A/N: Welcome back my friends of hurt and comfort! Since I have been such a bad girl to you all with my latest Nightfall chapter, I decided to release this before New Year as sort of a peace offering for the time being. I hope this will heal your aching hearts for a while. At least a little bit. Enjoy! ;)

Recommended Songs:

Bishop Briggs - Be Your Love

Gold Brother - Lose My Faith

UNSECRET - No Sanctuary

Chapter 4 – Cleansing

"It's fine, Detective. I can walk," he softly protested, although not turning down her helpful hand that merely guided rather than supported him as they stepped to her door. It was a blessing to feel her touch on him in whatever way and his mind drifted with the imagination of her tender hands being able to do miracle healings to his back. What an irony it would be, to be mortal around her, but have her tend to his wounds and make him feel whole again. He caught her eye roll, but also the tiny curl of her lips, a sight he very much enjoyed and that warmed him up more than the blanket had been able to do all throughout their ride.

As soon as Chloe opened the door, the sound of another door opening could be heard and was followed by footsteps rushing closer. Having just been able to step inside and rid themselves of mud-covered shoes, Trixie came up rushing towards them, dressed in her PJ's.

"Lucifer!" she exclaimed, her voice happy and relieved. Running up to him, she clutched herself against his waist, cheek pressing against his bare stomach.

"Ahh… h-hello, child," he gasped a bit awkwardly, watching as the little girl had no repulsions snuggling against his skin. Her cheek felt warm, just like her mother's touch, and he caught himself releasing a calm humm at her gesture of affection. Bloody hell, that little urchin is making me feel all fuzzy...

"I was worried about you! Mom said you were in trouble." She looked up at him, her almond shaped eyes going wide at the notice of the big bandages wrapped around his torso. "You're injured! What happened?!"

"Monkey, please," Chloe softly insisted, gave her girl a kiss on her head and shrugged out of her wet jacket. "Give Lucifer some time to arrive and rest, okay?"

"I'm out of danger now, child, and the injuries will heal in no time," Lucifer tried to ease her worries and looked down at her, spotting her sceptical look. "Really. I'll be fine." Watching as she sniffed and squeezed his waist again a bit tighter, he gave her a gentle pat on the back. He could tell she was still concerned by the shimmer of fear in her eyes and it was heartbreaking to see. His answer was not enough to fully ease her worries like it was once possible just a year ago. She was growing more observant, was demanding a more specific explanation and to be treated more like the teenager she was growing into, rather than the little girl he had met at her elementary school. "I was hurt on my back. Rather badly. And I… I cannot remember who it was and how it happened. I was told the memories could return over time. And now," he explained, putting an emphasis on his following words with a small smile. "I honestly just want to get out of these bloody rags."

Chloe observed him, forcing herself to not cry as he spoke with Trixie. He was so sweet with her and whether he believed it or not, he had a special spot in Trixie's heart. And her baby girl, growing too fast for her liking, was a curious sweetheart with a heart as big as a mountain and made out of gold, always wanting to help those in need. It didn't come as much of a surprise for her when Trixie nodded and offered her perspective to help him.

"I totally understand! My friend Jimmy had hit his head when he was skateboarding once, and he needed a few days as well to remember what happened," she told him thoughtfully and made a few steps back. "I'm sure you'll get your memories back as well."

His brows knitted in slight confusion. A skateboard accident and having one's wings forcefully removed - A rather poor comparison, he thought, but still he felt his heart clench again from her effort to support him. Damn that little rascal…

Then Trixie's eyes went wide and she flashed him a cheeky smile. "I've made a bunch of sandwiches, cause… you know… you and Mom weren't there to cook for dinner. There are a few spare ones, if you're hungry."

And now she's offering me food?! Nervously, he fumbled with the blanket. Her innocence and kindness were so pure, so overwhelming, he wondered, if her mother being a miracle had perhaps any influence on the child as well. Is she somehow blessed by Father as well because Chloe gave birth to her? A miracle giving birth to another miracle and so on? Is that a thing? "I erm… Thank you, spawn. That's very thoughtful of you," he stuttered and followed Chloe and her into the kitchen.

As he glanced around over to the dining table, his shoulders sank. The table was ready laid with plates and cutlery and two small candles sitting in the centre. And of course everything was untouched. Chloe had it prepared for their dinner together. It wasn't set as an overly romantic dinner table, since it would have been also with her daughter, but it was prepared to be welcoming, warm and comforting. He pledged to himself to make it up to her, when he'd get the chance. And he knew it wouldn't just be for her and her girl, but he wanted to indulge in that moment as well. He yearned to feel the belonging among them.

Taking out a plate with two sliced sandwiches from the fridge, Chloe smiled at her daughter. "Thanks, Monkey. But now hop to bed, it's really late." Taking her into a tight hug, she kissed her girl goodnight.

