Amenadiel and Maze waited nervously at the bar in Lucifer's loft. It had quickly become apparent that three people throwing questions at him was too much for Lucifer to handle in his current state. So Linda had shooed the other two out of the bedroom, arguing that she as a trained therapist was best equipped to talk to him.
Just as Amenadiel decided to go check on the situation, Linda emerged, looking worried.
"How bad is it?"
"It looks like he remembers nothing of his life, his roots or, anything, really, about his existence prior to this day." She shook her head slightly.
"What is it?", Maze asked, worried by the doctor's expression.
"Well, I'm no expert, as I keep telling you, but, as far as I know, this is not how amnesia is supposed to look like. Patients might forget chunks of their life, sometimes decades, I guess in this case equivalent to millennia, but normally they do not forget who they are. The same way he's still able to walk and talk, he should have retained some sense of self, but apparently he thinks he's a regular mortal human."
Amenadiel furrowed his brow, wondering what this meant. "So why is he different?"
"Could be any number of reasons. I mean, there aren't really any prior cases of angels suffering from amnesia to compare this to, are there?" When Amenadiel shook his head, she continued, "Hm, my working hypothesis is that his symptoms could be related to his trauma. Just considering that he cut off his own wings over and over again, trying to distance himself from his true nature- what if his subconscious is grasping at this opportunity to-"
Amenadiel cut her off. "While this is fascinating and all, can we please focus on fixing him as quickly as possible?"
"I need to do more research. This is really not my field of expertise. I happen to know somebody who specializes in retrograde amnesia, I will reach out to him and get his opinion, without revealing too much of the details, of course."
Behind her, Lucifer emerged from the bedroom and started picking up different items in the loft, turning them around in his hands, a puzzled expression on his face.
"Whatever it takes, doctor."
Linda nodded. "Well, on the plus side, it looks like he has suffered no other ill effects, his speech and motor skills seem to be unaffected, as far as I can tell."
"He thinks he's a boring old human?", Maze asked. When Linda nodded again, she continued, "So what happens when his wings pop out?"
Linda looked shocked, not having considered this particular problem so far. "That could be quite traumatic for him. Not to speak of accidentally revealing his true nature to anybody around him. It's probably best for him to stay at the loft for the time being."
Amenadiel nodded. "We'll have to tell Chloe eventually. I did promise to let her know as soon as he wakes up. Besides, I'm sure she would get immediately suspicious if we tried to keep her from seeing him for too long. Do you think it will harm him to be around Chloe again?"
Linda sighed. "Amenadiel, I have no information based on which I could make so much as an educated guess about that. It's possible that she could trigger some memories to surface, although I wouldn't put too much hope in that since the two of you seem to have caused no such revelations and he has known both of you for much longer. Much, much longer." She paused, considering. "We should probably wait a couple of days before letting her see him, maybe his memory will return on its own and we don't have to risk her finding out about him without his consent."
"She won't be happy about that", Maze chimed in.
Linda heard footsteps approaching behind her and turned around, giving Lucifer a reassuring smile. He was holding something which looked like an African fertility statue.
"You said I live here." Linda nodded. "Yet nothing in this place seems familiar to me in the slightest." His voice was calm, but with her years of experience Linda had no trouble detecting the barely concealed panic underneath. She placed her hands on his arms in an effort to reassure him, but he drew away from her touch.
"That's perfectly normal for somebody in your condition, Lucifer. It will take time for the memories to return."
"You keep saying that name, but it has no meaning to me." The panic was starting to bubble to the surface now.
Linda used her most calming, assertive tone of voice, honed in many counselling sessions. "I know it is a lot to take in and it might seem overwhelming at the moment, but it will get better. You will get better." She stated with more confidence than she was feeling.
Lucifer nodded shakily and retreated back into the bedroom.
Chloe nervously shifted her weight from one foot to the other, waiting for the elevator doors to open. Maze had filled her in on the situation days ago, but she was still having trouble processing it all. There was a small, treacherous part of her brain trying to convince her that this was all some elaborate joke on Lucifer's part, like when he'd told her she'd been in a coma for three years. He couldn't really have amnesia. That sort of thing didn't happen to real people. She had spent the last days agonizing over how to approach him. Should she pretend like everything was fine? Should she introduce herself? What if he really didn't remember her, didn't remember anything about their partnership? Would she be able to handle that?
The doors chimed open and she cautiously entered the loft, looking around for Lucifer. She spotted him sitting at the piano, hands hovering over the keys. He started playing a melancholy song and relief washed over her. If he was still able to perform like this, he had to be fine, right?
He stopped all of a sudden when he realized that he wasn't alone anymore.
"That was beautiful. What was it?"
He looked at her, confusion evident on his face. "I- I don't know." He stared at the piano for a moment as if it had offended him somehow, then he shook his head and stood up, walking over to her.
"Linda tells me you and I work together. Maybe you can help me shed some light on a few mysteries."
He looked her up and down, his face full of curiosity. Then he gave her a bright smile which nearly knocked Chloe off her feet. It was open and unguarded, with no trace of his usual leer or smugness. It transformed him into a completely different person. Chloe gaped at him, hit by a sudden realization. As long as she had known him, there had always been a certain sadness, a melancholy about him. The weight of the world, pulling him down. He'd always tried to cover it up with his happy, innuendo-filled banter, but that had just been a mask, she understood now. The reason she had noticed this now for the first time was quite simple: It was gone. They had only spoken a couple of sentences, yet she was already acutely aware that this was not the same man she knew.
