Chloe closed the door of her apartment behind Lucifer. She hadn't expected him to be here, she hadn't even expected to talk to him this evening. If she was honest to herself, she was totally unprepared for this whole situation.

All the time she had hoped he would come back and that they would talk about everything. But now that this seemed so close to being happening, Chloe suddenly felt nervous about it. All the weird things he did after coming back made her feel uncertain. She wasn't confident about them getting together anymore, and she somehow expected more bad things to happen now. That, or him just leaving her again, breaking her heart even more.

Trixie had already grabbed Lucifer's hand and was leading him toward the living room. Chloe knew how much Lucifer hated being surrounded by kids—and even worse, being touched by kids—but today he seemed a little different. His movements were still awkward around Trixie, but he didn't try to shake her off like usual.

"Mom, can we make burgers?" Trixie asked from the kitchen area.

"Sure, sweetie. I'll make some."

"No, we all make them!" Trixie protested.

Chloe looked with an apologetic look at Lucifer. This was surely not what he wanted to do.

"Well, I'd say let's make some devilish good burgers," Lucifer said with a smirk. Chloe opened her eyes wide in surprise, wondering if she had misheard him. As much as she disliked how his behavior had changed the last few days, this one was actually a good change.

Trixie was cheering and started taking ingredients from the fridge. She loved making burgers and explained Lucifer in detail what he had to do to make them. And to Chloe's surprise, he kept going along with it.

"No, no," Trixie said after a while. "You're doing it wrong. You're putting too much cheese."

"Well, little human, I think there can't be enough cheese."

"No, that's wrong!"

"Fine, you're the boss." Lucifer removed some of the cheese.

Chloe chuckled. It was hard to believe that the devil himself was bossed around by a child. Lucifer looked at Chloe and she put her hands over her mouth, feeling caught at laughing at the scene. She thought Lucifer would be angry, but his look was different. Chloe couldn't comprehend what it was exactly and it made her feel embarrassed. To distract from herself, she took the dishes and went to set the table.

"We're done!" Trixie said after a few minutes with a wide smile. Chloe hadn't seen Trixie this happy in a long time and it warmed up her heart.

During dinner, Trixie told Chloe about her friend Anna and how they went to Aunt Margaret and played with the bunnies. Lucifer was quiet during most parts of the story and only said something when he was asked. Chloe found this weird, usually Lucifer couldn't stay still for long.

After Trixie was done with her story, she suddenly changed the topic. "Lucifer, where have you been in the last months?"

The question seemed to have caught Lucifer off guard. He looked to Chloe, then back to Trixie.

"I had to go… deal with some issues at the place I stayed before I came to LA," he replied with caution.

"Are you staying now?" Trixie asked bluntly.

"Well…" Lucifer was looking for words. "Sometimes things are a bit complicated."

"What does that mean?"

"He means he still has to sort out some things," Chloe said when she saw Lucifer struggling for an answer. "And I think you should go to bed now. It's really late."

"But—"

"No buts. Go get ready for bed, okay?"

Trixie looked like she wanted to protest but then disappeared to the bathroom. Chloe stood up from the table without saying a word and started taking the dishes to the kitchen sink. Lucifer got up as well and helped her. The silence grew uncomfortable for Chloe but neither of them broke it. A few minutes later, Trixie came back.

"I'm ready, Mom. Good night, Lucifer!"

"Good night, little human." Lucifer waved at Trixie.

Chloe brought Trixie to bed, thankful that she didn't have to argue with her daughter about staying up late today. When she came back, Lucifer was sitting on the couch, with a bottle of wine and two glasses on the table. Chloe was worried he'd use the chance to leave, but it seemed like he was up for staying longer.

"Would you like some wine, Detective?" he asked.

"Sure." Chloe sat on the couch next to him. Now that they were alone she felt even more nervous.

Lucifer poured in some wine and they both drank in silence. Chloe wasn't sure if she should talk. Hundreds of thoughts were running through her mind and she didn't know where to even start. It was Lucifer who finally broke the silence.

"About what happened yesterday at the restaurant…" Lucifer hesitated and stared at the glass in his hand for a while before he continued. "That wasn't my plan, Detective."

His… plan? What a weird thing to say.

"So? Then what was the plan?" she asked.

"I just wanted to watch over you."

"Watch over me? Why?"

"I wanted to make that sure nothing happens with you and this… guy."

Chloe looked at him in disbelief. "That nothing happens? So you're allowed to go on a million dates and I'm not? It wasn't even really a date."

"No, I don't mean it like that. I thought that John might be a demon."

