I am so sorry for such a late update! Life has been crazy and my mind has been elsewhere. But I am back, I promise not to leave you hanging for this long again. Happy Easter and Enjoy the chapter!
"It's been pretty busy at the precinct," Chloe told Ross. "We're doing the best we can without you. The interim Lieutenant is completely overwhelmed, but I don't blame him. He is way out of his league. Dealing with the incident at the prison's infirmary when Andrew Leeds overdosed hadn't been easy. Luckily, the doctors there were able to revive him. Strangely enough, when he came around, he confessed to everything: his sole involvement in the bombings, the threating emails, the attempted murder of… well, you know. And also stabbing the 'tall scary guy'. Leeds even gave up the name of the nurse who pumped him full of morphine. She is now facing charges." Chloe paused for a moment, a small smile beginning to curl on her lips as she let out a chuckle. "It would seem that Mr. Leeds met a friend of ours for the brief two minutes his heart stopped. Even in Hell, he is helping with cases." The last part was to herself, which left a twinge in her heart.
"This is not…" Chloe took a step further into the room. Ross was sitting in a chair by the window, his eyes focused on a tree outside. The man hadn't said a word to anyone in the last two weeks, since Chloe had found him in the interview room. "This is not what I wanted when you…" She sighed and started over. "I know what you're going through. It's not easy when you discover who… who he really is. I made plenty of mistakes after I found out, believe me. But despite popular belief, he's a good guy. I don't think it's fair for me to expect you to understand. You barely knew the guy, and now you've had the full-on crash course introduction to the Devil himself." The detective sat on the edge of the bed and waited for a response that she knew she would never get.
Chloe eyes wandered around the room and landed on the box that she had brought him when he first arrived. It contained a few things to make him feel more at home, though it was hardly possible with the white sterile walls and the lack of furnishings in the room. She had been given strict instructions on what she could bring into the room: nothing that would cause him to self-harm. But the box had remained in the same place where she left it, the belongings left untouched. Frustration built up inside of her as she stared at the shell of a man that she used to know.
"You did bring this on yourself. You should've dropped it. But no, you wouldn't let it go. You just kept pushing him, even after he told you the truth, even when I told you. You still went after him until you finally pushed him over the edge." There was annoyance in her voice now. "Now look at you." Ross had been temporarily committed for a "stress-related psychotic episode", but Chloe knew what the real cause was of his catatonic state. She was reminded of Jimmy Barnes from when she had first met Lucifer, and how he had been driven insane because of something he had seen. She now knew what it was that had tormented him all those years ago, when first meeting the Club- Owning Devil.
She didn't even know why she had stopped by to see Ross. She had visited every day for the past fourteen days, yet there had been no signs of him coming around. For some reason, she felt partly responsible for his current condition, so she would continue to visit for the foreseeable future. Until he could come to his senses. Maybe.
Chloe began to laugh hysterically, that quickly turned into gut-wrenching sobs. The overwhelming reality of her life had come crashing down. All the men in her life were slipping through her fingers and there was nothing she could do but wait.
Dan had locked himself in his apartment, meticulously going over every case he'd been on with Lucifer, maniacally piecing together a puzzle that would never be complete. When she would go to check on him, he would hound her with questions that she didn't have the answers to. The last time she saw him, he was supposed to take Trixie for the weekend, but he was in no state to care for their daughter.
Lucifer was millions of miles away. He hadn't returned since the fateful day at the precinct. Two weeks since she'd touched his smooth skin. She was frustrated with his stubbornness. She kept a mental estimate of how much time had passed in Hell, though this almost made her more anxious as she wondered what was taking so long. She hoped that he was okay.
Sitting in a quiet room with an unresponsive Ross was often the reprieve that she needed to escape the memories that haunted her. While sitting at her desk at work, she missed him distracting her from her work. While she was home, she ached for him to walk through the door and just be with her and Trixie. The white sterile room in the recovery centre was what she needed; no memories were connected to this place except for the man beside her. At least, that what she told herself, but she knew it wasn't true. The Devil would always be swimming around in her head.
