"No…" she heard Mom whisper, as she staggered over to where Lucifer was standing just seconds before. "No, no, no… he can't leave again. He can't leave." She collapsed to the floor, her hand resting against what was left of the island. "We didn't even get a chance to talk… I wanted to explain…"
Trixie got to her feet, walked over to her mom and wrapped her arms around her from behind. "I'm sorry, mommy." Tears welled up in her eyes, to match the ones pouring from her mom's face. "I should have made him promise to stay…"
"You know why he had to go back," Maze said, grunting as she pulled herself up from the floor. Her right arm hung loosely at her side, her shoulder oddly sloped. "And after all this"—she gestured with her good arm at the devastation around the apartment—"it's only going to make him more determined to protect you."
"I don't need protecting," Mom choked out, shaking her head as she closed her eyes. "I need him."
Maze limped across the floor, barely sparing them a glance as she journeyed towards the breakfast bar. "No, you don't," she said, shooting daggers at her currently useless arm before reaching up to the kitchen cabinets with the other. She began to root around on the top most shelf, sending a glass tumbling. "It's been six months. You survived without him before, you'll do it again. Nothing's changed." At Mom's silence, she rolled her eyes and added, "You're still a great mom and a kick-ass detective… with shockingly bad taste in men, that's all. And I'm including Lucifer in that."
Mom laughed, just a little, and Trixie hugged her even harder. "I'm not so sure about the great mom part," she sniffled, looking down at her.
"Come back to me when you abandon her in Hell, and we'll talk," Maze said bitterly, as more dinnerware crashed to the floor. "Gotcha," she muttered under her breath, pulling down a bottle of vodka. Removing the cap with her teeth, she downed about a quarter of the bottle before smacking it back down on the counter with a satisfied sigh, wiping off her mouth with the back of her hand.
One final plate that had been teetering on the edge of the shelf finally fell, narrowly missing Maze on the way down. Despite it smashing to smithereens when it joined the pile already on the floor, the demon stomped on it anyway, just for good measure. Mom stopped sniffling for a moment to glare at her pointedly. "What?" Maze said, raising an eyebrow. "It's not like I'm making it worse."
Mom sighed, and shook her head. Then she turned to Trixie, brushing her fingers through her hair, trying to rid it of some of the broken glass there. If she felt any pain as it caught on her fingers, she didn't show it. "You're sure you're okay, Monkey?" she said, looking concerned. "Today must have been pretty scary."
It was, but Trixie wasn't going to admit that. There was one thing she needed to say though, something that had been on the tip of her tongue since Maze's phone call. "This is all my fault," she confessed, dropping her eyes down to the floor below. "If I hadn't left you my scrapbook…"
"Hey," Mom said, lifting her chin and forcing her to look at her. "You listen to me, okay? This is not your fault. This is Michael's fault. And mine, for not listening to you." Mom pressed a kiss to the top of her head, then pulled her closer. "You have been so smart, and so brave, and I am so, so proud of you, do you hear me?"
It was like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. "Okay," she said, nodding decisively, a small smile upon her lips. "But it's not your fault either, Mom. You just… you just wanted it to be Lucifer, that's all."
Her mom smiled sadly. "That's right," she said, sweeping a stray strand of hair back from Trixie's face and smoothing it back into place. She tilted her head to one side, like she always did when she was puzzling something out. "You brought him here, didn't you?"
Trixie grinned as she realised something. "That's it! Did you know you can pray to him, Mom? It's so cool! I'll just tell him to come back and—"
"Trix," Maze interrupted, putting down what was now a nearly empty vodka bottle. "It won't work. Once Lucifer gets an idea in his head… I've only known one person who has ever been able to change his mind, and… well, she knows what's at stake here."
Mom nodded shakily, her grip on Trixie briefly increasing. "You mustn't ask him to come back, Monkey," she said regretfully. "He can't, and it will only make him feel bad."
Trixie stayed silent, blinking back the tears as she tried to think of a way. "But—"
Her mom's thumb gently traced her cheek, wiping away the wetness there. "I know, sweetheart, I know. I want him to come home too, more than anything."
"Same here."
Trixie had never felt more connected to her mom in her life than when both of them turned their heads at the exact same time to confirm that, yes, those words had just come out of Maze's mouth.
"What?" the demon said, stretching to run her hand along the top shelf once more, and scowling when she came up empty. "I still owe him an ass kicking for leaving me behind in the first place. You got any more booze anywhere, Decker? This hurts like a—"
An all too familiar noise came from outside, cutting off whatever Maze was about to say. Trixie felt the hope that sound brought to her mom's face mirrored on her own. But when they looked towards the source, much to her disappointment, it was Amenadiel they saw, navigating his way inside through the pile of rubble that had once been their back patio.