"Okay! Night Mom. Night Lucifer. Love you!" Trixie called and rushed back into her room. A few seconds passed and the lights from under the door went out, indicating she had snuggled back into bed.

Staring after the girl, Lucifer stood dumbfounded. Never had a child said those words to him. That must've been an accident. Surely she just meant her mother. Or she didn't really mean it at all. Children say so many things that make no dad-damn sense… But still, the girl's words managed to crack up his shell and nestle against his core, like only her mother had managed before, caressing him with warm and honest affection.

"I'll take the sandwiches upstairs. We can have them after getting you cleaned up," Chloe said, observing as Lucifer's trance-like stare focused back on her again. "Come on." Duffel bag in her left and plate of sandwiches in her right hand, she went upstairs and into her bedroom. Putting the bag on a basket chair and the plate aside on the nightstand, she heard Lucifer let out a soft grunt.

Getting straight to ridding himself off of his ruined clothes, he lowered the blanket, but felt a sharp pain when he moved his shoulders a bit too quickly. Tightly gripping onto the thick blanket, he yanked it off with one hand, breathing hard through clenched teeth. As Chloe turned towards him, reaching for his arms, he grumbled annoyed about his own body's state. "It's okay… It's just… just the first day that is the worst."

The thought of him knowing this experience, because he had removed his wings before, sent shivers down her spine and contrary to Lucifer's conditions, she wished she could forget and unsee the removal of his wing stumps as the images popped up in her mind made her feel sick. "Is the burn ointment even making sense for your angelic healing progress?" she wondered and turned to his side to glimpse at his back where the massive crescent wounds were patched up and covered from the bandages.

"Not really. I mean… maybe a little in your presence. Honestly, I just wanted for the medic to finally leave me be. I don't like strangers touching that specific area. I trust you can understand," he murmured, weakly smiling at her. He had always felt very reserved when it came to his shoulder blades being touched, especially during the time he had walked around scarred before. With his overnight guests he had made evasive moves they wouldn't notice, but that would keep them away from touching them intentionally or by accident. Once he had removed his wings and cauterized the wounds, he hadn't even allowed Maze to touch him there. The medic was the first person he allowed to intentionally touch him, and he only did so because he was in Chloe's arms, giving his mind something beautiful to focus on, rather than the tormenting, physical pain.

"Would you rather have the bandages off again?" she breathed, eyes gazing deeply back up into his, genuinely wondering how much of a bother they were for him. Watching him timidly nod, she bit her lips and caressed over his arms. "Okay. I'll take them off then." Turning him around with a soft nudge, she opened the fastening and carefully started to unwrap the bandage, revealing beneath, the two separate patches covering his wounds.

"Take it all off, please," Lucifer whispered, his breathing hard and shaky. Hands fisting at his sides, he pushed away the pain once again, focusing solely on her presence, her warmth and tender hands. He smiled to himself, thinking he could be dying the most gruesome death and still feel like he was in his personal heaven as long as she'd be there. He felt her very carefully and slowly peel off the big patches covering his marred skin, making sure she wasn't causing more harm with her movements.

[Bishop Briggs - Be Your Love]

[Gold Brother - Lose My Faith]

Her touch was calming and igniting him at the same time, reminding him of the longing he had been in all day long while he had waited for their date to happen. And as soon as the covers were off and he felt the cool air against them, he couldn't wait anymore. Letting out a relieved sigh, he quickly turned towards her. One arm slipping around her waist and pulling her against him, his other snaked up the side of her neck. "I don't remember much of today. But I do remember how much I looked forward to seeing you tonight."

She gasped into his sudden, boisterous move, her body reacting with a hot surge tingling from her belly and travelling down south. It should be called illegal what his mere voice was able to do to her. Tilting her face up, she breathed heavily and hot against his lips, feeling his own shaky exhales, yearning. She had been all jittery herself all day long. Knowing she would be busy having a day filled with paperwork and a long meeting with her boss, she had told him early on that he'd probably want to skip being at the office today. But not having him around had left her thinking about him even more and as soon as she had been able to head home, she was an excited, nervous mess.

A sudden spark of guilt shook through her synapses, the responsible, lawful and rational part of her brain protesting with doubt. Should she be doing this? After he had been so horribly hurt, was this the right thing to do? It was highly possible that Lucifer was trying to deflect, to cover up his own pain, push it aside with something pleasant. But would he use her for that? Did it make any difference? Couldn't it actually be the exact right thing to do? If his pain was bearable, a tender, loving evening to ease the events of the day didn't sound like such a bad idea at all. And if it would help him cope and decrease his suffering, she was more than happy to get naughty with the Devil.

