Michael is a mess, Chloe and Lucifer are patching up their relationship, and Mazikeen is hunting for a man names Alastair. Yet another long chapter! Hope you guys haven't been waiting too long! I'm terribly sorry. Read to the end for more information.
.
.
Michael made his way through the police station. The glares from the other officers didn't go unnoticed. Even as he left the bullpen, he could still feel the eyes of uniformed men and women on him as he weaved his way through. He desperately wanted to call them out of their stares, but decided against it. The last thing he wanted to do was cause a scene. So, he kept his comments to himself.
As he exited the front door, he was immediately hit with the crisp October weather. It was refreshing from the burnt coffee smell and cheap body spray.
Michael quickly rushed over to the side of the building to give himself a moment of peace. His back rested against the wall as he tried to collect himself. He immediately closed his eyes, taking the time to enjoy the fresh air. The chaos from the day was starting to give him a headache.
In, out. In, out. Don't let yourself slip… A building full of happy-triggered individuals will not end well if you lose your concentration. Breathe. Just… Breathe.
He took his time to finish his breathing exercises.
When he was ready, he pushed himself off the wall. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. During his exercise, he felt his phone go off. As he brought the screen to life, he let out a groan. Five missed calls from Mazikeen with a train of text notifications from his favorite demon and sister-in-law, Linda.
He made sure to look at Maze's messages first. If there was anything he remembered the demon voicing to him about their friendship, it was to always get back to her right away. She never liked being left on read or ignored.
He opened up the message and took a second to read it.
I'm going to call you right now. Heads up.
Ten minutes had passed before the next text came through. He was sure he had just missed the first of five missed calls.
Alright, I'll let this slide. But you better answer my next call. Two minutes later.
Really?!
Another two minutes later.
Hello!
Five minutes later.
I swear on the Lilium, I will toss a knife in your back if you don't answer my calls, Michael!
He rolled his eyes. Clearly patience was something Mazikeen had to work on.
Without further hesitation, Michael pressed the call button. A few rings called out before the demon picked up on the other end.
"What took you so long?" Maze snapped.
"Oh you know," he kicked the dirt under his foot, "just dealing with the mess you placed me in yesterday," he growled.
"Get over it. We have bigger problems."
"Like what?"
"Jude Easterman, your baby mama. I found out she's an orphan. The names you gave me, Matthew and Barbra Belloc, are non-existent. Like I couldn't find anything on them. Someone serious went through the trouble of making fake identities for them. They left a paper trail for the government, but the names only date back with information for a certain amount of time. Just like ours…"
"Wait, what?" Michael moved further away from the building, allowing himself more privacy.
"You heard me. Someone cleaned up and got smart."
"But that's not right. Ella assured me Jude was at the hospital ten years ago. She told me there were hospital bills sent to her parent's address. She labeled her parents as her emergency contact… I looked into it. There were reports of a woman talking about Hell and demons. That can't be just any woman. How many people go into the hospital claiming to have been –"
"Yeah yeah, I know," Maze cut him off. "That's why I went down to the hospital and looked through their filing system. I have the report in my hands." From the other side of the line, Michael could hear the demon shuffling around. Papers moving about rustling in his ear. "Jude Easterman, 32 year old woman. Found outside St. Peter's hospital on April 15th, 2010. Woman stated to have been held captive in Hell for an immeasurable amount of time. Also stated to have been experimented on. Claims her uterus was taken out. Eggs harvested. Son and daughter, a creation of —"
"Stop," Michael called out. "It's her."
"She was placed into their psychiatric ward."
"Does it say what happened to her or the children during her stay there?"
"No... The ward never reported anything about the children being real. There's a few notes trying to denounce the existence, but nothing claiming they were ever real. As for what happened to Jude," Maze blew out raspberries. "Nothing. These files were shoved in a corner, forgotten."
"Did you ask around? Does anyone know anything?"
"I asked around, but no one has been here longer than seven years."
"Great…"
"Although," she spoke up with some hope. "I did get one of the employees to give me the sign-in sheets for the visitation hours." Another rustle of papers echoed out on the other side of the line. "I found a man's name written at least every two to three days for visitation with a Miss Jude Easterman."
"Name?"
"Alastair. No last name. He logged quite a bit of visiting time with her before she went missing."
"Alastair? I don't know anyone by Alastair… Do you have any siblings with that name?"
"My mother would never."
"Alastair… Alastair…" He kept repeating the name like it would come to him. "Are you sure? Maybe –"
"Unless one of my siblings used a fake name, it's highly unlikely. They're imbeciles. I doubt we are dealing with a demon."
"But no one but my brother and a handful of demons knew about Jude and the kids. And the demons that did know, were disposed of by Sam."
"Are you sure about that? And I'm not talking about whether or not Lucifer took care of the other demons. I'm talking about the fact that more people could have known. Weren't your siblings the one who came wreaking havoc, stating that Lucifer had captured you? I remember that pompous dick with the stick demanding Lucifer to hand you over. What if one of them found out about the kids? What if this Alastair guy is one of your brothers? It could even be your father."
Michael shook his head. From the little flash of memories he did remember about his rescue, he knew no one else was in the cave but him and Lucifer. No other celestials were there, but them. Lucifer had told him he hadn't allowed their siblings to step foot in Hell due to the demons' uprising. Tensions were high enough, the last thing everyone needed was another war.
