Chapter 2
Lucifer left Linda's office, glad she was able to guide him towards what he needed to do to get back on Chloe's good side, but also frustrated because she only gave him part of the solution. He didn't get why she just couldn't tell him what to do straight away - something about the journey being more important than the destination. But who knows, maybe one day he'll get why. Now that the good doctor had pointed the right direction to him, all he needed to do was to find how to get there. He decided to get back to his penthouse to cover his different options. Besides, there was no point in talking to Chloe when she was like this anyway. Anything he would say or do would be misinterpreted and would only result in a wave of stronger, undeserved anger towards him.
The first thing he does as he enters his living-room is to shed his jacket on the nearby chair and reach for a glass. He pours himself a thumb of malt delight, more out of habit and because he liked the taste of it, before he settles down on his couch, legs spread in front of him, fingers crossed on his chest. He peruses his options but soon realises none of them would work on the Detective. They were either illegals or too open-minded for her taste. However, he needed to find a way to make her understand that no matter what - or rather who - happened, their situation wouldn't be impacted, even if they went beyond their platonic "whatever-they-had" relationship.
Out of boredom, he decides to turn on the TV. As his latest sixty-five inches flat screen comes out of the wall, the opening credits from Judge Judy appear on the 4K screen. Lucifer smiles, almost imperceptibly. He'd never admit to anyone, but he liked this show. It was very distracting for him to see someone else punish people. And despite the reality show impression, this Judy was spot on when it came to punishment. The next case that came up was a young couple who decided to call upon Judge Judy, because the man cheated on his girlfriend with another woman, insisting that the extra relation he had was purely physical and had nothing to do with his feelings for his girlfriend. The girlfriend, in return, decided to fill his car with garbage. As soon as Lucifer saw the case recap, his attention was solely focused on his screen.
First, the woman explained how she felt betrayed that he had slept with someone else, and why she decided to flood his car with garbage as an answer to his action. And the audience looked like they were rooting for her. But then, the boyfriend explained why and how the night happened. He decides to get with that woman because his girlfriend left after a fight. He hadn't planned it, but it still happened. He also said he didn't get why she was mad at him. For him, it was only a night, and purely physical. To him, this night didn't impact how he felt for her, or their current relationship. And after he slept with his one-night stand, he offered his girlfriend to even things out by sleeping with another guy. This way, they would both have gone out of their fidelity vows and would start anew.
As soon as Lucifer hears the man's reasoning, the solution to get his relationship with Chloe to what it was before clicks and he turns off the TV, without waiting for Judy's reply or punishment for these two.
"Thanks, Judy!" He says. "If you ever end up in Hell, I have just the right job for you." He finishes, as he grabs his jacket and heads for his car.
LAPD PRECINCT - ABOUT HALF AN HOUR LATER
He gets to the precinct in no time and checks - more out of habit than anything - Chloe's desk. When he doesn't see her, he walks towards Dan.
"Ah! Detective Douc…, I mean Daniel, just the man I was looking for."
"Whatever you're offering Lucifer, I'm not interested. I don't need it, nor do I want it."
"Oh Daniel, there's so much you need that I could offer you." He replies, his voice drops a bit. "But that's not why I'm here, sort of. Or at least I won't be doing the offering."
"Then why are you here then?"
"I'm here to help you sleep with your ex." He answers.
Dan looks at him, confused. "So you're here to help get back with Chloe?" He rephrases, not sure he heard correctly.
"What?" Lucifer answers. "No! Didn't you hear what I said?" Dan still looks puzzled. "I'm not here to help get back with the Detective, I'm simply here to help you have sex with her again." Dan still doesn't get it.
Lucifer huffs. "How can I put this so your limited intellect can understand what I expect of you." He asks himself. "The other day, the Detective came over to Lux to have a nice evening and after a few moments, we headed for my penthouse to… you know." He starts. "But then the lovely lady from the crime scene we visited a bit before decided to make an appearance, with a lousy timing, if I might add. She interrupted us and the Detective left." Before Dan can get any words out, Lucifer goes on with his monologue. "She came back to get her purse and caught me at my best with my guest, and left. And now she's angry at me." Dan snickers. "I talked to Doctor Linda about the ordeal and she strongly suggested the Detective was jealous that I slept with the other woman." He takes a sip from his flask. "So I need the Detective to know that her jealousy is clearly misplaced and that no matter what happens between us, this won't change our current situation."