Hands slipping to his stubbly cheeks, she paused and frowned at the sight of dried blood stains around his mouth. "You gotta get cleaned up first. Do you think you can do a warm shower with your back? Or should I help you at the sink?" she breathed sweetly, lips curling into a sorry but sweet smile as she tapped against his lips with her index finger.

Groaning, he leaned forward, rested his forehead against hers and lightly kissed her finger. Of course, she was right. He really needed to clean himself off of all the dirt and blood if he wanted to kiss those delicious lips and roam her body with his hands. "Shower sounds good and will work. The heat isn't an issue." And when she took his hand from her waist, pulling him along, his mind sparked with an idea. Yes. Yes this would work very well to take his mind off of the pain in his back and the searing ache in his chest. And he would also get to enjoy something he had hoped he would be doing anyway after their dinner. Willingly and bewitched, he followed her along as she pulled him into the bathroom.

Once in the heated room, she took off her white sweater and watched his eyes darken, his Adam's Apple moving in a quiet gulp. He stood motionless for a second, but then stepped closer to her, fingers unerringly slipping to her jean's waistband and undoing the button and zipper. Both their breaths hitched again, their yearning so evident. She caressed over his chest, feeling his thundering heart before he lowered down to his knees, helping her out of her tight jeans.

Unable to resist, he leaned in to her inner left thigh, but instead of kissing the soft skin, he lightly traced his tongue in a line towards her centre. He was rewarded with a light hum and short snicker, because he knew she was ticklish. Hands lightly brushing up her legs, he dipped into the sides of her lace panties and pulled the thin fabric down as well, eyes devouring her exposed sex. Releasing a soft sigh, he lightly brushed his nose just above her sensitive skin, inhaling her scent. Soon… he thought, reluctantly raising up again and finding her wide blue eyes observing him attentively, making him see the full range of her emotions for him.

He leaned in again, this time to her neck, running the flat of his tongue ever so lightly over the length towards her shoulder. Invitingly, she tilted her head, giving him the reins to tenderly taste and praise her skin as both their hands went back to remove unwanted clothing; his brushing over her sides towards her back, unclipping her bra, and hers opening his belt and ruined dress pants. Helping each other out of the last bits of fabric, they stepped into the shower that was just about big enough to fit them both in comfortably.

Chloe turned on the water, setting it to a comfortable warmth and took her washcloth from the little shelf at the side of the showerwall. With a bit of shower gel, she gently cleaned his cheeks, chin and lips. She could tell he was waiting, impatiently so, but all the gentleman, and the moment she was done and the blood was washed off from his face, he leaned down, hungrily delving his tongue into her mouth. She moaned, her arms slinging around his neck, her lips melting with his as he explored and caressed her.

Oh sweet heaven… His mind felt light and dizzy, his body tingling and burning. It was addictive to taste her, to have her, but she was an addiction he never wanted to miss again. Instead he wanted to happily overdose from her, again and again, until he could feel her pulse in his veins and her hands pumping his heart. He shifted closer, turning them around so she rested back against the wall. Groaning, he pressed against her, his hard member resting against her lower belly. "I had wanted this for dessert," he breathed, dreamily grinding his hips to get friction against her soft skin.

"Let's be unseemly and have dessert first then." Smirking coyly, she bit her lip and lowered her hand with the washcloth down his chest and stomach, reaching lightly around his pulsing shaft. His reaction was truly divine; Soft, plum lips parted in a sultry, hot gasp. His body caved in towards her, palms supporting him against the wall left and right above her head, and his eyes squeezed shut, relishing in her touch.

Moaning as she started to stroke him, he trembled in sweet suffering, his blood rushing down south and thumping in his length. It took all of his willpower to do something other than merely receiving her touch, but at last, he managed to reach to the small ledge and gather himself some shower gel in his palms. He wanted to really touch her. Squashing the liquid, he cleaned off the blood from his hands and forearms and only once no stain was left on them did he reach for her body. With fervor he gripped around her waist, digging his fingers into her bum as his mouth crushed back against hers. Tasting her was like drinking sweet, honey-like medicine that immediately soothed a physical aching pain, but it also turned him on so much more. The searing pain in his back, the gruelling loss of memory, the fears of what he had possibly done and what had been done to him, were all pushed aside through the sensations he felt with her, veiled from an electrified sexual buzz in his brain. Yes, the distraction worked perfectly.

Feeding off of each other's moans, he picked her up, swallowing the soft gasp that escaped her. Her hand dropped the washcloth with a wet thud on the ground and she quickly reached both arms around his neck, her legs eagerly slinging around his waist, clinging herself firmly against him. Lips pulling away from her, he took in her expression, her skin flushed to a hot pink, her lips swollen as she gasped in desire, and her eyes tearing him apart in the most passionate way imaginable. Holding her gaze, he guided her down on him, feeling how she wasn't just wet from the water cascading over them, but leaking a plethora of arousal for him as well. With ease he slid all the way into her and released a whimpering sound of relief when he hit the base, his tip pressing right against her cervix. A perfect fit.

