—August 1989—

"Sam! Sam!"

Lucifer jerked awake, Amy's shrill voice startling him from a deep, peaceful slumber. His eyes widened when he noticed the sun was high in the sky. He had overslept.

The sleeping bag tangled around his legs as he scrambled to get free of it. Kicking it into the corner, he left it in a messy heap as he hurried down the ladder of the treehouse.

"Sam?!" Her high-pitched shrieks carried from one house over. The panic in her voice sounded strange and surreal as it mingled with the melodic morning-songs of the birds that had also found a home in the Deckers' large oak tree.

His heart pounded wildly with nerves and adrenaline as he raced across Chloe's yard and over to the McKees'. Amy, dressed only in her long pink nightgown and slippers, came around the corner, her wide, frenzied gaze locking onto him.

When she saw him, the tension left her body as she sagged with relief. "Sam!" Turning, she called over her shoulder, "He's back here, Jeff."

His foster mom brought a hand to her wrinkled forehead, blinking rapidly in an attempt to hold back her tears. As she took a shaky breath in through her nose, she pursed her lips, the bottom one trembling. "You can't just leave the house without telling us, Sam!"

He flinched at her tone, and then straightened, his mask slipping into place. He knew he was in trouble, and mentally, he prepared himself for the inevitable punishment.

"I'm sorry," she apologized when she noticed his reaction. "You just scared us."

Jeff appeared behind her then, wrapping an arm around his wife's waist. "What were you doing out here?" His voice was gentle, not yet reproachful. He sought to understand the situation before determining the appropriate course of action.

Lucifer's racing heart began to slow, his breathing evening out. Jeff's presence was calming. He cleared his throat and admitted sheepishly, "I was sleeping in Chloe's treehouse."

"What?" Amy breathed. "Why?"

Lucifer shrugged.

"Have you done this before?"

He hesitated. Would it make his punishment worse if they knew he'd been sneaking out all summer? He assumed it would. But even still, the look of compassion on Jeff's face compelled him to answer truthfully.

He nodded.

Jeff sighed and knelt down to Lucifer's level. "Sam, you need to sleep in your own bed in your own room." Lucifer hung his head as Jeff chastised him. "What if something were to happen to you? We'd have no way of knowing. We care about you and just want to make sure you're safe."

Lucifer's head shot up to meet Jeff's eyes, searching for the lie in them. They cared about him? He wasn't sure he believed it; they hardly knew him, and yet, his chest felt warm from the sentiment—it felt nice.

"So no more sneaking out in the middle of the night, okay? Promise us."

His lips turned up just slightly as he realized that no punishment was forthcoming. He wouldn't get his hopes up when it came to the McKees, though; at least not yet. His Father had told him that it was difficult to love someone who was evil at their core like he was. Even still, he made the promise to them and he wouldn't break it.

"Alright," Jeff said, placing a tentative hand on Lucifer's shoulder. "Why don't we head back inside and make breakfast? Andy asked for pancakes. How does that sound?"

Lucifer's smile grew. He did like pancakes.

As they made their way back inside, Lucifer glanced over his shoulder at Chloe's house. His friend was watching the scene unfold from her kitchen window, her father appearing behind her just as she sent him a sympathetic smile and a small wave.

He waved back, almost able to hear her know-it-all voice in his head saying, "I told you they'd be worried."


"Are you talking about the time Amy found out you'd been sleeping in my treehouse all summer?"

Lucifer and Trixie both turned to see Chloe watching them. Her lids were still a little droopy, her smile slow, but her eyes were clear. "Indeed I was," Lucifer confirmed as he regarded her fondly.

Chloe chuckled. "I can still see her running around her yard like a chicken with its head cut off, wearing that ugly pink nighty, her hair still in rollers."

Lucifer huffed a laugh too at the mental image she'd conjured.

"Did you have to sleep in that dark scary basement again, Lucifer?" Trixie asked.

"Well, I was just getting to that—the best part of the story really, before I was so rudely interrupted," he joked, sending Chloe a look of mock admonishment. Chloe just rolled her eyes. "Your mum helped me out with that, actually."

