By the end of the day, Lucifer was extremely grateful he'd agreed to let the detective watch Charlie for a few hours. He thought he was tired before, but he was exhausted now. He needed at least a few hours of uninterrupted sleep.
Soon, Charlie began to make a few noises from his bassinet in the living room.
Lucifer went over to the baby and peered at him. He was moving around and making baby noises, but he wasn't crying, much to Lucifer's delight. Lucifer smiled slightly and placed his hand on Charlie's stomach. "Decided to give crying a break, huh? I most definitely approve."
Just then, there was a ding from the elevator. Lucifer expected to see the detective when he turned around, but he found Maze there instead. "Hello, Mazikeen. I was wondering when or if you'd return. I trust you were off blowing off some steam."
"Not nearly enough," Maze said as she approached him. Her eyes drifted to the baby laying next to him. He was the last part of Linda left in the world.
"You're welcome to hold him if you'd like," Lucifer told her.
Maze immediately took a giant step back. "Woah! No, I can't hold a kid."
Lucifer chuckled before reaching into the bassinet and picking Charlie up. "I thought the same thing, but it will be alright, as long as you keep his head up. I can show you how."
Maze hesitantly stepped forward. "Maybe for a minute."
Lucifer gently transferred Charlie into Maze's arms and helped position Maze's arms so that she was supporting his head.
Maze was extremely nervous. She'd never held a baby before. She'd never even been in direct contact with a kid this small before. But she managed to calm down a little, and looked down at the only connection she had left to her best friend. "He looks mostly like Amenadiel."
"Yes, I suppose. That's where the comparison will end, I'm sure," Lucifer said. He intended to teach Charlie to face his responsibilities. He would teach him not to run away when he was frightened. He didn't intend to bad mouth Amenadiel, but he did plan to make sure he didn't make the same mistakes.
"You better make sure it is. Linda would want him to be better than that. She should be here to teach him that, and everything else he needs to learn," Maze said.
"Yes, I said something similar," Lucifer said sadly. He thought of Linda whenever he looked at Charlie, and how unfair it was that he wouldn't get the chance to know her.
"You should take him back now. I don't want to accidently drop him or something," Maze said.
Lucifer took the boy back into his arms and gently bounced him
Just then, the elevator dinged again. This time, it was Chloe.
"Hello, Detective. Thank you for doing this," Lucifer said.
"Of course," Chloe said before walking over to Maze. "Maze, I'm glad you're back. We've all been worried about you."
"I'm fine. At least I will be when Lucifer flies me to Hell," Maze said.
"Maze, please…"
"I need to know that Linda isn't there," Maze interrupted Chloe. It took her a while to think of where Linda might have ended up. She was in too much pain to think about it at first, and then she was trying to keep herself busy by taking as many jobs as she could, but she finally remembered exactly where Linda feared she'd end up.
"What are you talking about? Of course, she's not in Hell. Why would you believe that?" Lucifer asked as though it were ridiculous. Linda was one of the best people he'd ever met. There was no doubt in his mind that she deserved to go straight up to Heaven.
"Because she believed she would go to Hell," Maze told him.
Lucifer's eyes widened a bit. If Linda believed she'd go to Hell, she just might have. It meant she felt guilty about something substantial, which might have dragged her down to Hell. "Very well. We will go, and I will carry Linda's soul to Heaven myself if I have to, Father's ban be damned!"
"You really think she could be in Hell?" Chloe asked in horror.
"I don't know, but if she is, I refuse to leave her there. Detective, I know you offered to watch Charlie so I could sleep, but I need to do this. I won't be gone long. It should only be a few minutes," Lucifer said.
"That's all it will take for you to find out if she's there?" Chloe asked surprised.
"No, I'll be gone much longer than that, but here, it will only be a few minutes. Time moves differently in Hell," Lucifer told her.
Chloe nodded and took Charlie from Lucifer. "Do what you need to. I'll make sure Charlie's okay."
"Let's go. I'm going with you," Maze said.
"Will you come back, Maze?" Chloe asked.
