I do not own anything related to Lucifer, DC Comics, Vertigo, or Sandman series, either thru television, written books, or film. Everything belongs to Tom Kapinos, Fox, and mentioned above. I do own all the created characters. I do not own any songs, or literature mentioned. They are included to enhance the written words. Please read, review, and enjoy!

Chapter Two

Song(s): Every Day Is Exactly The Same (Nine Inch Nails), Immigrant Song (Led Zeppelin)

345 E 1st Street, Apt 3, Little Tokyo, Los Angeles, California…

One Week Later

Thursday

Splashing cold water over her face, Miriam glanced at the time on her phone and breathed in deep as she patted her skin with a hand towel. Rubbing moisturizer onto her skin, she glanced at her meagre makeup collection and chose an almost expired concealer before looking at her eyeshadows that had mostly all hit pan.

"Jesus Miriam, you're not going on a date, you're going on a professional ride along with the Los Angeles Police Department" she scolded herself, staring at her reflection in the vanity mirror. Blue with a tinge of grey around the irises, she poked at the corners of her eyes before smoothing a finger over her eyebrows. Taking out her ponytail, she feathered out her shoulder length dark brown hair before re-gathering for another ponytail.

More professional that having hair hanging in my eyes

Shedding her black tank top and yoga pants as she entered her bedroom, she kicked the door halfway closed as she moved to her closet. Settling on black skinny jeans, black boots, a white button up blouse, and a black blazer, she stood back from her Target mirror and checked the sleeves of her blazer just as Dakota popped her head around the doorway.

"Is today your ride along?"

Nodding her head as she noticed a scuff on her boot, she watched as her roommate took a seat on the edge of her bed, moving her bag out of the way.

"You've been waiting almost a year for this right?" Dakota questioned, eyeballing a beige three quarter length top with a slight v-neck hanging on the closet doorknob. "You should wear that top and minus the blazer."

Moving her eyes to the coat hanger, Miriam frowned as she noticed the tags still attached.

"This ride along could be an opportunity to network, and I want to leave the Officer with something positive, not a shot of my cleavage" she spoke, catching Dakota's smile.

"If the guy is hot, give him your number. But I mean, I almost think he will be hot, seems to almost be a requirement from the number of guys I've seen that are Police Officers."

"I have a boyfriend, remember?" she began as Dakota cut her off almost immediately.

"Who thinks he is the next Martin Scorsese because one of his school projects got good reviews, and honestly, maybe it's time you called it quits with him. You don't live together, no kids, no ties, just send him a text telling him good-bye."

Straightening the front of her blouse, Miriam glanced at the alarm clock on her bedside table reading three minutes past twelve as she tossed the beige shirt towards the bed.

"It's yours if you want it."

…

Los Angeles Police Department, North Hollywood Division, 11640 Burbank Boulevard North Hollywood, CA…

1:12pm

Taping the end of his pen against the closed lid of his laptop, Lieutenant Marcus Pierce rolled his blue eyes as a quick knock sounded on the glass of his office door.

"Sir, more paperwork."

Tossing his pen aside as the uniformed Officer slowly approached his desk holding a stack of manila files; Pierce felt the tension in his shoulders as he held his hand out.

"I've been behind this desk for just over three weeks Officer Gage, and the amount of paper work is…nauseating" he spoke, flipping open the first file. Furrowing his brow as he looked through the accompany pages, he cleared his throat as the junior Officer kept his mouth shut.

"Gage, what is this?" Flipping through the rest of the papers, he closed the file and tossed it aside to the corner of his desk as Gage approached the desk with interest.

"That, is a part of the Community Policing Initiative Program that was rolled out by Mayor Garcetti's Office at the start of the year. Approved candidates and applicants that are interested in completing a ride along with an Officer fill out liability and insurance forms as they experience a few hours on shift."

"This doesn't concern me when it's all addressed to…Captain Munroe" he spat, gesturing for the Officer to take it away as Gage fumbled the folder.

"Sir, this is directly from the Mayor's Office…"

Sighing as he rubbed his tired eyes, Pierce rose to his feet and took up his empty coffee mug as he walked out of his office. Striding directly to the kitchen, he felt numerous pairs of curious eyes as he shook his head slightly.

