Author's note: After a long summer break, I give you this new chapter. It's a big one, with more than 6000 words. I must say that all the wonderful reviews and comments I received on the last chapter have helped me get back into it. So thank you so much for your good words and support. Now place to the story. Enjoy!


Chapter 25

Time to Correct That

Three pairs of human eyes stared in awe at Amenadiel's wings in stricken silence, the boiling remains of demon on the ground now completely forgotten. It was clearly their first encounter with an angel. Even after seeing demons and Chloe's celestial demonstration of power, the sight of a real angel was something they were still not prepared for.

The men had jumped out of their skins and backed a safe distance away from Amenadiel the moment he appeared in his angelic resplendence with Maze by his side though still in her human form. Chloe had quickly stepped in to make introductions and insure that there wouldn't be any misinterpretation. She assured the officials that the newcomers were allies in this war against evil and here to discuss a possible partnership.

True to himself, once the first shock had passed, General McMahon found a way to question Amenadiel's valor. "While you may look like an angel, nothing proves that you are a good one. Detective Decker just claimed that a rogue angel was behind the opening of the Hell's Gates. For all we know it could be you who fomented this attack on our world. Besides, who knows what a good angel looks like? Your black wings and dark skin might be a sign of the darkness of your soul. If you have any..."

"General! How could you?" Father Amantini burst out, offended. "This being doesn't just look celestial, he feels like it from his very core."

Maze's eyes had bulged almost out of their sockets in outrage. She advanced dangerously towards the General, a feral look on her face. She stopped only an inch away from his face and deployed her dark reddish wings, the tip of one of her longest feathers pressed against his throat.

She spoke in barely controlled anger. "Are you really going to apply stupid racist ideas to celestials? Will you also say that the soul God just gave me recently must be dark because of the way I look? God may not be the best reference there is, but if He thought me worthy of this gift, who are you to question it?"

The General visibly gulped without answering, while still too proud to turn his eyes away from the demon or try to recoil from her.

Father Amantini, who had been eying Maze guardedly since her apparition, was now looking at her in a whole new confused way. "You... you don't feel like before... when I met you all those years ago." He took a few prudent paces closer to Mazikeen to better feel her. "There is a different vibe to you, not quite angelic nor demonic. More like a mixt of the two. I can't exactly tell. What is it?" he finished in curious awe.

Maze folded her wings on her back with a snap, and after sending a hateful smirk at the General, she turned around to face the priest.

While she probably tried to hide it, there was a clear ring of pride in Maze's voice. "What you feel, Father, is the celestial gift that God gave me to elevate me beyond the simple demon that I was. I am something else now, something new, a weapon that hunts evil. I am God's Fury! You can add the new word Valkyrie to your religious dictionary, because I am the first of that kind."

"Not to make myself the Devil's advocate, so to speak, but those are just words, and your wings do look pretty much hellish to me!" risked the General in a last boost of prideful defiance, if not stupidity.

"I can't believe this!" spat Chloe disdainfully at the General. "You want to keep doubting everything? You even refuse to believe the words of your own priest who can feel celestials? Well, I'll give you a better reference! I'll give you the ultimate evil fighter. If his words don't convince you, nothing will."

Without waiting, Chloe closed her eyes and joined her hands in prayer. She took a deep breath that she released slowly. It was becoming almost easy to reach the right state of mind. It took only a moment before an angel with luminous white-grey wings and shining armor appeared out of nowhere. He took a protective stance in front of Chloe with his two handed sword held threateningly at the humans.

"Did they hurt you Chloe?" the new angel asked dangerously, visibly ready to punish the sinners who could have touched her.

"No! I'm unharmed and well," Chloe reassured him calmly.

After eying the three apparently unthreatening and dazzled humans in the room, the angel was looking confused. "What is the meaning of this, Chloe Decker? Why force me to reveal myself to humans if you are not in direct danger?"

Chloe grimaced sheepishly. "I'm sorry for putting you into this position, yet it seemed to be the only solution left. I need your help. Those men, which are part of the authorities here on Earth, think that Lucifer, Amenadiel, Maze, and I might be evil and responsible for bringing the demons here on Earth. I tried to explain everything to them and even revealed my new title and some of my powers. However, let's say that some doubts remain as to our real intentions and nature. So I need you to tell them who you are, and to vouch for us."

