Lucifer, Amenadiel, Michael, and Carlos were staring up at God, who was still standing on the staircase looking down at all of them, while time was still frozen. Carlos felt the powerful aura of the man. They all hid their wings from sight. Amenadiel said, "Father. You're here." God walked down the stairs, "Well, you've got my attention." Michael stepped forward, "Oh, Father, thank you for coming. You saw how they were attacking me. And look what Lucifer did to my face." Carlos internally rolled his eyes and thought, "Of course Michael is a whiny tattletale." Lucifer stepped forward, "Yes, of course, oh, this is all my fault. Go on, go ahead, Dad, blame it all on me, like always." Amenadiel shook his head, "No, Father, this is all my fault. I lost control and froze time, and as the eldest brother, I should've kept a better handle on my siblings. I'm truly sorry." God stopped him, "I don't care who's at fault. I just want my sons to get along. Regardless of what's happened, we're family. Let's act like it." Michael sighed, "Good point, Father." He turned to Amenadiel, "Come on. Bring it in. Come on. Here." He walked up and hugged Amenadiel, which made Carlos think, "Suck up." Michael tried to hug Lucifer, but Lucifer said, "You've got to be joking. No! Hell, no!"
Lucifer turned around, but God said, "Come now, Samael." Lucifer turned back around, "Michael impersonated me, tried to ruin my life. Threatened my son, for crying out loud! Kidnapped the woman that I….He is behind every bad thing that's ever happened to me! Well, everything apart from you. And for someone who's supposed to be omniscient, it's amazing that you never actually see that! And apparently never will. I'm leaving." Lucifer turned to Carlos, "I'm going back to Lux. You can come with if you'd like." God turned and saw Carlos and smiled, "So, this is my first grandson, born on a parallel Earth." God walked forward to see Carlos, Lucifer tried to step in front of Carlos, but Carlos whispered, "Dad, it's OK. I've got this." Carlos turned back to God, who said, "I am sorry that I didn't meet you sooner, my grandson. I know of the hardships that you went through growing up. But I see the strong young man you've become. It's good to finally meet you." God pulled Carlos into a hug, who reluctantly hugged back. Carlos then pulled away, "Um, God, sir, Grandfather, it's nice to meet you as well. But I'm with my dad, I'm leaving now too. He needs space, and frankly I can see why." Lucifer smirked as Carlos walked over to his dad and they left, Carlos stopping by the room he hid Dude in and picked up the still frozen dog.
Maze hid behind a desk and mouthed to Michael, "Now?" But Michael shook his head and Maze then disappeared. God looked over at Linda and Charle and asked, "Is that my other grandson over there? Huh." He walked over to the frozen pair, with Amenadiel following behind him and Michael disappeared. God looked down at Charlie, "Well, now, this won't do at all." Suddenly time started again, causing the broken glass to fall on the floor and everyone was startled. Linda looked around, "What just happened?" She looked over and saw God holding Charlie, "And who are you?" God just smiled at Linda, along with Amenadiel.
Chloe was still in the evidence room and was shocked that Lucifer was gone. A female officer walked in and asked, "Hey, oh, my God, are you OK? That must've been a crazy big earthquake." Chloe replied, "Yeah, I'm fine. Hey, wait. Have you seen Lucifer?" The female officer shook her head, "Um, no, sorry." Chloe walked out of the evidence room and looked around, "Where is he? And Carlos for that matter?"
Lucifer and Carlos arrived back at Lux and Dude became unfrozen as time flowed normally again, Carlos' hair illusion spell coming back. Dude asked, "What happened? How did I get here?" Carlos explained what happened to catch Dude up. Lucifer sighed, "I need a distraction." Carlos thought for a moment, then said, "Do you need a club party? I can play for the crowd again." Lucifer smirked, "That's my boy. Good thinking."
Soon enough, the club was packed and Carlos was playing away on the piano, he had taken Dude up to the guest suite to relax. The party was in full swing, people were cheering and dancing to Carlos' playing. Even the security guard that Lucifer promised to have dance in his club was there dancing. Lucifer smirked from where he was standing and walked over with a whiskey bottle and glass. Lucifer asked, "Carlos? How about I do some playing and you impress the crowd with your singing and dancing?" Carlos nodded, "Sure. I have just the song." Carlos whispered the song choice and Lucifer smirked. Lucifer sat down at the piano and played the first note, getting everyone's attention. Then Lucifer started playing the song proper and everyone started to dance while Carlos started to dance and sing the song he first played at Lux,
You could never know what's it's like
Your blood like winter freezes just like ice
And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you
You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use
And did you think this fool could never win?
Well look at me, I'm coming back again
I got a taste of love in a simple way
And if you need to know while I'm still standing, you just fade away
Don't you know that I'm still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid
I'm still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
Once I never could have hoped to win
You're starting down the road leaving me again
The threats you made were meant to cut me down
And if our love was just a circus, you'd be a clown by now
Don't you know that I'm still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid
I'm still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
Don't you know that I'm still standing better than I ever did
Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid
I'm still standing after all this time
Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
I'm still standing, yeah yeah yeah
Chloe had walked into Lux, seeing the party in full swing. She looked down and saw Lucifer playing on the piano and Carlos singing and dancing along, even doing his famous jump split. Chloe thought, "That boy is talented. Just like his dad." The song ended and the crowd cheered. Chloe walked down and Lucifer saw her, "Detective! Where have you been?" Chloe smiled, "Hey. Uh, can I talk to you for a second?" Lucifer nodded, "Absolutely. Carlos, take back over." Carlos smirked, "You got it." Carlos walked over, greeted Chloe, then sat down at the piano and played along with the stereo music. Lucifer and Chloe walked up to the bar and Chloe asked, "Hey, so, uh, what happened back at the precinct? When we were talking, and, uh, you were about to say, or at least I thought I knew what you were about to say, and then I blinked, and, well, suddenly, no you." Lucifer sighed, "Detective, I'm sorry. I needed to get away. I couldn't take it anymore." "Take it?" Chloe asked. "People," Lucifer clarified. "Telling me what to do, especially…." "Me?" Chloe guessed. "No," Lucifer replied. "No, Detective, I'm sorry, I…" Chloe interrupted, "It's OK. I think I pushed you too far, and it wasn't fair of me to do that, and I get why you ran away." Lucifer sighed, "But that's not why I ran." Chloe said, "No, I understand. I really do. Um, you know, I think, uh, maybe I'll just give you some time, and um, when you're ready, I'll be ready to listen. OK? Just take some time, spend some of it with Carlos, and I'll see you later."
Chloe walked down to the dance floor where Carlos was still playing and she whispered in Carlos' ear, "Look after your dad. Give him the time he needs." Carlos was confused as Chloe walked away. Carlos stopped playing and ran over to Lucifer and asked, "OK, what just happened with Chloe?"
