A/N: Hello loves! Lucifer is back in this one! There are references to Good Omens because I'm trash and a huge Neil Gaiman fan and he wrote both so sue me (but this isn't a Good Omens crossover too...unless y'all...want that...) XOXOX
Devil in the Details
Izzy woke up to the smell of pancakes.
Her stomach rumbled, reminding her that she had not eaten since...well...she didn't remember. Most food turned to sludge in her mouth, repulsive and vile. This was the first time in a while something actually smelled good. It made her mouth water, her stomach cramping painfully as she let it lead her to the kitchen.
In the kitchen, Magnus stood at the stove flipping pancakes on a skillet the old fashioned way, no magic making things move or appear from thin air. Alec sat at the breakfast bar, watching Magnus with a carefree smile on his face. His hair was sticking up a million different directions, the slightest hint of a bruise peeking out from his tee shirt collar. Izzy filed that knowledge away to taunt Alec with later.
Right now, pancakes.
"Ah, there she is," Magnus greeted as Izzy slid into the seat next to Alec. "Sleep well?"
"I think that is the comfiest mattress I've ever laid on," Izzy said, rolling her shoulder and finding that there was nothing to pop, no tension to relieve like after spending a night on the bricks the Institute called mattresses.
"Glad to hear it," Magnus replied, genuinely pleased. Izzy felt her heart warm, some lingering worries of her being a burden on Magnus fading away. It was weird having someone outside her immediate family care for her, though Magnus had been around so much lately she was beginning to think of him as family. And maybe one day, if the look Alec kept giving Magnus when he thought he wasn't looking was anything to go off of, Magnus would be. "Now, the serious matter of business: how many pancakes?"
"Two, please," Izzy said. One didn't sound enough to satisfy the rumbling in her empty stomach, but she didn't want to push herself either if it all ended up in the toilet later.
"You're looking better this morning," Alec commented offhandedly, watching Izzy cut into her stack of pancakes.
"I feel better," Izzy replied, relieved that the pancakes were settling in her stomach instead of churning it. "I think now that I know what's going on, I feel a lot less stressed."
"Well, that makes one of us," Alec said under his breath. There were worry lines carved into his forehead, and dark circles under his eyes. Clearly he had been up most of the night stressing. From the look Magnus was giving him, Izzy could tell that Magnus was the one who had dealt with most of it.
"Hey, I told you I would handle it."
"Yeah, handle Lucifer himself all on your own. Easy."
"I think you are being a bit too harsh on Lucifer," Magnus said as he garnished his pancakes with fresh fruit. "He's not as bad as you think. He raised me during my formative years, and look how I turned out."
Alec choked on his orange juice. "What?"
"You have to know, Alexander, that for a long time I had nowhere to go and no one to turn to. My mother took her own life because of me. Self-defense or not, I murdered my step father. The people in my village turned their backs on me. So, when a man with eyes like mine who called himself my father approached me and asked me to go with him, I didn't hesitate."
"Your father?"
The air around them was thick. Alec's eyes were trained on Magnus, taking in every little movement.
Magnus bit down on his bottom lip, deliberating. He took a deep breath.
"Asmodeus."
Izzy thought Alec was going to shatter his glass he was holding it so tight. She, herself, felt a pang of terror at hearing the name. There were certain demons she had been taught to destroy, to think of as less than dirt. And there were certain demons she was taught to fear, to even revere. Asmodeous, a Prince of Hell, a Greater Demon, was one of those.
"Why didn't you tell me?" Alec asked, his voice more hurt than anything.
Magnus looked away, ashamed. It was the first time Izzy saw Magnus doubt himself. She didn't even that confident Magnus Bane was capable of looking like that.
"I didn't want you to think any less of me because of who my father was."
Alec stood up and walked into the kitchen. He took Magnus' hands in his, making sure Magnus was looking right at him.
"Magnus Bane, you are generous and kind and good," Alec said with conviction enough for the both of them. "You are the furthest thing from a Greater Demon."
Magnus' returning smile was grateful, but some doubt still lingered. This was something that Magnus had carried for a long time. Now that the nerve had been struck, it was going to be raw.
