Switcheroo Day Part 3

With Max Martinez as their only suspect, Jophiel took it upon herself and volunteered to go after him. And thanks to his file, Jophiel had his address.

Lucifer and Maze showed no signs of worry because they knew her best, whereas the others showed great concern. Especially Chloe. Before she had a chance to leave, Chloe stopped Jophiel in her tracks with the intention of preventing her colleague and friend from walking into a clearly dangerous situation.

Chloe: Whoa, whoa, Joei, are you going to track down this guy all by yourself?

Jophiel: Yeah. (Proceeds to leave, but Chloe continuous to stand her way) Although, I'll be running late unless you move.

Chloe: Now hold on, Joei. Think about this. Going after Max Martinez alone could be dangerous. I mean, this guy might've killed our victim.

Jophiel: Which is exactly why I'm going out to hunt him down and bring him back here so we can question him. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to pass by now.

Chloe: I'm sorry, Joei, but this whole thing is just too dangerous. it's one thing hunting down a petty bounty just to win a bet, but stumbling upon a murder that somehow connects to an active drug ring is whole other thing. We have to call this whole bet off before one of us, specifically you, gets hurt.

Jophiel: Chloe, will you all relax. I'm not an eejit, I know what I'm doing. I've had years of intense physical training. (Knowing Lucifer and Maze are about to make a sexual pun) Don't. Point being, I'll be fine. And if anything goes wrong, I'll call for backup. Now, will you please let me pass so I can do the job I've been assigned for the day?

Against her own judgement, Chloe finally stepped aside and allowed Jophiel to walk pass her. Except, in that very moment, Chloe began to see another side to Jophiel. A more reckless and arrogant side. Much like Lucifer and Maze. And the mere thought of that greatly concerned her.

Even though she already trusts her, Chloe still couldn't help but wonder… 'What if Jophiel is just as violent and aggressive as Lucifer and Maze are? Would that make Jophiel just as dangerous and unpredictably reckless? Would that mean she could be secretly involved with suspiciously dangerous activities too? Or worse, could this whole thing eventually lead to Jophiel ending up in either jail, a hospital or even in the morgue?'

Regardless, the true question that remained was… were these troublesome thoughts coming from a concerned friend or from an overprotective and overly paranoid mother who has absolutely no control over the situation?

Elsewhere, Jophiel eventually located Max's apartment building. She walked up the stairs until she reached the outside of his door, only to discover that it had been kicked opened. So she slowly took out her tazer, gently pushed the door further open and made her way into Max's flat.

Upon entering, the area was completely wrecked as if a brawl had taken place. So far, the place seemed vacant until… Jophiel heard weak moans coming from the kitchen. She went to investigate and in doing so, she found Max lying on the floor and beaten half to death! Once she checked his pulse, she reached into her back pocket, pulled out her phone and called an ambulance.

Meanwhile, back at the precinct, Chloe and Maze continued to work in the lab. Although, ever since Jophiel left, Chloe had been venting out her concerns for Jophiel through Maze. (Completely unaware that she was secretly listening to music through her earphones, completely unable to hear Chloe and therefore ignoring her worries) That is until Lucifer came in requesting a forensics report for another case. When he saw Chloe still ranting over Jophiel's wellbeing…

Lucifer: Oh, for goodness sake, you need to stop worrying so much, Detective. As I said before, Jophiel is perfectly capable of looking after herself. She's been doing this sort thing for a long time.

Chloe: I know, it's just that… Ugh! Why is your sister so incredibly stubborn?

Lucifer: *Chuckles* You're bringing up this very question right now? She's been this way ever since she left the Silver-City. Always wanting to challenge and prove herself worthy of her own capabilities. Even taking on careers that I'm surprised she was even qualified for.

Chloe: Really? So, has Joei taken on jobs similar to bounty hunting?

Lucifer: I should think so. If my memory serves, she did once mention spending a year in Iraq taking pictures for the army.

Unknowingly to the trio, a bored Ella came in hoping to find something interesting to do before the day ended. So when she walked in and overheard Lucifer saying how the woman who became her partner and best friend, and has been working with for over year used to be a military photographer…

Ella: Joei was a military photographer?!

