Lucifer smiled to himself as he followed Chloe into the precinct, his gaze trailing around, instinctively looking for his brother. His smile widened slightly when he realized Michael wasn't there - Still out there with Pierce, thankfully enough. Lucifer was honestly pleased that he hadn't really had any encounters with his older brother that day - Aside from the little moment that morning that had been interrupted by Pierce - Who, honestly, Lucifer was pretty sure Michael hated more than his brother hated him, possibly enough. Which would actually be great. If Michael hated Pierce, he'd probably have nothing against killing him… Or, maybe he would. Amenadiel had been adamant about keeping Pierce alive because it had been what God wanted.
Lucifer wouldn't be surprised if Michael was the same way. The second-born was probably more attached to their Father than even Amenadiel was - Hard to believe as it was, it was true. The Devil sighed, shaking his head. He'd have to think of something else, but if Pierce made Michael angry enough somehow… Michael had always let his emotions get the best of him, after all. His brother was pretty much one with emotions. Maybe he hid it better than Lucifer, but the Devil knew his older brother.
Clearing his throat, Lucifer stopped walking for a second, trying to recollect his thoughts. He realized with a start that Chloe was no longer beside him - She must have gone off to call the number Kyle had given them already. Leaving the Devil alone in the precinct… He'd seen Dan earlier, but he didn't seem to be there now. That's right. Taking the spawn to the zoo, he remembered, nodding slightly and running his fingers through his hair, his gaze flickering around as he narrowed his eyes. Well, Chloe didn't really need him at the moment, and he had nothing else to do. No Dan or Pierce to annoy.
Miss Lopez, Lucifer hummed, then stopped completely, remembering earlier. The way she was talking about Michael, what she'd almost said, how she'd stumbled over her words and then left so abruptly. The anger that had been bubbling in the Devil before came rushing back, directed completely toward his older brother. He'd better not have brought Ella into all of this stupid angel crap. Lucifer didn't care how strong his brother was, he cared about the girl, and he didn't want her put in harm's way because Michael slipped up.
He was moving before he even realized what he was doing, heading for Ella's lab, teeth clenched. He shoved his hands into his pockets, pushing the door open with his foot and walking in wordlessly. The girl was studying something under her microscope, but she looked up when Lucifer entered, a surprised expression crossing her face before her usual warm grin appeared.
And that had Lucifer faltering. If Ella knew anything, she had to realize he really was the Devil. And remembering how terrified Linda had been of him when he showed her… Ella's warm greeting didn't make any sense to the Devil. And for a while, he hesitated, wondering if he should just excuse himself and leave. Because if she didn't know, and he said something about it first, he'd end up either having to explain or just confusing the poor girl even more. The Devil took a deep breath and looked away, clicking his teeth together hesitantly.
"... You good, Luce?" Ella checked, taking her gloves off and walking over to him, her wide, innocent eyes meeting the Devil's. Lucifer sighed, looking back down at her and narrowing his eyes faintly, confused.
"And besides, I think the Devil gets a bad rap."
The words rang in his head, clear as day, and Lucifer blinked, holding Ella's gaze easily. Of course. She was Ella. Sweet, sunshine-and-rainbows, see-the-good-in-everyone Ella. Even… the Devil. He tilted his head slightly at the girl, a small, hesitant smile tugging at his lips as he adjusted his jacket, clearing his throat and taking a deep breath. "You know, don't you?"
"Know… Oh!" Ella blinked, and glanced past him. But her own smile was appearing on her face, checking to make sure they were alone before looking back up at him and nodding. "Yeah, I know."
"What did he tell you?" Lucifer asked quietly, swallowing and trying to keep the anger out of his voice. "Why, did he tell you."
"More like… Showed me?" Ella responded, sounding somewhat confused. Lucifer tilted his head, equally confused, and Ella shook her head and rushed to explain. "Uh, wings. Really, really pretty wings, actually. Like, wow… Hey, you have wings, right? I think Michael said you did…"
Lucifer sighed, shaking his head and rubbing his hand over his face, silent. "I do have wings, unfortunately," he mumbled, then shook his head again and forced himself to focus. "Miss Lopez-" He stopped, and took a deep breath before simply starting over. "Ella, why did he show you his wings?"
