A/N: In this chapter, Izzy drinks coffee. Caffeine is safe for pregnant persons to consume so long as no more than 200mg/day is consumed (resource: my 4-year pharmacy education). The average cup (6 oz) of coffee has about 100mg of caffeine; instant coffee has even less. One shot of espresso has just over 60mg of caffeine (resource: google). Just in case anyone wants to say Izzy is committing child abuse by drinking coffee, I assure you she is not :) XOXOX
Devil in the Details
Last night was a long night.
Lucifer thought he was doing Miss Lightwood a favor by leaving. He was no fool; he knew that he was an outsider, that somewhere deep in her Nephilim brain she still saw him as a threat, some otherworldly evil. A few conversations wouldn't change that. She seemed so scattered, dissociating where she stood. Lucifer talked to her in the bathroom but he might as well have been a thousand miles away from the woman in front of him. He thought time and space to decompress would do the trick.
But then, when he came back after a few drinks, he came back to her screaming. Terrible, horrible sounds that had no business coming from her mouth. When he went to wake her, to draw her out of those nightmares, she clung to him like a child. That's when Lucifer knew that he had made a mistake. He never should have left her alone.
Sleep never came for him, but he didn't need it. Sure, Lucifer had gotten used to it, come to rely on its rejuvenating powers, but it wasn't a necessity. If it meant that Isabelle could sleep soundly the rest of the night, Lucifer gladly sacrificed his own sleep. Besides, it was strangely riveting, watching her sleep. The way her brow crinkled, the way her eyes flickered under closed lids, the way she made tiny squeaks when she shifted in his arms. She smelled like him, like his soap and shampoo, and it was hard for him to resist pressing his face to the top of her hair and breathing her in.
She slept in late, the clock slowly creeping towards noon, Miss Lightwood curled into his side while he played Words with Friends, Bejeweled, and Temple Run. How the little man kept falling of the ledge even when he swiped left instead of right was a mystery, most likely an intentional glitch in the programming so that no one scored highly. Was that enough to condemn a man to eternal damnation? Lucifer had punished many for worse offenses.
He was half way through a strongly-written email to the developers when Miss Lightwood finally woke. She pushed herself up and stretched her arms high above her head, spine cracking as she moved. It sounded like it should be painful, but she didn't so much as flinch. It was only when she realized she was not alone that she jumped, her eyes widening as the events of the past few hours came crashing back.
That was a good time to take a shower, himself, Lucifer thought. This time, space was the right move.
His shower was shorter than the one she took last night. When he exited the bathroom and dressed himself in a new suit, ready for the day, he found Miss Lightwood sitting at the bar, her hands wrapped around a cup of something steaming. The espresso machine was turned on and wafting the smell of premium Columbian beans Lucifer's way.
"Are you sure that's safe to drink?" he asked.
"My mom drank a cup a day when she was pregnant with my little brother, and he turned out fine," she replied, taking a sip and saying nothing else.
Silence reigned as Lucifer fired the machine up and made himself an espresso, which he then poured over a generous helping of whiskey. He always did like his coffee Irish. When he turned back around, Miss Lightwood had not moved, her gaze focused intently on the cup in her hand. It was then Lucifer was struck with how different she was from the confident young woman he led to bed all those months ago. Something fundamental had shifted; trauma had changed her, shaped her into something older, something more reserved and yet...
She was still just as beautiful as he remembered. Lacking her usual Nephilim runes, sure, but those had been hidden from him when he first met her. It wasn't her power that attracted him to her; it was her aura, her command of herself and her surroundings. It was those deep, dark eyes that promised heaven and hell. It was those pouted lips and rosy cheeks and sharp tongue.
Those things still existed. They were still there, deep inside. Lucifer would just have to be patient and wait to see them again.
There was something different though, other than the physical changes. Something that Lucifer couldn't quite put a finger on. Just a sensation, a tugging in his gut that raised his alarms. Like something was missing.