"That sounds like a lame excuse, Lucifer."

"It is not. There was actually a demon who left hell." He put the glass back on the table and refilled it with more wine.

"And you couldn't just order them to go back?"

"It was different this time. I had no control over it. And first I had to even find it."

"So the reason you came back from hell was to hunt a demon?"

"Pretty much, yes."

Chloe stared at Lucifer. All the time she had hoped he would come back to see her, to be with her. But apparently that was never his intention. She swallowed hard before she asked him the next question.

"Is this why your behavior was so weird? I still don't understand."

"Well, there were a few things that went wrong…"

"What's with all the dates? All those women you met…" The image of Carrie came up in Chloe's mind and she remembered the terrible night she had because of her.

"They were all people who were new in my or your life or otherwise connected to us. I met them to check if they're a demon or not."

Chloe remembered Lucifer flirting with the new intern and asking her about her deepest desire in the forensics lab. She didn't know how Lucifer was able to tell if someone was a demon or not, but getting closer to them and hearing their hidden desires seemed like a plausible way to find out their true identity.

"Why didn't you just tell me?" Chloe asked.

"I didn't want to worry you. I actually thought it wouldn't take so long."

"And you thought I wouldn't be worried if you do all these weird things?"

Lucifer didn't reply.

"You were avoiding me," Chloe said with tears welling up in her eyes. "You basically threatened me to stay away from you."

"I thought it would be best for you if you didn't come close to me."

"How? How would this be best for me?"

"Well, that's one of the things that went wrong and I realized this after talking to Amenadiel…

I should have just searched for the demon without showing myself to anyone."

"What?"

"It was a mistake to get you involved. I should have done it all by myself."

Chloe thought if she got a chance to talk to Lucifer, she would understand him better. And that they could solve their problems together. But all Lucifer was doing now was pushing her away, telling her that it would have been better if they had never met again. Chloe couldn't take it anymore. Tears were now running down her cheeks and her voice was shaky when she spoke.

"Do you have any idea of how I feel? Or how I felt when you left me at the penthouse six months ago? When you didn't come back? And how it was for me when you finally did come back but pushed me away?"

Chloe took a deep breath and continued speaking.

"You have no idea what you put me through. You can't just tell me something about being your first love and then disappear. With no discussion. You just did whatever you wanted to, without even giving me a chance to say or do something!"

Before Lucifer could say a word, Chloe continued her rant. She was almost yelling now, tears still flowing from her eyes.

"But that's what you always do. Always. You do whatever the hell you want, you make all the decisions yourself, you don't give other people a choice. Oh, I guess that's because you're the devil, right? You have the power to do whatever you want and you just do whatever suits you!"

Chloe stopped when she realized that she had gone too far. She didn't want to be so angry, but she couldn't stop herself anymore. She had bottled up too much pain inside her from the last few months, which was now intensified by Lucifer pushing her away. She had to let it out but regretted it immediately.

She fully expected Lucifer to get up and leave. He had never been good at talking about problems and Chloe could see that the entire conversation made him uncomfortable. But Lucifer stayed on the couch, much to Chloe's surprise.

"That is not true," Lucifer said without specifying what he was referring to.

"Then what is?"

"I told you, I had to go back to keep hell away from earth. I had no choice."

"That's not true! You had the choice to at least discuss it with me properly!"

"And what would have changed? Nothing!" Now it was Lucifer who got louder.

"How do you know before you even try it!"

Lucifer was about to say something, but then decided against it and remained silent. Chloe's tears didn't stop and she almost wanted Lucifer to leave now. It was too much for her. There was no point in telling him her feelings when all that happened was her running against a wall again and again.

After a silence that seemed to go on forever, Lucifer finally spoke with a painful look in his eyes.

"I was scared."

Chloe stopped her sobbing and looked at Lucifer. It was the first time she felt that he was honest about his feelings and not trying to block all her attempts at finding out what was going on in him.

"Of what?" she whispered.

Lucifer looked away, staring at a random point on the floor with his eyes. When he turned back to Chloe his eyes didn't look less painful.

"The danger for Charlie was real. The demons had almost succeeded… I thought I would lose everything. I thought I would lose you, Chloe."

Lucifer saying her name sent a warm sensation through Chloe's body. He usually only called her by her name when he acknowledged his feelings for her. And when he was ready to let her in on his feelings. The wall he had put up before seemed to be crumbling little by little.

"I needed to protect you," Lucifer continued. "I couldn't stand the thought of you dying because of me. And I was also scared—" Lucifer stopped for a few seconds before he continued, "that if I didn't leave immediately I would not be able to find the resolution to go back. That I would choose to stay with you. That I would make you suffer."