Lucifer: Did I not just say that? Yes, Jophiel was a military photographer.

Chloe: How long was she in Iraq?

Lucifer: I don't know? A year. A year and a half, maybe. Though, it doesn't really matter at this point because she hasn't been in the forces in years.

Maze: (Finally taking out her earphones) And anyway, what are you doing in here, Ellen? You're not forfeiting the bet, are you?

Ella: What, no. No, I just thought I'd come in and help out. Maybe even give a couple of pointers for the newbies.

Chloe: Ah… No, I think we're good for the time being.

Ella: Oh, come on! Please let me help. I am so board and there's nothing for me to do at the desk. Honestly, what do you do all day, Lucifer?

Lucifer: Hang out at LUX, get laid, drink, play the piano, avoid all the boring paperback. Distinctly in that order. Damn, how I miss that.

Over at the hospital, Max was immediately brought into the ER. Soon enough, a doctor notified Jophiel that Max was in stable condition but currently unconscious and it was unknown when or if he'd awaken. (His main injury was blunt force trauma to the head.) Leading to the question, who broke into Max's apartment and attacked him?

Luckily, shortly before the paramedics arrived, Jophiel found and searched through Max's phone and wrote down the list of his contacts and all the places he previously went to before returning his apartment. In addition, she also found Buster's name on the list. They were text messages to Buster on when and where he was so supposed to meet Max.

Curious about Buster's involvement and the rest of Max's contacts, Jophiel returned to the precinct in the hopes of retrieving answers. Before asking Lucifer to look over the list, she first needed to narrow down the list of suspects, so after making a cup of tea and grabbing a chocolate bar from the snack-machine, Jophiel approached Buster who was currently taking a nap on a bench.

Jophiel: Buster, Buster, wake up.*Handing Buster a chocolate bar and a cup of tea* Hey, everything alright?

Buster: *Yawns* Yeah. *Groans & stretches before fully waking up and accepting the tea and…* Ooh, a Twix bar! My favourite. *Quickly unwraps and digests the bar before sipping his tea and asking…* So, did you find Max yet?

Jophiel: I did.

Buster: Really? Then where is he?

Jophiel: Presently incapacitated after I found him beaten half to death in his own flat.

Buster: *Spit-takes his own tea* What?! By who? You?

Jophiel: No! Which is why I'm back here. (Shows Buster the list) Do any of these names or numbers look familiar to you?

Buster: (Reading through the list) Huh. That's interesting.

Jophiel: What is?

# Turns out some of the names on the list, Buster recognized them as the people he sold pasties to. Which isn't really surprising because he told Max about them in the hopes that he wouldn't raise Buster's blackmail money. Max got more clients and Buster loses less money. And It worked… "Briefly." Anyway, this whole thing confirms what we already know, that Buster, Max, Turk and maybe some of the people on the list are connected.

Afterwards, certain names on the list were already highlighted and Jophiel finally approached Lucifer with them. When she informed of the situation with Max currently unconscious at the hospital and how Turk and the two men he sent after Buster more than likely caused it, Lucifer solemnly agreed to look into the names and numbers.

Beforehand, Chloe was exiting from the lab when she overheard Jophiel and Lucifer talking. The moment she heard about Jophiel finding Max beaten and then sent to the hospital while also recovering the list that might link Turk... it caused Chloe to snap and confront Jophiel. Although, because she didn't want to make a scene in the middle of the precinct the two ladies then made their way into an empty interrogation room.

Chloe: (Once inside the interrogation room) *Angrily confronts Jophiel* Okay, Joei, I'm sorry to have to say this, but I 'really' think it's time we call off the this bet right now because you are getting way in over your head.

Jophiel: What are you talking about? I've been doing just fine. I found our suspect with no problem, didn't I?

Chloe: You found our prime suspect beaten into coma! How do you know someone wasn't following you or how do you know Max is even safe at the hospital because you left him unattended?

Jophiel: Because I know a security guard at the hospital who owes me a favour and he said he'd watch over Max for me. And believe me, if someone was following me, I'd know it. And by the way, you don't decided what I can or can't do here. Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to see if Luci's looking into those names.