Over at Linda's house, God was holding Charlie and Linda was poking God's arm, "Yep. You're really here. I guess I shouldn't be surprised. I met Eve and the Goddess of all creation. I even thought I met you once, but still….Yeah, I'm never gonna get used to this." God chuckled, "You can poke all you want. Because I'm eternally grateful to you for this beautiful grandson." Linda nodded, "Yeah." God cooed to Charlie, "Who's the cutest little baby? Yes, it's you." Linda realized, "That's right. My angel baby is technically God's grandkid. Do you need a drink? Water? Wine? Is it all the same to you? Yeah, I'm gonna get some options. OK."
Linda walked to the kitchen as Amenadiel was standing there, "Father, I do have to tell you that Lucifer was right. Michael has made quite a mess here on Earth. And I'm afraid he's not done. He's up to something. Especially since he threatened Carlos and the girl he loves." God sighed, "Day to day isn't important, my son. This is important. Family's important." Amenadiel nodded, "Yes, I agree. And that's what I wanted to talk to you about. About Charlie and, uh, Father, is he…" "Adorable?" God interrupted. "Yes, he is, my son. God's honest truth." Amenadiel sighed, "Yes, but, Father, I…" God interrupted again, "You know what? Being here gives me an idea. I think I know just what this family needs."
The next day, Chloe and Dan were at a new crime scene at a mini golf place, and Chloe told Dan, "You know, Dan, you really should stay home. Just take some time off. Learning the truth about Lucifer, it's a lot. I've been there." Dan chuckled, "I'm guessing you handled it better. Or did you shoot him too?" Chloe scoffed, "I didn't, but I did almost poison him with the help of an evil priest." Dan laughed, "I genuinely can't tell if that's a joke or not. Wait, is that the same priest who escaped from prison?" Chloe sighed, "Take some time, Dan." Dan replied, "Look, I just wanna work. You know? Hell, you're the one who was kidnapped. You should take some time off." "Touché," Chloe said. "How are you doing by the way?" Dan asked. "I noticed Lucifer's not here. Along with Carlos." Chloe sighed, "Well, we his a snag, and he's dealing with some things, and I may have rushed him a bit, so I'm giving him space, but he'll figure it out. We're strong enough to get through this. Plus, he's got Carlos to keep him company." Dan sighed, "Well, at least Ella's taking some time off." Chloe scoffed, "Yeah."
They walked to the where the victim was and they were surprised to see Ella standing there taking pictures. "Oh," Dan said. "Hey, Ella." Ella sighed, "Before you start, no, I am not going home. I need to focus on the case." Chloe shrugged, "OK." Ella turned around, "Really? I had, like, five pretty solid arguments ready. I mean, if you wanna hear them…." Dan shook his head, "No, we're good. What do we have?" Ella then explained, "Vic was Chris Peterson. COD seems to be blunt force trauma to the head. I think he hit his head on the cement, but it's kind of hard to tell, thanks to his BBQ-ed bod." Chloe sighed, "Looks like someone was trying to burn down the hole. Maybe Chris stepped in, tried to stop them." Ella nodded, "Yeah, we found gasoline all over this place. Someone was trying to burn down the entire Kingdom. Lucky for the owners, the cement stopped the fire from spreading, but…" Chloe interrupted, "Who was he? One of the workers?" Ella shook her head, "No, this place is family-owned, so the dad and the kids all work here and run this place. And this was the youngest son." "Any witnesses?" Chloe asked. "No," Ella answered. "But the three kids were here, working after hours, but they say they didn't see any struggle or hear any arguments. They just saw the fire, rushed out, only to find…." "The body of their burned brother," Dan finished. Chloe sighed, "Well, let's go talk to them, see if any of them wanted their brother dead." Ella smiled, "Oh, way ahead of you. I know exactly how to find the killer." "You do?" Chloe asked. Ella nodded, "Hell, yeah. See, all you have to do is introduce me to all of the suspects. And whichever one I'm most attracted to, bam, that's your killer." "Ella," Chloe warned. But Ella said, "Hey, I'm at peace with it. If I've got a broken picker, might as well use it for the greater good, right?" Ella walked away, and Chloe and Dan shook their heads.
Lucifer was standing with Carlos close by, Dude at their feet, and Lucifer was staring at her. Carlos sighed, "Dad, you're going to have to talk to her at some point." Dude added, "Do I need to give you the same speech that I gave Carlos when he was too chicken to ask Jane out?" Carlos shushed Dude as Lucifer sighed. Then they heard behind them, "What are you gonna say to her? Something romantic?" They turned to see God standing there, Dude in awe of the man. God continued, "You have that look on your face. Well, not anymore." Lucifer had developed a scowl and knocked away the golf ball that was at God's feet, "What do you care? Why even ask? You're all-knowing, don't you already know the answer?" God shrugged, "Father's intuition." Lucifer sighed, "Well, intuit yourself somewhere else. Actually, no. Why are you still here? Isn't the universe gonna collapse with your you-like powers on Earth?" God shrugged, put another ball down, and swung at it, making a hole in one. Lucifer rolled his eyes while Carlos and Dude low whistled. "It's fine," God said. "Is it?" Lucifer asked. "Well, as always, thanks for clearing that up. Now, if you don't mind…"
Lucifer turned to walk away, but God put his hand on Lucifer's shoulder, "I've come to ask you something." Lucifer sighed, "Well, go on, then." "I'd like you to join me," God said. "For a family dinner." Lucifer chuckled, "Yeah? No. Pass. Hard pass." "Son," God said. "I don't wanna leave Earth until we've all talked." Lucifer sighed, "Well, enjoy your eternity here, then, because there is absolutely no way I am sitting down for anything as absurd or torturous as a family dinner. I've already done my time in Hell. Remember?" Lucifer turned and walked away.
"Awkward," Dude whispered. Carlos picked Dude up and shushed him, "Dude, now is not the time to talk." God walked over to Carlos and said, "Hello again, my grandson. You are also invited to our family dinner. And your talking dog, Dude, as well." "Wow," Dude said. "He knows my name." Carlos shushed Dude as God petted Dude on the head. Carlos looked up at God, "Thank you for the invitation, Grandfather, but if my dad refuses to go, then so do I. No offense." Carlos turned and ran after Lucifer.
Carlos caught up to Lucifer and Lucifer whispered, "What did my father say to you?" Carlos whispered back, "He invited me to the family dinner. I turned him down. I'm on your side, Dad." Lucifer smirked and pulled Carlos into a side hug as they continued walking. They didn't see God looking over at them and smiling.
Lucifer and Carlos walked over to Chloe and Dan and Carlos set Dude down. "Good morning," Lucifer greeted. Chloe looked over, "Lucifer. And Carlos. I thought you needed space." "Nope," Lucifer shook his head. "No space needed. I'm right where I need to be. So, where's the family?" Chloe answered, "Well, the siblings are over there, but how did you know…" Lucifer sighed, "One of them is obviously the killer." Lucifer walked over to the family as Dan commented, "He doesn't even know what the crime is." "A guy fell and hit his head on the cement and was then burned," Carlos commented. Chloe and Dan turned to Carlos, who said, "What? I'm very observant. When you grow up on the Isle, you have to be." Carlos ran after Lucifer and Dude followed. Chloe sighed, "Lucifer is probably projecting his latest issues." "What?" Dan asked. "And that'a a good thing? And what did Carlos mean by the Isle?" "He thinks it's the family," Chloe commented. "I thought he was upset with me for rushing him, but he's not. He's mad at his own family. Excluding his son. Who will tell you what he meant another day." Chloe walked after Lucifer and Carlos and Dan sighed, "I should have stayed home."
