Planning Purgatory

"- and here we have some magazine cut-outs for the bridesmaid dresses," Ella said, covering the table at Lux in pictures of various dresses. "Just to give you some ideas, you know?"

Maze picked up one of cut-outs and tsked sarcastically. "If you even dare to put me in tulle, Lopez, it will be the last thing you do."

"It's not that bad," Eve commented, leaning over her wife's shoulder to get a look. "I think the pink bow on the back would go really good with your eyes."

Maze shot Eve a look that was a mix between admiration and annoyance. "You may be a human, but that doesn't mean you wouldn't have made a good demon."

"Mmm." Eve hummed happily and flipped her long, wavy hair over one shoulder. "Even though you say that –"

"Ladies," Lucifer interrupted graciously. "As much as I appreciate the discussion, this isn't about maybe's and what-ifs. There's only going to be one queen of Hell and – seeing as this is her day - I'd very much like to hear her opinion."

Chloe gifted him a warm smile that made his heart flutter, though from the lights dancing in her eyes he could tell she was enjoying watching the discussion between the three women.

Dressed in simple black trousers and a deep green turtleneck, she looked positively radiant. The color offset the gold off her hair tumbling over her shoulders, and Lucifer had been caught staring multiple times by his friends.

She cleared her throat, and moved a sleeping Rory to her other arm.

"Thank you, honey. Ella, I, uh, am not very much a fan of tulle. Perhaps something simple, like a blush pink or pale blue? That would go well with the theme."

Maze stiffened. "Blush pink?"

Lucifer leaned towards Maze in the leather booth at Lux and whispered in her ear through gritted teeth, "Her day, Mazikeen. Not yours."

Nothing – nothing was going to ruin his beloved Detective's wedding day. Everything was going to be perfect, and Lucifer would move Heaven and Earth to make sure of it.

Maybe even blackmail Amenadiel a little to make sure the weather was nice. Surely God wasn't above such things.

"It's only for a day, Maze." Linda sipped her mocktail – it was only afternoon, and humans were so particular about their drinking hours – and chuckled. "Then you never have to wear it again. If you want to. For your queen."

A slight frown creased Chloe's brows as the words sank in. "Wait, queen of Hell? As in a way of speaking, or are you actually serious?"

Maze grinned widely. She leaned back and downed her vodka. "Oh, I'm serious. No matter what Lucifer's doing now, or who's watching Hell at the moment, he's still the king. Which will make you the queen."

Lucifer shot Maze a glare, which she pointedly ignored. This wasn't the way to breach the subject to Chloe – even if there was hardly anything to discuss. He wanted to have this talk with her one-on-one, not in front of her Tribe.

"Is that true, Lucifer?" Chloe asked, her blue eyes going wide with concern. Her grip tightened involuntarily on Rory, who wined sleepily in protest. "Do I – do I have to be the queen?"

"No." Lucifer reached out and quickly put a hand on top of hers. "Well, you are going to be queen, but it'll be in name only. You don't have to do anything, my love. I'll take care of everything. Don't worry."

It was true.

Hell only need one ruler to function properly, or one therapist in his case. The demons took care of all the technical aspects to keep the place up and running, from cleaning to gathering to basic information about new clients that had arrived.

"Yeah, Decker, no worries. But if you don't want a bunch of reanimated corpses to show up to your wedding, you'll have to say that explicitly. Migs loves buffets, and Squee's a real sucker for romance stuff."

Chloe frowned, staring into the distance. "Yeah, I'll, uh, give it some thought."

"Eh, just saying. It's your call, like lover boy here keeps insisting." Maze slipped a knife from her belt and began absently twirling it between her fingers. "Or… we could just get this over with and all go to Vegas. No hassle over bridesmaid dresses and shit."

"No," Lucifer and Chloe said in unison, with such force that Rory began to cry. "No Vegas."

Lucifer shot Maze a lethal look, who actually seemed surprised. Looks like she hadn't intended to poke the hornet's nest – at least not on purpose.

"Chloe deserves a stunning, elegant, breathtaking wedding full of the things she loves. Not some rushed deal made in a fake chapel surrounded by drunks, nit-wits and other scum of the earth."

