Author's note: Hello dear readers! Instead of switching to write the next chapter of Empty Sky, Empty Heart, I decided to pursue with the present story. But I'll get back to it as soon as I posted this chapter, I promise. There's a lot going on in this new chapter even if there isn't that much action. I hope you'll appreciate it. Tank you Bebec for reading quickly this chapter and giving me your much appreciated advices. Now place to the story, enjoy!


Chapter 12

A Gathering Storm

It took Chloe a long moment to stop crying even with the help of her unborn child trying to soothe her. But eventually she did. She dried her tears and took a hold of herself. Her baby needed for her to be strong and to fight for it, and she would, with everything she had. Even though all odds seemed to go against her, Chloe was well determinate to do everything she could to ensure that her child would survive, even if she had to storm Heaven's gates to get a hold of God himself.

Once she was certain to be able to contain her tears, she washed her face from all the makeup she applied for her little staging for the demon, then crossed into her bedroom to go change into something more comfortable than the leather outfit Maze had lent her.

She could hear Trixie talking excitedly with Azrael in the living room. They had apparently finished their little session of spirit walking and her daughter sounded amazed by what she just experienced.

The reminder of her daughter's new talent for soul travelling brought her to think again of Lucifer back in Hell. The way Trixie had described him, on the brink of battle, head partly shaved, and displaying his tattoos of old days was leaving Chloe with a foreboding feeling. He might be slipping slowly into darkness and reverting to the Devil he once was...

Chloe sighed dejectedly, realizing what she'd just done by sending that demon back to Lucifer to be questioned. She'd just added more problems onto his plate and might be encouraging him, if not forcing him, to embrace his darker side. Chloe hated herself for that.

If by the greatest of miracles Lucifer came to survive his stay in Hell, she was afraid she might come to lose him anyway, or at least the man she came to love...

She shook her head in denial. No! Whatever he might have to face or become to survive Hell, she would always love him. And once he was back in her arms, she would help him heal any wounds that had been inflicted on him and be there in whatever ways he needed her to be. She believed that their love for each other could make them face and conquer anything. And she hoped that once he was back with her, Lucifer could also help her find a way to protect their child and if not, then they could at least face whatever would happen together.

Pushing aside her dark thoughts and schooling her features, Chloe walked into the living room to go join Trixie who was still sitting on the floor. Back in his doggish appearance, Doom had joined her and was already receiving some petting, shamelessly sprawled on his back with all paws up. Azrael was also there, calmly sitting cross-legged in front of the child with her wings still out while Michael was lounging on the couch, eyes closed. He reminded her of a soldier who would take every opportunity to catch a nap. Which was actually probably the case, come to think of it.

"Mommyyyy!" exclaimed Trixie joyfully when she saw her.

"Hello Monkey! Did your session go well?" Chloe addressed the question as much to Trixie as to Azrael.

"Your child is very gifted," started Azrael.

"I flew Mommy! I came out of my body and I flew around the apartment with Azrael. She says it doesn't really feel like flying, but that must be the closest thing to it. Right?"

"You're right Monkey! That must feel amazing!" Chloe lowered herself at her level to kiss her head. "I'm very proud of you Sweetie." And she was, when she could forget about all the scary things that could go wrong when she was soul traveling.

"You looked funny with Maze's clothes and all that makeup." Trixie winked at her playfully.

"Oh! Because you were spying on me from up there, little Spirit Walker!" Chloe tickled her daughter playfully, making her giggle in delight. She liked seeing her daughter happy, all the more after the horrors the child witnessed lately. She also was hoping to distract Trixie from her questioning about the reason for her wearing that leather outfit.

"Not spying!" Trixie assured her between giggles. "I just saw you come in with Doom and Michael. Doom spotted me right away."

"Of course he did." Chloe thought she should have known that the Hellhound would have the ability to see souls.

Chloe was relieved to hear that her daughter had not followed her into the bathroom to witness her falling apart of earlier. She didn't think it would be a good thing for her to learn about the baby so soon. After all, she could lose it anytime...

She took a deep breath to chase away the creeping angst that threatened to overwhelm her again. She returned her focus back on Beatrice.

"I see you're still in your pyjamas, Sweetie. You should go get changed while I prepare you something to eat. We'll have to leave soon for your session with Linda. Unless you two are not finished yet?" she added as an afterthought, eying questioningly Trixie and Azrael alternately.

Trixie also looked at Azrael for confirmation.

"I think we're done for today. Even though it doesn't look like it, soul traveling is very energy taxing and Trixie has not yet fully recovered from her wound," specified Azrael.

