One week to go, Chloe told herself. One week to get all the details 'sorted,' as Lucifer would say. They had found a church and Amenadiel had offered to act as officiant. Did he have a license to perform a wedding? No problem: Amenadiel was now a duly ordained minister in the Universal Life Church, along with more than 20 million other ministers who had been ordained online. She had a beautiful dress, courtesy of Lucifer, who paid an exorbitant amount to have the dress altered and fitted in five days.

After a great deal of thought, she'd asked Trixie to be her Maid of Honor, to stand with her while Amenadiel performed the ceremony. Lucifer had planned to ask Amenadiel to be his best man, but that was now out, for obvious reasons. He then asked Zadkiel, the only one of his siblings who had stood with him against Michael, to be his best man. Zadkiel didn't really understand what a best man did, but it didn't really matter. All he needed to do was stand there and look supportive.

They'd invited all of Lucifer's siblings by inviting Gabriel. They'd made it clear to all that this was a human affair, and nobody was allowed to give any of the attendees a glimpse of the divine. Lucifer had shrugged his shoulders and said, That's all we can do, I guess.

They'd decided to have the reception at Lux, which would be closed for the night to everybody else. Chloe had delegated all things reception to Penelope, who had coordinated with the Lux staff and outside caterers. The music would be provided by Lux's house DJ.

Jerry had asked for the night off, so that he could accompany Ella to the ceremony and reception. Chloe had smiled and said, "of course." Then she'd called Ella to talk to her about prepping Jerry, just in case something celestial ended up happening, despite the precautions and warnings.

While she was reflecting on all the actions taken and the actions still to be taken, Trixie called. She picked up at once.

"Hey Mom," Trixie said. "I wanted to ask your advice on something."

"No problem, Monkey," she replied. "What's the issue?"

"So I was kind of wondering … I mean, I was thinking—"

"Thinking what, honey?"

She heard Trixie take a deep breath and then the words came out in a rush. "I was wondering if it would be too weird if I invited Eddie to come with me to your wedding."

"Oh, Monkey, I don't know. Didn't you just have your first date three weeks ago? And it wasn't even a real date, if I recall correctly. It was a group date at a movie."

"I know, right? But I kind of don't want to be alone there. I mean, I'm going to be the only teenager there, right? What am I going to do? Dance by myself? Dance with Amenadiel? Or Charlie? Everybody else is going to have somebody there with them, except for me. I'm going to be the only person by myself, as well as being the youngest."

"All right, Trix. I see your point. But I don't want you to put too much pressure on Eddie, right? Boys can be weird, especially about weddings and meeting the family, and stuff like that. If you invite him, you need to make it clear that you're just going as friends. Do you understand?"

"I think so. I can let him know that it's not really a date, just being a companion."

"Right. And I'll need to talk to his parents."

"What! Mom, you can't!"

"Monkey, do you remember your magic champagne flute at the engagement dinner?"

"Yeah …"

"Well, I need to let Eddie's parents know that there will be alcohol around. I need to understand their rules about alcohol."

"Uh, do you have to?"

"Yes, Monkey, I do. If you want Eddie to come, I need to speak with his parents."

Trixie gave a dramatic sigh. "Okay, Mom. But don't embarrass me, please?"

"I'll try my best not to."

"Okay. Thanks."

"One more thing, young lady."

"What, Mom?"

"I will give Lucifer specific instructions that there will be no magic champagne flutes at the reception. And no little healing feather, either. If you and Eddie drink too much and end up throwing up in the toilet, that will be all on you. Do we understand each other?"

Trixie sighed again. "Yes, Mom. I understand." She paused. "Only, I don't know if I'll even want champagne, you know? I mean, I doubt you'll be serving Krug, right? So how good can the champagne even be?"

Chloe smiled. "I see Lucifer was right when he warned us that he was spoiling your taste for regular champagne."

"I guess so. Anyway, I'll talk to Eddie tonight. If he says yes, I'll text you and send you Eddie's parents' number. Then you can call them. Okay?"

"Sounds good, Monkey."

#

Eddie's parents, Tom and Elise, lived a few blocks from Penelope's house in Malibu. Chloe rang the doorbell at the time they'd agreed upon, 5 PM exactly.

Elise opened the door. She was a beautiful blonde in her mid-thirties, tanned and toned from what Chloe supposed was frequent tennis, since Elise was wearing a tennis outfit.

"So sorry I didn't have time to change, Chloe," Elise said. "I just finished my lesson, and I didn't even have time to shower. Please excuse me."

