Barely glancing at the caller before answering, the screen lighting up the pitch-black motel room, Chloe couldn't stop her eyes rolling as she answered.
"Lucifer," she sighed down the phone, "I said we'd talk next week. We haven't even left San Diego yet."
Trixie shuffled in her arms, buried tightly against her side. Rearranging her so she could sit up, Chloe lamented the rude awakening. It had been a two-hour drive down to San Diego, followed by a trip to the zoo with a hyperactive girl dragging her between the exhibits. She was exhausted.
"I assure you, I am not attempting to ruin your weekend. In fact, I'm calling on behalf of Detective Douche. He's just turned up at Lux."
Peeling herself away from Trixie, Chloe tip-toed to the bathroom. Once the door was shut behind her, she disbelievingly repeated, "Dan's there? At Lux?"
"Evidently he's in cahoots with the man who tried to kill me tonight."
"Hey, I stopped him didn't I?" She heard Dan protest in the background.
Chloe barely noticed him, too concerned by the other revelation. "Someone tried to kill you?"
"Yes, Malcolm Graham. According to Daniel, though I am loathe to believe him," they both ignored Dan's indignant response, "he tried to stop Malcolm's plan and was attacked as a result. Although he hasn't yet confessed why he was privy to Malcolm's plans in the first place." Lucifer said pointedly.
"Are you all right?"
"Yes, Detective. Mazikeen had it well in hand."
"Detective Douche also intervened."
"Hey, will you stop calling me that?" Dan snapped.
"I was in no real danger. Lux was hardly the best place for attempted murder when I'm surrounded by hundreds of customers and my staff." Lucifer said. "Though I can't say I'm opposed to your concern. I didn't know you cared, Detective."
"I'm not… I wasn't. You're the Devil," she scoffed," I bet you can't even die."
On the other end of the line, Lucifer beamed. "It is wonderful being on the same page as each other. Although, contrary to what you may believe, I think I can. At least, that's what Amenadiel is hoping for."
"Your brother?"
"Oh good, you remember him. Do you think – now that Amenadiel's trying to kill me – you might be able to refrain from flirting with him should you meet again?"
Chloe ignored the remark. "Your brother is trying to kill you? Why?"
"Why do you think? He's been tasked to return me to Hell."
"Oh Christ, not this again." Dan groaned in the background.
"Wrong deity, Detective Douche."
"Stop calling me that!"
"For someone who worked with my would-be-murderer and is seeking sanctuary in my home, you're being awfully demanding."
"So Amenadiel thinks if you die you'll have no choice but to return to Hell?" She pressed, cutting in before Dan could retort.
"So it would seem." Lucifer concurred.
With her free hand, Chloe roughly rubbed her face. How was it that this had become her life within only twenty-four hours? It was insanity.
"Okay. You haven't called anyone from the department have you?"
"No. From what Daniel says, it seems no one there is entirely trustworthy. Either crooked or more than willing to look the other way to protect Malcolm. Leaving me no alternative but to disturb your getaway. For which I apologise wholeheartedly."
Biting back a groan, she flipped on the bathroom light so she could start getting ready. "Fine. I'll wake Trixie up and drive us back to the city. It'll take a few hours."
"Excellent. Meet us at Lux. Maze has secured the building."
"She's not bringing Trixie back here, is she?" She heard Dan protest. "Give me the phone."
"Need I remind you again that you're the guest in this house?"
"Lucifer," Chloe said, "it's fine. Give him the phone. I have to talk to him eventually."
"Very well." He replied cordially, though she could tell he was displeased. They hadn't been partners long and yet she already knew him so well. Him: the Devil.
"Chloe?" Dan said. "How's Trixie?"
"She's fine. I took her to the zoo. She loved it."
"Listen, you can't bring her back here."
"Dan..."
"I'm serious, Chloe." He stated, using that officious tone she had learnt to despise. "Malcolm has been threatening you and Trixie for weeks to keep me in line. Now I've gone behind his back, he'll be out for revenge. Please, just stay out of the city until I know that it's safe for you to come back."
If Dan had sounded pompous, Chloe sounded murderous when she spoke.