"You feel...off," Lucifer said, giving Isabelle a once-over. "I thought I felt it last night, but chalked it up to emotional distress. But no...your whole aura is different. I can't feel my blessing on you anymore."
Where there was once a clear energy around her, the power of his feather radiating from her like a shield, was only empty space. No wonder the demons had been so eager to tear her to pieces, why Lilith thought she could get away with something so egregious. There was no warning sign, nothing telling the demons to stay away. Isabelle was unprotected in so many ways. Lucifer didn't understand how it was possible for that warning to have just disappeared.
"Aldertree, the man who captured me, he injected me with something he called Heavenly Fire," she explained, frowning into her cup. "It destroys demonic DNA. It was the only way he could get me to Alicante."
Heavenly Fire. That was a new one. Lucifer hated it already.
"Thank Dad your friends got you out of that prison when they did."
"Do you think that I'll be okay? That the baby is?"
"Nothing is ever for certain. But my brother, Amenadiel, he's something of a healer. We could have him take a look at you."
"I don't want to summon an angel out of Heaven for something that could be nothing."
"Don't be silly. Amenadiel isn't in the Silver City. He's here, on Earth, in Los Angeles." Lucifer grabbed his phone and shot off a quick text. "I'll have him drop by this evening. He'll probably have a few choice words about my recklessness in impregnating a mortal, but he's been going to therapy, working on his deep breathing. He'll be happy to help."
Miss Lightwood held her head like the room was spinning, another revelation too close to too much change. Perhaps it was the wrong time for him to continue with what he said next.
"Will you be alright if I leave for a few hours?" Lucifer asked.
He wasn't afraid of something happening to her while he was gone. The penthouse was practically impenetrable due to its height unless something with wings were to land on the balcony or someone portaled inside, and the number of creatures ballsy enough to try that diminished by the day. That left the elevator, and if someone wanted to come up to the penthouse, they'd have to make their way through bouncers and partygoers and bartenders and, occasionally, a demon or angel or two.
No, the real fear came from Isabelle needing something and him not being there to provide aid. She was so thin, so frail, so much weaker than when he saw her last. Whatever she had endured inside that Nephilim prison, Lucifer wanted to take every guard and rip off their fingernails one by one until they were bloody and raw; only once they were begging for death would he reset the Hell loop and start all over again.
What if she fell in the shower and hit her head and he wasn't there to take her to the ER? What if she got food poisoning due to a strange craving and he wasn't there to make sure she hydrated between bouts of vomiting? What if she woke up from a nap with another nightmare and a panic attack and he wasn't there to calm her?
So many reasons not to leave her alone...
Her face, however, read offense in his every word.
"I'm pregnant. Not an invalid."
"Of course." That settled that. "Well, I won't be long. Just have to pop by the precinct and let them know I will be MIA for a few months."
"What about your Detective?"
"I'm sure she'll miss me. Most everyone will, that can't be helped, but needs must. You are my highest priority."
"I don't want you to give up your whole life for me."
"Trust me, that place is hardly my whole life. I still have a very lucrative nightclub to run and a domain to ignore." Lucifer could joke all he wanted, but he knew he would miss the LAPD. He had come to think of them as home, the Detective and Daniel and Miss Lopez his second family. It would be strange not to see them every day, but even stranger would be abandoning his unborn child to chase after criminals. "Honestly, everything will be fine. The Detective will understand. She has offspring of her own, so she knows a thing or two about these situations."
"She knows about demons and warriors of Raziel fighting over getting their hands on the world's first ever Nephilim-angel baby?"
"Not quite, but young Beatrice is a force of nature all her own." Lucifer's text alert went off, chiming as it received a message from the very place of which he spoke. "Oh, speak of the me, it's Daniel. He has something important to tell me, though knowing Daniel that could mean anything from the pudding is out to a hostage situation. Best if I get going before the idiot hurts himself."
"Is all mundane law enforcement so...chaotic?"
"Not all of it, but the chaos is what makes it so fun!"
