The following morning Chloe finds two dozen red roses and an rather contrite Lucifer waiting for her in the kitchen. "My apologies for last night, Detective."
"You broke into my house as an apology?" Chloe tries to look stern about the whole B&E thing, but it's hard to even take herself seriously in cupcake pajama pants - Trixie's choosing, of course.
"No, that's what the flowers are for, of course. The gift of repentant boyfriends, or so I'm told." Lucifer looks entirely too pleased with himself at this, and his grin only widens as he takes in her sleep attire. "How sweet, are you inviting me to have a taste, then?"
"It's too early in the morning for this, Lucifer." Chloe does her best to ignore the boyfriend remark, as well any reference to 'tasting' her. She's not really mad at Lucifer, not really. More embarrassed with her own behavior last night than anything else. She was the one who let things go too far, and in the end she was the one that ran away. But it's all tangled up in her frustration with Lucifer for getting under her skin so thoroughly.
"Does that mean it's too early for forgiveness?" He's simultaneously apologetic and smoldering, which is a combination Chloe can't even begin to fathom. But it's working, somehow. She can't let him think he's getting off that easy though.
"Only if you tell me what was so important about that phone call." The detective can't deny her own curiosity. Just what could drag Lucifer away from the possibility of sex? Chloe has since tried to convince herself that she wouldn't have really slept with him, but the truth is things were definitely heading in that direction.
"Turns out it wasn't so important, actually. Just some degenerate who thought I owed him a favor. The gall of it! As if I'd ever put myself in debt to the likes of him! But he apparently heard I was working with the police and thought I could fix his little problem."
Chloe shifts immediately into cop mode. "Who was it?"
"Rick something or another. Low level dealer and quite the little snitch when it comes to ratting out his buddies. As if that means I owe him one." Chloe had been wondering just how Lucifer managed to track down some of her suspects without her, but there were far more pressing concerns now.
"And just what problem did he think you could fix?"
"He didn't actually say." Lucifer seems completely nonchalant about drug dealers calling him in the middle of night asking him for favors.
"But you didn't agree to help him?" She has to be certain.
"Of course not. I punish bad people, I don't help them get away with it." He actually looks a little hurt that she's even asked, and she can't help the guilt that creeps up on her. Lucifer has certainly skirted the edge of the law a bit, but he's always been on her side when it mattered. She does wonder if his refusal had more to do with her than with making sure the bad guy got punished, but she refrains from asking.
"So he didn't tell you anything else?"
"Nothing. Just told me he'd take his business elsewhere and then he had the nerve to hang up on me. On me!" Lucifer seems more appalled at being hung up on than the rest of it, but Chloe is thoroughly disturbed by the caller's intentions.
"Take his business elsewhere like as in to someone else with connections to the department?"
"I suppose, though there's not exactly an abundance of police consultants with my charms." He winks, cavalier as ever about the whole thing.
"No, but there could be someone on the force, someone willing to look the other way for the right price."
"Oh! The one you suspected in the Palmetto street case? But isn't that man in a coma?"
"Maybe there's someone else, someone still active in the department…"
A knock at the door interrupts her train of thought, but it's just Anita, Alice's mom, with Trixie by her side.
"Hey Chloe, Alice needs to get to soccer practice so I thought I'd drop Trix off on the way and save you a trip."
"Thanks Anita." She kneels down to greet her daughter with a hug. "Hey weasel, did you have a good time?"
"Looks like she wasn't the only one..." Chloe hears Anita murmur from above. She's apparently managed to catch sight of Lucifer, who's made his way over to the door behind her, and is now staring at the man.
"Lucifer!" Trixie runs over to hug Lucifer, who seems to be taking it in stride for once.
"You know Trixie is always welcome to stay over with Alice, if you need a night to yourself. I completely understand." Anita is not at all subtle with the way she's checking out Lucifer. He is utterly shameless under the attention, as he sneaks his arm around Chloe's waist.
"We might just take you up on that offer. What do you think, darling?" Chloe rolls her eyes, but doesn't fight the arm at her waist.
"Thank you, Anita, for dropping her off. Tell Alice we'll both be rooting for her at the game this week." Anita takes that as her cue to leave, but not without sparing one last glance at Lucifer. Chloe is fully aware that Lucifer is attractive, if you're into that whole tall, dark, and handsome thing, but Anita is happily married! She wishes she could understand the effect he has on otherwise sensible women. When she turns around, Trixie is smiling up at her.
"Did you have a sleepover too?" Lucifer's grin is entirely for her, and he seems to be thoroughly enjoying her discomfort.
"No sweetie, Lucifer is just here to discuss a case."
"But I thought you weren't supposed to work with your leg hurt!" Trixie quickly switches to worry. Chloe always did her best to shield her daughter from her work, but it was pretty hard to hide her limp from highly observant eyes.
