Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter 1: Lightless

He startled awake, covered in cold sweat. His heart was hammering madly in his chest and his limbs continued to tremble from his dream. Running his shaky hands through his short gray hair, he tried to calm his breathing.

A nightmare. That's all that it was, he tried to assure himself. Just a nightmare.

It had been a really long time since he had a nightmare, he realized, years even. The last time had been when he decided to listen to an audiobook of a movie people enjoyed in the cinema back then. The Exorcist. And although he knew that the writers' imagination of a possession and an exorcism were entirely stupid, they still managed to creep him out enough to give him nightmares for several weeks. After that however, he never dared to listen to a horror movie audiobook ever again.

It was therefore a mystery to him why he had that nightmare. And he also didn't even exactly know what it was that he had experienced in the dream itself that was so haunting and disturbing. It was like one of those dreams one wakes up from in absolute fright, but the moment the eyes open and the brain is fully awake, everything of the dream vanishes without leaving any piece of it behind, except for the lingering discomfort. Usually his dreams were full of color, movement and light, a harsh irony to his state of health. But now he had no memory of people, voices, places or actions left of the dream. Nothing that he could recall aside from a black void filled his memory.

I shouldn't have eaten that pizza so late last night. I'm getting more and more affected by such minor things these days. Could that be an age thing? Am I getting old?

Raising his left wrist, he touched his watch and ran his fingertips above the small dots indicating the time. Almost 6 am. It wasn't worth the trouble to lay down again before he had to get up and open his shop. It didn't run on its own after all. People enjoyed to buy and sell objects of a certain age and he was the trusted service they were looking for. He had also gained somewhat of a good reputation, in parts because he was truly good at what he was doing, but he assumed it was also because of his persona. He looked different and people assumed him, an old, blind man, to not be able to do his business properly. They were surprised to find out just how observant he was even with his handicap. And his skill to determine an object's origin was highly praised from his longtime customers.

It was however almost a bit sad that he could tell the history of all the items that passed through his hands as that made him feel so very ancient. But he had done this job ever since he arrived here in New York and somehow he also never wanted to miss it. Surrounding himself with the rare antiques of humanity's history made him value the sense of time, whether or not it affected him physically and mentally.

Taking a deep breath, he mindfully exhaled and rubbed the sleep from his face. He flinched at a sudden pain and quickly pulled his hands away. "Damn it!" he hissed, feeling the burning in his empty eye sockets still linger on. He frowned, irritated.

They haven't hurt like this in ages...

Sighing, he got up, maneuvered through his apartment by heart and headed for the bathroom. The small cylindrical bottle in the lower part of the left shelf, directly above his rather unnecessary mirror, was what he aimed for. Finding the item, he popped open the lid and took one of the pills with a handful of tap water. Hopefully it would help for the aching to go away along with the tension in his limbs. He knew his appearance was already somewhat problematic for people and it would be even worse if he was in pain and looked all tense and angsty.

He went through his morning routine, practiced for years on end, and walked to his small shop a block away. Unlocking the door he pushed it open, but at the ring of the little bell he froze in his movements, a troubling thought hitting him.

It has been a nightmare, hasn't it? Or was it…. No. No, surely not.

Chloe didn't hear herself tapping the pencil on the form, even though it had already been two straight hours since she had taken it off the pile of open files. She merely stared blankly at her computer screen. Nobody had given her a nudge to check on her, to know why she was creating a pointillistic image on the sheet or, hell, to just tell her that the monitor was black because it was on screensaver and she'd have to use the mouse in order to end it.

No. Most of them were oblivious to her pain, to the inner turmoil that was raging inside her heart since three months, nine days and eleven hours. Ever since Lucifer had confessed his love to her, kissed and said goodbye to her, leaving her behind to the sad rustling of his wings as he flew to hell.

Of course not all of her colleagues were blind to what she tried to hide during her excessively long working days. Dan and Ella could see her suffering, her worry and heartache. Their care for her was sweet, but they didn't know the whole truth. They couldn't know it. She had managed to make them believe her white lie, that Lucifer had to unexpectedly leave LA to take care of some family business and that it was unlikely he would return, let alone continue working with the LAPD. They were sad about his departure, but soon their life went on without them mentioning him anymore, as if the imprint he had left behind had faded and all that was left was a distant memory of a great time working together with the eccentric man who thought of himself as the Devil.

Even her friends who were in the know, had eventually become quiet about Lucifer's sacrifice. Although at first Maze had been furious. She had raged about how he, 'that god-damned, feathered and mushy prick' could be 'so fucking egoistic and selfless at the same time', leaving earth without telling his friends goodbye and self-sacrificing himself for the safety of all of them. She had called him 'too fucking good for this world and himself'. With daggers drawn, Maze had tried to persuade Amenadiel to fly her to hell so that she could be at Lucifer's side like in old times, protecting him and spending him comfort as best as she could. But she had quickly realized that this was exactly why Lucifer had left without a word towards her and the others.

He left them to the lives they had acquired. He let Maze stay on earth so she could have a home among friends who had grown to be her family and who offered her love, warmth and a place of belonging. He let Amenadiel and Linda fully focus on their little newborn, Charlie, and not worry about demons coming to earth, spreading chaos and potentially harming their child. And he left so that Chloe would be safe, because if the demons hadn't known about her before the events with Dromos, they definitely knew about her now and how important she was to him.

But his sacrifice had left a hole in her heart that seemed like a bottomless abyss of loneliness and life felt utterly strange and colourless without him. It were not only the obvious things about his absence that pained her to notice, like the missing of the endless waves of silly and sometimes quite creative innuendos, the constant bending of laws when talking to witnesses or the way he said both her name and profession with so much devotion and meaningfulness like nobody else had done before. No. It were the small things being gone that truly scrunched her guts. His scent consisting of expensive sandalwood cologne and a soft, decent mix of bourbon, smoke and cherries. His positive vibes that always had an uplifting effect on his surrounding, no matter how bad a situation might be. And the warmth his presence provided, that had wrapped around her comfortingly like a blanket when she needed it most.

Everything of him she missed dreadfully. And every detail resurfacing made the wound of his absence tear up again and again. She had wondered when it would stop. If it would ever stop. But she didn't feel like she even wanted it to. Not yet. Not when she knew he was in hell, alone, doing a job he was assigned to and certainly never wanted to do, while his heart was longing at least the same to be with her like hers desired to be with him.

For the first two days after Lucifer's departure, Chloe had been absolutely apathetic, her behavior merely representing a basic functioning from habit as she went through her daily schedules. But she had been nothing more than a shell, a ghost, with her mind and heart both in shock and unable to fathom what had happened or how life was supposed to go on for her from now on.

Then, at day number three, without any warning signals, she had suddenly broken down. Fortunately for her, she had been alone at home when it happened, as Trixie was spending a few days with Dan, and Chloe didn't have to be in any social contact once she was off work. She had collapsed in her kitchen, the glass of wine simply slipping out of her hands and shattering on the ground right before she dropped on her knees and crumbled into a crying mess. For hours she had sat there, her back resting against the counter, knees drawn up close while she cried her heart out, and feeling it tear up again with the realization of him being gone.

When the first week had passed, she had gathered enough courage to go over to his penthouse, to sooth her pain by surrounding herself with things of him, while secretly a tiny bit of hope was never diminished, that one day, he'd simply be back. As if one day she would come over and find him with a glass of bourbon in one hand and his other flying over the keys of his piano like nothing special had happened. She would have done anything to see him there, back in his home, where he belonged, doing the things he enjoyed, even if she would have burst in on some crazy orgy or otherwise debauched activity, with him using drugs and partying with scantily clad women and men. It would have been a blessing to have him back, no matter the situation.

It had hit her that moment that, yes, she would do everything in her power to get him back. And that had led her to talk with both Maze and Amenadiel. It started with her asking questions about hell and if it would be possible to somehow reach him and get him out. If only he would be willing to leave of course. Soon however, her questions had turned into frantic demands. Her statements had become more and more vehement as she noticed she was running out of options, especially when her demon and angel friend both told her they couldn't help, unless Lucifer would decide to return on his own.

And so her hands were bound and the realization of the inevitable crept up on her, slowly, day by day, that she would in fact never see him again.

Subconsciously she felt how her mouth had run dry and her head was pounding, causing a sharp sting in her temples. Stopping her rhythmic drum on the paper, she reached out for her coffee but froze when her hand continued to fish in the empty space over her desk. Glancing over her hand, she let out a shaky breath and swallowed. It had happened to her three times already. One more little thing she noticed that was gone: His hand holding out the everyday perfect nonfat vanilla latte to start the day, along with a big, radiant smile on his face that was contagious.

Forcing down the tears that threatened to spill, she slammed down the pencil and silently cursed at herself.

Keep it together, Decker. You're a grown woman with a child and a career. Angels and demons, heaven and hell, and freaking God are all a real thing and you know Lucifer would want for you to be okay, to be strong and get along without him…

But she also knew that she didn't want to let go of him. To get along without him, because it felt horrible and it was unfair to be left without any other option.

The day went on like every other: People turned up dead. Her, Dan and Ella inspected the crime scene and interviewed suspects. Criminals were caught and brought to justice, paperwork was done and the cycle would repeat with another victim. But a sense of joy about her work and accomplishments were always missing, because the one person that had managed to deeply nestle inside her heart aside from her daughter, was gone.

She headed home after an eventful, long day, showered and had a small dinner with rice and veggies to fill the hole of her growling stomach. A glance at the clock told her it was just past eight and a nervous feeling trickled into her fingertips, making her jiddy. She thought about whether she should zap through the TV channels, watch a Blu Ray or get in her car again for a drive to a certain penthouse. The decision wasn't really hard to make.

Casually dressed in jeans and her soft creme woolen sweater, she grabbed her car keys and got on her way. The drive gave her time to busy her mind, forcing her to focus and stay alert, but as soon as she parked the car in the private parking lot behind the building, her heart started to squeeze together uncomfortably.

Breathe, Decker, breathe...

She didn't want to rely on the medicine Linda had given her to help with the heartache and dizziness. She knew it was psychosomatic and not the normal physical kind of pain. Exhaling slowly through pursed lips, she headed for the entrance and was welcomed by the bouncer. There was already a small line of people waiting patiently for the club to open, shooting her an envious glance, just like every time before when she was allowed to enter Lux without having to wait like the normal guests. Inside, the barkeeper Benjamin greeted her, dutifully scrubbing clean the counter and refilling the shelves with liquor and glasses for the mass of expected customers for this evening.

When Lucifer had left, Maze immediately took certain actions on behalf of Lucifer he had stated to her in case he would ever not be around anymore, for whatever reason; disappearance, leaving, death. Among the precautions he had made, were the signing over of the club along with its bank account, penthouse and corvette to Maze. Two personal bank accounts he transferred to Chloe, with one endearingly labelled The Spawn Beatrice and the other simply Detective. Another account, created four months ago, was transferred to Linda and Amenadiel being labelled Charlie.

For Lux, not much had changed. It had made the rounds among the guests, that the owner of the club hadn't shown himself since a while, and it did lower the fluctuation a bit. Overall however, guests still poured into the club every night, paying for overly expensive drinks and dancing to the loud thumping music. The heart of the club, the delicate piano, remained sadly unplayed by its virtuous owner.

Chloe headed straight for the elevator and once at the penthouse floor, stepped into the empty space that was lacking and at the same time was filled with him. Ever since her first visit after his departure, she had set the central heating to a cozy temperature, as the weather was rapidly getting colder and winter was right at the doorstep. Setting down her bag, she walked around his bar counter and poured herself a glass of wine. She had been amazed to find out, that Lucifer had actually stashed a full shelve of the pinot noir for her. It was the one she loved, but had always been hesitant to buy because of its expense.

Sipping on her drink, she let the taste linger and slosh around in her mouth for a moment, enjoying the mixture of sweet and bitter, of fruity and smoky. The sun had settled hours ago already and LA was flooded with its colourful lights of yellows, reds and whites, vibrating with the pulse of its inhabitants as the day ended and the night began. Far up above the busy streets, she was almost unreached by the noises as she made her way out onto the balcony.

The memory of soft, shiny white feathers welled up in front of her mind's eye when she leaned against the handrail and she quickly caught her lower lip between her teeth to not let out a shuddering breath. Sadly glancing up, she took in the shining firmament. Amenadiel had been kind enough to answer her questions that had popped up in her head every now and then, among them explaining that Lucifer had been the one who created the stars. It was a wonderful thought, that he was the one who brought light to the universe, who filled it with something warm and welcoming. And she was angry at the One who was obviously not caring to show some warmth and affection towards His own son.

Her brows came together in an angry glare. "I can't believe how You let him suffer like this. You really suck at parenting, You know?" she spoke quietly. Pushing away the contempt, she let out a weak scoff and took two big gulps from her wine. It was just as Lucifer had always complained, she remembered bitterly. God didn't really care that much. At least not enough to respond. Ever. "Yeah, You sure as hell don't have an answer for that." she murmured and downed the rest of the alcohol on her way back inside.

She decided that she could try to get some rest. Maybe sleep would catch up on her and she'd be welcomed into a happy dreamland, giving her back some much needed energy. Being surrounded from things of him, she at least could pretend that somehow, in a way, he was still there with her. Slipping out of her shoes, she sat aside the empty glass and climbed the short flight of stairs to his bedroom. Surely he wouldn't mind that every once in a while she actually went to his place to sleep. It was certainly easier to find rest here than at home, especially when Trixie wasn't there and she was alone.

When she slipped beneath the soft satin sheets, she was glad that her own scent hadn't yet imprinted and overwritten Lucifer's. As she curled up, snuggling into the pillow, she deeply inhaled and closed her eyes, feeling her muscles slowly starting to relax. Not long after, sleep did catch up with her and she drifted off into the comforting darkness.

[Far From Home (The Raven) - Sam Tinnesz]

Lucifer stared into the empty space with tired eyes, the screams and cries of the souls he had punished today still ringing hauntingly in his ears. It had been an agonizingly long day and it was debatable whose punishment was more excruciating: That of the souls or his own, having to execute the punishments day after day. At least after a while the souls wouldn't even be able to remember their former life. Once a few decades or centuries had passed by, the fragile structure of the soul was merely a numb, grey shade, with no past to remember and no future to look forward to. It was, in Lucifer's opinion, almost like a blessing. He on the other hand wasn't as lucky as to be able to forget, no matter how much time passed by. His mind would always wander to the mesmerizing pair of ocean blue eyes, the soft, vanilla-scented golden hair and plum lips that he had kissed goodbye forever.

Releasing a shuddering breath, he blinked and came out of his daze, spotting the figure in front of him walking up and down, an unrolled scroll in one clawy-hand and a quill in the other.

The grey, bulky creature, barely measuring 3'3" (~1,0m) and not even reaching Lucifer's waist, was scratching the back of its oversized head, looked back up at him. "Erm.. boss? Did you hear what I just said? Don't you think he's had enough?" it muttered in its typical grumpy and scratchy voice.

Lucifer frowned and sighed, tapping on the armrest of his second throne, slouched down in exhaustion, boredom and loneliness. "Why? Have the demons run out of methods to make him writhe in pain? I highly doubt that," he hissed with contempt. It couldn't have been too difficult of an order for them. They loved to inflict pain. After all, it was their natural desire to torture.

The creature ran its broad tongue carefully over its wide mouth and chose its words carefully. "No... of course not. That stinking mob is quite creative, I know," it dismissively said, shrugging. "But some are complaining that they'd rather go back to torturing human souls instead of one of their own."

Annoyed from the impertinence of the demons, he scoffed, flexing his jaw. "They will torture Dromos as they tortured any other renegade and they will do so as long as I see fit! They can come crawling to me again in a millennium to beg me to allow them to stop!" he growled, his eyes flaring up with hellfire. "Everyone not adhering will instantly get incinerated by me. Make that clear to them." He didn't want to rule like this, by evoking fear, in fact, he hated it with a passion, but unfortunately it was the only language the demons listened to and so he had no other choice but to be a ruthless king.

"Sure thing. Youuu're the boss," it agreed in a sing-sang and nodded as it looked back down on its scroll, making a checkmark on the last note. "That was it for now, Lucifer. I'll be on my way again," it muttered, glad it got through the daily points of discussion whilst still being in one piece.

"Yes, you do that. Thank you," Lucifer murmured, resting his chin back in his palm. "Oh, and Gaudium? Tell the guards to not let anyone disturb me until I come out. I want to be alone."

"Whatever you wish, Lucifer," Gaudium, the small, chubby creature chimed as he rolled the scroll together. "Call if you need me." And with that he pushed himself into the air and headed out of the palace, quickly flapping his short, bat-like wings.

Hearing Gaudium grunt at the guards, Lucifer watched as they closed the big gates and finally he was by himself. "One would assume it's easy to get at least some peaceful solitude in hell…" He was more than relieved, that hell's organisational issues - which included tormenting amounts of paperwork - were done for today.

Standing up, Lucifer stretched out his tired limbs and made his way into his quarters. The possibilities of decoration and a warming interior design were rather sparse in hell. The only light sources he had, were endlessly burning torches hung against the walls, drowning the furniture in flickering lights and twitching shadows. He used his quarters as his only real place of retreat, but even here, hell was very present and drew at his consciousness, demanding his observation. As if hell itself knew it's leader and was hammering home to him, to stay alert and do his God-damned job. It was exhausting and left him wondering how he had managed to do this for billions of years. Since his return, about three years ago, the slow passing of time felt even more tormenting than all the millennia he had spend in hell before.

Only three years. Three bloody years.

He sighed, staring into empty space as he thought of his beloved Detective.

It's been three months for her. Has she moved on by now? I just hope she's alright.

He had been tempted to go back, which was putting it very mildly. Every passing second, he felt his wings, hidden or not, twitch with the desire to travel back to earth. There was a war raging inside him. A war between his heart and mind and the more time passed by, the more he felt himself shatter, his body already feeling like nothing more than a shell. It was tormentingly ironic that he, the Lightbringer, had lost all of his inner light within mere seconds.

The first months back in hell he had been a raging beast, for one thing, because it turned out that the quiet of the tombs had been deceptive. Hell wasn't in order at all. Deserters had formed armies to oppose and figuratively push him off his throne again. Most demon had quickly obeyed to him once he made them feel his full power, as the sheer thunder of his voice was enough to make them crumble. But there also was the main reason for his raging behaviour and that was the knowledge of his powerlessness in his situation. He was stuck in hell. And so he fully unleashed his wrath towards those demons who did not bow to him at all. Using them as an outlet, a punching bag, for his emotional pain. Until eventually there was no one left to punch.

Ever since then, his time as reinstated king had become exceptionally dull. The days and nights, indistinguishable from one another, were a never ending cycle of nullities where he'd oversee punishments and make sure, demons weren't forming revolts again or slipping out of the realm to pay earth a visit. And when he'd end his excruciatingly joyless days, he'd retreat here, into his quarters.

But it was a bad deal he made when he exchanged hell's landscape and his throne room for the silence of his quarters, because it made room for thoughts about his precious Detective to arise. The sight of her red rimmed, tearful eyes and the sound of her sobs haunted him and more often than he'd ever admit, he'd find himself silently crying when he recalled her confession of love to him in the moment were both their feelings were forcefully confronted with the inevitable truth: He had to return and be the king of hell. He simply couldn't get away from this fate. Not because he couldn't physically leave hell - obviously he could - but because he realized that there was no way around bearing this responsibility. If he wouldn't be in hell and control the demons, they'd come to earth and he would be forced to deal with them in a much more unstable surrounding, where casualties were bound to happen and he couldn't take that risk. He couldn't risk Chloe's life or anybody else's.

He let out a trembling exhale, eyes squeezing shut as he dropped down backwards onto his bed. Images of Chloe floated through his mind and the memories of her touch against his cheeks and the feeling of her sweet, gentle lips against his own tore at his immortal heart. He knew it would never stop. The impact she had made on him, as she tenderly brought down the walls he had built around himself for protection and out of fear of rejection, would forever be present in his mind. Even if over time his walls would rebuild, he'd never forget the divine warmth she caused to rush through him, the way she made his heart thunder with a simple touch and how she accepted him the way he was. How she was loving him, the Devil.

Turning face-down into the pillow, he let out a frustrated groan, forcing his body to relax and to let more memories of his Detective wash through him in the hopes of having them sooth his restlessness. He thought of her tender, small hands holding his face, remembered her warm smile and imagined being able to hold and tell her just how much he loved her. And after hours of tension, he was finally able to relax and fall asleep with a small, bittersweet smile on his lips.

Chapter Text

Chapter 2: Barriers

It started very quiet and sporadically. A faint, timid sob. It sounded close to him and when it became louder, more persistent and desperate, he blinked, slowly waking up from his slumber. How long had he been able to rest? It didn't feel like more than an hour. Again the sniffing and sobs sounded through his chamber and he grumbled.

"What the bloody hell didn't you understand about I want to be alone?!" Lucifer shouted towards the door leading to the throne room and pushed himself upright. "Damn, lousy imbeciles… It's always the same. They never listen to the first warning. Always need the punishment first before following my orders..."

But the sobbing continued despite his yell. He turned around, let his feet connect to the ground and got up. Ready to close his hand around the perpetrator's throat and turn him to ashes, he swung open the door and growled out. To his surprise though, there was no demon lingering in the throne room that he could spot. There was however the chance a demon was hiding somewhere in the shadows or further in the back.

"Bloody hell, I want to sleep! Stop your whining and get back to work already!" he shouted into the hall and listened as his echo faded. Silence spread around him once again. He closely listened for any respond or movement that would give away the intruders position. A new wave of sobs quietly bounced off the charred basalt walls. Turning around again and again, he tried to decipher from where it came, but it wasn't that easy and he wondered, if it wasn't coming from inside the palace, but rather outside. Striding along the main corridor to the massive entrance gate, he pulled open its two doors, ready to give his guards another scolding. As soon as the doors opened, two tall built, bulky demons straightened their posture to each side of him. "Why haven't you responded to me?!" he growled, the hellfire returning to blaze up in his eyes.

The guard to his left swallowed audibly. "Gaudium told us to not come inside and disturb you…"

"...until you would come out, my lord," the other guard said as he nervously blinked his reptilian, yellow eyes.

Grumbling, Lucifer swiftly took a hold of the guard's neck to his right. "Well I'm outside now, you incompetent pillock! What was that bloody sobbing noise!? Who was that from? Did you let anyone slip inside?"

The guard winced, squeezing his eyes shut to avoid Lucifer's infernal glare. "I- I don't know what you mean, my lord… We ha-haven't let anyone inside!"

"You didn't?" Lucifer growled threateningly. "You better not lie to me."

"N-never, m-my lord," the guard whimpered. "We swear! W-we don't want to end up like D-Dromos…"

He let the guard dangle in the air as he assessed the situation. He could smell the fear both of them emitted. They were too afraid to even try to lie to him, which meant the sobbing sounds he had heard must have come from outside the palace. For now he decided to believe them. Letting go of the guard, he went down the flight of stairs and listened intently. For several minutes he heard nothing, until again, a soft, whining and sobbing rang in the distance.

[Glass Heart - Sam Tinnesz]

Immediately he turned towards the direction it came from and took flight. It wasn't too far away and when the sound became louder, he spotted a shape in the middle of the endless, ashen nowhere of hell's outer landscape. When he saw the familiar blonde hair, curling softly along the shoulders, his throat tightened and his heart contracted painfully. "What… No… No that- that can't be..." he breathed, lowering down on the ground behind the female.

It wasn't possible. There was no way it was her, his Detective. She couldn't be here. For a moment he considered, if maybe he was dreaming and he had to admit, that he wasn't entirely sure. His breathing came out ragged and trembling, his whole body tensing up. He tucked his wings away and approached, spotting as her shoulders shook with every sob she made. "Chloe…?" he whispered, unsure he had the strength to call out louder and because he was afraid his voice could scare her away. "Chloe…?"

He hesitated, not wanting to be too quick on her, maybe she would be in shock and overwhelmed to see him or maybe she wasn't even aware she was in hell. She could faint, he figured, since humans did that from time to time when under extreme stress. Head tilting slightly to the side, he slowly reached out for her shoulder. "Hey…" he breathed, "Chloe, look at me." She turned around slowly, her head still hanging low, but when his hand was about to touch her, it suddenly pressed against an invisible resistance. "What the…"

Staring at his hand, he could see his palm laid against something solid and his knuckles began to turn white, as if he rested his hand against a wall, only that there was none. Blinking in irritation, he looked back at Chloe, confirming that it was really her. "Chloe, hey, are you alright? I… I'm trying to touch you, but somehow there's this…" He grunted as he used both his hands to reach for her, but again he was stopped mid air. "Damn it…"

What the hell IS this? It must be some sort of manifestation from hell. Maybe it wants to keep me away from her…

"Please, lift your head..." He swallowed and nervously licked his lips, "Chloe? Please, look at me. Say something. Are you okay?" The idea of her somehow having died and ended up in hell crept up in him and his own eyes began to sting from the built-up pressure.

She stifled another sob and wiped her face, and finally her head lifted, revealing her puffy, red-rimmed eyes. He let out a sharp exhale, a relieved smile appearing on his lips for the first time since his return to hell. "Hey!" he cheered sweetly in relief, but the moment lasted merely a few seconds. He noticed her eyes didn't hold his own, but instead looked through and past him. "No no, Chloe, look into my eyes…" He leaned against the invisible wall, pressing against it, but it didn't give in. She blinked several times, frowning and licking her dry lips, but her eyes didn't focus on his.

"What the hell is going on?" he grumbled distressed. "Chloe, look at me! Can't you hear me? Please! Why aren't you looking at me?" He felt like being in the wrong movie. She was here, clearly standing right in front of him and for some reason he couldn't reach her. "Say something, anything, please!" Smashing his palms against the invisible wall he cursed, a row of sobs from himself uttering past his trembling lips. Unable to touch and talk with her, his chest felt burning from the pressure of pain and longing for her.

Time and time again, he slammed his hands against the barrier, curling them to fists and starting to punch it with all the power he could muster, but it wouldn't crack or give in otherwise. Panting, he lowered his head in despair and sank on his knees, his palms sliding down along the wall with him. "Chloe…" he choked out so quietly it was barely audible between his sobs. "I miss you so much."

An exhausting heaviness settled on him, pulling and weighing him down. He couldn't resist, feeling as both his mind and body gave in to tired- and numbness. His eyelids grew heavy and within moments he sank further on the ground, his emotions pouring out of him in cries of her name. Fingers curling into the ashen ground he sank deeper with every sob until he dropped onto his side, halfway curling up into a ball.

He laid there, trembling, crying and his heart continued to tear all over again as he slowly drifted off into blackness.

A soothing warmth surrounded her. It wasn't just as if she was wrapped in a blanket, but more like she was floating in a comfortably tempered pool. She hummed, a smile on her lips, as she swam her way through the darkness. It stood in such contrast to her previous feelings and worries, that she felt very aware it could only be a dream. Reality had been too cold, harsh und saddening for this to be a possible about-face.

She paused her swimming motions, being tickled from something brushing against her. Tilting her head, she saw a small white fluffy feather which laid balanced on her shoulder. Picking it up she saw small dots of red sprinkled over the soft down. More tickling on her arm and face made her flinch backwards in surprise, but then she noticed they were also caused from feathers falling from above. As she looked up, more and more feathers emerged from the darkness and rained down on her, all of them stained with red sprinkles.

Her heart started to thunder, her head only able to come up with one plausible explanation as to whom they belonged to. "Lucifer?" she anxiously called upwards. Returning to her swimming movement, she crawled her way through the darkness, trying to get closer to where the feather's seemed to come from. But the more she swam, the more feather's seemed to surround her and she became more frantic in her movement. "Lucifer?!" she cried out, her breaths coming out in sharp blows.

The mass of feathers increased more and more and it became a challenge for her to travel further through the sea of white and red. "What… what's happening? Lucifeeer!? Are you here? Please say something! Are you alright? Where are you?" Her voice echoed and faded into the darkness with no response coming out of it towards her. "It's just a dream…" she reminded herself, "Just a dream…" Closing her eyes she stopped her exhausting movements and tried to focus on waking up. Breathing slowly and controlled she pressed against her consciousness as if to nudge it awake, but it simply wouldn't kickstart.

Suddenly the fluffy feather were starting to sting against her skin and their limber shape became rigid and sharp, slicing small cuts into her arms and legs. "Ow! Dammit! Ouch!" she hissed and whined, her skin quickly covered in small cuts and trickles of blood. She flailed around, tried to push the feathers away from herself but it only made things worse and the feathers tore deeper into her flesh. "Nooo! Please! Let me out of here! Please! Lucifeeer! Help me!"

Her eyes shot open and he sat upright, fully tensed up. Blinking, Chloe looked left and right, seeing the retro style architecture of the walls and luxurious bed she sat in and realized she was finally awake again and in the comforting surrounding of Lucifer's penthouse. Her fingers trembling, she looked at the watch on the nightstand.

3:17 am.

She wrapped her arms around her knees, scared to the core. "It was just a dream…" she breathed out, wiping her sniffling nose. She sat in silence for several minutes, trying to shake off the anxiety she felt tingling in her muscles and bones. Her mind however was still on hyperdrive and she couldn't shake off the feel that Lucifer was hurt and suffering. Maze had explained to her that hell's time worked very differently. It felt much slower, but in comparison to earth much more time passed by in the place of eternal damnation. A truly horrifying concept.

While she had been trying to cope with his absence for a few months, it had been years for him. He had been stuck in the pit without a light at the end of the tunnel, just having to accept his role that was burdened upon him, while having to neglect his own feelings and desires. Again it made her think about God and His cruelty. With Him being omniscient, omnipresent and omnipotent, this was what He wanted for His own son? She couldn't wrap her head around it. It wasn't possible in her parent-mind that one could do this and wanted for this to happen. Every good and sane parent would do everything in their power to make their child happy and have it live the life it wanted and that filled it with joy.

Calming down her anger, she decided to get out of bed for a while, needing to busy herself with something else until her worrying heart would be calm again as well. Rubbing her arms to get some warmth back in her body, she went into the living room, her eyes wandering over all the assets Lucifer had gathered over the years of his existence. He had left everything behind, she thought to herself. All of the things he had acquired, that held a history and meaning, were now stashed away in shelves and vitrines, dusting away while the person that could tell their stories, was not able to do so anymore.

She walked past the shelves, letting her fingertips brush over the old books and scrolls and she noticed his library was filled with books not only written in English, but in all kinds of languages. Spanish, Italian, Russian, German, even something she assumed to be Chinese or Japanese.

Can he actually read all of these? Does he understand all languages?

She figured it would make sense for the Devil to understand everyone, with hell not making any distinctions between its inhabitants through nationality, belief or any other attribute of a human soul. And since Lucifer had been in hell since eons, it was save to assume that he had learned all of humanities languages.

How have I never noticed this?

Moving over to his vitrines, she saw strange cups and an ancient looking dagger among small stones with carvings in them, neatly draped on red velvet. It was the first time she took a closer look at his belongings, partly because she had been too fragile and had feared she would collapse the moment she'd look at something from him. On the other hand it had always kept her in a state of pleasant limbo. A look at his empty penthouse could have shoved reality with such force into her face that she wasn't sure she could stay sane. But now she made it, although she was still weeping and the wound ran deep. It was nothing less and nothing more than bearable. At least for the time being.

Walking over to his piano, she caressed over the shiny surface, the glass from his last drink on earth still standing on top of the lid next to his ashtray. She never brought herself to clean it and put it back in the shelf. Lowering down onto the bench, she raised the cover from the ivories, the memory of his hands flying virtuously over them, vividly coming alive. She took a deep breath, worrying her lip between her teeth for a brief moment, before she placed her hands on the keys. Exhaling softly, she carefully began to play the melody she had once played along with him. Heart and Soul.

She was by far not close to his talent, but the melody wasn't too hard to get a hang of, and perhaps with the thought of Lucifer appreciating the idea of her playing, she became more secure with every round.

His cheek stung from an irritating impact and he felt his head wobble from one side to another.

"Hello? Boss? Hellooo? Lucifer?! Hey! Anybody home?"

The grumpy and shrieky voice tore him out of the darkness. He opened his eyes and quickly sat up. "What the bloody hell?! Did you seriously just hit me?" Lucifer growled out, his expression perplex about the possibility of his little helper hitting him.

Gaudium quickly stepped back from him, hiding his clawy hands behind his back in the most unbelievable way of mimicking innocence. "Erm… I erm… I was merely nudging you from your precious slumber out here…" he murmured looking left and right, "…in this... nothingness." He frowned, watching closely as Lucifer pushed himself back on his feet with a grunt. "Why are you here anyway? I thought you wanted to be in your quarters."

He blinked and reached for his head, when everything around him momentarily turned and swirled. With a quiet groan he paused a brief second, collecting his thoughts. How long have I been out here? "I… There was this damn sobbing sound. It came from outside the palace."

"A sobbing sound? As in… cries of agony?" Gaudium asked sceptical, pushing his hands to his chubby hips.

"No, Gaudium, not cries of agony. I know we're in hell, I'm not demented," he grunted dismissively, "It was… it was… just... sad. But as if it didn't belong here," he went on quietly and turned around, frowning. "She looked so lonely… and was so apathetic. I'm not even sure she realized I was there…"

"She?" he inquired, raising a non-existent brow, the skin of his forehead wrinkling in curiosity.

Wetting his lips, Lucifer hesitated to explain about seeing Chloe. His small servant knew about her though, as Gaudium had heard from the rouge demons what they had been up to when they had been on earth. But Lucifer didn't want for the Cherub to be able to dig any deeper, his mind still too troubled and his heart in too much pain to speak about her. Avoiding to answer him, he quickly switched to the other issue on his mind. "It was right here." He reached forward, his hand fishing through the air, but he met no resistance. "I don't understand… There was this invisible wall and I couldn't reach out like this."

Gaudium stepped up to him and walked up and down where Lucifer pointed at. "Erm… boss…? I hate to break it to you, but there is no wall here. I mean, here I am, walking around, not bumping my melon head into anything," he muttered, stomping on the ashed ground back and forth to make his point.

Lucifer watched him with growing concern. Had he been sleepwalking? Perhaps it had just been a dream. A nightmare? Maybe it was even hell itself that tested his sanity and was playing tricks on his mind. Whatever it was, he had to regain his composure. No demon should catch him this confused and vulnerable, let alone lying around unconscious. He would have been an easy target for an attack and he was just lucky that it was Gaudium who had found him first. Straightening his attire, he looked at his long time servant. "Was there a reason you've been around when you found me, Gaudium? It can't be a coincidence that you stumbled over me now, can it?"

"The guards told me you took flight into this direction. Actually I was looking for you, because Dromos, he…" Gaudium began hesitantly and grimaced, knowing that speaking about this particular demon was like opening the Pandora's box. "He said he has information you might find valuable. Something about that damn prophecy and that human. Again," he went on, waving his hand in discontent and let out a deep sigh. "So freakin' annoying these cryptic messages from your Old Man… and then He even chose Metatron, the one with the most horrible handwriting among you lot, to write them down! Such idiocy..."

"Bloody what?!" he shot back angrily as he caught what Gaudium had mumbled along. "Dromos just wants to waste my time, get on my nerves and make me commute his punishment. That pathetic berk won't get anything from me!"

Gaudium stared back at him perplexed for a few seconds and eventually nodded slowly. "Aaallllright. Well I can fly right over to his cell and hammer your response into his head."

"Yes. Go do that. And next time he comes up with another lie to influence anyone around him-" he began to growl threateningly, but Gaudium beat him to it in a casual tone, finishing his threat.

"Tongue removal, boss?" Gaudium asked with a sheepish grin, his thin tail with its small arrowhead twitching around in happy excitement.

"Tongue removal," Lucifer agreed darkly.

Chapter Text

Chapter 3: Getting To Work

The man dressed in a cheap black suit glared at the woman on the ground while pushing the used gun to safety behind his back. He had practised this, went through it countless of times and had now managed to do his duty without hesitation. He crouched down and gripped her collar, pulling her face towards his own. "You wait," he hissed in a low whisper, tightening his grip. "You wait until the time is right and you can get a clean hit. If you fulfil this task, you can keep your free ticket."

"Why shouldn't I just kill you right on this spot and leave?" the woman challenged, her blood smeared teeth showing in a daring smirk. She was tempted to fight back against the hold on her, especially because it would be fairly easy to break those wrists. But she decided to listen to what the man could possibly do to her. If she deemed it unworthy, she could still decide to rip him apart.

His cold blue eyes sparkled and looked down on her with contempt. "Then my friends will hunt you down like the rat you are. We have our ways to find you. And there are some among them who'd very much enjoy to take a closer look at you, while you're rotting away in a cage, of course." the man quietly spoke, a smirk slowly curling up on his lips. "Or… we simply send you back to your master. But I highly doubt he's going to give you a warm welcoming."

Her lips twitched in rage as she held the gaze for a little longer, but the situation was quite clear her. She didn't want to go back. She couldn't. Not if she wanted to avoid the sentencing if being skinned and flailed for eons. She had seen how it looked like when someone suffered from her master's wrath and it was not something she wanted to ever experience first handedly, so to speak. "Fine." she muttered through gritted teeth.

"Attagirl!" he praised her condescendingly and let go of the collar, making her sink back on the ground. Reaching into his pants pocket, he took out a tissue and wiped his fingers clean. "And remember. Only her. Nobody else. If there are any casualties or if you fail, we're back at the topic of giving you hell on earth." And with those last words, he headed through the back door.

The divine entity watched the situation in the house in calm and quiescence, at the same time, seeing everything else the present time had to offer.

All the pieces were laid out. All the assets there. Everybody was active and everything was in motion. It would now be up to them. He couldn't meddle any further. He mustn't, nor had he ever intended to do so in the first place. But ever since the stars had been born and he saw the expression of his son, the Lightbringer, he held onto a certain aspect:

Randomness. The absence of pattern and predictability and therefore no predestination.

With randomness in effect, he hadn't known he would ever need to interfere, only that there was a chance for it to happen. He knew about possible outcomes for this matter of course. But he never knew the true, final outcome before a certain point had been reached. And so with the situation he now saw approaching, he, of all beings, felt ironically clueless. It was even more ironic, or even fitting, depending on the point of view, what important part his blind child played in all of this.

The tingling and pulsing running through his essence and which was vibrating into the matters of all of his creation, were a sign of his nervousness, something he had never felt before. It was because literally everything and everyone was at stake and they didn't know about it. Hopefully, in due time, they would understand.

If not, his plan would have failed and they would all perish.

This was his only way.

[Darkness Inside - Astyria]

Chloe hadn't been able to get more rest after her piano session. The dream, or rather nightmare, had somehow disturbed her more than she thought it would. For hours she had tried to convince herself of it just having been a manifestation of her worries and longing for Lucifer. That her swim though the darkness stood symbolically for the emptiness she felt without him in her life. And that the rain of blood-stained feathers was the worry about his well-being, the fear, that something bad had happened to him and that perhaps he was at risk of death.

It sounded all very plausible, but her mind still would not allow her to relax and set the topic aside. Instead, she found herself encouraged to work on the situation once again, as she had done countless times the past three months. She had to know that he was alright. And she had to somehow find a way to have him come back.

She had the material of her research all collected at home, using the mostly empty storage room on the upper floor where she knew were no things of the daily needs. She took that precaution as she didn't want for Trixie to accidentally stumble over books about the Devil, heaven and hell. Determined with a new wave of energy rooted in despair, she headed homewards as soon as the sun was rising above LA and flooded Lucifer's penthouse in warm golden colours. After a long shower, going from warm to cold in order to wake up her groggy mind, she made two peanut butter and jelly sandwiches and a big cup of coffee, retreating to her personal investigation cavern.

The room was filled with notes, drawings and articles pinned at the wall, as she had been trying to understand how all the celestial things worked, specifically hell, but many things were still a mystery to her. Amenadiel had explained to her the basics on how souls would either go to heaven or hell, based upon their guilt and what they had done in their life, and also how they'd be punished by their guilt in hell. But the transition between the realms itself was hard to understand, let alone imagine.

In a heartwarming conversation with the dark skinned angel, she had learned how he had brought Charlotte to heaven after she got shot and died. While her body still laid on the ground, he had carried her soul into the heavenly realm. He explained that usually this was done by his sister Azrael, the angel of death, who brought each soul to its destination. Amenadiel tried to describe how she knew where the souls would have to go, but Chloe couldn't comprehend. She had even tried to pray to the female angel in order to get some direct answers from her herself, but she hadn't gotten any response. The angel of death appeared to always be busy. Understandably. Amenadiel continuously tried to calm her and told her that the transitioning of souls is simply something a human mind cannot understand, but that answer of course was hardly satisfactory to her detective-mind which was driven by her unrestrained love for Lucifer and her desire to have him back at her side.

Walking across the room, she placed the sandwiches and coffee on the table in the far corner and pulled the big, leather bound book towards her. With a deep sigh she stroke over the embedded words argumentum pro diabolum. It was the book Father Kinley had shown to her, which had all kinds of so called evidence of the Devil and his evil doings gathered inside. Kinley had been a crazy fanatic though as she could tell that everything that had been gathered about Lucifer was merely circumstantial evidence of him being at certain places, but never actual proof of him having done something horrible. To think that Lucifer somehow caused Nazi Germany and is responsible for millions of deaths in the process of the war is absolutely delusional and vicious. He wasn't the Devil humans made him out to be.

The book had been found at Kinley's apartment after his very dead body had been properly processed by the police and his personal belongings had been checked. The case had officially gone cold two days ago due to a lack of leads - with a little help from Maze on the matter of removing Eve's fingerprints - and so it stated no problem for her to take the book for her own little investigation.

Flipping through the pages she grunted in disapproval at the ridiculous accumulation of notes, photographs, articles and bills. She stopped when she spotted a black and white photograph of Lucifer being made as he sat on top of the Hollywood sign with what looked like a glass of wine in his hand and a cigarette loosely hanging between his lips, that rested in a satisfied, soft smile. She wondered how this picture had come to be and in her head she could hear his voice in a mixture of shock and smugness. "Obviously I wanted to enjoy the view from one of the best lookouts, Detective. You should give it a try as well. To hell with the rules when you're able to watch the sun rise above LA from up there."

Smiling at the thought of his voice, she browsed further through the pages, trying to rather think about how much he had seen in his life, than what the creator of the book had intended to achieve with it. Sipping occasionally from her coffee and chewing on her sugar bomb of a sandwich, she eventually reached the last third of the book. When she had been with Kinley she hadn't seen these pages, but had shut the book before even reaching them, too angry about what the priest tried to convince her of. The last section was about the idea of demonic possessions and assumed that, of course, they were done because Lucifer would command them.

"Freaking religious psychos," she muttered, taking another sip from her coffee. She remembered how Maze had told her about Lucifer forbidding the demons to possess any human, and that disobeying would lead to their immediate incineration. No, it was obvious to her who was truly the bad guy in this story. She browsed a little further, coming to pages that were covered in symbols. Some looked like triangles with curves and various lines sticking out to the sides, in a way reminding her of religious symbols. Other symbols looked more like abstract, human figures, but they had odd limbs, almost seeming fluid and all wobbly instead of the naturally straight ones with joints in between bones. She wondered if they were depictions of demons and if this was somehow a simplification of how they looked like.

Do they all sort of look alike? she wondered. Do they have attributes like the human race? Just as the demon race? Some having long claws other short ones, some have horns, some don't, but overall they have the same physique?

The following three pages were written in a symbolic language, but it reminded her of nothing she knew. Remembering the books in Lucifer's penthouse she decided to take pictures of the pages for reference to check if maybe he had a book written in the same language. It seemed odd that Kinley had put down notes in a symbolic language, especially after all these pages with circumstantial signs of Lucifer's sightings throughout the ages. Was there a connection between them?

She finished her breakfast while skimming a little more through her personal morning investigation, until it was time for her actual job and she headed towards the precinct. On the road, the display of her phone blinked, showing the number of the Lieutenant.

"Good morning, sir," she answered, putting him on speaker.

"Good morning, Detective Decker. Are you on your way to the precinct?"

"Yes, sir. Should be there in fifteen minutes," she informed him with a nod he couldn't see and was glad she seemed to have hit a green wave, making her drive considerably shorter.

"Don't even bother to make a stop here," he commented, his voice crackling through the speaker. "You can drive straight to Compton. I'll send you the address. We had two call ins. One anonymous and one apparently from a neighbour. Loud screams and a shot were heard. A man was found dead in his kitchen. Looks like a holdup murder. I just informed the rest of the team to get straight to work. You should arrive there more or less around the same time."

And so the day begins...

"Of course. I'll be on my way. Thanks for the heads up."

"Sure thing. Good luck, Detective."

He hung up, undoubtedly already fighting with a pile of new files to go through and a long list of calls to make throughout the day. She really didn't envy him for that. At least she had a job that took her outside. Her phone pinged with the incoming address and after taking the next turn left, she set the address the Lieutenant had sent her as her destination, heading towards Compton.

A good forty minutes later she parked the car, the neighbourhood spreading the vibe of high class, family focus and she assumed most people living here were doctors, lawyers or working higher up for the state in some way or another.

The house was already sealed with crime tape, holding back a group of neighbours, bystanders and photographers. Just as she approached the officer keeping watch, she spotted Dan coming over towards her.

"Hey Dan," she greeted with a short smile, "Just arrived as well?"

"Morning Chloe. About twenty minutes ago. Had some time to talk to the neighbour," he began, flipping open his small notebook. "Mister Seaton. Said he heard loud screaming and a shot from inside the house about one and a half hours ago. Ella arrived along with me and went straight in." He continued to fill her in as they both headed inside. "Victim's name is Erica Clark, 35 years old, single, lived here since three years and was a real estate lawyer for The Richmond Law Group."

"Alright. Let's take a look," she said as they stepped into the entrance hall. It was as luxurious from the inside as she had expected it to be from a female lawyer; marble floor, chandeliers and fresh bouquets of flowers everywhere. The furniture was a healthy mix of modern and classical, keeping the overall look light and open. Peering through the open doors she spotted the kitchen to the left and carefully stepped inside, avoiding the numbered evidence plates. Ella was fully focussed on the victim on the ground, waving her small flashlight over the body's chest. "Hey Ella."

The forensic scientist looked up still in thought, her flashlight following in her movement and with that accidentally pointing into Chloe's face. "Oh hey." she greeted, quickly flicking down the light. "Sorry. Was just checking the shot wound."

"And I was just about to ask. What do you know so far?" Stepping around the victim, she crouched down.

"It was a pretty ugly confrontation it seems. The victim suffered a blow to the head, fell and then was shot straight through the heart. The burns around the entrance wound indicate the weapon was fired point blank in a slight angle, somewhat like this," Ella explained as she stood up and pointed at the victim with a finger gun. "Execution style.

"That somehow doesn't even sound like a robbery gone wrong. A blow to the head could have made the woman unconscious or at least immobile enough for the criminal to get away. But finishing it of with a shot point blank?" Chloe repeated surprised. "That sounds more like something personal. At least calculated."

"Maybe it was something work related. I mean, she probably has pissed several people off doing her job. Could be an angry client or one who was turned down", Dan pointed out. He headed through the aligning living room and inspected the door leading into the small back garden. "Hinge and lock appear alright. Doesn't look like it was opened with force. Same for the front door, so it was either picked or Miss Clark opened up."

"Did the neighbour mention seeing someone come or leave?" Chloe asked as she looked through the kitchen window towards the neighbour's house.

"He said he was just having breakfast and obviously not checking the window, so he saw no one coming," he stated with a sigh. "He only got up to take a look when he heard the screaming, but he couldn't see anything from his position. When he heard the shot, he took cover and a few minutes later called it in. He carefully kept watching the front door, but didn't see anyone leave."

"So the killer might have entered through the front and left through the back door. Alright, we gotta check them thoroughly, see if we can find some finger- or footprints," Chloe concluded and looked back at Ella who took photos of the body. "Can you say what she was hit with, Ella?"

"Something small, rectangular, but I can't be more specific, sorry." She offered a soft apologetic smile and grabbed her kit. "I'll go check for prints. Maybe we get lucky and the killer left us a trace." Slinging her camera around her neck, she stepped around the body and went back to the front door.

"Alright. I'll take a look around maybe I'll find the object that was used. Dan? Could you have a look through her jewellery, see if it looks if it was searched and contact her employer. Maybe they know of someone she's been having trouble with, client, family or a crazy ex."

"Sure thing, Chlo. Already on it," Dan spoke as he got on his phone and headed through the house.

Stepping to the counter, Chloe took a look over the kitchenware. Some of it laid spread on the ground, probably from a defensive move from the victim. But nothing in plain sight stood out to have been recently used as a weapon, nor did any of them fit to the shape Ella mentioned. She glanced over the body and sighed. It was always horrible. Seeing a life being extinguished like that. Erica seemed like she had accomplished quite a lot in terms of her career and wealth and that didn't just come from nothing. She must have worked a whole lot and had a thick skin to make it in the field of that harsh business.

Erica's skin was as pale as it would get, making her veins start to show more prominently as her body began to travel unstoppably along its path of decay. Crouching down, Chloe took another look at her. She was neatly dressed in what seemed to be her business attire; A pair of dark grey chinos, with a white blouse and a light blue scarf. She looked classy and stylish at the same time.

And suddenly, she moved.

With a growl not from this world, Erica opened her eyes and lunged her arms out at Chloe's throat.

"Holy sh-" Chloe was about to cry out, but her scream was stifled as the grip of the woman was like iron. Her heart was thundering like it was given an electric shock, adrenaline pumping through her, making her tremble while at the same time it gave her a boost of energy. While her body acted on its own in the means to get oxygen, her brain was still having issues to keep up with what was going on.

Erica Clark was dead. She had been dead. It took Chloe ten excruciatingly long seconds until her mind finally came up with an explanation.

Demon.

But it wasn't possible... was it? Was Lucifer not making sure that no demon would escape from hell? Tears started to well in her eyes from the pressure on her throat as Erica - the demon? - swung her around to straddle and choke her on the ground. With panic she fished around at her sides, trying to get a hold of something she could use. She touched something metallic and instinctively closed her palm around it. With a wide arch she smashed the object against Erica's face, only to notice at the impact, that it was a pair of scissors. The pointy metal broke through skin and bone, sinking in a good three inches, but instead of making her waver and stumble off, it only caused the not-so-dead woman to grin dangerously.

Disgusted, shocked and terrified at the same time, Chloe tried to loosen the grip on her throat. Finally one hand let go of her, but only to curl together into a fist and slam down against her face. Her vision blurred in an instant as her head swung to the right, her cheek hitting the floor. Groaning out a quietly choked sound of pain, her surrounding began to darken. Another hit landed against her temple and a third made her head swing to the other side.

Just then her mind began to wander from the present situation towards her daughter and fear and sadness flooded through her. She wanted to be with her, hold her and see her grow up, but within seconds she felt absolutely terrified and the possibility of her not surviving this, was a growing possibility. A moment later however, the panicking thoughts wandered towards Lucifer. Somehow he had always been there, always helped her before. Calling him came like an instinct, natural, although unlikely to be heard this time. Her mouth desperately tried to scream out his name, but nothing more than a low grunt left her and the scream merely echoed in her mind. All she could think of was his name and the overwhelming emotions she felt when thinking about him.

Her cheekbone burned maddeningly from the previous hit and the strength in her body was instantly seeping away, when her forehead was knocked against with another blow from her attacker. Slacking down, everything slipped from her vision. Her eyes rolled up and blackness took her into a cold embrace.

It had happened again and again, day after day. He heard her, usually whimpering, crying and sobbing. Sometimes he could have sworn he had heard her murmur his name. It would happen any time; while he was on his throne in the tomb system, while inside a hell loop or when in his palace. And it didn't matter if he was wide awake or asleep. Each time he had heard her, he followed her voice and ended up seeing her behind an unclimbable, unbreakable and invisible wall. She could never hear him, didn't react to him and didn't speak. And each time he stood in front of her, unable to touch and interact with her. He'd scream and cry and eventually he would collapse from exhaustion.

It had been two weeks of the worst torture for both his heart and mind and he felt that he was truly going mad.

"Get the FUCK OUT!" Lucifer bellowed through the throne room. His teeth bared and eyes ablaze in harrowing crimson, he panted in rage. Impatiently he watched as his servants flinched and ducked their heads as they quickly ran out of the palace.

Blinking and still heavily breathing, Lucifer glanced down to his hands, realizing that they had clawed into the dark basalt armrests. He was clutching onto them so forcefully he had broken off parts of the throne.

"Erm… b-boss...?" Gaudium spoke up carefully.

"Gaudium…" he growled back threateningly. "You too! Get out!"

The small cherub gulped, torn between trying to reason and following his master's order but also felt the momentary urge to point out what he had head earlier that day. "But Dromos continues to talk about that human and the proph-"

"Enough!" The armrests cracked with a forceful blast beneath Lucifer's palms. He stood up in a blink to his full height, towering above Gaudium threateningly. "I don't want to hear one more word from that worthless bastard again! Now, get out!" He was hardly aware how his face was shifting in a flickering static between his Devil- and normal face as he glared at Gaudium.

Biting his tongue, Gaudium quickly scooted back from the throne. "Ahh… S-sorry…" he quietly apologized, not daring to look up at him. Instead, he quickly turned around, took flight and headed out of the palace.

With deep growls continuing to rumble from his throat, Lucifer stood alone in his throne room, but although he was alone, it wasn't quiet. Chloe's stifled cries still echoed all around him. Or was it all just in his head? He had painfully realized days before, that nobody of his servants could actually hear her, nor had they ever seen her in the middle of the ashen land. He didn't have any proof of her actually being there or for there being some sort of manifestation of her.

The soft whimpering and sniffs made him groan in frustration and he desperately ran his fingers into his hair, gripping and pulling as if feeling the pain at his scalp would cause the sounds to vanish. "I'm going bloody mad…" he breathed, a crazed laugh uttering over his lips as tears trickled down his cheeks. "Why won't it STOP!?" Angry, confused and frantic, he started to pace up and down through the hallway, his fingers starting to scrape sharply over his scalp while the sobbing sounds continued to bounce inside of his head. "Get out of my head… Stop it… Please… Stop it!" His growling had turned into sobs and whimpering of his own. "Please, I can't…"

Suddenly the sad cries in his head turned unbearably loud within the fraction of a second, forming into a high pitched scream of terror and pain.

And then he heard her scream his name.

Chapter Text

Chapter 4: Dead Or Alive

[Rescue - Raine Wilder & Svrcina]

The scream was different. Way different than the sobs and whimpers he had heard for the past few weeks… and that terrified him.

His eyes widened in shock, his mind clearing with purpose and a sense for direction in an instant. His wings burst wide open on their own accord and his body thrust itself into the void without a second thought making it through his synapses. It was an instinct, the flap of his wings running on autopilot as he let himself be drawn towards the call of his name. He didn't even feel himself in control over the reaction and if he hadn't been already in fear and worry for her wellbeing, it might have even scared him how he was unable to guide his own movements.

Breaking through the void of darkness, he appeared with a soft rustle of his feathers in a house unknown to him. The beating of his heart felt more like it was about to hammer up and out through his throat as he laid eyes on the scene going on in front of him. A woman straddled his Detective on the ground, forcefully choking and beating her. Horrified, he dashed forward and grabbed the dark haired woman at her arm and collar, pulling her up sideways. "Get the fuck off of her!" he snarled, watching as the woman caught her balance and landed on her feet despite his forceful pull.

The woman's eyes blackened as she looked back at him and for a brief moment Lucifer hesitated, still holding onto her. "What the hell…?" he hissed in anger, realizing that a demon had slipped out of hell without him noticing. "Scoxa?" he identified the escapee with bafflement. He was about to choke and incinerate her, when she took him by surprise, managing to give him a punch and shove against the chest, causing his grip to loosen enough for her to wiggle out of it. With a snarl she slipped past him, stormed out of the room and through the front door. He knew he could catch up to her if he wanted to, but she wasn't the priority.

[Hold On For Your Life - Sam Tinnesz]

Focussing his attention on the most important thing in his life, he sank down on his knees and carefully lifted Chloe's upper body to rest it against him. Horrified he noticed just how badly she was injured. Her face was completely beaten up, covered in multiple cuts and bruises. Swellings around her closed eyes seemed to have made it impossible, if not at least very painful, for her to even open them. He could hear her take in very faint, raspy and short breaths. As he glanced to her throat, it didn't seem that much better than her face. Big, dark bruises had already began to form, showing the marks of the hands that had choked her.

This wasn't supposed to happen to her, with him overseeing the demons. She wasn't supposed to be broken, beaten, bleeding and barely conscious from the attack of a demon. With shaky fingers he brushed two blood stained strands of hair from her face. "I'm so sorry…" he whispered and gently caressed her cheek with his thumb. His brave Detective had tried fighting off a demon who was a good ten times as strong as herself and it even seemed she had at least put up quite a fight from a human's standpoint. He felt a sense of pride for how strong she was, but was also deeply worried about her physical state.

He took a second to look around, realizing they were at a crime scene, which meant that other officers and her colleagues were most likely closeby. In fact he could hear them move through the house. There were people who could help her, but he wasn't going to just leave her like this. She needed immediate help, but there was only one way for him to give her that. Hoping that everyone was far enough away to not barge in in the next ten seconds, he curled his right wing and plucked one of the longer mid feathers.

While for himself the healing effect wouldn't work, on a human's skin the divine feather did literally work wonders. Making sure to carefully lower Chloe down to the ground again, he placed the feather against her chest on the height of her collarbone, and laid her hands above it so that it wouldn't accidentally fall off during her healing. The feather quickly began to bleed light with a growing intensity and he let out a soft breath in relief.

It's working...

Wings spreading, he silently cursed at himself as he tore himself away from her. He looked at her one last time, feeling his heart ache with sorrow. He wanted to be with her, stay with her until she was healed and well, but he had to decide against it. He watched as her chest softly rose and fell, while the light began to flood the room, and as he could tell that the light was starting to seep into her body to heal her, he pushed himself off and disappeared back into the void.

She'll be fine… She has to be...

Arriving back in hell, he headed straight for the Torture Fields were most demons hung around if not paying visits to the human souls in their hell loops. He was furious and it showed not only in his crimson eyes, but also in the way the basalt around and the dark earth beneath him cracked from the raging force vibrating off of him.

"GAUDIUM!" his voice thundered through the realm. He knew he was heard from every being in hell, demons, souls and little cherubs alike. There was no way to hide from his influence when he put his full attention to it.

The flapping sound of Gaudium's small, bat-like wings approached and the cherub did his best to keep up with Lucifer's fast flying speed. "Yes, boss? You've called, here I am."

"Scoxa slipped through onto earth and is now possessing a human body in LA.," he stated angrily, his wings flapping powerfully, pushing him through the vast, ashen realm.

The small cherub's eyes narrowed as he did his best to keep up. "Do you want me to send the hellhounds or should I take care of her myself?" Gaudium suggested, rubbing his hands. "Although the hellhounds would enjoy to be off their leash for once-"

"Neither! You will personally head to earth and protect the Detective. Scoxa attacked her and I was just able to get in between and heal her. Chloe is smart. She probably realized it was a demon and will seek help from Mazikeen and Amenadiel," Lucifer explained as he dove through a narrow valley, elegantly passing by the gruesome, pointy shards of basalt that threatened to slice whatever came too close to the walls. "You will go and watch over her. Protect her."

"I- I will do what?!" Gaudium exclaimed surprised, sounding clearly pissed. "You want me to babysit a human?"

"You will make sure she is safe, Gaudium," Lucifer went on sternly and gave him a calculating side glance. "But you will have to stay hidden. I don't want her to freak out if she sees you like this."

With a dozen heavy wing-beats the cherub dashed forward, flew in front of Lucifer and forced him to slow down. "Now what's that supposed to mean?! You know that this is just the way I look since my fall!" he grunted offended and crossed his arms on his chest.

"Well then use a bloody glamour or hide in the bushes! Just think of something!" Lucifer grumbled back. It wasn't that he was angry at Gaudium, but rather himself. The fact that he hadn't even noticed the demon slipping out of hell was alarming and it was most likely due to his mental state he was in since the past few weeks. A lack of sleep and the constant sound of Chloe's sobs tore at his sanity. "Let me know in case you find something out about how Scoxa actually got out of hell. Someone must have summoned her. I want to know who did it. I try to find out information from down here."

"Aye… And what about Scoxa herself?" the cherub asked, grinding to a halt in the air with Lucifer.

"Amenadiel and Maze will be able to take care of her. Now go." He watched Gaudium angle his wings, take on altitude and with a few more thrusts, disappear in hell's dark sky. He sighed, hoping that this was a good move. He didn't want for Chloe to be in danger, obviously, but he couldn't just leave hell to hunt down Scoxa either. With time running differently in hell, he had to stay present. There was however another reason why he had left her so quickly and not even stayed until she had healed.

Goodbye's were a horribly painful thing and he had already forced her to go through one. It was supposed to be a one-time-only thing, so that the wound he caused inside her could heal over time. If he'd have stayed and she would have seen him, talked to him with both their hearts hammering from joy, a second goodbye would have been even worse to endure for both of them. Leaving without her knowing too much, was surely still painful, but also the less painful option. And he hoped desperately that she would understand and forgive him.

A warmth and softness enveloped her, touching first her cheek and then her chest.

Her mind stirred as she heard a row of low vibrations. Was it a car passing by? Or maybe a person?

Yes… a voice… Who is it? Ella? Dan?

It sounded muffled and distant. As she could feel the warmth on her chest increasing, the weight on her eyelids began to lessen and she could hear the throbbing of her own heart decrease as well. Her brain finally caught up with her situation and made her understand she had been unconscious and was now coming back to her senses.

The strange warmth increased and a sense of peace and content washed through her body. It sank into her skin and rushed through her every cell like a tender cleansing, removing the burning and aching from her heavy limbs. She heard a faint rustling sound next to her and as she fluttered open her eyes, a brush of air caused her to blink, before her vision could clear and focus.

"W-what…?" she breathed, slowly moving her palms to her side and pushing herself up.

What was that sound? That rustle...

"Oh my god! Chloe?! Are you alright?!" Ella suddenly called as she rushed into the kitchen. "There was some sort of flash or something and I wanted to see what was going on. Why are you on the floor? Did you pass out?" She almost stumbled over her own words from worry, but then her head turned and her eyes took in the mess of the crime scene, making her halt. "Wait... Where's the body?!"

Chloe frowned, trying to gather her thoughts.

What happened? Why have I been unconscious? I remember fighting...

Ella's alarming words hardly managed to reach her, except for when she mentioned the body. "The... body?" Shocked, Chloe turned around and looked over the kitchen floor. But aside from a smeared pool of blood and an absolute mess of the evidence plates and kitchenware spread around on the floor, there was nothing. The crime scene was without the victim. Her hand went towards her throat by reflex, carefully brushing over the skin as she recalled the events. "The woman… She…"

She wasn't dead… A demon… She beat me unconscious. I was hurt. Badly. How did I…?

"Yeah? Chloe what happened? Where is she?" Ella asked, walking around and inspecting the crime scene with a rush of quiet curses, her eyes frantic.

As if it wasn't complicated enough, Dan entered the kitchen, his eyes widening in shock as he took in the scene in front of him. "Hey I heard you upstairs. What's the iss-" He paused, staring in utter disbelief and shock, joining Ella in her expression. "What the hell happened here?! Where's the body?"

The memories of moments ago kept rushing back to Chloe and her lips parted, ready to spill the knowledge of what she had witnessed and experienced, but then she realized it wasn't that easy. She couldn't just tell them, that a dead body stood back up again and attacked her, because the woman was most likely possessed by a demon. Although she hated keeping this a secret, she knew she had to lie. For the sake of sounding sane towards her colleagues and for the sake of their safety. The less they knew right now the better. They were not involved in the celestial madness that was real and she wanted to try and keep it that way, unless it was impossible to pretend otherwise. She envied Lucifer for his ability to easily avoid spilling information, while still able to not lie. She wasn't that talented on that matter.

"I- I… I think I passed out somehow. Probably low blood sugar, maybe? I- I did have some drops lately, but it wasn't that I actually, well, dropped down myself," she muttered a little clumsily, pretending a bit of cautiousness as she slowly got up on her feet and reached for a nearby chair for feigned steadiness.

"So you haven't seen what happened with the body? Did you see someone come in or leave with it?" Dan asked her as Ella began taking new pictures for the files.

"Erm… no. I was totally out, I guess," Chloe replied, thankful at least that wasn't a lie, and looked around the kitchenware. She swallowed thickly when she didn't see the scissors on the ground.

Has that demon taken off while having scissors stuck in its temple? Seriously?!

[Even If It Hurts - Sam Tinnesz]

As she continued to glance around to look for traces, she spotted something familiar on the ground and her heart began to thunder. Nervously she licked her lips and pretended to reach for her shoe, fumbling with the hem of her jeans. Unseen from Ella and Dan, she swiftly picked up the white feather and let it disappear in her jacket. Her head began to spin.

Is that possible? Is that one of his? Did he...? Why didn't he stay? Did he follow that demon? Is he out there?

"Well, damn it! How the hell is that making any sense?!" Dan exclaimed, hands raising and falling to his sides. "First we have a woman getting shot and now the body simply disappeared while a whole police team was present! Holy shit, how are we supposed to explain that?"

"Relax, Dan. Panic won't help us," Chloe tried to calm him, although her mind was reeling back and forth. The possibility of Lucifer having been here made her stomach feel all light and upside-down. "Maybe the officer outside saw something." Straightening her posture, she tried to sort her own thoughts about how to continue with this situation and had to differentiate between the official way and her own, celestial-involving, private way. "Okay erm… let's first wrap things up here as quickly as possible. Ella, did you find any traces on the doors?"

Lowering her camera, Ella nodded. "Yeah several, but I gotta analyse them first. It could very well be that they're all from the victim, who... is gone now." The Latina's voice rose with insecurity, her brows going up as her forehead wrinkled worriedly.

Stepping closer, Dan took a light hold on her shoulder. "Did you take samples from her before she vanished?" he asked, his voice heavy from tension and a shimmer of hope sounding through.

Immediately her features relaxed, her skill giving her confidence. "Of course. Standard procedure!" Ella shot him a duh! look and gave his arm a gentle, reassuring squeeze.

He sighed relieved. "Well at least we have that..."

"Alright. You were just taking pictures, Ella. Did you notice anything that could help us?" Chloe went on, gesturing around the kitchen.

"Well maybe. There's a smear over there," Ella said, walking over towards the blood. "A footprint, but just a partial. Judging from the looks, I'd say male dress shoes."

Lucifer's? The killer's?

Nodding in thought, Chloe went towards the door. "Okay, let's see if the officer outside or maybe one of the bystanders saw someone leave with the body." She knew it was pointless the moment the words left her mouth. There was not going to be any useful evidence or rather any believable evidence. Some neighbours most likely could have made a call about seeing a woman with a pair of scissors stuck in her temple running around.

She took a deep, shaky breath.

Great. Just fucking great…

It turned out just as she had expected. The officer mentioned having heard a growl and as he turned, he and the bystanders had seen Erica, scissor-struck, running off like a crazy one in such a high speed, nobody could explain. The officer had had quite the task, keeping his sanity intact while also making sure to keep the people from going absolutely mental. Chloe figured he should get a medal for that and probably go see a therapist along with the bystanders.

Linda would have a great time...

The team took more notes from the neighbours down the street, but eventually the trail ran cold and they decided to head back to the precinct. While Ella was going through the little evidence they had gathered and Dan gathered more information on Erica, Chloe excused herself to take the rest of the day off, using the I-still-don't-feel-too-well-card from her blackout to her advantage. Nobody objected, in fact, the Lieutenant encouraged her to take the rest of the day off, worried she might not yet be stable enough for the rest of the day. She didn't need to be told twice, considering the demonic-matter she needed to take care of.

Her head was throbbing with the amount of things going through her mind and she was doing her best to drive more carefully, even when she wasn't fully sure what to do next. One thing however she was certain about and so she made a call.

"Hey Decker… What's up?" a crisp, happy voice chimed in between gulps and crunches.

"Maze? Are you eating cereal with vodka again? It' afternoon." All she heard in response was a crunchy mhm. Shaking her head to herself she sighed and went on. "Listen… Maze… There's been an incident at a crime scene. I think there is a demon running around," she got straight to the point and reached into her jacket, taking out the feather.

A light laugh rumbled on the other end. "Relax, Decker. You probably think you're seeing all kinds of weird shit, now that you know-"

Chloe's eyes widened in bafflement. "Are you kidding me? There was a dead woman and one moment later she stood up and attacked me. Now she's running around with a freaking pair of scissors in her head, so don't tell me I'm imagining things, okay?!" she snapped back angrily, hurt from Maze thinking she was overreacting.

"Decker… I-" Maze sounded surprised, but then her voice changed, becoming apologetic, although with a hint of disapproval, most likely because she didn't do too well with apologies. "Okay. Sorry that was rude… I think."

Sighing, Chloe calmed down her voice. She was on edge because of several things, mainly because of Lucifer. Second to that was the demon running around in L.A.. "I'm sorry… I'm just… This has been really shaking me. Look, the woman was definitely dead. She was shot straight through the heart and laid dead on the ground for at least forty five minutes."

Maze hummed at the other end of the line. "And then she suddenly just go up and attacked you?"

She sighed softly again, taking another moment to calm her nerves when she was stopped from a red light. "Yeah. She choked and beat me and… and I lost consciousness. When I woke up, she was gone. Several people saw her leave the crime scene and-"

"Wait wait wait!" Maze suddenly rang alarmed and something wooden sounded scraping in the background and dropped on the floor, most likely the chair she had been sitting on. "She beat you? Are you alright? If this really was a demon then-"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine," she quickly cut in, trying to not let her friend's worry get the better of her. Maze on a frantic roll would be unstoppable. At least for her. "I mean… I'm fine now. I think maybe that…" She paused and hesitated, glancing at the feather. Chewing on her lip, she felt her chest contract and her throat tighten. Should she mention the feather? Tell her about that most likely Lucifer had come back and saved her and was now perhaps tracking down that demon? If he was still around, she had to know. She needed to know. On the other hand she was afraid she got excited for no reason. Even if Lucifer had been there, he didn't stay with her. Or had he been leaving the feather like a signature? To tell her he was there? "Nevermind," she muttered in thought, shaking her head in wonder.

She felt herself stuck in information that made no sense and at the same time she was trying to find a way through a thick, sticky darkness, while all she wanted was to be back in Lucifer's arms. She needed some clearance and also a bit of comfort. "I need to speak with Amenadiel about something. Do you think you can track down that demon somehow?"

"Sure thing I can. I've got my skills. It's another thing to send it back to hell though. But we take care of that when I have it," Maze explained and a few noises could be heard as she seemed to get moving.

"Thanks Maze." She was beyond grateful for her demon friend's help in this and she took a mental note to pull her into a tight hug the next time she would see her, no matter her demon-awkwardness about human emotions. She'd have to just deal with it.

"Hold on, Decker. There's one more thing," Maze sounded sharp and urgently.

Pausing her finger from ending the call, Chloe frowned. "What is it?"

"You said that the demon suddenly got up and attacked you. A demon doesn't just appear in a human's body. It has to be summoned first. I assume that the demon was already summoned and instructed to lay there, playing dead," Maze suggested as her boots clacked on the floor.

"So it was a setup," she muttered in thought. That was rather alarming, but she had to keep a clear mind and focus on the most pressing matter first. "Okay one thing at a time. Find the demon and then we go from there. Thanks again, Maze." Hanging up, she texted her the last seen address of the victim and the picture of the person the demon was possessing, just to be safe. "God, I hope nobody else gets hurt…" she muttered with a sigh and glanced back at the feather. And I hope you're alright… Taking the next turn to her right, she drove directly towards her friends' address. Celestial matters required celestial help.

Pocketing her phone, Maze threw her bag on the table with a heavy thump and opened the zipper.

Finally some action again!

Although a demon running loose was certainly something to be cautious about, she reckoned with a shrug to herself. But it still sounded like a bit of a change in her daily life as a bounty hunter and, as of late, demonic auntie. She already had been daydreaming about teaching Charlie in all kinds of martial arts, just like Trixie. How long would it take for children to grow up and their parents not nagging about them being too young for this stuff or for it being too dangerous?

Hopefully not too long… The sooner they learn, the better.

Packing her knifes, chains and, just for the fun of it, a Taser rod alongside some other helpful equipment, she shouldered the bag and headed to her car. Tracking a demon was quite different from tracking a human. Humans used their credit cards, slept in motels and paid their bills. They had places to be and things to do. A demon on the loose however was not going to be found in a motel where it would sip a beer and watch TV. No. It would look for a place to enjoy the thrill of sinning, torturing and killing, and quite possibly call on more demons to follow, so she had to be quick. Her advantage though was quite massive. A human she would need to tediously search for. A demon on the other hand she could smell from a mile away.

Upon reaching the address Chloe gave her, she shut down the engine of her Audi R8 with a last roar. A very pleasant sound in her opinion. Much like her own roar if she'd ever let it be heard from another soul. Perhaps the escapee would hear it, she thought with a smile.

"Alright then… let's see where you've been going," she murmured to herself as she lowered the windows and closed her eyes. Deeply inhaling, she began to take in the scents surrounding her, filtering everything that was human and otherwise natural. Pets, fresh and rotting food, flowers and trees, pollution, the distant scent of the salty ocean and her leather seats. She filtered everything away and more quickly than she had expected, she scrunched her nose. "Ugh! There you are…" she hissed through gritted teeth, the distinctive smell of death and horror getting stuck in her nostrils.

The invisible trail, once taken up, was impossible to simply lose again. Restarting the engine, and letting it run low, she slowly followed where her nose was leading her. The neighbourhood wasn't all too big and there was nothing much that could hold a demon's interest. Luxurious houses were a point of interest for human scumbags, but not for a demon. They were into bars or clubs that were spreading the smell of sin, but in this area, she knew there was nothing of these sorts close by.

As she followed the trail, she eventually left the housing area and reached the industrial block with a few closed shops and some rentable storerooms. The scent became somewhat thicker, fouler, indicating that the demon was most likely somewhere close by. She decided to park the car as the trail was starting to lead her into an enclosed storage block. Taking her bag along with her, she peered into the darkness with a smirk. "There's nowhere to hide from me," she snickered in satisfaction and walked into the dark, narrow pathways, ready for a fight.

Chapter Text

Chapter 5: The Good, The Bad And The Feathery

Gaudium tilted his head, trying to keep up with the car driving beneath him. It hadn't been difficult to find Chloe, especially with the knowledge of her being a miracle, created from the power given to Amenadiel by the Almighty Himself. She had a certain aura, a flavour of divine vibes, that he could easily sense a mile away. Definitely a helpful cherub skill that seemed to still be imprinted on him after his fall. But it was somewhat odd nonetheless; He had never heard of a true miracle human before.

The whole Jesus thing had been a scam, the stunts he had supposedly pulled - the healing of the blind and water-to-wine changing - were nothing more than parlour tricks. The guy simply had a little help from the angels Harut and Marut on those wonders. In turn this had lead to their downfall, as God hadn't approved of angelic intervention with Jesus. Apparently though, two angels and a leather-clad demon meddling in the life of the miracle girl Chloe Decker seemed to be just fine and didn't ask for an almighty lightning strike. Nobody really knew the rules of the game everyone was forced to play alongside God. The only thing he could say for sure was that they were very obscure and elusive.

As Gaudium pondered over the absolute confusion that God's behavior brought along, he angled his wings and tail, taking a curve along with the car in order to avoid the street lamps and traffic lights in his way. It was absolutely ludicrous how little eyesight he had in this shape. A higher altitude would've helped him to fly a bit more relaxed, but with all the traffic going on and the flickering lights, he would have surely lost her. This was unfortunately his only option with the choice of glamour he had chosen.

Can you believe it?! No, this is unbelievable. How could I stoop so low? I look even more ridiculous than in my fallen state! I'm going to demand a raise. Yes. I'll stand in front of Lucifer, proud as a peacock and- Damn that expression! Grrrr!

Okay, breathe, Gaudium. Breathe. I'll stand in front of him and give him all the details of my extra time and additional costs! Ha! Yes, that's what I'll do! And then I get my own palace. Hmm…. okay maybe a house just for starters. But, yes, a place for myself. And it has to be something that isn't infested with those smelly and disgusting dumbshits of demons. Didn't Lucifer mention how nice this coastline is?

Can't that woman slow down a little or take a damn stop in between, for the shining shit of the Almighty?! I wonder for how much longer she's going to drive around… I'm not used to fly with these damn fluffy wings. They're fuckin' itchy. Grraaah! Another point to make when demanding a big, fat paycheck!

Oh, for fucks sake, this is SO humiliating! And of course Lucifer will be all like "But Gaudium, you could have chosen to look like a fly, or a raven. Instead you chose this. It's your own fault, blah blah blah!"... Ugh... I'll never heard the end of it! I was simply in a rush! I had to choose a shape quickly!

Finally! Looks like that woman's home… wait… Why is she ringing the doorbell? Ugh… It's not her home. Fine then… Let's see from where I can peek inside...

Chloe nervously fumbled on the sleeve of her jacket as she stood at the front door to Linda's place.

Could it be that Lucifer went to Amenadiel? He's his brother… also an angel, so… Or maybe he contacted Maze? She didn't mention anything about him though. Maybe he doesn't want me to know anything?

She felt her pulse skyrocketing, just thinking that he could still be around somewhere. If he was really here in the first place. She needed to be sure.

The door opened and the smell of cinnamon and fresh baked dough flushed against her.

"Chloe?" Linda asked surprised. "I didn't expect to see you at this time of the day. What are you doing here? Is everything alright?" She looked at her concerned, obviously irritated that Chloe stood at her doorstep during her usual work hours. Rubbing her hands clean with a kitchen towel, she stepped aside and motioned for the detective to come in.

"Hey Linda. Yeah erm… I was just… I hope I don't disturb you..." She took a shaky breath and sighed. Walking inside the living room, she chewed on her lip.

"Oh no no no," Linda waved her worries off quickly. "Charlie is taking a nap and I was just getting some cookies out of the oven. I'm so glad Charlie sleeps like... well... an angel, I guess."

"Oh good, that's… good…" Thinking for a moment, Chloe figured it was best to talk with the only other angel available on the matter right away. "Is Amenadiel here?"

Putting the kitchen towel above the heater to dry, Linda turned towards her again, arms crossing on her chest, her right brow cocking up challengingly. "Why? What's wrong?" When Chloe stared back at her, dear in headlights, she went on with a playfully analytical tone. "My spidey sense is tingling. You look totally on edge, you're all fidgety and also you asking for Amenadiel is usually not a good indicator," Linda concluded and gave her a little shrug with a smile. "Motherhood combined with being a therapist seems to enhance a couple of skills. So what's up, Chloe?"

"Really? Am I that easy to read?" Chloe whined pursing her lips, but quickly caved in. "Fine… I just didn't want you to worry." She sighed softly, hesitating a moment to find the right words to describe what happened. "I was on a case with a woman being shot in her home and while we were inspecting the crime scene, the very dead victim was suddenly not so dead anymore. She got up and attacked me. Sooo… demon."

Linda's brows shot up. "Jesus Christ on a bicycle, Chloe! A demon?! How's that even possible?! A-are you alright?!" Closing the distance, Linda immediately took Chloe's face in her palms and inspected her almost frantically, checking for any wounds and feeling her pulse, clearly her medical training kicking in from concern.

"I'm fine Linda, I swear," Chloe assured her, gently taking her hands. She was unable to hide a small smile tugging on her lips about her friends sweet worry and went on again with firm nod. "Really. I'm good. See? I didn't want for you to panic. I'm not hurt."

Rumbling sounds came from the kitchen and a shocked-looking Amenadiel stepped through the archway, wearing an apron with big letters spelling I'M THE CHEF, covered with floured handprints. "Oh, heww Chlowwe. Did I jufft hear demom?" he asked, munching on the last bits of a freshly baked cookie.

"Hey Amenadiel…" Chloe greeted with a somewhat chastened mood. "Yeah, it seems like I was having a little fight with a demon. I already set Maze on it, but I was wondering if you could answer me a couple of questions."

The dark angel nodded thoughtfully, swallowing the last crumbles of cookie. "Sure. Always." He sat down on the couch, with both women following suit. "What do you want to know?"

Reaching into her jacket, she retrieved the long white feather from her inner pocket. She hesitated, feeling another pinch in her chest at the thought of him. "Can you tell… Is this one of Lucifer's? I just have to be sure…" She swallowed thickly, trying her best to not sound too much like a teenager missing her crush and handed Amenadiel the feather.

He rolled the quill in between his fingers, feeling the distinctive vibe of his brother, but it was less than what it would normally radiate. "Yes, that's one of Lucifer's. I feel his divinity and he's the only angel with pure white feathers. I… don't understand. How did you get it? Did he give it to you before he left?"

Her heart thundered maddeningly. He had been there. Licking her dry lips, she leaned forward and rested her elbows on her knees. "No… It was at the crime scene… after I woke up."

"Woke up?" Amenadiel asked, confused, his tone rising in worry. "Chloe, what exactly happened?"

Tears welled up in her eyes and she could feel her throat tightening, causing her voice to shake, "As I said, that demon attacked me. It… it choked me. So I couldn't breathe or call for help. That's why Ella and Dan didn't come to me. They were busy at other parts of the crime scene. I managed to hit it in the head pretty badly, but it wasn't really impressed and started punching me. At some point I blacked out." She fell quiet, recalling as the demon attacked her. She remembered the burning and searing pain she was in. And then it had been black.

"My God, Chloe… I'm so sorry…" Linda quickly moved over and pulled her into a hug, before looking her over once again. "Wait, what happened with your wounds?"

"That's the thing," Chloe muttered with a wondrous shrug. "I woke up and was totally fine. As if nothing happened. The demon was gone and I found the feather."

Humming as he turned the feather around, Amenadiel nodded. "It makes sense then. Angel feathers have divine healing abilities. They can heal any wound of a human as long as the receiver is still alive. So it seems like Lucifer plucked the feather and used it to heal your wounds. That's also why this feather isn't radiating it's usual amount of divine light anymore. It's been used."

She sniffed and wiped her eyes, recalling the moment when she woke up. "It was warm when I was starting to wake up. Like… something soft and soothing was seeping into my body and filling me with happiness. It was so… peaceful," she breathed and took another shuddering breath. "Was that the feather?"

"Yes. That's the feeling of divinity touching your body and soul," Amenadiel explained with a warm smile, handing her back the fluffy white object.

She gently caressed over it, careful even, as if her touch could break it. She felt oddly in awe about having a feather of his wings in her hands and knowing he had plucked it out for her. She held the feather of a real angel. Who could say that? "Can you tell if he's still on earth?" Chloe asked quietly, the feeling of longing and desperation evident in her expression and voice.

Amenadiel looked at her apologetically and shook his head. "I'm sorry Chloe. You know I can't tell."

Biting her lip in thought again, Chloe frowned. "Right… because being cast out of heaven, he's off your weird prayer-radar…" she sadly recalled, hating how Lucifer wasn't just cast out of heaven physically, but also cut off from his angelic powers. She felt overwhelmed and at a loss of what to think and what to do. She had wanted to somehow contact him, to have him come back to her. And now that it turned out he had been there, she was even more torn and devastated.

With a light rub over Chloe's back, Linda addressed the elephant in the room. "You know that he came to save you," she quietly pointed out.

"But he left again," she breathed out, unable to hold back her tears. "Before I could even talk to him. Why did he..." She hugged herself and rubbed her arms, trying hard to pull herself together.

"Oh Chloe…" Linda softly sighed. "I think he did it for a good reason. He's probably out there, looking for the demon or trying to find out how it could come to earth and maybe he also thought about not forcing you into the situation of having to say your goodbyes again," she suggested with a soft, motherly smile, continuing to rub her back for comfort. "As far as I know, Lucifer wouldn't ever leave you for selfish reasons. And his care and protection for you sometimes can look as if he's hurting you, while he's actually doing something that he thinks is best for you. And believe me when I say that he probably suffers at least as much as you when staying away from you."

Sniffing, Chloe looked back at her with a shimmer of hope. "You think so?"

"Absolutely." She nodded, smiling reassuringly at her. "He loves you and I know he would do everything to protect you."

It did make her feel better. Thinking about it, she realized it made sense. Lucifer wasn't the man to disappear just like that for no reason. Quite the contrary. He always had a very good reason for his actions and even if his logic sometimes seemed a bit flawed, his decisions always came from the heart.

"You know..." Amenadiel suddenly spoke up in thought. "There might also be another reason why he left so quickly. As simple as it might sound… maybe it also was about time. Maybe he had to go back to hell to be sure that no other demons were escaping."

"And let the demon that has escaped run around in L.A.?" Chloe wondered sceptically.

"He must have counted on you talking to Maze and me," Amenadiel murmured. "I guess Lucifer assumed you'd do the right thing. He knows you, Chloe. He knows you're smart. I mean… he simply can't be doing both, watch over hell and hunt down that demon on earth. He had to make a decision."

"Yeah… you're probably right," Chloe uttered in thought. She had to trust Lucifer, that he would do all the things he could to help the situation. And perhaps it was true. Maybe Lucifer had also trusted her to immediately contact Maze and Amenadiel. "Alright then…" She let out a long breath and put the feather back inside her jacket's inner pocket right above her heart. She clapped on her thighs and straightened herself up with new-found energy. If she couldn't contact Lucifer and do anything about it for the time being, she had to focus on the things she could work on. So she switched on her detective-brain and went into detective-mode, as Lucifer called it. "So, what about that demon? Maze said that once she's got it, we'd need to send it back. Last time Lucifer commanded the demons all back to hell. How do we make this one leave without us being able to call for Lucifer?"

"I can take care of that," Amenadiel stated firmly. "Once Maze catches the demon, I'm able to send it back and everything will be fi-"

A high pitched meow followed by a row of hisses came from outside the living room window. Crunching and rumbling mixed with coos and squeals, increasing all into a chaotic crescendo.

Linda was the first to get up with a groan. "It's the freaking neighbours' cat. I swear, he's like a Rambo-cat, getting into fights with animals twice as big as him." She sighed and went to the window. Unlocking the clip, she swung it open and was suddenly rushed over from a ball of feathers flapping into her face and heading into the living room in a frantic pace. "Holy cow, what the hell?!" When suddenly another meow drew her attention back to the window, Linda saw a cat about to jump inside the house as well, but this time she was fast enough to react. Smashing down the window, the cat failed at its jump and landed back on the ground with a hiss before running off.

Excitedly the ball of grey feathers cooed and shrieked, flapping its short wings as it flew through the living room in confused circles until eventually it sat on top of the couch. While Chloe watched in a sense of amusement, Amenadiel threw himself onto the bird, but with a few quick beats, it was up in the air again and headed towards Chloe.

"Jees!" she exclaimed and duck down just able to avoid a collision. Cooing, the bird, circled above her and then dove down to land on the ground in front of her. She blinked, still trying to figure out this surreal situation. Calming down, she took a closer look at the bird and grimaced. "Oh boy... You are one hell of an ugly pigeon!"

Just as Amenadiel came rushing in again, the pigeon bobbed its little head from side to side and cooed in an almost aggressive sounding onslaught. Chloe stared in surprise and motioned for Amenadiel to stop. "Wait Amenadiel! Maybe… maybe it's hurt?" She leaned forward and tried to look at the pigeon more closely as it tiptoed around in front of her excitedly. It's left wing seemed a little angled and as if it shouldn't be that way. "Oh you poor, ugly, little thing," Chloe pitied the bird and carefully reached out to see if she could pet it.

[Cruel World - Tommee Profitt ft. Sam Tinnesz]

If it wasn't for the place to continuously expand along with hell's inhabitants increasing over time, the Torture Fields could almost be called crowded. Hundreds of demons gathered on the fields, torturing weaker, monstrous beings from ages long forgotten or even completely unknown by humanity. It was a ruthless place of public torment where silence never existed. At least not naturally. Only when Lucifer landed amongst them, the torturing demons fell quiet, and only the tormented ones kept whimpering in pain.

Bursting open his wings to their full span, he forced the demons and hellish creatures to retreat further, giving him more room and making his presence even more intimidating. He glared through the rows and looked for someone to stick out in a mocking and defying way, but all of them lowered their eyes submissively and in fright. "Alright folks. Here's the thing," he began with a sharp tone, a hint of an angry smile on his lips. "Your fellow sister Scoxa has been summoned to earth and I'm fairly certain that one of you lot has seen it happen. Perhaps you've even heard the calling as well. So I will throw you into the soulgrinder one after another for as long as necessary until one of you breaks some news to me and tells me any valuable information on the matter."

He looked from one demon to the next, with every single one of them showing more and more signs of fear, but also a small bit of defiance. While they were afraid of him, they still hated to be put in their place and shown who had more power. It was as always, a constant struggle to enforce their loyalty, or rather submission. And so he wasn't surprised to not see anyone step forward freely with information.

Without further ado, Lucifer reached out to the side, forcefully grabbing a demon by its throat. He knew every single demon by name and easily identified the one in his grasp. "Hello Oriax," he hummed in a dark, playful manner, piercing him with his burning hellfire eyes. "Is there something you picked up concerning Scoxa and that you want to share with me?" he lowly growled, watching as Oriax wiggled in his grip.

"N-no not reall-aaaaaaaaaarrrgh!" The demon screamed in terror as Lucifer smashed him against one of the racks. The construct cut down on the demon with razor sharp spikes, slicing into Oriax's flesh and crunching his bones. With a gurgling the demon clutched against his front, trying to get the machinery from impaling his guts, but the sheer weight on him was enough to pin him down and keeping him trapped.

"Yeah, I didn't think you'd spill anything useful in your first round either." Lucifer commented sinisterly and darted out at the next demon. Able to snatch an arm, he pulled it towards him until their faces were just an inch apart. "Salvan. What about you, hm? Any information on Scoxa's summoning?"

Salvan tried to claw himself free from Lucifer's grip, but the Devil only choked him more tightly. "No, I s-swear, I- uurghrrgggh…" Unable to scream, Salvan got dragged towards the massive wheel embedded in the ground, covered with shards on its outside and inside walls. "N-no! No not t-the g-grinder!" he gurgled between raspy breaths, fighting against Lucifer's hold once more.

With a punch against his spine, Lucifer shoved Salvan over the edge and made him fall into the small gap between the wheel and wall, both completely covered in spikes. Lucifer motioned at the big monstrous creature that had been held in chains from the demons and gestured it to start turning the wheel from above, making the inner shards turn and get the torture device running. Being alone in the soul grinder was not yet a big issue. But once it would get a little more crowded, the demons would inevitably get ground to pieces. Not that being shredded had a big effect on a demon in hell. They wouldn't die like that of course. All of them knew that. They would simply regenerate, reassembly their pieces over time until eventually they'd be whole again. Only if Lucifer would use his divine powers, the demons would get truly obliterated.

The demons surrounding Lucifer began to murmur amongst each other, clearly uncomfortable of the prospect of where this interrogation was heading. But while their fear kept them in line, they still stayed uncooperative. Lucifer knew that the gathering of information from the demons would be an exhausting battle. They certainly wouldn't cave in easily, so he mentally prepared himself.

This would take a while.

"That'll be sixty dollars then," he told the elderly lady as he wrapped the old wristwatch in paper for the safety during transportation.

"There you go," the lady with the sprightly sounding voice chimed happily as she pushed the money over the counter.

He reached for the cash and felt over the edges and fine printed lines, identifying the notes as valid fifty and ten dollar notes. "Thank you very much, ma'am. I'm sure your husband will appreciate the gift. It's really a fine old piece and still working perfectly."

The woman let out a soft laugh, her smile audible as she spoke. "Old and still working perfectly you say? Then it will fit to my dear old Charles just fine! Thank you so much Mister…?"

"Johnson," he answered with a grateful smile, his lifting cheeks hitting the rims of his dark sunglasses. "Phaldor Johnson." He heard her take the paper-wrapped watch and stuffing it in her purse. "And you're most welcome. Thank you for your purchase."

"Of course, Mister Johnson. Have a nice day," she replied and headed out of the small shop.

He looked after her, a habit that just happened to exist even if it made no sense in his position. As the ringing of the doorbell faded, a new tone started to rise. Slowly at first, then more rapidly, increasing quickly to a stinging, high pitched screech inside his skull.

"What the hell?" he quietly grunted and felt his head spinning from a rush of nausea. Reaching out, he held onto the counter, his legs shaky. The screeching sound painfully drilled deeper into his head, sinking into his eye sockets and lingered with a burning sensation. Groaning he reached up, removed his sunglasses and pressed his cool palms against the hollows.

Then there was black.

He could see black. Truly see it.

And then he could feel black.

It was everywhere, fluid almost, seeping into his vague, shapeless surrounding and swallowing it with a gruesome hunger. It was mercilessly devouring everything in its way. Leaving behind nothing but a cold emptiness.

Panting from a rush of terror, he sunk on his knees and palms. Overwhelmed from the darkness he saw, that was so much different to the usual darkness of his blind life, he started to sob. It was horrifying. Although unable to shed tears, he cried, feeling the pressure, but not the relief of a release and the hollows burned like they had after his dream the previous night.

Minutes passed by where he stayed on the ground, resting against the counter and rocking himself back and forth in a soothing manner. In the end it took him over half an hour to regain enough stability and calmness to stand up again and focus his thoughts. It had felt just like after his nightmare.

But now he was sure, these weren't nightmares. They were visions of the same thing.

The endless black caused a chilling and somewhat primeval fear inside of him. But it made no sense. He hadn't seen anything. There was nothing in that darkness and yet he knew that somehow it was dangerous nonetheless. And there was even more to it. He felt it shift and move. It was old and angry. And it was preparing itself to come.

He needed to ask for help and do something. And there was only one he could actually ask.

Hurrying over to the door he turned the sign to 'closed' and locked the store. With still trembling hands, he made his way over to the cozy corner in the back of the room where baroque furniture and decors were lined up for the customers. Sitting down, he wiped his sweaty hands on his pants before folding them for prayer.

"Father, I believe you've sent me these visions. Please, guide me. You know I haven't forsaken you. I never have," he spoke with a trembling voice, lowering his head. "I don't know what it is that you showed to me. What am I supposed to do with it?" Tensely he waited for a sign, some form of a response.

"Please, Father! I know you've shown this to me for a reason. All I saw was darkness. I couldn't make anything out in it. What is hiding inside that darkness?" he went on. Loosening his his fingers, he let his head dip forward to have them comb through his hair. He felt a chill go down his spine as he thought of the danger the dark void had emitted. "It's evil," he breathed, half in statement, half in realisation.

And then he knew what to do. It was so obvious.

Of course… I have to talk to my brother.

He was aware it would take him a day until he'd arrive in L.A. as he needed to book and take a flight to the other side of the country, but he could feel he had to act as quickly as possible. There was something big unfolding. Hopefully the Devil knew what exactly it was and how to stop it.

Scoxa grunted angrily as she gripped onto the scissor stuck in her temple and pulled. Clenching her jaw she tossed the object aside, feeling as the open wound continued to seep blood down her temple and cheek, trickling into the blouse and scarf. The wound did sting a bit and caused her some visual irritation, but other than that it had no effect and it was certainly nothing to stop her.

Sniffing the air, she could smell all kinds of sinful elements. The area was dark and only a few sparse lamps on the property lit the storage rooms lined up in rows, but she could tell, despite its rather high class neighbourhood, that this place was a site of all kinds of illegal activities: Gambling, prostitution, drug dealing. She snuck through the rows, drawn along from the trail of sin like a moth towards light, and ended up at a rusty, red painted storage. The handles of the double door were held with a thick chain, but as she glanced closer, she noticed the chain hung only through one handle and a padlock laid on the ground in front of it.

Unable to fight against her natural demonic curiosity, she pulled the right door open and stepped inside the almost pitch black storage room. The darkness around her caused her eyes to naturally adjust. Without trouble, she made out the boxes and crates piled up along the walls as well as an old, oval table with green felt. A small flickering behind the boxes made her focus snap towards it.