"Michael has been secured in Hell," he proclaimed, puffing his chest out slightly, as though he was somehow single handedly responsible for that. "Lucifer has stationed his best demons to watch over him."
Thud.
The sound of a blade being driven into the breakfast bar made everyone in the room leap out of their skin. Amenadiel shifted awkwardly, his warrior-like stance quickly deflating. He swallowed nervously, then cleared his throat. "All his best demons currently in Hell, that is."
Slowly, her eyes still narrowed, Maze withdrew her hand from the knife.
"What about Lucifer?" Trixie said, pushing herself to her feet and staring up at Amenadiel. "When is he coming back?"
She didn't care what Mom and Maze said. Lucifer wouldn't just leave again, not without saying goodbye. He wouldn't.
Amenadiel frowned slightly, casting an almost desperate look towards Chloe. "Monkey…" Mom started, but Trixie shook her head. Lucifer's brother had been in Hell with him. He was the only one who would know for sure.
The angel dropped to one knee, putting himself more on her level. "Lucifer, he—"
A rush of air from behind blew her hair into her face, and without even looking, she knew immediately who it was.
"Is sorry he's late," the Devil continued, and she was already spinning on her heel and running towards him before he even finished speaking. As usual, he hardly moved when she made impact, the only sign that he felt anything at all a quiet 'oof' escaping his lips.
"I knew you'd come home," she whispered, and for a moment, she felt his hand tentatively rest on her shoulder, the rough uneven surface coarse against the side of her neck. But she didn't care. It was Lucifer, and he'd come back for them.
There was a noise, and then Mom was there, one arm around Trixie, the other around Lucifer as she pressed her forehead against his. Neither of them spoke, but Lucifer's wings came to wrap around them both, cocooning them in warmth, in their own private little world.
It wasn't long until a voice broke through that peace though. "Urgh," Maze said, "get a room, would you?"
All three of them looked at her at the same time, promptly followed by them starting to talk over one other. "Sounds like a plan," Lucifer started, his wings withdrawing, "you look after the child, Mazikeen, and I'll—"
"Seriously, Maze? That's hardly appropriate, and can't you see we're having a mo—" her mom continued, freeing herself from Lucifer enough as she could scowl at her.
"Just for a hug?" Trixie asked, confused as to why anyone would need to 'get a room' for that. They were already in a room. Did she mean they should go into another room? But Maze hugged her all the time, and they never went into a different room to do it.
She saw that both Lucifer and Maze were opening their mouths to answer, but Mom held up a finger before they could say anything. "No. Just no."
Maze slipped down from the barstool she was perched on, wincing slightly when her feet hit the floor. "Are you quite alright, Mazikeen?" Lucifer asked, his head turning slightly to the side in order to ask the question in Maze's direction, but unable to tear his eyes away from Mom for a second.
"Oh yeah, I'm fine," Maze said, sickly sweet. "You know, other than…"
This time, when she slipped into a deluge of Lilim, Trixie understood almost every word, a wide smile growing on her face at the verbal battering Lucifer was receiving for leaving Maze behind.
When she finished, Trixie felt Lucifer bristle, but Mom beat him to the punch when it came to responding. "What the hell was that?" she asked, looking between the pair.
Excited to show her off language skills in front of Lucifer, and completely forgetting for a moment that Mom wasn't supposed to know she spoke Lilim, Trixie sprang into action. "Oh! She—"
"Was just welcoming me back, darling," Lucifer said hastily, his eyes widening a little as he gave the tiniest shake of his head at her while Mom's back was turned.
Trixie rolled her eyes in response. It wasn't a lie, although it couldn't exactly be considered a warm welcome either. Perhaps it was for the best though, Mom not knowing. The last thing she needed was for her to start up some kind of Lilim swear jar.
Mom narrowed her eyes suspiciously, but despite that, she remained locked in Lucifer's embrace. The way Lucifer looked at her… it didn't matter how monstrous he appeared, this was a monster who loved her mom more than anything. Who would do anything to save her, including going back to a place that he hated.
Amenadiel came closer, placing a hand on Lucifer's shoulder. "Brother," he said, "I shall return to Hell for a while, and guard the gates. You should enjoy this moment."
While it lasts, Trixie thought. Amenadiel didn't say it, but the implication was clear. Lucifer wasn't staying. His brother knew it, and Lucifer knew it too. Even Maze and Mom had warned her. But she didn't want him to go. He didn't deserve to be down there, all alone.
"I'll come with," Maze chimed in, sweeping up her knives from the counter and using her functioning arm to sheath them one by one.
Mom shook her head a little, blinking rapidly. Trixie could see that her eyes were still wet. "Your arm, Maze. You can't go to Hell like that."
