blessing to them? It felt so surreal. She looked at Lucifer and noticed how much his Father's speech affected him. His face revealed a wide array of emotions and his eyes were shining with unshed tears. She knew it was so much to come to terms with. For Lucifer, this reconciliation with his Father was still hard to believe. However, as far as the part about his strong feelings for Chloe was concerned, he couldn't agree more.

She tenderly took his face in her hands. "Lucifer, are you all right?" She wanted to sound calm but she couldn't hide how nervous she actually was. They locked their eyes and there it was again. They didn't have to use any words, they could recognize how the other one was feeling. Inch by inch, their faces came closer and finally their lips met in a soft kiss.

"I think I am now." Lucifer answered after they broke the kiss.

He was convinced that whatever life held in store for him, he would make it through as long as he had Chloe by his side.

Linda gazed at Amenadiel and grinned. For her, it was an undeniable fact from the beginning that Lucifer and Chloe, who became her friends over the years, were meant for each other. She was so happy to offer them her help in hard times.

However, not all who were there cheered for the couple. Michael was full of grim and jealousy, it was evident he would love to interrupt this moment of bliss but he restrained himself from doing it due to his Father's presence. He thought his vengeance would have to wait till later.

"Now, my dear, that everything has been cleared up, I think it's high time we started eating." God spoke up, his words earning a laugh from everyone.

"Please, everybody have a seat. Everything's ready." Amenadiel stepped forward and motioned to the table.

They all moved in that direction. Lucifer didn't want to add any more stress to Chloe so he sat near his Father, facing Michael. Whenever the brothers' eyes met, she feared they'd punch each other.

The dinner went on rather quietly with those sitting by the table reflecting on everything that had happened. All in all, they didn't eat much, with the exception of Michael who seemed unimpressed by the whole situation.

"Mhmm, Linda this turkey tastes as delicious as it looks." Michael said.

"Oh, thanks, I guess." Linda answered a little stunned by this unexpected compliment.

"I had no idea you mortal creatures were able to surprise me like that." He added. All eyes were focused on him and his Father threw him a meaningful look.

"What? I just wanted to strike up a conversation since no one else made an attempt." Michael said, trying to sound innocent but all of them knew what he really meant was to get under Amenadiel's and Lucifer's skin which he has kept doing since their youth in Silver City.

After that, he gave the impression he let it go. They finished dinner and then had the dessert. The atmosphere seemed less tense until Linda started to clean the table after the meal and Chloe assisted her. God and his sons moved to the living room area and Michael decided to try and launch one more attack on Lucifer so he focused on his fears.

"So, Lucifer, I've been wondering. Aren't you curious about Hell?"

"What do you mean?" Lucifer asked, growing suspicious.

"I mean, have you considered the situation where you had to go back there to reign over it once again?" Michael stated, faking deep concern for his brother. He noticed with satisfaction it started working as Lucifer's posture as well as his breathing pattern changed.

"He doesn't have to," Amenadiel stepped in, "Dad sent someone trusted to watch it over."

"Oh, really? Well, it's hard to believe the great Devil would forget about his Hell, the place that was his home for eons and live his monotonous life with just one woman by his side." He gave him his evil grin.

"Don't you dare go there or…" Lucifer said through gritted teeth. His eyes flashed red and slowly his Devil face started to appear.

"Or what? Are you gonna kill me like you killed Uriel or Cain? You know I'm right. Sooner or later you'll get bored here, unless you get lucky and your lovely Detective is close to losing her life again so you can visit your Hell to save her as you did numerous times." Michael said, so very proud of himself. He did it. He made Lucifer show his face to everyone, especially their Father. It wasn't too difficult. In that moment, Michael looked like a maniac, the scar on his face adding to his air of menace.

Lucifer looked at Chloe with a fright. She was standing there frozen, too shocked to even react in any way. He couldn't take it any longer, he spread his white angelic wings and braced himself for fighting his twin brother. Michael followed his action and soon his grey wings appeared. They were both ready to finish what they had started at the precinct. However, a loud voice interrupted them.

"Enough!" It reverberated through the air. They all shuddered and looked his way. "Michael, that's it. You've done enough damage. I will no longer tolerate it. I think you should…" He didn't finish his statement as suddenly the door was flung open and they heard a high-pitched shriek. All of them, even God, froze.

To be continued…

Sorry for the cliffhanger. I don't know when I'm going to post probably my last chapter which is not written yet. Tell me what's your opinion about my story so far. Have fun watching Season 5b!