"You sure about this, Daniel?" Lucifer breathed as they stepped into the precinct. Dan and Ella were on one side of him, while Chloe was on the other. Her hand clasped around his hand, fingers interlocked.
"Umm..." Dan started when he noticed the eyes beginning to gravitate towards them. "I think so."
"That's not exactly reassuring." The Devil's voice shook; slowly, they made their way down the grand staircase. Gradually silence overcame the usually busy police station. Officers and clerks alike stopped in their tracks; their heads turned towards Lucifer, looking at him as if he was a ghost back from the grave. Even the civilians recognized Lucifer since his face was all over the news recently.
"This is a bad idea." Lucifer looked over to Chloe to see if she felt the same way. The woman just squeezed his hand and gave him a loving glance.
"All you have to do is tell the truth." Ella attempted to reassure him. "You did nothing wrong."
"Right." Lucifer's voice hitched in his throat. He didn't understand the sudden feeling of nervousness. In normal circumstances, he would have sauntered into the precinct in his three-piece suit like he owned the place. But at this moment, he felt like he was walking into enemy territory, with glares of those who assumed he had done the worst thing possible—mass murder. It didn't help his confidence that his attire made him feel like a basement dweller or Dan. Lucifer's eyes anxiously looked around; he noticed several officers' hands inch towards their guns attached to their hips—ready for anything he may attempt.
Lucifer was well acquainted with false accusations; somehow, he felt that more was at stake this time around. The fear that if the plan didn't go over well; if he couldn't clear his currently soiled name in California. He would have to leave because there is no way he would allow them to contain him in a human prison; he would be gone before that would ever happen. Lucifer already did his time. In Hell.
"Mr. Morningstar." An unsteady voice could be heard from across the bullpen. Ross stood outside his office door, hesitant to step forward. Still, he did anyway, making his way towards the creature that frightened him the most. "I...I thought you were gone. Gone for good." He glanced toward Chloe with dismay. It was only yesterday when she had told him that the Devil would not return. Every fibre in his body wanted to reveal who the man was, to warn everyone about his true nature. He knew better. No one would believe him, and he didn't want to end up back in the psych hospital.
"I thought so too," Chloe started, "but he showed up late last night badly injured. He's been through Hell and back." Chloe explained; there was a slight plea behind her voice. "Lucifer was not fit to come in, but now he is ready for his statement to explain his disappearance." The woman looked up at Lucifer, who shrunk with humiliation.
"Very good." The Lieutenant let out a huff of air. "Jackson, please escort Mr. Morningstar into room one." He looked over his shoulder to one of the officers. "Chloe, my office." His arm gestured toward his office.
"Jackson! Good to see you. How's the wife?" Lucifer greeted with a fake smile, attempting to hide his apprehension, but his voice betrayed him.
The stalky man nervously approached the suspect; his eyes glanced down at Lucifer's feet and noticed his flip-flop sandals on his feet. He quickly looked up at the man after seeing the thick iron around his ankle. "I umm..." Jackson stuttered. "Let's go." The officer took a gentle hold just above his elbow and led him to the main interview room.
Chloe followed her boss to his office; her eyes stayed on Lucifer while she walked; he glanced back at her, making eye contact before the door closed behind him. She stepped inside the office and closed the door behind her. The Detective watched as her boss poured himself a glass of whisky and down it right away.
"What is this?" He poured himself another glass. "What is he doing here? I thought you said he was in Hell." He exaggerated the word 'he' with disgust.
"I know. I'm sorry." Chloe sat down on the edge of the chair.
"Why didn't he stay there? He is the Devil, after all. Doesn't he belong there?" Ross spurted out.
Chloe sighed; her gut twisted with his every question. She decided against answering his question, knowing he wouldn't understand.
"So what I'm supposed to do with this? He is the only plausible suspect in the LUX investigation." The Lieutenant continued. "We have no older leads, and they have been breathing down my neck to close this case. Now, the man everyone assumed was dead or in hiding walked into my precinct. What is stopping me from arresting him?"
"Listen to him. I've told you before; Lucifer doesn't lie." Chloe gave the man a weak smile. "He didn't kill those people. What he did do, is prevent similar incidents that could have been a lot worst." The moment she said the words, she grasped the gravity of Lucifer's sacrifice.
"Right." Ross slammed back another shot of the golden liquid.
