Lucifer was up off the couch and dragging Eric back from the shifter before Eric could do any damage to the man. Lucifer was impressed by Sam, though. Instead of turning into a terrified puddle of begging and tears, he simply scowled at Eric in disgust. As if he had expected better self-control than that from the thousand year old vampire.
Quite frankly, Eric's reaction was disappointing to Lucifer too. Flying off the handle like this very much suggested the vampire still had feelings about this Sookie Stackhouse. And if he still loved Sookie, then where precisely did Lucifer belong in the hierarchy of Eric's feelings?
Of course, he could understand being worried about a friend's safety. Lucifer tried to put himself in Eric's shoes—how would he respond if he heard that Chloe had been kidnapped? Not much better, he supposed.
Neither he nor Eric were very good at managing their emotions it seemed.
The vampire strained against Lucifer's grip and the disgust on Sam Merlotte's face turned to surprise, then to curiosity. Well, at least Lucifer's show of strength proved to those in the know that he wasn't a mere mortal. Ella, on the other hand, seemed completely oblivious to Lucifer's feat of strength.
"Come now, Viking. We can't get more information from him if you've eaten him," Lucifer soothed, his words soft, meant for only Eric to hear.
"I need to find Sookie," Eric growled out, still tense beneath Lucifer's touch.
"Yes, yes. Of course. But hurting Mr. Merlotte helps how?" Lucifer asked.
Eric growled his displeasure at Lucifer's logic, but he stopped straining against Lucifer's touch. Instead, he seemed to almost, well . . . fold in on himself was the only way Lucifer could describe it. He was still standing tall, all six foot three inches of him. But the tension left him and his blue eyes seemed to go distant for a few moments. He'd gone inward, searching something only he could see and feel.
Lucifer squeezed his hand against Eric's arm, alarmed. Almost as if Lucifer's touch brought him back, the worried light came back to Eric's eyes, the vampire searching around him until his gaze fell on Florence. "You're right," he said, confusion in his voice. "It's like being underwater. I can't feel her properly."
"Jesus Christ, Northman. How much blood have you given her that you can feel her this far from Bon Temps?" Sam asked.
"Enough that he gets bitey when she's having sex," Lucifer quipped sarcastically. It was meant to be light, but it came out sounding petty, even to him. Truth be told, he always felt worried when Eric sensed Sookie and grew gloomy or cranky about it. Lucifer knew the vampire loved him, but did he love Lucifer as much as he loved the woman who had helped draw out Eric's emotions in the first place?
Eric growled, clearly not liking being reminded that Sookie did have sex—and quite a lot of it.
"Oh my God, you poor thing. I can't even begin to think what you're going through. Having a friend that's missing and being able to feel her out there but not know where she is." Ella had bounced off the couch, a look of concern etched across her face. She reached out to Eric and pulled him in for one of her full-body hugs, arms wrapping around his back so she was smooshed against the vampire as if her mere presence could soothe his soul—or lack thereof.
The look of shock on Eric's face was enough to make Lucifer grin from ear to ear. "It's best to just accept it, Viking. She's tactile like that. I promise, she's harmless."
Ella tried to rock the hug from side to side, but the vampire wouldn't budge. However, after a few moments of Ella's unrelenting embrace, Eric's arms went loosely about her to return it. He gave Lucifer an angry look but Lucifer simply grinned back at him.
Ella finally let go. "Wow, you actually don't have a heartbeat." She seemed awed by that fact—a man standing before her, seemingly alive, but with no heart beating in his chest.
Eric glowered at her before turning and stalking across the room.
Ella looked at Lucifer. "He sure is a prickly one, isn't he?"
But Lucifer wasn't paying attention to Ella. His eyes were riveted on Eric, the tall vampire slamming open the little closet to drag his leather jacket out.
"Where are you going, Viking?" Lucifer asked, not quite willing to rush across the room and grab him again.
"To find Sookie," Eric replied.
"Where?" Lucifer asked, still very uneasy at Eric's unrelenting resolve over a woman he claimed he wasn't in love with anymore.
"Bon Temps," Eric replied, and Lucifer could tell by the tone that the vampire thought Lucifer should have already known that.