The Lieutenant gave him a grateful look while she tried to shush Rory, rocking the girl from side to side.

But her smile was watery, and some of the color had drained out of her face at the mention of the infamous city. Even after all these years, the memory still lingered beneath the surface.

Even after all these years, he was still causing her pain with his rash decisions.

Linda's all-knowing gaze flickered between them, and she ran a finger over the edge of her mocktail. "It seems that this is still a sensitive subject?"

"Shit, Linda, now's not the time to get all shrinky," Maze said. "We have a wedding to plan – and I know first-hand what a mess that can be."

"Yeah," Ella piped in, patting her new-found pet on the head. Sir Floats-A-Lot quacked in pleasure. She cleared her throat to dispel the awkward air. "Right now, we know that one thing is completely off the table."

Lucifer downed the dregs of his Macallan. "The ladies are right, Doctor. Now's not the time."

"I'm just asking." Linda raised her hands in a supplicating gesture. Her eyes were keen as she glanced between him and his partner. "But my door's always open."

"Thanks, Linda," Chloe said, having calmed down Rory successfully – who was looking at her mother with wide-eyed wonder. "We appreciate it."

"As do I, Doctor," Lucifer added, just to clear the air. In the end, this discussion was between him and his partner – not her entire group of friends.

Then he yanked on his cuffs and straightened the lapels of his jacket. "Now, where were we?"

Elle piped up, the enthusiasm flowing back into her. She gathered up a series of cut-outs showing long, sleek dresses, holding Sir Floats-A-Lot close with the other.

"So, if we're not going for tulle, then look at this –"


Lucifer plopped down on the Italian leather couch with a deep sigh. He dearly loved his friends, but their amical bickering and joke-making had given him one Hell of a headache and a weary feeling.

And there was one thing he knew for sure helped against weariness.

"My darling, would you be so kind to hand me the spawn?"

Chloe rolled her eyes fondly and passed Rory onto him. "I believe you mean our spawn - who happens to have a name."

Lucifer carefully took the bundled girl in his arms, who was watching him with her huge doe-eyes. Her tiny body was arm against the fabric of his dress shirt. "And I mean that in the most loving, fatherly way."

He gently brushed some wispy plucks of dark hair from her face. "My precious little princess. You're the most adorable freeloader I have ever seen."

Rory cooed, not understanding a word her father was saying to her. Then she started to glow.

"You're lucky she loves you so much." Chloe toed her shoes off and sank down next to him, laying her head on his shoulder.

"I am," Lucifer said quietly, throat suddenly closing up with unexpected emotions. He cradled Rory closer against his chest. "I don't know what I've done to deserve her trust - all her love."

"I do." Chloe placed a hand on his jaw and kissed him on his cheek. "And I believe that makes you the best father in the world."

Her words may be casual, but the meaning and love behind them never fails to blow Lucifer away. He sometimes wonders how she can believe that, with everything that has happened in his past.

Sometimes he wonders if he'll ever believe her.

Rory's golden aura increased when her mother stroked her head, making little happy noises because her parents were together with her.

"The Antichrist," Chloe mused softly, tucking her head in the crook of his neck. "Puberty is going to be one Hell of a ride with her."

"Maybe she'll even have a goth phase."

"Shut up." Chloe elbowed him in the side, and Lucifer pretended to be hurt. "Oww! That's spousal abuse, my love."

She gave him a coy grin before lying back against him. "Well, you're not my spouse yet, so I guess it doesn't count this time."

Lucifer held Rory up. "I have a witness willingly to testify right here."

"I'd say she's a bit biased towards you, don't you think?"

"Nonsense."

Chloe broke into a snort of laughter, and Lucifer joined her not much later – both unable to keep a straight face.

This was one of the many things he loved about her. Beneath the cool, calculated outer of the Detective lay a goofy, fun-loving person who had a magnificent sense of humor.

Perhaps he's a biased party when it comes to that, but Lucifer doesn't care.

Chloe Decker was one of the finest beings in all of creation, and to him, that was a universal truth.

Rory started to become fussy at the upheaval her parents were causing, balling her tiny fists and scrunching her nose up.

Lucifer shushed her when his ripples of laughter started to subside, rocking her from side to side. A twinge of guilt plucked his insides at having upset her.

