Sorry for the delay! It's been a crazy couple of weeks but finally another chapter. Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long!
"Brother!" Lucifer greeted his brother, who had landed on the balcony. Lucifer was standing in the middle of the penthouse with his wings spread out and a glass of whiskey in his hand. "Did you lose your keys in the couch again?"
"Dan called me." The angel looked around the room; he could tell something was up. His brother was not one to stand around casually with his wings out, not after he had often cursed their existence. "Trixie is missing. He said that you were at the hospital, then vanished. Trixie disappeared soon after." Amenadiel slowly walked in, eyeing the bandage wrapped around his brother's torso. "Are you all right?"
"Oh, this?" Lucifer pointed down at his wound. "It's nothing. Just a little scratch; should be healed in no time. You should see the other guy." Lucifer smiled as he sipped his drink.
"You mean Andrew Leeds?" His brother sat on the arm of the nearby couch. "Dan had also mentioned what you did to him." The detective had told him about the one-sided fight that happened at the hospital.
"Hmm, did he now?" Lucifer scoffed, not surprised that Detective Douche would blab to his brother.
"Yeah, it seems you gave the man quite the beating." Amenadiel crossed his arms in disapproval. "He's been admitted to the hospital. The new Lieutenant is looking for you too."
"Really?" Lucifer was not thrilled to find out that the man who'd tried to kill Chloe was still in the same hospital. He'd been hoping that Andrew Leeds was locked up far away from her.
"Luci, this is serious. You could…" His brow furrowed when he heard a snap come from behind his brother.
"Owww," Lucifer yelped, craning his head to look behind his shoulder. "Please be gentle."
"What the…?" the angel muttered under his breath as he stood up from his perch.
"Sorry."
Amenadiel recognized the sweet voice that came from behind the wings. He took a few steps and peered around the wings, knowing very well who was behind his brother. He was, however, shocked to see Trixie with a feather in one hand and one of Maze's blades in the other.
"Hi, Amenadiel." The child looked up at the angel and she gave him a nervous smile, biting her bottom lip.
"Trixie! You're here?" He didn't know what else to say. Trixie had been reported missing and the LAPD were searching for her, and here she was. The human child was plucking feathers off Lucifer's wings like it was an everyday occurrence in her life. In the backpack beside her he noticed the red-tipped, white feathers peeking out. The older brother shook his head in bewilderment. He pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to wrap his head around what he was witnessing. "Luci, what is going on?"
"Just a little feather collection, brother. Beginning to understand what it feels like to be plucked like a chicken." Lucifer flashed a cheeky smile towards his brother. "A bit unpleasant."
"Lucifer, this… what… can we talk?" Amenadiel wasn't sure what to say, but he knew that he was not comfortable talking with the child present.
"We are not talking already?" The devil gave him a quizzical look.
"Alone." The elder angel insisted, his eye on the child who was stuffing the feathers into her bag.
"Of course, brother. But only for a moment. Places to be and all." Lucifer took a sip from his tumbler. "Do we have enough?" he called over his shoulder once more.
"I think so." Trixie called out, and she lifted up her backpack.
"Lovely." The Devil retracted his wings into his back. "Child, why don't you go see if Maze is back with the doctor? I'll be right down."
"Sure." Trixie smiled, pulling the straps of the backpack over her shoulders, before making her way to the elevator.
"What is going on here, Luci?" Amenadiel asked. Lucifer picked up a clean burgundy dress shirt that was on the couch. "Not only does Trixie know about you, but she's…" He couldn't completely comprehend what was going on, and had to ask. "What is she doing with your feathers?"
"Yes, she's always known, apparently. Clever child, even if she still believes in Santa Claus." Lucifer pulled his arms into his shirt. "And as for the feathers, we are going to heal the detective, of course." Lucifer casually informed his older brother. "Thanks, by the way, for not telling me that it was my feather that healed you when Malcolm stabbed you."
"Surely you've always known of their healing abilities," Amenadiel scoffed in disbelief.
"I thought that part of me was taken away after the rebellion. Healing was not exactly in the Devil's job description." Lucifer scowled. "It didn't occur to me that I could heal whilst I was busy torturing tormented souls. It wasn't something I even considered. I've always inflicted pain, not take it away." Then Lucifer let out a sigh, walked over to the bar, and poured himself another drink. "But now, my feathery burdens will actually be useful."
"How will it seem when she walks out of the hospital without a scratch, a day after she was involved in an explosion?" Amenadiel asked gently, not wanting his brother to take the question the wrong way.
"I think most people would be thrilled. Don't you?" Lucifer said casually. He disappeared into his closet, leaving Amenadiel to ponder what his brother was suggesting. He returned shortly after with a grey jacket to match his slacks.
"Lucifer, you know that exposing humans to divinity is never a good idea." The angel sighed. "It is too much for humans to comprehend. What are the doctors going to say?"
"Don't know. Don't care," Lucifer replied quickly, but he saw the look in his brother's face. The look indicating that wasn't the answer Amenadiel was looking for. "Well, we can call it a miracle. Jesus healed people all the time. They built churches all around the world because of his holy divinity. He can take all the credit for all I care…"
"Lucifer…" His brother tried to interject.