"Well, in his defense, he didn't really mean to," Ella replied, eyebrows furrowing. "You're mad."
Lucifer hesitated, looking down at her. Yeah, she was still so innocent. Too innocent. And his mind raced, with images of her being in the same position as Linda, forced into the life she had no control over. The knowledge of the Divine forced into her head, becoming part of it, spun into the web she couldn't escape even if she wanted to. The danger she could be in, the pain she could endure, the fear, all of it. And it hurt - It actually, physically hurt to think of it. Because Ella… Well, Ella was his friend. More of a sister, really… More of a sister than his real ones had ever been. And she didn't deserve to be dragged into any of this, especially by Michael. The Devil exhaled, squeezing his eyes shut wordlessly.
"Hey," Ella piped up, and Lucifer jumped, a little startled when she reached out to touch his arm, squeezing gently. Luckily, it was his good arm, otherwise he'd be in immense pain right then. The Devil sighed and opened his eyes, looking down at the girl and tilting his head slightly, frowning. "Come on, Luce, what's the problem? Talk to me," she told him, offering her usual grin at him.
"I'm just… Very angry at my brother right now," Lucifer sighed, offering her a faint smile in return, but it faltered and fell away almost instantly as he glanced away. "You didn't deserve to be pulled into any of this, Miss Lopez."
"Pfft," Ella laughed a little, eyes widening in disbelief as she tilted her head to catch his gaze again. It worked - The movement instinctively drew Lucifer's eyes back to her, meeting her gaze warily as she spoke. "If it's any consolation, I think it's awesome. Even the whole Devil thing, y'know? I've always been a believer - Always. And being this close to it all, it's… It's amazing."
Lucifer shook his head. Leave it to Ella to try to find the positive side of this. "But you have no idea…" He trailed off. "You have no idea, the danger you could be in."
"Is it even any different from the danger I was already in?" Ella cocked her head to the side. "What does this change, Luce? Like I said, I've always known it exists. Just because I have personal connections to the Devil and his brother," she chuckled, eyes sparkling slightly with amusement. "Well, it shouldn't change much, because either way, I'm still your friend."
Lucifer blinked, staring down at her silently for a moment. Then, with a sigh, he simply pulled the girl into a tight hug, squeezing slightly. "You are a wonderful human, Miss Lopez."
Ella actually laughed a little at that, hugging him back just as tightly. "Thanks!" Lucifer just chuckled, staying silent for a moment before pulling away, giving her shoulder a gentle squeeze before shoving his hands into his pockets. "And Lucifer? Don't be too mad at Michael, okay?"
"Oh, no, I'm bloody pissed," Lucifer admitted, shaking his head. "But, don't worry. I'd rather not get into it with him again," he huffed. Ella tilted her head at that, and stepped back suddenly to look him over, eyes narrowing slightly.
"I noticed you two aren't exactly, uh… Friendly," she remarked, suddenly reaching out and grabbing his bad arm. "And Chloe told me he hurt you, yeah?" She glanced up at him. The Devil tensed, staring at his arm warily, then looking back up at Ella and giving a small shrug in response.
"Little bit."
Ella nodded, letting his arm go and offering him a small smile. "Brothers, huh? Mine got pretty rough with me way back when, too. And with each other. At one point, we were at the hospital for a week because they got into a fight so bad that one of 'em went through a glass coffee table. Boys will be boys, and unfortunately, brothers are like… Your own personal bullies, am I right?"
"Sounds about right," Lucifer mused, shaking his head. His own personal bully - Sounded just like Michael.
"I'll set 'im straight, don't worry, Luce," Ella told him with a grin. "Just tell me if he gives you trouble, I'll make him sleep on the couch."
Lucifer blinked, extremely taken aback by that, and completely thrown off-guard. He shook his head a few times, looking down at her in pure confusion. "Wait, what?" He asked slowly. "What do you mean by that, Miss Lopez? Sleep on the couch?"
"Oh, yeah." Ella blinked. "Michael's gonna be staying with me for a while, until…" She trailed off, face falling slightly. "... Do you really have to leave?"