"What, this?" Maze said, shaking the dangling limb. "Easy fix. What did you think the vodka was for?"
Before anyone could stop her, she pulled the arm straight out in front of her and yanked. A sickening crunch filled the room, followed by a pop. Mom looked slightly sick, but all Trixie could do was grin at the way Maze didn't even flinch. She was so awesome.
But… if she didn't want Lucifer to go to Hell, then she didn't want her best friend to go even more. What if she decided she liked being home and didn't want to come back again? Maze must have noticed the look on her face however, because she beckoned Trixie over with a jerk of her head. Trixie jumped up onto the stool Maze had just vacated, already preparing to put on the biggest puppy dog eyes she could, and beg her to stay.
The demon was wise to her tricks though, much more so than Mom, Dad, and especially Lucifer, ever were. "I gotta go, Trix," she said, placing her hand on Trixie's shoulder and squeezing. "Someone's gotta make sure Michael's punished for what he did to you and your mom. Can't risk leaving it to the amateurs." Maze eyeballed Lucifer, who took more than a few moments to realise what she was getting at. He raised an eyebrow, or what Trixie imagined would have been an eyebrow, if he had any in this state.
"I think you'll find, Mazikeen, that I am perfectly capable of—"
"Did you find out what Michael's plan actually was?" Maze asked, butting in without a care. When Lucifer didn't answer, she carried on. "Did either of you even ask? Because I doubt he was here just to take a walk about in your Louboutins." The brothers looked at each other, shifting awkwardly, and Maze snorted. "See? Amateurs."
"I would have gotten around to it," Lucifer grumbled, and Mom patted his wing comfortingly.
"It's settled then. I'll take a little vacation back home, and spend some quality time with your brother while I'm there. You stay here and… snuggle, or whatever lame thing it is that you're planning on doing."
Lucifer eyed her with thinly veiled concern. "You'll need to watch out for him, Maze. He's a tricky ba"—Mom elbowed him in the side—"aaad man, when he wants to be. Which is pretty much always."
"I'll keep an eye on her," Amenadiel promised, "And the gates as well."
"Gate," Lucifer corrected. "Just the north gate, brother. The rest are… taken care of." He looked at Amenadiel in a way that Trixie didn't quite understand, and at first, the angel looked much the same. Then his expression changed to one of dawning realisation. "Luci, that's…"
"I know," Lucifer said, glancing down at Mom. "But I'll explain more later. Nothing is certain, not yet."
Amenadiel nodded solemnly, turning to Maze and opening his arms. She huffed dramatically, as if the whole trip were nothing but an inconvenience, then gave Trixie a quick hug before walking over to him, her limp noticeably better already. He rolled his shoulders, those massive grey wings of his emerging from his back. One day she was going to have to ask Lucifer how exactly they fit in there.
If she ever got the chance to, that is.
Just as Amenadiel was about to scoop Maze up though, he stopped. "And Luci?" he said, making the Devil groan frustratedly, forced to divert his attention away from Mom yet again.
"What is it, brother?" he snapped, but as Mom stroked his wing, he seemed to soften, relaxing into her touch.
"I'm sorry. For not realising it wasn't you. I should have."
"Yes, you're bloody well right, you should have. All these millennia you've known me, Amenadiel..." Lucifer shook his head in disgust, his wings twitching a little.
"...and you thought I would wear a turtleneck? With a suit jacket? What kind of heathen do you take me for?"
Trixie giggled, thinking of the fashion section in her case file. Amenadiel though, he just shook his head, giving Lucifer a fond smile as he chuckled softly. "I'll see you soon, brother. Chloe. Trixie."
One blink later, and he and Maze had vanished, leaving just the three of them alone.
There were just a few seconds of silence, before Mom looked up at Lucifer with a wry smile. "I'm not an idiot, you know," she said, swatting him on the chest lightly, too much affection in her voice for her to actually be telling him off. "I do know Maze wasn't 'welcoming you back'."
Lucifer used the hand that wasn't currently holding Mom to rub his chest dramatically. "She was," he insisted, acting offended. "It was just…" he shrugged, the movement echoed in his wings, "a demonic welcome. Threats of violence, promises of vengeance… all pretty standard stuff, really."
Mom laughed, and in that moment, she looked truly, completely happy. "Besides," Lucifer continued, "I am well aware, Detective, that while you are many things to me, an idiot could never be one of them." He lifted a clawed finger, moving to tuck a loose strand of hair back behind Mom's ear. When he saw his hand though, he froze. "My apologies, I forgot—I… I'm so used to being like this... Here, let me—"
"Lucifer," her mom whispered, bringing her hands up to cup his face. "I don't care."
