Author's note: This is my first Lucifer fanfiction, so every review is much appreciated. :) I planned to write 11 or 12 chapters and update the story weekly at latest.

Chapter 1

Lucifer's penthouse

The rug was very soft under her thighs, she could feel every tiny fiber. For a moment this was the only thing she could perceive. She embraced this little distraction, she needed it. Very badly. However, after this blissful moment, the reality intruded her mind stubbornly. She was on a mission. On a very important and just as much loathed mission. After the prolonged hesitation, Father Kinley seemed to persuade her eventually that sending back the Devil to Hell was the best for humanity. Chloe wasn't sure at all that the evidence that Father Kinley presented her was reliable, but could she gamble with the future of her loved ones? The future of Trixie? On one of the sleepless nights, when she had been tossing and turning on her bed in a cheap hotel room somewhere in Rome, she'd decided that Lucifer probably didn't pose a direct threat to her family. Maybe it was rather an instinct, but she couldn't image Lucifer hurting Trixie. Besides, Lucifer could have hurt her many times, couldn't he? But his presence on earth may indicate some indirect dangers. Although he always claimed that he never lied, there had been so many shady events and secrets around him. So probably this would be the best for everybody. But why did it feel so wrong then?

A soft noise broke Chloe out from her reverie. Lucifer was sitting on the ground at the opposite side of the table, pouring wine. She noticed that compared to their earlier 'date', which had been more like a competition with Pierce for Lucifer, this date was much more moderate, and kind, somehow. Not just the missing white tablecloth, her favorite grilled cheese, and the one single rose instead of the exaggerated setting of huge bouquets, but Lucifer also bought her favorite wine. He remembered which was her favorite, although they hadn't been drinking too much together. But was all of it thoughtfulness or sly manipulation? While he poured the wine, Lucifer was talking to her, but the words barely registered in her mind. Lucifer was telling her something about being glad that there were no more secrets between them, but it was his face that captured Chloe's gaze. Lucifer wore one of his sincere smiles while he was speaking, the one he so rarely revealed. A bit of nervousness, a bit of shyness and a bit of hope was gleaming in his eyes. She felt as if every gentle feeling on his face was a tiny needle in her stomach and as if every tenderly rumbling word from his mouth was a weighty stone attached to her heart, which started to sink helplessly to a deep abyss of anticipated regret. She could muster only a small, enforced smile. Why is this so appalling?

Things happened very fast after this moment. Lucifer sprung up to switch on a playlist and she knew that this was the opportunity for the dreadful deed. She knew that she had to act quickly but couldn't stop the shaking of her hand that held tight on the ornated vial. Startled by the sudden loud music she accidentally broke Lucifer's glass. It was strange how she could feel overwhelming panic and huge relief at the same time. Lucifer insisted on collecting the shards and accidentally cut himself. It was a small happening, really. But the gears started to spin frantically in Chloe's mind. Events from the past popped up before her eyes. The warehouse when she had shot him. Malcolm. The poisoning case. The strife with the marshal. The explosion on this very day. She couldn't tell when her train of thoughts transformed into words and when she started a very desperate rambling. Lucifer stood in front of her, flabbergasted. A muscle on his neck twitched occasionally when she raised her voice. She desperately wanted to know whether these contradictions with Lucifer's vulnerability were part of an elaborate deception or not. So, in the end, everything was directed to one single question: why was he sometimes vulnerable and other times not?

Lucifer hesitated only for a moment before he answered. He anticipated plenty of silly or more serious questions regarding his true nature from the Detective but didn't expect to get one of the most difficult ones at first. Suddenly he felt like dancing on a very thin rope. Although the Detective had claimed that she was okay with knowing the truth about him, now it seemed that she could have a mental breakdown at any moment. If he gave a vague answer and left her in uncertainty, it would make Chloe even more desperate. But could he phrase properly what makes him sometimes vulnerable and why? He decided he could, and he should, so he did. It was true that he didn't fully understand why he could be hurt around her – or at least he was not there yet to admit it to himself – but he was as honest as possible.

Now Chloe learned, what is the difference.

"You are, Detective."

His soft voice reverberated in her mind. Until this moment she'd felt that she'd been frantically snatching the pieces of a puzzle, but she hadn't been able to grab them. Now she could grasp something, an important part of the picture. She realized that she had been used. Father Kinley was using her to hurt Lucifer. She could hurt him, and not just because of her closeness, but because Lucifer let his guard down with her. The Devil truly trusted her, and it turned out that she was the traitorous one. What a sick twist. The realization hit her so hard that she couldn't force out a single word. Lucifer seemed helpless, but he was the one who broke the silence eventually.

"Detective, are you all right?" he asked hesitantly. "I know it is a lot to take, and the last thing I want is to scare or overwhelm you with all this information." Or to scare you with who I am – he said to himself bitterly.

When Chloe remained silent, he started to become very unsettled.

"Maybe we should sit down and continue with some jauntier questions of yours, right? Maybe I should pour you another drink?" He tried to act offhandedly but failed miserably. Chloe just stood there and stared at her shoes.

"I can't do this," she whispered. I can't do what Kinley wants me to do. I can't hurt Lucifer. I can't be here anymore and look into his eyes after what I planned to do. I can't bear the guilt – she thought.

"You can't?" Lucifer asked in a choked voice. She can't endure my presence. She can't even look at me. She can't cherish a monster like I am – he thought brokenly.

"I'm so sorry," Chloe whispered, then suddenly made a beeline to the elevator.