"She did?" Trixie turned back to Chloe. "How?"

"Well, it was your grandpa, mostly," Chloe told Trixie. "I told him that Lucifer couldn't sleep because the basement was too dark and that being able to see the stars at night made him feel better."

"So what did Grandpa do?"

"Well, he took me to the store and we bought a package of plastic glow-in-the-dark stars-"

"Like the ones you and Lucifer decorated my room with?" Trixie cut in enthusiastically.

"Exactly the same," Chloe confirmed. "And Dad and I helped Lucifer tack them up all over his room."

"We recreated all of my favorite constellations and even made up a few of our own," Lucifer said, remembering himself at eight years old, describing the layout of Scorpius, Aquila, and Leo; John lifting each of them up so that they could press the plastic stars to the ceiling. "Remember Chloeus?"

"Of course I do," she said with a huff, as though she was offended he'd even felt the need to ask.

"Chloeus?" Trixie asked, trying the word out on her tongue.

"We made a constellation in the shape of a monkey...or something resembling a monkey anyway, and named it Chloeus for your mum—she was obsessed with monkeys back then."

"Is that why you call me Monkey?"

Chloe's lips curved into a small bittersweet smile. "I call you Monkey," she said, voice just above a whisper, "because that's what my dad called me ."

"She was always his little Monkey," Lucifer added.

"Oh," Trixie whispered as Chloe blinked back a few tears. She hopped off her chair to stand at her mother's bedside, gently taking her hand and bringing it to her cheek. "Don't cry, Mommy."

Chloe cupped her daughter's cheek. "Thanks, baby. I'm okay."

"So, did the glow-in-the-dark stars help?" Trixie asked Lucifer as she climbed back onto her chair. "Were you still afraid at night?"

"They did help. I never had trouble sleeping in that room again after that." A room that had once terrified him had become something magical that day—he'd fallen asleep each night with a sense of peace that he was where he belonged as the future Lightbringer, amongst bright stars and constellations he had formed.

Chloe drifted off again a short time later. Lucifer checked his phone, but there was still no word from Daniel.

"Lucifer?"

"Yes, Urchin?"

"I'm hungry again."

It was nearing dinnertime. How had the day gone by so fast? Lucifer glanced at Chloe who was fast asleep and snoring softly. He was loath to leave her, but didn't think she'd wake again anytime soon. "Why don't we take a trip down to the cafeteria and see if there's something that appeals to you, hmm?"

He stood, stretching his stiff limbs. It would feel good to move around a bit.

Once in the hallway, Trixie immediately latched onto his hand. She beamed up at him, her gap-toothed grin oddly endearing. "Hey, Lucifer?"

"Yes?"

"Will you tell me about my grandpa? Mom never talks about him. I think it makes her sad, like it did today."

He sighed wistfully as so many fond memories came to mind. "Well," he began. "The first thing you should know is that your grandpa was a very special man."

—October 1989—

"Wow," Chloe breathed, her eyes wide as she spun in a slow circle. "This is our spot?"

Lucifer's gaze swept over the calm lake before them, blended blues of cerulean, turquoise, and aqua. The water shimmered as if it were made from sapphires, sunlight reflecting off the gentle waves of the surface.

Tall trees with colorful autumn leaves framed the lake, all but for a few small clearings, like the one they stood in now. He imagined this must be what Heaven was like; he couldn't believe this small slice of paradise was to be their campsite for the next two days.

The ground around them was flat and compact, perfect for laying a tent. The campsite had a picnic table and a fire pit with four fat logs situated around it.

Leaves rustled in the breeze, birds chirped, the water lapped against the shore. It was the kind of peaceful that Lucifer had only experienced on rare occasions. He took a moment to breathe it in.

"Alright you two!" John clapped his hands together and the kids immediately turned their attention to him. "This is an important rite of passage—your first camping trip, for both of you. We have to make sure you get the full camping experience, right?" They both nodded seriously. "Okay, so first things first—let's get our tent set up."

