In which Charlotte joins them for the first time.
Episode Thirteen – After School Special
Ella showed up early that night, to his horror bringing Charlotte with her.
He blinked. "Umm, hi. This is unexpected."
Ella grinned widely at him while Charlotte stayed by the lift, shifting from one foot to the other, as if afraid she'd get booted out by him if he got mad enough.
"Well, Charlotte was in the lab today looking at evidence for a case and I told her that after work everyday I come here to watch Supernatural to learn more about real stuff instead of fake stuff and to hear you complain about how much of an evil bastard Dean is. She asked if she could come."
He blinked. "Umm, sure. I have no problem with it. I just would have liked a bit of a heads up first. Have you watched any of this show before, Charlotte? Because this season opened up the can of works which is the war between Heaven and Hell in the show. In actuality there is no war. I don't even know where humans get that idea from..."
Charlotte walked over to them, now that she knew she was actually invited by him and not crashing anything special or whatnot. A smile made it onto her face and he had the thought that she had a nicer smile than his mum ever had, even while inhabiting her body.
He shoved down the sudden urge to hug her.
"No, I've never watched it before, but I have heard of it. So what should I expect?"
Ella looked at tonight's title and grinned. "Okay, this episode is one with flashbacks in it. It's mainly Sam focused. It's a ghost episode based in one of the schools the boys had to go to when he was a teen."
Lucifer grinned at this. "Ooh, going back to a good old fashioned ghost hunt! I thought that would have been two episodes ago until the twist in the middle. We haven't had a ghost since, what, second episode. And even then, it could be argued that that was more than just normal ghosts."
Ella nodded. "Oh yeah, get ready for the show to shift focus to mainly Heaven or Hell, because it will focus on them both for...well, a long time. Most of the time, in fact. Season seven has other main focuses for parts of it, but still have Heaven or Hell as a focus. Though, mind you, season seven focuses more on Purgatory."
Charlotte perked up her head. "Wait, Lucifer is any of this true?"
He shrugged. "A lot of it, no. And you'll be able to tell what is true or not from your own Hell experience from that side of the story. But the show is still fun. Ella is waiting for me to rage quit when my sunny self walks onto the screen. Because, Devil."
Charlotte grimaced and nodded, before walking over to the couch and taking a seat. Ella flopped herself down on his other side and grinned at the screen. "Come on big guy, start it already!"
Rolling his eyes, Lucifer pushed the play button to get the episode up and rolling.
"Wait, what's that?" Charlotte said, not knowing that there was a pause rule going where it was okay to pause whenever. He hit the button and stared at the black gunk rolling down the girls face. "Huh, I think it's ectoplasm. Wow, okay, yes, this is definitely a ghost!"
Ella held up her hand. "Wait, that's actually what ectoplasm looks like?"
He frowned. "Well, it depends really, on the ghost and whether or not they're from a good or bad soul. This one is from a bad soul. Someone is trying to skip Hell."
Ella frowned. "Well, the spirit did just kill someone, or at least, really hurt someone. That was way too quick for a proper drowning."
Then Charlotte frowned. "It's a school too. Ex student is my guess. Probably with a history of bullying."
He grinned at Charlotte. "Ooh, I like you. Yes, that's what I think as well."
They sat in silence for about 15 seconds, before Lucifer switched it back on again.
He quickly turned it off at the moment Dean as a gym teacher came on to stare for two seconds, before erupting into laughter.
Ella and Charlotte just stared at him for that, until he finally got himself under control and stopped, settling down for a light giggle instead. Not that he'd ever admit to giggling, of course. It was just the most hilarious thing he had seen on the show.
"Dude, do you mind laughing at the sexy red shorts of Dean Winchester," Ella stated.
He managed to not burst into another round of laughter at that one. "Sexy? Dean has never looked more like a dork than he does right now. It's brilliant is what that is. He's trying to be all tough and comes across looking like he should go back to the chess club. Those shorts are the worst thing he has ever worn."
Charlotte leaned over him to talk to Ella. "Does he normally pause to laugh at costumes?"
Ella shrugs. "Not costumes, no. Though he will pause for anything he finds funny to laugh at it, because that's what he does. He pauses. He says it's because he doesn't want to miss anything, but if you ask me, he does it because he knows it's annoying."
Charlotte nodded and grinned at that. "That doesn't surprise me at all."
He pouted over their heads. "Okay, can we stop saying mean things about me while the bullying episode is on and let me push play again?"
Charlotte sat back up and patted his shoulder. "Of course dear. Have at it."
He pushed play, scarily reminded of his mum right now.
He chuckled for a few seconds over the "The whistle makes me their God" line and Sam agreeing with his assessment on the shorts.
He paused it again after the talk in the closet to smile triumphantly. "Oh, yes, finally. Rejected by the girl he likes for being an arse about everything important and normal. Now, that is a sensible girl. And one who better not break curfew to sneak out to watch I Spit On Your grave with Dean Winchester. Girl, you can do so much better."
Charlotte blinked at him. "I take it you don't like Dean?"
He grinned at her. "I am a Sam Girl. I hate Dean, especially his behaviour towards Sam."
Charlotte looked to Ella.
"Oh yeah, this is normal for him to do. Get used to it if you stay. He does it a lot."
Charlotte frowned, but shrugged, leaning against his side. "Why do I have the urge to smack you?"
