Silks, Satin And Satan

Chloe twirled around in the fitting booth, the fabric swishing around her ankles. She eyed herself in the mirror and felt a nervous twinge in her gut.

This was definitely not going to be it. The neckline on the dress was way too low for her.

"Come on, Chlo," she heard Ella call from outside. "Give us a little sneak peak! You've been in there forever."

"Yeah," Maze agreed. "Let's go, Decker. This is only the first of God knows how many."

There wasn't this much of a fuss when she and Dan had gotten married. Granted, in hindsight, that may have been her subconscious telling her to call it off, but still.

What was it about being a bride that always caused so much upheaval?

Blowing out a breath, Chloe pushed the red curtains of the dressing booth aside. A chorus of wolf whistles followed, and she lifted her hands in what she hoped was a convincing gesture.

Eve flipped her long hair over one shoulder and clapped excitedly. "Oh, you look so pretty like this! It really shows off your figure."

"Well, it shows off a lot," Chloe said, trying to hike the strapless gown higher on her chest. "When I saw it on the coat hanger, I didn't think the neckline would be so…low."

Maze flashed her a feral grin and downed the dregs of her sixth glass of champagne. "I'm sure Lucifer won't mind."

Her stomach fluttered when images sprang to mind of their newly reinvigorated love life, and well, let's just say Lucifer had made it clear how much he was still attracted to her.

Something which he reminded her of almost daily.

Multiple times.

"The neckline can be altered, I believe." Linda adjusted her glasses and gave her a smile. As always, she was the steady presence in the room – at least when not severely intoxicated. "But what do you think?"

Maze rolled her eyes. "Don't start with the shrink stuff, Linda. It's barely noon."

"Uh." Chloe smoothed a hand over the fabric and looked down at herself.

The dress was a strapless gown made of a cream-colored fabric, the texture very much alike to silk. It felt nice against her skin, and small, lightly colored sequins were sewn onto the bodice to create a shimmering effect.

Ella had joked that she would be radiant and Lucifer would be the Lightbringer – but it had stuck with her enough that she'd wanted to try it on.

The only issue was with how much skin it exposed.

The neckline was ridiculously low for a wedding dress – it practically dipped below her sternum. Leaving the entirety of her shoulders and upper torso exposed.

Wearing this gown would maybe be okay for a red carpet, but Chloe certainly wouldn't wear it on her wedding day.

"You don't like it, do you?" Ella had spotted her awkwardness over Eve's excited babbling. She motioned for the shopkeeper. "Then we'll get you another one! It's all about you, chica, and how you feel."

"We will sit here all day if necessary," Linda said, accepting a new glass from Maze. "And not just because the assistant is looking really good."

Eve nodded and craned her neck in an attempt to spot him. "Yeah, he does have a nice butt, doesn't he?" Then she planted a big kiss on Maze's cheek. "But not as nice as yours, babe."

Despite her bad-ass reputation, the demon couldn't help her smile. She leaned in to whisper something in her wife's ear, and Eve giggled in response – something which only made her grin grow wider.

The clacking of heels on tiles announced the arrival of the shopkeeper – a middle-aged woman with her hair in a twist named Claire.

"Have you tried the dress on, Miss Decker? If you want I can –"

Claire stopped dead in her tracks and stared at Chloe, whose cheeks flushed a delicate pink. If strangers stared at her like this, then it had to look bad.

Right?

She may be a hardened cop and have faced down God and the Host of Heaven, yet these sorts of things always made her feel insecure.

"The neckline is too low, isn't it?" Chloe said, her arms hugging her middle. "This wasn't really my thing to begin with, anyway."

Claire blinked and tore her gaze away from her neck. She quickly plastered a fake smile over her face. "What? Oh, yes, perhaps we should try something else if you aren't comfortable with this. I'll fetch some of our more modest designs."

The shopkeeper scurried away towards the storage room without waiting for a response, casting a quick look over her shoulder before vanishing in the back.

"The Hell was that about?" Maze watched the woman walk away. "Did something bite her in the ass?"

Eve shrugged. "Maybe she thought that Chloe looked so good that she got the hots."

"Perhaps it's my necklace?" Chloe fiddled with the used bullet between her thumb and ring finger, the familiar metal cool beneath her touch. "It's not every day you see that."

"… I don't think it's that, Chlo." Ella winced as she said it, something Chloe wasn't used from her. "I think something else distracted her."

Chloe opened and closed her mouth to ask why, but then she followed Ella's line of sight. And she understood.

She'd chosen to wear her hair loose today, which would make it easier to try on all the different dresses. It had all been flipped over one shoulder when she first came in the larger-than-life boutique – Lucifer had insisted she'd use on of his credit cards.

But after changing clothes, Chloe had put her hair over both shoulders.

