Chapter 5

Divine Intervention

Chloe Decker stalked towards her car. Furious rage blinded her from seeing the shorter woman – who easily looked like she could be a college student – standing by the passenger door until Chloe looked up across the top of her car. Still seeing red – that man, that murderer had smiled at her – Chloe didn't hear what the lady was saying until the last few words... "—visiting, and I'm afraid I need a ride into the city."

Blinking, Chloe paused, doing a double take. "I'm sorry, who are you?" she asked the stranger, shaking her head a little to rid herself of some of her more treacherous thoughts.

"My name is Kim," she said with a small smile.

"Right— Kim..." Chloe echoed, repeating the name back to herself (maybe it was short for Kimberly?). "And you said you needed a ride back to downtown?"

"Yes, you see—"

"Yeah, yeah, just get in the car," Chloe ordered distractedly, seeing the transport truck getting ready to leave.

Kim obliged, and Chloe slipped into the drivers seat, turning on the engine as Kim buckled the seat belt after giving it an odd look. Chloe pulled out of the parking space, carefully driving after the truck.

And then Lucifer called her. Chloe did her best to try and follow whatever weird scheme he was up to now, but she was in the middle of driving, doing something that a part of her reasoned that she shouldn't (but that voice was currently drowning in a pot of swirling emotions). And so, putting her phone away, Chloe hung up on Lucifer right after telling him "Yeah, do whatever— I got to go"... Probably not the best idea to let him do whatever, but Chloe wasn't about to let—

"Should you be following that truck?"

The curious question took Chloe by surprise as she had practically forgotten all about the stranger in her car. Glancing over at the younger woman, Chloe took note of her kind features and did a quick profile of her. Chloe hoped that her gut was right about being able to trust this Kim lady.

"Uh, not really... I was just making sure that—" Chloe started, inwardly cringing at the excuse. The rage that had been festering since hearing that Joe Fields was to be released needed to be put on the back burner as Chloe didn't want to be rude to the lady.

"I'm sure a noble officer of the law like yourself would have your reasons that I, as an abiding citizen, probably don't need to know..." Kim cut her off, effectively making it to where Chloe didn't have to answer.

The younger woman give her a small smile, disarming Chloe of any remaining suspicion and rage induced thoughts. There was even an odd feeling of trust that was planted with the smile – a train of thought that because Kim trusted Chloe, Chloe should trust Kim back. Wait— Chloe never said anything about being a police officer, and just like that – as if broken out of a reverie – Chloe narrowed her eyes at the woman with new amounts of suspicion.

"So what were you standing outside that prison for?" Chloe asked, shooting a glance at Kim.

"I was putting myself in a position to... find my brother," Kim admitted after a moment. "Though he'll stumble across me first at this rate," she mused with a slight chuckle.

Chloe felt herself gradually calming – even the rage that had been shoved aside to make room for a bit of manners was being tempered as her thoughts were being led away from the source of her troubles. This calm helped open a window – so to say – for her to look at things properly.

She wanted to bash her head against something. How could she have been so stupid? Following the guy who killed her father – great idea! And to do what exactly? God, what was she thinking?!

Okay, stop, backtrack. Focus. "Your brother, huh? So you're visiting family."

"You could say that... I may have gotten on his bad side recently, and I'm hoping to rectify the matter," Kim responded amicably.

That... that was something, Chloe supposed. Again, trusting feelings washed over her, but not in the almost overwhelming way as it had done so earlier. What was with that? Either way, Chloe could tell Kim wasn't lying – that didn't help with Chloe trying not to completely trust the other woman.

Chloe slammed her foot down on the breaks, jostling both of them. She hadn't meant to stop so suddenly, but the sight before her caused an instinctual reaction. Slowly, Chloe undid her seat belt, opening the car door as Kim stared at the transport truck.

"Stay in the car," Chloe ordered breathlessly when she had fully gotten out of the car. She didn't wait for a response, pulling out her gun while moving towards the truck.