John called out directions as Lucifer and Chloe did most of the work. Once the tent was up, John had them pose in front of it to commemorate a job well done. With their arms flung over each other's shoulders and grins so proud their cheeks hurt, he snapped a photo of them with his old Polaroid camera.

Chloe squealed as she shook the photograph, colors appearing on the blank surface like magic, while Lucifer watched over her shoulder.

"Wanna see?" she asked, passing it over to him.

He stared at the photo, smiling in surprise at the joy that was undeniably etched onto his face.

.

"Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow, back to my home, I dare not go! For if I do, my mother will say…"

John hoisted his daughter up higher onto his back and she tightened her arms around his neck, her legs dangling at his hips. "Chloe!" he called, signaling that it was her turn to make up a rhyme.

Their singing paused for a moment as she thought up a good one. "Did you ever see a pig, wearing a wig?"

"Down by the bay!"

"Again!" John's voice was jovial and exuberant as they traipsed along the wooded trail on their way to a lookout point that was supposed to be breathtaking.

They started to sing another verse. "Down by the bay, where the watermelons grow, back to my home, I dare not go! For if I do, my mother will say…"

This time, John called out for Lucifer to make the rhyme. "Umm… Did you ever see a goat, riding in a boat?"

"Down by the bay!"

They sang as they hiked, pausing along the way to examine anything that caught their interest. Chloe picked up a perfectly whole, perfectly red leaf, which she proclaimed to be the most beautiful Fall leaf there ever was. They watched the spiraling helicopter seeds of the Sycamore trees as they fluttered down around them like snow. And they appreciated the beauty of the tiny yellow, white, and purple flowers just off the trail, even though John told them that they actually weren't flowers at all, but invasive weeds.

Chloe plucked a handful of each color.

"Monkey," John gently reprimanded, trying to hide an amused grin. "You're not supposed to disrupt anything on the trail."

"But you said they were just weeds," Chloe said with a shrug, defiantly sticking the stem of the purple flower behind her ear. "We always pluck the weeds from the garden at home."

John snorted. "Okay, but that's it. Don't pick anymore."

Chloe nodded dutifully, and then extended the other options toward her best friend. "Lucifer, do you want the white ones or the yellow ones?"

"Hmm," he pondered, his attention drawn to the tiny pearl-white petals that made him think of the wings he'd grow one day. "The white ones."

Chloe reached forward to slide the stem behind his ear. It scraped softly against his scalp, the silky petals tickling the top of his ear.

"You get the yellow ones, Dad."

"But I wanted the purple ones," he joked, bending at the knees to balance on the balls of his feet so that Chloe could slide the yellow flowers behind his ear.

"Oh," she paused, reaching up to touch the purple flowers peeking out of her hair. "Really?"

"I'm just teasing, Monkey. I love the yellow ones."

She beamed at him.

Lucifer knew that if John had really wanted the purple ones, Chloe would have given them to him in a heartbeat. It was just the type of person she was.

"Can we take a picture of all of us together like this?" she asked, once the yellow flowers were secure behind John's ears and they all matched.

"You know what? That is a great idea," he said, making a grab for Chloe and tickling her sides, making her shriek with laughter. She reached out to poke Lucifer in his side and he giggled too.

Chloe had insisted on carrying their small pack on her back, and so her father spun her around so that he could nab the Polaroid camera from inside.

He balanced on his haunches as Chloe and Lucifer leaned against each of his knees. He passed the camera to Chloe, who held it out in front of them (a little lopsided as it was just a bit heavy for her to hold out steadily with one arm), her thumb poised over the shutter. His strong arms wrapped around each of their middles as he counted down, "Three, two, one…"

"Cheese!" the three of them said together through wide grins as Chloe pressed down on the button to snap the picture.

.

When they reached the lookout, Lucifer took in the picturesque landscape before him in awed silence. Clear blue sky met the jaggedy edges of orange, yellow, and red treetops on tall mountain peaks. His eyes swept over pockets of crystal lakes and sandy brown rock formations that jutted toward the heavens.

