Once again, Lucifer found himself sitting in Linda's office across from his father. They had had a couple of sessions so far, and things were going alright. Lucifer didn't feel the urge to scream or hit his father the entire time, though things were far from fixed.

"How have you been, son," God asked.

"Alright, I guess. Have you decided anything about humanity?"

"We're not here to discuss that, Sam… Lucifer. It's a conversation for another time," God said firmly. He had no problem discussing that with his son, but they would do so privately.

"Your father's right, Lucifer. You're here to try to mend your relationship with your father," Linda said.

"But…"

"We will have that conversation, son. I promised you that, but I need a little more time with it, and I would like to have it in private," God said. He wanted to wait until he could be a little more calm before he discussed the situation with his son, otherwise, he worried he wouldn't be able to truly appreciate what his son had to say.

"Fine," Lucifer grumbled. He didn't like it, but his father made it very clear that he would not discuss it right now, and much to Lucifer's dismay, Linda was backing him up. "When's Adam and Eve's trial going to be. I want it to be over with."

"Hang on. Have the two of you spoken outside of these sessions?" Linda asked. She got the feeling based on Lucifer's questions that he had not spoken with his father since their last session.

Both men shook their heads.

"Okay, well, I think it's important for you both to make an effort to speak and spend time together outside of these sessions. That's the only way your relationship will heal," Linda said.

"We'll only fight," Lucifer said.

"You might, but that's okay. Fighting can help you get through things," Linda told him.

"S… Lucifer, I'd be more than happy for us to meet outside of this room. You know you're welcome to come home whenever you want. I've told you that," God said.

"I can't," Lucifer whispered.

"Why not?" God asked patiently.

"Because everyone there knows now. I can't face them," Lucifer said as he looked down at his hands.

"Yes, they know, but none of your siblings blame you, son. In fact, they have been quite angry on your behalf. In fact, a group of them arranged a bit of revenge on your behalf. They did quite a number on Adam and Eve before I decided to intervene," God told him.

Lucifer was shocked. He wouldn't have believed that his siblings would intervene on his behalf. He figured they wouldn't care, or if they did that they would think he deserved it. "I still would rather not right now."

"That's alright. I could come see you if you'd like," God said. He would have suggested it sooner, but he didn't want to push his son. He wasn't sure Lucifer was ready to see him out of therapy, but now that the doctor had brought it up, he saw it as an opportunity to try get closer with his son.

"Really?" Lucifer asked. He knew that leaving the Silver City more than just for their weekly sessions would be an inconvenience for his father. He figured the man would insist that Lucifer come to him.

"Of course. Would you be alright with that?" God asked.

"Yeah, I guess so," Lucifer said.

"This is a good start. You're taking the first steps to mending your relationship. Now, is there anything either of you would like to talk about today. Lucifer, you might like to discuss some issues you've had with your father in the past," Linda said.

Lucifer seemed a little reluctant. It seemed like a recipe for a fight, but there were things that he wanted to say to his father, that he'd been wanting to say for a while. "I don't like being manipulated."

God's first impulse was to deny being manipulative, but Lucifer obviously felt that he had in some way, and it would only lead to yelling if he were to simply deny it. "How do you feel I've manipulated you?"

"The detective," Lucifer said as though it were obvious. "You put her in my path."

"Well, I can see why you think that it was a manipulation, but it wasn't meant to be. I was trying to help you," God said.

"You made her! Everything she feels for me is your doing!" Lucifer snapped. He no longer felt the need to pull away from the detective because of his father's manipulations, but it didn't change the fact that he'd made her to be with him. She barely had a choice in the matter.

"That's not true, Samael. Sorry, Lucifer. I did arrange for a sterile couple to create a child that would one day meet you, but I had no control over who she'd turn out to be. I didn't control her feelings. The only thing I did was make sure she'd be around to meet you and ensure she was immune to your charms," God explained.

"Can you explain to Lucifer why you put Chloe in his path?" Linda asked.

God sighed. "Son, I was angry with you for a long time. When some of that anger subsided, I regret that I was too stubborn to reach out to you. By the time I got over that, I thought it was too later, but I at least wanted to do something that would give you some happiness. All humans were the same to you at that point. They fell for your charms every time, and while you enjoyed many of them, none of them were special to you. You weren't truly happy. I figured if you met someone who was different than the rest, you might be tempted to get to know her and care for. That is what happened. You had to work for Chloe Decker's affections, and because of that, it meant more to you. I'm sorry you felt I was manipulating you. It was not my intention."

"So it has been her choice?" Lucifer asked. Thinking back, it did make sense. If the detective had been made to love him, she wouldn't have chosen Pierce over him, or almost sent him back to Hell.

"Of course. I have no sway over free will," he said. He was almost all powerful, but not even he could take away free will. That was why he was considering terminating them at the moment. They had become a danger to his children, and he had no way to control them.

"Okay, I things here. I think we've made some good progress. If possible, the two of you should meet at least once before our next session. Just some advice, try to stick to light topics when you do meet. You'll need to ease back into your relationship.

"We will heed your advice. Thank you, Doctor Martin," God said as he stood up.