If Miss Lightwood's opinion of human law enforcement was low before, Lucifer had just knocked it down another ten pegs. The look on her face was a mix of pity and concern. Her angelic superiority, while not as obvious as the rest of her ilk, bubbled to the surface.
"Ah, yes, before I forget." Lucifer fished his wallet out of his pocket and pulled out a black AmEx. "Here, take my card. The wifi password is LuciferRox666 - don't ask, it's a long story - and my laptop is by the piano. Buy yourself whatever you may need, this baby has no limits."
Lucifer slid the card across the counter, where Miss Lightwood did nothing but stare at it as if it were something alien. She refused to pick it up, nose wrinkling in thought.
"You do know how to use a credit card, don't you?"
Isabelle flashed him a look that could have shot a grown man dead. Then, she reached out and pulled the card towards her.
"Goodbye Lucifer."
Lucifer grabbed his flask (just in case), pocketed his wallet, and hit the button to the elevator. As it opened, he flashed a salute. "Goodbye, Miss Lightwood."
Her wry smile was the last thing he saw before the doors closed and he was going down.
... _ ...
The precinct was nearly empty when Lucifer sauntered inside, which was usual for this time of day. Peak daylight hours meant traffic patrols and search warrants and showing up to question suspects during their places of work. Many assumed that police work was done in the cover of night, busting up drug dealers and gangsters on docks and abandoned warehouses. That was only a small fraction of the work. Most of it was meetings and paperwork and traffic citations. Which was why Lucifer consulted on the interesting bits. Dad knew he didn't have the patience to sit through a sting.
Lucifer took the stairs by twos, flashing a grin at the secretary by the door. Patricia was a lovely woman, and Lucifer made a note to get her some donuts from the cafe down the street as a thank you for the last time she turned the other way while he snuck into evidence for a few party favors. Favors that would no longer be needed because there would be no more raves, no more orgy Tuesdays, no more all-nighters at Lux. Not with a pregnant house guest.
Detective Douche sat at his corner desk, head bowed under the weight of his mediocrity.
"Alright Daniel, what was so important you had to tell me in person and not through text?"
"Good to see you too, Lucifer. I'm doing fine, Lucifer. Thanks for asking, Lucifer," Dan griped as he busied himself with the files on his desk. The stacks appeared extra tall this morning, practically smothering him in paperwork.
"Yes, yes, who has time for pleasantries?"
"You get hauled in and then don't come around for weeks, man, and this is how you act?" Dan asked, incredulous. Though why he was so surprised was beyond Lucifer. There were at least five instances where his behavior was markedly worse, all within the past few months, and all Dan had done was roll his eyes.
"The message, Daniel."
"Chloe wanted me to pass this on to you." He handed over a piece of paper folded down the middle. "She wanted to apologize for not telling you in person, but she's taking some time off."
"How much time?"
Lucifer skimmed the letter. Lots of platitudes and apologies for leaving without warning. Something about sunshine and revelations and pasta. Lucifer didn't have time to parse out the details now, not when Daniel was ready and semi-willing to explain it to him.
"She took Trixie on an impromptu trip to Rome. They're going to be there all summer."
"And you just let her take off with your child?"
"I trust Chloe," Dan said, as if this were obvious. Of course it was. Chloe was a good mother; her offspring raised no complaints. Nothing like Lilith. But something in Lucifer's chest lurched at the idea that Daniel would be so removed from his own child for so long. It felt wrong, somehow. Dan didn't show much distress, however, merely shrugging his shoulders. "Besides, who am I to deny Trixie that kind of experience? Chloe's got extended family there. Someone owns a summer house. It's all whatever. I was just told to let you know."
"Oh. Well. This all works out perfectly then. As it turns out, I, too, will be taking a multiple month sabbatical from crime fighting."
"Why?" Dan asked, which surprised Lucifer. He expected Dan to celebrate, maybe tell him not to let the door hit him on his way out. "Not that I won't enjoy every minute you're not here to annoy me or eat my food, but I'm curious."
