A/N: Soooooo. I know, you've all been maltreated by me. Everyone suffered. Lucifer, Chloe, you. After all the hurt and angst, this chapter will give you finally a bit of comfort. A bit dialogue heavy, but for good reason. I hope you'll enjoy the read! :)

Recommended Songs:

Dronny Darko - Pale Shadows

Coldplay - Sparks

R3HAB x Andy Grammer - Close To You

Nothing To Lose - The Banshees

Anything - Jaxson Gamble

Revolt Production Music - Satanicus

Chapter 9 – Support

[Dronny Darko - Pale Shadows]

Sweat trickled from Lucifer's temples over the edge of his brows, along his cheeks and down his jawline. He sat upright, the sheets crumpled over his lap, with his head in his hands. He had just woken from yet another nightmare. The third tonight ever since he lay down not even an hour ago. Each one of them lasted not longer than ten minutes, but felt like an eternity. At one point he even wondered if he was stuck in a hell loop. Only that nothing really looped. It was just one horror after another, each nightmare feeling more terrifying than the previous one.

He had been back in that bright room. Had been stuck against some kind of metallic surface, staring into a big mirror that was positioned in front of him, making him able to see everything. He wasn't sure where his nightmare mixed reality and imagination. In retrospect, he figured that the mad laughter from the man might not have really happened, but the gruesome cutting, pulling, ripping, breaking and tearing of his wings sickeningly didn't seem too strange to be a figment of his imagination.

Taking deep, long breaths, he tried to get rid of the tension from his muscles. Everytime he woke up, he had been cramped up and it took him several minutes to relax again. "What a bloody joke that is…" he muttered bitterly to himself. "The Devil having nightmares…"

A soft buzzing suddenly rang in his head, making his head snap up, his eyes going wide. His pulse skyrocketed from one moment to the next. What was that? Some sick tool from that psycho-Mengele? Some torture method? Or did he imagine it? "I'm going mad…" he breathed in despair, thinking that what happened to him was now messing with his perception. But just as he wanted to curl back into a ball, squeeze his eyes shut and try to escape the world around him, a sudden thud made him blink and look around. Something had clearly fallen down to the ground and now the buzzing sound was louder.

He pushed the blanket aside and turned around to let his legs dangle over the edge of the bed. Eyes scanning the ground he saw a dim rectangular light and finally his brain made the connection: His cellphone. Quickly picking it up, he saw the face of the Detective and his chest contracted with both pain and longing.

He wanted to hear her, hear the sound of her voice calming his aching body and mind. She was really good at that and he had noticed it several times before. Although he wasn't sure she knew she had such an effect on him. But answering the phone also meant that she'd see, or rather hear, more of his suffering. She was incredibly perceptive, almost as much as Linda, he thought, and with her detective brain, she would ask questions. Questions he didn't want to answer, for his own sake but even more so for hers. The dark abyss of his suffering shouldn't be weighing down on her shoulders as well. But then another thought occurred to him. It was 3:18am. Was everything alright on her end? Was she in trouble?

[Coldplay - Sparks]

His thumb automatically hit the green icon. "Detective?" he asked, silently cursing that his voice was so husky, likely because of his screaming during and after the nightmares.

"Hey, Lucifer," Chloe's voice rang small and softly. It was almost a whisper.

"Is everything alright?" he went on, worried, feeling how his alertness was pushing aside his foggy delusions.

"Yeah, yeah… I'm fine," she assured him quickly. "Maze gave me your number and..." She trailed off with a soft sigh. "I'm sorry… I didn't mean to wake you…"

She sounded so careful, so insecure. He gritted his teeth. Of course she was being careful with him. She had seen how fragile he had been and how he snapped from one second to the next. She had all the right to test the waters. "Umm… I... You… You didn't wake me," he admitted honestly and in a nervous stutter.

"Oh…" Chloe sounded mildly surprised and he could hear how her detective brain was connecting the dots on his answer.

He began fumbling with the blanket. "Is… Is there something that I can help you with, Detective?" He heard her let out a long, shaky exhale. Is she nervous about this situation as well?

"Oh, umm… I just… I… Actually... I couldn't really sleep and wanted to hear you… Is that silly?"