Her world imploded, like it always did when she felt him stretch and fill her. Her vision darkened as her eyes rolled up in pleasure, unable to continue watching his hungry, dark brown eyes observe her reaction. Jaw dropping open laxly, she let out a blissful cry as he pressed himself just a bit harder into her, eliminating the last bit of unfilled space inside her. Reflexively she combed one hand into his wet tresses, gripping tightly, her other clutching around the top of his shoulder for stability. He had her pinned, filled her and his tall body was crowding and towering her, making her feel just right, protected, desired and claimed at the same time, all of which drove her mad with lust. "Mmmm yes... Take me, Lucifer," she breathed, turning his head and pulling it into the crook of her neck so she could hold him closer if even possible. "Please, take me."

Her pleas were an igniting prayer to his body and soul, and he complied to her wish with ardour, buckling his hips in deep, sharp thrusts. Latching onto her neck, he sucked, licked and tasted her heated skin, and released a deep groan as her tightness contracted in pulses around him. He loved the way her body reacted to his own, how it would welcome him, tight, warm and wet, pulling him in and telling him how good he felt for her. It was crazy how everything was feeling intensified with her around, every sensation feeling so much more rich and colourful, and laced with a deep rooted meaning he hadn't experienced before. Pleasing her was always his priority, and while right after that came his selfish wish to indulge in the pleasure along with her, he could tell how their sex was connecting them beyond the physical. How it was always more than just sex.

One arm staying on her bum, he used his other to give the respective cheek a firm spank. She gasped both in surprise and delight, and her body tensed around his hardness, making him release a low groan in return. Running his free hand up her flank, he went on and lewdly groped her left breast, squeezing and moulding it in his palm, feeling her heartbeat furiously pounding in her chest. Pulling his head back from her neck, he brought his lips down to her nipple, sucking on the pointed nub with gusto while he continued to thrust into her with long and powerful blows. He was aware what he was doing to her, pleasing her perfectly, pushing her relentlessly and absolutely mercilessly towards her release with all the skill he had and all the strength he could muster, and he looked forward to that moment when she just couldn't hold back anymore, when she would cry out in despair and satisfaction, a true image of angelic.

She knew she wouldn't be able to hold on for long, but tried her best to prolong her release, even though Lucifer's precise thrusts made that quite the challenge and close to impossible. If she wanted to, she knew he would always go on and please her more until she would be satisfied. Arching her chest towards him, she pressed her head back against the shower wall, feeling him so stiff and throbbing, so perfectly filling her, she begged him for more. Because she knew he could give it to her. He could give her everything.

Never wavering to fulfil her desires, he complied to her wish again. Shifting his arms, he hooked her legs into the crook of his elbows and with the better grip on her, increased the speed of his thrusts, relishing in the sounds their connecting bodies made. He watched her, dark and hungry, growling with primal desire, as she closed her eyes and bit her lip, forcing her cries to stay low. Grunting from the force of his thrusts and the feel of her channel swelling and clenching down on him, he pushed her legs up, making them rest against his chest and shoulders. With one arm keeping her steady, he lifted his free hand to her face, thumb plopping her lip out from between her teeth. "Don't hold back," he panted lowly. "I want to hear you, love. Don't worry, I've got you."

Feeling Lucifer's strong thumb release her lip, she cried out a trembling, high moan, fingers desperately clutching onto his neck and shoulder. Her core felt vibrating, her insides contracting, close to falling apart, as he aimed his thrusts mercilessly at the spongy spot inside her. "Oh yes, fuck, Lucifer, please… please, I'm almost… almost there."

Her sight was magnificent, and her cries and the lure of her body, pushing him towards his own release, caused his balls to draw up, heavy and thick. Increasing his speed again, he dipped forward and lewdly licked into her mouth, soaking up her moans and whimpers, tasting the need from her tongue until he had to pull away for her to breathe. Sharing their hot, damp breath, he ran his free hand over her chest and up to her throat, before making her tilt her head to the side. Greedily attacking her throat, sucking and licking along her carotid, he finally felt her stiffen in her powerful orgasm.

With Lucifer's attention to all the right places on and inside of her body, the thread to her bearings finally tore apart and sent her into a quivering, all consuming climax. Lips parting, she released a lecherous, loud groan, fingers digging into his biceps and shoulders strong enough to show pink marks as she scraped at him in pure bliss. She felt him keep up his pace, never wavering, always delivering and pleasing to his best abilities. Her walls continued to cramp down on him in waves, lusting and demanding for that final union from him to be a whole.