Chloe felt cheapish for almost forgetting about her daughter's injury. Noticing Trixie wince slightly when she applied pressure on her left arm while standing up from the floor, Chloe carefully held the injured arm in her hands and stroke it lightly.

"How are you feeling, Monkey? Is it any better?" she asked with renewed concern.

Trixie smiled at her reassuringly. "I feel much better, yes. Don't worry, Mommy. It's just still a bit sore, but it doesn't really hurt anymore."

Chloe thought Trixie looked a bit tired, even though she had slept for almost twelve hours straight, but she guessed it was normal from what Azrael said. Also, Trixie complained about a recurring dream plaguing her sleep all night, in which a skeletal monster was trying to kiss her. That nightmare most certainly kept her from getting a good enough rest. Chloe wondered if such creepy dreams would haunt her daughter forever. All the more reasons to ask help from Linda.

"It's good to hear, Sweetie, but don't make too much exercises just yet." Seeing her daughter start to complain, Chloe cut her short. "You still need rest. You can start your training with Maze in a day or two, when you feel better." They had talked this morning about Chloe's idea for an official training schedule and unsurprisingly Trixie had been thrilled.

"But Mommyyyy!" complained the little girl.

"There won't be any discussion about that," Chloe said decidedly, but then added with a little smile, "it doesn't mean you can't watch Maze train with Amenadiel this afternoon."

That brought back a big smile on her daughter's face at the idea of watching Maze learn to use her new wings. "Yeaaaaah!" she exclaimed, before running to her room to get prepared.

Chloe watched Beatrice go and the thought of what it could be like to have two kids running around this place crossed her mind. After all, there was still a possibility that this new child could live for a few years. She was ready to take everything that would be offered to her, be it only a few month with Lucifer's child in her womb. At least she would have a piece of Lucifer with her for a while. In spite of everything, she considered that child as an exceptional gift.

She absentmindedly placed a hand on her belly protectively. After a few seconds of distraction, she noticed Azrael looking at her with a bittersweet smile. Chloe startled internally, realizing that her secret might not be one after all.

Could Azrael know? Of course she could.

She glanced Michael's way to assess if he was awake, hence if she could talk freely or not. His breathing seemed slow and even. He definitely looked asleep.

Chloe returned her attention on Azrael who was watching her silently as if waiting for her to speak first.

"You know, don't you?" asked Chloe softly, still covering her abdomen.

Azrael returned her smile and spoke as softly. "Yes, I can already see its beautiful soul."

Tears built up in Chloe's eyes. She could have guessed that her child already had a soul.

Azrael hesitated before voicing her question. "Did Lucifer... Did you ever talked about kids?

Chloe nodded faintly. She knew very well where the angel was going with this. "He already warned me about the outcome. Isn't there... Do you believe there's any way possible around it?"

Azrael lowered her gaze as if in embarrassment. "I don't know... I don't think so."

Chloe nodded in understanding, lips tight with angst. "Still, would you accept to talk to your Father about it? To try and explain to Him that this child would pose no threat to this world? I will raise it... We, will raise it, Lucifer and I, to become a good being. I promise we will," she said with such conviction.

"You don't have to convince me about that, Chloe. Because I know you. Actually, I already prayed to my Father, pleading for his clemency."

"As did I. But he didn't answer you, did He?" Chloe was really doing her best to keep her tears in check.

"Not yet...," the angel breathed. "But I'll talk to Him in person as soon as I can fly again. I promise you that."

Chloe nodded with a tight smile. "Thank you, it means a lot to me." Then something crossed her mind and she couldn't repress from asking the question. "Do you already know the baby's sex?"

"Yes I do. But are you sure to really want to know? Knowing it would only make you get more attached, which might not be a wise idea, everything considered."

Chloe nodded pensively. "I think I'm already very much attached, but you might be right. I... I'll think about it."

"Did you try to reach to Lucifer to tell him?"

Chloe's lower lip trembled and she cleared her throat before speaking. "No! It must be hard enough for him right now. I can't add more angst on top of it. He told me once that if we ever conceived a child, he couldn't bear losing it. This is my burden, as much as it is my greatest joy. I'll do everything I can to save that baby, but if it turns out that I can't, what good would it do Lucifer to know about it while he can't even be here with me?"

Azrael didn't find anything to answer, nor did Chloe thought she would.

Secretly, a small part of her was also afraid that learning about that child could keep Lucifer away from her, weather it would be to protect himself from the heartbreak or to run from a responsibility he didn't think he was ready for. Chloe felt ashamed for thinking that, but couldn't keep herself from considering the worst possible scenarios. She would tell him if... when he came back. At least then she would be able to assess how he welcomed the news and she'd be there for him.


