Dan Espinoza held his gun ready as he slowly moved toward the cliffside. He could hear the ocean surf pounding on the rocks far below. A few steps more and he could hear voices. He was both relieved and terrified to hear Trixie say, "But I don't want to look down at the ocean."
He only made it a few more steps before he felt a blinding pain at the back of his head. His eyes rolled up and he fell forward onto the ground. Brandt smiled down at him as he dropped the bloody rock and rejoined Dereen.
Chloe, Lucifer and Michael arrived just in time to see Dan knocked unconscious. Chloe took charge, "Okay, you two, stay behind me." She pulled her gun and quietly moved out into the open to face Trixie's captors.
Lucifer grabbed Michael's arm, "I'll take care of Trixie, and you make sure the demons don't try to run."
Michael nodded.
Chloe yelled, "freeze," as she aimed her weapon at Brandt.
The two demons laughed. Dereen picked up Trixie and carried her to the edge of the cliff; totally ignoring Chloe's order. She focused on Michael and then looked at Lucifer in confusion. She quickly realized her mistake and directed her attention to Lucifer. Despite mistaking one brother for the other, she reasoned that her plan would still work. The Devil obviously valued the child's life; otherwise he wouldn't be present. He would still feel pain when the child died.
She watched Lucifer carefully, "Just in time, my lord. You won't remember us, I'm sure."
He gave her a haughty look, "Of course I do. You are Dereen and he is Brandt; demons from the left bank of Styx."
"Impressive. So, you must also remember how you banned us from torturing damned souls and left us to rot in exile."
He frowned at her, "You did that to yourselves. The moment you began to torture for your own pleasure, disregarding the punishment each soul set for itself, was the moment you cast your fate."
Brandt edged away from the humans, as Dereen yelled, "No. You are to blame for our disgrace and we will punish you for your sins, former King of Hell."
In one smooth move, Dereen tossed Trixie headfirst off the cliff then turned to run after Brandt who was already half way to the car.
Chloe saw her child go over the side, and her heart screamed in denial. She turned and fired her gun again and again at the two demons, but they moved incredibly fast. She dropped her weapon and rushed to the edge of the cliff.
Lucifer came from behind her running straight for the edge. He was a blur of motion, as he passed his partner and dove off the side of the mountain after her daughter.
At the same time, Michael manifested his wings and flew past the demons to cut off their escape. He faced them as they ran toward him, their knives in hand. Brandt attacked first, while Dereen waited for her chance. Brandt threw a knife at Michael's chest, but the angel caught it mid-air and knocked the demon's legs out from under him with one swipe of his wing. As Brandt jumped to his feet, Michael punched him in the face. The demon fell back; out cold. He turned to fight Dereen but she was already upon him, her knife slashing toward his throat. Michael raised his wing and felt the sting of the blade cut through feather and flesh. He cried out before he threw her to the ground; his good wing slamming into her. She rolled and came up smiling, "I'm going to kill the Devil's twin." She raced toward him; confident she could win. Michael braced himself, only to see a familiar figure barrel into the oncoming demon.
Maze rolled, pulling the demon with her, until she could flip onto her feet. Dereen back-handed her viciously, knocking Maze to the ground. She tried to get to her knees but Dereen kicked her in the ribs before she could stand. As the next kick slammed into her, Maze grabbed the demon's boot and shoved her off balance. It was enough of a distraction for Maze to stand. Drained, she forced herself to fight. Dereen shifted her weight from foot to foot as she looked for a weakness to exploit. Her knife flashed as she took a swipe at Maze. As the blade streaked past her ribs, Maze moved. She swung one leg up and across her body, using a round-house kick, immediately followed by a one-two punch to knock Dereen into unconsciousness. Breathing hard, Maze braced her hands on her thighs and groaned in pain. She looked down in disgust at the fallen demon crumpled on the ground. With an angry growl, she kicked Dereen's limp body in rage and shouted, "Nobody hurts my little human!"