The feel and sound of her release was his demise into his sexual sanctuary. With only a handful of thrusts more into her wet, convulsing heat, he was pushed over the edge, his vision turning red from the sizzling hellfire he felt explode in them. The pressure in his balls tightened again and at last pressed through his shaft to the salvaging freedom. Growling into her neck, his grip on her thighs tightening, he thrusted harder, more brute and frantic, losing the carefulness and precision from before as he came deep inside her.

Mouthing soft whimpers of relief, he glanced at the place at her neck he had been attacking, red and scrubbed from his stubble and the relentless praise of his mouth. Licking over the irritated skin with languid strokes, he released a sigh of exhaustion, the pulse in his lower body slowly calming. "Mmm… that was a wonderful dessert, darling." Nuzzling against her cheek, he sweetly trailed kisses to her mouth, lightly nibbling her lower lip. Carefully he lowered her legs and let her gather her balance, murmuring over the bittersweet loss of her pleasant tightness around him.

Smiling against his lips, she gave his nose a nuzzle back. "I can only agree on that," she breathed with a snicker, lowering her hands to caress over his chest. She wasn't ashamed feeling utterly attracted to his sculpted body, but she did wonder if it was his angelic metabolism that kept him in this shape or if he actually took time to work out and she just hadn't noticed it. On the other hand she wasn't all too sure what such a workout would even look like for the Devil. Maybe he's lifting cars in the underground carpark of Lux?

Seeing her dreamy look, he let out a soft, amused laugh. "Alright my dear phantast. I'm not done with you yet. It's time to clean up the mess from my dessert plate," he purred, swiftly gliding down onto his knees. Eyes filled with mischief he held her gaze as he ran his hand down along her left thigh and calf. Moving a hand behind her left knee, he raised her leg and kept it up angled, her centre on delicious display for him. And with a wantonly growl, he dipped between her legs, delving into the second part of his dessert. Tongue lapping out, he tasted their mixed arousal, drinking from her with long, diligent strokes and slurps. The immediate reactions of feeling Chloe's hand bury in his hair and releasing a whimpering moan were like the cherry on top of the cake he was devouring and he approved it with another hot growl into her slick folds.

"Oh, sweet fucking Jesus!" Chloe gasped, when suddenly Lucifer's tongue delved deep into her, curling and flicking over the sensitive spot that just barely had gotten any time to relax. Finger's curling tightly into Lucifer's wet hair, she pulled him further between her legs, her knees starting to tremble at the onslaught of pleasure he offered her. It was almost a shame how quickly he could bring her to the edge of her body's control, but she was glad he never teased her about it. She knew he loved her genuine reactions to him and she was well aware how much influence she had on him in return.

She tasted amazing and it would be impossible for him to decide whether he liked the taste of purely her most or that of their combined arousal. Soon he tasted only the sweetness of her, all his own salty gift greedily drunk from her well, and he decided to offer her some more pressure to explode upon. Letting his tongue slip out of her, he closed his lips around the swollen nerve bundle, sucking and flicking over it, while he raised his left hand beneath his chin. Palm faced up, he ran his middle and ring finger along her wet entrance, hot and sensitive from his tongue and the scrub of his stubble, quivering with need. "Let me help you see that light again, love," he moaned against her flesh, nibbled on the pulsing nub and simultaneously slid his fingers into her dripping warmth.

Both of them groaned out as he stretched her and pressed against that hidden spot again, and he felt his cock stir as she clenched down on him, wanting to hold him locked. Her body was always very possessive over him, whether it was her intention or not, and he thoroughly enjoyed how it slung its claws into him in every way imaginable. No matter if it was her voice, the look of her eyes, her plum lips, breasts, legs or her sex itself. All of her was able to lure him, to claim him and to drug his senses with arousal and the desire to consume her. A wonderful prison he was locked in and of which he never wanted to escape from.

Curling his fingers, he started to thrust, massaging and pushing relentlessly against the spot that drove her crazy. Rewarded with a trembling whine, he smirked against her and gave the small, pulsing pearl a particularly hard and long suck, increasing its sensitivity further. Her body shook and he could feel the leg he was holding trembling. Wanting to give her as much support as he could while ravishing her, he guided her leg up and set her foot on top of his shoulder before using his now free hand to reach over her waist and press her back against the wall.

Somewhere in her overwhelmed brain she felt thankful for his support, but most of her synapses were busy trying to cope with the pressure that built up in her core. His fingers increased their pace and pressure, treating the spongy spot with such fervour it seemed like he was fervently praying to his own goddess, which for a second she figured could really be the case. He was worshipping her. Always. With all of his being. And now he looked forward to an answer to his persistence and good service.