He'd never seen anything like it; had never seen anything quite like their campsite either. In the city, and even in the suburbs where they lived, there wasn't much nature at all. And the Silver City was in the desert; everything had been mostly dull and brown and dusty there.

"Don't get too close to the edge," John instructed.

Lucifer and Chloe explored the lookout, taking in the view from every possible angle. They inched toward the edge as close as they dared, attempting to peek over and see just how high up they were. Chloe grabbed the Polaroid to snap a few pictures.

After they'd had their share of exploring, they sat in the dirt, munching on apples and simply enjoying the scenery. And as the sun began its descent for the day, painting the sky in pastel colors, Lucifer again thought of Heaven and how he couldn't imagine a place more beautiful than where he was right then.

.

On the hike back to camp, John spotted a tarantula the size of Lucifer's hand crawling amongst some of the browned foliage on the ground. They stopped to watch it for a while, admiring the way it plodded slowly under and over the fallen leaves and brush, until it eventually disappeared from view for good.

"Not everyone gets to see a tarantula, especially not on their first ever camping trip! You two should consider yourselves very lucky," John told them.

The two kids grinned excitedly at each other. It made Lucifer feel special and lucky —being there with them, the fact that Chloe had invited him to join them on a trip she'd been looking forward to taking with her dad. The beauty of their campsite and the lookout, the colorful sunset, the tarantula—he couldn't help but feel that it was all just for them .

During the hike back, the sherbet colored sky had darkened, and now deep pinks, oranges, and purples reflected off the surface of the lake upon their return to the campsite.

Once John got a fire going, they sat on the fat logs around the fire pit, the pop of crackling embers soft and comforting. He handed them each a long metal rod with two prongs on the end which they used to roast hot dogs. The smell of campfire smoke mixed with the cooking hot dogs was enough to make anyone's mouth water and stomach rumble in anticipation.

They told stories and laughed and ate until their bellies were full to bursting and the sun had completed its descent behind the edge of the earth.

The music of the outdoors filled Lucifer's ears—the deep baritone of ribbiting frogs, the distinct, high-pitched chirping crickets, the rustle of leaves in the breeze, and the occasional splash of a turtle or fish in the lake.

Lucifer basked in the peace and tranquility of the moment. He looked up at his stars, clear and bright in the black of night—the clearest he'd ever seen them since moving in with the McKees.

He heard Chloe giggle beside him. "Now?" she asked, her voice brimming with excitement.

Lucifer tipped his chin down just in time to see John nod, a secretive smile pulling at one corner of his mouth. "It's in the tent; why don't you go grab it," he suggested to Chloe, holding out a flashlight. "Here, take this."

Lucifer gave John a questioning look as Chloe skipped off, but he only shrugged his shoulders mysteriously. "It's a surprise."

"For me?" Lucifer asked in disbelief.

John nodded and sent Chloe a knowing look as she returned with a rectangular nylon carrying case in hand.

"I know your birthday isn't until next week," she began, setting the case down on the dirt in front of him, "but we thought tonight would be the perfect time to give you your present."

His gaze bounced back and forth from Chloe's face to the bag at his feet. "You got me a birthday present?" he asked, his features wrinkled in confusion.

Chloe nodded, her blue eyes twinkling. "Open it!" she encouraged.

His curiosity and excitement overcame him then, and he grasped the zipper and pulled the case open, peering inside.

What he saw stole his breath. Delicately, he reached his hand inside to draw his finger along the smooth, shiny plastic. Awed, he glanced between the father and daughter pair. Shaking his head, he blinked back tears. "You got me…a telescope?"

Chloe nodded, but her enthusiasm faded as Lucifer's reaction confused her. "Don't you like it?" she asked nervously.

A tear rolled down his cheek and he hastily wiped it away with the back of his hand. He sniffed hard, trying to rein in his emotions, and managed to nod. "I love it. Thank you," he said, his voice soft and sincere. And then to himself, he whispered, "I can't believe this is mine."

He didn't have many things that were his, and no one had ever given him something so thoughtful before. A real telescope. He'd be able to see the stars up close whenever he wanted now.