Izzy wondered, briefly, if that was how her child would be treated. Would they constantly live under the shadow of their father, be subject to his legacy of darkness and destruction, be branded a monster with fear of rejection should anyone find out the truth? It was a highly possible outcome, one that she did not like nor want. But there would be no way to shelter her child from all the prejudice of the world. She could only hope to raise her child as strong and as sure as Magnus Bane. Maybe then they would stand a fighting chance.
"You can only imagine how poor a father a greater demon can be," Magnus said. He tried to put some levity into it, but the hurt was too fresh. He moved away from Alec and focused his attention on the pancake batter, finding it easier to talk to. "Asmodeus wasn't very enthusiastic about raising a child. Not in the way he should have been. He only saw me for my magic, and what that magic could provide for him. If Lucifer hadn't stepped in and taken me under his wing...I don't think I would have survived my years in Hell."
"So, Lucifer wins Father of the Year?" Alec joked dryly.
"I wouldn't go that far," Magnus said with a roll of his eyes, grateful to be steering the conversation away from himself. "He definitely has his vices. I hadn't seen him in a while though. When Izzy and I went to visit, he seemed different, somehow. More human..."
"Human? How is that possible?"
"Lucifer has always enjoyed spending time on Earth with humans. He seems to have taken an extended vacation this time. Who knows how long he's really been in LA. Perhaps humanity is rubbing off on him," Magnus guessed, though it was clear he didn't really know more than either Alec or Izzy. "Either way, I think Lucifer is the least of our worries."
"Then what should I worry about?" Alec asked, stabbing at his pancakes.
"Nothing, preferably," Magnus said, cutting Alec a pointed look, to which Alec merely frowned. It was impossible to turn off Alec's protective instincts completely. He was just wired to be a neurotic, overbearing older brother. "But if I were you, Isabelle, I would be worried about bringing a child like this into a society like the Clave."
"We can't keep this a secret for forever," Alec agreed, his frown deepening. "Lucifer may have ways of diverting Clave attention, and he may have given you protection temporarily, but this baby won't once it's born. The Clave will notice."
"So what? I get married? Say the baby is half Seelie or something?" Izzy asked, throwing back old arguments that she knew wouldn't work. "I don't want to be hiding, or running, my whole life."
There was something else she hadn't thought about, something she hadn't taken into consideration: that she may not have a choice at all. Running, hiding, those may well be her only options when bringing a half-devil baby into a Clave-run world. When she made the decision to keep the baby, she was only thinking about the there and now, not about what came after. Her future used to be so sure, so stable. Now, it was a black voice of uncertainty.
"Can we just...not talk about this right now?" Izzy asked, feeling overwhelmed. Any more stress and she might start crying, which would be beyond mortifying. "Tell me about the Institute."
"It's fine, Iz," Alec replied, finding it easy enough to shift back into business. "Jace and Clary asked after you last night when I went to get your stuff, but I told them you weren't feeling well and that Magnus was putting you under house arrest here. That excuse won't last long though. You need to come up with a better cover story before they break down the doors."
"They break my doors, they reap the consequences," Magnus warned, only half-joking.
"I know," Izzy sighed, rubbing at her temples. Her stomach started to turn, but she tamped it down, the unsettling feeling more from nerves than nausea. "Tell Clary I'll explain everything soon, but I want her to take over as Weapons Master."
Alec arched a brow, surprised. "You sure you want Clary in that position? Jace has more experience."
"I'm sure," Izzy said. "Jace may have more experience with weapons, but he'd rather spar with them than catalog them. Besides, taking that position will get Clary off the field, and I just - "
"You just what?"
"Those shadow demons, wraiths, they were coming after me," Izzy said, guilt washing over her. She was horrified to feel tears wetting the corners of her eyes. It was so hard to keep everything in check, especially when she felt everything so strongly and so suddenly. "They were after me, and Clary was the one who got hurt. She nearly died because of me. I won't let that happen again, not if I can protect her."