Lucifer was on his way back from the battlefield with Djalliah, where they'd encountered their daily skirmishes. He didn't always partake in those numerous little battles, but today he'd wanted to check on his troops to encourage them in their fights and admittedly also wanted to keep the fear of him into them. He needed to help maintain their focus onto this more than important fight and wouldn't accept for them to have their motivation lessen.

Things were going much slower than he would have liked. Since his victory against Valac and his demonstration of force a month ago, only one emissary had come to negotiate on behalf a Demon King, Mastema, who was thinking of rallying to him, and it wasn't even a done thing yet. As for his fallen brothers, unsurprisingly there was still no words yet from the scouts who were looking for them.

So this unusual situation that was making him leave the battlefield earlier than expected, to the greatest annoyance of Djall who would have preferred to keep fighting, was a more than welcomed distraction. Djalliah really enjoyed the fights, but her duty to protect him would not let her lose sight of him nonetheless.

Malphas had sent him a missive announcing that a demon just landed in his throne room, hands fastened and bloody, but alive. It was the first time that anything alive had come through that strange vortex and Lucifer was very much looking forward to question that being who survived the trip. Maybe he would at last learn who had killed and sent all those creatures to him, the most recent ones, three Nigguraths who looked like a cross between a medusa and a dog, having landed in pieces before his throne only a week ago.

His thoughts were suddenly disturbed by a well-known and loved voice invading his consciousness.

Lucifer...

I just sent you a demon named Moz'gan.

He needs to be questioned further.

He lied to me.

Remember I love you!

Lucifer stopped short in his tracks, dumbfounded. Chloe had sent him that demon? Was she the one who'd sent him all those creatures before? It just couldn't be. Djall looked at him strangely since there was no reason for him to stop there in the middle of a deserted corridor.

"Are you fine, My Lord?" She reached to him to stroke his stubbles gently as she liked to do when they were alone like right now.

He blinked a few times in a daze. "Let's hurry up!" he just said in answer before resuming his march at a faster pace.

Djall didn't inquire further as she followed, knowing him enough by now to understand that her Lord was disturbed and wouldn't tell her more about it yet. She would just have to be patient until he saw fit to confide in her, as he usually always did eventually.

When he reached the throne room, Lucifer stopped in front of the kneeling demon prostrated submissively, and looked him over. Not only was that demon splattered with blood, but his wounds clearly came from being tortured. He couldn't imagine Chloe torturing anyone, hence the growing puzzlement at the picture displaying before him.

"How did you get here?" he asked severely, very straight forward.

"My Queen sent me!" the demon answered with fervor, lifting his eyes up to him.

Lucifer tried not to show his surprise at the use of that title. Was he really talking about Chloe? From what she'd just told him in her prayer, it would seem so.

He decided to go with the flow. "I know that,Moz'gan! What I want to know is how she did it?"

The demon looked taken aback by his knowledge of his name and of part of the situation, but regained his footing quickly. "It was the demon Mazikeen. She... I don't know what she did but she sent me here."

On Lucifer's prompting, he explained what he saw and felt when Maze used her power.

Lucifer remained quiet for a long moment afterwards, simply unable to understand how Maze managed to create a vortex all by herself. But she had, obviously. Putting that aside for later considerations, Lucifer pursued his questioning with a subject that was very much intriguing him.

"Now explain to me how you came to land before the Queen."

So the demon explained the events leading him to be caught by Michael on the precinct's door steps, then questioned by Maze, before being brought up before the Devil's consort. He willingly admitted everything he'd told his Queen and at Lucifer's demand described his encounter with her.

Lucifer was amazed to hear that while Moz'gan had not let out a single information to Maze in spite of her skills at torturing, he'd on the other hand spilled out so much to Chloe. He was also very much worried to hear the interest that Lilith had in all his loved ones, particularly in Maze. The feeling of helplessness to protect them was eating him alive. But what puzzled him most of all was the way the demon was talking about His Queen, with such awe and respect, bordering on fear.

Lucifer gathered that Chloe had put on a show of power to make the demon talk. While he was moved and proud beyond words at hearing that she had willingly stepped up and embraced her title as Queen of Hell, he was left speechless at her behaviour. He just couldn't reconcile the loving and heavenly sent wonder that he knew her to be with that enigmatic and terrible being that Moz'gan was describing.

The demon finished the telling of his story with hope in his voice. "The Queen rewarded me by letting me live and sent me down here to serve you, My King."

