Chloe heard the loud, obnoxious melody of her mobile phone somewhere in the distance of her consciousness. As she snuggled deeper into the blanket surrounding her, the annoying rings of the alarm grew more distant. The soft fuzzy texture of her favorite blanket shielded her eyes from the sunlight streaming through the bedroom window drew her back from the edge, lulling back into a deep sleep. Chloe burrowed beneath the blanket, curling into a tight ball to catch a few more minutes of sleep before she began getting ready for her shift.
She rolled over on her side, effectively blocking out the world and losing her in that wonderful place between consciousness and sleep. The wonderful allure of deep sleep beckoned her back into her dreams. It felt so good and safe there, away from the harsh, cold reality of blood and concrete, bullets and badges. The volume of the alarm clock faded into nothing, replaced by quiet and sounds of nature.
Chloe rolled over, noting the texture of her cotton sheets had changed to soft grass. Her eyes snapped open, blinking twice before she automatically reached for her sidearm on the end table. All Chloe grasped was a handful of thick rescue, dewy to the touch. She remained still, surveying everything around her be familiar with her surroundings.
The air smelled fresh as she remembered it from her childhood; natural and sweet after a heavy rain. It was a familiar scent that she came from somewhere, but her memory refused to give an exact place in time. Chloe slowly sat upright, hearing a familiar sound that she recalled from that same elusive dream. Looking around, Chloe saw a familiar mountain range in the distance, each peak capped with snow. She stood up, looking for the source of the background noise that relaxed every last nerve in her usually fatigued and tensed body.
"Welcome back, Chloe," a voice welcomed her, quiet and lilting. Chloe felt her memories nag at her, knowing she had heard this voice in the past.
She glanced around at the sky above which was a mixture of dark gray after a storm, twilight with the colors of the sunset on the horizon, brilliant light coming from the center of wherever she was and night sky alight with stars above her. "Where am I?"
"You asked Me that last time," He chuckled and Chloe turned to face the voice. Looking to her left, Chloe saw a man whom she recognized, perhaps in his late twenties or early thirties. She studied the person next to her, he was a familiar face with wavy chestnut hair, light gray eyes and olive skin. "Silver City."
Chloe looked around, scoffing at His answer. "I don't remember Silver City, New Mexico looking anything like this."
"You're not in L.A. anymore," He returned her smile.
"I remember now, I asked you your name and you said 'I am,' but you never finished telling me."
"I AM. You don't know me yet, but I hope you will. Maybe by knowing Lucifer for a little while on Earth, you and I can become close friends."
"How do you know Lucifer?"
"If I told you, would you believe Me?" He shook his head. "If you're wondering what to call me, you can call me Joshua."
"How do you know Lucifer?" Chloe repeated, taking in Josh's appearance. Chestnut hair, gray eyes, full and groomed beard reminded her of a young hipster.
"He's my son."
Chloe's eyes widened and her jaw slackened. Skeptically, she scrutinized the man in front of her whom she guessed was about her own age and he appeared younger than Lucifer by nearly a decade. "Really?"
"Really."
"You know, I'm having a hard time with this whole God/ Devil thing," she folded her arms, give Josh a skeptical glance. "I believe in good and evil, right and wrong, but Hell? No, not literally. Now, you're asking me to believe in Heaven? And what's with the hipster look? Why faded blue jeans and a white tee-shirt? Where are the flowing robes, the hair like wool and skin of bronze? Shouldn't you be up on a mountain top somewhere judging people?"
"Chloe, there's a lot more to ME than you know and all the pages in all of the books in the world couldn't describe more than just a moment or two," his voice calmed her.
"So what about Jesus, are you Him?"
"I AM."
"So, you're not God the Father, then?"
"I AM."
"Which is it?" Chloe wondered if Josh, or whoever he really was, would give her a straight answer.
"I AM."
She rolled her eyes. "I wanted to sleep in, not be perplexed by weird dreams. I want to wake up now."
"Chloe, walk with me," Josh beckoned her gently and she wanted to follow. As they walked along the edge of the clear stream flowing beside them, He said nothing for a few moments. "It's not about my name what you call me, it's about you knowing who I AM. By learning about Lucifer, you'll learn more about Me. By knowing more about Me, then you'll help Lucifer know himself. This is why I brought you to Silver City, by seeing ME here for awhile, you'll get to know me better in LA. and also help Lucifer."
"Your God...as in Lucifer's Dad?" Chloe said slowly.
"Father, more like creator, but yes."
"So, you're Jesus, too?"
"Let's get you comfortable with the basics, Chloe, and we'll tackle the harder things when you're ready." Josh smiled. "You still don't believe in the Devil."
"You're saying you're God as in Sky Dad and Lucifer is who he says he is," Chloe breathed in deeply the fresh morning air. "Satan?"
"Satan is a deceiver. Lucifer is just a name given to him by Humanity. His true name is Samael."
"Okay, okay," Chloe held up her hands to stop Josh. "I'll go with the role and play along. Give me the inside info on Heaven, God and Lucifer 101."
"Just remember, you asked," Josh chuckled. They walked along the river's edge for some time before they came upon an orchard with trees bearing every sort of bloom, blossom and fruit. He motioned to a wooden bench to sit and Chloe sat down beside him.
"Samael is Lucifer's true name," he reached up to a tree, taking a bite of a juicy fruit that had a purplish outer skin and burgundy juice that Josh wiped from His lips. "Would you like one, Chloe?"
"What is it?" She studied the strange fruit in His hand.
"Best in the universe," Josh gave her a broad smile.
