A/N: Thank you to reviewer Emma for bestowing a name upon our brand new ship: Morningwood! I have put a poll up on my profile page; please go vote for the winning ship! Are you Team Morningwood or Team Deckerstar? Who will win? And who will end up as canon in Devil in the Details?
I sat down today to plot out this whole story (I was flying blind up until now, I'll be honest) and let me tell you...I'm hyped! This chapter is where I actually start introducing the Shadowhunters plot, which is proving hard because I haven't seen Shadowhunters since it aired, so please forgive me if some beats are a little wonky. I will be actively mixing up the pacing of events as well to fit the new Izzy is pregnant plot. The Lucifer plot will not be focused on because 1) this is a predominantly Shadowhunters story and 2) who actually cares about the Sinnerman?
Enjoy the chapter! XOXOX
Devil in the Details
The Detective slammed both her hands down on the metal table.
"Can you tell me why you were dragging the body of the Cathedral Cult victim from the precinct last night?"
She leaned in close and narrowed her eyes, trying to get a read on Lucifer. Poor Detective, she would never get the right thing. She could hold him in the interrogation room all day and night on questionable charges, deprive him of whiskey and cigarettes, but she would never be able wrap her feeble, human mind around the truth. Like usual. Lucifer would pity her if it wasn't so damn frustrating. It took all his effort not to laugh at the absurdity of the situation.
"Is that what we're calling it now? The Cathedral Cult?" Lucifer pulled a face and shook his head. "I think we can do better than that. Was that Dan's idea? Reeks of mediocrity."
Dan stopped Chloe from responding, taking control. He had enjoying Lucifer's predicament a little too much until now.
"I'm not the one who's facing charges of obstruction of justice, breaking an entry, burglary, and unlawful impersonation of an officer." Dan leaned forward and scowled deep enough that Lucifer could see the dried remains of chocolate pudding on his bottom lip. "Maybe you should start thinking about what you say a little more carefully."
"I'm always careful about what I say, Daniel," Lucifer said as he reclined in the metal chair, completely relaxed despite the hand cuffs. Those were more of a technicality, really. The Detective hadn't wanted to put them on, but Lucifer insisted with a wink and a grin. She knew he could slip out of them at any moment. Perhaps his lack of trying was the only reason she was still civil with him. "I always tell the truth. So you can believe me when I say I had perfectly good reason to abscond with the body."
"Mind clueing us in?"
"Last rights," Lucifer said, as if it were obvious. And it should have been, given the nature of this 'cult'. "The Nephilim have very strict protocols to follow when facing the untimely demise of the one of their own. It's all very macabre, very boring."
"So, what? You were trying to respect this guy's religion?" The Detective clearly did not believe him. "You never care about stuff like that. You are the opposite of respectful."
"Detective, you wound me."
"This was a favor for your brother, wasn't it? You're in contact with him."
Lucifer scrunched his face in distaste. In contact with Raziel? He'd rather listen to unmanicured nails on a chalkboard. "I assure you, Detective, my brother does not wish to speak to me. I think he'd rather bring upon the end of the world himself."
"Isn't that the MO of these things?" Dan asked. "The world is ending so everyone better follow me to get to Heaven when everything goes to shit."
"Perhaps, but not this one. Raziel doesn't believe in inciting global destruction. Quite the opposite. His followers believe it is their solemn duty to protect the world from evil."
Dan wasn't convinced, and neither was the Detective.
"What happens if this guy isn't given his last rights?" she asked, more receptive than before but only marginally. So, she was curious? Lucifer could work with curious.
"I'm not too keen on the details, but something along the lines of an extended stay in purgatory and eternal damnation," he answered with a smile.
The Detective stared at Lucifer for a long time, studying him, assessing him. No doubt, she was asking 'Can I trust my devilishly handsome partner? Has he ever let me down before?' How long had Lucifer desired that gaze turned on him in a completely different way? Full of desire of her own? He had described that look once in Linda's office as carnal fascination. But he didn't want Chloe to desire him in body alone. No, he wanted her to desire who he was underneath - all the scars and dark pieces as well. And that...that was -
"We should give them the body."
Lucifer's thoughts derailed quick enough to give him whiplash, and he wasn't the only one.
"I'm sorry, what?" Dan asked, completely blindsided.
Lucifer liked to think himself an expert in the field of eye-fucking, but whatever eye contact Daniel and the Detective were sharing was more of a battle of wills than a battle of sexes.
"Lucifer you can give them the body," The Detective said, much to Dan's displeasure, so it was a double win.
"Wonderful! Good to see you've increased your sensitivity training - "
"But I need you to attend the funeral and report back anything suspicious."
"Excuse me?" Lucifer's hearing must have gone bad, because it sounded like she wanted him to spend even more time in the presence of insufferable Nephilim. "Detective, I cannot do that. It's not possible. Or have your forgotten I'm not welcome in Raziel's little cult."
