Chloe paced her kitchen nervously. Amenadiel had arranged for her to meet with his father today. She was about to meet and actually have a conversation with God. That alone was enough to freak her out, but what she had to speak to him about made it much worse.
Chloe couldn't deny having second thoughts. She knew she had to do this. It was the right thing, and God was going to find out anyway. Still, this could literally be her last day of life after she said what she needed to. She was going to tell God that she had planned to send his son to Hell. She'd seen the results of his rage from someone hurting Lucifer. She had no delusions that God would be anything but furious. So, yes, while Chloe knew this was something she had to do, she also couldn't help but second guess herself.
Just then, there was a knock at the door.
"Not now," Chloe whispered to herself as she went to open the door. The last thing she needed on the day she was supposed to literally confess her sins to God himself was visitors beforehand.
Chloe was shocked when she opened the door to find Amenadiel there with an older man that she could only guess was God. She didn't expect them to knock. She figured they'd just appear in front of her. The last thing she expected was for God to wait to be invited in.
"Hi, Chloe. Can we come in?" Amenadiel asked.
Almost numbingly, Chloe stepped aside to let them in. Once they were inside, she closed the door behind them.
"I'm sure you've realized, but this is my father," Amenadiel said to Chloe.
God smiled at the woman and immediately took her hand in his. "It's wonderful to meet you, my dear. Although, I must admit that I almost didn't take this meeting. I'm assuming that my son, Lucifer, does not know about it."
Chloe could only shake her head, unable to form words yet.
God let go of her hand after a second. "I assumed not, which made me uncomfortable with meeting with you. My relationship with my son is very fragile right now, and I'd prefer not to jeopardize it. However, I assume you would not request this meeting if it weren't urgent. How can I help you, Detective Decker? I hope it's not regarding the fate of humanity. I mean no disrespect, but I will not discuss that with you."
"N…no," Chloe said finally finding her voice. "I…I don't think that's my place. Besides, as a parent, I can understand where you're coming from on the matter."
"I appreciate that, my dear. I'm sure my son has told you this, but you and your child will not be affected by my decision on this matter. My son cares for you very much, and I know that that is mutual. In fact, you are one of the few humans that give me even the slightest bit of hope for the rest of your race," God told her.
Chloe cringed. "If she didn't already feel guilty, it would be wrecking her now. She was certainly not someone God should be proud of. She was not an example of humanity's goodness.
Amenadiel could tell that Chloe was upset, and probably realized by now what a bad idea this was. "Chloe, you don't have to do this. We can leave."
God turned to his son and frowned. "Amenadiel, what has you so concerned? You have been acting as though I might smite the woman."
"Amenadiel, I've made up my mind. I need to do this," Chloe said.
God turned back to Chloe Decker. "I am more than a little curious now. Please tell me what this about."
Chloe took a deep breath and tried to come up with the right words. What she said might literally mean the difference between life and death. "Your faith in me is misplaced, sir. When I found out the truth about Lucifer, I didn't respond well."
"Well, if you were shocked, I wouldn't hold that against you. Most humans cannot handle Divinity. It's why I have a general rule against it being revealed. It's also why I was against my children mingling on Earth for extended periods of time," he said.
"It…It wasn't merely shock. I was scared too. I didn't know what to think. Everything I believed turned out to be untrue. I had to get away and try to find answers to the billions of questions I had. I l went to Rome. When I was there, I gained the attention of a priest named William Kinley," Chloe told him.
God's eyes darkened. He knew who William Kinley was. He detested the man, as well as all others like him. He honestly was weary of all priests and religious leaders. They weren't all like William Kinley, but many were. William Kinley was the kind of man who used faith as an excuse to commit a plethora of sins. It infuriated God that people like him used him and his son as scapegoats. People like him were exactly why humanity's fate was unclear right now. "Go on."
"I…I was already afraid. I already had the things I'd been taught about the Devil in my head and was associating them with Lucifer. Kinley knew what to say to bring that fear out and make it worse. That's not an excuse. It's just what happened," Chloe said. She didn't want to make excuses. Nothing she could say justified what she planned to do to Lucifer, but it was also a fact that if Kinley hadn't gotten in her head, she didn't believe she would've ever gone so far.
"Detective Decker, I suggest you speak quickly and clearly," God said in a dangerous tone. He could see where this was going, and it was making him more and more angry.
"Father…" Amenadiel said.