Look elsewhere ladies. Not interested

Pulling out the pot, he breathed in slowly as the thick, dark coffee substance poured out from the spout. Sucking air in between his teeth as he immediately dumped the mug, he turned and nearly barreled over his junior Officer.

"This program requires reported monthly statistics to the Mayor's Office, and as such, you have to be the one to delegate an Officer which is then sent to Holmes's office before the candidate is on the road."

I think those are the most words you have ever spoken to me without looking you're about to piss your pants he thought as he stared down into the nervous Officer's face.

"Fine then. Give me three names and I will veto to one. Problem solved" Pierce spoke, ignoring his cup as he grabbed a green apple from the fruit basket on the counter. Struggling to keep stride with the six-foot four broad chested Lieutenant, Gage silently cursed as he debated how to phrase his next words.

"There is no time for vetoing. There is a ride along scheduled in less than an hour" he choked out, watching as Pierce turned hard on his heel.

"Seriously Gage?" he scoffed, spying the lithe frame of Chloe Decker walking solo towards her desk.

"Decker, are you on a case right now?" he questioned, just as his ears picked up on a pompous English accent from behind him.

"Oh, do we ever Lieutenant. And I say, if you are free, you should join us in zeroing out the rest of the strip clubs in the greater Hollywood area. Maybe put a blush of color on those stubble cheeks?"

Sighing as he ignored Lucifer's irritating jab, Pierce rested his eyes on Decker as she folded her hands behind her back with a fluster.

"In a better answer than Lucifer's to your question, yes Sir, I am on a case with a couple of leads" she replied as Pierce glanced at the hands on the wall clock above the bull pen.

"Then I'll have to take the ride along out myself" he spat, catching Gage's mouth falling open as he turned back towards his office.

"I'm sure Officer Holmes would have no problem with me taking the candidate out…" he began as Pierce cut him off.

"Officer Gage, you've already dropped the ball with making sure I get up to speed with paperwork over the last three weeks, and you've just told me that there is a person probably waiting upstairs for a ride along with an Officer that I cannot provide."

"I…"

"You've pissed me off" he growled, leaning his hands on his desk as he glared at the junior Officer.

"Yes Sir." Scuttling out of the office with his tail between his legs, Pierce kept his eyes firmly trained on the man's back before he disappeared around the corner of the staircase.

If you want something done properly, do it yourself

Slapping the palms of his hands down on his desk, he straightened up and touched the tips of his fingers along his shield before moving onto the Smith & Wesson model 4506 .45 caliber issue on his belt. Looking down at the other files on his desk, he opened the top drawer and slid them inside before noticing the time at the bottom of the CNN ticker tape.

"Shit."

Letting the door bang closed behind him, Pierce rounded the corner of the staircase and felt an arm brushing against his as he climbed the stairs.

"My, my Lieutenant, you look like you've just ripped someone in half. Pity you asked for no audience" Lucifer smiled as Pierce held up a hand in annoyance.

"Not in the mood for your wit, Morningstar."

…

1:59pm

Balancing her black notepad on her knee as she smoothed her fingers over her hair, she glanced down at the red visitor's badge clipped to the lapel of her blazer as she felt a pair of eyes on her face. Glancing up, she squinted as the bright afternoon sunshine streaming through the glass windows half blinded her before a solid body walked past her field of vision.

Dark eyes

Glancing over Decker's shoulder as they strode towards the exit door towards the parking lot, Lucifer smiled widely as he caught Miriam's eye.

Well hello there…

"Are you the ride along?"

Moving her eyes away from the dark suited man's retreating back, she turned towards the voice that had just spoken in front of her and felt herself swoon.

God damn

Dakota, I think you were right in thinking good looks are an unadvertised Officer requirement

Rising to her feet, she was glad she wore her boots for the extra height as Pierce stared down into her face.

"My name is Miriam Tyler" she introduced, holding out her hand as she kept her eyes firm on his.