"Now?" Lucifer asked. "Viking, it's midnight. By the time you get to Louisiana, it will be sunrise. How is leaving now any help?"
Eric growled at Lucifer—a real growl. The kind that said he was angry, not turned on.
Lucifer huffed, ignoring the vampire's attitude as he tried to pull the man toward Eric's desk and the laptop sitting there. Eric wouldn't budge so Lucifer left him behind. "You'll have to go to ground as soon as you arrive, so why waste your energy when you can simply fly there. By airplane."
"I've got a flight back tomorrow morning," Sam said helpfully. "I can make sure your coffin gets to Shreveport in one piece."
Lucifer sat down into Eric's chair a bit too forcefully as he opened the other man's laptop. "I will not be leaving my Viking's care in the hands of a stranger," he said, his tone absolute. "If Eric flies out to Shreveport, then so will I. We are a team, after all."
Eric still stood by the office door, leather jacket on as he scowled at Lucifer. It was clear the vampire wanted to leave now, worry about his sun restrictions later, and Lucifer wondered what was keeping him from simply ignoring Lucifer and walking out the door.
"I'm not a stranger," Sam grumbled as he stood from the couch and wandered over to where Lucifer sat. "I've known Northman for a few years now."
"Yes, and the first thing you did at the sight of him today was suggest he was a monster," Lucifer retorted. "No, I will not entrust his safety to you. I will bring him to the airport and I will make sure he arrives safely to Fangtasia upon landing."
"Or I could just leave now," Eric said, deadpan. Both men looked up to stare at him.
Lucifer snorted a dry laugh. "Don't be ridiculous, Viking. You're no help to the halfling once you get there, and you'll be exhausted and hungry from the flight. Much better to take a plane and I can do some digging during daylight hours for you."
"He's got a point, Viking dude," Ella said.
Eric growled again. "I know he's right," he finally admitted. "I just don't want him to be right."
"Yeah, well . . . pouting isn't going to solve the problem either." Ella was next to Eric again, pulling on his jacket sleeve to try to get him to come to the desk. "You and Luci are like two peas in a pod, aren't you? Both so damn dramatic."
Lucifer smiled to himself, wholeheartedly agreeing with her. Eric really was one to lose his temper quite a bit, and every time it happened Lucifer always understood. He'd felt the same way often enough. The Viking could benefit from having some sessions with Linda, Lucifer decided. How he was going to convince him to do so remained to be seen.
As everyone gathered around Eric's desk, Lucifer brought up the next flight to Shreveport—which didn't leave until ten in the morning. "It's a good thing we still have your travel coffin," Lucifer said as he began clicking away at the website to get himself a first class ticket and a light-restricted ticket for Eric. He frowned to himself, not liking just how worried Eric seemed about the missing Sookie.
Logically, Lucifer knew he had nothing to worry about. When it came to matters of the heart, Lucifer knew without a shadow of a doubt, that Eric wanted him and only him. He also knew that Sookie belonged to another man—another supernatural man, at that. All of these facts dictated that Eric Northman was not in love with Sookie, that the vampire's unbeating heart belonged to Lucifer, not the halfling fairy waitress halfway across the country.
And yet . . .
And yet, Lucifer's heart seemed to clench in his chest at the sight of Eric looking so strung out—all because of that woman. If he didn't love her, why was his immediate reaction to her disappearance—even though she was clearly safe, wherever she was—to run off into the night to go save her? Why did the thought of her make him want to attack Sam at just the mention of her being missing? Why freak out if he didn't still love her?
And if he loved her this much . . . where did that leave Lucifer?
Could Lucifer really blame Eric? Lucifer was . . . well, Lucifer, after all. He was a lot to stomach. He knew that. Everyone he cared about in his life was always quick to tell him.
But he wasn't going to raise these self-doubts to Eric, and certainly not in front of an office full of people. So he simply purchased the tickets, an uneasy ball of anxiety settling in the pit of his stomach. He'd take Eric to Bon Temps, but he was going to fret about it the entire time.
Better to be there with him than to let the vampire go on his own, though. Lucifer wanted his presence to be a reminder to Eric that he was in love with the devil. If Lucifer wasn't there—would Eric quickly forget him? Because Lucifer wasn't confident enough to think he was worth remembering.