"So you want me to sleep with Chloe to alleviate your guilty conscience for cheating on her with another woman?"
"No!" He replies, the idea of feeling guilty over such a small thing as sex preposterous to him. "Didn't you listen to a single word I just said?" He adds. "I need the Detective to sleep with you to even the score so she can then sleep with me." He continues, proud of his plan. "And since I know she isn't the kind of woman to go for a one-night stand, I figured you would be the perfect fit for the job." He smiles. "She knows you and you still want her, I can feel it miles away by the way you look at her, and you have a child together, so you know how it works." He finishes, proud of his flawless plan.
Dan laughs nervously, pissed at Lucifer, both because of his spot-on guess about how he felt for Chloe, and his ill-conceived plan. "You messed up big time, pal! Fix your own damn mess for once." He says. "And you know what else, asshole?" Lucifer lets the insult slide for now. "Fuck you!"
Before Lucifer can give him a piece of his mind, Chloe appears behind him. "Lucifer? What are you doing here? I thought I told you to stay home for now."
"Detective!" He replies, smiling. "I was just chatting with your ex here, and you'll never guess…"
"Guys!" Comes the cheery voice of the brunette forensic scientist, probably stopping Lucifer from making a big mistake. "Cool! You're all here." She continues, oblivious to what was about to unfold. "I got news on our victim. You need to come check it out." She finishes, as she heads for her lab, followed by the three of them.
Once they're all inside the lab, Ella turns on the TV and shows them what she found.
"Our victim has a UV Stamp on the inside of her left wrist. It's a partial, but that's pretty much all we got for now. I've searched virtually all clubs in the wide LA area, but none of them match, not even partially, the print I have."
Lucifer takes a closer look at the picture and smiles. "This stamp is the one for "Dante's Inferno".
"Dante's Inferno?" Elle replies as she takes a new look at her long list. "I don't have it here."
"Miss Lopez, I'm disappointed in you, I thought you of all people would know that the best clubs are the ones hidden from the commoners' eye." He jokes. "This club isn't your average club." He pauses, trying to describe as best as he can. "See it as a pop-up Lux." They look at him, puzzled. "This is the latest trend these days, create the need, make it exclusive and you'll be sure to be packed each time."
"Like a pop-up store," Ella says, finally understanding his analogy.
"Or a pop-up Lux." He repeats. "Dante's Inferno opens once a week, each time in a different place, preferably somewhere it shouldn't be. Invites are sent the day before in a text." He grins.
Chloe rolls her eyes. "What is it, Lucifer?"
"The club opens tonight, and I have an invite for two." He smiles. "Aren't you glad I decided to come over now, Detective?" He finishes, his grin even wider.
"Awesome!" Ella says before Chloe can reply to him. "You and Chloe should totally go and check it out."
"Ella…" Chloe starts.
"I agree with Miss Lopez."
"Or I could go with Dan." Chloe adds.
Lucifer huffs and Dan nods. "Chloe, it's the only lead we have, and no offence Dan, but Lucifer would be more suited for this."
"I do NOT look like a cop!" Dan replies.
"Oh, but you do, Douche." Lucifer counters.
"Like I said," Ella interjects. "this is the only lead so far, and the invite is in Lucifer's name, and they probably know who he is. It might be a bit risky. Beside a pop-up club… How cool is that?" She finishes.
"You're right, Ella." Dan adds. "Besides I could never be as much an ass as Lucifer is, so he gets the part."
"Very funny, Douche!" Lucifer replies. "It's settled then." He turns to Chloe. "Detective, we'll meet at my place at 8' and you can get ready for the event." Chloe looks at him, lost. "Just because it's a pop-up club, it doesn't mean you can go as you are. You are a remarkable and beautiful woman, but there are standards for these parties, and a shirt and a pair of jeans - no matter how good they look on you - aren't going to cut it." He heads for the exit. "I'll go talk to Olivia to get her to sign the sting operation."