Lucifer and Chloe, along with Carlos and Dude, met up with the family inside the arcade part of the place. April Peterson explained, "The Kingdom was built from the ground up by our father. Everyone in the family has a role in keeping the place running, but Chris, he never settled into his role. In fact, he left a few years back to work for himself." Lucifer replied, "So, what you're saying is the wayward son rebelled against the family, forged his own path, and then you killed him." April was confused, "What? We would never. We were all still close, even though Chris left. And look, he died protecting it. He died a hero." Chloe then asked, "Do any of you know anyone who'd wanna burn the place down?" Larry Peterson answered, "Yeah, Juan Perez." "And who's Juan?" Chloe asked. Larry answered, "He is the owner of Hole in Juan." Lucifer chuckled, "See what he did there? Sorry. You were saying." Larry continued, "Another min i gold course a couple of blocks away. We've had a rivalry for years, but lately it's gotten pretty intense." Ted Peterson added, "We always pranked each other. He stole our balls. We arranged his putt putt statues in suggestive positions." Lucifer smirked, "Ah, well, if you appreciate that, you'll love what I did with your squires on the second hole. And to their second holes." Carlos muttered, "Why he chose to do that is anyone's guess."
Chloe said, "Yes, but a prank war isn't motive for murder." April replied, "Things escalated lately. Last week, Juan spray painted this on the side of our castle." She pulled out her phone and showed them a picture of the castle and the spray painted words "I will destroy you!" "That's harsh," Carlos commented. Chloe then asked, "Yes, but are you sure it was him?" April nodded, "He signed it." The picture showed as much." Chloe sighed, "OK, well, I saw we start there."
They arrived at Hole in Juan and saw it was a place of mini golf, arcades, and go kart racing. Chloe said to Lucifer, "Well, I mean, you know, I'm actually happy you think it's the family. It's comforting. Listen, if you wanna talk about what's going on with your own family, I'm here for you, but no pressure at all." Carlos sighed and thought, "This is just getting weird." They found Juan Perez by the dragster racers and Chloe called out, "Juan Perez? LAPD." Juan started to run away, but Carlos shouted, "Freeze!" Juan's body obeyed and he stopped in place. Lucifer smirked, "Excellent, Carlos." Carlos smiled and ran over and used his strength to hold Juan up by the collar. Lucifer walked over, "Feeling guilty about something, Juan?" Juan stuttered, "Talk….in private."
Lucifer nodded to Carlos and Carlos dragged the man into the arcade with Chloe, Lucifer and Dude following. Carlos put him down and said, "You will answer all questions truthfully." Juan nodded as Chloe said, "We wanna talk to you about the murder of Chris Peterson." "Chris is dead?" Juan asked. "Clearly you don't think that….OK, clearly you do. Look, I would never…." "You ran from the cops, bro." Carlos commented. Juan replied, "I thought you were arresting me for the ZX3! It's an illegal…." "Chemical used in street racing," Lucifer finished. "Surprisingly useful In other ways. We're familiar." Carlos gave Lucifer a look and Lucifer muttered, "Later." Chloe asked, "So you were juicing your carts with ZX3?" Juan chuckled, "Yeah. Fastest in the whole state. Yeah, the kids can't get enough of 'em, so…" Chloe asked, "But if things are going well for you, why would you threaten to destroy the Kingdom?" Juan explained, "Because they think they're better than us, looking down from their fancy castle. Whatever. Look, with my super fast karts, my brand new arcade, and hey, guys, you have to play in the Family War Zone." "Do I?" Lucifer asked. Carlos shook his head as Chloe said, "Uh, we're good. Do you have an alibi for last night around 10 p.m.?" Juan nodded, "Yeah, I was getting lit up by a bunch of Tweens in my new laser tag arena, which I totally forgot to mention. See? Rivalry over. That's what I told Chris when he came here looking for a job." "Chris came to you for a job?" Chloe asked. Juan chuckled, "Yeah, but I would never employ a Peterson. I figured Chris had to be a spy." Chloe nodded, "Thank you, Juan." Juan walked away as Chloe whispered, "It's weird that the family would never mention that." Lucifer shrugged, "I don't think it's weird at all, because they killed him." "Guilty until proven innocent, huh?" Carlos asked. "Yes," Chloe replied. "But if he'd left the family business, then why would he want a job here?"
They went back to LAPD and Chloe found Chris' girlfriend, Betty, and Chloe brought her in and interviewed her. They sat in the conference room for the interview, Carlos sat in a chair on the far side of the table, Dude on his lap, Lucifer stood and leaned on the table, and Chloe sat next to Betty. Betty said, "Mini-golf was all Chris knew. Job after job, real estate, chiropractor school. My boyfriend, he just, he couldn't shake his love of the game." "We are still talking about mini golf, right?" Lucifer asked. Carlos shook his head as Betty chuckled, "I know it sounds silly. I never understood it either, but try as he might, he couldn't get away from it." Chloe then asked, "Well, if Chris wanted to work in mini-golf so badly, why wouldn't he just go back to the Kingdom?" Lucifer guessed, "Because his family was a dysfunctional heap of garbage who made his life a living hell?" Chloe sighed, "I'm sorry for my partner." Betty shook her head, "No, he's right. They're awful." Chloe was confused, "Um, sorry, the family said that they got along great with Chris." Betty chuckled, "They're the reason he left in the first place. Chris couldn't stand being around any of them." Lucifer chuckled along with Betty, with Carlos sighing in silence. Chloe nodded, "I see. Did you know that Chris had applied for a job at Hole in Juan?" Betty shook her head, "No, I didn't. But it makes sense. He'd never go back to the Kingdom. He'd rather…." "Burn it down," Lucifer finished. "That's what I tried to do with the Silver City. Not that I'm comparing the two. Fewer windmills up there."
Chloe sighed, "Right, excuse us." Chloe leaned in to Lucifer and whispered, "Lucifer, you might be right. It might be someone in the family after all." Lucifer scoffed, "Well, of course it is." But Carlos noticed Betty looked nervous and tense as Chloe dismissed her. "She's hiding something," Carlos thought.