Chloe: Now, hold on, Joei. We should talk about this. Look, do you know how dangerous a drug operation can get? How easily it can spiral out of control when you take one wrong step and some innocent civilian gets hurt?

Jophiel: Yes, I do. I'm in my right mind and right now, I need to follow a new lead. (Chloe attempts to stand in her way again, which only irritates her more) Chloe, I'm warning you now, do not piss me off. I have a friend who's running out of places to bury the bodies.

Chloe: Oh, so you know a gangster now?

Jophiel: No, he's a gravedigger. And was that last part supposed to mean?

Before she could answer, Dan came in saying in a rather surprised tone, 'Lucifer found something', and requested that everyone see it. In addition, when he sensed the tension between the two women, he slightly regretted walking in.

As for the lead, while the ladies were busy arguing amongst themselves, Lucifer did as he was asked, looked into the names Jophiel gave him until he found one that sticked out. One of the names was a man who works at local pharmacy that prescribes cannabis. The reason this was brought was up was because they suspected that this particular man is secretly using the pharmacy as a front to sell cannabis illegally to criminals. The only question was how did this finding to connect Max and Turk?

Curious, the group decided to discuss the matter in the conference room. From what they could gather, the man in question is named Peter Wilick, he has no criminal record but was suspended for 6 months in high school after he, and a few friends were caught smoking pot by the janitor in the school attic.

Jophiel: Alright, then let's head down to the pharmacy and see if he's now gotten into the habit of selling pot to the criminal world.

Chloe: Now, hold on…

Jophiel: No, I won't be going alone. Okay, so… Dan, Ella, would either of you mind accompanying me?

The moment she was asked, Ella eagerly agreed to go. Finally, she could leave the preicint and hopefully do something exciting with her new partner and best friend. Before leaving, Jophiel asked if Chloe, Lucifer and Maze would watch Buster while she's gone.

Maze: What are we supposed to do with him?

Jophiel: Keep him company, have a chat with him, don't bone him and most importantly, keep him alive.

Maze: Ugh, why do you have to take the fun out of it? Also, since when have we become your personal babysitters?

Jophiel: Because I asked you to. And don't worry, Buster's easy-going, you probably won't even know he's here. Now, the three of us gotta head out. Oh, before I forget, there's something you should know about Buster.

Chloe: What?

Jophiel: Well, you know how most people think before they're about to say or do something?

Chloe: Yeah…

Jophiel: Yeah, Buster doesn't have that. Anyway, good luck and have fun.

Just as Jophiel, Dan and Ella were leaving, they were passing Buster as he was waving to them. Once they were already gone, Chloe, Lucifer and Maze looked to Buster and thought, 'Well, this day just keeps getting better and better' as they were now stuck with a man-child.

(City overview song: Won't Go Down Easy by JAXSON GAMBLE)

Later on, Jophiel, Ella and Dan drove over to pharmacy where they encountered Peter. He was in the middle of stacking up the shelves when the trio announced themselves.

Jophiel: Excuse me, are you Peter Wilick?

Peter: Yes. Can you help you?

Dan: Depends. (Shows his badge) Can you answer a few questions?

The moment he saw the police badge, Peter suddenly dropped everything from his hands and bolted towards the door until he was already outside and running down the street. Of course, the trio pursued him. They chased him down an alleyway, but Peter was able to get the upper hand when he climbed over a fence and made to the other side.

While Dan and Ella went another way in the hopes of catching up with him, Jophiel continued going forward by gracefully leaping over the fence and then using her celestial speed to proceed chasing after Peter.

By the time she finally caught up with him, Peter was back on the footpath, as was Ella and Dan, but before Peter could attempt to run again, Jophiel popped out and pounced onto him until they landed in a large pile of garbage bags. Ella and Dan stood astonished by Jophiel's actions until…

Jophiel: (While pinning down Peter) *Clears throat* Isn't this the part where one of you slips on the cuffs?