Whether it was what he said about Chloe as if it was the natural thing to say or the fact that he was gonna go through due process for once, but they all looked at him as if he had grown a third eye.
LUX - LUCIFER'S PENTHOUSE - AROUND 8'
Chloe carefully steps out of the elevator, looking for Lucifer. As she's about to call for him, he appears, whistling and dressed in nothing more than a tiny towel. He jumps slightly as he sees Chloe, but nonetheless unphased by his almost naked state.
"Ah, Detective!" He starts. "Perfect, you're early." He walks closer. "I was just done with my shower and about to pick a few outfits for you."
Chloe closes her eyes for a brief moment as her mind wanders to him in the shower, and what he might have done in there, or what would have happened if she had been in there with him, his current garment leaving very little to the imagination.
"Detective? Are you still with me?"
She clears her throat to ground herself in reality and stop her traitorous mind to push her to do something she might - or might not - regret later. "Yes." She simply replies, opening her eyes, hoping he wouldn't notice anything. "So what was it you wanted me to wear?" She asks, eager to increase the distance between them, and focus on something else.
Lucifer smiles, although Chloe isn't sure if it was because he noticed her flushed face or if it was because of her sudden interest in fashion. "Follow me." He finally says, heading towards his walk-in closet.
He lays out four different dresses on the bed for her to choose from. "Take your pick, Detective, while I go get dressed." Chloe looks at her options. "I promise I won't peek." He ends with a wink.
She removes two out of the four dresses almost immediately. She wanted to at least keep some of her modesty, and these two were nothing more than a belt. The two remaining outfits are very similar in shape and length, and actually tasteful - an almost perfect combination of sexy and classy. Her eyes switch from one to another and she finally decides to go for the dark red one, leaving the blue on aside. The dress falls just a bit below mid-thigh and has nice cleavage. She strips her clothes and puts her chosen piece of garment on. She barely has time to fully put the thin strap on her shoulders before Lucifer walks back in, shirt half-closed. Chloe jumps slightly as she hears his voice.
"I'm sorry Detective, but I forgot to pick my tie to go with the shirt. Are you decent?" He asks, keeping his word that he wouldn't peek.
"Yes." She replies.
He stops in his tracks as he sees her, her back to him, trying to zip up the dress. He walks towards her, his tie completely forgotten, and stops just inches away from her skin.
"Let me help you with that, Detective." He says, his voice low. When she doesn't move away or stop him, he slowly grabs the zipper and brings it all the way to the top.
Chloe freezes as she feels his knuckles brush her skin, her traitorous body leaning into his warmth. Lucifer lingers on her skin as he lets go of the zipper. He comes close to her ear.
"Men are gonna fall at your feet tonight." " I know I am. " He adds in his mind. "All you'll have to do is take your pick."
"What?" Chloe asks, as she turns around, but doesn't try to put some distance between them.
He sighs. "I know you're angry at me after what happened the other night." He starts.
"I'm not angry at you." She replies.
He almost shushes her. "Don't worry." He resumes. "Linda says it's perfectly normal for you to feel jealous, or that you would feel our relationship is at risk if I have other lovers, or if we pass the threshold, but I assure you that nothing is going to change between us, no matter who you - or I - sleep with. You'll realise that tonight, once you've found the lucky one to bring home with you."
Chloe looks at him, speechless for now. She closes her mouth and opens it again, dumbfounded.
"So your answer to my so-called jealousy is to have me sleep with the first random guy who crosses my path?"
"Yes." He replies. "But to be fair, I know you don't like random encounters, so I did ask Dan first but he refused my offer, so…"
"You did WHAT!?"
"I asked Dan first." He answers, unphased. "But, as I said…"
"Lucifer!" She stops him, furious. "I can't believe I have to explain this to you! But you can't just solve what happened the other night by throwing me in another guy's arms."
"I can be a woman if you prefer." He half-jokes.
"It's not how it works!"
"Why not?" He asks. "This way, we would be even and then we can finally finish what we started before the interruption." He looks at her. "You know have a fresh start and keep our relationship intact."
Chloe pinches her nose, trying very hard not to punch him right now. She takes a deep breath. "What did Linda say about all this?"
