Like the ungrateful Devil that he was, Lucifer had ditched Chloe, or rather ditched the paperwork part of the job, like he always did. Even though she was miffed, she also wasn't surprised. The Devil's mid life crisis of wanting to solve crimes was, in itself, more surprising than his dislike of paperwork. No one liked paperwork. Not even her. Chloe just knew that it had to be done.

She also knew that it was time for a break. Getting up and stretching her legs, Chloe went to refill her coffee. On her way back to her desk, Chloe caught sight of Ella in the lab. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to put off finishing the paperwork just a little longer. Ever since noticing the cross Ella wore around her neck, Chloe had wanted to ask her about her faith. Mostly due to the fact that Chloe now somehow found herself friends with the actual devil. She'd never really been religious before, but now that she knew about angels it all felt different to her. She wanted the perspective of someone who believed without the type of proof it had taken for Chloe to understand. Walking into the lab, Chloe greeted Ella.

"Hey, how's it coming?" Chloe asked, referring to her work on the crime scene evidence.

"Still trying to figure out these devil horns," Ella explained.

Chloe was starting to second guess her decision to ask Ella about her faith. Even Ella would probably think she was crazy. Chloe could just leave, but her curiosity got the better of her.

"Can I ask you a question?" Chloe inquired.

"Shoot," Ella said, without looking up from her microscope.

"If you knew one hundred percent that angels were real," Chloe began. "That the devil was real, what would you expect them to be like?"

"That's the thing," Ella replied easily, looking up from her work. "Faith is just as much about doubt as it is about belief. I can't know one hundred percent on anything. No one can."

"Hypothetically then," Chloe counted. "If you met an angel, what would you expect them to be like?"

"I can't say I've ever given it much thought," Ella answered. "Old, I guess, and powerful. Why do you ask?"

"No reason," Chloe replied, starting to regret asking the question.

"Is this about Lucifer's acting?" Ella asked, smiling.

"You caught me," Chloe said, trying not to sound fake.

"I'll admit he's good, but don't let him get in your head," Ella smiled at her. "Just cause he's gone full method actor doesn't mean he knows what the actual Devil would be like."

"What do you think of his portrayal of the devil?" Chloe asked next, realizing she should have started here to begin with. "Isn't the Devil supposed to be more evil than that?"

"I don't know," Ella began. "It always seemed to me like the devil got a bad rap. What did he really do that was so bad anyway? Rebel against dad? Ask some naked lady if she wanted an apple? There is that whole running hell thing which isn't so great."

"So what you're saying is that if you actually met the devil you wouldn't be surprised if he wasn't as bad as he's made out to be?" Chloe asked.

"I'm saying I don't know," Ella replied with a shrug. "What's with all the serious questions today? When you said, 'can I ask a question' I figured it would be 'what was it like moving to LA or 'how did you cope growing up with four brothers'?"

"Yeah, sorry," Chloe sighed. "I've just been thinking alot lately about... nevermind. Just forget I said anything." Chloe turned to leave, thinking she'd made a fool of herself.

"It's okay," Ella smiled at her. "I don't think you're crazy."

"Really? Cause sometimes I do." Chloe laughed a little.

"Just because there are things in our lives we can't explain doesn't make us crazy," Ella said, smiling again. This woman was like a literal ray of sunshine.

"Thank you," Chloe said, feeling relieved. "I think I needed to hear that." Even if Ella didn't really understand, it still made Chloe feel better to hear those words.

"Anyti-," Ella said, then she stopped. "Roses!" She exclaimed.

"What do roses have to do with faith?" Chloe asked.

"Nothing about faith," Ella said eagerly. "But everything about this case." Then she went on to explain to Chloe about the nitrogen she'd found on the post mortem devil horns. Chloe didn't follow the path Ella had used to get there, but she understood the destination well enough. The devil horns had rose fertilizer on them.

"So the rods were taken from a garden?" Chloe asked. Ella nodded, with a grin on her face.

The only garden so far in this case had been the one covered in flamingos at the landlord's house. Plus they already knew the landlord worked in the medical industry. It all fits! After thanking Ella again, Chloe left the room.

The first thing she did was call the Devil. Oh the things she never thought she'd do until Lucifer turned her life upside down with his proof of divinity.

As usual Lucifer offered to pick her up, but Chloe insisted on driving. Though she'd gotten used to his giving in when she did this, Chloe still wasn't sure why. If he wanted to drive so badly he could have just taken his own vehicle and met her there.