Chloe's tears came back, running silently down her cheeks while listening to Lucifer's words. Her anger was gone when she realized that it was not only her that was hurting so much. When she realized how much Lucifer must have been torn between his own feelings of wanting to be with her and wanting to protect her.

"I'm so sorry, Lucifer. I… I…" Chloe's voice failed.

"You're right, it's my fault. I should not have left without talking to you. And I certainly shouldn't have treated you… like this when I came back. I guess being stuck in hell without you for so many years made me feel hopeless and bitter, and I couldn't see what's right and wrong anymore. Not that this is an excuse."

"Years?" Chloe wiped away her tears.

"Time works differently in hell than on earth," Lucifer replied. "It's very inconsistent, but generally time moves much slower in hell."

Chloe was shocked. The six months for her were horrible enough. She couldn't imagine him going through all the pain for several years. Slowly, she moved her hand and placed it on Lucifer's hand. When she looked at him, his face showed a brief smile.

"Please," she said softly, "tell me more about hell."

"Why would you want to hear about that place," Lucifer said. "There's nothing good about it."

"But it's a part of you. And I want to understand you better."

Lucifer just stared at her and Chloe began to think that she overstepped some boundaries. She was about to apologize for it when Lucifer continued to speak.

"Hell is… a dark place. A huge stone desert, with millions of canyons between millions of stone structures. And inside these structures are the rooms. Every person who goes to hell gets their own room and inside of it is their personal hell loop. Where they are punished for all eternity. By themselves… or by demons… or by me."

Chloe swallowed, unable to say anything. She had seen Lucifer's devil face several times. She had seen him entirely turning into a devil creature including the monstrous devil wings. She had seen how people freaked out after seeing Lucifer's devil face, turning into lunatics, trying to kill themselves to end their misery. She knew there was a dark side about Lucifer.

But still, she couldn't imagine Lucifer being in such a place. He surely had a lot of flaws but he was not evil, not to Chloe. What she saw was a man who tried his best to be a decent person despite all the flaws.

"In the midst of all the stones," Lucifer continued, "there is a special structure towering up high above everything. This is my throne. From here I watch over hell. Sometimes I go down to check how things are going in the rooms. Or I just walk around in the darkness. In the cold depths of hell. Alone."

"You're not alone." Chloe squeezed Lucifer's hand softly. "Not anymore."

Lucifer looked at her, his eyes filled with a strange burning. It took Chloe a few seconds to realize that it was tears.

"I need to go back," he said. "I need to protect you."

Chloe's head started spinning when she heard his words. She didn't want him to leave. She had missed him so much. All these months she had wished nothing more than him coming back. It was true, you didn't know what you had until you lost it. And she definitely didn't want to lose him again.

"You don't have to go back," she whispered. "There has to be a different way."

"The demons need a king to keep them in check. Only an angel can be the king. And no other angel would voluntarily set a foot into that place if they can avoid it."

"I don't think this has to be the only way."

"I didn't find any other in the last years."

"That's because you were trying to solve this problem alone. Let others help you."

Lucifer pulled his hand from under Chloe's and she thought he would get up and leave. But he remained sitting on the couch, burying his face in his hands. Chloe watched him for a while, waiting for a response, but he didn't reply.

"Lucifer," Chloe said, "I know this is hard and scary. It is also for me. I have no idea about the dangers of hell. Maybe I'm too naive. But I… I don't want to see you gone again. I don't want to imagine you being in this place, suffering because of me."

Lucifer didn't react, his face still buried in his hands. Chloe reached out her hand and touched his shoulder.

"Let us find a way. Together."

Lucifer slowly moved his head until he faced Chloe. A tear was rolling down his cheek. Chloe had never seen him so sad, so vulnerable, and it hurt her seeing him like this. She wanted him to be happy.

At this point, Chloe couldn't hold herself back anymore and moved closer to Lucifer. Before he had a chance to react, Chloe reached out her arms and embraced him. She could feel Lucifer tensing up in her embrace and wondered once again if she had gone too far. But after a few seconds he seemed to relax and then she could feel his arms on her back.

Neither of them said a word. They were sitting there in silence, embracing each other, and it was for Chloe as if time had stopped. There was nothing else in the world anymore. It was only her and Lucifer.

Chloe didn't dare move and break this moment. She was scared that once she let go of Lucifer, he would leave her like he did last time. She couldn't let that happen again. It would break her. And she knew it would also break him. This time she would fight for him, fight for them to be together. She hugged him tightly, trying to show him her intentions through the embrace.