"She wasn't much help actually." He replies. "However, the case Judge Judy got was very helpful. The guy cheated on his girlfriend and offered her to sleep with one of her friends so they could start anew. I thought it was a good idea." He finishes.
"And you thought it was a good idea to take your advice from a late 90s reality show?" She couldn't believe it.
He takes a step closer. Chloe groans, and walks away before she either slaps or jumps him.
"Detective, wait, where are you going?"
"I need some air, Lucifer." She replies, not looking at him.
"Why?"
His reply pushes her past her breaking point. "Why? Really? You wanna know why I need some air?" Lucifer looks back at her, surprised by her outburst. "You really don't get why pushing me into someone else's arms isn't gonna solve this?"
"Ahem…" He starts but doesn't get to finish.
"I'll tell you why!" She resumes. "When we danced the other night, I thought we had a connection, or that I felt something special, but clearly it was one-sided since you desperately want me to sleep with someone else."
"Detective…" He tries.
"No!" She answers. "You wanted to know why I needed some air and why I was angry, now you listen to me. I'm not done with you!" She continues. "I'm actually glad nothing happened when we left Lux because it would have changed everything for me, and clearly nothing for you." She takes a breath. "Obviously, you're not looking for the same thing. Let's just say that what happened that night was just a fluke and get back to how things were before since it's what you want." She turns away from him. "I can't be another notch on your bedpost." She adds in between breaths.
Yet Lucifer hears it and takes a hold of her arm before she's out of reach.
"You could never be one, Detective." His eyes filled with sincerity.
"Really?" She replies. "And yet, you slept with her barely seconds after I left." She stops.
"That only happened because you left. Had you stayed, I would have sent her packing."
"I saw you both, and you didn't seem too disturbed I left." He looks at her. "You don't get it, do you?" She shakes her head. "I want more than a meaningless night!" She spells out. "And you know what the worst part is? Since that night, I can't get what I saw out my head, wondering how it would have been, had I been in her place. I barely left for ten minutes and when I came back up she was already screaming in ecstasy. And no matter how hard I try, I can't stop thinking about it! And you keep making things worse, showing up dressed like this, touching me, whispering in my ear, looking like you want to eat me alive…"
He cuts her next words with a kiss and she returns it almost instantly, her anger, frustration and arousal sending her body into overdrive. He grabs the sides of his shirt and untucks them from his trousers. He pushes her against his wall. The cold tiles bring her back to the moment and she uses her last shreds of will to stop him before things get out of hand more than they already have.
"Lucifer, don't…" She barely gets out, her hands on his chest half-pushing and half-pulling. She takes a deep breath to get the situation under control. "Just because I want this, it doesn't mean I changed my mind." Lucifer looks back at her, barely holding on. "I don't want a one-time thing."
" Neither do I. " He thinks as he looks at her. "It doesn't have to be."
"What?"
"It doesn't have to be." He says, louder this time. "We could remain how we are, and still enjoy each other's company."
"Partners with benefits?" She asks. "Is this what you're offering me?" He doesn't reply. "Were you planning to share this detail with me before or after we slept together?"
"I'm not relationship material, Detective." He replies.
"Why?" She simply asks.
"Because that's who I am." He answers. "I'm the Devil. I deal with desires, and I grant them." He pauses, anger rising. "People take what they need from me and I take what I need from them at a given point." He takes a step back. " And you deserve better. " He adds in his mind. "Besides, why change something that works fine."
"That's not who you are. You're not evil nor are you this devil persona." She says.
"Is it though?" He replies. "You were right, whatever happened last night was a fluke and we should just go back to the status quo of our partnership." He ends, closing up his shirt, the mood now long gone.
"You're not running away from this."
"We have a sting operation to deal with Detective, and we're already late."
"We're not done talking, Lucifer." Chloe replies, angry. He couldn't just say such things and walk away from her.
"We are. We're going to be late for the sting." He repeats.
"We have time." She states matter-of-factly "So just because this is something you don't like, you just decide to take the cowards way out and walk away?" She almost yells, perfectly aware the effect her words would have on him. He had very few buttons, and this was one of them.
"I am not a coward." He answers, still puzzled by how they went from making-out to yelling at each other.
"Then why?"