"No one knows about them. I've checked."
"Not even your father?"
Michael went silent.
In truth, he wasn't one-hundred percent sure if his father knew. Sure he had shielded his memories from his knowledge, but he knew his father was smart. He was omniscient. He knew all that was and all that was to come. Surely his father had been sitting in his office waiting for the day he finally found his children. But the thought of his father knowing only hurt him more. If God knew and only sat back and watched… Michael didn't know how much of his father's silence he could excuse.
"Michael?"
"My father doesn't have the time to send me on this wild goose chase. Let alone risk me spiraling out of control."
"Fine… Let me look into this Alastair guy. See what I can dig up."
"Ok…" Michael brushed his hand over his face, letting out a sigh. "I appreciate everything you're doing for me, Mazikeen. I'm sorry if I come off a little aggressive. It's inexcusable… But I do appreciate everything you are doing. Whether I am paying you or not, I know this is more than you bargained for."
"Please," she huffed. "This is the best fuckin' puzzle I've had in a long time. Things were starting to get pretty boring before you asked for my help. If you can believe it, I enjoy this project. You may not, but I'm loving every second."
Michael let out a little chuckle to break the anxiety he was experiencing. "Leave it to a demon."
"I'll keep asking around for more information. I'll look into this Alastair guy. Don't worry. We'll find your kids. Something tells me we're on the right track."
"I can only hope… Thank you again, Mazikeen. I'll wire some money into your account so you can stay in a nice hotel tonight. Dinner is on me."
"Why, thank you." He could practically hear the smile through the phone. He rolled his eyes. "But really, I'd do it without the cash. If something had happened to Charlie, I'd be doing the same thing for Linda and Amenadiel. So consider it a family matter."
Michael smiled into the phone. He hadn't really seen Mazikeen as a part of the family in the beginning of their friendship, but things were changing. She was as much an aunt to Charlie as his sisters. More actually. He was glad to call Mazikeen family. She is loyal.
"Aunty Maze," Michael commented.
"Shut up…"
"Pushing it, got it… I'm actually on my way to go see Linda right now… Anything you want me to tell Charlie?"
"Just that I miss him."
From the tone of the demon's voice, Michael could tell there was more, but Maze kept her words close to her chest. He let out a hum, nodding his head.
"Got it."
"I gotta go. I'll let you know if I find more."
"Thank you."
The phone went dead. He pulled the phone from his ear checking to see if the call ended. Once he saw his wallpaper present, he knew she had hung up on him.
"She's always complaining about not having a heart, but she cares more than most." He shook his head. A smile crept onto his face once more.
While he had his phone out, Michael went ahead and opened Linda's message she had sent him.
Glad to hear you've finally taken me up on my offer :). I have some free time right now if you'd like to have a session at the house.
Michael made a face as Linda suggested a session so soon. He was hoping for something on Monday, not today.
As if she was listening to his thoughts, Linda sent over another message.
Forget a session. How about you come by the house and spend the afternoon with your brother and I. I'm sure Charlie would love to spend some time with his uncle.
That sounded more appealing. He sent a quick text stating he would stop by.
As he finished sending the message to Linda, he opened up the Uber app Ella had installed on his phone. He let out a silent thank you for his girlfriend's ingenious thinking. With the precinct watching his every move, he thought it was best not to unleash his wings. The last thing he wanted to do was spook everyone. So he ordered a driver to take him to Linda's house.
.
.
It didn't take long for someone to roll up to the side of the police station. A woman rolled down her window and smiled at him.
"Michael?"
"Yes?"
"I'm your driver, Helen." She unlocked her car, granting Michael entrance into her car.
"Oh! Hello, sorry." He let out a nervous chuckle. He let himself in, climbing into the backseat of the car.
"First time?"
"My first time riding solo." He strapped the seatbelt over his body, buckling himself in. "My girlfriend usually picks me up in one of these." He smiled to himself as he got to use the title with other people.
"Well you got nothing to worry about. I see you entered an address over in Beverly Hills. Is that correct?"
"Yes. That's my sister-in-law's place," Michael said with pride.
"Fancy." She put the car into gear, taking them to the other side of town. "What does she do, if you don't mind me asking?"
"Not at all… She's a therapist."
"Oh wow!" She expressed, surprised. "I would never have guessed that."
"Mmm. She's pretty good. Well, from what I'm told," he added.
"She's got to be good at her job if she lives in Beverly Hills. Homes like that go for a fortune."
Michael let the conversation die out there. He wasn't much for the conversation that would drag on, so he smiled into the rear view mirror. The two sat in silence as Helen got them onto the freeway, taking a shortcut. Instead of looking outside out into the traffic, Michael closed his eyes to avoid repeating his last car ride experience.
He shut off his busy mind and enjoyed the music Helen had to offer.
.
.
It wasn't long before the car came to a halt and the music lowered. As soon as Helen parked the car along the side of Linda's house, Michael opened his eyes. He sucked in a breath of air and stretched his arms out.
"I'm sorry to wake you," she apologized.
"No, you're fine. Thank you for the ride." He unclipped the seatbelt, opening the door.
