A Healthy Glow
A thing Chloe had learned about her infant daughter was that she didn't like it when her diapers were changed.
Like, at all.
As was the case today, at seven in the morning on a Thursday when she'd barely slept a wink.
"Come on, baby, just a little bit longer. Mommy's almost done, I promise."
Rory curled her legs in on herself, frowning with her fists balled. She cried out in protest, and Chloe hoped she wouldn't wake her sister up.
"No, no, lie still, sweetie."
The Antichrist ignored her pleas and kicked her tiny foot, causing the diaper to slide to slide down her body once more. As she'd done about ten times by now.
Letting out a deep sigh, Chloe pinched the bridge of her nose. She could really use a shot of caffeine right now. Then a thought hit her.
"Alright, time to try something different."
This always worked with Trixie. Perhaps it would work on her, too?
Chloe took her daughter's tiny fists in her own, gently swaying them side to side. "Hey, baby. I know this is annoying. But just look at me now alright, Rory?"
Rory started to still but her nose was still scrunched up in dissatisfaction. She stopped kicking her feet and focused on her mother's voice.
"Yeah, that's good," Chloe said with a smile. "Just like that. Focus on me."
She moved one of her hands towards Rory's tummy and started to trace circles. Rory cooed and stopped wriggling on the changing table.
After a while, Chloe carefully moved her hand to her side and tickled her. Rory's entire body jerked as she started to laugh, the joyful sound filling the room.
"It's the tickle monster!" she laughed, now tickling the little girl with both her hands. God, she was so adorable like this.
Unable to resist her daughter, Chloe leaned forward and blew a raspberry on her belly. Rory let out a high-pitched squeal, unable to contain her happiness.
And then she started to glow.
Chloe jerked back as if she were burned. The only other time she'd ever seen her glow was when the older Rory –
"Lucifer!"
Wasting no time, Chloe scooped Rory up and clutched her against her chest. The girl cried at out at the sudden change, but quickly settled against her.
The glow wasn't fading. Why wasn't it fading?
Panic clutched her chest. "Stay with me, baby. Stay with me. Please, don't go."
Lucifer burst into the nursery, half his face still covered in shaving cream. His silken robe trailed behind him as he rushed to her side, frantic with worry.
"What's wrong? Is she sick? Did she swallow something?" he asked her, eyes almost bulging out of their sockets with concern. "Talk to me, Chloe."
Then he noticed. "Is she – is she glowing?"
Chloe still held Rory in a vice-grip in her arms. Her words came out as a half-sob. "The only time I ever saw her glow was right before she went back to the future. She can't leave. Not again."
Lucifer went ashen, old memories rising to the surface. In an instant, he had his arms wrapped around, Rory nestled in between her parents. She let out a small coo upon seeing her father.
"Come on, Aurora," Lucifer whispered, voice close to breaking, holding his ladies close. "Be good. Don't do this to your parents. Please."
Rory stretched out a tiny hand and grabbed the side of Lucifer's night robe. She let out a tiny yawn, and her eyes fluttered close for a second.
The glow started to fade.
After a few seconds, it had disappeared completely, leaving a pink-faced baby in its wake. There was no trace left of it, no clue that it had ever happened.
Chloe let out a shuddering breath, her heart pounding in her ears. Bile rose up in her throat. What the Hell had just happened?
"She's okay," Lucifer said, but didn't dare to move. Chloe wasn't certain if he was talking to himself or to her. "She's okay. She's still here."
But for how much longer?
Rory was dozing off in her arms, still clutching her father's robe in a tiny fist. She seemed content and utterly unaware of the panic she'd just caused.
Lucifer passed a hand over his face, smearing some of the shaving cream he still had there. He didn't seem to notice. "Do you think she was really about to time-travel again?"
"I don't know," Chloe said hoarsely, pressing whisper-soft kisses to the top of Rory's head. "I don't know how a Nephilim works, Lucifer. Much less how ours works."
Chloe tried to think about everything she'd learned about older Rory, but it felt like her mind wouldn't function properly. Fear and insecurity clouded her thoughts.
"We'll take turns watching her today." Lucifer stroked a finger over a round cheek. "At all times, at least one of us will be there to keep an eye on her."
"Okay," she nodded. "That sounds like a good plan."
Chloe looked at her partner. "Are you alright? I must have given you quite the scare."