And with that, she kissed him.
Trixie wanted to turn her eyes away, she really did. But there was something about seeing her mom kiss the Devil that was just… she couldn't explain it. From the shock on his face, to the way he melted around her just moments later, his wings folding inwards to envelope Mom completely, tugging her even harder against him. And then, to her amazement, his scars started to disappear, the reddened skin fading to pale white. His wings retracted, leaving him bare chested and breathless, until it was just Lucifer and Mom standing there, smiling dopily at each other.
She knew then, why she couldn't look away. It was like watching Beauty and the Beast come to life, only without all the fireworks and the floating. Although Lucifer probably could float if he wanted to, she mused. The cool thing was, if this was like a Disney movie, that made Mom a princess, didn't it? Although… Lucifer always said he was the King of Hell, so, did that make Michael right? Was Mom Lucifer's queen now?
And if she was… did that make her a princess?!
"Chloe…" She heard Lucifer breathe softly, and this seemed like the perfect time to remind them that she was, in fact, still in the room. Hopping down from her stool, she deliberately kicked it backwards after she landed, sending it scraping across the floor. Both adults jumped at the sudden sound, and Mom flushed, suddenly looking very guilty.
"Monkey!" she said, with a nervous looking smile. "Would you mind, um, getting Lucifer something to wear, please? Her fingers trailed absentmindedly down the bare skin of Lucifer's chest as she spoke. Lucifer smirked, covering Mom's hand with his own and stopping her before she reached his stomach. Mom gazed up at him, the blush on her face growing even more.
With a roll of her eyes, Trixie headed towards the stairs, but not before stopping in front of Lucifer and examining him for a moment. He straightened, unable to stop himself preening, no matter the situation. "Dad has more muscles," she declared with a shrug, before taking off upstairs at pace, laughing to herself as Lucifer spluttered.
Knowing exactly what her mom wanted her to get, she ducked into the master room and grabbed it from her nightwear draw. She journeyed back downstairs with caution though, not wanting to walk in on them kissing again. But instead, as she drew nearer, all she could hear was them bickering.
She should have known, really.
"...And you never thought, not even once, to mention the fact you have an identical twin brother?"
"It didn't seem like pertinent information, Detective. Besides, the opportunity never really arose."
"The opportunity never—Lucifer, we had a case that involved identical twins. You make every single case about you. How on earth could it not come up?"
Trixie winced, taking the rest of the stairs slowly. Mom and Lucifer had moved into the living room now, one of the few places in the apartment untouched by the fighting. Mom was pacing in front of the fireplace in that way she did when she was trying not to get too upset, while Lucifer sat back on the sofa, watching her intently.
Worriedly, she cast a glance towards the kitchen. This was turning out to be more like Tangled than Beauty and the Beast. Perhaps she should hide the frying pans?
"I don't particularly enjoy talking about my brother, Detective."
"Well—"
Mom saw Trixie approach and stopped in her tracks, giving her a grateful smile when she saw the clothing clutched in her hands. Trixie didn't hand it over though, not yet. "Mom, maybe it's like Sarah," she said, seeing Lucifer's brow rise in interest.
Sarah was her best friend once, back when she was seven. When the bullying started at school, the girls that were picking on her told her friend to push her over, or they'd hurt her, too. She did. Trixie understood why, but it was something she never really got over, and she refused to talk about her again after that. This was the first time she'd said her name in years.
She saw a spark of understanding in her mom's eyes. "Perhaps, you're right, sweetheart," she replied, giving her a sympathetic smile.
"Who is this Sarah?" Lucifer asked, sitting up a little straighter, eternally curious. And nosey.
"It doesn't matter," Mom said, coming to sit down beside him, angling her body towards his and taking his hands in hers. "Lucifer, I am so sorry for Michael. I knew something was wrong… but I was just so happy to have you back. I kept forcing myself to ignore the signs, and I shouldn't have."
Trixie flopped down onto the other sofa, watching as Lucifer removed one of his hands to cup Mom's face. "You have nothing to apologise for, Detective. As I said, Michael is tricky. Who knows how long he has been watching us for, preparing for this. And besides, I imagine in your position, I would have done much the same." He paused, swallowing heavily. "I missed you."
Mom's hands twitched, as though she longed to pull him into her arms. But she held off, asking, "Michael said it had been thousands of years for you. Is that true?"
Lucifer gave the smallest of nods, his eyes suddenly glistening. It was then that Mom gave in, pulling him forward and throwing herself around him. For a second, Trixie wondered if she should join in—after all, she'd missed him too—but it felt like this moment was something that should just be between the two of them.
