Chapter 1

The so-called City of Angels moved on as the morning began.

The new day was beginning, especially for part-time club owner/Civilian Consultant and full-time Devil, Lucifer, woke up in his designer penthouse apartment to three identical blondes. The three blondes, leftover from the ménage a toi from the previous night, were all scantily clad in their very minimalistic underwear. The devil smirked in a self-satisfying way as he examined his latest conquests. Maybe he could get another round in before he had to get up this morning…

Ring. Ring. Ring. Ring.

Lucifer sighed heavily as he reached for his mobile. The sigh turned into a slight guttural growl at the sight of Detective Decker's name flashing with each ring. The ladies stirred awake, each of them sending an eye-lash flutter filled with lust.

"Oh, I'm sorry ladies. But I'm afraid that I'm going to have to hold off on Round Four." Lucifer said with true regret. He sat up and answered the phone, "Good morning, Detective! What do I owe this morning phone call?"

"Lucifer, get dressed we have a case."

The Devil glanced down at his person, taking note of his lack of clothes, with an ever-growing self-satisfying smirk on his face. "How'd you know I'm not wearing any clothes? Are you spying on me?"

"Please. I have no interest in knowing what-or rather who- you do in your free time." Chloe sighed heavy, a usual thing when interacting with her. "Just meet me at the station when you can. And make it snappy."

A dial tone greeted his ears a moment later. Lucifer turned towards the women in a rather extravagant and extra way. "Sorry ladies, duty calls."

The ladies pouted and it took everything in him to not throw himself onto the bed and go for two more rounds as they crawled out of bed and grabbed their clothes. They quickly dressed and scurried off, sending him sensual air kisses as they sauntered out the door. Once the elevator was shut and he was sure that the half-naked ladies were gone, Lucifer miracled himself a nice glass of scotch and an apple (got to keep up with his diet), taking his time to examine his literal Kingdom on Earth.

Everything was perfect.

Although, as he stood there, Lucifer couldn't help but feel as though someone was watching him.

His brow furrowed as he focused on the strange feeling. His confused expression deepened further when he couldn't recognize the feeling, unable to separate the demonic power and Heavenly aura from each other, the two opposing fields getting muddled together. Lucifer pushed down his confusion, figuring that he had just been spending too much time with his goody-two-shoes brother and that he needed to spend more time swimming in Sin to clear his senses. He couldn't help but smirk viciously at the sinful party that he would be planning later. All the girls, drugs and alcohol that he could get his hands on.

Which, being the Devil, would be worth a kingdom's ransom.

Running his tongue over his teeth to gather the last of the alcohol, Lucifer quickly turned to his now-empty bedroom and prepared to get dressed.

While he could just snap his fingers and his clothes would change, Lucifer preferred the more relaxing and time-consuming, shower method. It would certainly annoy the Detective if he was taking his precious time.

And take his time he did.

When he strolled towards his 1962 Chevy Corvette, it was well past morning and just nearing noon. Lucifer smirked as he tossed the keys in the air, thinking at how pissed off Detective Decker was going to be when he strolled into the police station almost two hours after she had called him.

Oooh the Sin that could fester.

He hopped into the car and started it up. It purred as he touched the steering wheel and he peeled out of the parking garage. He didn't see the figure with dark curly hair clad in an outfit that was reminiscent of a 1950s librarian watch him leave with a worried expression.

Lucifer tried to follow the speed limit, like a good law-abiding citizen, until he arrived at the police station. He all but peeled into a parking space. The devil sauntered into the police station, giving an ovary-shattering smirk to the female officer assigned to desk duty that day. As par for the course, that smile didn't work on Detective Decker when he turned it her way. It was, again as par for the course, met with that annoyed look that always adorned her face, as though she was annoyed by the world around her because she was the only one acting like an adult. Of course, that look only intensified when Lucifer was around.

Lucifer's smile only deepened as he strolled up to the detective's desk.

He always liked a challenge. That made the conquest even sweeter.

"Happy for you to join us, Lucifer." Chloe muttered in annoyance as the civilian consultant perched himself on her desk.

"Oh, happy to be here, Detective." Lucifer crooned. "So, little birdie told me that you've got a case?"

"String of homicides." Chloe answered as she plopped down the case file. "Four vics so far."

"My word."

When the Devil recoiled a bit at a grisly murder picture, you knew it was bad. The picture that he had opened to was of a woman in her late thirties, her throat slit to the point where it was almost separated from the neck. In the picture, Lucifer could clearly see where the killer attempted to draw demonic symbols but obviously didn't have the knowledge. The symbol was drawn shoddily.

But before Lucifer could examine the picture closer, Chloe ripped the picture from him and placing it back in the file.

"The latest victim is thirty-six-year-old palates instructor, Angelia Moore. Found by her husband." Chloe gestured with a jerk of her head towards where Detective Douche was talking with a man that could rival Lucifer in looks. "His alibi checks out. He was out with his buddies partying the night before. Bachelor party for a friend over in Reno. His credit card shows that they went to a strip club."