"Did you really think you could just run away?" a male, dark and calm voice asked from the corner, sounding slightly baffled, before his tone hardened. "You failed, demon."

She bared her teeth with a feral growl and stalked towards the corner. "I failed?! You silly little human. You haven't told me she's under Lucifer's protection! You'll pay dearly for that!"

"You're mistaken. You're the only one who's paying," the man replied as he stepped forward. The little cross dangling around his neck glistening through his movements. Then he continued in a rumbling tone, "Men xo'jayin nomi va uning nurining kuchi bilan sizni yo'q qilaman!"

The demon swallowed and stared in shock at the human still walking towards him. Just then, upon hearing his words, she saw he was wearing a clerical collar. "What…? No! No, that's impossible!" she exclaimed furiously, stumbling backwards. "How can you know-"

The man followed her to the entrance of the storage room, the dim lights from outside starting to hit the contours of his edgy face. His cold blue eyes stared unwaveringly ahead with condemnation. "Do'zaxga qayting, yovuz maxluq!"

"Nooo!" she screamed, her mouth wide agape and her expression torn. Head falling back into her neck, her eyes flamed up in a bright yellowish-white. Her body tensed up cramping, her fingers curled in agony and one moment later she sagged to the ground. The glassiness returned to the eyes of Erica's lifeless body as she stared into nothingness. Dead.

Releasing a soft sigh, the man stepped over the corpse and took out his cellphone of his jacket pocket. Dialling, he waited until he was answered. "It's me. The demon failed. I took care of it with the words you taught me." He sighed upon hearing the upset response. "I'm aware. Please forgive me. Lucifer interfered. The detective is still alive. What do you want me to do now?" He patiently listened to his instructions. "Of course. I understand." He swallowed thickly, his voice strained, shaking. "I won't disappoint again. - Yes, I'll… I'll take care of it myself. She will die and-" He paused listening to the mesmerizing voice on the other end of the speaker, his body shaking again. "Lucifer as well? But-" Again he got cut off harshly. "Yes. Of course. Father Kinley was a fool to rely on her help to stop the Devil and now we're in this mess. I will follow your orders, master. I am your tool and I will make sure the prophecy will not come true."

Chapter Text

Chapter 6: Communication Issues

[Dead of Night – Ruelle]

The stench of sin of her demon sister seemed to pool together at one of the storage rooms. Moving towards it with predatory stealth, Maze only paused when she saw the open door and the padlock on the ground. That looked clumsy to say the least and also very inviting. With narrowing eyes, she stepped into the room, only to feel the tips of her boots knock against something soft on the ground. Looking down, her lips tugged up in a short smirk. "There you are," she quipped lightly and crouched down. Adjusting her eyesight to the darkness in a few seconds, she looked more closely at the dead body of Erica Clark.

Erica's eyes were wide open and dull, her features frozen in an expression of shock and pain. She laid otherwise rather undramatic, her legs stretches out and her arms fallen in slight angles at her sides. Maze took note that the demon had removed the scissor from her temple and figured it would be lying around somewhere along the way to the storage room.

But where is the demon…?

Potentially it could have killed another person and swapped bodies, but she couldn't see any signs of a struggle that supported that option. Curiously she took several quick sniffs.

Something smelt strange. Disgusting but not in a hellish way.

She reached into her bag and took out a tiny powerful Maglite. Flashing the light into the body's glassy eyes, she checked the irises more closely. And there she could see it. Tiny veins showing all around the irises, surrounding the black in a thin red stroke.

"That's interesting…" she muttered and got out her phone, speed-dialing her number three (number one was obviously Trixie, and two was obviously Linda). "Hey Decker, I found the body and-" A rumble of shouts, some weird flapping sounds and rustling fabric crackled through the speaker. "What's with the noise in the background?"

"A freaking pigeon that just wanted to bite off my finger!" Chloe responded upset and grunted. "Get the hell off me, you stupid thing!"

More shouts and shuffles rang through the phone, so sudden that Maze put some distance to the speaker. "What?" She heard something smash and Chloe huffed and grumbled before a door was forcefully slammed. "Chloe? ... Hello?"

After a moment, Chloe let out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, sorry 'bout that. Hold on, I put you on speaker so Amenadiel can listen as well." A short beep sounded, and Chloe continued. "Alright, what were you saying?"

Alright you crazy human... "I said, I found the body in a storage area close by," Maze explained as she pointed the Maglite through the room, inspecting it superficially.

"You mean the demon? Do you have her?" she asked clearly irritated from her wording.

"No, Decker. The body of the human woman. The demon is already gone. Which is rather weird actually," Maze muttered and stepped further into the room, careful not to touch anything. She looked for any traces visible that could help her as a lead for the situation, but on first glance she couldn't find anything useful.

"Why? Is the demon somehow… in another body now? Oh god, is there another dead body? Please don't tell me there is another victim," Chloe rang alarmed, clearly panicking.

Maze burst into a short laughter. Chloe's innocent and simple human thought patterns continued to bring her joyful moments. "No. No body-swap and no other dead body, Decker." Then her smile disappeared, getting more serious. "It's actually a bit strange. The demon got banished."

"Banished?!" Amenadiel suddenly rang both surprised and concerned in the background.

"Erm… banished?" Chloe asked insecurely, "I- I don't know what that means exactly…"

Maze could imagine the faces of both him and Chloe. She and Amenadiel had answered quite a bunch of questions to the curious detective, but obviously not the whole celestial rulebook could be covered. There would always be new questions coming up and there'd always be things her human mind wouldn't be able to comprehend, no matter how hard she tried. "As in, someone was here, spoke the holy words and the demon was forced back to hell. You folks might call it an exorcism, but this is actually the real thing," she explained, sniffing the air again. "I saw an unmistakable sign on the body that the demon was forced back to hell. It didn't just leave on its own. The area around her irises are laced with veins. That only happens when a demon gets forced out of the human body through a banishing."

Chloe's breath crackled in the speaker. "Was it Lucifer who did it?"

She could hear the tension of hope ringing in her friends' voice and she felt sorry for the rollercoaster of emotions Chloe was going through since Lucifer's departure. "Very unlikely. If he'd have caught this one, he'd either have commanded the demon back to hell or incinerated it inside the dead body and that would have left different marks. And I think he wouldn't have just send it back after the stunt it pulled with you. He would have obliterated the demon from existence." She sniffed the air once again, pensively. "I can smell that there was some heavenly shit going on here however. And it's not Lucifer's scent…" she trailed off, biting her lip as she hesitated. But Chloe seemed to have her detective-senses working even over phone.

"What about it?" Chloe pressed on concerned. "Just spill it, Maze. Every bit of information can be helpful."

"I'm not really sure about this one being a good thing or not," she sighed. "That banishing… it has to be done in Enochian. Angel language. Meaning this can't have been done by a human… At least I never heard of a human who knows, let alone speaks it. This smells angelic."

"I'll ask my siblings and see if they know anything about this," Amenadiel threw in over the speaker. "Maybe there was one of them on the demon task and was simply ahead of you, Maze."

"Yeah... could be," she muttered slightly annoyed by the possibility an angel could have gotten ahead of her. Damn feathered pricks… I was really hoping for some action. "So what should I do about the body?"

"Make an anonymous call in at the police. I'm out for today, so I guess Ella and Dan will come to the scene. And then we have to wait for Ella's feedback on any traces. You said that this looked as if it was a planned attack on me, the summoning and the playing-dead-trick. Maybe some of the traces from the house or at your location can help find the person responsible for that summoning or even the banishing."

"Well I hope your science girl has some answers quickly. If this was an attack directly aimed at you, you better stay under protection," Maze remarked as she got out of the storage room and went back towards her car. "Actually. You know what? Just stay where you are. I'm coming over."

"W-wait, what?! Are you kidding me?!" Chloe exclaimed stubbornly. "I don't need any protection and before you say anything, I'll be in the penthouse. I'm gonna be just fine there."

How could it be so difficult to protect humans? If they were all having such a thick head as the detective - no wonder. But she was certainly not going to mess or even argue with her. "Right. Whatever you say, you crazy woman. Then at least let me pick up Trixie and protect her? As everything points to be an attack on you personally, protecting your kid sounds rather plausible." Not that it was really primarily about protection, but rather her getting to do some more martial arts training with Trixie. The protection of her came along with it. Also having her mother out of the way for the time being sounded like the perfect circumstance to do some extra training with knifes she didn't get all too often. She knew she was playing on Chloe's motherly feelings, but she also knew it wasn't causing any harm. It was basically a win-win situation. At least in her demon-mind.

"Actually… that sounds good. Take her to your place though, not mine. And don't give her too many sweets, but something real to eat, Maze. And no, vodka with cornflakes is not suited for a child and does not count as a meal. Make sure she does her homework and that she gets to school on time tomorrow. Also don't let her watch too much-"

"Got it, Deckeeeer," Maze cut her off with an unseen eyeroll and ended the call as she got back in her car. She called the police station and gave them an anonymous tip, before she started the engine and headed towards Trixie's school. This would be a fun evening.

First this disgusting furrball of a cat chases after me, then fuckin' Amenadiel the bald is playing tag, then this ungrateful human wants to pet me and THEN I get thrown out the fucking door! This is outrageous! I'm curious how Lucifer will make up for this indignity! I'm not some sort of fucking slave! I have rights as well! At least… I think so! Didn't we fight for free will and all that?! Now where did that go? Down the drain? Getting slapped away, called ugly and kicked out the door… I'm not a god-damn rat! I'm a celestial being for heaven's sake! I'm divine! Made by the Big-Almighty-Shiny-Arse! Why am I even sticking along with that human?! Right, because Lucifer would hang me by my tail and let me dangle above the entrance of his palace if I wouldn't...

And here she is again, driving through this fucking traffic once fucking again! I don't get how humans can do this everyday. There are people in hell being punished like this, stuck in traffic forever. Flying is so much easier and less stressful… If it weren't for these DAMN ITCHY FEATHERS! That's it! At the next stop, I'm gonna change into my normal skin. I feel like I'm already covered in fleas… Disgusting!

Oh! She's stopping. Finally! What's that building? Pretty big and classy… Wait, didn't she say something about a penthouse? No way. No fucking way. Up THERE?!

I'm SO going to fuckin' kill you, Lucifer! I swear I will make it happen somehow! I'll pluck you and laugh about how ugly you look and then I'll make you pretend you're a Chihuahua and have you make humiliating tricks in front of your friends!

"Guuuurrrrhhh!"

She was happy to know her daughter was in good hands for the time being. When things got rough, she could always count on her demon friend to be there for her and especially Trixie. And right now it felt like a blessing to know her baby was out of reach from any harm with Maze as a protector around. Truth be told, she was actually a bit worried for anybody coming close to Maze while she was on a protective mission. The demon had a very flexible understanding of staying within the boundaries of the law, but on the other hand, if circumstances were celestial, would human rules help at all? She could understand at least a bit better by now, how sometimes their laws were limited when dealing with demons and angels.

Having entered the tall building and stepped into the elevator, she pressed the button for Lucifer's penthouse, her mind drifting off to her celestial partner. He had come to her aid and saved her, just in the time while she got attacked. Had he somehow watched over her, she wondered as she the elevator took her higher. It seemed odd. He was condemned to watch over hell which would make it impossible to simultaneously have an eye on her, just like Amenadiel said. She recalled the events of the attack again, the impossibly brutal grip on her throat and then the merciless punches against her cheek and jaw. She remembered the rising panic and the darkening of her vision.

With a gasp and tears threatening to escape, she remembered her worries for Trixie and at last, the thoughts about Lucifer. They had both been on her last thoughts. She had thought she would die.

I tried to scream out his name…

But… I couldn't. It was just all in my head.

How the hell did he know where I was and when to come to me, if it can't be a prayer?

Her phone rang and pulled her out of her thoughts before they could overwhelm her. "Amenadiel?" she directly answered, seeing his number.

"Hey Chloe. I took a short trip right after you left, but none of my siblings knows anything about a summoning or banishing for that matter," he reported, his voice clearly disappointed from the bad news he had to deliver.

"Okay... Thanks for asking though," she replied as softly as she could, but unable to hide the sadness in her tone.

"Of course. Let me know when you need anything else, okay?" he offered thoughtfully and she could imagine his forehead being wrinkled in worry.

"Sure thing. Have a good night, Amenadiel."

"You too, Chloe."

Amenadiel ended the call and her shoulders sunk. So it was definitely not an angel's work, meaning she could scratch celestial involvement off the list.

The elevator pinged with its arrival on the top floor. Taking a deep, mindful breath, she entered Lucifer's penthouse and moved through it with a grown sense of belonging and comfort. She knew her way around by now, knew where most of the kitchenware was as well as his storages. She had at least superficially looked at everything, his closet and drawers (including the one drawer with items that made her blush just thinking about), his bathroom along with its cabinets and of course his bookshelves. His desk was pretty much the only thing she didn't take a closer look at, except for the nice items that stood on top, classic and elegant, as everything else in his penthouse that represented him.

Her stomach stuffed with stew and cookies - Good Lord, they tasted divine. Thanks Linda. - she made her way to the kitchen, grabbed her already opened bottle of wine and poured herself a glass up to the brim. Seeing that just a few drops were left in the bottle, she hesitated a moment.

Ooooh… Lucifer wouldn't approve…

"Screw it," she muttered quietly. Knocking her head back, she drank the remaining red liquid from the bottle and set it aside with a lingering feel of guilt and shame. Grabbing her glass, she carefully walked over to the heavy oak desk and set it on a little drip mat. She wasn't that insane after all.

[L'Americain - Thomas Newman]

Her eyes travelled over the wall of bookshelves as she remembered the pictures she took from Father Kinley's book. It had shown a symbolic language she didn't know and with the amounts of books Lucifer had gathered in all kinds of languages, she felt a spark of hope arise that perhaps one of the books could help her translate. It was worth a try, she figured. At least it gave her something productive to do, while waiting for the analysis on the evidence.

"Alright then…" she sighed, gauging the amount of books. It was incredible how many he had and she assumed it were well over a thousand. In order to get through all of them, she needed a system. But since the covers of the books didn't always give her much of an idea what was inside, she knew she'd still have to glance into each book to be sure she wasn't missing anything. So she settled with going from left to right and top to bottom, one shelf at a time.

Despite Lucifer being tall like a tree, she was happy to find a ladder tucked against the corner and rolled it to the first shelf. Gathering the first big stack of books, she placed them on top of the desk and took a sip of her wine. She opened the picture folder on her phone, laid it next to the books to have a reference and started her very tedious research. She wondered how her chances were standing to find something that would somehow give her a clue as to what Kinley had written there, but she stayed confident.

Grabbing a sheet of paper from a small pile on the left side of the desk she looked for a pen to write with. She spotted a shiny black, rectangular box with the symbol of a quill on top. Glimpsing inside, she stared at a fountain pen with rich golden, silver and metallic red decorations.(1) "Jesus Christ, Lucifer, you don't even write with a freaking ballpen like any other person…" she muttered breathless, but then smiled with admiration. No, he certainly wasn't like any other person.

Letting out a short laugh, she freed the pen from its box and took a closer look at the symbols in the photos she had taken. To have a faster and easier reference, she began to write down each symbol, noticing they were all recurring, which in turn meant that they could be somewhat comparable to today's letters of an alphabet. One Symbol equalled one certain phoneme.

It took her about half an hour until she believed she had written down, or rather drawn down, every symbol from Kinley's book, counting in total a whopping forty seven symbols. With the prepared list, she took the first book from the pile and began to browse through it to check its language. Repeating the same with one book after another, she sometimes had to take a break. Sometimes because her eyes would hurt from too many symbols and letters, but other times she also caught herself enthralled from what she saw. Not that she was able to read anything in the unknown languages, but she was fascinated from pictures that showed all kinds of sceneries, from wars and portraits of people, animals and strange creatures she hoped weren't real.

Good God, I hope they aren't real...

She had been through one third of his books as well as one bottle of red wine and had then switched to one of Lucifer's lower shelf bourbons which were still considerable top-shelf in her humble opinion. Nipping on the tumbler and enjoying the burn of the ember liquid down her throat, she took hold of a heavier book from the pile. Her lips curled up as she admired the fine binding with golden engravings showing swirls, feathers and a big symbol of interlacing lines decorating the cover. It felt immediately special. From the outside, the paper was gold-edged and upon opening it on its inlaid red strand, Chloe couldn't believe what she was looking at.

The left page was filled with a fine painting that almost seemed to be made from impossible and surreal looking colours, mixing and shimmering in all colours of the rainbow in a way she had never seen before. It wasn't just the colour that was baffling however, but also what was drawn on the page.

The Lightbringer

It was written in big letters on the bottom of the page, naming the angel printed (or perhaps even hand-drawn?) right above it. He was looking into the distance with a soft, confident smile and was dressed only in a gown around his waist. His big wings were tucked in behind his back, revealing a few small buildings in the background. A decorative bow with lettering was draped over his legs, reading:

Samael

But it was definitely Lucifer. The sharp jawline, the softly puckered and very kissable lips, even his hair looked so much like he was wearing it now. Only his stubble was missing. She recalled literature she had worked through when reading about him, the Devil, and how he supposedly came to be. She had read somewhere that Lucifer wasn't the name he was called by when he was still in heaven and one of the sources had mentioned the name Samael. Of course Lucifer had never told his former name to her, she figured. It was most likely a hurtful reminder of a past she still knew so little about.

Her fingers absentmindedly brushed over the colourful image. He looked absolutely magnificent. An epitome of elegance and beauty, and just seeing a picture of him as the angel he was created as, was overwhelming her with fascination and pride. She had seen his wings, beautiful and majestic, glowing a gentle, warm white she knew she would never forget. Not that she ever wanted to.

She let out a quiet laugh, thinking that Lucifer actually had left the bookmark right on the page of his own persona. He was quite the egocentric although she had to admit it was also amusing and cute to see him worry so much about everything concerning him. She wondered if that was something he developed over time because of what happened and what he experienced or if it had always been a character trait of his since his creation. How had he become so prideful and vain, but also so very thoughtful and caring at the same time?

Smiling, she looked at the right page's site and stared baffled. It was covered in lines of symbols and when she cross checked with her sheet of symbols, she realized they matched. It was the same language. The symbols in Kinley's book were the same as these. "Is that… angel language?" she breathed out and browsed more quickly through the rest of the book. Every new page was showing another drawing of an angel with the respective page filled with symbols, most likely about the angel displayed.

Holy shit… Maybe this is like some freaking angel-family-book or something. I wonder what is written there about all of them… and about Lucifer.

It was clear that she needed help with translating the pages from Kinleys book and perhaps that certain someone was kind enough to translate a bit on this family portrait as well. Would Amenadiel be up for this? A sudden deep yawn erupting from her mouth made clear however, that her investigation had to continue the next day. It had gotten late. Briefly texting with Maze to ask about Trixie's wellbeing and updating her in turn that, yes, she herself was still save at Lucifer's penthouse, she took her glass of bourbon and downed the remaining content.

Just when she walked to the balcony doors to get some fresh air, she noticed a pigeon standing strangely pressed against the glass. "Oh god, not another one…" she muttered, carefully opening the door.

She braced herself for whatever to expect - like, another pigeon attacking her for no apparent reason or having to shoo it away - but she stood perplex and mouth agape when the little bird suddenly stumbled inside like a drunken man as soon as the glass door was opened wide enough. "What on earth…?" She watched dumbfounded as the bird tip-toe-jumped into the penthouse, it's little head bobbing back and forth and looking around. After taking a round through the living room, it suddenly hopped onto the couch with a few flaps of its wings.

"Oh no. No you don't!" she shouted out, surprised at her own sharp reaction. "Get the hell off the couch!" Storming closer and about to shoo it away, she saw the pigeon dip its head between the pillow and couch, and squishing itself in between, hiding under the fluffy pillow. "You gotta be kidding me…" she grumbled and grabbed the pillow. Pulling it away to remove the little hideout, she froze when the grey, feathery bird, suddenly shifted into something else. Bigger. Grey. With bat-wings and claws. It had a wide, round jaw with small spiky teeth showing forth and its big eyes glared back at her angrily. And then it made sounds. Weird sounds.

"B-b-b-rrrrrrrrrrrr… W-w-w-w….."

Chloe stared wide eyed, feeling the world around her spin. She felt paralyzed, shocked and nothing made sense. "Holy SHIT! What the HELL?! W-w-what are you?!" Her first thought was demon. Her second thought went towards her weapon she had left with her bag on the counter.

The grey, chubby thing nested back into the couch with a grumpy expression. "B-b-brrr…..I'M-M-M C-C-COLD! Gimme t-t-that-t!" it hissed in shiver and snatched the pillow from Chloe's hands before snuggling against it. "Oooh… Mmmm... that's nice... I've been fucking freezing out there! Do you have any idea how bad these shitty grey feathers were at keeping me warm? No? I thought as much! It's all gonna get on the damn bill! He'll pay for that as well!"

Her brain was stuck and she couldn't think straight. The demonic little thing didn't really react… demonic. It reminded her more of Maze's weirdness. And it didn't attack her, which was a big plus as well. "W-w-what… Y-you…"

It glanced up at her with big dark eyes. "Oh… you… you aren't broken or anything, are you? He'd kill me if you were. Your brain isn't all porridge, right?" it asked with worry that still managed to sound grumpy. "I mean… he said that you've seen his Devil shape before, so I guess my shape isn't the most horrifying you've ever seen."

She let out a trembling, irritated laugh, as the cogs of her mind began to slowly turn again, crackling slowly at first, but a few moments later thoughts came together to form logical structures again and she assured herself that she was not insane. "Y-you're a demon…"

"I beg your not-fucking-pardon?! What the hell did you just call me?!" The creature huffed and threw the pillow aside. Standing up on the couch, it pushed its clawy hands on its slightly chubby hips and flared its small wings to appear more intimidating, despite its ridiculous small size. "I'm a cherub! Not a drooling, brain-dead demon!"

Chloe shifted from one foot to the other, trying to figure out just how much of a threat the thing was, when she recalled fragments of what it had said. "You mentioned Lucifer. Who are you?! And what do you want from me? Have you escaped hell as well somehow?!"

"Easy there, poppet. The name's Gaudium," he introduced himself with a formal, little bow, "Fallen cherub and loyal servant of Lucifer, and as of late… babysitter." He added the last part with a grumble, grinding his teeth. "Sorry 'bout making your brain all mushy with my shape, but it was getting really cold out there. I'm not used to these temperatures anymore, you understand, being condemned to the fiery pits of hell and everything."

"Sure..." Chloe breathed in bafflement, recalling how Lucifer had once used a similar description. Then her brain caught up with his words again and she frowned. "H-hold on. What's a cherub?"

"A supporter for the angels, to help them with their duties," he explained shortly. "Apparently the job doesn't just end when being condemned to hell, so…" He shrugged his small shoulders. "I'm stuck with the Devil. Not that I mind it that much. Just... the tasks are a bit beneath me these days… and the accommodation is worth nothing more than a single star on yelp, believe me. Although it's still better than to be in a hell loop, I guess, so there's that."

"Huh…" she uttered with another dry laugh. More realizations formed and her eyes widened with anger. "Wait a second. That was you earlier, wasn't it? The freaking pigeon! You tried to eat my finger!"

"I did not!" Gaudium shouted back, crossing his arms on his chest. "You wanted to pet me! I'm nobody's freakin' pet! After this assignment, I'll take some time off. Maybe even retire, like Lucifer once did. I've heard the beaches here in LA are really nice…"

This creature… this cherub, it was unbelievable! Rambling on like she wasn't even there or as if her talking with a heavenly being was the most normal thing in this world. "What assignment? What were you doing? Were you spying on me?" She remembered how she had run around half naked through the penthouse during the early morning hours and her cheeks flushed in embarrassment. "Have you been watching me this morning?!"

Gaudium's forehead wrinkled in surprise and his small wings curved down in a wave of worry. "Erm… what? No! I just arrived about two hours ago… I erm…" He reached behind his head and scratched it nervously. "I was told to watch over you…"

"Lucifer…" she whispered, feeling a pinch in her chest. "He sent you because of the demon attack, right?"

"Yes. Told me to make sure you're alright, while he's trying to find out information from the other demons," he explained as he pushed himself off the couch and flapped through the living room, taking a curious look around. "I might have overheard you talking with Mazikeen on the phone earlier… Did I hear correctly? The demon was banished?"

Chloe couldn't still quite fathom the cherub and his weirdness, although comparing him with Maze, she had to admit, he wasn't that strange. Or maybe equally so. "Yeah. It was sent back to hell, but we don't know by whom."

"It was actually a she. Scoxa. Really not the brightest of the lot. But," giving a dramatic pause, he clapped into his hands with a wide toothed smirk, "Now she's back in hell and I'm sure Lucifer is already squeezing out every ounce of information from her through some horribly painful torture."

"Yeah.." she breathed barely audible and swallowed thickly. He would torture the demon. He would do everything in his power to make sure she'd be safe and to punish those responsible for hurting her. And since this wasn't a mortal criminal but a gruesome demon in the realm of hell, he would use his personal methods of dealing with the culprit. Could she hold that against him? Not really. This was where human laws and morals couldn't get you any further and she had to trust in Lucifer and his skills to help them. Even if he didn't like what he had to do, he would do it for the greater good.

"Oh! The Book of the Divine!" Gaudium suddenly chimed happily as he flew over towards Lucifer's desk. "Well look at that! I haven't seen it since Lucifer won it in a bet against Raphael. Ha! Honestly, I think he just wanted it so he could hide it from his siblings and they wouldn't read what it says about him. I'm surprised he's go it here on earth… He must've gone through quite some lengths to get it here." Landing on top of the desk he leaned over the book, smirking at the colourful picture of Lucifer. "Oh ain't he a charming bastard, eh?"

Stepping up towards the desk, Chloe observed the cherub as he leaned closer, his eyes wandering over the symbols with curiosity making her realise something. "Wait a second. You can read this, right?" She manoeuvred her arm around him and pointed at the writing. "These symbols. Is that angel language? Enochian?"

From one moment to the another, Gaudium began to stutter and look at her hesitantly. "Erm… yes. But… you know… This is very, very private stuff, I mean… this isn't meant to be known by any human."

"Oh, no. That writing in this book isn't what I'm interested in. At least… not right now," she quickly uttered, taking out her phone and pulling up the pictures she took from Kinley's book. "This is what I need translated. Can you tell me what it says?"

Gaudium narrowed his eyes. "Do I look like a walking dictionary?!" Grumbling something about 'humiliating' and 'adding it to his list', he grabbed her phone and inspected the display with a disdainful sigh.

She didn't comment, too nervous that he could actually read this text. He hummed and quietly murmured something cryptic to himself, which Chloe assumed was the sound of the symbolic language. She stood pensively above him, anxiously chewing her lip as he continued with several 'ahhhs' and 'ooohhhs'. After a minute, she couldn't stand it anymore. "So? Come on, Gaudium. What does it say?!"

"Bloody hell, you're as nagging as a pwca!" he grunted and looked at her curiously. "Are you sure, you're merely human and aren't hiding a pair of hooves?"(2)

"Hey!" She realized she was torn between being offended and wondering what the heck a pwca is, but above all, she couldn't wait any longer. "Just tell me what the freaking translation says or I'll squeeze it out of you with my simple human hands!" she hissed, trying to sound as intimidating as she could given the circumstances, feeling her patience wearing thinner. That response seemed to impress the little creature quite a bit as he stared back at her with his mouth agape.

[Plant Sneaking Theme - Metal Gear Solid 2 OST]

"Okay, okay! Lucifer mentioned you are very determined when you've set your mind on something. I didn't know that would involve using violence, but.. I should've assumed so, considering your species' history of atrocious slaughtering…" Seeing her make a step closer with her hands balling into fists was enough to make him quickly ramble on to avoid immediate punishment. If this human had been chosen from Lucifer as an equal partner, he didn't want to find out just how far she'd go to get what she wanted. "Alright, alright, alright! Sooo… The text says something about… well... the end of existence."

Chloe froze. "I'm sorry. WHAT?!"

Pointing at the top of the display, Gaudium nodded. "Yeah, look, it says it right on the top: The prophecy of the end of existence." He cleared his throat with a solemn harrumph and continued with a proclaiming voice, "The existence, the universe, all its planets, suns and lifeforms, every matter, every concept of physiques, every thought, soul and divine energy, will all cease to be when the darkness takes back its home." Gaudium paused, taking a look at Chloe, his brow arching. "Gee, this sounds overly dramatic, don't you think?"

Chloe stood stunned, the ground pulled away from underneath her feet, making her fall into a bottomless pit. The end of existence?! Her pulse skyrocketed, pushing her tired mind back into action and on full alert. Gazing into empty space she tried to process what Gaudium translated. Another prophecy? Was this a freaking common thing in the celestial world? Hadn't the last prophecy been enough already? Hadn't it already ruined her own world, shaken the foundations of her belief in good and evil, seeing how Lucifer sacrificed himself to keep her and the rest of the word safe whilst being blamed with every imaginable atrocity humankind committed?

Gaudium fluttered in front of her, focussing on the translation. "Since the creation… yada yada yada… darkness retreated… yada yada... Ugh, I hate this bumptious angel-talk with all their glorious nonsense… Oh, this part is interesting," he mumbled on and cleared his throat for the next segment. "If all three parts of the prophecy are fulfilled, darkness will come and swallow us all. That is why we have to stop it from happening, whatever it takes."

Licking over her trembling lips, she blinked, still phased out. She felt cold, small and utterly useless in the massive world, that was filled with celestial stuff, angels, demons and whatever other things that were hidden out there. She was just one human in all of this gigantic clusterfuck that was her reality now and right there she remembered Lucifer's warm embrace and the heavy, soothing smell of his cologne, wishing desperately he would be there to pull her close and shield her from the pain and worries the world threw at her.

Not really taking note of Chloe's reaction, Gaudium swiped over the screen, pulling up the next picture. "Oh look! That's handy! Seems like the first part of the prophecy was attached right on the next page," Gaudium added in an oddly cheerful tone. "Let's see… it says: When the Devil walks the earth, and finds his first love-"

Chloe's head snapped back to life as she stared at Gaudium. "What?!" she gasped, horrified. "When the Devil walks the earth and finds his first love, evil shall be released," she cited and looked at him in shock.

"Erm… yeah… How did you-" The cherub big eyes stared back at her surprised.

"That was the prophecy Lucifer wanted to prevent from happening! That's why he went back to hell! To make sure no demons would come to earth." Combing through her hair, she started pacing in front of the desk, her temples feeling as if someone used a sledgehammer against them from the inside. "This… this was one of three parts of a prophecy?!" she exclaimed in panic. "W-w-what does that mean?! Lucifer was walking the earth and he did tell me that I'm his first love. And now a demon did escape! Was that the evil that was said to be released? Did the first part of that prophecy already get fulfilled?!"

Gaudium grimaced insecurely. "I'm... I'm not sure. I mean, these prophecies were always really nebulous… The Big Guy never directly said what needed to be done, ya know?"

Was that possible? Was this all true? Kinley had obviously known the translation of the first prophecy part, meaning that he knew the translation of the symbol pages. He knew that there was more to the prophecy about Lucifer. And it was just one part. If the first part had been fulfilled with him being on earth, then there was no way around to figure out what the other two parts of the prophecy were. "Does it say anything about the other two parts of the prophecy?"

Scrolling through the images of the pages, Gaudium shook his head. "No… unfortunately not. Where did you find these scriptures exactly? This is not something that makes sense in human hands. I'm sure you can imagine."

"It was in a book from Father Kinley," she muttered, briefly feeling the world around her slip.

"Ah, yes, Lucifer told me about him. The not-so-holy priest," Gaudium grumbled with a hiss on the profession. "In this passage here, it says 'That is why we have to stop it from happening'. We, as in more than one. It sounds like this priest might have not been alone in trying to stop the prophecy."

"More than one? Kinley told me he worked for a secret department within the Vatican, but when we dug into his origin it had seemed like he had been officially exiled. What if this was just a trick from that department, so that the group could put distance in between them and Kinley? That way it would look like he'd acted on his own and was just some crazy fanatic."

"And while you thought that, it would also give them time to plan whatever else they had in mind." The cherub handed her back her phone and flapped its wings. "Yes, it could be possible. Priests have always been very cheeky scumbags throughout history." Scratching his chin, Gaudium fluttered back and forth in front of her, as if he was pacing. "You know…The banishing must've been done in Enochian as well. I hadn't expected any human to be in the possession of Enochian scripture, let alone to be able to understand it… but seeing these pages from the priest… Maybe the one who summoned and banished the demon was one of this secret Vatican group. Although that still doesn't explain it all..."

"That's a theory, but in the end, we don't have any evidence yet that would point us towards a suspect. We have to learn more and wait for the analysis and evaluation on the findings of the crime scene..." Chloe sighed and rubbed her eyes, feeling how the events of the day were taking their toll. An attack on her from a demon, Lucifer having been there to save her and now some crazy prophecy from a secret priest group? What the hell was even going on? She let out a humourless laugh on how crazy ridiculous her day had progressed and glanced towards the archway leading to Lucifer's bedroom with sleepy eyes. "Gaudium, I need a few hours of sleep."

"That's fine, you're only human... Thinking about it, I believe I deserve some rest as well. I'll make myself comfortable on the couch. It was actually really smooth and cosy. Lucifer always had good taste..." Gaudium responded with a little smirk, making his way in his waggling motion to the couch by foot. Tucking in his wings he grabbed a white fluffy blanket and threw it around himself. Climbing up the side of the couch, he turned towards her with a hesitant and almost coy expression. "You know, Chloe," he said in a gentle tone, he hadn't used in years. "I'm sure we will get some more answers tomorrow. Lucifer said you're the best Detective and really smart, and he doesn't lie, so I believe him."

It was a strangely caring and empathetic compliment from the small heavenly creature, one that managed to melt her heart a tiny bit and she appreciated the sentiment greatly. "Thank you, Gaudium," she quietly said, offering him an appreciative smile. "Have a good night." Exhausted, but somewhat more hopeful than before, she made her way to the bedroom. Changing into on one of Lucifer's dark shirts, she snuggled beneath the sheets and curled into a ball. Thinking about him and wishing he'd be there to pull her close, she let sleep take her into its dark embrace, pulling her into a reoccurring dream of falling white feathers.

Chapter Text

Chapter 7: Trapped

[A Storm is Comin - Liv Ash]

Usually God felt rather imperturbable on the matters of existence. He watched as good and evil happened, as time passed by, as people were born and died, naturally or not. But he wasn't indifferent about it. He knew some of his children, especially his dear Samael, thought that of him. That just because he was a quiet God, meant that he didn't care. That wasn't the case. He cared immensely. But when he initiated this existence, he had quickly realised something very heartbreaking: Interfering with his own creation could cause great harm.

Each time he had done so in the past, it had been a dangerous gamble. More often than not, it had ended in horrible catastrophes for nature and humanity, no matter what good intentions he had when doing so. Many times he had to watch, while the things he had touched suffered a terrible fate, if not right away, then at a later time through more complex variables. That was why he had been extremely careful with his work. He had to stay out of it as much as possible. But this was the first time he felt thoroughly scared. Had his actions been too much? Would it all fall apart? He had tried to even the field a little, helping the priest by arranging the timing, but he wasn't sure if it had been enough or too much. Either way would be bad. It had to be just right.

But it was all so fragile. For instance, he had not intended for his dear Phaldor to be in such pain. He had woven the images and feelings into his mind, letting him see and feel what laid ahead, but the physical pain hadn't been part of his equation nor was the haunting recurrence of the vision. They were tormenting side products he hadn't been able to foresee. The irony of that wasn't lost on him. This was the issue with staying in a realm where randomness and the demand for balance existed. They had become necessities, and often times brought an absolute ruthlessness along with them.

He feared for his creation, due to the threat approaching and also because of the consequences of his own interferences. The natural balance would always take its toll. The suspense of not knowing, if they'd all be able to survive, tore at the strings of his divine essence.

Will Samael make it? What if he fails? He doesn't even know how much is on the line… Is he even ready yet?

God tried to let the agony pass by, let his own vibe ring positively through his fabric, but it was tough to watch his beloved son doing something he absolutely despised: torturing and being the king of hell. And of course, on top of that, he was also enduring the pain of an aching heart.

He desperately wished to pull his son out of his misery, wrap him in a warm blanket of light and shower him with Chloe's love he yearned for like a starving man. He wanted for his son to have everything he desired, everything he needed. He hoped that the vagueness of the future would soon sharpen, that randomness would be in their favour, and let him see things such as his son's fate more closely, more defined. The only thing he was certain about was that it was coming. It had always been clear to him, even though he had tried to avoid the topic. He had told his son when he was still so young and innocent, but soon he had decided to be quiet about it. He didn't want for his son to carry even more of a burden. But now, balance had caught up with him. Even God was part of his own ruleset.

He wondered, if it had been a wrong decision already, right from the start. Had he doomed them all, when he decided to spare his son from the threat that he could feel was so close to being unleashed? Had his and his former wife's decision been a mistake all along?

Only time would tell.

[I'm Not Afraid - Wondra]

It had been several days in hell in which Lucifer had been torturing the demons, throwing them into the soul grinder and watching as their bodies were squashed to a morbid dough that over time regenerated itself back to their demonic shapes, only for them to suffer the same treatment all over again.

Sleeves rolled up his forearms, he had discarded his bloodstained jacket on the ashen ground, even though it did little to his horrible appearance. He was panting from exhaustion, covered in blood and pieces of flesh, and his eyes were bloodshot from the lack of sleep over the past couple of days. He was long past the point of talking to the demons. Every word would now be too much effort put into the matter in hopes of being told what he wanted to know. No. It was unnecessary to talk. Actions were the only language the demons understood. The problem was however, that none of the demons had answered so far. They whimpered in misery and pain from the torture he had put them through, but none of them revealed any information about Scoxa's summoning. He hated to admit to himself, that perhaps the demons truly had no clue about her disappearance. There had always been the chance of him being wrong, and Scoxa had been summoned without any of her brethren knowing anything about it.

It was at the seventh day as he was about to leave and head back to his palace, silently admitting his defeat, when he suddenly noticed a dark fog emerging from the ash. It swirled and broadened as it got taller and at last he saw a female shape materialize. Lucifer's eyes went wide and for a fraction of a second, he thought of the irony of being granted this little wonder on the seventh day of his very bloody work.

The fog disappeared, leaving behind the slender shape of Scoxa. She stood baffled, scared and angry at the same time, staring directly towards him and the gigantic wheel that was sickeningly crunching. With the screams coming from the demons trapped inside, she realized immediately what was going on and that the banishing had put her right in front of the Devil. "Fuck…" she hissed, retreating backwards in a rapid pace.

Lucifer tilted his head, eyes narrowing. Throwing the demon he held in his grasp aside like a bag of garbage, he stalked towards her, his features shifting to his Devil face. "Sxoca," he growled, his tone rising threateningly. "What a surprise. How about you tell me of your little trip to earth?" His voice was venom-laced, pure anger and hatred fuelling it and making it unmistakably clear, that he was not going to ask again. The demon bared her needle-like teeth him with a defiant hiss, making several more steps backwards. As she turned and attempted to run off, Lucifer burst his wings in three powerful blows, making him dart forward like an arrow. With a crack against her back, he tackled into her and before her body was lunged to the ground, he quickly held onto her wrists and took flight. Whilst gaining more altitude, he rapidly flew towards a formation of big, pointy basalt rocks.

"Argh…! Lucif-f-fer…! I h-had no choice, I was-" Scoxa screeched and grunted, wiggling around as she saw an area with several long and sharp rocks approaching. "N-no! No! I didn't mean to- urgh! P-please! My king!"

With a slight angle of his left wing, he skillfully swirled Scoxa around his axis, gaining momentum. Waiting for the right timing, he suddenly let go of her of her wrists, sending her downwards. She smashed onto the rocks with a slick, wet sound, her weiling momentarily stopped from gurgling noises as she tried to breathe. Two sharp basalt pillars had pierced through her torso and flank, covering the dark stone tips in glistening blood. After the first shock of impact had settled, Scoxa tried to cry out, but her voice died into a gurgling rasp as she flailed her arms in search for anything to help pull herself off the spikes. Lowering down on the ground next to the demon, Lucifer stared daggers at her, unimpressed from her miserable cries and indifferent to her gruesome position. He watched her with a dangerous patience as she continued to spasm, gurgle and spit blood.

"Grrr… f-f-fuck y-you! 'm n-not goin' to s-say 'nything!" she slurred and grunted out through clenched teeth before coughing a new wave of blood.

He didn't care about her response one bit. He knew she would eventually break from either exhaustion or frustration, or both. It was just a matter of time. So he watched her, quietly, patiently, knowing he wouldn't get anything out of her at all, if he would push her or show her a sign of him being too exhausted and impatient.

Hours passed by in which some of the other demons began to crawl out of the grinder, some back in their full demonic shape, others just more or less able to move. None of them dared to approach him. They were glad to be able to leave his cycle of torture and get back to their work. Scoxa at last began to sob and Lucifer, knowing she was at the point of breaking, felt some of his tension release. Not that he would show it towards her, of course, but he did feel somewhat relieved. He watched as she trembled and as her head rolled into her neck, dull looking eyes staring skywards.

"H-he t-told me t-t-to k-kill her," she grunted exhausted in between rasps for air. "Said I c-could keep my f-free ticket to earth if I d-did it."

"Doesn't look like it worked out now, does it?" Lucifer muttered darkly. He slowly began to pace in front of her, the only bit of impatience he allowed himself to show now. "Give me a name."

Scoxa twitched and shook her head. "I- I don't know! I s-swear! H-he said he isn't alone… There are m-more like h-him," she whined and howled in pain. "Please, g-get me off these…"

"That's not enough," he commented coldly, the ember in his eyes increasing in intensity. He stepped closer, spread the fingers of his right hand and placed it against the demon's head. Focussing, he let his divine powers build up heat and start a burning sensation in each cell of the demon's body. He was prepared to incinerate her, but also knew that a little more power-display would do the trick.

"Gaaarrggh! W-wait! There's more!" she quickly cried out in panic.

Of course there is… I've counted on it.

"H-he s-spoke the b-banishing, but he was definitely h-human. I- I don't know h-how he knew! He… he wore a b-black suit… had gray hair… chilling b-blue eyes. He w-wanted me to only kill that detective woman of yours. N-no other casualties. A-and he had a cross necklace and clerical collar. A- a p-priest I think!" she cawed miserably, trembling from the feel of a million tiny needles moving through her veins. "P-please! That's a-a-all I know! Please, m-my lord, don't-"

A priest? It sounded somewhat fitting to the theme, yet also very cliche. A human banishing a demon in Enochian? That was peculiar. Also, a human summoning a demon and telling it to only kill one specific person either meant that the human was absolutely clueless about the non-existent moral compass of a demon and totally insane, or, was highly dangerous. And having a human speaking Enochian was also not to be underestimated. Anything divine in the hands of a mortal could have grave consequences.

But why attack Chloe…?

He let the burning power subside from the demons' body and pulled his hand away, leaving Scoxa impaled on the basalt spikes. Not caring about her ongoing suffering - he was sure the other demons would give her a warm welcome home in return for their torment - he retreated back to his palace. Needing some time to rest after the exhausting torture, he also sought the quiet of his quarters to be able to think on what he knew and what he could do next in order to protect Chloe.

Passing the guards, he tucked back his wings and headed into his dim lit quarters. He glanced down at himself, realising his ruined attire and ground his teeth. Getting a new suit was not a problem, as he could fill his closet indefinitely with suits made in whatever way he wanted them to be. But he missed taking a real shower. He missed the hot and cold trickle along his skin, helping him wash away the thoughts of his troubled mind, helping him relax, helping him think. Instead, he was doomed to simply vaporize away whatever stained his skin without the access to water. It was just one point of many on the list of things he dearly missed being able to do.

Undressing one piece of his ruined clothing at a time, he used the mundane motions to let his thoughts wander.

So Scoxa was called by that human… Hm. It's not impossible. The calling can be done in any language… It's just rare. But the banishing? That has to be done in Enochian. How could he know it? And how was he even able to speak it? Is that guy really a priest? Also… the human must've prepared everything and knew Chloe would come to the crime scene. How the bloody hell did he do that? And if it's been a set up to get to me… it makes no sense. There has been no attack on me. There's nothing that indicates it was to make me come to earth, and there's also been no change in hell during my short absence… So she's been the real target. But why?

Standing nude and gazing into empty space in thought, his body trembled from worry, his hands nervously clenching and releasing.

She's still is in danger. That human scumbag could simply attempt to kill her again somehow… Fuck! FUCK!

He could feel the heat of rage and vengeance build up inside him, pushing and pulling at him, whispering to him the vicious things he wanted to do to the one responsible for harming his Detective. It was a murderous feeling, one he knew he had to keep under control with his own inner compass of right and wrong. Chloe had been right when she said that he knew whether or not something was good or evil to do. It was a mixture of logic and emotions, ethics, as humans called it. And having seen how she had been able to stay controlled towards the absolute imbecile that had almost killed her daughter made him want to fight for that same composure and inner strength for doing the right thing as well. He had to draw gratification from knowing they would eventually all end up at his doorstep at some point, begging for forgiveness and screaming in pain from their personal hell loop.

But first he needed to be able to go after that man. Him and his friends. They had to be stopped and brought to justice. He let out a frustrated, long groan at realizing once again, that he was trapped. Reluctantly slipping into a fresh suit, he froze when a soft sob tickled in his ears, scratching into his skull and clawing its way into his mind.

[Bad Dream - Ruelle]

"Oh no… not again… Not now… please…" he quietly begged to whatever force was toying with his sanity. Taking three shuddering breaths, he squeezed his eyes shut, his fingers gripping onto his head and pulling at his dark hair in hopes the physical pain could push the voice away. "Please... stop…"

But it didn't.

Frustration and panic both began to rise inside him in a dangerously fast speed. Huffing and panting, he paced through his room, the featherlight cries crunching his heart. "STOP IT!" he shouted and the walls mockingly echoed his voice back against him, adding to Chloe's sounds. "It must be hell…" he heavily breathed, leaning his forehead against the wooden door, low, mad laughs rumbling from his chest. "Yes…yes... it's like a hell loop… I walked into one, didn't I?" Slamming his hands against the door, he tried to make sense of things, tried to understand what was happening to him, but logic felt like a wet piece of soap, slowly but surely slipping out of his grip. He tried to reach into hell's powers, focussed on the abyss of hell's own fabric to try and determine if maybe hell itself was playing tricks on him, torturing him, as if he was one of the human souls, condemned to suffer with something he longed for, but there was nothing. He wasn't in a hell loop and it wasn't hell's own consciousness that tormented him with the sounds of her, and yet it felt like it was.

Again and again he slammed his fists against the door, before turning around and storming through the room. Forcefully swiping his arms over his desk, he sent the utensils flying against the wall, but Chloe's sobbing continued to vibrate into his skull. A full on panic attack rolling over him, he burst open the door and ran into the throne room. Not waiting to walk outside, he released his wings and dashed through the front gates, knocking down his two guards in the process.

He followed the cries and whimpers, feeling himself being drawn into the outskirts of hell once again. The white spot in the middle of the ashen nowhere made his heart contract so hard, he groaned out in pain and lost control over his wings. She was there. Again. Standing alone, her head hanging low as her shoulders twitched with each sob she made. He landed ungracefully with several stumbles before he caught his balance closed the rest of the distance towards her. "Stop it!" he pressed beggingly through his teeth, his eyes burning with tears. "Please… Whatever you are, stop it! I can't take it any longer!"

Gasping for air, he reached out for her, wanting to grab her arms and shake her to try and get her to interact with him, but his hands brushed against an invisible wall again. "No! Fuck, no!" he angrily shouted and started to claw against the wall. "Whatever this is, please, I beg you! Get away from me! Get out of my head!" he cried out, but the shape in front of him didn't react and the wall wouldn't show any effects to his efforts on tearing it down.

Halting in his movements, he huffed and bared his teeth. "Fine then… I'll rip whatever this is out of here," he eventually grunted. "Whatever foul power is at play, I will shatter it to pieces and incinerate its remains." Eyes wide in mania, he placed the fingertips of both his hands against the invisible wall, tipping his shaking consciousness into the dark sea of his divine powers that connected with hell itself. The ground beneath him began to vibrate from the force he drew and collected in his fingers, the dark sky responding with a growling thunder.

Every cell of him felt as if it was vibrating along with his powers which at this state could easily rip apart any living being and wipe every molecule of it out of existence if it would cross his path. In a raging frenzy, his eyes started to glow a dark crimson. Then he began to press his fingertips in the invisible wall. He felt the resistance, as if trying to dig your fingers into granite, only that any real mineral would have already burst from the force he used. And then, slowly, he could feel his fingertips sinking into the translucent facade. He grunted from exhaustion, widened his stance and angled his elbows outside, looking as if he was trying to slide open a heavy door.

He was so deeply lost in the exhaustion, he didn't notice the ground beneath him rupturing, starting with him as the epicentre and spreading hundreds of meters out into hell's expanse. He also didn't notice the air around him starting to crackle and buzz the more he tore at the wall. Rasping for air, he screamed and yelled at the figure of Chloe, at the wall, at hell itself and at some point also at his Father. His controlled movements turned more frantic and wild. Madly, he pulled and clawed, feeling his fingers ripping into the barricade in front of him as if he was a lion slicing open its prey, but the process was agonizingly slow, as if he was fighting his way through sticky clay.

Hell responded with thunders and a quaking earth, the rupturing ground beneath him showing nothing below aside from a pitch black abyss that threatened to swallow everything that fell into it. And the more Lucifer clawed his way forward, the more hell responded. But his goal stayed out of his reach. "Stop it!" he shouted, clearly hearing Chloe's sobs continuing on inside his skull, despite the thundering rumble around him. "Stop torturing me!" he cried, his eyes staring at Chloe, exhausted, pained and pleading.

A flash behind him, lasting merely a second, went by without him noticing, but when he heard a familiar, strong female voice calling out to him, his body froze.

"Stop it! Stop this nonsense, Lucifer! You're literally tearing hell's fabric apart, and believe me, you really don't want to do that!"

Trembling and panting, he dropped his arms and turned around, his lips parted and eyes wide. It couldn't be. She couldn't be here. He had sent her away, had seen her leave. So how was it possible she stood in front of him? Was it just another trick played on his mind? Was it another torture? He stared at her, overwhelmed with emotions that had been breaking and shattering his fragile insides to pieces while the universe seemed to laugh at his miserable attempts to cope. Swallowing down the lump in his throat, he felt the heat in his eyes calming down as they returned to their natural soft brown. Not having found any words to form a sentence that would make sense, he reacted plainly from instinct. Confused, irritated and shocked, he frowned at her. "Mum?"

God had not expected that. He hadn't seen it coming. Had not seen her coming.

How was it possible she was here? Why did she come back? Had his behaviour not pushed her away for good? He hadn't left her a welcoming place to return to, but instead had her locked away for eons. How could she now come back to this universe? Or was there another reason for her return than him? So many questions and no answer seemed tangible to him.

A nervous vibration rumbled through him as he watched her divine light gracefully move in the realm of hell. He couldn't stop himself from marvelling over her beauty despite everything that had happened between them. How fortunate had he been to meet her in the nebulas of light… The way her energy danced and her essence shone as bright as nothing he had ever experienced before, mesmerizing and putting her spell on him. It was love at first sight, as humans liked to call it.

They had both been young, as far as one could tell about divine beings and given the absence of time. Perhaps too young and naive, he thought, but oh, what wonders they had created. He thought back to the beginning, their beginning, with nostalgia and sorrow at the same time. If he had known beforehand what would happen, to their children and to themselves, would he have been so naive to bond with her still? Perhaps he would have still done it, knowing it was either her or none at all and he'd never get a chance like that again.

Yes, he would have been selfish.

He would have followed his desire.

Curiously, euphoric even, he watched his son and former wife. At the same time however his attention split and lingered on the man sitting in his apartment. Plotting. He didn't like seeing him this calm. It wasn't how he thought this would happen. How he had hoped it would happen. His omnipresent glance fell upon Chloe, who was having a well deserved and such very important rest, although it wasn't a pleasant one. Would she notice the danger she was about to walk into? He paused, hesitating. Would she walk into it at all?

The future was shifting again, he could feel it. It was painful and sad, and he didn't know what to make of it.

Sometimes he simply hated being God.

"Lucifer…" Goddess breathed with a tearful smile. "I've missed you so much, my sweet angel boy." Her lips revealed her upper teeth in a bright smile as she stepped closer, more graceful than it should be possible for the human body she displayed.

It was Charlotte Richard's body, but he knew it wasn't possible. She was truly dead, her soul in heaven and her body decaying in the earth of the LA cemetery. "Mum… h-how… how is this possible?" Lucifer whispered, having cried and shouted himself hoarse. "How are you here? That body? I thought you… I thought you wouldn't be able to come back to this universe without all pieces for Azrael's blade…"

She tilted her head in an understanding and thoughtful way, carefully closing the distance to him. "One thing at a time, my son," she softly said and stepped to his side. Her eyes wandered over the ruptures in the air, the cracks on the ground and the still thundering dark sky. "Let me fix this first, yes?" Raising her hand, she brushed over the ruptures and made the same gesture over the ground beneath them and towards the sky.

Lucifer watched, confused by her presence and by what she was doing. Staring, his mouth agape, he saw divine light flooding from her into the damage he had caused. Slowly the torn ruptures seemed to mend together like the skin of a closing wound. Earth began to fill the dark abyss beneath them and closed the gaps to the ashen covered, dull landscape. The sky above them stopped its rumbling and thundering, and even the dark lingering dust, that looked like clouds of doom, was fading and revealing a simple, red-yellowish hue.

"And where did you pick that little trick up?" he commented half in jest, half serious. Yes, he had seen his mother do quite a lot of things, mainly causing catastrophes on humankind, but meddling with the realm his Father had created, was something new.

Turning towards him, her golden locks bounced and swayed. "I learned a couple of things in the other universe. Using a form that I like without the necessity of a fleshen, human shell, is one of them. Travelling through the fabrics of universes is another," she explained shortly, her tone reminiscent. "A lot of time has passed, Lucifer. At least for me. I've watched many civilisations come and go and picked up a trick or two along the way." Eying him carefully up and down, she noticed his still trembling frame and swiftly reached her arms around him. "Come here. Let a mother hold her son she hasn't seen in eons."

"Mum, I-" He swallowed, the lump in his throat not seeming to go away as he tried to search for words. Her arms pulled him closer and for the first time in years he felt a fraction of comfort, and he hurt even more as he realized once again what he was missing. He shivered. He missed Chloe's touch, but was now granted holding his long-lost Mother. Arms reaching around her tall, slender frame, he pressed himself against her, happy about being able to hold her, while at the same time he was devastated about his own situation. He was losing his mind and his heart crumbled.

"Shush… it's alright, Lucifer. Tell me, baby. I might have acquired many abilities, but unfortunately omniscience isn't one of them. Why are you here? I thought you had found your place on earth. With Chloe. Why aren't you with her?" she spoke with motherly love as she caressed through his messy hair and rubbed his back.

"I can't- I- I can't leave hell. I had to go back," he choked out, barely able to keep from sobbing. "The demons… I have to stay here and make sure they don't escape and possess humans. They did before and it took a lot effort to make things right again... I wanted to make sure Chloe is safe, but… but now it turned out that she still isn't and I- I can't leave and..."

Goddess pulled away to look at him, sweetly moving her palms to hold his cheeks. "And now you feel like you're trapped, wanting to protect her, but you cannot be at two places at the same time?" she concluded and watched his puffy eyes lower, his head nodding slightly in confirmation. "Oh sweetheart. You've suffered so much. I'm so sorry."

He could feel her divine light embracing him like a warming blanket on his maltreated, aching soul. It was odd to feel her like this, close, warm and comforting. It had been such a long time ago since he experienced her like this. The universe was young and their family had been intact. But the reasons for her departure from earth arose as well inside him, reminding him of why she had left this universe in the first place. There had been no place for her here, as the ex-wife of God, exiled from heaven and unable to stay in the earthen realm in a human vessel, its body simply too fragile to contain her powerful essence. "Mum, why are you here?" he asked gently but directly, while accepting her divinity calming his edgy nerves.

She let out a soft scoff. "Well for one thing, like I already said, you were actually ripping hell apart. You were tearing holes in a part of reality and I could feel that even in another universe. That was really quite alarming, Lucifer. Your-Father-knows what would have happened if you'd have continued," she explained, scolding him motherly.

His self esteem so weakened, Lucifer lowered his eyes again. "I- I'm sorry, Mum… I didn't know what I was doing…"

Goddess moved her hand to lift up his chin, her expression remaining gentle. "I figured, son. It's all good now." She paused, visibly hesitating with what she said next. "There is... another reason why I'm here however. Your Father. I… I'm going to try and talk with him. There's something I wish to discuss."

His eyes widened in shock. "Mum!" Had she not learned anything in the years that passed by in her universe? Was she again going to try to force her way back into heaven and cause havoc out of vengeance? "Please don't. We've been through this before! No going backwards, remember?"

"Lucifer, I know what you must be thinking, but I really don't wish to cause any trouble. I just want to talk with your Father. As adults. No insults, no schemes, nothing. I promise." She smiled at him with a reassuring squeeze to his shoulders. "If he accepts to talk with me then… we both might be unavailable for a while. But you will hear from me again."

He looked at her, really looked at her and he was surprised to notice how her whole appearance, her aura, had changed since he had last seen her. She looked calmer, more collected. She was more empathic and warm without her previous edgy and manipulative feel to it. In fact, she seemed like a whole new person, or Goddess, for that matter. She really seemed to not wish to cause trouble, and even though he couldn't fully trust that appearance, he had to take into consideration that the times she had experienced in her own universe could have had a deeply positive effect on her. "You promise not to fight?" he asked quietly, not noticing of how much he sounded like a little boy standing in between his arguing parents.

"Oh, sweetheart. I promise." Leaning in, she gave him a kiss to his forehead and tenderly combed through his hair in attempts to make it a little less wild and tousled. "Now… before I go, let me see what I can do about your dilemma." She made a few steps away from him and closed her eyes. Cautiously her arms lifted slightly on her sides, her fingers tapping in the air almost as if she was playing an invisible instrument.

She hummed something, her lips barely moving and Lucifer noticed it was the one language even he couldn't understand. The language of Gods. It was a fascinating mystery, something so complex, no mind other than a Gods' could fathom and decipher. He could feel her words, taste and smell them. They vibrated around and into his body, causing the hair on his neck to stand and memories to emerge he had no control over. It was not just a divine experience. It was truly godlike and felt so powerful he felt tears reemerge. He was left breathless as her eyes opened, revealing shining irises of the color of golden wheat in the morning sun. She spoke a last, unidentifiable word, and her eyes returned to normal.

"That's it," Goddess said with another warm smile that baffled him. "You can go now, Lucifer."

He blinked, gazing at her. "What? What do you mean? What… what did you do?" he sputtered in awe and confusion. "I don't understand."

Rolling her eyes, she made a wavy gesture with her hand as if this was really not that big of a deal. "The demons. You said they would escape and possess humans if you wouldn't oversee them here. Well, I adjusted hell's rules a little. They'll no longer be able to simply leave hell. The only way for them to travel the planes now is by the help of an angel."

"You... what? You- You just changed… hell? Just like that?" he breathed in disbelief, not sure if he should be happy or scared about that display of power from his Mother. Changing the laws of a whole realm sounded a tad more powerful than changing the weather.

"Yes. I'm really not sure why your Father had made it so they could just leave like that in the first place anyways… I think this should have been changed a long time ago..." she murmured, shaking her head with a sigh, before radiating her newfound smile once more. "Now, like I said, go to your human. We'll see us again one way or another my dear child. Don't you worry."

His head was spinning and his heart couldn't decide what to focus on first. His joy of seeing his Mother again, the despair and longing he had for heading back to Chloe or the worry he had about his Mother leaving again to talk with his Father. "But, Mum, please, I've got so many questions… There's so much, I want to tell you-"

"Not right now, Lucifer," she calmly pressed. "I promise you, the time will come. Soon." She caressed his cheek a last time, visibly fighting the aching need to stay to sooth him. "I love you, my sweet boy," she whispered as her shape began to glow. Then it gradually shrunk together in a flash of divine light until it disappeared.

Panting in a turbulent cocktail of emotions, Lucifer stood alone in the ashen field. His Mother was gone again. Just like that. And despite the rather good circumstances, it still hurt to see her leave once more.

Turning around his axis he saw nothing left of the strange hallucination of Chloe. The sounds of her crying had stopped and just to be sure he reached out to where the barrier had been, but his hand could move freely.

He let out a shaky breath, overwhelmed with wonder and puzzlement of what had just happened. It took him a minute before he was able to compose himself again, to set aside his questions and whirling emotions about his Mother. He focused his senses on the realm itself, curious and somewhat sceptical whether she had truly changed hell itself, but he could feel it immediately. A strong powerful barrier, fabricated of pure divine light, able to hold every demonic being in its captivity.

Of course she had managed it. Why had he even doubted her? Perhaps it was just her changed behavior that was so unfamiliar to him, he thought and shook his head in wonder.

But slowly he felt excitement started to take over. He began to realize, he was truly able to return to earth, and it made him giddy. Tilting his head towards the red sky of hell, a small, hopeful smile tugged at his lips. Not looking back at hell once, he pushed himself into the air with a powerful flap of his wings, his heart thundering with joy.

Finally. Finally he would see his beloved Detective again.

Chapter Text

Chapter 8: Homecoming

Lucifer glanced down at himself as he landed silently on his balcony. He looked like a homeless magician as Chloe once put it. His rampage in hell had ruined himself yet another suit and there was no way he wanted for the Detective to see him like this, worrying her sweet detective brain over his condition. As he looked against the glass door of his penthouse, he sighed at the reflection of his face. His eyes were still puffy and red rimmed, not to mention the slight bags under his eyes from exhaustion and the tension spread all over his features. He was beyond tired and in desperate need for sleep and not just a few, tormenting hours like the ones he had gotten in hell, no, the real ones. A peaceful, regenerative slumber.

A little movement inside his penthouse made him blink and focus his attention past the glass and on his couch. Still not making a sound, he slid open the door, tucked his wings away and stepped inside to take a look. The blanket laying crumpled across the couch was moving. Up and down in a slow, steady motion. Breathing, he realized and carefully slid the blanket down, revealing his vast asleep, grey cherub friend. Rolling his eyes, he was about to startle Gaudium awake, but then paused.

If he was here then she had to be here, too.

Glancing over to his bedroom, he pondered for a moment and eventually leaned down to Gaudium. He quickly pressed his palm over the creatures' mouth and kept it from shouting out in surprise, knowing how vocal the little bugger could be. Big oval eyes shot open in fear and, violently startled from his slumber, Gaudium groaned and grunted into Lucifer's hand. "Shhh…!" Lucifer quietly hissed and motioned him to calm down. "Quiet. Just nod your head. It's late... Is she in my bedroom?" Gaudium huffed, mumbled something incoherently and nodded.

It had just been a good guess, yet he hadn't expected for his body to react with such intensity, a deep shiver running through his limbs. Nervously licking his lips, he gazed into Gaudium's eyes imploringly. "Is she alright?" Gaudium's eyes narrowed, obviously feeling maltreated, but Lucifer didn't care for his protest. "Is she?" he pressed impatiently. When the cherub nodded again, he let out a relieved sigh. "Good. Please leave us until I call you. Maybe hang out with Maze and catch up on old times or something. Do whatever you like, just don't cause any trouble." Another grumbling muffled beneath his palm and Gaudium flapped his wings energetically, most likely in anger. "Do as I say, Gaudium. Please," Lucifer added insistently and offered the most expectant and hopeful look at his long time servant. Gaudium rolled his eyes, his shoulders sacking down in defeat and acceptance. Removing his hand, Lucifer motioned towards the balcony and reminded him again with a silencing finger to keep his mouth shut.

Shuffling out of the blanket, Gaudium shoved Lucifer so he backed off of him and rose up in the air. Mimicking a silent growl at him, he swiftly turned around, making his little devil-tail slash around and slap against Lucifer's cheek. Before Lucifer could react, the cherub flew out through the balcony door and was gone. "Bloody little yob," he hissed lowly with a shake of his head before sighing and glancing to his bedroom. A strange light feeling of nervosity formed in his stomach, accompanied from his already trembling body. He shook from excitement, longing and heartache. Striding to the short flight of stairs, he slipped out of his footwear and stopped in the archway.

[Flowers - Bob Bradley & Thomas Balmforth]

There she was. The most beautiful human being that was the magnetic centre of his existence, bewitching and beguiling the Devil and rendering him speechless in awe.

Honey blonde hair splayed wildly over his pillow and the curled up Detective, apparently dressed in one of his shirts, held onto a fistful of bedsheets. He noticed she was fitful, turning her head from side to side. Her delicate features were contorted as she twitched and flinched, and he realized she must be having a nightmare. If she would have slept peacefully, he would have stayed longer, but knowing knowing she wasn't tore at his heart. Quickly combing his fingers through his messy hair, he tried to look less distraught and make it so that he could hopefully be a soothing presence for her to wake up to. Unbuttoning his shirt, he let the fabric land on the ground before he stepped to the side of his bed. Carefully he lowered down next to her twitching shape, propping up on his elbow with his head in his palm.

She laid turned towards him, her brows coming together in discomfort about an unknown action in her nightmare and her lips parted in a gasp. He could hear her rapid breathing and wondered for a brief moment what best way to wake her. He settled with leaning in to tenderly kiss her forehead and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face. Keeping his palm to her cheek, he caressed his thumb over her soft skin. "Detective?" he whispered, hopeful not to startle her awake. "Chloe… Hey… Wake up, darling…"

The black had swallowed her as she had cried out for Lucifer, the emptiness around her raining his white feathers sprinkled with blood that cut into her skin. She tried to get away, tried to find him, to save them from the imminent doom when his voice softly drilled into her subconsciousness. The darkness around her became slippery, sliding off her and finally she felt herself sliding free. "Nnngh…" Mumbling and twitching, Chloe's eyes squeezed tightly and then slowly fluttered open. Her vision was blurry, her mind dizzy and her blood was racing from adrenaline. Her soft blues eyes gazed ahead for a brief moment, before a new shock startled her. The distinctive and familiar face in front of her sharpened and she gasped. "Lucifer…" she breathed barely audible for herself and him. Was she hallucinating? Was she still dreaming? Was it just part of yet another nightmare, just more intense, more real? The darkness swallowing her while the bloodied feathers fell from the sky and cut her to her core were still tangible, mixing with her vision. Her eyes filled with tears, the lump in her throat just as painful as her longing heart. Incredulously and in a limbo of uncertainty, she reached out to touch his face and as her fingertips felt the warmth of his skin, her mouth let out a whimpering laugh of relief and images of her nightmare faded when reality settled in. "I'm not dreaming… You're here… You're really here…" she quietly sobbed, smiling through tears, her thundering heart barely able to contain its joy and relief.

His jaw tensed and his throat tightened. Not trusting his voice to not shake, he nodded and released a shuddering, soft moan as her fingers brushed over his stubble. He had dreamed about it countless times. The sensation of her delicate hands touching him again, holding his face like she did when they were close and in their intimate bubble. Looking at her, there was so much to say, so much to let her know, that his mind couldn't even decide what to put out first in any logical order.

His hurricane of thoughts was instantly wiped away when he felt her lips against his own, her nose lightly nuzzling his, and her hand keeping his face close. The connection was like an powerful icebreaker, coming out of the cold fog, slicing into the frozen plates of worries and longing, and tearing it apart into tiny fragments soon to be melting away and be completely forgotten. He blinked and sighed against her lips, happily surrendering to her raptly, lovely welcoming. The chaste kiss quickly turned hungry and desperate from both of them, and he was more than pleased when Chloe responded with a feverish moan of her own into his mouth. Attentively he caressed her tongue with his, enjoying her taste of both sweet and smoky. Wine? he wondered with his lips curling into a smile. Anything mixed with the taste of her was delicious and he gratefully let it dizzy his mind. Hearing her being out of breath, he gently pulled away, but kept her face leaning against his, their foreheads touching. He felt giddy and excited from joy, and remembered the last time this had been the case was when they were officially on a date. Something he wanted to have again with her as soon as possible.

Nuzzling with her again, he paused, surprised. Her nose, just like her hand, felt cold. "You're freezing…" he whispered and reached for the covers. "Come here." Pulling her closer against his side, he threw the duvet over them, letting his body heat warm her cold limbs.

Chloe's heart was still pounding madly. He was here. With her. He wasn't just a figment of her imagination or a dream. She tasted him, felt his warm skin and heartbeat when her hand brushed down to lay on his chest. Without wasting another second, she shifted even closer, tucking her head between his chin and chest. With her front pressed against him and her left leg entwining with his, she soaked up the warmth he provided and the calming feel of his skin against hers. She knew it might seem clingy and perhaps also a bit indecent to be pressing herself against him like this, dressed in nothing but one of his shirts and her underwear, but she hoped he would understand that it stemmed from a despair, a deep rooted longing and her happiness to have him back with her. "Will you stay this time?" she whispered, remembering his last visit had not even been long enough for her to see him. Biting her lip, she tilted her head enough to look up, noticing that he looked terribly exhausted. But at the same time she could also see the immense amount of emotions in his eyes. The pain, the longing, the relief, the joy. All of them mixed in his endless brown irises she had missed so much for the past months.

This time… His heart ached. He had left her before. Twice. Three times even, if he counted his run off to Vegas years ago. Arms pulling her as close as possible without squashing her, he nodded. "Yes," he answered with a tight throat. "I will."

Lips pressing together in attempts to stop her sobs, she took in his scent and continued to look at him imploringly. "You promise to not disappear overnight? You won't suddenly be gone?" But then the thought of finding him gone, his presence slipped away from him, took overhand and her body couldn't hold itself together from the onslaught of emotions any longer and. Her tears of fear and pain spilled over her cheeks as she anxiously dug her fingers into his chest, clawing them into him as if to hold him in place and prevent him from suddenly leaving again. "Please, Lucifer, I just- I need you to still be here when I wake up. Please-"

She was hurting. It was unbearable to watch and more tormenting than any punishment he could think of. And he hated himself for being the reason for it. "I promise," he pressed, his voice raspy and he could feel his own body betraying him in his attempts to stay composed when droplets trickled quietly from his own cheeks. "Shush now, Chloe… Please don't cry. I'm here… I'll stay…" Tilting his head down he placed his lips against her forehead, lingering there as if to breathe his words directly into her head. He had caused her so much worry, pain and fear. No, he wasn't going to leave her, seeing how much his absence had hurt her. "I promise I'll stay," he whispered again, squeezing her gently to reassure her. It wasn't just for her though. He tried to not let it show, but he was more than ecstatic and overwhelmed to feel her and truly be with her again. The tormenting mirage of her in hell had gutted him for weeks on end, played with his longing for her, only to leave him more desperate and hurt afterwards. To hold her and speak with her now was like a salvaging blessing and a healing balm to his bleeding soul.

They laid quietly together, both exhausted beyond belief, but neither of them ready to fall asleep, despite their tired bodies and strained minds. They couldn't help their fear of losing each other again, and so they silently fought against sleep getting the upper hand. Lucifer heard her hammering heart, her slightly ragged breathing and felt her fingers continuously squeezing him, and he knew she still laid awake with her eyes closed. "I've missed you so much," he confessed quietly, his voice, despite being husky, carrying all the devotion and love he felt for her. Taking a deep breath of her hair, he fought to keep his eyes open, deadly tired, yet loving to be able to look at her.

She opened her eyes at his words, tears re-emerging. When she looked up at him, she knew he was showing merely a fraction of just how much he missed her. "I love you, Lucifer," she confessed with equal affection. Lifting her hand to his stubbly cheek again, she pulled him back down to meet her lips. She felt him melt against her and softly moaned when he praised and gently caressed her.

Humming in contentment, he pulled her by her waist so her body laid completely on top of him. Pecking her lips a last time, he smiled dreamily. "I love you, too, Chloe." His eyelids fluttered, trying to keep his focus on her. "Mmmm… Would you mind if we talk more tomorrow, darling? I'm absolutely knackered."

Biting her lower lip at his avowal, she nodded in understanding and sweetly scratched his chin, the tension in her chest finally releasing. "Of course," she murmured and lowered her head back on his chest, listening to his heartbeat, slowly and steadily thumping. "Goodnight, Lucifer. Welcome home."

Eyes already fallen shut, he murmured in relaxation, his arms tightly wrapped around her. After the past agonizing three years in hell, feeling Chloe's body and how it warmed up against him was his own version of heaven. Nothing in existence stood in comparison. Within a matter of seconds he drifted off and for the first time since even before his departure, he slept peacefully throughout the night.

She reached inside from out in the void and tapped carefully at the fabric of the Silver City, just like a soft knock on a door. Goddess knew her former husband would be aware of her presence since her arrival and she wanted to be as polite and make an official entrance at his doorstep. Her former self would have undoubtedly simply barged in, but having taken eons of responsibility over her own creations had taught her many things, among them a good portion of tact.

"Please…" she spoke into the divine fabrics that the Silver City was woven from, using the language only them both could understand. "If you do not wish for me to come into your creation, please consider meeting me outside of it. I do not wish to cause trouble for you or our children. I only would like to have a word with you."

"Do you now?" the grumpily rumble of God vibrated through the fabric as he emerged in his bright essence into the void she was floating in. He took her in, appraising her reasons for her presence in this universe. He felt tense and he knew he wouldn't be able to hide it from her. Everyone else, surely, but not her.

Her shining light rippled in a divine, gentle smile. "Yes, Mister grumps-a-lot," she spoke teasingly and motioned him in small waves of light to come along. Catching his reluctance, she chuckled. "What? Are you afraid to be alone with me?"

Huffing, God's essence rumbled with irritation and a bit of annoyance. The divine version of rolling one's eyes. But deep inside he felt much different. He wasn't annoyed. He was nervous and puzzled. Why is she here? Why did she return? Her sinister, venomous behaviour from prior years had caused so much trouble, so much destruction. He couldn't afford for that to ever happen again, he had to be cautious. And yet… his core resonated with longing for her still, even after all these eons of separation and deep rooted grudges. Hesitating he glanced back at the Silver City and at earth. Things were in motion. Changing. Fates were shifting. "No… that's not it," he murmured in thought.

Goddess observed him closely, his anxious glance towards humanity not passing by unnoticed. "You worry for them?" she carefully probed. In all the years she had spent as the one divine being in her own universe, she had come to learn about many things such as the devotion to your own creation. Of course she had always felt protective of her divine children, but a mortal species that lived on its own accord, by its own rules, was something entirely different. She saw the nervous flicker in his expression and knew she was right. Of course he was deeply worried. But the true strength of his creation could only shine, when facing difficulties on its own and overcoming them. That was the biggest reward for him and them of course, but it was only possible if he'd let them have it. It was their freedom that made them strive. Reaching out towards him, she tendly let her warmth touch him in a dear gesture of understanding. "You know they can do this. They're very stubborn and resilient, just the way you made them. Have faith in them. Come. Let us talk."

Her touch was electrifying and tender at the same time and reminded him of a time long ago, when the universe was young. He looked back at her quizzically, unsure of her strangely calm and gentle behaviour. Unable to see the intentions of his divine counterpart, he stayed wary, but she did have a point. His dear humans were strong and it wasn't as if he was in the position to further interfere anyhow. Everything was set in motion and he had tried his best to help a positive outcome. "Alright… Let's talk." After a last glance to earth, he swirled alongside her, their brilliant lights vanishing in the void.

Mazikeen was proud. Of herself and the kid.

Not only had she taught Trixie how to use special computer tech to track down people by their credit card usage. Not only had she trained her highly effective self defence techniques in case she would ever be caught from someone too big to fight (she made it clear however, that once she was old, tall and strong enough, fighting back would surely be her main choice of action, rather than taking the defensive stance and trying to escape, of course). She had also practised on her aiming skills with her newest, most favourite ninja weapon of choice: the Kunai throwing knives. And the little hellraiser was good with them. Really good.

And after hours of extensive training - the kid really had a lot of stamina - Maze had eventually managed to wear her out and with a happy smile on her innocent face, Trixie had fallen asleep on her couch. Being as quiet and stealthy as she could, she used the kid's timeout to pick up the chaos they had left behind in the apartment. She collected the knives from the various target dummies spread out in the corners and sat down at her table to clean and re-sharpen them in a zen-like fashion. While she held hardly any patience when it came to daily human issues, she had no problem spending hours to care for her weapon arsenal.

A sudden clack on the window made her swirl around, the Kunai knife she was cleaning, ready for action. Listening closely, her body alert and on edge with a rush of adrenaline, she stared at the window. Another demon? she wondered immediately and shortly glanced to Trixie. The girl was still vast asleep, the blanket tightly pulled around her. Hard to imagine what a vicious fighter she had been just an hour ago.

Another clack sounded against the glass, followed by a several knocks that somehow seemed to come rhythmically. It was with intent. Frowning she stepped closer, cautiously peeking out.

"Maze! Maze! MAAAZE!" a squeaky and particularly grumpy voice called.

"Oh, you gotta be kidding me… Gaudium," she sighed his name in annoyance, immediately throwing open the window and hissing outside. "Calm the fuck down you degenerate, flying rat! Can't have your ugly shape to be seen from all the neighbours! Humans tend to go bonkers when they see weird stuff like you!"

In a bit quieter, yet still pissed tone, Gaudium went on. "Nice to see you, too, Lilim. Always a pleasure to hear your insults. Now let me in, it's fucking cold outside." Not waiting for her to make a move, the little cherub pushed himself past the window frame and fluttered inside.

Maze rotated around him, quickly crouching down. She roughly pressed her palm over his broad mouth, her other hand holding the Kunai against his short throat. "I've got a human kid sleeping here and I'm damn proud I got her to that point. If you mess up by being loud and wake her or make her see your true shape, it will have been a really short visit for you. Understood?"

Gaudium's eyes widened in shock before narrowing in anger. Why does this always happen to me!? Grunting, he flapped his wings and slashed around with his tail, trying to escape her reach, but Maze easily pushed him back against the wall. Reluctantly he lowered his wings, staring daggers at her. "Phfffnnn!"

"What was that?" Carefully lifting her hand from Gaudium's mouth, she arched her brows.

"I said fine," Gaudium hissed, wiggled out of Maze's loosening hold and trotted into the room. He peaked around the corner, spotting a small human on the couch, her dark curly hair covering half her face, the other covered from the blanket she was wrapped up in. "Who's that? Oh by the freakin' Almighty... Don't tell me you found a way to reproduce…"

Her expression faltered between exasperated and shocked. "She's the kid of Chloe. The thought alone of carrying something inside of me is disturbing, to say the least. Although I heard sex is so much more pleasing during that time. Strange to think that humans like to poke their unborn child with dick though, don't you think? And the tiny humans need a real long time to grow up to this kiddo's size before you can even do something useful with them. Did you know?" she muttered non-stop and with her usual lack of decency over sexual matters as she put the weapon back to her storage of other knifes. "So, you're here with Lucifer I assume?"

Gaudium merely stared at her with a raised brow. He hadn't forgotten about Mazikeen's ignorance on human behaviour, but found it rather pleasing to hear another being that didn't mince words just to not hurt anyone's feelings. Maze was absolutely genuine and that trait he came to appreciate, rather than the deceitfulness of the other demons from hell. "Well… Depends on the perspective. He is with Chloe now and threw me out. I mean… it's so disrespectful… First he wants me to watch over her, then she throws me out. I watch over her again and even help her with her research, then he shows up and he throws me out..." He sighed as he made his way towards her kitchen counter. "Someone understand this fuckin' world… Hey do you have any juice?" He fluttered up to reach her cabinets and glanced inside with a chuckle, seeing nothing but hard liquor. "Mazikeen… I see you haven't changed your taste one bit. And I haven't found any organs lying around." Pausing, he threw her a sceptical look, his voice turning sour. "You don't have any lying hidden around here, do you?"

"This isn't a torture chamber, Gaudium. Well- not for most days of the week anyway," she explained, watching him snatch a bottle of her best Polish vodka and filling himself a glass up to the brim. Unbelievable. The little cherub-brat had taste. Or perhaps it was just a lucky pick. "So he threw you out and told you to hang with me, didn't he?"

"Grrr…. Well, I wasn't particularly keen on saying hello to Amenadiel." He quickly raised a hand, rolling his eyes. "I know, I know. Given my profession I should like that winged hulk, but I find more similarities with you than him to be honest. And that's saying quite something, isn't it?" the cherub prattled and downed the content of his glass with big gulps. "So… how's life treating you on earth? I've heard you're working as a bounty hunter now. Is that true?"

Maze eyes lit up with joy and she motioned for the little heavenly creature to follow her. Making sure Trixie wouldn't be disturbed, she went on quietly as she sat down at the kitchen table. "Yes, quite the cool thing. I catch the bad guys the police is looking for and get paid handing them over. All while being allowed to use whatever method I want. It's amazing! I can use all of my talents… although," she leaned back with a sigh, shrugging. "I have to cut a bit short on the torturing."

"I see, I see…" he murmured sitting down at the edge of the table, effectively making him almost as tall with her sitting at it.

Helping herself to a high percentage drink, Maze looked at him with a frown. "Hey, how is it Lucifer is here and not in hell? Shouldn't he watch out so that no other demon escapes? I'm glad that other one is already taken care of, but who's to say it stays that way..."

Shrugging, Gaudium drew circles on the kitchen table with his clawy finger. "Honestly, I don't know. I was surprised he showed up and seemed to wish to stay." Wiggling his browless forehead he threw her a wicked grin. "Wanted to spend some private time with his human detective girl, if you know what I mean. I gotta admit, she's quite nice though. Smart and stubborn. Just the right combination for dealing with Lucifer."

"Truer words have never been spoken, cherub," Maze grinned back, refilling his glass and clanking in agreement. Gulping down the liquor, she ran her fingertips along the rim of the glass, the air between them suddenly growing heavy with both their thoughts darkening. "Do you have a bad feeling as well on all of this?" She knew she didn't need to specify this. Everything that had happened in the last twenty four hours seemed off to her; the demon summoning, the attack on Chloe specifically and the banishing. All raised so many questions it made her head spin.

Gaudium shifted his gaze, glancing out the window he had come through, and got lost in the darkness that swallowed LA in its slumber. He usually wasn't the nicest creature or one that showed a lot of care, but what was engraved in his core had never fallen apart, not even with his literal fall from heaven. He had a sense for right and wrong and he had a very good intuition. Lost in thought on his master and on what he himself had discovered with Chloe earlier this evening, he nodded. "Yeah… Something's going on…"

She nudged her chin towards him with a mildly curious look, the corner of her lips tugging up. "Care to exchange information?"

"Sure, why not. If you let me stay here," he proposed with a small sheepish grin and let the transparent liquid burn down his throat again.

Eyes narrowing, Maze nodded. The little bugger had spent enough time with Lucifer to have made a habit of striking deals himself. "Only if you use a glamour."

He sighed, glancing over towards the living room area where the girl was lying asleep. "Fine. But not a damn pigeon again, I can tell you that. Give me another refill, Lilim," he demanded, holding out his glass towards her. "I need more alcohol in my circulation to get creative with my shape."

[Nightsky - Tracey Chattaway]

The smell of fresh toast and bacon filled his foggy mind, wrapping around and pulling him out of a dreamless sleep, the first he had since years. Clicking his tongue with his brain vaguely remembering the taste of real food, he slowly opened his eyes and smiled. The sun had risen, drowning LA in its perfect morning glory. Good morning, my beauty. It's good to see you again... Stretching out his limbs, his yawn turned into a grunt, his muscles feeling beyond sore. The endless days of punishing demons and his mad havoc-wrecking in hell seemed to be taking their toll. He was in need of some more relaxation and knew exactly how to recharge his batteries a little more through spending time with a certain Detective. But as he looked from left to right, the sheets next to him were empty.

For a brief moment he wondered if he had been dreaming after all or of this was a trick on his mind and he was trapped in a hell loop. Hell truly had worn him out over the last years. But, no, he was here, on earth, with her. And hearing something sizzle and the sound of the toaster going off, he realized she must be in the kitchen and his heart leaped with joy.

But, bloody hell, first things first. I still look like a stray with a hangover.

Climbing out of bed with another groan, he stepped into his adjacent bathroom, spotting a damp towel hanging to dry at the side and a fresh one neatly placed right at the shower. He noticed the tiles were still wet and a smile tugged at his lips, knowing she had showered at his place. Following suit, he got rid of his ruined pants and let the hot water wash off the remains of hell that lingered on his skin and in his hair. The sensation of being cleaned by real water was so different to his hellish cleansing, he felt himself linger slightly longer than necessary under the stream, but eventually his eagerness got the best of him. He didn't want to waste precious time to see and be with her.

Towel dried, he stood in front of his mirror and combed his damp hair with his fingers. He focussed his devilish energy and let it concentrate inside his fingertips to just the right amount while he continued to run them through his hair. Who ever thought the Devil would need a hairdryer when he's got all the hellpower literally in his hands? Within seconds his dark hair dried and nestled in his typical combed-back state of perfection. Satisfied, he quickly went to his walk-in-closet and froze when he saw the far end of the shelf neatly filled with female clothes. Those haven't been here when I left… Taking a closer look through the pieces, he noticed they were familiar ones; All of them were Chloe's.

She brought clothes to my place? Why? Had she planned to move in here with her spawn? Sounds very unlikely. And why was she here in the first place? He put the thoughts aside, although the idea of having her live with him, left a warm feeling inside his chest. Another rush of excitement trembled through him with the need to see her. He quickly got dressed in pants, a burgundy shirt and a black vest on top. Staying barefoot, enjoying the feel of walking on warm, Italian Marble, he quietly stepped into the living room, spotting Chloe at his kitchen counter, her back turned towards him.

His heart jumped. She was here, in his kitchen, with him, in the morning, after they had slept next to each other, or rather her on top of him. He wasn't noticing how he began grinning like a Cheshire cat. Her hair was tied up loosely into a bun and she softly swayed her curves, her nice behind covered from one of his midnight-blue shirts. He gazed at her in trance, daydreaming. She's bewitching me, he vaguely thought, his grin lingering. And I like it… I like it a lot.

When she turned around, spatula in hand, she startled in a small jump, but her lips immediately curled up in a lovely smile. "Oh hey! You were sleeping so peacefully, I didn't want to wake you." Putting the spatula aside, she took in his expression of adoration. He looked cute, all perplex and in awe and her stomach felt light and tingly from it. "Hey?" she softly asked with a light snicker, seeing he wasn't responding. "Earth to Lucifer. You're still dreaming, aren't you?" she asked softly, feeling her cheeks flush at the thought that she was likely part of his dreams, no matter of the daytime he was having them.

And then she recalled her own thoughts on when she had woken up, watching his chest rise and fall in the warm golden light of the rising sun, his tousled hair curling at the shorter cut sides and back of his head, lips relaxed and slightly parted. She had watched him for several minutes, simply taking in the sight of him. He had looked absolutely magnificent, even more appealing than she had remembered him to be and it had reminded her of the picture of young Samael she had seen the night before. She inhaled sharply, finding herself coming out of a daydream herself and was glad to see Lucifer happened to wake up from one of his own as well.

"Hm? What?" Lucifer blinked several times as he came out of his daze. Bloody hell… Have I been drooling like a complete wally? He quickly wiped his hands over his face, just to be sure and to help him buy some time to refocus. "I erm… I…" He frowned, searching for words as he continued to stare at her. What are you doing, you blithering idiot!? Did you forget how to talk? Also: Stop. Ogling. "Sorry," he harrumphed, trying to finally compose himself. "I was just… admiring your choice of clothing." He gestured at her, his eyes darkening as they flickered over the shirt that was far too big for her. But it's my shirt covering her beautiful, nude shape... His eyes travelled to the hem of his shirt, hungrily. And those marvellous legs I want to kiss and bite and dig my fingers in… He gulped, forcing his body to cooperate with some much needed decency. Bloody hell… get a grip on your hormones, Devil!

She hadn't even thought about her clothing. Well, his shirt, to be more precise. The evening before, she had snuggled up in one of his blue shirts she had always liked on him and after the hot shower and with the room temperature of the penthouse being warm enough, she hadn't felt like slipping into her own clothes just yet, but wanted to change after breakfast. "Oh erm…" Blushing an even darker shade, she bit her lip. "Sorry, I wasn't thinking you'd mind, if I would take one of your-"

"Oh no. No, I really don't mind at all, darling," he quickly assured her, having found back to his senses and stepping closer. "You look beautiful, no matter the clothing." Reaching up, he cupped her cheek, his eyes roaming over her face, taking in the soft rosy blush of her cheeks and her plum inviting lips. By Dad, has she any idea how intoxicating she looks? What a temptation… Ironic to think Dad made this sinfully alluring and mesmerising beauty. Ain't he the a wicked creator?

Her heart skipped a bit, realizing it was the second compliment he made to her in only a minute. Letting his words sink in and make her feel cherished, she leaned into his palm, relishing in his caress and warmth. "You don't look too bad yourself," she whispered, smiling up at him, enjoying to see him dressed to the nines as she remembered him. "Did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby. Must've been because of your lovely presence. And you? Had any more nightmares?" he asked, taking in how some loose strands of her hair were slipping out of the tie and wildly flowed over her neck and shoulders, gracefully framing her face. Mmmm… like a Greek Goddess...

"Nope. Thanks to your lovely presence," she mimicked him while playfully brushing a finger over the buttons of his vest.

He took a deep breath, and exhaled with a satisfied nod. Good. His dear Detective wasn't supposed to have nightmares, not if he could help it. "I saw you stored some of your clothes in the closet," he brought up with a small smirk twitching at his lips when her fingers continued to play with his vests top button. "Were you intending to move in?"

The happy butterflies starting to flap around in her stomach were suddenly squelched down and her expression saddened at his question. Slinging her arms around herself, she shook her head. "Sometimes I just… I… I wanted to be closer to you. I know, technically that's silly, given where you were, but being here I… I could feel you. At least it was soothing to have things from you surrounding me," she answered honestly, looking up at him with a sad, apologetic smile. "I didn't want to let go... I didn't want to accept that you would never retu-"

In a blur, he silenced her by sealing her lips with his own and pressed her firmly against his tall frame to keep her from shaking. Slowly he caressed her lips and tasted her mouth, gentle and lovingly, parting from her only once he felt her shoulders relax. "Shush, darling. I'm here and you can have me all around you now, whenever and for as long as you want me."

His touch was electrifying and calming at the same time, and his scent and taste invading her senses helped to ease her anxiety. But his touch and words didn't manage to fully banish her troubled thoughts. "But how is it you're here?" she asked quietly, trying for her voice not to shake. "I mean… what… what about hell? What about the demons?"

He sighed. Of course she would want to know. And he truly wanted to explain it to her, but he was also aware that this involved yet another divine being and more celestial matters that her brain needed to wrap around without melting. But really, there was no gentle, no slow way of revealing anything celestial to a human. Once the realization would come, it was like a crash of a truck right into the front of one's head. "Well… I had a bit of help concerning the demons," he began carefully, moving his hands caressingly over her lower back. He saw he had her full attention and the shine of her eyes told him, she was eagerly awaiting an explanation. "As you know… my Dad… is God…" he went on, watching as she nodded. "But… as you also know when it comes to creating offspring, usually… it takes two to tango." He could see the millisecond of when his words had sunk into her brain and she started to process, her irises around her soft blues dilating a fraction. Yeah, now she got it.

"Y-you mean…" She gazed back at him, shocked, perplex and awestruck. "A-another G-god?"

"Female. Goddess. My Mum," Lucifer quietly said with a nod, the memories on her surfacing and causing a brief pinch in his chest. "She was in another universe for a while. The story is more complex, so I'll just keep it this simple." That earned him a small laugh from her, but he knew it wasn't from joy, but the sheer fact of how to call something about the true existence of God and Goddess and other universes 'simple'. "She came to me in hell. I told her about my situation, of being stuck with overseeing the demons. So she basically changed the rules of the realm and made it so that the demons are unable to leave hell without the help of an angel to bring them to earth. That way humanity will be safe from them and I could come back without having to worry."

Lips parted, Chloe continued to gaze at him while he explained the celestial-ness of his parents. "O-okay…" It was beyond her to really grasp what he was saying, but after seeing him in his Devil form and coming to terms with it - and admittedly also an evening with two bottles of wine from Lucifer's penthouse - she had made the decision to simply accept certain things concerning the world of angels and demons, and now also more than one deity.

"Okay?" he repeated, surprised at her quick, positive response. When she slowly nodded, he leaned in to gently kiss her forehead. "Your lovely detective brain is really alright?"

"Yeah, all good." She smiled, enjoying his tender caress and finding his worry endearing. She wondered for a moment, if she could also pray to his Mother, Goddess. Would she hear that? She deserved her deepest gratitude, helping Lucifer to get back to earth and return to her. Only because of her, she was able to see and feel him and she wanted to thank her for that in whatever way she could.

That's my Detective. Processing celestial matters like a piece of cake… Dipping down, he quickly kissed her lips and sheepishly smiled. "Mmmm… I think I need to do this much more often. I just want to be sure I'm really here with you." He was rewarded with a lovely snicker, her beautiful ocean-blue eyes shimmering with affection.

"Are you hungry?" she asked with another dashing smile, loving the fact she could make this offer to him. And she could tell a devilish innuendo was just at the tip of his tongue, so she added with an amused look, "For sandwiches."

Eyes widening and his sheepish smile faltering in surprise, his whole posture changed into an excited, giddy mess. "Oh, sweet baby Jesus. Food… Real food?" he practically moaned as he saw the plate Chloe had prepared. Four sandwiches with cheese, bacon, tomatoes, eggs and a lettuce leaf on each. His mouth watered at the sight. "Bloody hell…"

"I suppose that's a yes," Chloe chuckled and brought the breakfast to his table along with two cups of coffee. "Hey, do you know where Gaudium headed?"

"Oh you… you know him? So the little bugger didn't stay hidden from you, did he?" he muttered, his tone turning slightly sour. He had assumed the cherub had just snuck inside once Chloe was asleep and not that his cover had blown so quickly.

"It's fine Lucifer. I was just startled a moment… He's quite alright, if you can look past the surface, I suppose," she added with a short laugh.

"I guess I should've known," he sighed, sitting down and leaning into the chair's backrest. "You're just too good a Detective. Also... he isn't particularly used to being topside and staying hidden among humans. But he's always been a good and loyal assistant, both in heaven and hell." He mused with a small smile, thinking back to former times. "While he's certainly not the happiest fella to have around and he's obviously not as handsome as me, he really has a heart of gold. I've sent him off for the time being. I hope he wasn't too much of a troublemaker, darling?"

She snickered at his talk about Gaudium. Yes, the little cherub definitely was an interesting one to have around and she wondered what the two of them had experienced together. She smiled bashfully, enjoying the way that last world rolled so softly over his lips. He had said it a couple of times already and she hoped to hear him say it more often, not only because it made her feel cherished and as if she was in a cheesy, romantic movie, but also caused a pleasant rush in her loins. "No, not at all." At last, she fetched a silver flask and put it in front of Lucifer and sat down. When Lucifer threw her a confused look, she sipped at her coffee with a little smirk. "You like it spiked. It's filled with Macallen. I remember you once said it's your favourite."

Surprised at the little gesture, he laughed heartily. "It is... But I really just spike it for the taste. Thank you." Pouring a good amount of whiskey into his coffee, he took a gulp and groaned, thoroughly enjoying the variety of bitter and smoky flavours unfold in his mouth before swallowing. Delighted from the taste as well as Chloe's amused and observant look, he picked up the first sandwich and took a big bite, followed by another groan.