"Someone has been threatening my child, and you didn't tell me about it?"
Hesitating, he replied that, "I didn't want to worry you."
"Worry me? I should have been worried. That's what a parent does when someone threatens their child, instead of trying to save their own skin." She accused, moving further away from the bathroom door so Trixie wouldn't hear a word of their conversation. "I told you Malcolm was corrupt. If you remember, you told me I was crazy."
"All right." Dan sighed. Chloe's temper flared at the sound. "I just… I didn't want you to find out the truth."
"The truth about what?" She hissed, trying hard to keep her voice down. The trip to San Diego was intended to protect Trixie from the truth about Lucifer; she didn't need her to find out about Malcolm wanting to kill her too. It was the stuff of nightmares. Her baby would never sleep again.
"I shot Malcolm." He confessed.
Even as she questioned his response, Chloe felt all the pieces of the puzzle slide together. The late nights working on cases she'd never heard of at the precinct. His nervousness once the news of Malcolm's recovery spread across the department. The attempts to stop her from investigating the case, even trying to question her sanity in his effort.
Biting her tongue before something foul could escape it, she listened as Dan continued to talk.
"Look, I'll tell you everything. Later. Right now, you have to keep Trixie away from here. It's not safe. Hey!" He complained, breaking away from the line with a sharp gasp of pain.
"Detective." Lucifer practically sang in greeting. "It's me again. Please, let me assure you that you and your offspring will be perfectly safe here. While Malcolm is on the run, I personally think we're safer together where we can watch each other's backs."
"He got away then?"
"Unfortunately, he slipped away during the incident. Maze will soon track him down, however, rest assured. No one can escape her once she's on the hunt."
"Okay. I'm going to wake Trixie up. I'll see you in a few hours. Be careful." She implored. While the thought of seeing Lucifer and Dan was incredibly unappealing, despite everything she didn't want either of them hurt.
"You too, Detective. I will see you shortly."
They both paused for a moment before terminating the call.
Padding back to the bed, Chloe checked on Trixie. Luckily, she hadn't been disturbed by the call and was cuddling a pillow in her absence. While they'd walked around the zoo, Chloe had broached the topic of their future plans – explaining that it was time to find a permanent home for them of their own, as it was unlikely she and Dan would get back together. Her daughter had taken the news unexpectedly well, although it seemed her concerns about Lucifer's undue influence were deserved.
"Lucifer calls Dad 'Detective Douche'," Trixie said thoughtfully, "should I do that too?"
"No!" Chloe cried, attracting the attention of several families passing them by.
"Why? Lucifer does it."
"And if he jumped off a cliff, would you follow him?"
"No." She replied sullenly. Trixie had sulked for a whole minute before the entrance to the Gorilla Tropics caught her eye and she leapt forward with fervent excitement.
Later, when they were walking through Sun Bear Forest, it came up again.
"When we get home, can we visit Maze?" She asked. "I haven't seen her in forever."
Chloe started choking on thin air. It had only occurred to her at that moment that Maze truly was a demon. A demon her child thought was cool and wanted to spend more time with.
"Mom, are you all right?"
Eyes watering, she replied, "You know, Maze is pretty busy with work."
Emitting a sigh too heavy for someone her age, Trixie hadn't looked so disappointed since Chloe had explained they couldn't get a dog since Grandma was allergic.
Somehow, Lucifer had infiltrated every aspect of her professional and private life, and she hadn't noticed until it was too late. As a homicide detective, she couldn't help but feel disappointed with herself. She was meant to treat everyone with suspicion, yet she had allowed the Devil into her life. No wonder she hadn't seen Dan's deception coming.
The Devil was the embodiment of evil; the bogeyman the world looked over their shoulder for. Yet he was her partner, a protector, a friend. During their partnership, she had watched him commit minor crimes – breaking into people's homes, offering bribes – but never anything she could consider truly evil.
"Trixie," Chloe said gently, shaking her daughter's shoulder. "Come on baby, I need you to wake up. We need to go."
"Mom?" Trixie asked confusedly, sitting up to rub her eyes.
"Sorry, monkey. I know you're tired and it's late, but we need to head back to LA. Your Dad is in a bit of trouble, and I need to go help him."