"You were saying about Lucifer," Chloe began, her mouth still half-full with fig. Josh plucked three more from the tree, handing them to her.
"I named him Samael. His light and beauty filled Heaven that no other angel can duplicate, but, he was the strongest in will of all of his brothers and sisters. Chloe, Lucifer could be a handful. He was handsome and he knew it. His confidence never wavered, but it became arrogance and pride."
"I thought you were going to tell me something that I didn't already know, Josh," Chloe wiped a small trail of juice from the side of her lip from the fig she bit. "He says you kicked him out of Heaven because he didn't believe in predestination, but free will. The Bible says he led a rebellion and you cast him out along with one-third of all angels. Which is it?"
"Both," Josh admitted. "He wanted to do things on his own terms, but he wouldn't listen to Me. He wanted power, questioned Me and was rebellious. I told him and his followers to leave and not return until their hearts changed. When you are in My house, you love others as you would yourself, not love yourself at the expense of others."
"So, Lucifer and his siblings. . .just left?"
"After he threw a massive tantrum and left home," Josh handed Chloe a handkerchief that she used to wipe the final drop of juice from the side of her mouth. "I sent him to the one place where I wouldn't be where he could have time to think about things without having My presence overshadow him."
"Hell?"
"Hell." Josh confirmed. "He's not my enemy, Chloe, he's my firstborn. He always had a streak that enjoyed punishing evil, so I thought Hell was the perfect place for him to think about things."
"So, he can come home at anytime?" She asked.
"With conditions," Josh rinsed his hands in the flowing waters of the crystalline stream. "That's why I picked you. You are the first being in his existence to make him think of more than his own needs and desires. He saved your life without any selfishness attached to it. When he is around you, he forgets his pride and arrogance-"
"Are you sure about that?" Chloe followed suit, rinsing the fig juice from her hands in the clear waters. "This is Lucifer we're talking about, you know."
"True," Josh agreed. "Only you, Chloe, make Lucifer forget his own needs and thinks of others. All I've ever wanted him to learn was to love others as he loves himself. He's still working on that one, but you're the first person who inspired him in the right direction. You're good for him and he's good for you."
"So, I'm a pawn."
"No, you're his friend and he cares about you. With you in his life, he thinks about much more than just himself and I know that you can inspire Lucifer's change of heart to be that beautiful angel in his entirety. The one thing I don't change, Chloe, is anyone's ability to choose. I gave every sentient being in the universe free-will and it's something even I don't touch. You have the right to choose or refuse."
"So, how does this affect me?"
"You're lonely, a by-the-book cop getting herself into dangerous situations because of your desire for justice for those who've been wronged. You enjoy bringing wrongdoers in and seeing them get what they've earned. That's one thing you and Lucifer have in common. He also has your back and keeps you alive and well. It isn't your time yet."
"What do you want me to do?" Chloe asked, noticing Josh's features were blurrier than the previous moment.
"Follow your heart and love Lucifer when no one else will," the voice possessed an ethereal quality that reminded Chloe of being in a canyon with her voice echoing off the steep walls. "Be good to each other."
The blaring alarm blasted her ears with its intensity, startling Chloe where she abruptly sat upright in bed. Seeing the clock, she saw that she enough time to shower and change before work. Two expletives left her lips as she scrambled out of bed. "This is going to be one hell of a day."
Chloe stepped beneath the cascade of hot water, willing it to cleanse away the latest in a series of disturbing dreams. Dreams that came to her in a variety of guises: walking along a river in Heaven and talking with God, dreaming about twin crimson fires reflecting in Lucifer's eyes with skin melted away until raw muscle and bone remained.
She felt the water run over her perspiring skin, washing away the final traces of the previous night's surrealistic images. Chloe leaned into the shower tiles, simply enjoying her blank mind without thoughts or images invading it. She felt the water ping against the gunshot wound, still tender in her left shoulder.
Chloe remembered the bullet passing through her body, the velocity of its impact sent her reeling backwards to land upon broken glass. Lucifer staring at her with wide, dark eyes filled with shock and concern appeared in the flashback. She remembered Delilah's murderer, Jimmy Barnes, in custody, banging his head against the glass until his forehead bled and he screamed, "He's the Devil!"
She remember how Lucifer had grabbed a by the throat when he had been in a fit of rage, throwing him 15 feet through a double-pane, bullet-proof window. Could it be true? Was it even possible? Chloe pondered the questions when she heard the front door slam. She was alone in the house and knew that she wouldn't see Trixie until after school since she had spent the weekend at Dan's apartment.
Chloe quickly turned off the water. After wrapping herself in a towel and grabbing her Smith & Wesson Bodyguard 380, she made her way through the house to confront her perpetrator. She did a sweep of the living room and dining room before she noticed the omelet frying in the skillet on the stove.
What the hell?
She heard another thump, turning in that direction and finding the perpetrator who invaded her house was the last person she expected to see.
"Lucifer!"
The towel dropped once her arms relaxed a little after seeing the perpetrator was just her favorite pervert.
Shit.
"Well, good morning, Detective," Lucifer cheerfully greeted her, eye appreciatively all of her natural God-given attributes.
TO BE CONTINUED….-
Notes: Revelation 22:1-2New Revised Standard Version (NRSV): The River of Life 22 Then the angel[a] showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal, flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb 2 through the middle of the street of the city. On either side of the river is the tree of life[b] with its twelve kinds of fruit, producing its fruit each month; and the leaves of the tree are for the healing of the nations Song that came to mind during writing of this Chapter: Silent Lucidity by QueensrĂżche. Check out the lyrics and you'll see why.