"NO," Lucifer barked. He knew his brother too well. He knew that Amenadiel would try to stop him. "We are doing this. Knowing that she is alive and healthy is the only thing that matters. Because…" The man paused for moment, and his voice softened. "Because I'm lost without her. I have been back for twenty-four hours and it has been absolute hell without her. Chloe is everything. I can't let her slip though my fingers." There was pain behind his eyes. "So, if you are not going to help, please, step aside."
"Of course, I will help Luci. Whatever you need." The older angel had known his brother for millions of years; it was only in the recent years he had seen this broken side of him. His human side. How could he refuse to help?
The hospital was on high alert when they arrived. There were police offices around every corner. Lucifer couldn't help but notice the uncomfortable stares directed towards him as he made his way up to the detective's floor along with Maze and Trixie. Linda and Amenadiel were not far behind. Charlie was almost asleep, so they drove around the block once more to make sure he was asleep before they parked the car.
It hadn't been long ago that they all were working together to find the antidote to save the Detective when she'd been poisoned, and here they were again. Memories had flooded back to the Devil of the time when he'd died and gone back to Hell to save her. He would do it all over again if he had to. When they arrived in the waiting room, Lucifer noticed Dan across the way talking to the Lieutenant. The man looked like he was in a bad state, but it didn't take long for him to notice Lucifer with Trixie and Maze.
"Trixie!" Detective Espinoza called out from across the room, pushing his way towards them. Ross slowly followed behind. The overtired man came face to face with the Devil and said, "She was with you? You stay away from my daughter." He guided Trixie away from Lucifer with his hand on her back. The child resisted for a moment, looking up at Lucifer who gave her a gentle nod to let her know it was okay. "Trixie, are you okay, did he hurt you?"
"I'm fine, dad," Trixie informed her father, but he didn't seem to hear it.
Dan turned back to Lucifer. "You are lucky she is okay. Because if anything had happened to her, it would be on your hands." His jaw clenched as he pointed his finger in Lucifer's face.
Lucifer couldn't believe that Dan would suggest that he would ever harm the child. He was offended by the very notion of it. "I didn't…" Lucifer started between his clenched teeth but was interrupted by Trixie.
"Dad. Stop." The child pulled on her dad's arm. "I left with Maze, remember?" Dan's face softened as he looked down at his daughter. "It's my fault, not Lucifer's." Trixie looked over at the Devil. "He brought me back here."
Lucifer gave the child a weak smile.
"Oh," Dan said as he slowly looked up at Lucifer. His eyes were heavy, unable to stay focused. He let out a tired sigh as he guided his daughter to turn around, and walked towards Chloe's room.
"Mr. Morningstar, do you have a moment?" the Lieutenant asked.
"Actually, I don't. Sorry." Lucifer made a step forward when he felt a hand stop him from continuing on. Said hand unintentionally pressed against the bandage that covered his torso; the nearly-healed wound still smarted. Lucifer glared down at the unwanted touch, shoved the man's hand out of the way, and continued on his way.
"I can always arrest you, and we can talk down at the precinct if you prefer," Ross called out, getting the attention of the other officers and staff members in the waiting room. "Aggravated assault is a serious offense." Lucifer stopped in his tracks; he could feel all eyes on him. "I think you can make the time now." The Devil turned towards the Lieutenant and gave him a fake smile. "Come with me," Ross instructed.
Lucifer glanced back at Maze, Linda, and Amenadiel, carrying a sleeping Charlie. They were standing next to Chloe's room and had stop to wait for him. He waved his hand, indicating that they should continue with their plan. Then he followed Ross to the elevator.
"I don't know what we could possibly talk about?" Lucifer broke the awkward silence, but he was denied an answer.
They stepped off the elevator and headed towards a room that was heavily guarded. Ross stood to the side of the window and indicated for Lucifer to look in. Lying in the hospital bed was Andrew Leeds. One of his wrists was cuffed to the bed rail and he had a bandage wrapped around his face.
"Detective Espinoza has informed me that you are the one that did this to him." Ross crossed his arms and leaned back on the wall. "Lucky for you, Dan is not currently in a stable state of mind. He has been seeing things. But this accusation, I do believe. You have been a loose cannon since the moment I met you."
"I was protecting her," Lucifer explained. "Andy was about to do a very bad thing, so I had to stop him." Lucifer had been called out before when he had gotten carried away with suspects, but Chloe was usually at his side defending him. Not this time.
"How many blows to the face before it stops being self defense?" Ross asked rhetorically. "Thanks to you, his jaw is broken, and he will be eating through a straw for a month."
"Good!" Lucifer scoffed.
"No, not good. He won't be fit to stand trial for a while for what he has done," Ross informed the police consultant. "We will have to wait for justice to be served, and since you have stepped in when you shouldn't have, we might not have enough evidence to put him away."
"This is what you wanted to talk about? Blaming me? Wasting my time?" Lucifer hissed, shaking his head in frustration. He wanted Leeds to pay, but right now he only had one thing on his mind: the Detective. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have somewhere I need to be." He turned to leave.
"Probably best not to leave the city for a while. We will talk again soon," Ross called out.
Lucifer paused for a moment before continuing on his way.
Note: Chapter was Beta read by SailorChronos1! Thank You!