"You wouldn't understand. You don't have the full picture" He says. "I can't be in a relationship with you, or at least not the way you want it. If you'd only believe me, you'd know I'm doing this for your safety, I'm no good for you." He finishes, defeated.
She takes a step towards him. "Then make me believe. Show me who you are!" She challenges him. "You say you're no good for me, and yet we almost had sex and you were ready to be partners with benefits. You say you want to protect me, and still, you keep on working with me." She's now very close to him. "What are you so afraid of, Lucifer?" She bluntly asks.
"You don't understand! I can't show you!"
"Why?"
"Because I refuse to put you through what others went through. Jimmy Barns, Benny Choi, Lindsay, Renny… Why do you think they went mad or chose to kill themselves after an encounter with me?"
"I know the Devil is how you see yourself, but you're not it, not to me, Lucifer." She says, her tone softer.
Lucifer groans in frustration. "This isn't a metaphor, Detective. I AM the actual Devil!"
"Then prove it!" Chloe answers, unwavering from her position.
Before Lucifer can reply, Chloe's phone rings and somehow breaks the tension in the room.
"Yeah, Dan?" She drily answers.
"Where are you guys?"
"Still in the penthouse, why?"
"We need to leave soon."
"We'll be downstairs in a minute." She says, but Lucifer already stepped into the elevator and the doors close on him.
It's now Chloe's turn to let out a frustrated groan. She follows straight after and meets Dan and Lucifer outside.
Dan looks at them, not sure what happened upstairs, but sure something is off. "Weren't you guys together up there?"
"Yes. But I needed to grab my tie downstairs before we headed for the party." Lucifer replies before Chloe can say anything. "Shall we?" He finishes, tying his tie.
TUNA CANYON PARK - ABOUT AN HOUR LATER
After a very silent and uncomfortable drive to the place, Lucifer parks his Corvette and gets out of the car to open Chloe's door. He smiles at her as if their whole altercation never happened. Dan's van arrives a few minutes later and parks a few meters away from the entrance. Lucifer and Chloe step away from the abandoned ranch, where the party was happening, and join Dan and the rest of the team. Dan briefs them one last time about the plan and the goal of this operation. Before Lucifer heads for the ranch, Dan grabs him by the arm. The Devil turns to him, his carefully hidden frustration after what happened in his penthouse slipping.
"What Douche!" He snaps.
"Just stick to the plan." He replies. "Don't go a-wall as you did with Ronnie the other time!"
"I wouldn't dream of it." He breathes out, dismissive, as he catches up with Chloe.
Before they enter the party, Chloe stops him.
"Our conversation isn't over, Lucifer." She informs him. "We will get to the bottom of this. You're not running away, not this time."
"If you say so." He simply says, holding out the door for her and heads for the VIP line.
The bouncer lets them straight in, as Lucifer slips the 100 $ bill in his chest pocket. The bouncer smiles.
"Always a pleasure to see you, Mr. Morningstar." Chloe smiles as she hears Dan's huff in the device in her ear.
"Thank you, Rudy." He steps aside to leave the line free. "After you, Darling."
Chloe nods and Lucifer follows her inside. They walk to their table, conveniently placed upstairs, hence allowing Chloe to see the whole floor and keep an eye on almost everyone, although she has no real clue as to what they were looking for. At least she could see if anyone decided to briskly leave the place. Lucifer pulls her out of her thoughts.
"I'm gonna order some champagne."
"Lucifer, we're working…" She starts.
"And we're in a very hype and selective party, Darling. Drinking anything else than champagne would flag us immediately. Haven't you see the champagne bar?" He counters.
Lucifer comes back a few moments later, two filled flutes, and a bottle in hand. He gives her one. She rolls her eyes, but accepts it, knowing he was right.
"See, you already look more fun."
After this, the party goes rather smoothly. Chloe was able to gather some intel about the victim, while Lucifer did Lucifer. She even accepts a second glass of champagne. After almost two hours, and not one suspect in sight, they're about to leave for the rest of the night - or at least she is - until she hears Dan's voice in her ear.
"A potential suspect just walked in."
"What does he look like?"
"See for yourself. He should be in your line of sight by now."