Yes, she is nervous. But why? "No. No, that's… that's not silly." His lips curled up in a weak smile. "If anything, it's charming." The small, soft laugh from her, so innocent, shy and sweet, made his own smile brighten and helped for more of his lurking, tormenting nightmares to be pushed aside. "How was your day?" he asked, genuinely interested in how she was doing.

"It's been… quite busy. We got a lot of evidence analysed. And we've taken in a suspect... but we don't have much to hold him."

His throat tightened and his heart slammed against his ribs in a sudden rush of excitement. "A suspect? Already? You've got that bastard who did this-"

"No, no! Not the person who did it, but maybe the person who made it possible. He's not particularly cooperative. We let him sit in the cell overnight and have the analysis of potential proof for your abduction done in the meantime."

He released a sigh and nodded, not thinking about her being unable to see him. "Alright… That… That sounds good though. A start. I'm sure you can figure things out," he said reassuringly. He didn't push any further on the topic, knowing that she couldn't tell him in more detail what she had discovered unless he was cleared as a suspect himself.

"Thank you, Lucifer… I try to", she said now in an even softer tone. "How are you doing?"

And there it was. The question that hung above him like the sword of Damocles. He wanted to answer as openly as she had answered him, or at least to the best of her ability in her situation. He wanted to hear the smile in her voice again. But his answer, no matter how he'd voice it, could hardly achieve that. It wouldn't be satisfying and it would likely make her worry more than she already did. "I… I'm coping… Or, well… I'm trying to. Can't say it's all sunshine and roses..."

"Yeah… I figure…" she mouthed understandingly before a long pause stretched in between them.

It was odd as the silence just laid in the empty space between them. They both patiently waited for the other to say something, anything, but were completely content with just listening to the other's quiet breathing. Lucifer found it strangely soothing and without really thinking about it, laid back down on his bed. He wondered where she was and imagined her to sit in her own bed or perhaps curled up on her couch in the living room.

"I miss you," Chloe suddenly whispered into the silence and his heart made a jump.

"I miss you, too, Detective," he whispered back, although he found his tone to be almost croaking. An idea popped up in his mind along with the yearning to be with her. "Can we… Can we see each other tomorrow? Outside of work, I mean." He pensively waited for her answer, staring at the ceiling and wishing it were a tear in space, making him able to look into her room.

"Yeah… That would be nice." He could hear the smile in her voice before she shortly paused. "I could come over after work, if you like?"

His heart made another jump as it thundered with excitement at her proposal. "Yes. I'd like that… I'd like that a lot." He thought about the next day and what a visit of her entailed. He'd need to take care of his penthouse and make it presentable again. The same counted for himself as well. He needed sleep and a good use of product so he wouldn't smell like a homeless sod, of sweat, cold smoke and alcohol.

"Great," Chloe said, "So I'll see you tomorrow."

"Yes… Tomorrow..." he mouthed, suddenly feeling sad about their call ending. How strange is that?, he thought. A simple call with her sends me on a rollercoaster of emotions. A small rustling could be heard at her speaker's end, making him curious. She hadn't actually hung up. The line was still open. "Detective?" he asked with growing excitement. Easy there, big boy… Maybe she just accidentally didn't hang up and now she put the phone away…

After a short pause, Chloe's voice rang softly again. "Yes, Lucifer?"

"You didn't hang up." It was half a statement and half question.

"I don't want to," she admitted with a shaky breath.

And again her words did all kinds of weird things to his body, causing his stomach to feel all fuzzy and his heart light. Smiling, he let out a short breathy laugh. "I don't want to either." He heard her let out a small relaxed laugh as well. "Are you in bed?"

"Yeah."

"How about this: We lay down, put each other on speaker and don't hang up. What do you think?" he suggested, biting his lip as a brighter smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

She let out a soft snicker and he imagined she was nodding as she answered, "Sounds good to me." Something in her background rustled softly again and it was then that he realized it was her blanket that she was shifting.

"Alright." He pulled his own blanket back over himself, put her on speaker and placed his phone next to his pillow. He waited a few moments, simply enjoying the fact he knew she was in her bed as well, listening and relaxing. "Good night, Detective."

"Good night, Lucifer," Chloe whispered. "Sweet dreams."