So blue

"Lieutenant Marcus Pierce." Gripping her hand in his, he squeezed hard as she betrayed no hint of uncomfort. Glancing at the badge clipped to her blazer, he nodded his head as he turned and began walking towards a double set of locked doors motioning for her to follow with a quick wave of his hand.

"Good, you have a pass. We have some papers to fill out and then we will hit the road. You get one hour" he added, feeling her arm bump against his as she struggled to keep his long stride of pace.

"Thank you, Sir, I've been waiting over a year for this and it's another thing that I can cross off my list before I apply to the LAPD" Miriam breathed as Pierce bounded down the caged staircase towards the bull pen.

"I only just found out about this…Community Initiative Program, and if it wouldn't cause me a headache with the suits and Mayor's office at City Hall, I would have cancelled your ride along" he gruffed, pushing open his office door and rounding the corner of his desk.

Coming to stand in front of the metal desk, Miriam glanced up at the numerous plaques hanging on the far-right wall beam before staring at the glass name plate beside a container of red and blue pens.

Lt. Marcus Pierce

"Right, have a seat and let's get this done quickly" he spoke, tossing two pieces of paper in front of her and a blue capped pen.

Is this the normal attitude for perspective recruits?

Make one uncomfortable?

Tasting her question on her lips, she pulled up the only other chair in the office and set about filling in her details. Name, address, birthdate, allergies, next of kin, phone number.

Setting his back against his chair, Pierce watched as the young woman seated across from him scribbled quickly before signing her name at the bottom of the page. Pushing it towards him, she avoided his eyes as he uncapped a second pen between his thumb and forefinger.

"Understand that when we are out this afternoon, you might hear some things and see some things that go along with the duties an Officer might encounter on a typical shift. Blood, physical altercations, domestics, screaming, yelling, insults, other physical contaminants, you get the idea" he trailed off, checking each box as he spoke.

"I volunteer with one of the women's shelters here in town, I don't think anything would…."

"Like I said, you have one hour with me, and time is ticking down" he interrupted, ignoring Miriam's clenched jaw as she scribbled her name on the second page.

This has to be some sort of a test

"I was told to write out some questions that I might have?"

Shaking his head as he rose to his feet, Pierce reached for his dark navy police emblazoned rain jacket and motioned for her to stand.

"Ask your questions when we get in the car."

Following him out of the office, she nearly fell backwards as he suddenly turned around and brought his hands to rest on his hips.

"A word of advice for you if you do decide to become an Officer and keep your long hair" he spoke, gazing past her ear. "Keep it in a bun, otherwise…" Reaching up, he slowly moved his hand past the side of her head and wrapped a hand around her ponytail, giving it a sharp tug before the strands fell over his fingers.

"Who in the hell, is that?"

Peeking through the sliver of blind, as she pushed her finger down, Ella Lopez stared hard as she watched Pierce sliding his fingers out from the unknown female's ponytail.

"If he ever tugged on my hair, I would start smoking again…damn" Officer Kayla Reynolds breathed as she pretended to hold an invisible cigarette up to her lips.

"I doubt that's his girlfriend or wife, he has no family pictures in his office and he doesn't wear a ring. Actually, he has no pictures of any family" Lopez noted as she caught sight of the red visitors badge. "It's a guest of his either way" she added, moving away from the window as Reynolds jealousy watched the Lieutenant and unknown female climb up the staircase towards the car bay.

Lucky little bitch

…

"I need a ghost car."

Signing his name as the Officer behind the window slid a set of car keys across the stainless-steel counter, Pierce scooped them up and moved past Miriam without a word. Hearing the beep of the car alarm as he opened the trunk, he tossed his jacket inside and made sure the first aid kit was in place. Slamming the trunk closed, he watched as Miriam stood still at the passenger door before gesturing for her to get inside.

Grunting as he adjusted the gun digging into his hip, Pierce leaned forward and took out the Blackberry from his back jeans pocket before catching two missed phone calls, two voicemails, and a number of unread text messages. Tossing the phone onto the dashboard of the grey Dodge Charger, he fastened his seat belt and looked over quickly to make sure his passenger had done the same.

"You have some questions?"

Turning right onto Lankershim Blvd, Pierce slipped his sunglasses onto the bridge of his nose as Miriam fumbled the notepad out of her pocket.

