Archive of Our Own ^beta

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Lucifer - The Light Bringer - The Dealmaker - Punisher - The Lover of male, female and everything in-between... that last one is what he's known for among the humans that have graced his bed.  However, only one being has ever truly known him for himself.  Only one love as ever touched his soul in its raw form.  Only one has ever caressed his true essence, and felt his power, in every way imaginable.  

Then he met... Her.  She was different from other humans in so many ways.  It was because of this, that he chose to get close to her.  To unravel the secrets she hid from him, and find out WHY.  

Shaking his head, he scoffed at the word.  WHY was the reason he was thrown from the Silver City.  WHY was the word that caused everything in his life to crumble.  WHY is the word that made him the villain in his father's eyes.  WHY was a choice, his choice, and no matter what anyone said, he will continue to ask.

He tried many different ways to get her attention, made changes to himself just for her.  Over the years, she seemed to show him kindness and friendship, and he thought they had become close.  He thought she cared for him as much as he cared for her.  He thought she truly knew him.

What happened today changed all of that for him, and not in a good way.

Today was turning out to be a very bad day at work for Lucifer Morningstar.  In fact, today was downright abysmal.  He had no idea what it was that he had done to make Chloe so angry at him, so... distant and stand-offish.  When they spoke, it became clear that she had been harboring her true feelings about him for some time.  It seems that lately all he's managed to do is upset her and make her push him even further away.  He surely didn't deserve such treatment, and he didn't understand why Chloe would be mad at him.  He wanted to call Doctor Linda, but in the end, decided against it.  The last thing he wanted was for his therapist to figure out what he couldn't.  He'd have to wait to talk to her later, but not until he could figure out on his own why Chloe was acting like this.  Her treatment of him only got worse after they initially spoke.  He kept running things over in his mind until the spiral of harsh words from memories past, overcame him.  

"... and what planet are you from, London?"

"... truth be told, I find you repulsive. Like, on a chemical level... "

"... I think referring to them as charms... "

He'd been home, and alone, for hours now, drinking and trying to make the memories stop.  It was late in the evening - or early morning, depending on how you look at it - when he finally retired to his bed.  After an hour of staring at nothing, he shook off the sheet covering his nakedness, pulled on a pair of pajama bottoms and headed toward his bar.  Another long sigh escaped him as he poured himself a glass of scotch.  Of course, his overactive treacherous mind won't let him sleep, it just played every harsh thing Chloe had said to him since they met.  Not that he could forget anything to begin with, such is the curse of being made the way he was.  

The Detective made her choice, and as much as he hates it, he will not take away her free will by forcing the issue.  Digging through the past like this has never been good for him.  In fact, he always spiraled out of control when things got this bad.  He thought that everyone was against him, using him, manipulating him for their own personal gain.  He wasn't always wrong.  His running towards drugs, women and men by the score, and drinking until he finally passed out from the overload was his only means of escape.  His thoughts seem to throw at him every moment the detective made him feel less important, beneath her, even... unworthy.  Try as he may, he can't stop the never ending stream of insulting and painful words his mind recorded.

"... you know, if you spent less time flirting with suspects and annoying me in the process, things might go a lot faster..."

"... interviewing close to a hundred people you've slept with is not my idea of 'a resume'..."

"... today is really not a good day for… your… Luciferness..."

"... because you never listen, Lucifer.  You never do what I tell you, you always break the rules and do whatever you want."

Her voice sounded out in his memories, mocking him, making him realize a truth he wanted to bury....  He's always done what he thought she wanted, only because she never really said what she wanted.  How was he supposed to know what she wanted of him if she didn't say it?  Why did she never notice the things he did do for her?  Like, saving her life and the life of her child.  He changed to make her happy, yet, she had a way of making him feel less than her.

"... no, you didn't try and help.  I'll tell you what you did, what you did was..."

He could hear her go on about whatever she believed he'd done wrong, regardless if he was at fault or not.  She never gave him a chance to explain before she drew her own conclusion, and that was the end of it.  No amount of explanation or even proof would sway her decision.

"... you know, if sitting here not being entertained is so terrible, then maybe it's a sign you should be somewhere else."

Even though he never filled out the paperwork himself, he always remembered everything about a case and helped her fill in the gaps.  How did she not see that?

"... I don't have time for your delusional family issues right now..."

"... your 'daddy' issues have no bearing on this case..."

Why was she always so dismissive of him in his time of need?  As if his problems, his life, were just an inconvenience to her.  He'd always gone out of his way to help her.  He'll admit that sometimes it wasn't the best way to do things, but it was a way he knew how to help.  Couldn't she see that?  When she started to date that ham-handed idiot Cain, he tried to tell her the truth about who the man really was.  As usual, she wouldn't listen to him.

"... Pierce is a good man, Lucifer, and he's stable.  Stop being jealous and just be happy for me."

"... not everything is about you or what you want, Lucifer..."

"... you need to get over it, Lucifer."

Shaking off the disgust at the thought in his mind, he knew that she had made her choice.  Granted, it was the wrong choice, but it was hers to make.  The conversation they had that afternoon now played in his head like a movie he couldn't turn off.  

.......

The interrogation room was full of tension from both of them, though obviously more for him as he was on the receiving end of her now ever-present malice.  They came in here for privacy as she laced into him about how her relationship with Pierce was none of his business.  He finally relented,  "Right.  Well, if that's how you feel about him, detective.  Then I truly hope he continues to make you happy.  Not that you'll believe anything I have to say, because you never do, but I happen to know that he's not a good man.  Not at all, and he will hurt you in the end.  He's not only a criminal, he's a murderer, and he will not stop.  Not even for you, I'm afraid.  However, if you chose to be with him, then I will no longer stand in your way."

"Oh, okay."  she snarked,  "So now Marcus is a murderer and a criminal?  Do you even hear yourself?  Lucifer, if you had any proof of that - any at all - then I'd like to see it."  Her arms folded in front of her,  "But you don't, do you?  Yeah, I didn't think so."  She held her hand up to stop him from speaking,  "Lucifer, it doesn't matter what you think you know, or what you try and say, you don't get to tell me who I can and can't date.  I mean, seriously, why do you even care?  It's not like you don't have several Brittney's or Barry's, or..." she waved her hand in the air,  "whatever... waiting for you at LUX anyway."  She scoffed as she walked away from him.  "It's my choice, Lucifer, and I chose to be with Marcus.  Just get over your ego and accept that."  That was the last thing she said to him before she left him standing in that room, completely crushed.

......

She believed what she believed, and that was it.  He couldn't take it anymore.  The painful barbs that had been getting more frequent and vicious, and her always cutting him down no matter how he tried to be good, were not enough for her.  Well, he was done trying to change himself to please her.  To be honest, he didn't even know why he was doing it in the first place.  No human has ever had this kind of sway against him before, and there was no reason for it to continue.  Maze was right, she was changing him, and he allowed it to happen.  If the detective wasn't willing to listen to him, to actually hear what he had to say, then there was no reason to continue this charade.  Trying to change for her was no longer worth it.  She didn't see him for who he really is, just what she could turn him into.  He knew, deep down, that he was unhappy with who he was becoming.  She never took any interest in his club, the music he liked, the food and art he loved, none of it.  She dismissed nearly every detail about his life that made him who he was, yet he tried to please her.  He almost lost himself to someone that obviously didn't care about him as a person.  All she did was use him for his gift to help her career.

He scoffed at the thought of it.  Well, the Devil was done with all that now.  She made her choice perfectly clear, didn't she?  After leaving the interrogation room, he spoke to the head of HR and put in for a sabbatical.  He gave the excuse of needing to tend to his personal businesses, and would be away for a few months.  They shouldn't complain really, it's not like he got paid for his services anyway.  Martha - HR's finest, as far as he was concerned, was sad to see him go, but hoped that he would return to grace them with his presence.  With a sad smile, he told her the chances of his return were small, as this may require him to be gone for longer than they could wait for him.  He promised to stop by if he had the chance, but reassured her that the coffee and pastries he arrived with in the mornings would continue for his favorite people.  He'll still throw in the free lunch for the precinct once a month, as he had been doing.  With a wink and a satisfied feeling that he made her blush, he kissed her hand and left the precinct.

Now he was alone again, naturally.  It was the story of his life, this curse, this punishment with no end.  Destined to be alone and feeling unworthy once again.  That was worse than being surrounded by demons for millions of years.  Angels, by their very nature, are social creatures, they crave touch and closeness, but he was denied that time and again.  He stood on his balcony, glass in hand, as he stared at the sky.  He drained its contents and let out a frustrated growl that could not be contained.  Placing the glass on the table beside him, he folded his hands in prayer.  There was only one person who would truly understand him.  One person who he knew would always listen.  One person that he wanted to be with more than anyone to ever exist.  With a deep sigh, he let the prayer go out.  

'Hi babe.  I know it's been a while, but can you meet me at our place, please?  I know it's not time for us to meet yet, but I really need you.  I need someone to talk to, and I shouldn't be alone right now, and you know how I can get if I'm not watched.'  

Even in his most desperate times, he'd not reached out like this.  He saved the precious moments that they could get together for when he knew they would have no distractions.  Somehow, that didn't seem to matter.  He needed to be with someone that wouldn't mock his feelings or tell him that everything would work out.  He needed someone to talk to that wasn't human.  He needed...

'I'll be there shortly, my love.  I have one thing to finish, then I'm all yours.'   the reply came quickly.

Even though he wasn't expecting to hear the reply for at least another day, a warmth spread in his chest.  He'd assumed that he would have quite a bit of time to get ready.  However, once he heard the voice, he released a breath or relief.  To be honest, it was more like a whimpered sigh.  He ran into his bedroom to shower, dress and gather a few things.  Once he was prepared, he locked the elevator, turned off the lights in the penthouse and headed for the balcony doors.  With them now closed and locked as well, he unfurled his wings, and headed for the sky.

******

Chloe couldn't believe the attitude that Lucifer had given her about dating Marcus.  After their conversation in the interrogation room, she went to Marcus' office and asked him if he'd like to have dinner with her.  He smiled wide and offered to make her dinner at his place that night.  She agreed, Dan had Trixie that weekend, so she didn't need to worry about getting a sitter.  Once their plans were finalized, she went back to her desk.  

Lucifer had left for the day, apparently to go home and drink or screw someone.  It was typical behavior for him, as far as she was concerned.  It's not like he was going to stop his playboy lifestyle and settle down now, was he?  Why did he even care if she dated Marcus?  All he ever wanted from her, from the day they met, was to get her into bed.  Sure, they had some tender moments, but he wasn't the type of guy to commit to one person, and she knew that.  He would never grow up.  She had a hard enough time getting him to behave at a crime scene, let alone train him how to act in a monogamous relationship.  Half the time she was with him, it was exhausting just to keep him in line.  

It's not like Lucifer would care for her like Marcus can.  Lucifer has already shown that he only cares about drinking, sex and partying.  Pierce wants stability, family and a real relationship.  He's even talked about it openly, not just with her.  Pierce was looking for something that Lucifer wouldn't or couldn't be bothered with.  Lucifer made it very clear that he didn't like children, and he disliked his own family.  Marcus had said that he wanted a steady home life, a real relationship, a family.  Lucifer would never have done that, he was a playboy, and he hated his family.  He never talked about them in a good way, and always made it seem like he was the black sheep.  Then again, with only Amenadiel to go by as far as family members; if that was even true; it was hard to know the actual truth.  In simple terms, Lucifer was exhausting to be around most of the time.  When she thought about it, he was good with getting suspects to talk, but he was so difficult to keep in line.  Why couldn't he just do what she tells him to do?  Why does he always have to do things his way?

Her day was busy with paperwork, so she hardly noticed when it was near quitting time.  She remembered her date with Pierce and smiled.  After rushing home, taking a shower and putting on a short summer dress and high heels, she donned a bit of makeup and let her hair down.  With one final look in the mirror, she was on her way to see her boyfriend.  She pulled her cruiser in front of Marcus' house and stepped out, taking a deep breath to center her thoughts.  They were going to have dinner together, their first real date.  No more thinking about Lucifer or his attitude about her dating who she wants.  Dan had Trixie for the weekend, so she planned on staying the night.  Well, she hoped she would be staying the night.  That is, if everything goes well, and she doesn't muck it up.

Her phone chimed just as she was getting near the door, she checked it quick and remembered to put it on vibrate.  It was a text from Ella.  

Ella:  'Martha just told me that Lucifer is leaving for a few months!  Why didn't you tell me?  What happened?  Did you guys have a fight?'

She stared at the text and let out a grunt of frustration as she began to type back.  There was no way she was dealing with this right now.  

Chloe:  'Lucifer is just being a drama queen.  He's upset that Marcus and I are dating.  He'll get over it and be back in a few days, knowing him.'  She shook her head and thought to herself,  'He better be, I hate dealing with him when he's in one of his mopey moods.  It's so typical of him to act like this.'

The door opened as she hit send on her phone.  Pierce eyed her,  "Were you texting me that you were out here?  My doorbell works, as far as I know."  he gave her a smile as he laughed.  "You look beautiful."

Her blush spoke volumes.  "Oh, sorry, no.  I was just answering Ella.  Apparently Lucifer took the news of us dating a bit hard and told Martha he needed some time off.  He does this, I'm not concerned."  she scoffed at the thought as Pierce walked her into his home.  "I just let her know everything is fine."  The first thing she noticed was the amount of very strange rocks he had on display.  On the windowsills, on top of the furniture, on shelves... it was odd.  She would have to ask about them in conversation.  Maybe he's a closet geologist?

The smile he had was well hidden from her as he faced the door and closed it.  He already knew that Lucifer was taking time off, Martha told him the good news.  With the Devil out of his way, things would be much easier for him to make sure the miracle helped him get rid of his curse.  It was perfect timing as far as he was concerned.  He couldn't have planned it better if he tried, Lucifer knew who he really was and why he was in LA.  Last thing he wanted was a pissing match between them, he may be immortal, but he can still get hurt.  

"Something tells me that Lucifer isn't the kind of guy that gets jealous.  Territorial maybe, but not jealous.  After all, he lost his one true love eons ago when his dad kicked him out,"  yes, he did mean to say it that way, and he shrugged his shoulders,  "or so the story goes.  They had a sort of Romeo and Juliet thing going on, and his father didn't approve.  He doesn't like to talk about it, I tried to ask him, that’s when he became angry that I even mentioned it.  All I know is, he hasn't had a real relationship since, it's probably why he sleeps with so many people.  Fear of commitment, I guess."  Oh, he knew what it was, but there was no way he was going to tell her.  

"Wait... what?"  she turned and stared at him wide-eyed.  "His one true love?  How did you find that out?"  

He smiled,  "I did a little research, found out that was the reason he came to LA.  His relationship was the one thing he was denied, so in typical Lucifer fashion, he ran away from his responsibilities and rebelled against his father for it."  he had to make Lucifer sound petulant and unreliable.  If he wanted her to see him as dependable, Lucifer had to look like he couldn't be the man she wanted.  "He'll never know how good it feels to find that someone special you can have with you forever.  A relationship that has meaning, not just one-night stands.  He's so irresponsible."

She thought that comment was strange, considering Lucifer ran his own business, several in fact, and has more money than God.  When she realized she hadn't replied to his comment, she shook her head.  "Well, you know how he can be, always running from something that makes him uncomfortable.  Like this one time.."  She cut herself off, knowing that if she made too much small talk about Lucifer, Pierce may get upset.  She wanted this to work, no, she needed this to work.  She held up her hand and closed her eyes,  "No.  You know what?  No, I don't care.  This night is about you and me, not Lucifer.  I don't want to discuss him, I want to discuss us."