"I missed you too," Mom said, her voice cracking, sounding as if she was on the edge of tears again. For his part, Lucifer had hidden his face away into the side of her neck. Mom looked at Trixie, beckoning her over. "We both did."
Trixie rose from the sofa, but didn't join in with the hug itself, feeling a little out of place. Instead, she thrust out her hand, presenting the now quite crumpled shirt to Lucifer. "I bought you this," she announced loudly, waiting for him to take it. When he lifted his head, his eyes were rimmed with red.
"Thank you, urchin," he said shakily, trying to hide a sniffle. He focused his attention on Mom again. "Although I'm amazed you have clothing on hand to fit me. Maze hardly seems to be the type to have kept mementos of overnight guests." He chuckled, a chuckle that was cut off abruptly as his face tensed, his jaw twitching as his amusement became replaced with resembling dread.
Mom noticed it too. "It's not Michael's," she reassured him. "I know what he said, but we didn't have any"—her eyes flickered to Trixie—"sleepovers." Lucifer opened his mouth, but Mom got there first, cutting him off. "And before you say anything, it's not Pierce's, either."
"The Douche's then?" he asked, his lip curling. "Well, I'm not entirely sure I'll ever get over having to wear off the rack, but needs must, I suppose…" He finally took the shirt, his eyebrows narrowing as he touched the material. "My, my," he said, slipping it on. "Apparently I need to upgrade my opinion of Daniel's sense of style. The thread count in this is more than acceptable." He ran his fingers down the lapel of the shirt, before beginning to do it up. "In fact…"
The shirt fell open again as he stopped fumbling with the buttons. "Detective," he said, his head rising sharply from his task, "is this my shirt?"
Mom nodded shyly, and Trixie leapt into action. "She wears one every night to go to sleep!" she informed him excitedly. "You should see how many she has in her drawer upstairs."
"Trixie..." her mom groaned, burying her head in his hands.
Lucifer smirked at the sight. "Does she now?" he said, seeming absolutely delighted with the idea. "I'd very much like to see that, spawn. Your mother has yet to let me anywhere near her bedroom, you know."
"Emphasis on the let," Mom grumbled between her fingers. "Don't think I never noticed the state my drawers were left in every time you watched Trixie."
"Well if you actually hid something exciting in there for me to find, I wouldn't have to keep searching, would I?" he fired back, an excellent piece of logic if ever she'd heard one. After all, it wasn't like she kept searching for Christmas presents after she'd already found them.
He finished buttoning up the shirt, and finally, he looked normal again. It was like this could just be any other day, where he would come to visit, and they would play games, or watch TV, or make dinner together. But it wasn't, was it? Because he was going to leave them again.
"How long until you go back?" she asked quietly, feeling guilty when she saw her mom flinch.
Lucifer placed his hand in hers again, and then turned to Trixie. As always, he answered her honestly. "Not long. My brother isn't capable of running things down there for any length of time, nor do I expect him to. He has… responsibilities now." She knew he was thinking of Charlie. But weren't they his responsibilities too? Hadn't today shown that he needed to be here, to protect them?
Either he read her mind, or something must have shown on her face. He reached out with his free hand, and she felt him take her smaller one within his own, squeezing softly. "You and your mother… you don't need me here." Mom started to object, but he shook his head, smiling. "You don't. My brave Detective," he said, raising her hand to his lips and pressing a kiss against her fingers, "you are just as strong as you ever were, even before I had the honour of being by your side."
He turned back to Trixie next, and for a moment she wondered if he might kiss her fingers too. Which… that was kind of yuck. But... maybe, now that she was practically a princess, that would happen all the time? If so, she supposed she better get used to it. Much to her disappointment-slash-relief though, he didn't, merely jostling her arm a little bit. "And you," he said, something a little like pride sparkling in his eyes, "little demon, you have proven yourself more than capable of looking after your mother. After all, it appears you were the one to rumble my tosser of a brother, correct?"
She felt her other hand being taken by her mom, who also looked at her proudly. "Yes, she did. Do you want to show Lucifer your case file, Monkey? It's in the"—Mom glanced to the other corner of the apartment, her face falling—"...kitchen." The bright red scrapbook that had previously sat upon the breakfast bar was no longer there, lost somewhere in amongst the chaos.
Trixie didn't care though. She nodded, eagerly taking off to the kitchen in search of all her hard work, breaking up the kind of weird hand holding circle thing they had going on. Dimly, she registered in the back on her mind that Mom and Lucifer were still talking.
"I'll arrange for someone to come and fix this mess before I leave, Detective, you have my word."
"You don't need to do that, Lucifer."
"I want to. None of this would have happened if not for me."
"No. No. None of this would have happened if not for Michael. You aren't to blame for this, Lucifer. Nobody is apart from him."