Closing his eyes, he smiled contently, thinking that perhaps at one point he would hear his sweet Detective snore as she drifted to sleep. The tormenting images of his nightmares were thoroughly pushed into a far away corner of his mind, his consciousness filled with Chloe's presence, her voice still sounding in his head and the prospect of seeing her the next day.

And indeed, after a few minutes he could hear the start of a soft snore and a relaxed, deep exhale. He didn't mind. In fact, the sounds of her helped him to let sleep overcome him once again, this time granting him the peaceful rest he desired.

[R3HAB x Andy Grammer - Close To You (Official Lyric Video)]

"Lucifer...? Are you still there?"

He woke up with a happy sigh, coming out of a short but peaceful slumber. "Mmmm… I'm here..." he murmured, his brain slowly shifting from the sleep-state to being awake with a long stretched yawn.

"Good morning," Chloe breathed with a soft sigh and yawn herself.

A wide smile spread on his lips. "Good morning." Glancing at his phone, he saw that their night-call had lasted for roughly two and a half hours. This had been one hell of a short night's sleep for both of them, and with that he had an idea. "Thank you for the night's company," he said, picking up the phone as he pushed the blanket aside and sat up.

She softly chuckled. "Thank you, too. That was a really good suggestion. Unfortunately… I gotta get up now..."

His heart sank a little. "Of course. I'll see you later, yes?"

"Yes. Later. Bye," she said with a snicker and hung up.

He took a deep breath, feeling his muscles so much more relaxed than the previous day. Talking with her and knowing that she was at least theoretically with him during the night had been quite soothing. But now his need to see her was growing bigger and with their horribly short night, an idea sparked in him. Quickly rushing over into the bathroom, he took a fast shower, brushed his teeth to get rid of the old, pallid taste of drugs and liquor from his mouth and dressed up to the nines.

All done, he headed out, got in his courtesy car, and drove off. He needed to be fast, really fast, which would be a challenge considering L.A.'s traffic, but with his driving skills combined with this kind of car, he had no big trouble to get to his first destination in just under ten minutes.

He picked up his order, carefully tucked everything in the footwell of the passenger seat and raced to his second and final destination. It wasn't the insane manoeuvrers or the fifteen red lights he skipped that had caused his heart to start hammering, but the fact that he was going to see her, not in the evening, but now. He saw that her car was still parked in the driveway as he parked next to it, which meant that she hadn't left for work yet.

Good.

Stepping up to her door, he used his index finger of the left hand that grabbed the bag to ring the bell while his right hand balanced the hot containers in a cardboard tray. It took a few moments before the door opened and a dumbfounded Detective stared at him with her mouth open.

"Lucifer? What- How- I-" she stuttered, surprised, looking somewhat overwhelmed with the situation. "Didn't we say we meet after work?"

She was dressed already but hadn't yet dried her hair after showering. Despite the fact of her surprise though, a smile spread on her lips and Lucifer's inner excitement calmed. She clearly wasn't angry. "I thought that, after the rather short night for the both of us, we could use some treats for the morning to get going. I brought you your favourite coffee and some pastries from the bakery nearby. All we need now is just a bit of jam that I know you keep stored safely away from your spawn's sugar-craving fingers."

He saw her sleep deprived eyes sparkle with what he believed was appreciation and was confirmed when she swiftly got on her toes, leaned in and gave his lips a pecking kiss.

"Thank you. And good morning again, Lucifer," she whispered with a cheeky smirk.

"You're welcome. And good morning again, Detective," he mouthed back, mesmerized by her sweet attitude.

She stepped aside and opened the door further, making way for him to come in. With a quick look at the kitchens' table, he could see that she had not yet prepared anything for breakfast, so he apparently came at just the right time. He sat the bag of pastries down on the table along with the big cups of coffee, while Chloe went to grab the dishes and a variety of jams. Once all was prepared, they sat down opposite to each other.

"What do you have on your To-Do list for today?" Chloe asked as she grabbed herself a croissant and carefully draped its one tip with strawberry jam.

Lucifer took a sip from his deliciously spiked coffee and hummed in thought. "Well… I hadn't really thought about it yet. I just wanted to come here and spend some time with you. I guess I'll see what I can do at Lux, oh, and see if I can find my bloody car. Would be a shame if it were gone for good."