He took her hand and moved closer to her,  "That sounds good to me.  He's not the focus of my night, Chloe, you are.  Come on, let me give you the tour."

She blushed as he gave her a soft kiss on the hand.  "Uhm, so... you have a thing for rocks?"  Almost as soon as she said it, she felt stupid.  "Sorry, that was so corny."  She eyed a particularly beautiful purple geode.  It was slightly bigger than her hand.  "It's beautiful."

"I do have a thing for rocks, yes.  And no, it wasn't corny."  he said with a small laugh.  "Geodes are my favorites.  Strong, yet delicate and beautiful, like you."  

She blushed.  "Really?"  That was sweet of him to say.

"Really."  He took her hand as he walked her around, showing her more of the collection.  "I started to collect one rock from every place I'd ever been to.  Since as far back as I can remember.  It kinda just kept growing."  He didn't have the heart to tell her the real reason he had a love of the heavy objects.  The actual rock he killed his brother with started everything.  That particular rock is in his bedroom, in his safe.  The story he now told her has always worked on anyone that ever asked about the enormous collection.  

Her eyes scanned the room,  "Wow.  You must have been around the world a few times, huh?"  she released a small giggle.  The sheer number of the objects was mind-boggling.  If he took one rock from each place he'd been, then he's probably been places she didn't even know existed.

"I did quite a bit of traveling over the years, yes."  he said, keeping it vague for a reason.  "Then again, Istanbul was Constantinople, Myanmar, also known as Burma, and Thailand, previously known as Siam, so I do have two from each of those places.  That's how most of it go so big."  He's been alive for thousands of years and most of the places he has rocks from no longer exist in the way they were when he visited.  With the brief tour now over, he walked her toward the dining room.  

The table had been set with silverware and cloth place mats, napkins in silver rings and two lit candles.  The soft lighting in the room made it feel romantic, but not too over the top.  The table was by the large bay window that supplied a great view of the city in the distance.  He pulled out the chair for her,  "Please, make yourself comfortable, I'll bring dinner out.  I have white and red wine, the red would go better with what I made, but I didn't want to assume what you'd like, so I didn't open anything ahead of time.  I also have non-alcoholic beverages if you'd prefer something else."

She smiled at him.  "Thank you for that.  The red would be wonderful, after all, you said it goes well with what you prepared."  That was sweet of him not to assume what she would like to have with dinner.  Lucifer would have just poured her whatever he was drinking without even thinking to ask her because he could be so clueless sometimes.  

He reached over to the table in the corner and returned.  "This is a nice Cabernet, it's not too expensive, but it pairs very well with what I made us for dinner."  He opened the bottle and placed it on the table.  "We should let that breathe a bit before we pour it."  he let out a chuckle, and shrugged,  "So I'm told.  I'll be back in a flash."  

Looking at the wine label, she smiled.  It was actually one she knew.  He was correct, it was not to expensive, but not her usual box of wine from Costco either.  It was something she would have picked if she was going to bring a wine to a friend or a party.  Nothing like the thousand dollar bottles that Lucifer would have tried to impress her with.  Like she would know the difference between a thousand dollar wine and a bottle that was six bucks?  She's not a rich snob like he is.

Cain smiled at her as he went to the kitchen to retrieve the filet Mignon with roasted potatoes and spinach.  A spring mix salad with homemade dressing on the side, and he even made her lemon squares for desert.  He was saving that for the 'care for a cup of coffee' moment.  In his many years on Earth, he learned more than just how to run a criminal enterprise.  This was far from his first romantic interlude.

"A man who cooks, has perfect manners and is incredibly handsome."  she smiled with a deep blush as she curled her hair behind her ear.  "I'm actually shocked that a woman hasn't stolen your heart yet."

He looked at her with a soft smile,  "Maybe one has."  He'd noticed her attempt at flirting, she was terrible at it, but still...

She blushed and looked away, then right back to his eyes.  "I could get used to this, you know.  Keep this up and you may never get rid of me."

"Well, I hope to live up to that."  he replied as he placed the plate in front of her.  Yeah, he turned the charm on and up to eleven.  More than anything, he needed this to work.  Returning from the kitchen, he came back with the salads and dressing.  He picked up the wine and poured the glass half way, then did the same for himself.  After he sat down, he raised the glass,  "Thank you, Chloe, for having dinner with me this evening.  I wanted to have some private time for just us, considering how loud the concert was, we didn't really get a lot of time to talk, and work isn't the best place to have one on one conversations.  Not that stealing any time with you isn't worth it, but I wanted to know the real you, not Chloe Decker the Detective, but Chloe the person."

That just melted her heart.  She picked up her glass and tapped his,  "Well then, here's to the first of what I hope will be many dinners in our future."  Oh, she was not letting him go now.  He was everything she wanted in a man.  Lucifer could learn a thing or two from Marcus about how to treat a lady.  

Marcus smiled,  "I hope so too."  

*******

There was only one place on Earth that Lucifer could go and not be detected by even the Almighty himself.  (They hoped the Almighty couldn't find them, but again, he'd never bothered them here before.)  They created it as a safe haven, a private space just for them that was lost to the world.  A place that no one, Celestial or otherwise, could ever find.  This is where Lucifer would run to when he needed time alone, time to just relax and not have to be the center of attention or have demons trying to kill him in his sleep.  It also hid his signature to any Celestials, so Amenadiel could never find him when he was there.  It was hardly used, as Lucifer always came to Earth looking for fun and excitement, knowing that Amenadiel was always hot on his heels.  Other times it was for something much different, much more... private.  That's why he's going there now.  He needed guidance, acceptance, and most of all, he wanted companionship that didn't come from his desire abilities.  He needed the love and healing that only one Angel could offer him.

The small secluded tropical island would never be found by mortals.  It was designed that way on purpose.  They wanted a place just for themselves, where they could be alone, safe and uninterrupted by any outside influence.  Landing on the deck of the upper balcony, Lucifer walked slowly into the open doors.  "You got here before me, I'm actually impressed."  He placed the small bag he was holding on the bar.

"I haven't seen you since nineteen forty-five, I guess you could say I was excited to hear from you.  I've missed you."

"Hitler had it coming and you know it.  I only wish I could have stopped him sooner.  That was Amenadiel's fault, by the way."  Lucifer replied with a scoff.  "Still, I regret nothing."  He was handed a drink.  "I missed you too, by the way.  I'm sure you know that."  He took a deep pull from the glass,  "Does He know you snuck out to see me?"

"No, He doesn't know.  He hasn't been back to the Silver City for a while.  Not since... well, I know you know what Amenadiel did in the seventies.  Even then, He didn't come home.  So no, technically He hasn't been in the Silver City since He threw mom out."

Lucifer nodded,  "Yes, I know about the miracle He had Amenadiel deliver, not that it matters now.  So much for His manipulations and trying to get the better of me.  Whatever father had planned for me and her is null and void as far as I'm concerned.  Rather, as far as she decided, I should say."  He scoffed once more at the thought, and drained the glass.  Those hateful words once again hammered his mind.  Chloe had made her choice, and it wasn't him.  The last thing he wanted was to be thinking of her when he was here, but he knew what was coming.

"Oh, do tell."  wide crystal blue eyes held his gaze.  The brief flash of red in Lucifer's drew out more inquiries.  "Come on, you know you want to talk about it.  Let's get it out of the way now so we can enjoy our time together."

He eyed his companion as he opened the bag he came in with.  He removed several bottles of his new favorites,  "Not that you don't already know, but Cain has managed to work his way into the LAPD as a Leftenant of all things.  He's going by the name of Marcus Pierce now.  It would appear that the Detective has taken a fancy to him, despite my telling her what a bloody ham-handed and vile creature he is."  He scoffed as he opened a bottle and refilled the glass himself.  His eyes on his guest the entire time.  "She believes he's a good man instead of the first murderer and the leader of the Sinnerman crime syndicate.  Can you believe she said he makes her happy, of all things?"  He scoffed at the thought.

His companion walked close to him, their bodies mere inches apart.  "He'll need to be watched more closely then.  I didn't trust him before, and that's not going to change.  You know that he'll never see the Silver City.  That mark father gave him ensures a one-way ticket to your domain or oblivion.  I’m fine with either one."

"Well, if he does come to the basement, Abel will enjoy the company."  he scoffed, remembering how the two brothers fought with one another almost constantly toward the end.  Though most of the arguments were because of Cain and his jealousy of his brother.  Another one of father's manipulations gone wrong.  If he put them in a loop together, they would end up murdering each other over and over for all eternity.  "Well, probably not, now that I think on it.  Honestly, Abel shouldn't even be in my Kingdom, he did nothing wrong."

"Just out of curiosity,"  eyes locked onto Lucifer's and softened,  "the miracle...  Why are you so sure she was made for you?"

This gave Lucifer pause.  It was true, neither him nor Amenadiel actually knew her true purpose.  Lucifer only believed she was made for him because she was immune to his ability.  Everything their father did had a purpose, a particular reason behind it that you never knew until it was too late to do anything about it.  "If she wasn't a bloody miracle for me, then why does my ability not work on her?  Why does she have the ability to make me exsanguinate when I'm wounded near her?"  He still couldn't figure that one out.

"Oh, come on!  She doesn't have that kind of power over you, and you know it.  You did that yourself, you twat."  his companion replied with a huff.  

Lucifer scoffed,  "I beg your pardon?"  Why on Earth would he do that to himself?  It made no sense whatsoever.

"Sometimes you worry me, my love.  Okay, let me explain in small words you can understand."

"Don’t be an ass."

"You love my ass."  With a laugh, the Angel continued,  "From what I was able to determine while searching through father's records, her status as a miracle allows her to be immune to some of our abilities, not just yours, all of us.  Even Jesus was like that, remember?"

He nodded,  "I do, but even my desire worked on him.  I'll grant you that it was only to a small degree, but it still bloody worked.  With the detective, I get absolutely nothing.  It's like trying to mojo a brick wall.  Even Amenadiel's ability works on her.  So why the bloody Hell is it just me?"

"Amenadiel's ability works on all mortals, miracle or not, it's how father made him.  So you can't draw out her desires, big deal!  You have many more wonderful qualities and abilities I bet you haven't used on anyone in ages."  a hand caressed Lucifer's chest with a delicate touch,  "Why didn't you try those?  They even work on me, and you know how much I like it when you do."

Lucifer let out a sinful moan.  This was what he needed, the touch, the closeness, the feeling of being wanted by someone and not because of his charms.  "I won't...  you know I reserve that for only you.  I promised, remember?"  he replied in a breathy voice,  "Miracle or not, some things are only and always for you."  His pants had become increasingly tight as he shifted from foot to foot.  "I won't do that to anyone, I can't."

"You know, I never made you promise me that."  Placing his hands on Lucifer's face, he let his feelings flow,  "You would've had to explain to her why you needed to see me, eventually.  It's my understanding that mortals are touchy when it comes to their partners having relations with other people.  Can you imagine what she would have thought if she saw me?  How would she have taken that news?"

"She would have been in her late sixties by then.  I could have told her I was going to visit a family member for some personal time, and that would have been that."  At least, that's how he thought he would have done it.  He'll never need to do it now.

"You would have lied and broken her trust that you'd be faithful?  That's not like you."  

"It's not a lie.  Just not the whole truth."

His companion kissed him softly, a tender, chaste kiss.  "You know it would have ended in disaster once she found out who and what you really are.  Not to mention, what you are to me.  Humans never treat you kindly when they do.  I hate to see you do so much for them only to have it hurt you like that.  When you hurt, I hurt.  You know that."

"Mortals have changed a lot over the years, you know.  Not everyone is frightened of the Devil these days."  he replied with a sigh as he spoke,  "I really thought she was different, that she honestly cared about me because she wasn't effected by my ability.  I thought she could see me like you do.  I just... I wanted to believe that I could have something more meaningful."  He scoffed,  "As always, I should have known that it was too good to be true."

Lucifer always thought the worst of any situation.  It was time for some hard truths,  "I know you couldn't see it, probably because you didn't want to, but she was trying to change you to fit her idea of what you should be."

Lucifer eyed him, lifting one eyebrow.  "Explain that."

"She treated you as something to be fixed.  As if perfection needs to be tamed or controlled to suit her needs.  If she really, honestly accepted you, she wouldn't have wanted to change a thing about you.  Everything she asked of you was her way of being in control of who you are.  She's a mortal, and could never understand what it truly means to live forever as we do.  She never would have accepted me as having to be part of your life.  You need me just as much as I need you.  We have never needed anyone else before, so why would that change?  We both know that mortals don't live long."

Lucifer curled his arms around the warm chiseled body that was pressed against him.  "You're right.  I will always need you."  he returned the kiss.  "I just thought that this time, a human saw me for me, not for my ability.  Is that too much to ask for?"  His hands felt the beads under his lover’s shirt,  “What are you wearing?”

"Yes, to answer your first question."  his companion said flatly.  "You know damn well that the second they know what we are, it either turns into worship, absolute fear or in your case, an exorcism.  I gave up a long time ago trying to befriend humans.  Now I just wait for you to contact me so I can get my fill of you before you have to leave me again."  The voice was filled with sadness and hurt.  "That's the part I hate, because I know I won't get to hold you again for close to a hundred years.  As to your second question, you’ll have to see for yourself."

"You know as well as I do why I always had to leave.  It wasn't by choice."  He hugged the body in his arms tighter, if only to feel what his body was wearing.  "I never left because I wanted to, but because Amenadiel always forced me back.  If it were up to me, we would stay together always.  The selfish bastard won't let us have that kind of happiness."  He pulled back far enough to look his beauty in the eye.  Curling a stray strand of long wavy blonde hair behind an ear, he whispered softly,  "You are the only one that has ever truly made me happy, and you know it."

"Then why do you care what the miracle thinks or who she dates?"

His mouth opened and closed several times before he was able to speak.  "I... I just... "  he let out a sigh,  "I honestly thought she cared about me, saw me like you do..."

"No one will ever see you the way I do."  Leaning in, a kiss was pressed to Lucifer's lips.  "You know it never would have worked out between you.  She would have aged and died, her soul would have ended up in the Silver City, where you couldn't go, or worse, in Hell.  If she ended up in your domain, you would have never forgiven yourself."

He let out a sigh,  "I guess it was too much to ask for, wasn't it?"

"No, and I understand why you did it.  I hate being alone too, but it's worth it when I get to see you again.  You also know that I will always come to your call if you need me.  Always."  placing another kiss to Lucifer's lips,  "Ask me."

Lucifer shook his head as he looked away,  "Please, don't make me do that.  It's only going to make it harder to let you go again."

A finger under Lucifer's chin brought him back to the eyes of his love.  "Babe?  Ask me, please?"

With a deep breath, Lucifer stared into the beautiful blue eyes in front of him.  He knew that if he asked, they would start what would become hours of non-stop lovemaking.  It was both a beautiful and painful thought.  He caved and whispered aloud,  "What is it you truly desire?"

"You.  Only you, and always you, forever."  the answer came easy and without hesitation.  "I have two weeks of Earth time free, let me take away your troubles and ease your pain.  Please."

Lucifer's eyes widened,  "Two weeks, you say?"  he purred out.  This was more than he could hope for.  Usually they were only together for a few nights, a week if they were really lucky.  Two weeks seemed like a dream come true.  "How'd you manage that?"

"I was paying careful attention the past few months.  I made arrangements in advance when I saw how bad your day was going.  I even stocked the pantry and fridge in anticipation of our time together."  soft lips brushed against Lucifer's,  "Had you not prayed to me, I would have prayed for you.  I needed the boost and I wanted to see you.  I missed you."

