When the shock wore off and the realization hit Lucifer that he had Chloe, bodily, in front of him, his heart cracked open and out burst all of the pent-up emotion that had accumulated inside of him ever since the day he returned to Hell. The instant his mind came into focus, his only thought was to kiss her and hold her while he had her; she'd already been taken from him in so many ways that he felt she might vanish at any moment. He needed to feel her lips on his, her hair beneath his hands, her breath in his ear. His kiss was urgent, possessive, tinged with desperation. Chloe was just glad to be in his embrace, to feel his stubbled face and to clasp his muscled arms. He broke their kiss and pressed his cheek to hers, holding her tightly against him and repeating, "Can this be real? You're real, aren't you? You're real, you're real. Are you real?"
She nodded against him, and clutched him reassuringly. "This is real, I know it. It has to be."
He kissed her again, and explored the hard peaks and soft depressions of her face with his hands, seeking texture, detail, anything he could use as evidence that she truly was flesh and bone in his arms. Again, he circled his arms around her, holding her tight. He leaned his head against hers and looked up, pleading, "Please, please, don't take her from me again. Please, I beg of you."
Something inside Lucifer had died a violent death on the night he returned to Hell, something he had come to refer to in his mind as the Softness. It was the part of him that had grown throughout his partnership with Chloe. The part that made him care, that allowed him to take risks and make sacrifices and challenge his principles. Whatever it was, it was ripped open and poured out the moment he tore himself from Earth. From Chloe. Not that it mattered much; he was better off without it in Hell. Did he want it back? He wanted a lot of things. But we don't always have a choice, do we? We don't ever have a choice, do we?
By the time Amenadiel arrived in Hell to deliver the news that Chloe had died, any remnants of the Softness had long since rotted and calcified into an emotional shield that protected him from grief. His reaction was concentrated in anger and loathing.
Dad, You absolute BASTARD for taking her life in that way.
Lucifer, you useless SHIT for leaving her.
Dad, You cruel MONSTER for taking her away from her child.
Lucifer, you miserable FAILURE for allowing this to happen.
Father, You gave her to me and then You took her away forever. How could You do that? Am I not still Your son? I rejected You, and this is Your revenge? You went out of Your way to create something that would mean more to me than the world, only to take her away to the one place I'm forbidden to go. No one could ever accuse You of lacking a sense of irony, You twisted fuck.
He had to give it to his Father. The scheme was flawlessly executed. Lucifer thought his Father had reached the height of cruelty when He let him think that he'd found love for the first time—and on his own terms—when in reality He'd been pulling the strings from the start. But it turned out that that episode was merely setting the stage for events to follow. Things took a turn for the dramatic with the fulfillment of a prophecy that stated that evil would be released when the Devil walked the earth and found his first love—in which He again built up and then shattered the illusion of free will, this time parting the two lovers in grand fashion. While this had all the trappings of a grand finale, it merely lured him once again into a false sense of security. Lucifer had thought that this game had finally ended in his defeat when he and Chloe were parted, until Amenadiel bore the news that Chloe had been shot and killed on the job. The job that he had been a part of—that had brought him and Chloe together. If he had been there, would he have been able to save her? He should have been there. He couldn't be there. He was useless. And now she was gone—from her family, her job, her friends. And from Lucifer forever. Well played, Dad.
And that was that. Or so he thought. Until he saw in the distance a flailing object plummeting straight toward a stone spire. Instinctually, he knew exactly what—or rather, who—the object was the instant it caught his eye. With a roar, he rocketed towards Chloe, as fast as his wings could take him—she had mere seconds before her body shattered against the spike. Would this game never end? Was he a fool to even hold out hope? Is that just what his Father wanted?
With that thought, he extricated himself from Chloe's arms and walked away from her, leaving her alone on the bed. He stood with his back to her, one hand in his pocket and the other massaging his forehead. He said nothing.
"Lucifer?" Chloe whispered. He just shook his head, still facing away from her. She stood up and walked to him, and spread her hands across his back and down his shoulders. He tensed, and she dropped her hands. "What is it?"
"I—" he began, but his voice broke. "I don't know how I… how I can bear… to be parted from you again," he choked out.
Her eyes instantly overflowed with tears. "Parted? But, Lucifer, we're together now. I could just stay here—with you."
"Chloe, I can't, I can't let you stay here."
"But why?"
"You don't belong here." He turned to face her. "Don't you see? You led a good life, you do not deserve to spend eternity in endless torment!"
"But… but there's nowhere else for me to go."
"Chloe, you know that's not true," he said, regretfully.
Her entire body started shaking with panic, and she grabbed his forearm, pleading, "Please don't make me go back!"
"Chloe," he began, gently removing his arm from her grasp, but she clutched onto him for dear life and sank to her knees, looking up at him tearfully.
"Please, you don't understand! I can't go back! Please, please, don't make me," she begged.
Lucifer guided her up to a standing position. "I can't make you do anything, but just think about what you're asking!"
Still trembling, Chloe replied, "I know what I'm asking. I can't go back to that place when it's a lie, it was fake and terrifying, and I think… I think it was driving me crazy." She shuddered. "I'm telling you, I don't belong there, I don't!"
Lucifer groaned, pained. He could see no answer, no path to happiness for his dearest love. After all, what do you do with someone for whom Heaven is hell?