Having a bite from her own sandwich, Chloe savoured the moment, to have him here, back where he belonged, enjoying life to the fullest. This was how it should be, how she wanted and needed it to be. Him, lively and happy. Watching him finish his meal like a mixture of a glorious Adonis eating grapes and a starving man ravishing food like a wild animal, she couldn't dismiss their last conversation before he had departed to hell. An utterly, heart-ripping, bittersweet moment of their confessions of love for one another. Ever since that day, this feeling, this status they both acknowledged, had been forcefully put onto a halt and she realized that they would need to talk. There was still so much to say, clear up and work out between them on all kinds of issues, the most present one being the demon attack on her. Not the greatest topic to talk about, but she was a woman who got things out of the way, rather than prolonging important conversations.

"I can hear you think. Well, not literally… but you've got that we-have-to-talk look," Lucifer suddenly murmured, swallowing down the last bits of his breakfast and mimicking her deep furrowed stare to make his point. Looking back at her with wide, expectant eyes, he urged her on, "Spill it. What's on your mind?"

Well here goes nothing… "You saved me," she began quietly, worrying her lips between her teeth.

'And you didn't stay' she doesn't say… Just like last night, he thought bitterly over himself. He could see how she hesitated, the words at the tip of her tongue, although he knew she didn't want to confront him or sound ungrateful. She didn't have to say it. "I'm sorry I left, Chloe. I really didn't want to, but it was the best thing to do in that moment. At least I had hoped it was." Pausing, he swallowed. "I know I hurt you by leaving so quickly. But I didn't want for your hopes to grow and get shattered again in case you'd have had time to talk to me. I had to leave and I knew it would hurt either way."

"I know, Lucifer. I'm not judging you," Chloe gently cut him off, her voice heavy with her aching heart. "I just missed you so much." Shifting around the table, she sat down next to him, needing the closeness, the contact of his skin with hers to help her through. Grasping his big right hand with both of hers, she let it rest in her lap while she implored his eyes. "You came... I think I remember screaming your name, but I… I couldn't speak it out loud. It… it was just in my head."

As her words sank in, he noticed something he hadn't even paid any thought to yet. He had heard her. Inside of his head. In the moment it had happened, he assumed it was somehow part of his hallucinations, but she really had been in danger in that exact moment and she really had called out for him, at least in her mind. His expression faltered. "Maybe…" he sighed, frowning. "Maybe you prayed to me."

Chloe's brows came together, her brain crunching over what he said. "But… but Amenadiel said, you can't hear a prayer, because of being expelled from heaven…"

"Yes..." he muttered, nodding in confused affirmation. So then how had it been possible? He had believed that hearing and seeing her had all been a trick of hell itself or perhaps some odd manifestation created through their longing for one another and that got twisted through his location in hell, perverted into a maddening torture for his mind and soul. But seeing her in hell and hearing her voice in his head for real were two different things. His look at her sharpened as he squeezed her hand gently. "Do it again. Like you did before."

Her lips parted in surprise. "What? But I… I was in absolute panic, Lucifer… That's hardly the same circumstance…" Thinking of the situation, her mind her been in utter shock and fear for her life. She shook her head, "I don't think I can do it the way I did it before."

"A prayer does not necessarily draw its power from your momentary, physical condition or stress, but mainly your faith," he explained to her thoughtfully, enjoying the warmth of her skin. "You can pray intentionally or by instinct. So maybe you did it without really focusing on it. But you can also do it intentionally now." Had she been? Had it really been a prayer from her that he had heard? He didn't dare to think too much about it, the implications of what it would really mean if he, the Devil, had heard a prayer were beyond unnerving. But he was intrigued... and nervous. "Try it. Please?"

His expression seemed lost in thought and tensed for a brief moment, and she could understand it without him saying a word. The Devil hearing a prayer… That was one hell of a big thing. "Okay," she breathed quietly, nodded and closed her eyes. She focused her thoughts and tried to only think on him. Innerly she called his name much like she had done at the crime scene. At first she thought his name softly, then with more desperation. "Did it work?" she asked almost anxiously after a while, opening her eyes and looking back at him.

But his head stayed absent of her voice and his heart and shoulders sunk. "No," he quietly answered, unable to hide the regret that rang along in his tone. He didn't want to make her feel bad for it to not have worked. It wasn't her fault at all. Why am I disappointed anyway? It's not like I am that much of a heavenly angel just because my wings are back to normal and my Devil-body is gone. Besides… would it really make any difference? Maybe… "Please… don't worry, luv," he sighed softly, reaching to caress her cheek and attempting a smile. "It must have been something else then. Maybe it was just a gut feeling from me. Who knows?"

Taking a deep breath, she exhaled, trying to relax. It was slightly disconcerting that apparently her silent scream had not brought him to the crime scene, and that sparked yet another question in her. "Putting aside the perfect timing… How did you know where I was?"

Staring back at her, his chest tightened. "I… I didn't," he answered honestly and surprised, recalling the urge he had felt, the tingling and power in his wings as they burst open and moved him forward. "It was strange. My wings acted on their own accord. I had no control over them. They just… pushed me forward and I-" He paused, thinking on his experience. "I trusted them to bring me where I needed to be. I guess you could say I had faith." Weakly smiling at her, he brushed his thumb over her hand, and his voice continued in a whisper, eyes lowering to their joined hands. "I was so scared, terrified that something happened to you. And then seeing you on the ground, all beaten up." He swallowed, biting back a sob. "Your breathing was so flat, your heartbeat barely existing… I hadn't been able to protect you, Chloe. The thing that I wanted most when going back to hell… I couldn't. I failed you."

Forcing away the onslaught of tears, especially at seeing him at the brink of tears himself, she lifted her free palm to his cheek, tilting up his face. "Shush…" she breathed, nuzzling her nose against his. "You didn't fail me, Lucifer. You saved me and I'm fine now. I'm okay." Leaning in, her lips lightly caressed over his, and as she felt them part to take a hushed breath, she sealed them, slowly and tenderly kissing him. He responded, albeit still tensed, but within only a few seconds she could feel him relax, the slow and steady movement of her lips and tongue just as carefully making his fears dissolve, much like he had done minutes before with hers. Pulling away, she let their foreheads rest against each other, her fingers brushing into the short hair on his neck. "Let's forget about the how for a while. It's not that important. I'm just grateful that you were there to save me and that you're here with me now."

It felt magical how she touched him, how her lips and words made the smoke of his worries be blown away and his body feel all cosy and warm. "Alright…" he breathed with a soft nod, leaning away a bit to better look at her. "What other things did you want to talk about? Or was that all your detective brain was busy waltzing over?"

She smiled shortly, enjoying to see how he was more at ease, despite the topics they had to discuss. "Maze, she… she found the body of the woman, but said that the demon that possessed her got banished already," she went on quietly, as if to make the words sound less worried. "Did you find her in hell?"

He knew she did her best for them both to get through the discussion and he was thankful for her detective brain to work so efficiently, even in moments like this, when they were both emotionally tense and felt on edge. "Scoxa, yes. I found her. Well, she found me. I... interrogated her." He was sure she knew what that meant and went on without going into detail. He shortly filled her in on the small information Scoxa could give him about the man who summoned and banished her. His face, clothing and what he had spoken with Scoxa. Eventually he shifted on his seat nervously. "Chloe…" he continued more worriedly, "That guy sent Scoxa to kill you. It was not about getting to me, it was about you specifically. Which means…" He swallowed, his voice tight. "You're still in danger."

Her shoulders drew up in a subconscious shiver at his words. Having the general criminal putting his mark on her wasn't new to her, but since her reality involved celestial matters as well now, where someone could apparently summon demons to attack her, was a complete different story. One she couldn't defend herself from with the use of her gun. "Why me?"

That was an excellent question. Why her? He had asked himself that question before as well. Maybe it had something to do with her being a miracle, but then again it raised the question as to what Chloe being a miracle really meant and what it involved. It was an educated guess of course, but opening the Pandora's Box to her now about her origin when it really could mean just about anything or nothing at all, felt like it would be an overkill to her human brain cells. "I'm not sure," he muttered, wishing he knew the meanings of her existence just to be sure that her being a miracle had nothing to do with the man wanting her dead. Suddenly something of what Scoxa had said, pierced into his core. "A priest…" he muttered absentmindedly in a whisper. He seems to have been a priest, she said. What if he knew about Chloe being a miracle? And if so… Why would a priest want to kill a miracle of God?

"What?" Chloe's small and anxious voice sounded, pulling him out of his shocked thought.

"Erm… Scoxa also said, he had worn a cross necklace and a clerical collar, looking like a priest," he explained, keeping the Pandora's Box closed. There had to be a better time to tell her. "I know her description really isn't all too much, but perhaps it can help with the investigation to find the guy." All of a sudden Chloe started to tremble, her eyes widening. She paled, the sweet rosy colour gone from her cheeks in a matter of seconds, and he quickly tried to think on if he had said something wrong. Concerned and wary, he leaned towards her. "W-what? What is it?"

"A priest?" She swallowed, remembering her find of Enochian writings in Kinley's book and Gaudium's thoughts on them. "I think Gaudium was right… It must be another priest from the Vatican group Kinley was in."

"What do you mean? What are you talking about?" Lucifer looked back at her confused.

"Come," she just said, stood up and took his hand in hers. Pulling him along towards the big oakwood table on the other side, she picked up her phone and opened the images folder. "Here. You have to see this." she urged and handed him the phone.

He looked at the picture showing on the screen, the Enochian runes sinking into his mind, and he froze.

Chapter Text

Chapter 9: Building Bridges

[Soldier - Fleurie]

Lucifer could hardly believe his eyes. This is impossible... His parents had told him stories about it, but it had been hard to grasp, even for him. He had even wondered, if it was really true or if his parents had been playing tricks with him. But this writing, this prophecy, it couldn't be a trick, it couldn't be fake. Or could it be? What if it's real? What if not?

"-cifer? Hey? Lucifer?" Chloe asked worriedly from behind him. She had observed him, as he stood frozen for three excruciatingly long minutes, staring at her phone with a distraught expression. She could tell he was deep in thought on something specific and it was causing her shivers down the spine to see him this concerned about it. It seemed bad. "Gaudium said, the prophecy mentions something about a darkness coming, if all parts are fulfilled. Do you know what that means?" she probed quietly and gently touched his arm to try and bring him back to focus in the present.

Blinking, he slowly came out of the dark hurricane of thoughts he had been drifting in, and turned towards her, feeling her warmth on his arm through his clothing. "Not a darkness," he muttered under his breath, his eyes holding hers with worry. When she frowned in lack of understanding, he shifted on his feet, pensively. "The Darkness. With a capital 'D'," he quietly pointed out. "It's not something metaphorical. It's real."

Her heart began to thunder at his words and the pale expression on his face. Seeing him worried over something celestial was not good at all and it immediately made her feel tiny and insignificant again. "W-what do you mean, it's real? I- I don't understand. The Darkness?"

Of course she couldn't grasp it. How could she, if he himself had always questioned the existence of it and even laughed about his parents' stories? "The Darkness. It doesn't simply describe the opposite of light, but an entity. A metaphysical being that's sentient and able to think. My parents told me stories about it, right after my creation." He exhaled a shaky breath, thinking back to the frightening story they told him when he was young. "Mum and Dad had just met each other and sought out an empty space for them to settle in and when they connected, they created this universe." His eyes fluttered in a moment of sadness. "But what they didn't know was that the space they had chosen hadn't been empty. It was inhabited from what they just called the Darkness and said Darkness wasn't all too happy with the creation of a universe right on top of it's head, so to speak."

The world around Chloe shifted in its hinges, the floor beneath her felt tilting and gravity slowly drew her to her right side. It was an odd feeling, gigantic and threatening, one she had also felt when she had first seen Lucifer's Devil face. Her own human cosmos was suddenly shakened up in a snowglobe and looked through a kaleidoscope, revealing that what she was living in, her reality, was much more complex in its full extent, than what she had believed it to be all her life. Reaching for the table, she made sure to hold herself upright, to not crumble down to the size of an ant, which she definitely felt like, if not even smaller, a dust particle in the whole wide universe. "What happened?" she heard herself breathe anxiously, unable to hold back tears. She couldn't rationalize why exactly she was crying, but it felt like the reservoir of her human coping abilities had reached its limits and now the dam overflowed.

He hated it, to see her this shaken, her world, one she had not too long ago found torn to shreds and had to cautiously mended together again, was now once again swiped from its foundation. Lifting his left hand, he brushed his thumb over her cheek, wiping away the salty trail that felt like a knife to his guts. Taking a deep breath, he licked his dried lips. "They were fighting with tooth and nail for what must've been years, at least. I don't know. It's hard to tell. Eventually they managed to banish it. They said, they had contained it for the time being, but that it could be possible for it to return someday."

"The prophecy…" Chloe murmured, her head tilting into his palm as her silent tears continued to escape. "And how did they say they defeated it?"

Giving her cheek another gentle caress, he let go, but stayed wary of her posture, knowing very well how much of an impact his celestial information was having on her. "They hurt it with their combined divine light. When it was weak enough, they created a realm to seal it into," he recalled the story, remembering how tense both his parents had been on the matter. They had been deeply worried and that was saying something, considering them being Gods. "When they had created me, right after Michael, Dad ordered me to bring light into the universe by creating the stars. Michael created the matter and I formed the stars. Dad hoped they would help defend this realm or even prevent the Darkness' from returning altogether." He let out a sad scoff. "I always thought they were just messing around with me with that story. There was no proof about what they told me and it was just… so way out of my understanding back then. I didn't think much of it, to be honest. And with the way, things developed regarding me and my Father, it just never came up again…"

Stopping the last of her tears with a sniff, she offered him an understanding short smile and nodded. His family situation was pretty much the epitome of screwed up and she was aware how much he was suffering from it, even if he didn't like for it to be the conversation topic. She did accept that and instead tried to figure out his story on the Darkness, but it gave her the creeps. "So… just to be clear, and... forgive me if my mind just needs some time coping, that Darkness you speak of, is not the casual nighttime-darkness, a-rooms-lights-are-off-darkness or objects-casting-shadows-darkness, right? It's… it's a thing. Living, in a way?" Biting her lips in spine-chilling tension, she looked at him with big eyes, not sure an affirmation would help her dizzy human mind to wrap around this or if it would just make things worse.

"Yes. That's pretty much it," Lucifer confirmed, checking again the scriptures she had photographed. If this was all true, if this was really a valid prophecy, they were in unthinkable danger. He had to be sure and he needed more information. "Where again did you say you found these?" he asked, spotting her eyes lowering down to her hands, nervously avoiding him.

"They… they are in a book Kinley had put together about… you," she stuttered. Carefully probing, she glanced up to see him frown at her. She expected his look to darken, like it used to when he got angry and it was about Kinley, but they didn't. All she saw in them was wonder and that gave her hope.

"A book… about... me?" Not that this was something new to him. He knew many books that had been written about him, although none of them held any authenticity of course. Nobody had ever heard the real story. But considering she was talking about Kinley, he had a feeling it wasn't just any book about the Devil she was talking about.

Chloe nodded, cautiously holding his puzzled gaze. "It had all kinds of stuff about your travels to earth collected in it. Pictures, tickets, newspaper articles, that kind of stuff. He… he tried to use it as some sort of proof that you're evil." Brushing a non-existent strand from her face, she scrunched her shoulders in discomfort and the lingering feeling of guilt, but couldn't shrug off. It had been almost a year since Kinley had stepped into her life and used her initial worries and fear to turn her against Lucifer. She hoped that now that Lucifer was truly back, she could try to make amends for her behavior. "When he showed it to me, I never checked further back in the book until the other day. That's where I found those cryptic pages. Gaudium translated it losely for me. He pointed out that in the text it said something like 'We have to stop it from happening'. So multiple people. More than just Kinley. More priests."

Tilting his head, he recalled how shocked she had looked at the mention of a priest possibly being responsible for the attack on her. "Ah… I see… Yes… it makes sense now. The summoning and banishing would imply the work of an angel, but seeing this writing in Kinley's book suggests the involvement of other human priests. That's good thinking, Detective." He offered her a soft smile, trying to take some of her tension away. "The text says that the Darkness will come, if all of the conditions are met. And one page states the prophecy part about me finding my first love..." He paused, his heart starting to pound faster. "You." He saw her nod with a worried frown. She wasn't worried because of that fact itself, he was aware, but because it would imply that the first part of the prophecy could already be fulfilled. "Were these all the Enochian writings in the book?"

"Yeah," she nodded, frowning as she thought on her private investigation and how she had looked through the book thoroughly. "Yeah those were all."

"That's unfortunate," he sighed quietly, running a distressed hand through his hair.

She didn't want to ask. Didn't really want to know the answer. But she had to. Her detective brain worked harder and against her worried heart. "Why's that?"

"These pages just state the first prophecy part and not the other two." He handed her back her phone, his gaze drifting to stare out the window and over L.A.'s rooftops. "I need to see the book. For real. It won't take long. I just need to check something. While our idea on the group of priests might be right, it bugs me that this is written in Enochian. Humans shouldn't have access to it, especially not a prophecy writing," he murmured, frowning at her. With the words already burned into his memory, he didn't have to necessarily see the writing again. But what he was more interested in was to feel it.

"I... I have the book at home," she said, reaching for his hand. Surprised, she found him gently closed his fingers around hers and carefully pull her against him. Finally she felt herself relaxing a little, her arms wrapping around his frame. Her voice lowering, she snuggled against him, relishing in the moment. "I can grab it on the way to the precinct, if you want."

He tenderly kissed her forehead, taking in a deep breath before letting it out with a sigh. She was so unbelievably brave and strong. He felt in awe about her resilience and how she put up with his celestial world along with its hardly fathomable threats. Had she any idea about that? Had she just a hint of a clue about how special she was? And that was even leaving out the fact she was a true miracle. He wanted to tell her, in a moment of peace and quiet. Tell her how much he was fascinated by her. How much he loved her. But now was hardly the right time. When her response had finally sunken in, it triggered a strangely professional thought in him. He quirked a brow at her, surprised. "It's not at the precinct?"

"I might have… erm… taken it for personal… research?" It wasn't that she acted against the law. It had all been by the rules. But taking a book from the evidence room, filled with mysterious findings about the Devil, with century old pictures of Lucifer still looking like today, and strange, cryptic writings in the back, did raise a certain feeling of forbiddance inside her.

A small, cheeky grin slipped up his lips and his eyes shone with momentary glee. "Detective! That sounds almost illegal… Meaning it's probably the closest to any form of sinning you ever did. And I definitely don't count Hot Tub High School, of course," he purred, giving her a light squeeze. "Am I right?"

Rolling her eyes at his comment about her early career-start, and knowing she would never, ever, hear the end of it, she let it pass without rewarding him with a honorable mention and instead gave just a small slap against the arm. But she was glad for his skill in lighting even the darkest of moods with his charm. "Actually it really was all according to the rules, but… it still feels somewhat shady. I just can't help it, Lucifer. You know my sense for duty." She pursed her lips into a playfully guilty pout and stole a quick kiss from him before aiming for his bedroom. "Just give me a minute, okay? I'll get dressed and then we can leave."

He stood dumbfounded, watching as she made her way to his bedroom and jumping up the stairs. She was joking with him, teasing him even, and he felt it short-circuit his brain like he was a premature teenager. Stop it. STOP STARING AT HER BUTT, YOU DEGENERATE WALLY! He harrumphed, licking his dried lips and went for the dinner table, snatching the flask with his Macallen. His raging celestial hormones called for a stiff drink in order to distract him from another stiffness he couldn't take care of right now. Drowning the remaining content of his flask, he quickly put on his shoes and checked his desk drawer for where he had left his phone behind. Turning it on, he got his jacket and pocketed it inside. Now that he was back on earth, he wanted to relish in the possibilities of being able to connect with the rest of the world.

Shortly after, Chloe appeared in her casual - but oh so heavenly sweet Detective-outfit: tight fit blue jeans, a beige jersey and dark jacket. Her hair was put into a neat, but not strict ponytail, her eyes shimmering just a tad brighter through the accenture of some natural looking makeup. He didn't notice he was staring again for several seconds, watching as she smiled with rosy cheeks and headed to his elevator.

"You coming?" she asked with a light snicker.

"Yes," he breathed in trance. "Of course, Detective." Smiling dreamily and enjoying the light feeling in his stomach he swiftly caught up with her. He pressed the button for the ground floor and couldn't take his fascinated gaze off of her through the entirety of the ride.

[The Frozen Call - Ancient Nordic Chant - Jonna Jinton]

"I saw what you did for our son," God murmured, his tone firm. He watched her light shimmer with a hint of uncertainty and her core vibrated in a shiver, telling him, she worried over his reaction. Not giving her an easy ticket out of that worry, he instead kept waiting for her explanation, letting her endure her own suffering.

Of course he had seen her little stunt in hell, changing the very rules of the realm. Goddess could hear the hint of restraint in his voice and it made her nervous. She knew it had been quite an intrusion into their creation, but was he mad about it? Had it been too much? Had she overstepped the line there? She had known what she was doing was without his say, but he also hadn't stopped her or revoked the changes as far as she could tell. "You know why I did it. You saw how much he suffered and how he was endangering not only himself, but everyone. He was tearing apart the barriers of hell's reality. Tell me you would have intervened yourself eventually," she spoke carefully, her worry for their son causing her core to tighten like a lump in her throat.

He let out a sad pulse. "Of course I would have. You know how much I love him." He paused, seeing her affirming shine, and felt a pinch in his essence. It was good to see his son back on earth, pursuing his dreams and desires, yet, in the grand scheme of things, it also worried him. How was his son's return to earth at this very moment, and through the measures done to hell, going to change what was to come? Would it be too much of a shift into one direction? He didn't know, although he felt a sense of secured balance. But he worried that this feeling of security was a treacherous one. That it could all just be a dazzle, a deception, and that the outcome was going to be all the more tragic.

Thinking of tragic outcomes, he focused back on his former wife and the question he needed answered. "Why are you here?" He was tempted to use her name of former times for her, but held back before it could slip from him in headlessness. He needed information, before he could make a judgement over her. Making any decision now, even just among each other, could have unforeseen consequences.

Goddess sighed, swirling in brilliance as she gathered her thoughts. She had gone through this countless times, imagined what it would be like to talk to him again, especially on this subject. She was happy that she seemed to have maintained at least some of her old charme, from a time long gone, and managed to persuade him to come along with her at all. "As you know, I have been out of your reach for a while, outside this- our universe," she began, eying him softly.

"Ours, yes," he murmured tersley, regret and bitterness both equally audible in his tone.

It wasn't exactly the reaction she had hoped to get from him, but she understood his guardedness. Despite the beautiful wonders they had created together when unifying in their divine, universe-creating lovemaking, the eons of neglect, anger and envy had left deep scars in both of them. "I've had my own universe and I've made… experiences," she went on thoughtfully.

He could see the flicker of sadness and hurt in her shimmering presence. Cuts and bruises lay deep beneath the surface of her perfection, wounds she must have acquired during her absence. He paused. "What have you done?" he asked quietly, not accusingly, but slightly worried and wondering. She had gone through hardship, he could tell, but it seemed absurd. She had never much as to lifted a finger in their partnership to help with anything that needed to be done when it came to taking care of their universe.

She tried to pull herself together, but it was hard. The things she had seen and done, many of which she knew God had as well, were having more of an impact on her than she wanted to let show. But she came to realize that these experiences she had made were exactly what she had been missing all these years. Surely she had taken part in the caretaking of their precious children, although admittedly hardly enough, but she hadn't been part of his earth and humanity projects. He had always been hard to get close to on the subjects, but she also had been jealous of his work. Helping him would have not been possible in her previous state of anger and hurt. Unfortunately it had blinded her so much, that she rather wanted to see his work destroyed or at least in suffering, in hopes to draw more of his devotion and energetic attention to her and their children. It had not occurred to her back then, how wrong she was and how she was only making things worse. So much worse.

"I've had my own creation," Goddess spoke under her breath, feeling how she stripped herself bare of her natural shields she had put up over the years. She knew she needed to make him see how she had changed, who she was now. And she knew she could only achieve it by connecting with him on a level he would understand. Carefully glancing back at him, she saw him staring at her with an unreadable expression.

"But you are here now," he pointed out bland and directly, rather stating the obvious than accusing her of anything.

She trembled, unable to keep the hurt from showing, causing her light to vibrate. "I am," she confirmed sadly, wrapping her own essence in swirls around herself like protecting arms. "I created them, I formed and guided them. I learned alongside with them. And I failed. Many, many times. I failed them and myself." Falling quiet, she turned away from him, feeling the need to move in order to lose some tension inside her.

God looked after her perplex and speechless. She had tended to her own creation? Had she experienced it all first hand? The evolutionary progress? The burdens, the pain and suffering? The sacrifices done from every single creature? The developments of emotions and complex thoughts? Hopes, desires and fears? Watching them strive and die in repetitive cycles? He followed her along, keeping a slight distance to give her space, but let her know he was still with her, listening.

"I failed so many times, Yahweh," she admitted again in a humble whisper. She didn't pause, but she could feel the shudder emitting off of him, when she called him by his name. "I have accepted my defectiveness."

"Why do you tell me this?" God muttered tensely, his gaze hardening. "Why come back?"

She hesitated, gathering her strength and bracing herself for his reaction. This was the moment she had feared and looked forward to with equal measure. "I've come to realize a lot of things," Goddess began, turning towards him with soft, but anxious vibes rushing through her essence. "I am deeply sorry for what I have done to you and our children. I want to return to the Silver City, be at your side and with our children. I want to support you in the way I should have done, but didn't know how to. And I wish for you to let me take part in your work."

"You're stating quite the list there and a worrisome demand," he responded sharply. Scoffing, he swirled around and trailed ahead of her. "You've betrayed my trust, hurt my creation and used our children to get back at me!" Heavy tremors mixed with sparks and lighting shot through his essence, his anger and pain palpable.

"And you fled from your responsibilities as a husband and father, isolating yourself and burying yourself in your work," she cut back, but her voice was more hurt than it was sharp. She watched him halt, his shape shivering and she could tell how deeply hurt he felt himself. Of course it had to come to this. Accusations of both their failures. As Gods, parents and partners. But it wasn't what she wanted at all, yet it seemed to need to first be out in order to be able to step past it.

Her words stung. Deeper than he let her see and feel. Because she was not only right, but he felt he was still failing, if he was just thinking of the current events unfolding on earth. Swallowing back a snarky, bitter reply, he stayed hovering, vibrating with the the full spectrum of emotions only a divine being cold contain. The truth was, he was angry, but it wasn't an anger on her that was the really present. He was angry about his own stubbornness, his guardedness not only towards her, but their children as well. He wanted to be better, but felt himself stuck.

"Listen. I did not come here for this. To fight about who did what," Goddess continued softly, moving closer to him, her light not touching him, but swirling around him in a comforting way. "I've learned a lot about self-sacrifice, devotion… love." Her voice shaking, she looked at him pleadingly, letting him see and feel her whole being. Slowly reaching out to him, she connected tenderly, her light entwining with his, and showed him the experiences she went through, let him feel both the joys and pain she experienced.

God shivered. The transfer of experiences worked in an instant and although he was prepared for the impact, it still overwhelmed him. He could see the billions and billions of lives she had nurtured and guided, the world she had created for them and the nature that provided a habitat. He felt how she had worked on creating perfection, to find the right balance, just like he did. Good and evil. Love and hate. Light and dark. And he could see her fail. Countless of times. Just like she had told him. Catastrophes happened, her creation got extinct, sometimes by itself, sometimes by nature, but essentially she failed as a creator, not having found the right balance. He saw how much she cared. So much. She had deeply loved her creation and had wanted to offer her guidance to it, be there at all times like a responsible mother would be, but then he could see another realization she made: She had to let go of her failures. "You left your creation," he whispered in surprise, shock and wonder. "You left it… extinct."

"I have accepted my failure as a creator, Yahweh," Goddess answered quietly, her light flickering with humility. "My creations were never in balance," she went on, a small, sad smile in her divine looks. "Not like yours. Not like this universe."

He could tell it was no flattery from her side, but rather veneration. She was impressed and fascinated from his accomplishments. But did she really think his creations were in balance? Had she never seen how much he struggled to let the balance simply exist and not interfere with it? "How?" he asked, sceptically. "How do you want for this to work, Asherah?" Her essence abruptly froze around him, clearly taken aback from him calling her by her name in return. Oh I've missed saying her name. It feels so... fulfilling, rich and promising. Did she like that? The sound of me saying it? he wondered in silence, looking at her expectantly. Then, suddenly, her expression softened, changing into a warm, brilliant smile and his core shuddered with delight.

[Battle For Your Life - The Rigs]

By a miracle they both were unable to fathom, Chloe and Lucifer managed to arrive at her house just shortly over twenty minutes later instead of the usual thirty to forty. Upon arriving and entering her house, Chloe's glance fell on the kitchen clock and the care for her little girl arose. It was time for Trixie to be on her way to school and she had to resist the urge to call Maze and remind her of this. While she didn't want to sound like a control freak, she knew a little extra control over her demon friend wouldn't hurt, so she send a very easy reminder at Maze: Trixie. School. Now.

Lucifer on the other hand, had already texted each number on his contacts on his phone during their drive, telling them about his glorious return and how he was happy to continue granting favours. With friends, patrons and pretty much every highly established person in LA knowing of his return, Lucifer followed Chloe upstairs, right at her heels.

Pushing open the door to her storage room, and lately her little investigation-cave, she stepped to the table in the far back. Knowing vaguely where she had left Kinley's book, she rumbled through piles of paper and other books, until she found what she was looking for: Argumentum Pro Diabolum.

"What the hell…?" Lucifer suddenly breathed out behind her.

Swirling around, she saw him standing in the doorframe, gazing along the walls and tables, covered in her personal Devil-rescue-research. Oh shit...

"What is all this?" he continued, his expression confused and worried. Striding into the room with three quick steps, he stopped at the left side of the room, looking through piles of books, images and printed texts from elusively sounding websites. Scanning superficially, he could see all kinds of weird things about alleged sightings of him and ominous scriptures about spirit travelling and soul connections. His heart clenched painfully in his chest. Turning around, he stared at Chloe stunned and not really sure what to say.

She stood completely abashed, having totally forgotten how this must all look like to him. Clutching her arms around the big leatherbound book, she nervously closed the gap between them. "Lucifer, I…" She swallowed, trying to calm her emotions, because the reason as to why this room existed was still like a stab to her heart. "I've missed you, Lucifer. I've missed you so much," she breathed, blinking away tears. "And I hope you're not angry with me, because I wanted you back so badly. I was looking for a way to somehow reach you and find a way so that you could leave hell behind for good."

He continued to stare, her words ever so slowly sinking in. She had obviously looked into all kinds of resources she could get her hands on to help her with her task, despite her limited knowledge on celestial matters. She hadn't given up on seeing him again, on getting him back somehow. Placing the handful of papers back on the desk, he took her face gently into his palms, his thumbs caressing her cheeks. "How could I ever be angry at you for wanting me at your side?" Kissing her forehead, he dipped down to place another kiss on her nose and a third to her lips. Inhaling a deep breath of her scent, he sighed with a smile. "Now please. Don't feel bad anymore for what happened. I don't hold any grudges and I'm certainly not angry with you because you've missed me." He let out a humourless laugh, looking at her with torment in his eyes. "Hell, you have no idea how much I wanted to come back to you. Tearing myself away from you was like voluntarily ripping my heart out. It's not something I want for either of us to ever experience again." Upon seeing her release a shaky breath with a small smile, he did as well. Then he lightly tipped against the book in her hold. "Is that it? The Me-Book?" he quipped softly, his look gentle and uplifting.

"Yes," she answered, stepping at the desk to his side and quickly browsing the book to the pages further back where she had found the symbolic writing. She hoped he wouldn't mind her skipping all the pages with pseudo The-Devil-Is-Evil proof as it was for both their sake. "Here, this is it," she announced, feeling how Lucifer's side gently pressed against hers as he leaned in, curiously.

He reached out, pensively running his hands over the dark inked symbols, his body tensing up. He focussed his divine senses, searching for something specific, but to his surprise it wasn't there. And that was a problem. "I don't understand. It should be there…" he muttered, his breath quickening in agitation.

"What?" Chloe quietly asked, watching as he shook his head, his expression irritated. "What's wrong?"

"The symbols. Naturally Enochian writing leaves a trace of divinity behind, an angelic signature if you will. If an angel writes in Enochian, a certain amount of divinity is automatically embedded within the symbols, enough for another divine being to sense it. But this text doesn't emit any celestial energy whatsoever," he explained exasperatedly, licking his lips in nervosity and scanning the symbolic text to see if he had missed something, but the ink didn't spark any divine feeling.

Chloe frowned. Crossing her arms in thought, she leaned against the desk. "Are you sure it couldn't have been written by a human? I mean… this was in Kinley's possession. I assumed he or maybe another priest has put the text in there."

"No. That's why this is such a contradiction. It's impossible," he countered and closed the book with a loud thud. "Humans simply aren't able to write or read Enochian. It's too complex."

"But I wrote Enochian. I mean… I copied the symbols by hand to have your… your alphabet or however you call it. Maybe the person had the original text and this is just a human-handmade copy," she suggested, thinking on her little research evening over his book collection.

"In theory… it could be a copy. But then the question would still be how the person has gotten his hands on the original and how he knew what it was saying, that it has something to do with me," Lucifer remarked and shook his head. "It just makes no sense. Humans can't comprehend Enochian. It's a language that doesn't just use symbols and you don't just use your voice to speak it. It's connected to our divinity and it flows into the language when we speak or write it, just like it can only be understood from someone either celestial or hellish." Turning around he, leaned against the table, his eyes flickering over her features with deliberation.

"That's also why the words my Dad spoke to us, to then be forwarded to humanity, have always been very difficult to translate into human languages without losing any of their original meaning. Spoiler alert: It never really worked out so well and caused for quite a lot of chaos. And that's not even including the ridiculous interpretations your species made on the messages we gave you." Offering her a small smile despite their rather unsuccessful endeavor, he nudged her towards the door. There was no more information he could possibly draw from the text, especially because it didn't emit its natural divine vibe.

"Alright then… sooo… let's just say this is a dead end. For now," she voiced and felt her gut feeling kicking in as they headed back outside to her car. "We have other leads to follow up on. Let's not lose our faith so quickly." she tried to lighten the mood herself some more, throwing him a tiny smirk. Hopefully Ella would have some good news for them, something that would bring them forward, even if it was just a small step.

[Feel Good Inc. - Gorillaz]

Gaudium drooled.

He was surrounded from scantily clad women feeding him grapes in a lush, green garden. Was it Eden? Perhaps sinful version of it. The sun warmed his grey skin and the scent of roses lulled his mind while birds and women's giggles created a pleasant melody. It was simply heavenly, even though it wasn't at all like the real one.

But his luxurious dream got forcefully torn apart, when suddenly there was a sharp pinch against his cheek.

"Wake up, Mister," a small female voice called. "Wake up, we have to go."

Grumbling, he turned around, pulling a fluffy blanket over his head, but just as he raised his arm, he lost his balance and rolled over the edge. Landing on the floor with a grunt, his eyes shot open, teeth bared in anger. "What the hell?!" A small human looked back at him and he remembered it's the little girl that had slept on Maze's couch whilst he was left with curling up on the small armchair.

Trixie stared down at him and frowned, worrying her lip between her teeth. "I'm sorry I had to wake you up, but Maze wants to bring me to school and she said you have to come along," she explained eyeing him curiously. "I'm Beatrice. But everyone calls me Trixie."

"I'm Gaudium. And... everyone else also just calls me Gaudium," he introduced himself and rubbed the back of his bald head. He paused as he felt unfamiliarly smooth skin where his usual rough one should be. What the... What happened to my head?! ….Oh right, the glamour... He recalled how Maze had kindly insisted that he put on a more suitable glamour before he went to sleep. Apparently talking to him in his fallen shape in the morning would otherwise disturb the little girl and Maze had made it clear she wouldn't let come any harm whatsoever to the kid. Neither physically nor mentally. Looking down at himself he smirked. Damn, I really look quite handsome and super manly! Gone were his dwarf-size, his clawy hands and feet, his big maw, wings and tail. He was now having the body of a human male in his forties, looking as well built as he could. He even managed to give himself a bit of a gray stubble that stood out from his soft, rosy skin color. But despite the efforts he had put into his glamour, he stayed bald, and he was pretty sure it was a symbolic middle finger from God.

Spotting that the girl - Trixie - had stretched out her hand, he took it and got up on his feet, all of a sudden towering her. Ah yes… the blessing of being above one freaking meter tall. I'm easily towering over the little human. Fantastic! Ohhh I love it already! Although I can't fly like this… That's a downer. But, damn! I haven't towered one bloody creature in hell for eons… that's if they were still in one piece... Stretching himself, feeling some satisfying cracks in his neck and back, he let out a long sigh, offering the child a crooked smile. "Thanks kiddo."

"Maze told me you're an old friend of her," Trixie went on as she retrieved her schoolbag from a corner and stuffed it with books that laid on the table.

"Erm yes… old, but not rusky, as they say," he rumbled with a laugh and checked his attire. He had put on dark blue jeans, with a fitting brown belt and boots, a light grey jersey sweater and a navy blue jacket on top. Gaudium felt dressed to the nines and wondered if he could potentially score with some ladies while he was staying on earth. Maybe I could pick one up at Lucifer's club...

"Maze is the best fighter I've ever seen! Do you hunt criminals like her too?" Trixie suddenly asked, her big eyes blinking at him curiously.

That was unexpected. Then again, he knew small humans were usually doing unexpected things. Very annoying things, too. How to explain exactly what I'm doing? Ah yes, use the What-Would-Lucifer-Do? method. So… Avoid going into detail altogether. "No," he decisively responded, putting on a hard expression. Ha! That will keep the nosy lil kiddo quiet.

She paused as she collected her pencil case, her eyes narrowing at him speculatively. "Then what do you do, Gaudium?"

Well fuckin' bugger! That just worked out great, didn't it, Gaudium? "I erm… I'm not catching the bad guys. That's basically already done when it's my turn. I'm more like a… a prison manager you could say. Making sure all the… erm… guards do their job. That sorta thing," he muttered, waving his hand in a skurrile manner and hoping that would keep the small human satisfied.

Conversations with children weren't his strong suit and he hadn't really had much practice with talking to them in general. His original profession was long over and he hadn't had much to talk during that time anyways. And hell was primarily a place for the guilty adults, but there were also children being condemned to suffer in hell loops. There was, however cruel one might think of it, no age restriction, because age was not a hard garant for determining innocence to the mind and soul. But usually the children that had ended up in hell were still to be pitied. They shouldn't have had their innocence be taken away leading to them to commit the crimes that then had them ending up in hell. Children's hell loops were something him and Lucifer had always demanded to be steered clear off from all the demons. Their hell loops were torture enough and as much as they both wanted for the children to not even suffer those, they couldn't prevent it from happening. The functionality of hell was not something they could fundamentally change. This was just one thing on the list of many why hell really sucked.

"Oh that's cool!" Trixie's cheerful voice rang, pulling him out of his thoughts. "You're a real good guy then, protecting people, just like my mom. She's a detective. She finds the bad guys and I guess after that they'll be brought to a prison like the one you're working in," Trixie logically combined with the information given to her and went to fill herself a bottle of water before adding it to her bag.

Baffled about the kid's assumptions, Gaudium blinked and slowly nodded. She was not all too far off with her train of thought. Only that he was in the prison called hell and the criminals were dead, not alive. "Sssuuure… Sooo…" he went on as he stepped around the corner, looking through the rooms. "Where is Maze?"

The door swung open and slammed at its limit against the wall. "Right here, you massive egghead," Maze announced flatly, holding a small pouch in one hand and a cardboard tray with two cups stuffed inside in the other. Nudging her head to Trixie, the little girl immediately ran up to her and took the pouch, inspecting its contents.

Her face lit up with a big, fat grin. "Awesome! Thanks Maze!" she cheered, gave her a quick hug and hurried outside. "Come on!" she called back inside. "I don't want to be late! I wanna show off some moves to my classmates before Biology starts!"

Maze, proudly pursing her lips at her ninja-training-achievements with Trixie, arched a brow at Gaudium. "You ready? Even got you coffee to kick-start your fallen brain cells." She handed him one of the hot cups and motioned him to move. "Come on. Get moving."

"Oh for fucks sake! First Lucifer, then Chloe and now you are ordering me around like your damn servant," he grunted, taking an enraged sip and almost burning his full lips. "FUCK!"

"Gaudium," Maze purred, leaned in and clapped his cheek like a mother teasing her grown up child. "You are a servant. You having slipped into another glamour doesn't change that. Now move your freaking new pair of legs. I need to get the kid to school and send her mother proof, so she doesn't get on my nerves all day. Besides. I want you to meet someone and he's an early bird."

Eyes narrowing dangerously at her, he pushed past her, careful not to spill his coffee and headed towards the little girl waiting in the passenger seat of a stylish sports car. "Backseat for you, little rascal," he muttered, raising the eyebrows decorating his face now expectantly and gave her a pointing thumb to the back.

Trixie crossed her arms in disapproval and intractability, all the teenager-defiance-mode she so quickly grew into. "Why?! I was here first!"

Gaudium smirked, flashing his new, impeccable white teeth at her. "Because of oh-so-many reasons," he quipped lightly, "I'm older and taller than you, I've been through hell since the beginning of time and overall I simply deserve it. So buckle up in the back, kiddo." He loved it. His glamour and - coming along with it - his height of about 6′1″ (~1,86m), were immediately pushing his ego into the skies. Combined with his sassy repartee, he felt invincible.

"How about we make a deal?" Trixie responded, a cheeky and mischievous shimmer in her eyes.

He let out an amused scoff. "A deal? Really? Who are you? Lucifer?" Gaudium laughed and watched as Maze walked around the front and climbed onto the driver's seat.

"No. But I learned a thing or two from him. Why don't we come to an agreement that benefits both of us? How about I let you have the front seat and in return I get a favour to be asked later?" Trixie grinned, crossing her arms challengingly, while Maze had to hold back a laughter by biting her lip.

"Are you for real, kiddo?" he grumbled, his amusement dropping down a notch. A child negotiated with him. This is insane. He spotted Maze giving him a point to her imaginary wrist watch along with a dark glare, and sighed. While he really wouldn't mind to set some ground rules with the kid about how to behave towards a divine being in front of her, he knew better than to anger Mazikeen the Lilim. He'd never forget the last time he had angered her and suffered her torture. He'd never admit how she'd been able to make him slap himself with his own tail for days on end. He was beyond thankful he'd been able to make a deal with her back then. She'd never tell anyone of the punishment and he'd never ever call her weak again. "Alright then… Deal," he gave in and made another gesture towards the backseat. Watching the girl triumphantly fist-bumping Maze on her climb to the back, Gaudium rolled his eyes, sending out a quick prayer for the humiliating madness to finally be over and settled on the passenger seat once the girl had made space.

"Such a grown up, making deals with kids, Gaudium. You'll just love the surprise I have for you…" Maze laughed, started the engine and sped off to Trixie's school. This will be just fucking glorious, she thought with a wicked smirk, imagining Gaudium's expression. Maybe he's gonna pop his tail from shock! Oh yes! I need to make sure to have my phone ready. This needs to be saved for future purposes… Also Lucifer is gonna love this.

Chapter Text

Chapter 10: Celestials At Work

[Better Faster Stronger - EVO Music]

"OH. MY. GOD. LUCIFEEEER!" the cheerful voice of Ella Lopez rang through the precinct, causing everyone in earshot to drop their work and look up. Excitedly, the energetic Latina flailed her hands with a bunch of papers through the air, doing a row of tug jumps.

Basically it was like it had always been before: The moment he entered the precinct, all eyes were on him, whether he liked it or not. Although of course most of the times, he very much liked the flattering attention. Just like this time. The only thing being a slight pinch of salt to his mood, was the straight up mention of his Father. But that was also nothing new.

"Of course HE's always first to mention," Lucifer muttered with a sigh, earning a secret little snicker and smile from Chloe as they walked into the bullpen. Ella ran, arms spread out widely, full on against him, tightly hugging his tall frame and causing him to huff out the oxygen from his lungs. He fondly smiled at her, remembering her being a notorious hugger, but was still taken aback from the sheer power the little woman had with her short arms. "Haaa- Hello Miss Lopez," he stuttered, his arms trapped awkwardly against his body. "Nice to see you again, the blazing-ball-of-energy you are as per usual." While it was a little ribbing, it was the truth. He was very happy to see her again. In the past three years in hell, he had often thought back to how she had always been able to lift the mood of the team and how she provided comfort and a helping hand whenever a friend needed her. He had missed her positivity, the radiating joy she spread with ease, her weird nerd-commentary at the strangest of situations, and also her astonishing, genuine faith.

Her radiating smile and the energy she emitted where overwhelming. And like a duck takes to water, she began talking, a mixture of questions, catching up and her usual Duracell-speed chattering. "It's so good to see you, Lucifer! Are you alright?! You never even called! I was worried. We were worried! We didn't think you'd come back after what Chloe explained! How's the whole family business going? I hope it's going well and you didn't come back because that company somehow went down the drain. You'd imagine HR companies would have a boom at the moment, AMIRIGHT?! But I mean… I can imagine it's quite tricky down south! Don't even get me started on their temper! Trust me, I know! And good employees are hard to get these days! So how's the family? How are you? Oh! Ohhh! Did you bring any souvenirs?!" She looked up at him expectantly, all wide eyed, big smiles, her arms still tightly slung around him.

Lucifer stared at the young forensic like a deer in headlights, mouth agape, in a mixture of shock and fear. She IS human, so she DOES need to breathe… but did she?! Finally able to use his face muscles again, he grimaced at her in a confused frown. "I- I… I beg your pardon?" There were just so many things that caused question marks filling his head from her little waterfall-questioning, he didn't know what to address first. Also, what on earth has Chloe told her? Hell - A bloody HR company?! That's… actually quite smart.

Chloe took the initiative, keeping him from even answering even one of Ella's questions with anything that could raise suspicion. "Erm… He's had some changes done in the company," she explained, immediately feeling Lucifer's eyes on her. "So… He actually managed to get back here. Isn't that great?" She threw Lucifer a pointed look, quietly demanding for him to play along in order to avoid the mention of gods and demons by putting some form of earthiness to the story.

His eyes flickered back and forth between Ella and Chloe. "Erm... Right! Yes. It's true…" Lucifer rasped, finally feeling his chest able to expand again as Ella pulled away and released him. Straightening his jacket with a few brushes of his palms, he tilted his head in thought. "It was… well… it was hell down there to be honest, but erm…," he began, his expression serious, before lighting up with a million dollar smile. "Well, I got a bit of help from a family member and that pretty much relieved me from my duties in that fiery pit, you could say. So, here I am. The crime solving Devil, back at your service."

It was fascinating for Chloe to see how the truth worked around Lucifer and how him speaking the truth was seen as something completely ordinary, because everyone around him thought he was talking about a real company with living people somewhere south of L.A. and not the actually, real hell. She knew Lucifer often times used that to his advantage on purpose, but in this moment, she was pretty sure, he wasn't putting much thought into it. Ironically, it had no different effect at all. People believed him no matter what, because it fit into their world view.

"Welcome back then! And that's awesome!" Ella cheered, as they slowly made their way through the precinct. "Did your pops help you out with the company?"

Greeting several officers with a charming smile that caused every single one of them to blush and have their groins reacting, Lucifer choked out a laughter at her question. "God? No! He'd never lift a finger for me, if it isn't to strike me down," he said nonchalantly, as if it wasn't a sad thing at all. Stuffing his hands into his pockets, he let his eyes wander through the busy department, taking in the feel of it all. The sounds of the officers chattering and discussing, the massive piles of files all over the place and the distinct smell of the cheap coffee that came out of the vending machine. Smiling and relishing in the feel of being surrounded from the things he had grown so fond of and had missed immensely, he saw Ella was still waiting for an answer as to who helped him in hell. "Oh erm… It was actually, quite surprisingly, my Mum."

Oblivious to Lucifer's family construction, Ella threw him a soft smile, her palm endearingly going to her chest, her face looking like the equivalent of a heart-eyes-emoji. "Your mom? Oh my God!-"

He frowned and cut her off, irritated, "No, didn't you listen? Not my Dad. My Mum. Goddess." Why it was so hard for humans to understand that simple but very significant difference the two deities, he couldn't fathom.

Brushing off his celestial family clarification as his usual method-acting behaviour, Ella simply went on. "That's so sweet of her! I bet she's wonderful. She must be! You know, her taking that burden with the company off of your shoulders, so you could come back to L.A.. That's so nice of her!"

Her praising words caused an unexpected pinch in his chest, his lips twitching in a soft, but sad smile, thinking on his Mother's help in hell. Yes… that really was very nice of her… I just wish I could have talked with her some more. He felt Chloe's hand gently squeeze his arm and saw she offered him a sweet, understanding look, her soft blues able to soothe the sharp pinch and replacing it with a warm feeling. She didn't have much knowledge over his Mother and perhaps it had been her understanding of being a mother herself or because she had somehow read his expression extremely well. Whatever the origins for her seeing his pain, he was thankful for the small, lovely gesture.

Entering Ella's science-den, the quirky Latina put her files on the big table next to Dan, who stood deep in thought over the pile of evidence they had gathered. Glancing up, Dan looked Chloe to her company. "Chloe… and Lucifer", he added with a wave of annoyance, his chin flexing forward. "You're back?"

Chloe cringed at his tone. Dan had been exceptionally thoughtful towards her in the last months. He had done his best to help and lift her spirits in Lucifer's absence, no doubt more sensitive on the matter since Charlotte's death. He had tried to put a smile on her face in all kinds of ways, from taking her out and doing something with him and Trixie, to movies night and even bringing her along and take part in one of his improv shows he still enjoyed to do from time to time. He had seen her trying to cope, all curled up on the couch in a sobbing mess for weeks. It was understandable he threw his anger at Lucifer, thinking that he left her for some selfish reason, while not knowing what was really going on. But at the same time it also made her feel horrible for Lucifer, who was burdened with yet another accusation from a human for no valid reason.

Not really putting much thought into Dan's usually grumpy tone towards him, Lucifer nodded. "Yes, back for good…" His smile dropped a notch as a stray thought hit him. "...I think," he added nervously. That's if for some reason Mum's trick in hell doesn't have some sort of time limit that'll run out at some point… He froze and threw a shocked glance to the ceiling for a second. MOM?! NO TIME LIMIT FOR HELL, PLEASE, OKAY?!

Stepping around the table with three firm strides, Dan pushed himself into Lucifer's personal space, not caring to be several inches smaller as he glared up at him. "You," he hissed lowly, his eyes burning with anger.

Looking down at Dan, Lucifer squinted his eyes. "M-me?" he stuttered, staring confused as Dan poked his finger against his chest. Oh dear… Does he think I stole his pudding again?!

"You think you can come back here just like that and continue as if nothing happened?" Dan scowled, his breathing hard. "You know what you did to her? How much you hurt her, you selfish prick?!"

That struck a chord. Usually he was easily capable to handle the heated attacks from Dan, always enjoying to tease him and make him burst, but this accusation left him speechless. The blow hit hard and deep because there was truth in what he said. He had seen how shaken and relieved Chloe had been when he returned and it had given him a good idea about how much she must have suffered because of his absence.

"Dan!" Chloe's and Ella's simultaneous shout, caused both Dan and Lucifer to jump.

"No! No, 'Dan!'," he grunted, but was confronted with looks of incomprehension from both women. "Oh, for fuck's sake, don't downplay it when he screws up! I've been punished and suffered for the shit I've done, but for some reason, when Lucifer fucks up big time and comes back, everyone is just fine with it!" Leaning back in on Lucifer's face, he pierced him with his hateful glare and forcing him to slightly bend backwards. "You don't have a fucking clue about the shards you've left behind. How much she cried."

"That's enough!" Chloe pushed herself in front of him, shoving Dan back by his shoulders. "I'm handling this with Lucifer in private. As thankful as I am that you've supported me, it's my life and I'm in charge of it. So please, back off and put your trust in me that I can deal with it." She tried her best not to shake, but the sudden confrontation on that particular topic made it difficult to not sound tearful. "Besides, you don't know the details of the story and you likely never will. But if you knew what I know, believe me, you wouldn't be so mean to Lucifer. You're not being fair to him."

Ironically her move made both Lucifer and Dan stare at her surprised and baffled, albeit for different reasons. While Dan was shocked over her harsh pushback on the matter, Lucifer was taken aback from her emotional protectiveness over him.

Feeling a strange pinch in his chest, one which he by now associated with some form of deep affection, Lucifer blinked away tears and took a deep breath to compose himself. Wanting to ease up the tensed situation as well, he offered Chloe a small smile and thankful nod, before turning back to Dan. "Erm… Daniel, may I just say, that-"

But Dan cut him off, not even hearing him, leaving him gasping and mouth agape. His anger suddenly switching over from Lucifer towards Chloe. "Oh, so you're pushing away the friend who supported you, but protect the asshole who left you an absolute mess for the past few months?"

She hadn't imagined for him to snap like that, but she felt proud she felt the strength to put up with him. He was way out of line. She could feel how Lucifer stared at her over Dan's shoulder, his wide brown eyes filled with affection and love, giving her stability and anchoring. "Dan, stop it! How old are you? Twelve?" Chloe shot back at him, giving him the harshest glare she could muster. "You know how much it means to me that you've been there for me. You're my friend Dan, and you've got a special spot in my heart, but you've gotta get a grip on your caveman anger and jealousy, when it's not your business!"

Jaw flexing, Dan huffed and sighed, visibly fighting back the anger and forcing himself to cool down. The defeat as well as a hint of shame showed in the sink of his shoulders and his worried look at her. "I'm sorry. You're right… It's your life. I've just never seen you this devastated before… and I just want him to treat you well, Chloe," he muttered and made a step around her, again finger-pointing at Lucifer. "I hope you'll make it up to her, dude. You know she deserves it."

"I will and yes… she does," Lucifer breathed, his throat tight. He searched Chloe's eyes as she turned towards him, wearing her emotions on her sleeve. The thought of her having been in heartache and suffering was physically painful to him. If it was just a fraction of the pain he had felt himself because of their separation, he wanted for it to be soothed and pushed as far away from her memories as possible, and replace it with joy and happiness as best as he could. "What I wanted to say is that... I am aware my absence has been very painful for the Detective," he continued, speaking her profession with devotion as he shortly glanced towards her, drowning in her ocean blue eyes. "She deserves to be happy and if it makes you feel better as her friend, Daniel, I promise that I will do everything to make it up to her. You have my word."

Satisfied with Lucifer's promise and trusting his word, Dan eventually nodded and stepped back to the big central table of the room without commentary.

It was embarrassing to have Dan play the protective white knight, but Chloe could understand it came from a place of love, despite him behaving like a jerk in terms of communication skills. Lucifer's words on the other hand, made her feel all fluffy and light in her belly, and when she noticed how he still looked at her, all intense and full of expectation, she felt her cheeks blush. The effect he had on her by simply looking at her, seemed ridiculous, but she fully enjoyed the cheesy thrill it gave her. Her lips curled up into a thankful and appreciative smile at him, and when he returned a warm smile himself, she felt almost jittery from joy.

A clap of hands disrupted the bubbles of tension and fluffy privateness and made them turn around towards the table. "Alright folks, I love the reconciliation, but if we could get back to the evidence now, that would be awesome. There's some important stuff to update you on," Ella spoke up, as she spread out the pictures and test results she had gathered from the case.

Joining her at the big table, Lucifer harrumphed and gestured at the Latina. "On behalf of everyone, but… especially me, apologies for the inconveniences, Miss Lopez. Please, go ahead and fill us in."

"Thank you so much, Lucifer." Enjoying to finally switch into professional mode with the whole team, Ella took a deep, collecting breath. "Okay, so. In case you haven't heard already, Erica Clark's body was found in a storage unit half a mile away from her house. So… good news is, we've got our dead victim back." Seeing Chloe and Lucifer nod rather less surprised, she went on. "Alright so let's just go from the very beginning. The victim Erica Clark. The blunt object that was used for the blow to her head is still unclear. No objects around the house fit the mark, so my guess would be pistol grip. I think it went down like this." She made a step back, curled her fingers into a gun and imitated the smack with the pistol grip. "WHAM! And then Erica went down on her knees-" Ella continued the dramatic demonstration, back in her element, and explained in her utmost enthusiastic and absolutely serious manner. "And then the attacker aimed, all smooth and cold hearted, glaring down at her and- BAM! Pulled the trigger. Shot point blank. The 9mm went straight through her heart and hit the ground."

Oh, yes, how I have missed thee, my dear Miss Lopez, Lucifer dreamily thought, ignoring Chloe's wondrous look at his secretive smile.

"Okay, the take on the pistol smack seems plausible. The attacker would've of course walked away with the gun. What about the doors? Any useful fingerprints?" Chloe asked, looking over at Dan who stood above the enlarged photos of the prints.

"Yes and no. A partial on the backdoor, definitely not the victim's," Dan answered with a sigh, crossing his arms on his chest. "I'm letting it run through the system, but so far no luck. Question stays, how did the attacker get inside? There were no break in marks at the doors whatsoever. From the looks of it, she must have opened the front door. So then the question is: Did she know the attacker and if so, how?"

Lucifer sharply inhaled, his teeth grinding. "Was she religious?" he threw in, pensively tapping his fingertips against the polished surface of the table.

Three pair of eyes stared back at him surprised about the sudden, very specific question. But Chloe quickly understood. He wanted to push them into the direction they secretly already knew about while Dan and Ella didn't. "I think what Lucifer meant is, perhaps the person was trustworthy to her, like, say, if she was religious, she might have opened up to a priest… for example."

"Riiiight," Dan mocked sceptical. "Or she could have had an appointment with just about anyone who she then opened the door for. Chloe that's fishing in the dark and you know that."

Grumbling Lucifer stared daggers at Dan. "Except this isn't fishing in the dark, Daniel," he angrily shot back, his tone venom-laced. "We have reason to believe that-"

"That we have to look at it from all possible angles," Chloe cut in and threw him a glare. How on earth does he think we can throw in the information about the priest without raising even more questions?! It's impossible. We can't pull them in on this! She wished herself the superpower to yell into his angelic thickhead and was satisfied to find that at least her glare and sharp tone made Lucifer speechlessly gasp for air like a stranded fish.

That woman! How dare she?! Didn't we already conclude it's gotta be a bloody priest?! Huffing, Lucifer back pedalled, not wanting to have yet another dispute this early in the day and especially not one with her. Although, he did take note how wonderful she looked with a glint of anger in her eyes. "Well, yes… it was… just an idea, of course. It's good to not rule out any possibility," he grumbled in appeasing defeat. Seeing Chloe's expression soften, her shoulders relaxing, he licked his lips and turned back to Ella. "Anything else, Miss Lopez?"

Her dark eyes widened with hesitation and insecurity at his question. "Well, yeah? I mean… We haven't talked about the elephant in the room yet…" She nervously looked back and forth between the others, waiting.

"What elephant?" Lucifer asked curious and innocently, spotting how Chloe reflexively slung her arms around herself. Looking at Dan, he saw him let out a heavy sigh and shake his head. Ella just looked like a scared lamb, not making a move to respond. "Okay. I wasn't present, so would someone please fill me in already?" he pressed impatiently, stemming his left hand on his side while gesturing them to go on with his right. But all of them remained silent, avoiding the big, fat elephant.

When the quiet began to suffocate her, Chloe eventually broke the silence. "I told you.. that I was unconscious for a moment at the crime scene," she carefully started, urging him with a raised brow and nudge of her chin to follow along.

"Yes, I... I know," he muttered hushed, images of her her bruised and blood smeared face surfacing in his mind's eye.

"People outside the crime scene reported that while I was out…" She took in a sharp breath, the odd information difficult to speak out loud in front of her colleagues. "Apparently the shot victim came running outside with a pair of scissors stuck in her head and disappearing down the street." She shuddered. Even with the knowledge of celestialness in this world, the words coming out of her mouth sounded absolutely crazy.

"Oh," Lucifer mouthed quietly, but his eyes widened when he realised the issue. "Oooooh. Right…" he vaguely agreed, nodding. Seeing how Chloe helplessly frowned at him, he knew she was out of ideas on how to manoeuvre around a walking corpse so to speak. He had to help her out and quickly tried to come with something creative to get past this celestial stumbling stone. "That's wild, isn't it? Like straight out of a zombie movie, one might think." Smiling somewhat awkwardly, he tried to think of a way for them to rationalise what had been seen and that was outside their spectrum of understanding. Human psyche was such a fragile thing and he knew in order to sooth the stuck cogs of their brains, they needed at least some kind of possible explanation. "Well it's obvious, isn't it? She wasn't dead. Not all the way, I mean…" Not with a demon stuck inside her...

"But… she was," Ella murmured under her breath. "I mean, I checked her pulse. Her temperature was already down. She was shot through the heart and lost far too much blood. And it's just… impossible." She sighed, confused and sounded at her wits end, defeated on the matter she couldn't comprehend.

This was tough. Ella was a bundle of energy that was both driven from her scientific reasoning as well as her strong faith that gave her security. He didn't want to diminish either side of her, by saying she didn't do her job right or by revealing the truth to her and make her faith turn into something tangible and less spiritual. He had to keep her in her bubble, because she deserved to be protected and also to be given credit for her work. "I understand what you're saying, Miss Lopez. But haven't there been… strange things before in medicine? I mean we're obviously talking about something that's… hard to believe or grasp, but that has still happened," he softly said, watching as his words sank in. "What I'm getting at is: I'm sure you're right and you've done an excellent job. And yet at the same time, perhaps there was something unusual going on that couldn't be picked up from your fancy, sciencey equipment. An anomaly of sorts."

Ella's eyes lowered in thought, her gears working over what Lucifer suggested. "I mean… I've heard of some pretty funky stuff from some colleagues before…" She worried her lip and shuddered. "Getting back from the dead is almost not so far fetched anymore when you hear about that stuff. But then it's still one mountain-sized question mark as to how she ended up half a mile away at a storage unit… again, dead, really dead. Makes me wish to check in the morgue, if she's still there…" She grimaced, worrying her lip between her teeth. "I think I'm gonna call the ME after this meeting. Just to be sure."

"So how about we put this medical mystery on hold for the moment and focus on the other clues we've got?" Chloe threw in with a more cheerful tone, thankful Lucifer had appeased Ella's insatiable thirst for solving this crazy puzzle. Hopefully this issue could be pushed so far away in her memory that it would fall over the edge and never come up again.

"Yeah, I guess you're right," Ella sighed, clearly not happy with being unable to solve that puzzle, but her positive spirit took charge and quickly set disappointed-Ella aside. "It makes no sense to wreck mi cabeza over this. Maybe later it'll all come together. Big revelation style."

Satisfied with Ella's mood switch, Lucifer flashed her a big smile. "That's the spirit, Miss Lopez! Don't worry! Revelation will surely come to those who are patient."

"There's still other stuff that's irritating though," Dan suddenly grumbled, shaking his head.

Sighing at his raised concern, Lucifer ground his jaw. "And what other stuff is that, Daniel, hm?"

Dismissing Lucifer's edgy tone, he pulled up the pictures from Erica's house. "Why her? What was the motive? It wasn't a holdup murder. No signs of anything being stolen. Her jewellery was still there, expensive decorations, we even found a safe that hadn't been touched. The law company she worked for stated that she did an excellent job and despite her profession, she had no enemies. Everybody loved her."

Bloody hell, we KNOW the motive already you pernickety muggins! Gahhh! WHY, dear Dad, does this investigation have to work on snail-speed?! Are you laughing at me from up there?! You having fun, eh?! Fists balling, he felt Chloe's hand squeeze his arm. She offered him a small, understanding smile and his annoyance and anger eased, but not fully vanished.

"I don't know," Chloe quietly answered. "But it was a pretty gruesome attack. So I wouldn't rule out anything personal." She paused, recollecting the things she knew both officially and private-celestially and spotted the photo of the blood smeared shoe partial from the crime scene. "Ella, the male shoe print you found. I can't recall. Was it there before or after Erica was gone from the house?"

"Oh, it was there before," Ella answered and look at her thoughtfully for a moment. "Ahh.. I see. You were thinking it was from a guy who came in when you were unconscious and who might have been involved in the victims' disappearing."

"Yeah…. Exactly," she nodded, glancing over at the Devil, glad to know it wasn't a trace he had left behind when he had come to save her.

"The size of the print is an 11.5 (EU45), but the profile wasn't good enough to get any telling indicators to the brand. Like I said, male dress shoe. But that's about it."

"So we've got a bunch of stuff, but pretty much everything we've got either doesn't help us or is just weird and makes no sense," Dan groaned annoyed and looked at Chloe for a suggestion or an idea.

Lucifer rolled his eyes impatiently over the matter. This was taking too long and he was worried he might burst his wings in frustration. Turning to Chloe, he gestured to the door. "Detective? Can I have a word with you in private, please?" he muttered, hoping to resolve this situation in lightning-speed rather than snail-speed.

"Hold on a sec," she nodded at Lucifer, then looked at Dan and Ella. "Okay so, how about this? Dan, you go and check if there's any surveillance footage along the way towards that storage unit where Erica was found. Perhaps there's even cameras installed directly on the property. Maybe we get lucky and see something that can help us."

"Sure thing. Will do," Dan agreed and headed out, getting straight to work.

"Ella, do you have anything else on the body?" Chloe went on, looking at the Latina. "Or were there any findings at the storage unit?"

"The final ME report isn't fully done yet, so I'm waiting on that. There were unfortunately no traces at or in that unit," Ella explained. "I'll keep my eyes open and update you as soon as I've got something."

"Okay, thanks Ella. Lucifer, you coming?" Chloe excused herself with a smile at Ella and stepped out of the lab with him. As soon as they were out, Lucifer firmly took her arm and moved her around the corner, his size dwarfing her. "Lucifer, what the heck?" she hissed in a whisper, quickly checking, if anybody was watching them. Fortunately for her, everybody else was deeply buried in paperwork, glued with their ears to their phone or with their eyes to their monitors.

Leaning into her, he placed his right arm above her head against the wall, providing a bubble of protection and secrecy for them both. "You're aware this is bloody nonsense, right?" He pressed with pleading eyes. "The whole fuss about the 'Why?', 'How?' and 'Who did it?'. We both know all of that, so there's really just two questions we need to find an answer for: Where is that insidious priest bloke and how in my Father's name did he know how to set up the crime scene?!"

She was about to protest and reason with him that she had to maintain professional procedures with her colleagues, which included not talking celestial matters, but the last part he said made her hold her breath. "What do you mean: How did he know?"

His hard breathing eased down into a sigh. "Chloe," he whispered, her name a trembling confession of his love as it passed his lips. "How did the priest know that you would come to the crime scene?"

Chloe blinked in surprise. Yeah... How did he know? She realized she hadn't even thought about it yet. Of course it was imperative to learn how the trap had been set in the first place. "I… I don't know. I guess we have to trace back the steps of the case."

"I agree," Lucifer said, sternly nodding. "So let's start with the victim."

She frowned. "Erica? But we don't have any-"

Lucifer leaned in even closer, their noses almost touching, his eyes wide and filled with concern. "No, not Erica. You, Chloe. Erica was the bait. You were the victim," he clarified under his breath. If I would have arrived just a few moments later… He swallowed hard, his heart feeling like it was crunching rather than beating in his chest. Imploring her silently, he wanted nothing more than to hold and kiss her, to feel her in his arms, safe and sound, but he knew her professionalism would push him away, for he'd be violating her work ethics. He knew that their closeness, just inches away from each other, and their shared breath, was as far as she would let him go while at work. "You're still in danger. Somehow that guy knew you would come to the crime scene. How did you get there exactly?"

She shuddered. Lucifer was right. Erica's case wasn't the real case. As much as she wanted to focus solely on Erica, she had to look at it from the celestial point of view. "By car of course. I was just on my way to the precinct when the Lieutenant called and told me of the crime being reported and processed. He gave me the address and I headed there directly, just like the rest of the team."

His expression darkened and the rush of anger made his glare cold and his blood boil. Turning his head towards the right, he stared across the bullpen and through the broad-windowed office of the Lieutenant. The middle aged man was deep in focus over one of the countless files that had formed a pison of horrifying paperwork on his desk. He didn't envy the man, but he'd seen the most inconspicuous people commit the most hideous crimes.

Chloe's eyes followed his, the indication of his ruthless glare seeming absurd and caused her to let out an amused laugh. "No, Lucifer. He's a good guy. Clearly overloaded with work and maybe a bit short cut, but that's crazy. If he's involved to have me killed, why hasn't he done it in the past three months? That's ridiculous."

"Really?" he asked sceptically. "It wouldn't hurt to ask him just a few questions then, would it?" He rose a brow at her challengingly, his posture relaxing as he leaned back a little and gave her space to move.

She sighed, looking up at him, weighing his words. She had a feeling what he was planning. "Doing your eye-thing?"

He nodded, pursing his lips. "Yes. The eye-thing. Although for the future I would appreciate it, if we could come up with a better name, one that feels less stalky and perhaps more like the divine power it is," he pointed out seriously, before pushing away from the wall and storming towards the Lieutenant's office.

"Oh, God, please don't…" Chloe quietly prayed as she tried to catch up to him and stop him from what he was doing, sensing his Lucifer-ness taking the best of him. Unfortunately, she was too late.

Storming into the office, the poor door smashing against the wall with its hinges squeaking, Lucifer glared at the Lieutenant with an angry smirk. "Hello traitor!"

"So, who are we're visiting?" Gaudium asked as he got out the car and followed Maze to the house with a neat front garden. He took in the scent of late blooming flowers that sprinkled colourfully across the lawn. It was nice in a way, but he was having trouble to grasp why. It did something inside him, tickled an old frozen core and made him feel twitchy. Maybe it's the fucking pollen, who knows...

"You're going to meet my family," Maze answered with a proud smirk and rang the bell when they reached the doorstep.

"You're family? You mean… your human friends?" he asked back, looking curiously at her. Since when is she so smiley-facey? I think earth has changed her… It's not that typical psycho smirk she used to have when torturing souls. She looks so… happy. Ugh...

"Yes, well, my human family. The good side, I suppose you could say," she said with a carefree shrug.

The door opened and in front of them stood Amenadiel, out of breath and with a plunger in his hand. "Maze!" Amenadiel greeted surprised and glanced at her company.

Gaudium sighed and grumbled, shooting Maze a short glare before smirking at the angel. "Amenadiel... How nice to see you again," he muttered sarcastically. "You look hilarious in your human outfit, did anyone ever tell you? Hell, have you never taken any styling advice from Lucifer?"

Amenadiel stared at the unknown man in front of him in wonder. "Erm… what?"

"Oh my, you've gotten rusty, big boy!" Gaudium laughed, amused how Amenadiel didn't recognize him in his human glamour. "It's me. Gaudium. You're favourite fallen cherub in some really handsome glamour!"

The dark angel's expression faltered, his brows shooting up. "Gaudium? I haven't seen you in ages. What are you doing here?"

"Ah you know, the usual. Watching everything go downhill until eventually my talent is asked for and I'm supposed to save the day. Same old, same old," he brabbled and used his new, broad shape to push himself past Amenadiel, huffily noticing how the angel was still a few inches taller and more muscular than himself.

Maze followed him en suite and gave Amenadiel a clap on his shoulder, smirking at his outfit. "You still have to amp up your sexy handyman game, if you wanna impress Linda with some hot roleplay." She laughed when Amenadiel grimaced in his angelic innocence and ignorance for sexual kinks. He was just too easy to make fun of.

"Maze! Hey! So nice to see you." Linda came rushing up to her, quickly pulling her into a hug and sizing up her companion. "And you are?"

Gaudium put on a mischievous smirk, stretching out a broad hand in greeting. "Name's Gaudium, poppet. The divine and mighty cherub of-"

"He's Lucifer's general drudge," Maze threw in with a laugh and stepped into the living room. "A fallen cherub. His natural form would probably make you pass out. No offence, but your human brain would short circuit. Trust me." She threw her a big, cheeky grin showing all her teeth, before addressing Gaudium. "This is Linda, my second best human friend. And Lucifer's therapist!"

"Yes, well, Lucifer is-" Linda paused, looking over at her, surprised. "Um… Second best?"

"Duh? Trixie comes first, of course," Maze pointed out matter-of-factly, snatching herself a cookie from the bowl on the table.

"Oh… yeah. That makes sense," Linda nodded thoughtfully as she shook Gaudium's hand who offered her a small smile. "Nice to meet you, Gaudium. If you're a friend of all the other celestial family members, then by all means, make yourself at home."

"Where's Charlie?" Maze rang curiously, looking around the living room. "I wanted to show him to Gaudium."

"In the playpen," she smiled back, nudging her towards the direction of the guest room she converted for her baby with all the necessities the little boy needed.

Gaudium squinted his eyes in suspicion, watching Maze disappear for a minute. Playpen?! Charlie? As she returned, a small human in her arms and resting against her shoulder, his jaw dropped in shock. "By the fucking Almighty, what the hell? I thought you said you haven't learned to reproduce!" A heartfelt laughter from behind him made him turn around and look at Linda, who was grinning from ear to ear. He thought a moment, seeing Maze smirk as well and then it clicked. "Ahh… I see... it's yours. Phew… I was close to a heart attack there! Maze producing little demons in her womb would be the end of me! So who's the father?" He followed Linda's gaze towards Amenadiel. "Wait what?! No way!" His jaw dropped again. "No fucking way! Black-Hulk made a nephilim? You've gotta be kidding me! Lucifer hasn't even mentioned this!"

"Hey!" Amenadiel exclaimed disgruntled, putting aside the plumber and straightening his broad chest. "What? You thought I can't… you know… do the thing?!"

Stepping at his side, Gaudium gave him a little clap on the back. "Are you kidding me? I was wondering if you even knew how to do the thing. I'm sure Lucifer offered you lots and lots of information on that matter that you've always turned down." He burst into a wild laughter, brushing away a few droplets of happy tears. He calmed down when he saw Maze stepping up to him with the little half-breed in her arms.

The mocha face of the little one was all round and his almondy eyes looked up curiously, taking in his surrounding. He innocently had his tiny left hand stuck in his mouth and suckled on it, while his right was excitedly reaching up, grabbing the air. He huffed and grunted sounds that Gaudium couldn't decipher. Was the nephilim expressing confusion? Anger? Perhaps disdain? Could such a little thing already be making fun of him? He couldn't tell. "So… this is Charlie, eh?" he muttered. "Did he grow wings yet?"

Linda shook her head in response. "No, no wings for the time being and I'm kinda happy about it. If he'd be able to fly right now, it would be hell. He already started crawling very early on and trust me, he inspects everything. Now imagine he could fly! He might just hang around on the overhead lights," she explained excitedly. "I'd be worried sick. I already am when he manages to get himself in trouble, sneaking out of his crib. I guess it'll be even worse the older and bigger he gets."

"Probably. And now that Lucifer's back, I assume Charlie will get classes in being rebellious from the best of the best," Gaudium mused lightly. He spotted as Maze looked back at him, tongue between her teeth, seeming to hold back a thought. "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

Maze gently rocked little Charlie in her arms, having been shown from Linda what speed and force would be okay and not make the baby cry or throw up. She bit her lip, looking between Linda and Amenadiel for a second and then smirked widely at Gaudium, cheering excitedly. "I want you to bless him!"

"WHAT?!" is rang simultaneously from all three of them. Linda rang merely surprised, Amenadiel on the other hand sounded sceptic, but Gaudium, he was shocked, disgruntled and pretty much pissed.

"Have you had an aneurysm in your walnut-sized demon brain?!" he growled angrily. "Me?! Blessing a human child?!"

"Yes, Gaudium! That's one of your professions, or have you lost too many brain cells to my vodka last night?" Maze grumbled, holding Charlie a bit tighter against herself.

He shifted his body in front of her, puffing and straightening himself up to tower over her. "But I'm fallen, Mazikeen! F-A-L-L-E-N! You're aware what that means!"

"Well yes, but did your fall take away your powers or have you just never used them again, because you were angry at God?" she challenged, unimpressed from his attempt at intimidation. Instead, she turned little Charlie around to make him face Gaudium, and held the nephilim towards him. "Admit it. You just never did it again, because you dislike the Big Guy. But this little one, you know he should have protection."

While Gaudium crossed his arms and grumbled in defiance, Linda raised her voice in confusion. "I erm… Can someone explain this to me, please?"

"As a cherub, one of Gaudium's tasks used to be giving blessings to the newborns of humans, so they'd be safe from evil influences," Amenadiel explained helpfully.

"Yeah. The important part there being 'used to be'," Gaudium pointed out with air quotes and glared, past the baby held towards him, at Maze. "And nowadays I probably am such an evil influence a blessing would protect him from. At least in the sense of the Big One, I suppose."

Rolling her eyes, Maze stayed persistent and shoved Charlie towards Gaudium, who quickly unhooked his arms to awkwardly take a hold of the infant. "Your profession doesn't simply stop. And you know you're not powerless, Gaudium," she remarked, staring daggers at him. "Now put your Goddamn blessing on him already or I will pick you up by tail."

"What?! But I don't have any-" He paused in his protest, catching her glance down to his crotch, and swallowed. "Ohhhh... Hmpf…" He knew that, despite his muscular human glamour, his fighting skills were nowhere near Maze's abilities, even with divinity still coursing through his veins. "Fine then. I'll be giving that little, wingless bugger some divine mojo."

Turning Charlie around in his arms, he cradled the baby in the crook of his left arm, whilst swirling the fingers of his right hand above his little head. The movement felt strangely natural, despite the many years of him not having held a child. He closed his eyes and for the first time since his fall tapped into the divine ability that was ingrained inside of his being. It started to tingle in his core first with a light buzzing vibration as the power was stirred to life. Soon the accumulation of it wandered into his hand and into his fingertips. Opening his eyes, he lightly rubbed his fingertips, watching as warm, yellowish light flowed out and lingered in the air.

"W-what is that?" Linda breathed in a whisper, watching with wide eyes as Gaudium moved his fingers in the air above Charlie, the light swirling and leaving behind a trail.

"That's divinity. His light, his power. Ingrained inside of him by my Father," Amenadiel quietly explained, gently squeezing her arm and holding her close.

The light began to settle in small groups, little balls of light floating in the air and then they began to transform into shapes, vaguely looking like letters. Symbols. Enochian. Gaudium let the symbols fully develop until they formed the blessing he had given to infants before his fall. At last, the blessing was prepared. Softly Gaudium tipped at Charlie's forehead and the symbols lowered, sinking down into the little boy's skin, until they vanished.

Charlie squealed in delight. His small lips curled up into a smile and he started to wiggle, stomp and throw his little arms up. With another giggle, one hand reached up for Gaudium's and lightly clutched onto the index finger, enclosing it with his entire tiny hand.

While the others watched in amazement,with a mix of wide smiles and gaping mouths at what was going on, a single sound came from a quiet click as Maze took a picture for future blackmailing purposes.

Gaudium stuttered in awkward perplexity, feeling the little boy's touch cause shivers through his spine and a pulse that ran into his divine core. Charlie's joyful squeals calmed down until he merely looked up at him with big, brown eyes. It took him a moment, but then Gaudium realized that the young nephilim could already understand the existence of divinity. "Of course you understand it… You feel it inside of you…" Gaudium murmured, staring mesmerized at Charlie. "Such an odd thing… I wonder what you're thinking and what you'll be able to do one day..."

During his heavenly profession he had blessed many infants, but baby angels or a baby nephilim had never been among them. To his knowledge, Amenadiel was the first angel to ever procreate and give life to a new divine being. And even though it was half human, it was still equipped with God's light. He could feel it. Blinking, he noticed Charlie continued to hold onto his finger with his whole hand. "You gotta let me go you little titch," he muttered softly. At that, Charlie squealed out in giggles again, let go of Gaudium's finger and instead clutched onto the lapels of his coat, snuggling himself closer.

"Wow, Gaudium. I think he really likes you," Maze rang, looking impressed. "Like… he's never been this hyped in my arms. And I think, he doesn't really wanna let you go."

Gaudium, ground his teeth, feeling oddly flustered. "I erm… I can't say. I mean… I wouldn't know. I've never been with little humans for too long, usually just a couple of seconds. And this… this is the first celestial I've done a blessing for. I'm really not good with kids-"

Not caring about his self-doubt, Linda came up to him and pulled him into a hug, giving him a quick kiss to his cheek. "Thank you, Gaudium. Getting to witness divinity in all its forms, it's quite the sight. And everyone caring for Charlie's wellbeing among us, is always welcome here. And I think you're doing just fine with Charlie. Trust me. He'd let you know, if he feels uncomfortable."

Dumbfounded, he turned to stare at her, frozen and mouth agape. He was speechless about her kindness towards him and as all of them looked at him quizzically, eventually sighed with a shrug and harrumphed. "Erm… Sorry it's just that… I never had someone be like that to me."

"What do you mean? Be what?" Linda asked with a smile, rubbing his back as she looked over his arm at Charlie.

"Nice," he muttered, giving Linda a nervous glance.

"Hey, that's not true!" Amenadiel jumped in irritated. "Of course people have been nice to you before. Certainly during your time in the Silver City."

"Oh really? You mean, when you wanted something from me?" Gaudium grumbled back. "You feathered pricks just called when you needed me to do your dirty work and I never even got a 'thanks' for that! The only one treating me remotely nice has always only been Lucifer, although that's very dependant on his mood, and we all know how wobbly that is. But I was never given a hug as far back as I can remember!" When Maze opened her mouth to protest, he stared daggers at her. "Choking me, Maze, does NOT equal hugging me!"

"Alright, alright, you damn grinch! Fine! What do you want from me, huh?" Maze exclaimed, narrowing her eyes at him. It wasn't that she wanted to be cruel. In fact, she had never given much thought on other people's feelings before she'd come to earth. But now that she had warmed up to humans and their strange emotions, she had at least a little bit of an idea on Gaudium's complain. He wasn't a demon and therefore also wasn't cut off from touchy emotions like demons naturally were. He was a creature from the Silver City, not from hell.

"Just cut me some slack, will ya? Don't just treat me like your freakin' servant. I'm part of the pack! At least I've always been on Lucifer's side and I want to help him, because I care for that stubborn Devil." He sighed, his emotions cooling down when he looked at Charlie. "Yeah, you're uncle's quite the whirlwind, but also braver than anyone else I know. I think we'll be fine with that prophecy, little guy. You've got a whole celestial army around you for your protection. I'm sure we'll manage to stop the end of the world."

Amenadiel cleared his throat with a concerned stutter. "Erm…I'm sorry, what? Prophecy? End of the world? Gaudium, what the heck are you talking about?"

Gaudium updated him on the information Maze and him had gathered about the attack on Chloe and the findings of the prophecy, and how both stand in connection with the Enochian language.

Frowning, deep in thought, Amenadiel mumbled. "That's strange… It shouldn't be possible. Enochian writing in the hands of humans. Especially a prophecy… I don't understand."

"Yeah… we neither," Gaudium muttered, feeling suddenly something warm and wet on his index finger. Glancing down, he spotted Charlie sucking on his digit, calmly looking up at him. "You go ahead and suck that finger, you little nipper. You think you can suck out some more of my divinity, huh?" he whispered to him with a sheepish smile before returning his attention back to Amenadiel. "Have you contacted your siblings over this?"

Amenadiel shook his head. "Only on the demon attack and the banishing. But they all said, they hadn't known about anything going on, trusting that Lucifer would make sure no demon would slip out of hell. When I told them, they were clearly surprised about the news."

"What about the Enochian?" Maze asked, pensively walking up and down in front of them. "Do they know, how the human could use it? Or how he got his knowledge about it?"

"No, they were clueless on that as well. And none could fathom how the human was even able to understand the language." He looked at them worriedly. "Maybe I should go check back with them again. See if they know anything about that prophecy. I mean… if it's real then one of them would have to know." Stepping away from them to the middle of the room, he rolled his shoulders and released his massive brown wings. Looking at Linda, he gave her warm smile.

"Please be back soon, Amenadiel," she breathed, smiling back at him and taking in his angelic sight.

"I will," he answered lovingly before turning to Gaudium. "And you watch out for my son. Looks like he doesn't want to let go of you anyway." Receiving a pointed look in return, he pushed himself off and disappeared with a powerful flap of his wings.

Gaudium let out a scoff and settled down on the couch, watching Charlie suckle and giggle around his index finger. "So, I'm back to babysitting. Great. Just great." He wondered how long it would take for some more information to be gathered and when Lucifer would need his presence again. Leaning towards the living room table, he snatched himself a cookie and crunched on it in thought, his other hand occupied from Charlie's mouth. We need a clue. Yeah, that's what we need. A clue. And then we can smash some heads together. Looking back down at the nephilim, he took in a deep breath and exhaled in a soft sigh. That little chocolate nugget is a divine baby angel. I wonder if perhaps he already has a few powers… Hmm… Standing up, Gaudium held Charlie in front of him, shortly glanced to the ceiling and making sure no lamp was above them. "Well, let's see if you just need a lil help for those wings to pop." And with a calculated push, he threw Charlie up in the air.

Chapter Text

Chapter 11: Close Connections

[Desolation - Tommee Profitt]

She knew that, as soon as Lucifer had burst open the Lieutenant's door, all officer's eyes were on them. "Lucifer!" she hissed angrily from behind, entering the office after her boisterous partner with her face turning red from both shock and anger. Her pulse was skyrocketing. Of course he's gonna insult my boss on his first day back at work! Why didn't I seen that coming?

"Excuse me?!" Lieutenant Murrin exclaimed grumpily, straightening up from the three inch thick casefile he had sunken in over the past hour. When he spotted Lucifer, his eyes lit up with surprise. "Oh, Mister Morningstar? You're back?" he asked irritated, not commenting on his burst in and shouting, mainly because he was aware of Lucifer's weirdness as he liked to call it.

Baring his teeth, all decency gone out the window, Lucifer stepped around the Lieutenant's desk and swirled Murrin's chair around. Leaning in and gripping onto the armrests, he effectively imprisoned the other man who merely stared at him, mouth agape. "I am indeed! As I already have your full attention, let's get right to it, shall we? I heard, you've sent Detective Decker on her case the other day. Tell me, Lieutenant Murrin, what is your darkest desire, hm? Did you want for the Detective to get killed by a demon?!" he exclaimed, panting through clenched teeth. It was a miracle, he didn't lose control over his appearance and burned a hole into Murrin's soul with his hellfire eyes. "Did you have some secret agenda planned against her? Hm?! Are you involved with any priests? Or a holy prophecy? Did any of my wretched siblings or my blasted Father send you?!"

His last questions were a bitter pill to swallow. The sheer fact that his family popped up in his mind as the responsible ones caused a lump in her throat. What a crazy family situation… "Lucifer, stop," Chloe gently muttered in hopes to have some sort of calming influence on him. But he wasn't reacting at all and she could see Murrin was already under Lucifer's strange mojo, his tired eyes fluttering, his jaw relaxing in surrender.

"W-w-what? I… I d-don't understand..." he stuttered completely confused.

"DID YOU WANT FOR THE DETECTIVE TO GET MURDERED?!" Lucifer repeated in a thundering roar, his eyes glaring with the wrath rather than the charm of the Devil.

Eyes going wide, Chloe anxiously glanced back at the door, thankful it had fallen shut behind her. But she knew Lucifer's roar had most likely still shook through the whole floor. In contrast to Dan's jealous over-protectiveness from earlier, this stand off from Lucifer was like watching a freaking natural phenomena take place, all in the name of keeping her safe and punishing those responsible for trying to kill her. It was shocking to see him going to such extremes and beyond, but now that she understood how it stemmed from his love for her, she was also blushing all flustered at his rampant move.

"W-what!? NO! W-what are you even talking about?!" Murrin choked out, slumping further down in his chair.

As if someone had pulled a switch, Lucifer's voice shifted in a split second from about-to-smite to childish perplexion, his brows coming together in wonder. "No?" Changing his gaze and demeanour to wrap around the Lieutenant's mind with seductiveness, he continued in a low purr. "Then tell me, Lieutenant, what is it you desire, hm?" Brushing a finger along the man's throbbing carotid and his jaw, he caused Murrin to swallow from overwhelming sensations, wrapping him up with his sexual charm that could turn the straightest man gay. He knew there was no way Murrin would be able to to seal up towards him and after just three seconds, the Lieutenant was falling apart, his defences crumbling into a weak puddle.

"I- I want… I want… Oh God, I just want to be back in the field instead of being trapped in this freaking paperwork nightmare," he groaned desperately, releasing a pitiful sob, before baring his teeth and continuing angrily. "Every time I try to focus to get something done, a fucking call is sent to my line and completely pulls me out of the topic. And that's not even the worst part. I-"

Perplexed, Lucifer shook his head. This hadn't been the answer he had expected to hear. At least some bit of actual dirty desires would have been nice for a change. "Oh boy, this is your darkest desire? Really? You want to get back on the dangerous streets instead of having it warm and cozy in here?" He scoffed and leaned away a few inches. "So you really didn't want for the Detective to get killed?"

"Jesus Christ, no! Of course not! W-why are you asking that?!" Murrin exclaimed, before his gaze at him turned confused. "I- I don't understand. Did- Did something happen that I should know of, Detective Decker?" He looked past Lucifer's tall frame somewhat awkwardly and shot Chloe a questioning glance.

Being addressed directly, Chloe gaped and tarried. Shit! She hadn't thought she would have to actually bring this up. But this was her chance to save her reputation, or to perhaps not let it sink even lower, thinking how this whole scene in Murrin's office might have already had affected her career. She wasn't too keen on a personal scolding at a later time. On the other hand, she couldn't tell him the truth about being attacked by a freaking demon. Okay, Decker. Come on! Think of something! "Well, it hasn't been that big of a deal, Lieutenant. It was just-" But of course, Lucifer did not have the decency or patience to let her try to come up with a white lie.

"There's been a murder attempt on her, you blasted pencil clicker [1], alright?!" Lucifer cut in growling and teeth bared. "And you sent her right into it! So why did you call for Detective Decker and her team to go to that crime scene? I know you have plenty of other teams at your disposal!"

Great! Just great! Chloe cringed, eyes squeezing shut as if to hide in a dark pit, where her blood pressure wasn't about to go through the roof and her badge taken away for disreputable behaviour in front of her boss.

Murrin continued to gape at Chloe and then at Lucifer again, his expression eventually turning confused. Looking down, he seemed to try to collect his thoughts. "But there… there's been call-ins of the crime and I just forwarded it to her and her team… I don't understand how this could have been aimed at her."

"Who called it in?" Lucifer pressed. With his charm not in action anymore, his presence returned to have an intimidating effect on Murrin.

"The neighbour, for Christ's sake!" Murrin shouted out stressed. "A-and that other one," he added grumpily, rolling his finger in the air. "That… that other caller. It… it was..."

Chloe's face paled. "Anonymous. When you gave me the information on the case, you said the call ins came from the neighbour and another one was anonymous." Murrin merely nodded confused at her. "Were you the one talking with that caller or did the helpline take it?"

"I… I took the call directly," Murrin stuttered, looking into empty space.

So someone called his personal number… Shit… Those calls are not being recorded and can't be traced. "What can you tell us about the caller? Male, female? Possible age? Was there an accent? Anything that stood out?" she pressed pensively, her questioning routine kicking in immediately.

Murrin ran his hand over his mouth and stroked over his chin, his eyes shifting to the left, but seeming unfocussed. "Male... I believe. Middle aged, I'd say? An a-accent? I… That's… hard to say… I… I don't think so…?"

"Why are you so unsure about everything?" Lucifer threw in, sceptical. "The call was just yesterday, not a bloody decade ago." Glaring at the Lieutenant, he saw him licking his lips, his knees bouncing and palms rubbing over his thighs. Tilting his head in suspicion, he nudged his chin at him. "What's wrong?"

Chloe picked up the signs as well. Unmistakably, Murrin was nervous, and from his quickened, heavy breathing and hard swallows, she figured he was also afraid. "You're scared. Why?"

Running his hand through his hair, Murrin bit his bottom lip, seeming to debate with himself whether he should say something or not, but as Lucifer leaned back in with a grim expression, he quickly complied. "I- I can't remember anything that was said… or how… I just…" Taking a few deep breaths with closed eyes, he tried to calm himself. "I only recall what it felt like."

Lucifer frowned, feeling in the back of his mind a small pinch of wonder. That's interesting… "Felt like? The voice of the caller? What do you mean with that?"

"That voice... It was as if it was slicing into my skin," Murrin told with a shaky voice, his face paling. "It gave me the creeps. I remember I had goosebumps all over. You know of those horrors H. P. Lovecraft wrote about? It was as if that voice was from the freaking Cthulhu himself and he stared right back at me. I could feel his hot, damp breath against my neck." Releasing a mad, shuddering laugh, Murrin shook his head. "Oh god, look at me talking all this crazy bullshit! I need to go see that fucking therapist…"

The tingling wonder, turned into a ringing alarm at Murrin's descriptions. He numbly stepped away, deep in thought. Of course! I should've known… Of course one of them had to be involved. Oh, this ain't good… Not good at all… Fuck!

Chloe moved closer and took Lucifer's place in front of the Lieutenant. From the sounds of it, Murrin had a freaking breakdown. Maybe she had underestimated the stress he was in, she wondered. Maybe he was having some sort of psychosis going on. "Please, Sir, you have to calm down. Is there anything else you can remember from the call? Anything?" Chloe asked pensively, glancing over to see Lucifer pacing in the background. He looked stressed, anxious even. What's wrong with him? Is he stressed about something Murrin said?

"N-no. It was like I was having a blackout during that call or something," Murrin muttered, shaking his head in perplexity. "At one point I blinked and startled, just hearing the dead end of the speaker and hung up to call you and your team."

Ugh… maybe he hadn't had a damn call at all and he just all imagined it… She squinted her eyes. "But why this team? Why me?"

His shoulders dropping, Murrin frowned apologetically. "I… I don't know. You were the first that came into my mind. It felt like I had to send you."

"Alright…" She let out a long sigh and nodded in understanding at him. There was no point in pressuring him. She could tell how he was trying his best to be of any help, but she knew better than to dig at a dead end. "Thank you, sir." Seeing Lucifer heading out of the office without another word, she followed him as well, leaving her boss behind a speechless and confused mess. She was pretty sure he'd pick up the phone to call the departments' therapist as soon as they'd be out of sight.

The information Murrin had given wasn't much from a human perspective, but from Lucifer's celestial perspective it was devastating. Pacing up and down in front of Chloe's desk, he licked his lips, eyes shifting in thought. When Chloe joined him, he looked at her concerned. "I think he heard Enochian," he spilled out, his expression filled with dread.

"What? Why do you think that?" Checking if someone was paying attention to them, she shifted closer, turning their conversation more quiet and private again.

"It would fit his reaction." He swallowed thickly, not liking one bit what it implied. "I've told you… Enochian isn't like any other language. It's not made for humans in any imaginable aspect. You shouldn't be able to read or speak it, but most importantly, you shouldn't hear it."

Head tilting to the side, she pursed her lips. She didn't really want to know. "W-why's that exactly?"

"Because…" He paused, quickly thinking on how best to explain. "Say… If I were to speak Enochian to you and let's say I'd speak very, very gently. You'd probably turn into a crying mess after a few words. The language isn't just transporting verbal information. It touches you. Physically. Emotionally." He waited for his explanation to sink in, watching as her eyes widened. "Now, imagine what it might do to you, if I would sound angry, threatening or if I'd yell at you. Enochian would make you crumble and go insane, and trust me, you would be in complete and obedient awe."

His words caused a shiver to run down her spine and, unable to resist, she slung her arms around herself, drawing up her shoulders. "Are you saying that he seriously had a call with someone? And that someone could have ordered him in Enochian to send me to the crime scene?"

"Yes." Nodding glumly, he took a deep, heavy breath. "And I have a feeling this wasn't done by a priest who learned Enochian, Detective. This was done by an angel."

