A/N: This story is not abandoned! I wrote the previous six chapters in a matter of weeks, then suffered through a drought of writer's block. Hopefully I can get the ball rolling again! I hope you loves enjoy this long awaited chapter! XOXOX
Devil in the Details
There was no way Izzy was going to give Lucifer the satisfaction of knowing she actually didn't know how to use his credit card.
That wasn't exactly true. She knew how to use a credit card. Maryse had given each of the Lightwood children one from a young age. In case of emergencies, Dad used to say about the card. Just in case something bad happened and they needed to get out of town quick or hide from demons. Or Valentine.
The mechanics of a credit card were simple: pick out what you want from a mundane store, approach the mundane by the register, hand over the plastic.
Online shopping, however, was a whole new playing field.
Internet access was a novel and dangerous luxury. There were so many sites, so many options, so many links to click and things to choose. How did she even start? And what the hell was a CVV number?
The whole process frustrated Izzy to no end. She wasn't even sure what she had managed to throw in her cart by the end of the afternoon. She was simply relieved to shut the laptop and close her eyes to the growing headache between her temples.
If Clary were here, she would know what to do.
Just the thought of her family across the country made Izzy's heart pang. It had only been a day, but she felt nearly as isolated as she had inside Aldertree's prison. She knew, in her heart of hearts, that this was no prison. Lucifer wasn't holding her captive. But that didn't stop the homesickness from eating at her. That didn't stop the feelings of isolation and desperation.
They would fade, she knew. She could text Magnus and ask them all to portal over. But that wouldn't be fair to them. Clary, Jace, Alec, and Magnus all had their own problems to sort out, their own battles to fight. Izzy felt slightly guilty that she was running away from all the problems she had caused. So much upheaval had happened because she chose to keep this baby.
No one had texted her to keep her afloat, either, which didn't help with the homesickness. She had no idea if Alec was going to get in trouble with the Clave for his deception. She had no idea how Jace was faring post-possession. She had no idea if Clary was going to be re-imprisoned for her use of the Angel's Wish.
Complete radio silence.
It's been less than a day, Izzy reminded herself. Everyone just needs to get back to normal.
Except, what was normal?
Normal, to Izzy, was sitting around the Institute's dining room table and flinging mashed potatoes at Jace's head when Alec wasn't looking. Normal was a day spent training and inventorying weapons alongside Clary, using her knowledge to train future Shadowhunters. Normal was getting to curl up in bed with her siblings on a Saturday night and watch whatever terrible movie Simon had picked out from his mundane collection.
Normal was half a world away in New York.
Normal would never be normal again once the baby was born.
The elevator dinged.
"I'm baaaaccck," Lucifer sing-songed, his voice carrying across the high ceilings. "Miss Lightwood, are you up?"
"Over here."
She hadn't moved from the couch, her body sprawled across the leather and taking up all available space. It was no wonder Lucifer hadn't seen her; she had dragged the duvet from the bedroom and buried herself inside a cocoon of sheets. Only the top of her head and eyes peeked out, enough to see that he wasn't alone.
There was another man with him, large with skin dark as night and muscles enough to rival the Clave's finest warriors. He wore plain clothes and kept his head shorn. The look on his face was stoic, simply observing what was happening, but though imposing he was not dangerous. Strangely enough, Izzy felt as though she'd known him her whole life.
"Miss Lightwood, may I introduce you to my brother, Amenadiel. The oldest of God's children, and, dare I say, his favorite."
She scrambled up immediately and bowed in reverence.
"It's an honor to meet you."
"Oh, please. Don't. There's no need for that," Amenadiel corrected, helping her upright with a gentle touch.
There was some part of him that was pleased with the gesture; his smile was amused. There was another part that looked deeply uncomfortable with such devotion. Strange, to see such conflict in an angel. Izzy had never met one before, but she had an image in her head of these otherworldly, all-knowing beings that dared not deign themselves on the same level as humanity. She had never expected an angel to be so...touchable. Approachable. Real.
"I don't mean to be rude, but what exactly is a fine young Nephilim such as yourself doing with the Devil?"
Izzy looked to Lucifer, confused. "You haven't told him?"