Any concerns about Trixie's relationship with Dan – after her comments about calling him Detective Douche – faded as her daughter flung away the blankets and scrambled off the bed. "Why? Is he okay?"
"He's fine." Chloe added, "Lucifer is looking after him.
As expected, her words made Trixie visibly relax.
"Oh, that's good."
"Can you get dressed for me while I go check us out of the motel?"
"Yes, Mom."
Locking the door behind her, Chloe hastened down the steps to the manager's office. She didn't want to leave Trixie alone any longer than she had to – not with Malcolm on the loose – but they couldn't afford to waste time. What Lucifer had said made sense; they would be safer together. Who knew how deep the corruption in the department went, and she didn't want to take any chances when it came to her family's safety.
It seemed counterintuitive to seek sanctuary from the Devil, but Chloe didn't have many other options open to her.
Finding it easy to check out early, as motel's rarely asked questions, she went back for Trixie. After piling their luggage in the car, along with several new stuffed animals from the gift store, they were soon back out on the highway.
"Is Maze looking after Dad too?" Trixie asked. Despite hoping she would catch up on some sleep during the drive, wrapping her in a blanket before they set off, she was eagerly alert and immune to Chloe's dread.
"That's what I heard."
"So I'll get to see her after all." She said cheerfully.
Trixie would adore the woman who despised her; there was no doubt on Chloe's end that it was genuine hate after hearing Mazikeen's conversation with Lucifer. It was apparent, through what she overheard and a new understanding of past interactions, that Mazikeen wanted to return to Hell. For some bizarre reason, she seemed to think Chloe stood in the way of that. While she had no idea why Lucifer had left Hell – there hadn't been much time to ask for specifics while fleeing the city – he had been on Earth for five years before they met. Five years he had chosen to remain, long before she entered the picture. Their partnership was still young. How could she have any hold over him? They barely knew each other. Except for those rare moments in between. When he dropped the act of the arrogant playboy, revealing how carefully he paid attention to her. After a few months, he seemed to know more about her than Dan did after several years of marriage and raising a child together. In those moments, Chloe had felt like she knew him too. Like she was speaking to an actual human being who was capable of emotional intimacy without hiding behind elaborate metaphors of Heaven and Hell. Which were actually the truth. He wasn't a human being. Not only was he the Devil, but he was also immortal. On the same footing as God and his angels, before he was cast out; if she remembered correctly.
No matter how much she repeated the revelation in her mind – seeing his true face – she couldn't quite believe it. Her partner was the Devil. Satan. Beelzebub. The Prince of Darkness. Lucifer. The subject of numerous bad Halloween costumes. Corny films and classic pieces of literature. How many people had speculated about him over the centuries? Images of cloven hooves, horns and tail. Presiding over a fiery pit or seven circles of torture; before he gave it up to move to Los Angeles and become a consulting detective with the LAPD.
None of it made sense. There were so many questions that needed to be answered. Her desire to understand the truth twisting into separate strands across her mind, crossing over and interweaving until her temples pulsed. Too many questions and not enough time to answer them all. If she could find the will to ask. Because whenever she allowed the image of those eyes to flash across her memory, the urge to take the next exit and drive far away became almost overpowering. Dan couldn't stop her from starting over, not after confessing to attempted murder and obstruction of justice. He could face jail time. If he wasn't killed by Malcolm first, and that thought kept her on the highway. Their marriage was over, but he was Trixie's father.
Continuing up the road, trying to keep her mind off where they were heading, she listened to the even breaths of her daughter who slept soundly beside her. She never stirred, not even as they pulled to a stop outside Lux, the excitement of the day finally catching up with her.
Mazikeen was waiting for them, looking dangerous and bored. Pushing away from the door, she sauntered over to meet them as Chloe got out of the car.
"Take the spawn upstairs, I'll park the car." She said, holding out her hand expectantly.
"Any sign of Malcolm?"
"Not yet," Maze drawled, "but I'm ready."