"Iz, that's not your fault," Alec said, trying to comfort her. "Clary is a trained Shadowhunter. She can protect herself."
"You weren't there Alec. You didn't see what I saw," Izzy countered, firm in her position. "Jace is the more seasoned warrior. He should stay in the field. Clary should take the Weapon's Master position."
"I think that's a wise decision," Magnus cut in before Alec could open his mouth to protest further. Alec cut Magnus a look, a battle of wills passing between boyfriends before Alec eventually lost. It was satisfying to watch seeing as though Izzy and Jace spent their whole lives losing to Alec in the same battle.
"Alright, I'll let Clary know," Alec gave in, not happy about it. He and Clary's relationship had come a long way since they first met, but every once in a while Alec held reservations about their latest team member. Izzy didn't blame him. Clary was known to fly off the handle, protocol be damned, and it usually came back to bite Alec in the ass. Putting her in a position of power was a huge risk. Izzy hoped she didn't choose wrong.
"Now, with that settled, let's finish breakfast," Magnus said, gesturing back to the counter where a whole new stack of pancakes had materialized, golden and steaming.
Izzy's mouth watered, morning sickness officially a thing of the past.
Across the world in LA, a demon walked into a bar to meet the Devil.
"You look like shit," the demon said as she sauntered into the room, all eyes turning to her and her all-leather ensemble. She didn't mind the staring; in fact, she welcomed it.
"Thank you, Maze," Lucifer groaned into his drink, hunched miserably over the bar as had been for the past two hours. It was his bar. He could stay there however long he liked. However long he liked may be another drink...or ten. "Just what I needed to hear during this very trying time."
"Okay, what's going on with you?" Maze demanded, leaning her whole body across the bar so that Lucifer could not look away from her. "You're skulking around like a pathetic mortal."
That was an understatement. Lucifer had been fine with the news of impending fatherhood when Miss Lightwood was around. It was after she had left, when he had nothing but his penthouse, a wall full of liquor, and his thoughts when the reality of the situation settled in.
He didn't have what it took to be a father! He could barely keep himself alive half the time. And that was when he wasn't being chased by murderous criminals down the worst streets of the city.
The only thing that kept him sane was that Isabelle Lightwood seemed like a very intelligent young woman prepared to tackle anything thrown her way. She didn't want his help, didn't want any hands to hold. Just like a good Shadowhunter. Lucifer only hoped that she could handle what was to come, both mortal and divine. The possibilities made it hard for Lucifer to sleep last night. As much as he loathed children, as much as he protested having one of his own his entire existence, the thought of something terrible happening to Isabelle or their unborn child was...not pleasant. It made his insides curl and his blood run hot, familiar fire streaking across his skin, bringing out the Devil inside.
Lucifer swallowed the rest of his glass of whiskey, slamming it on the bar. The bartender looked his way but didn't intervene. Maybe Lucifer needed to hire someone who wasn't so damn nosy.
"I am going to be a father."
"No way! You?" Maze cackled, far too entertained by this for Lucifer's liking. "You're screwing with me."
"Unfortunately no. I received the news firsthand. Quite literally dropped on my doorstep," Lucifer replied, reaching over the bar to grab the bottle of whiskey and pour himself a new glass. Maze grabbed a glass, pushing it Lucifer's way so he could pour her one as well. The irony that Maze used to be the one who poured his drinks was not lost on Lucifer. The minx really had grown quite impertinent. "Oh, Magnus came by. He sends his love. Well, he didn't say love. It was more like begrudging tolerance."
"Sounds about right," Maze said, accepting this. She slid off the bar and down onto the seat beside Lucifer's. "Well you should be an old pro at this by now. It isn't the first time you've knocked someone up."
"No, no, that other time doesn't count. I was tricked into that," Lucifer negated, thinking back to an airbase in the English countryside and how he was so rudely told off by a boy of no older than ten. "How old is that brat now anyway?"
"Thirty-nine," Maze said matter-of-factly, a smug smile on her face. "I send him a birthday card every year."
And Lucifer thought Maze had stopped surprising him. "I didn't know you cared."