"As circumstances turn out, I'm going to be a father," Lucifer answered honestly. Not that he would lie, he just didn't expect the absolute truth to come tumbling out so easily. Becoming a father was something he was just getting used to, even if using that title still felt wrong. "The baby is due some time in the following months, and I want to take the time to make sure everything goes smoothly."
"Are you kidding, Lucifer?" Dan's eyes widened first in shock, then in joy. "Congratulations man! That's amazing"
He clapped Lucifer on the shoulder, his heavy hand rumpling Lucifer's designer jacket. Normally, that would annoy Lucifer. The suit was expensive! However, today, Lucifer felt only warmth in his chest suspiciously close to where his heart was.
"Thank you, Daniel."
"Being a father is the best thing that ever happened to me. There's nothing like it."
"It certainly has provided its challenges thus far."
"Just wait until the baby actually gets here. That's when the real fun begins," Dan teased. "Do you know if you're having a boy or a girl?"
"Actually, the whole situation is rather new. We haven't had the time to schedule any appointments."
Just another thing to worry about, something Lucifer should have accounted for when assuming the care of a pregnant woman. He knew nothing about neonatal care in the Nephilim world or if such things even existed. Did Nephilim even believe in modern medicine, or were they still as trapped in the past when it came to women's health as they were with their patriarchal views?
"Here, let me give you the number for Trixie's pediatrician. I know it won't help you now, but the office is partnered with the same OBGYN that Chloe used during her pregnancy. Really nice people. I'm sure they'll fit you in."
Dan scribbled down a name and number on a sticky note and gave it to Lucifer. Lucifer didn't recognize the name, but he would do his research when he got back to the penthouse. Miss Lightwood would only receive the best care.
"I find myself in your debt."
"Nah, don't worry about it." Dan shrugged him off with a wave. "Seriously man, as much as I complain about you, I'm happy for you. If there is anything Chloe or I can do, just let us know."
"I will keep that in mind." Lucifer tucked the sticky note into his breast pocket along with the Detective's message. "Now, I really must be going. Places to go, people to see, apartments to childproof."
"Good luck, Lucifer," Dan said with a wave, amusement on his lips and in his eyes. "If your kid gets even a quarter of your genes, you're gonna need it."
... _ ...
Lucifer didn't mean to keep the fact that he was paying a visit to Miss Lightwood's dear old dad a secret. He didn't lie to her, he merely...left this stop out. It wasn't important that she know the details of their working relationship. Likely she wouldn't take it well if he told her, and they had many more urgent issues.
The first being the aftermath of a demonic possession attack.
Perhaps it was a sign that he spent entirely too much time around Nephilim that no one stopped him from walking into their precious Institute. His face was becoming too recognizable, no one so much as flinching at the sound of the alarms crafted specifically for a being of his magnitude. Their faces screamed, 'oh it's just Lucifer, doing Lucifer things again,' and he hated it. He just sent Lilith crawling back to Hell for Hell's sake! Where was the respect?
Not even his angry face raised eyebrows. He was just another pissed off celestial being wandering around the halls, searching for someone to complain to. And he found his target: the middle-aged balding weasel in the black suit. Lucifer had to remind himself to reign in his anger, to keep a hold on his tongue so that he didn't skewer Isabelle's father on his own sword like a shiskabob and make a terrible pun about nicknames becoming reality.
"Rob!" Lucifer shouted as a greeting, enjoying the way the man flinched and how all the bottom feeders around him scattered as he approached. "We need to talk."
"Robert, who is this?"
A severe-looking woman in all black stood next to Rob. Lucifer was struck by how similar she looked to Isabelle, like he was looking into a time machine and saw her but twenty years older. Though they shared the same dark eyes, this woman's held none of Isabelle's warmth or charisma. Instead, they were hardened like steel and sharp as knives. Her mouth was pressed into a thin line, her hair sleeked back into a tight ponytail. Everything about her screamed 'depressed and sexually repressed'.
This had to be Rob's ex-wife. Isabelle's mother.