Snatching the keys from her, she rounded the car while Chloe scooped Trixie up in her arms. Soon, she wouldn't be able to carry her like that anymore, so she buried her nose into her daughter's hair as they headed inside. Cradling her daughter possessively to her chest, even though she knew Lux was secure, Chloe didn't relax until they were enclosed in Lucifer's private elevator. It was a hard balancing act, pressing the button while keeping hold of Trixie, but they were eventually on their way up.
It had to be a source of amusement for Lucifer being so high over the city when the Devil is usually thought to be beneath their feet. She would have to ask him at some point where Hell really was.
As the elevator levelled, Chloe felt an unpleasant roll in her stomach as she waited for the doors to open. She was furious with Dan for hiding Malcolm's threat against Trixie. She was scared of seeing Lucifer after their tense parting the day before. And – more than anything – Chloe was fearful of her daughter's safety. If anything were to happen to Trix because of the investigation into Malcolm, she would never forgive herself. Or Dan.
The doors opened and Dan was immediately upon them, pulling Trixie from her arms.
"Hey," he greeted awkwardly, "was, was traffic bad?"
Rolling her eyes, Chloe pointed out, "Is traffic usually bad at three in the morning?"
"Probably not. Sorry. I guess I didn't know what else to say."
He looked away from her accusatory gaze, almost relieved when Lucifer added himself to the conversation.
"Detective." He greeted easily, looking incredibly at ease for someone who had just learnt his brother was trying to kill him. "Aren't you a sight for sore eyes? I've set up the guest room for Beatrice."
"Thank you." She mumbled.
"Not a problem. I imagine you could use some rest as well."
That was true, however, "Not now. We need to talk about Malcolm and Amenadiel." She stated, leaving no room for argument.
"Very well. Shall I show you the way?" Lucifer offered.
"No, I know where to go."
Leading Dan toward the guest bedroom, she watched from the doorway as he set Trixie down, tucking her in while lovingly stroking her hair. She could only look at the scene for a moment before she stalked away. Walking past Lucifer, she practically threw herself down on the couch.
Lucifer watched her curiously, in the process of pouring himself a drink.
"Are you sure you wouldn't like a little nap first, Detective?" He asked lightly.
"I'm sick of being lied to, Lucifer."
"I haven't lied to you."
"No?" She accused.
With a sigh, he conceded, "I may have omitted some details from you in the past, but whenever you have asked me something I have replied truthfully. I don't lie."
"You didn't tell me about your wings when I asked." Chloe reminded. She was still avoiding Lucifer's eyes, reluctant to meet them.
"No." He acknowledged with an uncomfortable shuffle. She hadn't seen him act this way since he had shown her his scars, and the slight prickle of discomfort running down her spine lessened. It was just Lucifer. She knew how to handle Lucifer.
"You have to appreciate, however, that my wings are something of great significance to me. It was personal. I am sure there are parts of your life you like to keep personal, that I am not yet akin to." Yet?
Lucifer continued. "I would have disclosed what had transpired to you eventually."
Chloe was quick to disagree.
"No. You had to tell me because you couldn't find them. You told me because your back was to the wall."
"I don't lie, Detective." He said evenly. "I would have told you in time. I would have told you then, but you weren't ready yet. You didn't believe me. If memory serves from our last conversation, you thought I was insane."
Shoulders slumping, she pondered that statement. Cautiously, she asked, "So, now that I know, you're… you're the…"
"Devil." He supplied.
"Right, that. Now you're going to tell me everything?" It was hard to keep the scepticism from her voice.
"Anything you want to know," Lucifer said readily. "Although perhaps we'd best wait for the initial shock to wear off, hmm? You haven't adjusted to the truth of my existence yet. Do you really think you're ready for the story of how I was cast out of Heaven? Took over the role of Hell's ruler, where I oversaw the torture of Earth's sinner."
He stopped when Chloe started to rub her temples, tensing as an existential crisis threatened again.
"That's what I thought." He murmured sadly, perching on the sofa at a careful distance. "Might I suggest in the meantime, we focus on Amenadiel and Malcolm?"
"Fine."
"And then we'll have to uncover how deeply Detective Douche is involved in your department's corruption and Malcolm's treacherous plots."
Chloe's head fell in her hands.
"Is she okay?" Dan asked, walking back into the living room.