"I don't. But the way that kid eviscerated you with nothing but words...respect," Maze said, actual admiration in her eyes. "You know, he's still like that. Being a contrary little shit must run in the family. I hope that the new kid takes after its mom."
"That makes two of us. Nothing good ever comes from having me around," Lucifer said, the misery settling back in as he took a drink from his glass. He would need at least another bottle and half before he got something out of it.
Maze scoffed and rolled her eyes, pushing herself up from the bar. "I did not sign up to have a front row seat to your pity party."
"Yes, well, feel free to leave," Lucifer waved towards the elevator. He wasn't in the mood for company anymore anyway.
"I cannot wait to tell Decker."
"The Detective is not to know," Lucifer warned, a dangerous edge to his voice. He stood up to full height, pulling in his menacing King of Hell aura, eyes going a little bit red to make sure Maze got the point. "Do you hear me, Mazikeen? Chloe cannot know."
"Chloe can't know what?"
The Detective's voice hit Lucifer like a bucket of cold water. He nearly swallowed his tongue swallowing it, quickly stepping away from Maze and turning to greet his partner who strode purposefully up to the bar. He smiled his most winning smile.
"Detective! What brings you by at this unexpected hour?"
"I told you I wanted to run through some more leads on the cathedral case," she replied.
Lucifer fought back a groan. Of course she would still be sniffing down the Nephilim trail. No matter how many crime scenes he had to ruin or wild goose chases he had to lead her down, the Detective would not take a hint and leave the 'abandoned' cathedral alone. Just his luck.
"But now I hear you're keeping secrets from me?" Chloe asked, cocking her head and fixing Lucifer with a suspicious look.
Maze's grin turned wide and feral. "I'll leave you two to it. See ya, Decker."
Chloe nodded her goodbye, Lucifer watching Maze sashay away with a spring in her step. Nothing brought her a better mood than watching Lucifer struggle. Damn, good for nothing, loyal to nothing demons.
"What's going on Lucifer? What aren't you telling me?"
"It's nothing, Detective. Nothing important, I promise," Lucifer said, feeling his heart rate spike at the lie. No, not a lie. He never lied, especially not to Chloe. This wasn't important to her, not like this case was. Lucifer smoothed down his jacket and tried again. "It's actually rather private. Not my place to tell."
"Alright, I trust you," Chloe said, though the look on her face let Lucifer know that she was not likely to drop it any time soon...just like this damned case. "You know I'm here for you, right?"
"I know. The feeling is mutual."
"Good." Chloe nodded, the personal matters settled. "Now, can we please talk about this case? You've been avoiding it for weeks."
"Must we?" Lucifer complained. He might actually prefer talking about his up and coming fatherhood. "It's just, this case is so boring."
"Only you would think the possibility of a violent, underground cult hiding out in an abandoned church is boring."
"That's one way of putting it," Lucifer said under his breath. A violent, underground religion of highly skilled warriors who had it out for him was a better way of putting it. "I really think we're grasping at straws here. Aren't there any good murders? Any drug lords that got a little too trigger happy, hmm?"
"You didn't read my texts, did you?" Chloe asked, deadpan.
"No, I haven't looked at the bugger all day. Linda says I'm too attached to it, recommended living a more present lifestyle."
"If you had read my texts, you would know that they found a body," Chloe said, smug and self-satisfied like she got every time she proved Lucifer wrong. "The vic was young, male, and get this: tattoos all over. Just like the ones the eyewitnesses claim to see coming from the area surrounding the church."
How a coroner even got their hands on a Nephilim body was beyond Lucifer. They were a very reclusive race; secrecy was of the utmost prerogative. There was something wrong here. Very wrong. And it set Lucifer on edge that Chloe was running headfirst into it.
"Detective, I really think - "
"Lucifer, I'm not wrong about this one," Chloe cut him off, her nerves fraying. Lucifer knew she could only take so much of his lip, regardless of whether or not he was right. And it wasn't like she would believe him if he told her why she was wrong. "Now let's get going."
Damn Nephilim, Lucifer cursed as he followed his Detective into danger. They were going to be the death of him.