"Edward Cullmore?" She breathes out, truly surprised. "When has he been released? I thought we put him away for at least 30 years, if not more."
"Me too." Dan replies. "But according to what Ella just told me, there was a breach in the autopsy protocol the coroner did at the time for all three accounted victims. Some evidence was contaminated, and the mistrial has been confirmed a month ago."
"A mistrial? A month ago? How come we weren't informed of this?" She says. "How is that even possible? We did everything by the book. This monster killed three people - that we know of - and smashed their heads to pieces." She stops, finally seeing the connection. "And he was released a month ago." She ends.
"Yeah." Dan pauses. "Which is why you and Lucifer need to leave without him seeing you. Remember he promised to get his revenge if he ever got out."
"Dan, I can't, he could attack someone."
"He won't." He replies. "I don't think he made us, so we'll keep him under surveillance until we know more about all this." Chloe nods. "Besides, this man is mad, and seeing you could trigger him into one of his episodes, and the club is packed."
"Okay." She simply says. She turns to get Lucifer, but he left her to join the dancefloor in the meantime. "Damn it!" She complains. "Dan, I'll get Lucifer and we'll meet you at the van, stay there, I don't want him to notice, or guess we're onto him."
"Copy."
Then she heads for the dancefloor to get Lucifer and exit before things take a turn for the worse. She taps him on the shoulder. He turns to her.
"Ha! Detective!" He says. "There you are!"
She comes close to his ear to speak over the loud music. "Lucifer, we need to go."
"So soon already?" He replies. "But the night is young and the fun is just beginning." He adds, unaware of the potential catastrophe, as he refused to use the usual inner com for this operation.
"I don't have time to explain, we need to leave now."
"Why?" He asks.
"No time to explain." She reiterates. "Just come with me. For once, just listen to me."
Lucifer finally catches the urgency rising in her blue eyes. "Alright." He finally agrees. "Just let me get our things and I'll be right behind you."
"Hurry. I'll wait for you outside." She replies, heading for the exit.
It takes Lucifer less than two minutes to get their things from the cloakroom. As he steps outside, he looks around for her but doesn't see her. He decides to head for the van. He opens the back door.
"So, Detective, what was so important that you had to make me abandon such a promising night?" He finally looks in the van. "Detective?" Dan turns. "Not you, I meant the real Detective." He says.
"Chloe isn't with you?"
"No, why would I be calling for her otherwise." Lucifer replies as if Dan just asked the dumbest question ever. Then he sees Dan's face. "She said we would meet outside the club. When I didn't see her, I figured she came here." He adds, panic slowly but surely settling in the van. "She seemed in a hurry to leave."
"For fuck's sake, Lucifer, you left her alone?" He replies, standing up and pushing Lucifer aside as he exits the van in a hurry.
"Relax, Douche, she's a big girl, surely she'll find her own way." He answers, still unaware of Cullmore's presence in the club.
Dan snaps and grabs Lucifer by the collar. "There's a fucking killer on the loose, you asshole, and his mind is set on getting his revenge on her."
Lucifer removes Dan's hands from him, his expression going from anger to fear for Chloe. "And how was I supposed to know about this?" He asks, defensive.
"You would have if you had bothered to put the com in your ear!" He replies, heading for the club to look for Chloe. "But no, you had to be you!" He mumbles.
Lucifer follows him. "They can't have gotten far." The Devil says, more as reassurance for himself than anything else. "I'll check this way and you go this way. We're going to find her."
Dan agrees with Lucifer, aware that the more they wait, the more dangerous it gets for Chloe. "Fine." He hands him a small device. "And put this thing in your ear! You tell me as soon as you find her."
Lucifer complies and heads for the small alleyway as Dan heads the other way towards the parking lot. As soon as Dan is out of sight, Lucifer lets his rage free and his eyes burn with the hottest fires of Hell. "Now where are you Mr Sociopath? I hope for your sake she's unharmed." He growls.
It doesn't take long for Lucifer to track them down to the back of the alleyway. As he turns around the corner, he barely has time to see Chloe fighting her abductor as his fist connects with her face, knocking her out and sending her to the floor.
"Detective!" He exclaims, at her side in a blink.