"You've been overworking again, haven't you?"

"I'm the only one that can do the job, and you know that.  Had Amenadiel not slacked off so much it wouldn't be that bad, but he was so "busy" keeping you on lockdown he neglected all of his other duties.  I had no choice but to pick up the slack.  Everyone wants the title, no one wants to do any of the work."  Hands roamed over Lucifer's body,  "I'm drained and really could use the closeness of the only Angel that can heal me."

It was rare that he was ever prayed for by his lover.  It had only happened twice, but both of those times, their lovemaking had been incredible.  To hear those words only drove his arousal further as he buried his head in the crook of his lover's neck, peppering it with small kisses.  "Let's not waste any time, then."

"I've missed you, Sam."

******

Ella felt something was off from the second she left her house, now that she's walked into the precinct, it was worse.  Like the world was on tilt and she was still walking a straight line.  It bothered her that she hadn't gotten one call or text from Lucifer in two weeks.  It wasn't like him.  He always responded to her, and she was getting concerned that something bad had happened.  Maze said he was taking care of some personal stuff and said he'd call when he got back.  No one else seemed bothered by him not being around, and that only made matters worse for her.  

The coffee and pastries kept showing up to the office as if he delivered them himself, like he did every day.  Though oddly enough, no coffee or pastries came for Chloe anymore.  Hell, even Dan got a case of pudding last week, plus his coffee.  Something serious must have gone down between Lucifer and Chloe for him for this to happen.  It was out of character for Lucifer to do something like that.  However, Chloe didn't seem bothered by it though, because Pierce always came in with a coffee for her.  Lately, Chloe only had eyes for Pierce.  Maybe Lucifer couldn't take being dumped by Chloe and quit for good?  It didn't seem to matter because Chloe wouldn't even talk about what happened to make Lucifer leave.

By all accounts, Chloe and Pierce seemed to be the happy couple on the surface, but Ella did notice the way he would stare at her sometimes.  It was odd... almost dark and cold.  Lucifer used to look at her with a sort of sparkle in his eyes, like he was basking in her beauty.  Pierce looked at her the same way he looked at the files on his desk.  Blank, empty, uncaring, and sometimes it looked like he couldn't stand to be around her.  It was weird.  Chloe, on the other hand, looked at him as if he was the reason she existed.  Her face would light up when she saw him, she blushed whenever Ella asked how they were doing.  Their relationship was odd to say the least, but Chloe did seem really happy, even if it was just an act.  She never talked about Lucifer and often changed the subject when his name was mentioned.  The first week, she did send him messages about cases, but eventually stopped trying when he failed to respond.

Walking into her office, she spotted her goodies on her lab table.  Ella smiled wide when she found her Unicorn Sprinkle Frappé and two custard filled donuts with cereal bits on top.  It always amazed her how Lucifer could remember the way everyone liked their coffee and what they liked to snack on.  It was the little things that made him such a sweetie.  This morning, however, something was different.  There was a note attached to the bag that held her donuts.  Ella put her kit down and lifted the note.  Her heart raced ever slightly as she read it.

"Dear Miss Lopez,  please forgive me that I have not been in contact lately.  I know it was in poor form, but I had my reasons.  I had to take some time to visit a family member and was not able to communicate with anyone.  I will be at my penthouse this morning and part of the afternoon, should you wish to come by to see me.  I will make myself available for you.  Please, tell no one else that I have returned, as I believe I will not be able to stay long.  Sincerely, Your Friend Always, Lucifer."

She stared at the note in her hand, the perfect penmanship, the near-perfect slant to each word showed that he was well-educated.  The paper even smelled like him, the mix of sandalwood, whiskey, cigarette smoke and fire left no doubt that it was Lucifer himself that penned the note.  What hit her the most was that he said he went to see a family member.  He never spoke about any family, other than Amenadiel and hating his father, although he did say he had a lot of brothers and sisters.  She saw Amenadiel a few days ago talking with Maze, so she knew it wasn't him.  Now her curiosity was peaked.

Tucking the note safely into her pocket, she didn't hesitate to make a plan to leave work for the day.  Knowing she had to take advantage of this opportunity, she walked into Martha's office and told her she was going home.  She wasn't feeling well and should have stayed in bed.  She felt horrible, but was trying to push through, but she didn't want anyone to catch whatever she had.  With the way that Covid ripped through the precinct the year prior, she wasn't taking any chances.  Martha let her know that she had plenty of sick time, and she would leave it open-ended.  After telling her to go home, take a rapid test and get plenty of fluids and sleep, Martha filled her in for a sick day.  She didn't want her to worry about anything, she would take care of it for her.  Martha was the opposite of your standard HR person, she actually cared for people and oftentimes went out of her way to help you.  Ella hated having to lie to her, but she really couldn't tell anyone why she was leaving.  She'd confess at church on Sunday, the Big Guy couldn't be mad at her for that, right?

She did her best to avoid Chloe and Dan so she wouldn't have to lie to them about where she was really going.  Lucifer said he didn't want anyone to know he was back.  Considering he stopped getting Chloe coffee, it had to be something big.  She had to be careful not to give anything away, and avoided going near Pierce's office.  After grabbing her coffee, pastries, and her bag, Ella rushed to her car and took off for LUX.  She could finally get answers as to why Lucifer left.  

******

Landing in LA several hours before dawn, the twins made their way to the bedroom, slowly removing clothing as they went.  They were kissing one another with rabid hunger.  When they finally separated to breathe each other in, they placed their foreheads together.  Still standing by the foot of Lucifer's bed, Michael began to slowly, carefully, cover each new patch of his brother's bared skin with kisses and small bites.  His touch was feather-light, but at the same time, was the perfect amount of pressure.  He knew exactly what Lucifer liked, and how much of it to deliver, to make him lose himself completely.

Lucifer let his head fall back with his brother's ministrations.  Reveling in the attention Michael was showering on his body and even more on his soul.  No lover he has ever come in contact with, has treated him with such reverence, such devotion, nor had they ever taken so much time to worship him the way Michael does.  No one could ever come close to what they shared together.  Michael wasn't just another Angel, he was part of Lucifer's soul made flesh and blood, as he was part of Michael's.  One could not exist without the other.

As Michael slowly dropped to his knees to worship every inch of the beloved body in front of him, he let his feelings flow through their bond.  He felt Lucifer run his fingers through his long blonde hair, not pulling on it, but needing something to hold onto.  This was his way of letting Michael know that he was enjoying what was happening.  His pupils were blown black with his desire as he began to purr for his beloved.  Michael didn’t go for his prize just yet, oh no.  He kissed and licked the area around Lucifer's cock, teasing him, taunting him, loving him the way he knows makes him crazy with passion.  All this made Lucifer moan in frustration and ecstasy as he was stripped bare and worshiped like only Michael knew how to do.  With a quickness, Michael stood and pushed Lucifer gently down on the bed.  With a bit of a playful growl, Lucifer adjusted himself to lay back with his head on the pillow.   With a hungry look in his eyes, Michael crawled on his hands and knees over him.  Their combined purr made the bed feel like it was vibrating.

With a desire and fierce desperation, they became animalistic.  This happened when they overstimulated each other.  They were now writhing on the bed, bodies pressed together, cocks trapped between their tone and muscled bellies, as they secreted the musk from their marking glands.  Their skin glistened with it, although no human could smell it, other Angels knew what it meant.  'Hands off - I'm taken.'  Their legs now tangled together as their mouths locked onto each other in a dance they performed to perfection.  Lucifer's hands were running up and down Michael's back, drawing deep scratches and even deeper moans of sheer bliss.  No matter how much time they had spent together, neither of them seemed to get enough of the other.  Their time apart only proved how deep their love was, how much they wanted each other - needed each other - to feel complete.  Even the past two weeks of lovemaking - near constantly - did nothing to slow them down.

Michael rolled Lucifer onto his back once again, and slithered over him, working his upper body with his own musk, while his mouth, tongue and teeth, kissed, licked and bit every inch of skin they could get to.  His hands softly glided over the sweat and musk covered flesh of his brother's perfectly muscled body.  'The definition of 'Heaven' should be updated to include this moment.'   Michael thought to himself.  As far as he was concerned, Lucifer was everything to him.  The perfect lover, the perfect mate, the perfect Angel, the perfect soul.

Lucifer voiced out his pleasure with every move he made, calling his brother's name and driving him on.  No one could bring him to such a state of arousal as Michael.  If their father would only allow them more than just a few days with one another every hundred or so years, Lucifer would never need anyone else.  He fought off the thoughts of his punishment as Michael bit one of his nipples.  The moan that escaped him even made him laugh a bit.

Such a talented tongue, Michael had.  He licked across his nipples, gave small nibbles to his collarbones, licked his abs in a delicious way as if tasting his skin for the first time.  Finally, he made his way between Lucifer's legs and the prize that awaited him.  With a delicate lick, he lapped at his glands before placing them in his mouth, releasing a low hum of approval that drove Lucifer to moan aloud.  His tongue lazily licked at the mass in his mouth as his hum continued.  

Releasing him from the ministration, Michael smiled up at him,  “You taste so damn good, Sam.  I want to savor every drop of you.”  Michael's eyes locked on his as he wrapped his mouth around Lucifer’s erection and slowly lowered his head.

“Bloo-dy Hell...,”  Lucifer cried in a deep voice.  "and people call you a saint... the way you do that is sinful, darling.  Don't stop..."  Michael continued to tease him, running his mouth slowly along his shaft in a method that was perfectly executed from eons of practice.  Lucifer watched as the blonde-haired Angel bobbed up and down in a slow, deliberate manner, his long hair tickling Lucifer's hips with every motion.  It was intoxicating, and beyond beautiful.  He never wanted this to end, losing Michael again is going to hurt so much.

Lucifer's breathing hitched as Michael continued to manipulate him.  He was so close to losing control, he tapped Michael on the head with his finger, as he squeezed the base of his cock to prevent the orgasm.  “Babe... please stop…”  he whispered,  “I want to make this last.  I want you.”  He bent his knees as his legs spread even wider.  It was the invitation Michael was looking for.

"Are you sure you want me to top this last time?"

"Yes.  I topped last time we had to leave each other."  

Michael grabbed the lube on the bedside table and got on his knees.  He was very erect and more than willing.  Lucifer watched with hungry eyes as Michael coated his cock with a generous amount of the lubrication.  He then took hold of Lucifer and slicked him as well.  His hand moved down slowly as he found Lucifer's opening.  His finger teased for only a few passes before one pushed inside.  Not that Lucifer needed it, they had had sex just a few hours ago, but he knew he liked it.  He listened as Lucifer moaned with the feeling, and soon another finger joined the first.  

"Please, Mi... "  he moaned out,  "one more..."

A third finger joined in, and soon, Michael was beyond ready to give Lucifer what he really wanted.  He pulled his fingers free, got his bent legs under Lucifer, and lifted his legs to his chest.  Michael pressed the head of his cock to the opening and teased him.  "I love you, Sam."  he whispered to him as he sunk slow and deep.

"Not as much as I love you."  he teased back, waiting for the feeling of fullness that he was about to receive.

Lucifer groaned as Michael entered him with tenderness, kissing and biting at his neck, scratching at his back as Michael pushed into his depth.  Their mating was as powerful as always.  Lucifer wanted Michael to know he was his and his alone.  Michael was his only true mate, and Lucifer did everything he could to remind him of that every time they were together.  No one would ever take his place.

Keeping their bond wide open, Michael softly kissed Lucifer, pouring all his love and devotion into the sweet taste of his lips.  His emotions flooded his lover as they spread to fill every inch of Lucifer's body, so that he would never feel alone or unwanted.  

He heard Lucifer's stuttered breath, feeling him shudder with ecstasy that had nothing to do with the physical pleasure he was giving, but on a deep level with his very soul.  A place no mortal could ever touch.  Michael felt a rush of love and warmth coming back from Lucifer as he continued his lovemaking.  He took Lucifer's cock in his hand and stroked him in time with his thrusts.  With slow, gentile strokes, Michael took him to his height.  Feeling Lucifer erupt between their bodies as he clenched down on Michael's shaft, his wings unfurled and began to flutter, causing his own orgasm to break free.

They lay curled in a cocoon of limbs and feathers, their breathing now returning to normal.  Knowing their time was coming to an end, Lucifer allowed himself to get emotional.  He didn't want to let Michael go.  Every time they parted was like a new wound that wouldn't heal for him.  Just like every time before, they let their tears fall.  Neither one had much choice in the matter of their separation.  Michael had duties in the Silver City and Lucifer knew that he would have to go back to Hell, if only to keep the idiot demons in line for a time.  He'd come back in a few weeks, thousands of years in Hell time, but it should be enough to make the demons remember who their King was and what he was capable of doing if they disobeyed.

Michael shifted off of Lucifer slowly, and furled his wings as he lay beside him.  Lucifer leaned into the nightstand and grabbed the baby wipes to clean them up.  He delicately wiped Michael off and, with a bit of sadness and tears still in his eyes, smiled at him.  "As much as I hate to end this interlude, we need to shower and get dressed, love.  I'll make us some brekkie, sound good?"

"That sounds like a great idea."  he gave a long stretch,  "What time are Mazikeen and Miss Lopez coming?"

Lucifer looked at the clock,  "Maze should be here at about nine, I'm not so sure about Miss Lopez.  We have plenty of time."  He got out of bed and walked toward the shower,  "Come on, time to clean you up, my dirty boy."  he put his hand out.  "Come, come."

With a grumble, Michael got out of bed and took Lucifer's hand.  "Sam?"  he stopped moving and went stiff.

"What?  What's wrong?"  Lucifer looked around, trying to sense a threat.

"Nothing's wrong.  I just... before we shower, can I ask for something?"  Michael appeared timid, as if he knew Lucifer would deny him the request he was about to make.

"Anything."  Lucifer curled his hand around Michael's waist, the other went to cup his cheek,  "You know there is little I wouldn't do for you, darling."  With a bit of trepidation, knowing that it always made him hurt to ask, he spoke,  "Michael, my love, what is it you truly desire?"

Michael's eyes gave off a flash of gold,  "I... I want to preen you."

With a short gasp, Lucifer pulled back slightly.  Michael had not asked for such an intimate thing in thousands of years.  Yes, he ran his fingers through his wings as they mated, but preening... that was entirely different.  During sex he still had his wits about him, with preening... the body goes into a trance-like state of bliss.  Your faculties are muted, abilities are dulled, you're vulnerable.  The only one to ever preen him was his beloved twin.  He had no doubt that Michael would never let anything or anyone harm him.  Michael would protect him with his life should anyone interrupt such an act.  It's not that he didn't fully trust his brother, it was just that no one has touched them since Maze cut them off.  He wasn't sure if he should...

"I can feel your fear, brother.  I understand.  You don't have to say yes, you know that, right?"  Michael's hand cupped his cheek,  "I didn't mean to make you upset.  Not now.  I just wanted to feel your feathers one last time before I had to leave you again."  He kissed him softly on the forehead,  "I was hoping you could do mine at the same time.  I... I really miss doing that together, and it's been so long since we did..."

The look Michael gave him melted his heart.  He was being irrational, his brother would never harm him, and to be honest, he could use a good preening.  He couldn't reach his back, and he knew the feathers there had been neglected for some time.  "I'm sorry for my reaction."  He kissed Michael deeply,  "I would be honored to have you preen me if I can do yours.  Let's go over by the fireplace so it's easier to clean up."

Michael relaxed and kissed him deeply, pulling back, he whispered into Lucifer's lips,  "Thank you, Sam."  