Her determination not to move broke when she felt a cramp in her arm. She slowly sat back straight and massaged her arm to release the pain. To her relief, Lucifer didn't use the chance to get away and kept sitting next to her. The look in his eyes seemed even sadder now and Chloe could see more tears.

She lifted her hand and softly touched Lucifer's face with her fingertips. When he didn't move away she let her fingers run over his cheeks, wiping away the tears.

"I'm here for you," she said softly. "And I'll always be here for you."

Lucifer tried to smile but it looked more painful than happy. At least he didn't object, didn't push her away. Chloe wasn't sure how she would have handled this now.

But Lucifer continued to sit with her, and it made Chloe feel more confident. Her hands were exploring more of Lucifer's face now, gently going over his cheeks and chin. His stubble felt surprisingly soft under her hands. She had touched it before but always for a short time only so that she couldn't remember the feel of it anymore.

When Chloe felt Lucifer's warm breath on her face she realized that she had moved even closer to him. His lips were partly open and Chloe wasn't sure if he was inviting her to go further or if it was an unintentional gesture. She closed the remaining distance between them and her lips brushed his, softly, testing his reaction.

First there was no reaction and Chloe was about to pull back, too scared to mess things up between them. But then she could feel Lucifer kissing her back, gently, almost hesitating. The sweet sensation of the kiss filled Chloe, making her forget about all the bad things for a moment. This was it. This was what she wanted and had longed for so much the last few months. When their lips parted, Chloe could still feel the sweet taste on hers, making her unable to think clearly for a short moment.

"I swear, if my phone rings this time, I'm gonna shoot it," she said jokingly to break the awkward moment.

Lucifer chuckled. "I would actually love to see you doing that."

Chloe was glad when she saw that Lucifer seemed to feel a bit better. He was smiling now and the pain seemed to have gone from his eyes. Chloe smiled back at him, drawn to his dark, beautiful eyes.

His eyes.

Suddenly, the scene in the observation room appeared in Chloe's mind and a shiver ran down her spine. She took her hands off Lucifer and put some distance between them.

"Lucifer?"

"Yes?"

"Why did you threaten me with your devil eyes in the observation room?"

Lucifer sighed. "This wasn't my intention at all. I didn't even realize it until I saw the scared look on your face."

"Then why did it happen?"

"I'm not sure. Normally I can control my powers very well. But back then… I was confused and too scared of you coming closer. I couldn't think clearly anymore and I guess that extended to letting my powers show."

Chloe was relieved when she heard the explanation. She didn't want to believe that he intentionally tried to scare her, and even worse, used his devil powers for this.

"Can you show me your eyes again?" she asked. There was something she had to know.

"What?"

"I want to see them again. Please?"

"Why would you want to see something like that?"

"Because they're a part of you. And I want to see all of you. Please?" she asked again.

Lucifer shifted around on the couch and Chloe could see that her request made him feel nervous. But he didn't object to her wish. A few seconds went by and then Chloe could see his eyes slowly changing colors.

Devil eyes. They were mesmerizing to the point where Chloe thought she'd lose control if she kept looking into them. A burning red of an intensity that was impossible to compare to anything she knew in this world, holding onto her, trying to drag her down, deep, deep, into the lowest depths of a horrifying nightmare with no escape.

Her heart was beating fast and Chloe tried to breathe slowly to calm herself down. She could not deny it. Seeing this part of Lucifer still evoked fearful feelings in her, no matter how much she tried to tell herself that she was fine with it. But knowing about it and actually seeing it were two different things. There was something inherently evil in these eyes that made people go insane when looking into them.

But Chloe refused to give up so easily. She kept looking straight into Lucifer's eyes, trying not to avert her gaze. Her hand was shaking a little when she slowly reached out to Lucifer's face. As before, she started caressing his face, carefully, while not breaking eye contact. After a while she realized there he was not different than before. No matter how terrifying the eyes were, he was still the same. And he was all that she wanted.

Her hands wandered to the side of his head and touched his hair. It was a little messed up and Chloe wondered if it was like this in the afternoon. She couldn't remember, but truthfully, she hadn't paid much attention to him back then, still being upset at what happened the night before. All of this seemed so unimportant now. Everything that mattered was that they were finally here, together.

Chloe ran her hands through his hair until they were at the back of his head, then she pulled him close for another kiss. Lucifer seemed to be surprised for a moment but then he wrapped her arms around her and kissed her back, carefully at first, but soon with more intensity. Chloe felt like her heart was exploding when he pressed her closer to him and deepened the kiss. All the longing for him turned into a burning desire and she let herself fall into this feeling, fully embracing this moment.