Bingo. It only took a minute or two of searching before she found the file, hidden under the shoe rack where it had fallen during the scuffle. Throwing various pairs of sneakers and boots out of the way, she pulled it out and dusted off the cover, bending the corners back where it had creased. She wanted Lucifer to be impressed with it, and knowing what a neat freak he was…
Finally satisfied, she returned to the living area and stared pointedly at the Devil until he finally got the hint, shuffling over a bit, allowing her to squeeze in between them. She felt his arm stretch over the back on the sofa behind her head though, and a few seconds later, Mom did the same. She tilted her head back as far as she could go, grinning when she saw they were both holding hands.
"Hmm, now this looks interesting," Lucifer said, swiping up the book with his free hand. He ran his finger along the label, pausing when he got to the 'H' in his name. Tapping the book once, he chided, "I'm still not telling you what it stands for, you know."
Trixie giggled, and Mom motioned for him to give the book back. "I want to see too," she said, and after that, Trixie had the file back in her lap before she could blink. Damn, and she thought she was good at getting what she wanted. It looked like Mom could teach her a trick or two. Unless her powers of persuasion only worked on Lucifer, that is…
Something struck her then. "But Mom, you've already looked at it," she pointed out, baffled as to why her mom would want to read it again so soon.
"Well," she replied, letting go of Lucifer's hand for a moment to drop it around Trixie's shoulder, drawing her a little closer, into a kind of half-cuddle. "I have a bit of a confession to make there… I didn't."
Trixie glanced between the two of them, her eyebrows knitted together, noting that Lucifer appeared just as surprised as she felt. "But… you believed me," she said. She knew she did. Why else would she have confronted Michael? Besides, she'd seen Mom with the book in her hand at the time.
"I did," Mom confirmed, "the second I saw the first page. That glimpse was all it took, after that, I didn't need to read any further." At Trixie's clear uncertainty, Mom pulled her legs up underneath her, twisting around so they could both see her clearly as she explained.
"A long time ago," she started, her eyes drifting from Trixie to Lucifer, "somebody gave me the best piece of advice I've ever received. They told me I needed to trust myself. And so I did. I looked at the evidence, and if it didn't add up, I followed my instincts. But… somewhere along the way, and I don't even know why, I stopped. I didn't listen to my gut anymore, I only saw what was in front of me. And sometimes, I saw only what I wanted to see."
She sighed, and Trixie felt the cushion move behind her as Lucifer stretched out his hand once more. Mom took it with a small, grateful smile. "And then I made the worst mistake of my life. A man showed me what he said was proof that someone I loved, the same person who told me to trust myself in the first place, wasn't who I thought he was. And even though I knew, in my heart, that it wasn't true, I believed him."
A tear snaked its way down Mom's cheek, and Trixie had to duck out of the way as Lucifer leaned over to wipe it away. Mom shook her head, her eyes shining. "But because of that, I learned a lesson. Trusting yourself… it also means trusting the people you love. And I love no one more than you, Trixie," she said, dropping an arm around again and pulling her into a proper hug, leaving the book balancing precariously on her lap. "No one."
Lucifer moved closer, and from her position, squashed against her mom's chest, her head leaning back, she saw him snake his arm around Mom's shoulder. For a minute, they stayed that way, the three of them as close as they had ever been.
Eventually though, someone had to say something, so she decided it may as well be her. "Not even Lucifer?" she asked cheekily, angling her head back so she could see his face.
"Welllll," Mom drawled slowly, "he comes a close second, I guess."
She laughed at the way Lucifer pretended to be offended, until he smiled, offering up a quiet, "Quite right, too, Detective."
"The point is, Trixie," her mom continued, gently guiding her attention back with a hand on her cheek, "you believed that Lucifer wasn't Lucifer, and I believe in you. That's why I didn't need to look."
Trixie didn't know what to say. It wasn't until she felt the wetness on her hands that she realised she was crying, but they were tears of happiness, not sadness. It was finally all over, and she'd helped fix it. All except the fact that Lucifer had to go.
"Shall we take a gander then?" Lucifer prompted, another reminder that their time together was running short. She sniffled, and went to wipe her nose with the back of her hand. Lucifer took hold of her arm, stopping her in mid-air, and reached for a pocket square that wasn't even there. His hand hovered over his shirt, his expression lost, but by the time Mom passed her a tissue from the box on the coffee table, it was as though the moment never happened at all.
Trixie wished she could get him a jacket before he left, and a pocket square too. It didn't seem right that he had to go back to Hell without them. Not that it was right that he had to go back there at all.