Chloe's eyes widened as she stopped munching on her croissant. "You're car's gone?" she mumbled and quickly swallowed her bite. "Did you forget about it because of the amnesia?" she added softly, hoping he wouldn't feel bad because of her mentioning it.

"Yes… it appears so," he said, taking a bite from his roll with nougat spread. "But... I honestly can't tell if I left it somewhere or if it was stolen." He spotted her expression becoming more thoughtful and changing to what he called her detective-face.

"I'll let the colleagues put out a search. Who knows… It could also be connected to what happened. It's best to not let anything slip by as coincidence."

"That's… good thinking. I hadn't looked at it that way before. Maybe the culprit stole it for his private car collection…" His mimic suddenly turned sour and his tone disgruntled. "But I'd rather not give him the trait of having such a good taste… You understand."

She nodded and lowered her eyes. "Yeah… I understand." After a few moments of silence, she carefully looked back at him. "Tell me how you're doing… please. How you're really doing."

He felt his stomach twist and clench with discomfort. Of course she wanted to know. She was worried. Just like last night. But looking at her, being with her, made it impossible to avoid the topic as a whole. That didn't mean he wouldn't try though. "You know how I'm doing, Detective," he said quietly, knowing he couldn't keep up a pretentious happy look to masquerade his pain.

"I do," she breathed just as quietly. Without giving him time to react, she quickly reached over the table and grasped his hand. "But I want you to tell me. That's something entirely different."

Lucifer looked back at her hand and then into her eyes, puzzled. If she knew, why would she want for him to say it? To tell her how miserable he was? How horribly incapable of coping? Why would she want to hear from him what was only an affirmation if not even a worsening of the information she knew?

He recalled how people would share their miserable situation, oftentimes to get pitied, but among friends and loved ones it was usually done for another reason and he had a strange feeling this was the same case now. He decided he wanted to see what would happen if he'd tell her, not everything, but a good part of it. "I'm having quite some trouble with certain… side effects," he began carefully as he pulled his hand away from hers, busying it by turning his cup of coffee. "The flashbacks happen in a variety of ways. Bits and pieces spark them. It feels like it can happen with anything at any time, really." He let out a humourless laugh and sighed, bitterly. "I continuously cramp up, rasp for air and try to move, but feel unable to do so. Sometimes it's like what happened is bleeding into the moment and it's so real I break out in cold sweat and panic."

He looked back at her, observing her reactions to his words. It hadn't yet been the very tricky information of his suffering, but it was quite something. And Chloe seemed to already fight to stay composed, as he could tell by her lips pressing together and her eyes glistening. "I sometimes feel the ripping and tearing on my back again… How the weight of my wings then suddenly is gone when they drop off-" He stopped as his voice cracked and clenched his teeth in reflex to stay composed and not show any more weakness. When he was sure his voice wouldn't shake anymore, he continued. "It's like my own little hell loop. Like straight out of a horror movie."

Chloe however couldn't keep her emotions at bay. Tears fell from her cheeks as she looked at him, quietly sobbing, devastated. "I'm so sorry," she mouthed, the crying causing her eyes to get all puffy and red-rimmed. "I know this probably feels like it doesn't help you, but… I want you to know that I'm here for you, Lucifer. I really am. Always." She worried her lip between her teeth and reached out again, this time, placing it on his wrist, gently squeezing it as she probed into his eyes.

It was difficult. Everything about this was difficult: To have the atrocities that had been done to him so present in his mind. To have them haunt him like a lucid, cthulhuian nightmare. To tell them to her. To see her suffer along with him. And to feel her warmth soothing into his icy body, lovingly caressing him with such carefulness and understanding, that it felt like she was the light at the end of his pain-filled trauma-tunnel. He wanted to say I know or Thank you, but the lump in his throat wouldn't let him. So he just nodded at her, grateful for her warmth and tenderness.

"You said you had more flashbacks. What do you remember from them? Any memories that might help us?" she asked softly, clearly torn between the hope of hearing something that could bring them forward in the investigation and the worry of putting him through more pain.

He smiled, wryly. "I… I went to the Doctor to get a better hold onto my flashbacks and try to uncover buried memories. It… didn't work too well. It was rather… overwhelming." He licked his lips, nervously, searching for words. "When the flashbacks happen… they are really intense, but when they're over, I can't recall every detail. A lot of it fades just as quickly as it came up. Only a few things really stayed present in my mind." He paused, looking back at her and seeing her patient, warm expression. She gave him the time he needed, didn't ask, but let him speak whenever he was ready. "I was in a bright room. There was a mirror in front of me where I could see myself and the man."