"There, there, princess. It's alright, your parents are just having a good old bit of fun."

With a last sniffle, the Antichrist's nose gave a last twinge before relaxing once more. Her cries faded into little whines, then into laughter when he started making funny faces at her.

Oh, Rory had him completely wrapped around her tiny finger, he was well aware of that. He just couldn't bring himself to care when she was being so utterly perfect.

"You're so good at getting her to calm down," Chloe said, pressing a kiss to his shoulder. She sighed contently. "It almost makes me jealous."

"What can I say?" Lucifer gave her a roguish wink. "I'm a ladies man, through and through."

Chloe slid an arm across his torso, the movement almost possessive. She angled her head to meet his eye, and there was something feral in her gaze. "My man. My Lucifer."

An exciting thrill shot down his spine at her sudden shift in tone, and if he hadn't been holding Rory, Lucifer would have had her pinned down on the couch by now – showing her exactly how much he belonged to her.

Allowing her to claim him completely.

"Yours, darling," Lucifer said, touching his forehead to hers. "Forever and always. Nothing will ever change that."

Chloe hummed, some of the fierceness in her gaze dimming down – like his words had been the reassurance she needed. She placed a kiss on his brow before settling against him. "Like I'm yours as well."

A comfortable silence descended upon the penthouse, only disturbed by the crackle of the braziers and Rory's occasional cooes.

By the deepening of her breathing, Lucifer could tell Chloe was on the verge of sleep. It wouldn't be long before her tell-tale snores sounded through the living area.

But a weight pressed on his chest, unease sitting like a stone in his stomach ever since their meeting with the Tribe. Nagging at his conscious, whispering in the back of his mind.

It was a painful subject, but if he could trust anyone, it was the Lieutenant.

"Chloe?"

Chloe made a non-committal grunt, moving her head on his shoulder to a better position. Just when he thought she'd fallen asleep again did she peek an eye open.

"What's wrong?"

Lucifer swallowed, gaze flickering to his beloved sleeping spawn in his arms. "Do you, uh – do you want to talk about it?"

"Talk about what?" she asked, though she immediately sounded awake. Of course she knew what he was referring to. "I, uh, I'm sure Maze didn't mean to imply anything with her comment. She was just being herself, I guess."

"Oh, I know. Mazikeen has many strengths and proficiencies, yet being subtle isn't one of them, unfortunately."

Chloe snorted and adjusted Rory's onesie. "Been there, done that. One time, she covered my bed in sex toys to quote unquote "get me to loosen the Hell up"."

A cheeky remark lay at the tip of his tongue, but Lucifer swallowed it down.

Another time, though he would certainly remember this little anecdote for future…purposes.

When he remained quiet, Chloe tilted her head to look at him. She knew him well enough to know that his sudden silence was unusual – especially when she'd dropped that tidbit of information.

Brave enough to voice his thoughts, but not look her in the eye, Lucifer asked quietly,

"When I went across the country to search for Rory's mother… did you – did you really think I had left you for someone else? After everything we'd been through?"

Hurt flickered across her face, along with a twinge of guilt. Chloe bit her lip and looked away.

"No, honey, of course not. I was just – I was upset and scared. You were going to be God, and then you had a daughter, and I was just – me. Mortal. Human. Inadequate in the face of everything."

Lucifer shifted Rory to his other arm so he could touch her shoulder. "Chloe…"

She covered his hand with her own, looking at their daughter. "And then you disappeared into thin air, and when I saw you were in Miami… I guess I just freaked out a little."

"It's not the first time people have undressed themselves in front of me," Lucifer joked softly, trying to lift the oppressive mood. "People like to get naked when they see me. But I can see how you must have felt."

Chloe finally looked at him, tears in the corners of her eyes. "You were looking for your daughter, Lucifer. If I found out I had another kid out there, I would have taken off without a second thought, too."

"I'm sorry," Lucifer said, wiping her tears away with the pad of his thumb. "I should have told you I was leaving."

"No." Chloe shook her head, but didn't pull away from his touch. "I should have trusted you. I shouldn't have thrown Vegas at your head when I knew deep down you wouldn't be unfaithful to me."

"It's alright, my love. I understand why you reacted like that. You were under extreme duress, still battling your own demons."

