Chapter 3

"It's about time you bloody got here!" Lucifer shouted, as Amenadiel's wings retracted.

"I could barely hear you. Your prayer was no louder than any human's normally is." As he walked towards them, he did a double-take. "Chloe?"

She sniffed. "Yeah…yeah it's me."

"No time for chit-chat. The sooner you bring her back to Earth, the sooner I can get out too."

He made a hesitant face, tilting with his head to speak to Lucifer privately.

"Why is she here, Lucy?"

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he sighed. "She…she tried to kill me."

"What?"

He groaned. "That's not the point. The person who told her, no, manipulated her into doing that killed her to keep me here."

Amenadiel gave him a bewildered look. "You're not upset at her?"

"Of course I am! This is going to need further discussion, but frankly, all I want right now is for her to be back on Earth, alive."

"Lucifer, you know I can't do that. If she's de-"

"Don't." He barked. "Do not tell me those words. And do not give me some lecture about Father's will. I couldn't give a rat's ass right now about His will. What I care about is that she goes home with her family."

He sighed. "I can only take her to Heaven."

"No! I refuse to allow you to take her anywhere but back home, it is far too early for her time."

"I don't make the rules, Lucy!" Amenadiel shouted, cutting his ramble off. "You know I want this as much as you do!" The whipping breeze filled the angry silence. "The best I can do is request an audience with father. Tell Him that she has more to give to humanity, that she should be alive."

Lucifer nodded, glumly. "Fine." He said softly. "Take her and go. I'll be waiting on Earth."

Chloe offered Lucifer a weak smile as Amenadiel took her in his arms, and flew upwards, powerfully. By the time Lucifer walked back to the front gates, he found them already open, as if welcoming him back to Earth. Making sure they were shut behind him properly, Lucifer walked out of Hell into the grey expanse that existed between realms. From there, he allowed himself to be moved to Earth, everything fading around him.

When he woke, his eyes stung. His open mouth was filled with brine. He felt resistance as he tried to move, slowly coming to the conclusion that he was underwater. And not just a little beneath the surface but plummeting with the weight of not only his body, but also a large concrete block, towards the bottom of the ocean. The darkness of the abyss became more and more prominent, the faint moonlight fading faster and faster. Hastily, he undid the rigid chain surrounding him Just as he contorted his body, ready to propel himself upwards, his eye's widened, stinging even more at the sight of the body next to him. Chloe. Still in the burgundy jumper she had worn on their date, Chloe's blonde hair flayed around her head, an equally potent weight around her torso. Desperately, Lucifer grabbed her from under, the heaviness of her limp body settling in his arms. He removed the weight from her, watching it sink, just as he had done before.

Mustering his strength, he felt great resistance as he opened his wings. The white light emanating from them illuminated her pale, almost peaceful-looking face. Feeling the currents of water swirl around him, Lucifer continued to push upwards, fighting gravity, fighting the currents, and getting himself above water. He was able to hold his breath luckily. It seemed that Chloe hadn't made her return yet, which was working to their favour. With one final push, he emerged victoriously, briefly noting his surroundings. They were near the pier. The night was darker than it had been before. Lucifer gauged it had been only a few hours. Not many people were around. Kinley must have come here to dump the 'bodies'.

Finding a spot to land, he gently place Chloe on the ground. Lucifer felt nauseous, a sensation normally only brought on for him by copious amounts of alcohol, feeling the absence of her pulse, and the clamminess of her skin. She really wad dead. But Amenadiel was God's favourite. If anyone could get Him to pull the strings and revive a human life, particularly one he'd made for his son, specifically, it was Amenadiel. Lucifer felt his clothes stick to his skin as they dried. The salty gusts of wind stung his eyes even more. But he didn't care. All Lucifer could focus on right now was watching her, waiting for some kind of sign that she was going to wake. That she was going to be alive. Going to be okay. Then they could talk. Talk properly and openly about who he was and who he wasn't. The way they should have back when she had first seen him. But too afraid that he was being overbearing, he let her take what he thought was necessary space.

But that brief month had been enough time to allow lies and fear to plague her mind. Lies and fear. The two things Lucifer hated the most. Lies because they were so commonly associated with him, but ironically, so incredibly untrue. He was direct, he was upfront, he was honest. It was who he prided himself on being. And as for fear? Well, he did certainly enjoy making people scared of him, when necessary. There was nothing quite so satisfying as staring into the eyes of a criminal and making them realise just how puny they are in the space of the universe. It was his favourite part of the job, really. But fear that was masked by lies, fear being used to control and manipulate, now that, Lucifer detested. It was linked to his hatred of lies, he supposed. Perhaps sprinkled in with the loathing of his brother Michael, who embodied such qualities.

So Lucifer sat and waited in the darkness and smelliness and coldness of the port, knowing that things were going to be okay.

They had to be.

Otherwise, if he didn't hate himself enough already for not fighting harder, for not trying harder to reveal himself earlier, losing Chloe right now was going to kill him.