Chloe leaned forward to wrap her arms around his neck and he sunk into her familiar and comforting embrace.

"Want to go test it out?" John asked.

Lucifer grinned and nodded excitedly, sniffling one last time.

John swung the case over his shoulder and grabbed a big wool blanket, shoving it under his arm. Then, he wrapped his other arm around Lucifer's shoulders, tugging him into his side and giving his back a comforting pat. Chloe appeared at Lucifer's other side, catching his hand with hers. Bracketed by John and Chloe, he felt a strong sense of happiness and belonging, feelings he had very little experience with until fate intervened and moved him into the house next door.

Their campsite was situated at the edge of the forest, and as they made their way out of the woods and toward the lake, the sky opened up before them.

"Alright, Luce! Let's see what we got," John said, letting go of Lucifer to slide the case off his shoulder.

Lucifer's chest warmed at the nickname, his heart full. He'd never tell anyone, not even Chloe, but sometimes he wished John was his dad, too.

After spreading the blanket out on the shore, John set the telescope up near the edge. He let Lucifer take control of the adjustments, while he and Chloe reclined on the blanket, their gazes skyward. It was brighter there than back at camp, without the trees to block the light from the crescent-shaped moon, so bright they didn't even need a flashlight to see.

"Wow," Lucifer breathed as he looked through the eyepiece, aiming first for the moon. He turned the knob to adjust the focus, the image sharpening before his eyes. "You can even see the craters on the moon!"

"Can I see?"

Lucifer pulled his head back, his eyes meeting Chloe's. They shone just as clear and bright as the moon. He smiled and gestured for her to take a look.

"Wow," she echoed. She turned to look at Lucifer and asked excitedly, "Can you see Capricorn?"

"The constellation is called Capricornus," Lucifer replied. He looked toward the horizon, finding the Summer Triangle and the star Vega, and then drew a line to the star Altair. "There," he said, pointing it out for her. "Let me see if I can find it through the telescope."

While Lucifer adjusted the telescope, John opened up a star chart and laid it out in front of them on the blanket. "Here," he said to grab Chloe's attention. "This is what you're looking for." He traced his fingers over the constellation.

"I've got it," Lucifer said, and Chloe moved to look through the eyepiece.

"I see it!" she exclaimed. "That's my zodiac sign." She leaned away from the telescope to send a curious look Lucifer's way. "What even is a Capricorn?"

"Capricorn is a sea-goat."

"A sea-goat?" Chloe laughed. "It looks more like a giraffe to me. Or two slices of pizza."

Lucifer laughed, too. "The ancient Greeks just saw it as a goat, but over time it became a sea-goat."

"So weird," Chloe said.

"You're the weird one—seeing slices of pizza in the stars," Lucifer shot back, throwing them into a fit of giggles.

She sighed and with an easy smile asked, "What should we look at next?"

"Venus should be easy to see," he said, pointing it out when he found it in the sky. "Even though Venus is a planet, it's also referred to as the Evening and Morning Star," he explained as he lined up the telescope.

"Like your last name?"

Lucifer nodded and then looked through the eyepiece. "There!" He backed away to let John and Chloe take their turns admiring it through the telescope. "Besides the sun and the moon, it's the brightest object in the sky. I'm a Libra so Venus is my ruling planet."

They spent nearly an hour admiring the cosmos, searching for constellations and individual stars and nebulae. Lucifer told them about some of his siblings, finding the constellations that corresponded to each of their zodiac signs—about how Rae-Rae was an Aquarius, free-spirited and big-hearted; Amenadiel a Virgo, serious and logical, but also kind and helpful; and Michael an Aries, bold and confident, always trying to be their leader. It was the first time he felt comfortable enough to really open up about his family, and John and Chloe listened intently as he spoke about them.

"You know so much about the stars." John was clearly impressed as they began to pack the telescope up. Lucifer puffed up a little at the praise. "Have you ever been to the planetarium?"

He shook his head.

John pulled him gently into his side. "I'll take you both one day," he promised, making a grab for Chloe too. "I think you'd love it."

.