—o~O~o—

Kemuel didn't stay in the car.

While their first in-person, face-to-face meeting hadn't gone as expected, Chloe was just as Kemuel had imagined: righteous. And though Chloe was leaning towards wrath-influenced vengeance, she had been able to snap out of it (okay, so maybe Kemuel had helped a tiny bit). What perked Kemuel's interest on several levels, however, was just how easily Chloe threw off Kemuel's usual... persuasions.

For the most part, Kemuel had a knack of getting anyone – especially humans – to almost immediately trust her. It was part of being the angel of authenticity: you could be trusted, you could be depended, relied upon. And Kemuel did her best to live up to her title, which worked out for her more often than not. If anything, her other titles – the two derived from her name – were much easier to carry out. Somehow, seeing God and helping Him just seemed to connect more with her than with her abilities if that made any sense.

Still, it made Kemuel wonder again just what it was that made Chloe Decker special. Miracle child... Like that told Kemuel anything. And as she had told Him, she highly doubted that she'd be able to reach Gabriel or Amenadiel to ask them, and she had a strong feeling that Lucifer had no idea either.

Well, at least everything was still going according to what she'd seen earlier – right now... whatever, time travel terminology. Just as she had seen, Chloe had told her to stay in the car when they noticed the off-road prison transport truck. And just like Kemuel had seen, she decided to fly to the back of the truck as soon as she was out of Chloe's sight.

Kemuel knew about the dead driver and escort. She knew about Joe Fields. Death never changed. The angel repressed a shudder while she waited for the detective to discover the body of her father's supposed murderer.

It didn't take long for Chloe to come around the side of the truck – gun raised and ready to fire – all the while calling out for the dead man to surrender. The woman's eyes widened in surprise when she saw Kemuel already standing in front of the back doors. The gun lowered a hair.

"H-how did you—" Chloe sputtered before getting cut off by Kemuel.

"It would appear that this Joe Fields of yours is dead, detective," the angel said with a small gesture to the body.

Kemuel had known from the very moment she met with Him that day that it would be a long day. Unfortunately, what could be seen as the worst part of the day had yet to come. At least Kemuel wouldn't have to deal with the departing souls – the reapers handled that for the most part with Azrael occasionally helping by doing her job and overseeing special cases.

What was even worse was that the worst part about the worst part of the day was that it really shouldn't have been the worst part of the day, an event that came much sooner than Kemuel liked.

"What is she doing here?" came the clipped, accented voice.

Kemuel turned to face her older brother, any emotion she felt hidden behind a careful, stiff mask. "I'll have you know I was just leaving."

With that Kemuel started walking to the spot she'd seen herself 'disappear' and then flew off to the Deckers' home to wait. Just like that, the worst part of the day came and went.

The short passing had been cold, disconnected. She hated that. She hated the emotional cut off. Kemuel was not a fan of apathy, but sometimes it was needed. In this case, she needed to leave without a confrontation, which meant that she had to keep her actions focused on what she needed to do – what she had seen herself do. And she would continue to follow the path she'd laid out for herself even if it meant causing herself more pain for the benefit of others.

—o~O~o—

Lucifer slipped up. His gamble into becoming like Detective Dan Espinoza had taken a momentary off course waver when he saw her.

Why was she there? She had no reason to be on Earth. Not now since she'd already 'checked up' on him, and certainly not because of something God wanted… unless— No. No, no, nonono – Lucifer refused to believe that God had sent her down to Earth, specifically to place her in his path. Just no.

But then, when he'd asked her – albeit a touch heatedly, an ancient rage stirring once more – she had simply left. No explanation, no emotional words, no thoughtful looks. Only a dismissal and an abrupt departure. One which Lucifer was sure had required a celestial touch over the minds of the humans for her sudden absence not to have been noticed.

If anything… Lucifer felt hurt by her apathetic brush (no, he didn't—yes, he did). Perhaps he deserved as much. After all, he seemed to be hurting everyone he met nowadays. Of course it would affect even one of his closest confidants (former confidant—she could still be trusted—could she?). And yet, she hadn't appeared to be ruffled by his presence, merely distant.