Lucifer blinked, deciding to bring up the whole Michael-staying-with-Ella thing later. The Devil shook his head, distracted. "That's the plan…"
"How long…?" Ella trailed off, frowning. "How long will you be gone, or… Or are you not…"
"I'm afraid that it might…" Lucifer took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Be a… Permanent situation, Miss Lopez." Ella grimaced, looking away for a moment, but eventually just sighed and nodded, this time pulling him into a hug. which Lucifer happily accepted, wrapping his arms around the girl and squeezing tightly. "For what it's worth, you're one of the people I'll miss most of all."
"I know," Ella murmured, staying exactly where she was for a minute or so before pulling away, patting him on the shoulder. "Hey… Luce, does…" She blinked, looking up at him. "Does anyone else know, that you're…"
"Doctor Linda," Lucifer told her, giving a small smile. "So if you actually do start freaking out about it, just remember she's another mortal who's been through exactly what you are right now."
Ella offered him an amused grin. "Yeah, okay." After a moment of silence, she started laughing. "Well, now I understand what you meant about your Dad being all-powerful, huh?"
"Indeed," Lucifer mumbled, smile fading as he shook his head. "All-powerful control freak."
"Don't give him such a hard time, Luce," Ella told him, tilting her head slightly. "Parenting's hard. Really hard. Especially when you've got, like…" She trailed off. "How many siblings do you have?"
Lucifer actually laughed a bit at that. "Too many to count, I'm afraid."
"Well, you get my point," Ella mused, patting his shoulder and turning away once more. "I know it doesn't feel like it, but He loves all of his children. Even the rebellious, angry ones that hate Him."
"Mm…" Lucifer trailed off, letting out a soft sigh and clearing his throat as he glanced away. "I should probably go see what the Detective is up to."
"Okie dokie…" Ella trailed off, and Lucifer turned to leave - But Ella spoke up again, stopping him. "Oh, wait!" Lucifer blinked, and paused, turning back around and tilting his head. Ella spun around and turned away, searching for something - She pulled a pink journal out of a box, quickly heading back over to Lucifer and flipping it open, mumbling to herself as she thumbed through the pages.
"What's this?" Lucifer questioned, taking a few steps forward and narrowing his eyes down at the journal.
"You remember the girl from the case you were working, Zoe Turner? This is a journal we got from her place. But when we found it, it was blank - Nothing was written inside, which, y'know, I thought was pretty weird. Then I realized it - Invisible ink," Ella told him, handing the journal over and heading off to get something else. "A little weird - Like, maybe she expected someone to find the journal, but it makes sense, y'know?"
"Indeed," Lucifer mumbled, a little impressed - Whether with Zoe or Ella, he wasn't sure yet. He looked up, watching Ella walk back over to him, this time holding a blacklight.
"So I took a look with this." Ella paused, reaching over to turn the light off before shining the light on the paper. It took a few moments for the message to appear, but when it did, Lucifer studied it intently, narrowing his eyes. It was a phone number - One he actually, vaguely recognized…
"Is that the only thing written down?" He asked slowly, memorizing the numbers with ease and looking back up. Ella turned the blacklight off and turned the light back on, nodding slightly at the Devil.
"Yep. Just that."
"I think I know who's number that might be," Lucifer mumbled. "I think it's connected to a case me and the Detective are working now. Has anyone questioned Zoe about it yet, or…"
"Nope," Ella replied, shaking her head. "She won't talk."
"Mm…" Lucifer took a deep breath and let it out slowly. "Right, then… Thank you, Miss Lopez." He handed the journal back to her, then turned and left the room without another word, heading out to find Chloe. She was still on the phone, though, so Lucifer simply sat back in her chair and looked around for the paper Kyle had given them - When he found it, he picked it up and mumbled the numbers under his breath, nodding. Yep. Same number.
When Chloe hung up, she took the paper from him to write something else down on it. Lucifer sat back, looking up at her. "Remember Zoe Turner?"
"Mhm," Chloe hummed, seeming distracted.
"I believe she was involved with Tommy," Lucifer commented, eyes narrowing. "She had his number written down in invisible ink in her little diary."
Chloe glanced up, doing a double take and staring at him in confusion. "... So do you think it's connected?" She questioned, eyebrows furrowing. "Or just a coincidence that both Zoe and Liam were involved with the same guy?"
Lucifer shrugged in response. "Not quite sure, Detective. What did he say?"