"No problem," Chloe said. "No need to get dressed on my account." Chloe wondered what Elise made of her. She guessed that Elise saw a woman a few years older than she was, fit but not tanned, with dark circles under her eyes from the wedding planning. Chloe had intentionally chosen not to dress up for the meeting. She had worn casual pants and her old leather jacket.

"My husband is still in the office, I'm afraid," Elise said. "He tends to work late. Eddie and I typically have dinner without him."

"I completely understand, Elise," Chloe said. "It's not a problem."

"I'm glad you understand, Chloe. Tell me a bit about yourself."

"Not really much to say. I was a Detective for LAPD for a number of years, but I recently retired. I've been divorced for about 4 years, and have had joint custody with Trixie's father, until recently, when he was killed in the line of duty."

"Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that," Elise said. "So he was a police officer, too?"

"Yes, a Detective. Losing him was hard on Trixie."

"But now you're getting married again?"

Chloe nodded. "Right. We're getting married Saturday at St. Monica Church, in Santa Monica. Followed by a small reception at a nightclub. Actually, my nightclub. I'm co-owner, along with my fiancée. I'm very glad you gave permission for Eddie to accompany Trixie. She wasn't looking forward to being the only teenager there."

"Of course, dear. How could I say no to him? He and Trixie have become the best of friends!"

"Maybe a little more than friends?" Chloe asked with a smile.

Elise smiled back. "He denies it, of course. As any fourteen-year-old would."

"Of course. And I understand you're moving soon?"

"Yes. I can't say I'm looking forward to moving away from the beach, but Tom said it was too good a deal to pass up."

"You know Trixie is moving soon, as well."

"No, I didn't know that. Where is she moving to?"

"After our marriage, she'll be living with my husband and I, in Beverly Hills."

"Oh, really? We're moving there, too! What a coincidence!"

"Isn't it!"

Elise lowered her voice. "Chloe, I don't mean to pry, but how can you afford to live in Beverly Hills on a retired Detective's salary?"

"Elise, my fiancée, Lucifer, comes from money. We do quite well for ourselves, actually."

"Lucifer? Is that really his name? How outré!"

"Yes, it is odd, I'll agree. But that's his name. What can I do? I love him anyway."

Elise nodded. "The things we women do for love …"

"And your husband is an attorney?"

"Yes, he's a partner at a firm in Century City."

"That sounds like hard work."

"Oh, it is. He has to work so hard to take care of us!"

"I'll bet. Anyway, I wanted to meet you and get a sense of what the rules are for Eddie at the reception. So I can sort of parent him in your absence."

"Rules? What do you mean?"

"The reception will be at our club. There will be lots of alcohol around. I wanted to understand what your rules are for Eddie. After all, a fourteen-year-old boy can get into a lot of trouble if left unsupervised around alcohol."

"Oh, Eddie's such a good boy. I wouldn't worry about it."

"Are you sure? Because Trixie had just a bit of champagne a few weeks ago, and got tipsy from it. I'd feel bad if Eddie came home tipsy after the reception."

Elise thought about it. "Well, to be honest, I think Tom has been sneaking him beer when I'm not looking. Trying to make a man of him, I guess. Or something like that."

Chloe nodded. "So you're okay with a little bit of wine or champagne, or beer?"

"Yes, but not to excess please. Will you make sure he doesn't overdo it?"

"Absolutely. You have my word. I've already laid down the law to Trixie."

"I'm glad we talked about it. Thank you." Elise paused. "You must tell me where you're registered. Eddie will need to bring a gift."

Chloe laughed. "Honestly, Elise. I'm not registered anywhere. Eddie doesn't need to bring any gift." She thought about Eddie and Trixie. "Though if he wanted to bring a corsage for Trixie, I don't think she'd mind."

"Chloe, are you sure you don't want any gifts?"

"Elise, let me tell you that I already have everything in my life that I could possibly want. I have a beautiful, smart, daughter. I have a handsome and caring husband-to-be. We're going to be living together in a wonderful home. I honestly have no need for anything else."

"You're a lucky woman, Chloe."

"Don't I know it!"

#

"Eddie, there's something I need to tell you about tomorrow," Trixie said into the phone.

"What's that, Trix?"

"My family is more than a little weird."

He laughed. "Everybody's family is weird, Trix. Don't you know that by now?"

"Not like my family is. I mean, I love them and all. But they are definitely … unusual."

"So's my family, you know. My dad is like a workaholic and my mom is obsessed with two things: tennis and shopping. It's embarrassing when we go somewhere and they don't have anything to talk about with other people. They're like 'let's discuss current events in an adult manner' and then my dad is like 'here's a recent case I worked on' and my mom is like 'when's the last time you visited Rodeo Drive?' It's embarrassing how shallow they both are."