Dan: Oh, right. Right. (Takes out his handcuffs and arrests Peter before walking him back to the car and bringing him back to the precinct)

Speaking of which, Buster was sitting at Lucifer's temporally desk, watching him chat with the unis. As he continued to wait, Buster looked around until his eyes were drawn to the 'two attractive women working in the laboratory.' (Especially the extra sexy woman in black leather) Wanting the chance to meet them, Buster snuck away from Lucifer and made his way into the lab. Upon entering…

Buster: Helllooo, ladies. (Instantly regrets his decision to walk in when Maze violently shoves him against the door) No, no! Don't hurt me, I'm just a Buster!

Chloe: Maze!

Buster: (After Maze realises him) *Gasps for air* Thank you, Miss. I just wanted to pop in and say hello.

Maze: Great, now you've said it. So get out.

Chloe: Maze! I'm sorry about her. Maze is just… Maze. Anyway, I don't think we've been properly introduced, I'm detective Decker and… well, you've already met Maze.

Buster: I have. *Whispering to Chloe* And she is exactly as Joei described. So, uh, you're really a detective?

Chloe: Yeah, why?

Buster: Well, don't get me wrong, but I think you are much too sexy to be a detective.

Chloe was now seeing what Jophiel meant when she said Buster doesn't actually think when he's about to say something. He speaks freely to a great content. Which suited well with Chloe because she wanted to learn more about Buster Maguire. Who he was, why he was undocumented, why Jophiel seems close to him and why she's so protective of him.

Speaking of Jophiel, she, Ella and Dan returned with Peter still in handcuffs. Because of Jophiel's surprise attack, Peter now had a sprained wrist and shiner below his right eye. While Dan was busy escorting him into the interrogation room, the girls took this moment to check on Buster and the others. But when they were unable to see Buster in the main area…

Jophiel: Hey, Luci, where's Buster?

Lucifer: I don't know.

Jophiel: You don't know? Well, where did you seem him last? (Before hearing an answer, she, Lucifer and Ella instead hear the sound of glass shattering in the lab) Oh, dear. (Makes her way towards the lab)

Ella: (Following Jophiel) They better now have broken my favourite beaker.

Lucifer: *Sarcastically* I don't know where Buster is but I would recommend checking the lab.

When they entered the lab, the object that fell wasn't Ella's favourite beaker, but it was an empty test tube that fell after Buster accidently shoved it off the counter.

Buster: Don't worry, I can clean this up. Not the first time I've broken glass. (Begins to carefully pick up the glass and places the pieces into a bin.

# It's really not. I love Buster but he is unbelievable clumsy and has an uncontrollable habit of breaking everything he touches. Like the time he went swinging in the park until the chains snapped and he went rolling down the hill until he landed in the pond. He was fine even when a gaggle of angry geese chased after him. *Snickers* Yeah, it's not that funny.

Maze: Okay, seriously, Joei, how do you know this loser?

Jophiel: My fault. I saved his life once.

Buster: Oy, that hurts. I'm not made of stone, you know?

Maze: You don't strike me as a pebble either.

Jophiel: Maze. Come on, Buster. Let get us get the dustpan and brush to clean up the rest of the glass from the cupboard in the corner there.

Buster: Kay.

Chloe: What did you mean when you said you saved his life?

Jophiel: His life was in danger and I saved it.

Chloe: Very funny. Hey, where's Dan?

Ella: Oh, he's just placing our suspect into the interrogation room. Oh, man, Chloe you should've been out there to see Joei in action. She was awesome.

Jophiel: Oh, come now, Ella…

Ella: No, it's true. You see, our suspect tried to make a run for it, so of course, we chased after him, right? But then, he jumped over a fence, so Dan and I went after him in the opposite direction. But this woman right here… I don't know what she did exactly, but whatever she did, Miss Jophiel Dina was able to catch up with our perp before we could and then she pummelled him to ground. It was epic.

Jophiel: Ah, it was nothing.

Ella: Nothing? Jo, you were like a pouncing tiger. You should've been there to see it, Chloe.

Chloe: Mm-hmm, yeah, I probably should of. Ah… I think I'm just gonna go check on Dan.

As soon as Chloe left the lab, she walked across the room until she was in the observation with Dan. He was currently strategizing on how to approach Peter in the hopes of collecting information on Turk and the attack on Max.

Chloe: Hey, Dan. Is Peter Wilick?

Dan: Yeah. I still can't believe Joei was the one who took him down. Chloe, should've seen her. She really gave this guy a wallop. I didn't even see her coming. I don't even know how she got to him so fast.

