The building that Lucifer called home was engulfed in flames which were spreading quickly; smoke rose into the clear midday sky. Even from the streets, the sound of the walls collapsing inside could be heard. The crowds that had gathered to see the horrific scene had spread out to watch. The flames had already overtaken the top five floors before the firefighters took control of the spreading fire.
Chloe sat in the back of an ambulance that was parked just across the street from Lux. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. Her hands covered her mouth as she watched the destruction of the penthouse. Everything had happened so fast; it was hard to process it all. One moment she was in bed with the love of her life; the next, she was being treated for shock. An oxygen tank sat beside her in case she needed it. She wondered if she would wake up from this nightmare. The image of Lucifer lying there helplessly while the world around her burned was stuck in her mind. She was hoping beyond hope that Amenadiel had made it out with Lucifer.
"Oh my God, Chloe." Ella was by her side and pulled the detective into a hug. "Are you okay? What happened?" Chloe remained silent and didn't even acknowledge the forensic scientist. Ella noticed the bloody shirt under the blanket. "Are you hurt?" She pushed the blanket aside to see that there was no visible wound. "Whose blood is that? Where's Lucifer?" Ella scanned the other ambulances for her favourite consultant, but he was nowhere to be found. "Chloe, where is Lucifer?" She turned back to the detective.
"Lucifer?" Chloe finally spoke, her voice hoarse from a mixture of her screams and the smoke. The blonde woman finally made eye contact with her friend. "I need to call... do you have a phone? I need your phone."
"Yeah, of course." Ella pulled out her phone and handed it to the distraught woman. "Is he okay?"
"Do you have Amenadiel's number?" Chloe's hands were shaking so much that she struggled to work the phone. "Please."
"Yeah." The scientist took the phone back and found the number the woman was looking for before giving the phone back. Ella scanned her friend, worried about her state of mind. She looked up at the burning building, wondering what had happened up there and why Chloe was covered in blood. At this moment, she wasn't going to get an answer.
Chloe held the phone to her ear; her eyes went back to the burning building. "Come on, Amenadiel. Answer the phone," the woman growled. She hung up and tried again.
"Chloe, what is going on?" Ella asked, hoping for an answer.
"Oh, just..." Chloe held the phone up to her ear. "Demons wreaking havoc on the world. Setting fire to the penthouse. All because they want to make him pay for being an absent King." She hung up the phone and tried again. "Then stabbing him because they know I make him vulnerable," Chloe rambled. Too exhausted from everything that had happened in the last couple of hours, she didn't have the energy to come up with a lie.
"Ummm? Hold on." Ella pulled Chloe's arm down and held on to her biceps, so she was face to face with the woman, who had barely given her a second glance. "What are you talking about?"
"The demons were here to take Lucifer back to Hell or to kill him." Chloe put the phone back up to her ear. "Both equally bad. So, I need to find him to make sure he is still alive."
"Right." Ella's concern for Chloe's well-being increased with every absurd word the woman spoke. The scientist didn't want to see Chloe join Ross in the hospital. She turned to find an officer who could actually give her information. "I'll be right back," she said when she saw Dan talking to the fire department Chief.
Chloe didn't even realize that Ella had left; her mind was so focused on the ringing in her ear as she waited for someone to finally answer. Until someone finally did. "Chloe!"
Meanwhile…
"Linda!" Amenadiel kicked down the front door to the doctor's house. "Clear the table!" The angel's booming voice filled the house. He rushed through the door with a limp Lucifer in his arms. Linda stood frozen with Charlie sitting on her hips; her eyes were on the bloody body and the hilt embedded in his chest. She almost didn't recognize her former patient. Lucifer looked so unusually small in the arms of his brother. "Linda!" Amenadiel's voice was desperate.
"Right." The doctor turned towards the dining room table and pushed all its contents off with her free hand. "Who did this? The demons?" The question was rhetorical; she knew the answer. Amenadiel had informed her what was going on. He had been on high alert, fearing for the safety of their child ever since Charlie had been kidnapped a few months ago. "Towels. I'm going to get towels." The first thing she thought of was to clean up all the blood that was already dripping on her floor. The woman frantically ran out of the room.
"Forget the towels. I need help." The angel lowered his lifeless brother onto the table. "Come on, Luci, stay with me." Amenadiel placed two fingers on Lucifer's neck to see if it was too late. The pulse was barely hanging on. The phone in his pocket rang but was left unanswered.
"What do you need?" Linda ran back, the baby still on her hip. A few towels in her hands, she placed them at the edge of the table near Lucifer's legs; his feet were hanging off at the end, his body being longer than the table.
"I'm going to pull the dagger out while you place these on his chest." The angel let out a small painful grunt as he plucked his own feathers from his still unfurled wings. He placed several of his grey feathers in her hands. "Got it?"
"Yeah, yeah. Great, yeah. Not my first rodeo." Linda had a tight grip on the feathers, ready for her part. "Shhh. It's okay." She attempted to soothe the upset baby in her arms. The phone rang again.
Amenadiel yanked out the dagger; the weapon's release caused an eruption of blood that pooled on his chest. Linda quickly placed the feathers on top of the gaping wound. Her hand immediately covered Charlie's eyes to shield him from the bright light. But nothing happened.