"I haven't decided yet," Maze said before stepping closer to Lucifer, who picked her up and flew away.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Lucifer ended up being in Hell much longer than he anticipated. Thankfully, he'd managed to find out quickly enough that Linda was not in Hell, which meant her soul was in the Silver City. However, he discovered Hell was in bad shape, and the demons had been planning on finding a way to Earth when he arrived. The fact that they were planning that when he'd been very clear about what would happen if any of them possessed someone said a lot. He needed to reign them in, and he needed to get them, and Hell, back under control. Unfortunately, he could not gain that control, nor keep it, from Earth. He hated it, but he didn't see any other option than to remain in Hell.
Lucifer soon heard the door to his office open and slam closed. He looked up from his desk to see Maze.
"I know what you're thinking. Don't you dare!" Maze snarled.
"What choice do I have, Maze? Hell is dismantling. In my absence, the demons have abandoned their duties, and attempted to stage a coup! Clearly they cannot be left to their own devices," Lucifer said.
"So, make sure they know the consequences if they fall out of line again. Scare the hell out of them!" Maze yelled.
"That won't work indefinitely. They will try again! You know they will, Maze. They need a leader," Lucifer said. He hated this. He hated Hell. It was why he left. He never planned on coming back, at least not long term. He never imagined the demons would stop doing what they were meant to. "I have to stay. Hell is my responsibility."
"Charlie is your responsibility!" she growled loudly.
"Yes!" Lucifer yelled back, his eyes turning red. He knew Charlie was his responsibility, and he didn't want to leave him. He could hardly believe it, but it had been barely a week, and he missed the child, to the point where he even missed his wailing. But he had no choice. "And if demons come to Earth, his life will be in danger. I have to protect him! Someone has to keep the demons in line!"
Maze slowly nodded. She could see his point. If Dromos had done as he'd planned, he and his group could've put Linda's baby in danger, as well as everyone else on the planet. Someone did need to keep them under control, but it couldn't be Lucifer. His place was with Charlie. "I'll stay. I'll keep the demons under control."
"What?" Lucifer asked.
"You're right, someone has to be here, but not you. Your place is on Earth. That's your home. Charlie needs you there. I'll protect him from here, by keeping the demons away," Maze said.
"That's impossible. You can't rule Hell. Only a celestial can," Lucifer said.
"I can't rule, but I can command in your absence, as your second in command. That's what I've always done anyway. The other demons will obey me. Half of them are loyal to me and the other half are afraid of me. I can keep them in line, especially if you put the fear of the devil in them before you go," Maze told him.
Lucifer thought about it for a few moments. What Maze said was true. If he put Maze in charge in his stead, after setting Hell and the demons right, of course, they would follow her. She was the only one other than himself that they feared. However, it was a lot to ask. "Are you sure, Maze?
Maze nodded. "I wasn't sure I was going to leave anyway. If I did, it would've just been so I could protect Linda's baby. It seems I can do that best from here. Earth was never really my home. I never fit in completely. I'm better off here. You're better off on Earth."
"Thank you. I will remember this sacrifice," Lucifer said.
"Thank me by keeping Charlie safe and making him happy. If you don't, I'll find a way back, and I will beat your ass," Maze promised.
"I would expect nothing less," Lucifer said with a smile. "Well, I'll need to fix things here first, which will take a couple of weeks at the least."
"Let's get started then," Maze said before heading out of the room. Lucifer got up as well and followed her.
Xxxxxxxxxxx
Chloe was starting to get worried. It had been about three hours since Lucifer and Maze left for Hell. Normally, that wouldn't be a long enough period of time to be worried, but Lucifer had told her they'd only be gone a few minutes. He also said it would be much longer for him. She wondered how long they'd actually been in Hell. She imagined that a few minutes was a few hours of a few days in Hell, which meant that three hours would be significantly longer. Were they okay? Did something happen to them down there?
Soon there was a ding to the elevator, followed by a very loud, yet cheerful voice. "Luce!"
Charlie immediately started to cry.