"Nothing I can't handle, my love." Lucifer pecked her sweetly on the lips, but she could feel how rattled he was.
He's trying to stay strong for me, she realized.
"Can you get the carrier sling for me please, honey? That way I can keep her close while I make breakfast downstairs for Trix."
Lucifer walked to the drawer and picked out the cloth carrier. He held it out to her. "Do you need some help putting it on?"
"No, I'll be fine, thank you." She looked at her snoozing daughter in her arms. "I think we're out of the clear for now. As long as she's asleep, nothing can happen, right?"
"I truly hope so," Lucifer admitted, lips pressed into a thin line. She didn't miss the tremble of his hands. "Anything else I can do?"
"Go shave," Chloe chuckled, wiping some cream of his chin. "If anything happens, I'll scream loud enough to wake the dead."
"You sure?"
"I'm sure. Besides, I think I'm holding Rory tight enough that she can't go anywhere even if she wished."
With a last lingering look at his daughter, Lucifer walked out of the nursery. He stopped at the door and turned around. She gave him an encouraging smile, and that gave him the courage to go shave himself.
Chloe blew out a deep breath. Anxiety curled in her stomach and there was a headache blossoming between her eyes. Why was it so difficult for them to have a normal week?
"You're just like your father," Chloe murmured lovingly to a snoozing Rory. "Life is never boring with you, is it?"
Lucifer had called Amenadiel exactly fifty-two times, left thirty-three voice mails and sent him at least a dozen texts.
And the bastard might be all-knowing, but he clearly didn't check his phone.
Prick.
"Either your Uncle Amenadiel has turned too much water into wine, or he's ignoring me on purpose," Lucifer muttered. "Isn't God supposed to be available at all times?"
Rory burped loudly next to his ear, and he patted her back. "My thoughts exactly. Now, can we do one more, please?"
Chloe had just fed her, and during the night Lucifer was on burping and massage duty. As an angel, he required the least amount of sleep, so it was only natural he'd be the one to get up the most at night.
The Lieutenant didn't have to work for another two weeks, but that didn't mean she should start her next career completely exhausted. On the contrary.
After a long discussion, he'd managed to convince his partner to go back to bed while he took care of Rory. And it was only because she was drained from worrying all day that she'd complied.
Lucifer paced around the coffee table in the dimly-lit living room with Rory on his shoulder, jostling the girl to get her to release gas. "But then again, if he knew something was gravely wrong here, he would come? Right?"
Rory didn't reply, instead nestling her head in the crook of his neck.
"Mmm, perhaps you have a point. But then again, my father didn't know everything, either." Lucifer felt the press of unshed tears at the back of his throat. "I just can't stand the thought of losing you again, Aurora. I can't."
Rory let out a tiny burp before slumping against her father's shoulder. Her downy hairs tickled the side of his neck.
Lucifer cradled her tiny head with one hand, planting soft kisses on her cheek. Rory let out a content hum at the affection, and he had to blink furiously to clear his vision of tears.
"When you're weary… feeling small."
He could still hear her play, watching her delicate fingers strum on the guitar she'd held so lovingly. So easily. Like she'd been playing all her life.
"When tears are in your eyes… I will dry them all…"
Lucifer carefully slid Rory from his shoulders so that she was cradled in his arms, her head right above his heart. Her dark eyes watched him intently.
A watery smile spread over his face. "I'm on your side…oh, when times get rough…"
Rory looked up at him with all the trust in the world. She cooed and reached a hand out to him, which he captured in his own.
"And friends just can't be found…"
Her body was warm against his chest. She was wearing one of Charlie's old pajamas, which read 'I'm An Actual Angel!' on the front.
"Like a bridge over troubled water…I will lay me down…"
Lucifer pressed a whisper-soft kiss to the top of her nose, which caused Rory to scrunch her nose adorably. "Like a bridge over troubled water…I will lay me down."
"And when you're old enough, princess, we can play together again. Like we once did." He rocked her in his arms. "Just you and me."
Then she started to glow.
Panic spiked inside him. No, no, no. Not again. He couldn't survive this another time.
Just as he was about to draw breath to shout for Chloe did the light already fade – her skin going from a golden hue to its usual rosy tint. It was only then that he realized that Rory had fallen asleep.