"Don't worry, she's fine for now. I just knocked her out, she was getting annoying, trying to escape and all." He smiles darkly. "I would hate to hurt her more than necessary, I have big plans for her." He looks at Chloe with sadistic eyes. "As for you." He continues. "I won't keep you alive, I can't have loose ends, not when I've just gotten out of prison." He looks at the Devil, eyes shining. "Too bad, you would have made a fun one to play with." He finishes.
Lucifer gently lays Chloe back on the floor, his jacket under her head.
"I think you picked the wrong toy to play with, Mr Sociopath." Lucifer replies. "You see, I'm not your average plaything." He adds, eyes red.
Cullmore's reaction takes him by surprise. "First, I'm not a sociopath, I'm a psychopath." The Devil looks puzzled. "A sociopath thinks to hurt people and all is normal behaviour. As for me, I know what I do is wrong, I just don't care. Hence, I'm a psychopath, not a sociopath." He explains. "I could kill you and torture her, and eat an ice-cream straight after, without the slightest remorse." He adds. "The eyes were a nice trick though. Almost believable I have to admit." He looks back at Chloe's form. "But enough time lost, I need to kill you so I can proceed with her before she wakes up and becomes a thorn in my thigh once again."
Lucifer simply smiles and lets his full Devil form show. Cullmore's features contort in fear as he takes in the burnt face of his opponent. Lucifer walks towards him.
"Is that enough of a trick for you, Mr Psychopath?" He asks. "I'm glad you cleared that little difference. Knowing that you don't care about whatever you're doing will make your punishment here on Earth much more fun." He grabs his collar before he can run in fear.
As he's about to strike him, he hears a small voice behind him.
"Lucifer? What's happening?" Chloe asks.
This tiny moment is enough for Cullmore to break free from Lucifer's grasp. The Devil temporarily lets him go and turns to Chloe but isn't fast enough to change his face before Chloe sees it.
"It's all true…" She says.
"Detective," Lucifer tries.
"It's always been true." She repeats, the news sinking in. "All you've said since we met each other." She continues.
"Detective." He starts again. "Chloe," He corrects himself. But before he can say anything else, he feels a sharp blade in his inner thigh. He turns just in time to see Cullmore run away from him.
He removes the knife from his flesh, hissing in pain. "Son of a bit…" He breathes out as he starts chasing after him, but stumbles and falls to the floor. Chloe rushes to his side, bottling down for the time-being what she saw, and helps him up, the adrenaline kicking in.
"Are you okay?" She asks.
"I'm fine." He replies but doesn't sell it, given he can barely stand on his own.
"Like Hell you are!" She answers. "I mean, you don't look fine." She corrects herself. "Let's get you back to the van so medics can look at your wound and patch you up."
"But the psychopath is getting away." He says. "I need to punish him."
"How? You can barely walk."
"He could hurt…" He looks at her. "other people."
"He won't. We have him under surveillance." She supports him and walks towards the van. "And you need help, you're losing way too much blood."
Lucifer finally gives in, reluctantly agreeing that his wound may be worse than he first assessed. They reach the van rather quickly, but by the time, Lucifer is livid, having more and more trouble walking.
"Guys, we need medical help here. He's been injured." She says as she sees her colleagues.
Dan arrives short after, just in time to see Lucifer sit down. "I told you, Detective, I'm fine." He repeats. "It's the psychopath you should be worried about. He's still on the loose." He tries to stand up, but he fails and instead faints.
Lucifer wakes up about fifteen minutes later in the ambulance, on his way to the hospital. He looks for Chloe but then realises where he is.
"Where's the Detective?" He quickly asks.
"Who?"
"The blond police officer I was with." He explains.
"Oh, her." One of the officer's reply.
"She left once she knew you were in good hands. However, we had to stabilise you before we could get you to the hospital. She said she had something to take care of."
"I see." Lucifer simply says. He sits up and starts to unplug the IV in his forearm, as well as the different patches on his torso. One of the medics stops him.
"What do you think you're doing?"
"Leaving here as soon as I can." He states.
"Sir, you almost bled out and the knife missed your femoral artery by just a hair. You need to go to a hospital. Now lay back down or we'll have to tie you to the stretcher and sedate you."