Kneeling on the bench at the picnic table, Lucifer and Chloe scooped heaping spoonfuls of Nesquik chocolate powder into their mugs as they waited for the pot of milk to heat over the fire.

Once it was ready, John poured the milk and they stirred their concoctions up, metal spoons clinking discordantly against the tin.

They moved to sit by the fire, giggling to themselves in delight as they sipped at the sweet, rich drink, warming their hands on their mugs as John gathered the supplies for s'mores.

Chloe was aghast that Lucifer had never tried one before.

She showed him the proper marshmallow-roasting technique, but even still his first marshmallow became so melty that it slid right off the stick and into the ash. On his second attempt, he held the sugary morsel too close to a flame and it caught fire.

Chloe snorted next to him as she eyed the charred glob on his stick. "You're really bad at roasting marshmallows," she ribbed good-naturedly.

"Well, maybe I like them burnt to a crisp, you don't know! The char gives it...flavor," Lucifer looked it over apprehensively before he started to giggle at his ridiculous argument and soon all three of them were bent over with laughter.

"Want this one?" Chloe offered after they had calmed. "I can roast another one for myself."

She carefully slid the gooey, golden-brown marshmallow off the stick and onto a graham cracker. She topped it with a piece of chocolate and a second graham cracker, squeezing it together until sticky fluff oozed over the edges.

She handed the completed s'more to Lucifer, who smiled at her gratefully. "Thanks."

He took a bite of the sticky treat, humming approvingly at the taste. Across from him, Chloe was grabbing another marshmallow for herself, and John was teasing her. Their combined laughter tickled his eardrum and he had to bite into his lip to stop the smile that wanted to stretch wide across his face. Was this what having a family was supposed to feel like? Was this what he and his siblings had been missing out on?

Sitting there in the warm glow of the campfire with Chloe and her dad, just the three of them away from the rest of the world, he'd never felt so content.

"Will you tell us a campfire story?" Chloe asked her dad as she finished off the last bite of her s'more.

John flicked the flashlight on and held it under his chin, the light casting his face in eerie shadows. "Scary?" he asked, changing the cadence of his voice to something deep and spooky sounding. Then he flicked the flashlight off and smiled. "Or silly?"

Chloe and Lucifer turned to face each other, the unspoken conversation only lasting a second before they turned back to John and declared in synchrony, "Scary!"

John hummed as he pondered on a story, the atmosphere around them growing dark and ominous. The wind whistled and howled, rustling leaves and giving Lucifer an odd sense that they were not alone. The croaking of the frogs now sounded pleading and desperate, the song of the crickets now sorrowful, haunting, and filled with a sense of foreboding.

Chloe shivered, her whole body shaking with the strength of it. Chuckling at herself, she jumped up from her log and squeezed onto Lucifer's, wrapping both of her arms around his and huddling close.

John flicked the flashlight back on, holding it under his chin once more. "I'm gonna tell you the same story that scared me when I was your age. Can you handle it?"

Chloe squeezed Lucifer's arm tighter as she nodded. Lucifer nodded, too, with what he hoped was a show of bravery. Having Chloe near was reassuring and John made him feel safe.

Enraptured by his storytelling, Chloe and Lucifer listened intently as John wove a creepy tale about a woman at home all alone with a dangerous psychopath on the loose and only her dog for company. As she listened to the news reports of the escaped maniac, she'd stick her hand over the edge of her bed so that her little dog could give her a comforting lick.

All throughout the night, unexplained sounds filled the house, and she'd wake up and go check the other rooms. She'd return to her bedroom when she found nothing amiss, taking comfort in the way her dog licked her hand as she settled back into bed.

In the morning, a loud knocking at her front door woke her. It was the police and they had reason to believe the escapee had been in her home. They searched the house and when they opened the basement door, her little dog shot out.

"'But that can't be. My dog was with me all night. He stayed under my bed and licked my hand to keep me calm,' she told them."

John leaned forward to peer at them from across the fire pit. "And do you know what the officer said?"

They shook their heads as they, too, leaned forward, hanging onto his every word.