Over at Linda's house, God was prepping ingredients for the family dinner. Maze snuck in wearing a red cloak over her outfit and slunk up to God, but the man smiled, "Hello, Mazikeen. I've been waiting for you. I made your favorite drink." He turned around and tried to hand her the drink, but Maze said, "That isn't my favorite drink." God smirked, "We'll see." Maze took it and she and God both took a sip. Maze thought it was amazing, but lied, "It's OK." She quickly finished the drink when God's back was turned and asked, "Where is everybody?" "Well," God answered. "I sent Michael to Florence to get truffles. Linda's taking Charlie for a walk, and Amenadiel is off on a personal errand. So it's just you and me. You can ask what you've come to ask." Maze took a deep breath and said, "I want you to give me a soul. Please." God then asked, "Why do you want one?" Maze sighed, "Because everyone has one except me. That's why I can't connect. Why I'm so alone." God looked at Maze, "Mazikeen. You're perfect just the way you are." Maze laughed in anger, "What the hell does that mean?" God answered, "It means I can't help you." Maze was pissed, "Can't? Or won't?" Maze turned away for a second, then turned back to God, showing her demon face, "Still think I'm perfect now?" God smiled, "You are you. And I'd never change that." Maze glared at God, "You know what I think, hmm? I think you messed up when you made demons. When you made me. I think you made a mistake. And you don't wanna admit it." Maze stormed out of Linda's house, leaving God standing there alone.
Over at LAPD, Lucifer was up on the second floor with a mini golf kit working on his putting. Carlos was taking Dude for a walk so Lucifer was by himself. Amenadiel showed up, "What are you doing here, brother? And where is Carlos?" "Solving a very important case," Lucifer answered. "A mini golf murder. High stakes stuff. And Carlos is taking his dog for a walk. He'll be back." "Father is here, Lucy," Amenadiel said. "On Earth." Lucifer looked up, "You heard me say mini golf, right?" Lucifer putted a ball, but Amenadiel stopped it with his foot, "He wants to see us. And your son. Talk to us and him. I mean, we can finally get some answers. And Carlos can get to know his grandfather." Lucifer chuckled, "Well, based on my conversations with him so far, not bloody likely. You know, he's hardly said a word to us out entire lives, brother, and now he suddenly wants to catch up. Meet the grandson he never knew about. What next? A game of rounders in the park? A little push on the swings?" Lucifer putted again, but Amenadiel stopped the ball again, which made Lucifer annoyed, "Would you stop playing silly buggers?" Amenadiel said, "I like to see it as a gesture, Lucy. And one that I think that we should seriously consider. Along with Carlos." Lucifer sighed, "Brother. You've done so well getting out from under dear old Dad's thumb. Becoming your own man. But one fatherly slap on the back and you're back to being his dutiful lackey, aren't you?" "Lackey?" Amenadiel argued. "Look who's talking. Father shows up for one minute, Lucy, one minute, and you go right back to being a spoiled child, stomping off to pout!" "I wasn't pouting!" Lucifer retorted as he swung the ball too hard. "Now look what you did." Amenadiel sighed, "Listen, Lucy, I know that Dad has been a bit careless in the past, distant. All right, he's been a real ass. But he's our father, Lucy. Carlos gave you a chance because you're his father. You should do the same." Lucifer got pissed, "Yes, our almighty, all powerful dad who will never admit to being anything other than perfect. Carlos knows that I'm not perfect and accepts that. Hell, I've accepted that. Well, guess what, brother. He can kiss my imperfect, banished backside! Because I want nothing to do with him. And I don't want my son to get in the middle of the mess that is our family."
"Dad." Lucifer and Amenadiel turned to see Carlos standing there with Dude at his feet. Lucifer sighed and said, "Carlos…." Carlos held his hand up and said, "Don't bother. I heard everything you and Uncle Amenadiel said." He then walked over and put himself between Lucifer and Amenadiel and said to Amenadiel, "I know my grandfather wants to get to know me. Believe me, I get it. But why didn't he get to know me sooner? And it sounds like he's been an ass to my father in the past. So I will repeat what I said to him, if my father is not going to this family dinner, then neither will I. I would never go behind my father's back and meet up with the one person he hates the most just for my own benefit. So please respect our wishes, Uncle Amenadiel." Lucifer put his hand on Carlos' shoulder and stood proudly behind his son. Amenadiel sighed and walked away. Lucifer said, "Thank you for siding with me on this. I understand you want to meet members of your lost family, but I…." "Dad," Carlos interrupted, "I get it. You don't want me near him so that he messes with me too. I'm with you. But if you for whatever reason change your mind and go, I'll go to. So that I have your back." Lucifer smiled and pulled Carlos into a hug. Dude then said, "So what's with the golf set?"
In Ella's lab, Dan entered to find Ella and commented, "Wow. Things are looking really clean in here." Ella shrugged, "Oh. Yeah, well, I'm waiting on lab results, so I thought I'd catch up on some maintenance. Beakers are clean, so you know what that means. Pipette time!" Dan sighed, "I throw myself into work when I'm dealing with something too." Ella shook her head, "Oh, I'm fine." Dan knew she was lying, "Ella, none of us saw this coming. Pete had all of us fooled. He had me fooled." Ella sighed, "Yeah, I guess you're right. I mean, after all, you had sex with him, too. So, it's a little different, right?" Dan sighed, "Right. Listen, I can't pretend to understand how you're feeling. But I did just go through an experience where someone I thought I knew wasn't who I thought he was." Ella shrugged, "Hard to beat a secret serial killer." Dan chuckled, "You'd think. Listen the point is so many people wear masks, Ella. They hide who they really are. But not you. You put yourself out there, heart first. The downside is you get hurt more easily." Ella scoffed, "Ain't that the truth." Dan continued, "But the upside is you put so much love into the world, Ella. Please don't let this change that, change you. We need more people like you out there, Ella. Not less."
Lucifer was teaching Carlos how to putt when Chloe walked over, "Lucifer. OK, so, new theory…" "Hold that thought, Detective," Lucifer interrupted. "Now, Carlos, it's slightly right edge so make sure you lean the correct way and aim carefully." Carlos nodded and putted the ball, getting it in the hold. Carlos cheered, "Yes! Nailed it!" He then put the putter down and whistled for Dude to run over to him, "Sorry about that Chloe. What were you saying about a new theory?" Chloe nodded and they walked downstairs to the main floor, "Right. So wayward son Chris attempted to burn down the Kingdom. One of the siblings, at least, found him mid-arson. They must have got into a fight about it, and Chris ended up dead." Lucifer sighed, "The poor lad just wanted a fresh start, and now he finds himself cast down into Hell, I'm assuming. Anyone that fixated on mini golf must have issues." "Sure," Carlos muttered. Chloe then stopped them and said to Lucifer, "So, say Chris was you. Uh, then the killer would be who? Michael?" Lucifer was confused, "Detective, why are you bringing my brother into this?" "Here we go," Carlos mumbled as Chloe said, "Well, because you're having family issues, and rather than fight that, I thought I would use that to help you. You know, to help us to solve the case." Lucifer sighed, "Very well, if you insist." "Smooth," Carlos commented. "Great," Chloe said. "Let's go find our Michael."
