Author's note: As you can see, I couldn't keep up posting a chapter every week, sorry. Even less now that I have my new other story post season 4 to write at the same time, which is called «Empty Sky, Empty Heart». But I plan to alternate between the two. Thanks again to my lovely Beta, Bebec, for going over it beforehand to make sure everything is as good as can be. And now, place to the story. Enjoy!
Chapter 9
Some Crazy Ideas to Consider
In the early evening, Chloe and Maze went down to LUX for a staff meeting called at the demon's requested. The employees were surprised by the news of the change in management but nonetheless welcomed warmly Chloe and Maze as their new bosses.
Even knowing that the demon could probably handle the place all by herself, Chloe insisted on getting involved and start learning how it all worked so she could really help manage the place. She knew how much LUX meant to Lucifer, therefore was determinate to take care of it while he was away. She'd already been opened to the idea of managing it with him when they really got involved, and her determination to do so was now only stronger.
When they came back at the penthouse, to Chloe's greatest relief and joy, Azrael was sitting in the living room with Michael and Amenadiel, if somewhat still looking a bit weak and pale. While her left wing was neatly folded behind her back, her right one was lying spread out beside her, reminding Chloe that the healing would still take a while to be complete.
"Azrael!" Chloe exclaimed upon seeing her. She rushed forwards to engulf her into a warm hug. "I'm so glad you're okay! You scared me to death."
Azrael chuckled when she saw Chloe's eyes widen in uneasiness the moment she realized her unintentional pun.
The Angel of Death patted her human friend's back understandingly. "Don't worry Chloe, I don't mind that kind of quip even if it had been made on purpose."
Chloe released her with a sheepish smile.
As if to put Chloe even more at ease, the Angel of Death quickly changed the subject.
"I should thank you, Chloe, for taking me into your home and caring for me. I owe you a great debt."
Chloe squeezed the angel's hand with one of her own. "Don't be silly! You are Lucifer's sister, and my friend. You are welcome to stay here for as long as you'll need to. And I certainly don't expect anything in return."
The angel beamed at her brightly. "I may indeed need a few days to recover before I can fly back home. Thank you for the offer, Chloe."
But then the angel frowned pensively. "I just heard from Michael that your daughter may have had an unwanted adventure. May I see her?"
The reminder of her daughter's vision, for a lack of other words to describe it, brought back Chloe's anxiousness about the matter.
"Yes please! We were hoping you could find out what truly happened to her."
Without waiting any longer, Chloe led Azrael into Trixie's room where she gently woke her up. Clearly worried for her little friend, Maze followed them.
"Hey Sweetie! Azrael's here. How are you feeling?"
Trixie released her hold around Doom and sat up slowly, rubbing her eyes groggily. She beamed in happiness when seeing the angel up and about.
"Hey Rae! You're okay!"
"Yes I am. But it looks like you might not be," answered the angel forebodingly.
The way the angel said it made the hair on the back of Chloe's neck raise. She quickly opened the light to have a better view of her daughter's appearance.
Trixie looked very tired with her cheeks flaming red. Chloe quickly put a hand to her forehead to discover that she was burning up.
"Are you feeling sick, Monkey?" She couldn't hide the fear in her voice.
"I... I'm not sure. I feel... strange. And my arm hurts." Trixie was holding her left arm protectively.
"I thought it was your wrist that was hurting, Sweetie?"
A quick glance told her that yet nothing was visible over her daughter's arm. Chloe could feel the panic settling in the pit of her stomach. She spared a glance at Azrael who was strangely silent as she stared at Trixie's arm.
"It still does, but now it kind of spread to all of my arm. Mommy? What's happening to me?"
Chloe could see that her daughter was also starting to be afraid.
Azrael chose that moment to intervene. "I may have an explanation to that question, but first I want you to tell me what happened before you had your vision of Hell and of Lucifer."
Trixie did her best to explain in details her curious experience and how it had made her feel. Azrael also questioned her further on how the demon had hurt her. When the child finished her explanations, Azrael released a long breathe and shook her head in apparent amazement.
"You are a very special little girl, Beatrice Espinoza." That made Trixie smile a little "But you are also a very reckless one," the angel admonished her gently.