"Um, my questions are more for a beat cop than a Lieutenant" she muttered as Pierce rubbed along the side of his jean thigh.

"I was once a beat cop" he spoke with a bored tone, picking up speed as he drove through the intersection at Magnolia.

"Okay, if you could offer one piece of advice to someone like me, what would it be?"

Tucking his chin into his chest as he slowed for a red stop light, he thought of her question honestly as he rolled down his window, feeling the afternoon heat swirling in the car.

I don't know anything about you

"You mean besides keeping your hair up and out of harms reach?" he questioned, glancing quickly in his review mirror.

Feeling her stomach sink as she remembered the look in his eyes when he had reached out his fingers, Miriam felt the slight flush on her cheeks as she shook her head, chalking it up to the afternoon heat. Spying a thin blue elastic band sitting in the cup holder, she didn't hesitate to reach out and grab it, before quickly wrapping her hair up in a sloppy bun.

Feeling the hot heat of the afternoon breeze as it blew in through the open driver's side window, her ears picked up the opening guitar riff of Zeppelin's Immigrant Song as she caught the Lieutenant drumming his thumb to the beat against the steering wheel…

We come from the land of the ice and snow
From the midnight sun, where the hot springs flow
The hammer of the gods…

At least he knows good music she thought as she flipped to the second page of her notepad.

"What was the worst call you've ever had to responded to?"

Taking a quick minute to think, he switched lanes before taking a left on Vineland Ave, moistening his lips as he slowed before the traffic.

"Death of a two-year child."

Moving her gaze onto the holstered silver and black handled gun that rested along his hip, Miriam raised her eyes and noticed the rounded bottom of a tattoo peeking out from the short sleeve of his grey t-shirt.

Pars Est Sempiternum

"My first shift after the Academy. Call came in, and we found a two-year-old girl dead in the family's kitchen oven."

It was all he said as Miriam stared at his profile, noticing the light scruff along his chin.

I've found a dead child too

"Does your family worry about you when you're on the job?"

Tucking his chin into his chest once more, Pierce avoided her eyes as he reached for the Blackberry laying face down on the dashboard.

"I don't have any family."

Taking in his gruff response, Miriam folded her notepad closed before looking out her window to the businesses along the street.

He doesn't seem too interested in answering my questions, so fuck it. Let him drive me around then. Should be less than thirty minutes before we go our separate ways…

"I was thinking of maybe completing some sort of security guard course or police foundations course as a way of getting some more exposure to…"

"Waste of time. The Academy will teach you everything you need, should you get accepted" he added, tossing his phone back on the dashboard. "Speaking of time, I read that you are only twenty-one. While it's a requirement to be twenty-one to apply, you should think of holding off and getting some sort of life experience before applying. You won't be a help to anyone if you've had everything handed to you."

Are you fucking kidding me?

Turning in her seat, Miriam felt her anger boiling over as she slammed her hand down on the side of her door.

You know nothing about me! You don't know what I've done with my life, you don't know about my list of how to best prepare myself as a Police Officer!

Debating whether or not she should throw open her door and walk her ass home from wherever they were, she felt the sudden lock of her seat belt as the breaks of the Charger skidded to a halt against the curb. Watching Pierce's hand thrusting forward for the black handheld radio and the flashing lights, Miriam froze as her eyes fell on a man and a woman struggling up the sidewalk before the man took off running.

"Dispatch this is Lieutenant Pierce 239927 alerting patrol of a mugging on the corner of Vineland and Ventura, black track pants, white hoodie, red ball cap running south. Officer in pursuit. Stabbing the handheld back into place, Miriam watched as Pierce whipped off his sunglasses before throwing them up onto the dashboard.

"Stay in this car. Do not come out for anything! If I am not back in five minutes, press this button on the side of the radio."

Feeling her mouth falling open, she watched as the Lieutenant threw his door open and tore off fast down the sidewalk, rounding the corner of the alleyway the suspect has disappeared in only seconds previous.

"HEY! HEY!"

Hearing a hand banging on the side of her window, Miriam breathed in deeply as she stared at the handheld before hearing the low vibration of Pierce's mobile still on the dash.