He looked down at her innocently. "Umm, maybe something to do with left over feelings from mum?"
Charlotte smiled at him. "Hmm, that would explain it. Now, be nice to your friend."
He looked to the screen and slouched a bit. "Mum!" He froze after saying it, his eyes widening with having just said that out loud. "Um, I mean, Charlotte."
Ella laughed at his other side and leaned against him as well. He suddenly felt like the meat in a woman sandwich. Usually this would be giving off entirely different vibes than it was right now.
"Aww, you're so cute. You still think of Charlotte as your mother."
Charlotte looked at him thoughtfully. "Hmm, you need a mother."
He looked down at the floor. "Shut up and watch the show."
He pushed play again to shut out the suddenly awkward take the conversation had gone.
He pushed pause again after the conversation with Sam from the past and his teacher. He stared at the screen and sighed. "Oh, Sam... You tried, kid, you really did try. But, naturally Dean just drags you back in. And don't even get me started on your father..."
"Lucifer, you do realise they're fictional characters, right?" Charlotte asked.
He glare at her. "Of course I know that! They're on my screen right now in a flashback to the past. Of course it's a fictional show, with fictional people. It even has a fictional me who is probably going to be running around soon enough. I'm not stupid."
Ella grabbed his arms and hugged it to her side. Charlotte sighed loudly. "Then why are you talking to a character on the screen."
"Because sometimes I do that or otherwise I'd just end up screaming. I mean, Dean shares some traits with me, and I kind of hate that about myself, but Sam I actually identify with. So, yes, sometimes I will pause to talk to fictional characters. And no, you're not going to stop me."
Ella hugged his arm tighter and laid her head on his shoulder. Charlotte seemed to let it go. She nodded and turned back to look at he screen. He took the hint and started it up again.
He paused it after the talk about the bully being bullied and of the father keeping a lock of Dirk's hair in the bible on his busy. He closed his eyes and rubbed at his forehead. "Can someone please explain why this guy just told two strangers that he keeps a lock of his dead son's hair in the bible on his bus? Please? Because it is making zero sense to me."
Charlotte shrugged. "It's normal for people grieving to keep small things of the deceased. Lock of hair, a favourite item or toy. It's normal."
Ella grinned. "That's not what he's complaining about. And don't worry, Lucifer, I agree with this one fully. It makes no sense, that he'd tell two strangers exactly where he keeps what he has left of his dead son."
He nodded enthusiastically. "I am glad that Sam shows remorse here. He tried to stop a bully and ended up starting the kid being bullied further than he already was himself. Are kids really this cruel? I knew there was a reason I don't like kids. They make my skin crawl."
Ella laughed. "Kids can be cruel, yeah. Most bullies are also usually from troubled or abusive backgrounds. It happens. Some are cruel to be cool and fit in. Others don't really care about things like that and are okay."
He grinned at her. "Let me guess, you were okay?"
She snorted. "In a Catholic girls school? Hell no, I was a little Hellion."
He laughed at that, and so did Charlotte.
"i was the one trying to be cool. I asserted myself as an individual and strong as I could be on my own after I left high school and entered the adult world," Charlotte stated and he could very much believe that. She was still like that.
He sighed. "I just did my own thing and look at all it gave me."
Ella hugged his arm again. "Aww."
He grinned. "I try to be caring and nice and all I get is a bully label."
Charlotte ran a hand through his hair and he relaxed into the touch. He pushed play before the M word came out of his mouth again.
He paused it again after Sam was fully accepted into the school by everyone, while Dean was rejected for trying too hard and ended up looking like an idiot instead. He sighed and shook his head. "Figures. The one place Sam fit in and was accepted and he had to leave, because of his family dragging him away. That does explain why Dean hated the place though. First taste of rejection was from a girl who knew who he was and wasn't angry at him for it, but felt sorry for him instead. Sam was the hero to that school, while Dean was the nothing Sam had always been. Why does that make me sad?"
"Because Sam was forced to leave?"
He sighed again. "Yeah, that sucks. And now Sam finally gets to talk to that awesome teacher he had." With that said, he pushed play for the last scene.
He winced and turned it off as the episode finished. "What is with this show and suddenly throwing downer endings at me? Why? Of course he's not happy! He's got heaven after him, he's got Hell wanting him to be some kind of boy king. He's got a demon paramour he sucks the blood out of even though he doesn't want to. He's got psychic powers that make his brother hate him... No! Sam is not happy. He's utterly miserable and was forced back into the life by Hell. Just...ugh, I'm going to go out. Like right now, before I start doing something I will regret."
Ella poked him in the side. "Go fly. Clear your head."
He rolled his eyes. "Yes, I will. I'll leave you two to find your own way out. You know where the lift is."
With that said, he got up, walked to his balcony and let out his wings to take off for a fly to do as Ella suggested.
He was getting pretty sick of downer endings and hoped for a better one for next time.
Note - Those shorts Dean wears in this episode is both the worst and best thing ever XD
Headcanon - Lucifer still gets confused over Charlotte not being his mum anymore and sometimes still calls her that. Except he finds Charlotte better at the role than his actual mum and prefers her in the role.
Headcanon - Charlotte still feels maternal towards Lucifer and Amenadiel because of holding their mother for so long. She knows she isn't actually their mum, but because she is banned from her own kids, she will take what she can get.
Headcanon - This was the first time Dean actually did have problems with high school kids, especially of the female variety.