"She's fine," Chloe mumbled irately into her knees.
"Trix is down for the count."
"Did she wake up?"
"Yeah, but I convinced her to go back to sleep. It wasn't hard."
Leaning back, she shot Dan an unimpressed look. "You didn't promise her chocolate cake to cooperate by any chance?
"No," Dan said guiltily, having learnt that lesson. "She's starting to get quite good at extortion though. I wonder who she's picking that up from."
Before Lucifer could riposte, Chloe held up her hands.
"No. I want to know what's going on."
Sitting in a chair, Dan declared, "I'm not a dirty cop, all right."
It took one look at the pair on the couch to see they didn't believe him.
"I'm telling the truth! I was investigating corruption in the department."
"On who's authority?" Chloe queried, looking for someone who could verify his story.
"No one." He admitted. "Look, I was suspicious of Malcolm. Long before you were. I've been working on this case for years."
Chloe tried to keep her voice level as she asked, "Why didn't you tell me? Did you think I was in on it?"
"Of course not. I just didn't want to risk drawing attention to the investigation. It wasn't until a few weeks before the shooting that I even realised you were looking into it too. Malcolm got suspicious, and I knew I had to try to put you off or I'd lose his trust. I needed him to believe I was on his side if I was going to find enough evidence to expose him."
"How did you find Malcolm the night of the shooting? Did he tell you he was going to be there?"
"No. I followed the GPS in your car." Dan said. "I arrived just in time. When Malcolm realised you were there."
"So you shot him?"
"He was going to kill you!" He exclaimed defensively, suddenly leaping up. Chloe was slow to follow him to her feet. "He was a corrupt cop who was about to become a cop killer."
"Between the two of us, we could have brought him in. Both exits were covered, we were both armed. All you had to do was bring me into the situation. We could have handled it together."
"I saved your life. Why are you trying to make me out as a murderer?"
"Well, what do you think the Captain is going to do?" Chloe shot back. "If you'd come clean you might have got away with it, Dan. Instead, you covered it up and tried to stop me from getting evidence that Malcolm was dirty. Why didn't you tell me what you knew? Why didn't you trust me?"
"He wasn't a threat anymore. I figured you'd drop the investigation and everything would go back to normal. We'd go back to normal. But then Malcolm came back, you kept investigating, and everything got messy again."
"So you're saying this is my fault?" She growled. "You know, you have impeded my investigation at every turn, Dan. You made me question my sanity to do it, just to get me off your trail. What else are you hiding?"
"Nothing!"
"If I may," Lucifer interjected, lounging contentedly in his seat. He seemed to enjoy his front-row position for their fight immensely. "I think this is the point in the story that my brother became involved."
"Your brother?" Dan repeated, confused.
"Yes. Do keep up, Daniel. You see after he brought Malcolm back to life…"
"What?" He interjected. "Wait, what? Back to life?"
"Do you intend on repeating everything I say?" Lucifer huffed.
"Don't tell me you're back on this whole Devil thing again." Dan turned to Chloe, looking for support. "This is crazy. You get that it's crazy right?"
Dropping back onto the couch, aligning herself with Lucifer, she reminded him, "He kept you alive, remember?"
"Thank you, Detective." Lucifer beamed, pleased and surprised by her assistance. "And I think it would be best, Daniel, if you stopped accusing people of insanity. Not only is it a reductive attitude toward mental health, but sooner or later the Detective and I will take offence."
Chloe bit back a smirk.
"To get back on track, Amenadiel brought Malcolm back and, from what Malcolm said while he was here, he has done so in exchange for my murder." He summarised.
"Malcolm's been planning this for at least a week. He tried to recruit me to help, and when I refused he attacked me. I barely got away."
"Why would he try to kill you here?" Chloe interjected. "He must have known you'd be surrounded by people. Are you sure it's Amenadiel behind this, Lucifer? Your brother has to know you better."
"I'm positive." He assured. "My guess is, after making the initial bargain, Amenadiel has tried to distance himself from this as much as possible to avoid incurring my Father's wrath, leaving the details to Malcolm's discretion. Or indiscretion."
"Your Father?" Dan intoned. "As in…"
He pointed to the ceiling.