Lucifer frowned dangerously at the deceiving demon. "Then why did she say that you've been lying to her?"

Moz'gan eyes bulged in surprise. He clearly didn't expect the Devil to have that information.

"I think we need a little tete-a-tete to clear things up, don't you think?" Lucifer's eyes lit up with hellfire.

With true terror coursing through him, Moz'gan understood then and there that his life was forfeit. He just hoped that he would be able to hold on to his knowledge and that he would die fast.


Michael insisted on tagging along to go at Trixie's appointment with Linda. So Chloe decided to let Doom at the penthouse to protect Azrael while she would take a needed nap. The Angel of Death wasn't acting like it, but she was still far from having regained her previous strength.

Linda had warned Chloe that she would keep private most of what Trixie would tell her, unless it was imperative that she told her since she was her mother. Besides that being part of the doctor-patient confidentiality deal, it was certainly going to help the child to be more forthcoming to share what she was going through. Though the doctor assured her that she would encourage Trixie to talk to Chloe about her thoughts and fears.

While Michael and she waited outside the office for the duration of the session, Chloe took the opportunity to make a few calls. Picking a name in Lucifer's lists of contacts, she contacted an interior designer who would redecorate her ransacked apartment as well as Trixie's new bedroom at the penthouse. She reminded herself to make sure that the woman, Leslie, would not come face to face with Azrael, or more precisely with her wings... She was a bit ashamed to take the easy way to do it and for sure to be about to spend an exuberant amount of money on it, but right now, easy was exactly what she needed. She couldn't start imagining taking care of it all by herself on top of everything that was going on in her life.

Then she called Dan to let him know that Leslie would get in touch with him to arrange a rendezvous. Dan was first reluctant to accept her help but gave up under her insistence, all the more after being reminded that it would be all paid for with Lucifer's money.

Then a creepy thought crossed Chloe's mind. "Do you know what became of Lilim's corpse? It's not still at the apartment I hope? I mean, I wouldn't want that designer to find a corpse inside my apartment. That would be hard to explain!"

Dan chuckled at the image conjured by her words. "No! Don't worry, it's not there anymore. I remember Michael saying he'd taken care of it, and talking about a big hungry shark who seemed very grateful for the treat."

Chloe turned her gaze to observe Michael who was now wearing a little smile. "Oh! That's good!" she simply answered, a small smile also creeping up over her lips. As dangerous as having celestial friends might be, it was also quite a marvel most of the times.

Now reminded of the threat that Lilith's demons such as Lilim were posing to them all, her worries turned to Daniel.

"I didn't see you at the precinct this morning. Where were you? Did you find a safe place to stay last night? You need to be careful, remember?"

"Heuuu..." He sounded a bit uncomfortable to admit something apparently. "Actually, Charlotte invited me at her place when she heard of my situation."

"Oh!" Chloe startled at the news. "Back together you two? I thought she wanted to take your head off for your involvement in what happened to Lucifer."

Chloe certainly still wanted to take off his head.

"No! No! Not at all! She's still pissed at me. Yet she got a little protective over me when she learned that I had no one to check my back last night, so she invited me at her place. Just to be nice."

Yeah right! Just to be nice, indeed. Thought Chloe. She knew The Goddess of Creation to be a lusty thing without much morality and so it wouldn't surprise her if she went back to bone her ex in spite of what he's done to her son. As much as it was disgusting her just to think of it, it still was a pretty good arrangement to insure that Dan would stay safe.

Chloe surprised herself with what she suggested next. "Maybe you should make sure to stay at her place for a few more days until the designer finishes the renovations, and that Amenadiel could be there with you at night. As you know, since there are still a few demonic creatures going around L.A. at the moment, Amenadiel will be busy hunting them for an indeterminate amount of time."

Dan acknowledged the wisdom of her words.

Amenadiel had told her that he'd accepted Dan's offer to move in with him even if he was almost as wealthy as Lucifer and therefore wasn't at all in need of a roommate. But both guys went along well and seemed to be liking the idea of sharing a place with someone.

Chloe went on with her explanations. "There's also the fact that Amenadiel will probably want to keep a closer eye on Maze, if she lets him that is. We just learned that she seems to be Lilith's primary target. But who knows, maybe she'll accept to go to your place with him?" That would be the safest solution for everyone, but somehow, Chloe doubted that Maze would accept such a compromise with the way she was acting with Amenadiel lately.

Chloe told Dan of their encounter with the demon this morning and of what they learned from him. She skipped the part about her taking the role of the Queen of Hell though. Somehow, she doubted that he would be thrilled by the idea.