"Anytime! Have a nice day!"
She drove off without another word. Michael looked over to the front door and found Linda waiting outside with Charlie in her hands. The boy had the biggest smile on his face as he noticed who was there to visit them.
"Why, hello Charlie boy!" Michael rushed over to the doorway with his arms open wide. The boy squealed as Michael pulled him into arms. A swarm of kisses were showered upon his nephew.
"I see you took a car…" Linda welcomed him into her home, closing the door behind them. Amenadiel was inside picking up some of Charlie's toys that littered the floor.
"You took a car?" He called out. "Are your wings not –"
"My wings are fine," Michael assured them. "I just came from the police station. The Lieutenant has his eyes on me a little more than I'd like, so…" He walked down the stairs with Charlie on his hip. "I decided to travel via Uber."
"And why would the Lieutenant have his eyes on you, Michael?" Amenadiel was already showing signs of concern. He stopped what he was doing and looked at his brother.
"I've been a little reckless as of late," he mumbled. "But everything is fine!" He looked at his nephew, placing a kiss on his cheek. "Uncle Mikey is finally getting his shit under control. No more bad Mikey." He shook the boy, getting a laugh out of him.
"Language," Linda warned. She walked around her guest, taking a seat on one of the couches. She motioned for Michael to do the same. Amenadiel on the other hand went into the kitchen to grab them something to drink. "We haven't seen you for some time. Is everything okay?"
"Yeah…." He had himself a seat on the corner of the couch, opposite of Linda. He went ahead and placed Charlie on his lap, legs balanced on his thigh. "I've just been busy."
Linda looked over to Amenadiel with a knowing smile. She was well aware of Michael's new relationship with Ella, but she wasn't sure if his brother knew. She decided to test the water with small talk.
"You just missed Trixie and Dan."
"Hmm," Michael hummed.
"He mentioned you stay over at his place. I assume Chloe and Lucifer wanted the penthouse to themselves."
"Mmm… Quite the opposite actually. My brother was in a bit of a mood the last we saw one each other. I highly doubt he wanted me hanging around the place with him. I opted to give him some space… Things didn't go so well with Chloe last night." Michael dismissed his brother's offering of fresh water. "I did stayed with Dan last night. Probably best I missed Trixie… She's not having any of mine or Sam's drama as of late."
Amenadiel and Linda immediately locked eyes, silently making a mental note to question it at a later time. For the meantime, Linda cleared her throat and pressed on a different topic.
"Work at Lux getting a little hectic? Maybe Amenadiel can help with the load, he's been dying to stretch his legs."
"I have actually," Amenadiel agreed. He took up residence besides Linda.
Michael shook his head. "Works fine. Patrick's been handling more of the load lately. I gave him a raise."
"The bartender?" Linda asked.
"Yeah. He said he could use the extra cash, so," he shrugged his shoulders, "why not."
"What's keeping you so busy lately?" Amenadiel asked.
Michael tried to hide the way his lips tugged at the corner of his lips. He bit down on the inside of his cheek, but nothing was able to hide the way he smiled. Linda and Amenadiel seemed to catch on. Amenadiel looked over to Linda confused.
"What was that?"
"Yeah, Michael. What was that?" She asked. Her head turned back to Michael with a smile.
"Huh?"
"I believe there's something you've been meaning to tell us." She nudged her head over to Amenadiel, mentally hinting to the angel that she knew, but his brother did not.
"Oh! That." He smiled down at Charlie. The little boy was now bouncing on his lap excited for his parents to finally know. "Should I tell your papa?" The boy squeaked. "You sure he won't get mad at me?"
"Why would I get mad at you?" Amenadiel was even more confused. "Have you done something wrong, again?" He scooted to the edge of his seat. "Michael! What have you done?"
"Amenadiel… Easy," Linda warned. She looked over at Michael so he'd continue.
"I've been seeing someone lately…"
"You're seeing someone? I… I vaguely remember you talking about a date. What about this person?"
"There's been a few more dates since then," he smiled.
"Okay?"
"I'm seeing someone, Ami… As in a woman. Ella," Michael stated. He had his eyes down on Charlie, using his nephew as a tiny shield.
"You're seeing Ella?" Amenadiel looked to Linda and then back to his brother. "I'm not…" He stopped talking once the phrase clicked. "Oh!" It took him a second to let the information sink in. "Oh! Wait, are you serious?"
"I am."
A smile spread across Amenadiel's face.
"You're not mad?"
"Mad? You thought I'd be mad?" Amenadiel got up from the couch and sat beside his baby brother. "No never, Michael. Why would you think I'd be mad?"
Michael shrugged his shoulders. "With you here on Earth now, I just thought you'd want me to be by father's side. Keeping an eye on things. Picking up where you left off… I don't know."
A hand found its way onto Michael's shoulder. "From our past conversations, I can tell you don't wish to be by father's side any longer. I've seen how much you enjoy being here… Whether you're getting in trouble or not." He smiled at the last part. Michael returned the smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. Amenadiel caught on immediately. "You got in trouble again didn't you?" He retracted his hand with a sigh.
"Just a car accident off the I-10…"
"That was you!" Linda cried out. "Michael."