"Is everything okay?" A nurse appeared in the doorway. She must have overheard the detective's crying. "Is the Lieutenant…?"
"Umm…" Chloe wiped her tear-stained face and looked down at the floor, not wanting to look back. "Yeah, h-he's the same." She nearly choked on her words. "I'm just… I don't recall a time in my life where everything was just… just normal. Then again, when has my life ever been normal? It's just that lately, life has been extremely challenging. You know?" She finally looked back at the nurse, who stood there looking a bit clueless. "Loving him wasn't supposed to be this hard. But it is."
"Don't worry, ma'am. He will snap out of it eventually." The nurse stepped inside and placed her hand on Chloe's shoulder to reassure her.
"Oh, yeah. Right." Chloe realized the nurse thought she was talking about Ross. "Yeah, I'm sure he will, thank you." Just then, the detective's phone started to ring. She looked at who was calling. "Excuse me, I have to take this," she said politely. The nurse nodded her head and left the room, closing the door behind her. She answered the call. "Hello?"
"You need to come and get him." The voice on the other line sounded desperate. "He has been here since the crack of dawn hounding us with questions. I get that he has questions and I sympathize, but he is here every day. We have a baby, Chloe, that keeps us up all night! I don't know how much more I can take."
"I'm so sorry, Linda." Chloe sighed as her head fell into her free hand. "I'll be right there."
"Thank you. Thank you. Thank you." Linda repeated before she hung up the phone.
Soon after, Chloe made her way up the walkway to Dr. Linda's house. She stood at the front door for a moment, preparing herself to deal with her frantic ex-husband. On the other side of the door Dan was ranting, "But listen to me, Amenadiel, in the Book of Revelations, it says that 'Satan will be released from prison and will deceive the nations in the four corners of the Earth'. He was here on Earth already; does that mean the apocalypse is coming? Look, look, says it right here in the Bible." A sharp pang in heart erupted when she heard the words from the Holy Book; she remembered reading those very words just a year ago.
"No, Dan. That's not…" The angel's voice paused. "I don't believe that is true. Like I have told you, for the millionth time, I don't know my Father's intentions, but…"
Chloe quickly knocked on the door, worried about what he would say next.
Linda finally opened the door after a nearly a minute; she was holding a fussy Charlie in her arms. "Chloe, I'm so glad you're here." Chloe could see that the new mother was worn out. "Please get him out of my house."
Chloe stepped inside the doorway, and immediately saw Dan pacing the room in front of Amenadiel who was staring off into the distance with a bored-out-of-his-mind look. "I know, but the Bible said…"
"You know what, Dan?" The angel cut him off. "You can't believe everything you read." He sighed, then he looked up and noticed the new arrival. "Chloe, it's so good to see you. Look Dan, it's Chloe."
"Sorry if I'm interrupting, but I actually need Dan's help." It wasn't a complete lie; she had fallen behind on paperwork and she thought it would be best for Dan to get back at it. Work might help keep him distracted enough to stop thinking about the celestial world.
"Actually, Chlo…" Dan started but was interrupted.
"Of course. We were just finishing up here." Amenadiel smiled at Chloe in relief, although Dan was ready to object. "He is all yours."
"Perfect." Chloe returned the smile.
"Lovely, I am going to have a nap." Linda walked by, handed the child to his father, and walked off to the hall that led to her bedroom.
Dan looked at his ex-wife with apprehension. "He's not with you, is he?" His eye twitched nervously.
"No. He's not." Chloe shook her head.
"Oh, thank God." Dan let out with relief filling his voice. He made his way to the door; regretting his tone when he saw the hurt look in Chloe's eyes. "I didn't mean… It's just… I don't know if I…" He wasn't doing very well with finishing his sentences.
"I know Dan. It's okay." Chloe reassured him with a weak smile. "Why don't you head down to the precinct, get us some coffee, and I will meet you there. I'm sure if we work together, we can get everything done."