He watched her reaction closely, seeing her take a composed deep breath. But he could see beyond that surface. She was fighting tears again because she knew what that meant. That the man had wanted for him to be able to watch. That Lucifer had watched because he was unable to close his eyes under the influence of the drug. "He was wearing a medical mask, cap and gloves. And he had blue eyes. Piercing, blue eyes. He talked to me, but I can't really remember." He blinked and looked down on his hands, feeling horribly uncomfortable, vulnerable, nervous and weak.

Chloe stayed quiet, at least for several long stretched seconds, where she wasn't sure if her voice would be strong enough to offer support, fearing that instead it would make him feel even more insecure than he already was. "That's good, Lucifer. That's really good. It's already a lot of information that can help us along."

"Don't be ridiculous…" he scoffed with a sad expression. "I know it's all superficial stuff. It's nothing to get a hold onto the guy. It's not like I remember, if the bastard introduced himself to me with his full name or that I remember the address of where I was taken."

She bit her lip and nodded. "I know, Lucifer. I am aware of that. But I meant it nonetheless. The information can be helpful to narrow things down at a later point in the investigation." Her shoulders sunk as she saw how defeated he looked. He was so exhausted, both mentally and physically. And his spirits seemed so weak and sad, it was enough to make her want to cry. An idea suddenly sparked in her, but she knew she had to be careful with her proposal. "You said you tried to get some memories back with Linda, but felt overwhelmed…?"

Lucifer blinked and carefully looked at her. "Yes… She was doing some therapy thing to bring me back into the situation… but it was…" He let out a shaky breath, feeling a shiver run through his limbs. "...too much. I… I felt lost in there…"

"I don't even want to say 'I can imagine', because I doubt that I really can. Do you think it could help you if I would be there? Just to be there and help you not get lost?" she asked softly, offering him a small, loving smile.

His heart fluttered with excitement at her words. The prospect of having her at his side during a session with Linda was making him both joyful and nervous. "I… I'm not sure..."

She tilted her head to the side, wondering what he meant. "I can handle it, Lucifer. I'd be the one to support you, remember?" she probed gently, imploring him with her eyes.

He returned to fidgeting with his coffee. "That's not- I wasn't worried about your capabilities in handling the situation…" He swallowed, feeling ridiculously small. "It's more that I'm worried I can't handle the situation... knowing you'd see me like that." Slowly his eyes rose to meet hers again, carefully assessing how she reacted at his confession.

It hadn't even occurred to her, but of course it made sense. Lucifer would feel vulnerable in his therapy session, because he thought that her seeing him having trouble dealing with the horrors he had experienced meant that she thought of him being weak. She gently peeled his fingers from his coffee to hold onto his hand. "Lucifer… I don't think that you're weak. Not the slightest bit. Quite the contrary. I think you are unbelievably strong. I know you can do this. And I'd love to be there and give you that extra bit of support to push through."

"And you'll really not… not think I'm being weak?" he asked pensively and released a tense breath as she shook her head. Glancing at their joined hands, he felt her warmth soothingly spread into him and with a last shaky exhale he looked back up at her and nodded. "Alright. I'd be happy if you could join me."

Her lips curled in a relieved and also a bit tearful smile. "Great. So, I'll come by after work and we go see Linda, okay?"

"Sounds good." Her smile was infectious and he enjoyed feeling her as both their thumbs caressed each other's hand. Yes, it would be helpful to have her with him when he'd face his traumatic experiences, he was sure of it.

Chloe knew it had been a big step to allow her to help him, whether he was aware of it or not. Giving his hand a short squeeze, she slowly pulled away and both returned to eat their breakfast in comfortable silence.

When they were done and put the dirty dishes into the sink, Lucifer realized that they didn't have more time together. She would finish drying her hair and head off to work in a matter of minutes. "So erm… When do you finish work today?" he asked hesitantly, feeling strangely nervous again to not have her around.

"Hard to say. As you know," Chloe said, smiling at him. "I'll try to make it around 6pm, alright?"