Lucifer swore soundly under his breath, careful not to wake his daughter up. "What in Amenadiel's name is going on here?"
Rory had glowed twice today, both times in the presence of either him or Chloe. Or at least the times they were aware of. Had it happened before when they were both out of the room?
Were her powers already manifesting?
What were her powers, and did a Nephilim actually have powers?
And how the Hell was this all happening when Rory was still so teeny-tiny?
Lucifer's heart was fluttering in his throat. Anymore of these near-time travel encounters and he was going to be sick.
I need a drink. Or two. Probably an entire bottle.
But instead of going to the fridge, Lucifer's eye fell on his phone on the table. He may not be able to reach Amenadiel for the time being, but he knew where to find the next best thing.
"Let's get your mother, shall we? Looks like we're going on a trip, princess."
"I still can't see anyone," Lucifer grumbled. He rang the doorbell for the third time, getting impatient.
"Honey, it's two o'clock in the morning," Chloe said, eyes puffy from sleeplessness. She'd thrown on her coat over her pajamas. She was holding Rory in her baby carrier, who was unaware of what was going on. "Be patient."
Time's not on my side.
When he raised his hand to knock a fourth time did the door swing open.
A very frazzled Linda stood in the opening, tying her robe and patting down her hair. She peered at him through her glasses.
"Do you have any idea what time it is?"
"It's an emergency," Chloe said, and Linda noticed her for the first time. "We wouldn't be here if we had any other options."
Linda glanced between them, then at Rory. Chloe's grave tone shook her awake, and she stepped aside. "Please, come in. But be quiet, I don't want any fuss with the neighbors."
Warmth flooded them as they entered the house. Lucifer squinted to let his eyes adjust to the brightness of the living room compared to the dark streets. Charlie was playing with toy horses on the carpet in front of the couch.
"Shouldn't you be asleep, dear nephew?"
Charlie gave his uncle a big grin, then went back to playing. He'd waken him up with his knocking, so his mother had found a way to keep him busy. Silly of me to have forgotten that.
Linda ignored his question, stepping up beside Chloe instead. She peered into the carrier at the sleeping Antichrist. "What's wrong with her? I mean, I assume this is about Rory."
"She glows, Doctor."
"…Okay? Like any healthy baby should, I suppose?"
Chloe carefully put the carrier on the dining table. "No, Linda, she literally glows. Like, she just lights up."
"That's, uh, certainly special." Linda blinked once, twice, clearing the last sleep from her mind. She looked at her niece in the carrier. "Maybe it's an angel thing?"
"The only time we ever saw Rory glow, Doctor, is when she was about to travel through time."
Linda straightened, a calm precision descending upon her when she was dealing with particularly difficult situations or patients. Like he once was.
"Okay. But like we established last summer, Rory was only able to travel through time because of the sheer anger she felt for you having supposedly abandoned Chloe, leaving her to die alone. Her time jump was brought on by extreme emotional distress."
"Besides dire illness and being neglected – which is clearly not the case here – I think we can easily rule out time travel fueled by emotions." Linda tucked a corner of the blanket over Rory. "She's barely a month old. I don't think she really knows what's going on, let alone act on that besides crying."
"Then what is going on?" Lucifer asked, an edge to his voice. "What is happening to her?"
Chloe ran a soothing hand down his back, leaning into his side. Even though she was as anxious as he was, her presence still had a calming effect.
"Linda, has Charlie ever done something like this? When he was baby or now as a toddler?"
"No," she replied, casting a loving look at Charlie. "Besides sprouting wings on his second birthday, he's done nothing out of the ordinary. Even though Amenadiel's the one with the gift for manipulating time."
Just as the words left her mouth, Linda's entire face lit up. She crossed the living room and took Lucifer by the shoulders. "I know where this is coming from!"
"Pray tell, Doctor. I'm about to go into cardiac arrest here."
"You're Lucifer Morningstar," Linda said, like that explained everything.
"Was quite aware of that, thank you."
"No, no." She shook her head and let go of him, pushing her glasses up her nose. "Lucifer Morningstar. The Lightbringer. What if you passed some of your gifts onto your daughter?"
"But Lucifer lost his powers when he Fell," Chloe said from beside him. "He can't create stars anymore. Hasn't been able to for millennia."
"The Lieutenant's right, Doctor. A firefly has more power when it comes to creating light than I do."
