Chapter 11:

The sun was just rising above the city when Chloe's phone brought her out of restful sleep. It was strange but from the very moment her boyfriend wrapped his arms around her that night, her sleep became deep without having a single nightmare. She tended to snuggle close into his broad, bare chest every time she felt him in their bed, even when she was already asleep. The abnormal heat that radiated from his body had a calming effect on her. The feeling of his soft breaths in her neck made her smile, unconsciously. That smile would soon be leaving her face.

Chloe was grabbing for her phone with closed eyes, "Decker!" she said with a hoarse, sleepy voice when she finally managed to find the thing.

"Chlo, it's Dan. We have another body." sounded on the other side of the phone. Dan sounded a bit shaken, that was something she wasn't used to.

"It's another child isn't it?" Chloe now sitting straight up in the large bed, something that startled her boyfriend, "What's wrong?" Was the first thing he asked.

Chloe shushed him for a moment by raising her hand, while she was listening to what Dan was telling her.

"A young jogger found her underneath the boardwalk. I will send you the exact address." Dan responded. Detective Espinosa had a hard time with this case too. It reminded him of his daughter.

"I need to bring Trixie to school first, Dan." Chloe sighed deeply. Maze was out bounty hunting so she couldn't call her to do it for her.

"I could bring the urchin to school if you allow me," Lucifer whispered to his wife.

"Are you sure?" Chloe asked her devil.

"I know when I accepted you as my queen that the little human was part of the deal," Lucifer responded but Chloe was good at reading her devil and saw the things he didn't say, in other words, she saw the love he held for her daughter, how much he saw Trixie as his stepdaughter. He even called himself her step-devil once. Trixie was the only tax burden that had wormed his way into his heart, beside his little nephew Charlie that is.

"Okay, thank you, babe." Chloe whispered before she placed her phone back to her ear, "I will be there as soon as I can, Dan. Lucifer will be joining us later, he is going to take Trixie to school."

Dan growled deeply, "First he steals my wife and now he is playing the perfect stepfather to take my daughter away from me. Really, Chloe, I don't know what you see in that lunatic."

Chloe fell back in bed with a grunt, pitching the bridge of her nose between her fingers, "Dan, we have been over this before. I understand him better now. I am happy with Lucifer whether you like it or not and besides we were already divorced. You should be happy that he tries to be so good for our daughter. Lucifer is an amazing stepfather for Trixie. The fact that he is there when she needs him and that she asks for him is more your fault than it is his. So stop being such a jealous ass."

Chloe the red horn button on the screen of her phone and threw the phone on the bed.

"Everything alright, love?" Lucifer asked softly. He wasn't bothered by the fact that Dan was jealous. If he was honest he loved the fact that he could get the douche on his high horse that way.

"Stop gloating Lucifer, I know that you love it when he gets so jealous," Chloe said while she smacked his arm with the flat of her hand.

"Sorry but not sorry my dear detective." Lucifer grinned before he grabbed his queen by the waist and pulled her closer.

"Oh come on babe, we don't have time for that and you know it. I need to go and get ready. There is another case you just heard it." Chloe giggled while he tickled her side.

"Oh come on love, can't you go 30 minutes later?" Lucifer asked still with a grin on his face.

Chloe shook her head and looked at him with a serious face, "I need to catch this bastard, Lucifer. Someone found another body, another child." Chloe turned herself away from Lucifer and sat on the edge of the bed.

The ruler of hell jumped out of bed and walked around the bed only to kneel in front of her. He placed a finger under her chin. He knew how hard this case was for her, "look at me, love." he whispered while pushing her face up in such a way that he was forced to look at him, "If someone can find that guy it's you and I will help you wherever I can. You have my word."

Chloe whipped a tear from her cheek before wrapping her arms around the being in front of her, "What did I ever do to deserve someone like you." She sighed softly.

"You, my little miracle, are incredible. It's me who should ask that question. Me evil incarnate himself."

Chloe shook her head, "You're not evil, Lucifer. You deserve so much more than me."