Even though the time was not very appealing, relief washed through him nonetheless and he smiled back at her in anticipation. "Wonderful… I'll see you later then." I just gotta pass a few bloody hours alone and then I'm with her again…

Walking him to the door, Chloe glanced at the car next to hers. "Isn't that Ella's car?" she asked, just as he started heading out to the black Mustang. "Yeah… I'm pretty sure it is…" Her tone changed in suspicion as she gave Lucifer a curious glance.

He froze and his smile from just a moment ago, faltered. "I-is it? I mean… erm… That's…" He swallowed. Obtaining a car that belonged to Miss Lopez and in turn have her all worried, just to be able to get home, had not been his intention. He had figured the car belonged to a higher ranked officer, or perhaps had even been confiscated as evidence. He wouldn't have had any issue borrowing the car from such a person. "I promise to give it back!" he quickly assured her. "I just… I... Right... I'll fix it right away. I'll see you later, Detective!" Quickly jumping into the car, he started the engine with yet another buzz of his charm and drove off.

[Nothing To Lose - The Banshees]

Time was of the essence. Just like on his way to the Detective, Lucifer skipped pretty much every red light that got in his way and tried to hinder him getting to his destination as fast as possible. Only fifteen minutes later, he arrived at the apartment complex. As he got out of the car, a cab pulled up next to him with squealing brakes and hit the horn twice.

"Bloody hell! Who are you picking up? A deaf granny?!" Lucifer grunted angrily, flinching as the driver slammed the honk again, seemingly unimpressed by his protest. "Unbelievable…"

"Comiiiing!" a familiar voice called out from the building and Lucifer's head turned immediately. The door of one of the apartments slammed shut as the energetic forensic stormed out and rushed towards the driveway.

"Oh, Miss Lopez!" Lucifer cheered with a dashing smile. "Perfect timing!"

Ella startled as she almost ran into Lucifer and when her eyes glanced to the car next to him, her jaw dropped. "That's my car!" she exclaimed, gazing at it in shock and disbelief. "Holy cannelony!" She hesitated a second, but then shamelessly leaned down on the car's hood, giving it a little kiss before pressing her cheek against it. "¡Oh mi hermoso semental! ¡Cómo te extrañé!"

"Oh… You think of your car as male? A stallion?" Lucifer purred curiously, blatantly avoiding to mention anything about his little borrowing of her car. "I mean, it makes sense because of its brand, obviously. I personally tend to think of cars like ships. Always female..."

Ella's smile and happy sigh ended abruptly as her brain caught up with the moment. Swirling around she pointed her finger against his chest. "Youuuu! You stole my car!"

The cab driver slammed the honk again, annoyed and impatient. "Are you coming or what?!" he called out of the window, pointing at his watch.

Lucifer nervously stumbled backwards as he looked between Ella's accusing finger and the rude cab driver. "I- I can explain everything, Miss Lopez. Just… Just wait a second, will you?" he asked, appeasingly raising his hands. She glared at him and he knew better than to make fun of her, even though he thought she really looked kinda cute. Quickly stepping out of her reach, he went to the cab and leaned in through the window. "Listen, you unnerving dimwit. Take this and bugger off, comprende?!" He reached into his jacket's inner pocket, retrieved a money clip and tossed the man a hundred dollar bill. "And don't you dare, slam that bloody honk again when somebody is standing right next to you!"

The man looked down at his lap where the money had landed, grabbed it and quickly made it disappear in his jeans. "Sure," the man said with a scoff, put the car in reverse and headed off with squealing tires.

"Alright," Ella's voice rang seriously. "You've got one chance to explain this to me, or I'll forget you're the Devil and kick your bubblebutt ass. You stole my baby, Lucifer!"

"Okay, okay! Please, no kicking! But thank you for the compliment. Glad to hear you noticed. I've been working out and-"

"LUCIFER!" Ella growled, giving him the harshest glare she could muster.

His broad smirk dropped as his little distraction miserably failed. "Okay, fine, fine. Look… I was a little upset, I wanted to get home, I had no car, because apparently it might have been taken from the imbecile who took my wings and I honestly didn't know it was your car. I'm really sorry, Miss Lopez." He pleaded at her with puppy eyes, hoping it would spare him from the wrath of an angry, little woman. By Dad, she's letting me dangle! Why isn't she saying something?! Oh dear, is she about to lash out or is going to cry? Who the heck knows!