"The doctor said I was all better now, so I can start taking cases again." Her daughter looks relieved at this, and a glance behind Chloe brings Trixie's knowing smile back full force, tongue peeking through her missing front teeth.
"Is that why Lucifer brought you flowers?"
"What? No, those are for…" Her mind blanks on a plausible explanation.
"They're to butter your mother up, of course. So she won't refuse me when I ask her to join me this Sunday." He turns back to gaze expectantly at her.
"For what?" Her eyes narrow in suspicion.
"It's a surprise." He dodges.
"I love surprises!" Trixie interjects, not fully understanding the tension in the room.
"I don't love surprises. What are you planning?" Chloe questions.
"What's in it for me if I tell you?" He offers, but Chloe knows better than to get involved with one of his deals.
"How about an answer?"
"Very well." Lucifer practically sighs at having to give up the game so early. "I wish to take you out to the movies tomorrow night, if that's agreeable?"
"It's barely spring, what's even out right now?" She's not sure what she expected his surprise to be, but it wasn't this.
"Well it's not exactly a new release, quite old actually. It's playing at the Egyptian Theater."
"Something with Humphrey Bogart in it, I'm guessing?"
"Penelope Decker, actually. They're having a one-night screening of Althea. You did say it was your favorite?" He looks pleased at knowing this about her, even if it's not really some big secret. She's sort of happy he actually remembered, even though the whole thing seems a bit odd.
"Yeah, but why would they play that of all movies? It wasn't that successful its first run, and it hasn't exactly reached cult status or anything."
"Let's just say someone owed me a favor." Lucifer looks as though he hadn't meant to tell her this part, trying to casually shrug it off as if it wasn't a big deal. But it was. As weird as this whole favor thing is with Lucifer, she's a little touched he's using it to do this for her, even if it is completely crazy. "So what do you say?"
"Can I come too, mommy? I want to see grandma on the big screen!" Trixie beats her to the punch yet again, and she looks over at Lucifer to see what he has to say to this. She knows he's not big on kids, and she's certain he intends this to be another date. So she's taken aback when he immediately agrees.
"Sure poppet, if your mother agrees. We'll have the whole family there. Though perhaps we can leave out Detective Douche?"
"Lucifer!" She half-heartedly scolds him using the nickname in front of Trixie, but she's still a bit in shock that he practically agreed to a family outing. Lucifer looks completely unapologetic, going to stand beside her daughter.
"Come now, Detective, you wouldn't want to disappoint this little rugrat, now would you?" Chloe knew she didn't stand a chance with the two of them on the same side.
"Alright, we'll all go then." The detective smiles despite herself.
"Yay! Thank you!" Trixie hugs them both before racing off to the next bit of excitement.
"I thought you didn't like kids." She begins to question once Trixie is out of earshot.
"I never said that, I simply said I didn't understand the desire to have them." Not even a little bit true, but she's willing to let it slide. "Besides, I do believe I said your offspring wasn't as horrible as some of the others." High praise, indeed.
"So you really don't mind taking her to the movies?"
"I wouldn't have agreed if I minded. I am curious though, whether this still qualifies as a second date?"
"It depends, why do you ask?"
"Because you still haven't told me whether I am forgiven for the way our first date ended."
"And it has nothing to do with trying to get to the third date?" Her arms cross sternly in front of her even though her question is mostly in jest.
"Of course." He grins lewdly back. "But if that's all that's holding you back, then you're welcome to determine the time and place of our official third date."
"Who says there will even be one?" She can't resist teasing him, even though she's secretly pleased that he's handing the decision entirely over to her. But then he's pressing into her space, one hand reaching up to brush back her hair as he leans towards her ear, breathing out words that leave her speechless.
"Perhaps it's the fact that I can still taste your skin on my lips, and feel your heat seared permanently into my flesh." The memories rush back, unbidden. "And unless I'm very much mistaken, I think you desire this as much as I do." He's not mistaken. "But I can be patient, too. When I care to be."
Despite the grandeur of the Egyptian Theater in all of its 1920s lavishness, the whole movie date was a surprisingly casual affair. Lucifer had even forgone his usual polished suit. Instead he wore a soft-looking grey button-down beneath a dark vest. The sleeves were rolled slightly, offering teasing glimpses of Lucifer's wrists and forearms that Chloe pretended not stare at. Chloe herself had chosen to wear a dark, off-the-shoulder floral dress - softer and a little more feminine than the rest of her wardrobe, but she still felt like herself in it. Lucifer clearly approved of her choice judging by the ways his eyes still roved across her form while Trixie was distracted by the snack counter.
