Chapter 5:
The doors of the elevator opened and they walk out. The shock of the penthouse was even bigger than the moment she had entered the club. Seeing a place so decadent, and yet strangely bare…
She looked at the black piano which took a prominent place in the room.
"You play?" Susan asked at the sight of the beautiful instrument.
"He is the best," Chloe whispered in her ear being proud of her boyfriend.
"Really? I love music." Susan said with a smile.
"What's your fancy, darling?" Lucifer asked. Maybe this was a good way to make her comfortable.
"Someone to watch over me," Susan suggested.
Lucifer thought for a moment and started playing. He didn't sing though so if Chloe got the hint like he thought she would, she could now talk to Susan. While he played. He should have known she would pick something from that time since she was of that period.
Lucifer started playing the piano softly, his fingers touching the keys while he closed his eyes, feeling the music, trying not to think of the irony in the song she had chosen.
"Do you like the penthouse?" Chloe said, trying to make a conversation with her.
"It's... ummm... It's something. I'm not sure I have the words to describe it. I've seen houses, castles, and all in between and I've never seen anything like this before." Susan answered.
"Well, my dear, I had time to collect things out of ancient times." Lucifer said without looking up, "Every time I came up."
"That would explain why it doesn't seem to fit any time period." Susan responded, "it's sort of timeless." She added
"Yes, I don't want to redecorate every few decades." Lucifer sighed, "Do you know what that means in a devil's life?"
"A great amount of time pondering carpet samples." Susan joked.
"Yes, and I didn't feel like doing that," Lucifer said while he kept on playing. It clearly helped her feel at ease in the penthouse.
"I can see that." Susan said with a sigh, "it feels like another world in here."
"Listen, there have been a lot of changes throughout the years, Miss Pevensie. There is no time to explain everything but the most important thing that you need to know is that women are much more independent than in your time. Stronger in speech. Yes, they mostly dress in fewer clothes but there are others too. Women don't mind speaking out these days." Lucifer explained trying to be as clear as possible.
This seemed to make Susan smile. "I hated being stifled and having to bite my tongue and play dumb. Especially after years of being a queen and having my words carry weight and my mind valued as greatly as my beauty. After I came back it was too easy to fall into expectations" Susan continued, "It was a great way to hide from everything"
"Maybe you were hiding too well from everything and everyone," Chloe said.
"Yeah, the only place I could. It hurt too much to think that I could be given so much then just have it taken away. In doing so I threw away the one thing I had left, a loving family." Susan said darkly.
Lucifer sighed in a whisper, "There is the guilt again." He really thought they at least would have made small progress.
"Why shouldn't I feel guilty? Fueled by pain, I chose to push away everyone that loved me, because I was too much of a coward to face the pain head-on. I was angry for being cheated out of a possibly great love because I grew too old to stay in the only place I felt I belonged!" Susan stated quite coldly, "It's my fault, I lost out on the last few years with them. It's my fault I wasn't there with them that day. It's my fault I'm alone now. It's my fault I'll be alone when my beauty fades in time." She added, and though her words are hard almost harsh tears started to flow from her eyes, betraying the pain that fueled them.
"Why couldn't Aslan leave me be? It's hopeless anyway." She said in a whisper now, "I've doomed myself by my own hand."
"That's where you are wrong, dear. I must admit your case won't be easy but Aslan wouldn't have asked me of all angels for help if he didn't have faith in you." Lucifer said, while he had stopped the music he was still sitting behind the piano, "It seems my brother has more faith in the both of us than we have in ourselves."
Over the next three weeks, they slowly filled Susan in on as much of the missing time as they could. Through history books, documentaries, and very long conversations on things that happened. In this time little progress was made on working on Susan's guilt, but they were starting to melt the icy walls that seemed to be protecting her heart. The big chunk of the credit for this went to Trixie, who Susan spent a lot of time babysitting. The hours she spent recounting her stories of Narnia to Chloe's daughter, seemed to be their own odd form of therapy. Almost as if through those stories her family was reaching out to help her. Lucifer had set up a small apartment for Susan on the floor below the penthouse so she would be safe within his protective reach.
The day the second half of the order of new clothes arrived, would be a most interesting day indeed, for unknown to any of them, it would be the day the help that was promised would find them.
Lucifer was doing some much-needed paperwork at his desk in the penthouse when his cellphone rang. It was Patrick, his head bartender. Patrick was named head bartender after Maze had decided to take the job as a bounty hunter.
"Hello, Patrick," Lucifer answered the phone knowing it was a call from downstairs.
"Boss, there is a guy here who wants to speak to you. It's about the job as a bartender. I didn't know we needed extra power?" Patrick asked politely.