And in doing so, revealed the scars on her upper body.

The circle-shaped scar above her clavicle had been courtesy of Jimmy Barnes during the first case she'd worked together with Lucifer.

The mark wasn't big by any means, but it stood out against skin – fairly pale for someone who'd lived all her life in sunny Los Angeles.

The second one, however, was more recent and more jagged in appearance. It was right above her heart, a diagonal slash across her skin from where one of Le Mec's henchmen had stabbed her with Rory's feather.

The wound hadn't been as clean cut as some of her other scars, and you could still see that today. If that feather had gone a fraction deeper, she would be dead.

But lucky for her, she had a guardian angel.

Or Devil.

To be honest, Chloe had gotten so used to them by now that she barely noticed those scars on a good day.

They were a part of her, and from the way that Lucifer worshipped these spots on her body, she could almost say she was fond of them.

Until something like this happens.

Meeting Ella's gaze and then Linda's perceptive one, Chloe quickly brushed her hair over both her shoulders. Blonde locks tickled against her skin and the edge of the gown, covering the marks.

There.

Problem solved.

"Hey, Chlo, it's nothing to feel bad about." Ella had stood up from the white leather sofa and gently took her by her upper arms. "You're a badass. Everyone knows that."

Chloe gave her a warm smile. "Thanks, Ella."

"Is that why you don't want this dress?" Linda straightened in her seat, putting her glass of champagne on the table. "Because you can see the scars?"

"No," Chloe shook her head. "That's not –"

"Is that bitch of a Karen making you feel bad about yourself?" Maze had perked up, glancing in the direction of where the shopkeeper had gone with barely-veiled bloodlust. She unsheathed a dagger from her boot. "I will end her."

Linda put a hand on Maze's arm. "Let's not kill anyone. Violence is never the answer."

"No, it's the question." Maze bared her teeth in a grin, her inner demon surfacing. "And the answer is yes."

Chloe hiked up the skirt of her gown and jumped in front of Maze before she could start stabbing anyone. "Wait! You're my bridesmaid, right?"

"Yeah." Maze stopped in front of her, glancing over shoulder to spot Claire. "So it's my job to make you feel good."

"And what would make me really happy right now is if you would help her carry the dresses with long lace sleeves."

Maze narrowed her eyes, considering her offer. "Long…lace sleeves?"

"Uh-huh. They're expensive, and a pain in the ass to sort through. Why don't you go ahead and tell her I want to try at least ten of those on?"

"Sounds like an evil plan." Maze sheathed the dagger in her black leather boot. "Now we're talking, Decker. I will make her as miserable as possible."

"Well, that's not necessary either –"

But Maze was already gone before Chloe had time to finish her sentence.

Poor Claire. She really didn't know what was coming for her. Chloe just hoped she wouldn't break the poor woman's nose.

Eve watched her wife stomp off with a bright smile on her face – knowing full well what sort of torture she was about to unleash. For someone who appeared so sweet at first glance, the First Woman had a dark side to her as well.

And who to better appreciate that than a demon?

Chloe turned to Ella and Linda. She traced a finger over the scars on her chest. "If my new dress doesn't cover these completely, will it look bad?"

"No," Linda said resolutely, shaking her head. "They are a part of you, Chloe. Don't be ashamed of them. Wear them with pride instead."

"Yeah," Ella agreed, piping up. She shrugged. "It's just a sign that something tried to kill you and didn't succeed. Repeatedly."

Eve gifted her a warm smile, playing with the toying with the ring on her finger. "You're a warrior. I think these are just signs of your victory. Of your fight for love and freedom."

"Wow, that's deep, Eve."

"Thanks! I got it from watching Braveheart."

Chloe snorted and everyone turned towards her. God, how she loved her friends. These strange, overbearing, amazing people who have helped her through so much.

Her gaggle of self-proclaimed bridesmaids – because Chloe wanted to keep it simple but they wouldn't let her.

The wedding was bound to be interesting, that was for sure.

The clacking of heels sounded on the tiles once more – and heels was all they saw. Because the rest of the shopkeeper's body was hidden by a huge rack of wedding dresses; all with lace sleeves.

Maze trailed casually on Claire's heels with her hands loose at her sides, grinning like a cat who'd caught a canary. The demon raised an expectant eyebrow at Chloe.

Chloe couldn't help her own grin in return.

She walked back towards the dressing booth and slid the curtain shut so only her head was peeking out. A new-found confidence burned brightly in her chest, and she found herself looking forward to the rest of the afternoon.

"Everyone ready for round two?"

The first thing Chloe saw when she came home was a duck.

Not a real duck, but a tiny, rubber one in a bright yellow color.

Lucifer hadn't heard her come in yet, so Chloe took advantage to catch him in an unguarded moment.

