Chapter One

Chloe sat quietly in her hiding spot biting her lip. Tears streamed down her dirt covered face. She was scared, and her leg hurt very badly. They were looking for her. She could hear their voices shouting for her as they stomped through the thick forest of redwood trees. Chloe knew that she was a very long way from home, and that her parents had no idea where she was.

"Damn it, Jeff, why the hell did you leave her untied?"

"How was I supposed to know she'd take off out the window. It's a two story drop, and she's what eight?"

"With a tree growing beside her window! You know what the intel said, Jeff! She's a Tom boy who climbs trees!"

"I don't know why we grabbed her in the first place," Jeff complained. "Her parents aren't rich or famous."

"Not rich or famous! Are you kidding me right now? Her mother is Penelope Decker! She and actress in Hollywood!"

"Yeah, and not a very good one from what I've seen. I know you owe this guy a favor and all Alex, but this is ridiculous. It's our necks on the line, not his."

"Find the brat, and it'll be no one's necks on the line."

Chloe tremboled from her hiding spot. She didn't want to be found by those bad men. She wanted to go home. She glanced up at the stars and said a silent prayer to God. She didn't believe in all that Bible stuff, but if there was someone up there listening she'd consider changing her mind.

"I wouldn't waste my breath if I were you, Urchin. There's no one listening. Let's get you back home, hmm."

Chloe jumped and looked up, her mouth falling open in surprise. She never expected to receive an answer from God. She also hadn't expected him to send one of his angels to her rescue, but there he stood. She couldn't see his face because of the shadows, but she could see his beautiful white wings glowing brightly in the night as they spread out from his back. Chloe frowned as she stared up at him. Why was he wearing a suite? She was about to reach her arms up when a gust of wind blew her long blond hair into her face.

"Lucifer, what are you doing here? This child asked for God's help, not the Devil's help."

"Will wonders never cease. I'm afraid you're a tad bit late, Amenadiel. I'm here to take this Spawn home. And since when did He start answering prayers again?"

"Father has always answered prayers, Lucifer. And what are you doing on Earth anyway? You should be in Hell where you belong."

"Says you and dear old Dad, but I disagree. Earth is right where I want to be. Now, if you'll excuse me, Brother. I have a child to return home."

Chloe looked between the two angels frowning slightly, the pain in her leg all but forgotten. The second angel's wings weren't white like the first, but instead were a dark gray. Why was he calling the first angel the Devil? If she remembered her Sunday school classes, when she attended Sunday school, correctly, the Devil wasn't good. He was pure evil. She cocked her head looking up at the first angel in the suit. He didn't look evil at all.

The second angel grabbed the first by the arm and pulled him backwards. "Step away from this child, Lucifer," he growled.

"I found her," Jeff yelled from a short distance away. His steps getting closer by the second.

"Great, now look what you've done, Amenadiel. Child, close your eyes. I promise no more harm will befall you this night. I'll be right back," the first angel said, kneeling down to her level.

Chloe still couldn't see his face, but she nodded her head in agreement. She trusted this angel. She was about to comply when she saw his eyes suddenly glow red as he rose to his feet. She bit her lip to keep her gasp from escaping her mouth. It was clear to her the angel was angry, and he didn't want to frighten her when his eyes glowed red. Wasn't the Devil supposed to have red eyes?

She pushed that frightening thought out of her mind, and closed her eyes as her angel asked her to. The night was quickly filled with screams and gun fire. Chloe folded in on herself trying to make herself as small of a target as she could just as her Daddy had taught her. It didn't take long for the screaming to stop and for the night to go quiet once more. Was her angel okay? She was about to open her eyes when a pair of strong but gentle hands lifted her up ripping a scream of fright from her throat.

"Blood hell, Amenadiel, did you have to frighten her like that? Can you not see the child is also injured? Hand her to me Brother, as you clearly have no idea how to deal with little Urchins."

"Oh, and you do, Luci? No, this child stays with me, and I will get her home. You need to return to Hell."

"Not on my watch are you taking this Urchin home while her leg is injured. Hand her over to me, and return to the Silver City like the good warrior you are," her angel growled.

The hold on her tightened slightly and a hand rubbed gentle circles on her back. "The child stays with me, Lucifer. How did you even hear her prayer in the first place?"

"I honestly don't know, but I did. Now, hand her over so I can heal her leg and take her home."

Chloe opened her eyes and looked up at the angel holding her. His focus wasn't on her but on her angel. Since they were arguing over her, she felt it was only right that she made her desires known to them both. She gently tapped the angel holding her on the chest. She continued tapping him until he finally dropped his gaze meeting her own. Like the first angel, she couldn't see his face, only his kind dark eyes.

"What is it, child?"

"I want to go with him," she said, pointing at her angel.