The angel stayed silent for a long moment while analysing the situation, and the humans. He finally put down his weapon, yet without sheeting it.

"I see..." the celestial simply said. Then he straighten up proudly as if having taken his decision. "I am the Archangel Michael Demiurge, Leader of the Heavenly Host, The Sword of God. I am the one who defeated the Archangel Samael during his rebellion against God and cast him down into Hell where he purged his sentence during thousands of years. I may be presumptuous, but I think that makes me quite an authority on the matters of good and evil. And as such, I can guaranty you that my brothers Amenadiel and Lucifer are among the greatest of us. Lucifer is not anymore the devil that he was back in the days. He is more honorable than most angels and if I wasn't certain of his valor and good heart, I wouldn't have devoted myself to protecting the people he loves and cherishes while he is gone. That said, I am warning you!" Michael hardened his voice. "If you bring harm in any ways to Chloe Decker or her daughter, rest assured that I will bring celestial justice down on you all." He let the words sink in for a moment before adding, "and remember, even if Lucifer is on a path to redemption, it wouldn't stop him from punishing you accordingly when he returns if you touch his Queen and love of his life. And I wouldn't be the one to stop him..."

Father Amantini carefully stepped closer to Michael, drawn by his celestial essence. Only at the last second did he find the presence of mind to stop himself from touching the beautiful glowing wings. That angel was the exact picture of how he'd imagined an angel to look like. There was absolutely no doubt in his mind about the truth of who was standing before him.

"Welcome on Earth, Michael Demiurge. It is an honor to meet you, as it is to meet your brother Amenadiel of course," Father Amantini added with an apologetic smile directed at the latter for not welcoming him appropriately earlier. "I fear we started this whole discussion on the wrong foot. I hope you'll all forgive our first reaction of distrust."

"I...," started hesitantly the General. "I must admit that I may have judged Miss Decker and the angel Amenadiel wrongly, but who can blame me for being too cautious these days with all that supernatural stuff hitting us?" He succeeded at turning what sounded at first as an apology into a prideful remark. Then he addressed directly at Michael. "While I tend to believe what you've said, I don't remember you talking about the demon Mazikeen. Can we trust her? Do you, trust her?"

Michael narrowed his eyes at the demon in question, considering seriously the question for a moment. "Personally, I will always distrust demons," he stated firmly.

Chloe and Maze opened their mouths in unison to make their outrage known, no doubt, but before they could utter a word, Michael continued. "However, Mazikeen is one of a kind. For reasons that I am only starting to understand, my Father has seen something good in her, something worthy of his trust. So if God himself believes in her, I am ready to give her the benefit of the doubt. I can assure you that I will bring her back to Hell myself if she betrays my Father's trust."

Maze burst into laughter. "I'd like to see you try, Archangel!"

Michael simply glared at her darkly, lips tightly sealed.

Chloe tried to lighten the mood. "Don't pay attention to those two. They're like cats and dogs, always bickering at each other. They'll never admit it, but they respect each other, in their own way."

The humans looked rather unconvinced by Chloe's statement. However, no one added any arguments about their possible evil intentions. Thank God! Finally!

Before the silence stretched too long to make it awkward, Chloe clapped her hands and took the lead.

"Alright! Now that our good faith has been demonstrated, we still need to negotiate a well needed alliance to rid LA of those demons for good. But before we do that," Chloe paused a second and reached into her baby's powers for more effects, "I want my hound back!"

Before anyone could answer her demand, a loud noise of metal being ripped apart sounded from farther on their level. Many screams of terrorised humans started resounding, along with a horrifying growl that was coming their way.

In less time than it takes to say it, a big Hellhound barged in, taking the door out of its hinges. It prowled inside slowly, eyes ablaze and hissing threateningly at the unknown humans. Once it had reached its Queen's side, the beast rubbed affectionately against her like a feline before turning to the humans and emitting the most menacing growl.

All the men, Dan included, looked like they were about to lose their shit.

Chloe had to hide her surprise at Doom's performance. Apparently, her hound could have escaped from his cell anytime he wanted. The fact that he'd kept obeying her order to stay put all that time was incredible. Doom would never cease to amaze her. She couldn't be prouder, even considering that he'd lost control over his appearance. Not that it mattered so much anymore.