"He said, 'People can lick, too.'"

A shiver ran up Lucifer's spine as the story came together.

"The psychopath was underneath her bed the whole time?!" Chloe squealed. He felt her shudder next to him. "Licking her?! That's so creepy."

John chuckled. "I know. That story scared the crap out of me when I was your age."

"Now you have to tell us a silly one so we don't have nightmares!" she insisted.

John acquiesced easily, telling them a story about two best friends named Cole and Lucy who were always finding themselves in silly situations.

"Cole like Chloe and Lucy like Lucifer?" Lucifer asked through a grin.

John shrugged and smiled playfully as he continued to tell the story.

Later that night, as they were settling into their sleeping bags, Chloe rolled onto her side to face him. "Hey Lucifer?"

"Hmm?" he asked, rolling to mirror her.

She grabbed his hand from where it rested atop the nylon fabric and yanked it quickly to her mouth, giving his palm a wet lick. "People can lick, too!" she exclaimed through peals of laughter.

He couldn't help but huff out a laugh at her antics, though his face wrinkled at having her spit all over his hand. He made sure to wipe it off on her sleeping bag before tucking it safely away into his.

That night, with Chloe snoring in the sleeping bag next to his, Lucifer fell asleep with a smile on his face.


It was late in the evening when Daniel finally returned. Trixie had fallen asleep some time around 'campfire stories', which was just as well. Lucifer could just imagine Chloe chastising him for terrifying her spawn.

He met Dan's eyes expectantly as he moved to Chloe's bedside and peered down at her.

"We got the guy," Dan said quietly, careful not to wake either sleeping mother or child.

Lucifer breathed a sigh of relief. "Well done, Daniel." He had his suspicions about Dan's integrity as far as being a cop—though he was suspicious of nearly everyone who wasn't Chloe who made up the corrupt organization of the LAPD—but he could admit he was grateful for the news. He hoped the cretin would receive his just desserts.

Dan's gaze fell on Trixie, her cheek smushed against Lucifer's arm. "I should probably get her home so that she can sleep in her own bed."

He circled the bed and bent to lift the little girl into his arms. Trixie's eyelids fluttered heavily.

"I wanna say bye to Mommy first," she mumbled, leaning her weight toward Chloe.

Dan held her as she stretched from his arms to place a gentle kiss to her mother's cheek. Chloe stirred, but didn't wake as Trixie whispered, "I love you, Mommy."

"You coming?" Dan directed the question to Lucifer as Trixie wrapped her arms around his neck.

"I think I'll stay."

A strange look passed over Dan's features, but then he huffed out a breath and nodded. "We'll be back in the morning."

"Hey Lucifer?" Trixie asked, making Dan pause in the doorway.

"Yes, child?"

"Will you and Mommy take me camping sometime?"

For the most part, his memories of that camping trip with John and Chloe were fond and he held them deep in his heart, but the idea of camping now was not the least bit appealing to him. The dirt and bugs and sleeping on the hard, lumpy ground was not something he was eager to experience again.

However, the magic of that weekend was something Trixie deserved to experience for herself, and he was surprised to realize that it was something he'd like to share with the little urchin.

"I think I'd like that."

"Goodnight, Lucifer." She waved sleepily at him as Dan carried her from the room.

Now alone, Lucifer scooted his chair closer to Chloe's bed and gently took her hand in his. The room was quiet except for the constant beeping and humming of the monitors, and with nothing to focus on but her, he allowed all of the emotions he'd suppressed throughout the day to well up inside him.

Tears stung his eyes as he helplessly deliberated on the 'what ifs' of the day. What if her injuries had been much worse? What if she hadn't made it? The emotions swelled and crested within him, and he let it all out with a small sob, forcing those thoughts out with it. He'd always worry—her job was and would always be dangerous—but for now, at least for tonight, he could relax knowing that she was safe beside him.

Inhaling deeply, he pulled his phone from his pocket and settled in for a long night.

.

"Hey."