Chloe and Lucifer interviewed the three Peterson siblings in the interrogation room while Carlos stood with Dude behind the two way mirror. Dude sighed, "Shouldn't we tell Chloe the full story of what's going on?" Carlos sighed, "Maybe. But I think this is something my dad should handle. If they want to be a couple, they need to handle each other's issues like a couple." "And why aren't you in the room with them?" Dude asked. "Because," Carlos explained. "I am standing here so I can get a sense if they are lying or telling the truth. Then I will report my findings."
Lucifer and Chloe interviewed all three siblings and they all said that they were off doing different things around the Kingdom, April was doing the books, while taking a pot break in the bathroom, Larry was doing maintenance on the arcade games, and Ted was cleaning the toilets, then made out with his girlfriend in the parking lot. Chloe was trying to tell Lucifer who the Michael of the siblings was, but Lucifer got overwhelmed after all of it and got up and left the interrogation room. Chloe followed.
Lucifer stood outside the room and pulled out his flask while Chloe came out and asked, "Listen, what if they're all Michaels? Look how quickly they turned on each other." "Perhaps," Lucifer sighed. Carlos came out with Dude and said, "I don't think any of them are the killer. They all might be dick siblings, but not Michael level dicks. I think they're all innocent." Lucifer nodded and walked toward Chloe's desk. Chloe followed behind, "What if they apologized to you?" "To me?" Lucifer was confused as was Carlos. "I mean, to Chris," Chloe clarified. Lucifer was still confused, "I don't understand. What good is apologizing to a dead body?" "I agree," Carlos added.
A police officer came up with an older man and said, "Detective. This man wants to speak with you." Chloe nodded and the man introduced himself, "I'm Peter Peterson, and I, um…" "Have the greatest name ever," Lucifer finished. Peter continued, "I'm the father of…." "Chris Peterson, yes," Chloe finished. "So sorry for your loss." Peter nodded, "Thank you. But I'm afraid you're after the wrong suspects." "Right," Chloe replied. "Well, with all due respect…." "I killed my son," Peter interrupted. "And I can't let another one of my children suffer because of my mistakes. I dropped by the Kingdom last night. I saw Chris take a gas can from the shed. I tried to stop him, of course, but we fought and, I mean, it was an accident, but I killed my own son." Everyone was shocked as Chloe said, "I see. Well, thank you for that. Officer, would you please take his full statement? I'll be with you in a minute."
The officer led Peter away as Carlos said, "OK, I was not expecting that. He seemed genuine, but…." He turned and he and Chloe saw Lucifer leaning on Chloe's chair. Chloe asked, "Lucifer, are you OK?" Lucifer turned to Chloe and Carlos, "I am, Detective. You know, hearing that confession felt great, actually, like exactly what I've been searching for. I think I now know exactly what I need to do. Come on, Carlos. Let's go." Lucifer walked out and Carlos and Dude followed behind. Once they were in the car, Carlos asked, "OK, Dad, what's going on?" Lucifer sighed, "Remember how you said that you'd go with me if I changed my mind?"
Over at Linda's house, the family dinner was ready to go and God, Amenadiel, Michael, and Linda say down at the table. Michael sighed, "I'm sorry, Father, but we shouldn't be surprised. I mean, Lucifer isn't mature enough." Suddenly the door opened and in walked Lucifer holding a soufflé, with Carlos walking in behind him, in his normal look of his white hair, and Dude at his feet. "Sorry we're late," Lucifer announced. "I brought soufflé." Lucifer walked over to the dinner table and set it down, "Risen perfectly, just as you like 'em." Carlos walked up and waved, "Hello." Lucifer told Carlos, "Why don't you sit at the end? I'll sit next to my twin." Lucifer glared at Michael and sat down. Carlos shrugged and sat down at the other end of the table, Dude running after him and laying down at his side. God smiled, "I'm glad you came, son, grandson." Lucifer smirked, "Me too." Carlos nodded, "Yes, thank you for inviting us, grandfather. Everything looks wonderful."
Linda walked over with two bottles of wine, "Yeah, I find that, at family events, a couple of bottles help. To start. OK, I'm off." Linda turned to walk away, but God asked, "You're not joining us, Linda?" Linda argued, "Well, this is a family dinner, and, well, I'm…not." God said, "You are the mother of my second grandchild. Of course you're family." Linda reluctantly sat down and Amenadiel whispered, "You were so close." "I know," Linda whispered back.
Michael said, "Well, this smells delicious, Father. You have outdone your always divine touch." He reached for some food, but Lucifer interrupted, "Aren't you forgetting something? Well, shouldn't we say grace?" Michael set the food down and everyone looked at each other, and Linda said, "I'll say it?" Everyone folded their hands, Carlos doing the same after seeing how they all were doing it, and Linda said, "I'll like to thank God for…I'm used to you being up there. Thank you, God, for this food and the company, and oceans and napkins and shoes and life." Lucifer interrupted, "Yeah, that about covers it, Doctor. Thank you. Amen." Dude muttered, "Amen." from Carlos' feet and Carlos chuckled. "That was beautiful, Linda," God said. "Thank you," Linda replied. Linda whispered to Amenadiel, "I just thanked God for the napkins." Amenadiel whispered back, "It was better than I would have done." "Well," God said. "Let's dig in."
Everyone started to put food on their plates and Michael commented, "Well, isn't this great? Wonderful meal with family." "Suck up," Carlos thought as he observed the awkwardness at the table. Michael passed the meat to Linda, avoiding Lucifer, who chuckled and just grabbed another dish. Lucifer passed that dish to Carlos, who gladly took food off of it.
Once everyone got their food, they all started to eat. Linda took one bite and shouted, "Oh, my God. I mean, you. I mean, this is delicious. Almost…." "Heavenly?" God finished. "All it takes is just the right amount of rosemary. Do you feel the same, Carlos?" Carlos swallowed his bite and said, "I guess so. I mean, anything I eat nowadays is miles better than what I grew up eating." Carlos went quiet and returned to eating, Lucifer feeling Carlos' sadness, knowing full well the conditions Carlos grew up in.
So Lucifer decided to change the conversation, "You know, I have to compliment you, Michael. At first, I thought you exploiting poor Amenadiel's fears about Charlie's mortality was just a real shit move. And impersonating me, ravaging my life, convincing a friend to shoot me, kidnappiing my girlfriend, and threatening my son's loved ones, downright villainous." "I know all about villainous," Carlos muttered. Michael nervously chuckled, "None of these sound like compliments." Lucifer continued, "I started to wonder, maybe there was an endgame. You create a mess big enough to bring God himself down, we all regress in Dad's presence, noble Amenadiel takes the blame, rebellious Lucifer runs off in a huff with his son, leaving you looking like the perfect son. But now, I realize it was just to bring the family together for dinner. Pass the chicken." Michael reluctantly passed the chicken, "I know what you're trying to do, but I'm not gonna let you ruin this, Samael." Lucifer took the chicken plate, "Very well, Mi-ka-el." Carlos chuckled at that while Michael shouted, "It's Michael!" "Is it?" Lucifer asked. "I mean, we're twins, after all. Fairly certain Dad wanted them to rhyme. Dad?" God nodded, "I did like the sound of that. Samael, Mi-ka-el. But you boys had other ideas."