Linda shook her head and paced towards a desk. She retrieved a yellow notepad and a pen and sat down at the dining table. "It's simple biology, actually."
"We know how it works. When two people love each other very much –"
Chloe elbowed him in the side. "Don't mind him. Please, go on."
"Ow," Lucifer said, rubbing the sore spot on his ribs. But Chloe didn't notice. She'd already drifted to Linda's side and was looking over her shoulder.
"Everyone is a combination of their mother's and father's genes," Linda said, sketching a DNA strand on the paper. "There are recessive and dominant traits, and when it comes to half-angels, we'll just assume the celestial genes are dominant."
Lucifer took a seat opposite the Doctor and Chloe, right next to the baby carrier. Casting a glance inside, he could see Rory was still snoozing like nothing was wrong.
"When we lack something at birth, like an arm or a vital organ, that can either be caused by disease during the pregnancy or a genetic defect. And that defect can be carried on to potential children."
Linda scribbled some more words onto the page, creating a mind-map for herself. "But if the loss of an arm were because of an accident or something, then it would not alter the genes of that person. So when he or she has a child, the baby will have all four limbs."
"That makes sense." Chloe nodded, her eyes trained on the notepad. He could hear the gears turning in her mind. "So what you're trying to say is that even though Lucifer lost his powers, they're still present in his genes?"
"Exactly. And when he has children of his own – as is the case now - there's a chance they will be passed on. Even though Lucifer doesn't possess them anymore."
A stunned silence fell in the room, only broken by Charlie's excited giggles as he played with his cowboys on the carpet.
"Are you – are you saying that Aurora might have the capacity to create stars?" Lucifer brushed a thumb over his daughter's socked foot. "That she can make light?"
Linda adjusted her glasses. "We can't be sure till she's older. It can also be possible that she has a watered-down version of the power you once had, seeing as Chloe's human. Maybe all she can do is…glow."
"What if the other angels find out?" Chloe had gone pale beside Linda. "Will they try and get her back to the Silver City, like they'd once attempted with Charlie?"
"I won't allow it." Let them try and mess with his family. He may be Hell's healer now, but he was still the Devil. "Amenadiel won't allow it. And disobeying God usually ends bad for the parties involved. I can attest to that myself."
"I do believe that's true, Chloe." Linda placed a hand on her friend's arm. "Besides, I think the angels are too busy reorganizing themselves after the war, both up above and on Earth."
"Maybe. But I've fought the Host of Heaven before. I'll do it again if it means keeping my daughter safe."
Lucifer gave Chloe a warm smile. "I believe you, my love. And should the need arise, I will be right beside you once more."
"Just to be a bit more precise about what is going on," Linda said, interrupting their moment, "when exactly did Rory glow? What was going on when it happened?"
Chloe pulled out a chair and sat down next to her. "Well, it occurred the first time when I was changing her diaper."
"Okay. Anything else that was going on?"
"I was tickling her so she would stop being fussy, and I blew a raspberry on her belly. Next thing I know, she just lights up."
Linda scribbled it down on her notepad. "And when did it stop?"
"When she started to doze off in my arms," Chloe said, fiddling with her ring. "The sleepier she got, the more the glow started to lessen until it faded completely."
"Interesting." Linda pointed his pen at him. "Lucifer, I understand the second time was when Rory was with you?"
"It was." Lucifer yanked on a cufflink and leaned his forearms on the table. "Chloe had just fed her and I was on burping duty, so I was walking around the living room with her until she burped."
"Just that?"
"No, I was singing to her and she was lying in my arms, perfectly content."
Linda nodded and wrote the last down. A pensive expression crossed her features, and a thought hit her. She glanced at her notes, then at Rory and back again.
"I have a theory, but I want to test it first before you guys go home. I need you to wake Rory up and talk to her. Maybe even pick her up or do something she likes."
Lucifer glanced at Chloe for confirmation. She nodded, and he moved to get Rory out of the baby carrier.
The Antichrist whined in protest when her father woke her by picking her up. But her cries lessened when he took her in his arms. Lucifer moved around the table and sat down next to Chloe.
"Hi, honey," Chloe said, stroking her daughter's head. "Did we wake you up, sweetie? But it's for something really important, okay? Mommy and daddy need to know what's going on."