"Detective? Are you quite alright?" There was concern on his face now and Chloe could almost pretend that this was the same old Lucifer. His concern for her had always been genuine. She wondered how much of her earlier inner monologue had been showing on her face.
"Yes, sorry. I'm just worried about you, that's all."
His expression softened, like he was pleased that she cared enough to worry about him. "Don't be." He pointed to his head, where, Chloe now noticed, the heavy bandages had been replaced with nothing more than a band-aid, which made no sense. Nobody could heal this quickly. "Nothing but a scratch."
He gave her a reassuring smile and she realized something else. The sadness might have been gone, but there was something else lurking behind his smile now. Fear, she decided. Well, duh. She tried to imagine what it must be like to wake up one day with no memory of herself or her past. That sounded like a truly frightening experience. She decided then and there that she would do everything in her power to help him. After all, this was her fault.
"So, you said you have some questions for me?"
"Ah, yes. So, I was told I own the club downstairs." Chloe attempted to picture having to rely on the word of strangers about who you are and what you do. It was a frightening thought indeed. "And that I solve murders as a consultant for the LAPD. With you." Chloe nodded, not sure where he was going with this. "Why?", he asked simply, surprising her. At her confused expression, he elaborated. "It seems like those two occupations are at odds with each other. I'm just trying to piece together what kind of person Lucifer Morningstar is."
Chloe heard the incredulity in his voice when he said it, as if he couldn't believe how that silly name could be anything but fake. She felt a bout of hysterical laughter about to spill out of her and pushed it down forcefully.
"You owned the club first. It actually gives you a lot of connections and insights that have helped us on numerous cases. As to why, well, you told me that you enjoy bringing evildoers to justice, to punish them, because you're- you know- you-" She wasn't really sure how to broach the subject of him thinking of himself as the devil. Apparently, somebody else had already dropped that particular bombshell on him though, because he cut her off with "-the devil?" Now his tone indicated amusement more than anything else, like he was certain they'd used his current predicament to pull a prank on him.
"Yes, I'm the devil, I own a club and I solve murders. Can you tell me anything about myself that actually makes sense?"
She caught his eye, picking her next words carefully. "You cannot tolerate injustice done to anyone. You like to help people when they're in trouble. You are fiercely protective of those you care about. You-", she started blushing, feeling that she was perhaps revealing as much about herself, or, more precisely, about what he meant to her, as she was about him, but she finished nevertheless, "You have a good heart."
He just stared at her, his mouth agape, completely speechless. Chloe felt the tips of her ears turn red. Maybe that had been a bit much.
Lucifer cleared his throat. "Thank you", he said, voice filled with emotion. "You and I- I mean, have we- um- are we-"
"Together?" He nodded quickly, grateful that she had completed the thought for him. "No." At his crestfallen expression, she added, "It's- ah- it's complicated."
He smiled woefully. "Yes, that seems to be a theme with me."
Linda stepped out of the elevator, to be greeted by Lucifer's laughter ringing through the loft. She tried to recall if she had ever heard him sound so care-free and happy before.
"Surely, detective, you must be joking." His voice was filled with amusement.
"No, I'm telling you, you were juggling-" She stopped abruptly when she noticed Linda and stood up. "I better go, It's getting late." The expression on his face resembled that of a kicked puppy so much that she immediately regretted her words. "I could come back tomorrow if you want?"
"Actually, could you wait for just a minute while I discuss something with Linda?" She nodded and walked towards the elevator to give the two of them some privacy, smiling warmly at Linda in greeting as she passed her.
Linda turned to Lucifer, happy to see that his fragile state of the last days seemed to have improved vastly with the addition of the detective to his life. She should have known.
"How are you doing?"
"Fine. There is something I need to tell you, though." He sounded very serious, causing Linda to start worrying immediately.
"Yes?"
"Nothing in this place holds any significance for me. It's like I'm living in a stranger's apartment."
"Lucifer, we've talked about this, you-"
He raised his hands, cutting her off. "I would like to stay with the detective."
"Oh? I mean, why?"
He looked uneasy, rubbing the back of his head, a nervous gesture she had never seen the old Lucifer do. "I don't know."
"Are you sure?", she said in a tone which clearly conveyed the futility of trying to keep secrets from Dr. Linda Martin.
"Well, if you must know, this whole time, this place hasn't really felt like home, not until- not until tonight."
Linda considered his statement, wondering if being closer to Chloe would help or hinder him on the road to recovery. "I think it's for the best if you stay here for the time being-"
"You can't hold me prisoner here", he said fiercely, reminding her of the old Lucifer when he got angry.
"Fine. Only if the detective agrees, of course."
He gave her a big, boyish smile, then rushed passed her to talk to Chloe. Linda was already busy formulating a battle plan in her head about how to explain this one to Amenadiel.
"Detective. I- um-" He was at a loss for words. Chloe wasn't sure what to do with this shy, almost timid version of Lucifer. "I have a request to make, I hope I'm not being to forward. I-" He hesitated, and ruffled up his hair with one hand, looking absolutely adorable, and Chloe almost said Anything.
"If it's not too much trouble, I would like to ask you if I can stay at your place- only for a couple of nights- I completely understand if you have reservations against it and I wouldn't hold it against you if-" He was stumbling over his words and Chloe looked at him and thought who are you?
He stopped talking, clearly waiting for a reaction from her. And maybe it was her lingering feeling of guilt, or the fact that he was looking at her like an oversized, well really oversized, puppy, but what she said was, "Okay."
And the way his face lit up was nothing short of breathtaking. Chloe filed the image away for later use when she would, she was certain of it, inevitably come to regret this decision.