Why did it all have to be so frustratingly confusing?

But that was why Lucifer was – as he had told Chloe earlier – 'taking a walk in another man's shoes'. Dan's to be precise. Dan was simple. People liked him, trusted him, though the man was helpful – all were qualities that Lucifer needed to adapt to at the moment (and maybe it would stick).

"Hey, man, who was that?" Dan's inquiring voice finally made its way over the hustle and bustle of the crime scene to Lucifer's ears. "You okay? You look like you've seen a ghost."

Lucifer shook himself out of his thoughts, glancing at the detective. "I'm fine," he huffed, straightening back up in his posture.

His tedious study of following Dan was quickly being transferred over to Lucifer's own characteristics. It was relatively easy to pick up on several of Dan's traits. The harder ones being the ones Lucifer needed to work on the most. It hadn't taken long for Lucifer to gleam that shutting up and listening helped with making the process of studying Dan even easier.

It was when he and Dan questioned Chloe back at the police station that his resolve with the transformation wavered again.

"But you still shouldn't have followed him. No one actually thinks that you did this, but you know what this looks like, right?" Dan had been saying to Chloe.

"Yes, I do," Chloe said, acknowledging the statement. "That's why I'm going to step away from the case. It's a massive conflict of interest. And even with Kim there with me, I know I could still get blamed."

Lucifer's shoulders subtly stiffened at the name mentioned. Chloe had to have meant Kemuel instead of 'Kim'. Had the angel of authenticity not given the detective her full name? Lucifer couldn't comprehend why (it's because Chloe wouldn't believe that Kemuel is an angel—just like Chloe didn't believe him to be the Devil).

"Do you know how I could find this 'Kim' of yours?" Dan asked, still taking the lead. "She didn't hang around long enough for the officers to get her statement."

"Oh, I wouldn't worry about that. Knowing her, she'll turn up on her own eventually," Lucifer muttered, shooting a sharp glare at a corner of the room.

"What makes you say that?" Chloe asked him, clearly hearing his self-directed comment.

"You obviously know who Kim is," Dan continued off of Chloe. "You recognized her at the scene."

"That doesn't mean I'll be able to help you find her. She's more than likely avoiding me, and she won't just come out for a reliable, helpful, boring detective such as yourself."

Detective Espinoza sighed, rolling his eyes at Lucifer's response, and turned back to his ex. "Don't worry, Chloe. I'm gonna stay on this."

"Yes, Detective Dan and I won't rest until we catch the killer."

"I don't think that it's a good idea for Lucifer to be part of this case," Dan inputted, voicing his opinion.

"I agree. I mean, the last thing this case needs is a loose cannon. She needs someone like you with the traits I listed just thirty seconds ago. Now, the good news is that's me as well now. So, the Dans are on the case."

"Can't you take anything seriously, man?" Dan demanded, suddenly standing.

Lucifer slowly turned as he got up to face the male detective. "I assure you I'm taking this very seriously."

"Oh, really? You're doing a great job of showing that."

"Guys," Chloe called their attention, having to look up to look them both in the eyes. "It would mean a lot to me if you worked together on this."

"Of course, Chloe," Dan relented as Lucifer let out a brief hum in acknowledgment.

Perhaps if he was lucky (or possibly unlucky when viewed in another perspective), Kemuel wouldn't interfere with the rest of this case. Lucifer was distracted enough as it was, and her deterring him from his goal (he really needed a name for it) would only cause more problems (or maybe it would help).

Lucifer inwardly huffed in frustration. He needed to stop arguing with himself. Coincidentally, he agreed wholeheartedly with that.

—o~O~o—

Kemuel had stepped out of the empty house for some fresh air.

Maze would be coming back soon, and Trixie would arrive with her mother not long after. Time travel had its perks. Knowing how long it was until someone arrived at the house just happened to be one of them. However, while patience was a virtue that almost all angels shared, even the most virtuous of beings were tested at times. That being said, Kemuel's patience was running thin.