Rory cooed, unaware of her parent's anxiety. She tried to grab one of Chloe's blonde locks, but missed twice.
"Can you try to tickle her again, like this morning? I want to see what happens."
Chloe leaned in towards Lucifer and tickled Rory's side. The girl dissolved in a heap of giggles, squirming in her father's arms. She squealed in joy, which caused Charlie to raise his head in question.
And then she started to glow.
Lucifer's heart beat like a race horse in his chest. The blood drained from his face, mimicking Chloe's expression. "Now would be a fantastic time to share your theory, Doctor."
But Linda didn't seem scared in the least.
Instead, she sat back in her chair with a satisfied expression. Crossing one leg over the other she explained,
"Rory doesn't glow because she's about to time travel. She glows because she's happy."
"What?" Chloe and Lucifer both said at the same time.
"Well." Linda pushed her glasses up her nose. "The fact that she's glowing now proves my theory. Chloe, you tried to distract her yesterday morning by tickling her. Lucifer sang to her an hour ago and held her in his arms. She was warm and held and happy."
"Just like she is now. In the presence of both her parents while her mom tickles her. I mean, look at her."
All heads swiveled in the direction of the little girl. Rory was giving off a soft, warm light while she was smiling up at Chloe. Lucifer pressed a kiss to her head, and the glow increased.
"So she's just…happy? That's it? No upcoming time jumps or anything?"
Linda shrugged. "Basically, yeah. There's nothing to worry about, besides this happening while you're in public."
"We should have thought of that ourselves," Chloe said, pinching the bridge of her nose. "I should have just stayed calm instead of panicking."
"Chloe," Linda started, putting a hand on her arm, "you and Lucifer have gone through things – I can safely say – no one else has ever gone through. Unsettling, traumatizing events. In some way, you lost your daughter last summer. It's perfectly normal that you react like this."
"Are you saying we have some lingering form of PTSD?" Lucifer asked. Rory had grabbed one of his fingers and wasn't letting go anytime soon.
"It's certainly possible. And seeing this Rory display signs alluding to a time jump could have been a triggering event. So take it easy on yourselves. Both of you," she added with look at him. "You're amazing parents, don't worry."
Chloe released a shuddering breath. "Raising a Nephilim entails some surprises, huh?"
"Oh, you don't have to tell me," Linda said with a laugh. She turned to her son. "Charlie, tuck your wings in when you walk. Otherwise you'll trip over your feathers."
Charlie stopped dead in his tracks. His fluffy, gray wings drooped behind him on the floor. With a shrug of his shoulders, they disappeared into nothing.
Dear Amenadiel, he's grown! A couple more years and he'll need flying lessons.
Then the boy tottered further towards his mother, like it was the most normal thing in the world. He extended his tiny arms towards Linda. "Up!"
Linda picked him up and set him on his lap. She kissed his fuzzy curls. "And now your Uncle and Auntie woke me up, it'll be a lot of fun putting you back to bed, huh?"
"Apologies, Doctor. But we wouldn't have come if we thought it was urgent."
"It's fine, Lucifer. Anything for family, right?"
Chloe laid her head on his shoulder. "We really owe you one, Linda. I'm just so glad she's okay."
"Takes one to know one," Linda said, wrapping her arms around Charlie. "Besides, I'll be able to use your help when this one grows up here."
"Jesus 2.0 and the Antichrist," Lucifer mused, resting his cheek on top of Chloe's head. "What a pair they'll make. I don't think Los Angeles is quite prepared for the havoc they'll wreak."
Rory cooed, as if agreeing to the statement. Her glow was dimming, almost non-existent at this point. Her grip on his finger was lessening, and her eyes started to flutter every now and then.
"It's alright, princess," Lucifer murmured. "Go to sleep. We'll be here to watch over you in the meantime."
"Barely two weeks old and already giving us a heart-attack," Chloe whispered from beside him. "Puberty is going to be very interesting if continue at this rate."
"But we're not there yet." Rory had her eyes closed, head slumped against his chest.
"No," Chloe said, pressing a tender kiss on his cheek before resuming her position. "Now we're here. Just us."
"Just us," Lucifer nodded in agreement. "And that won't ever change."
Deep inside of him, he felt his heart glow with happiness.
On the inside, he was still the Lightbringer.
And he wasn't alone anymore.