"It's being dealt with," Michael assured them. "I'm fine. A little sore, but I'm fine." He handed his nephew over to his brother. The boy did what he did best and distracted his father with his giggling.
"Was this therapy session you were asking about by any chance court ordered?" Asked Linda.
"No!" Michael squawked out. "No… More advised," he mumbled. When Amenadiel gave him a look, Michael simply flashed his brother a smile. "But trouble aside! I'm dating Ella." He clapped his hands to draw attention back to Charlie. "You love Ella don't you, Charlie? She's the one that teaches you all about grandpa's creations."
The boy babbled like he was replying back to Michael. His uncle chuckled as he listened to the boy go on with his nonsense.
"See, Charlie loves her."
"No yeah, she's amazing with Charlie. She was over the other day and he wouldn't let her go," Amenadiel explained. "But that's who you've been seeing?" Michael nodded his head. "Did you think I wouldn't approve? I'm not father, Michael."
"No, I know… I just…" Michael shrugged his shoulders.
In every way, Amenadiel was sort of like a father to him. When their father wasn't there to console them, Amenadiel often picked up the task and mentored his siblings. Michael more than most when he came back broken and hollow. Amenadiel's opinions meant more to him than he would think. So the fact that he had been dating a human, in secret, in fear of his brother's opinion, scared the living shit out of him.
"I don't know what I thought. I just…" Michael let out a sigh. "I don't know what I thought… I kept Ella a secret from Sam as well, he just found out the other night."
"How did Luci take it?" He asked out of curiosity.
"Relatively well. He did voice that he would fight me should I break her heart." Both brothers shared a laugh. Michael looked towards Linda and smiled. "I obviously wouldn't do that to Ella."
"You care about her a lot," she asked.
"I do. A great deal actually"
"How long have you known about this?" Amenadiel asked Linda.
"Oh," she waved her hand, "since their first date." Amenadiel raised his eyebrow confused. "It was a few months back. They couldn't seem to take their hands off one another." Linda smirked as she watched Michael's cheeks grow red. "Don't think for one second that Ella and I don't exchange conversations about you." She shot Michael a wink.
"So, it's serious?" Amenadiel asked.
"You could say that, yeah… She is my girlfriend."
"Michael with a girlfriend." Amenadiel bounced his son on his lap. He shook his head in disbelief. "Luci with Chloe. Me with a son. You started a relationship with Ella… Look at us." He looked up from his son and smiled.
Yeah… Look at us…
Michael leaned over and grabbed Charlie back from his brother. The boy didn't seem to mind as his uncle placed him back into his arms. Charlie immediately latched himself onto Michael, pulling at his curly hair. Michael just chuckled as he let the boy feel the texture of his hair.
"Easy, Michael!" Linda warned. "He's… He's got a death grip."
"It's alright, Linda. I've endured worse." He smiled as Charlie tugged away at his hair. Of course it hurt, but he enjoyed the sound of his nephew's joy more.
"Okay, but don't go blaming me if you're missing a patch of hair…"
"I think he's just interested in why I have hair and his papa doesn't." Michael looked over to his brother and winked at him.
"Funny," Amenadiel deadpanned. "Hilarious!"
"Thank you. I hold shows every first and third Wednesday of the month."
"Shut up."
Michael couldn't seem to pull the smile from his lips. He blew raspberries into Charlie's neck sending the boy into a fit of laughter. Amenadiel seemed to sit back and watch the two.
"You're good with him," he said.
"Mmm, he's a tiny extension of you." A-mini-del. He smiled as he thought of the pun. "You know, I always wondered what we would have been like if we'd been children." Charlie released his uncle's hair, opting to couple his large nose instead. "I can't get over how darn cute this little guy is." Michael pretended to chomp down on his nephew's hands making the boy squeal with excitement.
"You know with Lucifer coming back, you might give poor Charlie whiplash. Lucifer doesn't care to hold him so much."
"Well I am glad to fill every yearning Charlie boy has for this particular face." Michael placed his hands under his nephew's armpits. He lifted him up so his belly was exposed. With little warning, Michael started blowing raspberries. Charlie let out a cluster of giggles, kicking his feet about.
Spending time with children often helps release serotonin… I wonder what has Michael so sad.
Linda watched Michael closely as he buried all signs of distress away from his face. It was the most attention she'd seen him give to Charlie. She didn't mind, but it did strike her as odd. He'd never seen one to pull so much laughter from her son.
"Well, easy," Amenadiel warned. "Charlie hasn't had his afternoon nap just yet. I was getting ready to put him down before you showed up."
"And miss uncle-nephew bonding time with your favorite uncle Mikey?" Michael addressed Charlie. "No, we couldn't have that." He placed the boy back on his thighs. He quickly adjusted the boy's shirt, pulling it down so his stomach was no longer showing.
"Would you like to lull him to sleep?" Linda asked. "If anyone can get him to fall asleep, I'd assume you'd be better at it than Amenadiel or I."
"Oh… Uh sure."
Michael wasn't yet ready to say goodbye to his nephew just yet, but he knew the boy had a strict napping schedule. Screw that up and the boy would be up for hours either crying or cranky.