"Try me." Lucifer taunts them. "Now that the Detective is far enough, I'll be just fine. All I need is a drink and I'll be good to go."
"We can't allow you to leave."
"Then it's a good thing I'm not asking for your permission then." He replies, heading for the door. "Now you can either break to let me out or see what happens if I jump out." The Devil doesn't wait for their confirmation and simply jumps out, leaving the medics mouth agape behind him. "Now to get home." He says aloud, taking out his phone. "Evening Maze." He greets his demon. "I need you to come and pick me up, wherever I am, but you're supposed to know where I am at all times so I'm sure you can figure it out."
"Get your own chauffeur, Lucifer." She simply says before the line goes dead.
"Maze? Mazikeen?!" He huffs. "Uber it is then."
LOS ANGELES - LUX - LUCIFER'S PENTHOUSE
The first thing Lucifer does as he finally steps into his lodging is to call Chloe. After a few rings, he's ready to leave a message. But before he confirms it, his phone beeps with an incoming text from her.
"Sorry, but I can't talk right now. I'm wrapping up the sting report."
"How about once you're done with that you stop at Lux, it's on your way back home."
"I'm already at home. I took some work with me."
"Then why can't you talk? Surely the spawn is asleep by now, if not with her father."
"..."
"Detective?" Lucifer sends before he calls her once more. This time he goes straight to voicemail. He sends another text. "Detective?"
"..."
He waits for a bit more before he sends another one. He saw the "..." proving she both read and started a reply to his texts before she changed her mind for some reason. Before he hits "Send" he gets a reply.
"I need time and space away from you to process all that I saw." His face drops. Then comes the second part of her reply. "Just tell me one thing. Was what I saw real?"
"I have never lied to you, Detective." He starts… " And I never will." He adds in his mind. But then he changes his reply and sends a simple "Yes."
"I see."
He ponders if he should continue the conversation, but his need to know is too strong.
"Are we okay?". Then a second one. "Will we be okay?"
"I don't know to be honest. I need time, Lucifer. But I think we should be okay in the end."
"Goodnight Detective." He simply replies before he grabs a bottle of whiskey and a bag of cocaine.
ABOUT A WEEK LATER - LOS ANGELES - LUX
Lucifer hadn't heard back from Chloe in over a week since his unwanted devil-outing to her. To cope with this, he had thrown himself headfirst into his old habits, each day a new party at Lux, each party wilder than the previous one. He wakes up in his penthouse and looks for a drink, but doesn't find the desired bottle. He decides to go and grab one from downstairs. He makes his way to the elevator, avoiding the different guests passed out from both alcohol and exhaustion on his floor. As he walks down the stairs to his bar, he trips on a man lying at the bottom of it. He falls face first on the floor, robe flying over his head. He groans.
"Oh for Dad's sake!" He yells, angry. "Mazikeen, how many times have I told to pick up your boy toys from the floor!"
Maze laughs, having witnessed the whole scene. She takes a breath. "This one isn't mine." She replies, stepping over the man. "I would have offered you my hand, but I'm in a hurry." She concludes, her smirk even bigger.
Lucifer mumbles something before he makes his way back to the stranger. He turns him around, then his face drops. He contemplates his options, then decides to dial Chloe, despite her wish to remain on her own. He lands on voicemail, once again. He chooses not to leave a message. He starts to type.
"Detective… Long time, no annoy ;)" He erases his first sentence. "Detective. I know you said you needed time away from me, but I figured you might want to take this case before anyone else does." He takes a picture and encloses it in the next message. "Mr Psychopath turned up at Lux sometime between last night at 3 am and now."
"..."
"And in case you didn't see the attachment, he's dead."
"On my way with Ella and Dan." A pause, then another text. "Do not touch or disturb anything at the scene."
"Great." Lucifer says. "Not only am I going to get rejected once more but the Douche will also be here as well. What a way to start a Monday."
Then he received another incoming. "And if you're free later, maybe, we could talk?"
"I'll clear my schedule." He simply replies.
Sorry for the long update but I have decided to try and work more plots, and so longer chapters ;).
Hope you enjoyed, and again thank you so much for all your kudos, comments, follow and all.