"But that doesn't make it okay."

"It does to me." Slowly leaning in, while mindful of the Antichrist in his arms, he placed a kiss beneath her eye. "Bygones are bygones."

Chloe blinked, stunned. "You – you really think that?"

"I do. And look," he said, holding up a snoozing Rory, "we found her! So all's well in the end, right?"

She chuckled, a hint of that stunning smile curling at the edge of her lips. Love danced in her gaze. "I love you, you know that, right?"

"I do." Lucifer touched his forehead to hers, feeling that unbreakable bond between them glow even brighter. "As surely as the sun rises every day."

They remained like that for a while, listening to the crackle of the braziers and the distant sound of cars on Sunset Boulevard.

Drinking in the sight of their sleeping infant daughter – completely unaware of the conversation her parents had just had.

The girl who'd caused such upheaval in Lucifer's life only for it to turn out that Chloe was her mother – because of course she was.

There was no else in the entire universe that he loved as much as he loved Chloe Decker.

Well, maybe except for the tiny creature in his arms, but she also fell under the label 'family', so Lucifer figured that that was alright.

"Maybe we should do it," Chloe said quietly, leaning against his shoulder. The light of the chandelier above them brought out the golden strands in her hair.

"Do what, my dear?"

"Go to Vegas."

Lucifer lifted his head to look at her. "You – you want to get married in Vegas?"

"No, just go on a trip or something. You know, for the weekend or a couple of days." Her blue gaze was bright in the golden evening light, sparking with determination.

"I never say no to a little quality time with you." Lucifer tilted his head in thought. "Though may I ask why there, of all places considered?"

"I want to put the past behind us – for good. Create good memories instead of the ones we have right now." A smile tugged at her lips. "Make a new start, officially as a couple."

Lucifer shifted Rory to his other arm. He cupped her cheek with his free hand. "I'd like nothing more. Fiancée."

Chloe hummed happily and pressed her lips to the palm of his hand. "Fiancé. It's about time we start making work of our wedding. It feels like we've been engaged forever."

"I think your Tribe has got that covered," Lucifer said with a nod towards the almost-bursting binder with Ella's ideas for themes and color schemes. "Venue has been set, catering's been taken care of."

He let his eyes roam leisurely over Chloe's body, taking pride in the fact that her cheeks flushed almost instantly. "Now the only thing that's left is the ceremony – and the wedding night."

"Like to imagine that, do you?"

"Oh, like you don't," Lucifer retorted, and Chloe averted her face to hide her smile. "I've seen the way you've been looking at me."

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh? In which way is that?"

Lucifer leaned forward, mindful of Rory, closing the few inches between them. His lips grazed the shell of her ear. "Like you want to eat me alive."

Chloe shuddered in pleasure, her voice husky. "I could say the feeling's mutual, from the way you're looking at me now."

"You can't see my face now, love."

"I don't have to."

Lucifer grinned and nipped at her earlobe, relishing her little gasp. "Cheeky thing. You know –"

A certain wriggling sensation against his chest pulled him back to reality, and Rory whined in protest as she was being squished between her two parents.

Right.

There were children present – even though she couldn't understand a word they were saying. But the Antichrist surely had a sense of timing.

Chloe chuckled and ran a hand through her hair - cheeks flushed and eyes bright from their little conversation. "It's getting late. Perhaps we should put her to bed and review some more of Ella's stuff?"

"Probably." Lucifer softly stroked Rory's belly. She really did look adorable in her Winnie the Pooh -onesie. "This little devil needs her sleep. Or else she gets cranky."

Chloe's gaze went a particular sort of tender whenever she saw him interact with Rory – whether it was singing her to sleep or cleaning up baby vomit.

It never failed to make his heart skip a beat.

He was so gone for her it was almost ridiculous – almost. He did not wish any companion in the world but her.

"So," Lucifer said, walking besides Chloe to the crib next to the Assyrian wall, "Vegas it is?"

Chloe tucked Rory beneath the baby blanket Ella had crocheted for her. They each took turns kissing her on the head.

Melting against his side, Chloe laced their fingers together. She gave his hand a little squeeze – more reassurance than she could have ever put into words.

"Vegas it is."