He finished up on Eric's computer, feeling his phone vibrate in his pocket with a confirmation email for the tickets. Now they just had ten hours to go before they were in the air. An entire night ahead of them.
Lucifer shut Eric's laptop and looked up at the others. Eric was glowering, which wasn't unusual, and Sam just looked worried.
"What the fuck am I supposed to do until we leave?" Eric ground out, clearly displeased with the turn of events.
Lucifer leaned back in the chair, folding his arms over his chest. "We could go down to Lux, have a drink, let off some steam," he suggested. He gave the vampire a cocky grin that hid his worry. "We could go upstairs, let off some steam another way."
Heat flickered in Eric's icy blue eyes and Lucifer felt a stirring between his legs, more than happy to forget the world for a third time in one night. At least he had gotten Eric's attention. The vampire wasn't so far gone with his worry for the waitress that the promise of good sex was lost on him. That was a relief.
There was a slight, feminine cough from the seating area, and all heads turned that way.
Right. They'd completely forgotten about Florence Davis and her own missing halfling. Lucifer stood from the chair, eager to get back to her. "My apologies, Ms. Davis. We have the entire night before us and there's no time like the present to look for your missing human, is there?" Lucifer looked to Eric. "Two birds, one stone, yes? Perhaps there might be evidence of where Ms. Davis's halfling has been taken."
"I can help with that!" Ella interjected, clearly happy that no one had kicked her out yet or given her a resounding no.
Eric seemed to like this suggestion, because he turned to Florence with renewed interest. "Can we see your apartment?" Eric asked. "You say he had bled?"
Florence nodded, relief easing her shoulders as everyone seemed to focus on her again. "There's blood in the washroom," she admitted. "I'm not certain if it's because he fell or if he was attacked, but it's definitely Mark's. I'd know his blood anywhere."
She took a tentative step toward the door. "I can take you there now . . ." She hesitated as she looked at Sam, a look of distaste on her face.
Sam held his hands up in defense. "Right. I'm not part of the—" he paused and looked at Eric "—the detective agency. Clearly, I'm not invited. I guess I'll see you guys at the airport in the morning." He paused and shook his head. "Well, I'll see you anyway," he gestured at Lucifer.
"By all means, enjoy Lux while you're here," Lucifer said as he began to shepherd everyone toward the door. "We can stop at the bar on the way out and I'll let them know your tab is on me."
"I checked out your club before coming up here," Sam said. "I'm not particularly in the mood to party." He was the first through the door, turning down the hallway to the elevator. "I'm just going to head back to my hotel."
Lucifer surged ahead, heading down the hall with a purpose in his steps. They were going to a crime scene—a crime scene not seen by the police, where he would be the head detective, not Chloe or Pierce. He'd be the one looking for evidence, fielding questions, and getting to the bottom of the mystery. No bloody police telling him what he could or could not ethically do. He wouldn't even have to hide his supernatural abilities.
Well . . .
Perhaps he'd have to appear human if Ella were around. And she was clearly expecting to be able to tag along. The hopeful look she was giving him—well, it was near impossible to tell her no when she gave him those eyes.
Lucifer feigned a sigh. "Come along, Ms. Lopez. Let's see if you can find us some useful evidence, yes?"
The grin he received did make him feel good though. Of all of his friends back at the precinct, at least Ella seemed to genuinely care about him. And she never treated him like a child.
Yes, perhaps having Ella Lopez on their side could come in handy when they had a case, he supposed. It wouldn't be too bad, even if she had more energy than a classroom full of toddlers just after snack time. With that hopeful thought in mind, Lucifer switched gears, shoving his insecurities under his own bright attitude as they waited for the elevator as a group.
Everything was fine. Eric was talking to the other vampire, trying to get information from her, Ella was talking a mile a minute to no one in particular, and Lucifer was about to go do some serious detective work. Eric had given him a bloody billboard and Lucifer's worry about the pretty blonde waitress from Bon Temps was completely unfounded. He had to believe it was true.
Eric was in love with him, with Lucifer. He had spelled it out, for Dad's sake.
He had nothing to worry about. Right?