He picked himself up, holding Charlie close to his chest. The boy could be heard yawning against his chest. Tired, indeed. He excused himself to the boy's room, leaving Amenadiel and Linda on the couch. As soon as Michael was out of earshot, Linda turned to Amenadiel.
"Something is wrong."
"What do you mean? He seemed fine to me."
"He's putting on a show. When have you known your brother to be so loving towards Charlie? He's over doing it."
"You're reading too much into it. He just misses him. The two haven't seen each other for some time."
Linda simply hummed. She knew she was right. It was best not to push Amenadiel. If he didn't see it, she sure as Hell didn't want him cornering Michael with questions. The angel was so easily spooked when it came to her suggestion for therapy. The last thing she wanted was him taking back his request to finally talk to her about what was troubling him.
"Would you mind heading over to Tony's Pizzeria and getting us a large pizza for lunch?" Linda asked.
"Uh… Sure! Any requests?"
"Pepperoni sounds fairly safe. Maybe grab a salad so we can share?"
"Salad sounds good. The one we got the last time we had Tony's?"
"Yes, please."
She shot Amenadiel a smile as he didn't question her reasoning for sending him away so soon. As he got up, he excused himself to notify his brother he would be stepping out to grab lunch. Once Amenaidel was gone, Linda picked herself up off the couch and made her way over to her son's bedroom. The soft hums of Michael stopped her dead in her tracks, hiding outside the bedroom so she wouldn't interrupt him. She hid behind the door frame as she listened to Michael sing in a different language. One she assumed was like second nature to him. He sang it with such passion she was sure he had sung it a thousand times. To whom… She didn't know. Before she knew it, she could see her son pressed against Michael's chest fast asleep.
Well, that was fast.
As the assumed lullaby came to an end, Michael placed Charlie in his big boy cot. The child rested against his cushions sound asleep. Before she could be caught, Linda slowly backed away, making her way back into the living room. Michael eventually stepped out of the room with a smile on his face. The smile on his face quickly fell as he noticed Linda seated elegantly on the couch looking at him with a questionable smile.
"Was that Hebrew?" She asked.
"Uh…" Michael fidgeted with his fingers. He quickly made his way across the living room, taking residence once again on the couch across Linda. "Yes."
"It sounded beautiful."
"Thank you?"
"What is it called?" She was genuine with her interest. If something could put her son to sleep so fast, she wished to know it so she could play it for him every time he needed to take his nap.
"Oh… Um." Michael was reluctant to share, but did anyway. "Numi numi."
"Numi… Hebrew for sleep?"
"Yes." Michael nodded his head, keeping his eyes low to avoid eye contact with Linda.
"Is everything alright, Michael?" She scooted over to the edge of her seat on the couch, defaulting into her therapist tune of speech.
"Yeah!" He quickly brushed off his tension, pushing himself into the couch. A fake smile plastered on his face.
Linda kept quiet as she studied Michael. She wasn't sure she should push. It was a gamble. On one hand it looked like Michael deeply wanted to talk about something, but one the other, he seemed closed off. It was a tipping scale. She wasn't sure which way he would sway. So instead she ripped it off like a band-aid.
"I understand you're using my son as a coping mechanism… Individuals often flock towards infants to spark a level of happiness they often wouldn't get from their day to day activities. It's a rather ingenious move when you know all eyes are on you."
"Interesting observations," Michael replied.
"Are you under too much pressure, Michael? Is there something family and friends can help with?"
"Who said my plate was full?"
"No one," Linda dismissed. "I just get the impression that you're trying to mask something. That you don't want anyone else to see the mask you wear…. And don't try to hide it, Amenadiel has informed me that you've been dealing with something for some time. I understand you were kidnapped." Michael neither flinched or moved a muscle as the sentence came out of her lips. Weird. I had expected a response from that. Oh well. He's harder to break than Lucifer. "Okay, I get it. This isn't a therapy session. Sorry." Her hands raised in surrender.
Michael simply hummed, opting to look out into the Spanish style decor she had going on in her home. It allowed her the opportunity to look over Michael's form. His foot bounced in the air as it hung crossed over another leg. Anxiety. She watched how his jaw flexed. Agitation. The bags under his eyes told her he was sleep deprived. Insomnia.
"You look tired, Michael."
"I am," he replied. He let out a sign as he relaxed into the cushions.
"When was the last time you slept?"
"Honest answer?"
Please tell me he's not participating in a bender like his brother.
Linda nodded her head.
"Yesterday. As in Thursday going into Friday. I only got three hours of sleep before the…" He stopped himself. "Well, before I couldn't sleep any longer."
"Nightmares?" He nodded his head. Bowing his head in shame. "Do angels dream?" She asked out loud rather than internally. It meant to be a mental note but came out as a question for Michael.
"Some do. The younger of my siblings talk of them, but as far as I know it's only a selected few…"
"Being as old as you are, I assume a lot goes on in that head." She tapped her index finger across her temple.
Michael shrugged. "A lot more than most," he said defeated.
"Like what?"
"Mmm…"
Michael looked down at the seated cushion. He wasn't sure what exactly to say. He didn't want to get into a session knowing his brother was only a few minutes away. It took a lot for himself to build his reputation back up after the rebellion. A part of him feared Amenadiel wouldn't see him the same anymore. It had taken so much for him to get his siblings to back off and stop codling him. He wasn't sure he could take that kind of humiliation again. Even if he had a better support system now than before.