Her lips parted in a quiet gasp, her arms tightening their hold onto herself. As if their situation wasn't already complicated enough, the involvement of an angel was not only making it worse, but put it on a whole nother level. It was a sibling of Lucifer's. Family. His insinuation just moments ago about his own family's involvement had actually been correct. "That would mean, that a sibling of yours has worked with that priest."

"More like the other way around. I think one of my brethren is behind all of this," he murmured bitterly. Of course he knew that, despite eons of having passed by since his rebellion and exile to hell, his siblings would not only hold a grudge against him forever, but also scorn and hate him with utmost passion till the end of times. But this was different. Because he hadn't been the target. It had been Chloe. And she still was. "It all makes sense. The fact that a priest was able to banish a demon. That Enochian was written down without the signature of an angel's essence. And Amenadiel didn't get anything out of our siblings when he asked them about the banishing, because of course the culprit wouldn't just raise his hand." Teeth grinding, he shook his head, contempt washing over his features as he voiced the only plausible conclusion this lead to. "It's Michael."

Chloe's eyes widened and for a moment her brain felt disconnecting. Again she felt an overwhelming sensation of her cosmos expanding and herself shrinking to the size of a grain of sand. "What?! I don't understand. How would you know that?"

"I knew he could do a lot of questionable things, but I hadn't imagined he'd use humans like that and even involve demons in his plan. The priests knowing about Enochian, being able to speak and write it. That's not something that can be done by just any angel," he explained, pressing out a grimaced, angry smile over his brother. "It takes great power, to achieve that, and Michael's name means Power of God. Trust me. It has to be him."

She could hardly believe it. The thought that this was all done by his brother Michael was putting the whole prophecy-case on another level. "But… I thought Michael is all super righteous and pious and-"

"Oh he is. There's no doubt about that," Lucifer growled lowly, nodding. "But he's unshakable in his thoughts about what is righteous and what is not. He decides on what is acceptable, and he does whatever it takes to get a job done. He does his work with utmost passion and thoroughly enjoys fulfilling it." His voice turned bitter. "You should've seen the spark of joy and accomplishment in his eyes when he smote me from heaven to hell."

After all these eons it was still one of the most painful experiences he's ever made. Not the fall itself that had dragged on for what must've been ages, but the realisation when he looked into his brother's eyes, seeing that he was judging and punishing him with both love and joy in his expression. Michael hadn't been sad about smiting him. He was convinced with every fibre of his being that he was doing something good, for heaven, for earth, for their Father, even for Lucifer himself. Back then during the rebellion, Lucifer remembered, there had still been some kind of connection for him towards his family. But when Michael plunged him off the ledge of the Silver City with that smile on his lips and that satisfied look in his eyes, he had felt the last thread of bonding tear apart. Forcing away the haunting image, Lucifer took a sharp breath. "I need to confront him." Again...

She could see the pain in his expression, his look so distant and carrying the weight of eons old hurt. She did hear some stories about Michael from Amenadiel, although he was rather reserved when speaking about him. Maybe because of the pain he had caused to Lucifer, she thought. But what she knew was that he was indeed unshaken in his determination over his own judgements. He carved right and wrong into stone and nobody was protected from his path of holy purification. He was a loyal soldier and knew kindness only for those who were as devoted to the righteous path as himself. "But how are you supposed to do that? It's not like you can fly up and have a chat with him." She regretted having said the words the moment she spoke them, spotting a shimmer of sorrow in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-"

Waving a hand in front of her, he shook his head. "No, no, it's fine. You're obviously right," he quickly assured her, although the slight crunch in his voice gave away he wasn't particularly happy about said truth. It wasn't being unable to travel to the Silver City that was painful, but more the knowledge of him being parted from those he loved and cared for, once they would pass the threshold. He knew that one day he would not see them again, not see her again. But he knew also, he couldn't dwell on it. He had to cherish the time they'd be given. And now it was important to rather think about Michael and how to get to him.

His older brother's tactics had always been rather simple, or rather non-existent. Michael usually had tackled problems head first, but this was different. He had included humans to do his tasks and this was very unlike him. Sending other brothers would have been a rare phenomenon, yet still understandable, but humans? No. That felt off and it made him wonder if perhaps Michael wanted to away from any connection on this matter, rather than being the glorious soldier first in line who'd get their Father's praise. If Michael isn't going first but sends out a bloody group of priests to do his work… it can only mean that he's hiding. But why? And why isn't Father noticing his scheme? Mumbling in thought he pocketed his hands. "So. Since I can't go there to beat the shit out of him, we need to lure him out somehow."

She chewed on her lip, thinking. While the case was celestially induced, she figured certain aspects worked, no matter if the criminal was a human or an angel. "We could make him nervous, if perhaps we get more knowledge on that prophecy. That could make him feel pressured, make him think that whatever he's planning is failing. He might make a mistake and we get a hold of him that way. But in order to do that, we need to find that priest."

"Yes, I agree…" he murmured as he thoughtfully glanced over to Ella in her lab and Dan at his desk, both deep in their tasks. He hoped their work would come to fruition and they'd get information on that blasted priest. As Chloe shifted next to him and rested back against her desk, he looked back at her, noticing she was elsewhere with her thoughts.

"You know… it's so strange. Now that I know all of this... Seeing how this is being done by priests and even an angel. They should both be anything but this vicious and evil. It's all just so wrong."

He could understand how disillusioning it felt, the horrifying contradiction of it all. Of those who were praised to be oh so good and holy, doing such evil things, all in the name of his Father. But that's how it had always been, since the very beginning. The beautiful light of both humans and angels, could ignite a fire of passion and just as quickly have it turn into the darkest of blacks as they kill their own flesh and blood. He had seen it all. Was there when the first blood was shed.

Her expression suddenly faltered, a small idea making its way to the surface. "Priests…" she muttered, her body tensing. "Is Kinley in hell?"

He hated how his name still felt like a thorn in his side, his fanatic brainwashing and the effects it had on Chloe and his relationship still painful. While he had forgiven her for her betrayal, Kinley's name would stay connected to the hurt he had endured. Sighing, he nodded at her and tilted his head in wonder about her question. "Erm.. yes… Yes, he is. He's in a hell loop, suffering for what he's done. Why?"

She nervously looked up at him. "I.. I hate to ask this, but… is there some way to maybe… make him talk? He was involved in this prophecy thing. He could have more knowledge on it that we could use."

It was a smart idea to think of questioning Kinley in hell. But unfortunately it wasn't all that easy. "I mean… I can talk to him, but I doubt he would say anything useful. He hates me to his guts and that goes deeper than his fears of hell's punishment. He's a religious fanatic and they're about the most stubborn individuals to get anything out of. They're really just a nuisance. Even the demons don't have much fun with them." But just when he finished his sentence, a memory emerged. "Bloody hell! That's it! How I could I forget about him?!"

She stopped short at his sudden change of mood. "Erm.. forget about who?"

"Dromos! He was inside Kinley's body, I mean, he took over. They basically shared their minds. As Dromos was being punished by other demons, Gaudium came to me twice, reporting that Dromos wanted to speak to me, saying something about the prophecy a-a-and you." he rambled in a rush, his eyes wide awake with new-found optimism. "I... I dismissed his request out of hand, because, well, he's a bloody demon. I was convinced he only wanted to bother me or to try and get a commuted punishment or, hell, even be forgiven by me." Breathing hard, he combed through his hair and pointed a finger at her. "He knows something. I'm sure of it."

It made sense. When being unable to talk to Kinley, why not simply interrogate the demon who took control over him and possibly had dug into all the thoughts of Kinley's twisted mind? "O-okay… erm, but how's getting information out of Dromos any easier than squeezing it out of Kinley himself?" she asked sceptical, her mind trying to follow.

Flashing her a brilliant smile, he straightened his back and tugged at the end of his sleeves. Oh, it was Devil time. Finally there was something he could do. Finally he was sure that they could move forward. "Easy as pie, darling. Believe it or not, every demon has a weakness. And I believe I know Dromos'. I will get information out of him. Trust me."

When she saw his posture straightening up, all eager and on edge, she stared at him, slightly anxious. "Wait... Are you going to hell now?" Fear immediately crept up in her heart. No. She had just gotten him back.

"Well, I planned on going somewhere a little more private to unfurl as to not cause a tsunami of heart attacks in the precinct, but, yes. The sooner the better." Seeing the glisten return to her eyes, he swallowed thickly. "I'm sorry, I really am. I will be back as fast as I can, I promise. But we have to use whatever possibilities we can."

Her heart sank and its ache mixed with the slight twisting feel of her guts. Of course he was right, but she didn't like him being gone to the place of his biblical damnation for just a minute. Especially since he had just been back from it the previous night. "I know, I just… You've only just returned, Lucifer, and we-"

"And you will have me back, darling," he whispered just for her to hear. "Nothing will keep me away from you anymore. With the change still being active in hell, I can easily go back and forth between the realms, without having to worry about the demons. Trust me… I don't like leaving you here, knowing that a sibling of mine wants you dead. That's why I need you to be safe here, while I'm gone. It might just be a few minutes for you and I'll be back, okay?" He desperately wanted to pull her against him and kiss the worry from her face, melt her tension away from her limbs. Seeing her lips pressed together in a thin line, suppressing a sob, he leaned in on her ear and reached for her hand holding onto the desk, unnoticed from fleeting looks. "You know I keep my promises. I will come back. I love you, Chloe."

Her fingers shakily let go of of the desk and secretly slipped into his big palm, squeezing. "I love you, too," she whispered, swallowing down the lump in her throat and trying to stay composed, staying strong for both of them. Watching him lean back up, she reluctantly let go of his hand. "Be safe…" she quietly choked, taking a shuddering breath. She could see him do the same, albeit more subtle, and watched him take a few steps backwards. With a last, longing look exchanged, he turned, headed up the stairway of the main hall and disappeared behind a corner where another stairwell lead to the rooftop. And just like that, he was gone again.

Her eyes lingered on the corner for a few more minutes before she managed to focus back on the present. If Lucifer was doing everything he could in hell, she was going to do everything in her powers on earth to get a lead. And I think I know where to start...

"Well look at that, ha ha ha!" Gaudium cheered, watching as Charlie stretched all fours outwards and a pair of small, fluffy, light brown wings popped out of his back. Tiny little downs swirled from them as he made several quick flaps, but then glided safely down into Gaudium's outstretched arms, not yet able to stay in the air by himself. Charlie squealed and giggled joyfully, looking at Gaudium with big, expectant eyes. "Oh I see. Again, you little rugrat?"

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Oh. My. God!" Linda sobbed pitifully, completely shocked at what she was witnessing. "My baby boy's got wings! Holy crap!" Fanning her face, tears streaming down her cheeks, she looked almost like a groupie seeing her favourite rock star up close mixed with the expression of the proudest parent in the world. "And they look so beautiful! Don't they? I mean, come on!"

Ignoring Linda's little parental hyperventilation attack, Gaudium smirked at Charlie. "You know… I always thought it's freakin' boring to fly alone. So, since we're among friends…" Holding the little one close, Gaudium shook himself from head to toe, feeling his shape shrink and warp into his small, grey, chubby, melon-headed and bat-winged fallen state. "That's more like it." Flapping his wings, Gaudium easily took flight, keeping a hold onto Charlie's waist.

While Linda almost suffered a heart attack at the sight of Gaudium's natural shape, Maze dropped onto the couch, raised her legs to rest her boots on the table and crunched on the bowl of cookies, watching the scenery in amusement. She had to admit, in all the years she had known the fallen cherub, she had never seen him interact with kids before. Of course she had known about his former profession, but it had only been from stories Lucifer told her, not first hand information from Gaudium. And despite Gaudium talking about himself not being compatible with children whatsoever, he sure as hell seemed to suddenly grow very fond of the little diaper pooper. Funny, she thought, it was almost like with Trixie and herself.

"Look at him fly! The majestic nephilim Charlie is making circles above the little foot soldiers, woohoo!" Gaudium cheered with a big, spiky-toothed grin. Charlie pursed his lips, made a bubbling noise and stretched his limbs into all directions, while his tiny wings flapped beneath Gaudium. The little boy's movements admittedly still looked quite chaotic, but after a few rounds above Linda's and Maze's heads, his fine motor skills became better; His wings both were flapping at the same time and in between he managed to hold them steady. "Ahh… such a natural. You'll see, He'll be able to do this alone in no time!" Gaudium giggled and flew a bit lower with Charlie. "Come on, little nipper, grab that cookie from aunty Maze's hand!"

Maze looked up at them stunned for a moment, and let out a barking laughter. Yes. It was exactly like with her and Trixie. The important, and perhaps a little crazy, lessons she taught her and the hieps of fun they had doing so. It seemed not only Charlie was a natural, but Gaudium as well, his profession so deeply ingrained in his being, that not even the fall from heaven could erase it. And now that he was actually freed from his task and could do as he wished, it seemed he was actually enjoying himself quite a bit with the little human.

They played for hours, flying through the house, making circles and loops and dive bombing to snatch more cookies or to gather ammunition in form of pillows that they would rain down on their willing victims. Until another set of heavy, rustling feathers, caused a sudden halt to the cheerful moment and four sets of eyes gazed back at Amenadiel, who stood at the side of the living room, with a gloomy expression. Flying towards the angel, Gaudium held out Charlie to his father with a big grin, ignoring Amenadiel's looks. "I knew he'd pop his wings if he'd be given a little nudge," he announced and handed over the fluffy feathered nephilim.

Amenadiel's concerned features quickly lit up with relief and joy, looking at his son with shimmering eyes. Charlie squealed and giggled, flapping his tiny wings in his father's hold like presenting to him his greatest achievement in life so far. "Look at you, son! Well done!" He smiled proudly. "And I was gone for just a little while. I gotta make sure to not leave your side from now on, don't I? Who knows, otherwise I'd miss you flying on your own or walking or speaking." Nuzzling sweetly against Charlie's nose, his son let out a yawn and his eyes fluttered close in a wave of exhaustion. He helped him fold his little wings like a cocoon around himself and lovingly cradled him in his arms. "And perfectly exhausted," he laughed quietly. "Thank you Gaudium. You've been a great support. Perhaps you should officially be my son's godfather. I mean you are basically family as well and you have blessed him. What do you say?"

Maze almost choked on her cookie, Linda beamed with a happy smile, and Gaudium had his eyes widen with surprise and his grey cheeks started to show a slight shade of pink. His inner core of light thundered with nervosity. A godfather? Me? For that little nugget? What does that even mean? Does that make me a second dad for the child? "I… I'm not sure what this entails exactly," he muttered honestly and scratched the back of his head.

"It means you'll be there for the child and provide for it when Amenadiel isn't able to. You'd be his legal guardian and make sure he's safe and sound and has everything he needs," Linda explained, stepping up to Amenadiel and sweetly caressing her son's head. "But you're welcome to take care of him from time to time in general… if you would like that, of course."

"It's not that bad, actually," Maze threw in with a smirk. "I'm the godmother and step in for Linda. We'd make the best celestial protection team Charlie could ever wish for." Moving over to him, she lowered down to his size and leaned in on his ear, whispering secretly. "Besides, when you get alone time with the kiddo, you can teach it all the fun stuff. Trust me. Humans hardly prepare them soon enough to be able to defend themselves."

Eyes widening with curiosity, Gaudium chuckled and whispered back. "You mean, I could actually get out with him and test out his powers? Like say… see if he can glide down from Lucifer's penthouse on his own? Maybe he's super strong and I can wrestle with him. Oh oh! Maybe we can let Chloe's daughter and him have a contest! See who wins, the little baby angel or the human girl!"

Staring back at Gaudium, her lips curled up into a wicked smirk. "Exactly. But I warn you. I've already started training Trixie. She's not as weak as the other kids her age. Trained by a demon, I'm sure you know what that means."

"Sure thing. Vile tactics. Alright then." He nodded at Maze and then turned back to Amenadiel and Linda who both looked at him expectantly. Harrumphing, the cherub spread his arms and put on a disturbing, broad toothed smile for them. "I accept! I shall be the godfather of the little tot and support him in all the ways I can. I suppose I'll be much better at certain tasks with the nephilim anyways and it's probably best if you let a pro handle it, am I right?"

Agreeing to Gaudium's statement, Linda brought Charlie back to his crib, hoping it would still be working sufficient with her son suddenly having popped wings. When they all settled back in the living room, their happy moods were quickly cooling down as the topic of Amenadiel's trip to the Silver City emerged. With a grave expression, Amenadiel dialled Chloe's number and put her on speaker. The other's listened intently.

"Hey Chloe. Listen, I just took another trip to the Silver City and-"

"Oh my god, did you see Michael?" she cut him off tensely.

Frowning he looked at Gaudium and Maze. "Erm… Interesting you're asking. Actually, no. I wanted to talk with him, because he usually has the best overview over what's going on among our siblings and in the world, but my other brother's told me he's locked himself into the Great Hall. It's a place only Michael is allowed to go and where he talks with our Father," he explained, recalling the stressed looks of his siblings. They had been utterly confused about why Michael had pulled away from them. Usually he was pretty much present all the time, gave instructions and was overseeing their work every waking minute. But now he had suddenly seemed distant and otherwise occupied. They had assumed it had something to do with their Father and that perhaps he had placed another duty on him that needed his full attention. "Why did you ask specifically about him?" he asked, sharing a concerned look with his friends surrounding him.

"It's him, Amenadiel. He's the one behind the attack," she pressed quietly, the hacking onto a keyboard being heard in the background. "He used Enochian to influence my Lieutenant and the priest, giving him the knowledge to summon and banish a demon."

"Michael? Holy shit!" Gaudium snapped surprised, his wings popping out to the sides in anger. "I'll personally plug that fucking bloke's feathers and give him some crispy treatment in hell when I get my claws at him!"

Maze on the other hand, sneered and growled. "I knew Lucifer's contempt over him was likely an understatement."

"Michael?" Amenadiel asked sceptical and hurt, feeling his chest throat and chest tighten. "But that's insane. Why would he harm humans and even let demons be brought to earth?"

"Because of that prophecy," Chloe went on, her tone dropping down with what he could hear was disappointment. "Lucifer told me that he's pretty much fanatically righteous, wanting to do good. He must believe that by what he's doing he's stopping the prophecy from happening."

Nervously, Amenadiel stood up, cell in one hand, his other rubbing over the back of his head. "No… no, that can't be. Look, Chloe, I talked with my other siblings about that prophecy and none of them have heard of it. Not even Metatron who wrote them all down." Sighing, he started pacing through the living room. He didn't like the feeling of hurt and deception spreading in his chest. Of course he was aware how much Michael disliked Lucifer, but hurting humans and behaving this vicious, involving demons even, it seemed way out of proportion. "If I manage to get into the the Great Hall, I could try to reason with him and-"

"No! Don't!" Chloe interrupted him agitatedly. "I know he's your brother, Amenadiel, but Michael is most likely prepared for the eventuality of you trying to talk him out of this. We're working on another plan, but you need to be safe and stay on earth okay? Trust me, you've helped enough."

"Fine then. Call us if you need anything. We can be with you in a matter of seconds." Saying their goodbye's, he hung up, left with a bad gut feeling about Michael having turned apostate and the clarion silence of their Father.

[Voices - BORKNAGAR]

All the preparations had been fairly easy for Phaldor to make: Booking a flight, packing up a small bag with toiletries and clothes for a couple of days, and arranging an early cab to have enough time to board his plane to LA without any more stress than what was to expect anyway. Even getting the address to his brother's location had been utterly easy and merely took him a quick voice search via Google. Luckily his brother was quite a public person and loved the attention. Lucifer had never been one to hide, lay low and sing small. According to the first headlines that he listened through, it was rather the exact contrary. Lucifer was pretty much omnipresent in the tabloids and he was by far not singing small, but operated a high class club where he regularly performed on his piano and gave his guests a taste of his angelic voice. It was interesting to learn about how his brother had led his life to its fullest, enjoying his time on Earth rather than staying in his place of damnation. If there'd be time for it, he was curious to learn more about his life and he made a mental note to ask Lucifer in detail about it.

Everything packed and ready, all he had to do was wait. But while his preparations had been easy, his visions had been hell. They had returned throughout the evening multiple times, each time lasting for about five to ten minutes in which he collapsed on the spot and cramped up in pain. And each time a suffocating darkness first surrounded and then swallowed him, emerging the dread of destruction, making the nothingness of what it would leave behind palpable. It left him exhausted and he was relieved once all preparations were done and all that he had to do was wait for the journey to start.

Since the only free seat he could book was on a plane in the next evening, he had endured another full day of tormenting visions. Countless times he had begged for his Father to help him and make the visions stop, telling him, he was on his way to bring the message to his brother and taking care of what was shown to him, but his prayers weren't answered and his visions continued to roll over him like a thunderstorm.

And now that he finally sat in the last row of seats in the plane to his destination, another vision crushed down on him fiercely.

Wearing his sunglasses for the sake of scaring the shit out of the other passengers, he slumped down in his seat, cramping up and quietly grunting in pain. The usual darkness slipped around him, swallowed him into a realm of pure black and growled at him like a wild animal. Suddenly though something changed, as for the first time, it spoke. The voice was like a million tiny stings all over his body, scraping its way into his mind like a carnivorous little bug and then crawling into his soul, nestling like a virus.

"I know you can hear me... Phaldor…" it rang sinisterly playful inside his mind and he could feel the darkness slipping its slithering tentacles around him, making his skin crawl.

"Y-you're n-not here… This… this isn't real…" he whimpered, turning and twisting in his seat.

"Oh, is it not? Ha ha ha! But you're so, so very close to me! Can't you feel it, little Phaldor? How I'm influencing your body?"

He could feel it. The goosebumps caused from the cold touch. The quickened breathing and rapid heartbeat. But it couldn't be real, could it? He wasn't with that thing and it wasn't with him. Huddled up in his seat, face turned towards the window, he whimpered. "You can't kill me…" he muttered, trying to sound confident, but his voice was shaking.

"Ah, yes… Well… I won't need to. You're already on your path of self-destruction all by your own… Go ahead. Tell him. Tell the Lightbringer. You cannot stop me. No one will stop me. It's my destiny to return and swallow the light. Ahh… I can already feel the barrier slipping away… The first seal is already broken… And the second is so close to burst as well. But until the third is broken… I shall have my fun whenever you join me in my realm. Let me show you just a little more how it will be like, once I come to your precious Earth…"

Never in his eternal existence, had Phaldor believed he would ever be in such pain again like when he fell from the Silver City. But this was fairly close to match and even surpass it. Screaming and twisting in pain, he felt the darkness press into him, pass through his pores and into his system. Even though he knew it wasn't happening for real, he could tell the connection he had to the entity was strong enough to torment him through his vision.

"Sir? Is everything alright?" a gentle voice of a flight attendant rang near him, slightly shaking against his shoulder, but he didn't react. "The other passengers called, saying you might need a doctor. Hello? Sir, can you hear me?"

"I'm not done with you yet, Phaldor… You won't be safe anymore. I saw how all those years, you've been hiding among the humans, regretting the choice you once made. But I tell you, you cannot hide no more. Whichever path you'll go… it will be your demise."

Panting in an effort to push away what was wrapping around his mind, he gritted his teeth in a fight for control. "N-no! That's n-not true! My brother will stop you…"

"Sir? Hello? Wake up, Mister! Please! You're scaring the other passengers," the woman tried again, her voice raising alarmed.

"How pathetic, ha ha! Your brother will be my FEAST! Ahh… isn't it wonderful? Your Gods will suffer unspeakable pain when I kill their beloved Lightbringer, right before their human creation, and then the rest of you angelic lot."

Sobbing, he continued to push against the force that slung around him. A small bit of pressure released around him and he could feel it wasn't the darkness itself that was slipping away, but his vision slowly subsiding. "N-no… You c-can't do that…"

"Oh little Phaldor… but didn't you know? Once the feathers will rain, I will break free and, yes, then I will destroy you all!" the voice roared as it faded into nothingness and only a soft white noise remained in Phaldor's ears.

With a startle, he shot up in his seat and gripped the armrests, feeling his surrounding rattle from a slight disturbance the plane wobbled through. He rasped for air and shivered all over as he found his bearings again.

"Oh my, thank god you're awake. That must've been quite a nightmare," the flight attendant sighed relieved. "Are you alright, Sir? Maybe you'd like a glass of water?"

"Y-yes… That would be nice," he murmured, still slightly out of breath. This vision was so different than the others... so more… real. And that thing… that… darkness, it was talking to me in my head. It knew my name. How's that even possible? Usually his visions were just straining to the body and mind, leaving him with at least a day of heavy migraines, but this vision had such an influence on him it was terrifying. Did I just… connect to this thing's realm? Reflexively rubbing his throat, he swallowed. It was almost as if he was pulled to wherever that strange darkness was and he felt the physical impact it had on him. Did it really touch me? Damn it… it cost me so much strength and concentration to break apart from it...

"Sir? Here's your water. Do you need anything else?"

Holding out his hand and waiting for the stewardess to hand it to him directly, he felt for the glass, offered a weak but thankful smile into her direction and downed the content with big gulps. "Thank you… No, that's alright. I'm fine." He held back out the glass and when it was taken from him, he quickly added, "Oh erm, Miss? How much longer until we're landing?"

"Roughly three hours, Sir."

"Thanks. And sorry for the excitement." Giving her a soft nod, he turned around to the window and retreated to his thoughts, forming them into a prayer.

Please, Father… I beg you. Make those visions stop. What more do you want from me? They really hurt and I'm afraid they're turning… too vivid.

Releasing a tensed breath against the small plane-window, he frowned. He was of course used to not hear his Father speak back to him, but he was always hopeful to at least receive a sign. He knew his decision in heaven back during the rebellion had be seen as an act of disobedience, of defiance and in the eyes of his pious siblings also an act of heresy. For that he had paid the price, but never had his faith wavered, never had he thought ill of his Father and also not of his siblings who had despised him. No. He stayed strong in his belief, but at some times that belief was put to difficult tests. And he trusted that enduring the visions given to him were part of proving his faith. But now he couldn't dismiss a feeling of doubt in his mind. Questions emerged about why those visions wouldn't stop, why they became so much more intense and why they could bond with the physical reality.

Staring outside the window, watching the plane travel above the clouds, he tried to see reasons, tried to make out a logical pattern, but it felt like what he knew was just a small piece of a puzzle that let him with far too much to guess, to be able to truly see the big picture. It would take him another three painful hours until he'd land and then likely another hour or two to get through LA's traffic and arriving at his brother's address. He hoped from the bottom of his heart that Lucifer could help.

Chapter Text

Chapter 12: Follow The Breadcrumbs

[H.P. Lovecraft Music: Orchestral Ambient Creepy Horror Music]

The precincts busy noises faded into a dull blur of beeps, chattering and rustling paper as Chloe's thoughts drifted over what Amenadiel said to her a few minutes ago.

"I talked with my other siblings about that prophecy and none of them have heard of it."

She tapped her pencil on the paper in rhythmic thuds. This was odd. Why would only Michael know about that prophecy? If that Darkness was such a threat and the prophecy real, why wouldn't other angels know about it as well? In fact, she realized, the only angels apparently being aware of the existence of the Darkness were Michael and Lucifer. Recalling her conversation about the Darkness with Lucifer, she remembered him saying that he was told this horror story when he had just been created. But what about Michael? Did God and Goddess also tell the story to the oldest of their angels? It sounded like it was rather a secret for only Lucifer to know about it, giving him the information on its existence and how his parents defeated it. Almost like a plan to recall for when the time would come to defeat the Darkness again. But then why would a prophecy of God involve Lucifer to 'walk the earth and find his first love' as a part for the Darkness to be released again? Wasn't that some sort of contradiction? If his parents had made clear Lucifer was the one to defeat the Darkness, he surely wasn't also the reason for the Darkness to be released in the first place now, would he?

Ugh… this makes no sense! Fine then. Let's see if I can kick-start that fingerprint search and get something useful done.

The fingerprint partial was spitting out way too many possibilities for their search. Male, female, all ages and ethnicities. This wouldn't get them anywhere soon, but time was quite significant, especially as the true victim, namely herself, was still in danger to be murdered. Checking on the database, she first looked up Kinley's entry. Since the priests apparently both were complicit with Michael, their profiles might end up with similarities she could use to find the unknown priest.

The entry of Kinley had registered every information they had on him, going from his ID and visa, some papers of his former religious positioning at the Vatican, up to his ME report. Chloe intently scanned the information for something she could use when a detail suddenly made her pause. Kinley's fingerprints had first been scanned at the airport when he flew to America.

Probably to spy on Lucifer and to gather more of his so called 'proof' of Lucifer being evil. Wait a second. If that other priest came here as well from the Vatican, he must have registered at the airport, just like Kinley! That's definitely gonna narrow the search!

Bringing up the search window for detailed settings, she set the place of registry to LA's airport and set the date of registry to match Kinley's arrival date. It was a guess. Maybe he arrived at another day, maybe not even at LAX, but it was a start and her gut feeling gave her the tingling sensation of being on the right track.

Here eyes were glued to the screen as she watched the database scan through the entries, cross-checking the fingerprint partial with her added information. This would only take a few moments, she thought and let out a tensed breath.

Come on… come on!

Seconds later, the computer signalled a match on the fingerprint partial with a satisfying 'bing!'

Yes! Yes yes yes yes yes!

The rush of images had stopped, showing the file of a man in a dark suit with grey, short cut hair, neatly combed. His thin lips looked hard and were bookended from a Van Dyke style beard, light grey as well. Low eyebrows topped over a pair of narrow, bright blue eyes, matching the overall lean and angular shape of the face. His skin was slightly tanned and showed through several wrinkles his age of which the entry said was sixtythree. Summing up his looks, Chloe thought of it as hard and calculated, with an extra dose of determination in his gaze.

The name of the man read Valentine Mascitti. Born in Florence, registered at LAX with a visa allowing him to practise his service as a priest at St. Vincent. An apartment within a complex near the church was listed as his living address, merely a few minutes walk away. She wrote down the address on a piece of paper and stared back at the screen, thinking.

Apparently Michael had influenced Kinley and this Valentine to work with him and against Lucifer. But were these two all of them? How many priests had Michael talked to and set on his crazy, fanatic path?

Holy shit… What if it was a whole freaking group of them?! What if there are five, ten, or even more?!

Her fingers started to tremble uncontrollably. Quickly cupping and flexing them, she chewed on her lip. The thought of more priests being out there, preparing whatever mental plan for whatever fucked up prophecy part was more than alarming. She needed to know. She needed more information.

Eyes still glued to the screen, she reached for her phone and dialled. She knew the man who picked up, an old acquaintance from the academy, who had afterwards made his career at the airport police station. After a few moments of catching up, she got to the spicy topic of her research, explaining just enough to make her story urgent and believable - so obviously no mention of any demon attacks on her or the archangel Michael brainwashing priests. Only enough so that she would get a much needed passenger list.

"Okay, Decker. I'll send it asap. Might take a day though," the man on the other end answered.

"That's fine. Just... as soon as you can, David. I know we usually say it's important and vital, but… well… this one's kinda personal. So, thank you so much. I owe you. Bye." Hanging up, she grabbed the paper with the address and closed the entry of Father Valentine. She was just about to head out, when Dan suddenly stepped up to her.

"Chloe, you've gotta see this," he burst forth excitedly, took a hold of her arm and pulled her along. "This is some weird shit and I can't explain it, okay? I feel like I'm going nuts over this. But I think I'm onto something there."

"Woah, Dan, easy. What's wrong?" she asked concerned, seeing his pupils dilated, his pace pale and lips dry.

Dragging her over to his desk, he pulled up a file of security footage from the storage unit. Leaning in next to him, Chloe tried to understand what she was looking at. Apparently the camera was situated at a vantage point in the close corner of the storage unit. There were a few dim lights just enough to give a clear look at what it was directly shining upon, but the shadows were still a pitch black.

"Okay, look at this," Dan stated and set the footage to a certain point. "Check out the left corner."

As the footage started rolling and with her eyes focusing on the left corner of the video, she saw a figure emerging from the shadows for a brief moment, before it was gone again. "Who the heck was that?"

"Just keep watching," Dan urged her, his body tense.

For a few seconds nothing seemed to happen. The open space of the storage unit that was lit, showed no signs of movement, but then at the right side a figure came into view again, this time coming from the side view and stepping up to the unit, Erica Clark's body was found in. The face was a bit unclear, but it was clearly a male and the light shimmer of grey hair gave her a good feeling of what his face looked like and who he was. The man removed the lock and chain from the unit, pulled one door wing open and stepped inside and out of view. Checking on the timestamp of the footage she let out a tense breath. "Alright. Now let's see what happens next. I suppose you've got more."

"Oh hell yeah," Dan mouthed, swallowed and clicked twice to speed up a few minutes. "Now, check that out."

Several minutes passed by in the footage until suddenly another figure stepped forward from the shadows. Erica Clark. Or rather, the demon Sxoca in Erica Clark's body. Holy fucking shit. No wonder Dan looks like a ghost… I don't even know how to begin to explain this and make this sound at least a tiny bit logical. Fuck! Trying to calm down, despite her head going through a rollercoaster, she nodded in thought. "That's Erica…" Staring at the footage, her chest tightened. Erica / Scoxa stepped into the storage container and once again, a minute passed by. Somehow she expected to see some sort of flashy light to suddenly beam out of the container, but nothing happened. Apparently the banishing of a demon wasn't all too spectacular. At last a movement of the door made her blink and refocus, a figure stepping out into the light, face frontal towards the camera.

Stopping the footage, Dan used their software for a quick enlargement of the figure seen, but the person's face was still cast over with several shadows and its features were hardly sharp enough to make much out of it. "Bam! There we have a guy. He was smart enough to sneak up to the container, but obviously not smart enough to leave it in secret as well. I'll put his face through the recognition software. Let's see what he's got to do with Erica. But I mean… seriously. How the hell is she even walking at this point? This fucking creeps the shit out of me."

Chloe's world felt strangely turning and twisting. She had found the name of the man already. She had the address in her pocket. But this was so much bigger than a normal, human, homicide case. Her colleagues knew nothing of what was really going on, of the danger she was in, of the danger they all would be in if this prophecy was coming to completion. While in this moment, Dan knew nothing and was merely thoroughly confused and shaken from what was presented to him with a dead woman walking, she realized she simply couldn't involve him any further. Any more information would make him step into the danger zone and set a potential target on his back.

"Yeah, this is really damn creepy," she muttered, her concerned look about the celestial matters working as a handy coverup to appear humanly concerned over a walking corpse on video. "Alright, let's see if the database can do something with that image." She was rather certain though, it would not come up with anything useful. And that meant, she would have some time at her disposal to take care of things without him getting into the crossfire. All she needed for Dan was a white lie. "You know what? I'll take a picture of the footage and go around in Erica's street, checking with the neighbours if maybe one of them knows the man. Just any information would help I guess," she said, taking a picture with her cell.

"Good idea. I'll be here trying my best on the image," Dan agreed and immediately got back to work.

With Dan being busied for a while, all she needed now, was a little bit of celestial support - just to be on the safe side. And she had a great idea on what little help she could get. Making her way to her car, she made a quick call.

[Dark Ambience - Horror Background Music]

Returning to the ashen, fiery pit hadn't really been on Lucifer's wishlist for the next eternity to come. The only good thing he could cling onto was the knowledge of soon leaving this place for good. Really, for good. The moment he had burst through the veil between the planes and dove into hell, the sky greeted him with a roaring thunderstorm with red-white lightning cutting through the grey clouds. He always hated how the realm knew he had returned. It gave him a weird sensation of being watched. It must be deeply rooted from his early existence, always being observed by the omnipresent Almighty, he figured.

Gliding through the landscape, he aimed for Dromos' spot of punishment; A deep hole in the hard ground, surrounded by a labyrinth of gigantic rock formations, edgy, pointy and razor sharp. If he'd ever try to escape his little torture stage in a rush, he'd find himself going through yet another one and most likely wouldn't make it out of there in one piece but as a gory mess.

The spot in the middle was just big enough for a handful of demons to fit in and do whatever sick things they could come up with to torture Dromos. As he approached from above, he saw three demons surrounding Dromos. He knew them all by name, easily identifiable with their disgusting demonic forms.

The tall and slender one with long, sharp teeth, looking more bones than flesh, was Danag, the closest to a vampire there was, as he liked to sink his teeth into his victims and suck them dry of blood and bone marrow. Left of him stood Vanth, a particularly vicious demoness. She carried heir long black hair braided and looked rather humanoid, if one could look past her scaly skin and tattered little wings on her back. She was known to tease her subjects and turn them into a crazy mess so the souls would wound themselves until they'd die, over and over again. And last of the torturers was Namtar. A bulky monstrosity, covered in horrible, infected boils and tumour-like swellings that botched his arms halfway into his torso. He had come into existence when humanity had its first plague and ever since loved to infect his victims with all kinds of gruesome illnesses.

As Lucifer quietly hovered above them, none of the four demons noticed him, the three torturers deeply absorbed in conversation.

Danag stood with his arms in front of his chest, contemplating. "I don't know," he muttered with a sigh. "How about we turn him sideways and have a stake pierce through his head from ear to ear? It's not like we can destroy anything in between. Isn't that right, Dromos?"

Namtar shrugged his deformed shoulders. "Eh… It's just not the same when we torture one of ours… The humans at least beg for mercy and cry. I love when they cry… But him? Nah…"

"I know what you mean," the demoness Vanth agreed with a hint of nostalgy and loftiness in her tone, rolling the end of her braided hair in her fingers. "The whole feeling is different. Like there's no soul in it."

"Bwahahaha!" Danag burst out laughing and slapped Namtar on his bubonic, infected looking back, making some of the bumps squish with a disgusting wet sound. "Yes. That's right! The soul! Did you get it? Ha ha! The soul is missing!"

While the two male demons fell into laughter together, Vanth bit her pale lip for a moment before addressing them with a vicious, dark smirk. "Do you think Lucifer will notice, if we head to the tombs for a while? It's not like our brother can go anywhere…"

"Very bad timing, Vanth!" Lucifer roared down at them, causing the ground beneath them to shake. Startled, the three turned and stepped backwards in the means to escape their master's wrath, but they were surrounded from basalt spikes everywhere, giving them no possibility to hide and nowhere to run to. Much like Dromos, who stood bound against one of the stones, they were trapped. Landing in front of them, his eyes flamed up with rage.

"M-my lord!" the demoness stuttered in pretentious lamentation. "We didn't m-mean t-to-"

Namtar quickly joined in the pathetic search for excuses. "What she meant to say was that we would never think of-"

"Silence or I will incinerate you on the spot!" Lucifer growled through bared teeth, his voice dropping to an otherworldly low tone, becoming colder and more calculated, something that awoke even more fear within the demons than his mere presence. He could not only see the deep-rooted angst in their eyes, but also smell their fright. He shot Danag a quick glare, testing his reaction and being somewhat satisfied to find him lower his eyes and bowing down in submission. Apparently Danag knew better than to lie towards Devil. Looking back to the two other torturer demons he narrowed his eyes. "You were just about to defy my direct command. Gaudium told you about the consequences for disobeying again. And I don't give third chances!" he went on, closing in on them with predatory calmness.

Not able to see a way out of her punishment, Vanth suddenly let out a fierce snarl and darted towards him. Her fingers tensed up as she lunged an attack at him with her long, clawy fingers. Lucifer knew the demons' impulsive reactions when cornered and had expected a fight. In a fluid motion he tilted his body sideways, letting her attack slice through the air whilst darting his own hand forward. Gripping her throat he forcefully threw her against the nearest basalt spikes. Her body smashed against the spikes, their razor sharp tips slicing into her body and impaling her chest until her own weight held her down. The demoness screamed and growled out in pain, unable to move off the elevated position.

Namtar watched in a mix of shock and anger as his demon sister was incapacitated, and shifted his bulky body forward, putting his mass into motion for a powerful tackle. But again Lucifer expected the attack and in the right moment ducked down, cutting his right wing against Namtar's legs. The long, broad prime feathers hardened and sliced through the demon's flesh and bones, causing Namtar to stumble and slump down on the ashen ground before him. Namtar cried out in misery and pain, using his hands to try and pull himself away in defeat. The third of the group, Danag, continued to bow in submission and dread, his whole body trembling in horror over what the Devil had done to his siblings.

He knew they wouldn't make any troubles for the time being anymore. Again it had showed, that violence was the only language they understood. Walking past Danag without a comment, Lucifer stepped up to his actual person of interest. Dromos. He took his time to observe the treacherous renegade's situation and a hint of glee showed in the flickering hellfire of his eyes as he saw how barbed wire was keeping Dromos gagged, have him unable to speak.

"I see you've got a little muzzled after your latest… announcements. What were they again?" Tapping against lips with a finger in a gesture of exaggerated ignorance, he nodded. "Ah yes! You had news about the Detective and the prophecy." He leaned in closely, a sinister smile tugging at his lips, his hatred towards him vibrating off of him against the demon. Dromos wiggled and shifted, the chains keeping him pinned against the basalt and with each move he did with his head, he cut the wire deeper into his mouth. "You won't get back to earth, Dromos. Ever. It's already been taken care of." He paused, his dark smile turning into a snarl. "Now tell me what you know about the prophecy." Not giving Dromos any warning, he took a hold onto the wire and forcefully tore at it, ripping it apart. Dromos yelped, pieces of flesh of his mouth hanging loosely against his chin, dark crimson blood dripping down to the ground.

"Well thank you, Lucifer. So kind of you," Dromos cooed sarcastically, clearly avoiding to respond to Lucifer's demand, and merely darted his tongue out to lick his gaping wound. "Has there been a little… incident with your lady? Hmm… See, I told the others about your sweet Detective and that I know something that you don't…"

Eyes narrowing, Lucifer balled his hands into fists. Of course he figured Dromos would start playing games with him. As always. He didn't intend to give him any playtime though. "You knew she'd get attacked. What else? Tell me!" Lucifer growled impatiently, his tone shaking with anger.

But the demon burst out into laughter, causing the hanging flesh on his chin to bounce with the motion of his head. "Why would I do that?! There's hardly anything you can threaten me with, Devil. An eternity of torture? Pah! Been there. Done that."

He thought on that for a moment. Technically that was true. Torturing a demon in hell hardly made any sense. The demons knew of pretty much every torture method existing while also frequently creating new ones as time moved on. But just because they knew of torture didn't mean they didn't have a weak spot for anything. It was obvious Dromos, like every other demon, enjoyed to torture, so it made sense to deny him that. But that wasn't yet much of a punishment. It had to anger him somehow and make him feel as if he was going mad, and Lucifer had just the right idea on how to achieve that. Hopefully it wouldn't take too much time. "Oh, there's something that comes to mind, Dromos." Shooting a hand forward, he took a merciless grip onto Dromos' throat, while with the other he yanked out the chains from the rock. Keeping his grip iron, Lucifer pushed them back up into the air and headed to the labyrinth of hell loops.

It had always been a strange intuition since souls began to pour into hell, that he could sense where he wanted to go. He had often wondered if maybe hell itself had a consciousness, could read his mind and influence him so that it would guide him where he wanted or needed to go. Or maybe it was just some sort of devilish omniscience whenever he was in the realm. Whichever it was, he quickly reached the hell loop he was looking for. As he landed in the narrow pathway within the tormenting mausoleums made of basalt, he dragged Dromos towards the door.

"What are you doing? Shoving me into a hell loop?" Dromos quipped condescendingly. "You know that's hardly gonna work for me. I don't feel guilt."

"Yes that is true. A hell loop itself doesn't work on you. But you see, this isn't only about you, Dromos," Lucifer chimed back with malicious glee, opened the door and stepped inside. With a heavy pull, he dragged Dromos inside and then pushed him forward. The scenery around them changed into a medieval looking dungeon with a mix of modern and ancient tools and mechanisms for torture being lined up against the walls. Gruesome devices, whips, scalpels, tweezers of all kinds and things even Lucifer didn't know the names of. "Charming. Just as I remembered it," he muttered with a scoff and spotted a crying human soul approaching.

"M-my lord? Oh! Oh, h-how wonderful! You've returned! Thank you, m-my lord! Thank you for coming back to me! P-please, please continue," the man whined, falling onto his knees in front of Lucifer. He was wearing a greasy old linen gown "I've waited so long for your return. And you finally came back to me! I knew you wouldn't leave forever. Please, I want for you to continue where you left off."

Dromos bared his teeth in a frown, the blood continuing to drip from his torn flesh. "What the fuck is that lousy human talking about?" he hissed, glaring in between Lucifer and the human.

Not answering Dromos directly, Lucifer instead focused on the human. "Matthew, was it? The thing is, I'm not going to torture you. But I know Dromos here… he thrives in torturing. Maybe he wants to take care of you for the rest of eternity." He threw the human a charming smile and as he turned to Dromos, he wiggled his brows as if he just made the greatest deal just for him to enjoy.

The human's eyes lit up with joy and tears welled up in them. "Oh that is so generous of you, my lord! Thank you! Thank you so much! All this time, no one took care of me!"

"Wait a second. What?!" Dromos grunted, the trick Lucifer made suddenly becoming clear to him. "You want me to torture a fucking masochist?!"

He knew all too well what this meant. It was torture for the human as well as Dromos, but only one of them would enjoy it. "I thought you'd have a lot fun, Dromos. Why are you complaining?" Lucifer mocked sarcastically.

Growling, Dromos stepped back towards him, hissing in rage, finger pointing at Lucifer as if he was in the position to threaten the Devil. "This isn't funny! Torturing a human who wants to be tortured isn't exactly giving me any satisfaction!"

"Well that's the whole bloody point, you moron!" Lucifer roared, eyes flaming up. "An eternity doing what brings you no joy at all, but at least the soul will be satisfied. Isn't that lovely?" he elaborated the punishment and shrugged. "Or you don't torture the human, in which case he will become utterly annoying, trust me. Either way, I'll make sure this door will be guarded at all times and you will have no way to escape this hell loop of yours." He could immediately see the demon hesitating as he was thinking on his options. They were however very limited, of course. Dromos wouldn't be able to get off the hook that easily. Either he would suffer a horribly boring eternity with no joy of torturing or he could try to lessen his punishment by talking.

"FUCK!" Dromos snarled out, shaking his head in visible disapproval. "Alright, alright! What do you want?!"

Content about his win on the mind games, Lucifer smirked. He knew he just needed the right leverage to get him talking. "Splendid! Tell me whatever you know about the prophecy. You've been inside Kinley's head and vice versa. Surely you've picked up a lot." The human soul was about to protest and beg for attention, but a simply glare from Lucifer was enough to make the soul retreat into the darkness where he returned to sulking over his miserable fate, wanting nothing more than to be punished.

"Well, yes, I had some shared mental-time with that pesky priest. I heard the echoes of his soul for hours and hours and hours…" He groaned in memory of the annoyance and exaggeratingly swirled his hand to make his point. "All he kept thinking about was that damn prophecy."

"I KNOW that, Dromos!" Lucifer snarled impatiently, towering over him and making him back up against the nearest wall of the dungeon hell loop. "If you've got nothing for me, I will walk right out through this door and melt it into the basalt!"

"Wait! Wait! That priest. He was continuously worried about a second part of the prophecy," he quickly blurted out.

Lucifer's heart thundered. "What does it say?" he pressed, breathing harder.

Blinking several times, Dromos recollected the thoughts of the fanatic priest. "When the miracle weeps and the innocent bleeds, evil shall be released."

He felt as if he was hit by a celestial truck. His surrounding began to spin and from one moment to the next, Lucifer felt the air kicked out of him. His whole posture changed, his eyes becoming glassy and he made a couple of insecure, stumbling steps backwards.

Bloody hell… The second prophecy is directly about Chloe. The priest who set up the attack on Chloe must have wanted to kill her, so the second part of the prophecy wouldn't be fulfilled. But… her weeping? That could already have happened as well. I mean… she cried when I came back. Is that what was meant? And the innocent? Charlie? Maybe the spawn? Are they in danger as well? Would Michael really go that far and kill a child?

Eyes focusing back on Dromos, he composed himself and straightened his back, not wanting to appear weak or concerned in front of him. "What else? Tell me everything that went on in Kinley's head!" he snarled, cornering Dromos again.

"He had all these crazy thoughts about the end of the world, about that Darkness, and that they had to stop it. He wanted to send you back first, so he wouldn't have to deal with your Detective," Dromos explained, recalling the mantras the crazy priest had been going over in his head and that had been stuck inside him even until after his death. "I guess stage one had already been fucked up. He really liked that Detective of yours. He knew that if he'd fail, one of his priest friends would take over and do what was necessary."

One of his priest friends? Staring at him calculatingly, Lucifer felt the avalanche of worries roll over him. "How many priests?"

Fumbling with the hanging piece of flesh on his jaw, the demon grumbled in a fit of defiance. "How the fuck would I know?" But the moment Lucifer's eyes flared up, he cowered back again quickly. "I swear I'm not sure! B-but he spoke certainly with three other priests. I don't know if that's all of them."

Three priests? So it's really not only just that one who arranged the attack on Chloe. "Give me names," he growled, inching closer.

"I- I- don't remember! I swear!" Dromos whined and started to crouch downwards from Lucifer towering him.

"Not good enough, Dromos! THINK!" he hissed, gripping the demon's throat and pinning him back against the wall. Red sparks of lightning flashed through his face, travelling through his body and into his fingertips, his Devil form tickling just beneath the surface. "Quickly!"

Stammering in fear, Dromos winched, dangling slightly above the ground. "Ngh… ngh! C-c-collin! Collin!" he spouted quickly, eyes squeezing shut as he tried to remember, afraid Lucifer's grip would start to burn and eventually incinerate him from existence altogether. "Fuck…. what were those other two…. damn it…. Erm… erm...Something like… David… Darren… no, no… Davin! Davin, that's it!"

"Collin and Davin. Good." Finally some more information that would make it easy to find those priests. "What about the third one?" Lucifer growled, eyes narrowing, his grip mercilessly keeping him pinned.

"I don't know! He had some fucking Italian name! I swear, I don't remember!" Dromos cried out and grimaced, feeling as Lucifer's palm was heating up against his skin. "Oh shit, fuck, I swear I'm telling the truth! Please don't incinerate me!"

Teeth bared, Lucifer leaned in, his breathing hard. "What about the last part of the prophecy? What does it say?!" Fuming he thrusted Dromos harder into the wall, causing the stone to crack and the demon to groan in pain. He could smell Dromos fully fear and felt how he was caving in.

Shivering, Dromos squeezed his eyes shut, grunting through the pressure Lucifer applied. "It... said... something about... heav-"

A thundering crash coming from behind, made Lucifer swirl around. The door to the hell loop had been breached, literally torn to shreds and was scraping over the floor towards him in its metal pieces. The construction was divine and impossible to be destructed by a mere demon. "What the fuck?" Staring at the entrance leading back into the crypt system of hell, a sharp light flooded into the dungeon-like hell loop.

Unable to gaze through the blinding light, he shielded his eyes with his free arm, keeping the wiggling Dromos pinned with his other. Another thundering and sizzling sound approached him. Reflexively he pushed himself to the side, dodging something shimmering white and blue in a long thin shape. Just as he caught his balance, he heard Dromos release a guttural scream. The object glowed, giving sight to what had just happened.

A spear was sticking sideways through Dromos' chest. It pulsated with sparks and flashes of lightning that trickled along its staff. Lucifer stared at it with wide eyes, watching as Dromos' skin began to burn with the same light the spear emitted. And just a few moments later, the light swallowed Dromos, leaving nothing behind of his existence. Lucifer's blood ran cold. He knew the spear very well. It had been a long time since he had last seen. "Hello, Michael," he growled lowly and turned around to face his brother.

[Dark Ambience - Horror Background Music]

The weather changed. She could smell the rain already, even though the clouds were just starting to build up above them as they approached the apartment. And by the speed they were growing bigger and darker, she knew it would probably just be half and hour tops before the rain would start pouring down on them. Perhaps not for long, but it certainly looked like it would be quite the shower.

Lucifer hadn't returned yet and she wondered, if perhaps talking with Dromos hadn't been as easy and successful as he assured it would be. She trusted in Lucifer's skills, he obviously knew the demons best, but she couldn't stop the tiny worry that screeched for attention in the back of her mind. Considering hell's time was running differently meant he had been in hell for a day already. Please be safe, Lucifer. Please...

Pointing at the seedy door that had half of its veneer peeling off, Gaudium threw her a curious look. "Is that it?" He was back in his human glamour, finding that the second time he had put on the looks of a tall built, bald guy with taste in good clothing, had been unexpectedly easier and less exhausting to his powers.

Focusing back on the task at hand, Chloe compared the apartment number with her note and nodded. "Yeah," she quietly answered, motioning him to step aside and be quiet as well. Leaning her ear against the door, she listened for any sounds coming from inside. It wasn't easy to make anything out, with the street a few meters away and various sounds coming from the apartments left and right.

Observing Chloe, Gaudium waited patiently, but could see she was unsure. "Why not just knock or storm inside?" he whispered irritated and pushy. Judging from all the police TV shows he had watched in hell (there had been hell loops with them running 24/7), it seemed like a common move to just barge into the place of a criminal, preferably with some loud shouting so the guy might urinate himself in fear. It always made for a good laugh. At least for him watching the show. "You've got the gun, woman," he reminded her, as if perhaps she had forgotten her helpful gadget.

Narrowing her eyes in confusion at her companion, she drew her weapon. Stepping aside, she used her left hand to knock against the door. "Father Valentine? This is the LAPD. Open up." She was always nervous at least a tiny bit when approaching a criminal, not sure what reaction would await her, but with this being interlaced with celestial matters, it was more than just a small tug in her stomach. Listening closely for any movements, she have Gaudium a glance and stepped in front of the door again. Reaching for the door knob, she carefully tested the lock, just in case. As it didn't move, she used her shoulder, giving the sordid door a hard tackle.

With a satisfying crack, the fastening broke apart, making her stumble two steps into the apartment. Immediately raising her weapon, she scanned the room for Valentine. The apartment looked sparse with little furniture, old, but not yet at the point of worn down and ready for the trash. The living room merely consisted of a sideboard, a couch and a small table right next to it. A white vase with some roses and a picture frame stood on top of it, the flowers still blooming and fresh.

Motioning Gaudium to follow him quietly inside, she sneaked further into the room, checking around the corners. The open kitchen area in the back just like the adjacent, tiny bedroom were both as empty and spartan furnished as the living room. Certainly fitting to a priest, living with as little materialistic items as possible and focusing solely on their faith.

"Holy crap! Okay, this really is like from a fucking TV show," Gaudium exclaimed from another room of the apartment, clearly having ventured into one of the rooms she hadn't inspected yet.

Following his voice, Chloe stepped into the far room on the right, next to the living room. It was a small room, perhaps 3 by 3 meters, intended to be a storage room, but what was inside was having nothing to do with storage. Standing in the doorway, she lowered and holstered her gun, her eyes gazing wide open at the back wall of the room. "Jesus..." she breathed, feeling a chill rushing down her spine.

The wall was covered in all kinds of notes written scrawly by hand. Drawings in between showed eerie depictions of angels and demons, scribbling not with patience and carefulness, but visibly in a frenzy, the strokes thick and edgy. Several images showed eyes looking to all kinds of directions and from various angles.

But what was most disturbing and horrifying was the string that went from left to right on the wall. Attached to it were photographs from herself at various in various situations, but also Lucifer and all of their friends. Reaching up she took one of the image of herself from the string. It showed her as she came to the crime scene of Erika Clark. Looking through the row of images, she shuddered. It was sickening. There were pictures of Ella as she was going to church and in front of the dance class she enjoyed to go to. Underneath the image were notes written down stating days and times like schedules. The same had been done with Dan, Linda, Amenadiel and Maze. When they'd be at work and come home, when they'd go for a walk, everything was written down in detail. At last she saw a note that made her heart clench as it hit her particularly deep. It was about Trixie, when she'd leave home and take the bus, when she'd be off and return home, even when she'd be doing some of her skating with friends or when she'd take theatre lessons.

"Damn… Look at that sick motherfucker. He's even got a picture of Charlie," Gaudium hissed, feeling the urge to shift his glamour back to his natural shape to release a guttural growl. "Oh, and there's even one of me! This… this can't possibly have all been done from just one guy, Chloe. I mean… he can't be at several places at once."

Swallowing down the bile that threatened to come up in her throat, she nodded. He was right. Valentine couldn't have possibly done these observations on his own. The other priests, however many, had helped him. And from the looks of it, Valentine was out and about. "They're all in danger, because of me," she mouthed, swallowing thickly. "We need to find these damn priests. Look for whatever might help us."

"Sure thing," Gaudium answered, starting to take a closer look at all the notes scribbled down and pinned against the wall.

Stepping back into the living room, she scanned the interior more thoroughly, starting with the couch table. A few advertising magazines, likely not ever looked at, laid on top in between the roses and the picture frame. The photo showed a group of men, standing in front of a beautiful old Roman church. Wearing black robes with vibrant red waistbands and cap, they looked to be in rather high positions. Looking through the faces of the men, her eyes widened in surprise. There were Valentine and Kinley. But they looked much younger, maybe in their thirties, she guessed. Two other men stood with them, about the same age. These could be the other priests perhaps… Have they been together all these years? Taking a quick photo with her cell, she continued her look around.

The sideboard on the left had just all kinds of spiritual accessories and clothing. Robes, necklaces, a rose garland, various books and utensils for a holy communion. Opening the last drawer, she found a rope-made scourge. Its grip was leather-bound and the strands of the whip drenched in old blood. "Fuck," she mouthed, not having any more words for it. I wonder if that priest has done that to himself before he was in contact with Michael… or because of meeting Michael. Shit… Lucifer said that Enochian could turn a person crazy… but this?

"Oh, shit, I don't like this," Gaudium suddenly grumbled, pacing in front of the stalker wall. "This smells foul, Chloe."

Heading back over to him, she reached for his arm, gently making him halt. "Did you find something?"

Arms crossed in front of his broad chest, Gaudium scowled, glancing at her tensely. "Look at the images and notes," he muttered, pointing towards one note that had Trixie's class schedule listed.

Taking the note from the wall, Chloe felt the pit in her stomach curl again. A thin, red circle was marked around Thursday. Today… Staring up at the string of photographs, she gasped. "There's no picture of her. But… but there's a picture of everyone," she pressed alarmed, her heart thundering. "Why is there no picture of her, Gaudium!?" Her throat tightened with the greatest fear a mother can have and for a brief moment, she felt falling into a void, all sounds fading into a meaningless muffle and the image of her daughter screaming in pain and terror, crying out for help. "Oh god…" With shaky hands she speed dialled her daughter, praying that she'd pick up. It dialled and was picked up. "Trixie? Trixie baby, are you okay?"

"Hello, Detective Decker," a husky male voice answered, and she could feel the coldness of it slice into her gut. "Your daughter is currently a bit muffled. She's quite smart. It's better this way."

Within a blink of an eye her maternal feelings pumped her body full with adrenaline, anxiety, but most of all, white hot anger. "Let me talk to my daughter, Valentine," she pressed through clenched teeth, balling her hand with the note to a shaking fist.

"Ah, so you found out my name. Oh well, that's not important. But I'm afraid letting you talk with your daughter is out of question. Like I said. I know she's smart. Just like her mother. So you'll just have to take my word for it. You know I have her," Valentine muttered nonchalantly.

Eyes squeezing shut, she silently cursed. He wasn't showing even a hint of stress or remorse in his voice. "Listen, Valentine. You're being manipulated and used," she tried to reason. "You don't actually want to do this-"

"Oh, but I do, Detective Decker," Valentine cut her off with an audible smile on his lips, his tone reverent. "I work for heaven. I always have. It's a difficult path, but it has to be done or else we're all doomed." He paused for a brief moment, the delusion of his holy warpath settling inside her as something she couldn't simply talk him out of. Faith was a firm and steady companion to cling onto, but when reinforced with actually proof, there was no way she could shake his beliefs. "Now. You better listen carefully for what I want you to do…"

Chapter Text

Chapter 13: Family Affairs

[Justice – Easy McCoy]

[Scorched Earth – Really Slow Motion]

"Hello, little brother," Michael sneered, his eyes lighting up with a divine blue in a short flash, contrasting the hellfire in Lucifer's. Stretching out his right arm, the spear stuck in the wall snapped back towards and into his hand, vibrating off a sense of pure judgement and fatality as soon as it returned into its owner's possession. With a single hit of the spear, Dromos had been effectively wiped out of existence.

Tall built as Lucifer, but broader and packed with muscle through eons of being a faithful enforcer of the holy law, along with his silver-golden armour, Michael righteously looked like The Power Of God his named described him as. His massive white wings flared out gloriously behind his back and his cold gaze burned with disdain, drilling into Lucifer as if he could actually force the Devil to his knees just like that. Any human for sure, and probably every other angel, would have certainly succumbed and crumbled to Michael's aura. He was the epitome of finiteness, inspecting and judging, before he'd pass the matter on to whoever was next in line for the execution. But when it was a matter of the heart, he gladly took care of the execution himself.

"What a surprise to see you here. And I thought I was the prideful one, but look at you, showing up in shiny armour and making quite the entrance," Lucifer muttered, casually pointing at the destroyed crypt door. "Or rather ruining it this time, I suppose, but that's not anything new, given your well known incivility." Straightening up and broadening his chest, he was prepared for any sudden move to come from his pious brother.

"And you always have a witty line to pass your treacherous lips," Michael cut back calmly, a satisfied smile tugging at his lips as he saw Lucifer's jaw clench in anger at his insinuation of him being a liar. "Still so easy to unsettle. Nothing but inferior impulse."

Michael had always known him best in terms of his weaknesses. He could find the tiniest of hints that showed cracks in Lucifer's immortal being. And being who Michael was, he was gruesomely good with sliding a wedge into the crack and smacking down on it with a sledgehammer, causing Lucifer's soul to hurt with however much pain Michael wanted to. Of course calling him a liar merely scratched at Lucifer's surface, his pride. After all, he had been able to revise some of his own behavioural patterns and views about himself over the years, especially since his life had been graced with Chloe's presence. A mere insult to his pride wasn't a deep cut anymore, but he also was well aware, Michael was only getting started and testing the waters.

Fists balling at his sides, Lucifer widened his stance, feeling as the rush of adrenaline started to pump into his muscles, his wings spreading, feather's hardening. "Tell me, brother," he muttered, his tone low and controlled. "Why all of this? That prophecy about the Darkness, the priests, the attack on Chloe. Why?"

The shimmering blue of Michael's eyes dimmed as he arched a brow. "Why? You know why, Lucifer," Michael answered in a scolding sing-sang and started stepping towards him into the hell loop. The heel of his leather boots clanked as he approached him slowly, his spear resting at his side, pulsating with a low buzz. An angry and condescending smile that grimaced into a snarl made his upper row of teeth show. "Because you refuse to stay where you belong."

It wasn't the real answer, he knew that. It was just the righteous nonsense he so zealously put all his faith and energy in. The Devil belonged to rot in hell for all eternity. It had always been that way. It had always been this simple for him. Michael didn't know anything between right and wrong. He was built to judge binary to the rules that were given to him through their Father. And the real reasons for his actions were deeply hidden behind a wall made out of blinding grace and unshakable faith. Difficult if not impossible to break through. "I could say that is because of the bad accommodations, but that's also not really the reason." Watching his brother warily, he started to pace sideways, keeping a distance of several feet in between them. "Answer me this then. Since you don't have to justify yourself in front of Father, just hypothetically speaking, what does He really think over your actions? Is this what He wanted?"

A flicker of something dark crossed Michael's features, a shadow and play of the lights, or maybe an emotion so fleeting he couldn't be sure to categorize correctly. Anger? Shame? Wonder? The spectrum was far too big, the possibilities endless. Scanning his surrounding with a few quick glances, he checked the hell loop for anything useful, but although the hell loop was created as a torture chamber, there was nothing at hand he could even remotely use as a weapon. Not only that. The room was small and he knew a fight against Michael in here would end very quickly and bad for him.

"I'm not sharing with you anything that is between me and Father, Lucifer," Michael hissed, tensing his wings further and immediately making the room feel as tiny as a shoe box. "I will stop it from happening," he suddenly murmured, his eyes flaring up with a shimmering blue, determination and discipline in his words and voice. "I will bind you to this place if I have to. I will do WHATEVER IT TAKES!" With a roar, Michael suddenly lunged forward and cut down his spear sideways against Lucifer.

He was almost too slow to react. Just in time, Lucifer managed to jump backwards, feeling the heat of the spear's tip cut through the air in front of his chest as it swiped past him. Gasping in surprise and shock about how quickly this could have been over before a fight had really begun, his body adjusted his reflexes. Using Michael's momentum, he swirled himself past his brother's frame and towards the doorway into the vastness of hell.

Angrily turning around, Michael glared daggers at him. "You want to fight outside where it's easier for you? I figured you'd try to scurry your way out, the sleek rat you are." With another thundering roar Michael darted forward again, this time with his spear pointed, sizzling with divine energy. Glee and anticipation slipped into his expression for a split second as he saw Lucifer retreat further, but it transformed into a feral snarl when Lucifer pushed himself backwards through the doorway with a powerful flap of his wings.

Thrusting himself back into hell's crypt system, Lucifer flared his wings to a stop mid air. A shiver ran through him as he remembered his fight with Michael in the Silver City all these eons ago. The exact same shimmer glistened in Michael's eyes when he had been dragged to the edge of heaven and tossed down to hell. Joy, glee and satisfaction had radiated off of him and just like back then, it was something that deeply scared Lucifer now. To see his unyielding faith and that his actions for it knew no limits. He existed to one hundred percent serve their Father and anything standing in his way, he happily obliterated, without a second thought and without any regrets. He understood, that when Michael said he would bind him to hell, he meant to incapacitate and hinder him from ever leaving again by destroying his body.

Watching Michael arise from the depth of the hell loop into hell's sky, Lucifer angled his wings and dove down for an attack. He knew he had to be cautious. With no weapon at hand and no armour shielding him, the heavenly spear could easily kill him. One wrong movement and he would be impaled. A very unpleasant sensation, he clearly remembered. Teeth clenched and eyes fixated on his brother, he tensed up his body. When in reach he waited just the split second that gave him an opening, dipping slightly lower and tackling Michael mid-air.

Both grunting and hissing, they entangled into a ball of white feather's toppling down towards the ground. One arm slung around Michael's stomach with Lucifer's head at its side, he used his free hand to reach for Michael's right wrist, his spear kept in a tight grip. "I won't let you do this Michael," he pressed, growling and panting as he tried to force open his brother's grip. "I won't let you or your blinded priests hurt Chloe!"

Feeling himself on the lower side of their fall, Michael powerfully held against Lucifer. "You can't keep her safe. You and her will both be taken care of, one way or another. I will not let your foolish emotions be the doom for all of us!" Managing to keep Lucifer's attention on the spear in hand, he used his left wingbow to strike out against Lucifer's opposing right wing, causing them to flip upside down. With Lucifer now beneath him, Michael added a few wing thrusts, increasing their descend to the ground.

Head tilting, Lucifer could see hell's rugged landscape rapidly approaching. Teeth bared and eyes flaming up with determination and wrath, he tried adjusting his position, but just as he loosened his grip on Michael, his brother used the split second to slam his knee into Lucifer's stomach. Yelping and gasping from the forceful impact, he lost his grip on Michael completely. Michael on the other hand, immediately made use of the small distance coming between them in their fall. Swiftly he lunged out with his left, landing a crunching punch against Lucifer face.

The force smacked his head backwards, his vision blurring. Huffing and groaning, he tried to catch and orientate himself, but another kick against his chest queered his pitch. Thrusted downwards with a last push from Michael, he thundered into the ragged basalt surface. The stone cracked and crunched beneath his back, making him sink into it like into the centre of a meteor crater. Luckily the impact didn't cause his wingbones to break, but his feathers got kinked and ripped at several places, and at one spot on his right wing, a sharp edged cliff cut into his membrane. Groaning and wincing in pain, he willed himself to stay focused, spotting Michael about to impale him into the ground.

Swallowing down the blood that had gathered in his mouth, Lucifer pushed himself to the side, rolling over the gravel of his impact as Michael's spear dug into the ground next to him. Quickly he forced himself up on his feet again, wings twitching from the wounds they suffered. I need to balance the odds, he thought and took a frontal approach towards his brother. Eyes focused for every micro-movement of Michael, he made a feint attack to the left and used Michael's reaction for a strike against his arm. Satisfied to hear his brother growl and hiss as his arm was forced aside, he took a hold onto the spear, pulling and wiggling it in Michael's grip.

Both of them flared their wings, thrusting and pulling with the added force their wings provided. "You know you're not stronger than me, brother," Michael sneered and let his divine powers ignite his spear with a blueish lightning. Seeing Lucifer growl and fight back against the burning sensation that rushed into his arms from the contact, he leaned back slightly, before giving him a ruthless headbutt against his already bleeding nose.

Groaning at the pain rushing through all of his body, his face feeling heated up and pulsing from bruising, he angrily rasped for breath, the burning coals in his eyes flaming up with new-found rage. "Oh just go fuck yourself with your fucking strength!" Lucifer bellowed and with a swift turn, used his right wing's prime feathers to slice over Michael's arm. Hot blood gushed out of the wound going a good two inches deep into his flesh. Immediately Lucifer could feel his brother's grip loosen on the weapon and with a low kick into Michael's side, he finally managed to disarm him.

The moment the spear was in his hands the lightning trickling along the staff stopped, disconnected from its owner's power. It was a strange contradiction as he felt the weight of the spear in his palm, feeling its heavenly perfection and grace, the devotion and faith it carried within its indestructible metal. It was beautiful, yet made for battle and to kill those that stood against Michael fulfilling God's orders. But was this truly what their Father had wanted? For Michael to kill him? He had been through the horrors of fratricide himself before. Seeing Michael now, ready to kill him and also Chloe, was causing the acrid feeling in his chest to return of having no other choice but to fight for both their lives, and if truly necessary, fight Michael to the death.

Grunting, Michael reached for the wound on his arm, testing its depth and how it influenced his movement. Letting out a humourless laugh, he scowled at Lucifer. "Oh you'll regret having done that, Lucifer," he hissed, fists clenching at his sides. Without a second of hesitation, he lunged at him, swinging punches from left and right, adding merciless tackles with his wings, slicing and slamming at Lucifer in overwhelming speed.

Caught by surprise from Michael sudden onslaught of attacks, Lucifer raised the spear, to block and dodge, but the sheer speed and power of his brother was alarming. Even with just his body as a weapon, Michael was beyond dangerous, a true soldier, through and through. He managed to block the majority of attacks, but the power behind them was painful to hold back against. Using his wings to counter attack, he pushed himself back and dashed the tip of his wings in downward thrusts against Michael's flanks and legs, forcing him into a defence.

But Michael didn't stay in the defence for long. It seemed much easier for him to dodge and block Lucifer's attacks and at last, he spotted an opportunity. Reaching for his spear in Lucifer's right hand, he gripped onto the staff. Careful to not have Lucifer stab him, and instead of trying to tear it away from him, he thrust himself into the air, pulling Lucifer along with him. Reaching higher and higher into hell's sky, he kept one hand on the spear and shot his other forward, gripping Lucifer's exposed throat. With a growl forming in his chest, he sent his divine energy into his spear again, focusing on its intensity. The spear vibrated and buzzed with heavenly power, its lightning travelling directly into Lucifer. Hearing his brother cry out at the otherworldly pain, Michael increased the flow of his divine powers into the spear, using his hold on Lucifer to prevent his escape.

[AXIS – Tom Player]

The rain had started when Chloe had left Valentine's apartment, just as she had predicted it. With shaking hands she had fumbled for her car keys. Now driving through the city to the location Valentine had told to meet him at, her mind couldn't stop racing. She hadn't expected for the priests to be observing her and her friends. And she sure as hell hadn't expected for her daughter to be in immediate danger of getting kidnapped. She knew her daughter was smart and strong. There was no way Trixie had somehow been tricked into trusting Valentine. She must have been surprised and overpowered.

Anxiously biting her lip she stepped on the gas and took a right turn, ignoring the red light and the following aggressive car horns. The location Valentine had given to her was lying remote in an old industrial quarter of the town that was mostly abandoned. She had thought about calling Dan. He was Trixie's father after all, but it was just too dangerous to get him involved now. Not only that, he would likely notice that there is much more to this whole situation than he was so far aware of. It would make things tremendously more complicated.

She shuddered remembering Valentine's smooth, cold voice. She wasn't sure what to expect when she'd arrive, what exactly it was that he wanted to achieve by killing her, but she hoped that once she was face to face with him, that maybe she could involve him in a conversation, learn more about the prophecy, maybe even about Michael. But Valentine had been very clear on the rules. She was instructed to come alone and quote 'not bring that big, bald headed friend'. He had been aware of Gaudium being with her as she had called Valentine. After he ended the call, she had found a bug in the lamp hanging in the small story room, Valentine had used for his creepy surveillance. He had been prepared all along. And of course he had reminded her to also not bring any of her other friends or colleagues. No help whatsoever, he had said. He would notice.

Driving into the industrial district, she thought about Lucifer. He had been gone for so long, it was only adding to the unbearable worry she felt about Trixie.

Maybe he got held up by demons… Maybe they riot or something… God, I wish he'd be able to hear me. Please, please, Lucifer, come back…

Glancing into the rearview mirror, she saw the blanket on the back shifting when the road became bumpy. It wasn't a perfect hiding spot for Gaudium, but she was sure it would suffice. Having shrunk down into his fallen cherub form, he remained quiet as she wasn't sure if perhaps her car had been bugged. She arrived at the address, spotting an old grey-bricked warehouse. Several arched windows on the sides and under the roof were planked, some of the glass on the outside broken. They wouldn't give much of a possibility to look inside, not that she intended to do so. With more than one priest involved, she couldn't risk being seen strolling around outside. For that she had another plan.

Parking close to the entrance, she cut off the engine and took several shaking breaths. The rain almost drizzled down calmingly onto the car, but inside her raged a storm of the unknown. She was prepared as best as she could be, wearing a bulletproof vest under her jacket and her Hellcat 380 pistol secured above her ankle. She figured wearing her duty weapon in the open would only agitate Valentine and increase the risk of Trixie getting hurt. "Okay… I can do this… and Trixie's strong. She can do this as well," she mouthed quietly and threw a last look into the rearview mirror. Reaching for the window controls, she lowered the back left-sided window and stepped outside into the rain.

Quickly rushing to the door of the warehouse, she carefully pushed it open, making one step inside. "Valentine?" she called, hearing her voice echo in the hall. "Hello?" Waiting for a response, she nervously licked her lips, her heart thundering. "Trixie?!" She couldn't help the anxious tremble in her voice, the thought of her little girl being in the hands of a stranger twisted her guts. She heard footsteps and dragging sounds coming from the far left, but no answer to her calls. Adrenaline pumped through her veins preparing her muscles to be tense and prepared. There was just enough light coming through the barricaded windows to make out the crates and assembly lines of some old production. Heading to the nearest crate, she ducked down behind it, peaking around the corner and looking for a sign of movement.

"Valentine, I'm here! I did what you said. Where's my daughter!?" Pensively watching the far back of the hall, she suddenly saw a man coming forth from behind a row of shelves. Wiggling in his grip, he held Trixie at his side. Her arms were bound behind her back, her mouth gagged with a cloth tied around her. She cried and screamed muffled into her gag and Chloe felt her heart tear apart. "Let her go, Valentine! She's innocent!"

"Let me see you, Detective Decker! Hands up. I just want to make sure this is going as smoothly as possible," Valentine called, roughly pulling Trixie along further into the room's centre. "And no tricks or she's not going to leave this building alive!"

Tears welling in her own eyes, she saw Valentine's face just like she had seen his picture from the registry entry. Determined and cold. Just like his voice. "OKAY! Okay! Just… don't hurt her, please," she begged, raising her hands out of her cover and slowly stepping into his sight. Looking at her daughter, she saw Trixie wiggling again in Valentine's hold, trying to pull away, but Valentine yanked her back forcefully. "It's okay, monkey. I'm here. I'm gonna get you out of here. Just try and stay calm."

Trixie cried heartbreakingly, but after a few moments, she did nod reluctantly. It was horrible to know this was not the first time her little girl was attacked from a criminal. As much as she wanted to protect Trixie and make the world a better, safer place, her job meant the exact opposite for her daughter. She was more likely to be targeted or at least get somehow involved in encounters with criminals. The only things that gave her a silver lining to this darkness were that she knew her daughter was smart and that they had both talked and practised moments like this. Much to her disliking, it had been a necessity to prepare her daughter for a situation like this.

"Come closer and keep your hands up," Valentine commanded, his expression turning more intense and dark. Spotting her glancing through the hall as she approached further, he reached behind his back, pulling out a gun. "No wrong movements, Detective. I really do not want to be forced to hurt your daughter. We want to see that this step doesn't have to be taken and that removing you from the equation is enough to stop the prophecy."

She froze about fifteen meters away from him, staring at him with wide eyes. She had wanted to check for any other priest being present, maybe even Michael hiding somewhere and watching his sick religious plan working out. Apparently even the wrong movement of her head made Valentine upset though and the sight of his gun pointing at her daughter almost made her crumble right on the spot. But she knew she would be no help for her daughter, if she would give up. She had to somehow stop Valentine and get her daughter to safety. Trixie's life was all that mattered.

Valentine scanned her tensely up and down. His brows suddenly narrowed into a frown and he grumbled. "Do I spot a gun hiding at that ankle?!" he shouted out. "Keep your left hand up and slowly, very slowly, take it and toss it aside!"

Damn it! Eyes shortly closing, she swallowed down the lump of fear in her throat. keeping her left hand lifted, she slowly kneeled down and reached for her gun. Carefully keeping it loosely in her fingers, she tossed it a few meters to her right. There goes the firearm... "You don't really know what you're doing there Valentine. This isn't some holy task you're fulfilling. You're being used and manipulated from an angel."

Valentines eyes widened with anger, his tone turning lower in awe. "I am not being manipulated. I had a revelation! It's all real! God, heaven and hell, angels… Lucifer, the Devil. He's the archfiend. Michael has told me about earth's fate, if the prophecy is being fulfilled. Kinley tried to prevent the first seal from being broken, but it was too late. Lucifer was already on earth and he did find his first love. So we had to take the next step."

"The next step," she mouthed. "Getting me out of the equation." She swallowed again, her pulse racing. "You can't justify what you're doing because of Michael's orders. You are responsible for your own doings and this is all wrong. Do you seriously believe what you're doing now will be forgiven to you when your time is up?" She knew she was poking the beehive, but she hoped that there was some logic and ethical thought still left in him that was not blinded from Michael's Enochian brainwash.

"Of course they will!" Valentine shouted back, making a step closer, his body visibly tensing up in anger. "I'm working in God's holy name. I was chosen and touched by the great angel Michael to help him save this world and none of the tasks that I have to do for that to happen are going to taint my soul!"

Okay… okay… Not good. "But my daughter is not a necessity for your work to be fulfilled," she spoke gently and calmingly, her tone channelling the aching of her heart. "You don't want to go down that path, Valentine. You know God wouldn't approve of an innocent victim," she carefully went on, pleading to his sympathy for Trixie. "You don't want for her memories, her innocence, to be tainted, because of your actions, do you? Because that's what would happen. You would be responsible and trust me, it would burden your soul indefinitely." She watched his fingers around the handle of the gun flex and tense in a sign of uncertainty. A good sign for the start, but it would be better if the gun wasn't still pointed at her daughter.

Seeing his eyes lower in thought, she quickly glanced to the windows. The left row of windows all showed no movement, but on the far right one, she spotted a small shape, waiting for her signal. Good... Now I need to get Valentine's attention. "You actually were thinking you were doing a smart move with the demon, didn't you?"

A fiery shot of anger and vanity flickered over Valentine's expression. "You were having quite some trouble with the demon from the looks of it. It almost succeeded."

"Almost. That's the point," she responded with a daring tone, making another step closer to him. She knew it was a dangerous endeavour, but there was no other way left with her gun certainly out of reach. "We've got your fingerprints on Erica Clark's door. Your shoeprint in her blood. And I'm quite sure, if we analyse that gun in your hand and compare it with the bullet we found, the case is solid. You'll be going to prison, Valentine. For the rest of your life. And then you know what'll happen?"

"Stop right there. Not a step closer!" he grunted, shaking the pistol at Trixie's side, his breaths coming out stressed from her statements.

Stopping just about ten meters away from him, she slowly shook her head, as if she was mocking him over something he hadn't yet thought about. And he probably hadn't. "I tell you what'll happen next," she continued quietly, forcing down the fear over Valentine harming Trixie. "You'll go to hell. And there you're going to be in the realm of demons. You'll even meet the one you banished. Can you imagine what the demons will do to you, a priest?"

"Shut up! I'm not going to hell! Just shut up!" Valentine shouted back enraged and aimed the gun directly at her.

This was it. This was what she had waited and hoped for. It was highly dangerous, but this was better than having him aim at her daughter, even though now he was now losing the control over his composure. Everything though was now very fragile and the timeframe she'd be given would be unforgivably small. Her tense gaze wandered to Trixie, who continued to look back at her with wide, anxious eyes. I know you're scared, sweety… But I also know you can do this… Please be strong… She trusted her, knowing how unbelievably strong and smart Trixie was. She knew it was a lot she asked of her daughter and she hated she had to do that, but now there was no time to rack her brains over it. They both had to function and be concentrated.

Taking a few last shallow breaths, she eventually looked back at Valentine. Her stare hardened and with a deep "NOW!"

Before Valentine could understand what was going on, the top right window cracked and a crow fluttered into the hall with loud, echoing caws. Completely whirled up and alarmed from the sound, he aimed up in the air and fired two thundering shots at the flapping thing in the shadows.

This was the crucial second she needed and several things happened at once. Trixie immediately used Valentine's distractedness to pull herself away from his loosened grip, managing to rush several steps to the side and behind a crate. Furious, Valentine whirled back around, but Chloe was already dashing towards him, covering the last few meters. Just as Valentine aimed back at her, she managed to punch his arm out to the side. The gun went off with another bang, just about missing a direct hit to her torso - but her arm wasn't as lucky. She felt the hot slice of the bullet grazing her shoulder and cried out at the pain, but the rush of adrenaline kept her mind and body working to continue fighting.

"Mom!" Trixie voice suddenly rang in fear. Smart as she was, she had managed to wiggle free from her gag and was watching in horror as her mother was being in a dangerous closeup fight. Feverishly Trixie tried to somehow get out of the tight rope bound around her wrists, wanting to help Chloe, but with her hands tied behind her back it was hard to accomplish.

Chloe heard her daughter's call, barely registering that she wasn't gagged anymore. She merely let her voice sink in as a force to strengthen her movements. Throwing a heavy punch in Valentine's side, the priest let out a surprised yelp, trying to swing his free fist at her, but as Chloe was trained in hand-to-hand fight, she quickly managed to block. Holding onto Valentine's shooting hand, she roughly gave his arm a kick with her knee, ensuring that the weapon was aimed not at herself and not towards her daughter.

Accompanied from a pained groan, Valentine involuntarily opened his hand, making the gun drop to the ground. With a fast foot, Chloe kicked the weapon aside and out of reach. Struggling against him, and surprised from his still very fit body, she gave his wrist a strong twist, forcing his body to curl and bend.

The crow's cawing closed in from above directly onto Valentine. Furiously the bird used its beak and claws at Valentine's head and whatever other area it managed to hit and scratch. The priest flailed his free arm around, trying to get rid of the annoying animal and distracted enough, Chloe could get behind him, twist his arm further and bring him to his knees with a grunt.

"No! You can't stop us! You won't stop us!" Valentine shouted aggressively, huffing and hissing as she tried to secure him. "We have to prevent it! Whatever the cost!" Panting and continuing to struggle, he turned his head to the side, his eyes staring daggers towards a dark area of the hall. "Brothers! Help me! Please!"

Chloe's eyes shot wide open. WHAT?! Two other men emerged from the shadows and she instantly recognized them from the photograph in Valentine's apartment, despite the age difference. Their right arms both suddenly rose from their sides and only due to her experience did she react in time to dash to the side, avoiding two gunshots. Keeping her head down, she rushed to the nearest crate to take cover, lucky to see it was metallic. No no no no! Damn it! Several shots whooshed past her, broaching on the crate and the shelves next to her.

She could see Gaudium, in his feathered shape, trying his best to distract the priests, viciously attacking them, but now it was three of them, he had just not that much of an effect. From the other side of the hall, she heard Trixie's desperate cry for her, echoing through the building and tears welled in her eyes. Her girl was all by herself and she had no safe way to get to her. Tears trailing down her cheeks, she Oh my God… Lucifer?! Please hear me! I need you here!

"Spread out! Get the girl! And be careful with her!" Valentine shouted at the other two priests.

Her breathing coming flat and ragged, she peeked around the corner. Oh god, no no no no no! She had to do something. Anything to keep the priests away from her daughter. "TRIXIE! HIDE!" she called out, rushed over to the shelf and looked around on the floor. Grabbing a random piece from the shelf, she felt it heavy, knowing it could cause a smash for a distraction. Sending it flying to the nearest corner, it clunked against a pile of boxes and bins. Immediately she heard footsteps coming closer.

Calming her breathing, she waited, pressing herself against the shelf. A shadow announced the approaching man and as soon as she saw the first leg step past her, she gave the ankle a forceful kick from the side, causing the priest to cry out and stumble to the side. With the rage only a protective mother can have, she threw herself against him. It was Valentine, his weapon back in hand. Fighting against his hand holding the gun, she lunged out with her right arm, smacking her elbow against his face. Satisfied she heard a crack in his nose and just a moment later, blood poured from his nostrils. Busy wrestling with Valentine over the control of his gun, she could hear the other two priests in the background.

"Come on, little girl. We're not here to hurt you," one of them cooed with too much of a grumpy voice to sound trustful.

"It's true. We wouldn't let anything happen to you. We only want your mother," the other chimed clearly frustrated and bitterly.

The sound of shelves being pushed aside and boxes kicked out of the way rumbled through the hall and suddenly there was a shuffling going on. "HA! Gotcha!" the first one hissed with a smirk in his tone.

"NO! Leave me alone!" Trixie shot back loudly. "No! Let go of me! Aahhhh! MOOOOM!"

Her chest felt imploding from fear and with horror she turned her head, spotting the priests both holding onto Trixie's arms and keeping her trapped. Distracted, a powerful punch from Valentine knocked her face around and caused her vision to instantly blur and darken. Groaning, feeling her cheek pulse hotly from the impact, she fell on her back, he eyes fluttered in disorientation. Ugh… Lucifer! … I... I need you! ...Please, I can't… Trixie is… A couple of blinks later, her vision cleared enough for her to directly stare into the barrel of Valentine's gun pointed at her face.

[Strength of a Thousand Men – Two Steps from Hell]

He felt his blood boiling. The energy of Michael's spear shooting into his body was causing his blood cells to vibrate from the force and the skin of his hand holding onto the weapon was sizzling with gruesome blisters. "Is that all you've got, Mikey? Just a bit of electricity?" he grunted through clenched teeth sardonically. "I guess I already got used to the burning sensation. By now it's only tickling a little." He was trying his best to fight against Michael's powerful wing blows with his own, but it became evident that his elder brother did have more strength in them than him and thus Michael was catapulting them both further and further into hell's dark, reddish sky.

"I'll make sure to cut off that damned tongue of yours, snake. Nothing but vanity and disgrace slips over it," Michael grumbled back, loosening his grip on Lucifer's throat and instead shifting it to the back of his head. Gripping into his dark tresses, he pushed his head forward and met Lucifer's face with a slam of his knee.

The impact wasn't doing any good to his already bleeding nose, but now his lower lip split open as well. Groaning, Lucifer let go of the spear, letting himself drop into distance to his brother. Spitting blood, he glared daggers at Michael, thinking feverishly on what options he had to counter his brother. He knew he was no physical match to him. It didn't even matter too much that Michael was armed. He was born a soldier. So the only advantage he had at his hands was something that was unmatched by Michael. Something that he knew no other angel could stand a chance against. His willpower.

Channelling his emotions, his eyes blazed up with wild, flickering flames, the air around him starting to swirl and billow. It was the whole spectrum of emotions that rushed through his veins, that made his heart thunder, his blood throb and his muscles bulge. Head lowering, eyes focussed on his brother, he dashed towards him in a blur, thrusting himself forward through the air with a battlecry that made hell respond with a loud rumbling thunder of its own. Although he saw Michael brace himself to block and counter attack, he continued his frontal approach and to his satisfaction, he could see Michael's eyes twitch with a hint of uncertainty and surprise. He clearly hadn't expected him to attack like that.

Breathing deep and heavily, Michael held his spear firmly in front of him like a shield. He looked tense and his uncertainty increased when Lucifer didn't make an attempt at sidetracking him with a feint attack. And then the impact came full force. In fact so powerful Michael hadn't even thought possible.

Angling the top of his wingbones forward, Lucifer slammed against the staff of Michael's spear with a crack resounding all throughout the vastness of hell. It took merely a split second of his absolute force being used and the heavenly weapon broke apart. Trembling, yellowish lightning burst from the spear as it disintegrated, the divine power it contained disappearing around them.

"You shouldn't have done that," Michael growled, his expression turning colder and more maniac than Lucifer had ever seen before. Quickly reaching for Lucifer's wingbones, he gripped onto the thick, feathery arches and yanked.

Crying out at the mind numbing pain, he reached back in return. Unable to get a grip onto Michael's wings however, he instead clenched in his hands around Michael's throat. The piercing and crunching pain in his wingbones was maddening, but he pushed it aside, forcing his remaining energy to focus on cutting off Michael's blood flow. Teeth bared and smeared with blood, he grunted at the effort, feeling how Michael used his wings to push them down towards the ground again. "Fuck you Michael! You've always used the most vile techniques in combat! And you always wondered why nobody wanted to train with you, you gormless prat!"

The pressure on Michael's throat caused him to grunt and huff for air, but it didn't affect his movement of plummeting them down towards the ground. Keeping Lucifer's wings tightly gripped, he guided them downwards towards the middle of the crypt system, directly to the massive structure of Lucifer's basalt throne. "Vile techniques? I'm just putting you where you FUCKING BELONG!" Roaring within a last increase of his speed, he struck him down into the the throne, bursting the layers of stone, cracking and crunching him through it, meter by meter until eventually he smacked him down on hell's level surface. The whole mountain of Lucifer's throne crumbled in a massive cloud of ash and debris.

Groaning and grunting, Lucifer felt several of his bones cracking in his back, ribcage and the arch of his wingbones. Everything felt on fire, throbbing, stinging and crunching. Despite his colossal crash, he had held onto Michael's throat, but the force he could execute wasn't half as strong as it had been before. Rasping for air himself, he glared up at Michael, who continued to pin him down. "Ngh… I w-won't let y-you... get away... w-with what you're doing…" he pressed between heavy breaths, gurgling a flow of blood that bubbled up his throat.

"Oh yeah?" Michael sneered, "I'm curious to see you try stopping me, Devil." Scoffing, Michael released his right hand from his brother's wing and balled it into a fist.

He could see the glisten in Michael's eyes again. The joy. The satisfaction. Lifting his hands from Michael's throat, he tried to block, but the punch hit his left cheek nonetheless. His head spinning to the side, he spit blood, feeling as the power behind the blow almost knocked him unconscious. He wanted to say something smart, enrage his brother to do not focus on his defence, but his head felt wobbly and dizzy. His cheek rushed hot and he knew he'd look worse than after a fistfight with Amenadiel, which was saying quite something.

One blow after another hit against him. Sometimes he managed to hinder Michael, sometimes it was a miserable fail, but all in all he knew he was losing his strength and endurance to continue fighting. He had tried it, given his all against Michael, but he couldn't defeat him in battle. But he hated to admit it to himself. And he wasn't going to. He wouldn't give him the satisfaction of submitting his surrender. Ever. He wouldn't ever forgive himself for that, if he would fight until the end of his existence to protect Chloe, and if it meant that he had to fight his brother until his physical body would just be a pile of smashed bones and bleeding entrails - so be it.

His willpower stayed persistent, even though his body had trouble to stay conscious during the onslaught of Michael's punches. Keeping his mind concentrated on Chloe, he kept trying to fight back, using his wings to curl them up and attempting to hit Michael, wiggling and struggling, kicking and punching whenever he could. In a lucky moment, he managed to grip onto Michael's head, shifting his thumb to his brother's left eye. Rasping and groaning in pain, he pressed, doing his best to not let Michael pull away. It was gruesome, but nothing was off limits at this point and as he felt his thumb slowly sink in, Michael cried out in pain.

It was when suddenly Lucifer felt a voice scratching at the inside of his skull, that he froze in a moment of shock.

"Ugh… Lucifer! … I... I need you! ...Please, I can't… Trixie is…"

Surprised and furious, Michael pulled away to feel for the damage Lucifer had caused to his eye, gritting his teeth and wincing.

Lucifer was captivated by the voice still echoing in his head. "Chloe…" he breathed, staring skyward. It was just like last time. He could feel it all. The twitch in his wings. The urge to get to her that was impossible to withstand. The aching in his heart that pushed aside all the pain of his injuries. Releasing a wild growl, he pushed himself up, despite his suffering, bleeding and broken body. Eyes blazing up with infernal rage, he spread his blood stained and ragged wings, and thrust himself into the air, breaking through the void between the realms.

It wasn't easy to move his wings. The pain was still there, but didn't reach him mentally as he forced his wings to flap with all the power he could muster. He let himself be drawn towards the voice, letting the instinctive pull control his direction. He didn't know, if Michael was following him. He wasn't sure, if he would catch up with him, perhaps even arrive at Chloe before him. Growling, he pushed himself forward just a bit faster through the veil, feeling as his body transitioned from hell's to earth's timeflow.

With a thunder, he burst through the divine fabric between the realms, landing in an old building. His arrival seemed to have not been unnoticed, as a man a few feet next to him turned around and aimed a gun at him with a shaking hand. It was a priest.

"Oh my god…" the man muttered in fear, eyes staring wide, his mouth gaping like a fish out of water. Clearly he wasn't ready to see the Devil in a wild frenzy, his huge white wings bloodied and ruffled up from battle, eyes ablaze with soul consuming wrath.

"Not quite," Lucifer growled, grabbing the man's arm and twisting his wrist. Getting a hold onto his shoulder, he easily lifted him up and flung him against the nearest metal shelf. Watching him smash into the shelf and drop down unconscious, he saw Chloe staring back at him, her eyes filled with fear. For a split second he wondered if she was afraid of him, but then saw her look going past him and he turned around.

The Detective's spawn was held from two other men, priests as well from the looks of their collars, both pointing their guns at her and making a few steps backwards. Lucifer glared at them, tilting his head as he slowly approached them. When suddenly he felt Chloe's hand on his arm, stopping him, he looked at her somewhat puzzled.

"Lucifer..." she whispered, not for the men to hear. "You're mortal…" Her heart hammered madly. She wanted for her daughter to be safe, but also not for Lucifer to get himself killed. Not that he wasn't already looking horrifying with his battled appearance, but losing both of the people she loved to the end of this world wasn't an option.

He had to admit that he had forgotten about it. Her care and worry about him was endearing, but it didn't matter. He would do everything to keep her and her daughter safe. But he could feel how the pain was starting to return to his senses, the muscles starting to throb, his wings starting to tremble and it was hard to breathe. He knew he had to act fast. Leaning in, he lowered his voice, just for her to hear in return. "I want you to run towards the door. You have to trust me."

She looked up at him with tearful eyes, checking back with Trixie in a worried glance before nodding at him. Of course she trusted him. Always. She knew his love for them both was unconditional and knew no boundaries. Even if she would refuse, he would still put himself in front of them both, no matter what. Swallowing down the fear over Trixie's wellbeing, she used the shelves as cover and darted towards the door.