Almost as amazing was the fact that Doom had heard her call, even thought she was certain that she had not spoken loud enough to reach his ears. Her power had reached him, somehow, and he'd understood that she needed him.

The Queen patted her Hellhound proudly, which calmed him down instantly. He finally sat beside her and kept eying the humans warily. Seconds later, a group of armed men arrived, ready to take down the beast. Fortunately, the General recovered the wits about him and stopped them.

Chloe could only imagine what impressive sight she made with her Hellhound guarding her. She didn't ask Doom to revert to his doggish appearance. Those men needed a constant reminder of who she was.

"Now we can start the negotiations!" The Queen of Hell stated.


After Michael left to go back watching over Trixie at school, they all moved to a conference room where they finally started the negotiations. Actually, it was less a negotiation and more like a reunion presided by the Queen of Hell who was ordering everyone around.

Chloe gave the FBI the task of interrogating Detective Murdock, who was already in their custody. He might know something about Lilith's whereabouts or her plan to get to Maze. Even if he wasn't aware of the reason, it was clear that Murdock had been tasked by Lilith to kill Doom because of his capacity to feel demons from a long distance. It was logical that Lilith would want to get rid of the Hellhound at some point if she ever hoped to stay hidden long enough to kill Maze. There was also the matter of discovering which employee of Lux Murdock had turned into an informant. There might even be more than one.

The Queen allowed the FBI and the militaries to keep looking for escaped demons as long as they told her about their catch immediately so Maze could return them to Hell.

The question of the demons' fate had been the biggest pill to swallow for the General. He tried negotiating to keep at least one for study, but the Queen would have nothing of it. All four demons in their custody were to be sent back to Hell as well as any new ones they would catch. It helped greatly Chloe that Agent Spencer didn't objected to it, no more than Father Amantini did. On the contrary, to Chloe's surprise, the priest even supported her vehemently on that front. Apparently, he'd been fighting the General right from the start to send the demons to Hell himself. The news of the Hellmouth being closed off was a bad surprise for Amantini who had now no choice but to hand to the Valkyrie the task of sending the demons back home.

It was without saying that the tabs on Chloe's phone or any of her friends were to be removed right now and that absolutely no agents whatsoever was allowed to spy on them. If the FBI wanted to know something, they just had to come to them and ask it. Nicely. And in return, Chloe promised to share with them every relevant information they could get about the demons in town and to assist the authorities in their hunt when needed.

After a few hours of discussion, Chloe was feeling exhausted. Using celestial power was extremely tiresome. She also suspected her early pregnancy to start to drain her. Sitting beside her, Doom had been eying her worriedly for about the last half hour. He too was feeling her strength decrease and didn't seem to like it.

Before she could show any real weaknesses to her new allies, Chloe ended the meeting. There was still the matter of getting rid of the demonic creatures presently in captivity. Fortunately, Maze did it in a record time. It helped that the Valkyrie was bored to death with the negotiations and in a hurry to get out of there.

What also pushed Chloe to leave the facility as soon as possible was the urgent need to get news of Lucifer, and the recurrent thought that a letter from him was waiting for her in Maze's pocket. She just couldn't wait any longer.

Dan was clearly still in shock because of everything that happened, but Chloe had no energy nor patience left to have that big talk now. So she was glad when Amenadiel suggested to take him home by celestial means to leave place for Doom in Maze's car.

The moment the car's doors were shut behind them, Chloe turned to Maze who was at the wheel. "Is Lucifer alright?" She didn't mind that her voice was quivering.

Maze took the time to start the engine before answering. "Of course he's alright!"

"Maze?" Chloe had no patience left for elusive answers.

The demon let escape a tired sigh. "Lucifer is alive."

"But is he ok?" Chloe insisted impatiently.

"I... I don't know..."

Chloe forced herself to breathe. One in, one out...

Maze choose her words carefully while taking the car out of the side road where she hid it earlier. "He looked, different. And I'm not talking about his new air cut. This trip is taking a toll on him. There's a war going on down there as we suspected. But the good news is that he might be about to get new allies to fight by his side. He seemed optimistic to be able to prevail."

It didn't help Chloe to breathe any more easily.