"Neither did I, but send him up, this should be interesting," Lucifer answered.
"I will, boss," Patrick said before he hung up the phone.
Patrick turned toward the stranger, "Right this way. You can see the boss upstairs." Patrick led him towards the elevator, "Top floor hit P."
The stranger nodded and thanked the bartender for his help, being polite and courteous.
He walked into the elevator and pressed the button he was told to push.
The ride didn't take long and soon he stepped inside the luxury and spacious room, "Hello?" The stranger yelled not having seen the man in the dark corner of the penthouse, looking around not seeing a soul.
"The man behind the bar sent me up here to talk to someone." The stranger said to no one in particular, hoping for a response.
"Yes, I know I told him too." Lucifer said suddenly, "My name is Lucifer Morningstar. How can I help you? Mister?" Lucifer stood up and pointed at a chair in front of his desk.
Caspian jumps, startled by the voice, and spins around. "King, Cas King." He took the seat Lucifer had pointed out to him.
"Mister King, how can I help you? You wished to see me?" Lucifer asked
"I came to apply for the job, the one you advertised about." Caspian took the newspaper out of his pocket and showed it to Lucifer.
"I don't remember putting an ad in the newspaper in the first place but please, tell me a bit about yourself and why you want to work for me?" Lucifer asked. Devil or not he was still a businessman. He didn't care about money but he did care about who he hired. His reputation was important to him as well as the name his nightclub had among the humans.
Caspian said, "I just arrived in the city a month ago. I'm staying with my father. I heard you treat your workers well. I value that. a person who treats his people well."
There was something about the way the young man said that last part, it struck him as odd. Odd and vaguely familiar, but couldn't place it.
"Yes, but I do expect honesty and discretion from my staff," Lucifer said. He was in a one-woman relationship now but he still used drugs and drank his portion of alcohol.
"I understand that is important. You want to know my character is good, I want to show that to you, and that is the best way to do so. I can be an asset to what you have built here." said Caspian, "I have learned that no matter one's station in life we have to strive to show our integrity through our efforts and actions. Hire me and I will show you, and what you have built here, great loyalty and that my worth is deserved of your respect in me."
"Good, maybe we have a place for you if you can prove to me that you know your job as a bartender," Lucifer responded.
"I will take any test you submit me to, and pass with flying colors," Caspian said.
"Careful with challenging the devil or you can get burned." Lucifer smiled.
"In the short time I've been in this city I have seen both an abundance of good and bad men but have yet to come across any true devils," said Caspian.
Lucifer looked at him, there was something strange about this young man. He didn't talk like most humans, but still, if he could prove useful he would be happy to find a place for him at Lux. There was something he liked about him, a certain steely nerve and courage that flowed from him. He reminded him of his brother Amenadiel.
Lucifer said, "Okay, let's go downstairs and test your skills. If you don't mind me asking what brought you to the city?"
"I'm looking for a lost love." Caspian sighed deeply.
"Maybe I can help you if you have a picture of her." Lucifer said, "I know a lot of people in this city."
"Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of her, only the memory of when I last saw her," said Caspian.
"Can you at least describe her?" Lucifer asked curiously.
"Yes, I can do that. She has long dark hair, blue eyes." Caspian said with a dreamy smile on his face.
"She sounds familiar to me," Lucifer said. He didn't immediately make the connection with the woman living above Lux.
"Most would call her a beauty but it was what she had inside her that really made her beautiful," Caspian said.
"She sounds like a precious human. Now, this is the bar show me what you got." Lucifer pointed to where Patrick was working behind the bar. Patrick took a step aside and watched the man with his arms crossed over his chest. He was going to work underneath Patrick so that made him curious. The decision was still his boss' to take though.
Lucifer asked him to make several different cocktails which he made correctly and efficiently.
"Lucifer are you here?" Came a sudden female voice from the elevator.
"Yes, my dear. I am testing a new employee." Lucifer yelled back.
Caspian knew that voice. His face lit up like a fire and a smile appeared.
The shock he was feeling must have been written all over his face because he looked at Patrick and Lucifer utterly stricken.
"Is there something wrong?" Lucifer asked, confused.
Caspian couldn't talk, his shock left him speechless and rooted to his spot. They all forgot about the footsteps coming closer.
Lucifer heard a gasp behind him.
"Caspian!?" he heard her whisper. He turned to look at her and saw she had gone pale with shock.
"Caspian?" Lucifer asked, "You know this man, my dear?"
Susan nodded, Lucifer couldn't tell if she was going to faint or not.
"My queen…" Caspian whispered so softly that only Lucifer had heard him.
The devil looked from Caspian to Susan and back, "bloody hell." He said the moment he had put the puzzle pieces together.