Lucifer had the good grace to look guilty. "Well, I was getting to that bit on the way over, but there was a distraction with one of those street performers with the little dogs - "
"Can someone please tell me what is going on."
Amenadiel didn't yell. Then again, with a voice like his, he didn't have to. Birds in the sky and creatures in the heavens above likely heard his booming command. He wasn't angry, but he was annoyed, which could wind up just as deadly.
"Brother, Miss Lightwood has been through quite the ordeal. Her people have captured her against her will and tried to experiment on her, all because she is with child. My child."
Amenadiel didn't so much as gape as let his jaw hit the ground. He looked absolutely stunned. Like he was frozen in time, his brain replaying those last two words over and over again. Izzy knew the feeling well. She had felt the same thing when she found out about the father of her child.
Lucifer didn't give his brother time to recover. He barreled forward. "Now, naturally, she is concerned with the child's health, which is where you come in."
"ME!"
"Yes you!" Lucifer shouted back, flinging his hands out as if to slap his brother. "You and all your divine healing and mercy!"
"Are you joking, Luci? You can't have a baby! It would bring about the end of the world!"
"Now that is hurtful," Lucifer pouted. "You can't honestly tell me you believe that drivel Dad fed us?"
"What I know is that there are some serious consequences to messing with the course of humanity!"
Silence crashed down around them.
He didn't mean it to be cruel, to be evil. Likely, Amenadiel wasn't even thinking of her on a personal level at all. But it was crushing to think of her child as such an inconvenience, some kind of thing that would bring about chaos and destruction. Though she had housed those same fears, Izzy had come to love her child. To think that others would not accept them, neither in Heaven nor on Earth, was a lonely and terrifying prospect.
Fighting off Nephilim was one thing. But to fight Heaven itself? How could she even try to compete?
"I apologize, Isabelle. None of my anger is towards you." Amenadiel's stormy features stilled to calm seas, his tone as soothing as the waves lapping upon the shore. "If you would be so kind as to give me your hand."
Izzy could get lost in that voice if she let herself. She now knew how easy it would be to follow an angel, do anything they'd want. She did not hesitate in giving herself over to Amenadiel, placing her hand in his. So much power thrummed under that dark skin, power enough to crush her. And yet, his touch remained gentle. Delicate.
Warmth diffused her palm as she rest her hand in his. It wasn't scary, not enough to burn. A comfort, really. Like being wrapped in a blanket on her mother's lap when she was young. Soothing in a way she had not felt in a while.
The feeling was gone too soon. Amenadiel withdrew his hand. He smiled, dark eyes sparkling.
"Everything is fine," he said in that sure, gentle tone. "You're both fine."
Though she had already been looked over by Magnus, it was a relief to know from yet another source that she and her child were doing well. Doubt was ever-present, creeping into her brain every time she remembered how the Heavenly Fire burned through her veins. She rubbed her belly and smiled widely.
Lucifer whooped. "See!"
"As far as I can tell," Amenadiel finished, shooting Lucifer a dirty look. "My abilities are not what they were, Luci. And even at full power, I am no match for a human doctor."
"I have things handled on that front."
"You do?"
"As it so happens, I do, thank you very much. Daniel was kind enough to supply me with the credentials of a very respectable doctor. We have an appointment tomorrow afternoon."
Izzy was surprised in the best way. It was incredible to see Lucifer taking such initiative after so many months of wanting to be hands-off. However, she was also nervous to go see more doctors. After her last experience...
"So soon?"
"The receptionist owes me a favor."
"Of course she does."
"That's very responsible of you, Luci," Amenadiel praised. He clapped a hand over Lucifer's shoulder, and Lucifer did his best not to flinch. "Perhaps fatherhood will be good for you. Not the rest of the world, but good for you."
"Thank you, Amenadiel. So kind, as always."
The brothers spoke quietly to themselves as Lucifer showed Amenadiel out. Agitation rolled off Lucifer in waves. For as much as he tried to appear suave and in control, it was obvious he was glad to have his brother out of his space. Their relationship was odd, strained in a way that spoke of thousands of years of history. And yet, it was so normal. So completely like any other sibling relationship that Izzy had to laugh.
"Well, that was unbearable," Lucifer sighed, brushing his hands of his brother quite literally. "So sorry about him. Should have prepared you for his sanctimonious judgement, but I suppose he can't help it no matter how long he stays down here."