"I don't have time for your games," Rob hissed, already steering Lucifer and his ex towards his office so they could continue their conversation in semi-private. Lucifer was no fool. He knew all eyes and ears, no matter how disinterested, were on him.
"Make time."
If looks could kill, Rob's would have dropped Lucifer dead. Much like the look Isabelle gave him before he left this morning. Like father like daughter, he supposed. Which led him to wonder what traits his child would take from him. If your kid gets even a quarter of your genes, you're gonna need it, Daniel had said. Would his child have his stare, his blood red eyes and his fiery temper? Would they have the same dark hair, same charming smile?
Thoughts were cut short at the slamming of Rob's office door.
"What are you doing here, Lucifer?" Rob grit through his teeth, barely holding himself together. "There was an attack on Alicante. The Gard has been destroyed. Our daughter is missing -"
"Lucifer!" the woman gasped, outraged and afraid and murderous all at once. Lucifer was right when he assumed she had worn the pants in the relationship. Only a few words from her and he could smell the call to action. Then, she turned all that righteous fury on her ex-husband. "Have you been concealing the existence of a Greater Demon on the mortal plane?"
"That is hardly the problem at hand, Maryse."
"Oh, it's only not a problem because it's your mistake, not mine."
There was years of resentment festering underneath those words. Dr. Linda would have had a field day. But as thrilling as these marital spats were, they were slowing him down and keeping him from returning to the vulnerable young woman waiting in his apartment.
"Not to worry, I've been keeping track of all Rob's misgivings," Lucifer assured. "And I'm not a Greater Demon. I'm the Devil, the one and only, thank you very much."
"What do you want, Lucifer?" Rob asked again, very much at the end of his rope. "Every second I waste with you is a second I could be looking for my daughter."
Perhaps it was a mistake to tell them. Perhaps Lucifer was inciting trouble, or even war. But he couldn't take the look on Rob's face, the look of a man separated from his daughter and worried sick about her safety. As badly as he had fucked up, as much as Lucifer didn't think this man deserved to have someone as kind and strong as Isabelle to call daughter, he couldn't engage in this specific kind of torture. All he saw was himself and his own failures sure to come.
"And if I told you that Miss Lightwood was alive and well?"
Immediately the mood of the room changed.
"How would you possibly know that?" Maryse asked, leaning forward and focusing on him with all the instincts of an apex predator. He had fucked with her cub. If he wasn't careful, he was about to find out why that was a bad idea.
"I won't pretend to know or care about any attack on your revered Nephilim city, but I do know is there was a tandem attack on my nephew's apartment in New York. A portal opened in the sky and demons poured out. There was also an unfortunate but mild case of possession. All of it orchestrated by Lilith." Lucifer locked eyes with Rob. "The intended target was your daughter."
"By the Angel."
"She's fine. The demons are dealt with, the portal closed. But you can see how Miss Lightwood would not be eager to return to her prison."
"How did she get out of The Gard in the first place?"
"Uncertain." The joints in Lucifer's knuckles cracked as he remembered the screams Isabelle let out in her dreams last night, the tears she shed at the memory of that place. He was glad she was free of that place, at least in body if not yet in spirit. "All I know is that, was I not there to set things right, everyone in that apartment would have died, your children included."
"Where is Isabelle?" Maryse demanded, standing so that she could tower over Lucifer in a poor attempt to intimidate him. "I have to see her, make sure she's alright."
"Miss Lightwood is under my protection."
"How dare you!" Now Rob was shouting, standing alongside his wife. His face was even redder than the last time Lucifer visited, and Lucifer thought the man was close to a stroke then. "After everything I've done for you: cleaning your messes, concealing your existence on the mortal plane - "
"How dare I? How dare you for letting her be locked in that hellhole in the first place!" Lucifer roared, his eyes sparking with hellfire.
It was the worst time and place to have an outburst, but he was beyond being civil with these monsters. He stood to his full height, allowing a bit of his Devil face to peek through. Just flashes, glimpses of the creature they were really speaking with. It was so easy for him to get lost in this mortal charade of smiles and jokes, but he didn't have mortals to fool. These were Nephilim. They should know better.