"Please. Just give him a chance to explain." Chloe pleaded; her emotions were teetering on edge. The last twenty-four hours had taken a toll on her mentally, combined with the lack of sleep.
"Fine. I'll listen." Ross agreed after a moment of hesitation. "But I'm not making any promises."
"Thank you." The Detective's voice was barely over a whisper.
"Yeah." The man looked at the bottle wrapped around in his hand, debating if he should have another shot of liquid courage. He decided against it. Letting go of the bottle, he made his way out the door; Chloe followed behind.
The Detective made her way to her desk, where Dan and Ella were waiting. Her eyes continually glanced over to the interrogation room as she sat down.
"So?" Ella inquired, her arms folded across her chest.
"We wait." Chloe let out a sigh.
"I'll get us some coffee." Dan let out a sigh, his hand resting on Chloe's shoulder to show his support before he strides towards the coffee station.
Chloe's eyes stayed on the door, wanting to know so badly what was happening on the other side. She knew that the observation room would be off-limits to her considering her relationship with the suspect. The Detective already noticed someone guarding the door, as if they expected her to try to enter the room.
"Hey," Ella spoke up when she noticed the woman staring into the distance, a worried look across her face. "It's going to be okay."
"How do you know?" Chloe looked up; her voice was barely audible.
"Just a feeling." The Scientist gave her a weak smile. "I believe that God has a plan for everyone, even his fallen son."
"I'm sure he does." She wasn't about to say how she really felt; wondering why God hadn't already stepped in to defend his son weighed on her mind.
"We might not like His plan, but there is a purpose," Ella added, a soft smile across her face. "Sorry, I know this is not what you wanted to hear." Added the Scientist when she noticed the indifferent look across the Detective's face.
Chloe looked at the woman as if she was reading her mind; it creeped her out. "It's okay; God is not my favourite being at the moment, that's all." Chloe let out a gentle sigh.
"I get it." Ella nodded her head in understanding.
"Here." Dan returned awkwardly, handling two coffee cups in his right hand and one cup in his left. The woman both reached for the cups to help the man out. "Did I miss anything?" He looked towards the door.
"No." Chloe huffed before she took a sip of the hot drink. "They're probably going to be a while."
"Hey Ella," A young man walked up to the Detective's desk. He glanced quickly at Chloe, almost unsure if it was okay that he was there. "I did you help in the lab with the DNA analyst, I think I found something, but I'm not sure."
Ella looked at Chloe, who nodded her head, "Cool. Yeah, let's check it out." The Scientist smiled before she followed her apprentice back to the lab.
"You don't have to stay with me; isn't your night off?" After seeing her ex-husband getting comfortable in the chair across from her, Chloe spoke up.
"I know. But I want to be right here. For you." Dan gave her a smile.
Chloe smiled in appreciation as she relaxed in the chair, as much as she could. They were silent for a few minutes. Their eyes looked at the door every time someone walked by it. "Wait," Chloe spoke up suddenly after looking at her watch. "Wait, school is done. Who has Trixie?"
"Don't worry. I called your mom. She picked her up and took her to her place for the night." Dan revealed.
"Thank you." Chloe sighed with relief; she felt like a total failure of a mother, wondering how could she forget her child. "She wanted to play games with Lucifer tonight. She must be so worried about Lucifer." Chloe looked down at her cell, debating whether or not to call her daughter. But she didn't want to let her know what was going on before she had answers herself. "You should have seen her, Dan; she was so happy to see him." A small smile crept upon her face. As much as he claimed to hate children, there was no denying that Lucifer cared for Trixie.
"Oh? Right." Dan had an instant realization that his daughter had been friends with the Devil for over five years. The thought about it made him feel uneasy for a moment.
The clock kept ticking as she tried to make herself busy with reports that had been falling behind. Dan assisted in clearing her pile of work.
Chloe sat up in her chair when she noticed the room door open, and Jackson stepped out of the room. She saw Lucifer for a moment before the door closed; he was sitting at the table staring at his hands resting on top. Her co-workers in the observation room also stepped out, leaving Ross and Lucifer alone in the room with no witnesses. It was driving her crazy, not knowing what was going on.
Dan stood up and walked over to Jackson when he noticed the anxiousness of his ex-wife. Chloe watched him interact with the fellow officer for a brief moment before he returned to her.