"I SAID HEY! COP! I NEED YOUR HELP!"

Chewing her lip as she made a quick decision, Miriam opened her door and kept a hand on the door edge as the middle aged black woman firmly grabbed her hands.

"You saw what happened right? You saw that son of a bitch grab my purse?"

"I did, are you alright?" Miriam questioned in a soft tone as the woman backed up slowly, still gripping the young woman's hands.

"Am I alright? Are you shitting me? You are white and you don't even know me! And… here comes your partner. DID YOU GET MY PURSE?"

Hearing the woman's loud shout as Pierce's eyes went wide, he roughly shoved the handcuffed man against the hood of the Charger as he felt his lips curling up into a snarl.

"Damn girl, your man didn't even break a sweat."

"I told you to stay in the car…" he growled, shoving the man once more as he kicked his feet apart.

"She needed help…" she began as Pierce whipped the woman's black purse onto the sidewalk at her feet.

"I TOLD YOU TO STAY IN THE GOD DAMN CAR!"

Flinching at the Lieutenant's shout as she felt speechless, Miriam swallowed hard as she turned towards the car, slipping back into her seat, leaving the door open.

"Oh, girl you better get in that car, that pig looks furious with you!"

Slamming her door shut as Pierce twisted the metal of the handcuff against the fleshy wrist of his suspect, Miriam listened to the man's painful scream as the LAPD Officer looked to the woman on the sidewalk.

"Ma'am, I'm going to need a statement from you concerning…"

"Statement? Pig, I ain't charging him with jackshit. He's my idiot nephew, I just wanted my bag back" the woman bellowed as she spat at Pierce's feet.

Feeling his mouth falling open as he roughly unlocked the handcuffs, he shoved the young man away ignoring his fall onto the sidewalk as he rounded the hood of the vehicle. Slamming his door shut as he cut the lights, Pierce grabbed the handheld and barked in his orders as he tossed it against the grate.

"Take a good look around here Ms. Tyler. These are the…human beings you'll be dealing with. Don't think that the LAPD or any police force are loved or appreciated" he added, throwing the car into drive as he burned the tires with speed.

Keeping quiet as Pierce stole a glance, he roughly wheeled the car to an angle before throwing on the hazard lights.

"Look around you kid, this is not a safe neighborhood. We are minutes from Skid Row home to between five thousand and eight thousand homeless, criminal, and drug addicts willing and able to take out a nice sounding girl who thinks she is helping someone in distress. You could have been killed back there. Shot, stabbed, assaulted" he rambled as Miriam stared into his hate filled eyes.

He looks at me with hate and pure disappointment

Well, two can play this

"You tell me this? And yet you ran out disappearing into an alley not wearing a bulletproof vest? You could have been killed on that fucking sidewalk!" she challenged, glancing at his chest as she willed herself to not to look into his hard eyes.

I may not win this, but this asshole needs to be matched with his shit talk even if it does follow me on every and any application I make to the LAPD

Feeling the low growl rising in his throat, Miriam winced as he slapped a balled-up fist against the dashboard before leaning in close towards her.

"We're fucking done here."

Driving in complete silence, her eyes stayed glued out her window as she chewed on the inside of her cheek, tasting blood as she fought the urge to continue their rift.

Asshole

Pure and simple

Bumping the side of her head against the window as Pierce sped over the curb of the prescient, she felt the car skidding to a halt as he grabbed his Blackberry, Miriam's red visitor badge and his sunglasses. Grabbing her backpack, she threw open her door and uttered not a single word as she marched towards the sidewalk, mentally cursing the Lieutenant as he slammed his own door.

Tossing the car keys against the metal mesh of the vehicle checkout, he stormed into the central air of the prescient and immediately sought out his junior Officer.

"Suspend that Community Initiative ride along bullshit until further notice" he spat as Gage knocked his coffee all over his laptop.

"I can't just…"

"You'll do it NOW!" he bellowed as he marched towards his office.

I'll deal with the suits at City Hall.

Just as long as I never have to see that girl, again.

…

Please Read, Review, and Enjoy!