Maze growled at herself in frustration. "Had I known that you already knew about Murdock's involvement with Lilith and the danger he represented, I would have stayed with Lucifer to protect him. I should be going back there right now."

Chloe nodded softly, then with more conviction. "Maybe you should. Lucifer is all alone in hostile territory. He needs you more than I do. I can take care of myself, you know that."

Maze surprised herself by her own answer. "No, I need to protect you and the baby. Lucifer would kill me if anything happened to you two. And to say the truth, he's not really alone anymore..."

Chloe didn't like one bit the way Maze said that. "What do you mean?"

The Valkyrie hardened her features. "Lucifer created a new bodyguard to protect himself."

"Ho!" Chloe remembered suddenly that Maze was also the product of such a creation. "It's a good thing right?"

"I suppose...," the demon said with not much conviction.

"You don't seem to appreciate that new demon very much. Why?" Now Chloe felt down right suspicious.

Maze's temper got the better of her and she gestured angrily with one hand while trying to keep the car straight. "Don't you see? Lucifer replaced me! With a younger sexy bitch way too full of herself. I'm telling you, she better keep him alive or I swear, I'm gonna take great pleasure in torturing her for the rest of eternity."

Sexy..? Chloe remembered all too well the kind of relationship Lucifer shared with Maze for thousands of years...

"You don't think that Lucifer and her...?" Chloe couldn't finish her sentence. It was all too painful to envision.

"What? That they sleep together?" Maze answered with her usual tact. The way she'd seen them act together, she was pretty sure they were boning. Though she tried her best to lessen Chloe's worries. "Don't worry about that Chloe. He would never replace you, even if he was having sex with her to pass the time. But it seems that I am replaceable," she snorted in derision.

Chloe was practically shaking in panic. Hadn't Lucifer told her that he wouldn't sleep with anyone else even if they were someday separated? Maybe he couldn't wait that long after all? Maybe he needed sex too much? He'd never actually given her his word about it after all, and they were not officially married either. They'd just pledged to each other to live together for the rest of her life. And that oath was already broken, not that it was his fault, she knew it. At least it hadn't been at first, but now Lucifer was apparently staying in Hell of his own volition...

Too caught up in her own worries, Maze only noticed now that she'd increased Chloe's distress instead of decreasing it.

"Decker! Whatever you're thinking. Stop!"

But Chloe was already way too deep into her own personal Hell. "Why wouldn't he comeback to me?"

Chloe could remember God saying that Lucifer had something important to do, yet that he would be back soon... But since when did Lucifer actually do what his Father wanted?

"Chloe, don't take it personal. Believe me, Lucifer wanted nothing more than to come back. Somehow, I believe he is doing the right thing."

Chloe exploded in pain and fury. "Not take it personal? The right thing? Are you kidding me? You think abandoning me was the right thing to do? I'm bloody pregnant with his kid, damn it! And he left me here alone to be the bloody Queen of Hell on Earth and deal with this hellish mess. Why doesn't God go down to Hell himself to deal with the war if it's so fucking important? Did He really need to take Lucifer from me to do it?"

The stress of the day was hitting her hard and Chloe had completely lost her grip over her emotions. She knew she should trust Lucifer's judgement, she knew he would come back if he could. If he was staying down there it had to be for a good reason, which had certainly nothing to do with obeying his Father blindly. But right now, she just couldn't see it. She just wished Lucifer were here to hold her. She needed him, damn it!

"Chloe, please don't cry," Maze whispered, oh so softly.

Chloe just realised that she was bathed in tears. Maze seemed to have a hard time holding back her own tears.

Now at a loss for words, the demon dug into a pocket to retrieve something. "There, read Lucifer's letter. It might help you understand."

Chloe's hands were shaking when she took the letter. She was as much dying to read it as she was afraid to do so. Not afraid, terrified! What if he was telling her again not to wait for him like he had in his first letter? What if he was dumping her for the better good? It would be just like him! Damn him!

What a fool she felt for being still so hopeful somehow. As terrified as she was, she read it anyway.

My Chloe, my Love, my Heart, my Queen, my Everything,

You are the first thought on my mind when I wake up, and the last when I fall asleep,

You are the one thing that keeps me going, that makes me keep fighting,

And I will never stop fighting until we are together again.

But before that dream can come true, I have a duty to accomplish,

A duty to my Kingdom, a duty to myself.

