Life for Chloe didn't get any better once Lucifer… Samael left for Heaven. She tried to make it better. She tried to go on like it didn't happen. She tried to go back to life before Lucifer entered it, but it was impossible. How could she simply forget three years of her life, which had been dramatically affected by her partner's presence? How could she forget why he was no longer in her life? Even if she could've closed her mind to it, those in her life didn't let her. Half of her friends had shut her out. Linda, Maze, and Amenadiel had never forgiven her. Anytime they saw her, they found ways to let her know how much they hated her. Dan and Ella were the only ones who hadn't turned away from her, and that was because they didn't know what she did. Ella, for one, wouldn't have forgiven her, which was why Chloe had distanced herself from the lab tech as much as possible. She couldn't face her with the guilt she had.
The worst reminders of all had come from Chloe's own daughter. Trixie never forgot Lucifer either, and she'd ask constantly when Lucifer was coming back. When she was teenager, Trixie finally started asking a different question. She was older. She had more clarity as she remembered when Lucifer had become Samael. She remembered the other adults that were around being extremely angry at Chloe. She remembered her mother saying she'd done something that hurt Lucifer. She asked if her mother was the reason Lucifer was gone,
That had been a particularly hard day for Chloe, and it had changed her relationship with her daughter forever. Chloe didn't lie. At sixteen, her daughter could understand the truth, and she wouldn't accept vague answers. Chloe was honest with her. She told her that she was indeed the reason Lucifer was gone and she told her exactly what had happened. Trixie never looked at her the same way again. Chloe didn't think her daughter hated her, but there was a distance between them that hadn't been there before.
Chloe's guilt had become worse after that. She'd felt guilty already, but the fact that even her daughter could see how far she'd gone made it even worse. If your own child couldn't see beyond your awful deeds, they really were awful.
Once Trixie was away at college, Chloe buried herself in work. She took as many cases as she could and worked them quite recklessly. There were many times where she survived just by the skin of her teeth. Dan often lectured her about it. He told her she had to be more careful. He even teamed up with Ella to try to get her to talk about what was causing her to act this way. They both seemed to figure out that it had to do with Lucifer, but neither knew that it was really her actions and the consequences for them.
Chloe didn't listen to either of them. She just didn't care anymore. She kept acting recklessly in the line of duty for years. In fact, her latest case involved a dangerous, ruthless killer. She'd been told to take a partner, but she didn't. As a result, a bullet was headed right for her chest. She knew before it even hit her that this was it. She'd made one reckless choice too many. She wasn't afraid though. She was relieved. She'd spent fifteen years guilt ridden over what she did. She was ready for this. She was ready for punishment to begin.
Chloe felt the bullet hit. It was incredibly painful, just as she remembered being shot to be, but it only lasted a second. Then it was over. She stood up, but soon felt like something had grabbed onto her and was trying to pull here off some kind of ledge. She felt like she was going to fall, but then she felt a strong hand grab onto her arm. It was a young woman with short dark hair. She looked like she was around Trixie's age, early to mid-twenties at the oldest.
"Nope. You don't go that way, even though you should," the young woman said.
"Who are you?" Chloe asked.
"Azrael, the Angel of Death. If you haven't realized it, you're dead," she said bluntly. Normally, she eased souls into that news, but she didn't care enough for the woman who hurt her little brother so much that he felt the need to physically regress.
"Yeah, I realized. You're related to Lucifer?" Chloe asked.
"I was his little sister. You changed that. Your betrayal pushed him over the edge," Azrael said with hate in her eyes and voice. She considered herself quite forgiving, but not with this. In a sense, she'd lost her brother, and it was largely because of this woman's actions. They all had their roles in it, but Chloe Decker had pushed him over the edge with her betrayal.
"I know the pain I've caused him. I know my fate. I'm ready to face it," Chloe said. When she first learned of her punishment, she was scared, but she wasn't now. She wanted it. She wanted to be punished.
"It doesn't matter if you are or not," Azrael said coldly before flying her soul up to the Silver City. She arrived with her right in front of her father.