"Oh! Nothing says 'good luck with a faithful marriage' than a little infidelity." Lucifer crowed. His eyes went to Chloe, a smirk pulling at his face.

Almost as though she was reading his mind, Chloe rolled her eyes. "No, I didn't have male strippers at my bachelorette party. It was mostly just people sitting around, drinking wine-"

"Ugh never mind." Lucifer cut the woman off as he could just feel the celibacy. "So, the alibi checks out. What next?"

"Well looks like we'll have to wait until CSI gets back with the forensics on the weapon that was used. There were fingerpr…."

Lucifer let the Detective continue but drowned her out. There was a tingle that was slowly snaking up his spine.

That strange combination of Heavenly Aura and Demonic Power was back. It grew like a fog, settling over the police station until it dulled his senses.

"-cifer? Lucifer?"

He shook off the feeling of drowsiness as he glanced at the Detective, questioningly.

"Are you okay?"

"Fine Detective." He assured, though there was none of his usual fire. Because of the Heavenly Aura that suddenly filled the building, he found it hard to breath. With as much bravado as he could muster, he turned on a charming smile and said, "If you'll excuse me Detective. I think I'm going to go get some air."

He felt Chloe watch him as he walked out of the police station, not liking the worried expression on the woman's face as he did so. Lucifer took to the roof, feeling free of that suffocating feeling of good that he usually associated with Amenadiel.

However, he wasn't as alone as he had hoped.

There was the sound of a blade being unsheathed.

"You're quite difficult to find." A soft, proper tone said. "But I have to admit that you found the perfect hiding place. A City of Angels and Sin. Though blending in with the populace has never been difficult for you, has it?"

Lucifer smirked, turning around only to stop in surprise. He was expecting Michael or Uriel to find him, not some plump Messenger dressed like a librarian from the 1950s wielding what he recognized as Flaming Sword of Creation. Despite the bravado that she was trying to pull off, Lucifer could smell the fear coming off her, could see it clearly in those green orbs.

That made Lucifer feel a bit better about his chances.

"Lucifer Morningstar." The Messenger stated, her fingers clutching the hilt so tight they were becoming bone-white. "I ask you, on behalf on the Archangels, to return to Hell."

"Oh, so now the Archangels are sending little Messengers to do their dirty work." But after a moment of thought, he added, "Sounds a bit par for the course actually."

Lucifer cracked his knuckles, missing the flinch from the young woman. He certainly didn't need to dredge up a lot of power for this.

"Right then. Let's get this over and done with. I've got-"

He almost didn't see it coming. The messenger angel moved with experienced ease, much more practiced than those other Messengers he had encountered back in the old days. He was barely able to dodge the Holy Blade that was swung at him, barely able to move in time before a hand snapped out to punch his face. Lucifer snapped out with his Demonic Power, which, while it pushed the girl back a few feet, it didn't do anything it was supposed to do.

He stared at her with shocked eyes.

"What the….."

That's when he spotted it.

Two feathers, one a pearly white while the other a dark obsidian, were intertwined on a string around her neck. Two feathers of Angelic and Demonic origins.

The girl quickly drew her jacket around the two Secondaries, hiding it but Lucifer could still feel the conflicting auras around her.

"Oh, very clever." Lucifer stated, smiling predatorily. "Using two things that have no business being together to shield yourself. Like a camouflage. Wonder why I never thought of that."

"Please…. just return to Hell." The girl pleaded, sounding more like a teenager on the verge of tears than an Angelic warrior. She returned to a fighting position; her fingers almost ghost white as she gripped the hilt. "Please. So, they can leave us in peace."

"Us? Whose 'us'?"

The messenger launched herself at the Devil once again, but this time was interrupted by Chloe. Lucifer took hold of the opportunity of surprise to roundhouse kick the messenger, sending her and her sword skittering.

"LUCIFER!" Chloe had her gun drawn almost instantly. She placed herself in front of the devil protectively, her gun pointed to the ground. "Are you okay?"

Not if you're here, Lucifer thought. But he just stared down at the girl, holding her chest as though her ribs were hurt. Granted, he did kick the girl a bit harder than intended. "Great timing, Detective. This malcontent just tried to assassinate me."

The messenger was trying to crawl away, the sword loosely clutched in her hands.

"Don't move!" Chloe shouted. The angel was ever closer to the edge of the building.

Lucifer stalked forward like a jungle cat that had spotted a particularly juicy animal that was wounded.

"I said don't move!"

She glanced over her shoulder, the sunlight catching those green orbs. The messenger struggled to her feet, and Lucifer thought she was going to surrender. Then, almost without warning, the messenger tumbled over the side of the building. While Chloe rushed forward, in shock and in worry, Lucifer just sighed.

"Where…...Where'd she….?" Chloe sounded confused. She turned around to see Lucifer sauntering towards the door. "Where are you going? We've got a case that we need to solve. Not to mention you were just targeted by a wacko with a sword who just disappeared."

"My apologizes, Detective, but I've got some family business to take care of."

Great. Now he would have to text Amenadiel. Figure out what was going on for Upstairs to send a messenger of all things after him.

Just what he needed after such a good morning.