Why did Lucifer have to be her stubborn, hard-headed, idiotic, older brother?

"Do not your other older brothers fall into at least one of those categories as well?" His voice rang in her ear, followed by a rumbling chuckle.

Kemuel sat down on the stone bench that she had found outside of the Deckers' home. She looked up to the sky, inwardly scoffing. It wasn't like she could see Heaven from here. Well, technically, she could, but on the physical plane that she was currently restricting her eyes to, she couldn't.

I didn't realize that I would have another conversation with You today… And yes, they do, she directed the thought back in response.

"It was not for you to know until now."

She let out a sigh, looking down at her hands. It was never this hard before.

"Before, you had yet to leave him as you had," He pointed out.

Is it this hard for You? she asked, the quiet thought hesitantly voicing itself.

"It used to be," He answered in a thoughtful tone after a moment.

Her eyes flicked up, staring off to places not on Earth. What changed?

"You already know the answer to that question," He said almost teasingly – though perhaps that was how it was supposed to be.

Do I, though? she thought seriously. Such knowledge eludes me even though You say I once knew it.

"It is not a matter of not remembering, but a matter of not acknowledging the memories."

You're being cryptic again, she muttered the thought.

Kemuel didn't need to being looking at Him to know He was smiling. "Not all is straightforward."

And there are things one must find out by oneself, she finished. She took in a deep breath, letting it out slowly. So You've told me before.

"And so you should remember that you were the one to prompt me to hold back on how often I intervene in matters," He reminded her.

A smile flickered across Kemuel's face before disappearing. That was a request that I obliged in telling to You.

"That's why I agreed to it."

That smile came back as a small, subtle smirk. That's all? No other reason?

There was a pause before He spoke His next words. "I suppose it wasn't the only reason."

You have to admit, Dad, Kemuel started, using the loose moniker for Him that was becoming more popular in the angel family rather than the more formal title of Father, even Michael had You on that affair.

"Yes, I hadn't expected him to join your little bandwagon for Free Will," He admitted. "Though, I must say, it was one of the best suggestions I've ever been given."

Her eyes caught sight of a butterfly landing on a nearby flower. I doubt there are very many who would disagree with You about that nowadays, she mused.

"While that's true, there are still those who would. It is a simple matter of belief, something even I cannot deny due to that request."

You know, Michael was the one that asked me to tell You… Do you think it was for Lucifer? she asked with pursed lips as the butterfly moved on to the next bright flower.

"It would surprise me if that wasn't the reason," He answered thoughtfully. "He was always closer to Samael than he was with any of his other brothers. Michael hated that Samael ever rebelled, but he doesn't blame Lucifer for it. Nor does he blame their Mother."

He blames You, doesn't he? Kemuel asked sadly, though it was more a statement of observation than a question. You know where he is, too, don't You.

"I know where all of my children are."

Even if they don't know where You are?

Kemuel sighed, mentally kicking herself when He didn't respond.

A/N: I struggled with this chapter so much – it wasn't even the whole chapter. I just... cannot write Chloe – she just refuses to be written. Seriously, not even half of what you read at the top with Chloe was what I originally wrote (it's mostly part of what I rewrote/re-rewrote). So I kind of just switched to Kemuel when I finally got fed up (same with Luci, except I had a better time with him). There was a long section of the usual conversation between Kem and God, but I'm using it to help set up for the chapter when Lucifer realizes what happened for God to lock Charlotte away (because Luci only knows that She crossed the line – just not what line).

Anyways, Happy New Year, everyone. I can't believe 2016 is finally over.

Last edited: [1/12/2020]

Lami: I don't mind mentioning you at the end of these chapters. I guess you could think of it as a benefit for reviewing. And while City of Angels is still really close to canon at the moment, it will have to diverge at some point. That point is starting to look really close too.

Grovek26: Why thank you.