God turned to Carlos, "So, Carlos, I understand that you want to become a vet when you graduate high school and go to college." Carlos swallowed the bite he was chewing, "You certainly are all knowing. But yeah, that's my dream." "Despite who your mother is," Michael commented. Carlos glared at Michael, but God said, "Now, Michael, Carlos here is not like his mother. Otherwise, his dog wouldn't be here with us. Right, Dude?" "Right," Dude said from his spot on the floor. Lucifer turned to Carlos, "I didn't know you wanted to be a vet." Carlos shrugged, "You never asked about my future. It's OK, you don't have to beat yourself up about it. It's just a dream right now, nothing concrete." Lucifer nodded and resumed eating. God continued, "Are you enjoying your time here on this Earth?" Carlos nodded, "Yes, I am. It's definitely different from where I'm from, that's for sure." "And how's that?" Michael asked. Carlos knew that Michael was trying to figure out more about him so Carlos said, "No offense, Uncle Michael, but I think I'm going to end this conversation here. I don't like to open up about my life to people I don't trust. And I don't trust you. And the same goes for you, grandfather. No offense." God shook his head, "Not at all. I understand." Michael pouted a little bit, and Lucifer said, "Carlos didn't trust me at first when we met. And I'm just fine with it. Don't worry, Carlos, you don't have to defend yourself." Carlos smirked, "Thanks, Dad."
Lucifer turned to Amenadiel, "You know, I'm glad you persuaded me to come, brother. So my son can experience time with the family. Like you said, it's worth it, even if Dad has been a real ass." Amenadiel coughed into his drink and said, "That's, um, that's actually not what I said. I was sympathizing with my little brother, Dad, trying to get him to come to dinner." "Suck up #2," Carlos thought. God sighed, "It's OK, son." "Is it?" Lucifer asked. "And was he? Now think of what Amenadiel went through the past couple of years. All that anguish, thinking he'd fallen from your favor. He lost his wings, his very sense of self." "Yeah, that's a bit dramatic," Amenadiel commented. Lucifer continued, "Only to discover that he was doing it all to himself. Couldn't you have just told us that's how we all work, instead of letting your favorite son think he was being brutally punished, that he was a failure?" "Lucy, come on," Amenadiel argued. But Lucifer continued, "No, don't worry, brother. We're all being tortured. All in the name of our father's mysterious ways. Oh. For example, Dad, are you going to tell us why Hell suddenly doesn't need a warden anymore?" God smiled, "I have a good reason." "Oh," Lucifer retorted. "It's a good reason. Like it must be a good reason as to why you never told me that I had a son, since clearly you knew and no one else in the Silver City did. Well, that explains it. As always, super clear. Thanks, Pops." Carlos realized that Lucifer was right, that God did know about his existence but his dad or any of his uncles and aunts knew about him. But Carlos kept silent.
Michael then asked, "What are you even complaining about, Lucifer? You got your own kingdom as a reward for bad behavior." Amenadiel chugged his win down as Carlos muttered, "Here it comes." Lucifer asked, "Is that how you see it? Being forced to torture souls for hundreds of thousands of years was an attaboy? Sure, I was King of Hell, but I was still in Hell. If that's not a poisoned chalice, I don't know what is. You have no idea what that was like, how easy you had it." Lucifer stood up and glared down at Michael. Michael argued, "Easy? I spent my entire life in the worst kind of Hell there is." Amenadiel sighed, "Lucy, Michael, come on." But Lucifer retorted, "Oh, what could possibly be worse?" Michael stood up in anger, "Sharing a face with you!" God took a deep breath and the candles on the dinner table went out. Michael continued, "Guess what. When your twin is the light bringer, turns out you have no choice but to live in the shadows." Lucifer retorted, "We were dealt the same hand, the same face, the same bloody shoulders, except you had a chip on yours so big you managed to self-actualize it. Oh, no, no, no, there's nothing wrong with him, don't be fooled! You have no one to blame but yourself for who you are." The power coming off of God was growing and even Dude could feel it and whimpered. "Dad," Carlos warned but Michael shouted, "Oh, I blame you plenty." Lucifer argued, "Of course you do, you petty little…."
"Stop!" Carlos shouted as the lights went out and thunder roared outside, sensing God's mood. Lucifer and Michael stopped arguing. God looked over at Carlos and saw that his grandson had stood up and his eyes were glowing red. God was impressed that he didn't have to shout at his children to stop as they obeyed Carlos' command. Carlos glared at Lucifer and Michael, "As you can see, your dad is watching and probably would have brought the house down to stop you two. So I'm stepping in before that happens. Now sit down." Lucifer and Michael obeyed and sat down, Carlos sitting down as well. Lucifer saw God calm down and the thunder stopped, but the rain continued, and the lights came back on. Lucifer chuckled, "And there it is. The Old Testament wrath. Wasn't sure you still had it in you. Although my son stepping in mucked that up a bit, didn't it?" God sighed, "All I wanted was a nice family dinner. But apparently that's too much to ask." Lucifer scoffed and downed his wine.
Linda then suddenly started to laugh, everyone at the table staring at her. "Aunt Linda?" Carlos asked. "Are you OK?" "Chicken," Linda answered. "I get it. It's your favorite. That's why everything tastes like chicken. I'm sorry, I'm just really uncomfortable." Amenadiel shook his head, "No, Linda, we're sorry. That you had to witness something like this. The most dysfunctional family ever." Linda disagreed, "No. Actually, it's wonderfully normal. Well, I mean, except for the rain. No, it's just three sons who want their father's love. And who don't feel like they're getting it."
Lucifer scoffed, "I don't want Dad's love. I just want to admit to the fact that he's a bad father. Although, maybe that's part of the reason he is a bad father. Well done, Doctor. You're as insightful as ever." Linda argued, "No, that wasn't exactly what I was saying. As usual…" "You're really being unfair," Amenadiel interrupted. Lucifer scoffed, "Oh, come on, brother. Would you treat Charlie the same way Dad's treated us? Be honest! Please." Amenadiel sighed, "I'm sorry, Dad, but I hope not." Lucifer asked, "And you'd do anything for your son, wouldn't you? Like I would do anything for mine." Carlos smiled as Amenadiel said, "I would." Lucifer continued, "Michael and I don't agree on much, but the one thing that we all have in common is you, Dad. And how much you've screwed us up. I mean, if all the apples are bad, maybe it's the tree that's the problem." God sighed, "I'm sorry you feel that way. All I ever wanted was to empower you. All my children, to make your own choices." "Is that why you've always been so cryptic?" Amenadiel asked. Lucifer interrupted, "Oh. Before you answer that cryptically, I would like to instead ask you one simple question and get one simple answer. A confession, if you will." Michael argued, "Dad, you don't have to do this." God held up his hand at Michael, then asked, "What's your question, Samael?" Lucifer asked, "Dad, do you love us?" God sighed, "If I have to tell you, then I really have failed." Lucifer replied, "A no, then." Amenadiel argued, "That's not what he said." But Lucifer interrupted, "He didn't say yes, did he? When I don't wanna lie, I don't answer the question. Picked that up from you, Dad. You know, it's funny. I thought this moment would give me some catharsis. But instead, it's just made me realize one simple truth. That you will never love us because you're incapable of love. And that's just sad. For all of us."