I will bring order to chaos and hopefully secure it for eons to come.

And when I finally come back to you, it will be with my Father's blessing.

Then nothing will ever keep me away from you anymore.

I will be yours for eternity if you want of me.

Lucifer

Chloe cried, and cried, as she read it. The tears just couldn't stop falling. It felt like her heart was bursting with love and breaking apart all at the same time.

He had not abandoned her!

He would come back!

She should have kept believing in him. Why was she always so overly dramatic lately? For her defence, the hormones certainly didn't help.

After calming herself down a bit, Chloe read it again, and again. Apparently, God had been honest when she'd talked to Him. Lucifer and He truly seemed to have mended their relationship, at least in part. What intrigued her though was Lucifer's last sentence. What exactly did he mean when saying that he would be hers for eternity? Was it just a figure of speech? She already knew that his love for her would last forever. Could there be more to it? She was afraid to hope, to dream. No, it had to be a simple figure of speech. And Lucifer who was asking her if she wanted him? As if he still doubted it!

Chloe answered him with a prayer.

Lucifer, my Love,

An eternity with you could never be long enough.

Never doubt the strength of my love for you.

Please, stay safe, and come back to me.


Six weeks later

The sight of Los Angeles at night, from the penthouse's bay window, was one that Chloe would never tire of. Not only was it breathtakingly beautiful, but somehow, it also made her think of Lucifer every time. Not that she needed it to think of him, really. Lucifer seemed to be always on her mind. Even more so lately, now that she had more time to herself, that she was more often alone, like tonight.

Chloe looked down at her watch. Still at least an hour left before she had to go down at Lux to make an appearance. At least she was already made-up and dressed elegantly, which was leaving her some time to herself to relax before she had to fulfill her obligations. She knew it would be a big night, like every Friday. Thanks goodness, her role as a host would not take that much energy out of her though. Not with Stephen on the floor acting as her new manager. He really had been the best thing to happen to her lately. She didn't know what she would have become without him. He'd taken the reins of Lux in strong hands and was managing it perfectly well. He was particularity good at welcoming people and entertaining them. He'd even brought novelties to the Club since Lucifer's departure by adding special guest musicians and singers on the busiest nights.

Chloe walked to the bar to pour herself a cocktail to sip and occupy herself. Well, it was actually just a mocktail, of course. She couldn't really drink anything strong in her condition. Good thing that she was pregnant and couldn't drink herself to death, or she would have probably drown herself into alcohol long ago. The hole in her soul left by Lucifer's absence was barely tolerable at the best of the times, and at other times like now, it was excruciatingly painful.

Chloe returned in front of the bay window to sit comfortably in Lucifer's armchair that overlooked the darkening city. She took a sip of her drink which was actually quite good, even if it wasn't whisky. Just the reminder of Lucifer's love for whisky was enough to give her another jolt of pain. Actually, every reminder of him was painful.

To prevent her way too sensible baby from waking up because of her internal turmoil, Chloe instinctively put a hand over her abdomen to caress it soothingly. It slept most of the time, but she'd rapidly discovered that strong emotions on her part, good or bad, were the best way to wake it, and she didn't like for her baby to worry about her.

Too much time to think really wasn't a good thing for Chloe, and lately she had a lot of that.

She'd finally accepted that Trixie went at Dan's half part time, as long as Doom was with her for protection. During his week with their daughter, Dan would keep bringing Doom at work in the morning. As strange and disturbing as Chloe could find it, it seemed that Charlotte and her ex were pursuing whatever they were doing together. Chloe hoped that she were mistaking, but Dan went at the goddess' place every other week when Doom wasn't there to protect him. Chloe tried to convince herself that it was a good thing.

Also, Michael was giving Chloe some slack now that she was able to protect herself with her new powers. He was not living with her anymore, instead passing most of his time hunting demons in LA by himself and keeping an eye on Beatrice during the day.

Amenadiel was barely leaving Maze's side, even sleeping at her place below the penthouse to protect her, even though Maze was still giving him the cold shoulder. The Valkyrie's emotions were still as volatile as gasoline and as ready to explode. Amenadiel literally had the patience of an angel with her. However hard Maze could be on him, at the end of the day, she always let him follow her. Another failed attempt on her life by Lilith's demons just a few weeks ago probably helped to convince her to indulge the angel.