"Well, my mom used to be a Homicide Detective. She doesn't talk much about her cases. And Lucifer? He likes to talk about himself, mostly."

"Is his name really Lucifer? Like the Devil?"

"Yeah," Trixie replied. "Like the Devil. But he's really funny sometimes, you know? He makes some of the worst jokes you've ever heard. Totally inappropriate. He always cracks me up."

"That doesn't sound too weird."

"No, Eddie. I'm serious. You have to try not to be freaked-out if anything weird happens."

"Like what?"

"Oh, I don't know. It's just that … well, weird things happen around Mom and Lucifer, is all. Things that are kind of hard to explain." Trixie had a thought. "Here's one thing. At their engagement dinner, they gave me a half-glass of champagne, you know? Just so I would have some to toast with."

"Yeah, that's kind of cool."

"I know, but here's the weird thing: no matter how much I drank, the glass never got empty. Nobody ever refilled it all night, but it never got empty."

"What? That's kray-kray."

"I know, right? That kind of stuff happens sometimes, that's all I'm saying. I just want you to be ready in case it does. Please don't freak out."

"Is he like a magician, or something?"

"I don't really know. Maybe?"

"Okay. I have been warned." He paused. "Also, I think your mom and my mom got along okay when they talked the other day. I mean, Mom said that your mom was very nice, which she really doesn't say about other women very often."

"That's good to hear."

"Yeah." He took a deep breath. "And she says you're pretty cool, as well."

Trixie smiled. "I'm glad to hear it." How does she know I'm cool if we've never met? she wondered.

"Yeah, I think she likes you. Like a lot."

"Oh," Trixie said, with a big smile. "I think my mom likes you, too."

#

"Jerry, we have to talk about tomorrow," Ella said. "It's just that … I need to make sure you understand what you're getting into."

"Ella, I think I know what I'm getting into," he replied. "I'm taking you to a wedding where my two bosses are getting married. Then I'm taking you to their reception at the place where I work." He paused. "And if I'm lucky, we'll end up back at one of our places and have a repeat of the other night."

She smiled. "Well, I don't want to be a sure thing, but I'll say you have a high probability of getting lucky. Especially if you promise me a repeat of the other night."

"So it sounds like we both agree. What's the worry?"

"Jerry, how well do you know them? Chloe and Lucifer, I mean."

"Well, I know that Chloe used to be a cop. And Lucifer seems to be a full-time nightclub owner and party animal. Kind of opposites, I'd say. What else do I need to know?"

Oh, you need to know so much more, Ella thought. She said, "You're right. But you forgot about the part where Lucifer was a consultant to the LAPD and helped them crack cases. That's where he met Chloe—on a case. I've seen them work together for four years, and they make a great team!" She paused. "Only, you have to understand: Lucifer isn't like most other people."

"Oh, I've seen him in action at Lux," Jerry said. "He drinks like there's no tomorrow and almost never gets drunk. He must have two or three extra livers! He plays piano and sings like a pro. And up until he got together with Chloe, I saw him with the ladies. And men, too, for that matter. I'd say I know him pretty well."

"Jerry, trust me when I say this: if that's all you know, then you don't really know him at all. Not at all."

He sighed. "Okay, you're serious about this. What do I need to know?"

"I can't tell you what you need to know. It's not my … story to tell. But I just want you to be … aware. Sensitive, I guess. Sensitive to the unexpected. Chloe tells me that some of Lucifer's family will be there. So anything could happen."

"Anything? Sounds pretty scary."

"That's not a bad thought, actually. I don't want you to be scared. Not exactly. But be … wary. Yes, that's it. Wary. If you speak with one of Lucifer's family members, then be wary. Who knows what they might say?" She paused. "Except for Amenadiel, though. He's totes chill."

"Amenadiel?"

"Lucifer's brother, the one doing the ceremony."

"Oh, the big black dude. I always thought that when they said they were brothers, it was like 'hey bro' not 'we have the same mother'."

"No, they're really brothers."

"Oh … adopted, I guess?"

"Yeah, that's the story."

"Okay. So let me see if I've got this right. Amenadiel is cool, but watch out for the rest of Lucifer's family."

"Exactly."

"And you don't have to tell me to watch out for Maze. I already figured that one out, a long time ago."

"She's a great friend. Just never make her angry."

"Yeah. Got that. Loud and clear."

"Okay. Well, see you tomorrow at four."

"Looking forward to it, Ella."