"I want to say somenthing," Carlos interrupted. God looked to Carlos and said, "Go ahead, my grandson." Carlos took a deep breath, then asked, "If you did know of my existence, why didn't you tell anyone? My dad in particular? And why didn't you come and see me? Sure, I understand that I was born on a parallel Earth so travel is difficult for people here, including you, but you left me with an insane mother who basically treated me as a slave in my own house. An abusive mother at that, trust me, I have the scars to prove it. And don't worry, I am thankful that you didn't try to invite her, even though like Aunt Linda, she is the mother of one of your grandsons. But maybe my dad has a point. If you really don't love your own children, then that extends to your grandchildren. As I was left to rot on an Isle full of the worst people you can imagine with no way out until I was given the chance to go to the good side of the kingdom and start a new life. So I am more grateful to my King than I am to you. And when I finally come here to find my dad to help me out with my powers and figuring out who I am, you weren't there to help. I don't blame my dad for not knowing about me until I arrived on his doorstep. Because he wasn't told about it. You kept that knowledge from him. And I also find it sad that I was the one to show him love when even his own father wouldn't. I had to learn love all on my own through the people I cherish, and so is my dad. Through me, and through Chloe. And he is a better father than you ever were. Because he has shown that he cares, and he has admitted that he's not perfect. He knows that he's made mistakes with me since he met me. And I have forgiven him for that. And I also find it sad that you are incapable of love for your own children, when your own children seem more capable of it than you are."
Carlos looked around the room and everyone was shocked. Carlos took some deep breaths and looked at Lucifer, "Was that too much?" Lucifer shook his head, "No, Carlos. You said what needed to be said. I am proud of you for it. Now, I think it's time we were off." Lucifer stood up and walked to the door, Carlos picked Dude up, who said, "Yeah, that was awkward.", and they left. Everyone else at the table sat there awkwardly as Linda asked, "More wine?"
The next morning, Lucifer and Carlos, along with Dude, arrived at LAPD and found Chloe and Ella in the lab. "Hello, ladies," Lucifer greeted. "What exciting new case are we investigating today?" Carlos noticed that Chloe and Ella were looking at security footage for Hole in Juan so he asked, "Why are you two looking at footage from Hole in Juan? Didn't that Peterson dad confess?" Chloe sighed, "Yeah, his confession doesn't add up." Ella added, "Yeah, we found traces of ZX3 in the fuel that burned down the Kingdom." "Oh!" Lucifer replied. "So whoever burned down the Kingdom used gas from Hole in Juan." Chloe nodded, "Yeah, but Peterson told us he saw his son get gas from the shed." Lucifer chuckled, "So he lied. Fathers do that. Except me." Carlos nodded in agreement as Chloe continued, "Well, we pulled surveillance footage from the day before Chris died." Ella pointed to a man in the footage, "There's Chris. I mean, he does look like he's applying for a job. It tracks with what we know." Chloe replied, "Yeah, but something doesn't track. That looks like his girlfriend, Betty. And she told us she didn't know anything about it." "Looks like the dad wasn't the only one lying," Carlos commented. Chloe nodded, "Right. We need to bring Betty in, see what she's hiding. We have to get Peterson back…" Suddenly Dan entered the lab, "Hey guys. Peterson's running. He bailed on house arrest. His ankle bracelet pinged in downtown traffic. He's heading to Union Station." Chloe asked, "If he's innocent, why is he running?" "Well," Lucifer said, "Let's go and find out, shall we?"
Carlos tapped Lucifer's shoulder and whispered, "Come here for a second." Lucifer nodded and he and Carlos walked over to a corner, Dude following. Carlos pulled out the mirror and whispered, "Let me locate Betty." Lucifer nodded as Carlos whispered, "Mirror, mirror, in my hand, where does Betty stand?" The mirror showed Betty at Union Station with luggage. Carlos realized, "I think I know why the Peterson dad is going to Union Station. To confront her before she leaves town."
Over at Linda's house, God and Amenadiel were washing the dishes from last night's dinner. Amenadiel said, "So, Charlie. He's mortal, isn't he?" God sighed, "It appears so." Amenadiel looked at God, "So he'll suffer like all humans, Dad. Like Carlos did growing up. Get sick. Grow old. Die." God replied, "That would follow from the fact that he's mortal." Amenadiel couldn't accept that, "Take me instead." God was confused, "Excuse me?" Amenadiel said, "I said take me instead. Make Charlie an angel. I'll become human. Please, Father. Let me switch places with my son." God said, "You'd do anything for your son." Amenadiel nodded while crying, "Yes, anything." God sighed, "If only fatherhood was ever that easy." Amenadiel groaned, "I am willing to sacrifice myself for my son. Just like Lucifer did for Carlos. You saw it, Lucifer's demons staged an uprising and nearly sacrificed Carlos to become the new King of Hell. Lucifer put Carlos' life above his own and returned to Hell willingly. He wants Carlos to live the best life. As do I with Charlie."
Suddenly Michael entered, "Good morning, brother. Good morning, Father. Are you ready to go home?" God turned to Michael, "Are you ready?" Michael chuckled, "Well, I mean, I think it's time." God smiled, "Good. Then you should go. I've decided to stay here a little bit longer." Amenadiel was stunned, "You have?" "Then I will stay with you," Michael said. God shook his head, "I don't think that would be a good idea." Michael was confused, "What are you saying, Father?" God stared into Michael's eyes, "Michael, you're no longer welcome on Earth." Amenadiel asked, "You're banishing him?" God shrugged, "If you insist on putting it that way." Michael stuttered, "But I….I don't understand. Why am I the one being punished?" God sighed, "Do you see this as a punishment? Maybe this is, maybe this isn't." Michael huffed and walked out. "You see?" God said. "Never easy." "Why did you do that?" Amenadiel asked. God sighed, "The things Lucifer told me about what Michael was doing, I can't ignore that. Including threatening my grandson. I do care for my grandchildren, despite what Carlos thinks. Oh, you have a futon, right?"
Chloe drove Lucifer, Carlos, and Dude over to Union Station. Lucifer saw Peter walking in, "There he is." Carlos said, "According to the mirror, Betty just got her ticket. She's about to leave for good. We need to get in there. I bet that's where Peter will go." They all got out of the car and ran inside after Peter. They ran past several people and found Peter standing with a gun pointed at Betty. "Right where I knew he'd be," Carlos said. People ran away as they saw the gun. Chloe pulled out hers, "LAPD. Put down the gun!"