"You are everything I ever wanted even when I didn't know or understood my feelings for you. You and Beatrice are my life and I would do everything to protect that. You may be immortal now but I will protect the little human even if it's the last thing I would ever do." Lucifer whispered while looking her in the eyes.

"Thank you, Lucifer. I needed to hear that." Chloe said before she stood up to get herself ready. It was still an hour before Trixie would wake up.

Chloe left the building in her cruizer about half an hour later. Juan, who had just woken up in his pickup truck, dived with his head on the passenger's seat to hide from the woman in the police car. He saw the woman was alone so the child must be still in the building. That meant that he had to look out when he would follow the car. Mark had warned him for the delusional owner of the famous nightclub.

Lucifer was working at his desk doing some paperwork for the club, which he hated like hell, when Trixie came into the living room, walking in her pj's and the marble floor feeling cold at her bare feet, "Good morning, Lucifer."

Lucifer looked up from the paper he was going to sign for a new sort of drink when he heard the small voice, "Good morning, urchin.." the devil responded.

"Where is mommy?" the little girl asked with a still sleepy voice.

"Your mom had to go to work early, I will take you to school today." Lucifer smiled while he stood up from behind his desk. The paperwork could wait, "I made you some chocolate chip pancakes."

Trixie cheered. She always loved it when Lucifer brought her to school as well as the pancakes he made, "You are the best, Lucifer."

It took about an hour for Trixie to do her morning rituals and to be ready for school.

Juan dived away again when he saw the black Corvette coming out of the alley next to Lux. Mark had warned him to be careful when Lucifer would be near the girl. He started his truck but waited for a few cars before he started following the devil and the urchin.

"It's still too bad she has to die." Juan groaned when he kept his eyes on the convertible. He followed them about 15 minutes before the car stopped in front of the school. He stopped behind a large truck. That way his pick-up wasn't visible to the devil but he could keep his eyes on the school. He took his job very seriously. Nobody failed Ramzi and lived with it. The hardest part was still to come though after he had touched the child with the poison.

He saw how Trixie hugged Chloe's lover and walked happily to a few friends who were already waiting for her while the classic car raced away. Juan waited until the devil was out of view before starting the car and took a spot more closely to the school. He saw how Trixie laughed and played. She was clearly a popular girl, again the sight broke Juan's heart. This would be the last job he would do for his boss, so much he was sure off.

Chloe was almost done when she heard a familiar, "Thank you, darling." She turned around and saw how her boyfriend because they were bound by God and true love but they weren't married in the eyes of the law, smiled towards the new young officer who held the yellow tape up for him. Clearly, someone had told her that he was Chloe's partner, or was it just his charms Chloe didn't know but she knew he was going to be faithful to her. Lucifer promised her that after she was crowned queen. That was more than enough in Lucifer's case.

"Good morning, detective." Lucifer smiled happily at his Chloe, who had just finished questioning the witnesses.

"Good morning, Lucifer. Did Trixie arrive at school on time?" Chloe asked the love visible in her eyes.

"Just like I promised, detective. The urchin is at school, ready for detective douche to pick up later today." Lucifer smiled softly before, "Now who is the unlucky human today?"

Chloe rolled her eyes, "Lucifer, you know how I think about you calling Dan that."

Lucifer shrugged, "The urchin isn't in hear distance as far as I know."

Chloe sighed deeply, "It's the same MO as yesterday, Lucifer. Come and have a look, maybe we missed something your eyes don't?"

Lucifer followed her towards where Ella was already finishing examining the body and taking all the evidence she could get. He sighed when he saw that again it was a girl around Trixie's age. She was bare feet and only wore baby blue jeans. Her chest was naked with the word 'CHOSE' carved over the whole length of the thorax. Her neck was bruised and blue.

"We don't have a name yet. What we do know is that she was strangled and that the word was carved in the body after she died. She was killed somewhere else. A jogger found her this morning. I already questioned the witnesses now we have to see if we can ID the victim. Let's go to the precinct." Chloe said towards Lucifer.

The devil nodded, "I parked my car next to yours, detective. Let's see if we find something." Not knowing someone was watching their every move very closely.

TBC