And Lucifer just stood there, frozen, when the doors of the elevator closed, with the paralyzing thought that he would never see her again.

Chloe's apartment

The next half hour was a blur for Chloe. When she arrived at her apartment, she collapsed on the couch and started to collect her thoughts. She was thinking about her past. She had always been a person of quick decisions. A person who had easily been able to decide what is right and what is wrong. And now everything was so messy. She had a gut feeling, which grew stronger and stronger in every second, that Lucifer was indeed the person she got to know in the past few years: an impulsive, funny, sensitive man. A man who probably had suffered a lot and used the constant debauchery to bury his feelings deeply, but after all he tried to be a good man. At the same time, her mind was adamantly telling her another story: he is the Devil. And the Devil is evil incarnate, isn't he? But the stories she had read about the Devil were so not in line with her experiences. Should she trust her own experiences? Is it enough?

She used to be a strong woman who knew what she wanted. And now there she is like a lost and frightened pet, curling up in the corner of the couch, crying silently and drinking her own tears. Get yourself together! she chided herself. You will figure out what to do. You always do. With sudden resolve, she got up and headed to the kitchen. She opened the faucet to have a glass of water but changed her mind. She held her hands under the faucet, collected some water in them and splashed it to her face. The cold water helped her to calm down and focus. She will make this right. But what should be the first step?

She quickly checked her phone that she totally forgot about. She heard it buzzing a couple of times during the date but decided to ignore it. She had several messages from Ella. She informed Chloe about some new evidence indicating that Melinda hadn't just been pushed into the lagoon, hit her head and drown. It appeared she'd been hit with a rectangular object several times, which meant that Kylie was probably innocent. Fifteen minutes later Ella sent her another message. Since she didn't receive any response from Chloe, she suggested that Dan should go to the crime scene with some unis and look around to find the murder weapon. There was a last message from a few minutes ago with some good news: Dan and the other officers had found the murder weapon and arrested the cameraman after his unsuccessful attempt to escape; he'd confessed everything. One less thing to worry about.

She quickly wrote back to Ella to apologize for not reading her messages sooner and thanked her help. Then she remembered that she should do something to Father Kinley and that promptly. Although they settled that the priest would go to the penthouse to get Lucifer and perform the exorcism after Chloe would have told him that her job was done, she couldn't be sure that he would't act on his own. How could she forget about that? She started to type frantically and informed the priest that she couldn't do it tonight. That should do it for now, but she must speak with him eventually and make sure that he wouldn't go after Lucifer. And now there was only one thing left, the most difficult. What to do with Lucifer? She started to pace back and forth in the living room.

She couldn't pretend that nothing had happened and couldn't hide the truth from him. He had always been honest with her and he deserved to get the same from her. But it will be tough as hell – no pun intended. The thought that Lucifer may not forgive her was devastating. She must show him how sorry she is, and that she cares about him. She should arrange another date, a perfect one. Maybe she could have an honest conversation with him after all, with no more secrets. And after that, she can figure out what she really wants. She sat down, put her phone to her ear and hit the 'call' button.

"Hi, Dan," she said as lightly as she could. "I heard you arrested the killer."

"Hi, Chloe," he said. "Yeah. It was easier than we thought it will be." After a short pause, he added, "Are you all right? Ella couldn't reach you, and it's not like you to not answer your phone."

"Yeah, everything is fine, really." She was considering how to bring it up, but she decided just to say it straight. "Dan, I need a small favor. Can you be with Trixie tonight?"

"Sure. We haven't spent too much time together since you came back from Europe. But why? Is this something to do with Lucifer?" Chloe could sense the tension in his voice.

"Well… I promise I will tell you about it later but this would be really important to me. Please," she added after a short pause.

"Okay. I hope you know what you do."

"Thank you, Dan! See you tomorrow."

"Yeah. Bye."

She was glad that it went so easily. She walked to the kitchen and poured some wine. She was not prepared for the next conversation and felt that probably she needs some fluid courage. After she drank the glass of wine, she called Father Kinley.

"Good evening, Father."

"Good evening, Chloe. I was wondering when we could speak about your last message and I also hoped that you could provide some explanation."

She was afraid that the priest would need an explanation, but she had some time to think about it.

"Well, this whole 'roofying the Devil' thing is not as easy as it seems, Father. Can we talk about this tomorrow?"

"Yes. I would provide you with any help for this mission. I know that you're aware, how important it is."

Chloe's stomach tightened with slight fear and disgust at the priest's words.

"Yeah, I'm aware of it. Can we meet at around 8.30?"

"Yes, of course. The same place as usual? Santa Monica pier?"

"That would be perfect, I will be there. Good night, Father."

"Good night, Chloe."

After she hung up the phone, Chloe let out a breath she wasn't aware she held. Her heart was lighter than an hour ago, but she still couldn't muster up the courage to call Lucifer. Instead, she decided to write a short message. 'Hi, Lucifer. I'm sorry about tonight. Meet you at the precinct tomorrow?' She hoped it wouldn't sound rude or weird after what happened, but she didn't want to be more specific until she dealt with Father Kinley first. Lucifer will hopefully show up as usual and she can ask him out. She started to think about the details of the date. Some interesting ideas popped into her mind and she started to smile. Oh, it will be fantastic! She grabbed the car keys. Some things should be arranged tonight if she wants a perfect date tomorrow. Before Chloe left the apartment, she felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. She fished it out immediately and smiled as she read the message. 'Hello, Detective. Of course, I will be there, bright and early. Good night!' She sighed as she left the apartment. Everything will be all right.