Then their discussion drifted to last night's hunting and Chloe admitted that what they now thought to be a Soul Eater was still eluding them and was still most certainly feeding on other poor human preys.

It turned out that Dan had already deduced that it hadn't been caught since two new strange deaths had just been discovered on the other side of town. That Soul Eater really seemed to be choosing carefully his hunting grounds as to not be easily tracked.

Dan also told her of two other supernatural attacks, in appearance at least. According to him, it was already all over the news. The first case was one of a man claiming to have been attacked by a winged creature bigger than an eagle which ended up killing and taking his poor Golden Retriever. The man apparently had claw injuries to prove his story.

The second case was one of two men killed and eaten on the docs. A witness told of a big black panther with red eyes attacking his friends. He'd apparently barely managed to escape with his life.

"People are starting to panic, Chlo. And now that the FBI took those two cases in hands and closed off both areas, it's only giving fuel to all the crazy talks about military experiments. And what's more, cases of disappearances have been piling up more than ever for the last two days."

"Damn! I knew we could be missing something. The dead bodies count didn't match Amenediel's and Michael's first estimation of the demons number. At least those demonic creatures seem to be more discreet." It was a small consolation, but at this point, Chloe would take anything as encouragement.

"I'm also starting to believe that my own case about that armor truck break could very well be supernatural too."

Chloe's eyes bulged in surprise. "Are you serious?"

"I'm afraid so. The truck was ripped open from the roof, and the two guards were dismembered. We only found some claw marks so far. The autopsies might come out with something, but somehow I doubt that it could help unveil what killed those men. It seems to have happened very quickly on a side road where there wasn't any camera, nor has there been any direct witnesses either. Some people heard the noise of metal being ripped open, but by the time they got there, it was already over. Whatever stole that money was very fast in escaping."

"Or it had wings..." Chloe mused aloud, head spinning with what it could mean.

Chloe couldn't picture a demonic creature needing money, but Lilith and her demons would certainly need some sooner than later, which would explain the huge wad of cash discovered on Moz'gan this morning. She blamed herself for not thinking of questioning the demon about it when she had the chance.

She told as much to Dan plus the fact that Lilith was supposed to be working with a winged demon.

"How much money was stolen?" Asked Chloe as an afterthought.

"Close to a quarter of a million, but if it's really Lilith, she might have gotten her hand on even more money than that since we just got word that another armor truck was attacked today with its security guards butchered. Fortunately, Detective Murdock and I got the case since it looked similar to the first one. Hopefully, I'll be able to confirm quickly if it looks to have the same MO."

"At that point, I'm pretty sure it will reveal to be Lilith's work. The question being, what use does she have for that much money?" wondered Chloe.

"I have no idea yet, but I promise I'll find out." assured Dan with conviction.

"Thanks for looking into this Dan, it could mean a real break into finding Lilith."

"No problem! I want to find that demon as much as you want. I just hope that Murdock won't insist that we transfer the case to the Feds once he discovers that it could be supernatural. I'll try to keep him in the dark for as long as I can, but he already was finding that case strange yesterday, although he hasn't mentioned anything of the sort today yet. It might change when we get at this second crime scene though." He sighed at the prospect. "I'll keep you posted."

"Okay! You can come at the penthouse whenever you can to retrieve the wad of money for your investigation. Trixie would also be happy to see you."

Dan considered it as an improvement in their tensed relationship that Chloe was inviting him at the penthouse so soon after having moved out of the apartment. It gave him some hope that they could work things out.

"Okay Chlo! See you later."


Lucifer looked down at Moz'gan's dead body drenched in blood at his feet. His hands were still shaking after beating the demon to death. He regretted already ever having made that deal with him. But after days of torturing him by himself without getting nowhere, it had seemed to be the only way to make the demon talk at last. He'd promised Moz'gan a quick death in exchange for the truth, and he'd gotten it.

His heart was beating madly with adrenaline, rage, and pure fear. Fear for his friends and family, for Chloe...

He had absolutely no way of getting the information to them and it was making him mad with worry for their safety. He'd never felt so powerless.

Chloe had no way of knowing that the threat was so close to them...

Had he known what he was to discover, Lucifer would have kept torturing that despicable being for eternity...


Author's note: I am still placing all the pieces of this story on the board. I realise that this plot is way bigger than I intended at first. It will just be even more fun for you, but a lot more work for me I hope you liked that chapter and the way things are evolving. There's gonna be more action in the next chapter. Please let me know of your thoughts. Thanks so much for reading, and commenting.