So, he shrugged his shoulders.
"I can't remember most nights," he lied. "I wake up in night sweats. Heart pounding. Brain jumbled. Skin clammy from sweating all night." He looked down at his open palm and picked at the loose skin that started to toughen from a blister.
"Any night terrors?" She tried catching his attention so they could talk about last night. He looked up to check if she knew, and when their eyes locked, he knew. "Hard to dismiss the bandage on Dan's cheek. He told me he found out."
"Of course he did." Michael tossed his hands in the air. "I suppose last night was a lot to take in. It's only rational that he seek out assistance from you." He tossed his hand around as he explained.
"It must have been a pretty bad dream to have you act in such a way. Can you recall what had happened?"
"Yes…"
"Not ready to talk about it?"
He shook his head. His head dropped back on his palm. Focusing on the loose skin once more.
"I asked Amenadiel to take his time grabbing our lunch. We have…" She checked the time on her watch. "Rough half an hour before he returns. Tell you what." She corrected her seating demonstrating she was more of a friend than his therapist right now. "If you tell me one thing that's on your mind, I'll tell you something about me."
"I don't appreciate the out of the way counseling. And I don't negotiate with therapists." He crossed his arms over his chest, taking a planted stand to how he wanted to go about his visit.
"Alright. Well then I'll talk, since you're being stubborn." She crossed one leg over the other and thought of something that would be worth wild for a Michael to listen to.
"Great…" He mumbled.
She paid him no mind as he grumbled opposite of her.
"I um… I should actually thank you for your advice," she said. Michael locked eyes with her, tilting his head in confusion. "You talked to Amenadiel."
"Ah!" Recognition smacked him right in the face. "Yes. Something needed to be done about that. A gentle shove as you say."
"I… We enjoyed getting out of town and spending that weekend with one another. With Charlie's kidnapping and celestial shenanigans… Well it was nice to have something nice happen for once."
Michael flashed her a smile. He was genuinely happy for them. He was honestly shocked to see that his uptight brother had actually taken the time to reconsolidate his small flame he had with Linda. Children should always be given parents that love one another, not just two individuals that tolerate each other's existence.
"What was that?" Linda perked up as if she heard what he said. Michael looked at her perplexed.
"I'm sorry?"
"You… You shared something. Children should always be given parents that love one another, not just two individuals –"
"How did you… I said that out loud?"
"You did." She plastered a smile on her lips getting a glimpse of his upbringing from another angle. "I understand your childhood —"
"I never had one," he cut her off.
"Your earlier years then. I understand, your parents fought quite a bit." Michael scuffed. "Okay a lot. Remember I've been on the receiving end of your mother's wrath."
"Mom was always a little prickly, but you could hardly fault her. She did have to put up with my father…"
Interesting. He favors his mother.
"Were you close to your mother?" Michael nodded his head. He soon lowered it so she couldn't see the pain of not having her within flying distance. "She was something," Linda said with a chuckle.
"When backed into a corner, yes she was extraordinary." The corners of his lips curled up. "I would often visit her from time to time, without my brother's knowledge."
"Did you?"
"Mm-Hmm. Never broke her out, I knew better, but I uh, I visited…" He looked over at the table that rested between him and Linda. The next words were more to himself, but came out louder than he hoped. "Might have been how I was easily captured."
"Your mother turned you over?"
"No! Dad, no. She would have never done that to me." He addressed it with so much conviction. "I'm just saying I was careless with who I trusted with my secret visits. Once a backstabber, always a backstabber…" He looked away with his jaw tense.
"Sandalphon?"
"Don't say his name," Michael growled.
"Why? Why don't you want me to say his name?" She was curious. No one could fault her for that. Michael had opened up and she was optimistic about what she could get it out of him, despite his feet dragging on the detailing.
"I don't want to talk about my time in Hell."
"Is that what's bothering you? Is that what your nightmares are about?"
"Please, stop…" His actions became one of a caged animal. He uncrossed his legs, opting to bring his limbs close to his body.
"Michael, it's important to talk about these sorts of things. It helps —"
"It's not helping me. It's triggering me."
"And why is that? Why is the name so triggering to you?"
"I don't want to talk about it."
"Michael, if we are to move forward with an actual session we will need to diverge into the more complicated discussion. We can use this time while your brother is away to talk a little about what it is that is bothering you right now. The dream… It triggered you. Dan explained to me that you were crying. Possibly calling out for someone. He was concerned for you. This person, Sandalphon… He's –"
"Enough!" He barked out. The lights in the room began to flickered. Dread and fear seeped so fast into the room, Linda began to panic. It was suffocating. "I told you nicely that I didn't want to talk about anything. Now you –"
A loud cry came from Charlie's room snapping him out of his episode. Michael shook his head and let the room go back to its normal calm nature. He shot up from his seat, horrified that Linda had first hand come into contact with his powers. He went to comfort her, but the woman flinched away.
"I… I'm so sorry. I didn't…" He quickly retracted his hand, backing away from Linda. "I uh… I should go. I'm sorry. I…" Michael watched her fear surface before him. And like a moth to a flame he wanted nothing more to feed off of it, but he pulled away. He couldn't do that to her. He pushed himself over to the front door, pulled open the front door, and flew his way over to the penthouse. Leaving Linda with her mouth wide open with a crying child in the next room.