God raised one hand to silence his son, his now very cold eyes never leaving Chloe Decker.
Chloe gulped a little as she was faced with a very pissed off God. "K…Kinley had a plan to send Lucifer back to Hell permanently. He wanted me to give him a sedative and then he was going to perform an exorcism."
"You attacked my son?!" God yelled in a loud, superhuman tone.
Chloe instinctively took a step back. Up until now, she could almost fool herself into believing she was talking to a random man, but his voice just now made it very clear that he was far from human.
"No, Father, she didn't. She didn't go through with it. She realized it was wrong," Amenadiel said.
"Don't defend me, Amenadiel. Yes, I realized I was wrong, but it was almost too late," Chloe said as she recalled the night she almost destroyed Lucifer. The only things that stopped her were loud music and a broken glass.
"You'd best explain yourself now, and the only reason I am giving you that opportunity is because I know my son still cares for you! Anyone else would've been eradicated from universe by now!" God said in a steel tone.
"I agreed to Father Kinley's plan. He'd convinced me that Lucifer was responsible for several of the dark times in the Word's history. When I got back to LA though, I wasn't as sure. I started to doubt myself and what Kinley told me. Kinley reminded me of everything though. He was very convincing. So, against my better judgement, I set out to give Lucifer the sedative, but I was stopped. Then I found that Lucifer was vulnerable around me, and realized it was because he cared. That made me realize for certain that the evil being the world saw when they thought of the Devil wasn't real. I told Kinley I would not help him. Instead, I tried to stop him."
God calmed down only a little upon hearing her story, but he was still furious, at both her and the human race in general. This was why he wanted to destroy them. They kept harming his child over and over again. This woman, who was supposed to be a way for his son to find happiness almost ruined him. But God could feel her guilt. He knew she was being truthful, and that she deeply regretted her actions. It was the only thing that might save her. "I assume my son knows about this?"
"Yes, Father, he knows. He's forgiven her. Chloe's a good person. She just…"
"I don't want to hear another word from you, Amenadiel," God cut his son off abruptly. He was not happy with his eldest right now. He knew very well that if Amenadiel had his way, he wouldn't have found out about this, and that because Amenadiel wanted to preserve humanity. That by itself wasn't so bad, but the fact that he showed more concern for humanity than his own brother was. "You seem to have your loyalties mixed up. Your priority should be your brother, not this woman, and not humanity in general. You have been lobbying for humanity for weeks, even when it is very clear that that is not in your brother's best interests.
Amenadiel bowed his head and stopped talking. His father wasn't completely wrong about that. He didn't do it on purpose, but he knew that he probably was more concerned for humanity than he was for Lucifer. But at the same time, Lucifer wasn't the one in danger right now.
Chloe cleared her throat. "Lucifer did find out. He was really angry for a while, but he did forgive me, which I know I don't deserve and will always be grateful for."
"You're right, Detective Decker. You do not deserve it, and make no mistake, if I didn't hear the sincerity in your words, I would smite you on the spot, despite the fact that my son might not forgive me for it. But I can tell that you truly do regret your actions. That makes you different than any other human who has hurt my child. I also know what it means to make a terrible decision and fight for Lucifer's forgiveness, so I will not destroy or punish you," God told her.
Chloe finally relaxed a little. She had real fear that she had truly been about to get herself killed, but she knew it was something she had to do, no matter what the consequences might be.
"However, if you ever try to intentionally hurt him again, you will not get a second chance," he warned.
"I understand. I would deserve it," Chloe said.
"What happened to William Kinley? Has he been stopped?" God asked. The priest was another matter entirely. If he was still a threat, he would be stopped immediately.
"That's the other reason I asked to meet you. I arrested William Kinley for murder, but he recently got out on bail, and he made it clear to me that he's not going to stop going after Lucifer," Chloe said.
"I will take care of the problem," God said. He was not going to wait this man to become a threat to his son. No one was going to get the chance to hurt Lucifer again. He also made a mental note to have a talk with Lucifer. It wasn't acceptable to willfully hide this information from him in order to preserve humanity.
"What will you do, Father?" Amenadiel asked.
"What is necessary," was all God said before disappearing.
"Are you okay, Chloe?" Amenadiel asked.
"Yeah. No doubt my blood pressure is a little high right now, but I'll be fine. You should go. I'll be okay," she said.
Amenadiel nodded before heading for the door.