The angry glare of Ella stayed for several more seconds, before she blew out a sigh and relaxed, throwing him a worried look. "Oh Luce!" Throwing herself against him, she slung her arms around his tall frame and hugged him tight. "You're lucky I'm such a nice person," she murmured with a smile and tilted her head up. "But you owe me for this! Big time!"

Awkwardly stiffening in her embrace, he answered with a nervous smile. "Of course, Miss Lopez… Erm… how about a freebie? A favour without an IOU? I'll do anything… As long as you won't make me pray to my Dad or any other of those shenanigans."

The young Latina's lips pursed in thought. "Five," she eventually stated. "I'll get five favours for free."

His eyes widened. "Five?! No way! That's exploitation!" Lucifer exclaimed in shock, but Ella seemed more than determined.

"Five or I will make you pray to the Big Guy just for fun and to see you suffer," Ella stated, crossing her arms and looking all like the sassy lady she was. There was obviously no room for negotiations.

He could hardly believe it. Gathering back some of his dignity, he straightened his posture. "Fine! Five favours." Squinting his eyes as Ella extended a hand towards him, he sighed and shook it. "Deal…"

Flashing him her own version of her million-dollar-smile, Ella jumped into her car and caressed the steering wheel. Reaching into her bag, she retrieved her car key but paused when she inserted it into the ignition. "Wait a sec…. How did you even start the car? Did you short-circuit it?! Did you hurt my baby?!"

"What? Of course not! What do you think I am?! A savage?! I used my charm, obviously." When she threw him a wondrous look, he demonstratively ran his finger along the length of the hood and the car's engine roared to life. "See? I can turn anything on."

"That's… pretty darn cool, I admit. Okay… I'm sorry Lucifer, but I gotta head to work now." She threw him an apologetic smile and was about to hit the gas, when Lucifer leaned in through the window. "What?"

"I... erm… I sent the cab away..." He smiled at her with big, expectant eyes.

She cocked her head to the side, oblivious. "Yeah you did. And?"

"That was a little thoughtless of me, actually. I don't have a car anymore and… you have yours back… So... Would you perhaps give me a ride back home?"

Ella's eyes narrowed. "Isn't this favour thing supposed to be on my side? Can't you call yourself another cab? I'm already going to be late..."

"I mean, technically I could. It's not like I don't have the money, obviously. But I'd like to avoid horrible cars as best as possible and instead enjoy a ride in such beauty." He dashed her another charming smile. "It really is a beauty, that wild horse of yours," he snickered, adoring the car with a happy sigh.

She tilted her head in thought and let out a sigh. "Alright, amigo. But only because you treated my baby well after you so rudely stole it." She watched as Lucifer's smile widened to her answer and with both the grace of an angel as well as the jittery excitement of a small boy, Lucifer took a seat on the passenger side.

"Splendid! Thank you, Miss Lo- ooaaahhh!" Tossed around from Ella's sudden hit on the gas, he quickly reached for the handle above his head, feeling his heart starting to thunder with the acceleration of the car. "Bloody hell, Miss Lopez! I didn't know you were such a scorcher! Although, given your taste in cars… Not much of a surprise, I guess. Quite refreshing, compared to the Detective's snail speed! Please, do go on!"

[Anything - Jaxson Gamble]

It was more than refreshing. The drive with Ella, her carefree attitude and positive spirit had revitalized him. Although meeting the Detective early in the morning had been great, it had also come with a strange, heavy feeling, with his situation always somewhat present. With Ella it wasn't like that. She didn't mention a word about his situation, didn't push on how he was feeling or talking about work. Instead she told him about how she had found her love for cars, classics, but also beautiful modern designs.

Time flew by, quite literally, as they sped through the city's morning traffic, and too soon for his liking, the ride with Ella was already over again. He got out of the car and was just about to say his goodbye to Ella, when he spotted a familiar person in front of Lux.

A young man with red curly hair tucked in beneath a basecap, and wearing a dark blue work outfit, carried a little package in one arm and a clipboard in the other. He leaned against the door and used the doorbell for deliveries. It was Jordan, a student with unfortunate acne who worked part time as a mailman.