"It's the only way you're getting that body." Chloe crossed her arms over her chest, daring Lucifer to defy her. "Go to the funeral, or leave him in the cooler in the morgue. Your choice."
"These are awful choices!"
"I'm not moving on this Lucifer." The Detective's expression changed, became softer and concerned. "You are facing serious charges, okay? They have you on camera stealing evidence from an active murder case. Now your options are to play along and pretend like you were doing me a favor in this investigation by returning the body as part of undercover surveillance, or you can have your ass put away for ten to twenty. And I happen to know a face like yours would never last in prison."
Joke all she'd like, the Detective had a point. Lucifer was in quite a bind. In a past life, he would have simply destroyed the tape and any human who thought to use it against him. But he couldn't do that, couldn't burn all his bridges at the LAPD and leave the Detective behind. He cherished being her partner too much. He cherished her too much.
"Quite right." Lucifer swallowed his pride. He slipped his right wrist free of its handcuff - much to Dan's displeasure - and extended it to the Detective. "Very well, Detective. You drive a hard bargain."
She smiled as she shook Lucifer's hand. He may have been mistaken, but a thrill passed through her as they touched.
"Pleasure doing business with you." She looked over at Dan. "Have someone authorize a transfer from the morgue - " She jereked her head towards Lucifer. " - and make sure his record's clear."
The Detective turned on her heel and exited the interrogation room.
Since when did Lucifer become the losing party in a deal with the Devil?
..._...
Magnus had set up an impressive spread for dinner. After a busy day of potion-making and consulting clients, Izzy didn't know how he managed the energy to magic up a gourmet meal. But there it was, a feast of Thai, Indian, and Korean foods. All the smells mixed in Izzy's nose, causing her mouth to water and her stomach to rumble. Her hunger picked up ten fold, trying to make up for all the time lost to morning sickness.
"Looks like Alexander will not be joining us after all," Magnus said as he entered the dining room, frowning at his phone.
"What's going on?"
"He's been called away to Los Angeles on urgent business." Magnus shared a look with Izzy at the mention of that particular city, but neither said a thing. "A rather high-ranking Shadowhunter was killed a few days ago. They're holding the funeral tomorrow and requested your brother attend, along with other Heads of Institutes, as a sign of respect."
"And to hold an emergency council meeting right after." Izzy braced her arms on the counter and chewed at her bottom lip. Hunger died down as she gnawed on worry instead. "Do you think this has anything to do with the wraiths that attacked Clary and I?"
"I find it's best not to speculate until we have all the information available." Magnus' smile was like a balm on Izzy's nerves. He reached out and steered her into her chair. "When your brother returns, I will leave it to you to interrogate him and gather all the necessary pieces to our puzzle."
After dinner, Izzy walked out onto the balcony. It was a lovely night, the wind adding just the right amount of cool to the warm air. Magnus had started a fire earlier, the embers crackling as they illuminated the night air. She took her tea and leaned on the ledge. From this high up, she could see the whole city in all its illuminated glory. New York...so many lights, so many possibilities.
"You are going to love it here," Izzy said softly as she rubbed circles around her stomach. "You can be anything you want to be. Shadowhunter. Downworlder. Something else entirely. Everything exists here. We will find a way to make it work. I promise."
It felt silly to talk to something that was barely the size of a pea. It wasn't like the baby could hear her. But it made her feel better to think that it could.
Izzy had a dream last night that she was living like Jocelyn Fairchild: mundane, away from the Clave, pursuing her own dreams. She was alone, but free. Her baby was happy, healthy, even if she couldn't remember if she had a boy or a girl. They were smiling and laughing, and when Izzy woke up there were tears in her eyes, because Jocelyn Fairchild was dead and Clary had almost died countless because of her inexperience. Living like that could only end in tragedy, no matter how rose-tinted the dream.
Izzy watched the crowds of people pass on the street, their bodies small as ants, moving in giants swarms of color. Oh, how nice it would be to be a mundane, so unaware of and unaffected by the dangers of this world.
The swarms started to part around a single black mass: a masked man stood on the sidewalk, head tilted upward. Maybe he was a dreamer too. No. Even from stories above, Izzy felt his eyes lock with hers. He wasn't looking up at the sky. He was staring at her.
Unease ran down Izzy's spine. She turned to call for Magnus, but by the time he came out to see for himself, the man was gone.
"He was standing right there," Izzy insisted, failing to remain calm. "I don't understand."
"Relax Isabelle." Magnus ran his hands over Izzy's arms, grounding her, comforting her. "Are you certain he was looking at you?"
"I could feel his eyes, Magnus, but it was more than that." Then Izzy said the most unsettling thing of all, "I knew them."