The child grimaced in embarrassment at her words.
Azrael finally turned her gaze to Chloe to address her. "What your daughter has experienced is called a spirit walk. To put it simply, she walked out of her body and travelled to Hell to find Lucifer. Everything she has seen was real, and the demon who sank its claws into her soul has wounded her deeply. And now, the injury inflicted to her soul is spreading, and is even starting to affect her corporal shell."
Seeing the horror appear on both mother's and daughter's faces, Azrael thought wise to add, "but fear not, there is still time to heal her soul and reverse the effect it has on her body."
Chloe let escape a moan of relief as she took her baby into her arms to comfort them both. "You're gonna be okay, Monkey!"
Trixie started weeping softly against her neck.
Azrael continued to expose her conclusions. "I can only suppose that Beatrice already had that ability from birth. Though, her recent near death experience might be what trigged it to flare up now, at such a young age. Furthermore, only a deep pre-existent connection with Lucifer can explain how she could travel blindly all that way to him so easily. Your talent truly baffles me, young girl."
Trixie sniffed a few times before turning into her mother's arms to look at the angel.
Azrael stoop down on her knees in front of the child and held her gaze. "But it also scares me," she added softly, "for you could have been taken prisoner by one of the demons, or simply stayed trapped in Hell. I don't even understand how you could cross back through the Hellmouth while it is supposed to be closed even to celestials. And it is without talking of the possibilities that you could have gotten lost on your way back, or that a wandering spirit could have stolen your body while you were gone."
Beatrice's eyes progressively widened in horror with every added terrible predicament that could have ended her little excursion.
"I... I didn't know!" The child apologized weakly.
The angel patted the child's leg comfortingly. "Of course you didn't know, Sweetie."
"I swear I'll never do it again!" Trixie hasten to add.
"I am not telling you all of this to frighten you, child, even though I can understand that it can be quite scary to hear. No, I am telling you this so you would understand the importance of being careful when you use your ability. The gift you have been granted is unique and wonderful, and I hope you will accept it in spite of the dangers it presents. You only need to learn how to use it safely. That, I can teach you, if you wish."
Before Beatrice could answer, Chloe cut right in. "You know what? I think we can take some time to pounder everything before taking such a huge decision. Don't you think Monkey?"
Chloe felt right out of her depths. It was just too much too process right now. Seeming quite in shock herself, Trixie only nodded wordlessly at her mother.
"You're right, of course. I'm sorry for getting carried away. I understand that it must be quite overwhelming for the both of you. We'll talk about it another time," assured Azrael.
"If you're done with all that Spirit Walk bullshit, could you now please heal the little human before it is too late?" Maze had apparently reached her patience's limit.
"Yes, sorry!" apologised Rae. "The child needs to be healed, of course. But I fear I won't be able to do it myself with my current state. Someone else will have to do it." She turned back to Chloe to add a warning. "However, you need to know that a soul takes longer to heal than its body. So even with celestial healing, your daughter will need a few days to fully recover."
Chloe and Beatrice both nodded in understanding.
Azrael turned her gaze towards her two angelic brothers who had been watching the entire scene from the doorway. Without any hesitation, Michael walked in and took his sister's place in front of the child. He silently asked permission to Chloe who nodded her agreement.
She looked down on Trixie with an encouraging smile, about to prepare her daughter for what would happen.
"Okay Monkey. Michael will heal you with one of his feathers. It won't be painful I promise, only, you will probably fall asleep afterwards. Later, when you wake up, you'll be feeling much better. Do you understand?"
Trixie nodded with a faraway look. "I remember... It's like Lucifer did when he healed me with his wings. Isn't it?"
"You remember that, Monkey?" Chloe was stunned. Trixie had been half-way dead at the time and definitely unconscious. And yet, her daughter had remembered Lucifer reaching out to her with his soul to keep her on this plane of existence, so it made sense that she could remember all of it.
"Yes, Monkey, it is exactly like Lucifer did to save you."
Trixie smiled sweetly at the recollection. But then she turned with a frown to look at Doom who was still lying in bed beside her.