She pulled up in front of Lux, and Lucifer got into the car.

"So, Maze is back," were the first words out of his mouth when he got in. "And she isn't working with mom, so that's good."

"I'm happy for you," Chloe said dully. "Now can we get back to the case."

She knew Lucifer would keep talking no matter what she said, so Chloe started driving. This way she could at least do something productive while he whined.

"Maze was off soul searching. Whatever that is," Lucifer went on. "She has some new friend she's not telling me about."

Chloe could sense the distaste in Lucifer's voice. She thought maybe he was jealous, but it didn't seem like typical jealousy. There was something more to it.

"Maze is allowed to have a life outside of you," Chloe informed the devil.

"She is not!" Lucifer scoffed.

"Agree to disagree on that one," Chloe replied.

Even though Chloe had barely met the woman, or rather demon, she almost felt like she already knew Maze. The way Lucifer talked about her was quite illuminating. Chloe could imagine only too well how suffocating it could be to live in Lucifer's shadow the way Maze did. Despite her initial fear response to learning who Maze was, right now Chloe almost felt proud of the demon for trying to make a life for herself here on earth.

"Trying to figure out where she fits in," Lucifer grumbled. "I know where she fits in. Working for me."

"You stranded her here," Chloe reminded him. "You burned her way home, and now you are upset she's trying to make the best of it?"

"Well when you put it like that," Lucifer said in a small voice. Then his tone returned to normal as he added, "Still she didn't have to leave like that without saying anything."

"You missed her," Chloe realized. It was so obvious now. How had she not seen it before? Lucifer really wasn't as complicated as he let on. He was upset with Maze for not being there when he needed her, but not because he thought he was better than her or in charge of her. Chloe was starting to notice that the simple answer with Lucifer always seemed to be the right one.

"Well of course I did," Lucifer grumbled. "She's my Maze."

"But not your friend right?" Chloe asked.

"Bit more complicated than friend," Lucifer replied. "Spend a couple thousand years with someone and you might understand."

"Yeah sure, I'll get right on that," Chloe replied sarcastically.

They were nearing their destination now. Chloe could see the pink flamingos already. Chloe parked in front of the house and got out of the car.

"Why are we back here, Detective?" Lucifer asked.

"I told you why on the phone when I called you in," Chloe sighed.

"Pretend for a moment that I wasn't listening," Lucifer said, in that charming, please forgive me voice he used sometimes when he knew he was in the wrong but would never admit it.

"Just follow me and don't talk," Chloe said with a sigh of exasperation.

Walking up to the door, Chloe knocked and announced herself. The door opened and there stood Roberta, the victim's landlord, and very likely her murderer.

"How can I help you, Detective?" Roberta asked.

"I have a few more questions," Chloe said. "About your rose bushes."

"I hardly see why that's relevant," Robert replied. "Were you unable to find Amy's other dealer?"

"Oh no we found him alright," Chloe continued.

"Bit too puky for murder," Lucifer pitched in. "Though I do have to agree with Roberta on this one, Detective. What do rose bushes have to do with this?"

Once again, Chloe was in no way surprised he hadn't listened to her 'don't talk' instruction. Especially given that he hadn't listened to any of her explanations on the phone either.

"The rods in Julian's skull came out of a garden," Chloe explained to Lucifer slowly as if he were dim.

"Lots of people have gardens," Roberta replied.

"But not alot of people also have motive and a workplace that gives them access to drugs," Chloe added calmly, turning to speak to Roberta again.

"Wait a minute, Detective," Lucifer began slowly, but as he continued his voice filled with anger. "Are you saying she killed her? But she was like a mother to her!"

"This isn't the time to displace your own issues onto someone else," Chloe said, knowing it would do nothing to stop him.

Ignoring her like always, Lucifer moved forward standing closer to Roberta than he was to Chloe now.

"Like a mother to her you said, and you still sacrificed her like she was nothing!" Lucifer growled. "Did she mean so little to you in the end? Why? Why would you do that?"

Chloe could hear the pain in the Devil's voice. She knew he was really talking about his own mother. Lucifer wanted to mean something to his mother. It was an interesting conclusion, but it made sense. The more she got to know him, the more she felt like Lucifer was just a big kid with issues. His responses were much more relatable in nature than Chloe would expect, given that he wasn't even human.

"You need to stay back," Roberta said, even as she moved away from him.