Turning his attention back at the two men, he stalked towards them. "Let her go. You know that no harm is supposed to come to her. She's part of the prophecy. She must not get hurt," he pressed, his breathing coming out ragged and heavy. But the men didn't waver too long and quickly aimed at him instead, firing. Barely able to lift his left wing for protection, he managed to shield himself from the incoming bullets. Groaning at the tearing pain, he increased the speed of his steps into a dashing run, closed the distance to them and used his wing to blast it against the priest standing on the left. Simultaneously his right hand snatched the other priests wrist and with a gruesome twist, he broke the man's arm.

All the while Trixie was sobbing and screaming in fear, looking at what was going on around her in shock and unable to process. With the priests momentarily incapacitated, Lucifer tore the rope from Trixie's hands and lifted her up, letting her trembling limbs sling around his neck and waist. Turning towards the door of the building, he could see Chloe had just made it outside. Grimacing and forcing down the pain, he raced to catch up with her, used his wings to gain even more speed and with an outstretched arm, snatched her off her feet, letting her hug against him from the other side. "Hold onto me," he grunted, thrusting them up in the air and away from the building.

[Dark Conscience Instrumental – Tommee Profitt]

The relief in Chloe's heart about the safety of her daughter didn't last for all too long, as she noticed how Lucifer struggled. He was badly hurt, and while she didn't even pay attention to their surroundings, the pouring rain, her daughter having seen Lucifer's wings and the fact that she and her daughter were flying with a freaking angel, she did see the horrifying wounds all over Lucifer's body. His face was bruised black and blue on both sides, his lower lip was split open, his right wing flapped with enormous difficulty as she could see it had a visible hole in its membrane, not to mention his attire was completely ruined with cuts and a dusty grey substance which she could smell was ash. All in all, he looked absolutely terrible and she had a good idea about why that was. While she had feared that maybe Michael would come for her, he had instead come to take care of Lucifer first.

Breathing hard, his eyes focussing ahead, he flew them towards the heart of the city. Every muscle felt tearing and burning, and his wings became heavier to move with each flap he made to push them forward. "Hold… on…" he rasped, feeling that his arms were growing tired along with the rest of his body. It dawned to him that maybe he wouldn't be able to make it to his penthouse, but the thought of leaving them alone somewhere else, kept him pushing on and on. Leaving them was not acceptable.

Chloe could feel his grip loosening, and pressed her legs and arms tighter around his frame. From her position she could see Trixie had buried her face in Lucifer's neck, her ankles hooking up at his waist, reminding her again how her nickname didn't came out of nowhere. She'd always been great at holding on, much like herself when she had been a child and her dad gave her the nickname. "It's gonna be okay, monkey, just keep your eyes closed. Just a few more moments," she assured Trixie, before looking anxiously at Lucifer's face.

He was completely focussed, not able to really hear Chloe over the throbbing of his pulse in his ears. At last, after a few minutes, he approached the tower with his penthouse. "Almost…" he panted, wincing and grunting through the painful blows of his wings. But his strength decreased rapidly and as he was getting closer, able to see the dim lighting inside, he a horrifying realization hit him. He wasn't able to control his flight any longer, nor could he guarantee a safe landing. Teeth gritted, he tilted his face down to Chloe and Trixie, his heart aching. "Do not… let go… You'll… be fine..." Eyes starting to burn with tears, he continued his tormenting flight for the last hundred meters, trying his best to gain a bit more altitude to be above his penthouse's height.

"Lucifer?" Chloe asked with a shaking tone, scared about his words, unsure of what was going on in his mind. She could see them being so close to their destination. It was impossible to fail now, or so she hoped.

But when the balcony and the bottom-to-ceiling windows of his penthouse were almost in reach, Lucifer felt his wing muscles completely cramp up and unable to do another flap. Having foreseen exactly that, he forced his body to turn around with a powerful twist and with his remaining momentum, smashed into the building's wall above his balcony.

Chloe had pulled herself tightly against Lucifer, pressing into his neck just like her daughter, and when she felt them impact, everything around her went black. She opened her eyes when she heard the soft cries of Trixie. Carefully starting to move, she let go of Lucifer, blinking several times to get back her orientation and vision.

"Lucifer?" Trixie's voice trembled through tears. "Lucifer?! What's wrong?!"

Looking back at what had actually happened, Chloe's throat and chest tightened. A massive crater was smashed into the building above them, small debris still crumbling down to them. Lowering her eyes on Lucifer, she gasped, her eyes wide as she put together what had just happened. He had protected them with his body, shielding them from the impact as he couldn't control their landing anymore, making them crash into the wall and slide down to his balcony. Horrified, she let out a sob and leaned down to his face. His eyes were closed and his arms had limply dropped on his sides. And his wings… She swallowed down the sudden bile coming up her throat.

Urgently taking his face into her palms, she looked for a sign of movement. "Lucifer? Hey… Lucifer, open your eyes." She gently gave a slap onto his left cheek, but his head just rolled forward, not holding itself up. That's when she saw the wound and blood at the back of his head, and her own words from just moments ago echoed hauntingly in her head. You're mortal…

"Oh my god… Lucifer?" she asked shocked, her voice shaking and rising in panic. "Lucifer, wake up. Open your eyes, Lucifer. You… you have to wake up. Come on, you… you can't do this to me." But despite her calls and her shaking of his body, he didn't move and open his eyes.

"Mom?!" Trixie looked at her pleadingly, "We have to do something! He… He can't be…"

No… No, he can't be… she thought to herself and reached for Lucifer's jugular, feeling for his pulse. Releasing a breath she didn't know she was holding, she sobbed out in relief and with smiled through tears. "He's got a pulse!" He wasn't dead. He wasn't gone. Her heart made a leap of joy, but it quickly diminished in the light of his poor condition. He was unconscious and his body in a frighteningly bad condition. She realized that there was the option of her and Trixie leaving him in the hopes of him regaining his immortality and coming back to his senses, but there was no guarantee for that to happen. She needed him to be safe and she was not going to leave him alone. Patting feverishly over her jacket, she reached into her inside pocket and retriever her phone. She was going to need all the help she could get.

Chapter Text

Chapter 14: Into The Dark

[Slip Away - Ruelle]

She had called Amenadiel and Linda, as well as Maze, in who's background she could hear the engines of a car roar to life the moment she had said that Lucifer is hurt. She said it would take her perhaps twenty minutes tops to arrive at the penthouse, given she would pass every red light, cut every corner and surpass the speed limit to a level it would make every cops' jaw drop. And she knew Maze would do it all.

Because of the severity of the situation, Linda had immediately agreed to a flight with Amenadiel, as she was the only person with at least some medical background Chloe could turn to with Lucifer's wings being on display. While the rest of them needed their time to arrive, one of her companions arrived just shortly after she hung up the phone. Landing on the balcony, the crow shook its body and transformed into its original grey, cherub shape, panting out breath.

Gaudium's eyes, widened in shock at the sight in front of him. "Holy shit… Lucifer?" he called worried and stepped closer. Swallowing, he took in the Devil's condition. Grabbing Lucifer's right arm and pulling, he felt his boss uncooperative and as he let go, the arm dropped back down limply. Panic started to rise in him. "Why isn't he getting up?" he asked, his voice rising alarmed. "Lucifer?! Hey?! Wake up you feathered dumbass!"

"He's unconscious… He hit the building with his head," Chloe explained through tears, but forced herself to stay composed. She needed to keep a clear head and go through this as structured as possible. The most important thing seemed to be to stop the bleeding of his wounds, namely the one on his head and the smaller ones all over his body. The disaster of his wings was something that needed to be looked secondary. Turning towards Trixie, she looked at her intently, taking her hands into hers, making sure she was with her and listened closely. "Okay, Trixie, I need your help right now. Go into Lucifer's bathroom. Grab some towels and look for his first aid kit and his manicure set. Can you do that?"

Trixie quickly nodded, her brows wrinkled together in a worried and tense frown. "Okay, Mom... Yeah, okay," she responded bravely, pushed open one of the floor-to-ceiling windows and rushed inside.

Still slightly out of breath from his flight, but now more because of his own worries rising inside him, Gaudium looked between Chloe and Lucifer back and forth. "Alright, what can I do? Can't just stand around and do nothing. Gimme a damn task."

"Yes, erm…" She closed her eyes briefly, thinking. "Go get some clear alcohol, a bowl from the counter and a package of ice form the freezer," she instructed him, watching as he flew inside and landed on top of the bar. Carefully she took Lucifer's head into her hands again, spotting that there were small pieces of gravel from the impact stuck in an open cut that was about 2 by 1 cm big and half a centimetre deep. The blood was seeping out of it with every pump of his weak heartbeat and she was afraid it was only going to get worse, if this wouldn't properly be taken care of.

While both Trixie and Gaudium were rummaging the penthouse for the items needed, a rustle behind her, made her turn around, spotting Amenadiel landing with Linda who herself had Charlie settled in a baby sling against her chest.

"Oh my god, Chloe," Linda uttered in shock, carefully lowering down to look at Lucifer. "What happened?"

Wiping away the tears from her eyes, Chloe took a few shaky breaths. "He flew Trixie and me here to safety, but he was already badly hurt. When he couldn't control his landing, he… he turned around and let himself crash against the building to protect us." Releasing a sob she couldn't hold back, she looked back at Lucifer, her thumb caressing over his pale cheek. "He's got a pulse and is breathing… but… but he's not waking up and he's bleeding from his head..."

With utmost care, Linda inspected the wound on Lucifer's head, quietly murmuring sighs and heavy breaths over the difficulty of the situation and concerns about it. After looking over the rest of his body superficially, she turned to Amenadiel. "It's likely he's having severe internal bleeding and whiplash from that impact. I think it's safe to move him inside, but we have to keep his head stable at all times and be really careful. And we still need to be quick."

They worked in union, each doing their part of securing Lucifer's unconscious body. Amenadiel folded his own wings away and, with Linda keeping a check on his brother's condition, shifted Lucifer around and positioned himself behind him. He hooked his arms beneath Lucifer's, waited for Chloe to hold his head and keep it from rolling, and lifted him up. Calling inside for Trixie and Gaudium to put the gathered items on the nearby coffee table, they delicately manoeuvred Lucifer into the open space of the living room.

Having put the materials she had found aside, Trixie rushed to their aid and made sure Lucifer's wings wouldn't get caught on the walls or furniture as the adults slowly laid him down. "What do we do next?" Trixie asked agitatedly, looking at her everyone expectantly.

Chloe offered her a short but soft smile, warmed by how invested Trixie was in helping them, and turned to Linda. "Do you think you can take care of the head injury?"

Fluffing her cheeks, Linda tilted her head. "Well, it's not my speciality, but I guess I remember a thing or two about the basics from my dear teacher Dr. Wilbur." Looking over the materials Trixie and Gaudium had put together, she nodded. "Yeah, I think this could work. Okay first things first. Gaudium," she spoke towards the cherub, starting to take off the baby sling. "You go and take care of Charlie for the time being." Handing her son to him, Gaudium hugged the little nephilim against his chest and stepped out of the way. "Right. Now we get some alcohol flowing."

She took out the tweezers of the necessary and reached for the bottle with a Russian logo, containing a clear liquid, of which she had no doubt cost more than her monthly income as a therapist. Opening the cap, she poured a small amount over her hand and the tweezers, handed the bottle to Trixie, and made sure to sterilize her other hand as well with some thorough rubs. After Trixie, Chloe and Amenadiel had followed her lead and provisionally sterilized their hands, too, she moved to kneel above Lucifer's head. "Chloe, can you help with the smaller injuries all over his body?"

Nodding, Chloe looked over the several cuts, burns and bruises, feeling her chest contract at the thought of what he must have been through. "Yeah, sure." Reaching for the medical kit (thank god he had that around for his mortal guests), she unfolded the compartments and took out several packages with bandages and compressions.

"What can I do?!" Trixie exclaimed anxiously. "I wanna help Lucifer, too!"

"You can help me with his wings," Amenadiel suggested softly and motioned her to come to his side. Carefully walking around Lucifer and making sure she wasn't stepping on his wings, she knelt down next to Amenadiel and watched as he lifted the right wing onto his lap. "Look, I'll show you. First we've got to clean up that wound on his membrane and patch it up. Then we need to get all these clipped feathers out."

Trixie's eyes widened with shock and she gazed at Amenadiel like he had just said the most horrible thing in the world. "Take out the feathers? Why?!"

"Only the broken ones," he assured her with an understanding smile. "They hurt him and it's better to have them out so that new ones can grow from their spot."

"And how long will it take for them to regrow?" she asked innocently and watched Amenadiel cleaning the cut in the membrane with the alcohol.

"About two, maybe three days, then small downs will take their place. Aft that, they take a few more days to grow in strength and size until they are back to normal." Nodding towards the towels she brought, he urged her to grab one. "Help me clean the area around the cut. Then we dry it and put a patching on both sides, okay?"

"Okay," she breathed and attentively followed his instructions to a T.

Seeing her daughter thoughtfully offering her help and supporting them, taking care of Lucifer's gruesomely hurt wings, was heartwarming and she couldn't help but feel her chest swell with pride. After quietly cutting open the completely ruined suit jacket and shirt from Lucifer, she fell into a bit a trance, tenderly taking care of bandaging up every deeper cut she found.

It occurred to her just now, that her daughter had seen all sorts of celestial things, starting with seeing Lucifer with his wings and red glowing eyes, then seeing a crow turn into Gaudium's grey, chubby and demon-like shape, and now she had also seen Amenadiel's angel wings. She knew Trixie was smart and would understand that Lucifer had truly never lied to them, but told the truth about himself being the Devil, and she wondered how Trixie would think of all this, once all the excitement had settled. For now though it seemed she was completely attached to Lucifer and deeply caring about his wellbeing. Thinking of how her own personal revelation had been so difficult and had her run off for the hills, she hoped Trixie would digest this better, and not be scared when she'd have time to process that everything, God, angels, the Devil, heaven and hell were all real.

Looking at Lucifer's face, her hands stopped moving. He was still so pale. His lips were slightly parted, and she could see his eyes moving beneath his lids. She prayed that he would be okay. That he would wake up and smile at her. That he would say her name. That she could kiss him and he would respond. Unaware of how her friends noticed her sudden change of motion, she lifted his left hand against her chest, kissed his knuckles and cried.

[Devil in I - Slipknot]

Finally, the car stopped and it seemed to be the final destination for him, as the driver pulled the handbrake and shut off the engine. The bad weather had made traffic at the airport a horrible mess that took him almost an extra hour to get out of. The cab driver, explained to him how there was no faster route than the one he was taking, and, whether or not the man was talking the truth, Phaldor had to drive along with him. But time was of the essence. Not that he could really explain exactly to the human just why exactly he was in such a rush. Luckily from the feels of how sharply the car had been cutting the corners once they seemed to be out of the airport traffic, he figured the driver understood that Phaldor truly was worried about something serious. Perhaps he had even thought it was about a life or death situation, which, to Phaldor, did sound like a rather adequate description.

"That's it. We're here, sir," the driver spoke with a thick, Indian accent. "That'll be seventy dollars."

Confirmed with his arrival, he reached into his jacket and retrieved a hundred dollar note, handing it over the armrest towards him. "Keep the change," he said with a short smile, giving his dark glasses a nudge up his nose out of habit, just to reassure himself, they still concealed his non existent eyes.

The man's voice lit up with his smile as he took the money from Phaldor. "Thank you, sir. May Brahma be with you."

Hesitating on his way out, he let out a soft sigh and nodded. Brahma, the creator of the world in Hinduism, was just one of the countless names humanity had come up with for his Father. And he thoroughly hoped that He was with him. Stepping outside into the rain, his small duffel bag in his left hand, his cane in the right, he stepped towards the direction of the building, clearly hearing the chattering of a line of people. Yes, this seemed to be the right place, he figured. Women and men waiting in the rain to get allowed into his brother's club. The Devil could even make humans willingly endure a bit of torture, before they'd just as willingly spent their money on him.

Asking for the bouncer, he was met with a young, deep voice of a man standing at the entrance to the club. "Excuse me, sir, but you need to get in line, just like the rest of the guests. I'm sorry, but no preferences."

He tried to put on an understanding smile, but the pressure in the back of his head and the thundering of his heart made that hard to look genuine. He was tense, nervous, anxious and overall on edge. "I'm not actually interested in partying in the club. I'm here for the owner, Lucifer Morningstar."

"Like probably half of the guests as well, sir," the bouncer responded with amusement and routine in his voice.

Phaldor dipped his head and sighed. This just couldn't be it. The end to his journey being a human bouncer to send him off. Of course he could easily intimidate the man by using a bit of angelic strength, but that way of persuasion would only cause more trouble, he reckoned. "I'm his brother. If you don't trust my word for it, let him know I'm here. I need to talk to him. It's very urgent," he pressed demandingly, hearing how several of the guests standing near him started to murmur mystifyingly.

"Yeah that's what pretty much all the guys say, when they want get inside. 'I'm his brother or cousin or, hell, his father'. All the same nonsense," the bouncer countered, staying persistent. "But listen, even if you really were just here to talk to him, you wouldn't be able to, because he hasn't been in the club for months."

His throat tightened, the impact of the man's words ringing into his head with the force of a sledgehammer, shattering the structure of hope he had held onto for the last two days. "W-what do you mean? He… he's gone? He's not here?" He couldn't keep his voice from shaking, his breathing becoming harder as the realization was wickedly scratching itself to the surface of his mind. Buf if he's not here… It will come… and no one can stop it… Oh Lord, no...

"Well… ever since he left, Maze took over the club. She does all the background management, but she's hardly here either and-" the man trailed off, shifting around. "Oh, there she is. Hey Maze, how's it-"

"Let me through, human. I'm in a rush," a sharp female voice snapped and Phaldor felt a brush of a shoulder press past him.

Rude, he bitterly thought and was just about to protest, when he noticed both the distinct, dark vibe coming from her as well as her remark on the bouncer. Human? With quick reflexes, he shot his right hand forward, let the cane drop and hang in its loop around his wrist, and grabbed onto the woman's arm. "Demon?" he mouthed, feeling the strong muscle in his palm tense.

"What the hell, you freaking-" the woman hissed, but stopped mid sentence, sniffing. "Angel," she stated, her voice suddenly filled not only with anger but also contempt. A powerful thrust against his chest pushed him to the side and he felt his back shoved against a wall. "You've got some fucking nerve showing up here! Did Michael send you?! Were you sent to spy on us?! To hurt Lucifer or Chloe?!"

Grunting and rasping surprised, Phaldor dropped his duffel, both his hands trying to wrest himself free from her demonic hold. "Michael? Hurt Lucifer? Chloe? What? I don't know what you- No, I… I need to talk with Lucifer. There's something that… I… I have to tell him in person. Do you know where he is?"

"Oh yeah, you wanna talk to him?" she hissed back cynically. "Well I'm afraid your chit chat has to wait. And I'm not going to tell any of you winged prats anything about Lucifer. So you better fly off before I give you a kick start!"

Brows coming together to a confused frown above the rim of his sunglasses, he shook his head, still trying to free himself from her grip. She sure had more strength than he had expected from a demon. "Funny you say that. I can't fly off… and just for the record, I have no contact to my siblings in the Silver City." He could hear another sniff from the demon. What was her name again? Maze? Yes...

"You're fallen. But… not human," Maze muttered, releasing her grip on him.

"More like… exiled," Phaldor murmured back in short explanation, as if that was enough for her to know. He had only crossed paths with demons three times during his time on earth, and each time reminded him to stay cautious about the treacherous behaviour of demons. No need to share more information, than what was truly necessary. Gritting his teeth, he felt the nervosity of the prior events, and which led him to this place, creep up in him. "Listen… Maze. I need you to bring me to my brother. I swear, I'm not here to do him any harm. He needs to be warned about something that is coming and I believe that he's the only one who can stop it."

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Maze growled, but a moment later she released a scoff. "I don't have time for this shit right now. Tag along, but stay out of the way, ."

He felt her body shift away, her boots clanking as she stepped over the threshold of the club. Quickly reaching for his bag, he followed her inside, trying to keep her steps in focus, but the thump of the music made him quickly lose his direction. Not sure where to go or when he even was, he stopped in his tracks. "Maze?!" he called out over the music, his shoulders sinking with a frustrated sigh. Clubs really weren't his thing for a good reason.

"Didn't I tell you to tag along?" Maze grumbled and reached for his hand, pulling him along. "Now step on it, you blind, wingless bird. Hurry up!"

"Charming," he murmured under his breath, feeling as they pushed past a crowd of dancing bodies. Eventually the floor beneath him changed and he felt a small dip. An elevator. A push of a button later, the doors slid closed and the cabin moved upwards. The silence of the ride was maddening. Not only because he was already anticipating for another vision to hit him in a quiet moment like this, but also it made his fears over the previous visions manifest. Nervously licking his lips he turned his head towards Maze. "You mentioned something about Michael. Did… did something happen to Lucifer?"

"You could say that," she answered quizzically, her voice laced with contempt. After another few seconds of silence she continued, "What's your name? Which of his brethren are you?"

"Phaldor." He could feel her reaction change as she shifted on her feet next to him.

"You're the seer of the angel lot. Lucifer told me about you." her tone had risen with a hint of wonder.

Head lowering down, he swallowed and sighed. "I suppose it wasn't really anything kind he spoke about me. I probably would have done so myself, if I were in his position." Of course his brother would not be on good speaking terms with him, after his ultimate failure towards him in the time where Lucifer had needed him most. After Lucifer's fall, it had all been too late. His chance to support and to stand up for himself had crumbled to nothingness, just like his wings had rotten away during his own fall and made for a literally world-shattering impact. He hoped for at least a small piece of redemption for himself, perhaps even a reconciliation with his brother.

[Run Like Hell - Iconic Audio]

He felt weightless and cold. Eyes fluttering open, Lucifer adjusted to the dim light he stood in. Everything around him looked grey, ashen and dusty. He could see the particles floating through the air as he turned to look where he was, but when he checked the ground he was standing on, he gasped. There was no ground.

"Well that's something new I guess…" he breathed, moving his legs to test how this bizarre situation worked. Somehow his movement worked just fine, but it felt like a strange depth of nothingness that spread beneath him. "Where am I? Doesn't look like hell... " He tried to remember the specifics of what had happened, but it was a blur. He only remembered the thoughts and feelings about loss, sorrow and guilt. But why? The fragments seemed to small to make any sense and be put together into chunks that he could draw information from, his last experience shattered into a million tiny pieces. But one thing he could say for sure. He felt surprised about not being in hell.

Or maybe it is hell, he suddenly thought, feeling his limbs tingling and getting cold from a rush of dread. A hell-loop perhaps... His own, personal hell-loop of nothingness. Nothing but ash and dust. Not even a hill or a rock formation was gracing his sight with some sort of artistic disturbance in this forsaken wasteland. Everywhere he looked was the same unsatisfying, frizzy vibe of grey particles. Walking seemed utterly pointless if there was nothing for the eye to see that sparked some kind of difference, some shimmer of a possibility. If is really was a hell-loop though, he needed to find the way out. The exit.

Trying to find some sort of noise in this boring flat coloured wasteland would seem to be the key to get out. And calling didn't seem too much of a stupid idea to try and get some kind of respond from his surrounding. "Hello?! Is there anybody out there?!" He listened closely as his voice echoed through the air far into the distance, until eventually it was swallowed from the nothingness. He stayed quiet for several moments, but no sound reached him in return. "Great… just great," he sighed sarcastically and started to move. Trying to aim one foot in front of the other to keep a straight line, he gazed forward at the non existent horizon. Or is it even 'forward'?, he wondered, but quickly pushed the doubt aside.

Determination would be what hell was made to break and thus he needed to make sure to not let his willpower waver. He needed to stay confident and strong minded. Otherwise a place such like this one, whatever it was, would make his mind crumble. So he walked. On and on his feet carried him through the grey clouds. A sudden shiver made him rub his arms and sides and he felt himself cold to the touch. Why the heck am I feeling cold? I should feel pretty warm in hell… Whatever… Gotta keep going… Just doing 'something' other than standing around.

He kept on walking, the cold in his limbs not seeming to get any less, but rather settling deeper in his bones. Releasing a long sigh, he blinked slowly. What's going on…? I feel… I feel so… so tired. But that's impossible… I can't feel like that in hell... So where am I…? It became harder to move along, more difficult to focus on his feet, and eventually he found himself stopping altogether, his breaths coming out flat and rasping. It was exhausting. He tried to understand it, but it made no sense either, that he was feeling his strength depleting like that. Sure, hell was draining, but if his torture was supposed to be an endless walk in nothingness, the fact of his physical strength diminishing was rather illogical. It would be a far greater torment for him, if he would go insane during his journey. What if I already am going insane…?

Swallowing, he shook his head. No. No this was not acceptable. This wasn't feeling right. He clearly remembered that he had thought of waking up in hell, but this just wasn't hell. "Where am I?!" he grunted out aloud, hands balling into fists. "Whatever this is… I'm not playing along!"

[Wilderness Howl - Audiomachine]

A sudden brush of air coming from behind him, startled him out of his frustrated trance. Turning around, his eyes widened at the black, swirling, smoke-like fog that slithered over the ground and quickly built itself up to his height. "What the fuck…" Stepping backwards, he got some distance in between himself and the fog, watching as it continued to grow in size, both width and height, quickly towering over him a good two meters.

The fog's substance wafted, seeming to shift at times between its nebulous but also some sort of solid shape. Swirls emerged from its centre like arms and within its core, a vicious set of edgy, wicked eyes revealed themselves, the bright yellow colour feeling toxic and reminding him of a reptile. And then... it spoke.

"What a surprise to have you here, Lightbringer," it spoke in a malevolent, low sing-sang and drawled his heavenly nickname with contempt. The area beneath its eyes split open, revealing a mouth with pointy teeth, their structure also shifting between solid and a swirling fog.

His memory sparked with a surge spreading through his body like a shock, flooding him with information and pictures flashing in front of his mind's eye. The Darkness... Prophecy... When the Devil walks the earth… Priests… Demon attack… Chloe… When the miracle weeps… She was calling me… The warehouse… The spawn… Michael… Flying… Safety… Home... His chest ached from a deep pinch, and again the faint memory of loss welled up inside him. Gazing at the monstrous fog in front of him, he fought against the rush of tears welling in his eyes. He had failed them. Failed Chloe and the spawn. He had failed to keep them safe, failed to stay alive so he could take care of the priests, Michael and... "It's you. You're the Darkness," he mouthed, slowly widening his stance, his muscles tensing.

The entity's mouth twisted into a wide, grotesque smirk. "Yes, little Lightbringer. It's me. And now that you are with me, I get to have my fun with you." Dashing forward, the thick black fog reached out its arm-like appendages for Lucifer's legs.

His heart racing with adrenaline, he rolled his shoulders, his wings flaring out widely. He pushed himself off into the endless sky of grey particles and flew up high above the Darkness. Now, with his wings out and ready for a fight, he dove down like a hawk, and hardened his feathers and muscles for a powerful tackle. Slashing his right wing into the ancient creature, he felt the feather's slice into the thick fog, the material not giving him any resistance. He turned back around, watching the Darkness' shape unaffected from his attack, and attempted a second dive against it. This time he tackled the shape directly full front, but felt as his whole body simply flew through the black entity.

Responding with a vitriolic laughter, the Darkness' eyes narrowed and shimmered with glee. "There is no sense in your attacks, Lucifer," it murmured, continuing to grin at him as it swirled over to him in serpentine moves.

Grunting and panting, Lucifer hovered in the empty space that was neither air nor ground, realizing, that somehow these short attacks had drained a huge amount of his energy. It was strange. So unlike him. He wasn't a weak fighter. Surely not the best, but certainly able to keep up a fight for hours if not days. Heaven's battle being the best example for that. Frowning, he tried to grasp what was wrong with him and why he continued to feel cold in his limbs.

The Darkness swirled towards and started to circle around him in a wide arch, it's shape simulating a flying Chinese dragon. "You wonder why you're so weak, Devil, don't you?" it asked with a clear layer of amusement in its tone.

Glaring back at it, he ground his teeth. He didn't like the fact it knew how he felt and what was going on in his mind. Perhaps it was just a lucky guess. "You know me and the names I go by, but we haven't met before," he pointed out, avoiding answering his question. "I was created after your defeat."

With a low growl rumbling through it, the Darkness froze in its circling motion and looked back at him with piercing eyes. "Of course I know you. Hmmmm… yes… I may have been defeated from your parents, but I was never truly gone. They merely locked me into this realm. They couldn't kill me," he purred sinisterly, building up in size to tower over Lucifer once again. "Nobody can."

"I've heard that sentence before quite often. Especially in hell. But even there the beings of ancient times aren't truly immortal. There's always something that can eradicate them from existence," Lucifer countered unimpressed by the Darkness' posing. He broadened his own chest in confidence and defiance, but the weight of his body felt dragging and hard to uphold, despite his willpower fighting to make him stand upright. He blinked and breathed hard, irritated about his condition he couldn't pinpoint.

Snickering, the Darkness smirked. "Oh Lucifer, you know nothing about me. You don't even have an idea about what is going on with you right now. Just look at you. You can hardly hold up your own wings, let alone land a hit on me." Lowering its voice in playful curiosity, it leaned closer to him, teasingly whispering. "Let me tell you what's going on with you. You… are… dying."

Dying? He looked down at himself, confused. What? How? What was the last thing that happened? The priests… Chloe and the spawn… I was flying with them… It was so difficult… Memories of his flight flashed up inside him and he recalled how they approached his penthouse. I couldn't land safely… I… I needed to protect them… He saw himself turning with a quick arch of his wing, the wall of the building just a few meters away. He remembered his thoughts about hoping for Chloe and her daughter to not get harmed by the upcoming impact. He had thought of having failed them, to not be able to stand at their side and protect them from everything evil that was surrounding them. And he had mourned over the fact of not being able to ever see them again as he would go to hell, unable to leave it with his physical body being dead. "Dying…" he mouthed, looking down at his trembling hands. "But I'm not dead yet. I'm not in hell."

"Ahh… well… That's true. Not yet. But it doesn't matter. You're with me. Trapped until you fully fade away," the Darkness cooed, its whirling shape shifting to resemble a human, its arms flexing, fingers stretching and closing as if to feel for its own strength. "But I… I can feel my release from this place approaching. My return. My rebirth." Looking back at Lucifer, it bared its teeth, deeply inhaling and releasing a lewd groan. "Mmmm… A sweet, vanilla scent.. Is that from that human woman of yours? It's all over you…"

Glaring back into the yellow eyes, Lucifer felt his body tensing with anger at the mention of Chloe. "How do you even know about her and me, since you've been locked up in this place since the dawn of this world?" he growled, flinching back as the fog made a lashing attempt with one of its arms at him.

Unimpressed from Lucifer's attempt to keep distance between them, the Darkness dashed forward in a blurr, swirling around him in a tightening embrace, it's shape hardening. "You, Devil… You think that you brought evil to this world. That you started it all." It released a roaring laughter, before grazing its teeth along Lucifer's throat. "How amusing… Of course you are not the source. How could you be? The Lightbringer. No… You see, I have found a very small, but oh so wonderful crack in the fabric between this realm and earth. And you know where that crack led me, hm?" Unable to hold back its excitement, it blurted out the answer, knowing how much of an impact it would have. "Into the roots of a very special tree, planted within a very special garden…"

His struggle against the entity ceased as its words sank into him, the implication of it making his head spin. Eyes widening, he shook his head, his voice trembling in a mere whisper. "No… No that… that can't be true..." It wasn't possible. His head throbbed with a scratching aching pain as the Darkness' statement tore through his protective walls he had built over all these eons, protecting him from all the anguish and horrors he had been burdened with and which he had endured. The scapegoat for all of humanity's sins ever since Eden. Forcing down the tears, he clenched his jaw. Had he carried that cross of being the origin of evil for the Darkness?

"Yes… Oh yes…" the Darkness purred amused, it's voice humming in a tormenting, gleeful way. "I've tainted the fruit of the tree. You know… giving it a hint of my dark flavour. And, lucky me, Eve took a bite from the apple. And then Adam. And look how things went rolling from there. A little bit of me spread all throughout humanity. Of course they've been having that spark of darkness inside them because of their free will you showed to Eve, but… I'd say the little addition of a bit of me made it so much more interesting."

It was devastating. To think that for all these years he had thought that his actions had doomed humanity, or, at least brought along the unspeakable atrocities humanity could come up with, and now he learned that it wasn't solely his action, but the influence of the Darkness that caused humanity to go into such extremes. And this had only been possible because of a small crack in between the realms. It was unthinkable what it was able to do when it would be free to roam earth. Panting, he continued to fight the Darkness' hold, his anger and willpower pushing him forward. Tensing his compressed wings, he growled and wiggled, his hands managing to grip onto the entity's fog-like tentacle that slung around his torso. "I won't let you break free. You'll rot in this place for all eternity."

Laughing at the attempt of Lucifer to get out of its hold, it twisted itself so it's head swirled in front of Lucifer's face and it could look him directly in his eyes. "But you cannot stop it from happening, Lightbringer. You are in a coma. You slipped into the limbo that is my prison. But the doors to my cell are almost fully open. Your door on the other hand… is closing. And while sadly I cannot kill you myself in here… I can still make the rest of your pathetic life- How do you say? A living hell."

Grunting and growling, Lucifer fought against the hold, but his physical strength was barely existing enough for him to move an inch. In horror he watched as the Darkness opened its mouth, it's sharp, black teeth glistening with vicious intent. "No… no…" he pressed in rising panic, but in a quick snap downwards, the teeth sank into the side of his throat. Eyes and mouth ripping wide open, he released a harrowing scream, feeling as the teeth tore into his flesh, ripping apart muscles and sinews. But that wasn't the most painful thing of it. He could feel his divine light dimming, his energy fading. His divinity was literally sucked out of him, weakening him more and more. Tears welling up, he desperately clawed at the Darkness, but he felt he was failing.

Puffy, blue eyes emerged in his mind. Chloe… Her lips parted and moved as she said something he couldn't hear, her voice non existent. Chloe… Please… help me… Feeling the tears trickle down his cheeks, he coughed and rasped for air. His surrounding, slowly but surely darkened, seeming as if it was swallowing him and the Darkness along with it, making them become one.

"Maze!" Chloe exclaimed as she saw the demon stepping out of the elevator. But she wasn't alone. A man entered the living room behind her, his cane and dark glasses indicating he was blind. Sniffing and wiping the tears from her previous crying away, she got up from the ground and stepped towards her and the man.

Maze stared past her at Lucifer's unconscious body, her tongue nervously licking her lips. "How is he?"

Seeing her jaw flex and her hands clench, Chloe knew her demon friend was thinking about going after every single individual that got him into this position. "We're not sure. Linda said he seems to have fallen into a coma. His pulse keeps going up and down and his breathing started to hitch from time to time." Arms wrapping around herself, she eyed the quiet companion of her warily. "Who is that?" she asked, irritated Maze brought along a stranger in this situation.

"He's a brother of Lucifer. Don't worry. He's blind and wingless. Certainly not going to put up a fight," Maze muttered, her eyes scanning the scene as Trixie helped Amenadiel to tend to Lucifer's wings.

Releasing a soft grumble, the man made two steps forward and offered a short smile, before lowering his head in comity. "I'm sorry for the inconvenience. My name is Phaldor. I came to talk with Lucifer about something very important," Phaldor introduced himself, his voice stressed and shaking.

"I'm Chloe. And… I'm sorry, but your timing is really not the best," she commented with a sigh. "Listen, Phaldor. I don't like saying this, but you probably came here in vein. He's not responsive and… overall we're dealing with quite a lot right now." A god-damn prophecy was said to be fulfilled. Priests were out to murder her and do whatever needed to be done to achieve that. The freaking archangel Michael, who was behind it all, brutally battered Lucifer and now was lying comatose on the ground. She really didn't want to explain the sheer insanity of her world at this stage.

Swallowing down the stressed lump in his throat, Phaldor nodded. "I do understand, but you have to know this." Making another step closer to Chloe, he reached out, feeling for her upper left arm and giving it a soft squeeze. "A darkness is coming," he pressed with a panicking voice, his breath heavy and trembling. "I've seen it. I've had several visions the past two days. It's evil, truly evil. In ways we cannot even fathom. I wanted to talk with Lucifer and tell him about it, because… I thought if anyone knows about evil it's him. Maybe it's something that is escaping hell. I was hoping that sharing my visions with him would help stop it."

Chloe's lower lip quivered at his words. "We know about the Darkness. Lucifer said it was there before God and Goddess created this universe. They managed to seal it away. But it seems that a certain prophecy is connected to its release, and the first part of the prophecy is undoubtedly fulfilled already. But the other two parts… we don't know."

"What? I've never heard of a prophecy about this Darkness. And I should know. I was the seer of heaven. Our Father gave me all visions of prophecies in regards to His creation," he muttered irritated, pensively combing a hand through his hair. This was a paradox. He knew all given prophecies. As far as he was aware, there was no prophecy given after his exile.

"Well… apparently there is one. From the looks of it, Michael wrote it down. He's trying to stop the prophecy, but let's just say his methods are rather unorthodox, if manipulating and killing humans are any indicators," Chloe explained, her bitterness and anger biting through her words.

"Michael? Oh no... Why is he doing that? He knows Father would never approve of such methods. And why isn't Father stopping him?" Devastation and fear over God's absence crept up in him. He had hoped for his Father to watch over him, guide him along on his path and help him understand his visions. But he had felt lost and very much left alone the past two days. And if Michael was allowed such atrocities without any interference, he feared over what was going on with God. "Maybe… maybe He left us," he mouthed, his voice strained.

Maze scoffed in contempt and leaned in on Phaldor's left ear, whispering. "As if He was ever there to help any of you in the first place. He's just a selfish prick, not giving a shit about his children."

"MOM!" Trixie suddenly cried out towards them. "Mom, something is wrong!"

The argument between Maze and Phaldor was instantly crushed to nothing but thin air at her daughter's cry. Her heart kickstarted to a mad pounding in her chest, the pulse rushing in her ears this minute. Quickly moving over, Chloe saw Lucifer's body cramping up in tormenting spasms. His teeth clenched together, he panted and grunted, and his brows knit together in an unknown conflict. "Is it possible he's having a nightmare?" she asked stressed towards Linda, as she lowered down and held Lucifer's head secure with her hands so he wasn't accidentally hurting himself.

Carefully, Linda leaned in on his face and lifted his eyelids. Using a mini flashlight she checked his pupils, but he was still unresponsive towards the stimuli. "Perhaps. It could be a kneejerk reaction in his brain. But I've also heard many stories of people that woke from a coma, who said they had experienced some sort of event while they were out. Sometimes more, sometimes less detailed."

Keeping his head in her lap, she gently caressed over Lucifer's cheeks, feeling the ache in her chest becoming worse as she saw his wings starting to twitch as well. While Amenadiel at first seemed unsure of how to react, Trixie immediately started to sweetly groom the wing in front of her in a soothing manner. Smiling at her daughter, Chloe turned back to Linda. "Is there anything we can do?" It wasn't just about the medical help anymore. From the semi-professional look Linda could provide, they did everything they could in terms of medical support. But his mental condition was something they hadn't been able to get to the bottom of yet. "Maybe… if I would leave him for a while, would that help him heal?" she asked insecurely and glanced between Amenadiel and Maze.

"I don't think so, Chloe," Amenadiel said with a soft sigh. "He's just able to be injured with you around, but… that doesn't mean he's healing less quickly because of your presence."

"Yeah, I'd agree with that. I haven't seen him heal up worse with you around. Besides… I think he wouldn't like it if you weren't here," Maze added thoughtfully with a small smile.

Linda's hand reached encouragingly to her shoulder. "Chloe, how about this: We see, if we can manoeuvre him securely to his bed where it's more comfortable, and then we all give you a bit of privacy. More often than not, people who woke from a coma said they had felt the presence of their loved ones around them. So… Talk to him. Let him know you're here. It can't hurt. Maybe that'll be his connection to come back home."

She was beyond thankful for her friends' support. Without it, she wasn't sure she would be able to manage. "Okay," she quietly agreed and wiped away a film of sweat from Lucifer's forehead. His cramps had thankfully stopped again as had the twitching of his wings.

With joined effort, they carried Lucifer up the short flight of stairs into his bedroom and carefully laid him down onto the sheets. She hated to see him like this, wounded, fighting and in pain. Taking in his sight was tormenting. He was covered in cuts and bruises, his clothes mere shreds of fabric hanging from his maltreated body and he was still smeared with blood all over him. Again Linda placed a hand on her arm, letting her notice that she brought the bowl along with ice and some towels, as if she had read her wish to take care of the remaining, superficial damage herself.

[When An Angel Has Fallen - Idan Itzhayek]

While the group retreated back into the living room, Chloe carefully sat down at the edge of the bed, making sure none of Lucifer's feathers were in the way. Looking at him quietly, her eyes welled up with tears again. He had done it again. He had put himself into harm's way, knowing he would suffer from it, but in the means to protect her and her daughter, he had done it would hesitation. Just like so many times before when he had hazarded his life to save her. Releasing a sobbing breath, she shook her head, her hands moving to his left sleeve. "You're such a crazy idiot," she whisper-scolded him with a breaking voice, her heart clenching in longing to see his eyes open. Gripping into one of the cuts of his sleeve, she tore the fabric open towards the next cut until his arm was fully free. Repeating the procedure on his other arm, she bit her lip, trying her best to keep from sobbing again, but she failed miserably. "You almost got yourself killed for me and Trixie. I know you're not thinking it a big deal, because you're literally the worst at receiving gratitude. But it is a big deal to me, Lucifer. You mean so much to me. And I can't-" She broke off, her voice failing her. I just can't lose you, Lucifer…

Suddenly his brows twitched into a frown and he began to murmur words she couldn't decipher. He quietly groaned and grunted, his fingers clenching at his sides. Swiftly she grabbed his hand, feeling his fingers close around hers in waves. "Shush.. it's okay. I'm here," she mouthed and used her free hand to reach into his tousled hair, tenderly combing through it. "It's okay, Lucifer. Trixie and I are safe. But we need you to be with us." Inhaling deeply, she felt another wave of despair hitting her. Leaning down to his face, she pressed her lips against his temple, feeling the soft movement of his head as he fought whatever nightmare he suffered. "I need you, Lucifer, do you hear me?" she whispered against his skin, hoping desperately for him to somehow hear her. "I need you to come back to me. We didn't have enough time… and there's still so much I want for us to do… so much I want to tell you."

His mumbling slowed down until it stopped completely, his hand relaxing. Only his quiet groans and pants stayed to show the discomfort he was likely experiencing in his distant state of mind. She watched him for a few moments longer, waiting if he was starting to cramp up again, but thankfully it seemed he had become slightly more stable. Shifting back up, she looked over his shirt, now merely a few pieces hung on him. Wondering how his wings actually sprouted through the fabric, she carefully pressed his side up and looked at his shoulder. The point were fabric and wing touched, looked less saturated and even transparent, as if the fabric was not solid and not fully connecting with his body. Gripping a fistful of the fabric on his side, she tugged and watched as the shirt shifted through his wings without resistance. Okay… so that's how that works... Giving the rags of his shirt a few more tugs, it finally came off completely. Placing it aside to be thrown away later, she brushed along one of his bigger feathers with the back of her hand and shivered. It was soft and smooth and warm. Strange how they can feel warm...

"You know," she continued quietly, took one of the wet towels Linda had brought her and started cleaning the blood off from his face. "Ever since I saw your wings… I had wondered what they might feel like. I hope you don't mind all the touching from me and the others." Smiling sadly, she brushed the towel over his chest in circling motions, cleaning it from sprinkles of blood, sweat and ash. Slowly the towel turned red the further she progressed with her cleansing of him. At last she put the towel away and moved to his feet. With just as much care as before, she took off his footwear and went on with his ruined dress pants. Tending to his smaller cuts along his legs, she finally put the ice into two clean towels and placed one against his bruised jaw and the other against a bruise on the left side of his ribcage. With everything taken care of, she went over into his walk-in-closet, grabbing a thick blanket from the shelf, and covered and tucked him up as best as possible to keep the rest of his body warm.

Sitting in silence and watching him as he twitched every now and then, she noticed her own eyes being heavy. The events of the day had once again taken their toll on her. Glimpsing shortly out into the living room she saw the rest of her friends sitting around Lucifer's table, deeply absorbed in quiet conversations. They were okay, worried for obvious reasons, but they were safe as they stayed together. Tiredly settling down at Lucifer's left side, she brushed his feathers out of the way as much as possible and rested against him. She could feel he was still rather cold, from the shock his body had suffered, the bloodloss and the exertions his body and mind seemed to be going through in his coma. She hoped the care they had taken of him and the warmth of the blanket and her body would help him to regain his warmth, and that he would heal up with her as quickly as angelically possible. Placing her cheek against his chest, she listened to his thumping heart, her hand draping over his stomach to press herself a bit more tightly against him. "Whatever is going on, wherever you are right now… Don't give up, Lucifer. You mustn't give up. I'm here, okay? You're not alone. I'll stay with you. Always."

Deeply inhaling his scent, she closed her eyes, letting the strong drum of his heart pull her away and ease the sorrows from her mind. Exhausted, she let sleep overcome her and pull her into the dark.

[The Plague - Assassin's Creed 2 OST / Jesper Kyd]

It hurt. It really hurt. A long time had passed since Michael had last been injured. Not that he was proud of that, but he accepted the fact he felt a certain respect for the pain that pulsed through his limbs, and especially his left eye. Lucifer's thumb had fully squashed and destroyed it, a circumstance he felt repulsed to leave unpunished. He could still see with his right eye, but he was aware of the disadvantage. Distances and relations would be a pain to guess. Fighting half blind against the Devil was a match he wasn't sure to win. And failing was not an option. Not when literally everything, all of God's creation, was at stake. And so, despite his wish for vengeance and settling peace for creation's future, he had no other choice but to rest until his wounds had healed.

With a silken, royal red cloth wrapped around his head and over his injured eye, he flew past his siblings, their curious glances and whispered chattering a disrespect to his position amongst them. But he couldn't bother about their impertinence right now, his mind fully consumed by the events that had led to this moment and from what was not going to happen, if he could help it.

He knew it was coming. There was no doubt in that. He had seen it at his brother's creation, had seen the vision that had haunted him ever since that day. Lucifer had been destined to unleash it upon all of them, and with every day he had observed his younger brother it became clearer and clearer that he was not mistaken in his vision. Lucifer was a rebel. Trouble followed in his footsteps wherever he went and it had not even been much of a surprise to him, that on this one sunny day in Eden, he had tainted and doomed all of creation with his defiance towards their Father. That had been the day, Michael had made a decision. There was no way to save his brother. Consequences had to follow his actions and he had been joyful to hear God's instructions on Lucifer's fall. It had been perfect. The perfect way to save them all, by making sure Lucifer's actions wouldn't release the Darkness. It would keep Lucifer imprisoned, so that the Darkness would stay imprisoned as well.

He had wondered if his Father had known all along. If His omniscience involved His creation's fate, the moment He put it into existence. Had He seen Lucifer's involvement as well? How Lucifer would set everything in motion? How it seemed unstoppable, unless Lucifer was taken care off? For a time Michael had thought so. But then his blasted brother continued to break out of his prison of hellfire, and walked the earth, just like he had seen it in his vision all these eons ago, when Lucifer's divine shape had been formed by his parents.

At first Michael had been wary and felt a small bit of nervosity rise inside of him, but the more often Lucifer visited earth and got involved with humanity, the more worried he became. It had always been vital to force Lucifer back to hell. To make him stay on his damned throne. But Lucifer's rebellious side and his willpower to follow his own desires continued to be problematic. Sending Amenadiel had worked for a long time, the faithful soldier and willing executor he was. Amenadiel hadn't needed the information Michael had about the Darkness. The spoken word of their Father was the law and so it had been reason enough for him to prosecute Lucifer and force him back to hell.

For millennia it had felt like a tug-of-war, a continuous back and forth. Lucifer would come to earth and rebel, Amenadiel would send him back, with force if necessary, and so on and so forth. But it all changed when Michael had taken note of that intriguing, blonde woman. Somehow Lucifer had become genuinely attracted to her and she to him. The Devil had fallen in love and it was a catastrophe. Not only that the first part of his vision had been almost fulfilled, but he had found out that she had come to life because of his Father's direct order. A miracle. And it was God's personally created human that would be the second nail into this universe's coffin.

This was the answer to his long held question. God knew. He had known all along, ever since He had created this world, that it would be doomed through His second born son and His miracle human He would create one day. A plan Michael could not fathom. Why create them all and have them doomed right from the beginning? It was unacceptable. He wanted to exist. Wanted to praise his Father. To guide and judge humanity as he was designed to be. His Father must've made a mistake. Something must've slipped his perfection. Somehow. He couldn't explain it to himself otherwise.

And so more extreme measures had to be taken. Measures that he could not let his Father take note of and that had pained him to do in order to stop his Father's flawed plan. He had to conceal his actions, his thoughts, his feelings and intentions. Every step he had made from that moment on, needed to be hidden from his Father's omnipresent eyes. The irony was bitter, because he, the first born, was the only one who could trick Him, because Michael was The Power Of God. In the moment of his creation, God had equipped him with an equivalent power to His own, to be used if anything were to ever happen to the almighty deity. He hadn't dared to unleash the full potential of his Father's powers to try and prevent this situation from happening, knowing that it would likely destroy him if he wasn't careful enough. So all he did was tap lightly into the essence inside of him, only taking the power that was necessary to shield himself from his Father's view, presence and knowledge. Using God's own power to hide from Him.

Everything had worked out well so far in terms of his concealment. But to his surprise, God seemed to have left His creation, as he couldn't feel his Father's presence anymore. And that was bothering him quite a lot. Had God given up on them and simply left them to the fate He knew would be coming? Michael could feel his emotions boil in turmoil. He refused to believe his Father had forsaken them, but the storm of doubts and fears welled inside him.

Landing on the platform that lead into the Great Hall, the two guards at the archway uncrossed their spears and bowed their heads to him. Wings angling against his back, he stepped into the holiest of rooms in the Silver City, the white tiling on the floor reflecting its tower in perfection. A broad white marble throne stood on a little plateau, its seat empty. Since the beginning of his own existence and the creation of the Silver City, this had been his cradle, his sanctuary and his command centre for the holy law. It was the place in which God preferred to use to speak to him, instruct him with tasks and, at times, respond to his prayers.

None of his siblings was granted this close of a connection to God. Not because He didn't want to. Michael was sure his Father would love nothing more than to interact with all of his children. But His Father had always told him about a balance that He needed to uphold. One that would be heavily compromised if He were to be more involved with His children. So the connection remained solely between Him and Michael. In a way that was certainly a blessing, so to speak, but it was also a burden, because Michael had to bring all of his Father's words out to his siblings. He was the voice for God, which meant he had to do all the conversations, the debates and caretaking with his siblings. It was demanding and draining to be God's voice, but this was the fate he gave himself up for willingly.

Stepping up the ledge, Michael sat down at the side of the throne with a quiet grunt and rested back against the smooth stone. Secluded from his siblings, he closed his right eye. Making sure his Father wouldn't actually take note of his thoughts, he let his mind wander, his muscles relaxing. Oh, Father. You know I could never defy you, but… but I cannot let us all be destroyed. Maybe one day you'll grace me with your kindness and forgive me. I will endure the pain of yearning for it until then.

Chapter Text

Chapter 15: Into The Light

[Fear Not - Efisio Cross]

Chloe stayed at his side, just as she had promised. Day and night she watched over him, checked if his temperature was increasing back to normal, cleaned him from sweat and changed his bandages. But Lucifer's condition hadn't really changed. While his wounds were healing impressively well, he still hadn't woken up over the last two days day. Several times he had fallen into states of cramps and spasms, groaning miserably in a mental pain she couldn't tend to. It was tormenting to be doomed to watch, but Linda told her there was nothing else she could do but talk to him and take care of him physically so that his mind could draw strength from his healing body. So that's what she was doing.

She had talked with her friends the first morning after Lucifer's crash, and was beyond thankful for their support. There had been several things that needed to be taken care of, first and foremost, the priests needed to be found and caught. Maze had instantly jumped up with a growl at the mention of them and Chloe knew the demon was furious because of their kidnapping of Trixie. It needed a bit of persistence from herself and Linda to talk her out of punishing the priests to get justice and satisfaction, but eventually Maze had complied to their pleas, although she insisted on being allowed to catch them in whatever way she desired as long as no torture was involved.

To help Maze with her search, she gave her the picture she had taken of Valentine, Kinley and the two unknown priests, and told her to go check the passenger list that would likely be put on her desk in the precinct. Just to be sure, she also gave her Valentine's address in case the priests would be so stupid to retreat to his place.

As another issue she wanted to be taken care of, she had asked Gaudium to keep an eye on Ella and Dan in the precinct as best and as unsuspicious as possible. Having seen Valentine's creepy observation den, she figured it would be best to make sure all of her friends were looked after. To her colleagues she had explained, that she once again was feeling unwell and dizzy, which was just more or less a white lie, given she wasn't feeling particularly great with Lucifer lying in a coma and with the dilemma of a literal existential crisis for all of God's creation lurking around the corner.

For Trixie she pretty much used the same excuse to keep her out of school, and she was happy her girl just needed a written statement from her instead of a medical certificate. Linda and Amenadiel both stayed in the penthouse as well. It was easiest for them that way to take care of Charlie, have Linda at the ready if her medical help would be needed and Amenadiel as a means to protect them all in case Michael or the priests would show up.

It was now the third day of Lucifer's coma. Her friends had been settling in on the floor beneath the penthouse, in a big suit equipped with enough beds for all of them and in a close enough proximity for Amenadiel to provide quick protection. She rested tiredly in the chair in the corner of the bedroom, watching Lucifer in his silent suffering with an aching heart. The sun had just settled and the city was still covered from the last warm-lit, purple-orange clouds, providing mystic but also reverent lighting caressing Lucifer's unconscious features.

With quiet steps, Phaldor walked up the stairs to Lucifer's bedroom and stopped in the archway. "May I come in?" he asked calmly, hearing the soft movements of Chloe as she shifted in the chair.

She was feeling a little bad for not having talked with Phaldor the days before, totally focussed on doing everything to ease Lucifer's pain and watch over his condition with hardly any breaks. "Of course," she quickly replied, standing up and stepping closer. She took in the man's features, fascinated how he looked just as handsome as Lucifer, but nothing like him at all. Just like Amenadiel, they showed no family resemblance. Phaldor had the looks of a grey fox with a bit remaining blonde showing through in his hair. It was cut short on the sides and kept slightly longer and combed on top, swirling in a small wave. For a second she wondered how he made it look this good without being able to see it. "How are you doing?" she asked softly, not just to get a conversation started with him, but also out of genuine curiosity. He had explained how he had been in lots of pain because of the visions he had priorly experienced, and she hoped there were good news at least on that front.

Lifting his head a little, his lips parted, letting out a surprised, short laugh. "I was about to ask you the same question. You're the one sitting at my brother's side all day and night," he answered, slowly stepping further into the room. It wasn't too difficult to get an inner picture of the room's measurements, the way their voices rang in the bedroom giving him information on how wide and tall the room was. Not only that. Because of Lucifer's hard breathing and quiet groans, he could picture him lying on his bed against the side of the room, and even though Chloe stepped quietly, her voice let him know she was merely a few feet away from him. His right hand lowered, he brushed his palm along the edge of the bed, gliding it upwards until he knew he had reached about the middle. Stretching his hand further inside, he was first met with the softness of feathers, he then felt the twitching hand of his brother and grasped it.

Chloe bit her lip, unsure of what to say. She was thankful for him being worried about her, especially since he didn't even really know her. Deciding to not answer at all, because she just didn't want to think about herself in these times, she simply watched him, noticing the soft, trembling gasp as Phaldor touched Lucifer's hand. His head sunk and shook ever so lightly, not just in a sad way, but clearly with remorse. "What is it?" she whispered, watching as Phaldor sank down on his knees next to the bed, both of his hands clutching on Lucifer's right.

His throat tightened with a lump. Although he couldn't see anymore, his mind could still vividly bring forth the images that haunted him. Releasing another trembling sob, he ground his teeth. The burning in the back of his eye sockets, coming from the incapability of emotional release, felt like a deserved punishment. "I don't want to fail him again," he pressed out, his voice cracking.

Frowning at his words, she stepped up to him and crouched down to his level. "Why do you say that? You came a long way. I overheard you saying that you flew here from New York and that you were in a lot of pain because of the visions." Gently squeezing his arm, she waited until she saw his face tilt towards her. "For all I know, you could have stayed away, not bothered about this whole situation or about coming to talk to Lucifer. I know that likely most of his other siblings wouldn't move a finger for him. But you did."

Brows coming together above the rim of his dark glasses, he appeared to look at her conflicted and guilty. "And I pray that it was not in vein. That I can still support him and try to make things right… even if just a little." He swallowed, his head turning to his brother as he heard him groan more painfully, his hand gripped his own in a powerful cramp. Keeping Lucifer's hand in one of his own, he reached out the other to lay it on Lucifer's chest, feeling his thundering heartbeat. "He's fighting, I can feel it," he commented quietly. "He's strong. A great fighter. The best, I'd say." Letting out a soft laugh, he thought back to a day he had been training combat with his brother. "He always thought of others to be better fighters than him. Michael. Gabriel. Amenadiel. He knew strength wasn't his greatest power. But he had willpower and an unshakable believe in what his heart craved for. He would do everything for that. He would never give up a fight and bend the knee. I believe… he never really understood that that's exactly what makes him the strongest fighter of us all."

Scooping up on the edge of the bed, she felt Lucifer's forehead and wiped it with a cool, wet cloth a few times, waiting until his cramping stopped with an exhausted gasp. With a weak smile, she nodded in understanding. "Yeah… he's quite modest about his capabilities, except when he craves the attention, but that's only Superficial Lucifer. He's in this condition because he fought with all his strength to keep me and my daughter safe." Leaning in she placed a light kiss on Lucifer's forehead and turned back to Phaldor, looking at him quietly. "Tell me a bit about yourself… if you don't mind. Lucifer never told me much about his siblings."

Gently putting down Lucifer's hand, he sat on the ground in front of her and rested his head back against the stone wall. "What's to tell about me?" he murmured, tilting his face towards the ceiling, imagining he was closing his eyes. "I was the first to be created after the archangels. Designed to be their seer. I could foresee things regarding us angels and later on humanity. My visions would be discussed with my siblings and we'd make decisions built upon them."

"You've had visions since your creation?" she asked surprised, somehow having thought this was not something he had been born with, but that began to happen at a certain stage of his life. But before he could respond, she asked a question that felt even more important to her. "Have they always been this painful?"

He froze for a second, taken aback from her genuine interest and sympathy. "No. They… they haven't," he admitted honestly and pulled his legs close to rest his arms over his knees. "The visions have always been part of my life, but… they only ever became this tormentingly painful after my punishment and my fall."

It was strange to hear Phaldor name two things separately which she considered to be one and the same. Lucifer's fall had been a punishment, one with many other consequences connected to it. "What do you mean your punishment? Was there something done to you before your fall?"

Swallowing, he took a deep breath. "Let's just say, I wasn't always blind." It was difficult to talk about it. He tried to think of a way to explain without diving too deep into the scar that marked his life, but Lucifer's sudden pained cry cut him off before he could speak a word.

Her heart instantly beating in her throat, Chloe took a hold of Lucifer's face. "Lucifer… hey… shush… I'm here… It's okay... it's okay…" Caressing his cheek with one hand, she reached for the wet cloth with the other, dipped it into the bowl with fresh water and wiped the sweat from his face. "He's struggling so much," she sighed, hating to see how difficult his fight was and seeing how there seemed to be no change.

The cry of his brother was spine chilling and shocking him in a way he had never thought he would feel ever again. But sometimes irony happened even to him. He could clearly see in his mind's eye Lucifer being dragged to the edge of the Silver City. He felt his chest ache and crunch with guilt knocking the air out of his lungs. He had made a horrifying mistake. And then he saw Lucifer being struck down, his body plummeting from heaven and burning as it transitioned from the heavenly realm towards hell. His scream was echoing in his head like a giant tower bell.

And suddenly, it all made sense. Phaldor could see. Of course not literally, but he could tell how the pieces of this puzzle, of this mess they were in, all fell into place and he knew his own part in it. The Darkness had been right and wrong at the same time. He would die. Yes. But not really. Not now. Not like this. This was his chance. This was the sign he had hoped to receive. The one that would show him a way of redemption. Quickly getting up, he stepped back at the bed, hands reaching out to feel for Lucifer's body. Placing his hands on Lucifer's chest, he concentrated, breathing deeply to calm his body and mind.

"What are you doing?" Chloe asked quietly, watching as Phaldor lowered his head, mumbling something under his breath.

"It's the Darkness. It's with him. That's what's happening. And it's draining his divinity. That's why he can't wake up… why he can't fight it off. He's too weak and lost," he explained, avoiding answering her question. "Oh Lucifer… Please hold on." Focussing on his brother, he could feel his divinity dwindling. It was fluctuating, seeming to try to regenerate to its original state, but it was overall getting less and less. He knew what he wanted to do was drastic. It would change his own life completely and forever, but he also knew it was only fair. It was the right thing to do. He only hoped it would work.

[Evilium - Theta Sound Music]

Lucifer's body and mind felt in constant panic. Sometimes the pain would spark to a sudden extreme and sometimes he felt empty and numb, a back and forth, a limbo, fitting for the place he was in. But something had started to change. Ever so slowly he could feel the warmth return to his limbs and the heaviness inside them felt to decrease as well. They improved to the point where he could start to counter the Darkness' hold with a considerable force. At the beginning his wiggling was merely a nuisance to the creature, but now he could tell it was getting pissed. Something seemed to not work the way it thought it would and he looked forward to continue putting up a fight.

Snarling and grunting, he pressed his wings outwards, feeling as the tight hold of the Darkness couldn't stand against him any longer. Eyes ablaze and teeth bared, he burst them open completely, causing the entity to swirl into in a few feet's distance, its shape transforming from its solid consistency back into a fog-like entity. Panting, Lucifer stood his ground, wings spread wide and strongly. Keeping his eyes on the creature, he reached a hand up to his neck, feeling for the wound, but within moments there was nothing left. No marks, no blood, no lasting pain. Nothing that showed he had been bitten at all. The only thing he could still feel was the weak amount of divinity anchored in his core.

The Darkness eyed him with pure hatred, lowly growling and moving slowly back and forth in front of him. Thinking back on what it had said to him, Lucifer tilted his head curiously to the side. "You can't kill me in here… And I can't kill you. The limbo is a place of non-existence, an in between. You thought my body would die on earth. But I seems that it didn't. I can feel my body healing, getting stronger." Brows narrowing, his gaze hardened with determination. "I will wake up and I will stop you. One way or another. That's a promise."

The yellow eyes flared up in its pitch black face of smoke, its mouth distorting into a vicious smirk. "Oh I doubt you'll be able to stop me… especially not with that dim light inside your core. You can feel it, can't you, Lightbringer? Your divinity, so small… so... weak. You don't really live up to your name anymore."

It was true, he could feel the dwindling amount of divinity inside of him, but his mind was still set. Somehow, he'd find a way to stop it, kill it perhaps. He'd do everything in his power to make sure it would not come to earth and destroy everything he loved and held dear. In order to do that though, he somehow had to wake up. But how to bloody do that? It's not like I can just pinch myself and I'm waking up… or is it? Sceptically, he tried it, just to be sure. It didn't work. Well, fuck.

Thinking on what other possibilities he had, he ground his teeth. Maybe this is sort of like a challenge… like I need to get the upper hand or something. Maybe this is all just a trick on the mind, like in a hell loop. Some sort of illusion my subconsciousness makes up and I just need to break through the matrix somehow. Yes… But HOW? Where's the catch? Where's the mistake? Where's the fucking crack in the wall?! Watching the Darkness lurk in front of him, he cursed inwardly. In a realm of just grey particles and nothing else, it seemed impossible to find the exit. But there HAS to be one… Eyes narrowing at the dark fog, he growled. "I'm not weak. You'll see." Determined and not giving up, he thrusted his wings, pushing himself into the grey sky.

He had to try and leave the Darkness behind. There was no point in staying in its proximity with its shape being immortal in this realm and he had a feeling he shouldn't risk another round of its teeth in his neck. It was better to focus fully on his surrounding, looking for a way out, while trying to outmanoeuvre and outspeed the entity. Soaring up high above the Darkness, he pushed himself forward, cutting through the sky as fast as he could move. Glancing behind himself he checked where the Darkness was, spotting it a good hundred meters behind him. It didn't seem to fall further behind, but he also wondered if this was the fastest the entity could move. And if so, was this just because it was weakened in the limbo? How fast would it be if it were released? Not gonna let that happen and find out…

Looking left and right as he travelled through the endless grey space, he saw no differences, nothing that seemed out of place, indicating some sort of change or an exit. As he dove through the monotone surrounding, his mind momentarily wandered to earth. To Chloe and her spawn. Where they safe? What were they doing? Did Michael catch up with them? What about those damned priests? And what happened to his own body? My body's feeling stronger. Maybe that's her doing. Did she take care of me? His heart ached with longing to see her again, to wrap his arms around her and press her against him. She has to be okay… She has to… Swallowing thickly, he tried to focus on the positive. She's strong and smart. She's the bloody best human I've ever known. She is alright. I'm sure of it. I have to have faith in her… Dad-dammit, I'd give everything to have her voice ring in my head and guide me out of here right now… Oh Chloe… I miss you… How do I get back?

[ A Sacrifice To Save You - Efisio Cross ]

"Phaldor?" her voice rang higher and slightly alarmed as she saw a soft glow emit from his palms. "What's going on? What are you doing?" The light steadily increased in intensity, yellow-white, warm and soothing in a way, but it was becoming more and more painful to look at what was going on. She spotted Phaldor leaning further down against Lucifer and she was sure she could see the light sink into Lucifer's skin as the glow shifted beneath it. The sight was bizarre, magical and divine, and she had trouble understanding what was going on.

"Cover your eyes, Chloe," Phaldor breathed, his voice low and strained. "This is getting more intense than your eyes can handle." He felt the connection to his core, the beautiful light and energy that swirled inside, connecting him on a metaphysical level with his siblings, his former home, as well as his Father. Despite his fall, his exile, it had lingered over the years, shielded him from harm and age. But now he could tell this time had to finally come to an end. All those years he had been granted the connection. But the truth was, he hadn't used it. He had been hiding in his cheap apartment, concealed himself, lived in solitude and without contact to his fallen siblings. The guilt had eaten at him and crushed his self esteem to make a change, diminished the hope for redemption. But now, with Lucifer laying in front of him, that hope returned. There was a chance for change.

Waiting a moment longer for Chloe to follow his instruction, he tapped deeper into his divinity, urging it forward, tickling it out. It was anchored in his soul, spreading into every cell of his being, and now he called upon it. It was time to set it into action. He could feel it vibrate into his hands and tingle in his fingertips and slowly the essence seeped out of him and into Lucifer's chest. Yes… That's it, brother… You need to take it all… Come on… Take it...

Within moments the light increased to a blinding floodlight and Chloe had to press her arm over her eyes to not have it burn her vision. It was like staring into the sun but without the heat. It was still warm though and she could feel the light caress her. Despite her excitement over what was going on, her heart felt oddly calmed, as if something about it was soothing her, telling her things would be okay. Whatever Phaldor was doing exactly, she could tell it was meant to help Lucifer. Scooting closer to Lucifer whilst keeping her eyes covered, she reached for his hand, squeezing it. "Lucifer?" her voice shook with a wave of sobs. "Please Lucifer, you have to wake up. Come back to us. Listen to me. You can do it. Just listen to my voice, okay?"

The release of divine energy was exhausting for Phaldor, but the goal was far more important than any pain he would go through. Urging the flow of light on further, he felt his heavenly connections weakening. He knew, soon he would feel empty and alone in ways he had never felt before. But it was worth it, as long as Lucifer would wake up.

A sudden rush went through Lucifer's veins and settled in his core, making him feel so dizzy that for a few seconds he lost control over his wings, his whole body trembling in physical and mental overload. Something surged into him, first warm, then hot, but not burning, and sunk deep into his cells. Rapsing for air, eyes wide he caught himself in the air again, stabilizing his flight, and stared at his hands. Holy shit... What… what's happening…?

Flexing his fingers, he felt his divine core roaring, his inner strength skyrocketing back towards its original intensity. How is that possible…? A low growl thundered behind him and with a quick look over his shoulder, he spotted the Darkness wildly swirling towards him, beginning to catch up with him. "Well, fuck you…. Not gonna let you suck out my divinity again…" Thrusting his wings harder, he pushed himself onward, feeling the flow of energy still continuing on to flood into his cells and spreading into his wings.

"Lucifer?...Please Lucifer, you have to wake up. Come back to us. Listen to me. You can do it. Just listen to my voice, okay?"

Chloe?! It's her! I can feel her voice in my head! He shuddered at a sudden pull, like a magnetism drawing him closer. I know that feeling… I think… I think that energy and her are guiding me... Eyes closing he pushed himself onward, letting the strange pull guide him along. His heart racing madly, he heard the Darkness snarl coming closer and closer. He could feel something changing around him, his body pulled along into a web of otherworldly fabric.

The Darkness hissed and growled, but its sounds were starting to slowly fade. "I will get you Lucifer! Mark my words! I will feast upon you and your precious human!" it roared from behind him, its fading voice piercing into his chest like needles. "And then I will destroy everything in your Father's creation! You won't stop me!"

The pull suddenly felt like an impact on a ground, his body and mind waking in shock. His coma ended as abruptly as a tormenting nightmare, with his eyes ripping open and his body startling up in cold sweat, rasping for air.

[ Don't forget - Falk Wünsch ]

In a flash, the bright, yellow-white light disappeared from the room. Carefully lowering her arm, Chloe peaked at Phaldor and Lucifer. Phaldor rested over the side of the bed with his face halfway laying on Lucifer's flank. He panted and quietly groaned, clearly exhausted and in pain. But before she could even ask how he was feeling and what the heck just happened, Lucifer startled awake, his eyes wide with shock and fear. "Oh my god… Lucifer! Oh god…" Sobbing, she climbed onto the bed, Lucifer's wings lifting at his side from what must have been a subconscious move, as he stared through the room and then at her, trying to grasp what happened. "Lucifer… You're awake… you're fine..."

It took him a moment to understand and adjust, his eyes taking in his surrounding and falling onto Chloe as she leaned in, taking his head into her palms. Gazing at her, eyes still wide, his lips parted, his heart made a leap of joy. "Chloe! Chloe… You're fine. You... you're okay…" Tears welled up in his eyes as nothing was more beautiful than to see her again, alive and well. Clutching her face in return as well, he pressed his lips against hers, desperately kissing her. "I thought that maybe you didn't-" His voice broke with despair and relief at the same time. "I thought that… that the impact… that you..."

Sobbing from relief herself, she rested her forehead against his, fingers running over his stubbly cheeks and into his hair. Taking in the sight of his lower lip tremble and his eyes puffy, she released a tearful laugh."Yes… shush now… I'm fine, Lucifer. It's all good," she whispered, nuzzling his nose.

Eyes widening a fraction, he gasped. "What about your spawn?" he asked agitatedly, the memories of Dromos' words about the second part of the prophecy surfacing, just like the moment of their impact into the building. "Is she alright? Is she hurt?!"

Quickly shaking her head, she caressed his cheeks. "She's fine. Everything's okay," she assured him and kissed him again, to sooth him and to convince herself he was truly back and responding.

Sighing against her lips in another wave of relief, he felt something shift against his side, and gently pulled away from Chloe. Turing to his right, he spotted a man halfway slumped against him, his knees resting on the ground. And he wore sunglasses. Indoors. After sunset. The man's features were crunched up, his lips grimacing in pain as he winced. It was when the man lifted his face and he could really look at him, Lucifer actually identified him. "Bloody hell, Phaldor?! You? What the..." Staring at him utterly perplex, Phaldor slowly pushed himself in a more upright position. "W-what the hell are you doing here? And since when do you go all Steve Wonder style? I thought that was a phase only I have gone through."

Coughing and grunting, Phaldor took several deep breaths. It was the most wonderful thing he could think of to hear his brother, sassy and frank as ever, his voice as charming as it's always been. "Funny. Very funny, Lucifer," he muttered back, his lips curling in a relieved smile. Avoiding an introducing answer, he went straight to the most important point. "How do you feel?" Slowly pushing himself up further, he shifted so he could sit on the edge of the bed.

Frowning at Chloe and looking back at Phaldor, he blinked and took a moment to really consider his own physical and mental condition. Looking down over his body, he spotted he was covered from his waist down with a duvet, and glimpsing beneath, he saw he was wearing only his underwear. He could see smaller bruises and cuts that rather looked like scratches all over his legs, arms and on his flank, but other than that there was nothing. Feeling over his face, he noticed a bandage going right above his ear, all around his head, with a thicker padding on the back.

"That's from your crash," Chloe softly explained, watching patiently as he inspected himself. "I'll take if off later and look how far the healing process is, okay?"

Slowly nodding at her, he licked his lips in thought. Focusing on his inner powers, he felt into his divinity. It pulsated with a fresh, vibrant beat, its power strong and unyielding. "Well… I guess… I feel fine. My divinity… it's… it's back. But I just don't understand how-"

"I gave it a bit of a boost," Phaldor explained shortly. "Is it… back to normal? Are you as strong as before?" he added hesitantly, his tone shaking.

"A… a boost?" Lucifer wondered, thinking back to his experience in the coma. The energy pulse had been immense and the amount overwhelming. It had increased his divine strength within moments, filled it back to its original state as if nothing had ever been sucked from him before. "You gave me your divinity," he breathed baffled, his throat tightening. He had heard about siblings who had done this before, usually to heal another sibling, but the amount he felt given was alarming. "How much?" he asked pensively, his eyes gazing at Phaldor intently.

"Enough," Phaldor cut back shortly, nervously licking his lips. "I'm just glad you're okay. And I'm glad to hear you after all these years."

He knew his brother avoided to answer him and he didn't like it one bit. Not because of him hiding something, but because of the effects Phaldor's actions could have. Sitting up straight, he looked at him for a long moment. Phaldor wouldn't just tell him, but he was not accepting to be kept in the unknown about everything he was presented with. "Hear me, you say. Why aren't you happy to see me?" he pressed challengingly, his voice strained, and quickly reached to pull off Phaldor's sunglasses.

Phaldor's muscles tensed, his brows coming up in shock. "No, don't!" But it was too late to react. He felt the weight of the glasses being lifted from him, his lips trembling in uncertainty of what to do or say. It had been years since anyone had seen him like this, exposed and flawed. And now, in his new state, he felt even worse. Cornered, small and alone.

Both Chloe and Lucifer stared in equal shock, unable to find words. Chloe had expected to see a pair of dull looking eyes like she'd seen several blind people have, or perhaps even his usual eye color with just somewhat strangely flickering eyes that had lost their function to focus forward and keep still. But that wasn't what greeted them. Phaldor had no eyes at all. Only a pair of shallow looking eye sockets, halfway covered from his eyelids that nervously fluttered as the glasses revealed them.

After several seconds, Lucifer was the first to speak up. "Who did this to you?" he mouthed, his jaw tensing. He knew this wouldn't have been possibly done by a human, and as he couldn't see any scars either, a celestial weapon seemed unlikely as the cause as well. In conclusion, this left him with only one guess. "It was Dad, wasn't it?"

Sighing, Phaldor lowered his head, his brows coming together in a troubled frown. He knew his reaction was answer enough. He felt horrible to speak it out himself, but he figured that this was part of his own path of redemption. Nobody ever said it would be easy. "I refused to stand on your side… but I also didn't stand with Him and our pious siblings," he spoke quietly, recalling all the disappointed and angry looks he had received the moment that had changed everything. "I think that was enough defiance for Him. Not that He'd need to justify His actions..."

Chloe tried to catch up on what both of them said. Thankfully, her brain had rather quickly adjusted to remembering how Lucifer's Dad meant God. "God did this to you?!" she exclaimed, completely appalled by yet another fucked up thing God apparently had done to one of his sons.

Lucifer's face had paled throughout Phaldor's explanation about the war in heaven. He hadn't known Phaldor had been punished by their Father, nor did he know that he was cast out of heaven, as it happened after his own fall. He simply assumed that because he hadn't shown up in hell, Phaldor was still in the Silver City. He was just now realizing how wrong his assumptions might have been. "Tell me. Tell me everything."

Swallowing, he searched for words. "He made me watch you fall. First you, then all of the others that stood on your side in the war. One after another I had to watch burn and scream in horrors as they plummeted into the unknown depths of hell. At last Father turned to me. I remember he wasn't angry, just… disappointed. He told me that since I didn't commit to either of my siblings and just stood around on the sidelines, watching, while you slaughtered each other, I shouldn't have my eyes anymore. So He took them. Then He ordered my fall. But not hell. To earth. I was forced to be alone, neither among my siblings in heaven nor those in hell."

Forcing back tears, Lucifer's shoulders and wings sunk with sorrow. "Phaldor, I… I didn't know," he breathed. "I… I don't know what to say."

Taking a deep, shuddering breath, Phaldor tried to steady his voice. "Lucifer…" he began, facing him with what would have been a tearful expression, if his eyes would be there to encapsulate it. "I failed you back then. I knew the moment Michael dragged you to the edge of the Silver City, that I had made a mistake! I had felt drawn to stand on your side, but I was too much of a coward." Sobbing, he reached out for Lucifer's arm, grasping his wrist with a pleading look. "I wanted to apologize to you. Please forgive me for my cowardices in heaven. I hope that my gift to you will make the crack between us mend at least a little."

Staring back at him, Lucifer shook his head. "Phaldor… there is nothing to apologize for or for me to forgive. You think I was angry at you, for not fighting with me? I couldn't believe how you were literally the only one refusing to shed blood. I was impressed by your exceeding persistence." Moving his hand in Phaldor's hold, he squeezed his brother's shoulder and pulled him close into a hug. "I don't want you to feel bad for what you did, brother. And you didn't fail me, you hear me?"

It were words he had not even dared to imagine he could ever receive from his brother. A redemption of its own kind that soothed his soul and would surely lead him in his final hour once it would come. Releasing a relieved breath, he let out another tearful, yet relieved sob, arms slinging around Lucifer. "That's more than I could have ever hoped for."

Eventually pulling away, he observed Phaldor intently, feeling the topic of earlier still buzzing in his mind, especially now that Phaldor had mentioned this gift to him. Closing his eyes, he focussed on the divine energy of himself and his brother, feeling for the warm vibration that came from their core, but something felt off. Something was wrong. His heart started to beat up to his throat, a deep sorrow sinking in his stomach. "Phaldor…" he began carefully, warily. "Your divinity…" He swallowed thickly. "Tell me you didn't-"

But Phaldor cut him off, his expression sad and apologetic. "It had to be, Lucifer. This was meant to be. My visions led me to you. This was my destiny."

Feeling the tears re-emerge, Lucifer clutched him by his shoulders. "But promise me, you didn't give me-"

"All of it," he finished quietly and nodded. "Yes. I did."

Lucifer felt the room around him spin, the pit in his stomach bringing him as close to feeling sick as angelically possible. His brother's gift had been the greatest gift an angel could give. A sacrifice. A suicide. "Phaldor…" Tears trickling down his cheeks, his fingers dug harder into Phaldor's shoulders, shaking him lightly in despair. "You sacrificed all of your divinity? You became human? For me?! Have you lost your bloody mind?!" he scolded him, trying to sound harsh, but his voice broke as more tears escaped him.

Quietly listening and processing what the two were talking about, Chloe's eyes watered as well, her hand raising to her mouth to keep herself from sobbing.

Tilting his head, Phaldor smiled sadly at him. It was no surprise to him that Lucifer was shocked. As far as he was aware, no angel had ever done that. Small amounts of divinity being exchanged here and there, yes, but never all of ones divinity. But not only did he go to this extreme measure, but he also took it for Lucifer. The black sheep among them all. The Devil. "Oh, Lucifer," he uttered quietly. "Of course for you. You're my brother. And you're the Lightbringer. If anyone deserves this gift, it's you. I'm thankful I was given this chance of redemption and I would do it all over again if I were given the opportunity." As the silence spread between them, he could feel Lucifer's desperate eyes on him. "I've lived among humanity ever since my exile, Lucifer. I think it's time I truly become human. Can't you see it? Because I can. It all falls into place. This is how it's meant to be."

"You're bloody insane," Lucifer muttered with a sigh, staring at his brother, at a loss of words. It was crazy, to think that a brother of his, one who hadn't seen him since the war in heaven, had lived all these eons in such guilt, had now willingly sacrificed his divine essence to him, making himself mortal and cutting off the connection to his divine origin. Never before had a sibling of his done anything remotely as selfless for him. And this was literally the ultimate selflessness an angel could show.

"Don't feel bad for me, Lucifer, please. I'm beyond happy. Just…" Phaldor hesitated a bit, holding out his open right palm towards him. "Just give me back my glasses, would you? I really feel rather naked without them." Hearing a soft laugh from Lucifer, he felt the glasses handed to him and put them back on. Taking a deep calming breath, he collected his thoughts, bracing himself for the topic that was inevitable to discuss and the main reason for why he had come to see the Devil. "Alright then. Now that you're back with us, let's talk about the Darkness, shall we?"

The Silver City was in a tizzy.

He could feel it as soon as they returned into their creation and lowered to the Grand Plaza. In a matter of seconds their children came out from the buildings, dropped whatever task they had been busy following and stared in a mixture of awe, love and conflict at him and Goddess. He knew they were irritated by her presence. Of course they would be. The last memories they had of her were more than unpleasant. He had dragged her to hell himself back then, all while she was continuing to wreak havoc on earth and the Silver City. Their children had seen her at her worst; bitter, vicious and vile. her being faced by them now with wariness and distrust was understandable.

Looking at his former wife, he could tell she was nervous. She truly wanted to try and mend the wounds she had caused, and help work on creating a healthy relationship with him and their children. Nudging her encouragingly with a smile in his essence, he turned back towards their children. Together they released a gentle vibration, a godly caress and loving embrace, that flooded through their angels' senses. They sighed and murmured in comfort, happy to feel his presence and keened by their Mother's unfamiliar tenderness.

"I guess I say hello to them all now," Goddess whispered softly at him, her core sparkling with excitement. Gliding into the crowd, she shifted her divine essence into the looks of Charlotte Richards. She chose wearing an elegant white dress and let her golden hair fall in soft waves over her shoulders. A fitting, divine look. Her children watched in surprise as she chose her shape for Herself instead of her floating in the usual ball of light they knew her in. But curiosity slowly won over and one angel after another began talking to her, asking her questions about her absence and return, and wanting to know what was going on with her and their Father.

[Forsaken - Tiago D. Ferreira]

God watched from a distance, content to see that most angels were open to reconnect with her, carefully and in their own pace. Only a few of their children stayed wary and judgemental. He was happy with that but he knew only time would tell how they would all get along, and if Goddess' wish to find her own redemption would be fulfilled. Striding over the Plaza, his omnipresent glance fell upon Lucifer, the pressing patter concerning the Darkness having resurfaced with the return into his creation. His cheerful vibe shifted to curiosity as he saw Phaldor at last reunited with Lucifer. And he was baffled to feel Phaldor's sacrifice of his own divinity. A truly selfless act of love for his brother and the firm belief to do the right thing. But something dimmed his mood when he noticed Lucifer's physical condition. He had been hurt. But how?

Searching in the fabrics of the past of the happenings on earth while he had been outside of creation, he tried to see what caused Lucifer's wounds. The information about Lucifer's experiences flooded through him in the blink of an eye. Images and sounds as vivid as he had truly been with his creation. Lucifer had been struggling comatose in the limbo, fighting with the locked up Darkness. Searching further on how Lucifer got there, he saw him crash into the tower, but that was not yet a satisfying knowledge. God wanted to know all of it, how it started. Cycling backwards through the events, he saw the attack on Chloe and her daughter in the warehouse. He could grasp how it happened, the priests following a delusional plan, thinking this would help stop the Darkness. But it was not what he was looking for. Again he skimmed further backwards. This time however, a strange void filled him and nothing showed up. No experience. No images or sounds. No thoughts. It was just blank.

That's impossible… He felt his energy jittering with nervosity. Never in his own creation had he been unable to see the events that happened to it. How have I not noticed this…? There was no divine energy able to create such a blank in his vision and concealing events from him. Unless… unless it's my own energy. He looked among his children, checking through all of them for his eldest son and his core ached as he felt yet another dark spot of nothingness. No…. no, he wouldn't…

Goddess immediately turned towards him, feeling the shock that emanated from God's essence. "Yahweh?" she asked concerned, waiting for him to explain what was wrong.

Moving towards his children, his shape buzzed and sizzled with a slowly boiling anger. With a swirl, he shifted into a human shape as well, knowing that this appearance could transport emotions on another level that his children were used to. His body that of a man in his 50's, he looked at the angels with his now dark brown eyes. "Where is he?" he asked into the crowd, watching as they stared back at him in fright and wonder. They were not used to hear him speak directly to them, nor had they expected to ever feel his might vibrate with such intensity. As they did not answer, overwhelmed in shock and confusion, he clarified with harder voice. "Where is Michael?" Looking among themselves, the angels hesitated only shortly before several of them pointed towards the big tower that contained the Great Hall.

A pinch of hurt went through his core. There? Really? He glided towards the tower, feeling Goddess following him, and entered through the archway into the hall. The first thing he noticed was that he didn't feel a presence in the room, but then he saw the tip of feathers peek out from behind his throne. So it's true… He's hiding… Biting down the troubling questions that went through him, he moved fully into the room and stopped clearly in sight of his son. Michael sat slumped down, his head hanging low, his wings lowered and resting to his sides, and his right eye bandaged. "Michael," he murmured, his voice transferring a spectrum of emotions to the angel, hope, wonder, love, concern, but also disappointment and anger. "What have you done?"

Michael moved slowly, shifting his body forward and pushing himself up on his feet with a low grunt. At last he lifted his head, his left eyes, looking at his Father and the shape he had chosen to wear. Not answering him, his glance travelled on to the female shape that entered behind God, her inner light reaching out to him curiously, but he blocked it just like that of his Father's. No godly emotion, no light, no thought managed to touch Michael. In return however, he did not conceal his own feelings at the sight of his Mother. "How did she get back here and why isn't she rotting in hell again, Father?" he hissed at God, paying no more attention to Goddess than a disdaining glare.

God could feel her shifting at his side, making a firm push forward, but he held his arm out, gently holding her back from her approach. He was aware how she wanted to explain herself and try to express her intentions to Michael, but there was no sense in entering on the subject right now, with a much more pressing matter at hand. "You avoid answering me, Michael." Stepping closer to him, his eyes searched for an indicator in Michael's expression, his posture and voice. Although his divine energy couldn't make a connection towards Michael's hurt eye and Lucifer's state, he could still fill in the banks and grasp his two eldest sons were having a fight. "Tell me. Why are you hiding your actions and thoughts from me, my son?"

Michael's healthy eye narrowed, his hands balling to fists at his side. "You wouldn't understand. You wouldn't let me change things," he murmured through gritted teeth. He recalled again his conclusions about Lucifer's creation and his Father's actions, and released a humourless, scoffing laugh. "You would let us all perish. Just like that. But I'm not giving up on us, on creation as a whole. I will fix this, so it won't even come to a devastating outcome, Father. I've seen how it would happen and I know how to stop it."

It was confusing to not grasp what Michael was talking about. He tried again and again to slip into the fabric of knowledge that spun around Michael, tried to get to know his thoughts, his memories and the things he did, but nothing was revealed to him and it dawned to him just about how much Michael could have done without his notice and even more so during his absence. "Son… tapping into my energy inside you was…" He took a deep breath, exchanging a look with Goddess who stayed to the side, impatiently so, but she did. "Uncalled for. Explain what you've done or let me see it for myself. I can feel how the balance shifted into one direction. This is not a minor issue. I need to take care of this."

"The balance?" Michael snapped back, but immediately regretted his harsh tone. He didn't want to be angry at his Father, but it was difficult. Conflicted with what he had seen and what his heart tried to desperately cherish and worship, he stepped up to God with tears in his eyes. "I want to save us. Your creation. Would you not have faith in me, Father?"

"Since when do you question me, Michael? Since when are you harbouring this mistrust in me?" God quietly sighed and reached out to heal his son's injured eye, but Michael pulled back before he could touch him, clearly not wanting his help.

"Since I've finally been able to see clearly. You've been far too generous with Lucifer. You knew what he would do one day. You knew that he'd doom us all," Michael pressed, more tears falling from his cheek as he turned away from God and stepped around him. "Maybe even you. And yet… you've created him the way he is. It's a flaw in your design that I'll be happy to correct."

God fell quiet. Of course he knew about the rivalry between his first and second born son. They were like very similar in many aspects and yet their hearts desire couldn't be more different from one another. Looking at Michael's back, his divine essence dissected what his son was saying and spread all the single aspects of Michael's being known to him out like the pieces of a puzzle. He looked for the one thing that was the root of Michael's behaviour, clearly having something to do with Lucifer. Memories about Michael's past, his spoken and thought words from former times were luckily accessible to him in his own divine core and within seconds he connected the information he found to a plausible conclusion. "You've seen what Lucifer might cause. But you think it will happen. Michael," he spoke his name softly, but his core vibrated with worry. "You're walking on a very dangerous path that affects not only yourself."

Michael turned his head to the left, his jaw tensing as he seemed to turned something over in his mind. He closed his eye for a brief moment, swallowed thickly and got back into motion without giving his Father a response. His face stony, he looked at Goddess standing in his way.

Goddess looked at him with motherly concern. "Michael… You are not on your own. I understand that you do not wish to talk with me, but you can always talk with your Father. You should be aware he'd listen to your worries."

Biting back an angry response to her as well, he took a deep calming breath. "Get out of my way, Mother," he muttered lowly, staring straight ahead.

Hesitating, her expression more worried than hurt, she looked towards God.

"There will be consequences, son. Good and bad. And I cannot see them without you letting me in. Are you aware?" God called after him, his core aching. He wanted nothing more than to stop him, to hold him and take away the pain that lingered so visibly in Michael's chest, but it wasn't that easy. He didn't know about the things Michael had put into motion, the actions he did and all consequences that were connected to those. He'd become a blind deity, unable to predict, unable to foresee. Without the information from Michael, the future was uncertain. Not only that, but also the balance of his creation was impossible to pinpoint. At what side did the mark on the scale drop to? Good? Evil? Either way would be devastating. This was also why he couldn't simply stop Michael. He didn't know the role his son would be playing, didn't know if holding him back would make things better or worse. And from experience, he had learned not to gamble with the balance.

"I am," Michael replied with a breaking voice, and with a short nod exchanged between the deities, Goddess made way for him to exit the Great Hall. Flaring his wings as he stepped out onto the ledge, he took off without looking back at them and disappeared behind the buildings of the Silver City.

"Well that went just great, didn't it?" Goddess signed, looking back at God when she couldn't see Michael anymore. Striding over to him, she raised her hands and placed the lovingly against his cheeks, thumbs brushing over his short cut beard.

Releasing a sigh himself, God softly shook his head in her hands. "He's so conflicted. I can see that without being able to feel into his thoughts. How come things have changed so much, Ashera? One moment ago, Lucifer had been the one suffering, physically, emotionally, mentally. And now… look at Michael."

"Can you see nothing of what's to come anymore?" she asked carefully, watching as his eyes turned a shade lighter, his shoulders sinking. It was answer enough. "So we are doomed to wait and watch then? Is that it?"

"Yes. That or I need to eliminate my power resting in Michael," he mouthed sorrowfully. Arms slipping around her waist, he leaned his head forward to rest against hers.

Her eyes grew wide, filling with tears. "But… That would destroy him," she breathed back in horror, the air around her humming with fear.

"I know, love," he sighed. His all-seeing eyes searched for his eldest son, even though he knew it would be in vein. His angelic presence stayed hidden from him, concealed by his own almighty powers. "I know."

Chapter Text

Chapter 16: An Eye Opening Experience

"So you don't know how to defeat it?" Phaldor asked, feeling a strange, nauseating pit form in his stomach, and his heart felt light and heavy at the same time, unsure if to stop working or furiously beat up to his throat. It wasn't the kind of fear he was used to, but a different one. One he realised only a human was used to feel. The fear of dying. He didn't want to think that everything, his visions, the travel and his sacrifice had all been in vain. There had to be a way to make sure the Darkness wouldn't get free from its prison.

Lucifer threw him a pensive look, downing his third glass of bourbon. Awakened from his coma, he had quickly felt the need to do several things. The biggest urge had been to pull Chloe into bed and on top of him, but that had to be shifted onto his to-do-later list. The next thing that came to his mind was to get into a fresh suit, and last but not least, to have a stiff drink, if not a whole bottle of his finest bourbon. "No. It's not like Dad gave me the full speech, as I'm sure you can imagine. He loves to either be vague or to leave out the important parts altogether," Lucifer grumbled bitterly. Wings angled backwards, he rested against the balcony railing.

Releasing an understanding huff, Phaldor stepped up next to him, his fingers feeling for the cold metal of the railing. The fresh breeze from this height was carrying salt from the sea to them and for a moment he remembered the last time his body had been carried by the wind across the ocean. "I know, brother. I know," he mouthed buried in thought, his head tilting back as if to look skywards. Silence spread among them, neither comfortable, nor disturbing, but from all of them with heavy hearts. "I find it difficult, to have faith in Him," Phaldor broke the silence after a long minute, and nervously licked his lips.

Feeling both their eyes on him, he smiled faintly. "I had hoped He would guide me. That He would lead me to you. That He would be there for me in all this pain. But the truth is, it was all me. I was alone. I didn't feel Him with me. After all these years, despite my exile, I've always wanted to be deserving of His almighty touch. I thought that, maybe, someday, He would forgive me, much like I hoped you would." Shaking his head at the irrationality of his own words, he sighed. "I've reached you on my own. Without Him by my side. Without Him answering me. And now… He's left me nothing. Not even a tormenting vision. I feel… strangely lost, Lucifer. Different from when I fell. I don't know if my faith in Him has any meaning or any effect at all."

It hurt to hear the struggle in Phaldor's voice, knowing he had always been longing to please everyone around him, especially their Father. He had put all his hope and trust in Him, and even through the suffering of being blinded, exiled from heaven and burdened with painful visions, Phaldor had tried to keep his bond with God intact. On one hand it seemed utterly crazy, as if Phaldor was suffering from some kind of Stockholm-syndrome. But on the other hand Phaldor was not blinded in the metaphorical sense. He's always been sharp and direct in dealing with issues, always ready to question the status quo to grasp a new perspective on a situation. As much as Lucifer himself had his quarrels and resentment towards their Father, he did envy Phaldor for his persistence to have faith, even when all the odds stood against him. And to see him now shaken in his faith and trust, was as tragic as watching a child's innocence being taken away through horrible experiences it wasn't supposed to make.

Glancing over his shoulder, he could see Chloe taking a step aside, giving them both a bit more privacy, although he figured that Phaldor would hardly have any objections to her presence. "As much as I hate to say it… as much as I despise Him," he began quietly, taking in the crestfallen and lost look. "It does have meaning and it does have an effect. Maybe not on the perception of you in our Father's eyes. But you give meaning and have an influence with your faith. You came to me. You-" He paused, feeling his voice crack for a second. "You sacrificed your divinity. For me. I can well imagine how Father might disapprove of that, but… your faith has affected me quite immensely, Phaldor. Maybe you just shouldn't worry so much about your faith in Him, but in other things. Such as yourself."

He could see him think, brows knitting together in concentration as Phaldor pondered over his words. It was clearly something Phaldor hadn't yet put too much thought into, and Lucifer was well aware of the process of re-evaluating one's faith. It took time and more often than not it could bring one to tears, especially an angel. Bitterly he cringed on his thought and the fact how Phaldor no longer was a divine being. Shunned, abandoned and punished, he had roamed earth, alone, for millennia, much like himself. And while Phaldor wasn't burdened with the responsibility to rule hell, he was still burdened with a loss of one of his senses in a way that scared humans away. A feeling he could relate to as well.