.
.
Lux
.
Lucifer distracted himself as Chloe and Dan held a brief discussion about their daughter. He wasn't sure what had brought the Detective over to his club, but he was willing to hear her out. She had a right to demand distance between them. Afterall, he had informed Dan that he would allow her the opportunity to process the news safely without his presence.
Once Dan left the building, the place was once again filled with silence. The soft rattling of alcohol bottles moving around played in the background.
"Lucifer?" Chloe called out.
"Hmm?" He looked everywhere and anywhere that wasn't her face.
"Mind looking at me?"
He listened to Chloe walk across the dancefloor, making her way over to him from the piano.
"Whatever for, Detective?"
He side-stepped her advancement, walking toward the piano to grant a barrier between them. He didn't wish to repeat anything from the previous night and if it meant placing the piano between them, well then he would do whatever was necessary.
"Lucifer, why are you…"
Chloe stopped talking as she recalled their last interaction. She stood rooted in her spot as she watched Lucifer run his fingers along his ivory piano keys.
"If you're here to request my distance, I want to let you know that I am now aware that leaving your phone littered with apologies via voicemail was not a good way to mow over our spat from last night. I understand that it might have just driven a greater wedge between us. I did not intend to –"
"That's not why –"
"Please, Detective. I understand you don't wish to be around me at the current moment. So please allow me to cut straight to the point and say –"
"I didn't drive across town to ask you to keep your distance," she blurted out.
"No?" His eyes pulled themselves off the piano and locked onto her. Nothing but a wisp of hope, not even he knew, shined forwards her.
"No."
Chloe shook her head as she rounded the corner. This silly man.
As she stood before him, her hand came to rest along his cheek. As if touch deprived, Lucifer leaned into her warmth.
"Look at you… You look like you didn't get an ounce of sleep. What did you do to yourself?" She smoothed over the dark lines that rested under his eyes.
"I've had rougher nights, Darling." Was all he said.
"Oh, Lucifer." She pulled him over to the piano bench so she could get a better look at him. He obliged without hesitation, placing himself on the piano bench before her.
His hands rested on his lap as he let Chloe fuss over him. He wished to voice his concern as to why she was at his club, but voted against it. He didn't wish to highlight her brief change of mind. So instead, Lucifer sat idly and watched Chloe walk away to grab a discarded chair. She placed it in front of him so she could fix the stray hairs that had managed to free themselves of his hair product.
A smile spread across her lips as he tried to protest. She quickly batted his hands away as she fused over him like the mother she was. When she was done trying to figure out how to address last night's mishap, Chloe pulled her hands off of Lucifer. She sat back in her chair and looked down at her hands that too rested on her lap.
Lucifer allowed himself the opportunity to rack his eyes over her. She looked tired. Her hair was in a messy bun. No doubt from her abrupt change of plans in the day. Her eyes were a little swollen. She's been crying all night.
A frown crept onto his lips. He did that.
He thought about reaching out and grabbing onto her hand, but voted against it. She had no problem with touching him, but he wasn't sure that was an invitation for him to do the same. Flashes of her pulling away from him played on replay. So he kept his hands to himself and waited for her to talk.
"I tried calling you on your cell…"
"Apologies… After the urchin called me requesting I stop calling your cell, I just thought I'd solve our problems by chucking my cell phone off the balcony."
"You threw your phone off the building?" Her head turned towards the front door as if she'd be able to see it with x-ray vision. "Lucifer…"
"I do understand that it might have been a little drastic, seeing as you did say you tried calling me..."
"What am I to do with you," she mumbled. Not a single cheeky response came from him. "I uh… I came over to talk to you about the way I reacted last night. I –"
"No, Detective. I'm sorry for how I –"
"Lucifer…" She shook her head as she tried to get him to let her talk first. She reached her hand out and grabbed onto the closet hand he could offer. She gave it a squeeze to assure him she needed to express her apology. "Please, let me say what I have to say."
"Okay…"
She brought his hand close to her chest. They were so much bigger than hers, but she did everything she could to engulf his hand in hers. She brought his hand up to her lips and placed kisses along the knuckles on his fingers. She wished to kiss the sting he must have felt when she pulled away from his stretched hand. She needed him to know she didn't fear his touch.
"I'm sorry about last night. I'm sorry I acted the way I did. It was completely unacceptable. I –"
"Detective… Chloe." He knew how much she cared for the use of her name in times like these. And he would use everything he had to prove to her that he was serious. "You never have to be sorry about –"
"Lucifer, please. I know you are trying to express your reasoning, but I really need you to let me apologize without interruption. I need to do this. I need to…"
One look at the broken gleam in his eyes had her floored. Tears pooled in her eyes. She leaned forward, discarding his hand, opting to place them on the sides of his face. She smoothed the unkempt hair that resided meeting his sideburns.
"I am so sorry for how I acted. I regretted it the minute Michael left behind you. I…"
She shook her head as she tried to come up with an excuse. There was no excuse that could explain her reasoning for how she yelled at him. She overreacted. She underestimated Lucifer. Her best friend. She once again let him down. She pulled away from him when all he was trying to do was fill her on with missing information.