Lucifer somehow let himself get talked into buying a tub of popcorn, a bag of gummy worms, and an Icee, unable to resist the pleading of a seven-year-old girl. For all his professed toughness, he caved pretty easily. He even returned Trixie's thank you hug with an awkward pat to the head. Chloe smiled despite herself. The whole thing felt so…domestic, and not at all what she had come to expect from spending time with Lucifer. It was almost like a normal family outing, minus the tension with her ex-husband. Lucifer even toned down the aggressive innuendos. Not that he ceased completely, but he at least made certain that they wouldn't be understood by little ears. Such as when Trixie offered him a gummy worm.
"No thank you, I'll be having something much sweeter later this evening," complete with a lecherous grin aimed in Chloe's direction. Trixie seemed to sense something was going on, but was quickly distracted by picking out their seats.
Chloe was a little stunned at the crowd in the theater. She hadn't expected Lucifer to buy out the show or anything (even though she was certain he could), but she also hadn't anticipated that many other people wanting to see the movie. Maybe they were all just Penelope Decker fans, happy to see even one of her cheesier films?
Trixie managed to find them three seats altogether, and then sat herself directly between her mother and Lucifer. Chloe wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved to have a buffer between them. Lucifer looked like he was ready to protest their seating arrangements, until he realized his arm could still stretch across the old-fashioned seating to rest on the back of Chloe's neck. It was all very cozy. Trixie squealed in delight when Penelope Decker's name lit up across the screen.
Althea was both better and worse than she remembered it. Watching it as an adult, it was a little harder to ignore the corny dialogue and obvious plotholes, or the skimpiness of her mother's costume. But something about seeing it on the big screen, and being able to share her daughter's excitement over seeing someone you know up there, made it easy to fall back into the familiar comfort of the movie. Lucifer's fingers playing at her neck throughout the film left her feeling simultaneously relaxed and strangely electrified. She glanced over at the man from time to time, catching him cringing a bit at the terrible costumes and poorly choreographed fight scenes, but at the same time he rarely took his eyes off the screen. Apparently he really was a fan of her mother's movies, even if he had teased her for liking this particular one so much.
Trixie crashed pretty hard during the final credits, the sugar rush having finally worn off. Lucifer scooped her up without a second thought. He may have carried her a bit more like a sack of potatoes than a human child, but the sight of it was still more endearing than Chloe cared to admit. Trixie woke up again halfway through the car ride home, apparently freshly invigorated by the open air vehicle and the desire to talk about all her favorite parts of the movie.
"Mom, do you think I could get a dog like Alfie?"
"We can't, sweetie, your grandmother is allergic to dogs."
"But not to robot dogs…" Chloe knew better than to argue the reality of robot dogs with her daughter.
"Perhaps you could affix some ears and a tail to a wheeled trash bin - it certainly couldn't look any more ridiculous than the actual Alfie prop." Lucifer teased. Chloe smacked his shoulder in retaliation, but she smiled at the same time to show she secretly agreed with him. They barely even tried with some of the props. They probably spent the entire effects budget on laser blasts. At least those held up pretty well.
And it was nice, joking about the movies again as they had at dinner, enjoying a bit of normalcy. When they reached the house, Lucifer surprised her once again by offering to walk them to the door - not to come in, not take Chloe back to his place, just to walk with them. And true to his word he stayed at the doorstep, even as Trixie raced inside, clearly having found some new source of energy. Chloe remained just outside the door, turning back to face Lucifer.
"Thank you, for all of this. Trixie really loved it."
"And what about you? Did you also enjoy yourself, Detective?" Apparently he had been holding back on the charm all afternoon because he was definitely unleashing it full force right now. One arm was casually raised to lean against the doorframe, pressing Chloe back against the door and forcing her to admire the very tempting picture he presented.
"I did, thank you." It came out breathier than she intended, as her voice often did around Lucifer nowadays. She was learning to just go with it, and stop second-guessing herself so much. Speaking of which…
She managed to catch Lucifer a bit off guard by making the first move this time, but he didn't hesitate to respond to her kiss. His free arm went down to encircle her waist, pulling her closer to him, while her's went to tug at the collar of his shirt. The material there was just as soft as it looked, and a pleasant contrast to the stubble at his jawline. She allowed the kiss to deepen, both of them getting a little lost in the freedom to touch after a long afternoon of maintaining an appropriate distance.
Chloe let one of her hands slip under Lucifer's collar, running along his shoulders directly above where she knew his scars to be - all the while being very careful not to brush against them. Her other hand made its way into Lucifer's hair, lighting scratching at his scalp and tugging at the strands. Lucifer practically purred into her mouth, and his fist tightened in the fabric at her waist, bringing her skirt several inches higher. She should probably put an end to this soon, before they gave her neighbors a show. Reluctantly she pulled back, more than a little satisfied at the way Lucifer took a bit longer than she did to catch his breath. She untangled their limbs, and made to go back into the house.
"I'll see you tomorrow morning, Lucifer. Bright and early. We've got a case." And with that she left him looking a little bewildered on her doorstep as she went inside, settling against the closed door with a pleased smile gracing her features.