Thank you so much for your patients. Here is a little something to get you through the holidays!
"Smooth move." Dan finally spoke up in the lingering silence. "Your brother just got back from Hell, and you lay that on him." Dan walked back to the kitchen and poured himself another drink. "I'm so glad I'm an only child." He muttered to himself as he took a sip of his drink.
"What happened now?" Maze asked, looking around the room for answers. She noticed Chloe hadn't moved from where she stood, just staring into the distance. "What's wrong with Decker?"
"I messed up, okay." Amenadiel plopped down on a nearby chair, ignoring the Demon's questions. "But I just..."
"But nothing," Ella stood up with the fussy child in her arms; she swayed side to side with Charlie on her hip. "He is your brother, and he obviously went through something very traumatic. Seriously. The dude was freaking chained down to who knows what for a year. And the first thing you do is accuse him." The woman covered the child's ears. "That's a real dick move." Ella huffed.
"It was longer than a year for him." Maze spoke under her breath, even though she was utterly lost in the discussion. Amenadiel gave her a side glance at her off-handed comment that didn't help his cause.
"I'm sorry. Okay." The Angel sighed in annoyance. "What I did was uncalled for."
"Why are you saying sorry to me. You should say it to your brother." Ella pointed up at the stairs. "He is the one the needs who need to hear it." Charlie started to cry in the woman's arms. "Shh. It's okay." She attempted to soothe him by bouncing him up and down, but it didn't help.
"Here." Amenadiel stood up and reached for his son. "He needs to be fed." The Angel took the child from the forensic scientist and went into the kitchen; he picked up the diaper bag on the way.
"Fine. Avoid making up with your broken brother." Ella uttered as she crouched down and started tidying up her tools that the Angel baby tossed around the floor.
"Okay, will someone tell me what I missed?" Maze scoffed, getting frustrated that she was being ignored. "Where's Lucifer?"
"Short story." Dan finally spoke to the newcomer, who missed everything. "Amenadiel accused Lucifer of wanting to be a prisoner of Hell and that he is use to playing the victim card. He is upstairs with Linda right now." He took a sip of his whisky.
"That is not what happened." Amenadiel opened a jar of potato peas baby food for the child.
"That's how I heard it," Ella called out from the living room.
"You are lucky you have that kid in your arms." Maze made her way into the kitchen towards the Angel. "But when you put him down. You better watch out." The Demon pulled out her curved blades. "If it weren't for Lucifer, I would still be down there, so don't you dare accuse him of such a vile thing."
"I already said I messed up." The Angel felt gained up on, but he also knew that he shouldn't have said anything. "It was true." The Angel was barely audible as he spoon-fed his son, who was in his arms. Dan was the only one who heard his comment to himself and shook his head in amusement.
"I shouldn't have stopped for coconut water." Maze talked to herself aloud, putting her knives back in their place. "Missed all the drama. Hey, this is Squee's." Maze picked up the demon dagger that was on the side table. "Hmm. That one is new." She looked at the long sword. She twirled the blade in her hand. "Lucifer bring this back?" She looked over her shoulder to Dan, the only person giving her straight answers.
"You could say that." Dan nodded his head, trying to find the right words. "I mean, it was in his back, but yeah, technically, he brought it back."
"Okay. That's it. I gonna go see him." Maze started towards the stairs.
"Just let him be." Ella's words stopped the Demon. "He'll come down when he is ready." The scientist finished putting away her tools and started for the kitchen when she noticed Chloe still standing in the same spot. The detective's brow furrowed, drowning out the conversation. "Hey Clo, You okay?" The others in the room turned towards her and waited for her to respond.
"It's going to work," Chloe whispered, not talking to anyone in particular. Her eyes were glazed over, entirely oblivious to what was going on around her.
"What is?" Maze's state of confusion continued as new information kept coming in incoherent chatters.
"Dan's idea, it will work. We just have to figure out what to do with Ross. Because he knows that Lucifer is Devil." Chloe finally turned towards the other. "But I'm sure he wants something; he could make a deal with Lucifer. I have to talk to him." Chloe bolted up the stairs.
"I am so lost." Maze threw her arms in the air. "Dan had an idea that will work? Since when?" Maze decided to throw the dagger just above Amenadiel head and straight into the wall behind him, causing him to flinch.
"Watch it. I have your nephew here." The Angel looked up at the Demon, who had a grin across her face.
"My aim is perfect, and you know it." Maze stated confidently.
"Hey, I have great ideas," Dan spoke up with a defensive tone as he poured himself yet another drink.
"Yeah, then what is it?" Maze asked, her arms folded across her chest and her hip popped to one side as she stood.
"Technically, it was Lucifer's idea." Ella side as she sat next to Dan at the kitchen counter; Dan glanced over to the woman with a glare before he proceeded to tell the Demon the plan.
Meanwhile Upstairs
"Lucifer," Linda gently knocked on the door. "Can I come in?" There was no reply. "Lucifer?" She slowly opened the door and peeked inside the room. The bed was unmade, and the remnants of what seemed to be a romantic morning were on the side table. The Doctor smiled at the food trays, knowing that Chloe was taking care of him. Linda's head turned when she could hear the water running from the bathroom. "Lucifer?" The woman waited for a reply, but all she heard was the tap turn off. "I'm coming in." Warned the Doctor, stepping through the doorway into the room and towards the connecting bathroom. The door was somewhat opened; she pushed it, revealing the Devil standing at the sink, his face and hair wet and staring at his reflection. A bottle of whisky was already in his hands. She noticed the bloody tattered pants on the floor by the tub. The tub itself was smeared with a mixture of ash and blood. Draped over the side of the tub was a once-white washcloth, now stained pink. The sight made her stomach turn. The woman leaned against the door frame and waited for him to talk.