"I thought he was lovely," Izzy said, meaning it. Amenadiel was uptight, perhaps overbearing, but not unpleasant. "You're lucky to have a brother that cares about you so much."
"I wouldn't go as far as to say that, Miss Lightwood. Besides, your own brother has pulled his own fair share of heroics on your behalf thus far."
She cast a glance to her silent phone. "He hasn't called or texted all day. I'm worried."
"I would be too, with that mother of yours sniffing around his heels."
"Yeah, Mom's a piece of work," she huffed, trying not to let her anger seep through. That wound would likely never heal. She had tried to mend that bridge once, and Maryse burned it to the ground. Never again. "Wait, when did you meet my Mom?"
"Inconsequential." Lucifer brushed her question off as easily as a speck of dust on his lapel. "What I'm getting at, is that you shouldn't worry. What you should be focusing on is getting some rest."
"Is it that bad?"
"Darling, there are handbags lighter than the ones beneath your eyes." It was a joke, but it fell rather flat in the face of all its truth. Lucifer's expression softened, and he sat down next to her on the couch. "Do you want to talk about it?"
"Talk about what?"
"Last night. You and I. The cuddling situation this morning."
Izzy bristled at the blunt suggestion. "Not really."
"Fine then. I'll take the couch again tonight and leave you to it."
Was it bad that Izzy wanted a fight? That Lucifer's immediate deference to what she wanted irked her more than the suggestion of a conversation? Everything about their whole situation was overwhelming and confusing, but it was manageable if she put all the pieces at arm's length. If she put Lucifer at arm's length. And now he wanted her to knock down that safety net?
Or maybe...maybe he wanted to help her build a better one.
"I don't mind."
The words were out her mouth before she had a chance to double think them.
Lucifer looked at her, confused.
"Pardon?"
"It's stupid to make you sleep on the couch. It's your bed, and it's huge. I barely take up a quarter. There's plenty of space for both of us. I don't mind."
"There's more to it than that. We may not have known each other long, but I can tell when someone's lying." He took her hand gently, tentatively, ready to be rejected or perhaps stabbed for the effort. "It's the nightmares, isn't it?"
Stabbing Lucifer was tempting. Especially because he insisted on prodding at her own tender belly.
"I'm a Shadowhunter. I fight demons and vampires and werewolves. Things that most people would run from, I run to. I don't have nightmares."
"Yes, but it's not often that those monsters are your own kind, are they?" The question stung, but he kept holding her hand even when she wanted to pull away. "You're right. What you've been through would break an ordinary mortal. Perhaps even some Nephilim as well. But you're here. You're standing. It's not a weakness to be afraid of what comes next. It's not weakness to let yourself heal."
Izzy sat, dumbstruck. No one had ever told her it was alright to slow down, to take time to process, to recover. She was a warrior; such things were signs of weakness or worse, madness. She was expected to rise above, to be better than the mundanes who screamed and cried and wore their emotions messily.
Lately, all Izzy had felt was mundane. But perhaps that was the wrong word. Perhaps the instructors at the Institute, her trainers, her parents, the whole Clave were wrong. Perhaps it was alright to simply be human.
"Where did you learn to say all this?" she asked, definitely not sniffling.
"I have a very good therapist," he said, running his fingers through her hair. "If you ever felt the urge to process things, I'm sure she would be happy to be your therapist as well."
The Devil had a therapist. Would wonders never cease?
"Shall we go to bed?" he suggested, not-suggestively. Izzy didn't think that were even possible for him.
"Only if you keep playing with my hair."
"I could braid it if you like," Lucifer tempted her with a smile. "The Detective's spawn has taught me a thing or two about the art of braids. It's come quite in handy a time or two."
"Handy for what?"
"Wouldn't you like to know," he teased. "Now off you pop, get some fresh jammies on. Pretty sure the new Real Housewives season starts tonight. We are in for a treat!"
Izzy didn't know what that meant, but when she left Lucifer in the bedroom, he was already in black silk pajamas, tucked in to the sheets to the waist, TV blaring some annoying theme music while he shouted comments at the screen. It was utterly ridiculous.
She couldn't wait to join him.