"Ah, see there Brother, the Urchin has spoken. Now, kindly hand her over and off you pop."

The angel holding her sighed and slowly shook his head. Since she couldn't see his face, Chloe interpreted his sigh to mean he was sad. "I'm sorry little one, but I can't let you go with him. My Father has sent me with a mission that I must complete. Perhaps you will see him again…one day."

"But what if I need help again?"

"I promise Urchin, I will come whenever you need me. Just think of me as your guardian Devil."

*

Chloe woke from her dream then absently rubbed her baby bump with her fingers. It'd been years since she had a dream about her kidnapping. There was a lot about that event she didn't remember or had blocked out. But she remembered her guardian angel…Devil.

"Chlo, are you all right?"

"Yeah, Dan, I'm fine. Go back to sleep. I'm sorry I woke you up."

Dan shook his head as he rolled over to face her. "It's okay. Is the baby all right?"

"She's fine," Chloe said, rubbing her swollen belly.

"We don't know if it's a girl yet. Unless you cheated at the last ultrasound."

Chloe laughed and shook her head. "No, I didn't cheat. I just have a feeling I'm carrying a girl. I know you want this baby to be a boy so you can name him, but you'll just have to wait until our next pregnancy," she said, brushing her fingers gently over his strong jaw.

Dan pulled away from her and sat up in their bed, and turned on his bedside lamp. "You act like we're going to have a houseful of kids instead of just this one," he said, pointing down at her belly.

"We can get a second opinion, Dan."

"I did already, Chloe. I got a second and a third opinion. I got the last set of results the day we decided to use another man's sperm."

Chloe sat up in bed. She couldn't believe what she just heard. "Dan, you are this baby's father whether he or she has your DNA or not. Do you hear me?"

"Yeah, I hear you."

"Come with me to my OB appointment tomorrow. It's the last one before the baby is supposed to be born."

"Chloe, you know I can't come. I'm in the middle of a big case."

Chloe sat back against the headboard and dropped her gaze to her lap. "That's right, I remember now. I hope you have time for us after he or she is born."

"Chloe, come on, that's not fair."

"Not fair," Chloe said, lifting her gaze from her lap. "No, Dan, what's not fair is the fact you're putting a case before your family."

"Your family," Dan corrected.

"Daniel Espinoza, I'm not married to myself, and this decision was one we made together," Chloe said, laying her hands on her belly. "At least I thought it was."

"Chloe, you know I've been working toward becoming a detective."

"And you said you were ready to start a family. We've been married for little over a year now. Did you tell me what I wanted to hear?"

"No, I was ready…am ready to start a family."

"I'm sensing a but in that statement."

"I want the baby to be mine, and that's never going to happen because for whatever reason I can't seem to get you pregnant even though there's nothing wrong with my sperm."

"All this baby is going to know is that you're their Daddy, Dan. Unless you plan on walking out on us before he or she is even born."

"What? No, I'm not bailing on the two of you. Goodnight, Chloe," Dan said, turning off his bedside lamp then slid down into the bed.

Chloe sat in the dark while her tears rolled down her cheeks. This was not how she wanted this monumental moment in her life to go. Was this the beginning of the end of her marriage? Would she be taking care of her child alone? Where was her guardian Devil when she needed him?

*

"Ms. Decker, the doctor will see you now."

Chloe glanced up from her phone then looked at the door hearing it open. She sighed seeing a couple enter hand in hand. She'd texted Dan when she left the precinct, and he replied saying he'd be there soon. That was over thirty minutes ago. She shook her head then slowly rose to her feet. She followed the nurse back to the exam room. She answered all the routine questions, had her blood pressure and weight checked before she settled onto the exam bed waiting for the doctor to walk in. She didn't have to wait very long.

"Good morning, Chloe. How are we feeling today?"

"I'm feeling great. The baby isn't as active as normal, but he or she is still moving on a daily basis."

"That's good." The doctor rubbed her hands together before placing them on her swollen belly. "Excellent, the baby's head is facing down. Everything appears to be looking good for that March 1st delivery. Are you sure you don't want to know the sex of the baby?"

Chloe sighed as she glanced from the doctor to her swollen belly and back again. It would be cheating to know now instead of waiting one additional week. And Chloe wasn't a cheater, but she did want to know. It would also give her a week to get the baby's room in order. Besides Dan clearly had no interest in the child grown inside of her. A smile spread across her lips as she nodded her head. This decision was for her.

"I want to know."

The doctor smiled then flipped through her chart. "Ah, here it is. You're having a girl, Chloe."

"I'm having a girl." Tears filled her eyes and her smile only grew in size. She was having a girl. That meant she'd get to name her. And she had the perfect name to match her perfect little angel. She couldn't wait to hold her little Aurora Seraphina Decker in her arms.