Lucifer continued to advance. "You plunged two rods into her skull to make her look like the devil but you know what? She's not the devil. I am!"

As Roberta continued to back up, Chloe noticed why. Now standing beside the fireplace, Roberta reached out and grabbed a fire poker, wielding it like a weapon. Chloe decided it was time to step in. She raised her gun and pointed it at Roberta.

"You are under arrest for murder," Chloe began. She moved forward thinking she'd cuff Roberta, but Roberta didn't lower her weapon.

"Not so fast," Roberta said before swinging her poker. She hit Lucifer square in the face and he stumbled. Before Chloe could blink, the situation changed. Lucifer was now between herself and Roberta who had the Devil in a death grip, the fire poker pushing up against Lucifer's throat as she strangled him from behind.

Chloe couldn't figure out where to shoot with Lucifer in the way. Roberta had the Devil in a choke hold. Short of shooting Roberta in the head, Chloe was out of options that didn't also involve shooting Lucifer.

"Anytime, Detective," Lucifer managed to say while she crushed his throat with the fire poker. "Much appreciated."

It was almost like Roberta was using Lucifer as a hostage. Even knowing he was the Devil, Chloe couldn't stop her protective instinctual response. She didn't want to shoot him.

"I took that girl in," Roberta said angrily, her grip tightening. "Gave her a job, and then she cut me off from my best customer! So yeah! I put three inches of steel in her brain, and I actually liked her!"

Though the confession was helpful, Chloe sensed she'd done it as more of a threat. If she could do that to someone she liked, imagine what she could do to a stranger who threatened her freedom.

But Chloe still didn't have a clean shot!

"Shoot, Detective!" Lucifer managed to say while being slowly strangled to death.

This wasn't like the last time she'd shot him though. Now, Chloe knew Lucifer would bleed if she hit him, but maybe if it was just a graze. If she didn't do something soon Lucifer would likely suffocate and besides he had asked her to.

Making her decisions and picking her spot, Chloe fired her gun. The bullet grazed the side of Lucifer's leg as well as Roberta's making both of them fall to the ground. Running forward Chloe used the chaos to her advantage and slapped some handcuffs on Roberta. Then she turned to make sure the Devil was alright.

"Can't say I'm a fan of this whole bleeding business," Lucifer grumbled. "This really hurts quite a lot."

"You'll live," Chloe told him, with a chuckle. "And remember it was your idea."

"Remind me to have better ideas in future, Detective," Lucifer grumbled.

With the situation well in hand, Chloe got out her phone to call for backup and a couple of ambulances.

It didn't take long for them to arrive. Lucifer whined about how much his leg hurt a bit more, but Chloe decided not to worry about it. She had learned a few things about the Devil in the last year. One of which was that the things that really bothered him to his core he rarely talked about, but he'd whine and complain all day about the little things. Lucifer didn't even care that she'd just shot him again. In fact, if Chloe wasn't entirely wrong, she suspected the Devil thought it was all rather hilarious.

Even if she'd gotten better at reading him, Chloe still couldn't understand why his bleeding didn't worry him. Chloe couldn't begin to comprehend what it would be like to be invincible, immortal, but she could understand how scary change can be. This was a topic they'd been over before, however, and she knew if she asked he'd say the same thing as always. Lucifer thought it was exciting, and she knew he was telling the truth even without his promise to never lie to her. Even so, that didn't mean he wasn't leaving something out.

"How's the leg?" Chloe asked, as she walked up to the ambulance where Lucifer was being patched up by a paramedic.

"Stings a bit," Lucifer replied.

"Worse than being strangled to death?" Chloe asked, grinning.

"I think I prefer the gunshot wound," Lucifer said.

The paramedic pulled away then, saying Lucifer was cleared to leave.

"Come on, I'll drive you home," Chloe offered.

"I should hope so," Lucifer replied. "Now that you've crippled me."

"Wuss," Chloe chuckled. Even if he didn't need to go to the hospital Lucifer was clearly in pain as he stood up. Chloe knew he'd end up limping to the car.

She wanted to put her arm around him and support him as he moved, but she wasn't sure if he'd want that. Chloe had noticed for a while now, Lucifer's reluctance to touch her. She could still remember the stunned look on his face at the precinct when she'd grabbed his hand to stop him from clicking that pen.

The only reason she could think of to explain his behaviour was fear, but that didn't make any sense. The Devil wasn't afraid of humans. Chloe had seen Lucifer look down the barrel of a gun with less fear then when she'd touched his hand.