The thought of his brother's new, mortal situation however, sparked an idea in him that caused his chest to burn with hope for compensation and the prospect to repay his brother for his immeasurably expensive sacrifice. "Phaldor," he spoke softly. "You don't deserve to feel so lost." Unseen from his brother, Lucifer curled his left wing forward, just enough to reach into the thicket of whites. While the missing feathers were just starting to re-sprout as fresh little downs, he grasped one of the longer prime feathers on the bottom, and plucked it with a short, pained grunt. Reaching for his brother's cheek, he held him dearly. "You've always been the one to see the most clearly among us."

It was intended to make Phaldor understand that he was well aware of the various meanings his words implied. Back in heaven, Phaldor had been exceptionally observant over his brother's feelings. He was good at understanding the unspoken things, read in the gestures and mimics of the people surrounding him. He had a great eye for details, spotting even the tiniest of flaws in a design. His visions had only built on these features, making him see the various shapes of the future, letting him read the information encrypted in between the images that only he could see.

Phaldor's lips parted but closed again shortly after, unsure of what to say. When suddenly he felt Lucifer's fingers take a hold onto his glasses once again, he took another breath to protest, but felt himself oddly mesmerized and in wonder of what his brother was doing, the moment not laced with amusement like before, but with a calm reverence about something he couldn't pinpoint. "What are you doing?" he breathed, frowning lightly.

He wasn't quite sure if what he wanted to do would work. While Phaldor was human now, his injury had been directly caused by God and that could mean that nothing could be done about Phaldor's situation. But it was worth a try. "Help you see again," Lucifer simply answered, putting the glasses aside and turning the prime feather sideways, laying it across Phaldor's empty eye sockets. Phaldor gasped at the touch of the soft feather, his hands clenching at his sides, but otherwise he stood motionless.

A brief moment passed in which Lucifer had a short doubt, but then the small shimmer of light began to glow from his feather and he knew it worked. Placing his hand on top of the feather and pressing it against Phaldor, he watched as the soft yellow-white light grew brighter beneath his palm, breaking through the smallest of gaps in between his fingers and spreading with the intensity of sunbeams all around them. The area beneath his palm became warm and a few seconds later, the light vanished, just like the soft feather. Lifting his hand away from Phaldor's face, he saw his brother's eyelids closed tightly, trembling and moving beneath. "Open them, Phaldor," he whispered, hearing his brother's heart thunder.

Swallowing audibly, Phaldor's breath came heavy and ragged. He could feel them in his eye sockets. The heaviness of their weight. The fullness of the space they filled. The attached tissue that already produced the tears he hadn't been able to shed since his exile eons ago. Whimpering, he fluttered his eyelids open, immediately overwhelmed with sensations he had long forgotten. The vibrant shapes and colours had him awestruck as he stared at Lucifer, his face looking so much like he remembered it, just with the added stubble he had felt he was wearing these days. But he could also see a shade in Lucifer's eyes that hadn't been there the last time he saw him and he knew instantly it was the eons of abandonment and resentment that had eaten their way into the shimmer of his eyes, dimming them with hurt and self doubt. His throat tight with emotions crushing down on him, he stepped forward, arms slinging around Lucifer and pulling him into a tight embrace. "Lucifer…" he sobbed, feeling as the salty droplets rushed down his cheeks, freeing the pressure that had been built up inside of him for all these years.

Releasing a soft gasp at Phaldor's tight embrace, he gently patted his back, watching Chloe standing in the back, chewing on her lip, her eyes full of admiration and love, blinking her own tears away for the second time this evening. Slowly pulling away from his brother's hug, he looked back at Phaldor, his emerald-green eyes sparkling wide and with so much intensity, it was an impressive experience even for him. "That's much better, don't you think?" he jested, his lips curling into a weak, but sheepish smile. "You can finally get yourself some fancy looking glasses and only wear them when the sun bothers you. No more Steve Wonder impersonation and no more causing heart attacks on people making eye contact. Now they'll rather be pleasantly bedazzled."

Sniffling and laughing at the same time, Phaldor wiped the tears from his face, the burn in his puffy eyes the first pleasant one in a long time. Blinking again several times, he glimpsed past Lucifer's broad shoulders, spotting Chloe and smiling at her warmly. "Hello, Chloe. Nice to see you. I figured your voice and actions would fit for a stunning woman. I'm hardly surprised," he quipped lightly and chuckled as she rolled her eyes.

"Look at you. You get your eyes back and all of a sudden the similarity between you and Lucifer, with those oozing, charming compliments, is much more evident. I wonder if you'll start with the innuendos, too," Chloe teased back, falling in a heartfelt laughter with Phaldor that only grew stronger when she saw Lucifer squinting his eyes at her in sham offence.

Throughout their laughter, a pleasant lightness spreading among them for the first time in days, they didn't notice the elevator ping, announcing an arrival. Only when they heard the squealing voice, all their heads turned.

"LUCIFEEER!" The high voice of Trixie rang through his penthouse. In big, fast steps she rushed out on the balcony to them and with an expression of pure, innocent relief, she slung her arms tightly around his waist, her face pressing against his stomach.

His first perplexity was quickly replaced by a soft, warm tingling in his chest and his features relaxed to a warm smile. "Hello, spawn," he answered with a gentle humm. He was beyond happy to see her up and running, alive and well, but with his wake, his memories of previous events fully crashed back into his mind and along with that the knowledge of her having seen things no human, and especially no child, was meant to see. She had seen his eyes burning with the raging inferno of hell's fires. Had seen his massive white wings, torn, cut and bloodstained. And that's not to forget how she had been in the hands of fanatic priests who were brainwashed from an equally fanatic archangel. The only thing he might count as a positive, was her experiencing to fly with him, but even this event was stained by his crash landing into the building.

Gently taking her by her shoulders, he made a step back to look at her. Her eyes were still wide, filled with expectation and admiration, looking up at him as if he was the centre of her world - a feeling he felt utterly terrified about, yet at the same time was selfishly fond about as well. Nose sniffing, she held onto his shirt with her small hands, appearing to not wish to lose contact. A white patch on her lower left arm caught his attention and made him squint his eyes. Carefully taking her left hand and making her let go of him, he turned her arm to better see and spotted it was an adhesive-plaster. His head immediately began to spin with a pounding worry, a dread that spread in his chest and forced tears into his eyes.

Trixie's expression turned concerned as she saw his eyes water and his lips tremble at the sight of her arm, his look somehow concentrated but also distant. Thoughtfully, she nudged his hand, trying to offer him a reassuring smile. "It's okay Lucifer. It doesn't really hurt that bad. Linda helped clean the scratch and patched it up. I've had worse."

Her words hardly reached him, a mere muffle in his ears in comparison to the raging drum of his heart. "How did that happen?" He tried to remember if he had seen her hurt before, when he had flown back to earth and saved her and her mother from the priests, but couldn't recall, his attention solely on getting them safely out of that warehouse and back to his penthouse.

"It… erm..." Trixie reluctantly began, "It was from the crash. But it wasn't too bad, I swear!"

Seeing the sudden panic in Lucifer's eyes, Chloe stepped up the two, softly squeezing his right arm. "Hey. I told you when you woke up. It's all good. It was just a scratch, just like she said," she assured him with a smile. "She was hardly bleeding. Nothing that won't heal in a few days."

"Bleeding?" he breathed, his eyes momentarily losing focus, his head feeling dizzy. Oh no… Hissing a curse beneath his breath, he turned away from them. With the pressure finally being too much to hold back, he squeezed his eyes and released his tears silently. Angrily smashing the empty glass into the debris, he clenched his jaw and leaned against the railing. This wasn't supposed to happen. He had come to save her from harm, not be the reason she would actually get harmed. Why had this happened? He wondered if it was inevitable, if it was a prophecy doomed to happen, despite all the measures being taken care of to avoid it. It could after all be exactly what his Father had planned for: Predestination, an unshakable, unchangeable fate. If this was the case, if all their efforts would be for nothing, then his thoughts about stopping the Darkness were futile.

As he turned back to them halfway, he could see the concerned look from Chloe, her blue eyes drilling into him, asking what the hell was going on. He could see the confused and somewhat fearful look from Trixie in the corner of his eyes, likely startled from his short outburst. And while he didn't turn to look into his brother's restored eyes, he could feel the irritation from Phaldor as he stepped up next to him, placing a hand on his shoulder.

Phaldor frowned, feeling and now also seeing the tension of Lucifer, sensing the aura of fear that suddenly vibrated off of him like he had just been told the world would end the next day. All the lightness of their moment from just a minute before, was completely gone, and the sudden heaviness in the air uncomfortably palpable. "What is it, Lucifer? The child said she's fine. You needn't worry for her safety now. So why are you worried?"

Lucifer's brother didn't know and neither did Chloe. It was about time though to give them the information he had acquired in hell before his coma, before his fight with Michael. Sharing glances with Chloe, he turned over a decision in his mind and eventually looked at the girl with soft eyes. "Beatrice," he spoke her name with all the love he felt for her, "I need you to go back to Amenadiel downstairs, please. I want for you to stay close to him so he can properly protect you."

Not much to his surprise, but still causing a fit of despair to rise inside of him, the young girl stood her ground. "Amenadiel is cool, sure, but you're the one who protected me," she protested and puffed her cheeks when she saw his insisting gaze. "Why can't I stay with you, Lucifer? Is it because of your wounds? You think you cannot protect me? I thought the injuries healed the past few days."

Looking at her, searching for words, he let out a quiet sigh. He wasn't going to lie to her, but he couldn't tell her the real reason why he wanted her to leave either. The conversation he wanted to have was not meant to be heard from her, the information too disturbing for a child, and he figured he had already done enough damage to her innocent little world with his Devil-angel-reveal. "No, it isn't because of my wounds that I want you with him." Taking another deep breath, he thought about shifting her attention elsewhere, but it was unfair towards her as well, and so he went for the truth he could tell. "It's because I need to have a conversation with your mother and Phaldor in private."

Squinting her almond shaped eyes at him, she stemmed her hands to her hips, tilting her head challengingly at him. "You wanna talk adult stuff with them. But I know about things as well. I'm not a baby anymore! You're the Devil! A real angel! I've seen your eyes and wings. I know that it's all true. It all doesn't scare me-"

"And I am beyond grateful for that," he cut her off with a strained voice, fighting against re-emerging tears. "But this isn't meant for a child to be heard and all I want for you is to be safe, Beatrice. I won't let anything bad happen to you if I can help it, and this is me protecting you. Do you understand that?"

She sucked in her lower lip, rolling it between her teeth, her eyes staring unwaveringly at him as she processed his explanation. She blinked several times, concern and discomfort showing through, but in the end she nodded in acceptance and understanding. "Fine. But that's gonna be worth one hell of a chocolate cake with strawberries and cream on top!"

He stared, speechless for a second. That little girl with her big eyes and innocently demanding character were doing strange, persuasive things to his old soul and he just couldn't bring himself to deny her of her desire. "Fine, spawn. It's a deal then. Now, off you go." Brows rising expectantly up into his hairline, he watched as she received a kiss on the top of her head from Chloe and then rushed back to the elevator. Only when he could tell the cabin had moved to the floor beneath the penthouse, did he start to talk.

"Alright then…" he began, combing a hand through his hair. "So… As you know, I went to hell to talk with Dromos about the priests. For what it's worth, I did get two names out of him and the second part of the prophecy." He could see Chloe's eyes sparkling with a sudden shimmer of surprise and hope, and her whole body language shifted from being concerned to alert curiosity.

"Wow, that's… That's great news, really." She offered him a soft smile, her shoulders dropping in relaxation and relief about some positive direction on the prophecy matter. But when she saw him deeply frowning instead of looking as relieved as herself, her heart clenched with an uncomfortable dread rising inside her. "It is good news...isn't it?"

The silence between them spread in tormentingly long seconds and it was Phaldor who spoke up first, even though his voice was a trembling whisper. "What did the second part say, Lucifer?"

Swallowing, his throat tight, he looked from Phaldor to Chloe. The information he had to share was no light fare at all. It wasn't easy to grasp and it sure as hell needed an explanation. But that wasn't the worst of it. He knew the information would hurt Chloe, would make her question herself. Would make her question him. Nervously licking his lips, he held Chloe's expectant, wide eyes. "When the miracle weeps and the innocent bleeds, evil shall be released."

Her mouth opened and closed, brows coming together in thought as she tried assess the meaning behind his words, but nothing really sparked her imagination. "I… I don't understand. That… that sounds really… vague, don't you think? What does that have to do with Trixie and your concern over her wound earlier?" She stared at him confused, trying her best to make sense of the information. "Are you thinking that she is that innocent one from the phrase?"

Heart pounding, he tilted his head with a sorrowful expression. "I know it's her," he uttered, steeling himself for the question he knew would come next.

"How do you know that?" Chloe mouthed, feeling that she was tapping into a sea of information that had been deliberately withheld from her.

The sting in his chest knocked the air out of him, the words getting caught in his throat, the lump painfully keeping him paralysed and in fear of answering.

"Lucifer, how do you know?" she repeated, her voice shaking ever so lightly, her ocean-blue eyes wide and glistening.

He knew he couldn't keep it from her. Shouldn't keep it from her any longer. All the secrets he had kept from her had one way or another ended up hurting their relationship, rather than helping it, and now that she was in the know, the whole situation was different. She had always deserved to know. But now was the time she would have the knowledge to truly believe it. "Because you are the miracle the phrase is talking about, and the innocent one can only be your child in that context," he answered honestly, his mouth feeling dry and hoarse as he watched her reaction, waiting for her response.

For a few seconds, her expression stayed frozen; her eyes gazing with the same intensity as before, lips parted in a small o, her breathing slightly quickened, but staying even. Then her brows narrowed in a deep frown, her brain stumbling over the word over and over again, and her mouth expressed the issue without her being aware of it. "Miracle?" she all but squeaked, and slung her arms around herself in attempts to stop her body from a sudden shiver.

Phaldor, having taken a rather quiet stance in their conversation so far, now made a step towards him, his eyes wide, staring expectantly at his brother, knowing what his word implied. "Miracle?"

A short glance at Phaldor was all that was needed to give him the confirmation, but towards Chloe he needed to walk the difficult path of explaining to her what the word truly meant. What it meant for her. "Years ago, there was a human couple that had trouble conceiving a child. My Father ordered Amenadiel to bless them," he explained, taking in her soft features as the light from the penthouse gave her face a warm, shining glow, making her look all the exquisite, heavenly creature she was to him.

Not quite sure where his story was going and what it had to do with herself, she bit her lip, thinking of the most logical thing for her to ask. "And... did it work?"

A strangled, low laugh died in his throat and he nodded, his eyes sparkling with affection. "Oh yes. It worked. The woman got pregnant and nine months later a little girl was born." Trying yet again to swallow down the lump in his throat, he blinked away tears. "That girl was you, Chloe. You are literally a miracle of God." Anxiously, he waited, letting his words sink in and be processed by her.

She froze again, her face paling for several seconds as she gazed at him in shock. Then she started to tremble from head to toe, a wave of emotions running through her that she couldn't categorize. A mixture of confusion, anger, awe and fear. The world around her spun, broke free from the hinges she had carefully reforged after she had been confronted with the world of celestials, and she was pretty sure that her human brain was not meant to wrap around what Lucifer had just told her.

"-loe? Chloe?!" Lucifer's voice rang muffled in her ears and in a far away corner of her mind, she realized her knees gave up, but she was unable to react.

Darting forward, Lucifer quickly caught her mid fall, slipping his arms around her waist and having her rest against his chest, holding her weight for her. "Bloody hell, don't give my Dad the satisfaction of making you faint, darling," he breathed, playfully scolding, and used his right hand to caress her pale cheek, while his other pressed her flush against him. Watching her eyes flutter, her heart thrumming against his chest, he smiled at her, insecurely. "I quite frankly had expected a different reaction. Any emotional outburst really, but fainting wasn't among the options. Are you alright?"

She was relieved he caught her, to feel his arms holding her and to feel his soothing warmth vibrate into her shivering muscles. But her thoughts were racing, the door that Lucifer had pushed open, had revealed a world to her that she could hardly grasp. Hands clutching onto his biceps, feeling his muscle tense as he continued to hold her weight, she looked up at him from under her lashes. "What does that mean?" she whispered, ignoring his question about her wellbeing. She wasn't alright. Not really. She felt floating in a dark, storming sea, not knowing where she was, with no clue about the nearest coast that granted her safety and direction. Despite the crazy information presented to her, she knew the only thing that would help her, was more information.

His eyes dimmed as he saw her lost look and he hated what he had to respond to her. "I don't know. Maybe this is the reason why you make me vulnerable, but… that's just speculation." Seeing her disappointment pull her head downwards, he brushed his thumb over her cheek in small, caressing circles. "Chloe… I'm sorry I don't know more. I wish I could tell you. I wish I knew. You don't know how much I've racked my brain over this. I was having quite some monologues with my Dad..."

His humour didn't sink in, the soft traces of his thumb only a numb trickle. What she really felt was a presentiment, a dull sting in her chest. "Why didn't you tell me?"

Of course she wanted to know and again his chest ached. "Back then, you wouldn't have believed me. And when you knew about me, well… your first reaction implied it was all too much for you already. I wasn't going to break that kind of news to you like a final blow to your sanity."

"But why didn't you tell me later?" she pressed, her voice still timid.

"Between the whole thing with you and Kinley, Eve, Dromos and a whole bloody room filled with demons, ready to wreak havoc on the world?" he challenged her softly, his eyes glistening. Sighing, he shook his head, not wanting to have his mind recall the events from before. "It really was never a good time to tell you."

Biting her lip, she shifted her hands to his chest, feeling his heart, strong and steady. "I guess it never is, huh?" she mused more lightly, her lips twitching from a soft, understanding smile.

The sound of her voice lighting up, immediately took a huge weight off his chest and her smile made his stomach feel all light and fuzzy. "I guess no. And I'm really sorry I didn't tell you any earlier."

Her smile widened a little and she shook her head. "It's alright, Lucifer. We'll figure it out, right?"

"Yes," he breathed, his eyes lowering to her lips, his tongue instinctively licking his own. It was just a brief second that lingered between them, but it was enough for them both to feel their love and desire for each other, kept low and controlled, set aside for existential problems to be taken care of first. As if on queue, he was reminded that the threat was not over just yet, but that it was actually about to get so much worse.

"So this means, it's broken, doesn't it?" Phaldor broke into their silent love-bubble, his brows arched and green eyes piercing at Lucifer. "The second seal to the prophecy, I mean. It's fulfilled, isn't it? The miracle weeping, the innocent bleeding?"

Both Chloe's and Lucifer's faces darkened, the shine of their love for one another fading to the gloom of the topic. "I did cry, after our crash and when you weren't waking up," Chloe mouthed, sucking in a deep breath as she felt Lucifer's palms moving to her back, gently caressing. "And, although it really wasn't much, Trixie did bleed. So… I guess that means the second part of the prophecy is fulfilled. Which begs the question: What's the third and final part?"

Releasing a dry, humourless laugh, Lucifer slowly untangled from Chloe and stepped back into the penthouse. "Well, Dromos was just about to say how it had something to do with heaven, when all of a sudden he got impaled and obliterated from Michael's spear. Blasted prick and his Dad-damn stick," he hissed in contempt, filling himself a new glass up to the brim with a Lagavulin whiskey, top shelf, of course. "So glad I managed to break that fucking thing apart. Trust me. That was quite satisfying after all these years…" Knocking the liquid down his throat, he let the light warmth collect in his stomach and spread into his system, thankful to enjoy a little bit more of the effect due to Chloe's presence.

"So it could be anything really. Something about heaven... that's hardly something specific," Phaldor muttered. "Did the Darkness say anything to you when it was with you in the coma? Did ?it mention anything?"

"Oh it had quite a lot to say, believe it or not, especially about how it wants to eradicate all of Father's creation," Lucifer growled sarcastically and shrugged his shoulders, letting his wings retreat into the plane of light. "But a direct quote of the third prophecy segment was not part of it's great speech. Sorry, pal. I guess the Darkness can't be considered a typical Bond villain. What about your visions, anyway? Weren't you also having a bit of a one-on-one talk with it?"

"Well, yes, I… I mean… it was pretty much just torturing me…" Phaldor closed his eyes on instinct, thinking back to his horrifyingly livid vision during the flight to LA. He tipped back into the pitch black that had surrounded him, swallowed him, pulled him into a nothingness of fear, and let the words shared between him and the Darkness re-emerge.

"...Go ahead. Tell him. Tell the Lightbringer. You cannot stop me. No one will stop me. It's my destiny to return and swallow the light…"

"...Your brother will be my FEAST!..."

"Oh little Phaldor… but didn't you know? Once the feathers will rain, I will break free and, yes, then I will destroy you all!"

His body had started to tremble from the sheer memory of the Darkness' voice: The sound was like piercing needles and combined with a low, sinister growl it reminded him of a threatening thunder, all surrounding and ready to strike him down at any moment. With a sharp inhale, he opened his eyes and shook his head, trying to quickly rid himself of the overwhelming horror, grounding himself back in the present. Eyes locking back with Lucifer's, he clenched his jaw and swallowed. "Once the feathers will rain," he cited the god-like entity in a hushed voice. "That's when it will come."

"'Once the feathers will rain'? That sounds like just half of the prophecy part," Lucifer muttered with a sigh. "So, 'feather raining' and something about 'heaven' are all we've got. That's not particularly much to go by. Sounds like it could be about an angel, but it could just as well be about a bloody pigeon falling from the sky." At least it sounded like it didn't have anything to do with Chloe or her daughter, he thought, feeling mildly assured that for once his loved ones weren't dragged into the prophecy writing. But just as he looked back at her, she stood frozen, the blood draining from her soft cheeks. She stared ahead into the nothingness, seeming lost in a memory that worked its way back to the surface of her consciousness. "Darling?" he asked carefully. Stepping closer, he gently touched her cheek with his palm, searching her eyes for a reaction. "Chloe, what is it?" Her lips trembled and he could see her eyes watering. Have I said something wrong?, he wondered and made another step closer, lifting his other hand to her face as well, holding her securely with his big palms. Leaning in, thumbs caressing her velvet skin, he looked more intensely into her eyes, when suddenly she blinked and the ocean blue spheres frantically danced as she focused her vision back on him. "Hey…" he breathed quietly as a welcome back. "Are you alright? You drifted off there."

Blinking again several times, she shook her head, the lump in her throat making it difficult to speak. "I saw… I… I've seen it before…"

He frowned, exchanging a concerned glance with Phaldor who stepped up to her as well. "What did you see? What do you mean, love?"

"The feathers," she breathed, her expression filled with dread. "I was dreaming. Several times I had the same dream… I was floating through the darkness. It was so scary… And then… then these feathers started to rain. They were everywhere." Pausing, she looked back at Lucifer, her eyes setting free another row of tears. "White feathers. Not from a pigeon. Big ones. I floated through them. They were sprinkled with fresh blood and when I touched them… they hurt. I was screaming your name, but… it was just…. just always black around me and you weren't there. All I could see were the feathers."

So that had been the nightmare he had woken her up from when he had returned back to earth. He ground his teeth, angry at himself for not having taken better care of her at that moment, and pulled her close against him. Immediately she began to sob, sniffing and shuddering in little tremors while he slung his arms tightly around her. "Shush… It's okay, love. Shush…"

Hesitating a moment, Phaldor eventually spoke up. "I wonder if this was Father. A reoccurring dream that shows part of the prophecy… Sounds like His doing."

Scoffing sardonically, Lucifer rolled his eyes. Just a few minutes ago, Phaldor had questioned his own faith in their Father and now he was back to making assumptions about a heavenly, visionary dream sent by the Almighty Bastard. Although he wanted to give a snarky comment on it, he stayed quiet, realizing that there was a possibility Phaldor was right after all. Maybe their Father had given Chloe a sign about the prophecy. A sign of God to His miracle. No… not Father's. Mine. My miracle…

But the information was scarce. Blood splattered, white, angel feathers raining down. And something about heaven. It was too vague to make an educated guess and all of them felt that this was it. If they wouldn't find out what the prophecies' third part said, the world and everything living in it, would possibly come to an end very quickly.

Michael had retreated to earth, away from the eyes of his siblings, away from his insidious Mother and away from his almighty Father who seemed to have become a slightly flawed, almighty Father since his revelation about God's idleness in regards to Lucifer and the Darkness.

Resting in the shade of an abandoned chapel, somewhere in the middle of nowhere in France, and surrounded by the slowly withering fields of lavender, he let the past few days refresh in his mind. Why, just why had his brother come back at the exact moment his human girlfriend was about to die? It would have all been over, if she could have just passed away. A small sacrifice for the safety of the entire universe. And how did Lucifer even manage to get to her in time? How did he know when to come to earth to save her? And where?

No matter how much he thought about it, it seemed truly like a doomed destiny, already carved into stone, or rather, into his own mind. The vision he had at the beginning of his Father's creation of Lucifer was slowly but surely, and ruthlessly meticulous, becoming reality, and he felt the doubt creep up inside of him, if there was truly still hope for them all. Was it even possible to avoid the fate he had seen all these eons ago? Had his Father's plan, their predestination, truly been laid out, impossible to be changed?

He felt exhausted. His mind was not stopping its reeling back and forth between his faith to trust in his Father and the unmatched urge to follow his duty and protect his Father's creation as a whole. And as if this wasn't tormenting his mind and heart enough, he could tell that the lengths of his actions, the continuous shielding and hiding from his Father's might, were staggering his strength in the long run. He knew he would not be able to do this for all too much longer, despite his body having almost healed up again.

Allowing himself to close his intact eye, his other still covered by the red cloth, he tried to let his muscles relax and let go of the tension that lingered in his cells. It only took seconds before the intense lavender scent took his consciousness and guided him away into the dark, but although his surroundings offered him a peaceful scenery, his mind took a deep dive back into the most breathtaking but also most horrifying experience in his existence.

He watched from nearby, his wings wrapping him in a soft light in stark contrast to the pitch black universe. His eyes were glued on his parents and the small, shimmering spot in between their floating, divine shapes.

This was it. The moment he would get a little sibling. Someone else who would understand and share the same love towards their parents. Someone who'd support him in his tasks. Be at his side, if he were to ever need support, just like he was excited to offer his own expertise to the new being. Another angel. It would have wings as well, but other than that, his parents told him that the new angel would look different and have its own character. Michael wasn't exactly sure what that meant. The idea of something being like him, but still being different was hard to grasp.

In any case, the thought of having a sibling to soon spend his time with was exhilarating in a way he had not experienced before. He was nervous, excited and full of expectations he didn't know he could ever have.

God and Goddess attention lay fully on the small light between them. It's pure white and Michael can feel the power radiating from it, resonating deep in his core, telling his subconsciousness: This is part of your family now. You're connected. You're brothers. Always.

He watched the small light grow in intensity and size, and at one point, the positive excitement in his chest and stomach, tipped over, the smile on his lips fading. The tingling in his limbs was numbed by the thundering of his heart and the rush in his ears. Staring at the overwhelming, buzzing, white sphere, he suddenly had a strange new feeling creep up inside him. His stomach felt twisted, his head light, his breath quickening. The hair on his neck stood up with a shiver and his mind spun with nausea. He saw the light being shaped into a form, limbs beginning to clearly pronounce from out of the centre. At last the blinding light was starting to fade and revealed a naked figure, similar in Michael's own physique, but so different. But before he could truly grasp, the creation of his brother, his vision blurred, the intensity of his nausea overwhelming him, pulling his mind into a dark black hole.

What he saw next was accompanied with an omnipresent feel of tension, nervosity, uneasiness and something more, something worse. His mind had trouble to pinpoint a description for it and eventually settled with fear. He was afraid. Everything he observed shocked his system to the core, made him doubt himself, made him doubt his life and his Father's perfection.

Eyes gazing ahead, he observed as his freshly created brother was walking among other beings that looked like him, but were not. They looked natural and beautiful in their own way, but compared to his brother, they appeared nothing but mediocre. The angel sibling was the centre of everybody's attention. He had short, dark hair, soft curls he liked to comb back with his fingers and from the looks of it, these other beings, these people, enjoyed his appearance very much. They reached out to him, yearning to touch him with an ardent expression in their eyes. It looked similar to the looks his parents gave each other sometimes, Michael recalled, unable to tear his eyes off his brother and the scenery unfolding in front of him.

The angel relished the attention of the crowd, but it was clear to Michael they were fleeting acquaintances, all drawing the same reactions from him and him to them. Until there was one of the people that was different. It was a female with golden hair that was bound to a strict tail behind her head. Wide blue eyes locked eyes with his brother and for the first time, the talkative, self-centred angel, is awestruck silent, overwhelmed by the creatures' beauty.

The scenery changed in front of Michael's eyes, and the feeling of fear rushing through him intensified. His brother held the female close, their mouths touching and moving against each other, their eyes closed. A thundering rumble sounded all around Michael and his blood ran cold. Something was there, lurking in the shadows, waiting.

The scenery changed again. The blonde female has puffy eyes and she's sobbing miserably. Next to her is a smaller person. Much smaller. Also a female, but with long curly brown hair. The little person sniffs, staring down over her own body. There's something red trickling out of her arm, glistening and thick, slowly running down to her hand and dripping to the ground. While he was still wondering over what it was he was seeing and what this red substance was that was running out of the creatures arm, he suddenly heard another rumble, this time though, it was louder and he could swear it sounded like a guttural roar. His body tensed with anxiety. That thing, that threat, it was there, closer than before. He could tell it was vicious and getting impatient about something. But what it was so impatient about, he didn't know.

Another change of scenery in front of him shifts his attention. This time, he cannot see his brother or the female or the small one. There's nobody there. Looking around, something small and white came into his vision and as he tilted his head back to look up, his lips parted in shock. White feather's of various sizes, small downs and long, sturdy prime feathers slowly rained down on him. They were chipped and torn, covered in this strange, red substance again. They looked… hurt.

From above him a mixture of voices sounded, harmonic and beautiful. A choir of divine tunes building in a crescendo. It was encouraging, but at the same time it was filled with excitement, passion and agitation. The choir expressed a roar of tensions, telling Michael directly to not falter, to not stop, with whatever he was doing. He had no clue what they were talking about, but he felt a deep need to cherish their wish and follow their request.

Another sound reached him and made him turn his head, until he stared straight downwards, to the opposite direction of before. The choir from above became distant and fading as another sound made its way towards him, grumbling and rumbling. It became louder, wild and beastial. Louder and louder the collection of roars and growls sounded, shouts mixing in between, snarls hissing and howl echoing. They were cheering, but not at him. At his brother. And it felt wrong. All wrong.

And then the air around him started to buzz and swirl, jitter from a power that he couldn't locate. He turned and saw a round piece of rock, covered with blues and greens, tucked into the universe. It was beautiful, but before he could think of its existence, he watched a crack tearing into the air above the ball shaped thing, and thick black smoke poured out, spreading over the shape. The choir from above and the growls from below faded and were replaced with horrendous screams and cries of agony and terror. Frozen in shock he watched as the dark fog thundered out a spine-chilling growl, swallowing the blue rock. Tears welled in his eyes even though he had no idea, no real understanding about what he had just witnessed.

All he knew was that it was all connected to his brother.

Blinking, his mind shot back to the present, his heart still thundering in his chest, as he watched the naked figure open its eyes. Brown, warm eyes looked back at him from a distance, lingering for a second before they shifted to take in God and Goddess.

They named him Samael. The Lightbringer.

The irony wasn't lost on him.

And Michael was terrified.

Startling awake with a deep gasp, Michael tried to pull himself together, but the dream-replica of his own past and vision were hard to digest and he was drenched in cold sweat. He wasn't sure how long he had slept, but the sun had settled over France and the moon stood high above him.

The moon still exists, he thought mildly calmed. As does earth, heaven and hell. And me. But for how much longer? He pushed himself up to his feet, the warm breeze gently brushing through his wings. Reaching up, he removed the red cloth from his eye and blinked a couple of times, testing its functionality. It worked just fine again. A mild irritation still edged in his eye socket, but nothing to bother about. He could see again, and now more than ever, he knew there was no way around it anymore. He needed to take care of Lucifer himself.

Once and for all.

Chapter Text

Chapter 17: A Different Kind Of Belief

Lucifer wanted to tell her that everything was going to be fine, but that would have been a promise he was not sure he would be able to keep and thus make him a liar. Instead he settled with tucking her in beneath his chin, softly rubbing over her back and holding her close. "I don't think interpreting Phaldor's visions and your dreams will give us a reliable idea on what's going to happen. I hate to say it, but if they truly stem from my Father, then we can only be sure of one thing: That He has His dad-damn plan and we have no bloody clue about it. And whether that is good or bad… we don't know either."

"You know…" Chloe began after a short while of silence. "I'm starting to see how you have your opinions on Him…. He's… frustratingly obscure in his methods," she muttered against his chest and leaned back a bit to look up at him.

Releasing a scoffing snort over his Father, Lucifer arched his brows. "Imagine being His child and looking for answers. Or just having a normal conversation with Him," he sighed, shaking his head. "He's omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. You can't do anything on a normal level with my Dad, trust me, I've tried. If you wanted to talk with Him, He'd answer your questions before you spoke or even thought about them. The same way He'd scold you for a thought on an action you haven't even made yet. Quite pedantic, if you ask me, really."

Wiping away the remaining wetness from her cheeks, she blinked in thought about his words. "No wonder you were fighting so much for your freedom and independence." The thought of God's almighty power and what it has meant in terms of a parent-child relationship had never really occurred to her before. But now that Lucifer painted the picture for her, she could quickly see how maddeningly restrictive it must've felt like. But along with that realisation came another and she had to fight against the tears wanting to burst out of her again. "Why hasn't He done something?" she asked with a small, trembling voice, her wide, blue eyes looking up at him expectantly. "If this Darkness is such a threat, and… obviously He and your Mom fought against it before, why isn't He intervening? Why not take care of it Himself? Why does He let Michael do all these horrible things?"

It was the million dollar question. One he was dying to know the answer for. But just as he was searching for words that wouldn't completely shatter her world-view, Phaldor suddenly spoke up, his recreated green eyes shimmering with sorrow. "I know it's difficult to see Him as anything but passive and indifferent. Perhaps even cruel," he began quietly, exchanging glances with Lucifer. "But the truth is, we don't know a thing about His ways. For all we know, He could be laughing right now, because He knows that everything will be fine in the end."

Gritting her teeth, she turned her head in Lucifer's embrace to look at Phaldor. "Yes, but what if He isn't laughing? What if He's freaking panicking? What if He has no clue, just like the rest of us? And don't tell me, He doesn't panic, because from Lucifer's explanation, it sure as hell sounded like God wasn't particularly relaxed when he told Lucifer about the Darkness right after he was created." She pronounced the final words with emphasis and her voice lingered in the air between them for several seconds, neither of the brothers responding.

Lucifer and Phaldor both looked crestfallen, each for their own reason. While Phaldor wanted to explain God's almighty knowledge, he could see Chloe having a point and with everything that had happened, he too was feeling more than a crack in his own faith towards his Father. Lucifer on the other hand just hated to see Chloe this devastated. A human getting so deeply involved with celestial matters, finding out about God potentially not being the oh-so-great deity He is praised to be, but a difficult, hard to grasp being that doesn't show up if all of His creation depended on it. It was cruel to have a human experience this tragedy of a literal existential crisis.

Lucifer sighed, took a deep breath and broke the silence with a challenging hiss. "Well, screw Him. I've never been able to count on His help and I've gotten along just fine standing my ground. Let's rather trust in our own strength and get active."

Phaldor's eyes lowered in thought. He didn't like to dismiss God just like that, to put their faith aside and to think this ill of their Father's actions or lack thereof. But despite his parental-child and belief conflict, Phaldor knew Lucifer was right. The only way they would be able to make a difference on their own, was if they took action themselves. "I will talk with Amenadiel, then," he offered, broadening his shoulders in a subconscious act of determination and newfound hope. "I think it's time we get our siblings involved… if we can, that is."

"Thanks Phaldor. Again, for everything." Receiving a short clap to his shoulders from Phaldor, they said their goodnights before Phaldor strode to the elevator. Releasing a long exhale, Lucifer licked his lips and turned to look at Chloe. She had moved back inside and stood against the backside of the couch, her expression torn between worry and wonder. He stepped inside again as well and aimed for the bar. Quietly he got out one of the wine glasses from beneath the counter and fished for a bottle of red wine from the rack next to it. Pouring the wine into the glass, he spotted Chloe shifting from the sofa over towards his big oak desk. Adding a glass of bourbon for himself, he walked over to her and handed her the wineglass with a soft, warm smile. "Here, I think we can both use it."

"Thanks," she mouthed, taking the glass between her palms. Sipping at the red liquid, she let its fruity taste expand in her mouth and rush down into her belly. It tasted divine, even more so now that she could drink it in Lucifer's company, seeing him right in front of her, feel the warmth of his body radiating against her, hear his steady breathing and smell his expensive, musk cologne.

"Oh… What's this?" Lucifer asked surprised, spotting several sheets of paper and various books splayed out on his desk. Lifting one of the papers, he frowned. The symbols were handwritten, clearly a bit insecurely, but still drawn as carefully as possible, he could tell. Eyes widening in understanding, he locked back at her with admiration. "That's from you, isn't it? You've mentioned that you've written Enochian."

She had completely forgotten about it. She had left all her research on the Enochian writing she had found in Kinley's book, the symbols she had tediously written out from the scripture and the books she had gone through from his library, scattered on his desk. "Oh erm… it's just… I just tried to sort of pick out your alphabet, if that makes any sense. Not that it got me anywhere. Then Gaudium showed up and translated it directly for me," she explained a bit shyly, feeling a sudden awkwardness about having gone through his books.

It was remarkable of her to attempt to translate Enochian on her own and he was impressed with her persistence and precision in her own copy of symbols. Not everybody would have made such clean strokes. But of course his Detective had been thorough. Looking through the books and notes, he smiled and spotted a part of an image peeking out between loose papers, it's shimmering colours making it immediately known to him which book it was. Fishing it to the surface, he arched a brow in amusement. "I see you've found our little celestial family album. Did Gaudium translate this for you as well?" he asked with a teasing tone, seeing her blush and quickly sip from her wine.

"N-no… He… He said that it's, and I quote, very - very - personal stuff written there," Chloe quickly explained, but then raised her chin to look at him from under long lashes, continuing in a whisper. "Although, I was really curious what it says about you."

"Were you now?" he teased, flashing her a cheeky smirk. Taking a big gulp from his drink, he set the glass aside and let the book rest in his left palm. Contemplatively he brushed with his fingertips over the Enochian writing and the shimmering image of his younger self, Samael. The young angel's expression was filled with joy, pride, hope and expectations towards his eternal life, and the strokes of the quill he was painted with transferred a wave of memories about the day these pages had been created. Subconsciously turning around, he rested back against his desk as he scanned the scripture, again, with eyes and fingertips. "The archangel Samael. The Lightbringer," he began to translate, his voice small from the impact of emotions rushing into him from the symbols he touched. "With his joyful demeanour, paired with compassion and a not too small amount of impudence, Samael is bringing not only light, but lightness into the creation of the Almighty Father. Both the Silver City as well as earth benefit from his multifarious character traits. He's passionate in the things he does, as long as his heart is with it. Duties however are not easily executed by him. While when his passion is triggered, his dedication is unmatched from any of his siblings, he struggles to follow orders that strike a chord of disliking inside him, no matter if the tasks were brought upon him by the Almighty Father."

He fell silent, his jaw tensing. He had pushed away the memories about the feelings embedded in the Enochian writing. But now that he touched them, they came rushing back at him like a tidal wave. The words themselves were merely a small jab to his guts, but combined with the divine signature, he could feel the disappointment and annoyance that swung behind the lines, forever engraved in the symbols by Corilon, one of his brothers with a talent for the fine arts. He knew though that these feelings were not only Corilon's. They were the feelings of most of his siblings towards him as well, as they had always seen him as a fun and joyful one, but also difficult and rebellious, ungrateful and irrational. They saw him not live to his designed potential, as a glorious archangel doing God's work, but as the nagging smart-arse that defied God on every occasion he could.

She observed him closely, seeing how the last sentence made his expression sadden and sour. Putting her wine aside as well, she reached for his arms, gently rubbing along them. "Hey." When his eyes locked with hers, clearly nervous about what he had read to her, she tilted her head to the side and smiled warmly. "I know you think this shows you flawed from your siblings' point of view. Naive maybe. But when I listen to this, I see so much more in between these few written lines. You're not flawed Lucifer," she breathed the last words, "You are perfect the way you are and you've always known to follow your heart. Always."

Speechless, a sudden lump in his throat hindering him to make a sound, he gazed at her, his heart thundering. How was it such simple words from her lips could wash all the bad memories away? Could make him believe in her perspective about him with unshakable faith? The tense feeling in his chest was exchanged with a tingling excitement. He watched her step closer, her hands brushing down his arms and taking the book from his hands. Placing it back on the desk, she slipped her small hands into his big palms, her lower lip caught between her teeth. He could hear the loud thrum of her heart, feel it from her hands lovingly holding his and his chest felt like bursting. She had an overwhelming effect on him and he could hardly grasp how he was not fainting like a human from the sheer power she had over him. Her physique, her touch, her perfume, the wide, soul-touching look in her eyes and the depth of her words had him willingly falling. He noticed she was leaning in, two ocean pools looking between his eyes and lips back and forth. And then he couldn't hold back, his body reacting on its own accord.

[Tether Me - Galleaux]

His lips crushing down against hers, he released a strangled moan in the back of his throat, his hands pulling her close against him, untangling from her fingers to wrap his arms around her slender frame. She melted against him, her soft curves pressing against his hard frame, yearning, pleading for more contact. His head swirling in a dizzying high, he brushed his tongue against her lips, needily but chivalrously waiting for permission. And when her hands came up, grasping his cheeks, her lips parting and releasing the sweetest of moans, he dove into her mouth with ardor. Immediately the nerves throughout his body were alight from her taste and his body stirred with need for more. Her taste and feel were intoxicating.

She wanted to feel him everywhere, feel his warm skin against her own, taste his lips and tongue, scrape through his perfectly combed hair to make it a wild mess and explore every centimeter that was Lucifer Morningstar's body. She had sealed away her desire for him in the months he had been gone, trying her best not to get overwhelmed, but inwardly she had never longed for anyone as much as she did for him. Having him back with her, finally having a moment of quiet just between the two, was like a precious gift and now more than ever was she convinced to cherish the time as it happened, as all too soon their time could be over. She didn't dwell on it, her mind consumed with the smoky flavour of Lucifer mixed with bourbon, shocking her nerves with an almost desperate rush.

He didn't give her mouth any rest until she was out of breath. Turning them both around he carefully pushed her backwards, making her thighs and butt feel the edge of the desk. Quickly taking hold of her legs, he sat her down on the desk, impatiently shoving books and papers off to the side, making the utensils crumple and drop off over the edge. Head lowering to the side, he dipped into the crease of her neck, kissing along her jugular before trailing his tongue over the silken skin. Rewarded with a deep groan, her head leaning back and exposing more of her elegant neck to him, his hands went beneath her blouse, fingers finding the soft flesh of her flanks, kneading it, feeling her subtle muscles twitch. Her skin tasted as divine her her mouth, fresh and fruity, but with a slight tinge of salt. Inhaling her scent from up close, he pulled away only enough to help lift the blouse over her head. Once the fabric was off her arms and carelessly tossed back over his shoulder, his mouth returned to her skin, this time to the hollow between her neck and collarbone, exploring the newly revealed skin.

The sensation of his lips, tongue and the scrub of his stubble were tingling sensations at her nerves' ends and caused the heat to not only flush her skin but also travel down south with carnal need. His mouth kept on its exploration, his frame leaning forward and in result making her bend back onto the desk. Gripping for his jacket, she pushed the expensive piece over his strong shoulders, feeling her core clench with anticipation when her fingers felt the firm muscles of his arms moving as he helped her pull off the sleeves. His hot, damp breath over her chest reached her left breast and a quiet, whimpering cry escaped her.

Groaning in pure longing, he brushed his lips over the dark red lace, feeling the hardened nipple tenting the delicate fabric. Lingering for a second, he left her in the unknown of what he was going to do, before opening his mouth and light -but hungrily- nipping on the sensitive, hidden nub with his teeth. Her reaction was exquisite: Her whole body arched passionately up against him, urging his mouth to not stop with its delicious torture. Her head tilted further back on the desk, lips opened wide in a deep, lascivious groan she tried to stifle in vain as she bit on her left index finger. Her right hand combed into his hair, gripping tightly, and the slight sting on his scalp sent a surge straight down to his loins. Holy fucking hell! His body ablaze, he growled and switched over to her other breast, repeating his treatment with unyielding fervour. Again she groaned, louder and more lewdly than before, her fingers tugging at his hair, pulling him up to her face.

His mouth was addictive and she wanted it back on hers, taking an extra dose of him. Crushing his lips together with hers, she held his chin in her fingers, demandingly licking into his mouth, sharing trembling breaths. She felt his torso shift, his fingers swiftly unbuttoning his vest and the white shirt beneath, and discarding both items on the floor. Automatically her hands reached to touch his now bare chest, feeling the hills and ridges of muscles, sharply sculpted, and she felt the distinct need to worship every line with her own mouth. She couldn't recall that he was this buffed when he left to rule hell and a small voice in the back of her mind wondered if he had worked out and if angels would even need to bother about staying in shape. But the voice got quickly overwritten by the feeling of something hard pressing against her crotch and again her body resonated with tingles and heat pooled between her legs.

"Still too many clothes…" Lucifer mouthed hotly in a strained voice, his eyes hooded with arousal. Standing back, he opened the zippers of her heeled boots and helped her out of her footwear before tending to the fastening of her jeans. His eyes flickered up to hers in a brief moment of hesitation, his brain suddenly jolted to a halt when it settled what they both were about to do. Still, he needed the sparkle in her ocean eyes, the non-verbal yes, the breathless little smile tugging at her lips and the tiny, but still energetic nod, filled with raw desire burning for him and him alone. When she gave her answer, his frozen state melted away in an instant, the last bit of fear of rejection gone and replaced with a admiration for his beloved Detective.

Within seconds he had peeled the jeans from her slender legs and once again his mouth returned to bare skin, kissing a line from her left knee along the inside of her thigh. She squirmed and he smirked against her, satisfied to know she enjoyed the teasing. Kicking out of his shoes and removing his socks, he stood back up, arms reaching to slip around her and pull her up against him. She followed his movements fluently, arms reaching up and around his neck, her legs hooking around his waist. Easily carrying her weight, he plundered her mouth with another searing kiss, walking them up the stairs to his bedroom and letting them both glide down into the soft, cool sheets.

Pressing his lower half down on her, he used his left arm to hold himself up, his other hand reaching into her soft golder hair. Breathing hard against her lips, his nose nuzzling against hers, he looked with endless affection and devotion at her. "I've been dreaming of you… of this… night and day while I was gone," he mouthed, brushing his lips against hers, pecking her ever so lightly. "I was hallucinating of you to the point of going mad. How much I've longed to be able to see you again... To kiss you..." Hungrily his lips melted against hers, his tongue sensually mapping hers for a few moments before pulling away again. "To hear you," he continued in a whisper, his fingers trailing down her neck and chest, dancing in a curved line over her stomach.

Her breathing hitched, her pulse racing. The mention of his suffering caused a deep sting in her heart, but the caress of his fingers swirled the bad away and when his hand traced the skin below her navel, a desperate whimper passed her lips, all other thoughts gone and forgotten.

"Oh, Chloe," he moaned in appreciation about her reaction, "I want to hear every sweet sound your body erupts." With a shuddering breath, he slipped his hand around her, reaching for the clip of her bra. Once opened with practised fingers, he watched her remove the lace, leaving her breasts bare, her chest heaving and her cheeks blushing. Searching her eyes, he smiled lovingly at her. "Do you have any idea what you do to me, my dear Detective?" he purred her profession, leaning down to her neck and inhaling deeply. "Your luscious scent is making my head spin and the sight of your body makes my mouth water with the craving to taste every inch of your tender skin."

Chloe arched her head back, relishing in the sensations he put her through. Her body heated up, eager and in a daze with tingles rushing through her limbs. Suddenly Lucifer moved downward, his lips capturing her right nipple, gently biting before latching at it and soothing the sting with the flat of his tongue. She cried out lewdly, fingers reaching into his hair and clutching onto his shoulder, pulling him against her.

His lower parts cried out along with her, and he felt his cock pulse and harden with demanding force. He groaned against her sensitive nipple and gave it a last suck before sitting up on his knees. Not breaking eye contact with her, he opened his belt and dress pants and sent them flying against the nearest stone wall. His body burning with desire, he took a hold on her panties, slowly peeling them off her slender legs. With the last piece of clothing finally tossed aside, he let out a shaky breath, gently lowering back down on her. Her hands went back around him, trusting and desiring, combing into the short curls at his neck and softly caressing over his back. Again his member stirred with anticipation, sliding between her wet lips, making him close his eyes with a strained growl. "Detective... Chloe. I don't care about any deity up there. But you… you're my religion. My faith. Being separated from you feels like losing myself. It's the cruellest punishment there is. And being with you, being yours and calling you mine is my salvation. Let me give you all of me. Let me worship you."

Eyes sparkling with affection and a pool of tears, she lovingly scratched his scalp and pulled him close, kissing him passionately. Feeling him press against her heat, she pulled his head into her neck, feeling his laboured breath filled with arousal against her ear. "Lucifer," she whispered against his temple, her lips curling up. "I will have all of you, if you'll have all of me."

Kissing the spot below her ear, he hummed, smiling contentedly. "There's nothing I would like more, darling." Lifting his face to look at her, he held his weight with his left arm, his right brushing along her thigh and guiding her knee up. Holding her eyes steady with his own, his lips lightly brushing over hers, he angled his hips and slowly eased into her welcoming warmth.

Both their eyes fluttered close from the intensity of sensation, finally, after years of yearning and built up desire, feeling each other become one. Moaning against each other's lips, Lucifer pushed deeper, feeling her walls deliciously wet, drawing him in and holding him in the sweetest prison he could ever imagine. He moved back and forth in a slow pace, her tightness causing his balls to draw in, heavy and tense. It was overwhelming, light trembles rushing through him, and everything around him blurred away, the sole focus lying on the most beautiful creature in his Father's creation.

Chloe's mouth fell open in a silent cry, her eyes rolling back into her head, with the feel of him deliciously filling and grinding into her. "Oh go-" she moaned, but was unable to finish when Lucifer's tongue returned into her mouth, this time adding passionate bites and sucks. Her moan vibrated into him and transformed into a low growl deep in his chest and her heart thundered at the realisation of that having been her doing. Taking turns and nipping at his lower lip, she felt his thrust stutter for a second and her lips curled into a small smirk. Arms slinging around his torso, she dug her fingers into his back and her core responded with a new rush of arousal when she felt the muscle beneath her fingertips bulge. "Oh yes…" she whimpered hotly, tightly clutching at Lucifer and pulling him closer against and into her, if even possible.

Her moans and whimpers were fervid music to his ears, the pulse of her heart the thundering baseline. Pushing himself up to rest back on his knees, he ran his eyes and hands hungrily over her body, watching her writhe and arch beneath his touch like a seductive succubus putting her spell on him. "Breathtaking," he marvelled, his hands caressing along her legs and draping them against his chest. Bending over, he let her calves lay on his shoulder, his hips grinding sharper against her, his thrusts deep and powerful. His hands free, he reached for her wrists, pinning them against the sheets above her head so she was at his mercy. But really… it's rather the other way around, he thought with shimmering eyes and placed his lips against her neck, kissing, licking and biting at the tender flesh.

She was feeling her climax getting closer with each of his thrusts, his aim against the sensitive bundle inside her wonderfully merciless. It was amazing, crazy, mind-blowing and she could tell her human body would not be able to hold herself at bay for too long, given his skill and technique were rocking her arousal through one rollercoaster high after another. Her breasts pressing up against him, she tried to fight against his wrists pinning her down, craving to run her fingers all over him, gripping into his hair, scraping her nails over his hot chest and groping his ass, urging him on to take her harder.

Chuckling against her skin when he felt her resistance, he let go with his right hand, moving it down to mould and squeeze her breast, not omitting the opportunity to stimulate her erect nipple with a light pinch. He hadn't imagined her reaction to be that extreme. And THAT fucking hot, his mind added in carnal fever. Sputtering out a cry of pleasure and despair, her free hand surprisingly went to clutch onto his hand on her nipple, pressing it harder against her, groping herself through his palm. Her insides trembled and contracted around him in a wave of small ripples, signalling him that she was right at the edge. Entranced, he guided her hand back up and let their fingers entwine. Looking down at her, panting and a thin layer of sweat starting to build on both their bodies, he thrusted harder, increasing his speed a tiny bit, but it was just the right push she needed.

Mouth falling open, she panted out a series of raw groan and whimpering, lewd obscenities. The world around her blurred to a black canvas before something in her vision seemed to explode like a supernova, mirroring the feel that spread from her core throughout every cell of her body. Back arching and her neck stretched, her inner walls came crumbling down in a blinding explosion, clenching and pulling and pushing around Lucifer. His movements didn't stop and neither did the trembling sensation rocking through her, and suddenly she heard Lucifer blissfully cry out.

Overwhelmed by the beauty and the intensity of her climax as he kept pushing into her, he felt the pressure in his loins bursting. Dropping her legs to his sides, he ground into her in trembling blows, the shots of his cum deep into her warmth causing his whole body to tense in spasms. Gasping for air, his eyes glassy, he balanced his weight above her, watching in pure admiration as she blinked and looked up at him with the same loving, post-orgasm expression written on her face. Stilling in his movements and pulling out, he regarded her quietly, giving them both time to calm their breathing.

Keeping himself above her with one arm to not press all his weight on her, he gently laid his free palm against her cheek, his thumb brushing over her swollen lips, her damp breath against his skin. He looked at her, awestruck and speechless, unable to grasp how he could be so lucky to be the one she desired. His mind wandered over the past few days and everything that had happened to them both. She had fought against a demon, had investigated in this whole orchestrated web of murderous priests and his crazy archangel brother with his prophecy about the end of existence. It certainly wasn't an everyday Tuesday for the Devil, and much less so for his mortal Detective, and he couldn't stop himself from marvelling over her resilience. Even when everything around her was in chaos, she stood firm in the storming sea of celestial craziness and searched for answers. And then there was her thoughtful caretaking over him while he was lying in a coma. She had tended to his wounds, sat by his side day and night, and with the help of Phaldor guided him back to consciousness. A brush over his cheek made him blink and snap back to the present, spotting that Chloe was moving her fingers over him tenderly.

"Are you alright?" she mouthed sweetly, her eyes widening a little, although they were still hooded from the happy orgasm-afterglow. He had looked so enchanted and enthralled at first, but now his expression had turned different, wonderous and even a bit nervous. "What is it?"

"I just-" He broke off, shaking his head with a small laugh. "You stayed."

Fingers caressing over his lips and edgy chin, she frowned confused, but kept a soft smile at the feel of his stubble. "What do you mean?"

"You've been through so much because of me. Demon attacks, priests gone mad, trying to kill you and kidnapping your spawn, being part of some bloody, apocalyptic prophecy and then you nursed me when I needed help." He looked back at her, incredulously. It was unbelievable that she existed and yet she did, and was more of a miracle than one could ever dream of. "After everything that's happened. You stayed at my side through all of it."

Her eyes watered and she caught her lips between her teeth to keep from sobbing. While he was probably right that she had been through quite a lot of craziness for one week, he was giving himself far too little credit. "We're partners, Lucifer. I know you have my back and I'll always have yours." She knew by the sparkle in his eyes, that he understood she meant the word partners not only in the professional sense. "And I guess we make a good team not only when it comes to classical investigations, but also celestial business, don't you think?" she offered with a smile, continuing to caress her fingers over his chin and along his prominent jawline.

[Please Set Me on Fire - Estelle]

He continued to look at her, like she was the strangest thing he had ever seen, and most likely, in some way, she was. She was everything to him and so much more. Even though he was fluent in all languages, he couldn't find words to properly describe how she was able to make him feel more than complete. "Yes… yes we do," he agreed quietly and lowered down, placing a trail of kisses along her neck and down over her chest. Shifting further down on the mattress, he exchanged his pattern with light licks here and there, travelling over her stomach and towards her sex.

"Mmmm…" Chloe hummed, eyes closing as she relished in the feel of his warm touch and breath against her. Reaching down, she lightly caressed his cheek, and when he dipped between her legs, the flat of his tongue lapping over her dripping heat, released a long-stretched, wanton moan.

He had fantasised about her taste and smell of her and especially in combination with his own release. And although he was very imaginative, the reality blew his mind away. Even on the gourmet-level of their cum, they matched together exquisitely. Groaning appreciatively, he flicked his tongue across her entrance, lapping at their mixed arousal as if they were the last drops of the rarest drink in the world. Not one drop was allowed to go to waste. With a small, mischievous smirk, he circled her bundle of nerves and closed his lips around it, gently applying suction.

The warmth and tease of his mouth was rekindling her inner fire within seconds thanks to Lucifer's talented sexual-pyrokinesis powers. Tossing and arching, she wiggled beneath his ministrations, whimpering his name in praise and erotic despair. Her fingers buried back into his thick dark hair, gripping and pushing him closer against her if possible. "Lucifer… Mmm… Yes, yesss... Nghh… Please, don't stop…"

Encouraged from her sweet cries and moans, he swirled his tongue in rougher strokes over the nub and when she started to tremble from his worship, he delved into her as deep as his tongue could reach. Sliding back and forth, curling and twisting, he caressed her inner walls, slick and hot, twitching with small contractions.

"Oh my- Holy fuck!" Chloe groaned in ecstasy, her palm shoving Lucifer harder against her, her hips buckling to meet his thrusts. The feeling of his tongue was like a whole new revelation to her worldview and soon the tingling in her core started to build to the point of madness.

He drank from her, slurping away the most intoxicating potion with ravenous voracity. Letting his own groans and growls vibrate directly into her core, he moved his left hand to hold her thigh steady, his right resting on her lower belly, keeping her from wiggling too much. He could feel she was getting closer to topple over the edge, her breathing irregular, frantic almost. Her cheeks were deeply flushed, her muscles trembling, and when her hand gripped onto his hair and into the sheets more tightly, her knuckles going white, he knew she was about to come.

The last thrust of his tongue and the gentle pressure of his hand on her abdomen were finally too much. Her brain disconnected from her body and white sparks shooting in front of her closed eyes like a firework of supernovas. "Lucifer!" she cried out his name, her body arching and trembling uncontrollably, rocking against his unwavering tongue, hot, strong and wickedly merciless. Wave after wave her body erupted with pleasure until the sensation slowly subsided and his movements eased along with it.

Rasping for air, her skin glistening from beads of sweat, she tilted her head down to look at him as he peeked up from between her legs, his breathing equally rapid and ragged. She took in the glisten of his mouth and chin, his lips twitching into a smirk and then she saw his eyes shimmer with a dark, predatory glint. "Lucifer, what-" she mouthed wondrously, but let out a surprised squeal when he gripped her waist and flung her around.

[Say You Believe - Midnight Divide]

With a low chuckle, he rolled her onto her stomach, straddling her legs and keeping her from rolling around again. Calmly, he roamed his eyes over her back, watching the subtle muscles in her shoulders and lower back twitch, until he marvelled over her firm, peachy butt. She looked like a greek goddess, her hair flowing wild over her shoulders and off the sides over her neck, her skin lightly tanned and her movements all sensual. She was beautiful beyond measure. Does she know how erotic she looks?, he wondered. How naturally alluring she moves? How her body calls out for me? Lowering down, he kissed first her left then her right butt cheek. With a hot exhale, he then traced his tongue up along her spine, aligning his body with hers. Hands brushing along her arms, he interlaced his fingers with hers, keeping her pinned beneath him, gently pressing her down with his weight and tall frame. "You're driving me crazy, Detective," he breathed against her ear with another low growl, hips buckling, his member finding her awaiting heat. "And I can only hope that I have the same effect on you."

She was about to tease him, but was silenced by him in two ways at once. His left hand reached around her chin, making her turn her head towards his and, too fast for her to take another breath, his lips crushed against hers, his tongue impetuously licking into her mouth, battling her muscle with pure self-indulgence and sharing the taste of him and her he had gathered from his previous endeavour into her nether regions. At the same time, he ground into her, roughly thrusting all the way inside up to her cervix in one sharp move. Unable to form a coherent response, her eyes rolled back into her head and a licentious groan erupted from her lungs, passing directly over into Lucifer's mouth. He seemed satisfied with her reaction, if his rumbling growls and grunts were any indicator, and began to buckle his hips in a fast, brute pace, his cock hitting her spongy nerve bundle with every push into her wetness.

Her hands gripped into the sheets as she was effectively fucked into the bed, her body rocking with every bounce he did on top of her. She was in a happy craze, amazed how Lucifer could feel this sensual while taking her with wild, brute passion. He held her jaw in place, lips brushing and grasps exchanging as he thrusted into her, his body applying just the right weight, so she felt pleasantly small but not squashed beneath him.

He was captivated. She was magnificent, looking so impossible hot, arched against him, her face all flushed, hands frantically clutching the sheets as he ground into her heat. The slurping and slapping sounds of his thrusts filled the room, mixing with their rasping breaths, but he looked forward to adding more sounds to their sexual symphony. Letting go of her jaw, he took a hold of her hip and, while he made sure they stayed connected, leaned back upright, pulling her with him so she rested on all fours. Immediately he felt himself able to take her deeper, the angle providing straight access to her most pleasing places.

"Mmmm… You feel so bloody good," he praised her in a dreamy gasp, his palms moving to cup her buttcheeks, kneading and caressing the plum flesh as he kept his hips rocking against her. Biting his lips, he watched her body shift back and forth with each of his thrusts, her hair flowing wildly over her shoulders, giving her the looks of a beautiful, untamed lioness. "Tell me, love. Does that feel good, yes?" Of course he knew it did. He was aware how each of his movements hit her just right and pushed her towards salvation. But he needed to hear it from her in her own words, see how much she enjoyed having him fill and complete her, watch as she fell apart through his worship.

She moaned out at the deeper stretch and fill. Jolts of light and pleasure shot through her with each of his blows, the sensation just at the edge of too good and becoming painful, sending her mind into a whirling delirium. "Ngh, yes! Oh go- nnngh! Yes! Yesss… So good… So… big… deep… Ngh! Yes! More… Please don't stop… Lucifer… please... " If she would have been in the state to blush over her own words, she would have, but she was already deeply flushed and the only reaction her body could still give was creating more of her lubricating arousal and her muscles stimulatingly clenching down on Lucifer's cock.

His lips twitched up in an unseen smile at her response and a predatory growl rumbled through his chest. She wanted more? She'd get more. Anything she asked of him, he'd gladly give her. Withdrawing his palms, he sent them back down to her butt in two sharp slaps before gripping onto her hip and thrusting back inside her roughly. Her wild, blissful cry was a beautiful addition to their symphony, her groans trembling with each of his blows. He stayed brute with his thrusts, fascinated how she whimpered for his attention, which he gave her to her peachy buttcheeks or by running his short fingernails teasingly over her twitching back. She was perceptive to the small stings, moaning in ecstasy for him to not stop. She writhed beneath him, revelling in his worship and she looked absolutely glorious.

It didn't take long and he could feel her walls flutter around him, her sensitive patch of skin swollen and hot. Slinging his left arm around her shoulders, he helped her to sit up on her knees, arching back against him, his cock aching deliciously at the changed angle once again. Her head rolled back against his shoulder, her eyes on half-mast as she looked up at him, his lips brushing against her temple. Overwhelmed with a sudden ache in his chest, he pressed her against him harder, her soft frame melting against his firm planes, a thin film of sweat providing easy friction between them. "You're mine, as I am yours, Detective. Always," he whispered, humming his words into her ear like a contract of passion. "And I will do whatever it takes to keep you safe." He didn't know why or how the words had spilled out of him. He only felt that the ache in his chest became slightly more painful before it finally let go of him, seeming satisfied with his confession and promise to her.

Chloe's eyes watered at his words, her own heart contracting painfully. She knew the depth of his promise and while in a way it was sad, it was also fuelling the fire of her love for him. As much as her arched body allowed it, she lifted her right arm, bringing her hand into his hair and holding his face close against the side of her own. "Lucifer... " she breathed out in a heated gasp, unable to name a specific request or express a certain emotion. She needed him, wanted him, couldn't imagine living without him, felt only complete with him. But she had no words that could do all that justice and so she used her free hand to clutch onto his strong arm pressing her against him, squeezing it in a gesture she hoped he understood.

He knew it, could read in her eyes, her squeeze and the way her voice trembled as she said his name, how much she loved him and how they both would never let anything happen to the other. Lips caressing along her cheek, he mouthed how beautiful she was and reached his right hand around her body to her swollen nub, circling and rubbing the wet bundle of nerves. Her walls cramped down on him immediately and he growled out against her cheek, feeling the heavy rush in his balls and the pulse throb in his cock. "Fuck!" he hissed, forcing himself to not sink his teeth into her neck.

Her mind and body felt like it went on haywire. Everything felt intense, hot, tingling and swollen, and she knew by the lightness in her head that she was about to fall apart again any second. And it literally just took another five seconds. His fingers flicked over her nub, rubbed and squeezed it and the string holding her together tore apart in a blinding firework of sparks shooting up in her vision. Crying out, she clutched onto both his forearms, feeling as her core produced another wave of arousal while her walls convulsed along Lucifer's length, drawing him in with a maddening force.

Unable to hold back his burning desire, Lucifer released a roar, his grip tightening around her trembling frame. He was quite sure he'd leave bruises on her sweet body, but he was too absorbed to either be happy about his claim or distraught about his marks. His fingers worked vigorously against her flesh as he continued his thrusts into her tightness, her muscles squeezing him and massaging his burning cock to the limit of his own control. Slamming into her with a final, deep thrust, he wailed out sighs of relief, feeling himself emptying into her depths. Leaning forward, he made them lay back down into the sheets, hips grinding into her as he shot the last bits of his release, before coming to a shuddering halt.

[Yours - Ella Henderson]

She felt him. All of him. His weight, his hot breath, his shuddering frame, his slowly softening cock, the warm trickle of seed and the strong arms that didn't let go of her, even when he rolled them onto the side and spooned her from behind. Closing her eyes, she held onto him, fingers gently starting to caress along his arms. Slowly her breathing calmed and she was content to have him wrapped around her like a blanket. Inhaling his scent, she smiled and felt Lucifer nuzzle into her hair, doing the same. "I love you," she whispered, snuggling further against him.

His eyes fluttered close as the sweet jasmine scent of her hair filled him and he felt like he was invincible, content down to every cell of his body, flooded with happiness and satisfaction. "I love you, too, Chloe." His breathing slowly calmed down, his heart relaxed from it's crazed thundering and his lower parts drew out of her thoroughly sated. He felt utterly at ease and happy with himself, and it wasn't a false pretence. He couldn't recall a time in his existence when he had ever felt like this. Sex had never felt like this.

He let the quiet between them make his mind drift, float into a warm, fluffy touch, before he felt his consciousness transition to darkness. He thought of the entity older than this universe, thought about the danger it proposed if it were unleashed. But his soul remained calm, collected and unafraid. He had a strange feeling that soon he would get to know what the third prophecy part said. The only thing he hoped for was that there was a way to prevent it from happening. But a calm voice in the back of his mind told him there most likely was none. It would happen. Only when? And how?

Subconsciously pulling his Detective closer, he sighed and smiled when she turned towards him, snuggling against his chest. Her warm breath brushed against his skin comfortably and the tranquillity of the entire world seemed to rest in this very moment. He relished in it, feeling how it was the calm before the storm. Her heartbeat against his own soothed and grounded him like a salving anchor to his boat in a rocking sea. She was there for him and with his mind focussed on her, he knew he would be able to face the thunderstorm if it would hit.

Chapter Text

Chapter 18: Brothers

[Chaos Inside – Paul Werner]

LA felt remarkably calm, considering it was a pulsing city with millions of inhabitants who were so blissfully unaware of the danger that was right at their threshold. If only they knew about the danger, Michael thought, they would stream into their houses of prayers and beg for God's help to shield them from harm. Of course God wouldn't lift a finger. Not really. It had always been him and his brothers responding to prayers, doing God's work. He had never been irritated by that fact before, but now was different. Now he could see His holy ways were not at all mysterious but plainly delusional and wrong.

And even though prayers of humans wouldn't be directed at Michael or his siblings in general, the mere energy coming from a prayer would have been a great support in his task. But now there was hardly any energy floating about. That was until three very specific voices rang in his mind, meekly asking for specifically his attention. The prayers quietly buzzing in his head guided him to a small chapel at the edge of the city. Flying through the bell tower into the great main hall, he took a look around, seeing its pews and altar softly lit by the moonlight shining through the colourful windows.

"Y-you c-c-came," a shaking, male voice stammered towards his right.

Over in a corner, by a statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary, he spotted the priests he had commissioned to do his holy, world-saving work. "Valentine," Michael addressed the one who had spoken up, and strode over to him, his shining white wings out on display, majestic and intimidating. His walk was calm, but held a certain danger and condescendence towards the humans. It wasn't just showing in his walk, but also in the low sound of his voice and the grim look in his face. "Collin," he went on as he took in the sight of the other two priests cowering next to him, hands folded, heads lowered, their eyes looking up insecurely at him. "...and Davin."

Taking in a deep breath, his chest armour rising and glistening from the flicker of candles next to the priests, he looked at them with all the judgement his position as the heavenly enforcer empowered him with. The priests felt his grudge and flinched back as if they had been burned from a flame. "You failed," Michael grumbled at them, his glare downright withering.

Valentine's face paled and in pure fright, he averted his eyes, shaking his head. "I- I- I really tried to take care of that detective… We all did. We almost had her, but then… then…" he trailed off, making the sign of the cross. "Oh dear God... The Devil… he… he suddenly showed up. We tried to defeat him! You told me he's vulnerable around that detective, so we shot at him!" Valentine desperately tried to defend his failed attempts, but his short burst of energy was followed by a pathetic, defeated laugh. "I guess it was foolish to think we could stand a chance."

"Please, great archangel Michael, please, have mercy on us!" Davin whimpered from the back as he got up from the ground. He tried his best to look at Michael, but it was clear he was thoroughly intimidated and looked as if he was about to sweat blood. Every attempt he made and his eyes met the iron glare of Michael, Davin, quickly looked down again, blinking nervously. "We didn't mean to disappoint you. We are humble servants of God and his angels. We've tried our best, Michael, but we are... only human… and we've endangered our souls for this attempt. "

"Yes, you are. And yes, you did," Michael responded coolly. "You knew the price you'd have to pay, if you'd fail, priest. You knew everything that was at stake. But your souls hardly mean anything next to the cataclysmic event that threatens this creation. I was ignorant to believe you could truly do God's work. It's up to me to try and prevent the impending doom now."

Valentine anxiously brushed a hand through his grey hair, his once sharp blue eyes now looked glassy and distraught. "But w-w-what about us? Surely our souls are forgiven, aren't they? I- I mean we… we did what you've asked of us. We served you… We served God. If we perish, we will go to heaven, won't we?"

In a blink, Michael closed the distance between him and Valentine, his hand shooting forward and gripping carelessly on the priest's throat. Eyes narrowing, he felt his blood boil with disgust. "You care for your little soul more than the existence of earth itself? More than the existence of your own kin? More than all else of God's creation?!" he roared at him, his eyes blazing up with ice blue flames, causing all the priests to shriek out in fright.

Grunting and whimpering, Valentine tried to draw a breath as Michael squeezed him off of oxygen. "Nnnnughh… N-n-no! P-please! I- I can't… b-breathe-" he stammered and rasped, clutching onto Michael's bracer, but the angel's hold did not ease up. Rapidly he felt his vision starting to blur and darken, his consciousness beginning to slip away. "F-f-forgive m-me F-father, for I… I..."

The priest trailed off as he was about to pass out and Michael's lips curled back in an annoyed snarl. "Pathetic," he hissed, giving Valentine a harsh shove that sent him stumbling backwards into the arms of the two other priests. He watched as Valentine rubbed his throat, which was certainly going to show bruising within the next minutes. "Even though it is your own fault, you seek forgiveness and acceptance from my Father. You hide from the repercussions. You are not worthy of my attention any longer, humans. If you feel your souls going to hell when your end comes, then it will be because of your own doing. You were not willed enough to sacrifice everything for this worlds' existence. And that is the price you will have to pay for your cowardice."

"But… archangel Michael, we thought we did enough to prove ourselves to you and God!" Valentine called out, but Michael had already turned away from them, flaring his wings.

He was done with them. Once and for all. Without another glance at them, Michael pushed himself into the air and headed back out of the chapel into the night.

[When the Truth Hunts You Down – Sam Tinnesz]

Valentine was more than distraught. He was more than afraid. He was traumatically terrified. How could it all have come to this, when it had all begun with a sign from God, His right hand, the archangel Michael, revealing himself to them? How could something that was the literal epitome of God, have such devastating effects?

How had he chosen to kill a person, to summon a demon from the pits of hell, to kidnap a child and then tried to kill its mother, all in the name of God? How could this happen because of the visit of an angel?

He remembered Michael's voice as it had gone straight into his brain and pierced into his heart. It had been both beautiful and terrifying at once. He had never heard anything - anyone - alike. Somehow Michael's voice had struck a chord inside of him that instantly made him cry from an onslaught of emotions. He felt in awe, joyful about an angel appearing and talking directly to him, assigning him with a task to save the world. It was incredible. Unthinkable. At the same time however, when Michael spoke, he was filled with endless horrors of an all consuming darkness, of people panicking in the streets and screaming as they were torn to pieces, ripped out of existence and denied the entry of heaven.

Heaven…

His soul would be forever damned, he was sure of it. He would burn in hell for all eternity. But would there still be the realm of hell, if the Darkness would consume this entire world? Would it not also eliminate heaven and hell? And then, where would his damned soul go? Where could it ever have the prospect of redemption? Was it even having that prospect at all?

He shuddered, rubbed his bruising throat and swallowed down the lump that had formed inside of it. No. There was none, he realised, and a horrifying thought crept up in his mind. His inner, pious voice rebelled instantly, deeming it unholy, cowardly and illogical. But what other choice was there to find a place of peace for his soul, to try and reach paradise while it still existed? He couldn't think of any other possibility. Tonight would be the night everything would be decided. The night everything would find and end, one way or another. The angel had been unequivocal.

Either God's side would win or everything of God's creation would perish.

"Brothers," he began with a quiet, shaking voice, and looked at Davin and Collin. "There's no way around this. We only have one last attempt to save our souls, before it's too late. I know, it sounds contradictory..."

Davin and Collin looked at each other, swallowing, the realisation of what Valentine spoke about draining the blood from their faces. "What... method would you suggest?" Collin carefully asked, his hand reaching to his cross necklace.

"Well… We have the guns," Valentine suggested a bit reluctantly, but when he saw his brothers drawing a sharp breath, he went on. "But there are other options. Not as fast, obviously, but less… messy." He turned towards the direction Michael had been coming from. "We could use ropes from the bell tower," he said quietly.

"Hanging like Judas?" Davin asked with an equally sorrowful expression on his face like the others. When Valentine nodded as an answer, he slowly inclined his head as well in silent agreement. "I guess it will be a fitting ending then. We can only pray that we'll be forgiven for this selfish last act."

"Indeed, brother," Valentine agreed, pressing his lips into a tight smile. "Come now. Let us have a last confession."

[Dreams of Venice – Assassin's Creed 2 OST]

It had been a couple of days since his last visit to the Silver City and of course nothing had changed. On the first glance, that is. His siblings were still following their daily businesses, fulfilling their duties diligently and with passion. But it was when he looked more closely, that Amenadiel noticed they were all more than content and happy. They were radiating a newfound joyfulness. He could feel how they were bursting with bright energy.

And when his glance fell upon the great hall's tower, he knew why.

"Father," he mouthed, his heart starting to pound against his ribcage. He was here. Of course that was a weird expression to put it, knowing that God was omnipresent. But it was different. Amenadiel could feel His concentrated essence, a source of energy and power beyond his own understanding. A warm smile spread on his lips as he headed to the tower with strong flaps of his wings. He hadn't seen his Father in a long time. Knowing his presence was there in the Silver City gave him hope for the dire situation of earth, but it also made him wonder. Many questions floated through his mind and he hoped he would get them answered.

The double winged door to the hall was closed, with both of his brothers Gathiel and Idrael guarding it. They were true guardian angels, made to protect the place where God resided when He focused His essence to materialise in the Silver City. Both brothers were built like giants, a good 6"6' (~2m) tall, with shoulders broader than his own. They were intimidating, even to him.

"Amenadiel," Gathiel greeted him with a firm nod. Even though his expression stayed mostly indifferent, a small twitch of his lip gave away he too was delighted by their Father's presence.

Landing softly on the ledge of the platform, he tucked away his wings, feeling strangely out of place with his own earthly attire and his brothers dressed in their gowns and armours. "Hello Gathiel. Idrael." Greeting each with a warm smile and gentle nod, he motioned at the door they both still guarded with their massive bodies. "I need to speak with Father."

Idrael, who's angelic face was scarred from a gruesome hit with a mace from the time of the rebellion, widened his stance and uncrossed his arms. "Why do you wish to speak with Him?"

"And what makes you think He will talk back to you?" Gathiel added, his eyes filled with wonder and scepsis.

Of course they were firm and suspicious. It was their duty. And they had even more reason to fulfil it with utmost care now that their Father was fully present inside the Great Hall. "I'm in a hurry, brothers. I was about to talk with all of you, but now that it seems Father is here, I will take the chance to discuss Michael and how he's gone completely insane. Earth, heaven and hell, are all in great danger."

Gathiel and Idrael looked at each other with confusion, their feet shifting with a hint of nervosity. "What are you saying? What about Michael?" Idrael grumbled, his eyes piercing Amenadiel with intense curiosity.

"You don't know?" Amenadiel asked, surprised, feeling a deep ache in his chest. Were they unaware of what Michael had been doing all this time? Had they all just stayed clear of him and not bothered to look more closely at his actions? When Idrael tilted his head and nudged his chin at him, his wondrous frown still on his forehead, Amenadiel sighed. "He's gone off the path. He has manipulated humans and made them kill an innocent. He taught them Enochian and how to summon a demon to kill Chloe and then even kidnapped her child to get back at her."

Gathiel's eyes widened. "Michael… he… he wants to kill Father's miracle?" he breathed stunned and his expression turned almost pained when Amenadiel nodded. His posture wavered as he exchanged glances with Idrael. "He was so… secluded as of late. Before Father's return, he had locked himself in the Great Hall most of the time. And when he was away and returned, he didn't tell us what he had been up to. But we also had nothing that made us worry he had been doing anything blasphemous. He is, after all, Michael. Who are we to mistrust him?"

"I understand, Gathiel," Amenadiel softly responded. And he truly did understand. Michael's position among the angels was clearly defined as the leader for them. He was created with the determination to reach his goals and with the mental and physical strength necessary to master all the difficulties along his way to reach them. His siblings were simply not made to question him. They had no reason to believe God's firstborn son, the Power Of God, was actually acting up and going rogue. It seemed like an oxymoron, unimaginable and therefore impossible. "Please, brothers. I need to discuss this situation with Father. He must know what to do or at least give us an insight on what's gotten into Michael in the first place."

A moment of hesitation passed by, where Gathiel and Idrael lingered in their positions, both unsure of what to do. That was until the door behind them slid open with a clank on its own and the double wings revealed parts of what could be considered God's throne room. Both guardian angels released a short gasp at the sudden move, yet they immediately let a quiet sight of relaxation follow. They were obviously relieved the decision had been made for them. Stepping aside, they motioned for Amenadiel to pass, and watched in awe as he walked into the Great Hall, welcomed by their almighty Father. Until He let the doors close again from curious eyes.

Amenadiel needed to blink several times to adjust to the light and sheer power filling the hall. But once his vision was clear, his heart fluttered with surprise and joy. Not only was he granted to lay his eyes on his Father again, but next to him he also saw his Mother. Their human shapes both smiled back at him warmly, that of his Mother much more radiant, but with equal affection visible on their features. "Father… Mother…" Amenadiel breathed with a cracking voice. While he had his faith in his Father and Mother both being well, it had been difficult to live with their felt absence. His mother fully gone in another universe, his Father omnipresent and yet, feeling nothing but absent in the physical sense. To now see them, to feel them, to know they were truly there, was giving him more satisfaction than he had believed he was missing.

"Hello, son," God greeted him, His voice soft and soothing, embracing him in its rich, majestic sound.

"Oh, my sweet boy," Goddess sobbed through happy tears and closed the distance to him in wide strides, pulling him into a tight hug, clutching his head against Herself under her chin, even though he was forced to awkwardly duck down because he was just at tall as her in Charlotte Richard's shape.

Surprised from his Mother's affectionate gesture, he felt he had no choice but to wait until she let go of him, her arms keeping him locked in place and he was unable to move even with his celestial strength. "Mother, you… You're here?" Allowed to eventually straighten back up, he turned to his Father. "I don't understand. Father?"

"I know, son. And I'm really sorry this is so confusing. Your Mother and I are working on settling our differences. We were not in this creation for a while," God explained calmly, his eyes probing into Amenadiel's soul, and he sighed. "Michael," he simply stated, aware of the questions buzzing through his son's mind. "We don't know what's going on with him. He's shielding himself from us, using my own power anchored inside of him. I cannot see his actions. Don't know about his thoughts and intentions. Everything is veiled to me. He's done things that shifted the balance drastically."

Amenadiel thought on his Father's words and his shoulder sank with a realisation. All the horrendous things Michael had done, they all had wondered why God had not done anything. Why he had stayed away and didn't put Michael in his place. Why he let Chloe and her daughter be endangered. God had been completely out of the picture. An omniscient God, that was not omniscient in regards to his firstborn son. "That's why you didn't intervene? ...And why you still don't. Am I right? You cannot see how the balance has shifted because of him." Seeing God nod, he began to pace through the hall, the white marble beneath his boots making his walk echo in the room.

It was strange to know his Father incapable of something. Of being imperfect. But he knew this was only possible because of Michael. No other being in existence held an equal to God's powers. Only Michael would ever be able to truly act against Him, to hide from Him, to do something unexpected. "He believes that by what he's doing, he's stopping the Darkness from breaking free into this world", he quietly went on, glancing back at his parents. "But he's way off the path, Father." He fell silent, his worries whirling inside him like a storm.

"Son… You want me to help you, I know, but… I can't," God said apologetically, moving over to him and gently placing His hands on Amenadiel's shoulders, making him come to a halt. "Trust me. I want to. There's nothing I'd like more. But my interference is just as much a possible catastrophe like Michael's use of my powers. You have to do this on your own and I cannot tell you how."

Goddess stepped next to God, her hand coming up to caress Amenadiel's cheek. "I know it's difficult, Amenadiel. But we both can't help you and your friends. You need to find your own path."

He was used to his Father's quizzical words, whether he had heard them through Michael before, or now in person. But to also have his Mother this tacitum in this circumstance was sobering and mildly irritating. He took a moment to think about his situation and settled with his strong suit. His faith. "You can't help in this situation... I understand and I accept that. But that doesn't mean you won't be with us, right?" Amenadiel murmured, looking expectantly between the two.

"Of course, Amenadiel. We'll always be with you," Goddess assured him, leaned in and placed a loving kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks, Mother. Now… if you'll excuse me. I will need to talk to my siblings. It's only a matter of time, before Michael makes another move and we need to be prepared at least in numbers."

God nodded and looked at Goddess for a moment. Then, with a blink of an eye, they suddenly appeared in the Center Plaza of the Silver City. It took only a few moments before the angels, who had been following their own daily business, were making a turn and headed to the plaza, attracted through the powerful aura God emanated. Dozens upon dozens of angels arrived and started to crowd the plaza, looking expectantly at God, but He merely smiled and laid His eyes upon Amenadiel, silently offering him the stage to speak. This was all He could do for the time being.

The abrupt change of scenery through his Father's powers was an odd experience, but it quickly awoke old memories from when he would have brawls with his brothers and God would make them appear in His throne room, to have a word with them and then send them straight to their rooms. He had always disliked the feeling of simply being pulled around like that, but he figured now that to his Father this was just His own way of moving things, considering he was omnipresent and didn't truly need to move himself. It was just a matter of perspective. What was also a matter of perspective was the way his siblings looked at him. The last time he had spoken with them, they had looked confused and some of them were even bored by his questions about a prophecy and a banishing. Now however they looked downright anticipatory. He realised that his Father and Mother were both staying respectively quiet and had their attention solely on him, which caused his siblings to naturally focus on Amenadiel as well, waiting for him to speak his message.

Somewhat nervously, he turned around in the circle his siblings had formed around him. "Brothers…" He took a deep breath, spotting a short black haired figure peeking through between his broad-shouldered siblings. "...Azrael," he added, acknowledging her presence as the only female angel with a soft smile. He realized it must have been his Father, too, who had pulled her into the Silver City, away from her busy duties as the Angel of Death. Answered with a small nod and smile from his sister he went on, the situation weighing heavy in his heart. "I've talked to you before. There is, quite literally, Darkness coming. An ancient entity that threatens to enter this realm. It's sole wish is to extinguish this world, including heaven and hell."

He paused on purpose. He expected them to laugh and perhaps even murmur with doubt and disapproval. But to his surprise, they all stayed silent. They kept looking at him, waiting expectantly for him to continue, as if what he was saying was undoubtedly true and they did not need any proof. Likely again the effect of his Father's presence. "Michael has been working behind your backs, shielded himself from Father's all-seeing eyes. He believes what he's doing is for the greater good, but at what cost? He has manipulated humans to do his bidding, led them to kill an innocent. They summoned a demon and tried to kill Chloe. Nothing justifies such actions. But Michael is blinded by his own beliefs."

"I'm not fighting against Michael," a dark smooth voice grumbled out of the crowd. As siblings turned their heads into its direction, they made way for the slender, yet athletic, man to step forward. His gowns were a rich purple and light blue, adorned with golden Enochian symbols along its hem. "If that's what you were going to ask, that is." His black wavy hair fell into his face as he turned to look among his siblings, rooting for support in his refusal. A few others joined in, murmuring something about not fighting an archangel and that they weren't insane to stand against their eldest brother.

Amenadiel sighed and released a small humourless laugh. "No, Raphael, that wasn't what I was going to ask. I'm asking you to stand with us against the Darkness." He looked at Raphael with a challenging expression. The archangel had always been a bit of a coward when it came to physical conflicts with other siblings. He was very happy with his gentle featured face and every harm done he took meticulous care of, so that no flaw would ever be seen and be proof of his poor fist fighting skills. "Or will you prefer to stand aside, while Father's creation is being slaughtered?"

That got Raphael's attention. The insult of being a coward was one thing, but to hear his beloved humans would be in danger of being extinguished was something entirely different. While he could be called vain in regards to his looks, he still had a heart of gold when it came to caring for humanity. As their angel of healing, their overall safety was deeply ingrained in him and he would jump over his own shadow without second thoughts in order to protect them.

"Of course not," Raphael almost growled, his eyes sparkling with steely determination. "Count me in." With an expectant glance around in the crowd, several siblings began to nod and agree, more confidence spreading among them with the archangel at their side.

"I'll fight with you as well," another voice spoke smoothly and quietly. A blonde angel stepped forward, his hair curling in little locks down over his shoulders. His brows were delicate, but frowned. It was tension, Amenadiel could tell. Nervosity, insecurity. And considering whom it belonged to, it was understandable. It was Gabriel, and he was not a fighter by any means. He was a messenger, nothing more and nothing less. He hardly involved himself in any disputes whatsoever. Even heated discussions were something he stayed carefully clear from. As a messenger, he was bound to be made responsible for bad news, and he hated to be the target of enraged outbursts. To see him put up the courage to fight against such an overpowering enemy was nothing less but astounding.

Several more siblings looked amongst each other, finding comfort in both Gabriel's and Raphael's participation, and agreed in a chattering murmur that they were joining in on the fight as well. "Alright then," Amenadiel said, nodding satisfied. "I think it's time to go into the armoury then. I'd like my spear back."

[Mysterious Psychological Horror Music - Dukkha]

She could smell the morning even though it was still several hours before sunrise. But sunrise wasn't the only thing she could smell. She smelled guilt. A thick, smudgy, sour taste in the air that reminded her of hell. Glancing up, she looked at the sandstone cross engraved into the front wall of the small chapel. Oh, she enjoyed the irony, knowing she had finally found her prey. It was a shame she wasn't allowed to hunt them down. But that didn't stop Maze to make sure she had her knives with her.

Her hunt had been quite tedious. If she weren't a demon and proud of her skills, she would have said it was impressive how the pathetic humans could hide from her for several days. But the truth was that she was rather pissed. So when she arrived at the chapel's door, she wasn't sensitive and quiet, but kicked in the wooden door wing, making it burst from its hinges and shatter into the religious building. Sniffing the air, she grimaced at the smell of incense. It always had made her feel the instinctive need to puke, even though it had no supernatural effect on her. She knew even if she'd just be in the building for a few minutes, she'd have to thoroughly clean her clothes - or throw them away. With her mood already being sour, she tended to the latter.

Forcing herself to focus on the intense scent of guilt rather than the sickening stench of incense, she stalked along the aisle, her eyes scanning the room. The moonlight shone enough light into the chapel for a human to not stumble miserably, but her demon eyes could easily penetrate even the darkest of corners in the far back and in between the pews.

They were there. There was no doubt about that. The stench of the three priests laid thickly in the air. They seemed to have hidden in this place for days, she assumed. And there was not only the smell of them lingering in the air. There was another one there. It was fleeting, but unmistakable through its divine touch. Michael.

Teeth grinding, Maze stepped towards the altar, checking the wings of the hall on each side. But they were empty as well. A door on the left hand side laid half ajar, another room laying behind to hide in. Lips curling into a smirk, she drew one of her knives from behind her back and quietly listened for any movements in the next room. A sudden gong pulled her attention upwards. A second passed when another gong joined the first one, but sounding in another tone. Something was strange and she immediately felt a rush go through her to figure out what it was. The gongs came from the chapel's bells, obviously. But why would the priests ring them when they were hiding? Maybe it weren't the priests she was looking for, she thought and wondered, if there was maybe another one there who was blissfully ringing the bells at 2 am. Was that even allowed, she thought sceptically. Crazy humans robbing others of their peaceful sleep… A third gong pulled her out of her thoughts and her body was moving automatically. This was no gong for the current hour.

Dashing into the adjacent room, she skipped the vestry and headed straight up the stairs into the bell tower, taking three steps at a time. It took her only a handful of seconds until she heard gurgling and rasping groans. Looking up the shaft towards the bells, her mouth fell open at the sight of three robed men, hanging on the thick ropes of the chapel's bells. "What a nice present…" she murmured, watching for another three seconds as they each gripped on their noose, desperate to try and get free. Apparently they wanted to commit suicide but once hanging, had second thoughts. Impending death was often times scaring humans only once it was tangible and becoming a real thing.

At last, she had what could be called mercy with them, but Maze's conscience was hardly moved by the priests' position. She was more happy about the fact she had caught them still alive as it would've been a shame if they had gone to hell and she wouldn't have gotten the satisfaction to see them suffer. With three quick slices, she cut the ropes and made sure to push the priests to the stairway on the side where they quickly rasped for air and slid off their noose.

She recognized their faces, knew their names through the list of names from the passenger list Chloe's contact had provided, and of course through Lucifer's interrogation of Dromos. Looking down at the three priests, she sneered. "I really can't say if this is your lucky day, or the worst day of your lives. It all depends on your perspective on it." Smirking at them a dangerous, predatory grin as she was musing over the fact a demon saved their life. For a brief moment she considered to reveal her face to them, since they were already in the know of celestial beings, but figured Chloe would count it as a form of torture, which wasn't allowed. There really was no fun for her.

"W-w-who are you?!" Valentine stammered, scooting back on the stairs, his eyes wide with fear. "D-did Michael send you?" His shaking hand reached up to his cross necklace, gripping it as if he was feeling the need for protection from Maze.

Merely scoffing and shaking her head, Maze delicately flicked the knife in her finger, making it swing back and forth before she guided it quickly to Valentine's throat. The white in Valentine's eyes widened as he forced himself to not move, the tip of the knife pressing lightly against his Adam's apple. "I wonder, if maybe Lucifer will sneak his way into your cells, you know, to have some private words with you. I'll make sure to suggest a visit to him. You can imagine he'll be thrilled." She watched gleefully as Valentine broke out in cold sweat. At least that was something she was not specifically denied to do.

Valentine's face, just freshly flushed with blood, was now paling once again at the mention of the Devil. "N-no no no no. Please! We've just followed the order of the archangel. We didn't want to harm anyone… But we… we had no other choice. He… he spoke to us… that… strange language. And then we just had to follow him. Why wouldn't we? The world is about to end if the Devil stays alive."

Enochian, she thought and figured that Michael must've completely brainwashed them. Michael's angel talk combined with the priests' strong faith had apparently been an absolutely crazy cocktail. In a very literal sense. She hoped this wouldn't put the priests in the loony bin, but that the police would lock them up in a dark hole for the rest of their miserable lives. "Yeah, of course. You go ahead and think that. You know, the only person Lucifer ever killed was a disgusting, criminal asshole who had no problems to do whatever it took as long as he would get what he wanted." Leaning in, she lifted the knife, causing Valentine's chin to dip up and look up at her as well. "You, priest, you on the other hand have done the real horrific things. You killed an innocent woman in cold blood. But what I'm really pissed about is that you've kidnapped my best friend and tried to kill her mother right in front of her."

"W-w-we never wanted to hurt the child. It was important she wasn't hurt! But we n-n-needed her to get to that Detective!" the priest to her right, Collin, tried to talk their way out, but let out a surprised whine when Maze swirled around and easily lifted the man by his robe's collar.

"What was that, you worthless piece of trash?!" she roared, feeling as a demonic growl vibrated in her lungs. "You did hurt the girl. If I could have my way with you, human, I'd peel you out of your foul skin and make you eat it. You're really lucky we're not in hell." Collin started to sob and mutter something she figured was a prayer which was making them look even more pathetic. Praying to God after all the things they had done. Human scum…

Glancing upwards, she spotted the several long ropes still dangling down the tower. With a quick slice, she gathered the rope and tied it to a big loop. Confused the priests looked at her when she threw the loop around them like a cowboy catching cattle. Before they could object though, she roughly pulled the rope, causing the loop to tighten with such force, the priests got squeezed together, unable to slip out. "And now, move," Maze growled, giving them a pointed look down the stairs. There wouldn't be a lot of space in her car, but she looked forward to squeezing them onto the back seat, and if necessary, she'd pile them up sideways.

He sloshed the liquid around in his mouth before he swallowed it, letting its smoke and oak taste lay on his taste buds. It was a special brand of a special year, because tonight was special in so many ways. For hours he had been allowed to relish in Chloe's exquisite moans and whimpers, to fill her body with his own and feel her love so pure it had been like a cleansing fire, hot, bright and vitalising, but still a bit scary because of its intensity. The sound of her voice crying out his name in pleasure had been the most exhilarating experience for him in all of his existence. And the way she looked at him, with raw desire, endless love and devotion, was nothing less than mind-blowing. He still couldn't understand it. Couldn't grasp how she was doing that, how she could feel this way for him, how she gave her love to him. That was the miracle for him.

Sipping again from his drink, he leaned against the handrail and looked across the city. The sky above was still dark, but not pitch black as the moon was almost full and illuminated the buildings with a soft white rim. Everything looked so peaceful. So beautiful. He let out a soft laugh, wondering if this was his brightened spirit because of his night with Chloe. His first love. His first love making. Previously he would have scoffed at men being all dreamy about their girlfriends. But now he could understand them. She was filling his mind and he was soaking up the picture of her like a sponge. He realised, he wasn't thinking about himself anymore as the first thing in the morning. It was her. Always her. And he didn't want it any other way. She'd be his first and last thought of the day and for the rest of eternity.