"What?" Amenadiel looked up at the woman. "I don't understand. This should have worked." Amenadiel looked back down at his dying brother. "No. No." The phone went off again. Amenadiel finally looked at the phone to see who was calling. Chloe's name showed up on the banner. "Here." He passed the phone to the doctor.
"Maybe we are too late." Linda sighed; she was swaying from side to side. Holding tightly to her child, she took the still-ringing phone. She didn't dare answer it. She didn't know what she would say to Chloe.
"No. This is not how it ends." Amenadiel looked up to the sky, searching for an answer from his Father. "Do you hear me?" the angel shouted. He bowed his head, and with the palm of his hand, he pressed down on the feathers. "Come on." There was silence in the room, aside from the phone. "Come on!" the angel shouted.
The divine light flashed from the gash in the Devil's chest. Lucifer let out a gasp of air as he sat straight up on the table. His hand felt around his chest where the dagger had been implanted, wiping away the blood. The Devil looked around the room, confused by the new surroundings. His eyes found his brother standing nearby. "Amenadiel?"
"Oh, thank God." Linda breathed. Both angels gave her a disdainful glance; to let her know that their Father had nothing to do with this. "Right, sorry. Old habits. I'm just glad you're okay." Lucifer gave her a weak smile.
"Thank you, brother." Lucifer swung his legs around and stood up, but he lost his balance and sat back down hard on the table.
"Hey! Take it easy. Your body is still healing." Amenadiel helped stabilize his brother on the table.
"I can't just take it easy." Lucifer noticed the pile of towels at the end of the table where Linda had left them. "I need to stop them once and for all before they do any more damage." Lucifer wiped down his chest the best he could with a dry towel.
"You should probably take this." The phone in Linda's hand rang. She held it out for Lucifer. He could see her name flash on the screen.
The Devil looked at the phone for a moment, almost scared to answer it. After it rang for the fifth time, he snatched it from the doctor's hand and answered the call. "Chloe!" His heart was hammering in his chest. He needed to hear her voice to make sure she was unharmed.
"Lucifer. You're okay?" The woman sobbed on the other end of the line; there was a sense of relief in her voice. "I was so scared. I can't lose you. Not again."
Lucifer looked from his brother to the doctor before standing up and slowly walking into the living area. He knew he wasn't out of earshot, but he just wanted the feeling of privacy.
"Lucifer?" Chloe spoke up after being left in the silence. "Are you still there?" There was panic in her voice.
"I'm here." Lucifer closed his eyes. His heart ached to hold her in her arms again. "I'm here." He repeated; his voice was filled with melancholy.
"Are you okay? You sound... You sound like you're about to walk death row." The detective couldn't hide the worry in her voice; she knew him. She knew he was up to something.
"Listen, Chloe, I..." The Devil covered his mouth for a moment before continuing, he didn't want to do this over the phone, but time was ticking. "I have to go and make things right again. I need to go..."
"No." Chloe interrupted him. "No. You can't go. They...they will kill you this time. I heard him; I know he won't stop until... You can't go." The woman on the line begged through her sobs. "Please. Don't go. I can't lose you. I don't want to live without you. Please...I love you, Lucifer. Don't do this."
"I'm sorry, Chloe." Lucifer's heart was shattered on the floor. "I have to go." He didn't want to go, but the fear of her in harm's way was more significant than the fear of what waited for him on the other side. The world had almost lost her once; he didn't want to be responsible for Trixie growing up without her mother.
"No. Don't do this," Chloe shouted through her sobs; even Amenadiel and Linda could hear her. "Lucifer, please..."
"Goodbye, Chloe." Lucifer's voice trembled. The call ended; his hand holding the phone dropped to his side. The phone slipped from his hand and fell to the carpet.
The couple in the room stood in silence, waiting for the Lord of Hell to make the first move after the tragic phone call. Linda was about to say something, but Amenadiel stopped her before he walked over to his brother. He placed his hand on his shoulder to offer comfort.
"Tell me it will work, brother." Lucifer finally looked at his brother, his eyes glazed over. The angel gave him a quizzical look. "The ritual. Tell me it will work. That we can put an end to this."
"Yeah...I think it will," the angel replied, but there was uncertainty in his voice. "You just have to try it."
"Right." Lucifer covered his mouth, still shaken up from the phone call, his mind reeling with all that he needed to accomplish promptly. "Maze!" he uttered under his breath then. The Devil turned on his heels. "Brother, I need your help." His eyes finally focused on Amenadiel, seeking his support.
"Luci, I..." Amenadiel looked over to his little family. Linda was listening intently; Charlie had finally calmed down in her arms. "I can't leave them."
"But I need your help getting Maze out of there," Lucifer pleaded. It took a lot for him to ask for help. "Please, brother."
"What happened to Maze?" Linda spoke up upon hearing about her best friend.
"I don't know, but I know she is in trouble, and it's all my fault. She can't stay there anymore. It's too dangerous for her. She needs to be here." Lucifer's desperate eyes waited for his brother to reply. "Please, brother, will you help me make things right?"
Amenadiel looked over to Linda, who nodded her head. "We'll be fine. You need to help," the doctor said.
The angel walked up to her, took the child out of her arms, and kissed Charlie's forehead. Amenadiel then glanced back at his brother. "What's the plan?"
Note: Chapter was Beta read by SailorChronos1! Thank You!