10 YEARS AGO
Hell
"SO, WHO DID YOU KILL!?" Yells a young woman over the loudspeaker music in the club.
"The postman." A man in his thirties answers the brunette dancing by his side to the beat of the music. He smiles like he doesn't even care about his past anymore. "He banged my wife."
The lights above glow and change with every second as the people in the largely lit room vibe to the rhythm.
"That must've suck."
"Trust me." He says leaning against her and sliding his hands inside her wavy her. "I'm over it." Pulling her close to capture her lips with a kiss.
Behind the pair, there is another set of random human men meeting for the first time and sharing a breath with one another. Even the demons share the fun in the club.
Others seem to laugh and cheer. No one seems to have a care in the world, but only the moment at hand is what they're cherishing the most.
A large set of double doors open and everyone on the dance floor makes room immediately. No one stops enjoying the party, nor does the music stop. On the contrary, it's like everything inside lights up even more the moment a pair of red soles shoes enter the room. Along with the distinctive black suited man that catches everyone's attention.
The King of Hell.
A patch straight down the center of the crowd forms leading the Devil right to his throne. And as he makes his way, the corner of his lips rises when he acknowledges the head bows of the demons along with the humans.
A sign of loyalty and respect. Knowing exactly who let them experience the privilege of Hell's finest must be thanked.
"For what reason are you all still standing here like pillars?" His voice is clear enough to scare anyone in the room even over the music, but it's filled with enough amusement to maintain the chill atmosphere. When he stops at his seat and turns around to glance at the people still bowing, he adds. "It's a bloody party for crying out loud, not a meeting. Enjoy yourselves!"
And just like that everyone continues. Some dance, some drink, some even make out, but every soul in the room celebrates for their last night in Hell.
Lucifer can't help but admire at the progress of all the humans in the room who have finished their therapy sessions with enough smiley faces to have his approval. And all that is left his to send them up to Heaven with a proper bang.
And by bang, he means a party that will have them dare say miss this brother forsaken place.
As Lucifer takes his place on the throne, his gaze lands on a demon standing by his side.
"Ah, Belios, having the time of your life up here, aren't you?" He asks him, clearly assuming that his friend would like to stretch his legs and go mingle after countless hours of torturing the humans. "You do realize that there's chocolate brownies down there with your name on it, and not the boring bland kind might I add." He chuckles knowing exactly the filling in them.
Belios swallows before he nods, trying hard not to run down the steps and eat until he's high enough to be considered flyable.
"Look at them." Lucifer continues eyeing the crowd. He seems to be in the state of being proud and hurt at the same time. "Every human in here is going up, to be reunited with their loved ones, their friends and family, mothers and fathers, sons and daughters... some even with their soulmates."
The demon turns his head back to his King when his detects the slight sorrow in his voice. "You miss her. And your little one." Not a question, but an obvious assumption. Scratch that. A statement. One that the demon knows very well by their countless hours of conversations over the years.
Hearing Belios say that he obviously misses Chloe—hurts Lucifer more than he would like to admit at loud. Just like calling Rory his little one, just makes things sting even more.
"The price of being a Healer." And the price of baring a promise for his daughter that he would always keep. Surprisingly a hopeful smile forms on the King's lips. "It may not seem like it, Belios, but I am a happily betrothed Devil. And to be able to make Hell a better place by helping the lost souls get to Heaven is something I would have never thought possible. But now that I see the progress with my own damn eyes, I can say with newfound belief and certainty—that even if it means sacrificing and postponing my own wants and desires for just a little while—means I'll be able to reunite families... then I'm alright with it."
Lucfier crosses off some names on the document on his desk. After the party, weirdly enough, he wanted to catch up on work before his new session with one of the damned souls started.
His office still looks like the one in Los Angeles he formed out of the likeness of Linda's office. With a few minor adjustments of course.
"I still don't like the paperwork." He admits quietly, putting the pen down and grabbing a glass of bourbon laying on his desk. He leans back and spins his chair around to face the wall. "You were much better at it than I ever was or tried for that matter. Isn't that, right?"
His brown eyes rake over the wall that is decorated by a large portrait of Chloe. An image taken on the day of Eve and Maze's Wedding when she wore that colorful dress and make up. But here she has her hair down and his sitting near the fireplace in the penthouse of Lux. So, beautiful and alluring... The things he wanted and still does want to do her plague his mind every time he gets a moment to think about Chloe.
Lucifer takes a sip from the glass and continues to recall that specific night when they started to passionately ravish each other's lips , but a knock at the office door suddenly pulls him from his thoughts right before it opens.
"Not now, Zarien. I'm busy." And indeed, he is. Dreaming of ways to bed Chloe the next time he sees her. There is already a long list of activities that keep expanding every time a delicious thought enters Lucifer's mind. He mumbles. "So, very busy..."
A young demon, one of Mazikeen's many cousins, walks to his desk. "Understandable, my King." She senses his desires and simply places some files on the surface of the desk before taking a step back. "Just thought you would like to read the report." Zarien, overseeing a small group of demons on Earth that Lucifer had assigned years ago, consistently reports everything she learns from her trips back to the King of Hell.
"Anything concerning?" Lucifer suddenly turns his seat and takes another sip before glancing down on a photo attached to a file.
"Very."
The Devil's eyes darken considerably as he narrows his gaze on some man kissing his Chloe. "What is this? Explain, Zarien."
Zarien nods and proceeds to say exactly what she had seen on her last trip to Earth.
"As you wish, Your Highness."