"I let my anger of you holding another secret from me cloud my judgment. I only saw the secret and not the reasoning. I overreacted. I never should have raised my voice to you. I didn't take into account how hard that conversation must have been for you to tell me."
Lucifer lowered his eyes, avoiding eye contact. She was right. It was hard for him. And she had gone ahead and played right into his fears. Chole lowered one of her hands so it rested under his chin. She lifted it up so he could meet her eyes.
"Ella mentioned you were freaking out before I arrived at the apartment. You were afraid you would lose me? Lucifer…" Her hand crept up to the side of his face once again. She strokes her right hand along his, longer than usual, scruff. "You never have to worry about losing me. I know I say that now after last night, but I'm here to assure you, I'm not going anywhere."
"What if –" Chloe cut him off, she knew what he was about to suggest.
"This isn't about your father's supposed plan. I genuinely want to be with you. I've spent the better half of five years denying that we wouldn't be a good couple. But Lucifer…" She forced him to look into her eyes. "I'm done fighting that pull. You mentioned that I was created for you and that if we are together, that takes away from my free will. But I don't feel that way. I could have been with you all this time. I could have fallen for you like any other late night conquest you've brought into your bed, but I didn't." She ran her thumbs along his cheek bones. God, you're beautiful. "Your Devil mojo doesn't work on me, never has. If I was made for you, wouldn't you think that would work? If I wasn't affected by your desire shtick then I would believe I had no free will, but Lucifer…" She dropped her hands and traded his face for his large hands. She scooted closer to him, squeezing his hands for good measure. "We don't know anything. This is all speculation. You don't…" She shook her head, correcting her words. "We don't know what any of this actually means." Lucifer nodded his head in understanding. "I can't stress how much I want to forget my reaction to last night. If I could I would –"
"You reacted as you should have, Detective… I never thought you would take this realization without trepidation. I…" His eyes dropped down to their hands. Chloe's hands barely managed to take up much of the surface area. He let them rest against her palms, helpless to move them should she never touch him again. "I hold no ill will towards your reaction to finally getting the truth of your existence. I had planned for this moment."
"It doesn't seem like that plan worked its way through." She looked over the dark rings along his eyes. The smell of alcohol hung faintly through his expensive cologne. Her hands moved up his forearm. A teasing smile spread across his lips.
"Mmm… I assume I'm not as well put together as I would have hoped." He tried pulling away, but Chloe kept him in place.
"Nor am I."
"You have an excuse..."
"As do you..." She rubbed circles with her thumbs along his forearm. She looked down, ashamed of how their little fight last night had affected him.
"Chloe…"
He picked his arms up, this time mimicking her actions of cupping the sides of her face. His thumbs brushed away the tears that once again collected at the base of her eyelids. I could get lost in those eyes. "I…" He wanted to pour his heart out explaining how he could take anything she threw at him, but the words fell short. The words always fell short. It never failed.
So instead, he just kissed her. He poured everything he could into that singular kiss. He was far better than the mess of words he knew weren't going to come out right.
But as soon as he kissed her, he felt Chloe tense. He wasn't sure if it was from surprise or distress, but he quickly tried to pull away. By a work of God, he felt her hands latch onto the lapels of his jacket, holding him in place. A smile spread across his lips. Surprised it is then.
He parted his lips, capturing hers between his.
The kiss stayed PG. No sign of tongue to commemorate their shared understanding. Instead, he rested his forehead against her. Slipping his fingers between hers. The room around them had been silent during their whole discussion, blissfully unaware of the employees working behind the bar, putting alcohol away from their inventory log. But as the moment between them seemed to stretch, they soon became aware they weren't the only ones in the club. Bottles rattled in the distance forcing Chloe to pull away.
"I completely forgot I came over during inventory night. I didn't mean to take you away from work. I just stopped by to –"
"I wasn't working when you arrived. This is still my brother's mess until I return for good. You weren't interrupting anything."
"Oh."
He wasn't sure what that singular word meant in a conversation like this, but he took a leap of faith and got up from his seat on the piano bench. He offered his hand to Chloe, helping her up as she held out her hand.
"I assume you're on your lunch break." She nodded her head. "I…" He looked around trying to recall the conversation he had with Patrick not too long ago. "I don't have much food in the penthouse, but maybe you'd allow me to take you out to lunch. Something small of course, I understand you have a case to get back to." His thumb absently rubbed circles on her hand, secretly telling her he didn't want her to leave.
"I'd like that actually." She smiled up at him. "Food truck around the corner?"
"Whatever you want, Darling."
His hand left her arm, gently nudging her off the dancefloor to the front door. Upset he dropped her hand, she collected his hand back into her possession, pulling him out of Lux. She didn't miss the way his lips curled as she escorted them out of the building.
.
Don't worry more on Chloe and Lucifer will be discussed in the next chapter. I just felt something needed to be covered now. I am not sure as to when the next chapter will be posted. I am starting my February challenge next month. Keep an eye out for smut! I have a few already ready to be uploaded. As Fuckruary challenge is just around the corner expect slow delay on this story. I promise the next one will be worth it! Until then, Happy Smut month to come!