Lucifer walked him into the living room with his heart pounding in his chest.  Leaving each other would not be so easy this time.

******

After getting her latest update from Lucifer, Maze had decided to take him up on his offer.  She needed the break from humans for a while, and with Lucifer going back to Hell to keep her siblings in line, she figured he would need her to watch his back.  The good thing was that she didn't need to pack anything for her sojourn.  Her quarters in the Palace had more than enough stuff for the time that they would be there.  She let Chloe know that morning, as her and Trixie were preparing to go to work and school, that she was going on vacation.  She wouldn't be available for at least two weeks, maybe more.  

"Well, I hope you're going someplace fun at least."  Chloe replied.  She hoped that Maze was going to finally have some downtime and possibly just sit on a beach soaking in the sun and having a good time instead of catching bounties, drinking until the early hours of the morning, screwing strangers and babysitting.  Then again, it was Maze, so she was probably going somewhere completely off the wall that had axe tossing or cage fighting or something like it.

Trixie made a face at her mom and let out a scoff of a laugh,  "She's going back to Hell with Lucifer, mom.  Duh, of course she's gonna have fun, I mean, who wouldn't?"  Her and Maze had already talked about where she was going and why.  Trixie just wanted to rub it in her mother's face that Maze was going away with Lucifer.  "If I could go with them, I would."

"Thanks little human, but no living mortals allowed, we talked about that.  Lucifer needs to go back for a while and keep everyone in line.  My siblings are too stupid to be left alone.  They need to be told what to do like, constantly.  Me?  Not so much.  I just need to vent some frustration.  Torturing humans in their loops always did make me feel better."  To be honest, she did miss the place, well, sometimes.  Earth had better drugs, booze and way better sexual partners.  She did tell Trixie she'd visit Malcolm and kick him in the nuts for her.  The kid was still angry about being kidnapped and not getting to beat on the man herself.  Maze had already decided that she would ask Lucifer if he would make a set of blades for her while they were down there.  Lucifer may be mad at Decker, but he does like the kid.  She didn't tell Trixie about her idea for the blades, she wanted them to be a surprise.  Either way, she knew Lucifer wouldn't refuse, Trixie made him all squishy.

Chloe rolled her eyes,  "Right, going to Hell... sure you are.  Whatever you say, Maze.  Take pictures, at least?  This way Trix can see you had a good time."  she looked around,  "Wait... Maze, if you plan to go away for a few weeks, then where's your luggage?"

"Decker, what part of 'Hell' did you not understand?  First off, cell phones don't work down there.  The electronics can't get through the veil, it'll just fry them.  It's why I won't be able to be reached, well, unless you send Amenadiel down with a message.  I mean, he has wings, so he can make the trip if you really need to get in touch with me."  Seeing the look on Chloe's face, she shook her head.  "I also don't need luggage, I still have all my stuff in my rooms at the Palace."  

"Uh-huh, because of course there's a Palace in Hell."  she rolled her eyes again.  "What was I thinking?"

"Lucifer's the King, where did you think he'd sleep, the loops?  Honestly, Decker, you’d think that by now it would sink into your brain that we're telling you the truth."  Maze really didn't have time to explain what Hell is to Chloe.  There was no point anyway, she refused to believe anything they told her.  She stood up and made her way to the door, with Trixie close behind her.  "Keep it real, Trix."  She gave her a hug as she was at the door.  "Stick to the plan, okay?"  she whispered in Lilim as they embraced.

Trixie nodded.  "Bring me back something cool and tell the Hellhounds I said Hi!"  Her and Maze had become quite close lately.  She spoke more to Maze than she did her mother, especially these days now that her mom had stopped seeing Lucifer.  She didn't like her mother's new boyfriend at all.  He was creepy and weird and gave her the worst vibes ever.  Maze didn't like him either, but she said it was because she's known him for a long time.  Something told Trixie not to trust him when they first met, and Maze taught her to trust her instincts and keep her distance but never let her guard down.  As of late, she's been asking to stay with her father more, and her mom didn't seem to mind.  In the past two weeks, Trixie had barely been home three nights with her mom.  She was either working late, or with her stupid, creepy boyfriend.  Her dad and Charlotte always made time for her.  Her mom never even talks about Lucifer anymore.  The last time Trixie went by LUX to see Lucifer, Patrick told her that he was away and hasn't been back.  That was over a week ago.  Maze finally told her the truth about what happened between him and her mom.  Her mom told her that Lucifer was busy at his club and that everything was fine between them.  She hated that her mother lied to her, but it was something she did a lot of lately.

"I'll make sure all the attention I give them is from you."  She looked up,  "Later, Decker.  Don't do anything stupid while I'm gone."  with that, she walked out.

Trixie released a sigh,  "I'm gonna go grab my backpack and my bag so we can leave."  She walked to her room, but Chloe stopped her.

"Hey Monkey?  You know she's coming back, right?  She's not really going to Hell, it's just a vacation.  You know that Maze can be dramatic sometimes."  Chloe tried to sound reassuring, she could see her daughter was really upset.  Why Maze had to go on with her 'I'm a demon from Hell' routine really bugged her.  She would have to talk to her about that when she got back.

"Yeah mom, I know she'll be back.  Oh, and she really is going to Hell.  I know you don't believe them about who and what they are, but, whatever.  I just miss seeing Lucifer, okay?  First he left me, and now Maze is leaving me too, it sucks.  I can't go with them because I'm just a human and Hell's atmosphere would kill me.  I hate that I have no one to hang out with now."  She picked up her backpack and her bag of clothes to bring to her father's for the next week and walked to the kitchen.  

Chloe continued to try and comfort her daughter, with little success.  Maybe she could ask Ella or maybe Marcus for some help in dealing with the way Maze talks to Trixie.  She can't keep telling her these things.  Trixie is actually believing them.  She grabbed her car keys from the counter as Trixie grabbed a pouch of Pop Tarts from the pantry.  "You still have me, Marcus, your dad and Charlotte to hang out with, plus your friends from school.  Why don't you call Jasmine and see if she wants to hang out after school?"

Trixie's eyes narrowed as she looked at her mother.  "Jasmine and her family moved to New York two weeks ago.  I told you about it after her going away party, don't you remember?"  She shook her head,  "Of course you don't."  she said under her breath with a snark.  "I haven't hung out with anyone but my Science Club in over a month, mom."  she said flatly.  "Not that you've even noticed."

Chloe practically ignored the comment and the fact that her daughter had no real friends to speak of.  "Don't worry, sweetie, Lucifer will be back to the precinct soon."  Not that she wanted Trixie anywhere near Lucifer and his 'I'm the Devil' delusion.  It's bad enough she has to deal with Maze.  Things were becoming more stable in her life, especially now that her relationship with Marcus was going well, but she had to placate the child.  "Lucifer just had some business to take care of, okay?  Maybe I'll text him later and see when he's coming back.  We can ask him to come to lunch with you, me and Marcus.  Would you like that?"

'I would rather eat my sneakers then to suffer going to lunch with your creepy boyfriend.'   she thought.  'I also know you have no intention of texting Lucifer to ask him.'   The pop-tart in her mouth was the only thing stopping her from calling her mother a liar to her face.  She knew that her mom had no intention of talking to Lucifer about anything ever again.  She bit down on the pastry and shrugged, keeping her mouth full of food was the only way she knew not to tell her mom her thoughts.  She opened the fridge and took out a juice box, stabbing the straw in, she took a large sip.  "It's fine mom.  Lucifer and Maze won't be around for the next few weeks anyway.  They need to go back to Hell to keep the demons in line, remember?  We have to go, or I'm gonna miss the bus."  After draining the juice box, she threw it in the bin, grabbed her bags and walked to the door.  

Chloe released a sigh, her daughter was going to hit the teens pretty hard, considering she had at least another year to go.  She expected some pushback that would be typical of a teen, but lately Trixie has been distant, even quiet.  They drove in uncomfortable silence, neither one willing to start a conversation.  When they got to her bus stop, Chloe told her to have a good day and that Dan was coming to get her after school.

"It's Friday mom, I have Science Club after school.  I'm here until six."  she shook her head when she saw her mother's blank expression.  "Because of course you forgot."  She rolled her eyes,  "Whatever.  It's fine, dad knows.  Try not to forget to give him my bag this time, please?  I need my clothes for the week."  She got out of the car and closed the door harder than she normally would.  Her mom has been forgetting a lot of things lately, especially when it came to her.

Hating the fact that she forgot about her Science Club, and the fiasco with her bag from last time, Chloe sighed to herself.  She drove off toward the precinct.

As soon as Chloe's car was out of view, Maze pulled up and handed Trixie a helmet and the leather jacket she had made for her to ride with.  She quickly suited up, and they were on their way to LUX.  As one of the people on the list of persons that care for Trix, Maze had already called the school and let them know that Trixie was going to be home sick.  They would finally get to ask Lucifer what happened.  

*******

Marcus Pierce had been steadily working on getting Chloe to fall in love with him.  Every stupid romantic thing he could think of, he did.  Yet, the mark still remained.  If Chloe could have feelings for the Devil, she sure as hell could have them for him.  He knew it wasn't that freaky mojo thing, because Lucifer told him that it didn't work on her anyway.  If it wasn't that, then what was he missing?  He made her dinner, bought her flowers, took her on dates, even tried to be nice to her kid, all the things she expected from him.  He tried everything to get her to fall in love with him, yet still, his curse remained.  The sex wasn't that great either, she was so not adventurous in bed.  She was a real 'plain Jane' between the sheets.  Her idea of being wild was to have the lights on, in the missionary position.  To be honest, he had no idea what the Devil saw in her.  

Then there were the changes he made for her.  So far, she's told him she would prefer they drive the car rather than take his motorcycle, just in case she had to grab Trixie if they were out together when she was needed.  Fine, he only takes the bike on days they're not going out together after work.  She told him they needed to do more activities with her daughter.  As much as he hated kids, he played along as the good boyfriend.  He knew the kid hated him just as much as he didn't want to get to know her.  Neither one got anything from their forced interactions, but they played nice when they had to be near each other.  It made Chloe believe things were good.  No PDA at work and when they were near the kid, it had to be PG.  Fine, he treated her just like everyone else at the precinct.  She told him she didn't need a new partner because Lucifer would get over whatever he was going through and come back.  He's done it before.  Fine, he held off on getting her a partner, but he knew Lucifer wasn't coming back.  He put in the paperwork for assigning her another partner anyway.  The department had rules and girlfriend or not, he wasn't going to show her favoritism.  He planned to tell her that her new partner was due to arrive that afternoon.  It was one of his people, a woman named Andrea.

He made the stupid changes she asked for, changes he didn't like, and didn't want, but to end his curse, he would do it.  The fact that he still had his mark made him angry enough to put Andrea down as her new partner.  Working with Chloe and having to pretend to be in a relationship with her was exhausting.  Things had to be a certain way with her, and he wasn't like that.  He's always been his own person, and mostly alone for his very long life.  How the Hell did Lucifer deal with her?  Removing his curse was taking longer than he anticipated.  Coming from an immortal, that was now getting frustrated with being alive, he had little choice but to move things forward even faster than he'd like.  Even with Lucifer out of the picture, something wasn't right about this.  There had to be more to it, he just didn't know what that was.  Having Andrea worm her way into Chloe's mind would hopefully speed things along.

He opened his private filing cabinet and pulled out everything he had on Lucifer and Chloe.  The first time Lucifer was vulnerable near her was a few weeks after they met.  Even Lucifer didn't know why it happened.  However, Lucifer did say that he asked her to shoot him to prove he was invulnerable.  He goaded her into doing it, could that be it?  If he made Chloe angry enough to cause him harm, to actually shoot him, it could work?  He noticed that every incident that Lucifer bled, Chloe was close to him.  Did he need to stay close to her to make it possible?  If that was the case, then he'd have to set something up, a real situation where he could die.  After his mark was gone though, he had no desire to test the theory while it was still there.  He placed the files back in his cabinet and thought about his next move.  

He reached for his phone and put a call in to a jeweler he knew.  Maybe popping the question would work?  Chloe was looking for a stable relationship and this would prove he was serious, right?  He knew the kid was going to be with her father this weekend, so he would plan a romantic dinner and do it then.  This had to work.

******

After preening each other, (that was beyond emotional and incredibly intimate), making love once more on the floor by the fireplace, then showering and getting dressed, Lucifer had made breakfast for them.  Now with the dishes cleaned and put away, and their bellies full, they relaxed on the sofa as they waited for Maze and possibly Miss Lopez.  

They held each other close as they cuddled, knowing that their time together was growing shorter by the second.  They hated when they had to part, but they knew that their father would eventually notice Michael's absence from the Silver City and find a way to separate them again.  He knew they needed each other for these moments, but never let them have too much time together.  Neither one fully understood why, so they couldn't do anything about it.  This has been the longest they have spent together in thousands of years.

One thing was for certain, Lucifer had no intention of returning to the LAPD or being near Chloe again.  Not after the way she treated him.  He intended to keep tabs on Cain and his network, of course, Devil is as Devil does.  He'd be happy knowing that he could slowly rip it apart from the outside just to watch Cain suffer.  It would be a good thing for all mankind as far as he was concerned.  What he could do from outside the department, was by far more damaging than what he could do with their help.  He had much better, and more seedier resources at his disposal.  He would of course make some anonymous calls to the police to have the perpetrators arrested.    

As far as Chloe, well Chloe made her choice now, hadn't she?  It wasn't him, it was the bloody father of murder.  He hadn't called or sent a single text to her, even though she had sent several when cases came up.  Not a single text she sent was to see if he was well, or if he was upset.  It was always something along the lines of 'stop acting like a child' or 'get over being jealous of Marcus'.  It was almost always about a case and what he could do to help her.  Apparently, she still needed the eggs, but was unwilling to acknowledge how she treated the hen.  So, he ignored all of her requests for his help.  As far as he was concerned, his mojo was no longer hers to use as she wanted.  She would have to go back to the way things were before he helped her become one of the best detectives in the state.  Cain was her partner now, he could try to fill that position if he had the chops.  That part of his life is over, it's time for something new.  His life was change, excitement and variety.  All the things she tried to steal from him.  All the things that make him... well, him.  He had no interest in going back to being her obedient little lap devil.

He intended to pop back down to Hell for a few Earth weeks and make sure everyone was behaving, then come back and find something new to do.  Maybe open a new club in Vegas, or simply travel the world for a year or two.  He'd make a decision once he returned topside.  There was no rush after all.

He did feel bad that Miss Lopez had text him daily, and he had not replied to her either.  Her texts were always thoughtful, she hoped he was okay, that if he needed to talk she would be there, she hoped he was enjoying his time away from the job.  Always asking about his well-being and showing concern.  She also sent several videos that he found amusing.  He'd sent a personal message to be delivered with her morning coffee, maybe she would come by, and he could explain what was going on.  He thought a text would be too impersonal, and she deserved to hear the truth from him.

He had kept in touch with Doctor Linda, she was well aware of what transpired between him and Chloe.  After promising to keep Amenadiel off his back for a while, he spoke more openly about everything.  She told him that he needed to take care of himself and not worry about what others think.  Even though she didn't know about Michael previous, she asked to see them both for a private session.  Lucifer let her know that was not very likely, so they did it over the phone.  That conversation changed a lot of things for Linda.  First having to come to terms with their relationship, then knowing why they were the way they were.  Who was she to question God?  The one question she asked was; if their father created them that way, then what makes them think he doesn't want them together?  They explained everything from the rebellion, to Amenadiel's dragging Lucifer back to Hell, to the creation of Chloe as a miracle.  In short, they had no idea why their father did the things he did.  They only knew that they would be separated again.