Maze bowed her head ever so slightly as Michael grabbed the unconscious demons, one in each arm. He carried them like two sacks of potatoes, as he took flight. Despite the pain of his damaged wing, the two demons had to be confined in Hell.
The injured angel quickly made the dimension jump to the ash-filled corridors of his brother's kingdom. He soared through the darkness, his black wings gleaming impossibly in the gloom. Those who saw him, fell to their knees in fear.
At the same time that Michael and Maze fought the demons, Lucifer went over the edge of the cliff to save Trixie. As he jumped, memories of an old nightmare flashed in his mind. Chloe fell from the Penthouse balcony, crying for help. She reached for him but he couldn't save her. He ground his teeth. He wouldn't lose the child.
He manifested and stretched his wings down the length of his body. He tucked them tightly along the back of his legs, to lessen the drag of the airflow around him. The tips trailed well past his shoes as he sped toward Trixie. The sound of the ocean waves crashing against the rocks below almost covered her scream, but Lucifer heard. He reached out for Trixie's floundering leg knowing it was too late. The only way he could get to her would be to break a really big rule. In that moment, he didn't care.
Light streamed from his wings as reality bowed outward and wobbled under the strain of angelic domination. In a burst of power, Lucifer broke the laws of gravity and willed himself to move faster than the rate of descent. He grabbed hold of one leg, and pulled the child safely against his chest. With a gentle extension of feathers, he curved both his wings to bring them out of the dive and veered to the side. Spray from the crashing waves dampened their clothes as he slowly adjusted their flight. Trixie hid her face against his shirt for a moment before she peeked out and whispered, "Cool."
He continued to glide sideways, banking until he could soar into a graceful upward arc. He adjusted his hold on Trixie, making sure she was sheltered from the buffeting winds and ocean water. With a relieved sigh, he hugged her tightly while he landed on the mountaintop a few feet away from Chloe.
Chloe stood frozen, her face a mask of awe, as she watched Lucifer land. Their eyes met for one endless moment before she ran to grab both Lucifer and Trixie in a fierce hug.
Lucifer glanced over her head to see Michael land and fold away his wings. He gave his brother a questioning look.
Michael nodded solemnly, and telepathically spoke, the demons are taken care of.
The last of the tension disappeared from Lucifer's body as he focused on the woman and child in his arms. Chloe cried in relief and kissed Trixie while she chanted, "Thank you, thank you." Then she pulled Lucifer down to kiss his lips. He wasn't sure if the kiss lasted a second or an eternity. Pleasure roared through him, only to be brutally shut off when his mind began to function. This is just gratitude. She's setting aside her disgust of me because I saved the child. It means nothing. He tensed and gently pushed her away to step aside. He gave her the barest hint of a smile, "You're welcome, Detective."
He gestured to Daniel, who sat in the grass rubbing his head. "I think I'll ride back to town with Daniel to make sure he's all right. I'll see you later?"
He didn't wait for a response. He rushed away, gesturing for Michael to join him. "What happened?"
Michael gave him a helpless look, "I took them back to Hell, but my brief appearance there won't keep things in check for long. Demons are fighting each other for control of the kingdom. Hell needs a ruler. Lucifer you must go back!"
The Devil's voice was cold and final, "No I won't leave my home in Los Angeles." He turned away from his brother to help Daniel get to his feet and walk to the car.
Chloe, Maze and Trixie followed the men to the parking area. Maze hugged Trixie to her side, as the girl talked non-stop about flying with Lucifer.
Chloe listened, but her thoughts were on her partner's confusing actions when she kissed him. She could have sworn he responded, but then he stopped. It didn't make sense. In the greatest act of love she had ever seen, Lucifer saved her child. But he balked at a kiss. She felt like she was missing a critical piece of a puzzle. Or maybe she just didn't want to face the fact that a working relationship was all she would ever get from him. She watched in stunned silence as Lucifer walked away.