"I don't think you will like it very much, Doomy. You might want to get out of here before Michael goes all celestial on me."
Doom yelp and got out of bed instantly. He was nowhere in sight only a second later.
Trixie looked back at Michael with a resolute air. "I'm ready, bring it on!"
Trixie fell into a curative sleep as soon as Michael healed her with one of his feathers. The celestial light had barely died out that Doom was already back in bed, sniffing the child and yelping in angst at seeing his charge unresponsive.
"It's okay Doomy!" Assured Chloe. "Trixie's gonna be alright, I promise."
The hound let out a mournful howl before laying back beside Trixie with his muzzle tucked against her side. Chloe didn't have the heart to make him get down of bed.
Once everyone was back in the living room and settled comfortably, Maze prepared a few drinks for them to help decrease the tension. Only Michael declined, while Chloe was very grateful for the distraction. She didn't want to think too much about what could have happened to her daughter if her celestial friends had not been there to help. But now Trixie would be okay, she tried to convince herself. Seeing auras was one thing, but Spirit Walking now!? What craziness was that? And the dangers that were part of it were simply bloodcurdling. And yet, Chloe could not bring herself to wish that Trixie were any different. Her daughter was special, and God help her, she was not about to start holding her back if she wished to learn more about that new talent of hers.
Chloe was already half-way through her glass of whisky when Maze took the lead and started their inevitable plan match meeting.
"Okay! So now, thanks to Dan's new info, we may have a lead for two new possible locations. First, the O'Neill Regional Park, south of LA, where two joggers were eviscerated by dog-like creatures. I can't be sure of the kind of beast we're talking about here, since there are a number that could match. Since they crossed planes at the same time as the demonic army, it is most likely that they were trained by demon warriors to act as hounds. Whatever they are, they're very dangerous and will keep killing. The good news is that they're likely an indigenous species of Hell's fauna, which means that they're not the brightest type and usually only kill to feed or defend themselves when left alone. Let's just hope that we are facing only a few who were separated from their masters during the abbey's debacle, otherwise there is nothing they wouldn't do if ordered to.
"The second threat is a whole different thing altogether. I can only go with what Dan told Chloe, but to have two people drop dead in their house in the same neighbourhood without any apparent injury can't be a coincidence. And it sounds dangerously like a Soul Eater if you ask me."
Michael looked totally puzzled. "And what is that supposed to be?"
Maze gazed at Amenadiel to see if it rang some bells for him, but he looked as clueless as his brother.
The demon rolled her eyes in exasperation. "Angels really don't know anything about Hell!" She shook her head for good measure before explaining.
"Soul Eaters evolved from some of the most ancient demon species. With all the souls available in Hell, they slowly adapted and came to feed exclusively on human souls. Why do you think we need to guard the cells? Certainly not to keep the souls in. They never get out of their hell loop. No, we protect them from the Soul Eaters. They are very nasty and intelligent, so chances are small that the one we are facing will keep killing in the same neighbourhood, but we never know. If it's not, we may have a hard time catching it. At least I'm pretty sure there's only one of them since they usually hunt alone."
Maze shook her head in clear deception. "It's just strange that there is absolutely no sign of Lilith and her demons. Sure, being first class demons, those are way smarter than any other demons and can take human appearances to hide more easily. But still, I was hoping we would have picked up their tracks last night since we went over a good portion of L.A., with Doom moreover. Maybe they are keeping clear of us. I don't like it. Who knows where that bitch is or what she is planning?"
"We'll get her Maze. I know we will." Chloe assured her. With their celestial team, she felt truly confident that they could do anything. "Let's just focus on what we have in front of us right now." A plan had started forming in Chloe's mind. "Michael, you should go after that Soul Eater while Maze and Amenadiel hunt the other creatures. This way, we may have greater chances to get them all tonight."
"But I need to stay here to protect you Chloe. That's what Lucifer would want me to do," objected the blond angel.
Chloe shook her head resolutely. "Doom will stay with us and Azrael will be there too. I could always pray to you if something happens. You can't always be by our sides to protect us Michael, as well start finding other ways to do it."
Michael clearly didn't like the thought.