"Not much. Dude's not a talker," Chloe mumbled, sounding faintly annoyed. "He did, however, agree to meet. We're going tomorrow, and we're bringing backup, because something's telling me not to trust this guy."
"Agreed," Lucifer sighed, letting his head fall back. "You know, you could just send me alone…"
"Lucifer," Chloe sighed. Lucifer just chuckled and fell silent, letting his eyes slip shut. He hadn't really meant to get as involved in this case as he was, but focusing on work was actually a great distracted from everything else that was going on. And he'd thought he'd liked the job before, simply because he could be with Chloe and punish the sinners - But he was starting to realize that maybe it was a little more than that.
Or, y'know, he could just be looking too closely. He wasn't sure yet.
Hours passed, and Lucifer was honestly pleasantly surprised when Michael and Pierce didn't arrive back at the precinct until way, way later, nearly at midnight. Neither of them seemed pleased in the slightest, and Michael actually looked rather relieved to leave Pierce's side. The annoyance on his brother's face made him want to laugh, but he reminded himself not to stare, not wanting to have to interact with his older brother right then. He had traded seats with Chloe to sit beside her while she looked up as much as she could about Tommy - Who they learned, was really named Thomas Wylde - But, surprisingly, there wasn't much about him at all.
"I don't get it," Chloe huffed, completely focused on the computer. "None of this makes any sense…" Lucifer hummed faintly in agreement, pausing and turning his head as Pierce passed him. The man glanced over at him, giving a small, subtle nod toward his office as he walked. Lucifer blinked, tilting his head faintly and pushing his chair back to get up. Chloe looked up at that, distracted. "Where you going?"
"Pierce wants to talk to me, apparently," Lucifer responded simply, stepping around the desk and following after the man, entering the office behind him. Pierce turned to face him, turning a pointed look toward the door, and Lucifer reluctantly turned to shut it behind him. "Something you need, darling?"
"Why is your brother here?" Pierce demanded, frustration lacing his words like venom, and Lucifer cocked his head toward the man, glancing over out the window of the office to look toward Michael, who had looked up and was now staring at the two from where he sat at his desk. Lucifer blinked, narrowing his eyes.
The enemy of my enemy is my friend… He turned back to Pierce. "To take me back to Heaven in a month. Did he not tell you?" He mused.
"He's getting on my nerves," Pierce growled. Then, after a moment, he narrowed his eyes, stepping toward Lucifer. "A month?" He demanded. "That's how long we have to- Are you even trying to help me, at this point, Lucifer?" He lowered his voice, blue eyes sparkling with frustration as he met Lucifer's gaze.
"Of course I am," Lucifer soothed, a grin appearing on his face. "And, I believe, I've found just the way to help you. Michael's Sword."
Pierce blinked, going silent for a moment. "Michael's Sword…" He repeated, eyes narrowing. "Do you think… That could kill me?" He looked up, focusing on Lucifer again. "It's definitely something I've never tried. But can you get that from him?" He demanded.
"Oh, Heavens no," Lucifer responded, taking a small step back and glancing back toward Michael, before focusing on Pierce again. "However, you two already seem at odds. I'm sure if you push the right buttons, he'll do it himself, willingly."
Pierce held his gaze for a moment before turning his head, glancing out the window toward Michael. "So if I just make him angry enough, he'll kill me with the Sword. For good," he mumbled, eyes narrowing. Lucifer nodded, and the man sighed, leaning back. "So how do I make him angry enough for that?"
"Michael's usually always angry. And you're… You. It shouldn't be too hard," Lucifer responded, giving his usual cocky-ass grin and turning his head, looking toward Chloe for a second. This was usually the time when she left, and, of course, Lucifer had to go with her. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I'll be going. Good luck with my brother." With that, he turned and opened the door, walking out without waiting for a response.
He headed to Chloe, not even looking toward his older brother, but he felt Michael's gaze tracking him the whole way. He simply grinned as he approached the Detective, and she offered him a warm smile.
"Ready to go?"
"Indeed," Lucifer responded, following her out with a smile. He paused and glanced over when he passed Michael, finally holding his brother's gaze, and despite himself, he allowed his lips to tug into a slight smirk before looking ahead and continuing on his way, raising his head.