His brows twitched together into a frown at his thoughts. Eternity. An eternity without her. He remembered this topic came up before in his mind, but he had always pushed it aside, for the harsh reality felt like it tore his immortal soul apart. He didn't want to think about a time she wasn't with him anymore, a time when he wouldn't feel her touch or see her beautiful smile. A time when she'd be where he couldn't go. What a twisted gift it was of his Father, to bring her into his life and make sure it would only last for the duration of her mortal life.

"Hey. How come you're all dressed again in the middle of the night?" Chloe's voice whispered curiously from behind him and a warm, slender hand laid against his neck, playing with the short cut strands of hair.

"Mmmm…" he hummed, eyes closing in enjoyment for a moment before he turned around to look at her. She had her hair in wild curls splaying over her shoulders, contrasting on the dark terrycloth of his guest bathrobe. Between the lapels of the bathrobe he could see she was wearing PJ's. She must have stored them at his place along with some more clothes while he had been in a coma, he figured and smiled contently about the thought of having her live with him. "You look lovely," he mouthed dreamily, but as her eyes kept looking at him widely, expecting an answer still. Shoulders sinking, he licked his lips and put his glass on the small table of the balcony's sitting area. "As much as I enjoyed last night," he began lovingly, hands snaking around her waist. "I woke up and just knew I couldn't fall asleep anymore. I had a bad feeling about something. A gut feeling, and…" He sighed, leaned in and placed a kiss against her forehead. "I'm just worried that something could happen to you."

She could understand his worry, with her having been the target of Michael and his priests twice already. Resting against his chest, she slung her arms around his broad frame, feeling more protected by him than she could ever find the words to describe. "I'm alright though, Lucifer. I'll be just fine. And so will y-"

A sudden thunder rolled above them, causing the glass front of his penthouse and the balcony rail to vibrate from its force. Looking skywards, heavy clouds formed so fast, it looked unnatural and Lucifer instantly knew, that was because they weren't natural. Eyes keeping on the dark cloud, he spotted white flashes of lightning tear through the dark and a small figure embedded in it, that was slowly moving closer along with the massive clouds.

"What is that?" Chloe murmured, pulled away from Lucifer a little to tighten the robe around herself. Along with the thundering clouds, the wind was picking up and she wished she had put on at least a light pair of shoes. Another thunder rumbled above them, this time she could feel it beneath her bare feet and going into her bones. "Lucifer?" Expectantly, she looked at him with wide eyes, feeling her pulse starting to race.

"Go," Lucifer breathed, his voice shaking. When he didn't feel her moving away, he lowered his eyes to look at her, his expression wild. "GO! Go to Gaudium, get the others and go down to Lux. Do not come looking for me. Stay inside." Not giving her time to process, he began pushing her back inside. He wanted to explain to her, but there was no time to waste. She needed to be safe and far away from him.

Following his shoving movements, her subconsciousness switched to autopilot, even though her consciousness had no idea what was going on. "I… I don't understand." She quickly rushed to the couch table and grabbed her gun. Unable to clip the holster anywhere with just the bathrobe and her PJ's on, she stuffed the weapon into the robe's big pocket, before aiming for her boots. Taking a hold on them, she felt Lucifer behind her again. He must have pressed the button for the elevator, because in the next moment as she turned towards him, he pushed her back inside the cabin, his hand reaching inside and pressing the floor button from below. "Lucifer?!" She looked at him through tears burning in her eyes, panic making her heart ache.

He hated it, but he needed to hurry. "I'm sorry, Chloe. Please, be safe. I love you." Giving her a quick kiss, pouring all the love and desperate longing into it, he pulled back out of the elevator and watched her disappear behind the closing doors. He could hear the cabin move downwards and his heart contracted painfully.

[Deadlock – Robert Slump]

With all his power he hoped that she'd be safe, as long as he would take care of what was coming. Of who was coming. As if on cue, another thunder rumbled, this time much closer than before. Just about halfway on his way back to the balcony, the deafening sound of another thunder vibrated into the building and the handrail and windows burst apart and into the penthouse. Shielding himself from the shrapnel rain, he was glad to find that shards didn't cut into him, thankfully due to the Detective being several meters away.

A familiar flapping sound swooshed into the penthouse and as he lowered his arms, he stared into blue eyes blazing with animosity. His gut feeling had not betrayed him. "I see you still enjoy making an exuberant entrance, Michael." Although he kept his calm on the outside, his body was already full on ready for a fight. Muscles tensing, he glared back at his brother, noticing that the wounds on Michael's wings and his eye had healed up in the past few days.

His mind took note of his penthouse's size and, considering Michael had his wings out, he knew this was a pitifully small room for a confrontation. Just like last time Michael had attacked him in hell, he needed to get out of the confined zone and into open space in order to stand a chance against his brother.

Michael was still dressed in his heavenly armour, white and silver plated chest piece, arms shielded with bracers and booths that transitioned into bracers along his shins. His Pteruges, the war skirt, was plated as well and although the fine stripes on it reminded of leather, they were of the same unearthly material like the rest of the armour - near impossible to break without a heavenly weapon. With his armour, the older brother was clearly in the advantage and Lucifer knew he needed to be smart without a heavenly weapon to help him in the fight.

"I'm so tired of your shallow jocularity," Michael grumbled, smashing the remaining framework of the balcony windows with his wings as he stepped inside. "You still don't understand that there is no way around this, brother. Making you return to hell didn't work. Getting your Detective out of the picture with my minions didn't work." Sneering he tilted his head to the side, his eyes narrowing. "So now I'm taking care of both of you myself. First you, then her."

His smirk dropping, Michael released a roar, wild and woolly, and lunged himself at Lucifer in a powerful sprint.

Chapter Text

Chapter 19

Through Heaven And Hell

[Ninja Tracks - Legendary]

Michael's speed was surprisingly fast and Lucifer barely managed to dodge the punch, dipping to the left. Running alongside the bookshelves, he aimed for the balcony. He needed space to handle Michael's strength. Just when he passed his desk though, a blow of Michael's right wing slammed into him, smashing him through his oak desk and against the wall.

Books, loose paper and other utensils flew through the air as Lucifer's back crushed into the wooden frame of the shelves. Grunting and teeth bared, he angled his knees and pushed himself back up. Michael aligned himself in front of him, wings spread, and with a snarl shot forward the tip of his left wing, aiming for Lucifer's chest. The feathers shimmered from the dim light of the bar as they sharpened and became rigid weapons on their way to slice into their target. It was only because of an instinct reaction, faster than a heartbeat, that saved him from a sudden death. Pushing himself to the left, he made a roll along the wall, feeling as the longest of Michael's prime feathers cut along his right shoulder before sinking into the ruined shelves. Hissing in pain, Lucifer made a leap onto the balcony, hopped with one foot onto the handrail and jumped off over the ledge.

He could hear Michael's roar from behind as he rolled his shoulders and released his own set of wings, the wind immediately catching in them and lifting him up into the night's sky. This was better. Much better. In a swirl, he gained height until he was well above the skyline of LA, too far away to be clearly seen from its sleepless inhabitants, at least for the time being. If they were to lose focus, the city could quite possibly become their battlefield and literally nothing would be safe from the impact of their immortal bodies.

"You can't avoid the impossible, brother!" Michael yelled, thrusting himself back into the air and darting at Lucifer like a pointed arrow.

The powerful blows of Michael's massive wings increased his speed to the point of becoming a blurry shape in Lucifer's vision. "Took the words right out of my mouth," he growled back, dashing down towards his brother. Every mistake could be fatal or at least hurt him considerably, so he needed to be quick and precise. He waited, both of them storming towards each other like an apocalyptic duo who's connecting fists would shatter the world. They got closer and closer until Lucifer could tell they were just two wing-beats apart.

In the last nick of time he made a roll, diving beneath Michael, and, with a rotation of his body, used his right wing to slice his prime feathers along Michael's exposed front. The sharp feathers cut against Michael's chestplate and over the side of his war skirt. His brother tried to get away from his wing, but Lucifer adjusted to Michael's evasive move and continued to slice along his frame, cutting over the exposed flesh of Michael's right thigh before he was finally able to get out of his reach.

Michael grunted out in pain, his face distorted from rage. His shining armour showed a cut, and a deep gash along his thigh seeped with hot blood that ran over his boot and dripped down to the streets of LA. Coming to a halt mid-air, he turned back towards Lucifer, his eyes burning with unshakable determination. The fate of humanity, of earth and of all of God's existence in the back of his mind, he initiated another attack, this time bringing himself in close proximity to his brother to get a hold on him.

Seeing Michael's approach, fast, but controlled, and obviously not meant to smash him downwards in a tackle, Lucifer tried to avoid getting into his reach. He thrusted himself backwards, but Michael began catching up with him each time he made a turn to dip away, and just as he was about to make an abrupt dive, Michael managed to get a hold onto his throat. Teeth bared, he reached up to Michael's hand, trying to peel it off of him, but another fist came flying to his face.

The impact was gruesome and sent his head in a sharp twist to the side. With just one punch he could already feel his head dizzy, but he quickly forced back his focus to make sure Michael's next punch wouldn't land yet another hit. Pulling at Michael's grip, his other hand went to his brother's face. Just like in their fight in hell, he tried to get a grip on Michael's head to attack his eyes, but Michael kept wiggling his head out of his reach.

"Again with your dirty tactics, brother?!" Michael growled, and with a quick jerk, smacked his head against Lucifer's. Hearing a satisfying wet crunch, he pulled back again to see Lucifer's nose bleeding.

The warm, throbbing pain of his nose was dulled by the rush of adrenaline rushing through his veins. Teeth bared, blood started to smear his lips and seep into his mouth. He struggled against his brother's hold, wings flapping furiously to not make them come tumbling down, but Michael got the upper hand, forcing them to dive down towards the skyline of LA. Glancing down and back up at Michael, a deep wallowing worry settled in his stomach. "Michael!" he called out sharp and stressed. "Stop it! People will get hurt and you'll expose us!"

Barking out with a dark laughter, Michael's expression turned bitter. "As if that makes any difference! I rather have them hurt and know about heaven and hell, than have them all extinguished BECAUSE OF YOU!" he roared, forcing them further downwards with harder flaps.

It was insane. He couldn't grasp how Michael could be so indifferent to the chaos he caused, to all the pain he inflicted on innocents around him. And still, Michael hadn't explained what his actions were really based upon. He had stayed so vague and cryptic, it all made no sense without knowing the roots of Michael's opinion. There was something there, something he didn't know about and he feared that if he wasn't able to make Michael tell him, he wouldn't be able to stop him in his crazy celestial rampage.

The rooftops of the city came closer and closer, and every attempt to use his wings to make their fall stop or redirect their path was failing. "MICHAEL! STOP!" Lucifer shouted out, but it was too late. Their bodies crashed through the rooftop of a hotel and straight through the furniture and floor of a lounge. Glass, wood and concrete shattered beneath his back and wings as he came to a halt of his forced fall in a Luxury Suite. A woman started screaming hysterically from another room and he knew it would just take moments before either the woman or someone else would come forward and see Michael and him in all their angelically winged glory.

It's too dangerous here, he thought, kicking back against Michael as his brother tried to pin him down. LA wouldn't work as a battle zone. Earth wouldn't work. Wings curling, he thrusted the tops of his wingbones against Michael's chest, knocking him back off and immediately swapping positions. Taking a hold onto Michael's plated armour, he focussed on the barrier between the different planes of existence, and, with a powerful push, dashed through the veil of earth, thundering into the realm of hell. And hell was giving its all to give both angels its own idea of a warm welcoming.

[Audiomachine - So Say We All]

Her heart was racing maddeningly.

What just happened?, she asked herself as the elevator took her to the floor beneath the penthouse. Lucifer's sudden alertness and insisted protection were scaring her to the core. It had been caused by the rolling thunder and the strange clouds approaching. They hadn't looked like a natural phenomenon, moving too fast and waltzing over the city in swirls and waves. It was clear he had felt like something was coming. Something dangerous and it was understandable he would want for her to hide, away from him, so he could fight with his immortal angelic body and stand a chance against the threat. So what is it? Michael… or the Darkness?

The ping of the elevator made her blink. The doors slid open and revealed the spacious suite her friends were gathered in. It was a strange contrast to Lucifer's Penthouse, being all white walled and equipped with light shaded interior, with elements of gold and polished surfaces, instead of Lucifer's dark, wooden and antique oriented furnishing. If her mind wouldn't have been in such a daze from worries, she would have marvelled over the breathtaking choice of modern, yet still cozy looking furniture.

"Chloe?" the surprised voice of Linda greeted her as she stepped into the entrance area.

Stumbling forward, Chloe slipped on one of her boots and came to a forced halt to put on the other. "We gotta get down to Lux," she pressed, pulling her bathrobe more tightly around herself and checking that her weapon was still secure in her pocket.

"Erm… What?" Linda blinked perplexed, taking in her choice of clothing. Despite Chloe's determined voice, her looks made it impossible to not question what was going on. "Why? What is it?" her tone pitched with concern and as an immediate reaction, Charlie began to cry and sniff in her arms. Subconsciously starting to gently rock the little angel, she followed Chloe as she stepped further into the suite.

"I think there was something coming. I think it's Michael... Lucifer wanted me to get all of you and hide down at Lux."

"Michael?" Phaldor's surprised voice rang from the side. Rubbing his tired eyes, he got up from the couch chair he had napped in and joined the others.

"Yeah. There was some crazy cloud and thunder coming from the other side of the building. It looked… surreal." Looking through the big living room, she spotted Gaudium with Trixie on the couch in the far away corner at the panoramic window front. Oh, right… Dan and Ella must've gone home from work. That's probably why Gaudium came back here… and to get some snuggles with my monkey. Covered by a woollen blanket, Gaudium's wings twitched under the fabric as her little girl pulled him close against her, both of them vast asleep. Crouching down to her girl's height on the couch, she sweetly brushed through her wavy dark hair. "Hey, Trixie baby."

Trixie's eyes fluttered tiredly as she stirred from her slumber. "Mom?" she mumbled, starting to lazily stretch her limbs and stifling a yawn.

Pulling back the blanket, she reached for Gaudium and gently shook him by his shoulder, waking him from his slumber as well. "We have to get down to Lux. It might not be safe up here. Come on. We better hurry." As she let Gaudium and Trixie sit up, her eyes wandered to glance outside through the windows, the city still laying beautifully ahead, much like from one floor above from Lucifer's balcony. The sky wasn't pitch black over LA, but had a soft hue from the lights of the city and thus made it possible to see what was going on outside, even though it was still hours before sunrise.

Her eyes were trained to spot details, movements where there should be none, objects that stood out of the ordinary, and as her eyes wandered over the surfaces of the surrounding buildings, she froze at the sight of a white tangle of feathers clashing against each other. "Yeah okay… It is Michael," she mouthed, eyes wide with shock and worry.

Standing at the window next to them, Phaldor gazed outside, mesmerized and shocked. A cold shudder rushed through him, his throat tightening. For a brief moment, the world around him felt fading, the sight of his brothers fighting mid-air in his focus. He had faith in Lucifer's abilities and knew that even though he was physically weaker than Michael, he would still stand a chance against him. But still, he couldn't shake the feeling of dread in his bones, the chill in his spine and the abyss that he had seen in the pitch dark of his visions. "I don't like this… I have a really bad feeling about this…" he muttered, shaking himself back to full awareness of his surroundings.

Gaudium jumped up on the couch, stretched his melon-like head above the edge to look outside and spotted the fighting archangels as well. Growling, he bared his pointy teeth. "That blasted nitwit… He's insane, picking a fight with Lucifer right out in the open like that."

"Yeah… Looks like someone's become really desperate," Chloe remarked in thought before turning to her daughter. "Come on, sweety. Go put on your shoes." She watched as Trixie sprung up from the couch and headed to the small shoe cabinet at the entrance, rushing to put on her boots. Grabbing her daughter's jacket from the counter, the group gathered in the elevator and headed to Lux.

"We should help him," Phaldor muttered in thought, disturbing the tense atmosphere in the elevator ride.

Throwing him a questioning look, Gaudium scoffed. "Sorry pal. You might be back amongst the seeing, but you're not an immortal angel with wings anymore. If you don't wanna end up as cannon fodder, you better stay with the rest of the human lot. I can go out and help him," Gaudium suggested with a glance at Chloe.

"I know you both want to help," she said, nodding. "But Lucifer trusts you to stay with us and keep us safe. We need both of your strength, human and celestial cherub alike."

The small creature broadened its little chest and chubby stomach in a proud gesture, clearly not too humble with its position of a protector now, in comparison to what he had once called babysitting. "Of course, Chloe. I'll protect you from any harm, no matter if it's coming from Michael or the Darkness or any other threat. They can try, but they won't be able to harm a hair on your head if I can help it."

Sighing, Phaldor rolled his eyes and nodded at Gaudium's gesture. "What the cherub said. Of course we'll do what we can to keep you and your friends safe, Chloe."

As she offered them a warm and thankful smile, the doors to Lux slid open, revealing an empty club. The last guests from the night had left hours ago and apparently the staff had been done with their routine clean up as well, leaving the club behind neat and clean for the next evening of partying guests to come. The nightclub lay in an eerie calm, the only lights on coming from the gloomy greens of the signs pointing towards the front and back door exit.

"So… what are we supposed to do?" Linda asked, gently rocking her baby in her arms. The little boy had fallen into a continuous wailing and frustrated squealing, clearly upset about the turmoil going on around him. Going to a nearby booth, she sat down, looking anxiously between the group and her infant.

It was a good question. What were they supposed to do? It wasn't that Chloe had a clue what she could do about a celestial threat such as Michael, except for trying her best to fight with all the powers and equipment she'd have available. In case of having the bar of a nightclub as her equipment to choose from, she figured Molotovs were an option, but certainly wouldn't stop Michael - perhaps just ruin his hair. The only weapon she had straight at hand was her gun and she knew Michael would be unimpressed by that.

The smashing sound of a metal door swinging open and shut shook her out of her thoughts and let the tensed up group release a gasp, their eyes piercing afraid towards the entrance. A dark figure emerged from the shadows, the clank of heels echoing into the big club. "Did I miss something? Why the heck are you folks all down here in your pyjamas?" the voice of Maze sounded and the slender demon stepped down the stairs towards the dancefloor with its grand piano.

A relieved sigh murmured amongst them, realising it was their havoc wrecking demoness friend and not fanatically crazy Michael who knocked at the door.

"Maze!" Trixie shouted with a broad smile and ran up to her, pulling her into a tight hug.

"Hey, kid," she responded with a smirk and looked back at Chloe, still waiting for an answer.

"It's Michael. He… he came quite literally with a rolling thunder. Lucifer wanted us to hide down here. He's fighting with him outside." Grabbing a chair, she started to barricade the entrance, quickly getting a helping hand from Phaldor and also Gaudium, who flew the furniture parts towards her. "Did you have any luck with the priests?"

"Yeah. Found them before they could hang out and take the quick exit," Maze casually explained, helping them to clutter the entrance with another table. "They are really just a sobbing mess now, completely brainwashed and apparently also very much distraught because of Michael. The whole drive to the precinct, they wined about how he had left them behind and they were all so disgustingly worried about their souls." Scoffing, she rolled her eyes. "As if they can save their sorry asses from anything with some freaking tears."

Looking at the pile of furniture they had built, Maze made a couple of steps back, satisfied with the size and weight that barricaded the door now, although it was still questionable if it would stand the impact of an angry archangel. Heading over towards the backdoor, she repeated the procedure and pulled one of the larger tables in front of it, blocking it out with the addition of chairs. "Alright so… if Michael jams through this, he might hit his head a little."

"Always the positive one, aren't ya Maze?" Gaudium threw in sarcastically and flapped himself into the air, flying over the bar counter and rummaging through the lower shelves. Tongue between his pointy teeth and a shimmer in his eyes, he yelled in delight at the finding of a book-sized, wooden box. "Well pardon me, but holy shit, Lucifer really wasn't kidding…"

"What is that?" Trixie curiously asked, quickly rushing over and climbing on one of the bar stools to get a better look.

"That, dear poppet, is a box of cigars. And not any kind. King of Denmark, actually. Lucifer told me how he's keeping a stash of them here. Said they're the best to smoke when you wanna feel superior to the Almighty," Gaudium told her with a reminiscent expression, and taking one cigar out of its silken bedding.

"Superior to God?" Chloe asked with a sceptical laugh. "By smoking a cigar?"

"Yeah. You see, everything gets so much clearer when you taste a good cigar. When you sit back, relax and just let the taste evolve in your mouth." Using one of his clawy fingers, he cut the cigar ready and rolled it between his teeth, fishing for a lighter next to a stash of ashtrays. "It feels as if not even the Big Guy can reach you in that state, meaning… No one can spoil the moment."

"You're really not too fond of God, are you?" Trixie asked with a raised brow, watching as the cherub flew over to a booth and making himself comfortable on the expensive leather.

"Well, I really didn't like the kick in the ass. He never apologized for that."

"You did insult Him first though… just saying," Phaldor pointed out sternly, but a small smile still tugged at his lips.

Chloe still looked at Gaudium perplexed. "So... what? You just wanna sit here, smoke a cigar and wait until everything is over?"

"Oh no, my dear. I'm not waiting for anything to be over. I wait for the action to start." Raising his short legs, he crossed his feet on the table, wings stretched out comfortably behind him as he rested into the smooth leather couch. Lighting the cigar, he took several puffs of smoke and grinned at her with a flash of his sharp teeth. "Whatever is on its way. Let it come. We're gonna kick its ass. Feathered and smoky ass alike."

With a surprised laugh, Phaldor nodded in agreement. "What the cherub said."

"Yeah. What the cherub said," Maze agreed, drawing one of her daggers and swinging it skilfully.

"What the cherub said!" Trixie cheered with a wide smirk, high-fiving with Maze.

"Well, I guess we're ready then. I'll be just here in the background nursing Charlie. You guys go ahead save the world," Linda quipped, finally having managed to get his little boy to fall asleep again.

Chloe offered her a warm, understanding smile. They were a truly bizarre group and the situation could hardly be any more strange. A fallen cherub, a demon, an angel-turned-human, two adults in pyjamas, one teen and an infant were ready to face whatever threat would break through the door.

[Light and Darkness - Abbadon Grand Marshall of Hell]

Wild strikes of red lightning tore through the grey sky, as if hell threatened to smite its intruders, unimpressed by one of them having been its king for millions of years. Michael didn't take the switch of battlegrounds into hell too kindly either, and as soon as they arrived in the dusty, ashen landscape, he lashed out at Lucifer with both wings in alternating strikes. "Pulling me down into your damned prison won't help you either!"

Again and again Michael sent his wings forward in a merciless pace, but Lucifer used the space he had to his advantage. Drawing back and avoiding the sharp slices of Michael's wings, he waited for the right moment to launch a counter attack. His eyes ablaze with hellfire, he aimed at Michael's bleeding thigh with another cut of his wing and as Michael tried to turn away, the feathers succeeded an even more painful hit at the bend of his knee. Crying out, Michael stumbled backwards and Lucifer took the chance to shoot forward and tackle him.

Smashing Michael to the ashen ground, he began to send his fists flying against his face while straddling his chest. Soon Michael's lips split and each of his hits sent a clot of blood and spit to the sides. But despite his upper position, Michael fought like a wild bull, tossing and turning, wings flapping up and hands trying everything to get out from underneath him. When a knock of Michael's left wingbone suddenly managed to hit him and almost toss him off, he gripped the appendage and viciously tore into the nest of feathers, pulling and ripping fistfuls of whites off of the sensitive membrane.

Michael screamed and roared in blinding pain, his left wing twitching in Lucifer's hold, but he was unable to pull it away from his grip. Blood began to trickle from the puncture wounds, smearing the impeccable whites with crimson. Panting and hissing, he reached for Lucifer's throat, but the Devil evaded him again and again, continuing to mercilessly pluck his wing.

A set of deep, trembling growls began to sound from around them, mixing with metallic rustling, clanking and a barking of various shouts. Demons approached, lured from hell to the place of celestial battle. Within seconds dozens upon dozens of deformed monstrosities gathered around the angels, circling them and forming an arena with their bodies as the boundaries. It was a legion of rotten skeletons, flesh reavers and ash spawns, observing in a wild frenzy like the populous in Rome watched a gruesome fight of gladiators to the death. Their faces, or whatever they had to express themselves, were sparkling with glee and viciousness, delighted by the spill of heavenly blood on hell's landscape.

The demons howled and cheered, not particularly focusing on Lucifer, but more bloodthirsty on the gruesomeness of it all, calling for flesh to be torn and bones to be broken. They yearned to hear screams of pain and the fact they'd come from an archangel was exhilarating their thrilled atmosphere all the more.

The pain in Michael's wing was biting and dizzying, but the sounds around him eventually brought him back to focus as they awoke old memories. The laughter. The terrifying demonic growls and shouts. They had been part of his vision. Fear began to wash through him, concealed still by his iron determination, but the facade was starting to crack.

But while Michael quickly steeled himself again, Lucifer took notice of the short change in his brother's features. Having been the king of hell had made him very receptive to small changes of behaviour, particularly those that fell into the department of fear. Letting go of the bleeding, plucked wing of Michael, he took a hold onto his wrists, fighting to keep them pinned. "What are you afraid of, brother? That I'd kill you in front of the demons?" Lucifer grunted as he countered Michael's attempts to wiggle free.

A shimmer of relief shone in Michael's eyes, as he covered it with condescension. "You? Kill me?" he spat with a sour grin, his mouth smeared in blood. "Don't be ridiculous. I smote you once and I'll do it again!"

"But it's not looking good for you now, dear brother," Lucifer pointed out through gritted teeth, tilting to the side to get a grip onto Michael's right wing. If he had to disable him, taking away his ability to fly would be a possible option they both could live with.

Lucifer was right and it resonated with the deep rooted fear inside of Michael. He was not having the upper hand and it was scaring him to his core. This couldn't be. He couldn't lose. He had to stop Lucifer, at all costs. He couldn't let that horrifying vision he had had become reality. The Devil shouldn't win. Darkness shouldn't win. His teeth clenched tight, he felt the burning fear and his zeal to save his Father's creation mixing into a boiling cocktail that rushed white rage through his veins. And Lucifer's question brought his rage to boil over.

"Why all of this Michael?!" Lucifer shouted at him, hellfire eyes piercing into him.

"Why? I'll tell you why," Michael repeated mockingly, his expression vicious and wild. "BECAUSE I SAW IT!" he bellowed and with raging energy burst his tormented wings up and smashed a fist into Lucifer's exposed stomach. Watching Lucifer stumble backwards, he pushed himself up on his feet again, panting and grunting at the pain in both of his wings.

The beasts surrounding them roared in a fresh wave of excitement, growling and clashing their weapons and claws against their armours, making noise. Their mood was heating up so much, they even began to fight against each other in disagreement over who of the angels was winning, forgetting about Michael and Lucifer in the process.

"Saw it?" Lucifer asked through heavy rasping as he caught his balance. Holding a hand against his stomach, his bowels felt like they had been turned inside out from Michael's punch. "Saw what?! What did you see, that made you do all these heinous things, Michael?!"

Wings stretching with obvious effort and pain, the blue of Michael's eyes flamed up with a mix of anger and despair. Closing the distance to Lucifer with two wide strides, he swiftly gripped his collar. "I SAW YOU DOOM THIS WORLD WHEN YOU WERE CREATED!" he roared and thrust himself and Lucifer back up into the air with a powerful blow of his wings. It was painful to flap them, the puncture wounds and chipped feathers feeling like the sting of needles, but he fought through the pain, thinking of his goal to save everything in God's creation.

Lucifer was too slow to react and by the moment Michael had him in his iron grip, he was frozen from his brother's words. He felt Michael push them higher and higher into hell's sky, his battered wings trembling with each blow. Some feathers, half torn out or chipped, loosened from the membrane and with the next thrust of the wings, swooshed away and down into the ashen realm. "When I was created?" he muttered confused, his hands going to grip at Michael's wrists. "What do you mean?!" There was something painful aching in his chest. A precience of sorts but with no sharp details. But even though he just had that feeling, he knew he was onto something big and that this, whatever it was, was the real issue behind everything that had happened.

Eyes staring up ahead in a blind frenzy, Michael darted through the grey thicket of clouds. "I watched when Father and Mother created you! I had a vision and saw the destruction you'd bring upon this world one day! I saw everything!" he hissed and pushed through the veil between the realms with a thunder. The air wooshed around them as he carried them high into earth's sky, the city beneath them just a far away shimmer of small, blinking lights.

The change of planes was rough with Michael's pull, but even the rolling thunder wasn't a powerful force of nature enough to distract his mind from the revelation of what Michael had just told him. A vision. It all came down to a simple, yet obviously world-changing vision. "You did all of this... because of a fucking vision you had at my bloody creation?!" he shouted out, the surprise melting away into anger. "Have you completely lost your fucking mind?!"

With renewed strength sprouting from his anger, he shifted and flailed around in Michael's hold, kicking and thrusting his wings against his brother's in attempts to have his grip loosen. His shirt already torn and bloodstained at several places, he tried to give a blow of his wings to move backwards, but Michael adjusted his grip, slipping his bulking arm around Lucifer's neck and putting him into a tight headlock.

"All these years, I knew you were the key to the endangerment of Father's creation. I thought with you being sent to hell, Father had taken precautions. But then... You came to earth and walked among the humans. That was the first step towards our doom," Michael muttered as his mind drifted back to Lucifer's birth and his apocalyptic vision. His tone changed, becoming more sombre, yet still laced with anger as tears burned in the corner of his eyes. "I saw you would fall in love and I knew the day you met that detective, yet another part of my vision had become true. So I needed to act… All those obstacles you faced… Amenadiel, that disgusting human cop he brought back to earth, Mother... Oh, and I even gave Cain a tip to pay you a visit. Nothing worked to get you back to hell. And when your dear Detective was in Italy, seeking help from the Vatican priests, I took the chance to get them on board against you."

He could hardly process what Michael revealed to him as he was struggling to breathe. While he didn't necessarily have to breathe, he had become so accustomed to it, it was like an instinct to rasp for oxygen, and his body was starting to panic when after a while not enough of it was provided. Clutching wildly at Michael's arm, he grunted and hissed, his wings frantically flapping. He felt them fly higher still and he momentarily wondered, if Michael would fly them out of orbit, when suddenly he increased their speed and the world around them blurred to a blinding white.

There was something familiar about the tingling starting to rush through his limbs, but also something deeply terrifying. Eyes squeezed shut, he felt the tingling continue, but the wave of air around him had come to a stop. A few moments later, the grip on his throat loosened. Rasping for fresh air, even though it tasted differently, clearer somehow, he blinked to adjust to the brightness around them. Michael's hands shifted down to grip his shirt once again, and he found his blue eyes glaring at him with an odd patience. Michael was waiting. For what, he wasn't sure. But when his eyes were risking a short glimpse around to take in where they were, his body froze, and Michael's lips curled into a malicious grin.

"Recognise where you are, brother?" Michael spat condescendingly, each word dripping like venom. He gazed at him almost in mania. Everything was coming together in his mind however. It was only logical. Just like he had said before - Smiting his brother again was the way to end it. For good this time. "Don't make the mistake of getting used to it though. You won't ever see it again."

Michael sounded far away, his words bubbling like someone was speaking underwater. Lucifer's sole focus lay on the shining surfaces of the vast, majestic city spreading around him. The marble floor was reflecting the buildings and inhabitants, the latter of which were gathered in a cluster on a big plaza close-by, their bodies glistening from the decorative armour they wore. "That's impossible," he mouthed, his voice shaking. It was impossible. Wasn't it? He blinked again, several times, as if a film on his eyes might have obscured and deceived his perception of what he saw. But nothing changed. The Silver City was there and he was standing right in it. "I don't understand..." he breathed, totally perplexed, looking between his brother and the hands gripping his shirt. "How am I here?"

"With a little help of Father's power," Michael explained with a low growl. "Like I said. You won't get to stay or see it ever again." His expression darkening once again, lips curling back, he thrusted his knee into Lucifer's stomach before sending his elbow down against Lucifer's upper back, sending him to the ground.

Groaning, he hit the marble floor with a telling crack of stone beneath him. The pain though brought his body back to focus, and so did his mind. Father's power… Urgh… That bloody bastard… Of course... That explains a lot... Michael had truly used the power stored within him to make the human priests understand Enochian. He used it to shield himself from God, which explained why his damned Big Guy wasn't lifting at least his almighty little pinky. And lastly, Michael had used God's power to bring him here, into the Silver City, for his completely mental execution.

[Pieces of Eden - Satan's Arrival]

"I've always hoped it would never have to come to this, brother, you know?" Michael stated with a light scoff. "It seems it was inevitable right from the beginning though." Making a step back, he spread his wings, both of them slightly twitching in pain from the wounds Lucifer had inflicted on them.

Lucifer pushed his palms into the gravel beneath him and tilted his head to look up at Michael, spotting how he lunged out with his right wing, using it like a gigantic axe and sending it down towards him, the massive prime feathers the razor sharp blade. His instinctive, quick reactions made him roll to the left, just as the feathers slashed into the gravel, breaking further into the ground of the City. In an instant, he was back on his feet, flared his wings and used the moment of Michael's wings being forward to lash out his own divine attachments against his brother.

Three fast slashes in just a second landed against Michael's exposed sides, left, right, left, and the shining harness of Michael was cut open. His brother cried out, shocked from Lucifer's sudden move and counter attacks, fresh blood spilling from where the wings had cut through the metal into the angelic flesh laying below.

Michael released a guttural cry, grunting and huffing as he stumbled backwards. Clutching onto his right and left, he felt for his wounds, and stared in disbelief at his palm dripping blood. It looked surreal. It felt surreal. He squinted his eyes in confusion. This wasn't supposed to happen. He wasn't supposed to lose. Losing was unacceptable.

There were clearly massive differences between Lucifer and Michael, certainly in their looks, their world-view and, above all, their behaviour. But there was one trait in particular that had always been a similarity between the siblings. While Lucifer was the one with the unbending willpower, Michael was not far behind with his own steel-like determination. And so he was not considering caving in, no matter how wounded and in how much pain he was. Especially not with the whole existence being at stake.

"Stop making this difficult, Lucifer," he muttered through gritted teeth. "Just let me finish and smite you out of existence!" Pushing away the pain as best as he could once again, he straightened his posture and stormed at Lucifer for another attack. He tried to be swift and powerful, pulled together all his strength, but he could feel he was swaying, his sides pulsing in a burning ache with each rocky step he made. It sucked the air out of his lungs and made the pain crawl into his legs as well, adding to the biting cut in his thigh.

Lucifer noticed. His senses sharp and alert, he saw the difficulty in Michael's steps, saw the tremble going through him as he balled his shaking fists while storming towards him. It was clear he was in a lot of pain, but was forcing his body to function the way he wanted it to. But just like a lion that spotted the stumbling antelope, Lucifer was ready to hit Michael at his weak spot.

Once within reach, Michael sent his fits flying. Lucifer blocked his attacks where he could, but still some of his swings landed a hit on him and they were still powerful, even though Michael's strength was clearly dwindling. He held against Michael though, blocked or evaded his fists and in a moment of Michael being too much in the offence, he gave himself a thrust forward with his wings. Pushing off, he tipped right above Michael's head and took a hold of his brother's wingbones, yanking him up in the air along with him.

"Gaah! Let go, you Dad-damned prick!" Michael roared, flapping in Lucifer's hold and trying to reach out for him, but each of his efforts was compensated from Lucifer adjusting his grip. He could feel Lucifer's hands on his wingbones gripping with more force and he knew that with just a bit more pressure, his bones would break and he'd be grounded to the Silver City.

Rising above the city, Lucifer could see the angelic crowd at the Plaza turning their heads towards them. They were watching, sounding in a deep murmur of shouts that he couldn't decipher. But they were not interfering. Not attacking me and not helping Michael either, he realized. Were they unsure about something or had they been ordered to stay put, he wondered.

"Sorry, brother, but you leave me no other choice," Lucifer muttered, fighting against Michael's vigorously flapping wings. It was getting more difficult to hold him in place and apply pressure, as Michael seemed to release the strength of a cornered animal, fighting for its life in a wild frenzy.

And then he saw them. Again.

[Ninja Tracks - Darkness Awaits]

Feathers from Michael that had come loose during their fight, were now shaken free through Michael's frantic movements. Small and big white feathers, chipped, cut or bent, sprinkled with blood, swirled through the air and slowly rained down to the Silver City.

Again… Just like in hell… he thought, mesmerized and frozen, his hold on Michael slipping. Feathers… Just like in Chloe's dream… Like in Phaldor's vision… Bloodstained, white feathers… raining down from the sky… "Oh no," he breathed, shocked, all momentum of the fight gone in the blink of an eye.

Michael, still enraged, pulled free and gathered his bearings in a safe distance to his brother. Catching his breath, he steadied his wings as best as he managed to do. "What?" he hissed, bracing himself to make another attack. "You look so pale all of a sudden, brother. Have you realized that you'd have to kill me if you wanted to stop me? Because you most certainly won't survive this fight, Lucifer, I can assure you, tha-"

A deafening thunder made the realm of the Silver City tremble. The air began to tingle with electricity and a depressing feeling forced itself into its inhabitants' bones.

"Oh fucking bollocks," Lucifer cursed under his breath, looking around for any visible changes.

Michael fell quiet from the rolling thunder, feeling the changes around him as well. "What's going on here? What is that?"

"It's the bloody Darkness, you fucking twat!" Lucifer remarked with bared teeth. "Your feathers were raining down. Does that ring a bell?! Or wasn't that part of your bloody vision?"

And that made Michael freeze. "Falling white feathers." He blinked at remembering their fight in hell. The demons that had gathered around them, howling and growling. And the rumbling of murmurs and shouts coming from their siblings as they were fighting in the Silver City. "When heaven and hell roar in a trembling choir and feathers rain down… evil will be released," he muttered quietly, staring ahead into nothingness. "No… No… No no no no no! That… That wasn't supposed to happen! I… I was trying to stop it… You… You had to die so we'd be safe! I… I don't understand..." The colossal wave of realization hit him unprepared, pulled away the foundation of his beliefs and tore down the construct of his unyielding willpower.

Eyes losing focus, he searched in his memories, in the images of his vision that had burned themselves into his mind, to find out what had happened and how he could have been so wrong. He had failed. He couldn't stop what was about to happen. But worse, he was the reason it was happening in the first place. The onslaught of emotions waltzing over him tore through his chest mercilessly. Tears dwelling in his eyes, he glided down to the Silver City's spacious Plaza in a trance-like state, shortly followed by Lucifer.

He was approached by his siblings, their decorated armours rustling and their weapons at the ready in their hands. They glared at him, angry, disappointed and condescending. Even though his mind wanted to automatically respond with an aggressive demand for them to take their place, he bit down in shame, realizing they had all the right to treat him that way. He had been wrong. Swallowing thickly, he looked back at Lucifer, tormented and utterly defeated, his whole body trembling, from the wounds that were still bleeding, and from the devastating mistake he had made.

Lucifer wasn't too touched by his brother's shattering realisation about his glorious fuck up, but was more concerned with what it meant that the last part of Michael's vision, this "prophecy", seemed fulfilled. His eyes feverishly looked around, trying to spot where the Darkness would show its break through into the realm, but he couldn't spot any signs of entrance.

Another deafening thunder tore through the realm, but then subsided in a fading echo once again. He put all his divine senses to focus, feeling how the otherworldly energy shook through heaven, but then slipped through the veil between realms. "It's shifting from here to… to earth?" he muttered, irritated and surprised, thinking about why it didn't show up in heaven. They had obviously fulfilled Michael's vision about the Darkness' release, but it seemed to not slip out of its prison into the heavenly realm to attack the Silver City. His chest tightened at the recall of his meeting with the Darkness while he laid in a coma. I will feast upon you and your precious human, he recalled the words from the Darkness in his mind. "Chloe," he gasped, his eyes widening in horror, his heart contracting painfully.

His muscles tensing, he thrust himself into the air and pushed through the veil between the realms. The Darkness wanted for him to suffer, making him watch as it killed her and wiped her from existence. He just hoped he had a chance. Hoped he would arrive before the Darkness. Hoped that there was something he could do to defeat it.

Chapter Text

Chapter 20

Eternal Dark

[Massive Dramatic Trailer Music – Annihilation]

It was the most tense Chloe had ever felt in her entire life. Never had she felt so on edge, so wary, so stressed and on alert like she did now. Her body felt trembling, vibrating with fear, but it was an illusion to her mind. Her body was absolutely still. It was her brain that was trying to trick her, her weaker self, that was whispering that she was clumsy, making betraying, loud noises, and not doing the right things in general. But that was just her inside. On the outside, she was silent and focussed perfection. She was ready.

Or so she thought.

Hoped.

The busy noises from the streets of the sleepless city were a tune she knew and that were like a constant background beat, something that was natural to her. The honking of cars, the chattering of people, the sound of a siren here and there, it all blended together to an almost comforting white noise.

Until suddenly, just for a split second, it all seemed to stop. For a brief moment, the world around her seemed devoid of all noise. Every sound, whether it were loud bangs or hushed breaths, stopped and her heart felt to skip a beat along with it.

Something was wrong. Something was coming. And her brain had just been able to make that conclusion, when a roaring thunder broke that silence, shook the ground and walls around them. An earthquake, only that she knew it wasn't a normal earthquake.

Her muscles felt aching from the powerful tension and from the flinch she could not control as the rumble slowly faded.

"That did not sound like a normal thunder..." Linda's voice quietly broke through the eerie quiet that followed the thunder.

Chloe's and everybody else's heads were shaking in persistent quiet, pensively listening, waiting.

And then the screaming started.

At first it was a single, high pitched scream that sounded into the club from the street. It was suddenly cut off, unnaturally strangled. Then there were several more screams, terrified and core-shattering. More screams climbed in a crescendo of horror, and one by one they were cut off again, fading in a sickening burble. Eventually the upcoming screams lessened, indicating the people around had been running for the hills and the area around Lux returned to its eerie silence.

Eyes focussed on the barricaded door, Chloe stood frozen in tension.

Then, out of nowhere, a massive, cracking and crunching slam thundered against the door, causing the tables and chairs of the barricade to squeak and bend. Flinching back again, she swallowed.

It was not looking good. The barricade would not hold for long.

"Mom…?" Trixie murmured anxiously, pressing herself against her side. "Mom, I'm scared."

Looking at her daughter, she softly held her cheeks in her hands and kissed her forehead. "Shh… I know, monkey. It's okay... Go hide behind the bar, okay sweetie? Go!" She watched her scurry away and crouch down behind the counter of the bar, the top of her head sticking out as she fearfully looked over it.

Linda quietly joined Trixie, holding her little Charlie pressed protectively against her. Sweetly pulling Trixie close, she did her best to soothe both of the young ones, whispering calming words.

Another rumbling slam thundered against the door and the metal began to bend and grate under the pressure that pushed against it.

Swallowing down the fit of fear that she kept under professional control, Chloe glanced to the side. Maze, Gaudium and Phaldor stood next to her, daggers and claws at the ready. Her own weapon firmly in hand, she broadened her stance, standing and waiting as ready as she could be. Angel or Darkness was the question, and something resonating in her very cells told her that her hopes for the threat to be the fanatic archangel had not been fulfilled. And that brought along so many more worries that her mind needed to suppress. What happened to Lucifer? Did Michael kill him? Where were they?

Lucifer… Lucifer, please be okay… Please… I love you… Please...

Another hit against the door caused the metal to crack from its hinges and the barricade stacked in front of it was forcefully shoved aside, revealing the dim lit street in front of Lux. At least that's what Chloe thought she saw. But then the flicker of the green exit-sign above the door disabused her, showing a black, pulsing and swirling mass hovering in the opened entrance.

"Come on in, you twit," Gaudium hissed quietly and spat the remains of his cigar to the side. "We're ready for ya."

Maze viciously growled at the thing, teeth bared and eyes glaring with her inner demonic fire, waiting for the first move to be made, waiting to see its ways of attacking and how it moved.

Slowly the black, fog-like mass drifted inside, swirling around the barricade pieces and through the iron grid of the handrail on top of the stairs. Floating down along the wall and down onto the level of the group, the fog collected back into one mass, building itself up to tower over them. With an approximate height of three meters, the Darkness was not as massive as Chloe had thought it would be (she had rather thought in dimensions of football fields), but the reality of seeing it accumulated in front of her was still chilling her to the bones and she wondered if this was really all of the Darkness' entity.

In its upper half of its foggy-body a set of yellow eyes flicked open, gazing and calculating, looking down at them like a predator at its prey stuck in a corner, knowing they were unable to run away to safety. They knew they could not outrun this.

The sharp, glowing pupils travelled over the group of four standing ahead of it, and a line beneath its eyes opened into a wide, gaping maw, filled with glistening teeth. Releasing a harrowing growl, it darted forward at the group, swirling a few inches above the ground, it's dark abyss of a maw ready to feast.

"Eat this!" Maze snarled, shifting herself in front of the others and using one of her daggers in a wide whirlwind motions to slash at the Darkness. The blade sliced through the air and the mass of the Darkness, causing the fog to swirl apart with a roar.

"And this!" Gaudium shouted, lunging himself into the air at the Darkness and attacked it with his claws. Slashing down again and again, he cut into the Darkness, causing it to part in separate strings of fog.

Equipped with the second of Maze's daggers, Phaldor joined in on the attack. He was not a strong fighter for obvious reasons, having been blind for eons, but before his fall, he had been trained for combat and he reproduced what attack patterns and techniques he remembered. Lunging at the Darkness from the side, he aimed at its facial features, slashing through them, but the mass collected together again right after the group's hits, appearing as if nothing had happened.

While the group was busy attacking the Darkness, Chloe rushed to the back area, where a small, elated stage was equipped with the club's sound-system and control panels. It was a desperate move, yet the only small glint of an idea that hit her, one that had could have the possibility to have an effect. Darkness. Light. It made sense, did it not? Quickly glancing over the pins and regulators, she found those she was looking for and switched them all on, increasing their intensity to the maximum, flooding the club in blazing light of various colours with the main lights directly shining into the centre of the room.

Her heart made a leap with hope and expectation as the Darkness coiled and growled, momentarily irritated from the sudden light. But after a brief moment, the entity collected its mass again and her knees trembled with the finite realisation that she had nothing to attack with, nothing to defend herself with.

Lucifer… Lucifer, please… I need you… Please...

"Nothing's working," Phaldor breathed, taking several steps back alongside Maze and Gaudium, re-evaluating their situation. It didn't look too rosy for them. The chilling cold and terrifying dark he had seen in his visions, the screams of horror and pain fading in a sea of nothingness, flashed in front of his mind's eye and he began to tremble. His visions, the all-consuming dark, were becoming reality, and they had nothing to oppose it with.

"Such weakness... Nothing in this world can harm me. No infernal daggers, no celestial claws, no pitiful lights, not even your God could destroy me," the Darkness hissed, it's low voice piercing like needles. Eyes shifting to Chloe, the Darkness swirled its way towards her, building itself up like a snake. "Now, little detective… Let's see what you taste like." The yellows almost disappeared in thin slits and the white of its teeth glistened in the lights as the Darkness dashed forward, it's maw widening with the anticipation for flesh to tear into.

Time froze in a moment of realization and shocked looks travelled from Maze, Gaudium and Phaldor towards Chloe. In the back of the club, Linda held onto Trixie, who cried out for her mother, wanting nothing more than to rush towards her and clutch onto her as the Darkness that was about to throw itself onto her.

It was a bizarre moment. The lights of Lux flashed on shiny surfaces, but were swallowed into the matt fog of the Darkness. Everyone was in half motion, turning, shouting, ducking away and it was just by fate that one of them stood closer to Chloe than the others.

An instinct reaction, a decision made in a split second, made all the difference. Phaldor had never thought of himself brave. Ever. Especially not since the raging war between his brothers and him standing idly by the side, watching timidly when his defeated siblings were cast out before his own fate had been spoken. No. If anything, he knew he had been a coward. Until he had decided to do something about it. To try and make amends. To try and make a difference. And now was another moment where his heart showed him the right way to make such difference, to show courage. And it spurred his muscles with energy.

"NOOO!" He darted towards Chloe, but there was no way to reach her in time. He could see the distance to her was still too big. And so he did the only thing that there was left to do and threw himself in front of her.

Distracted from the different body thrown into its way, the Darkness teeth tore into Phaldor's throat. It's shape vibrating and swirling, it held Phaldor mid air and released a low, satisfied growl.

Phaldor cried out in pain, feeling as the world around him darkened. The vicious slice of teeth into his flesh though was not the worst. It was the combination of losing his own life's essence while simultaneously feeling the filthiest of evil, a sticky, viscid seed of black flooding into his system. He could feel it all fade, feel the pain become so all consuming, until at one point it became lighter, softer and he knew immediately what it was. The gentle pull into his next destination, where pain and worries were non-existent, and joy and satisfaction would embrace his soul. He smiled at the realisation, that after all those years, after all the suffering, guilt and deprivations, he was finally allowed to go home, and with a last look towards Chloe, he let go, wishing for his sacrifice to have helped.

"PHALDOR! NOOO!" Horrified, Chloe was forced to watch as the Darkness drank and ripped into Phaldor's body, his screams burbling to a fading grunting and coughing of blood, ending in a quiet gaze as his eyes stayed fixated on her. "You goddamn monster!" she shouted out in between sniffs and sobs. With tears of anger and despair burning in her eyes, she raised her gun and fired off the whole magazine, but the bullets travelled through the Darkness' shape and sunk into the walls and furniture in the far back.

Both Maze and Gaudium closed in on the Darkness again, growling and hissing, slashing, kicking and clawing at it, but their moves travelled through the entity and into nothingness. Unimpressed, the Darkness dropped Phaldor's motionless body to the ground. His throat ripped open, he lay with his eyes wide, the shine of his emerald greens fading to a soft dull shade and his body sprinkled with hot blood gushing from his wound. The signs were unmistakable. He was dead.

With a rumbling thunder, the Darkness' mass vibrated. It took her a few moments to see, but then Chloe noticed how the fog was expanding, the swirling, thick, black shape growing in size and it dawned on her that her initial thought had been correct. This wasn't the true size of the Darkness. It was able to grow. And the more it would feast, the bigger it would become.

Oh my god… Gazing up at the intimidating mass, she stumbled backwards, her blood running cold with the inevitability of the situation. She could tell this was it. She was at her wits end and dread began to force her composure to shatter to pieces. Trembling and sobbing she turned as she heard her girl crying and shouting for her.

"Mom!" Trixie wailed and managed tearing herself free from Linda's arms. Rushing around the bar and over towards her mother, she fiercely slung her arms around Chloe's waist, crying more than she had before.

"Oh baby, shh," Chloe breathed through tears, pressing her girl close and turned them around so that her body was shielding Trixie. Sweetly caressing over her cheeks, she leaned down and lifted her daughter's chin. "Look at me, sweetie. I love you, monkey. I love you so much. You hear me? It's gonna be fine."

A harrowing laughter rumbled from the Darkness' core. Small blasts shook through the lights of Lux and one after another went out, shrouding the room back into its gloomy, dim lighting. "Ahh… two at a time…" Rearing up with its maw opening, it dashed towards them, its feast just a few feet away.

[Secession Studios - Before Time]

He stood on the plaza, his whole body trembling as he gazed into nothingness.

How could I have been so wrong? How?!

"Things are not always as they seem, son," a warm voice caressed over his back and along his wings, giving him a comfort he felt undeserving of.

He flinched and released a pitiful laugh, torn between surprise and utter despair. "Easy for You to say, Father. Isn't it? You never blunder, never err," Michael mouthed, watching his siblings take off and heading to earth. They hadn't said a single word to him, not even Amenadiel. They had just glared at him, disappointed and angry, but hadn't given him the least amount of energy by accusing him of his faults, of his sins. No. They had left him alone in his misery of knowing what he had done, left to fight united against the Darkness. They were fighting against what he had inadvertently unleashed. A monster that wanted to swallow the whole world.

"You thought differently though. You thought that I was making a mistake. You thought that vision you had when your Mother and Me created your brother, was showing you what would lead to this world being destroyed by the Darkness." God stated calmly and stepped next to him, looking into the nothingness along with Michael.

He stayed silent, not sure what to say, and knowing, He would understand anyways. He had lowered his inner shields the moment Lucifer had left, his whole existence, his mind, his choices, his actions, past, present and future, all laying bare and for his Father to see once again.

"You thought that it was upon you, that it was your destiny, to stop what you had seen in your vision. But like I said, things are not always as they seem. You saw what you wanted to see, Michael," God explained cryptically, releasing a soft sigh.

The sigh alone felt like a ton weighted down on his shoulders and he knew, if his Father had wanted to, it would have done so. "What I wanted to see?" he breathed, his voice trembling, tears threatening to well up in his eyes again. "You say that I wanted to do all of this? That I wanted to manipulate humans? To shape their minds so they would do my bidding? To kill my own brother?"

"No… Not that. I know you didn't want to. What you so desperately wanted was to be right… above all else, you wanted to just be right. The truth is though, that it was your destiny to arrive where you are now. And you're not above anyone, Michael." God's aura vibrated with a feel of disappointment, but He washed it away with a gentle brush over Michael's shoulder. "Things happened and led to one another, bringing you to this very moment, where your belief, your expectations, meet reality. Tell me, son. Why have you never spoken with any of your siblings about your vision?"

A miserable laugh passed Michael's lips at his Father's question. "Why haven't I told any of them? Because they wouldn't have understood! They wouldn't have believed me! I could hardly believe it myself!"

"Believed what, Michael? Say it," God probed with more pressure, knowing it was just enough to push him to spill what had ached for so long in his chest.

The power that nudged him cracked through the years of ache, sorrow and anger and freed the words he had never shared with anyone. "That my beloved little brother would lead to our demise! That his existence doomed us all! That YOU doomed us! That You looked at us, told us that You love us, while You knew that Your own son would lead to the destruction of us all!" Hot tears spilled over his cheeks as he turned towards his Father, boiled up anger from eons releasing as he balled his hands into fists and and knocked them against his Father's chest in frustration. "You knew what I had seen! You knew what would happen! And You would have let it happen!"

His shape unwavering from Michael's desperate knocks, He raised His arms and pulled him close, one hand gently at his head, one rubbing over his back. "Oh my dear son. And this is where you've been all wrong. It was never about whether or not you could stop what you saw in your vision, and it also wasn't about whether or not what you saw would actually happen or not. It was about how you would interpret what you saw, what you would conclude and how you'd react upon your conclusions. But all those have been nothing more than assumptions. Those assumptions and your decisions have shaped your and your brother's life to this very day."

Michael's throat closed as the anger subsided with his Father's words. Arms dropping, he let God hold him, feeling as there was made room for guilt to spread. "I did this," he breathed, muffled. "My decisions made the vision come true." Pulling away, he looked at his Father intently. "It was never about Lucifer. It was just about me… what my mind would make out of the images. Oh, Father," he sobbed, feeling his knees giving in, but his Father held him steady upright, supportive and unjudging. "I was so blinded… so afraid and angry… And I have been so vicious… I've done such terrible things, I- I didn't behave angelic in any way. Can you ever forgive me?"

"It's not I who has to forgive you. You have to forgive yourself. And your path is ongoing, son. It's always bending, never straight, and you ought to keep your eyes open at every fork. You cannot turn back, but you can go left and right and change your course." Lifting His son's chin, He wiped his tears from his cheeks. "So, what are you going to do?"

Gasping, he looked at his Father. He had expected to see him disappointed or even angry. He had thought that, if he'd ever fail, then his Father would surely punish him, abandon him. But God was neither. Did neither. Turning out of his Father's hold, he looked across the plaza and over to the shimmering horizon of the city. Lucifer was on his way fighting against the Darkness and so were his other siblings. All of them faced what he had so blindly caused to be released; a monstrosity that threatened to devour their world. He frowned in wonder about how they were supposed to fight it, something that took both God and Goddess to imprison.

He glanced at his Father again, questioningly. How was it that He wasn't telling him what to do? How was it that He didn't seem nervous at all in the face of total annihilation at their doorstep? How was it He didn't do anything, but looked at Michael, as if he had all the answers himself?

And then it finally clicked. He knew what he had to do. He was at a fork on his path. He could walk straight ahead, or he could take the fork. Swallowing, he took a few stumbling steps away from his Father, spreading his trembling wings. Pushing himself off he soared across the Silver City and with another powerful blow, thundered through the veil between realms. His wounds hurt, but the ache in his chest was more apparent than the burn of the gash along his leg or the sting of his plucked wings. A new decision, a new belief was set in his mind and he was ready as ever to fight and give up his life for it. He only hoped he wasn't too late.

[ReallySlowMotion Music - Your God Is Dead]

Lucifer… Lucifer, please… I need you… Please...

He pushed himself onward through the veil between realms, his whole body trembling. He couldn't lose her, mustn't lose her. Biting through the pain in his limbs, he let her voice guide him like it had done so twice before already. Her dread through the power of her call vibrated into his skull and into the rest of his bones. She was terrified. He could feel her voice pulling him towards Lux, pulling him where he had told her to go, and he hoped beyond hope that he wouldn't be too late.

A chaotic noise of hectic shouts and terrified screams drilled into him as he was close to his destination and the sheer amount and intensity tore him out of his path. Breaking through the veil and into earth's realm, he stopped mid-air, just on the opposite side of the street at Lux. A mass of people stormed through the street, crying and screaming utterly horrified, sirens sounded from afar. And as he looked up along the street, he shuddered at the sight displayed to him. They lay everywhere.

In the dark, on the sidewalk, some on the pavement, their limbs stretched out in unnatural angles, their faces pale, their eyes blank. Bodies torn open at their necks and chests, bones cracked and organs ripped from their embedding. Blood collected in the gutters and flowed in small rivulets into the sewers. The Darkness had feasted upon humans and this was its battlefield it left behind.

"Holy fuck…" he gasped, momentarily frozen in shock. Although he had been prepared to see chaos, he had not imagined this.

Humans had been directly confronted with an otherworldly creature that was not well-disposed towards them at all. They had seen it, witnessed what it looked like and what it could do. Knowing what effect his own divine revelations towards humans caused, it wasn't difficult to think how much terror a fiend like the Darkness had sparked.

LUCIFEEEEER!

Snapping out of his trance from Chloe's screaming voice in his head, his body jolted forward on its own. Muscles tensing, his wings burst him through the entrance of Lux, the force of his wingbones smashing aside furniture that was in his way. He darted straight forward, spotting as the Darkness lunged ahead at who he knew must be his Detective.

"NOOO!" With a roaring, he dashed through the black fog, overtaking it by a beat of his wings. Arms outstretched, he gripped the trembling body and just as he pressed it close against himself, he heard a high pitched cry. His brain immediately caught up. Quickly adjusting his left arm, he made sure the smaller body was secured safely against him as well, and with a swift turn, flew Chloe and her spawn towards the entrance of Lux.

He could hear the frustrated howl from the Darkness behind him and used just the short moment he had, to convince himself that Chloe and her daughter were not hurt. "Get out! Keep hiding," he breathed, his voice soft, his eyes filled with concern for her safety, urging her, praying to her to stay alive.

Chloe hardly grasped how she was still alive, how Lucifer had managed to snatch her away right from under the Darkness' nose. Her arm tightly hugging Trixie, tears spilled over her cheeks. "Phaldor," she sobbed, her ocean blue eyes puffy and wide with dread and sorrow. "He- He's-"

Glancing over her shoulder, he saw his brother lying on the floor, motionless. Swallowing and pushing away the horrifying reality, he focused back on Chloe, holding her shoulders. "Go!" he insisted, forcing his mind to concentrate on the moment. With a push, he urged her and Trixie out of Lux, before turning back into the room and shielding their escape with his body. Hearing them rushing out, he spotted the Darkness was on its way to tackle him. That was good and at least meant he had a chance to get the others in Lux out of immediate danger as well. "You want to have a bite, Smoggy?! Try me!" he growled, spreading his wings, ready to react.

"You can't touch him, Lucifer!" Maze shouted over at him, and it was just in time, so that Lucifer didn't decide for a confrontation.

Leaning backwards, he thrusted his wings and catapulted himself through the entrance and back into the city's sky, evading the Darkness' attack with a quick twist in the air. He was surprised to see that the entity looked smaller than it had seen in his coma, but he knew better than to draw any conclusions from it and then to falsely underestimate it. No. He might be prideful, but he wasn't naive and plainly stupid.

"Are you trying to lure me away from my food, little angel?" the Darkness suddenly growled and stopped mid-air, swirling and hovering just above the first closeby rooftops. "You cannot save them all…"

Lucifer gritted his teeth. While he was glad he had lured the Darkness away from his friends, it was still easily visible from any pedestrians on the streets. And with the sun starting to rise, painting LA's sky in a dark purple mixing with warm oranges, more humans would come out of their homes and their eyes would easily spot the strange, thick black cloud that moved through the air like a shadowy beast from a nightmare. Not to mention how they'd see the gruesomely executed people lying in front of Lux. He didn't even want to think of all the damage the Darkness had already caused within just a few seconds of it being freed upon this world, let alone imagine the destruction of what it would do, if he'd fail to defeat it.

Eyes narrowing, he glared at the Darkness from several meter's distance, seeing as it revealed it's blood-glistening teeth in a dark smirk, it's yellow, reptile-like eyes glancing down along the street, where several people walked along, unaware of the deadly threat above their heads.

"No…" Lucifer gasped in shock, realizing what the Darkness wanted to do. His heart thundered at the thought that Chloe was still closeby and the Darkness could easily detect her, chasing after her. "NOO!" He darted towards the Darkness, determined to attack it with everything he got.

The Darkness shifted its form to the side and bolted along the street, approaching the crowd of people like a black, all destroying tidal wave. Forcing his wings to push him forward faster, Lucifer stormed behind it, trying to catch up, but the distance to it was too big and the Darkness was too close to the pedestrians. Lowering its altitude and slithering in high speed just slightly above the ground, it reached the first human on its path, encompassing the young man with its foggy substance. The man started to scream, but as he did, the Darkness pushed itself into his mouth and down his lungs, suffocating his scream in a muffled gurgle. Having the man strangled in its hold, the Darkness released a satisfied moan, as if a starving man had just been feasting upon the most delicious three-course-meal.

Lucifer saw it begin to pulsate, the size of the entity growing several meters, becoming a good six meters wide and tall by his estimation. Unimpressed by Lucifer's approach, it dropped the man to the ground, the features of him frozen in a horrific distortion of fear and pain. He laid motionless, his hands raising to his own throat, like a person that was choking on a slice of apple, trying to rid himself of the intruder. The people having been close by during the attack had taken note of the thick, black thing and ran away in panic of the unknown, screaming and yelling.

Eyes coming ablaze with anger, Lucifer finally caught up with the Darkness and slashed his wings through the being. "You're going to regret this!" he muttered and with a sharp whoosh of his feather's, cut through the fog, but not finding any substance to sink into. All it did was cause the fog to swirl into two parts, but shortly after, the black substance came together again. Just like Maze had said, the Darkness seemed unable to be harmed this way. Of course… Eyes narrowing, he glared at the Darkness, thinking about his options.

A mix of a hiss and laugh shook through the Darkness at his attempt to strike it, and it bared its teeth at him triumphantly. "Pathetic…" it laughed mockingly, the foggy sides of its form raising and sinking as if they were its shoulders. "I told you I'd feast upon you all. I trust you remember the pain from our last encounter. You seem refilled and bursting with anger. Mmm… that's my favourite flavour!" Lashing out, the Darkness snapped at Lucifer, murmuring a low rumble as he flew out of its reach just in time. But the Darkness kept on attacking and lunged at him again and again.

Lucifer flew in changing angles, trying to gain altitude, for one, to try and more easily evade it's attacks, but also to get the Darkness away from the humans again. What he hadn't expected to happen though was that the entity was actually able to catch up with him. A sudden, sharp pain jolted through his left calf and spread into the rest of his body. Crying out, he stuttered in his flight, feeling a counter pull at his leg and the pain increased. Jaw clenched, he glanced over his shoulder, spotting the Darkness teeth buried in his leg like a wolf. The pull transitioned into a vicious shake from side to side and Lucifer screamed out at the feel of flesh ripped from his leg. Although it was a pitiful win, that gave him the chance to pull free, and the adrenaline forced his muscles to work harder, bringing him into distance to the entity again.

Grunting and breathing hard through his teeth, he pushed on through the sky. The wound on his calf was throbbing and he could feel something in his system starting to make him feel dizzy. What the hell?! What does it's bite do? During the coma… it… it drank my divinity, but this… uurghh…. this is different, it burns like venom. I have to keep it together… I have to stop it… I have to... It was almost like a poison pressing through his veins, but as he concentrated on his inner divine powers, the rush in his veins stopped and only the pain of his wound remained. He was sure that if he hadn't been able to break free, that bite could've been lethal just like it had been to the human.

[Alibi Music - Chaos Fury]

Noticing a strange sound coming from further ahead, he gazed onward. It was odd. He knew that sound. But it's been such a long time. The bottom of the clouds was lit from the rising sun, colouring them in a warm orange along with the sky, but nothing seemed to stick out. Until he could see them dashing down through the clouds towards him. Dozens upon dozens of his siblings raced towards him, their armours and weapons reflecting the first rays of sunlight, looking all the heavenly soldiers they were. They came down from the sky like a heavenly swarm of locust, several of them rushing past him and attacking the Darkness.

The Darkness roared in alien enjoyment as the angels lashed out their attacks with wings and weapons, staying unaffected by their efforts. But the angels continued, flew around its shape, unwavering and trying to encompass it with their bodies. Amenadiel seemed to coordinate the attacks, wielding his battle spear with deadly grace and force.

"Ra'aziel, Meriarijim, Leliel! Take care of the surroundings!" Amenadiel shouted, and the three siblings quickly got into some distance to the Darkness, hovering above the city in their small group.

Lucifer immediately knew why Amenadiel had called for the three angels specifically. They were angels whose abilities revolved around the night, concealment and secrecy. Arms stretched out towards each other, the three emitted black and purple sparks that zapped through the air like an electric surge, collecting in the middle of their triangle and growing in size. Forming to a field of dark energy, the mass sizzled and with a blast, a strike like a lightning shot deep into the sky. The magical looking beam disappeared in the morning clouds and within seconds, the clouds began to thicken and darken, spreading and closing gaps in between. The soft orange hue of the rising sun was swallowed by the density of the clouds and the morning of LA was darkened to an unnaturally heavy, black.

The city still shimmered with its millions of lights from lanterns, cars and homes, but with another blast of energy with the three angles at the centre, a shockwave was sent all across the city and the lights went off like the city was suffering a blackout. And it was quite literally. The natural glow the city emitted was gone, shrouding itself and its inhabitants in complete darkness. While humans would be forced to try and deal with the lack of electricity, the fight in the sky continued to rage, the celestials still being able to see their surroundings and their target abundantly.

The attacks against the Darkness continued, but stayed unsuccessful. A fraction of panic began to spark in Lucifer when he thought about the story his parents had told him when he had been still so very juvenile and naive, barely grasping the importance of what God and Goddess had whispered to him, again and again. They had used their own divinity, their own light, to fight the Darkness. And it took them a long time to diminish its strength. At last, they had only had the strength left to banish it, not destroy it. It was logical that he, the Lightbringer, was meant to act as the counter for the Darkness, to keep it in check, to help it stay imprisoned. But now it was freed and he wondered how his limited angelic divinity would stand a chance against the Darkness. He didn't know. He couldn't know. But he knew he had no other option, but to try.

Quickly thinking of a plan he dashed towards his siblings, motioning for them to fly upwards. "You want another bite, Smoggy?" he yelled at the Darkness, seeing its sharp, yellow eyes flick to upwards to look at him.

"You're going to regret having underestimated me, Lucifer," it snarled and, swirling around its own axis, shot upwards towards him.

As expected, the Darkness followed, sure of itself to catch up with him. Flying higher and higher along with his siblings, they passed through the thicket of dark clouds. Here he felt more secure to put his plan to work. Hands coming together in front of him, he focused on his divinity, the soft vibrant essence lingering deep within him. Dipping into the pool of celestial energy, the main component of his very being, he tapped it, pulling it to the surface. The energy was intense and raw, and not easy to concentrate into one spot, but soon the white-yellow light flew from his fingers and collected in between his hands.

Evading the Darkness attacks just barely, he saw how his siblings took positions in a big circle around them, all of them, mimicking Lucifer's move. Each of the angels began to concentrate parts of their divinity in between their palms, the spheres of pure light pulsating with power, ready to burst. "How do you like that?!" Lucifer hissed, giving the energy in his palms a shove in the right direction. The light blasted forward in a searing beam, humming with angelic tones that caused his core to hum along with it. It was a strange sensation that he had last felt when he was creating the stars. The use of his abilities awakening his connection to his origins.

The beam of light hit the Darkness full-on into its centre. A thundering, otherworldly roar boomed out of it as the light ate itself into the black fog. Swirling to the side, the Darkness tried evading the beam, but Lucifer adjusted his aim and one after another, the divine light of his siblings was directed against the Darkness as well. The entity was literally impaled with light.

Eyes narrowing with bloodthirsty rage, the Darkness built up its mass and lunged itself at the nearest angel aiming his light at it. Although the light was burning itself into the Darkness, it swallowed the angel in its black shape and sunk its teeth into him. Screaming in pain, the angel's light attack stopped in an instant. Flapping in panic, he tried to get away, but to no avail.

Teeth clenched, Lucifer drew more energy from his divine core into his palms. Seeing his brother's waver as one of his siblings got attacked by the Darkness, he shouted out at them. "Don't stop your attacks! We mustn't stop!" The angels followed his demand, keeping up their attacks. The swirling, twisting, foggy surface of the Darkness seemed to evaporate where the beams of light hit it, but the effect was too small to make much of a difference. It's not enough… dammit!

Growling, the Darkness began to vibrate. Shortly after, the limp body of the angel it had attacked plummeted from its shape, spiralling down towards earth, eyes ripped open with shock, his armor chewed open at the chest, the flesh gruesomely torn apart. Grunting in exhaustion from the efforts of his focus, Lucifer's eyes widened as the Darkness' shape became bigger once again, much more than it had done after killing the human. "Fucking bollocks…"

Flying to the side of his brother, not ceasing his own attack, Amenadiel's expression was desperate and laced with exhaustion as well. "Lucifer! We don't have enough! And if we give all of our light, then-"

"I know," Lucifer grumbled, frustrated with that fact himself. If they'd give all their divine energy, they would turn mortal and likely die, if not from the deadly drop to earth, then because of the Darkness surviving and swallowing them all. They needed more energy. And quickly.

But the Darkness didn't wait for that to come and continued its attacks on two more angels in the big circle they had formed around it. The pained screams of their siblings as they were killed echoed far over the clouds and dread began to claw its way to the surface in the back of Lucifer's mind. The light they attacked it with was hurting the Darkness, but it was far from an intensity that could dismantle it completely. And as it continued to feast, it grew bigger, stronger. The last time it had needed the power of two Gods to get the upper hand over the Darkness. And while now it was surely not at its maximum strength like it had been all these eons ago, the strength of all angels combined seemed not enough to handle the Darkness in its weakened state. He couldn't help his siblings. He couldn't kill it. Tears welled in his eyes as he realized; He couldn't save Chloe afterall.

The Darkness was winning.

Chapter Text

Chapter 21: Angels Falling

[Secession Studios - Desolation of Light]

A menacing, spine-chilling laughter thundered from the Darkness as it released another angel from its grip and let the celestial plummet down to earth. The beams of light just superficially caused the fog of the Darkness to break open and evaporate, but as it feasted again on another angel, its size increased once more and the effect of their light-attacks became even more minuscule.

"MORE! WE HAVE TO GIVE MORE!" Lucifer yelled at his siblings, eyes burning from tears of both anger and despair. Forcing his own body to dive further into his powers, he surfaced more of the ancient force that had been resting inside of him since the creation of the stars. With the light of Phaldor transferred to him, he could unleash his strength. The light he brought forward was enormous and outshone that of his siblings as if theirs was merely a flashlight. He was literally living up to his name, his light a blinding energy that caused the air to vibrate and hum with intensity.

"Lucifer! We're almost exhausted! It's not enough! We need to do something, now!" Raphael called from the side, panting and rasping from the straining effort. His midlong, hazel hair whirled back from the current of energy he emitted, the effort it took him to concentrate his light clearly written on his sweat-covered, wrinkled forehead. Aside from Lucifer, Raphael was the only one among the angels who was used to utilizing his light. And while Lucifer used the light in its basic form, Raphael used it to perform healings. But to release their light like this, concentrated and as pure as it was, was not comparable to his general use of his light. It was crazy to imagine how the other siblings, who had no experience releasing their light, were handling this situation. No doubt, they were scared shitless, not knowing how much more their bodies could endure.

Gritting his teeth, Lucifer watched with horror as two more of his siblings were literally devoured from the Darkness. The faithful protectors of God's throne, Ideal and Gathiel. "No… NO!" Tears streaming down his face, the decimation of his siblings awoke brutal images from the past, doomed to witness a battle that was marking the end of an era, and in this case, the end of the whole world. With there being less and less angels to attack with their light, the impact on the Darkness decreased as well, while the entity itself continued to grow in size, having soon reached a size bigger than what must've been his penthouse. Swirling and shifting in the darkened sky, it roared as it released two angels at once from its maw.

Raphael was right. They had to do something. But the question was: What could they do? With the angels in the process of being annihilated and wiped from existence, it was just a matter or time until the Darkness would consume the whole planet, followed right after by heaven and hell as its last desserts. Not even the poor mortal souls would be spared from its wrath.

The wild flickering and thundering of lightning strikes around them, clearly not produced in the clouded sky below them, caught his attention and he knew immediately by whom they had been caused. "How nice of you to finally show up, Michael," he grunted, glaring to the side where his older brother joined him in the thinning circle. "It's not as if we could've used your help!" Angry tears trickled from his cheeks at the thought of how many had lost their life already. Yes, he was pissed Michael had taken so long so wallow in his guilt before he took action and he wanted to blame him for everything even in this very moment where it was of no help at all.

Michael swallowed the snarky welcome. Lucifer had every right to lash out at him, now more than ever, and he was aware that, if they were to survive this day, it could take another eternity of tying to make amends to him and everybody else he had hurt in his blinded zeal. But that was a thing far in the future and there would be none, if they wouldn't be able to defeat the Darkness, that much was clear to him as he saw the massive entity starting to swirl as if it was a gigantic hurricane of doom.

"How about you use your bloody light as well, Michael, hm?!" Lucifer snarled, feeling how his vision started to become blurry, his head dizzy from the rapid depletion of his powers. At this rate, he knew he wouldn't last more than another minute.

Michael stared ahead, spotting how several of his siblings seemed missing, but by the aghast looks of his other siblings and the gaps in the circle they had formed around the Darkness, the only logical conclusion tore a hole in his chest. They were dead and he wasn't even sure if their souls were still there, if they could still be lifted to their home, or if the Darkness had consumed those as well already. Blinking away the onslaught of emotions and guilt threatening to immobilize him, he turned towards Lucifer, preparing mentally for what he wanted to do. "I will, brother," he answered his question calmly, but his tone was weighted down with the decision he had made in the Silver City. "You have to take it."

[Revolt Production Music - Heroes Must Die]

He wasn't able to process the sound of Michael's voice and the words he spoke. Suddenly his brother's right hand pressed against his chest and the distraction alone was enough for him to stop his light attack, feeling the last bits of energy like a small bit of ember left in his core. "What the fuck, Michael?!" he growled, eyes flaring up with hellfire for a second. Confused, he glared at him. "What are you doing?!"

"You have to take it. It has to be you. I can't use it myself like that. But you can," Michael muttered and looked at Lucifer determined but also with a pleading insistence. "You need to accept it, Lucifer."

"Take and accept what? Michael, what are you talking about?" Just as he was about to give his brother's nose a meet-and-greet with his fist, the powerful impact of something against his chest kicked the air out of his lungs. A rush like a million ants tingled over his skin and sunk into his body, an almost painful white glow showed where Michael pressed his palm against his chest and then a strange heat began to build up inside him. "W-what…" he breathed confused, feeling as a flow of energy literally thrust into his core. Eyes wide, he gasped and grunted at the impact, his body shivering from what was happening.

He knew there was little time to explain, but figured he could use the moment of transfer to clear some of his brother's confusion. "You know I'm the Power of God, brother. I carry an exact copy of Father's light in me. But I'm not meant to release it. You are," Michael explained with a concentrated frown. "You have to do it. You're the Lightbringer."

Eyes widening a fraction more, Lucifer stared at his brother in shock. "Father's light?! Holy f-f-f-fuc-" Another heavy surge rushed into him that caused him to scream from an emotion he couldn't pinpoint. Was it pleasant? Or painful? Somehow it was both, he decided, and flexed his fingers in attempts to not fully cramp up. It was an overwhelming sensation that flooded through him, warm and powerful beyond measure. And he could feel how his Father's light was connecting with him, flooding his cells, filling him, strengthening him, making him feel like he was unstoppable, like nothing could harm him, and at the same time made him realize that with his Father's energy, he was indeed that. He understood that the light was not meant for his body to be kept. He was meant to release it. To use it. And he understood exactly how he had to do it.

"LUCIFER! HELP!" Amenadiel yelled over at him frantically. The Darkness lashed out with fog-like tentacles at him and it was clear he had trouble evading them in the long run.

"I've had enough of you annoying fledgelings," the Darkness rumbled. A thundering shockwave burst from the Darkness, spreading in ripples of black fog and hitting the angels close-by like a poisonous gas. Amenadiel and several other angels who had managed to keep up their attack until then, were now unable to continue the concentration of their divine light and fell into a coughing and grunting, before almost a dozen of them began to scream in pain.

It was now. It had to be now. There was no time. Feeling the flow of energy from Michael ceicing, Lucifer pushed past him. "Enough, brother," he muttered calmly, both as a thank you and a final word for this battle. Giving him a last glance, he thrusted forward with powerful blows of his wings. His eyes lit up in wild flickering flames of white, the energy inside him unable to not show, but overflowing. Hands clenched to fists, he darted through the sky, aiming directly at the massive entity. Everything around him blurred away from the tingling in his veins. He could feel how the light guided him, how it showed him where to go and what to do.

The Darkness' yellow eyes shifted towards him, taking him into focus. "Ah… Having become so desperate, have you? You come to me to kill yourself, Lucifer? Wonderful, I'm still hungry..."

"Oh yeah?" Lucifer hissed condescendingly, "Well I hope you will fucking choke on me then!" Angling his wings, he increased his speed a last time, and flew directly into the black thicket of the Darkness' shape. "You're gonna pay for what you've done," he snarled through gritted teeth, feeling as the Darkness fog seemed to sling around his limbs and, although before he had been unable to get into physical contact with it, now it seemed it was able to keep him locked inside.

A haunting laughter rumbled through the Darkness and its fog felt like needles piercing through his skin. Crying out, he tried to move, but the Darkness forced his wings, arms and legs to outstretch, rendering him unable to use his limbs. But he didn't need them anyway. All he needed to do was to focus. And that's what he did.

While the Darkness began to tear at his skin and sank its teeth into his flesh, he shut out the pain until it was a far away idea of a thing in limbs he couldn't feel anymore. He couldn't feel his body anymore, not as pieces of flesh were gruesomely ripped from his flank, not the bones that broke in the arch of his wingbones, not the biting and burning feel of the fog filling his lungs and etching him from the inside out. It was all far away and the only thing in his focus was the light of God in his cells, each filled to the brim. He knew on an atomic level his being was not stable enough for it. He was the opposite to Michael. He was not meant to keep it. No. He was meant to release it.

The absurdity of the situation of the Darkness having swallowed the Lightbringer suddenly caught up with him and made him burst into laughter. "You really chose... the wrong meal... with me, Smoggy," he quipped, having trouble to use his voice with the air being extinguished from his lungs. Smiling, his body tearing from the inside, he shortly closed his eyes and took a last, straining breath, before he flicked the metaphorical lighter in a room filled with gasoline and let go of the restraints he held onto his Father's light. Releasing a guttural roar, the light broke through his skin, radiating and blasting off of his body in pulsing waves.

[Audiomachine - Through the Darkness]

The intensity was enormous, the power, the brightness, the force behind the divine essence so much more potent than the concentration of his own light. And with that intensity, he could feel how his own body fought to not crumble in the wake of its release. The dark, vile fog flooding his system was cleansed within seconds and the light that burst off of him cut through the Darkness like the sun through a patch of clouds. The Darkness howled and roared, trying to contain its mass around Lucifer, but more and more of its shape was being vaporized from the godly rays.

It's working... Lucifer groaned from the force searing through him. He could feel it was enough. It had to be. There was just so much energy. But the Darkness was strong and had grown to an enormous size. Likely not the size his parents had encountered at the beginning of their universe, but big enough to destroy whole cities with thousands of inhabitants within minutes. Thinking of the humans several hundred meters beneath him, he swallowed thickly when his mind drifted to a pair of ocean-blue eyes. He hoped she was alright, that she and her spawn were safe, just like the rest of their friends.

With a twist in his stomach he thought of his brother laying on the floor of Lux. Even though the glimpse towards him had been brief, the reality had been impossible to oversee with his throat torn open, the ground covered in blood and his beautiful eyes staring blankly ahead. And it hadn't been the only brother he had lost. So many others had lost their life in the fight against this creature. They deserved for their sacrifice not having been in vain. And when the Darkness began to re-collect itself around him, filling in the holes he had created in its foggy shape, he realized he had to give much more to make it right for his fallen brothers. He felt into his core, felt the swirling, pulsing vibration in his chest and gave it a nudge, letting more light break free with a furious scream.

The intensity increased again, the power tearing at him on the cellular level. His heart ached painfully under the extreme, godly force, but the satisfying, core shattering roar from the Darkness made him continue and push through. He was hurting it, badly, and he knew all he needed to do was to continue, to give his light and wait for the Darkness to be ultimately disintegrated into thin air. So he needed to hold on, try to stay in one piece.

"NO!" The Darkness cried and howled in pain, more patches of its black fog-like shape vaporising. But although it was impaled from several sharp light beams from Lucifer, a respectful amount of its mass stayed persistent against the light. "You won't kill me! You don't have the strength!" It's yellow eyes glared at him, its maw opening wide and with a quick move, it sunk its teeth into the left of Lucifer's torso, completely swallowing his shoulder in black. The razor sharp teeth sunk into his chest and shoulder blade, tearing at his flesh.

His furious scream turned more powerful as the pain of the Darkness' bite rolled through him. The teeth gnawed into him deeper and deeper and he realized it wasn't an option to just hold on, because he couldn't. He could feel how his body was breaking apart from the inside, how the bloodloss made him dizzy, and how his strength was wavering. No. He couldn't hold up the fight. But he was also not one to ever give up. Every ounce of energy left inside of him would be used and he would go to his own limits and beyond to achieve what he wanted. Skin and eyes shining like heavenly lasers flashing off of him, he thought of Chloe, the way she looked at him when he returned from hell and he held her in his arms, the way she smiled at him, how her honey-golden hair fell in waves over her shoulders and how her voice, so angelic, touched his soul, making him feel redeemed from every torturing guilt he had endured for eons.

It was then that he realized he wouldn't get to see her again, that he wouldn't be able to touch her or hear her voice again. He'd return to his hell, that was, if he'd succeed, because if he wasn't, there would be not even hell waiting for him. He would win and lose at the same time. He'd save her but also lose her forever. But that seemed like the only deal he was able to get. There was no better outcome available. No better cards to draw from.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe… I love you so much. Always," he breathed, wishing desperately she could hear his words like he had heard her prayers. Feeling the reservoir of his light depleting, he reached into the remaining divine energy lingering in his core, and with a thundering blast released the rest of it all at once.

[Secession Studios - And the Sky Turned Red]

Chloe held onto her daughter's hand in such a tight grip, any superglue would pale in comparison. They had hidden in a nearby sidestreet for what felt like an eternity, until eventually the harrowing sounds of growls and hisses, swirls and slashes had faded. But she could tell they weren't gone. They had become quieter because they became distant and she figured Lucifer had lured the entity away as best as possible so it wouldn't cause any more casualties.

She suppressed another wave of tears at the thought of Phaldor. Only because of him she was still alive and her daughter still had a mother's arms to find shelter in. He sacrificed himself, just having met her a few days before and she felt horrible at the thought of not having spent more time getting to know him. She had been too consumed with taking care of Lucifer and aside from a few short conversations with him, she hadn't paid him much attention. And even though Phaldor had only just arrived, he had sacrificed his divinity to save Lucifer and now, only hours later, he had sacrificed his life for her. He couldn't even enjoy his new life as a human with a fresh set of eyes.

And in addition to his horrible death, her daughter had witnessed this traumatic event. She couldn't think of the therapy she might need to work through this horror. And maybe she'd even have to join her daughter on the couch. It was questionable though if Linda herself would be up for it.

"Mom?" Trixie muttered, clutching herself tightly against her into her bathrobe. "What's that?"

Seeing her daughter point skywards, she swallowed. The fluffy morning clouds had darkened and thickened into an opaque blanket of black. At first she thought it was actually the night's sky, but then she realized there were no stars, no moon. And where the heck has the sun gone? It should be rising above LA by now… And then it dawned upon her, that this must be something else. It wasn't the Darkness, as it was just a lingering plain of dark clouds, not an all-destructive fog that went through the streets like a tsunami of destruction. No, it had to be different.

"What are you two staring at, huh?" Gaudium's grumpy voice suddenly rang from the side and her heart made a leap.

"Gaudium!" Trixie called, clearly relieved to see him again. Detaching from her mother's arms she ran towards the cherub and slung her arms around his chubby shape, not caring that he was trying to hold himself in the air with wild flaps of his wings.

"Oufff… Hey kiddo." Letting out a sigh, he gently patted her back with a clawy hand and motioned with the other for their friends to come along. "They're here. All in one piece."

"Oh thank god, you're both okay!" Linda gasped, coming in to pull Chloe into a gentle hug and give Trixie a kiss to her cheek. Despite her efforts of keeping Charlie asleep, the little boy looked wide awake and took in his surroundings with high interest and flailing hands. "Did you see what happened? We were hiding inside, thinking it's best not to move unnecessarily. Where did they go?"

Swirling her daggers, Maze looked to the sky. "Well, I guess Lucifer took him up. I hope he'll tear the bastard apart somehow…"

"Yeah, I heard as their voices grew distant. I guess he guided him up to have us out of immediate danger," Chloe agreed, silently sending out another prayer for Lucifer to be alright.

"Do you know why the sky is so dark?" Trixie asked, looking curiously between Maze and Gaudium as she reluctantly let go of the cherub, but only to continue holding onto his hand.

"Looks unnatural, that's for sure," Maze muttered and glanced along the street up and down, staying alert.

"That's angel's work," Gaudium murmured under his breath, glancing up at the thick blanket of black with a pensive expression.

"Lucifer is an angel! Did he do that?!" Trixie asked excitedly, big hazel eyes looking at him full of hope.

"No, no, kiddo. He's called the Prince of Darkness, yes, but that's not in his repertoire," Gaudium explained with a shake of his head. "No… That's the work of some of his siblings. They want to protect humans from the celestial madness going on up there. So you won't be so scared, you know?"

"Oh… okay." The girl's expression faltered a little, but then she smiled. "I guess it's cool his siblings can do stuff as well to protect us. At least he's not alone."

Chloe's heart clenched in bittersweet pain at Gaudium's words. Aside from his unrefined speech, he did try to calm the girl, in his own weird way. Another similarity with Maze, she noted. A sudden thunder caused her to flinch and instinctively look up again, spotting a faint light shimmer, obscured from the clouds. It was odd. As if it was a lightning strike shooting through pitch black, but it wasn't lightning. It was a straight line of light, dim and fuzzy. "And can you also say what that is?" she asked, quirking a brow at Gaudium curiously.

Gaudium's pop eyes widened a fraction more, spotting the shimmer and witnessing how several more lines began to form, all collecting in one center. "Well… That looks like beams of light. The angel lot is working together. Oh by the shimmering arse of the Almighty, I hope Lucifer and the others are giving freakin' hell to this damn thing."

"Yeah, I hope so, too," Chloe agreed with a tense sigh, worrying her lower lip between her teeth. Light was the logical weapon of choice to use against the literal Darkness, and she prayed Lucifer and the other angels would have the strength to put up with it.

They continued to hide, watching as the lines of light shone dimly behind the clouds. The amount of the strange heavenly beams first began to increase, but then, one after another suddenly stopped. At first she thought it was a figment of her imagination when she saw a small shimmer plopping through the thicket of clouds and falling downwards towards the city. More shimmers appeared in the distance again and again. And then one shimmer appeared right above their heads and it came closer and closer. Two white spots showed at its sides and suddenly her brain made the connection. "Oh my god… They're falling," she breathed, eyes widening as the shape coming closer began to sharpen in her view, and the form of an angel became clear to decipher. "The angels are falling!" Her heart thundered with new sparked fear and shock. "Gaudium?! Gaudium, quick!"

Gaudium reacted in a split second. Breaking free from Trixie's hold, the cherub pushed himself into the air towards the plummeting angel. He tried to be as quick as possible, to gain as much altitude as possible and catch the heavenly soldier, but the impact was brutal. With high speed the angel smacked against Gaudium and tangling up with limbs, feathers and bat-wings. Grunting in effort, Gaudium forced his body apart from the angel and held onto his wingbones with his clawy hands, furiously flapping his wings to slow their fall. "Fuckin' hell, you are a heavy weight!" he hissed through his teeth. "Maze!" The demon was already prepared and, positioned at the right spot, she safely caught the angel with Gaudium's help and carefully lowered him down to the ground.

"Stay back, monkey," Chloe mouthed to her daughter and rushed over to them, spotting instantly the huge amount of blood from several bite wounds over the angel's torso. "Oh my… Is… is he…?"

Releasing a sad sigh, Gaudium inspected the angel. "Unfortunately, yes… He didn't make it…" He shook his head, looking over the angel's torn armour and brutally ripped flesh wounds. "Damn it. That's Gathiel. He was a really tough nut in the Silver City…"

Chloe let that information sink in. A strong angel, whose armour was torn open and who got gruesomely killed as if the angel had just been a nasty little fly for the Darkness. She shuddered and sniffed away a sob at the thought that the other falling angels would probably look similar to Gathiel. Another thunder broke through the clouds and the celestially induced darkness that lingered on the city was brightened through a light that seemed more intense behind the clouds, so intense that it tore through the dark blanket. Several sharp rays of light shone down onto the city, like giant heavenly spotlights. One of the rays hit their group, engulfing them in warm, tingling light.

At first she wondered if it was the sun, but then she noticed the humm and vibrations coming from the light. "What is that?" she whispered and gazed skywards again, baffled and overwhelmed from the feeling of warmth and calm the light seemed to soothe her with. Her friends stayed silent, speechless as they stared into the sky along with her. "It feels… it feels like…" She thought of the right word, focused on the feeling her body felt graced with while gazing at the point where the light broke through the clouds. "...like him. It feels like Lucifer. How is that possi-"

Another thunder shook through the sky and suddenly the light behind the clouds intensified steadily. More and more of its rays managed to pierce through the obscuring thicket of black, forcing the clouds away and making room for a blinding ball of pure, white light high up in the air. They all reflexively lifted their arms, shielding their eyes from the powerful brightness that flooded the city, the intensity too painful to look at, yet at the same time it was a bliss to feel it.

Her skin felt caressed, her hair gently brushed and she could've sworn she felt an invisible pressure against her lips like a tender kiss, and she knew it was him. Lucifer. The Lightbringer. Blinking through tears, he looked at the blazing ball of light that became bigger and bigger. It was all consuming. She couldn't see anything around the light, no Darkness, no clouds, not even the sun was there to be seen in comparison. He was the center of all light, every ounce of warmth and calming peace radiated off of him, wrapping around them all like a comforting blanket.

And then, from one moment to the next, a flash surged from the ball of light, causing it to shrink down and disappear like it all had been an illusion, but the blinding spot in her eyes stayed just as if she had directly stared into the flashlight of a camera. It took her a second to grasp it was actually gone and the instant she did, her heart began to thunder anew, more tears welling up in her eyes. "Lucifer?" His name came out in a scared whisper, hushed and so faint, she wasn't sure if she had really said it, or if it had been a thought in her mind.

"Holy crap…" Gaudium muttered, taken aback from the sight above them. "He did it… He… He really did it…"

The sky above them turned into a warm mix of purples, yellows and reds and from behind a skyscraper in the distance, the sun emerged from its hiding spot. Soft clouds began to form up high, little fluffy patches of white, and the sky looked more beautiful than she had ever seen it before.

But something felt wrong.

"Where is he?" Chloe breathed, her voice louder, but shaking in fear. Looking at the spot where the ball of light had been, she checked for any motion, but it was too far away from her to really see. "Gaudium?" She glanced at her little cherub friend, her tone panicking. "Tell me where he is!"

Staring skywards Gaudium checked, if he was able to see anything, but it was too far away even for him to see anything from their position. "Chloe, I… I don't know-" A small shimmer in the distance caught his attention and he was on excited alert in an instant. He pointed a claw at the thing, noting it was heading into the direction where the massive ball of light had been. "There! There's something!"

[Eternal Eclipse - Chosen One]

Michael stared after his brother and watched as he flew directly into the Darkness. He had figured Lucifer would immediately know what to do, but that he would throw himself directly into the belly of the beast hadn't occurred to him. "Stay back!" he called over to his siblings, all of which seemed completely exhausted and utterly distraught. Depleted of most of their own divine light, they weakly managed to stay in the air with tired flaps of their wings and slowly maneuvered to gather at Michael's sides.

Hovering in the air, he watched the Darkness swallow Lucifer and his whole body cramped up in response. It was strange. All his life he had seen his brother as a threat to the world, like an unstable cataclysmic bomb that could go up any second. He had always treated him with a lingering taste of condescendence, trying to keep him away from any possibilities of causing harm. And now that he had realized how wrong he had been about his brother, he was overwhelmed with the fear of Lucifer being the one coming to harm, that Lucifer was the one who had to prevent the world's destruction, initiated through his own blinded actions.

"This is madness…" Amenadiel rasped at his side, staring just like their brothers at the bulging mass of black that surrounded Lucifer. "How is he supposed to survive this?!"

Swallowing down the lump in his throat, Michael took a deep, steadying breath. "He has to. He was made for this. I know he can do it."

"From your lips to Father's ears, brother," Amenadiel muttered, flinching as he heard the screams coming from within the Darkness.

Michael refrained from making a comment. With everything he had done, it was a miracle God hadn't cast him out and if they were to survive this, if Lucifer succeeded and they would return to heaven, he wasn't too sure if he would even stay the voice of God. He didn't feel deserving of the least bit of attention given from his Father, and being created as the voice of Him was making him feel even worse. It was a role he was born into and he had defiled Him worse than he thought Lucifer ever had.

A sudden burst of light piercing through the Darkness shook him out of his thoughts. The Darkness released a guttural roar and he watched in growing excitement as patches of the entity vaporised into thin air. "It's working," Michael breathed in relief and awe at the sight of God's light in action. Having been the carrier of God's light, he had only been able to tap into His almighty powers, but the release of His pure light stayed out of reach for him. Seeing his brother using it was overwhelming to say the least. "Come on, Lucifer… You can do it," he mouthed in quiet prayer, all thrilled and tensely observing the happening in front of him.