She could feel her body giving in, caving to the sensations of letting go and exploding, and her right hand reflexively reached for the fastening of the shower, gripping the metal with whitening knuckles. Head tilting, she looked down at Lucifer, spotting he had his eyes softly closed as he praised her with mouth and fingers. Yes. He was a pious and diligent believer, she thought smiling. Just not towards the One up above, but towards her.

And finally, all his caretaking was rewarded, her body stumbling and plummeting into the sea of pleasure and relief. Her vision sprinkling with black and white dots, she lost the control over her shaking legs. Held upright from Lucifer's arm, the heat in her core exploded in a powerful quake. Head pressing back against the shower wall, she cried out his name, urging him to not stop pushing her on and on through her climax.

He obeyed to her desire once again, his fingers thrusting powerfully back and forth through her clenching channel, her release quickly dripping down over his hand and arm. Not wanting for everything to be washed down the drain, he greedily lapped over his palm and her sex, collecting as much of her sweet nectar as possible, while not stopping the treatment of his fingers inside her. When finally her trembles faded and he felt her tightness stop clenching down on him in waves, he carefully pulled out and helped guide her foot down on the ground. With sparkling eyes, he rose up and watched her catch her breath, her cheeks brightly flushed and her lips parted from soft gasps. "So beautiful," he murmured dreamily. Then, before she could respond, he took her face into both hands and crushed his lips down against hers.

Sharing the lingering taste of them both with her, he hummed in satisfaction, feeling how she moved her tongue slow and lazily, clearly exhausted from her second orgasm. He knew she was thoroughly sated and if it would have been any other day, with less of a mentally and physically straining rescue mission, she would have easily been able to reach the double digits with him, meaning four fingers to fill and a dozen orgasms to sate her. But of course he didn't mind. All he wanted was to see her happy and in this special case, to forget about everything else.

"Mmmm… that was quite the… cleanup," she murmured with a smile on her lips, taking in his equally satisfied expression. His eyes looked slightly glassy, with a soft, loving shimmer

in them. Combining that with his glistening wet and divine sculpted body, she had to force herself to keep in mind how they both were in need of some peaceful sleep. She was sure another round with him and she would just be a ragdoll in his arms, unable to hold herself upright at all, and it would quite possibly make her next day much harder, which she wanted to avoid at all cost. It would be an important day and she wanted for both of them to be in good shape - as much as that was possible. "Now I suppose we should use the shower for its designed purpose," she snickered and grabbed the shampoo from the shelf. He didn't object, but just looked at her lovingly, longingly, and let her take care of the cleansing of his front.

His dreamy smile though dropped all of a sudden, when her fingers slipped towards his back. His muscles tensed and his hands shot forward, grabbing her wrists in a fierce hold. The thought of hands brushing over his back, slow and deliberately, made his heart feel electrocuted to a sickening, mad pace and his stomach writhed in sudden nausea. "Don't," he pressed out with a tight, shaky voice, his eyes pleading hers with agony. His breath came ragged, his surroundings blurred and seemed to shrink down on him as he looked at her, shaking in small tremors, all the heat of the shower suddenly gone, his blood running cold.

She gasped, shocked about his sudden move, about the force of his grip that reminded her of this exact behaviour when she had first seen his scarred back as they had met. She remembered his vulnerable look, the damage he tried to conceal that had scarred him beyond the skin, his fears of anyone harming him again, laying so open and bare, just a simple touch away. Her eyes watered but she forced herself to hold the tears at bay. She didn't want for him to think he hurt her, or worse, that she pitied him. Of course she didn't. She felt horrible for what he had suffered, then and now. But she knew, if he'd see her cry, he would close up even further, shield himself from any soothing, helping hand that was offered to him. So she nodded, softy, blinking and regaining her own focus on the situation. "Okay…" she breathed, nodding again and glancing to her wrists, waiting for him to loosen his iron grip on them.

He swallowed thickly, his skin crawling. Releasing a heavy sigh, he blinked and took in her expression that was stuck between care and shock, and the slowing beat of his heart became aching. He scared her with his reaction and he hated himself for it. "I- I'm sorry… I…" He searched for words, but they wouldn't come, his body and mind still shaken from his own reaction. He wanted to feel her hands, but the thought alone of feeling skin touching his bare back threatened bile to rise in the back of his throat.

"It's okay… I… I understand… I do," she whispered, and slowly returned to cleaning herself, figuring it would be best, if he took care of his own body in the way he felt comfortable. She knew better than to pressure him, or to push offerings to his direction. He was stubborn in his sufferings, she knew. But she hoped he'd be aware just how much his friends were there to support him with whatever he needed, if only he'd let them help him.