"Chloe's right, it's a good plan," interjected Maze. "You should be able to catch that demon alone. Unless you think you're no match for it...," she teased him maliciously.
The angel rolled his eyes. "It makes no doubt that I can catch and kill that thing." His pride had obviously been stung. He sighed deeply in defeat. "Alright, I will go on the hunt tonight. For this time," he added pointedly while sending a meaningful gaze at Chloe.
Chloe knew she wasn't off the hook yet. The angel looked to be very persistent when he had something in mind, and protecting Trixie and herself seemed to have become his sole goal lately.
After Maze went back to her place with Amenadiel to prepare the material and weapons for the hunt, Azrael soon retired to her room to rest some more.
Which left Chloe alone with Michael. She tried to avoid looking at him by busying herself with cleaning up the place. She could feel his gaze following her every move, while he stood still in the middle of the living room. The guy was far from the most subtle. She finished wiping the bar clean then turned to him with a sigh.
"What is it you want to tell me, Michael?"
He lowered his eyes, looking uncharacteristically sad. "You don't trust me." He simply said.
"I... That's not..." She had not expected such a conversation with him, and wasn't even sure how she really felt about him yet.
She dropped the cleaning cloth she was holding and walked slowly to go stand before him and gaze into his eyes. "I still don't understand why, but Lucifer trusted you, and that's all I need to know."
"But you're still doubtful. Aren't you?"
Chloe's silence spoke volume.
Michael chuckled humorlessly. "And I can only understand your reaction, really. I have passed those last millennia blaming Lucifer for something that I was as much to blame for, if not more. I repeatedly misjudged him, vilified him, and rejected him completely from my life without a second thought. But he is my little brother, and I love him, even though we never really understood each other. I didn't protect him when I should have at the time of his Fall, and now he has fallen again. Even though I would have done anything to prevent it, there was nothing more I could have done this time..."
The raw emotion present in Michael's teared-up gaze was stirring up Chloe's own ones. She swallowed hard to contain her grief.
Then the angel stilled himself with clear determination. "I don't intent to let him down again. I couldn't save him from Hell this second time, but I can protect those he loves. You helped him evolve towards the amazing being that he now is. You made him shine! You did what I failed to do. And I will be eternally indebted to you for that." His voice dropped to only a whisper. "You gave me back my little brother..." A few tears spilled over his cheeks. "I couldn't live with myself if anything happened to you or your child. To me, you're family now."
Chloe's vision was blurring with unshed tears. Even without knowing the whole story, she now had a better understanding of the two brother's relationship. And there was this whole new side of Michael that she had never suspected. A side of him that she thought she could really trust.
She nodded slowly at first, then more strongly. "Okay!" It was a simple answer, yet she hoped it would convey all the acceptance that she felt.
Michael smiled in answer. A bright, genuine smile. "Okay!"
They both smiled for a moment, feeling the tension ease between them.
"Still," Chloe thought important to precise, "it doesn't change the fact that your shadowing me and Trixie all the time is not a practical solution to insure our safety. As nice as you can be, you can't be living with us forever. I think Doom is the solution. And we can pray to you anytime the need presents itself."
Michael shook his head in denial. "You may be right for when you're here, but what about when you return to work? There will be too many dangers and Doom won't be there to protect you then. Maybe I could become your new consultant, or something?" He seemed to be considering the idea seriously.
To Chloe, just the idea of replacing Lucifer by anyone was just unthinkable. But something Michael just said was nagging at her...
"What if...? What if Doom could be by my side all the time?" Her eyes widened at the crazy possibility.
"I don't follow you."
Yes, it could very well be possible, she thought.
"What if Doom could become a police dog?"
Michael just stared at her in stunned amazement.
"I'm serious! I'm sure he could pass all the tests easily. I admit that I would have to find a convincing speech to sale it to my superior, but I think it's feasible."
It took a moment for Michael to process the idea.
"That could be an acceptable solution," he finally admitted.
Chloe smiled brightly. "I think it's a great idea!"
Author's note: There should be more action in the next chapter. Let me know how you found this one. Your thoughts always spur me forwards in my writing. Thanks for reading!