After speaking to Michael about their current situation, Lucifer was informed that he could make changes to Hell that he never thought possible before.  Apparently, Michael had been going through father's personal journals and found a treasure trove of information on many aspects of the realms.  Changes to all of them were possible, even expected, with time.  Not that dad was going to tell them any of that, because He never talked to anyone anymore.  According to dad's master plan, things had to work themselves out in increments.  Well, the time was now as far as they were concerned.  They spent a few hours a day going over small changes that would cause no problems in the Silver City.  The demons weren't the smartest creatures and would never really notice the subtle changes.  Those had to be done first, as demons - not unlike Angels - don't like change.  He and Michael had formulated a good plan to implement them and make it seem like the demons - or Angels - were the ones that wanted it.  It was a win-win for everyone.  Just thinking about it made Lucifer feel better about having to go back for a while.  The balance had to be maintained, as much as he hated it, he knew he had to do it.

He sent Maze a text the night before returning to the penthouse, letting her know that he planned to return to Hell for a short time.  He asked if she wished to join him, and she easily accepted the offer.  She wanted to take a vacation and the timing was perfect.  She would be meeting them any moment now.  He said he would explain everything to her when he saw her.

It was going to be a long day.

******

Ella pulled into the garage at LUX and entered the parking space Lucifer had reserved for her so long ago.  She hadn't been to the club since the week before Lucifer left.  It felt wrong with him being gone, but now she was giddy to know he was actually there.  Admittedly, she really did miss him.  She couldn't understand what happened between him and Chloe, mainly because Chloe refused to talk about him at all.  Lately, Chloe's head was in the clouds for Pierce.  Even though she was happy for them, she still wanted the Deckerstar team back.  Nothing was the same now that Lucifer was gone.  Even Dan said he missed Lucifer sometimes, only because he thought Pierce was a dick.  Pierce was a hardass with a lot of the department, not just Dan, and he almost never smiled.  Lucifer was always a joy to be around.  He made work fun.

She pushed the button for the elevator and bounced her leg nervously as the carriage made its way to the penthouse.  When the doors opened, the first thing she noticed was the light in the room.  It was brighter than she remembered,  "Lucifer?"  she called out as she stepped in slowly.

"Ah, Miss Lopez!"  Lucifer stood from the sofa and approached her, Michael followed him.

Taking all of three steps, she launched herself at him, crushing him in a hug.  "Oh, I missed you so much, buddy!  It has been sooo boring at work without you there."

He let out a soft laugh as he wrapped his arms around her.  One thing he's learned over his time around the tiny Latina, is that she will not be swayed by his refusal of a hug.  He's grown rather fond of the act now.  "I missed you as well, Miss Lopez.  I like to believe that any place I go would be boring after I've departed."  He detached from her and took her hand,  "Allow me to introduce..."

"Woah dude..."  she eyed Michael up and down, savoring his looks,  "no wonder you haven't been around."  she nudged Lucifer with her elbow.  He was 'God-like' in his looks, and damn, if his body wasn't smokin' hot.  Her bad-boy meter just broke.  "I totally get it."  She winked at Lucifer.  'Wow.'  she mouthed at him as she mockingly cooled herself with her hand.  If Lucifer wasn't dating this guy, she was gonna jump at the chance.

This made him smile as he let out a laugh.  He knew of her weakness towards 'bad boys' and understood exactly what she was feeling.  "Michael, this is Miss Lopez."  He knew how beautiful Michael was to humans, and expected no less than her reaction.

Michael took her hand and smiled,  "It's nice to meet you, Miss Lopez.  Lucifer has told me so much about you."  

"You can call me Ella."  She let out a small laugh as she looked back to Lucifer,  "¿Estuviste con él todo este tiempo y hablaste de mí?  Estás resbalando, amigo."  she let out a 'tisk-tisk' as she shook her head.  "You seriously talked about me?  I hope it was all good stuff."

"It wasn't the whole time, I can assure you."  Michael smiled and blew a kiss at Lucifer.

Lucifer blushed.  "No, it most certainly wasn't."

The elevator opened once more, and Trixie launched herself toward Lucifer with her usual screech of his name.  Sensing the demon, Michael's wings opened on instinct, and he went into a fighting stance.  He placed himself in front of Lucifer, stopping Trixie in her tracks and drawing out a gasp from Ella.  He stood ready to protect his love from the demon he sensed.

"Calm yourself, Mi."  Lucifer replied, knowing he was reacting to a demon, not the child,  "It's just Maze."  He gently eased Michael's wings down.  His primaries were sharpened as if ready for a fight.

He calmed himself, and furled his wings away quickly, he noticed Ella standing in shock.  "Shit."  he muttered, too softly for the mortals to hear.  Miss Lopez looked pale now, the child, however, seemed fine, almost as if his wings had no effect on her.  In an attempt to regain control of the room, he quickly changed his focus,  "Sorry Mazikeen, old habits die hard."

"You should be used to my signature by now, Angel."  she scoffed as she walked in behind Trixie.  Typical Angels, always ready for a fight, that's what she liked about them.  It was the only thing she liked, if it came right down to it.  Then again, Michael was different.

Not being afraid in the slightest, Trixie eyed the Angel.  "Can I hug Lucifer now, or do you plan on doing the 'Avenging Angel' thing again if I get too close?" she asked innocently as she dropped her backpack and took off her jacket.

"I'm sorry for the display of hostility child, if it's okay with him, you may."  Michael replied, stunned that she hardly batted an eye at his wings.  

Lucifer walked a few steps toward her, and she curled him in a hug.  "Is that your boyfriend?"

Michael tilted his head with a wink of his eye,  "Am I?"

Letting out a snicker, Lucifer shook his head,  "No, he's..."  he eyed him with love,  "he's more than that to me."

"Good.  You deserve someone that likes you better than mommy.  So, which one is he?"  she eyed Michael,  "He looks like a model, but he acts like Maze does when people make her mad."

Maze scoffed a laugh.

Michael blushed, and quickly looked at Ella again.  She still hadn't said a word, but her hand wrapped around the cross at her neck.  He then stared at Maze, who kept her distance, but made sure she was in Michael's eye line the entire time.  

"That is Michael."  he stated proudly, answering Trixie's inquiry.

"Like the Archangel that sent you to Hell?"  she reached for her knife,  "You want me to beat him up for you?"  

Lucifer stopped her before she could retrieve the weapon.

Michael raised an eyebrow at that.  He'd never seen a human child with such a dedication to anyone, let alone the Devil, to act like this.  "I beg your pardon?"

Lucifer scoffed out a laugh,  "No child, though I appreciate you taking your lessons with Maze seriously, well done on the reaction."  He took a bit of pride at that moment.  "However, we do not harm Michael, ever.  He was only following orders from our father, and we have made up since then."  He was proud of her for not only not showing fear, but being willing to fight an Archangel on his behalf.

She shrugged,  "Okay, if you say so, but if he hurts you, I will cut him."

"Damn straight, little human."  Maze winked at her.

"I have no doubt that you'll try, urchin."  he smiled at her.  "Though, I wouldn't recommend it.  Michael is formidable in battle."

She shrugged.  "Okay.  Doesn't mean I won't, though.  If he hurts you, I'll hurt him.  Believe me, he won't like it."  She eyed him, putting two fingers to her eyes, then pointed at him,  "I'm watching you, so don't you dare hurt him."

Michael was taken aback by the display, but smiled,  "Should I hurt him in any way, I would easily allow you to do it."  He smiled at Lucifer,  "I would never hurt him, and he knows that."

Lucifer let out a breath,  "I love you too."

"As long as you know what will happen to you if you do, I'm okay with that.  So, where have you been all this time?  I have so much to tell you..."  she began to ramble.

"Wait!  Stop!  Hold on!  What the Hell did I just see?"  Ella finally managed to say, as her breathing became shallow.  She was not going to hyperventilate, she refused to lose control.  "He has wings... like... huge freakin' wings... where did they go?"  They vanished as quick as they appeared.  That can't happen, right?  Right?  She crossed herself.  Believing in the 'Big Guy' was one thing but seeing actual proof that Angels were real... it was all too much too fast.  "That just happened, right?  I'm not having a stroke, am I?"  She eyed Lucifer,  "Lucifer?  Am I having a stroke?"

Lucifer pinched the bridge of his nose,  "Right, well..."

Trixie laughed and shook her head.  "Nube."

Maze snorted her vodka and looked at Trixie,  "Nice."  She nodded, approving of the use of the word.  She looked at Ella,  "He's the Archangel Michael, Ella.  Lucifer is an Archangel too, even though he prefers to be known as the Devil, and I'm a Demon.  Will you believe us now, or do you still think he's a method actor?"  Maze said dryly.  She wanted to go already, and this was going to slow things down.  She needed to rip off that band-aid and move things along.

"Mazikeen!  Behave."  Lucifer barked.

Michael hadn't moved from where he stood, though he stood a bit taller and bowed his head slightly,  "Miss Lopez, I am as Mazikeen of the Lilim stated, the Archangel Michael Demiurgos, Sword of God, Judge of Souls, Prince of the Silver City, Commander of the Imperial Army..."

"Yadda, yadda, yadda, we don't have all day.  I think she gets it, Angel."  Maze quipped as she poured herself another drink.  She rolled her eyes, thinking that Angels really could talk about themselves for hours if you let them.  They didn't have time for that right now.  There was too much going on, and not a whole Hell of a lot of time to work through an existential crisis.

"Yes, well... it does go on like that, but I guess you understand."  Lucifer released a small chuckle, though he looked at her with a bit of worry and heavy concern.  Finding out that Angels are real, that the Devil himself is real, is not easy for anyone to take, he knew that.  He kept his distance, but inquired,  "Miss Lopez, are you alright?"

She looked at Lucifer and shook her head.  "I don't know.  Dude... you're..."  she swallowed thickly as she stared back and forth between Michael and Lucifer,  "you're really the Devil?"

"Yes,"  he nodded as he moved to give her access to the elevator, should she wish to run from him.  He expected that,  "I have never lied to you.  Like everyone else, you simply chose not to believe me."

"I believed you."  Trixie replied flatly.  "Always have."

She shook her head again, trying to shake the thought out.  "But...  How?  I mean... you're such a sweetie, that makes no sense!  Why would they say the Devil is this evil guy, when you're not like that at all!"  She was angry now as she pointed at him,  "You have been bringing me a Unicorn Sprinkle Frappé and cereal bits donuts every morning for like..." she threw up her hands, "over a year, even when you were away they kept coming!  The Devil sends most of the precinct coffee and donuts, and has been working as a consultant to put away criminals for years."  She stared at him and a thought hit her,  "You drive a sweet Corvette...  you text in emoji... you like cat videos... and you remember everyone's birthday!  You like opera and art, and you play the piano better than Mozart...  I don't understand...  Why did God let the world think you're a bad guy?  Why didn't he make them stop bad-mouthing you?  No!  No, no, no and absolutely, no!  Oh, I am so gonna have words with the Big Guy about this."  She curled her hands into fists at her sides.  "Na man, he did you dirty, and I can't let that go."

Michael let out a small chuckle.  He felt the same way, but humans are not easily swayed when it comes to their beliefs.  He's tried to convince them, but they just don't seem to grasp the truth unless it's thrust onto them.  To do that, they would have to subvert their free will, and they can't do that.  It's a no-win situation.

Lucifer let out a scoff of a laugh.  He adored Miss Lopez and her faith in him.  "I appreciate that little rant on my behalf, Miss Lopez, but I'm afraid dear 'ol dad doesn't care what humans think of me.  If He did, He could fix it with the snap of His fingers.  He just won't."

"No, no way!  That's not the point, Lucifer!"  she snapped.  "I mean really, come on, horns and a tail?  Goat legs and hooves, and a pitchfork of all things?  Who came up with that, a first-grader?  It's just wrong, Lucifer.  So, so wrong.  It's slander, it's not right."  She was fuming at the fact that God would even allow such things to happen to his own son.

"I couldn't agree more, Ella.  Lucifer is father's favorite, his most beautiful and most precious son.  Always has been, always will be."  Michael replied as his eyes met his brother's.

Lucifer took his hand,  "You forgot to mention that includes you too, you know."

"Yeah, maybe, but no one but us really knows that part of the story now, do they?  You're the bright and shining one, remember?"  he raised his eyebrow,  "I just scare the crap out of people most of the time."  He shrugged, but blew Lucifer a kiss.

"Ugh, enough with the mushy stuff.  Can we get on with this, please?"  Maze grunted.  "I'd like to go now."

They all stared at her as the room went silent.  Trixie shook her head,  "Maze just wants to go on vacation, it's all she's been talking about since yesterday.  Then again, she's been cranky ever since mom and dingus started dating."

"Dingus?"  Lucifer replied with a raised eyebrow,  "Not like you to call someone names, child."  It wasn't.  Beatrice was raised to respect adults, and to hear her speak like this was out of the norm.  "I approve, by the way.  Can't say I like the man either, because I don't."

"Oh, I have way more colorful words I could use, but I'm not allowed to say them out loud."  she crossed her arms in front of her chest.  "Stupid swear jar.  Dingus knows I don't like him, and I know he doesn't like me either.  We barely tolerate each other when mom makes us all be together.  He's creepy and weird, and I don't like him.  He stares at mom when he thinks no one is looking."  She looked at Lucifer,  "Not like you used to do, with those big heart eyes that make you smile all stupid.  When he does it, it's like his eyes are empty and cold.  It gives me the heebie-jeebies."  

Ella took a second to realize that Trixie was talking about Pierce.  "Oh-Em-Gee!  I know, right?  I thought I was the only one that noticed that!  Like, he sees her as prey, like food for a kill.  It's kinda creepy, right?  Like he looks at her like she's a deer he's hunting."

"Yes!"  Trixie replied.  "It's so… blech… just…"  her whole body shivered noticeably with her exaggerated movement,  "...eeewww."

"Humans..."  Maze uttered quietly enough just so the Angels could hear.

Lucifer shook his head,  "Right, well, the Detective made it perfectly clear she wishes to be with the walking fossil, I can't change that."  No, he couldn't, but at least everyone in the room agreed that they didn't like him.  That made him feel better at least.  "She made the choice, she has to live with the consequences, I'm afraid."

"Well, I shouldn't have to.  Lucifer, I know you don't like the word, but I hate him so much."  Trixie replied, crossing her arms in front of her.  "I don't trust him.  The last time he stayed at the house, I refused to go to sleep.  I fell asleep at my desk at school because I was up all night.  I don't want to be around him.  He's not a nice person, I can feel it."  She knows, because Maze taught her, how to spot a person destined for Hell.  What she called 'Bad Souls', though she didn't say it out loud.  Marcus was one of them.  He made her weary of being near him, like his soul was tainted.  Even though Maze was a demon, she never got that feeling from her, but Marcus made her skin crawl.  She didn't understand how her mother could be around the man.

"How the Hell did you manage to stay up all night?"  Ella laughed.  She had no idea a kid could do that without caffeine or illegal substances, and Trixie was not the type to do that.

Trixie shrugged,  "Maze snuck me a few of her five-hour-energy drinks from her stash.  It worked like a charm.  I finished an English report that was due that week, worked ahead two weeks in my math book and finished my science project ahead of time, so it wasn't a total wash.  I also watched a few episodes of Supernatural while I was doing it.  Daddy thought I was sick when he came to school to get me."

Lucifer cocked an eyebrow,  "Excellent use of time, you deceptive little parasite."

"Hey, I didn't lie to daddy about being sick, I just didn't correct him.  You do it all the time!"  she stuck her tongue out at him.  "The good thing was mom was working a case, so they sent me home with daddy, thankfully."