Chloe thanked her doctor, and told her she'd see her on March 1st as long as she wasn't already in the hospital giving birth to her daughter. She left the doctor's office and headed for the mall. She had the rest of the day off thanks to the lieutenant, and she wanted to spend the rest of it shopping. Stepping into Baby-R-Us, Chloe made a beeline for the girl's baby clothes. Picking up a gorgeous purple onesie, she laughed feeling a strong kick.

"Oh, you like this one too, huh."

Chloe put it in her shopping cart and continued through the store. After spending a good amount on clothes and other essentials, she decided for get a bite to eat. She stepped into the food court and stopped in her tracks. There sat Dan with another woman talking sweet nothings in her ear. She watched in utter shock as he ran his hand over the woman's swollen belly.

That cheating bastard! They'd been married for…it didn't matter how long they'd been married. All that mattered was Dan was cheating on her with another woman and had gotten said woman pregnant if the woman's swollen belly was any indication. She spun around on her heels and headed for the door of the mall. She needed to get home before Dan did. She got everything loaded in the car then froze as she shut the trunk.

"Chloe, what are you doing here?"

"What am I doing here? That's a great question for you, Daniel! You're supposed to be working a big case! Isn't that the reason you couldn't go with me today? But instead I find you in a mall food court whispering sweet nothings into the ear of a very pregnant woman. Who by the way isn't me!"

"Chloe, I get it. You're upset right now, but think of the baby."

"I am thinking of my baby, Daniel! You clearly want no part in our lives! Who is she, Daniel?"

"Chloe…"

"Don't you dare lie to me, Daniel! Who is she?"

"She's…my high school sweetheart. Her name is Jessica. We dated all through high school, and after graduation she wanted to get married and start a family. I didn't, so I ended our relationship. I had big dreams and wasn't ready to be tied down with a child."

"And when you couldn't get me pregnant you what? You climbed back into her warm bed with the intent to get her pregnant?"

"No, Chloe, it wasn't like that."

"Then please tell me what it was like, Dan."

"Jessica is a DA now, and we ran across each other because of a case I worked on. It started out casual, but the more we saw one another the more intense it got. I needed someone to talk to, and she's always been a great listener. I told her I was married and that we were trying to start a family. She listened and one night one thing lead to another, then before I knew it I was making love to her."

"Without protection which is how she's now ready to pop. If you had Jessica, why did you stay with me? And why the hell did you agree that we should try In Vitro knowing you could father children?"

"Because I love you, Chloe. That is why I married you. I told Jessica I wasn't leaving you but that I would support the baby I had created with her after it was born."

"And that makes it okay, Dan? You father a child with another woman while you tell your wife to use another man's sperm instead of wanting to try again the old fashion way."

"I wanted you to be happy, Chloe, and you wanted a baby now. It broke my heart hearing you crying every time you didn't get pregnant. If the In Vitro worked, you'd have what you wanted."

"You clearly got what you wanted too, Dan. A child with your DNA flowing through their body. When did the affair start?"

"The week you spent with your mother at her beach house."

"Two weeks after I got pregnant." Chloe couldn't believe what she was hearing. "I asked you months before to take time off and spend it with us, but you said no. That you had a case going to trial that week. At least I know that was the truth, but how many times have you lied to me, Dan? Was I just another notch on your bedpost? She's an actress. If I can bed her all my buddies will be so jealous of me."

"No, Chloe…it's not like that... You don't believe me."

"Do you blame me, Dan?"

"No, I don't, but I'm not lying, Chloe. Go talk to her and see for yourself."

"No way," Chloe said, opening her car door.

"Is this her, Dan? She's beautiful."

Dan glanced over his shoulder nodding his head then took a step away revealing the dark haired woman she'd seen him talking to in the food court. "Yeah, Jess, this is Chloe."

Chloe looked in the woman's dark brown eyes and nodded her head slightly. "So are you," she said, forcing a smile.

"Dan knows how to pick them doesn't he? I know this is all a shock for you. Believe me I understand how you're feeling. My first husband cheated on me with another woman, and I know what you're thinking. Turnabout is fair play, but we honestly weren't trying to hurt you, Chloe. What we did was wrong, and it happened only one time."

"One time was all it took apparently," Chloe grumbled.

Jessica laughed and nodded her head. "Yeah, I guess it did. Look, we need to talk and I know you're hungry. Let's go back inside where we can sit down and relax."

Chloe sighed and shut her door after locking it. "Yeah, okay," she agreed.

They went back inside to the food court and sat down while Dan ran off to get her some food. She ate and they talked for a few hours. Jessica had confirmed Dan's story on how the affair began, and it had only been a one time thing. Dan remained firm in his desire to remain with her instead of Jessica. Jess was happy Dan had found her, and she hoped Chloe would eventually love her little Beatrice as much as the unborn child kicking inside her own womb.