So now, Chloe had to deal with an empty penthouse and her dark thoughts every nights for a full week at her time. It was even harder than she'd fear.

She would have liked to busy her mind with a pile of work, but she was too aware of the dangers that her unborn baby incurred every time she was in the field. So she took as few cases as possible and worked the minimum. It was already bad enough that she kept working at all. Yet she couldn't see a way around it. Chances were too great that Lilith would hear of it if she announced her pregnancy, and she didn't trust the FBI and General McMahon enough either, even if their alliance was going well at the moment. Who knew how they would react, and what they would do when they learned of a celestial child on the way. No, she would wait until Lucifer returned to make it known. Only then would she feel safe enough to do so.

She just hoped that people wouldn't start noticing, and wonder, before Lucifer came back. She was already beginning to feel tight in her jeans. After all, she was nine weeks pregnant, nearing the end of her first semester. Luckily, her morning sickness hadn't been that bad this time, so she were able to keep it discreet. She figured that she might be able to keep her pregnancy secret for another three to four weeks at the most before it became obvious.

As soon as their alliance began, Agent Spencer requested Chloe as their new FBI consultant for «unusual cases», as he put it. The way her Lieutenant presented it to her, Chloe seemed to have no real say in it. The facts were very different, though. For starter, it had been Chloe's idea. She figured that it would be a lot easier to exchange information with the FBI if they didn't have to hide their association. And as it turned out, it was more the FBI working for her than the other way around. The way Spencer was always extremely polite with her, bordering on reverent, and often fidgeting in her presence, showed her that he never forgot who he was dealing with. She was the Queen of Hell, and he a mere human.

All in all, their alliance with the authorities had payed-up. By sharing information, five more demonic creatures were killed or stopped by one team or the other and sent back to Hell. The total count of retrieved demons was of twenty-six, very close to the possible maximum estimated by Amenadiel and Michael. When adding to that that there hadn't been any new mutilated corpses discovered in the last two weeks in the region, it looked more and more probable that they had caught them all. Except for Lilith and her three remaining demons, of course. Those were a lot more clever and difficult to catch.

There hadn't been any more armored-truck attacked by Lilith's team since the second theft, and before Dan was forced to put the case on a shelf, Chloe had it transferred to the FBI. Dan wasn't happy about that one bit. All he wanted was to keep pursuing his hunch about Lilith having possibly bought a house or an estate in the area. Though he could understand that the FBI had more resources. He was somehow reassured when Spencer assured him that he would pursue that lead.

As for Detective Murdock, his questioning by the FBI didn't give them any new information on Lilith's whereabouts either. Not very surprising, knowing that Lilith was a renowned strategist. She would have kept Murdock in the dark as much as possible. He hadn't even been aware that he was working for demons. He'd done it all for money and didn't mind the rest, as simple as that. Chloe could hear Lucifer from here, «humans and their money».

However, there was one thing Murdock could tell them; the name of the waitress he'd blackmailed into giving him information about Chloe and her friends. Chloe predicted for Lucifer to be very disappointed to learn that Tracy, probably his oldest waitress, was the one who'd betrayed his trust. To be fair, she had no real choice in doing so, really. Murdock had found out that she had no green card and that Lucifer had been protecting her for years. The threat of being deported had worked perfectly on her. Having no other option but to fire her, at least Chloe made sure that Tracy would be relocated in another city, far from Lilith's influence. Just in case of reprisals.

Even if there was apparently no more demonic kills in the vicinity, people were still disappearing. Not much more than usual, or enough to normally raise suspicion, but the times were far from usual, and Chloe suspected that Lilith was behind it. The FBI was trying to investigate every disappearance, just in case, but Lilith was just too wise to leave a clear trail. Sometimes, Father Amantini called for one of the celestials or for Doom to go and «sniff» around a place he wasn't too sure about. Amantini was able to feel celestials or demons from close, but his ability rapidly decreased after the being had left the area. So even if the FBI found the exact place of a kidnapping, there was no certainty that Amantini could pin it to the demons, should there be a link. It was like looking for a needle in a hay stack. The lack of demonic essence left around any of the supposed crime scene had Chloe wonder if Lilith might be using humans to do the actual kidnapping. If so, she sure hoped that those kidnappers would make a mistake and leave clues behind.