A baby tub with warm water stood on the kitchen counter, next to a bottle of baby soap and stack of ultra-soft towels.

Next to the tub stood Sir Floats-A-Lot, a rubber duck with a top hat which had become a necessity for bath time – because the Antichrist would not go in the water without him.

Rory was lying on her back on a towel while Lucifer was undressing her, all the while gently speaking to his daughter. He took off her tiny Disney socks.

"Goodness me, you're so tiny, aren't you, princess? And your little toes." With a look of pure adoration he leaned forward and tapped each one of them.

"…eight, nine, ten! You've still got them all! Half-Devil, but no hooves to be seen."

Rory giggled, curling her legs in on herself. Then she shivered.

"Oh, that's not good." Lucifer rolled up the sleeves of dress shirt – because yes, he may be at home now but that doesn't stop him from dressing up. He sprinkled some of the water on his wrist.

"Temperature's perfect. Hot enough," he said, and carefully picked Rory up, "but not as hot as I am."

House spouse or not, Lucifer will be Lucifer.

Chloe snorted loudly from behind the corner, then quickly pressed a hand to her mouth. Crap, now she'd given herself away.

Lucifer startled, muscles tensing up as he prepared to defend Rory. But when he saw who it was, he relaxed instantly. A smile bloomed over his face.

"You scared me, honey. I didn't hear you come in."

Rory struggled in his arms to crane her head, so Lucifer turned her around so she could see her. The moment the girl caught sight of her, she lit up.

"I'm sorry," Chloe said, rounding the kitchen counter to press a kiss to her partner's cheek. "You two just looked so adorable. I couldn't bear to interrupt."

Lucifer hummed and kissed her brow. 'Well, two's a company but three's a party." He gently cradled the back of Rory's head and lowered her into the warm water – which only made her glow brighter.

She really liked bath time.

"Speaking of parties," he continued, letting some of the water run down Rory's belly, "how was the dress fitting? I hope Mazikeen didn't burn the place down?"

Chloe sat on a barstool opposite the tub, wriggling her fingers at Rory. "She came quite close, actually, but it was because I got uncomfortable. It was sweet, in a Maze kind-of-way."

"A Maze kind-of-way could mean murder, mayhem and everything in between." Lucifer grabbed one of the washing cloths and poured some baby soap on it. He frowned. "What do you mean, uncomfortable?"

"Oh, um, it was stupid, really."

Chloe picked up Sir Floats-A-Lot and lowered him into the water. Rory watched the duck intently with her big doe-eyes – like it could vanish the second she let it out of her sight.

"Nothing is stupid, my love, when it comes to your well-being. I'll say it a thousand times, and a thousand more."

Chloe rose up to catch his lips in a lingering kiss over the tub, careful not to rock it. Lucifer's breath hitched, meaning she'd caught him by surprise.

He returned the kiss fiercely, all the while keeping one hand beneath the Antichrist her head to prevent her from going under.

Then Rory cooed and splashed her hands in an effort to catch Sir Floats-A-Lot, sending a rush of water down Chloe's shirt and pants.

"Rory!" she sputtered, but couldn't help but smile. It was adorable to see how attached she was to the thing.

Lucifer's grin was feline. "Ah, a hazard of the trade, my dear. Nothing as dangerous as a glowstick and her duck."

"Looks like she's got her father's liking for pranks, huh?"

"Only time will tell, my love. Only time." Then Lucifer's expression sobered, some of the light dimming in his gaze. "Why were you uncomfortable? Did something happen?"

Chloe picked at her finger nails and shook her head. "No, it was just – when I had tried one of the dresses on, the neckline was really low."

"I don't see why that's a bad thing."

"Well, when I came out, the shopkeeper was staring at me. Like, almost in a creepy way. And then I realized she wasn't looking at the dress, but at me. At my scars."

Lucifer's gaze softened. "Chloe –"

"I know. I know that they're a part of me, and I've accepted that. I don't think they're beautiful, but I wouldn't want to get rid of them. It's just – sometimes I forget how bad they may look to someone who doesn't know the whole story."

Rory splashed again with Sir Floats-A-Lot, getting water on Lucifer's waistcoat. But his focus was entirely on her.

"They're not bad, my love. They're a testament to all that you've survived. To everything that you've overcome. And since they are a part of you, they're simply breathtaking."

The way Lucifer said it – like it was the most well-known fact in the world – made her heart flutter. His unabashed sincerity never failed to move her.

Chloe put a hand on his arm that was washing Rory. "Thank you, Lucifer. That – that means a lot to me."

"If only you could see yourself as I see you." The beginnings of a smile curled at the corner of his mouth, but he averted his gaze to pass the soapy washing cloth over Rory's arms. "Or as the Antichrist does here."