Chloe: I know, Ella told me. Anyway, what you do got on Peter?

Dan: Nothing much yet. But I think he might know something but is probably too scared to say something. Otherwise, he wouldn't have run when I showed him my badge. So, got any ideas?

It was probably one of those moments where they wished they could call off the bet and let Lucifer walk into the room so he could use his mojo on Peter and get them the answers they need. Except, if Lucifer did, he'd been doing his original job as a consultant and risk forfeiting the bet.

But alas, because the bet was lasting for another four hours, they were reduced to interrogating Peter the old fashion way. So Dan was left to simply walk in with Peter's file and ask him the basic questions while also using detective methods that would hopefully gain him some anwers.

As for Chloe, throughout the case thus far, the main reason why Chloe has been so cautious and overly concerned for Jophiel's wellbeing was because in her eyes, Chloe sees Jophiel as this sweet, innocent young woman who makes smart and sensible choices and who would never knowingly put herself in danger.

So when Jophiel said she was taking on Maze's job as a bounty hunter, Chloe instantly switched to mother mode because she knew how dangerous it would be. Especially given the kind of criminals Maze brings them. But when she saw Jophiel in her new attire, hearing how she's single handily tracking down bounties/suspects and how she keeps defending herself every time Chloe questions her… Well, it was causing Chloe to slowly question her judgement about Jophiel.

Meanwhile in the main area, Buster was back sitting at Lucifer's desk, colouring in a colouring page that's usually left for the children who wait for their parents.

# I'd figured giving a couple of pages would keep him busy for a while until we figure what to do next.

As Buster continued to colour, Lucifer came back wanting a short break from walking all over the place. Although, when he looked over and saw Buster colouring next to him, the wheels in Buster's head suddenly started moving. He grew curious as to why his sister was protective how this young man sitting before him. What importance did he have to her? She clearly wasn't sleeping with him because Buster didn't seem like Jophiel's type. So why does this man-child matter to Jophiel?

Lucifer: Hello again, Buster.

Buster: Hiya. How are you Mr Morningstar?

Lucifer: Fine. So, we never really had a chance to chat earlier at the crime scene.

Buster: Oh, yeah. That body was disgusting. I thought I was going to be sick.

Lucifer: Yeah, that would have been quite the scene. Anyway, what I've been meaning to ask is… why does my sister care for you. I mean, what exactly makes you worthy of her protection? Do you owe her money?

Buster: Yes, but I don't think that's it.

Lucifer: Fine. Are you leveraging her? Because if you are…

Buster: Jesus, no. Are you kidding me? Joei saved my life and she didn't even have to. She brought me out here; helped me get a flat, find me a job. She's even helped me to go straight…"ish." I would never do something like that to Joei. And even if I did she'd kill me.

Lucifer: Well, technically she can't. But if she could, she definitely would. But besides that, Buster… 'What else do you desire from my sister?'

Buster: *Easily entranced* I want to get myself together so I can letting Jophiel down.

Lucifer: Oh. And why do you want to stop letting her down? Are you hoping she'll reward with sex if you actually achieve something?

Buster: *Chuckles* I wish. I mean, your sister is… Anyway, it's nothing like that. Joei gave and sacrificed so much for me. All because mi ma made her promise to look after me before she died. And all I do is keep getting fired and screwing up. So, basically I'm letting down both Joei and mi ma. And sooner or later my boss is going to find out what I have been up to and I'm going to get fired again. Not to mention with this whole ordeal with Max, I'm probably going to lose all mi money too.

Hearing Buster express his worries and concerns allowed Lucifer to see why Jophiel cares for him. He may not be bright, but there is sense of loyalty in Buster. Which is why Lucifer decided to offer Buster… "A favour.*

Hi, Readers. Sorry this took so long, Shortly after returning home from Australia, I came down with a nasty cold for a couple of weeks and I've been having major writers block while writing this story. Don't worry, there's still another chapter Anyway, I've decided to take some time off from this story so I can focus others until I've sorted my block. Also this week this is my birthday so I'll definitely be needing a break. Hope you've enjoyed what I've done so far, by.