He stayed in awkward silence throughout the showering, his eyes ever so often glancing at her, trying to decipher her looks, to see if she was angry with him or if she was suffering because of him being defensive. If she was, she didn't show it, her movement natural and her eyes soft and caring.

Dried up and towel wrapped loosely around his hips, he took a bite of one of the sandwiches from the plate on the nightstand in her bedroom, moaning quietly at the delicious flavour. He hadn't quite realized just how hungry he was with all the things that happened today, conscious or not, and now the flavour was sparkling his taste buds with excitement. Not bad, spawn. Not bad…

Chewing on another bite, he watched with interest as Chloe stepped over to her wardrobe, picking out a burgundy, silken negligee with a playful floral lace along the v-neck. He continued to observe her slip into the beautiful piece of fabric before he tore his eyes away from her to look into the duffel bag she had packed for him. Everything was there for the next day, he noticed. She had even picked out cufflinks and a pocket square for him that would match the attire. He carefully took out the clothes, hung them up on so they wouldn't get too crumpled, and went to brush his teeth.

It was sweet. She had already set up a little corner for his toiletries since the times he came to her place had increased significantly during the past weeks. The same was true of course for his place and her necessities. But while he loved to have her at his den of seduction and have his privacy with her, he also very much enjoyed the times he could be at her place, feeling the warmth of a house lived in by mother and daughter, a house that welcomed him as not just a guest, but rather a part of its household. Part of their family? he wondered, feeling a light tingle the thought sent through him.

Joined by Chloe, they both finished brushing their teeth and stepped up to her bed. While she slipped beneath the duvet, he hung aside his wet towel to dry and put on a fresh pair of boxers for the night. Getting in bed next to her, she softly snickered. "I may have forgotten to search for PJ's at your place," she mused softly, watching as he stepped to the other side of the bed.

"It's alright," he mouthed with a small smile, pulling back the duvet and slipping into bed. Scooping around he carefully laid on his side, but the pressure in his back still caused him to grunt and clench his jaw.

Her happy expression immediately vanished, her chest aching. Gently reaching up and caressing his stubbled cheek, she swallowed. Trying to search his eyes for an answer she was sure he wouldn't give her, she whispered. "How bad is it?"

~o~

"Not too bad," the spine-chillingly cheerful voice hums with a small laugh. "What do you say?"

Sweat trickles along his face, over the side of his brow and down his cheek. He stares ahead, the two shapes in front of him blurry. One moving. One not. One bright. One dark. Who are they?

"Oh that's right. I forgot about your vocal cords there for a second."

His eyes burn from something, a strange pressure building. He tries to blink, to release the pressure, but his eyes just won't obey. The burning stings until it trickles and spills over his cheeks, running down along them with his sweat. But the blurriness doesn't go away.

A warm breath brushes against his ear, the bright shape in front of him leaning to the side and the male voice's delighted tone changes into a disgusted grumble, the anger behind the words barely held back from grinding teeth. "Such beauty, wasted on something so rotten. I'm happy I can help with that. People will be better off without you and your deceiving looks. God knows how many innocents you must've sent to hell. Can't do that without those pretty wings anymore now, can you?"

~o~

[UNSECRET - No Sanctuary]

"Can you hear me, Lucifer? Hey?! Look at me," Chloe's urgent voice suddenly tore through the blur of his darkened vision.

He blinked, his surrounding coming to focus. Staring back at her, he stayed quiet, not sure if he could speak. Vocal Cords… He swallowed, his pulse thumping in his ears.

She exhaled loudly, clearly relieved he seemed to respond now. "You didn't react to what I said. You were zoned out there and just stared dead ahead. Are you okay? Did you have another flashback?"

How long was I…? He swallowed again, brows pinching in discomfort. His mouth felt dry like the desert. "I'm… I'm…" He searched for a word, but they all sounded like a horrible lie in his mind and he couldn't bear thinking to ever lie, especially not in Chloe's face. "What did you ask me? Before, I mean."

Of course he wouldn't want to talk about it. She scolded herself silently for thinking she could simply ask him about it. Reaching to his cheek, she softly caressed over it and brushed a wild strand of hair from his forehead. "The pain. In your back. How bad is it? Is it okay when you lay on your side?"

Oh… He licked his dried lips and nodded. "Yeah… it's… better, if I lay on the side, for sure. It's manageable." He watched her reaction, as her eyes lowered a fraction. She rolled her bottom lip between her teeth and nodded, her palm withdrawing from his cheek as she snuggled into the pillow with a sad expression. Clearly his response had troubled her and he had a good idea why. She wanted an answer, a true, honest, wholehearted answer, but he couldn't stand the thought of causing her so much more pain if he were to tell her that truth. Hell, he wasn't even sure he could endure the truth himself, if he'd speak out loud, what he had seen. What he had felt.