"There's no one at Lux yet," Lucifer stated, making Jordan swirl around, surprised.

The small shock immediately washed off from Jordan's face as he saw him. "Oh hey, Lucifer," he greeted casually. "I was just about to let this be taken for you." Jordan pointed at the package. "It's a special delivery."

"Wonderful! Special delivery!" Lucifer cheered, signed the receipt and grabbed the package. "Oh… it's… it's really light. Wonder what's inside..."

"Alright, I'm off again then. See ya around!" Jordan said, rushing back to his van and driving off to continue his route.

"Hey, Lucifer. I'll be off to work now," Ella rang from the side, nervously checking her watch. "I'll see you soon, okay?"

Busy opening the package, Lucifer didn't pay much attention to the Latina, too excited for what it could be. Is this maybe from the Detective? No recipient… Maybe she wanted to surprise me… "Right… I'll see... you…" he mumbled, tearing open the tape and folding open the lid. His initial excited expression though, dropped when he laid eyes on the content of the package. His body reacted within a split second.

[Revolt Production Music - Satanicus]

His head became dizzy, his throat closed, his bowels twisted in nausea, his breathing became ragged and his muscles began to cramp up. Frozen in shock, he stared down at a pile of feathers. They were his, he could tell. He knew. They laid clipped and bent and ripped, covered in dried blood that stained their impeccable white. They had also lost their natural glow, something he knew happened after a while of not being embedded in his wing.

"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?"

Tears stung in his eyes as he rasped for air. He didn't notice how he slumped down against the entrance of Lux, with the package slipping out of his hand, landing next to him on the ground.

He can see them. The two sets of massive whites being splattered with rich crimson. He sees them in the mirror. He feels the ripping and tearing. The slicing and chopping. Every feather that breaks, every quill that is ripped from his membrane in the vicious process he's forced to endure. And he hears the different tools that maltreat his body; raw, loud and sickening.

He winced and fell into a catatonic rocking motion, swaying back and forth, slinging his arms around himself and curling into a ball. His shoulder blades throbbed with pain, aching in a mixture of suffering and mourning. He missed them.

"-cifer? Hey?! Oh gosh… Lucifer?!"

A set of small, warm hands touched his cheeks and carefully tilted his head up.

"Hey? Look at me. It's alright. I'm here. You're not alone."

He could see Ella's face blurry in front of him, could thankfully hear her again, but the shock still ran deep through his body.

Ella pulled him into a gentle embrace, even though he was still curled up to a shivering ball. She didn't seem to mind. One of her hands ran in circles over his back as she simply stayed in the position, kneeling with him on the ground. "Shh… it's alright…" she mouthed as she glanced to the side to take a look at the package and its content. Swallowing thickly, but staying otherwise composed, she continued to sooth him for a while longer, until eventually Lucifer stopped shaking.

Only when he felt his muscles relaxing, his fingers unclenching, did he slowly tilt his head to look up at her. He didn't feel the strength and security in his voice to be stable enough to speak just yet, and he wasn't even sure what his look at Ella was supposed to do, but the Latina looked back at him with wary eyes, waging something on the tip of her tongue.

"Do you want me to bring you to your penthouse?" Ella asked, carefully helping him back up on his feet.

He thought about it for just a split second, but the memories of how it was like to be stuck at home alone immediately pressed forward his answer. "No! No… I…" It was a blessing how Ella seemed to be able to read his mind and grasped what he preferred, but was too shy to speak out.

"Okay… You can come with me to the precinct." She glanced at the package on the ground. "And this… we'll analyze." Opening the passenger's door, she helped Lucifer back into the car, before putting the package into the trunk, using a fresh nitrile glove from the glovebox she kept in her emergency kit. As she got in the car again, Lucifer leaned away from her, against the door, his eyes glassy and distant. "It's gonna be okay, Lucifer," she assured him and sped off towards the precinct.

A/N: Well well! It started off angsty, then I soothed your aching souls and now the angst is back. What a rollercoaster! How are you feeling? You still there? xD And now it seems like our beloved Deckerstar team is about to meet again, earlier than they both expected! As always, I hoped you enjoyed this chapter. We soon gonna dive deeper into Lucifer's memories! So stay tuned and I'll see you in the next one! :D

- Luni