Lucifer looked up from his game of Sex Words with Friends at the sound of her voice. She squeezed his hand as she yawned. He set his phone on the table beside her bed as he glanced at their joined hands. "Welcome back," he said with a small, playful grin. "How do you feel?"

"I've got a splitting headache and feel like I've been hit by a truck, but I feel a little less tired. Probably because I slept most of the day."

"The morphine's probably mostly worn off by now. Is there anything I can get you? Are you hungry?"

"The thought of food still makes me nauseous. I thought I might get sick earlier when you guys were eating those burgers."

"Ah, yes. Well you can thank Daniel for that," he pointed out and Chloe rolled her eyes. "He got the guy, by the way."

Her face hardened. "Good." She squeezed his hand again and smiled tenderly at him. "I'm really glad you're here, Lucifer."

"I wouldn't be anywhere else. To the stars, remember?" he said, referencing the childish pact they'd made long ago. It was a phrase that had come to mean so much to them over the years—friendship, loyalty, devotion, love .

"I remember," she confirmed in a whisper. Her thumb moved back and forth over his knuckles, a soft caress. "I heard you telling Trixie about when we were kids."

"Your spawn is insatiable in her curiosity. But it was fun to reminisce and tell her stories of how mischievous her mum used to be," he teased.

She chuckled, but then winced at the pain it caused her. It wiped the smile right off his face, but she quickly reassured him, "It's okay; I'm okay." She hummed quietly and said, "Dad never did take us to the planetarium did he?"

Lucifer shook his head.

"We should go—take Trixie; she'd love it."

"She wants us to take her camping, too."

Chloe grinned knowingly. "For as much as we loved it then, I have a feeling you'd just complain the entire time."

Lucifer smirked and didn't deny it. "It would certainly be a...different experience now."

"We should take her, though, if you're willing. You know with her sweet tooth she'd love making s'mores at night and drinking hot chocolate with egg sandwiches for breakfast…" she trailed off, her smile bittersweet. "I just always thought Dad would be with us, you know?"

Lucifer hummed in agreement, his thoughts still far in the past. Wistfully, he confided, "That year I lived next door to you… That was one of the happiest times of my life."

It was the only time in his entire childhood where he'd gotten to be a kid. Carefree and happy, for the most part. His demons had still lurked close by though, even then.

"One of?" She squinted at him curiously. "When were you happiest?"

The answer sprang to his mind immediately and his cheeks warmed with a blush. His gaze softened as he mapped her face. It was less swollen now, her porcelain skin still a canvas for deep purples and blues.

He was nervous to admit his answer to her, but almost losing her today made him bolder, made him more willing to risk it all, because he'd been reminded of just how fast everything that mattered could be taken from him.

He shifted his gaze back down to their clasped hands, her thumb still moving soothingly over his skin. "The happiest I've ever been," he began, his voice scratchy and raw, "was the summer before I went off to college."

She gasped, surprised by the confession, and then squeezed his hand, sliding her fingers into the spaces between his. "Lucifer," she whispered. It gave him the courage to meet her eyes. "Me too."

His stomach flipped as he held her gaze. "It was?"

Her eyes were wide and shiny as she nodded, her hand warm in his, clinging tight. She blinked, her gaze dropping to his lips. He leaned forward, his face drawing closer to hers. He watched as her eyelids fluttered delicately before closing, her tongue darting out to wet her bottom lip. He was but a mere hair's breadth away—their soft exhalations mixing in the space between them and caressing his lips—when she swallowed and tipped her chin up, her mouth brushing his with the slightest of pressure.

And in that moment, heat erupted within him and radiated outwards, as though he were shining from the inside out—the Lightbringer he'd once believed so strongly he could become.

The kiss ended before it had even started as a loud, abrupt knock sounded at the door, and Lucifer quickly pulled away from her. "Always with the bloody timing," he muttered mostly to himself.

Chloe bit into her lip to hide her amusement, but the sparkle in her eyes gave her away.

"Alright, Detective Decker," the doctor announced as he made his way into her room. "Let's get you checked out."


A/N: Please let me know if you're enjoying the fic and if I should keep posting new chapters! :)