Chloe looked around. She appeared to be in a normal looking suite. There was a couch and chairs, as well as a table. There was no bed, but she was dead, so she wouldn't need it. The other thing noticeably missing was a door. She supposed she didn't need that either.
"Thank you, Azrael. You can go. I believe you promised Samael a visit the next time you came home. He's with Raphael and Michael," God said.
Azrael nodded and flew out.
"Hello, Detective Decker. Welcome to the Silver City. Well, the only part of it you're likely to see," God said.
Chloe didn't respond. She couldn't think of much to say.
"As you can see, I've provided you with comfortable accommodations. I'm not heartless," God said.
Chloe could see that. Again, the room looked lovely. Of course, it was still a cell, just a more comfortable one. She should be glad for that though. She would likely spend eternity in it. She should be glad it would a comfortable stay. "Would it matter at all if I said I was sorry again?"
"No, it wouldn't. It won't change the pain my son went through, nor will it change your fate," God said coldly.
"I don't expect it to change my fate. I don't even want it to. I just want you to know that I am sorry. It has eaten away at me since it happened. The guilt literally killed me," Chloe said.
"Yes, I suppose it did. I know you feel guilty, Detective Decker, but I wonder if you still would if your plan had succeeded. You felt guilty because a young child stood in the place of the man you feared. It's hard to justify hurting a child, but someone who was dubbed 'the Devil' is another story. Would your guilt still have consumed you if you'd done what you set out to? Or would you have justified it then?" God asked.
Chloe wanted to say yes. She had felt guilty even as she watched Father Kinley do the ritual, so she did believe she would've felt guilt even later. However, at the same time, it probably wouldn't like what she was feeling now. She might have been able to justify her actions in a way she couldn't now. "I don't know."
"It's immaterial anyway. I was merely curious. Your guilt doesn't take away the damage you've done to my son," God said.
"I know that. I know that I damaged Lucifer badly, but don't act like he wasn't damaged long before I met him," Chloe said. She knew what she'd done. Even in death, she still felt that guilt and always would. But Lucifer was messed up before her. He was damaged by his father, and she was no longer afraid to tell him that. She was already dead and at his mercy. What could he do now?"
"Oh, I am well aware of that. I live with the same guilt you do. I may not let myself drown in it the way you have, but it's there," God said. There were times that he wished to let it consume him, as he deserved, and even to be judged as he judged Chloe Decker, but neither were possible. His son was still there and needed to be taken care of. It would do him no good if his father destroyed himself over his sins. "Yes, I damaged my son in many ways, but you broke him. I won't forget that."
"Neither will I, but I didn't know what else to do. He was the Devil. He was said to be evil. You called him that," Chloe accused.
"Oh, no. That was your kind. The term 'Devil' didn't exist, nor had it any meaning until a human gave life to it. Your kind make a habit of deciding you know my intentions. You personally are no exception. Admittedly, I should've nipped it in the bud before it became a problem. I had long since decided not to interfere. It's yet another mistake I regret," God said.
Chloe didn't really know what to say to that, nor did it really matter. Nothing would or should change her punishment, nor erase her guilt.
"Well, I suppose I should leave you to your sentence then. I promise you, no one is ever going to bother you," God said. He sounded cruel, but he didn't care. It was no more cruel than her using his son's love against him to betray him, which pushed him over the edge.
"Wait. I…I know the Lucifer hasn't come back, but do you think he ever will?" Chloe asked.
"I don't know. It seems more unlikely as the years go by," God said.
"If he were to ever come back, would you let me see him or at least let me know he's back?" Chloe asked. She knew she didn't deserve it, but she wanted to know if he came back. She wanted to know that he was okay.
"Ah, because if he came back, it would ease your guilt. I owe you nothing, not even that. However, if he came back and wanted to see you, I would certainly grant it to him. Now, I believe were done," God said.
Chloe watched as he disappeared, leaving her alone. She ventured she'd be alone for a long time, probably eternity.