The following morning, Chloe cleared the dirty breakfast plates off the counter and handed her daughter a lunch sack.

Trixie gave her a quick kiss on the cheek and ran as the elevator doors opened onto the Penthouse.

"Have a good day kiddo! And tell Daddy not to drive too fast on the way to school."

Trixie rolled her eyes as she punched the down button on the elevator, "Oh Mom… Dad only did that once because I wanted to see him use his siren and catch a speeder."

Chloe smiled at her daughter, "Right… how could I have forgotten that."

Trixie giggled as the elevator doors closed.

Chloe wandered around the living room, coffee mug in hand. She went out onto the patio for a moment to enjoy the morning light, then turned back into the bedroom. Lucifer was still in bed but he sensed her presence as soon as she entered the room. He turned over and smiled. "Good morning, love."

She strolled over to him and leaned down to run one hand through his messy hair, "Good morning."

He reached up and gently ensnared her wrist, tugging her toward him until she fell into the bed. In one smooth move, he rolled them both until she was on her back and he had her caged between his arms. He slowly lowered himself along her length, laughing down at her. Caught by the beauty of her clear blue eyes, he dipped his head to kiss her lips. "It occurs to me that I haven't made love to you in several nights…"

Chloe smiled at him, stroking the smooth, warm skin of his back, "Yeah, some sex-crazed Devil you are."

He quirked his lips in a smile as he focused his eyes on her mouth, "Oh, you have no idea how much I want you." He shifted until he could open her robe to touch bare skin. His fingers ran up her legs searching out her pleasure. When he was sure she was ready for him, he filled her slowly, knowing it was what they both desired. He groaned in satisfaction as he joined their bodies.

His breathing and heartbeat almost immediately synchronized with hers. It was unconsciously done. He only knew he wanted them to become one; to cleave to each other. Making love to Chloe reminded him of being at the heart of creation. It was electric. Thrilling. And just as explosive as the first moment he sent the light of the stars blazing into the darkness.

His eyes fell to the bullet on the chain nestled between her breasts. It was a silly thing, yet it meant everything that she always wore it as a reminder of their past and a promise for the future. He lowered his head to kiss the skin beneath his gift, and knew it was time for a new promise. He smiled as the perfect design for a piece of jewelry popped into his mind.

Totally unaware of Lucifer's thoughts, Chloe rode the waves of pleasure, kissing whatever part of his chest, neck or face she could reach. She closed her eyes as she felt his lips on her skin, nuzzling at the bullet necklace. She turned her mouth to his ear and whispered, "I love you."

Overwhelmed by her words, he arched into her, giving her his body, his heart and his soul. They both cried out in surprised pleasure as his wings burst into being. The entire room radiated brilliant-white light as the glorious feathers unfurled. His body tightened, wanting to give her everything he was. His shout of pleasure mingled with her softer cry. In that moment, he felt a part of his life-force break free in the form of one small feather. It floated softly down from his wing to rest against Chloe's chest, glowing on the fair skin between her breasts. It lay there for a second, and then began to glow brighter and brighter until it melted into her body. It was no longer visible, but Lucifer felt it take up residence inside her, beneath her breastbone, just to the side of her heart. He had somehow joined them permanently. Dread crept into his mind. What if he had taken away her free-will? He didn't even know how he had done it, but it had happened without her consent.

Chloe, looked up at Lucifer with wide, trusting eyes. She touched her chest, rubbing carefully where the light flowed into her.

Lucifer studied her in surprised wonder as her skin glowed white with his light, and then slowly faded to normal. He folded away his wings and then rolled onto his back. He pulled her with him, still intimately joined. "Are you all right?"

Her body pulsed pleasantly with the afterglow of their loving making, but her mind was full of questions, "I think so. I mean, that was amazing, but what happened at the end? Was that a celestial orgasm or something?"

"Darling, I'm not sure. It seems that I shared some of my light… my life-force, with you."

"So, not a normal angel thing?"

"No." He shifted and pulled her against his side. "This sharing of light… I've never heard of such a thing." He kissed her hair.

She snuggled into his chest, "Well, it certainly didn't hurt. It felt warm. In fact it still does." She thought for a minute, "If feels like the connection we've always shared, but much, much stronger."