Peter ran behind Betty, keeping the gun pointed at her. Carlos stepped forward, "You were running after her, not from the police. Tell me why." Peter obeyed, "She killed my son." Lucifer was confused, "But you said you killed your son. Make your mind up." Peter shook his head, "I would never. I confessed because I thought one of my children had done it. I'd already lost one. I couldn't bear to lose another." Lucifer realized, "You were willing to sacrifice yourself for your own children." Peter nodded, "Of course. That's what fatherhood is. Surely if you were a father, you'd understand." "I understand more than you know," Lucifer said, looking at Carlos. Peter continued, "You see, when I made bail, I talked to all my kids, and I realized that none of them had done it. So then when I went to Betty to talk to her, to see how she was doing, and found she was skipping town, then suddenly, it all came into place." Betty shouted, "All I wanted to do was burn that toxic place down. Everything that was broken in him was because of it, because of you! He needed to get away." Chloe realized, "So you stole gas from Hole in Juan, and you tried to burn the place down. But Chris caught you, didn't he?" Betty was reluctant to talk, so Carlos commanded, "Tell the truth, Betty." Betty obeyed, "We struggled. He hit his head on the concrete. Before I could do anything, the fire was everywhere. It burned so fast. My poor Chris. I swear I didn't mean for any of this to happen. I'm sorry." Peter then said, "So my son died protecting the Kingdom. Protecting us." Carlos commented, "It looks like self-sacrifice runs in the family, eh?" "Indeed," Lucifer added. "Apple, tree…." Lucifer went silent as Carlos said to Peter, "Give me the gun." Peter obeyed and handed Carlos the gun. Carlos immediately unloaded the gun and handed it to Chloe. Dude sat in between Carlos and Lucifer and looked up at Lucifer, worrying about what he was thinking. Chloe walked over and handcuffed Betty.
Over at Lux, Michael was sitting at the bar drinking some alcohol. Maze walked over and stood next to him. Michael sighed, "What?" Maze was pissed, "What? I was fully prepared to hunt you down and kick your ass is what. In fact, I was looking forward to it. But you're just here. Why aren't you hiding?" "Want a drink?" Michael asked, holding up his glass. Maze knocked the glass away, "No! What I want is a soul. You promised me one, and I didn't get it." Michael sighed, "No, I promised you an audience with my father, the one being who could give you a soul. That's all. Frustrating, isn't he? What annoyingly arbitrary and inscrutable answer did he give you?" Maze grabbed a bottle and said, "That I'm perfect. Just the way I am. Wait. You wanted me to find you. Why?" Michael answered, "Because I'm leaving town." "And?" Maze asked. "You wanted to say goodbye?" Michael sighed, "I guess out of all the wretched beings I've met, I don't entirely hate you. And for what it's worth, Mazikeen, I'm sorry you didn't get what you wanted." Michael held up his glass, and Maze clinked it, "I'm sorry you didn't either." Michael answered, "Doesn't mean I won't." Maze was confused, "What does that mean?" Michael smirked, "That it ain't over till it's over. For either of us. But let me ask you one thing before I leave. What do you know about Carlos De Vil?" Maze chuckled, "Why? You hate him that much?" Michael groaned, "Lucifer's brat has gotten in my way one too many times. And it seems he may have gotten through to my Father along with Lucifer. I want to know more about him. Where exactly he's from." Maze glared at Michael, "If you think you're going to get info out of me, think again. I may not be on good terms with Lucifer, but you mess with that kid, I will hunt you down for good." Maze took a drink as Michael disappeared.
Lucifer and Carlos, along with Dude, were at one of the fountains in downtown LA. Lucifer turned to Carlos, "I wanted to thank you for defending me against Dad. I was telling the truth when I said I'm proud of you." Carlos smirked, "No need to thank me, Dad. It needed to be said." Lucifer then asked, "So I wanted to ask you something. Because I never asked about it. What exactly are your dreams for the future?" Carlos turned to Lucifer, "Well, now you know that I want to be a vet one day. I guess I want to help people, or animals in this case. I thought my powers would hinder that, but they don't. And I do see a future with Jane. And you too, Dad. I mean, I'm turning 18 in January." Lucifer nodded, "That soon? Well, I'll make sure we have a big celebration then." Carlos chuckled, "I'm looking forward to it." Lucifer then said, "I assume your future in is Auradon then." Carlos shrugged, "That's the thing. I don't know. I mean, I grew up in Auradon and my friends are there, along with Jane. But you're here, along with Chloe, Trixie, Uncle Amenadiel, Maze, even Dan. So I'm stuck in the middle of two worlds. Like you are." Lucifer sighed, "I understand. I was bound to Hell for so long that coming to Earth was a big change. But know this, Carlos. I would never force you to choose for my sake. You've got your whole future ahead of you and I want you to choose what's best for you. I will support you no matter what." Carlos smirked and hugged Lucifer, "Thanks, Dad."
Chloe then walked down and said, "Hey, guys." Carlos pulled away and said, "I'll leave you two to talk. Come on, Dude." "But, Carlos," Dude whined, but Carlos picked Dude up and walked to the other side of the fountain to give Lucifer and Chloe some privacy. Chloe turned to Lucifer, "Do you remember when I said that it might be useful to draw a parallel between your emotions and the case?" Lucifer nodded and Chloe continued, "So it turns out our killer was an overbearing girlfriend trying to change her boyfriend because he couldn't deal with his family issues. So, you know, no parallel. Whatsoever. I think I was wrong." Lucifer sighed, "Apparently so." Chloe then said, "Lucifer, I'm so sorry. You know, I was supposed to give you space so that you could deal with your issues and…." Lucifer interrupted, "I didn't really help there, did I?" Chloe shook her head, "No, but then I ended up using the case to rush you anyhow." Lucifer stopped her, "Detective, you have been nothing but wonderful. And you deserve to hear those three words back. But the truth is I don't know when I'll be able to say them back. I've realized that I am my father's son. And as depressing as that is, it explains so much. But it also means, like him, I don't know how to love." Chloe said, "Lucifer, I know you." Lucifer continued, "You do. You know I always tell the truth. Chloe, I am so sorry. But if I were to tell you those three words right now, it would be a lie. Because I don't understand love because I never got it myself. Heck, my own son seems to understand love and he's like me, never had a parent love him before he met me. But he found love all on his own. I hope to find that too through him, and through you. I just need time, Detective. Because if I say those three words, I want to be telling the truth when saying them, not as a lie." Chloe nodded her understanding, although she was a bit sad that Lucifer didn't love her back at that moment.
Carlos secretly heard the exchange through his mirror on the other side of the fountain and said to Dude, "So I guess I was right. My dad is like me. We didn't grow up knowing love. But I know he cares about Chloe. He needs to realize that he is capable of love. He's proven it time and time again. If I can have true love, then so can he." Dude looked up at Carlos, "So you're going to help him realize that?" Carlos nodded, "Yeah. If I was able to love on my own, then so can he."