Chloe turned and glared at Eve, who made her way into the living room. "Damn it, Eve. He just fell asleep."
"Oh, hi, Detective. What are you doing here?" Eve asked.
Chloe didn't answer. Instead, she picked Charlie up and started to bounce him. "It's okay, Charlie."
"Where's Lucifer?" Eve asked.
"He went with Maze to Hell to make sure Linda's soul wasn't there," Chloe said.
"And he asked you to stay with the baby?" Eve asked, not sounding happy about it.
"He couldn't leave him alone, Eve," Chloe said before putting Charlie back in his bassinet. He wasn't asleep yet, but he'd stopped crying. "Besides, I'd already agreed to watch Charlie, so he could take a break. He's exhausted.
"Yeah, the baby's always crying. I knew it would be awful. I'm sure Lucifer hates it too," Eve said. She kept waiting for Lucifer to give up and give the baby back. She was sure he would eventually. He'd get sick of the crying soon.
"I'm sure he doesn't like the crying, but he loves Charlie," Chloe said. Lucifer hadn't said that to her out loud yet, but she knew he did. He was very attentive to that baby, even if sometimes he wished he didn't have to be. Every parent had moments where they wondered why in the world they decided to have kids, but they loved their kids. Lucifer felt the same about Charlie.
As if one cue, a noise could be heard on the balcony. Lucifer walked through the door a second later.
"Lucifer, thank goodness. I was getting worried. Are you okay? Where's Maze?" Chloe asked.
"I'm fine. She had to stay," Lucifer said quickly before turning his attention to the baby laying next to her. He couldn't believe how terribly he missed Charlie. He hadn't thought he had such an attachment to the boy, but being without him for weeks proved he did. "Charlie."
Chloe gently tucked on Lucifer's arm when he went to pick Charlie up. "Uh, Lucifer, do you wanna change first. You've got what looks like ash all over you."
Lucifer immediately stopped and looked himself over. He'd forgotten. He supposed he'd gotten used to it. "Oh, yes. The bloody stuff rains with it in Hell constantly. You're right. I should shower and change first."
"Did something happen in Hell? You were gone a lot longer than you said," Chloe said.
"Yes, I'm sorry about that. Things were bad down there. I had to fix them," Lucifer said.
"What about Linda?"
"That was the only good news. She wasn't there. Her soul is in the Silver City, where she belongs," he said.
Chloe nodded, happy to hear it. "So, I guess Maze decided to stay in Hell?"
"She didn't have much choice. I'll explain later. I want to shower," Lucifer said. It was very hard not to be able to hold Charlie right now, but he didn't want to get ash on the boy. That couldn't be good for a baby.
"Hey, Luce, maybe we can go down to the club when you're done, since the detective's here," Eve said. She didn't like the detective being around, but it would give her a chance to be with Lucifer without interruptions from the baby.
Lucifer looked at her like she'd gone mad. "Are you insane? I have been in Hell for weeks. The only place I want to be is with my child."
"Y…your child?" Eve asked in disbelief.
"Yes."
"Go ahead, Lucifer. I'll stay with Charlie until you get out," Chloe said.
"Thank you, Detective. I am grateful for you staying with him," Lucifer said before placing his hand on Charlie. It was probably one of the only parts of him not covered in ash. "Daddy will be back in a few minutes."
Chloe smiled as Lucifer left. She doubted he realized what he just said, but it warmed her heart. She knew it wouldn't be long before the love Lucifer had for Charlie made itself known. She hadn't expected it so quicky, but she supposed being away from your child for several weeks could do it. She couldn't imagine being away from Trixie for weeks at a time even now, let alone when she was an infant.
"He didn't mean that, right? He's not this baby's father," Eve said. He couldn't really mean that. He'd never give him up if that was the case.
"Yes, he is. Blood has nothing to do with parenting. This is Lucifer's child. Lucifer has made his choice. You better make yours fast. Unless you're committed to Lucifer and this baby, you need to go," Chloe told before picking Charlie up and taking him to the nursery. She'd wait for Lucifer there.