Maze slammed her glass on the bar,  "Great talk, everyone hates Cain, Decker is a bad mother, Ella knows the truth about us, and Trix is badass.  Can we go now?"

"Cain?"  Ella cocked her head.

With a sharp voice Lucifer replied,  "When I know that Michael has to leave then we will go, and not one second before that.  I may not see him for a hundred years, Mazikeen.  You know damn well how much longer it will be for me once we go back.  It's going to be hard enough leaving him without your bloody complaining.  You can take it out in the loops when we get back to Hell."  

She let out a sigh,  "Right, sorry.  Forgot about that."  She picked up her glass and refilled it.  "You said you had things you wanted to talk about anyway, so..."  she pushed her hand out in a gesture to get him to speak.

"Right."  he clapped his hands together,  "Let's have a sit down, and I'll let you know what happened and why I needed some time away."

Ella stared at Michael, then to Lucifer,  "Wait, wait, wait.  You only get to see each other every hundred years?  Is your dad really that mean?  That's so sad."

"If the bastard had his way, we'd never see each other."  Lucifer spoke sadly.  "Unfortunately, if we don't level ourselves out, we could destroy the universe.  That is a discussion best left for when the child isn't around."

Michael squeezed his hand,  "That's not what you came to talk about, Sam.  Stay on point, please."  He honestly didn't want the child to have to hear their story.  She was too young to understand, and there wasn't enough time to explain it.

"You're right, Mi."  they sat on the sofa, side by side.  

"I'm always right."  he joked back.

Ella took one of the large chairs, Trixie the other.  Maze looked uncomfortable, not wanting to sit around listening to stories.  "Uh, can't you just drop me off first?  I honestly don't care what happened with Decker, she was no good for you anyway, Lucifer.  She tried to change you too much."

Michael stood,  "If you don't mind me being your wings, I can take you to the gates.  I'm not permitted any further than that without Sam."  

"Why can't you go any further without Lucifer?"  Trixie inquired,  "Amenadiel can."

Michael smiled,  "Yes, Amenadiel can, as can Azrael because they have duties in Hell.  I don't, so without an actual invitation and escort by the King, I cannot enter his domain.  No Celestial can.  It would be seen as an act of War."

Trixie released a small chuckle and looked at Lucifer,  "It's good to be the King, huh?"

"I would gladly give the Kingdom to whomever wishes to live in the dark in the sweltering heat and wants to deal with our family."  he replied with a snark.  "Take Maze to the gates."  He smiled at Michael,  "Please be quick, love."  he stood and kissed him softly.

Ella and Trixie both let out a collective 'Aaawwww' as Maze grunted.  "Fine.  Let's go Angel."  She gave a complicated handshake to Trixie, followed by a hug.  "Stay frosty, little human."

"Duh.  Ek hou my oe oop en my rug teen die muur."  (I'll keep my eyes open and my back against the wall.)  she smiled, proud that she had been learning Lilim and was able to use it.

"Excellent pronunciation, urchin.  Maze taught you well."  Lucifer said with pride.  

With a smile, she replied,  "Ek het 'n goeie onderwyser gehad."  (I had a good teacher.)

"Uh, what the Hell kind of language was that?"  Ella stared at them.

"Back in a flash."  Michael picked up Maze, unfurled his wings and took off for Hell.  Lucifer felt the loss of Michael almost immediately.  He looked at Ella,  "It's the language of the Demons, known as Lilim."

"That sounded just as badass as Klingon."  she smiled.

"Na-uh, it's way cooler than Klingon."  Trixie replied.

Lucifer remained staring at the now empty balcony.  "No offense Miss Lopez, but Klingon is not a real language.  If it were a true-spoken language, then I'd know it fluently.  Though, Elvish has been identified as a language thanks to Tolkien, so that I now know, unfortunately."

"How can you know Elvish and NOT know Klingon?  Ugh... I need to get it to be an official language now."  she pulled out her phone.

"Oh, please don't trouble yourself on my account."  he fiddled with his cuff for a moment.  Michael should have been back by now.  What's taking him so long?  "I mean, honestly, when is knowing Klingon ever going to be useful?"

"TlhIngan Hol vIjatlh! 'ach HoSbe'chugh. "  she shouted.

"Yes, I know you speak Klingon Miss Lopez, however..."  he stopped short and eyed her,  "Oh, you devious little hellion!  That was so cruel,"  he had to give her credit,  "it was sneaky, but well played."  It reminded of how Michael used to get him to do things by outsmarting him.

"Gotcha Satan!"  she laughed as she pointed at him,  "You do speak Klingon!"

He sighed and stared back at the balcony,  "Yes, apparently I do now.  Thank you so much for that piece of nerd-hood that I didn't want.  I'm sure that knowing Klingon will come in handy someday.  Said no one but me, ever."  he snarked at her.  "Nerd.  You and Michael should get along wonderfully."

Trixie slipped her hand into his,  "Lucifer?  He'll be back, right?"

Lucifer stared in shock when Maze and Michael appeared on the balcony.  Why was Maze still with him, and why do they look worried?  "What happened?"  Lucifer said with wide eyes.

******

"Lopez!"  he barked as he walked into the empty lab.  He turned around and shouted,  "Where the Hell is Lopez?"

"She came in this morning for like ten minutes, spoke to Martha, then went home.  Next thing I know, they sanitized her lab.  Man, I hope it's not that new Covid variant.  I got my booster and all, but I can't get sick with that again."  Officer Cacuzza replied.

He grumbled to himself,  "Who's covering for her?"

"Brody and Higgs, but they're both out right now.  Brody's with Espinoza, and Higgs is with Decker."  If anything went on in that station, she knew about it.  "Should be wrapped up on Espinoza's body by now.  He was called out first thing this morning.  Chloe met Higgs at her scene about an hour and a half ago."  She remained where she was, he hadn't dismissed her.

He nodded.  "Great, have either one of them come to my office when they get in.  I'm looking for the reports Lopez was supposed to give me."

"Did you check her outgoing file box in her lab?"  she asked.

"I was not even aware that was a thing."  he let out an annoyed huff.

She walked to the lab and pointed toward the rack behind the door.  "It seems you have a few files in your cubby already."

He grabbed the files,  "That would be it.  Thanks."

"Anytime boss."  she smiled and went back to the evidence room.

Cain sat at his desk, reading the forensic report, and was happy that the DNA and ballistics results came back the way he'd hoped.  Now the bastard that shot and murdered a ten-year-old kid for playing basketball at six pm - in his own driveway - will rot in jail forever.  All because the guy was fired from his job and got angry at a kid thumping a basketball.  He really hated humans sometimes.  After signing off on the paperwork, he set the file aside and opened the next.  His phone distracted him.

"Pierce."  he said as he picked it up, not bothering to look at who was calling.

"Hey, it's me.  Can you talk or are you busy?"  her voice came through clear.

He rolled his eyes and tried not to sound frustrated as she spoke.  "I was just looking over some files.  What's up?"  He tried to sound as happy as possible, he was just not in the mood to deal with her right now.  

Chloe could almost sense that he was in a bad mood and changed tactics quickly.  "Sorry I didn't come in this morning.  I grabbed this call just after I dropped Trixie off at the bus.  I didn't want to waste any time, so I came right to the scene instead.  It's not bad here, and the case seems pretty cut and dry.  I would have been back sooner, but we had over a dozen witnesses, two had camera footage of the incident from doorbell cams.  I'm bringing it all back with me.  Higgs told me Ella was sick, so I don't know who's available to check the video or run facial recognition.  We have a suspect name, but I'd like a positive ID before I put in for the warrant for him."

He laid his head in his hand, thankful she wanted to talk about work.  That was always a good way to keep her close without trying to pretend to care.  "We could have Norris or Cacauza do it for now.  They've had training on the system.  Both of them are up for promotion, but don't tell them I'm looking at them specifically.  I could always take on more Detectives."

"Not a word from me, you can count on that.  I should be there in about a half hour.  You want me to grab us an early lunch on my way in?  Something quick, burgers or tacos?"  She asked casually, hoping he would agree to the unexpected lunch date.

"Yeah actually, burgers sound good."  he lifted his head, her bringing lunch was perfect.  He would use their early lunchtime to tell her about her new partner.  Then to plan their weekend getaway.  If asking her to marry him doesn't remove the damn mark, nothing will.  "I was hoping to get you alone for a few minutes today.  I wanted to discuss plans for our getaway week."

She knew he couldn't see the smile on her face, or the blush of her cheeks, but he could hear it in her voice.  "Oh?  Something romantic and just the two of us, I hope.  Dan has Trixie all next week, so we have until next Sunday night."

"Well then, maybe we'll just have to start that romantic getaway tonight."  he replied in a charming voice that if she saw his face, she would know he didn't mean a word of.  In all fairness, the idea of being stuck with her for an entire week made him feel sick.  She's so damn boring.

"Good thing this case is an easy one.  I'll see you soon."  she said with a purr.

"See you soon."  he hung up, made sure the call disconnected, and let out a low growl of frustration.  What he really wanted to do was scream.  He picked up the phone again, calling his jeweler once more, and told him to box up any solitaire engagement ring he had available.  One-karat diamond with a gold band in size seven would do for what he needed.  Also, he needs it now.  The jeweler sent him a photo of a ring he had in his display.  After paying for it, he had it picked up by his courier.  He had the ring in his hand three minutes before Chloe walked in with their lunch.

After the initial pleasantries and a short re-telling of her case, Cain closed his office door, locked it, then shut the blinds so they wouldn't be disturbed.  He'd already cleared most of his coffee table to make room for their food, and Chloe was taking the trays out as he was giving them privacy.  She placed the cans of soda on the table as he sat down.  "So, what did you have in mind for our alone time?"  she smiled.

"This."  he leaned over and kissed her softly.  He had this planned, and needed to make it work to his advantage.  Propose and make her happy, then spring a new partner on her after lunch.  She'll be too elated to cause a fuss, and he could have Andrea in place to feed Chloe the information he wants her to have.  If the proposal doesn't go well, he'll have to readjust.  Given how Chloe was with him, he didn't see her saying no.

"Well, that's the perfect opener.  If the rest is anything like that, then I'll take it."  she leaned in for another kiss as her hand caressed the back of his neck.  "I like your hair like this, I'm glad you cut it."

Cain released a small growl that she mistook for his approval.  (It was more out of frustration, really, not that she could tell the difference.  For a detective, she hardly ever noticed the obvious.)  No, he didn't want to cut his hair shorter, but he did it to make her happy.  If she was happy with him, he would lose his curse.  He didn't like how bossy she was most of the time.  He had to get this done now.  After releasing himself from her embrace, he slipped off the sofa and got on his knee, ring in hand, as he spoke,  "Chloe Jane Decker..."

Her hands slapped over her mouth so she wouldn't scream for joy.  Just the size of the diamond nearly made her faint.  Her eyes filled with tears of happiness as she looked at him.  This time, she was going to plan a real wedding, Trixie could be her flower girl, she could have a real wedding photo to hang up in her home.  Her mind was thinking of a thousand things.  Would they move into his house?  He has the room, but Trixie would need to change schools.  She looked at him and her heart pounded, she really did love him.  He was already the perfect boyfriend, and now he'll make an excellent husband.

She was nodding before he even finished asking, but he paused when she seemed to be stuck in her mind.  When her eyes locked on him again, he finally continued on with the charade.  He knew she needed this, she wanted it.  "... Chloe, my love, would you make me the happiest man alive and marry me?"  he smiled as sincerely as he could.  

"Yes!  Yes, Marcus, yes!"  she felt the ring slip on her finger as if it were custom-made.  She pulled him into a deep hug as her lips found his.  The kiss was long and passionate, and as they pulled apart, she whispered into his ear,  "I love you, Marcus.  You make me so happy."

His heart began to beat fast in his chest,  'Finally!  He got her to say it!'   With a soft whisper back into her ear,  "I love you, Chloe.  You have given me the greatest gift I could have ever hoped for."   

She leaned out and looked him in the eye,  "Oh, and what would that be?"  Her fingers caressed his jawline, then his lips.

"Because you said you love me.  You really love me, and you said yes to being my bride.  That alone could make me die a happy man."  She couldn't see behind the mask of happiness that he wore.  On the inside was nothing more than a wicked grin.  Knowing that he not only took away the Devil's girl, but he would now get the benefit of being mortal, vulnerable, and finally able to die, and there wasn't a damn thing that God or the Devil could do about it.

Cain was about to get even with the God that cursed him and the Devil that destroyed his family.  All with one miracle.

******

Lucifer eyed them once more,  "Mi?  What's wrong?  Tell me, please."  The way Michael looked at him was a cross between confusion and disbelief.  He didn't like the feeling that was coming through their bond, either.  It made the hairs on the back of his neck stand on edge.  Whatever happened, wasn't good.

Trixie and Ella remained quiet.  Not that they could have helped the situation.

Michael placed Maze down on the balcony and shook his head.  "I don't know if this is a good or a bad thing, but... Sam, the gates have been sealed."  He furled his wings away while he waited for Lucifer to question him.  In all fairness, he didn't know why the gates had been sealed, but knew his brother would ask him anyway.  What confused him most, was how they were sealed.  No demon did that, he knew that much.

"Well, of course they are!  I can't have those idiots getting out when I'm not there.  Maze should have been able to get in them easily, it's her home..."  Lucifer began and was quickly cut off.

"You don't understand!"  his voice rose to stop his brother from droning on.  "The gates were sealed with High-Enochian runes, Sam.  Even I couldn't read them to open them.  The gates wouldn't open for Maze, she couldn't get in."  he knew as soon as he said it, that Lucifer would lose his collective shit.  He waited for the yelling that was to come.

The look on Lucifer's face spoke volumes.  He opened and closed his mouth several times before he finally spoke,  "High-Enochian?  You're sure about that?"  

"Are you seriously asking me that?"  Michael questioned, letting out a grunt,  "I'm not an idiot.  I know what it was.  Some of the runes were familiar looking, but I don't know how to say them."

He wouldn't have known, neither would Lucifer, not unless someone spoke them openly.  They were never taught how to speak the High-Enochian rune magic, in fact, no Angel was.  They knew of it, and had seen their parents use it, but they were not schooled in its use.  Only their parents had the ability to use that form of magic, and with mom in a cell and their father not being around for hundreds of years, the fact that the gates had been sealed with it was a distressing sign.  "No, that... that's not possible.  It would mean that..."

Maze had huffed past him and sat at the bar.  "That's what I said, but Michael believes it had to be someone higher up.  I think it was your dad, but he said it couldn't be.  I don't like this Lucifer, something is wrong."  

"What if it is Him?"  his eyes wide with concern,  "Or dad forbid, what if mom actually got out?"

"Oh please, I would have known if father had returned, even you would have sensed Him."  Michael took Lucifer's hand,  "It isn't Him.  First off, He would have locked you in Hell, not out of it.  Secondly, wouldn't you know if mom's cell was opened?  Even if it was Her, why would She lock herself in Hell and keep everyone out?  You'd think She'd want to get out as fast as possible."

Ever the tactician and strategist, Michael made a good point, however, that still didn't help him in the current situation.  "Right.  Good point, but no, I wouldn't know if mom got out.  Dad put the runes on Her cell, I didn't have any control over it."  If something terrible had come to his domain, Hell would have let him know the moment it happened.  "Well then, we may be looking at mom's escape or another deity is trying to take over Hell.  That's not good."  If his mother really did break out, she wouldn't want to stay in Hell.  He didn't think she would do that, and if she somehow found her way to Earth, they would have felt her presence.  If she managed to get to the Silver City, Michael would have known immediately.  That leaves an outside deity trying to take over.  It's an act of war.  "Hell hasn't said a word to me in a while, maybe they have everything handled.  We shouldn't worry for nothing."