But that time wasn't now. Right now, they were together, and that was what she focused on as she opened the book, taking them through her discoveries page by page. Lucifer was in his element; mocking Michael's choice of outfit—"I must have been with you the day I bought that suit, Detective, as it appears I became colourblind"—gloating over the fact nobody in Heaven could sing as well as him, never mind his twin, and he remaining completely mystified that she seemed to think there was any difference at all between Michael's art skills and his own.
It was mid-way through a rant about people who couldn't drive stick though that he suddenly stopped talking, looking down at her in alarm. "He… he didn't actually try to drive the Corvette, did he?"
Trixie winced, remembering the phone conversation she had with Patrick when she asked him to check on the car. The expression on Lucifer's face changed to one of horror. "Patrick said he'd get it fixed?" she said, trying to console him. His left hand, the one that wasn't holding Mom's again, twitched against his thigh.
"You want to phone Patrick, don't you?" Mom teased lightly, already digging her phone out of her pocket. Lucifer nodded eagerly, not bothered about her poking fun at him in the slightest.
"I can't leave without making sure everything most precious to me is cared for, Detective," he said, catching the phone as Mom tossed it across, and immediately unlocking it. Trixie hid a giggle behind her hand. It seemed she wasn't the only one who knew her mom's pin code.
He stood abruptly from the sofa, already busy dialing the number for LUX, but when he looked down at them both, he halted, lowering the phone to his side. Hesitantly, he placed a hand on the top of Trixie's head. "Well done, Beatrice," he said, for the second time since he arrived. "Excellent work." And of course, he didn't lie, so she knew that he really meant it, leaving her feeling filled with pride.
And then, he ruined it by patting her on the head like a dog.
Some things never changed.
As he walked away, talking non-stop as he made arrangements for his car, their apartment, and who knows what else, Mom took the case file from her, closing it and running one finger over where Trixie had written her name. "Looks like we have another detective in the family," she said, nudging her with an elbow.
Trixie beamed back at her. "Well, I learned from the best!"
In the background, Lucifer placed a hand over the phone for a second. "She means you, Detective, not the douche!" he called out, before going back to his conversation. His voice still drifted across the room though, loud enough as they could hear him say, "Yes, well, any minute now, actually…"
She looked up at her mom with wide eyes. "It is time to say goodbye already?" she asked, dreading the answer. She wasn't ready. She would never be ready.
Mom nodded. "I think it is, sweetheart. But—"
"It might not be forever."
They both jumped a little, neither having realised that Lucifer had returned, Mom's phone in his hand as he offered it back to her. After she took it, he left his arm extended, before offering one to Trixie as well. Once their hands were secured in his, he guided them from the sofa, out into the garden, or what was left of it, anyway.
Here's where we say goodbye.
"I wasn't going to say anything," he said, appearing anxious. "But, I find myself unable to leave… not without you knowing…"
"What is it, Lucifer?" Mom urged, a hand upon his arm.
"I'm close," he blurted out. "I've been working… trying to find a way to fix things. A way to stop the demons from ever returning to Earth again."
He started talking rapidly then, animatedly explaining about the gates of Hell, and how he'd been finding ways to close them off, one by one. From what he was saying, it had taken him centuries, but now… "There's only one left."
Both she and Mom spoke at the same time. "The North gate."
Lucifer grinned at them both. "Exactly! But"—he grimaced a little, the confidence he had just moments ago dimming—"the North gate is different. It is the way within which all souls enter Hell."
Mom made a sound, but Lucifer carried on talking before she could actually say anything. "And no, I can't just close it completely. Souls couldn't enter Hell, but they wouldn't gain entrance to Heaven, either. It would be chaos. The consequences for Earth could be worse than the demons."
"So what does that mean?" Mom asked, her arms now folded around herself. Trixie moved closer, wrapping her fingers around her wrist, trying to comfort her.
"It means, that I need to find a way to close it to everything but celestials and human souls. And that… is complicated. The North gate is unique, in that it contains elements of Hell, Heaven, and Earth. I cannot find a solution solely in Hell."
"How can there be a part of Heaven in Hell?" Trixie asked, increasing her hold on Mom, hoping to lessen the trembling she could feel running through her. Whether it was from excitement or worry, she couldn't tell.
He chuckled wryly. "The gate was created when I fell," he said, his gaze distant. "My body passed through all the realms, dragging a little piece of each with me. If you look hard enough, you can still see the light of the Silver City through it. The only light to be found in Hell. It's one of the reasons I built my throne so high in the beginning… so I could still see something of what once was my home."
Mom took a step nearer, uncrossing her arms and looping them around his neck. "I'm so sorry," she whispered, holding him tightly. After a moment, his hands came up to rest on her lower back, and he closed his eyes as he leaned into her touch.
"Thank you, darling," he said, "but really, it's been eons. I'm more than over it."