So she stood back and watched her friend limp to the car, or at least she tried. It was just so silly. He clearly needed the support. He'd just have to deal with it.

Moving closer Chloe wrapped her hand around his upper arm to support his weight. Just as she'd expected Lucifer tensed. She could feel every muscle in his arm tighten.

"Relax," Chloe sighed. "I'm just helping you to the car. Then I'll let go, promise."

They were halfway to her car now, and out of earshot of the other officers currently putting a handcuffed Roberta in the backseat of a police cruiser.

Lucifer didn't say anything. He just stared at her. He wasn't even watching where he was going.

"You are going to trip," Chloe told him as they reached the curb. "Watch your feet, not me!"

But he was still staring at her.

Chloe was relieved when they reached the car. She opened his door and helped him into it, gunshot wound and all. She walked around to the other side and got into the driver's seat. Chloe started the car and drove.

It was strange for Lucifer to be quiet for so long. Chloe had quite gotten used to his running commentary, yet he hadn't said a word since she'd touched his arm.

"Did I find the Devil's mute button?" Chloe chuckled, trying to break whatever tension she could feel, even if she didn't understand it.

"You held my arm so I could walk easier," Lucifer said slowly.

"Well I did shoot you," Chloe replied. She was trying to laugh, but he was acting so weird. "Let's call it even."

"Aren't you afraid of me?" Lucifer asked.

Just like that Chloe understood the reason behind his behaviour. She hadn't even realized until now, but his reluctance had started after she'd witnessed his rage against Father Frank's murderer. How had she missed this? She supposed it just never occurred to her he would be this concerned with her fears.

"I have been in the past," Chloe said camly, turning to look at him. "But not anymore."

"Why?" Lucifer asked. "I thought I would always scare you. Was trying to keep space-"

"Yeah I noticed," Chloe replied. "Couldn't figure out why though."

Chloe took advantage of a red light, to turn her eyes away from the road to look at Lucifer. The expression on his face was raw, unfiltered, like he didn't quite understand his emotions enough to conceal them. Chloe could see the questions in his eyes. Despite how she was feeling, Chloe felt obligated to answer those questions.

"Yes you are very powerful," Chloe began. "And yes, I've seen you use that power on people, which was alarming, but once the shock wore off I realized that's all it was, shock." She stopped speaking even though she knew that wasn't the whole reason. It was just that saying it aloud sounded cheesy somehow. How could Chloe be scared of a man who repeatedly put himself in danger to save her life? It was getting harder and harder to keep track. There was that producer he'd saved her from during their first case. Then that gang with guns. Not to mention Malcolm! At every opportunity, during every crisis Lucifer always prioritised her life over his own. How could she be scared of someone like that?

If she looked at it logically all the evidence pointed to Lucifer wanting her alive, and if she looked at it with her heart she had a sense he cared about her wellbeing. How often did the mind and heart agree on anything?

"You can relax," Chloe told him with a smile. She just couldn't say the rest. Hopefully, this would be enough. "I'm not afraid of you." She smiled, then turned back to face the road.

"Thank you, Detective," Lucifer's voice was soft and tender as he spoke. Chloe couldn't help but be affected by it. The Devil really did care, no matter how much he pretended not to.

That was a bit of a longer break between update than has usually been the case for this story. I think after writing 60k words in like a month I got a tag bit burnt out lol. Plus my editor needed a couple days off as well. I took a bit of a Seven Deadly Sins break. It's an anime on netflix. So good! Anyway I hope you enjoy this chapter! As always I'd love to hear what you think. And I hope to have future chapters coming out at more the usual speed.

Sneak Peek Chapter 25

Lucifer had just finished another song when the elevator door opened. He hadn't realized he had an audience. It wasn't until he turned around and saw who was walking off that elevator that Lucifer froze.

The woman behind his eyes looked rather disheveled to say the least. Her white blouse was ripped and so dirty it hardly looked white anymore. She had on a short business style skirt and heels. He could tell her hair had once been up in a professional style, but now parts of it were falling around her face.

Lucifer barely had a second to guess at who she could be when she spoke his name. She seemed upset, almost desperate, but none of that mattered because the moment he heard her say his name he knew exactly who she was.

"Mum?" Lucifer gasped.

"Help me," she said, then started to fall. Moving forward Lucifer caught his mother in his arms before she hit the ground. All that time and energy spent looking for her and she literally walks into his penthouse!