"Yes, Daniel. The Lord above, all high and mighty, looking down on us." He replied bitterly.
Dan's eyes widened and he turned her way. "Seriously, Chloe…"
"Focus. We need to find Malcolm. Now he's tried to kill Lucifer, we can call back-up and bring him in."
"He'll turn on me." Dan protested.
"You should have thought about that before you became a vigilante, Dan. Besides, we can't leave him on the loose. What if he comes after Trixie?"
"Actually, Detective," Lucifer said, "I think it would be best to keep things unofficial. We don't know who we can trust within your department. It will also be difficult to explain Amenadiel's involvement and why I became a target in Malcolm's plot."
Daniel grimaced, torn between thanking Lucifer for his support and frustration that his only support came from Lucifer.
"Sounds like a plan to me." Mazikeen declared, marching into the room. "Personally, I vote we flay him alive once we catch him."
"Ooh, haven't done that in a while," Lucifer smirked. His gleeful expression dropped with a glance at Chloe's face. "Or we could kill him using a swift and painless method. I know some of those as well."
Maze groaned. "What is this mortal doing to you?"
"We're not killing anyone," Chloe said incredulously.
"I hate to agree with Lucifer, but..." Dan started.
"But nothing, you're just trying to save your own skin."
"Well, what would you have us do?" Maze asked, contempt dripping off her tongue.
"Even if Malcolm is dead, Amenadiel is going to keep trying to kill you." Chloe reminded.
"True." Lucifer encouraged. He leant further back into the couch, spreading his arms out until they landed dangerously close to her. Shuffling forward in her seat, out of his reach, Chloe missed how his mouth tightened with disappointment.
"Maybe we can use Malcolm to incriminate Amenadiel in the plan?"
"And let my Father punish him. Excellent idea, Detective. Maybe he will be permanently assigned to Hell in my place and people can stop trying to drag me back there." He said merrily, shooting a pointed look Mazikeen's way.
"And how are we going to do that?" She snarked.
"Why are we all going along with this?" Dan asked. "Chloe, you're not actually starting to believe this nonsense are you?"
Waving a dismissive hand in his direction, she laid out her idea. "After Malcolm failed, he would want to contact Amenadiel to let him know what had happened."
"You think if we find Malcolm, he'll be with Amenadiel and we can catch them both in the act?"
"Exactly."
"So we catch your brother," Dan said. "It still doesn't answer what we're going to do with Malcolm."
"We don't know what Malcolm's level of involvement is. Who knows what Amenadiel's done to him?" Chloe said.
"So it's decided." Lucifer clapped his hands together. He sounded far too cheerful. "We trace Malcolm to Amenadiel, have my brother cast out from Heaven, and then we either save Malcolm or kill him."
Chloe sucked in a deep breath.
"I'll get in touch with my contacts, see if they have any leads yet." Maze said, heading out. "I'll be back once I have something."
"Excellent."
"In that case, I'm going to sleep." Chloe declared, standing up. "Let me know if Mazikeen finds anything, otherwise I'll see you both tomorrow."
Lucifer almost objected until he remembered the hour and the Detective's fondness for sleep.
"Yes. Goodnight, Detective. Sleep well."
"Goodnight." She murmured back, walking toward the guest room without a backward glance at either man.
Chloe locked the door behind her, aware it wouldn't keep Lucifer out, but hoping it would encourage some privacy. As she crawled into bed, Trixie hardly stirred. Snuggling under the covers, wrapping her arms around her daughter, she tried to relax enough to sleep. With the threat of Malcolm, and sleeping just down the hallway from the Devil, it was hard to do. Burrowing deeper into the bed, realising how cold her feet were, Chloe tried to remember everything she had ever learnt about the Devil. All of it was hard to associate with the Lucifer she knew; or thought she knew.
Images floated through her mind of different portrayals. Briefly wondering if he had a tail hidden somewhere, Chloe's head sunk into her pillow and she drifted off into a fitful slumber.
I will add some new sections to the story, like the part from Lucifer's perspective at the end of this chapter, just to balance out their POVs and add clarification.
Hopefully this update finds you all well! Have a good weekend ❤