Lucifer got up as well, and they both headed for the door.

Xxxxxxxxxxx

"You want what?!" Amenadiel asked Chloe in disbelief as he stood with her in her kitchen. She'd asked him to come over, and what she requested of him was so unbelievable that he almost thought he must have misheard her.

"I want a meeting with your dad," Chloe repeated. She understood why Amenadiel was so shocked. She'd shocked herself by deciding to do this. The thought of meeting with God was extremely intimidating, but after giving it a lot of thought, she decided that it was the best thing to do.

"Chloe, my father doesn't just meet with humans. It still shocks me that he agreed to go to therapy with Linda, but that's a special situation. Why would you want to meet him anyway, and why are you asking me instead of Lucifer?" Amenadiel asked.

"One, this isn't something that I want Lucifer to have to worry about on top of everything else he's dealing with. Two, he wouldn't do it," Chloe said. Once she told Lucifer what she wanted to discuss with his father, there was no way he'd agree to facilitate a meeting between them. It didn't matter though because she wouldn't ask him anyway. She didn't want to put this on his plate.

"What do you mean? Has something happened?" Amenadiel asked.

"William Kinley is out of Jail," she told him.

"That's the priest that convinced you to turn on Lucifer, right?"

"Yeah. He's going to go after Lucifer again. He won't stop until either someone stops him, or he gets what he wants," Chloe said.

Amenadiel swore under his breath. "This is really bad. I'm fairly certain that the only reason my father hasn't already destroyed humanity is because Lucifer is against it, and even with that, he hasn't made his final decision yet. If anyone else goes after Lucifer, it's over, despite any objections Lucifer might have. Humanity will be destroyed.

"Yeah, but more than that, Lucifer could be hurt. Kinley is dangerous. He's killed just to get to Lucifer. He's going to do anything he can to hurt him. I won't let that happen," Chloe said firmly. She was worried about her race, but Lucifer was her first thought. He was innocent. He was suffering because a couple sick monsters victimized him. It was time for that to stop. She could still help him. She wasn't sure there was anything she could do for the rest of humanity.

"Wait, do you actually want to tell my father about all this? Are you crazy? That would seal your race's fate!" Amenadiel exclaimed.

"Amenadiel, at this point, I'm fairly certain that fate is already sealed. Your father will find out. The longer we wait, the more risk to Lucifer," she said.

"No, I'll handle Kinley. My father doesn't have to know," Amenadiel said.

"Short of killing him, I'm not sure you can. Are you prepared to kill someone?" Chloe asked.

"It won't come to that. I'm an angel. I can scare him into backing off," Amenadiel said.

Chloe shook her head. "He's a fanatic. I'm pretty sure only God himself could get him to back off, and I'm not even completely sure about that. Look, it's better that your father finds out now, before Kinley has a chance to do anything."

Amenadiel sighed. Chloe might be right. If this guy was how she described, it would take a lot to get him to back off. Amenadiel wasn't prepared to kill a human, and even if he was, that would definitely get his father's attention. He would find out the truth either way. Maybe his father would be more inclined to spare humanity if he found out before Kinley could do something. "Fine, but you don't have to meet with him. I'll tell him everything."

Chloe shook her head. She'd already made up her mind that she was going to do this. "No. I have to do it myself."

"Why?"

"Because I need to tell him my part in it," she planned to tell God everything, including that she'd agreed to help Kinley at first. It could very well cost her her life, but she had to do it. God would find out one way or another, she was sure. It would be better if it came from her.

Amenadiel's eyes widened in horror. "What? Chloe, no! Look Lucifer and I both have gotten past it, but my father won't. He will be furious."

"I'm sure he will. I certainly would be if someone hurt Trixie like that," Chloe said.

"Yes, but you probably wouldn't kill them. My father might kill you, Chloe, or put you on trial, like Adam and Eve," Amenadiel said seriously. His father probably wouldn't take it that far under normal circumstances, though he'd probably still punish her, but his rage was astronomical right now. Anyone who harmed Lucifer would likely suffer severely.

"I have thought through the consequences, Amenadiel. Look, your father will find out one way or another. Things always come out. The truth about Lucifer is proof of that. And the fact that Kinley is back only makes it more likely that it will come out. It will be better if I admit it now," Chloe said. She thought it through. She was terrified, but she was sure this was the right thing to do, even if it cost her her life. She wouldn't be able to hide it forever.

Amenadiel shook his head. "No. I won't serve you up to my father. You need to at least wait for his anger to cool down."

"You will do it, Amenadiel. If you don't, I'll pray to him and tell him that way. I have a better chance if I do it face to face. That's my best chance of being heard out," Chloe said.

"Don't do this, Chloe. Lucifer will be devasted if something happens to you," Amenadiel said.

"Then we're both going to have to trust your father to realize that too. I'm doing this," she said firmly.

Amenadiel sighed in defeat. "Alright. It might take some time for me to arrange your meeting."

"Fine. Don't tell Lucifer about this Amenadiel. He doesn't need to worry about it. This is between me and your father," Chloe said.

Amenadiel nodded before heading for the door.