Trixie didn't even need to be able to see her mom's face to know how hard she was rolling her eyes at that.
When they separated, their hands remained entwined. "What now then?" Mom said.
"Now, I return, and I get help where I can. Amenadiel should be able to find what I need in Heaven, and, hopefully, I can strike a deal with Maze for her to cover Earth."
"No deals," Trixie said determinedly. "I'll make sure she does it."
Lucifer smiled, pleased. "I'm sure you will, urchin. I knew I could count on you."
Silence fell, and then he looked at Mom sadly. "Chloe…"
"I know," she said, her voice wavering. "You have to go."
"But I'll be back," he assured her. "Somehow, I promise. I'll never give up fighting to come home to you."
He kissed her then, so long and so intensely that Trixie forced herself to stare hard at the remains of what was once an egg chair in the corner of the patio, idly wondering if there was any way of rescuing metal seemingly twisted beyond repair.
Eventually, they parted, both of them breathless. "I love you," her mom said softly, and that was the point at which Trixie turned back to them. She saw the look of awe on Lucifer's face, and she knew then she had to say something as well, just in case she never got the chance to again.
"Me too!" she exclaimed loudly, thrilled to find that he looked down at her with that same kind of puzzled amazement.
"Me too…?" he repeated, his eyes constantly shifting between her and her mom, disbelief all over his face.
She shrugged. "Of course I love you too, dumbass. We're family, aren't we?"
He looked dumbfounded. "Family," he murmured, rolling the word around in his mouth, as if he were trying it out for size.
"She's right, you know," Mom said, smiling up at him. She waited for him to look at her, his eyes still full of wonder. "You are a dumbass."
He laughed, long and hard, and when he was done, he appeared shocked, as though it were the first time in forever he had done so. Perhaps it was.
"Yes. Well," he said, shaking himself out of it. "The sentiment is… I mean to say…"
Mom smiled even wider. "You don't need to say it, Lucifer. I already know." She glanced at Trixie. "We already know."
He looked a little lost, and they both took pity on him, moving so that they all joined hands once more. With a single roll of his shoulders, Lucifer unfurled his wings, and this time, they were the wings that she remembered, pure white feathers seem to instinctively curl forward around them both, tickling against her back.
"I best be off then," he said, and despite the cheery tone he was trying for, she could hear the regret that coloured each word.
"Soon though," her mom said. It wasn't a question.
"As soon as I possibly can, my darling," he replied. "You have my word."
Mom nodded, satisfied. She looked stronger now, and if Mom could be strong, then so could Trixie. Plastering on a smile, she tried her best to be brave. "See you later then, Lucifer," she said, "and don't take too long, okay?"
She didn't think Mom could take it if he did. Not again.
"I shall do my utmost not to, urchin," he assured her. "And…" he looked down to where their hands were joined. "You're right. I do. Both of you."
He let go, taking a step backwards. "Soon," he nodded.
And then he was gone.
For what felt like an eternity, they both stood there, staring at the empty space he had left behind. Mom's hand trembled against hers, but before she could ask if she was alright, Mom crouched down, pulling her into a hug.
Despite all Lucifer said, she had to ask, had to hear her mom say it as well. "He will come back, won't he, Mom?"
Her mom nodded, even managing to smile a little, despite the tears in her eyes. "He'll be back, Monkey. He promised, didn't he?"
"And Lucifer doesn't break promises."
"Exactly. We just need to be patient, that's all."
"But…" her mind raced, going over everything Lucifer had said. "If part of the solution is here on Earth, can't you find a way to help him? There's got to be something…"
Mom stared at her, until suddenly, her smile grew bigger, the tears that had been threatening to fall replaced by a new light. "You know what? I think maybe you're right. Maybe there is something I can do to help. I just need to find out what, that's all."
Trixie brightened, pleased to have found a way to help both Lucifer and her mom.
"But…" Mom continued, and her heart sank a little. "In order to do that… I'm going to need a partner. Do you know anyone up for the job?"
It took a few seconds, but when she realised what her mom was hinting at, excitement like nothing she'd ever felt flooded through her. "I could do it?" she asked, and when her mom nodded, she practically bounced off the floor.
Mom rose to her feet, offering her hand out for Trixie to take. "Come on then, partner, we've got some investigating to do. You ready?"
She had never been more ready for anything in her life.
Together, they walked back into the apartment, already discussing plans for who to ask for help, where to get information. They would start with Amenadiel, and then...
As Mom continued to brainstorm aloud, Trixie stopped for a moment. Looking at the ground, she concentrated her thoughts below.
"Samael," she prayed, "Don't worry. We're going to bring you home, Lucifer."
"Detective Trixie is on the case."