She didn't care if this was hellfire taking over her. She didn't care if giving in to the devil meant becoming a sinner. None of this mattered at this point anymore. She had made her decision and she would not turn back.

After a seemingly endless moment, Chloe gasped for air, breathing heavily. This kiss was different from the kiss before, different from all the other kisses they shared before. It was hot and passionate, and Chloe was still trembling from the feeling of their mouths being together. Lucifer's eyes were on her, still red, burning like a fire. They seemed even more intense now, but maybe this was Chloe's imagination after the kiss they just had.

"Mom?"

Chloe turned to where the little voice was coming from and saw Trixie standing close to the couch. Her pulse went up when she realized the situation. Did Trixie see Lucifer's devil eyes? Chloe knew she had to tell Trixie about Lucifer's true nature but she preferred to pick the time herself. She shot a short glance at Lucifer and saw that his eyes were back to normal, but that didn't mean that Trixie didn't see them before.

"What is it sweetie?" she asked, trying to make her voice sound normal. "Why are you not in bed?"

"I heard you two yelling and then it was so quiet… And I was worried and couldn't sleep anymore."

Chloe's heart warmed up when she heard her daughter's words. Trixie was a girl who cared very much for the people around her and it made Chloe feel blessed and proud. She also knew that her daughter loved Lucifer a lot despite him being weird to her all the time.

"I'm sorry, Trix," Chloe said. "But everything is fine."

"Really?" Trixie's face brightened up.

"Yes. So let me bring you back to bed."

"Can I stay with you for a bit?" Trixie asked and added quickly, "I don't think I can sleep now. "

Chloe looked at Lucifer and was surprised when he nodded.

"Yay!" Trixie ran around the couch and let herself fall into the small gap between Chloe and Lucifer.

Chloe was relieved because that had to mean that Trixie didn't see Lucifer's devil eyes. Otherwise she surely wouldn't come so close and act so carefree right next to him.

"Lucifer, can you tell me a goodnight story?" Trixie asked bluntly.

Chloe held her breath. She was only waiting for Lucifer to start complaining. But he was oddly tame tonight and didn't object to Trixie's request.

"A goodnight story? Hmm, let me think about one…" Lucifer made it look like he was thinking hard about a good story before he continued. "Once upon a time there was a little princess in a big castle…"

It was not only Trixie but also Chloe who listened to the story with fascination. Lucifer was extremely good at telling stories—and Chloe had the feeling that the story he told them was not something he had made up but was a real event he had witnessed himself a long time ago, which made it feel like they were experiencing it themselves.

Chloe closed her eyes and focused on Lucifer's voice. It was beautiful and captivating and it felt like it was taking her into another world, a world full of princesses and royal secrets.

If only it could always be like this. A happy life without all these weird celestial problems, just her, Trixie, and Lucifer having a good time together. They could have more game nights, or watch movies, or go to the beach together, or…

The last thing Chloe remembered before she fell asleep was Lucifer talking about green jewels that were glowing in the sun, something that followed her into her sleep, and gave her good dreams for once.

When Chloe woke up it took her some time to realize where she was. Trixie was sleeping next to her on the couch, both of them covered with a blanket. A bottle of wine was standing on the table in front of her, together with two glasses. Two. That's right. She wasn't drinking alone this time, Lucifer was with her. Lucifer was… where the hell was Lucifer now?

Chloe jumped up from the couch in panic, forgetting that Trixie was still next to her.

"Mom? What is it?" Trixie asked, still half asleep.

"I'm sorry, sweetie, I didn't mean to wake you up. Try to sleep more, okay?" Chloe made sure that the blanket covered Trixie before she started going through her apartment.

"Lucifer?" she asked a few times in every room. There was no reply. Lucifer was not in the apartment anymore.

Panic crawled up in Chloe. He was gone again without telling her. This had to be a cruel joke. Especially after the moment they shared last night. Chloe swallowed hard and tried not to let the tears come to her eyes.

"Mom? Here's a message from Lucifer."

"What?" Chloe ran back to the living room where Trixie was holding a small piece of paper in her hand. She took the paper with trembling fingers and read the few words that were written in elegant handwriting.

I need to do something. I will call you later. Lucifer.

Chloe fell on the couch and closed her eyes. He was not gone without telling her. He did not leave her again. Chloe could feel the relief in her. Then her thoughts went back to what happened last night and she smiled. For the first time in a long time she felt like her life finally started getting better again.