"Yeah, yeah, Yeah. Sure. Yeah." Dan was clearly still on edge.
"Maybe decaf for you." Chloe muttered under her breath as he walked out the door and to his parked car.
"Thank you, Chloe." Amenadiel said as he swayed side to side to soothe the child.
"No problem. I hope he didn't bother you too much." Chloe leaned on the hand railing. "I know he has been dealing with everything in his own way."
"Well, he has really done his research, that's for sure." Amenadiel chuckled.
"Yeah." Chloe was far away. She'd done the same, she'd done her research too. But her research had taken her across the world and brought back Father Kinley. Kinley who had started the chain of events that led up to the moment Lucifer had gone back. Her heart started racing in her chest. This was all her fault. Everything was her fault.
"Chloe, are you all right?" the angel asked, as he'd noticed the detective's face turn ashen. She didn't respond. "Chloe?" He ran up the small set of stairs and was beside her. He steadied her with his free hand and led her over to the couch.
"I did this. It's all my fault." Her voice was barely audible.
"What is?"
"Everything. If I'd just talked to him instead of running away, maybe things would be different. Maybe he wouldn't have to go back…" Chloe looked up at Lucifer's brother. "And maybe we could actually be together right now. How could I have been so stupid?" Fresh tears fell from her eyes.
"Hey now. Stop that." Amenadiel sat beside her and pulled her into a side hug. "Listen to me, Chloe. None of this is your fault. There was no way any of us could've seen this coming. Including Lucifer."
"But…" Chloe started but the angel didn't let her continue.
"Chloe, I spent years trying to send him back to Hell. To step up and man his post, to do the task that Father had set out for him. For years he refused. Lucifer has always cared about one thing and one thing only. Himself." A smile crept onto his face. "That is, until he met you." Chloe's glossy eyes met Amenadiel's. "You're special. The only human he would sacrifice his own happiness to protect."
"I'm sure there has to be someone else that he has cared about. I can't be the only…" She paused for a moment. She noticed a look in Amenadiel's eyes that she had seen before: the eyes of certainty. He had the same look when he'd talked to her about her father. "Why me?" Her voice was barely over a whisper.
"I can't answer that," the angel replied plainly. "But what I can say is that you make him a better man. You did that. No one else could do that." Amenadiel smiled warmly.
"Is there a way…" Chloe felt her heart pounding against her ribcage. "Is there a way for him to be here and still stop the demons from returning?"
"I don't know," he answered truthfully, knowing it was not the answer she wanted to hear. "Perhaps there is, but locking up Hell would not be a simple task and it might come with a price."
"Have you been there?" she asked, her eyes brimming over.
"I have," the angel revealed. "It's not a place I like to visit." He recognized that his words didn't ease her curiosity. It almost made it worse, but he also knew that he couldn't sugar coat the workings of the underworld.
"Can the… can they hurt him?" She licked her dry lips, panic rising in her gut. She wasn't sure if she was ready to hear the answer.
"He is immortal, Chloe. He can't die." Amenadiel skirted around the question. He knew that she could read between the lines. She was a detective after all.
"I'm so sorry," the woman blurted out as she stood up. A single tear rolled down her face. "I was supposed to get Dan out of your house, and here I am asking questions about Lucifer and Hell, while you probably just want to rest." She looked down at the child; Charlie had fallen asleep in his father's arms.
"Lucifer is the King of Hell, Chloe, and he is going to be just fine. He has endured for many, many years. There's nothing down there that would scare him." He hoped to comfort her with that.
"You're right." She gave him a weak smile. But she couldn't help but remember the worried look on Lucifer's face when she last saw him. "I should go, Dan will be wondering where I am." She briskly walked to the door as she wiped her tears with the back of her hand. "Thanks."
"No problem." He'd spoken to himself, because she was already out the door and halfway down the path.
Note: Chapter was Beta read by SailorChronos1! Thank You!