"Well, he wasn't very helpful." Dan sat down on the chair once more. "Ross wanted to talk to him in private."
"Ross knows what he is." Chloe breathed.
"I know; I was there when he found out. You were still in the hospital." Dan revealed.
"Oh?" Chloe looked at him for a moment before she looked back at the door. "Maybe it's a good thing." Dan didn't say anything; he just continued to sit with her.
"Hey," Chloe reached across the desk and laid her hand on top of his. "Thank you. I know it wasn't easy for you, but it means the world to me that you are helping him."
"Well, I've known the guy for over five years now. Everything about him kind of makes sense now." Dan let out a chuckle.
"Yeah, Just a bit." Chloe smiled before she turned back to her work, though not much work was being done as she read the same line multiple times before she comprehended what it read.
Over an hour went by before the door opened again. This time Ross walked out, leaving Lucifer alone in the room. Both Chloe and Dan stood up instantly. Ross made eye contact with them for a brief moment before he went into his office. The pair exchanged glances before they sat back down. They watched eagerly for what was going on. Chloe didn't like to be kept in the dark.
After a few minutes, Ross stepped out of his office with a piece of paper in his hands. "Detective Decker, will you join us?"
Chloe stood up instantly and hurried over, following the man into the room. Lucifer looked up at the woman with a soft smile as she chose to sit down beside him. Her hand reached under the table and rested on his knee. His hand automatically found hers and gave it a squeeze. Chloe scanned him looking for any indication of how he was feeling. But all she saw was a drained man.
"After speaking to Mr. Morningstar," Ross sat down across from the couple, his interlocked fingers as his arms rested on the table. "it is evident that you had nothing to do with the death of the eleven victims, and your explanation of your disappearance is credible. Given your..." The man's jaw clenched, looking uncomfortable. "...given your current condition."
Chloe felt a weight lift off her chest hearing those words. She looked over at Lucifer, expecting to see some show of excitement, but he remained sombre.
"It's our due diligence at the LAPD to advise Mr. Morningstar to seek medical assistance following his ordeal," Ross made eye contact with Chloe. "But since he has refused and will need to sign a release consent so we are not liable for anything that may happen once he leaves." Ross pushes the paper towards Lucifer along with a pen. There was a pause that filled the air. The Lieutenant's eyes dart between the two across the table. "It's a formality only. We all know what this really is. Who he is? This just covers my end, then he is free to go." Ross spoke to Chloe as if Lucifer wasn't even in the room. The Devil picked up the pen and signed the paper.
"That's it? What about the investigation? How are you going to explain that one?" Chloe asked; something in her gut said this was all too easy.
"We'll make something up; I'll make something up." The man gulped. "I can't very well say that demons were involved, now can I?" There was a hint of bitterness behind his words.
"You're taking this surprisingly well," Chloe spoke, knowing very well she wouldn't want to be in his position at the moment. "Thank you." Her appreciation came out in a slight whisper.
"Yeah, well..." Ross sat up straight, his hands tightened as he attempted to hide his tremor. "Well, I will need your help; we'll have to act fast. The reality is the news of his return is going to spread quickly. It already has."
"What?" The woman was confused; she glanced over at Lucifer, who looked down on his hands. This wasn't news to him.
Ross pulled out his phone and turned it towards the Detective. Chloe's heart sank when she saw the image, it was Lucifer standing at the bottom of the stairs with her by his side, just over an hour ago. The caption read: "Back from the Dead: The Mystery of Lucifer Morningstar. We need answers for the Fallen Eleven."
"It's not that bad. The comments that are coming in are more of a concern than a witch hunt. We can work with this. Lucifer says Ella and Dan both know the truth; they can help with this." Ross spoke. Chloe could see the wheels turning in his mind. "This will blow over in no time. Just like your little 'miracle' incident." The man in charge gestured towards Chloe.
"Right." The woman sighed; people forgot about her and her miraculous healing after a month, but this was about Lucifer Morningstar; he was well known throughout the city. She turned towards Lucifer, who had been silent, which usually goes against his character. "Hey, you okay?"
"I'm fine, Detective." Lucifer gave her a weak smile. She wasn't convinced; even though he didn't lie, he had his ways of skirting around the truth.
"Where do we go from here?" Chloe turned back to Ross.
"Go home. Rest." The Lieutenant stood up. "We have a lot of work to do tomorrow."