"I don't believe it will hurt you. But this happened without your consent. Even though it wasn't intentional on my part, I have wronged you. If you don't want this connection, I will do everything in my power to rid you of it. Until then, if anything seems wrong, you must promise to tell me immediately."

She focused on the worry in his eyes and pushed herself upright. She felt wonderful. "Hey, it's okay. You didn't hurt me. In fact, I've never felt so cherished in my life." She leaned in to kiss him. "But, I've got to ask, is there a small feather inside my chest now?"

He stared at her, thinking. "No. When it touched you, the physical form of the feather disintegrated. It's more like you have a small well of my energy inside you." He gave her a lop-sided grin. "I'm not sure if you'll be able to access it, but it's sort of like having a back-up generator with you at all times."

"Well I definitely feel like someone flipped a switch." She bounced forward to give him a quick peck of a kiss, and then scooted to the side of the bed.

He studied her for a moment longer, baffled, "I must be doing something wrong. You should be in sex coma about now."

She giggled, "Believe me, you aren't doing anything wrong. I just feel energized rather than sleepy this time, and... I'm glad we have a connection." She locked eyes with him, "Seriously, I'm fine. Now let get going or we'll be late for work!"

They quickly showered, dressed and went down to Chloe's police cruiser. The drive to work was a perfect opportunity for Chloe to ask questions. She didn't waste any time. "So, Michael came back upstairs last night while I was with Trixie." She glanced at her partner and asked, "What did you two talk about?"

Lucifer turned to look at her nervously, "Are you sure you want to know?"

"Yes."

"Okay, but remember, I did warn you." He settled into his seat, "Michael is having difficulty with the different factions of demons. They keep trying to overthrow his leadership. He's already put down a few rebellions, but his inner council, which is a group of five demons that he trusts enough to stay within the palace, may be hiding a traitor. He isn't sure yet, but he thinks some of his plans are being leaked to those working against him." He rambled on, warming to the discussion, "So he has a possible traitor, and oh, he wanted a run-down on what to avoid with some of the more dangerous hell-loop doors."

Chloe listened, trying to take it all in, but her eyes glazed over. It was so surreal to be discussing Hell… with a fallen-angel… her lover, the Devil… She took a deep breath, and let her logical mind take over, "Okay. Not being able to trust your own team makes it extremely difficult to get the job done. If it was me, I would start by checking for each person's, I mean demon's, possible connections to the different factions. See if they have ties that might make them betray him."

Lucifer stared at her in shock, then he laughed heartily, "You really are the most incredible woman!"

She blushed.

"I threw a whole new dimension at you, and you came back with solid advice." He smiled fondly, "Excellent work, Detective!"

She gave him a saucy grin as she parked the car and got out, "What can I say, I'm good at what I do."

He smiled back at her, offering his arm to walk beside her. She placed her hand on his sleeve, but then suddenly lurched to a stop. Her hand grabbed at his arm, as she started to panic. "Lucifer, if Michael can't get things in order, will you go back to Hell?"

He glanced away from her, "I can't promise that I won't have to go back."

She looked devastated and tears begin to form in her eyes, "I don't know what I would do…" She shook her head and sniffed, trying to get control of herself.

Lucifer wrapped his arms around her, "Chloe? This isn't like you. Are you quite all right?"

She cried even harder against his chest, shaking in his arms. "I don't know what's wrong with me. I'm so sad. I can't stop the tears."

He guided her into the side entrance of the police department and immediately led her into an empty interrogation room. He pulled her back into his arms, "I'm here and everything is all right. You have my word that I won't ever go back to Hell of my own free will. If I end up back there, it will not be by my choice and I will do whatever it takes to return to you." He eased back to look into her eyes, "Chloe Jane Decker, you are stuck with me, unless you tell me to go."

She gave him a glowing smile, and stepped back to wipe her face, "I'm okay now. That was so weird. It hit me so suddenly, but you made me feel much better." She stroked her hand against his jaw, "Thank you."

Lucifer gave her a distracted smile, "You're very welcome." He ushered her toward the door, "Now let's see what they have for us today."