"It would seem a lot has happened in my absence." Lucifer finally spoke up, his voice disheartened. He reached for the handtowel and proceeded to dry his face. Immediately after, he took a swig from the bottle.
"Yeah. A lot can happen in a year." Linda agreed; she could see the pain in his eyes through the reflection in the mirror.
"Hmmm." Lucifer bobbed his head rapidly, almost as if he had a slight tremor. "My nephew is undoubtedly getting bigger. Does he have wings yet?" Lucifer asked casually.
"No. He doesn't. But Amenadiel is optimistic." The woman watched for his reaction when she mentioned his brother's name. As aspected, his body tensed as he looked down into the sink. "He told me about his visit to Hell. About what he found. How he found you. Most likely sparing some of the gory details, but I got just of it." After hesitating for a moment, the woman spoke, trying to find the right words to steer the conversation to the heart of the issues. She didn't want to push him, but she did know that it needed to happen.
"You're going to take his side?" The Devil huffed, which almost turned into a hopeless chuckle; the bottle touched his lip once more.
"On the contrary," Linda folded his arms across her chest. "He was completely out of line. I know he is the father of my child, but he can be a 'little know-it-all. He spends five years on earth struggling with his own purpose, and he thinks he knows everything." She watched as Lucifer smirked at the comment. "Truth is, he is clueless when it comes to pretty much everything except the divine; even then, I'm sure he doesn't know everything. He spent most of his existence in Heaven looking down on humanity. Looking down on you. Amenadiel could never know what you went through in Hell, whether it was your choice or not. No one can." Linda let out a sympathetic sigh. "I can't imagine what it wa..."
"It was unbearable, but the smug bastard is right." Lucifer looked over his shoulder, stopping the woman. His heart pounded against his ribcage. "I didn't fight back; I gave in. That was the choice I made because I was afraid of watching her slip through my fingers again. Being powerless to the cruel reality of mortality, while I..." Push himself off the counter and made his way to the toilet; he gently lowered the lid and sat down. His elbows found a home on his thighs as he hunched over, his eyes on the Doctor. "...while I would go on living, knowing that she would only be a small part of my life in the grand scheme of things. She would die, and I would never be able to see her again. So I chose to be trapped in that prison, so she could live her life out in peace. Without me there to fuck things up. Putting her in harms way again." He looked down at his feet; the Doctor remained silent, hanging on to his every word, surprised that he was so forthcoming. "Unfortunately, the bloody demons found out my greatest fear and used her against me. Watching her die in every way possible was excruciating. It wasn't long before I realized I had made a horrible mistake." The man took a moment to drink his whisky before he continued. "One day, I made an escape attempt. It didn't go over so well; I only made it to the end of the corridor before the guard on duty sounded the alarm. My wings decided not to show up to play their part. They remained the useless stumps on my back. I was drugged back to my cell, the doors locked, and I was left there in solitude. Forgotten." His last few words were barely audible. "Nothing but the four walls around me. Dark and Silent. Alone."
"What changed? How did you get out?" Linda asked, her voice
matching his tone.
"I don't know. I was alone for so long. My only thought was getting home to her. Then one day, the door opened randomly for the first time in eons. I don't know if they were coming to check on me or if it was opened by mistake. All I knew was I had to get out of there. I was surprised when the feather burdens actually showed up. But so did Eligo's army. I did everything in my power to get out of there."
"Now, here you are." Linda gave him a weak smile.
"Here I am." Lucifer sighed; his eyes were glazed over. "I was foolish to think that everything would be the same. But it's not, is it."
"Nope." The Doctor watched him; his leg was nervously vibrating. "What hasn't changed is how we all feel about you. Everyone downstairs cares about you and will stand by your side. Even Amenadiel."
Lucifer chuckled and looked down at his feet. He let out a long sigh and straightened out his own leg, looking down at the object he loathed around it.
"Hey." A soft voice came from behind Linda; Chloe sheepishly stood by the door frame. "Everything okay?" She asked. Her eyes were on the man sitting on the toilet. Lucifer gave her a settled nod. "Good." The detective walked in and sat on his lap; the back of her hand caressed his cheek before she leaned in and gave him a kiss. Lucifer's arms wrapped around her waist. His head found her shoulder.
"I'll give you two a moment." Linda smiled and turned on her heels, leaving the two alone.
"I overheard what you said." Chloe admitted, she looked down on him, tears in her eyes. " about being left alone. I'm so sorry. You didn't deserve that."
"Chloe, I..." The man started.
"I know. I don't care what Amenadiel said or what choice you made. You here now, and that's all that matters." She ran her fingers through his hair. "We're going to clear your name, and we will forget about this horrible nightmare. Okay?" The man nodded his head; he could hear her heartbeat. They sat in comfortable silence for a few minutes. Everything that happened early seemed to have drifted away, and all he cared about was having her in his arms.
"Chloe, I want a life with you." Lucifer looked up at her; his voice was tender as he pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "I want to be your husband." He let out a nervous chuckle; he didn't ever expect to hear those words leave his lips. "I want to grow old with you. I want to give up my immortality to spend the rest of my dying days with you."
"Wha...How? Why?" Chloe was taken aback by what he was implying. He heart started racing in her chest.
"I'll find a way. Because you're my only reason to live. Life without you is no life at all. I was lost without you." A smile formed on his lips. "I love you, Chloe Jane Decker."