With a rush of affection, Chloe leaned forward and plucked a soapy sud from Lucifer's immaculately styled hair. "Are you sure about buying the dress? We could just hire it, you know."

No", Lucifer said quickly. "Buy it. Please. It's a gift from me to you, and I have more money than I can ever spend. You deserve to have nice things."

"Even if it costs more than two thousand dollars?"

He chuckled heartily. "That's pocket money, my dear. You've seen our joint bank account, and the vault. It's there for you as well, and not just for groceries and diapers. Go crazy."

"You sure?"

Lucifer cradled Rory's head in both his hands, making funny faces at the girl, causing her to giggle. "Is it a nice dress?"

"Yes," Chloe said, her excitement from earlier returning. Her friends had stared at her in awe when she'd walked out wearing it. "It's got those gorgeous lace sleeves, and an embroidered bodice. And the back is open and – it's just so pretty."

She'd eloped with Dan at city hall all those years ago – they hadn't wanted to wait any longer. Chloe had driven to the nearest clothing store and hired a nice wedding dress.

It had been plain, but since she'd only be wearing it for a couple of hours she hadn't seen the point in buying one.

Afterwards, Chloe had regretted not taking more time to herself to prepare – a small bachelorette party or a cake tasting, nothing too ostentatious.

But now that she had time and more than enough money, she could finally release her inner teenage girl. Plan the wedding she'd always dreamed of having – with the person she loved most.

"That, my dear, sounds absolutely lovely." Lucifer carefully lifted Rory from the bathtub and wrapped her in a hooded towel with bunny ears. "But mummy always looks beautiful, doesn't she, princess?"

One of the ears fell in front of her face as Rory snuggled closer to her father – tired after her warm bath. Lucifer pressed a kiss to the top of her head. "But just so you know, I would marry you in sweatpants."

"I would marry you in Crocs."

"Bold statement, Lieutenant. Are we talking about the pink or the blue ones?"

"The pink ones."

Lucifer's mouth fell open in mock-surprise. "Now that's a sign of true love if I ever saw any."

Then his gaze dropped to her right ring finger. "Speaking of true love, I never got you an engagement ring. Or wedding bands, for that matter."

"You don't have to." Chloe looked down at the band of metal around her finger with the white stone in the center. A declaration of love and a life-saver all at once. "I have my ring. But you don't."

Lucifer gently placed Rory down on the counter and removed the towel, then started buttoning her up in a pink onesie. "Well, I don't think Lilith has a spare lying around, so that's off the table. But maybe you can pick one for me?"

"Me?" Chloe blinked in surprise. "I – yeah, sure! What, uh, what do you like?"

"Anything that tickles your fancy. As long as it reminds you of me. And you can use one of my credit cards, of course, so the sky's the limit."

The sky's the limit, Chloe thought. What about stars?

Lucifer finished putting Rory's pajamas on and cradled her in his arms. The Antichrist let out an adorable yawn, her head resting against her father's chest.

"Do you want to come and put this little gremlin to bed? Maybe we can watch some Bones after, or something…else?"

"I would love to," Chloe said, rounding the counter so she could embrace both of them. Lucifer smelled nice, a mix of cologne and Johnson's baby soap. It worked surprisingly well. "Bones and something else."

His answering grin was positively feline, but softened when he looked down at his infant daughter. He stroked a finger over a round cheek.

"Being a house spouse is suiting you well, huh?"

"It is," Lucifer replied softly, leaning into her embrace. "I believe it's the greatest gift my siblings have ever given me. The opportunity to be the father I never had."

Chloe's heart cracked. This age-old being – this man that had known so much loss and pain and humiliation and loneliness – his deepest heart's desire was to make sure his daughter didn't grow up the way he did.

Not revenge or retribution.

Not riches or fame.

But simply love for those he held dear, to ease the pain life had inflicted on them.

To be there for them.

How could anyone claim the Devil was evil?

"I love you," Chloe whispered, tears stinging at the corners of her eye. "And I will get you the most beautiful ring you have ever seen."

Lucifer chuckled, leaning in close to pepper kisses over her brow. "I appreciate that. But all I need is you, my love."

"Still. I'm going to get you the most amazing ring."

Rory cried out to bring attention to the fact she was being squished. Her cry melted half-way into a yawn, and her eyes were starting to flutter shut.

Chloe inclined her head towards the staircase. "Shall we put the Antichrist to bed?"

"We shall, my dear." Lucifer leaned to purr in her ear. "And then we have some time to ourselves."

As Chloe watched her partner lull Rory to sleep by singing 'Once Upon A Dream' – the only song which worked when she was really tired – she decided something for herself.

Lucifer Morningstar was going to get the most amazing, most beautiful wedding ring to be found between Heaven and Hell.

And she was going to make sure of it.