"Babe, come to Hell with me and see the gates for yourself."  he said softly,  "Maybe you can sense what's going on down there.  I'm not familiar with it as you are."

"Well Maze is and if..."

"Lucifer,"  she spoke before he could finish,  "before you go down, you should know that Hell feels - off.  Even outside the gates, it was almost calm."  She shuttered after she said it.  "The wailing at the gates wasn't there, no screams and no guardians either."

"What?"  He startled a bit at that statement.  No screams and no guardians at the gates was bad.  Hell had a connection to him and so far, it's been silent.  "Calm, you say?  No, no, that can't be right, Michael and I haven't put any changes in place yet."  he looked at his brother with a deep concern.  Was it possible that just him thinking about the changes he wanted to make actually made them happen?  He's never had that kind of ability before, so why would he now?  Hell would have let him know if it made changes, and he hadn't even discussed it yet.  "It's just not possible!  None of what we spoke about was implemented, Mi.  Hell would have told me if it did.  Besides, we never talked about permanently locking the gates!"

Maze pulled from the bottle in her hand,  "Well, somebody locked us out, so you better get going and find out who it was.  I really wanted a vacation."

He turned to the others,  "Miss Lopez, Beatrice, we'll be back as soon as we can."  He looked at Maze once more,  "Don't leave until we return, understand?"

Ella nodded,  "You'll be safe, right?"

"As much as we can be with this many unknowns."  he replied.  He was not going to say that they'd be fine, and they shouldn't worry.  He knew better than that.  There was no telling what could happen in Hell.

"Yeah, just go already."  she huffed and pulled from the bottle once more.

Walking to the balcony, Michael and Lucifer unfurled their wings and headed towards Hell.

******

Dan sat in his car reading the letter his daughter had written him the day before.  He'd read it twice already, once when she left the day she gave it to him, and once this morning, and still had a hard time dealing with what she wrote.  His baby; well, pre-teen now; had asked him if she could move in with him forever because she hated her mother's boyfriend.  In the letter, she also admitted that Marcus didn't like her either and that they were both pretending to be nice for Chloe's sake.  She said her mom changed and is acting weird.  She would lie about talking to Lucifer and when he was coming back.  Trixie even explained that she had to take an Uber home last Friday after Science Club because her mom never came to get her.  When she got home, her mom and Marcus were having dinner together, and Chloe asked why Dan hadn't picked her up.  She forgot that Dan was on a case and was undercover.  She blamed Trixie for not reminding her.  Trixie picked up her phone, she showed her the texts she sent that went unanswered.  Trixie refused to have dinner with them and went to her room, feeling like an outcast in her own house, once again.  

It upset him to know that his daughter was going through this.  His daughter didn't feel welcome in her own home because her mother was acting strange.  He also didn't know what to make of Chloe 'acting weird', what does that mean in kid speak?  Aside from what she described, it had to be much more.  Trixie was smart and could deal with a lot, but for her to write this letter, things had to be way worse than what she was telling him.

The letter went on to say that Chloe's been forgetting to make Trixie's lunch or give her money to get lunch, she forgot about the teacher conference that she scheduled, and never signed her permission slip for the field trip the class went on last Wednesday.  Trixie had to stay in the library all day with another other kid from a different class who couldn't go either.  Her mom doesn't read to her anymore at night.  They haven't watched a movie or played a game together, only when Marcus is there, and it's not fun.  She said she didn't tell her mom about those things, because she doesn't care anymore.  Trixie also did her own laundry twice because Chloe was 'too busy' with work.  That was a lie because she managed to do the clothes that Marcus left at the house and her own stuff.  

That pissed him off.  Chloe has never put anyone before Trixie, and now she's neglecting her like this?  All because of Pierce?  Not that he wasn't proud of Trixie being independent, but at twelve, she still needed her mom.  His daughter shouldn't have to make her own lunch in secret or use her allowance; which Chloe hadn't given her in two weeks; even though she still did her chores.  

Trixie said she missed Lucifer, he was her friend and was always willing to play games or help with her homework.  He never forgot to pick her up from school, even when they were working late.  Every time she tried to talk about him, Chloe would tell her that he was busy with his Club business, and she would try and call him.  She never did, and she lied about it.  She lies all the time now.  Trixie now understood why Lucifer hated lies.

Reading the last paragraph, he noticed that she already knew that Chloe would forget to give him her bag for the week she would be with him.  She asked that he not say anything to her mom because she wanted to see if she really remembered.  

He folded the letter and put it back in his pocket.  He picked up his phone and called Linda.  If anyone could tell him how to handle this, it would be her.

"Dan?  Is everything okay?"  her soft 'Doctor' voice asked.

"No.  No it's not.  Do you have any appointments free today?  I... I really need your help."  he admitted openly.  He was trying not to cry, but to be honest, he wanted to curl up like a child and scream until he fell asleep.  He couldn't do that, not when it was this important.  Trixie was all that mattered right now.

She looked at her blotter quickly, and made an impulse decision.  Okay, so her lunch would have to be forgotten today, but she knew what happened with Chloe, so it had to be something like that.  "My next available is in thirty-five minutes.  Can you get here by then?"

He let out a breath of relief,  "Yeah, I can do that.  Do you want lunch?  I can grab us something on the way if you haven't eaten yet."

"I have lunch with me, but I'll eat with you if you need to get something.  I know you could be called for work on short notice."  she was not one for eating during sessions, but needs must.  "I'll see you soon."

"Thanks Linda."  he hung up and drove off toward her office.  He stopped at a drive-thru to grab something quick, and he got a text from Maze.

  Maze:  Come to LUX when you can.  Meet me in the penthouse, it's important.

He grumbled as he read it, but typed back,  

  Dan:  Have an appointment, see you in about two hours, maybe a little more.

  Maze:  Fine.  Don't tell Decker, I have Trix with me already.

  Dan:  Why is she not in school?  She has Science Club today and never misses it.

  Maze:  This is important, you'll understand when you get here.  Before you ask, she had a pop-tart for breakfast.

  Dan:  Chloe forgot to make her something again, didn't she?

  Maze:  That's nothing new.  I try to make sure she has cash for lunch.

He got his food from the server and pulled into a spot to send one last text.

  Dan:  Thank you, Maze.  I'll see you soon.

He headed towards Linda's office with even more anger than he had before.  Now he knew what he needed to do.

******

Linda was sitting at her desk, typing her notes for the previous session when her phone chimed.

  Maze:  Come to LUX after work.  There are some things you need to know.

She eyed the phone, it wasn't like Maze to be cryptic.  She was very direct, even painfully so at times.  This couldn't be good, but then again, it's Maze.  Why are all her friends so exhausting?  "Probably because the exhausting ones aren't human and have no concept of the simplest things."  she said aloud with a laugh.  "And I wonder why my stomach is acting up."

  Linda:  I don't suppose you can give me a hint?

The three dots danced as she waited for Maze to respond.  

  Maze:  The gates of Hell have been locked, and Lucifer and Michael don't know who did it or why.  Too much to say here - come to LUX as soon as you can.  

  Maze:  AND DO NOT TELL AMENADIEL, we don't know whose side he's on.

Linda sighed.  Things were never easy when it came to Lucifer.  Then it hit her - Wait - Michael?  Michael is still there with him?  Why do they think Amenadiel wouldn't be on their side?  Side of what?  Why can nothing ever be simple with them?

  Linda:  I won't tell Amenadiel.  But Michael is still with Lucifer?  I thought he had to go back.

The three dots appeared.

  Maze:  Yes, Michael is still here.  Long story.  I'll explain when you get here.

  Linda:  I have so many questions.  One more client and I'll be on my way.

She let her assistant know to call her other clients for the day and reschedule them.  This is something she's going to be needed for.  Chances are, it would be one of those nights that she'd be drunk before midnight, if she even made it that far.  Good thing it was Friday, and she had no office hours on Saturday.  She sat back down just as Dan walked in.

"Hey Linda.  I'm sorry to do this to you on short notice, but..."  he placed his food down on the table and took the letter out of his pocket,  "it's about Trix.  I... I don't know how to handle this without causing a scene, or possibly shooting Pierce."  He handed her the note as she walked to the chair in front of the coffee table.  "Believe me, from what she wrote there, I really want to shoot that dick,"  he sat down and sighed,  "and I'm pissed at Chloe for more than one reason."

"Okay, first things first, shooting anyone is not a good way to solve a problem."  she started.  He looked at her and raised his eyebrow, "Right.  Sorry, forgot who I was talking to."  She sat down, the letter still unopened in her hand.  "What I meant was, that no family issue is solved with violence."

He gave her a short laugh,  "Seriously?  I wasn't really gonna do it.  I'm just upset, you know?  That's why I need your advice.  I don't know... I mean... How do I handle this?  He's my boss, she's my ex, and my kid is trapped in the middle.  She's miserable, and I don't want her to feel like..."  he pointed to the letter,  "like that!  I... I don't know what to do."

She took a breath,  "She's a pre-teen, and with that comes a lot of changes for a girl..."

"It's more than my daughter going through puberty Doc, besides, she already knows all that because of Health Class.  Well, and Maze.  Please just read it first, then tell me what you think I should do.  Please?"  He opened his bag,  "Is it still okay that I eat?"

With the knowledge that his concern was more for his daughter than for himself, she relented.  "Yes, please do.  Let me get my salad.  If I can keep it down, seems my stomach has been acting up on me for a few days now.  Especially in the mid-afternoon.  I can't seem to eat anything without throwing it up."  She took out her lunch bag and went back to her chair.  "Must be a bug or something."

After what she said, Dan placed his burger back down on the wrapper and looked at her.  "Don't take this the wrong way, or as me prying into your personal life, but that sounds an awful lot like morning sickness.  Chloe couldn't keep a lot of food down for the first few months when she had Trix, and the afternoon was always the worst."

She stared at him with a shocked expression and then calmed herself.  Amenadiel was an Angel, they can't get humans pregnant.  Even Lucifer told her that there was absolutely no way for it to happen.  They're basically a different species.  If it didn't happen to him, with the millions of people he's slept with, there was no way it was going to happen with Amenadiel.  It simply wasn't possible for them.  Dan also doesn't know that she's been sleeping with Amenadiel, so she had to play this one close to the vest.  "Well, the man I'm dating can't have children.  He's sterile, so I think it's just a stomach thing.  Thank you for your concern, though, I appreciate it."  She placed the Tupperware with her salad on the table and took out the small cup of dressing.

He tilted his head,  "Did he tell you that, or are you positive?  Men are jerks, believe me, I'm one of them and I know we are.  Not saying that your boyfriend is one, but still."  he shrugged,  "He's a guy."  He knows more than one guy that's tried to use that line before, and it never ends well.

With a soft smile, she nodded.  "I believe him, but we're not here to discuss me now, are we?"  she needed to bring his focus back to his daughter.  

"Sorry.  You're right."  he held up his hand.  "It's none of my business.  I'm sorry you feel sick though, if it's been a few days you should see a doctor, just to be safe.  Ella went home early today because she wasn't feeling well.  Maybe something is going around.  Could be an ulcer, those really suck."  he picked up and took a bite of his burger.  

"I appreciate you being concerned for me, and if it's still happening tomorrow, I may do that.  Now,"  she opened the letter and began to read it,  "let's see what we have here."  

Dan watched as her face went through a range of emotions as she read the writings of a twelve-year-old who was well beyond her years when it came to some things.  He continued to eat in silence, hoping that she could offer him some advice on how to handle this.

The more she read, the more she understood why Dan felt the way he did.  The letter, penned by a child no less, was concerning to say the least.  Of the few interactions she herself has had with Trixie, she knew the child to be smart and capable.  The letter was her way of reaching out to someone that would listen objectively and not see her as a child, but as a person in need of help.  The way she wrote it was concise, she didn't accuse her mother of outright neglect, but did point out things that would be noticeable to another person had they been there to see them happen.  When she finished the letter, she folded it back up and handed it to Dan.  "Well, I can say this much, your daughter knows how to write to get her point across clearly."

He sighed,  "I get that.  I know she's smart, what do I do?  I have her staying with me most of the time, and I have her all week because we're both on vacation."

She opened her salad, and just the smell of it had her quickly closing the lid again.  Apparently, her stomach decided that food was not an option right now.  She opened the bottle of ginger ale and took a cautious sip.  "Well, from what she says, Chloe has been so distracted by her relationship with Marcus that she's been forgetting things that are important to Trixie.  You seem to be her stability.  Well, Maze too, but she's been working more, and with Lucifer gone, she feels like she has no one to turn to.  She may even be afraid that you'll leave her too."

"I would never do that, Trix always comes first, and she knows that.  Charlotte knows that too, and she respects Trixie.  We always have dinner as a family when Charlotte comes to my place.  We make sure we do her homework, together.  We're even going camping with Charlotte's kids this week because Trixie asked if they could come.  I know Chloe's been forgetting things, really important things, that are making Trix feel like Chloe doesn't care about her.  I just don't know how to tell Chloe without pissing her off."  he replied.  He knew that Chloe never took well to being told she was doing something wrong.  "As far as Lucifer being gone, I don't know where he went, and he hasn't answered anyone's texts.  Chloe said he was having one of his moments and he'd be back eventually, but I don't believe that.  Martha said he put in for a sabbatical, she had the feeling he wasn't coming back."

"Well, the Lucifer issue aside, the only way to get Chloe to realize that she's doing this is to take Trixie away from her and see how long it takes for her to notice she hasn't been home."  Linda replied with a bit of a snap to her voice.

Dan went still.  "You... you're saying I should file for full custody?  I... I don't want to cause Trix any more problems, and Chloe will lose her mind if I try that."

"It may be the only way to prove to Trixie that you will be there for her no matter what.  Show her that she means that much to you, and hopefully it will show Chloe the hurt she's been causing to your daughter."  Normally she would never be this extreme, but that letter ripped her heart out.  She never would have thought Chloe would do something like this.  Chloe's main focus was her daughter and her job, now Trixie has become third on that list of priorities.  That's a hard shift in a short period of time.  "Like I said, start with just keeping her until Chloe notices and see how long it takes.  Then you can question her on it."

"So, in other words, I should let Trixie stay with me to teach Chloe a lesson?"  he was a little confused, but he felt deep down that it would be best for all of them.  Charlotte loved Trixie and they always had dinner together when Charlotte stayed over.  They loved watching movies together.  "Would that work, or will it upset Trixie more if Chloe starts to argue about it?"

"Not just to teach Chloe a lesson, no.  Trixie is asking for the normalcy of having a parent care for her, she also needs a safe space to be herself.  That's what she's lacking at home."  Linda nodded,  "If Chloe notices after the week you have with your daughter, that she hasn't come home, then there's hope that she'll work it out.  If she doesn't, then I suggest you file for full custody.  Trixie and the new boyfriend not getting along at all, that will not change any time soon.  Not unless they both want to work on the relationship.  From what I read, it seems to be a mutual disdain for one another, so the chance of that happening is slim.  That being said, it would not be a healthy environment for her to be living in, don't you agree?"  

"Yeah, I agree... it's just..."  he just didn't want the arguing that he knew would come from Chloe once it started.  "I don't want her to go back, not if it's going to make her unhappy.  She told me she hasn't got any friends, aside from Maze, Lucifer, Charlotte..."

"All adults that she looks up to."  Linda stared at him.  "Adults that respect her and don't treat her like a kid."