The minutes passed as she looked at him, quietly, and the memory of his flashback crawled back up slowly, pushing away a layer of dirt and revealing something old and rotten, something that he wasn't sure was really there, but that was like the lingering shiver of a nightmare. The voice in his flashback had accused him. He was the Devil. Evil incarnate. Millions of souls have been doomed into hell because of him. Poor souls were suffering because of him. Innocents died because of him. Wasn't that what the voice had said? The guy with a knife in his chest would be proof to his own foul rotten core.

The blood I've washed off in the shower… Was that his? Did I…? His stomach turned in disgust. "I'm… scared," he whispered into the silence. It was a truth. Not the truth. But a good enough truth to not talk about the giant elephant in the room.

She frowned in sympathy and tilted her head towards him. "Scared about what?" she whispered back, reaching for his hand to pull it between their heads. Any word from him, even just the smallest of reveals was enough to make her heart flutter.

"About my missing memories and what that entails," he uttered with a trembling voice. "Say, I will remember. What if there will be things that I'll regret..." Pausing he took a deep breath to control his voice, but it did little to help. "Detective... What if I killed that man? What if I..." He broke off, at the verge of tears, he pleaded to her to ease his fears. What if I am evil like the voice said?

She could understand his worry over his missing memories. With the evidence being analysed, it could either lead to complications or for a huge amount of worries to dissolve and be lifted off his shoulders. It could go both ways. "Lucifer," she breathed softly and with a tone of appeasement. "You'll be fine. I don't believe you killed him. That's not something you would do. You're not a murderer. And just because you can't remember what you did, doesn't mean you could possibly have had a complete change of character. Listen to me. You're a good man. You'd never kill someone with intent. If anything I bet it was self defence."

"But we don't know that," he pressed, blinking away his tears. "I woke up next to a dead man, with my hands and arms covered in blood. I-"

Fingers moving to his lips, she silenced him tenderly, shaking her head, frowning. "No, Lucifer. I won't simply believe that you killed him. You think so lowly of yourself. It's unjustified. Trust me. We don't even know half of the story yet. We still need to fill in the blanks and understand what happened." Her expression turned softly uplifting. "Have you thought about that, maybe you wanted to help him? Maybe you tried to stop his bleeding and that's why you were covered in blood. And it might not even be the man's blood at all. There's so much that needs to be analysed first, before we can draw any conclusions."

Help him? Did I? Frowning in thought, he tried to press into the dark hole of his memory again, fishing and grabbing into it, trying to get just the tiniest of snippets, an image, a voice, a smell, just something, but nothing emerged and he released an exhausted sigh.

Chloe gently withdrew her fingers and rolled onto her back, her arm still stretched out towards him. She knew the time for words was over now and what he needed was some peace of mind and rest to regain his energy. "Come here," she whispered, gesturing to him to scoop closer. Not that she'd ever say that out loud, but she knew the Devil was a cuddler. Pulling him along, she helped him turn into her and let his head rest against her chest, feeling his warmth on her skin and through the fabric of her negligee.

She was amazingly good at what she was doing and he was very glad about that. She knew how to calm him, knew when he needed a break from everything, knew when he was exhausted from whatever he suffered from. Releasing a soft sigh, he slung his arm over her stomach and snuggled close. The rhythmic thumping of her heart beneath his ear became a calming tune in a matter of seconds and the feel of her fingers combing into his hair made his eyes flutter close tiredly. "Thank you," he mouthed, putting all his affection and gratitude into his voice and hoping she understood the spectrum of his meaning. For worrying. For calling me. For coming to help me. For holding and supporting me through the pain. For telling me I'm not a monster. For loving me. For everything.

She heard it in the weight of his voice, the heaviness in it while it slightly trembled. "Always, Lucifer." Reaching for the covers, she carefully draped them over them, making sure they would go just below Lucifer's fresh scars. Continuing to slowly comb through his hair and scratch his scalp, she closed her eyes, relaxing with the feel of him against her and soon surrendering to the exhaustion of the day.

It took him longer, the need to know she was safe and sound beneath him, to feel her drift off after she had such a straining day because of him, was so much stronger than the need to fall asleep ahead of her. He needed to know she was far gone before he would find his own rest. If he would find his rest. Feeling how her heartbeat became slow and steady, her fingers loosening in his hair, he exhaled a shaky breath.

Reluctantly, he closed his eyes, hoping, wishing, to sleep peacefully.

But his wishes went unheard.

A/N: And there you go :D This was my way of a "happy" chapter xD Also with some lingering darkness. I hope you enjoyed Lucifer 'coping mechanism'. On this note, I wish you all a happy new year and see you in the next one with many more chapters and stories to come!

- Luni