Chloe was already half way through her drink when she heard a faint woosh behind her. She smiled. That sound had become a common one that she loved to hear. It meant that one of her celestial friends was visiting her. Most probably Azrael. At least she hoped it was her. It had been at least a week since she'd last seen her.

Azrael kept popping up from time to time to check on them, often taking the opportunity to make a session of Spirit Walking with Trixie when she was at home. Rae had become a good friend that Chloe could confide in, and in return, the angel had also opened up quite a bit about herself. Especially about her old relationship with Erik, or should she say Jimmy, the name he currently went by. Azrael had not yet accepted to see him again since their girls' night. The angel was a stubborn one, but so was Jimmy, who had kept coming at Lux for weeks in the hope of seeing again the woman of his dreams. Chloe tried not to encourage nor discourage him in doing so, staying instead evasive in her answers as to when Azrael might be coming. She never said it outright to any of them, but Chloe was still hopeful that Rae would change her mind. Their love had been so strong! Chloe wanted to believe that there was a way for their story to get a happy ending. They deserved it. Or maybe she was just projecting her own situation with Lucifer on them...

Chloe left her drink on the armrest and stood up to welcome her friend. Except, when she turned around, it was not Azrael standing before her. Of that she was sure.

Only a few lights were illuminating the penthouse at the moment, such that the new comer's face was hidden in the shadows. There were no wings to be seen to help her identify the angel. At least she was pretty sure he was an angel, considering the sound of wings she just heard. She was tempted to extend her awareness to him to be certain, but she realised that her pregnancy, and therefore her having celestial powers, might not be a common knowledge in Heaven. Better play it safe and use them in a last resort only.

The angel was standing very still, as if frozen into place, not uttering a single sound. It was very strange.

Chloe tried to keep her composure and stay calm. Whoever he was, at least she knew she was now a match to him.

She kept her head high and took the opportunity of his stillness to analyse him a little more. His build was not one she was familiar with. Not only was he as tall as Lucifer, but also as big as Michael at the shoulders. He seemed to have very short hair, or maybe it was tightened behind his head? Hard to tell in this lighting. Her gaze went down to his torso. There was some light dancing on his shirt, revealing it to be of unusual design, possibly made of richly decorated leather. Her breathe stopped short in her lungs when her eyes fell on the sword at his hip that was shining lightly in a ray of light.

She knew that sword!

It looked actually more like a dagger. Azrael's dagger, The Flaming Sword!

Lucifer's sword!

She slowly made her gaze travel back to his face. Her eyes were already burning with unshed tears.

Could it be...?

Fighting the sobs that were about to come out of her, she was able to whisper the three syllables most important to her.

"Lucifer?"

In answer, she heard a soft sigh that sounded dangerously like a sob. Then...

"Oh Chloe... "

Lucifer's voice sounded in pain, close to breaking point.

It didn't take her more than that to close the gap between them and fall into his arms.

They both burst in tears in an instant, clinging to one another almost painfully, and sobbing uncontrollably.

He was here! He was real!

She could feel him, feel the firmness of his muscles, and smell his unique scent mixt with what might be ashes and blood. Or maybe it was simply what Hell smelled like. She didn't care, as long as Lucifer was in her arms, alive, and safe.

It took a long moment for them to find the strength to part enough to gaze at each other.

From this close, Chloe could discern Lucifer's traits well enough now to see all the angst and love in all his features.

He lifted his hand to cup her face tenderly. "Chloe... My Chloe." He sounded like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

She knew how it felt. Still, for him it had been a lot longer than for her; more than three years if her calculations were correct. Way too long without having any real love.

It was time to correct that.

Chloe took his drenched face between her hands and caressed the shaven sides of his head. He looked dazzled, lost. "I'm here, Baby! You got through it, and you're gonna be okay. We're gonna be okay now. I'll make sure of it."

Her words made his eyes shine anew with tears.

She hovered her lips just above his for a few seconds, inhaling his scent, inhaling him, them.

She heard him take in a shaky breath before he dived in to claim her lips.

To reclaim her, his Love, his Queen.


Author's note: There we go. Lucifer is back! I wanted to give you this before S5 came out. I hope you enjoyed it. Thanks for reading, and commenting.