Robert and Maryse both jumped away from the table as Lucifer moved closer, fearful to get in his way. Humbled, they sat, but Lucifer remained standing.
"And why do you care what we do with our daughter?" Rob asked, quieter now but just as upset.
"My father was not the forgiving type. That kind of parenting leaves a mark. I can recognize it in the eyes."
"Lucifer, if Isabelle is still under attack by Lilith, then we need to see her. We need to make sure she's safe," Maryse appealed, trying a gentler approach. As if sheathing her claws and dulling her canines would make the memory of them any less fresh.
"Lilith will no longer be a problem. I sent her back to Hell. Personally." Lucifer tired of this song and dance. It was time to level the playing field. He sat back down in his chair, confident as a king. "I also liberated your son from her hold, so you lot can sleep easy knowing that the big bad Owl won't be back to kill you in your sleep. You're welcome."
"Why would you do all that?" Maryse asked, suspicious. "Why help us?"
"Simple really. I needed something from Raziel, and Raziel needed something from me." Lucifer crossed one leg over the other, reveling in his own smugness. "Even your precious Angel knows when to make a deal with the Devil."
"That can't possibly be all."
"No. I came here personally to make sure that, no matter what findings your little Clave comes up with, that none of the fallout lands on my nephew's shoulders."
Rob exchanged a glance with his ex-wife. They didn't seem to like Lucifer's request, but he had backed them into a corner. They were smart enough to realize when they had been beaten.
"I give you my word, the Clave will not prosecute Magnus Bane."
"Wonderful." Lucifer stood and brushed the dust from his pants. He hated coming to these stuffy Institutes. The scent of incense clung to him for hours. "The bodies of your fallen warriors are likely in the morgue of the NYPD. I have contacts, people who owe me favors. I could call them in, have them leave the doors open for you." He dropped a card on Rob's desk with a number to his inside man. All that was left for him to do was hire a warlock willing to portal some bodies back and forth.
"We have our own people, but thank you," Maryse said with a patronizing smile, not bothering to look at the information given to her.
"We wanted to give Isabelle this when we saw her, in person." Rob pushed a piece of thick, cream-colored paper across his desk. It was written half in Latin, half in English, all of it legal jargon that Lucifer would need Magnus to understand. However, he knew enough to recognize a contract when he saw one. "It's an official Clave pardon for the murder of the vampire, Heidi. Apparently the Clave knew nothing of Aldertree's...treatments. They offer their formal condolences."
"What? You thought this bit of paper would soothe her aching soul? Water under the bridge?"
"The New York Coven also extends their gratitude," Rob continued with gritted teeth. "Apparently Heidi was inciting violence between vampires and werewolves. Had she been left to her own devices much longer, an all-out war would have erupted between the species. Isabelle provided them with a service by ridding them of Heidi's existence."
"I'll pretend I don't hear the disappointment in your tone. We both know how much your kind loves to see a few demonic species laid to rest."
"Would you please tell our daughter that in light of these circumstances, there is no reason for her to stay away from home?"
On the surface, Maryse's words sounded like nothing more than a loving mother's plea to her wayward daughter. But, as the black sheep of his family, Lucifer knew better. He knew a toxic parent when he saw one, a narcissist that only cared about control. The pardon in his hand felt more like a shackle than a freedom; in Isabelle's hands it was likely to feel the same.
"Despite what you may think, I'm not a monster. I haven't kidnapped your daughter and put her in tower guarded by a dragon like some kind of fairytale villain. If she wishes to contact you, she will. Though, after meeting you, I can't imagine why she would."
Maryse let out a deadly hiss, and out came the claws. She would have jumped him had Rob not held her back, the fury of a demon flashing behind those dark eyes. Isabelle's eyes. Rob wasn't much better, holding his ex-wife at bay all the while wishing he could let her go.
There was venom in his voice as he spat, "Get out of this Institute, Morningstar, and don't come back."
Lucifer smiled and replied, "Gladly."