Seconds passed, more screams erupted from the black mass and he wasn't sure if they came from the Darkness or Lucifer. Staring ahead, he narrowed his eyes, spotting through one of the holes in the foggy entity, how the light inside of it became brighter. The air around them began to hum and vibrate with power and the rays began to broaden, tearing apart more and more of the Darkness' shape. The light began to reach them as well, the intensity unimaginable, the beauty of it mesmerising and awe-inspiring, taking his breath away and bringing him to tears.

He could tell Lucifer was winning. The light was tearing the dark apart, but it wasn't over yet. Still there were persistent patches of the Darkness, resisting the godly power. He wondered briefly, if it had truly been enough light he had passed onto his brother. As if his brother had heard his thoughts, a massive blast shook from the Darkness, so powerful, the ripples pushed him and his siblings several meters back from the epicenter. The light swallowed the Darkness, growing and growing in size in a ball of white. The clouds beneath them, created from his siblings, got torn apart and in a blinding flash, the light all collapsed into nothingness.

And the world around them stood still.

[ReallySlowMotion - Pandemic]

Nobody moved. Nobody spoke. They stared ahead, frozen in shock and confusion, tense and scared if it was over. Natural clouds reformed beneath them and the dawning sun bathed them in warm, golden light. No patches of fog could be seen, only one small shape, a mix of black and white, and Michael's eyes widened, his heart painfully contracting.

Catapulting himself forward with strong blows of his wings, he darted towards the shape, horrified to see it plummet down towards earth. "Oh no… Please don't…" he muttered, the tears spilling along his temples with the rush of air. He knew what he saw, knew what he had just witnessed, but he didn't want it to be true. Dashing through the clouds, he closed in on the shape, loose limbs and tattered clothes coming into view. The skyline of LA approached but before the shape could crash into the roof of a hotel, Michael managed to catch it.

"Lucifer…" Michael breathed, gliding mindlessly, as he stared at his brother lying motionless in his arms. "Oh no… No no no..." Sobbing, he looked over his brother's body, clothes torn and flesh ripped open from the Darkness' teeth at his legs, flank and neck. Glancing over Lucifer's shoulder, he clenched his jaw and forced away new tears with a few more blinks. No wings emerged from Lucifer's back.

Taking shuddering breaths, he scanned the area beneath, aiming at the building his brother resided in. As he approached, he spotted the group of humans, demon and cherub on the street, and he diverted to land in front of them.

"Oh my god, Lucifer?" Chloe whimpered and stepped up towards Michael who carefully lowered him down. Not bothering to talk with him, she knelt down next to Lucifer, carefully caressing his face and looking him over. "Lucifer? Hey… It's okay… Come on… Open your eyes." Releasing another heavy sob through spilling tears, she leaned in to kiss his forehead, relieved to see him again. She felt he was wet and saw his skin covered in sweat and blood and then she noticed the wounds on his body and her heart felt stabbed. Lucifer didn't move, his eyes didn't open.

"Lucifer!" Trixie shouted excitedly from behind her and came rushing in at her side.

She wasn't able to protect her from the view, wasn't able to shield her from the sight so terrifying, she knew it would haunt her in her dreams. She had not been fast enough to notice, not fast enough to react. "Trixie wait!" she tried, but it was too late. Her daughter's eyes watered and her lips grimaced in bitter weeping.

"Lucifer?! No! Lucifer!" Panicky, Trixie held onto Lucifer's right arm, shaking it vigorously, but he didn't react. "Mom?! Mom, what's wrong with him?! Why doesn't he wake up?"

[Audiomachine - Forgive Us Our Trespasses]

"Lucifer?" she breathed, wiping her face from tears and running nose. Placing her hand to his chest, she tried to feel his hammering heart or his rising ribcage, but she couldn't feel either. Pulse racing and blood rushing in her ears, she reached to his throat with trembling fingers, flinching when she accidently chose the wrong side and touched the gaping wound.

Reaching to the side of his throat his face rested towards, she felt for his pulse, waiting anxiously for that strong, thumping rush to travel past her pressure point, but nothing happened. Lips pressing together, she held back a cry, grasping for explanations as her heart plummeted into a dark abyss. No. No, it wasn't possible. Her mind refused to let the realisation sink in, refused to let the signs shake her beliefs, her hopes. "He… he must've fallen into a coma again, right?" she muttered, tenderly brushing her thumb over his cheek. "Yeah… that… that must be it. He… he just hit his head and now he needs to rest… He's… just exhausted… I'm sure..."

"Mom?" Trixie sobbed quietly, looking at her mother with puffy eyes, distressed and scared.

"It's okay, monkey… H-he just needs some sleep. Like the last time, you know?" she explained to her girl, not noticing how she started to rock back and forth. He had saved them all. He had been badly injured and now it was her priority to have him heal again, see him open his eyes and tell him how thankful she is and how much she loves him. But his position looked uncomfortable and her brain began kicking in with further actions. "W-w-we need to bring him home… He sh-should rest in b-bed…" Wiping her face again, she looked up, her friends, joined from a frowning Amenadiel, and Michael standing around her, looking down at her in a mix of anguish, sorrow and total despair.

"W-what? What is it?" Chloe asked confused, looking between their faces. "What are you waiting for?! He needs help!" She stared at them, upset and distraught, but they stayed silent, sharing looks amongst each other, throwing fleeting glances at her and shifting around uncomfortably.

It was Michael who eventually broke the silence, nervously looking down. "He… he used all of his light to destroy the Darkness…" he began carefully, hoping that it was enough of an explanation, his stomach twisting as he looked at Lucifer.

"But… but… that's not a problem," Chloe insisted weakly. "H-he's the Lightbringer. I mean, he can handle that, right?"

Coming to her with little steps, Gaudium placed a hand on her back. "Chloe… you know what happens, when an angel gives all of his light. Do you remember?" he spoke hesitantly. As she didn't respond, he took a nervous breath. "He… he became human, Chloe…"

Her chest ached from the pressure building inside, her heart feeling pushed towards a realisation it desperately tried to fight against. "I- I- I don't understand… I mean… isn't that something good?"

His throat tight, Michael explained what he had deduced himself from the signs. "The moment he released his remaining light... he became human. His wings disappeared and he must've tried to breathe so high up in the air…" He swallowed as his voice momentarily broke. "His blood loss was immense and his body must've tried to cope with the divine energy surrounding him, but... it was too much for a human heart to endure. I'm… I'm sorry… I-"

Chloe stared at Michael confused, the ache in her chest becoming worse. "But, you can give him back some light, right? Phaldor did it before, when Lucifer was weak... You can give him some of yours and he'll be fine. Just a little is enough," she sobbed again, looking back at Lucifer and combing through his tousled hair.

Searching for words, he released a heavy-hearted sigh, his eyes burning with pain. "That's not possible, I'm afraid… Once there's no light left inside… I can't do anything…"

The ache became piercing and tearing in her ribcage and it became hard to breathe as reality slowly began to settle in. "What are you saying, y-y-you can't do anything? Amenadiel? Can't you give him some of your light?"

The dark angel crouched down next to her, his wings angling in behind his back. Gently caressing her other shoulder, he looked between Lucifer and Chloe, crying. "I'm sorry Chloe… He fought so hard… He did everything to save us all… to save you… "

[Ruelle - Closing In]

Her heart stopped beating in pain, as his words travelled from her ears to her brain, her body reacting to the information in a powerful contraction, as if her body wanted to disappear into itself, shrinking in, not caring if skin would rip or bones would break, as long as she could became as tiny as an atom, hiding from the truth that tore her world apart. "No… No! Oh god no. No no no no no… Lucifer… please..." she cried desperately and felt her heart shatter to pieces. "Lucifer, don't… You can't be gone, please… Please, don't do this to me… Oh god… I… I can't… I… I can't... breathe, Amenadiel… I can't..."

She sobbed and weeped her heart out, the embrace of Amenadiel, although firm and secure, unable to keep her from falling into the dark gaping maw of hell that swallowed her body and soul. She broke apart, the light and love of her life gone, torn away from her by a force that was meant to be purely good. And now, she couldn't do else but see him lost in the endless wasteland of torture, where he'd suffer, wandering alone amongst billions of souls just as lost as him.

She struggled to breathe, feeling herself drowning in the wound in her heart that kept growing on and on like black hole, never sated, no matter how much destruction it already caused. It never ended. The stabbing pain in her chest didn't fade and the wish to just lay down beside him and die, felt like a welcoming, soothing, warm blanket for her.

Chapter Text

Chapter 22: Souls Of A Pyrrhic Victory

[Eternal Eclipse - Reach]

He was panicking and crying, but his lungs couldn't take enough oxygen and his tears fell without him being able to make a sound. The light burst from him, through him, and with the sudden weight lifted literally from his shoulders, he knew it had happened. They were gone. His wings had disappeared and his body had become human. His metabolism slowed, his cells became fragile and his heart ached more than his slowed mind could find words for, not that he would've been able to speak anyways.

He drowned in light, suffocated high up in the sky and felt his heart stop beating all at once. It was a strange sensation as his brain continued trying to grasp what was happening to him with the last signals being shot through his synapses. He felt lighter in every way, dizzy, but he ascribed that mostly to the bloodloss, even though that made no sense anymore. But there was another feeling he noticed, one he couldn't pinpoint. There was a pressure of some sort against his body, no, a pull, and then it was gone. Everything simply stopped.

There was nothing for a brief moment, or how long was it? He wasn't sure. He wasn't sure why he was even able to think at all. Or was he? He wasn't sure, if he wasn't sure or thinking at all.

I'm making no sense… Have I lost my mind? Is this hell already? If so… Where's the ash?

"It's gonna be okay…" a warm, gentle voice breathed against his ear. It sounded familiar somehow, female, but no name or face connected with the voice in his mind.

Okay? What is gonna be okay? What does she mean?

He blinked, noticing how his eyes had actually been closed the whole time.

Huh… Whole time…. How long was that? What's going on? Where am I?

Looking down at himself, he gasped. It wasn't the completely ruined suit he wore that shocked him though, but what happened beneath him. They were all there. And she was there, too. Chloe knelt on the ground and Amenadiel held her in a comforting embrace. Her body was shivering and she shook her head repeatedly as if she was denying something insistently. Then she turned to look to the right at...

Oh bloody hell… ME?! That's… That's ME lying there! I'm… I'm dead… But… How can I even see this?… That has never happened before…

The most horrible of sounds suddenly broke through to him and his eyes widened.

Oh no… She's crying! Oh Chloe… don't...

He crouched down to her level and reached for her cheek, but his hand travelled through her and the sensation of her warmth stayed missing.

No! I want to… Please, don't cry, love… Don't be sad… I'm right here with you… Shhh… It's okay… I'm here my dear Detective...

He choked on his own sobs and his chest ached anew. It was a horrible fallacy to believe that just because you were dead, there was no pain to endure anymore. Hell was of course the special case for pain, but he could tell this wasn't hell. Not yet. He stood among his crying friends, watching them mourn over his sacrifice. He was a soul, staring at his separated, dead body.

I was... human… Holy shit… That's why I'm here...

"It's time to go now, Lu. I'm so sorry…" the gentle female voice rang again and this time the mention of his unique nickname made him turn.

Standing back up, reluctantly facing away from his beloved Detective, he saw the small figure with her dark hair cut into a short bob and her black gown. He took in her sight, her face pale and her shoulders sunken forward.

She looks exhausted...

"Azrael?" he mouthed surprised before his brows came together in a confused frown. "What's going on? Why are you here?"

She tilted her head to the side an inch, eyes shimmering with sorrow, her voice timid. "I'll bring you where you belong, Lu."

Where I belong…? She sounds so sad...

And then his dead soul-mind caught up.

Oh… Oooh!

"Of course… Right... I should've known…" he muttered absently, his eyes burning with tears he didn't know he could even shed in his state.

Hell. His final destination. No matter if angel or human, his soul's path had been defined ever since his fall. There would be no escape from it. And now that he was - or rather had been - human, he needed the guidance of the Angel of Death to bring him down to hell.

Glancing back towards his friends, he swallowed. He didn't want to leave. Not because of fearing hell and his eternal suffering, but because he saw the pain in his friends' expressions, his friends he had left behind. All of them cried. Amenadiel and Chloe cried and whimpered together. Gaudium cried, holding the spawn in his arms, who wept horribly as well. Linda cried and kissed her little boy's head as Charlie screamed through tears as well, clearly disapproving the situation like everyone else. Even Maze looked utterly gutted and wiped away a rush of tears from her cheeks before anyone else could notice.

Oh Mazikeen… You're always trying to be the strong, emotionless demon, but we both know you aren't like that anymore since quite some time...

"Lu…" Azrael's soft voice insisted, but it was clear in her tone that she hated what she was tasked to do. "Please… There's nothing you can do. You know that."

Of course he knew. He knew souls couldn't do a damn thing to help those who were left behind. He sniffed, trying to stay composed, but feeling unable to do so. "It hurts…" he whimpered, the pressure in his chest maddening, making him believe it was able to tear not only his physical body but also his soul apart.

Nodding lightly, his sister pulled him towards her, carefully making him step away from the scenery. "Yeah... I know it does. I can feel it, too. The heartache… the separation..."

His glance fell upon Michael. Having stepped aside from the group and standing a few meters away with his wings tucked back behind himself, his older brother was not in the focus of Lucifer's friends. His guilt-ridden face tilted up slowly, and grieving, puffy eyes looked straight back at him. Not at his dead body, but him, his soul. It seemed Michael was the only one noticing him from his celestial friends.

"Michael…" he mouthed, figuring his brother would be able to hear him. He understood this was difficult for Michael as well. Despite his glorious fuck-up, the eldest angel had realized Lucifer had never been the one he needed to fight against. He was no fiend to Michael's beloved creation. Having been given Michael's cropy of the Power of God had been exceptional, to say the least. It had been a great sacrifice for Michael, the greatest he could give, Lucifer was aware. It was a tragic irony that Lucifer had to sacrifice himself then along with the light to defeat the real threat. Without each of their sacrifices, they wouldn't have succeeded. "Thanks for the light," he added, weakly quipping.

Michael's eyes glistened pleadingly as he nodded back at him, his lips quietly mumbling. "I'm so sorry." Despite him staring ahead at Lucifer's soul that wasn't visible for his mortal friends, and despite speaking out loud, it seemed that his actions were taken as just a general, guilty apology spoken out to the living people around him. None of them paid attention to him or figured out he was actually talking to his dead brother.

"I know," Lucifer answered truthfully, his lips tugging up in a short, but genuine smile. A peace offering. He wasn't mad at him. Maybe he would be. He wasn't sure. Right now however, he was just exhausted and worn out from emotions of loss. Holding grudges and releasing a fiery wrath had to wait for their time to come.

"It's time, Lu. We gotta go," Azrael reminded him once again, pulling his attention towards her. "Hold onto me and close your eyes. The transition feels different to your human soul than when you were an angel and you could do it yourself."

"Lovely…" he murmured, but his voice was without humour and without light. He was depressed and wondered how it would feel like having to suffer as a human soul in a hell loop. He's only ever been on the other end of the rope as the punisher, or rather the prison guard. He's seen the despair of the souls, but it had always been difficult for him to put himself into their shoes. Now he would make his own first-hand-experience. He stepped up to his little sister, arms slinging around her waist and shoulder as he was several inches taller than her. But he didn't close his eyes. He couldn't. He couldn't waste the last moments he had, the last chance he'd get in the rest of his doomed eternity, and not look at Chloe.

She was still on the ground but had parted from Amenadiel. Crying her heart out, she sunk down on his lifeless body, her face pressing against his chest, one of her hands clutching onto his arm, the other combing through his hair. He imagined to feel her warmth against him and the trickle of her tears on his skin as she mourned. "I love you, my dear Chloe," he mouthed through his own tears, feeling the cruellest of punishments tear him apart. His chest aching, tears and lungs burning, he clutched tighter onto his sister, his eyes never shifting or blinking.

Azrael's dark wings tensed and with two powerful flaps, she catapulted them into the air. He didn't think about the transition and how it would feel like, didn't waste the fraction of a second to think about anything else but her. He'd never forget her, he swore himself, not in a billion years in hell. Even if his mind would rot away with delusions turning him crazy, he knew she would be impossible to forget. And that knowledge was a relief to his suffering soul.

His vision suddenly burned with a white noise and he reflexively squeezed his eyes shut, losing the last image of Chloe kneeling over his dead body. He groaned, his limbs feeling like led and dragging along, as if his centre was moved faster than the rest of his body. He tightened his hold onto Azrael again, his mind welcoming the dark.

He waited until his feet felt a solid ground beneath them again, telling him of his arrival at his final destination. He swallowed and if he'd not have been so tense, he would've made a joke about the ability to feel a lump in his throat.

"We're there," Azrael said softly, loosening her hold on him and giving his arms a gentle rub.

It was stange. With his arrival, he suddenly felt the desperate urge to never open his eyes again, as if that made it less of a reality, less painful, less of a hellhole.

I could just stay like this, right? Just… nothingness. That's alright. I can handle nothingness… I've had that before...

A poke into his ribs made him grunt. "Lu," Azrael sounded expectantly and impatient. "Come on. Open your eyes."

He gritted his teeth. Of course. She had other souls to bring to their destination. It was obvious she didn't want to rush, but she had a job to do and she wasn't allowed to make much of an exception for him, just because he was her brother. Her day planner was pretty packed.

Releasing a reluctant sigh, he opened his eyes and caught his breath.

Staring around himself, he felt his throat close up with yet another lump. Azrael's hands slid from his arms, the warm connection to her lost. He tilted his head to look down at her, his expression perplex, his voice hoarse. "Why am I here, Azrael?"

[Colbie Caillat - When The Darkness Comes]

He was getting cold and it was fuelling Chloe's grief and horror anew.

Lucifer was dead. Truly dead.

She wasn't sure how much time had passed. Amenadiel had left her side and now she noticed Trixie was tugging at her arm, pulling her focus towards her. Lifting herself up from Lucifer, she turned towards her daughter, who looked utterly destroyed. Had she stayed here all this time? How long was that anyway?

"Hey monkey," she mouthed tearfully and wiped her eyes with the sleeve of her bathrobe.

"Mom… What can we do now?" Trixie murmured meekly, her eyes just as swollen and tear-ridden like her mother's.

That was a good question. She had trouble to put logic into her thoughts, but knew that she needed to function for her daughter. She had to be a good mother. Only, she wasn't really sure what that meant for this situation. All she knew was that the normal procedure after a person's death was not something she was ready to get into motion just yet. She couldn't bear to call an ambulance, watch the EMT's shake their heads and have a coroner transfer him directly to the nearest hospital's morgue. No. She couldn't send him away. She couldn't leave his side.

I was made for him… I'm his gift… his miracle… I can't just leave him...

Holding her thoughts, she patted her daughter's arm and offered her a thin lipped smile, before getting up and turning to her friends. "I will call the ambulance later. Amenadiel?" her voice rang softly for her angelic friend. "Can you please help bring him inside Lux? I'd like to be around him a little longer, okay?"

Amenadiel's expression shifted from concerned to sympathetic and understanding, his face soft, eyes shining with affection but also a deeply settled pain that ached inside him. "Of course, Chloe." Carefully lifting his brother up into his arms, he started his walk towards Lux.

The others had told him about Phaldor after he had consoled her. After having seen dozens of his siblings die in battle against the Darkness, he had now been confronted with having lost yet another brother today. She couldn't fathom the pain Amenadiel must be in with so many of his siblings having lost their lives. The defeat over the Darkness didn't feel like a triumph at all. If anything, it had been a devastating battle, an overpowered being slaughtering one angel after another, destroying lives, both in heaven and on earth.

Parents, brothers and sisters were mourning in heaven, she thought, and here on earth, friends and loved ones stood equally paralysed from grief. It was not a glorious day, nothing to cheer about or to be relieved for. It was a day of bloodshed, pain and endless sorrow.

"Chloe?" Linda's voice gently pulled her out of her abyssal thoughts. "Come on, let's get out of here." Laying one arm around Chloe's waist, she let her rest against her side as she guided her back along the street.

Trixie quickly joined her mother's free side and took her hand, her other held out towards Maze. The demon accepted it without a comment. Gaudium took flight and flew ahead of them, catching up with Amenadiel and helping him manoeuvrer through the piles of barricades that were splayed out in the burst entry of Lux.

They were drowned in depressive silence before Amenadiel fell into tears once again as he spotted Phaldor's lifeless body, splayed out on the ground, chest and neck torn open, his mouth slack and eyes dull. Carefully laying Lucifer down on one of the elongated couches at the side of Lux and draping his arms onto his stomach to make sure he wasn't sliding off, Amenadiel let Chloe take his place. Sobbing, he stepped to Phaldor and knelt down to take his limp body into his arms, hugging him and whispering heartfelt apologies.

After a few moments, Amenadiel looked up, his expression surprised. "He's gone. Phaldor's soul is gone."

His words lingered in the air until Michael spoke up. "Yes. Lucifer's soul is gone, too. He's passed the threshold," he murmured with a tight voice. "I… I saw Azrael guide him away when we were outside."

Chloe's eyes shot up, her heart, already feeling like a squeezed, dried plum, pounding with excitement. "You saw him?"

Michael's head hung low. "Yes… He looked broken… He was so sad to leave you, but he had to. Once the body's dead, the soul has just a bit of time before it is transferred."

"Transferred?" she asked anxiously, before she had really put any thought to his words. She knew the answer when she spoke, but hoped for a different response nonetheless.

"To the afterlife," Michael said, carefully avoiding to say the name of the place they knew he'd be going to.

It was enough of an answer and combined with Michael's sad tone it confirmed her fears of Lucifer's destination. She wanted to be angry. Angry at Michael for having caused all this horror and consequently being responsible for Lucifer's death. Angry at God for having expelled Lucifer for a rebellion that happened eons ago and still denying him access to a peaceful afterlife in heaven. She wanted to be able to be angry at anything, at anyone, but all her strength had left her. Her mind felt empty and her body cold and frozen. Her warmth and light was gone. Simply gone.

She hadn't even been able to tell him how much she loved him one last time. She couldn't tell him how happy he made her and how safe she felt with him. How she admired him for his passion in everything he did. She would never hear him play the piano again, watch how he'd pour his soul into his fingertips and make her cry from joy with every key he pressed. She'd never feel his lips worshipping her as his true love, taste the hunger he held for her and the love he wanted to feed and feast with her. She'd never feel the swell of his chest, the immortal heart, beating with a life that they wanted to share with each other. She hadn't just lost him. She had lost so much more along with him, and she could hardly fathom it just yet.

"Here, Chloe," Gaudium's voice rang softly from the side, pulling her out of her own mental hell pit. He stood next to her, holding two folded blankets towards her. "I took them from the club's stash in the back. They're cozy. One for you… and one for him. Alright?" With a warm smile he nudged the blankets up to her height and waited until she took them.

"Thanks, Gaudium. That's sweet of you." Placing one blanket aside for herself, she took the other, fluffy and bordeaux-coloured, and carefully draped it over Lucifer, covering him from his ankles up to his throat. For a moment she felt a tinge of upset that the blanket wasn't long enough to effectively cover his feet as well, but then she sighed and pressed her lips together with the thought that he was just too tall. Too tall for this world. Too big of a heart. Too good for his own sake.

Michael quietly moved among the group and settled next to Amenadiel mourning over Phaldor. "I'm sorry," he whispered, lightly brushing over Phaldor's head in an endearing motion. "I was such an idiot… I don't even know how to make amends for what I've done..."

Amenadiel gritted his teeth, the grief making way for a rush of anger. "You're damn right, you're an idiot," he hissed and threw himself against the archangel with a wild yell. Just able to get a surprised grunt from Michael, he straddled him over his plated armour, fisted his left hand in his tousled hair and sent down the other to smash into Michael's face. "It's your fault! All of this is your damn fault!"

Michael rasped as his brother's punch threw his head to the right, the skin heating and swelling from it immediately. He felt strangely overwhelmed, but the pain also felt like a righteous punishment for his failings. Again and again Amenadiel's fist smacked into his face, his cheek and lips splitting open from the mighty force. He stayed motionless aside from his gasps for air and grunts from pain shooting through his skull, letting the waves of punches crush over him like a tidal wave. The metallic taste of his blood, warm and bitter, only spurred on the disgust he felt boiling up inside him and when Amenadiel suddenly paused, panting and sobbing, Michael growled. "No! Don't stop! Do it! Hit me! HIT ME! I deserve it!" he pressed forth through his blood-filled mouth. Angry tears trickled down his temples as he looked up at his brother. "Come on! Punish me!" His voice cracked in unbearable sorrow. "Please, Amenadiel… Punish me..."

The dark angel hovered his arm in the air, ready to launch his fist at him again, but the white, burning anger inside him subsided as he heard his brother's pleas. He lowered his arm, slowly shaking his head. "No… no…" he muttered exhaustedly and pushed himself off of Michael.

Irritated the archangel sat up, the blood smearing his face and dripping onto his armour and tunic beneath. "What?! But I deserve it! Come on! I killed them! It was my fault! PUNISH ME!"

"I'm too worn out to bother… Besides, enough angels have suffered for a day," Amenadiel sighed and walked to the side of the club with its booths aligned at the walls. He jadedly joined Linda and his child, pulling them close to both give and find comfort with his family.

Chloe watched the scene, spotting that both Maze and Gaudium were holding their own anger at bay as Michael was left alone by Amenadiel. She was sure that if Amenadiel hadn't spoken his last words, the two celestial creatures would've gladly continued to punch Michael into the ground and give him his desired punishment. But it felt better this way. She was tired of it all, the fighting, the pain, the suffering, the endless losses. She sighed quietly, and even smiled weakly, as she saw how Maze lovingly combed through Trixie's hair, having her curled up against her so she hadn't been able to watch Amenadiel and Michael.

"I wonder what God's gonna do to you, Michael," Gaudium hissed at the archangel and flapped his way over to Lux's bar. Grabbing a decanter filled with a golden coloured liquid, he took off the cap and sniffed. "Maybe he's gonna cut off your wings… or, hell, maybe he promotes you for your glorious fight and being a survivor. Who the heck knows?! Mysterious ways and all that crap!" Tossing the cap aside, the cherub lifted the decanter that was half his own size with both of his clawy hands, and started to drink the liquor in big gulps. Having emptied it to the last drop, he smashed the crystalline jug down on the counter, growling and murmuring under his breath. "Unbelievable… Such a bellend of a Father… What a God that is..."

It was obvious Gaudium's bitter comment wasn't just about God's behaviour towards Michael, but also his behaviour towards Lucifer. Not even in the face of ultimate destruction of the whole creation did God make an appearance or offer a bit of an almighty, helping hand, let alone bring back the Lightbringer.

[A Choir of Angels]

He looked back up and was forced to blink by the intensity of white. Though that was just his first thought. After several feverish blinks, he silently corrected himself. It wasn't white. It was silver. Everything in his view was silver, shining with an otherworldly glisten; Towers of marvellous construction, arched and twisted with impressive onion-shaped roofs and ornaments decorating their walls. Bridges, pillars and archways showed forth from between the buildings, connecting each other and leading to the ground in seemingly illogical, yet beautiful curves. It was just like he remembered it to be. Although his mind had difficulties to put together fitting words to describe it.

He stared at his sister again, his eyes wide, lips parted in puzzlement still.

Azrael's head tilted to the side at his question, her expression sad. Again. "I thought you understood, Lu. You're dead and-"

"No," he cut her off, shaking his head. "That's not what I meant. Why am I here, in the Silver City, Azrael? Did He tell you to bring me here?" He tried to stay calm, but the bitterness slid into his voice anyhow. It had been quite the surprise when he suddenly had been transferred to the Silver City through Michael during their fight, but now that he had been a mere mortal, he knew any angel could bring his soul here. That was, if his Father had ordered it so, he figured. His exile wasn't just spoken over his immortal body, but all of his being, afterall, including his soul - Whether it was angelic or human wouldn't make a difference.

Her gentle features melted into a mix of confusion and more sadness if that was even possible. "No. He doesn't tell me where to bring the souls. I can sense where I need to bring them."

"He didn't?" He paused, brows pinching into a deep frown. "You... sensed you had to bring me here? Why? I- I don't understand." He could feel his pulse racing, his hands nervously clenched and unclenched at his sides.

"Why?" Azrael repeated, surprised, her eyes glistening with something other than sadness now. What was it though? Her lips curled into the faintest smile, shy to fully show. "You really wonder why your soul belongs here and not in hell?"

It sounded as if she was amused about something, as if there was an inside joke he had no knowledge of. Was she playing him and making him look like a fool? But her gentle voice made him insecure. "Y-yes…?" he admitted, eyes nervously glancing around to take in the wide open space of the City. He still calculated on all of this to be a wicked illusion, that even Azrael was somehow part of it, but he knew that wasn't true. He could feel the heavenly vibes lingering in the air, swirling around him like a colourful tune. It wasn't the dull, dark, roaring hum that was omnipresent in hell. And he also wondered if hell would actually be able to imitate the Silver City to him, just to trick him. It would've been an interesting torture method, that's for sure.

Azrael continued to look at him as if he were a naive little goofball. But before she could respond, another female voice rang from close-by, familiar, vibrant and warm, and Lucifer felt his chest swell with a positive feeling for the first time since his death.

"Lucifer?!"

Turning left, he watched as the white-golden figure of the immortal Goddess drifted towards him, her shape shifting between the image of Charlotte Richards and her glowing dust-like, ethereal form. "Mum?" he breathed, his throat tight, his eyes wet. "Mum?! You're here?!"

Goddess' lips revealed a row of bright, sparkling teeth as she welcomed him with open arms, pulling him against her into a tight embrace. "Oh my sweet, beautiful angel boy!" she sobbed, her arms slinging tight around him as if she was afraid he could slip right through again and disappear on her. "I told you we would see each other again!"

He was overwhelmed again in a matter of seconds. First his outer-body soul-experience, then his trip to the Silver City and now his mother. His emotions rode a rollercoaster, unable to decide whether to be sad, confused or joyful and he found himself bouncing from one emotion to the other back and forth making his head spin with dizziness.

His Mother's hug was wonderful. It seeped a sense of familiarity and welcome into him that soothed his aching soul, but as they pulled away to look at each other, he could see she felt torn between her emotions as well. Eyes glistening and lips pressing together to keep herself from utterly breaking apart in front of her son, she was happy to see him and yet so heartbroken of the situation at the same time.

"I'm so sorry, son," she sobbed and held his cheeks in her palms. "About everything that happened… About you and Chloe…" Her core vibrated with soothing waves of divinity, a godly caress to ease his pain in the realm of heaven.

The warmth and calm she spread onto him was much appreciated, even though part of him thought it was manipulative. He had always treated godly powers with caution and his Mother was just as much a god like his Father for that matter. It was difficult to trust the use of such powers when he had known them to be used for schemes of all sorts. But something now was different. Something told him he could see her feelings and actions were genuine and coming from a place of pure love. He couldn't pinpoint it though. Was it because he was dead that he had a different perspective? Did it have anything to do with him being a human soul and not an angelic one?

"Mum… What… How… I- I'm so confused," he stuttered, looking her up and down in wonder. So many questions filled his mind that he didn't know where to begin.

"He doesn't know why I brought him here, Mother," Azrael softly said, deciding for the first question buzzing through his mind for him. "He thinks he should be in hell."

"Hey, I'm standing right here!" Lucifer protested with narrowing eyes at his sister. "I'm dead, not deaf."

Pursing her lips, the female angel held back a snicker. "Well, I'm sorry, but you do appear a bit slow-minded, brother."

His jaw dropped in astonishment and offendedness. "I beg your bloody pardon?!"

"Azrael, Lucifer, enough," Goddess ordered with a gentle sigh, slinging her arms around each of her children's shoulders and pulling them close without giving them the chance to protest any further. A true mother's embrace that left her children with an awkward, grumpy expression as they tried to wiggle away. Having mercy on them after a last little squeeze, Goddess turned towards her son. Hands pushed into her hips, she raised a delicate brow. "So, you seriously wonder why you're here and not in hell, Lucifer?"

It was one thing to have his sister being in the know and smart-ass about it, but it was another to have his mother look at him with a knowing smile. She knew the answer as well, of course she did, and she made it clear he wasn't the smartest bird in the nest, by just the choice of her wording and a raised brow. "Well, I just assumed that your most handsome and rebellious son, the one that was vilified from all creation since the dawn of time, the one that rotted away with the ungrateful task to rule hell and bring out punishment to the guilty souls, would be doomed to his very own tomb in hell's crypt system once his time was up," he remarked with bitter sarcasm before pointing around them. "It's not as if I ever got a snippet of a hint that there's just the slightest possibility for me to ever be able to set a foot to the Silver City again."

"You're right, son," a deep, familiar voice vibrated through the air, causing him to freeze on the spot, the hair on his neck standing with tension. "You never got a hint from me."

The powerful, radiant energy of the Almighty slowly hovered towards him, his brilliance mesmerizing, awe-inspiring, even for Lucifer, even after all these years and after everything that had happened. He had oftentimes wondered how he'd react, if he'd get the chance to meet his Father again. He had thought about the things he would tell him, about the questions he would demand to be answered. He had even thought about ways to hurt God, although he knew it would be pointless anyway. And now, everything was different. He stared at his Father, speech- and motionless.

God's essence collected in a mass and formed the shape of the man he had preferred to be in since Lucifer could remember. Only that God's choice of clothing had changed with the ages and now he was wearing a dark blue sweatshirt on top of a white shirt, grey pants and light brown loafers. He appeared strangely fashioned, making Lucifer wonder if his Mother had anything to do with it. "To answer the question that's lingering in your mind since your arrival: You're here, because your soul is pure and deserving of it. I know you don't believe that to be true, but your self-assessment isn't the standard to apply, my son," God explained, his tone calm, a small smile playing over his features.

It took him several seconds to grasp his Father's words and another few for his limbs to follow his will once again. When his legs finally functioned, he stepped towards God, feeling as the wrath he had thought would come directed at Michael, was now boiling up and aimed at his Father. "How can you talk about me and my bloody soul being pure and deserving to be here? How can you be so calm and not give a damn about what happened?" he hissed, knowing that if he were alive and in his celestial body, his eyes would rage with hellfire by now. "Tell me, Father, why didn't you do a fucking thing when my siblings got slaughtered? Why didn't you help us?!"

Goddess was about to cut in, already taking a breath to speak, but God raised a hand to motion her not to interrupt and take a stand for him. She quietly accepted for this dispute to be between Father and son and instead leaned to Azrael. Whispering calming words to her, the Angel of Death took flight and left them alone.

God looked at Lucifer calmly, taking his swearing and accusations without resistance. He knew the pain and suffering he had endured and it was His job as the Almighty Father to not waver because of such behaviour. Lucifer had always been full of temperament. Full of life and passion. Headstrong and boisterous. "You're right to accuse me, son. To wonder why I did the things I've done… or why I haven't for that matter. There is an answer for it, but I don't believe that you will like it. And I'm not even sure you'll be able to fully understand it."

It was a typical response from his Father. Vague and superficial, obscure and watery, nothing solid, nothing to grasp and hold him accountable for. Nothing to build a real discussion on. And because it was such a typical response, he was even more pissed than he had been angry before. "Well how about you give it a fucking try, Dad, hm?!"

Releasing a sigh, God nodded. "Of course. You've always been demanding on the trying part." He smiled weakly, but the reminiscence of his son's younger rebellious days were always tainted and he realised it was nothing Lucifer would understand his perspectives on. Having been confronted with Lucifer's Sturm and Stress period had of course led eventually to all sorts of heavenly disasters, but a small part in God had always been amazed over his son's capabilities and reactions. It had been so much easier to satisfy his other children. Lucifer though had always been special. It was difficult to make things right for him. If he'd intervene in situations, he was called manipulative and controlling. And if he'd stay out of his son's life and leave him be, he was accused of neglecting him and being a heartless bastard.

Folding his hands behind his back, God nodded towards Goddess, turned to the right and slowly began to walk along the bright, shining marble ground. It was a pathway that was curved like a trail through a park, only that there weren't trees but marvellous, delicate constructs looking like artistic sculptures placed next to each other. Goddess quickly caught up with God, leaving the ground she had touched behind with a light golden sparkle.

"Walk with us, Samael," God quietly said, speaking his son's birth name with pure affection, although his tone was a mixture between question and demand. Calling him Samael was of course intended, but not to stir his son's fiery temper. To him, he was and always would be Samael, his beloved son, beautiful and shining brighter than anything else in existence. It wasn't to mock him or to not grant him his own identity. Not at all. He was proud of his son's becoming over the past few years. But there was something about the origins one could never really deny. A familiarity and bond only a parent could feel. He'd always stay his Samael.

Lucifer gritted his teeth, but complied. There really wasn't much else he could do anyways with his Father being God. He knew if he wouldn't follow willingly, God would somehow make him follow. Staying a few feet behind his Parents, he waited for God to speak. Usually, with any other being, he would try to analyze what was walking along with him, would try to find weak spots and understand the creature's behaviour and intentions. With God, everything felt useless and more like a pitiful joke, a weak attempt to do the impossible.

"When your Mother and I created this universe, it was... magical. Even to me, you see?" God began with a nostalgic tone, smiled at his companion, and stopped in front of one of the sculptures. It was, like all the others, a bizarre thing, illogical to earthen physics. Golden-silver droplets sprinkled from a core of light that sparkled in all colours of the rainbow. The sculpture reminded of a splash of water, with ripples and sprinkles in the air around it. The ripples caused the line of sight to be bent and twisted when you looked at it from various angles, reflecting and shining in magnificent ways.

Lucifer looked at the statue and thought about his Father's words. It had been magical? But he was omniscient. How was it possible to feel magical to a God that could not be surprised? A soft rumble made him glance back at his Father, finding him with a gentle smile on his lips. "What?"

"You think just because I know, I cannot be surprised," he mused and looked at him with sparkling eyes, filled with brilliance and affection. "You're wrong, son. And ironically… you are the proof for that." A heartfelt laughter broke from him when Lucifer stared back at him, the confusion written all over his features. "You surprise me, son. Again and again. It's not always been like this, and yet, I knew it would be."

"That makes no sense," Lucifer breathed. It was odd how his Father had the ability to enrage him in a blink of an eye, and then, one moment later, all his built up, raging energy was blown out the window and a soft, warm calm washed through him, giving him a sense of peace. "That's self-contradictory."

"Ah yes, it is. And it isn't. I told you, you might not understand." He paused, giving Lucifer a moment to let that reality sink in. "When I began to fill this universe with matter, I quickly noticed something that was there, something which your Mother and I had unknowingly created. Cause and effect. For the first time, something that we did had consequences. And not just that. With the creation we started a never-ending cycle of them. Everything suddenly was connected. Everything mattered. And everything swayed in a delicate balance."

Lucifer frowned, thinking back to his questions and accusations directed at his Father. And then there was a click. Something suddenly fit and caused a ripple effect like that of the sculpture in front of him. "Balance. Is that your answer? The reason as to why you didn't do anything?"

A heavy-hearted exhale sighed over God's lips as he nodded. "Yes. I know it's not a satisfying answer. It's not what you wanted to hear. I know you hoped the reason would be more tangible, more debatable, more declinable. But it simply isn't and I'm honestly deeply sorry for that." His godly essence vibrated with sorrow and for the first time ever, He let his emotions be experienced from his son.

It was confusing to feel the impact of his Father's feelings, confusing to actually feel proof of Him having real emotions at all. An almighty God being capable of something so primal and raw. He shivered from the onslaught of sorrow he felt all over his skin and sinking into his bones and the aching caverns of his heart.

Goddess slowly stepped forward from God's side and reached out, lovingly squeezing Lucifer's arm to help him re-focus. "Lucifer, We know how confusing and… unsatisfying this is. But the balance is hard to grasp and close to impossible to keep upright. I have tried it myself in my own universe and I have failed many, many times." She swallowed, the gravity of her actions and consequences weighing heavy on her. "You mustn't misunderstand us. We love you and we care so much about you, about all of the creation. But when we interfere with the worlds' working system, things can get out of hand very quickly."

"But you didn't do anything. Isn't that interfering as well?! I mean... you're part of this creation. Both of you," Lucifer pressed, feeling the stubbornness and hurt inside him causing tears to well in his eyes. He looked between the two challengingly. "You think you'd destroy the balance if you lift a finger, but how was there balance in the fight against the Darkness?!" His throat tightened as the images of his dying brothers flooded through him. "So many of us died. SO MANY! How was that balanced? We fought against something that needed a God's power to be defeated, your power, Dad!" Pushing past his Mother, he pressed a pointed finger at his Father's chest. Tears escaped him in anger and suffering, and trickled down his cheeks. "You took yourself and Mum out of the equation, even though you belong into this creation. That's not called 'keeping the balance'. That's called 'cowardice'!"

God and Goddess both stood silent, their expressions appearing calm, but Lucifer could feel the vibrating waves of surprise and guilt radiating from them both. They looked at each other, their eyes shimmering with something undefinable for any other being, and eventually God spoke up quietly. "See? You keep surprising me, son. You know… At large all we want is for you all to be happy. But it's not that easy when we are involved, and it's also not easy when we're not involved. No matter what happens, I will always take the blame. And that is alright. It's my creation after all and you are my son."

"Oh come on! Don't you dare hope for pity from me, Dad! Not after everything you did to me," Lucifer grumbled, hating the smooth talking, the calming and conciliating words, where he could only see an almighty being not owning up to his own mistakes.

Goddess shook her head, softly pleading. "Lucifer, that's not-"

"No, Ashera," God interrupted her, his divine light pulsing with tension. "Let him be angry with me."

She sighed, a warm, sympathetic smile on her lips as her own form sent out calming waves of acceptance. "I don't want for you and him to fight, Yahweh."

"I know," He assured her lovingly and looked back at his son.

Lucifer stood frozen and stared at them, puzzled. His gaze travelled between his parents back and forth as it took him several seconds to grasp what he had just heard. Their parents addressed each other with their divine names. He wasn't even sure he could recall the last time he heard them do this. In fact, he couldn't recall the last time they had spoken with such tender voices with each other. It stirred the hurt child inside of him with joy and excitement, but the current events weighed much heavier on him for them being able to be pushed aside. Scoffing, he shook the fuzzy feeling inside him away, focusing back on the more pressing topic. "You let them die. Your own children! You stood by and watched as they got slaughtered and who the hell knows what happened to their souls as they were devoured from the Darkness!"

"We had to have faith in you, son," God spoke calmingly, but knew that nothing he could say would ever be having that effect on him. It was a harsh reality, but also something he was glad about. He wouldn't want his son to be any other way than challenging, headstrong and unyielding towards him. "But you might be happy to know that your brothers are at peace now." Turning to the left, the grand City in view, he waited for him to do the same.

Following his Father's glance, Lucifer froze anew. They were all there. Phaldor, Gathiel, Idael and dozens more of his siblings fallen in the battle came walking towards them. All of them looked healed to their prior state and were dressed in their heavenly gowns. Even Phaldor was wearing the dark blue tunic, with golden Enochian ornaments, that he used to wear in former times.

"Lucifer!" Phaldor greeted with a relieved expression and swiftly pulled him into a tight hug when he reached him. "I'm so sorry for what happened. I mean… I-" he leaned back to look at him, eyes glistening. "I'm glad you could defeat the Darkness, brother, but you know… I hoped the outcome would be a more cheerful event for us all… and especially for you. I really hadn't expected to see you here..."

"I suppose we all had other expectations…" Lucifer muttered, giving his Father a short, disapproving side glance before focusing back on his siblings. "And I'm sorry, too, Phaldor. I had hoped you'd have more time on earth to enjoy your new human life." He looked at his other brothers, crestfallen and his throat tight from another wave of emotions crushing down on him. "I can't apologize enough... I couldn't defeat it early on, before you all-"

Idael slapped his broad hand onto Lucifer's left shoulder, giving him a shake. "Oh don't blame yourself, brother. We fought a glorious battle and died without regrets," he assured him in his deep voice, his scarred face beaming with pride.

"He's right, Lucifer," Gathiel agreed, standing tall as ever. "We might be dead, but we've done what was necessary. All of us. Including you. And we are all in awe of what you've done. For us and for humanity."

For humanity…

Yes…

For her…

He swallowed thickly, his eyes lowering in grief and sorrow at the thought of Chloe.

So this is it... I'm gonna be here for the rest of eternity from the looks of it. And eventually Chloe will come here as well. But she'll be in her own heaven with her family and friends. And me? Can I be there, too? Or will I be stuck in the Silver City with my siblings, so close yet so far away? She's going to be without me… on earth and in heaven… And I… I don't want that. I don't want her to grief… And I don't want to be without her. This won't be heaven for me… Ever. It's just another kind of hell when she's not here...

After exchanging a few more words with his siblings, trying to hide his disappointment about his heavenly residence, they went their merry way, off to relax in their happy afterlife. They were granted to reside in the City itself, enjoying their stay and being relieved of their former duties. It was difficult to see them so satisfied with their own death. They hadn't left anyone behind who was dear to them after all. They didn't feel like a part of them was missing. They weren't suffering and unhappy like him.

"I'm aware you're not happy here, son," God pointed out calmly when His other children had left them. "And we both know you won't be, until you can be united again with Chloe in whichever way possible."

Lucifer's throat closed up again, his eyes filled with cautious hope, his chest about to burst from his pounding heart. "So there is a way?" he asked timidly, his voice cracking. He had to know if there was even the slightest possibility. He knew how eternity felt like, how it had been all those years without her in his life that could merely be called existence rather than truly living. She had been the spark that made his life filled with colour and purpose.

"Yes. There are ways," God said, smiling warmly, a sparkle in his aura vibrating off of him. "I told you… We want you to be happy."

Goddess stepped up to his side and endearingly scratched along God's beard. "Yahweh… What about the balance? Lucifer's influence is massive."

"Indeed… it is," God agreed, pondering. He took a deep breath, considering the situation. "If there's light, there will be dark as well."

Lucifer looked at his Father puzzled for a moment, before he grumbled and sighed. "Stop being so… you. What do you mean exactly? If there's light there'll be dark. When I live, the Darkness will live again as well, is that it?"

But God shook his head. "No… The Darkness is removed from this dimension entirely. It cannot return. But if you live, there will be consequences. It will influence the balance."

"But me being dead has consequences on your precious balance, too, doesn't it? I mean, that's the logic of your words," Lucifer remarked sternly.

"That is correct, my dear son. But there are questions, like: Is there balance now? Will there be balance when you return to the living? Or is our creation already out of balance and bringing you back is making it even worse?"

He stared at God, realizing something he had never thought possible. It made no sense and he stood in front of him baffled. "You don't know, don't you? The balance. You don't have a clue how it stands right now," he pointed out surprised, blinking at him gobsmacked. "How is that even possible? You're almighty. Omnipresent, omniscient and omnipotent. Omni-everything. How the bloody hell do you not know?" Lucifer tried to read in his Father's expression, but God evaded his inquisitive stare and curiosity with a heavy sigh and a glance towards Goddess. Looking at her as well, Lucifer gasped when she fumbled nervously with her hands. "You gotta be kidding me," he breathed, shocked from the realisation. "You're taking yourself out of the equation again, aren't you? If you want to bring me back, by all means, do it. Yes, there will be consequences. Of course there will be! But do you both honestly, truly think that I cannot handle them? That I won't fight to do the right things? I think this isn't about me at all. This is about you and what you decide to do."

God looked at him for a long moment, the seconds passing like an eternity. Then he focused on Goddess and spoke in the tongue of gods, too complex to be understood from Lucifer. They exchanged arguments and weighed Lucifer's spoken truth, knowing that their actions could take the world out of its hinges.

It was impossible to grasp or even get a clue of the things his parents were talking about, but only due to the previous discussion was he aware of the fundamental topic. Still, it was a mystery to him how their communication really functioned. He knew it was using all senses, perhaps even more senses which he was not aware existed. They also used their divine essence, as he could tell it was vibrating in small shockwaves off of them both, sparkling and swirling around them in hectic ways.

He felt strangely powerful over his confrontation with his parents. Not in a million years had ever truly believed he would get the chance to speak to his Father, let alone get the chance to speak to both of his parents at the same time, without either of them wanting to be rid of the other. He had always thought he would confront his Father about his exile to hell, about the unjust punishment he had to endure, about how bad God had been at being a good Father. But somehow it all paled in the light of the current events, and especially with his thoughts drifting back towards Chloe.

How is she? And her spawn? What about the others?

A blurry thought of a body bag being zipped over his face snuck into his brain and he shuddered.

How much time has passed? Am I in the morgue already? Will they bury or burn me? Will I be rotting away all by myself while in the company of thousands of strangers in an LA cemetery? Would she come to my grave everyday? For how long? A year? Maybe five? And then? She would move on… Shouldn't she?

He suddenly realized he had never had such thoughts before. It had never occurred to him that it could be like this. He always figured it would be the other way around eventually. That he would stay young forever and watch her age and die one day. He'd visit her grave, make sure the flowers would always blossom. He'd do it for as long as the graveyard would exist, probably even beyond that time, visit the place of mourning it had once been, always remembering her with an aching heart. And now? Now it was different. He had never thought about her being the one to mourn him. The thought was tormenting. To think that she was weeping over his rotting bones as he was unable to reach her from heaven just like from hell. But one day she would come to heaven as well. She'd join him in the Silver City. A few years of mourning and perhaps she would be alright again. Maybe she'd look forward to her final days and-

The small smile on his lips dropped as he realized the error in his thinking. She didn't know he was in heaven. She would be devastated and grief over the thought that he was suffering in hell for the rest of eternity and that she would be in heaven without him. The solution was obvious: He needed a messenger. One of his siblings, one who was still alive, had to go to her and tell her and then she would-

"Samael!" God's voice suddenly rumbled and shook him out of his thoughts. "Would you please stop the crazy thoughts?!"

He stared at his Father like a deer in headlights, immediately feeling like a small boy again, reprimanded from the Almighty when he had done something cheeky and mischievous. Swallowing, he let his dark thoughts pass by, his attention fully back on his parents.

God and Goddess both turned back towards him, their expression cautiously happy, a small smile tugging at their lips and their essence humming in excitement. Upon seeing Lucifer's wide, expectant eyes, God took a deep breath. "We'll bring you back," he spoke out directly.

Lucifer released a breath he didn't know he was holding, his soul-pulse hammering through body. "You do?!" he gasped, hardly able to believe his own ears.

Goddess' smile widened as she nodded. "Yes, Lucifer. But there is one decision you need to make first."

"What kind of decision?" Lucifer asked, feeling a tingling in his body already, anxious to leave this place again and be reunited with his Detective. He looked between his parents as they exchanged looks with each other. They were tense, he could tell, and it caused him to tense up as well in return. What decision would he have to make?

Chapter Text

Chapter 23: Dawn

[Journey (Ready To Fly) - Natasha Blume]

He was floating.

It was warm and white and he felt the strange sensation of being pulled.

He couldn't see anything around him in the sea of white nothingness and wondered if perhaps something had gone wrong. But instead of being really worried, he was merely mildly surprised and felt a deep calm spreading through him.

The pull became more powerful, forceful even, and it reminded him of when his soul was pulled from his dead body, only that now the action felt reversed.

His movement stopped and the white around him began to fade gradually, lulling him into a comforting black.

"I love you, son," he heard his Father's voice ring softly as it seemed to drift away into the distance.

"...Dad?" he began to speak subconsciously, but he wasn't really sure what to say.

"It's alright, Samael. Wake up," God whispered into his mind from far away and a surge of energy shot into him, thrusted with unthinkable power through his limbs and contracted his heart.

Eyes flying wide open, he filled his lungs to the brim with air, feeling his chest aching from stiffness.

"Oh my god!" a female voice shrieked next to him and something warm touched his cheeks, causing his eyes to blink in comfort. "Oh my god, Lucifer?! LUCIFER?!"

"What's going on mom?!" another voice, higher than the first, rang from closeby, and the combination of both voices caused his heart to beat with more fervour, forcing the life back into him with excitement and joy.

"Lucifer? Lucifer, can you hear me? Look at me!" the first voice called again. "He's alive! HE'S ALIVE!"

A number of gasps and sobs reached him. Then there was a soft, light shape in front of him that slowly sharpened as he took one rasping breath after another, and he wondered how much oxygen his body needed before the impulse would fade. The warmth against his cheeks caressed him and a small smile tugged on his lips. He hummed, his rasps slowing down, and he blinked again several times, this time watching the shape sharpen and the face of his undying love appeared. "Detective…" he breathed, feeling his mouth and throat dry and scratching like sandpaper. Coughing and lazily moving his tongue to moist his mouth, he took in her beauty and basked in the tender caress of her hands against his face. "Chloe…"

She could hardly believe it. All of a sudden he was there. He was back. Breathing. Moving. And saying her name. She didn't pay attention to her trembling fingers and the tears that fell from her cheeks as she held his face. It wasn't as cold as it had been, but grew warmer beneath her touch, flooded back with life and energy. She cried and leaned her forehead against his, laying halfway over him. "You're back. You're here... You're really here… You're alive. Oh god… Oh my god..." she sobbed in relief, her mind not able to grasp how this was possible. It was a miracle. With shivering lips she kissed him, longingly and pouring her heart and soul into their connection, sending out thankful prayers that she could feel his body living again.

He sighed in sweet surrender to her lips, his arms lifting up from underneath a soft blanket and slinging around her shivering frame. He kissed her chastely but desperately at the same time, knowing he would need to do this for quite some time to assure himself he was alive, on earth and with her. Nuzzling tenderly against her nose, he held her close and tensed his muscles to sit upright.

"You're back!" Trixie's voice rang excitedly and without wasting another second, the young girl threw herself against Lucifer's stomach, arms clutching around him in a tight hold.

He widened his embrace, his arms straining as he pressed both his beloved ladies against him. His eyes burning with tears of relief he tried to keep at bay. "Hello spawn…" he breathed, his voice hoarse.

"You woke up!" she cheered, but suddenly she pulled back, scanning his features with insecurity and wariness. "You're not a zombie now, are you?"

He heard Chloe release a soft, tearful laugh, torn between amused and apologetic for her daughter's direct question, and he hummed and smiled warmly in response to them both. "No, urchin. I'm not a zombie. Although…" He threw the blanket aside and took a look down over his clothes, one brow arching up comically. "I guess, I could easily pass as one in some post-apocalyptic movie with my clothes looking like this, don't I? But I suppose it's a plus that my injuries are gone and I'm not leaking all over the flo-"

She giggled and without giving him time to finish his sentence or escape, threw herself around him again. "I've missed you!"

His throat closed up and he heard the little girl quietly sniffing. "I've missed you, too," he choked out, kissing first her and then Chloe's head. "Both of you." He felt her tremble from heavy sobs and her arms tightened around him just like his own had.

"I was so lost... I thought- I thought you were really gone and I-" Chloe cried, her eyes squeezed shut as the tears dripped from her cheeks into his neck. "I couldn't even breathe without you…"

It was so painful although such a liberation and blessing at the same time to hear her say such words. Having been dead and in heaven, he had never thought he would be in such suffering at a place that was meant for complete bliss and perfection. He had felt everything but happy. The ache in his chest had only become worse from the moment he had stared at her shivering form leaning over his dead body. He had missed her so desperately and hurt with so much longing, that heaven just felt like another version of hell. "I felt just the same. Being unable to touch and talk with you… and imagining myself doomed to just suffer not having you at my side… It was hell… But I'm here now… Everything's gonna be alright, darling."

She continued to sob in his arms, only slowly calming down with him gently caressing her back and kissing her cheek. When she eventually slowly pulled away, he continued to implore her eyes, letting her look into his soul and making sure she felt strong enough to stand on her own.

From behind her, his friends came into view, all of them wearing their emotions on their sleeves, staring at him in shock, disbelief and relief. He manoeuvred around to sit on the side booth, with Chloe sitting down next to him and Trixie snuggling against him from the other side.

"Luci... Thank God you're back," Amenadiel said with a reverent voice and leaned in to pull his brother into a tight embrace.

The dark angel's strength felt insane and Lucifer was momentarily wondering if this was because he wasn't back to his full strength yet or if he just had to admit that Amenadiel truly was the strongest one in their family. "He sure had something to do with it- Nugh! Careful, brother. I've had enough bones cracking for one day…"

Pulling away, Amenadiel smirked and nodded through tears. "I'm sorry… You sure did, Luci."

Linda was next in line, sweetly giving him a kiss to his cheek as little Charlie squealed and reached for two dangling pieces of his torn shirt to play with. "Welcome back, Lucifer."

"Thank you, doctor." He looked at Charlie and gave his nose a little tap with the finger. "If this little chap wants to play with bloodstained clothes already, you might want to think about sending him to Maze for training, right away. Speaking of… Where is-"

"Maze!" Chloe's voice rang warningly, but it was too late.

A sharp sting surged through Lucifer's right cheek and his head spun to the side from a powerful slap. "OUCH!" He turned to see Maze glaring down at him, arms crossed in front of her chest. Rubbing his cheek, feeling the heat crawling into it, he whined. "What the hell was THAT for?!"

"For you being so freakin' selfish to just sacrifice yourself, go to hell and leave us all behind! I'm pretty sure everybody else wants to give you a smack as well, but they're just too happy to have you back," Maze grumbled and bit on her lip in awkward hesitation. "Right. Now that that's out of the way-" Making a quick step forward, she slung her arms around him and squeezed him hard. She only stopped when Lucifer grunted and tapped out against her back. Stepping back from him, she took Trixie's extended hand and guided her to her side, watching Lucifer rasp for air.

"Bloody hell, what is it with you people?! I'm just seconds back from the dead and you're already suffocating me again," he exaggerated, catching how Chloe was rolling her eyes next to him, before her fingers combed into his tousled hair. In an instant his walls of banter and sarcasm fell apart with yet another hum vibrating over his lips.

"NOW ME! ME TOO! He's ma bossss' sss! Lemme hug that nutter an' make s-sure he'sss bloody fine everyone, will ya?! Lemme -hic- through!" a grumpy voice slurred from behind his friends and a very unstable flying Gaudium aimed towards him, swaying in the air from left to right as his wings flapped uncoordinated and lazily.

"What on earth?! Are you drunk?!" Lucifer asked in shock, spotting how Gaudium flailed around a bottle of vodka in his right clawy hand. "How many of these did you have?!"

Dropping the bottle, which thankfully didn't burst on the ground, Gaudium opened his arms wide with a big smile on his melon-head-lips, spiky teeth showing and big, saucer eyes watering. "Many, boss! Too many!" he cried out guiltily and sniffed as he embraced Lucifer's chest.

Lucifer lightly patted his grey head, but immediately wrinkled his nose and pulled away again. "Ugh, Dad-dammit, Gaudium! As much as I'm happy, that you're happy… But you are in dire need of a long, hot bath, my chubby, drunk friend."

"I know, Lucifer. I will have one right-away! I promise! I was jus' so damn sad and I needed to drink on your demise, you know? To keep you in good memory and all that. You were my best boss afterall!" Gaudium sighed before flapping back and landing on the nearby table where he was just able to catch his balance before he could drop off.

"Oh really?" He arched his brows challengingly. "Well it stands to question how much of me you'd actually remember, if you just kept on drinking away your pain and sorrows like Ernest Hemingway," he remarked, but then his tone softened and his lips curled into a sheepish smirk. "Besides… how do you think you can live through the next night when we'll officially celebrate my quite holy resurrection?"

Gaudium's eyes widened with excitement, his mood lifting immediately. "Party at Lux?!"

He nodded and took a short glance around, spotting the crazy amounts of interior as well as burst wood and metal splayed out in the entrance all towards the dancefloor. "Well, yes, of course. I mean… Once all of this mess is cleaned up that is. I couldn't really enjoy a good party ever since I came back… Well... before, I mean. The time I came back from hell before I came back from heaven…" He squinted his eyes and sighed. "Ugh this has become really difficult to explain. But yes. Party at Lux."

The cheer from Gaudium faded into the background as he spotted a set of fluffy white behind his friends. Head curiously tilting, he got up from the couch, thanked Chloe for her support, but motioned to her that he could walk on his own. Amenadiel, Maze and Linda all made room for him to move and revealed a nervously shifting Michael standing in the middle of the room. Head sunken forward, he anxiously glimpsed up to him, but quickly lowered his eyes again.

Seeing the stains of blood dripping from Michael's jawline and chin down onto his armour, tunic and the floor of the club, Lucifer's smile dropped and he closed the distance to him with slow strides. "What happened to your face?" he asked, motioning at his face with a swirling finger.

Clenching and unclenching his fists at his sides, Michael hesitantly looked at him, his eyes puffy and red-rimmed, filled with guilt and shame. "Justice…" he mouthed reticently, his voice hoarse.

Lucifer glanced back at his friends, all of them looking more or less tense and upset, only one expression stood out with a hidden, deeper anger. "Let me guess. You walked into Amenadiel, didn't you?"

Again Michael hesitated, shrugged and replied in a small voice. "More like the other way around… But it's okay. I deserved it." He swallowed thickly, his breath trembling when he looked towards another couch on the side, the baggy blanket and the silhouette it caused making it clear what was lying beneath it. "I deserve so much worse, brother..."

Following Michael's haunted gaze, he saw the blanket and knew what, who, was lying beneath. Walking over, he lifted the blanket and lowered it down just a bit, revealing the face of Phaldor. He was pale, his eyes were closed and his features relaxed. Looking at the edge of the blanket, Lucifer could see sprinkles of blood showing forth on Phaldor's collar, and forced himself to not look any further. He wanted to hold him in good memory and having seen his soul in heaven, with his eyes sparkling and his spirits lifted, helped to do just that. "Maybe. But that's not for you to decide. Trust me. I know a thing or two about punishment and you don't have a say in yours."

"They will hate me. How can I go back after what I've done? After this?" Michael quietly sobbed, shaking his head.

"I guess they won't be very happy about your return and they certainly won't make it easy for you, that's true. But it's the right thing to do and the only way you can try to regain their trust, make amends and be forgiven." Giving Michael a light, supportive clap on his shoulder, he offered him a small smile. "You might want to start your apologies with our fallen brothers. I'm sure they'll be more understanding than the rest of our siblings."

A shimmer of confusion rushed through Michael's features. "A-Are they…?"

"In the Silver City, yes. I was with them." When he heard the gasps and felt the surprised stares of everyone in the room, it occurred to him just then, that they had all assumed he had been in hell, not in heaven. That was another story to tell. "They will eventually accept your apologies, if you just give them time... and if you try to avoid being a Dad-damn prick," he explained calmly.

Michael still looked heartbroken, but slowly nodded at his words. It was obvious he had a long road of redemption ahead of him and Lucifer couldn't help him any more on that, aside from nudging him on his way. He still wasn't too sure about his own feelings towards Michael. Anger and wild rage hadn't set in to find retaliation in the punishment of him yet. Perhaps it would come in a day or two, he thought, but somewhere deep inside of him he doubted it would truly surface. He wanted to focus his energy rather on the living and on honouring his dead siblings, rather than punishing Michael.

"Again… I'm sorry brother," Michael murmured meekly and gave a timid glance towards Amenadiel. "I really am."

Amenadiel stayed quiet, keeping his own emotions at bay, not yet ready to offer him even a response.

An exhausted silence spread among the group as they all returned their attention towards each other. Lucifer stepped to Phaldor's body again, thinking back to their last conversation with each other on his balcony. Phaldor had just become human since a few minutes and it had been a great feeling for Lucifer to be able to give him something in return when he restored his brother's emerald green eyes.

"What a bloody tragedy…" Lucifer breathed, tilting his head deep in thought. "I really looked forward to seeing him enjoying his new, mortal life, with all the colours of the world."

A warm hand brushed along his shoulder and squeezed his upper arm. His muscles relaxed as he felt Chloe's body gently pressing against his side, her hands on his stomach and mid back holding him in place and giving him emotional support.

"He protected me and Trixie, even though he knew at that moment it seemed pointless," she whispered, remembering how he had acted so instinctively and without a second thought about his own life. "He sacrificed himself, only to give us a few more seconds and… " She trailed off, both of them knowing that those had been the precious seconds Lucifer had needed to come in on the fight and lure the Darkness away from them.

He was eternally thankful to him having saved Chloe and her spawn and wanted to do whatever he could to somehow show his gratitude to him, thinking that he'd watch from the edge of the Silver City. "I'll bury him," Lucifer murmured, his voice and heart heavy, but he forced a small smile on his lips nonetheless. "I know of a nice spot. And I'll make arrangements to see after his belongings in New York."

Biting on her lip, Chloe forced away another rush of tears. "That's sweet of you. I think he'd like that."

"What happened to the other angels that fell from the sky?" Trixie suddenly asked, eyes big and brows furrowing in worry.

Lucifer's throat closed again as the spawn's innocent words unintentionally sliced into his guts. But her question was valid. The truth was, he didn't know what happened to his other siblings' bodies after they had fallen down to the city. To his surprise, Michael stepped forward and crouched down to the girl's height.

"Their souls are in heaven and at peace. As for their bodies… We will branch out and find them so we can lay them to rest like we'll do with Phaldor. They will all be together and not alone. Neither on earth nor in heaven." He looked back at Lucifer, insecurely, as if to seek his permission and show Michael that his intentions were acceptable. "It's the least I can do for them while I'm still here."

It was a start, Lucifer thought, and inclined his head back at him once in agreement. "Alright." Then his glance shifted to Amenadiel. "You coming with us?"

"Of course," Amenadiel murmured and rolled his shoulders, releasing his wings.

Chloe hesitated a moment, but then squeezed Lucifer's arm. "Would you like me to go with you when you bury them?" She knew it wasn't necessary, but that was not the point of her question. She wanted to be there for him when she could and when he would allow her to. And if being there when he would bury his fallen siblings was helping him cope just a little bit better, she was satisfied.

"That would be-" He cut himself off, not wanting to add a nice to that sentence. "Yes. But first we need to pick them all up and bring them to the burial site. I'll get you when we're ready, okay?"

"Okay." She lifted on her toes and tenderly kissed his lips, glad that after all of the literal darkness they all had suffered from, there was now a silver lining on the horizon. She took Trixie close against her as Lucifer lifted Phaldor up in his arms, noticing he was careful to keep the blanket still covering his maltreated body.

The angels left and although their task was a sad one, it felt better than all the heartache from before. It was still painful, but somehow less. It was healing.

[Passage To Eden - Ivan Torrent]

It took almost two hours until Lucifer came back to Lux to get her. She had used the time to get cleaned up, finally dressed in decent clothes, and had begun cleaning up the penthouse from broken bookshelves and a smashed oak desk along with its utensils. Trixie's squeals of delight rang from the bathroom and from the sounds of it, Gaudium was snorkelling in the bathtub, flapping his bat-wings and sprinkling foam everywhere. She couldn't have asked for a better distraction for her girl and to sooth her own nerves.

Having finally changed into fresh clothes himself, Lucifer stepped onto the balcony and unfurled his wings. "Ready?" he asked and held out his arms for her.

"Yeah," Chloe answered and stepped up close to him. Arms slinging around his neck, he reached his own around her torso and bent down to pick her legs up. Held in his arms bridal style, she turned her head to look over the balcony, spotting the massive crack and debris, being silent reminders of their last flight together.

He sensed the worry as her body tensed in his arms. "Don't worry. This time I won't crash," he murmured in light jest above her head and pushed them into the air with powerful beats of his wings. Although it was bright daytime, he knew people hardly ever noticed what was going on right above their heads, so he worried little about the insignificant possibility of anyone noticing a real angel flying above them. The burial site itself was very secluded and he was sure that the possibility was just as slim for anybody coming to it. It was perfect, nowhere near any of the tourist trails and deep in L.A.'s finest parts of nature.

Letting the warm currents of the day carry them eastwards across L.A., he made a long, soft curve to the left, aiming away from the city and up towards the Angeles National Forest. Holding her just a bit more tightly against him, he made a few more flaps, pushing them forward with increased speed. He tried to shield Chloe from the cold air rushing against them as best as possible and as they approached their destination, he slowed down for a gentle landing.

She was very glad the flight with him was without turbulence this time. The careful lowering into the forest made it possible for her to actually get a good glance at where they were. It was a clearance, hidden in a basin, surrounded from thick forest. At one side of the basin, a rock formation broke open from a waterfall pouring down and collecting in a small, crystal clear lake. The lakeshore was made from light gravel that faded into rich green patches of grass and fern. The sun shining bright above them, drenched the area in a shimmering light of breathtaking beauty. Lucifer had truly picked a wonderful place for the burials.

Landing gracefully on the grass, Lucifer carefully set her down and made sure she wasn't feeling unsteady but that she had a strong stand. She straightened her jacket and brushed a loose strand of hair from her face, giving him a small smile to assure him she was alright. But when he drew back his wings and she glanced past his tall frame across the grass, she felt her intestines curling in sudden sickness.

Lucifer understood her reaction immediately, not having to turn around to look at the gruesome sight he knew was there. Making a step aside, he swiftly curtained her view. "Chloe… if this is too much for you, then-"

"No," she cut him off, biting her lower lip, and continued softly. "No. I… I just hadn't expected there to be so many. I'm alright. I want to help and… I owe them, too."

Nodding, Lucifer took her hand and quietly led her along the gravelly lakeshore, aiming towards Amenadiel and Michael, and the rows and rows of dead siblings. She forced her brain not to count, but nonetheless her synapses calculated there were over twenty, maybe thirty of them. She knew, it was only due to her training and years of experience in her job that she could control her gag reflex and control the sickness threatening to otherwise overtake her. They were all wearing their heavenly armours and the gruesome bite marks of the Darkness's maw were visible everywhere, cut into the metal and ripped off flesh on arms, legs, shoulders and throats. It was horrible to see them so brutally disfigured from the fight and she had to remind herself that their souls were already without pain and resting at a better place.

Saddened, she looked over the pale faces as she passed them and recognised the one that Gaudium had caught before the angel could crash-land. Gathiel. She sent out a silent prayer to him and the siblings she didn't know the names of and came to a halt with Lucifer in front of Amenadiel and Michael. Shovels in hand and two spare ones laying at the side, the two dug out a single, wide hole. It was obvious, they didn't intend to have the dead siblings in separate graves, but to lie them to rest shoulder to shoulder. As a family.

They stayed in silence as they joined the two and helped them dig out the mass burial site. Meter by meter they made room for the bodies while the nature around them seemed to soothe them with all its beauty. The birds sang sedulously, sweet and melodically, the waterfall gave its whooshing background and the leaves of the trees surrounding the spot shimmered in the sunlight, casting playful, dancing shadows over everyone present, dead and alive.

It took them another hour before the grave was done and they could lay the dead angels to rest. While Lucifer, Amenadiel and Michael lowered their bodies down, Chloe felt the distinct need to carefully drape them, lay their hands on their stomachs, brush the hair out of their faces and make sure they looked more or less comfortable in their forever resting-place. They said their goodbyes to each and every one of them, addressed them with their rightful names, always saying something different about their special character and what great service they did to humanity and all of existence.

They could all tell the angels were watching and listening from above. Even with the knowledge of them being in the Silver City, it felt as if they were here, mourning along with them and helping them to move on.

After they had finished their goodbye's, they closed the grave with rich, dark topsoil, took flight and left the peaceful spot in the middle of the forest.

Michael parted from them and headed back to heaven, heading to his siblings to apologize and to endure their judgement. The rest of them headed back to the penthouse.

It was oddly quiet when they arrived.

"Trixie? Where are you?" Chloe called out, heading to Lucifer's bathroom, but finding it empty. Water and foam were still splashed everywhere and damp towels laid on the basin. "Gaudium?" she called out, checking in other corners, but, knowing Lucifer's penthouse had little hiding places, she frowned. "Where the heck are they?"

As Lucifer smiled over the sweet cleanup Chloe had done and how she had piled up books on the corner table from where the bookshelf had been crushed, he shrugged and walked to his bar. "Maybe they're all downstairs in the other suite?" he suggested, but paused as he spotted a note scribbled on a piece of paper resting on top of his piano.

"When you're back, get your asses down to Lux. - M."

"Oooor in the club," he corrected his own suggestion and showed Chloe the note. Although with some reluctance after the very depressing burial, he headed over into the elevator right after Chloe, and Amenadiel followed suite.

"I dunno about you, but I'm mildly afraid of what Maze might have done to Lux," Amenadiel muttered, hands folded in front of him.

"I'm more curious than afraid," Lucifer countered with a sarcastic tone and pulled Chloe in to rest against his side. "You okay?"

"Yeah. I think this was good. And I'm sure they all appreciated this," she whispered, snuggling against him and inhaling his scent.

"Yes. I believe they did," he said nodding and smiling softly. "Thank you again for coming with me."

"Of course, Lucifer." She kissed him lightly and let out a sigh. "Now, all I want is to see that my girl is alright and then I want to just relax and-"

[Walking With Angels - Extreme Music]

Their eyes travelled forward in an instant, when the doors of the elevator slid open and revealed Lux in all of its glory. All the chaos from before had been cleaned up, the chairs and tables stood at their usual spots. The lights flashed to the soft beat of a new pop song that just started. The bar, booths and dancefloor were all packed with people, and on the top row of stairs and separate poles, dancers heated up the crowd, wearing nothing but white bras, shorts and high heels, decorated with feathers and pearls.

"So much for the relaxing part," Chloe breathed, staring ahead, perplex. "Okay…"

"I guess it could've been worse," Amenadiel said dryly as they stepped into the club, and deviated his path towards one of the side booths where Linda sat with Charlie resting against her. Trixie sat next to Linda with a bowl of pretzels, sipping on a coke and nodding her head to the beat of the song.

"Well, looks like Trixie's enjoying herself," Chloe went on as she walked past the crowd with Lucifer, and slowly the partying, happy atmosphere began to lift her spirits.

The song's chorus buzzed through the room and Lucifer's glance met Maze's who lifted a glass in greeting. Closing the distance to her, Lucifer and Chloe were offered a drink from a passing waitress which they thankfully accepted, before officially clinking glasses with Maze. "Did you do all of this?" he asked, pointing around the club.

"Yes… The cleanup, the preparations, all the way down to the songs and outfits choice," Maze quipped. "I thought you'd appreciate the heavenly touch."

Huffing out a laugh, Lucifer sipped from his drink, enjoying the oaken burn of the bourbon. "I do indeed," he agreed, his eyes sparkling with gratitude. He knew it was Maze's way to contribute to the situation, to help him in the ways she could. She wasn't one to help him mourn, but to hold his head up high and move forward and he appreciated that about her. "Thank you, Mazikeen."

Having a sip on her own drink, Chloe looked towards the dancefloor, curiously observing how one of the male guests was the centre of attention of several women circling him and lasciviously dancing against him. It took her a moment, with all the flashing lights changing in colours, but then she spotted the faintly greyish taint of the bald-headed man and gaped. "Gaudium?!" Eyes wide and mouth hanging open, she watched the man dance excessively and with an exuberant amount of bold charm she otherwise only knew from Lucifer himself.

The man's head turned towards her and his lips curled up in a wide, almost too wide to be human smile. "Chloe! Hey! Isn't that amazing?! Lucifer's resurrection and the bath really did wonders to me! Haha! Added with a little glamour and all these beautiful ladies are up for some fun!"

"Yeah… I see that. Wow… just wow..." she sighed with a snicker, shook her head in amusement and turned back at Lucifer. "How about you? Are you up for a dance?" she added shyly, softly smiling at him as she implored his dark eyes. It was odd how her heart suddenly thundered, as if she was a teenager on her first date, afraid of how he would react.

He looked into her expectant, ocean blue eyes that made his heart flutter, and awkwardly harrumphed away his bedazzlement. "Of course," he answered and hurriedly took her glass to put it down on the bar counter along with his own. "How could I ever refuse when you ask me like that?" he added with a warm smile in return, hooked his arm into hers and walked her onto the dancefloor all genteelly and courtly.

One arm slinging around each other and their free hands entwined, they started to sway, less to the song, but more to a beat only the two of them heard as they looked into each other's eyes. Soon everything around them blurred away, the months of separation, pain and suffering from fighting, and the heartache of loss washing off of them with every step they made.

They stayed in their own comfortable bubble of silence while the song continued to play, relaxing in each other's arms and happily getting lost. Lucifer thought about the past years in hell and the crazy couple of days on earth ever since he returned. So much had happened that it was even making him dizzy trying to sort through it. Imagining how it must be for Chloe was unfathomable. She had done so much for him and he was aware that he probably didn't even know half of it. With the things she had done during his time in hell and how she had searched for ways to bring him back, how she had been suffering the knowledge of him having saved her from a demon, only to disappear again on her. And how she had been so incredibly strong, taking care of him when he had been lying in a coma. Least to forget, how much she had mourned over his corpse.

He was completely smitten by her resilience and power, and he was proud beyond measure over the fact that neither a deity nor any other celestial creature stood a chance against her when it came to fighting for what she loved.

When the song faded Lucifer slowly pulled away, but not letting go of her hand. He had something in mind. As she looked at him wondrously, he just nudged his head for her to come along, and guided her to the grand piano. He sat down on the bench and let her rest against the lid, feeling his chest swell with joy over how beautiful she looked against the black instrument.

The club went silent in a matter of seconds and Chloe noticed that Lucifer didn't have to do anything. He didn't give anyone a signal to calm down, or give the DJ a sign to change the lights to move the spotlight on him. It happened naturally on its own with people seeing him, knowing what he wanted to do, knowing that he deserved the attention.

He took a deep breath and caressed along the black and white keys, thinking how this was the first time in years for him that he could play again. There was no music in hell after all, only in hell loops, but that really didn't count as it was connected to screams of agony.

Closing his eyes, he placed his hands where they yearned to be and made way for his mind to wander and for his emotions to rush into his fingertips. It was always special when his fingers played the keys, magical in a way. He didn't have to think about it, didn't have to focus on anything around him, didn't need to protect himself with invisible shields. All his energy could just flow freely, because he knew no one could ruin this for him, no one could take it away. It was all his and everybody around him was allowed the joy of experiencing his freedom.

[Remembrance - Tommee Profitt]

When he started to sing, it felt like his soul was flying. He let the music and words flow, filling them to the brim with all the emotions energizing him. It was of course a song for her, a hymn to her grace, how she saved him, how much he needs her and how she lights up his life. He was the Lightbringer and yet it felt like there would only be darkness around him without her.

Chloe stood silent and observed him as he got lost in his music. She drowned in the tunes of the piano, the heavenly sound of his voice and the meaning behind his words. It was impossible for her not to cry, the deep rooted love he shared with her touching her heart and soul. When he played the last tune and his voice faded in the silence of the club, his eyelids fluttered open. His head tilted towards her and warm browns met red-rimmed, ocean blues. Lost for words, she stepped to the bench. She lifted his face with both palms against his cheeks, leaned in, and, with the eyes of every guest resting upon them, kissed him lovingly.

His hands slipped from the keys, dazed for a moment as her lips met his, but when she moved and her fingers caressed over his stubble, he finally reacted as well. Hands reaching for her waist, he pulled her close and guided her towards him. He shifted on the bench and lifted her onto his lap, his lips melting against hers in a passionate kiss. The applause of the crowd, whether directed at his song or their kiss or perhaps both, was drowned as a new song began to play in the background. Their kiss however, lasted on.

Only when they were both breathless, did they slightly pull away, but kept their foreheads resting against each other. "You're truly one of a kind, darling. Absolutely incredible," Lucifer whispered only for her to hear and nuzzled her nose in comfort of being close to her.

"Not one of a kind," she mouthed with a growing smile, watching his eyes quizzically roam over her face. "There's one other person fitting that description, sitting right here with me."

He let out a soft snicker, enjoying how the compliment warmed him. But then, from the back of his mind, a small voice called out to him, reminding him of the choice he had made before his return. He needed to tell her. Needed for her to know everything. Pulling slightly more away from her, he looked at her pensively. "There's something I need to tell you, but I'd prefer to do that in private."

His suddenly serious words and the concerned tone of his voice caused the light feeling in her stomach to be pushed aside from her nervously fluttering heart. "Is it bad? 'Cause I don't think I can handle any more bad news for at least like a week…"

"No, no! Not at all," he quickly assured her, carefully making her slip from his lap and standing up. "I just want to explain something to you. Come." Guiding her back into the elevator, kept holding onto her hand and once in his penthouse, guided her to sit with her onto the balcony chairs.

"Okay, what's this something you want to talk about? You make me a nervous wreck here…" she spoke in jest, but couldn't hide that part of her was worried. In prior times when he had been like this, it had always been followed by some sort of crazy talk which only now she knew had all been some sort of celestially induced revelations.

He released a tensed breath and took both her hands in his, leaning towards her. "Well you know that I was in the Silver City, talked with my fallen siblings as well as my parents, who ultimately sent me back to the living."

She stared at him for several seconds, the gravity over what he so easily summed up in one sentence now managing to walz over her like a truck. So much was connected to these things. He was in heaven. After millions of years of being exiled, he had returned to the place he came from. He was no longer cast out, had his soul lifted to a peaceful resting place. He had been able to be with his fallen brothers and sisters, reconnect with them, perhaps even settled their ancient conflicts. Had they been able to reconcile with each other? And his parents, God and Goddess? They were there? Together? As in a couple? How had it been for him to meet them, especially his Father? What did they talk about? And how much time had passed by for him in heaven anyway? So many questions and theories flooded her mind that she felt herself getting lost, but fortunately Lucifer quickly noticed, squeezed her hands to bring her back to focus and continued to speak.

"Before my parents brought me back, two things happened. Firstly... I thought about something that never occurred to me before really, even though it basically happened three times already. I died, but this time… I saw you grieve. Do you see the irony?" he choked, forcing back the tears. "I was a human soul, standing next to my own dead body for the first time and I tried to reach out for you, but it didn't work and I had to leave. I was brought to heaven, after eons of being expelled, and it felt like just another hell because you weren't there and because I realized that we had no opportunity to really-" He swallowed, leaving the sentence unfinished. He looked at her, pained from the haunting memories of what should have been paradise, but what had been nothing but a joyless prison that looked pretty.

Her emotions were an open book to him as she looked at him with nothing but understanding and sympathy. She figured what it must have been like for him, he thought, probably imagining herself to feel just as lost in heaven without him at her side.

"And so when my parents decided to bring me back, I… I was eager to leave, so excited to see you again. Which brings me to the second thing that happened. They wanted for me to make a decision before they would send me back, and that is really what I wanted to talk with you about," he continued on quietly, nervously licking his dried lips.

"What decision?" she asked, gently caressing her thumbs over his hands. Patiently looking at him, she tried to offer him as much calm and courage as possible, as he seemed terribly insecure all of a sudden.

He braced himself with another deep breath. "Angel or human," he answered tensely, searching her eyes and body language for a telling reaction.

Her brows rose for a brief moment at his response, the tension that had sat in her chest suddenly floating away. She didn't know what she should have expected, didn't know if it was even possible to expect anything with him, but something inside her calmed with his answer. She briefly pondered over her own reaction and realized it was relief over him not having to choose between her and heaven.

But then came the wave of thoughts over the gravity of what Lucifer had been pushed to decide upon. Angel or human. Immortality or mortality. Wings, Devil face, strength and powers... or none of those. Immortal beauty or mortal aging along with all the bits and bobs that ached and became worse with old age. The normality of her human life. She looked down on their entwined hands, feeling the warmth and smoothness of his skin. She'd wrinkle at some point. He'd probably never even get a single grey hair except for those he had in his beard already since the dawn of time. The idea of being human all of sudden must have looked like one hell of a scary thing to him when confronted with it, she figured. "I know what you've decided, Lucifer, and that's alright," she carefully spoke, truly meaning it. While it was showing her the finiteness of their relationship very clearly, she knew he meant no harm with it.

He smiled warmly, thankful for her straightforward and honest response. "Thank you, love. This means a lot to me. It really does. But I also want for you to understand why I chose this," he added and took a deep, shuddering breath. This was the actual big part. "It's not because of my immortality or wings or strength that I chose to return as an angel." A shimmer flickered through his eyes and a small smile hushed over his lips. "You know how I would throw myself in front of a flying axe to protect you any day, no matter if I were angel or human."

Her heart contracted with painful knowledge and gratefulness at the same time. "Yeah. I know," she breathed, nodding.

"I tell you as it is. I wasn't ready for the other option. And by that I don't mean that I was scared or that I was unsure of how it would make me feel or what it would do to me if I were human. Trust me… I'm aware of the possibilities that being human entails." He paused again, letting this information sink in for her, but also to give him another moment to calm his nerves and search for the right words. "I chose to be an angel, because what we have is so precious and new, and I want to finally be able to experience this… experience us in every way possible." Lifting his right hand up, he caressed over her cheek, his heart thundering and his head dizzy as she looked back at him, straight into his soul. "I want to show you so many things about my world still... before I want for you to show me everything of yours," he finished quietly.

She felt the lump in her throat and the tears in her eyes return for the umpteenth time for this day. He had thought about it, about being human. And from the sounds of it, not only in heaven when he was told to make a decision, but before that. She was still working on comprehending this, when he praised their love and relationship, wanting to not shake on the foundation before they had thoroughly experienced its functioning and seeing all its wonders. She wasn't sure how much time passed by, but it felt like an eternity until her brain seemed to have really caught up. Lucifer on the other hand was just patiently waiting, looking at her dreamily. "Before?" she eventually uttered, feeling a confused twist in her brain. "What do you mean, before?"

His lips curled up in the softest of smiles. "When I'm ready, and trust me, I look forward to that day very much, I will set free all of my divinity and join in on the human lifestyle."

Perplexed, her jaw dropped. "What? But- So you want to become human?" Her voice became a careful whisper, as if the information they exchanged was a fragile secret to keep carefully hidden just between the two, as if it would become less of a reality when they'd speak too loud.

"Of course I do, Chloe," he confirmed, worshipping her name with all the affection he held for her while his words were a promise he vowed to keep. "I want to live with you and indulge in all the facets of life having you at my side. And when our time on earth is up, I'll show you where I come from." He let out a warm chuckle, more to himself than her. "I already know that you'll make it a true heaven for me with your presence there."

She was speechless. Not only was he willing to change his species, which surely then would be a final change. But he wanted to literally give her everything of both worlds. She knew about the possibilities they would have as a human couple and she was excited to see the things he had in mind to show her from his world she didn't know yet. Tears trickling down her cheeks, she leaned into his palm and covered his hand with hers. "You're incredible," she mouthed in awe.

"Right back at you, love," Lucifer praised and leaned further in, sealing her lips with his own. The worry over her reaction was gone in an instant. He kissed and tasted her with a blissful moan and pressed out a deeper groan when Chloe's fingers combed into his hair and lightly tugged at a fistful, causing his scalp to tingle and a rush to spread down to his loins. Pushing himself up, he slung his arms around her and picked her up. He stepped back into the penthouse, aiming for his bedroom. Once inside though, Chloe's mouth caused his mind to stutter and his body to stumble as she grazed her teeth along his jawline and lightly bit into it.

Growling out in heat, Lucifer turned sideways and roughly pushed her back against the nearest bookshelf. Chloe responded with a passionate groan which he used to plunge his tongue back into her mouth to taste her. Her fingers clawed feverishly along his shoulders and to the front of his shirt. With a powerful yank she tore open the shirt, buttons flying off and fabric ripping. Hungrily she pushed the shirt off over his bulging shoulders while he kept her pressed against the shelf.

His hunger for her, the desperate longing in his eyes and every move, was a fitting mirror image of her own desire for him. Raw and untamed, pure, deep and almost painfully overwhelming. She felt her mind and body ablaze and looked forward to drowning in him, with him, in the pool of love they felt for each other. Suddenly she hit on an idea. She knew it was bold, but she was eager to experience it and he had told her, he wanted to show her more of the celestial world. "There is something of your world that I'd like for you to do and show me," she moaned against his lips.

His laboured breath mixing with hers, he looked back at her, his eyes cleared from the daze he was in, his attention fully on her words. "What do you want me to do?" he whispered, his pulse racing in his ears. He could see the short hesitation in the flicker of her eyes and nudged his nose gently against hers to encourage her. "Tell me, darling."

She bit her lip, hesitating a moment longer, but the warm look of him made her uneasiness crumble away. "You said that Enochian transfers more than just the meaning of the words. It carries emotions, too. It runs deep and touches the soul, right?" She saw the short twitch of his brows, a clear sign for his surprise about her question, but then he nodded at her and waited. Taking a deep, shaky breath, she held his gaze with determination, faith and affection. "Tell me you love me. Let me feel you touch my soul."

He stared at her, surprised again, but also in awe. She had seen the power Enochian had over humans, had seen how it could be used for destructive purposes. And she wanted to experience that power, only in its most positive of ways of course. Without answering, he slung his arms around her again and walked her to his bedroom. Lowering her down to the sheets, he leaned over her, pressing his lower half down against hers. He wanted her comfortable but also secure. He focused on the divinity inside of him and ghosted his lips over hers, tantalizing and sensually. He could hear her breath quicken and her heart thunder beneath him and it only intensified his own feelings he knew he'd pour into his voice. Lips parting, he gazed deep into her eyes, holding her captive, before he whispered ever so gently. "Sal thiramen va, Chloe. Sal thiramen va desha rell."

The sound of his words was like a symphony of colours and feelings, like the touch of a rainbow and the smell of sunshine. Impossible and yet, it was. Every word, each syllable, carried the whole spectrum of his emotions and memories connected to her. Speaking the words had an overwhelming effect on himself as well, but he knew it was nothing compared to what it must feel like for Chloe. Looking at her, he patiently waited and observed her reactions.

She hadn't really known what to expect, except for it to be intense and likely very beautiful, but it was so much more than that. She could feel his love with all of her senses. Images of his devotion and what she was doing to him flooded through her, so intense she gasped and immediately began to spill silent tears of joy. She saw the memories of him and her, a simple smile, a touch of hands, a tight embrace, a kiss, a deep inhale of her scent and the soft ring of her voice calling his name. She felt his heart thunder, felt how his cells burst with energy from the happiness he felt whenever she was with him. She could see how she was bringing light to the darkest spots of his being and how he was gladly crumbling in devotion to her caress of his maltreated soul.

Sucking in a shuddering breath, she blinked away the tears from her eyes to clear her vision and reached up to his cheek, feeling the rough stubble and tracing her thumb over his parted lips. He looked at her with wide, expectant eyes, those brown pools sparkling with endless love and she couldn't think of anything else but how perfect they both were, how they were made for each other and how their souls seemed to shine brightest when being together and they became one. Soulmates. "I love you, too," she breathed against his lips. "Although I can't speak like that… I want you to know that I feel just the same about you. Do you understand?" Searching in his eyes, she looked for the shimmer of realization, the sign that he grasped that her love for him was equally intense.

His own breath was shaking at her response and the touch of her fingers was enough to make his eyes flutter in surrender to her perfection. Swallowing at her question, he nodded ever so lightly, blown away from the implication of her words. A vow, powerful beyond measure. "I do," he added in a husky whisper and closed the distance to her lips, passionately kissing her while pressing her down more firmly beneath him.

Remaining clothes were tossed aside in a matter of seconds and heated, bare skin brushing against each other. They relished in each other's moans, touches and movements as they became one once again, content about knowing that this was only the beginning of their journey together.

Lucifer looked forward to showing her more about the hidden beauties of his celestial world and then delving into all the facets of mortal life with her at his side. He was eager to have more with her, to think and plan into directions he had never felt confident enough about or even able to realize. But now he knew he could. Hell no longer needed him as a warden. The realms were safe with the Darkness being defeated. And he could finally truly be with Chloe, having the confidence that eternity would now be on their side, because when they'd leave the world of the living one day, they'd meet again in the Silver City.

[Tell You About It - WAR*HALL]

[A week later]

Relaxing back on her lounger, Chloe smiled. "Mmmmm... This is paradise," she sighed contentedly, tilting her head up towards the sun and enjoying its warmth caressing her skin. Coming to the beach had been an exceptionally great idea after a week filled with tons of paperwork. Now holiday was in order and of course Lucifer had known the perfect spot for them; a lone island, with a huge bungalow amidst palms and tropical vegetation, bright sand and crystal blue ocean surrounding them. He had even gone so far as to fly them there, sans the luggage, because he had already sent it to the island ahead of time.

"Well, I guess you could say it's an earthy version of it, darling." Taking a sip of his glass of champagne, Lucifer choked out a grunting laugh at the sight in front of him. He took a deep calming breath and observed his cherub friend with Chloe's spawn. It looked comical, but at the same time he was pensive about it. "So... she really managed to make a deal with Gaudium, huh?" He frowned in irritation and pointed at the duo. "I can't believe he lets her do that with him. I mean, look at them. She's far too big and heavy for him, and he's doing that since half an hour already. I hope she doesn't kill him."

Chloe pulled down her sunglasses and looked from the shoreline back at Lucifer with a dead-serious expression.

"I'm not saying that she's fat, I'm just saying it's like watching an adult trying to ride on a bobbycar or squeezing into those too small swing seats or riding on a miniature pony," he quickly tried to elaborate, feeling her gaze tantalizing him with her judgement. "Oh come on! You know what I mean!"

"Lucifer, he's a celestial being. He can handle the weight of a child," she said matter-of-factly, waving her hand and shrugging her shoulders with a small, mischievous smirk. "Besides. It's his fault really. He should've known better than to make a deal with Trixie. But I'm sure he'll enjoy the sore feeling of his biceps' for the next few days, knowing how flying her around the beach all day long has brought so much joy to her." She savoured the exaggerated, shocked stare from Lucifer and burst out into a heartfelt laughter. "She's really good, isn't she?" Chloe praised and pointed at the folding-table between them. A huge chocolate cake with strawberries and cream on top, sliced into neat, convenient pieces sat on a silver plate, half of it already devoured from Tixie an hour ago. "Because she talked you into one, too."

"Seriously? I had no other choice but to make a deal with her! Otherwise the little rascal would've heard a rather unpleasant adult talk about a celestial prophecy about you and her with blood, raining angel feathers, and, oh let's not forget, an all obliterating Darkness! I highly doubt you would've liked that. In fact, you should be proud of me. I think I've acted very thoughtful and responsible towards your child." Cocking his chin up in a stubborn but playfully exaggerated manner, he pursed his lips and tried to not look back at Chloe in fear of seeing her expression he knew would make him crumble. Suddenly though her lips placed a sweet, light kiss to his cheek and despite him trying to play cool, he faltered nonetheless. Shoulders sinking and his head turning towards her with bedazzled and surprised eyes, he took in her beauty.

"You're right, you did. You protected Trixie in all kinds of ways, Lucifer, and I'm very thankful for that," she whispered, smiling lovingly at him before they both turned back to observe how Gaudium flapped along the beach, just barely able to hold himself and Trixie up in the air. The girl squealed and cheered in delight as Gaudium had her feet dipping into the water, likely from exhaustion, but he somehow managed to not drop her.

Lucifer sighed, dreamily staring ahead and sipping at his drink. "My Decker girls... Wrapping celestials around their little finger like it's a piece of cake," he mused with another chuckle and glanced hungrily down at the chocolate cake. "Do you think she'd mind if I have some?"

"At your own risk, Lucifer," she purred in a sing-sang tone, a wide smirk on her lips. She watched him pick a sliced piece and munch it down with gusto, all with licking fingers, smeared chocolate lips and a satisfied moan. "You're such a tease, but of course you know that."

Arching a brow at her, licking the last remains of chocolate frosting from his fingers, a sheepish smirk spread on his lips. "Am I now?" Reaching to the cake again, he picked a strawberry from the topping, some cream still on its tip. He guided the strawberry to her lips with an encouraging nod and watched as she took a bite. Lips closing and cleaned with a brush of her tongue, she chewed on the fruit and hummed while Lucifer observed her closely. "I think you're just as teasing, my love." They giggled and enjoyed the light teasing until they got pulled out of their bubble, hearing a burbling Gaudium shouting out loud.

"I said NO, kiddo! I'm not going to shift into a bloody dolphin so you can ride on top of me, just because I'm grey and have wings! I'm not a flipper, I'm a heavenly being! This is outrageous! I've been forced to be a god-damn pigeon and serve as a babysitter already! This was not in my freakin' contract! LUCIFEEEER!"

~ The End ~