It was like a light-bulb went off,  "Oh my God.  She... she never talks about hanging out with any kids from school, just her science club, but that's her favorite subject.  How did I miss that?"

Linda nodded,  "It's okay to miss something like that if she is content to talk to you and Charlotte as a peer.  She finds comfort in the fact that you treat her respectfully.  You don't dismiss her questions or her feelings.  She trusts all the people you mentioned enough to let them know she's hurting."

"She is hurting, and I feel like I can't make it stop.  Chloe's forgetting about her all the time, not just little things.  I mean... How?  How is that even possible to do that to your own kid?"  He shook his head, getting angry again,  "I have a healthy relationship with Charlotte, but I would never not care for my daughter because of it."

She placed her ginger ale on the table,  "Chloe is her mother, and if she's acting like this now, without intervention, it will only get worse as time goes on.  That is, if Chloe's relationship with Marcus continues as it has been.  That may change once she realizes what it's doing to your daughter."  She hoped that she wasn't being too harsh, but when it comes to neglectful parents, she really didn't like that at all.

He took a deep pull from his soda as he thought about her words.  "Last time Trix stayed with me; which was Wednesday because Chloe had to work late; Chloe took off for the night with Trixie's bag of clothes still in her trunk.  I mean, I have clothes and stuff for her at my place, so it wasn't a big deal, but she had a book report that was due that we were going to work on, the book was in the bag.  I paid for a copy of it online so she could finish it and not get in trouble.  I also had to give her a note for the teacher explaining why she didn't have the book that day at school.  Chloe actually tried to blame me for not reminding her about it."  he scoffed a laugh at that.  "She has Trixie's bag again, and hasn't given it to me yet.  I mean, Trix and I have a system now, so there's nothing in it that she really needs, but we both know she's going to forget again.  Trix sent me a text saying that she also didn't make her breakfast, or give her lunch or money to buy lunch.  She also forgot that Trixie had Science Club today."

"Right there,"  Linda pointed out,  "that's one of the reasons you need to take your daughter out of that element."  She leaned back in her chair,  "Making her daughter breakfast and having her lunch ready should have been her first priority.  You shouldn't have to make secondary plans because of her actions, and neither should Trixie.  She is a child that should be able to depend on both of her parents, not just you or Maze,"  she shook her head, further driving the point home,  "or even Lucifer, who she sees as another positive male role model.  It seems like Chloe's new relationship has become a priority for her, then her job, Trixie has become the third wheel.  That should not be happening."  Even Lucifer, who was sometimes so difficult, spoke about Trixie as if she was just as important as Maze or Ella.  Like she was an equal and not a child, and he truly liked Trixie.  This Marcus guy sounds like the type of man that wants - or needs - his girlfriend's attention at all times.  Those kinds of relationships are always toxic, but without actually meeting him, she couldn't diagnose him properly.  This could all be on Chloe, but without seeing them together, she couldn't voice that opinion.

He looked at his phone, checking the time.  He didn't want to take longer than he should, after all, she did him a huge favor.  "I have to meet Maze at LUX after I leave here.  Apparently, she needs to talk to me about something.  I know she knows what's going on with Trixie, so that's probably it.  Trixie talks to her more than anyone else, I know that."

Linda tilted her head,  "Maze sent me a text as well, just before you showed up, she wanted to see me about something important.  Though, I believe it was for something different."

"Maybe she wants us both there to talk to Trixie?  Maze told me she was at LUX with her.  She didn't know that I was coming to see you."  He never told Maze that, just that he had an appointment.  "There's no way Trixie ditched school just because of Chloe, not when she had Science Club.  Something is going on."

"Well, you're my last patient for today, so,"  she stood and placed her salad and dressing back in her lunch bag,  "we should go and see what this is about."

He folded up the empty wrapper for his burger and put it in the bag.  "I'll see you over there, or do you want a ride?"

"I'll drive, I have my car."  She may actually need it.  Knowing Maze, this is going to turn into a long day.  She just wished her stomach would calm the Hell down.

"Cool.  Okay."

She nodded as he made his way to the door.  He turned and smiled,  "Thanks, Linda.  I really needed this."

"I hope I helped."  she smiled.

"So much more than you'll ever know."  he turned and shouted back,  "See you soon."

******

Michael and Lucifer landed just outside the gates, and Lucifer noticed immediately that something was different.  His pristine white wings had furled away.  Hell spoke to him and within seconds, his body changed to his full Devil form as he reached out to the realm itself.  That's when he felt it.  He stared at Michael and let out a low growl.  The balance had shifted, not drastically, but enough to notice.

"What's happening?"  Michael looked at him no differently than he would if he were in his Angelic form,  "What do you sense?"  He already knew what the Silver City was going through, he hoped it wasn't too serious.

With a horrified look on his face, he shook his head,  "Mum got out."

"Fuck."  his voice was soft, but the word was sharp nonetheless.  "That tipped things, didn't it?"

"Yes."  Lucifer approached the gates as the runes began to glow.  "Oh no, I don't think so."  he held out his hand and waved it over the runes.  His wings went wide as Hellfire erupted from him and engulfed the gates.  Within moments, they opened with a cry and a shower of sparks as the runes were quickly dissolved.  He may not be able to speak the runes, but they were no match for the King of Hell in his own domain.  They wouldn't have any power over him here.  "Oh-ho no, mum.  My Kingdom, my rules.  You have no control here."  he growled.  The gate was open, though his rules were still in place and no demons could get out, just in.  Something made him not want to enter right away, something... off.  Hell wanted this for itself.  He looked at Michael as his form changed back to his Angelic visage.  His suit jacket and shirt now ruined, he shook his head.  He should have taken them off first,  "Ugh.  So much for the Ferragamo."  he scoffed.  "Right.  Mum may think she's locked us out, but the realm will not answer to her.  If she's trying to take over Hell to get back at dad for keeping her here, she's in for a big surprise."  He closed his eyes and scanned the area for her, knowing that she wouldn't have gone far.

"If she gets to the throne..."  Michael began, but Lucifer cut him off.

"Not possible."

Michael tilted his head,  "You sure of that?  She's the Goddess of All Creation."

"She may be a Goddess, but she's not an Angel.  Only an Angel can take the Throne."  He smirked at knowing that,  "Not to mention, that in order for her to take the throne, she has to kill me to take possession of it's power.  I'm not sure if she's figured that one out, or if she's trying to find a way around it."  He re-worked the runes on the gates as they were once again sealed.  "Well, now that that's sorted, she can't get out."  He turned to Michael and smiled.  "We should go back and let Maze know she's clear to return.  I have a job for her that I know she will enjoy."

Michael eyed him with caution,  "Are you sure she can't take over?"

He took Michael's hands,  "I didn't become King just by fending off demons and being the winner, Mi.  Hell is a sentient domain.  It is very much alive, and it was a mutual respect that allowed me to gain the control I have.  It chose to bind itself to me.  Hell always has the final say, but it knows that I have the power to control it should I need to.  I've only used my Will in Hell once, and it was to show Hell itself that I was not to be toyed with.  We've an understanding now, and it benefits us both.  I understand that Hell is a living creature and deserves my respect, just as it respects me.  It's why I'm able to be King.  All mum wants is power, and Hell will never submit to control like that.  She will not win."

"She's a Goddess, she could easily unmake Hell if she wanted to."  Michael looked through the gates and felt sadness about that for some reason.  Sadness for the billions of souls that would suffer even more under their mother's rule.  The Goddess hated humans, she blamed them for what happened to her, and would most likely find a way to cause them harm out of spite.  He had no idea that Hell was a living entity and even felt pain for the realm that would suffer needlessly under their mother's rule.  He and Lucifer never really talked about Hell because it was a sore subject.  They only discussed it when the balance in the realms became tilted.  "She wouldn't do that, right?"

"No Mi, she can't do it."  He placed his finger under Michael's chin and turned his eyes back to face him.  "Just being here, she's diminished in her ability.  She's weak, it's why the balance shifted.  Hell needs someone strong to feed from.  Don't worry, unless Hell chooses to bond with mum like it has with me, she will never be able to harm it.  Now that I know what I'm looking for, we can stop any attempt she makes at causing trouble."  His eyes closed as he took a deep breath.  When he opened them again, they burned red briefly, then returned to their beautiful chocolate brown.  "I locked her out of the loops and made sure that the demons would not follow her instructions, she won't be any trouble."  He smiled,  "Now, let's get Mazikeen and have her pop mum back in her cell so we can all relax.  Then we can work on balancing things."

"You make it sound easy."  he tilted his head,  "Is it, Sam?  Or are you just saying that to make me feel better?"

Lucifer leaned in and kissed him softly,  "Mi, mum has no real power here.  She isn't strong enough to do any damage.  Hell drained her to near mortal status.  The only reason she would have had demons on her side is because of what she is, not because of the power she thinks she still has.  Now that the demons know she can't do a damn thing to them, they won't obey her commands.  Hell has ensured that they will not harm her, and I've let them know that Maze is the only one that has a right to catch her and put her back."

Michael smiled,  "She'll like that."

"I thought it would be a good vacation for her."  he laughed.  "Wrangling a wayward deity and putting her back in her cell should be a fun time for her.  She deserves something for her loyalty."

"I still don't like the fact that she got out.  I mean, how did she manage that after all this time?  I thought father made her cell himself."  Unconvinced of his brother's nonchalant attitude, he wanted more facts and less flowery words.  "I thought she couldn't escape."

Lucifer relaxed his hold on Michael and let out a breath.  "Her cell was locked with several chains.  If she worked through each of those chains or 'reasons' for her imprisonment, then the door opens, just like it would for any other soul.  The only difference is, she cannot ascend to the Silver City or Earth because she's been banished from both.  She has nowhere to go, and she knows it, so she's still here."  He shook his head,  "In fact, she's in my palace as we speak, and for some bloody reason, she believes she's going to take it over for herself in my absence."  he scoffed,  "As if."

"Palace?  You have an actual palace?  So typical, Sam."  Michael ribbed him.

He laughed,  "The demons call it a palace, I call it 'the best I could do with basalt and Hellfire', considering it's nothing more than decorated carved-out caves in a tall column of rock."  He sent the images to Michael through their connection.  "See what I mean?"

Michael's eyes widened,  "Given your fancy tastes and penchant for the finer things, it doesn't suit you at all."  

"Hell does not allow for anything that would make life happy or comfortable.  It was all I could do to keep the furniture I brought down from crumbling around me.  I stopped trying as it hardly survived the few days I had it.  Trust me, mum will realize that this is not going to work for her.  Even if she retains some of her minor abilities, Hell won't let her have anything she wants, well, not for long."  His smile was wicked,  "I know all too well that Hell only gives you part of what you want, and even then, it's a twisted and corrupt version of what it should be.  This is why I ran to Earth so often.  To feel the sun on my wings, to eat food that was flavorful and to drink liquor that didn't taste like ash.  To play a piano that was actually in tune."

"And have plenty of sex, do drugs and annoy Amenadiel."  Michael added with a laugh.

"Of course."  With a nod and a wriggle of his eyebrows, Lucifer added,  "When I couldn't see you, that is."  He kissed him once more, and when they finally pulled apart, they placed their foreheads together.  "Shall we go back and let everyone know it's okay to relax?"  

Michael unfurled his wings,  "Yes, please.  You may think Hell feels calm, but I still don't like being here.  I have no idea how you survived this place, and I hate knowing you were here alone because of me."

"No, Mi, because of Him.  Not you."  he cupped Michael's cheek in his hand,  "Not you."

Lucifer unfurled his wings, and they took off for Earth.

******

She had been waiting for what seemed like ages to get out of that damned cell, and now that she is, she realized she couldn't leave Hell.  She walked to the gates and was quickly infuriated when they refused to budge to let her out.  No matter what she tried, they would not open.  In a fit of anger, she cast the runes that would make it impossible for anyone to get in or out, aside from herself.  She knew that by doing this, either her son, or her husband would come running to find the cause.  They would have to talk to her eventually.

With a satisfied grin, she turned back and made her way to the maze of halls and doors.  She doesn't know how long she walked before finding her son's chambers.  With him not around, no demons were there to tend to the place, so she simply walked in and began her search for anything she could use to her advantage.  The room itself was not elegant, black basalt furniture that was in no way a comfort to sit on, and a large table and chairs that were of the same material.  The room was uninviting, she moved to the next, hoping that this outer room was simply for meeting with the lower creatures of the realm.  It disgusted her to know he had to deal with them at all.

Hell kept a close watch on the Goddess as she wandered, making subtle changes to the areas she may wander into.  Though it didn't see her as a threat at the moment, it knew exactly what she was.  If her power was restored, she could cause irreparable damage, and Hell would not allow that to happen.  Hell kept Lucifer informed about what the Goddess was doing.  It wasn't like the bond that Lucifer shared with his twin, Hell didn't use actual language to speak, but Lucifer understood it, nonetheless.

Goddess walked to the next room and, again, was dismayed by the lack of comfort or even luxury.  This was nothing like the son she remembered.  Samael loved the finer things, soft beds and pillows, bright colours and wide open spaces.  Noticing that there were no actual doors, but rather thin veil-like coverings on the entryways also made her question if she was in the correct space after all.  None of the furnishings reflected her Light-bringer.  She stared at the far end of the room and saw what appeared to be a balcony.  Moving toward it, she stepped out onto the open area and looked out over the landscape in horrified dismay.  The Goddess let out a gasp as she saw nothing but rows and rows of columns and hallways as ash slowly rained down.  The dark sky was only broken by a large swirling reddish glow with a faint opening toward the blue sky above it.  Directly under it, on an incredibly high column, was the Throne.

Her smile widened, and a thought came to her, she knew that's what she had to get to in order for Hell to be hers.  Looking at the tattered remains of the dress she was wearing, she willed a new one to take its place.  This was a simple spell that even a fledgling could do, so it was hardly a thought for her.  Once her attire was rectified, she closed her eyes, opened her arms wide, and willed herself to the Throne with her power.  Moving the physical body, as well as the spirit, took a bit more energy.  However, like changing her clothes, it was nothing that a fledgling couldn't manage.  She opened her eyes when nothing happened.  She felt no surge of power, and it gave her pause.  Even in Hell, she was still a Goddess, and it shouldn't have any bearing on her abilities.  Once more, she willed herself to the Throne, this time, backing it with her command, something that no creature in any realm could resist.

Hell, having felt the intrusion of her will upon it's very self, shook with anger.  She wasn't strong enough to use her power against it, and the more she used, the more Hell took from her.  She was weak now.  It sent the information about what Goddess was intending, and it's response to her trying to use her will against it, to Lucifer.  The response it received let Hell know that Lucifer in no way would allow his mother near the Throne.  To say that sentiment made Hell happy would be incorrect, Hell itself does not understand what happy is, it knows threats, and Lucifer was not a threat, the Goddess just became one.  Hell chose to keep Goddess contained in Lucifer's rooms until Mazikeen returned to put her back in her cell.  It also counteracted any spell she tried to use by taking her power from her whenever she tried to use it.  Hell was about to get even the only way it knew how.

A frustrated growl escaped the Goddess as she remained on the balcony and not on the Throne.  Taking a deep breath to center herself, she decided to look around once again.  Maybe her time in the cell her husband locked her in had drained her too much.  She needed food and proper sleep to regenerate fully.  To the left of the room was another veiled doorway, and she made her way through it.  This room was different, the bright white walls and floor gave her comfort.  The table with its soft cushion chairs and lace tablecloth had been set for two.  She could smell luscious foods and hear what sounded like soft music with someone singing.  The voice was familiar to her, and it grew in volume as it came closer.  Walking through the veil from another room, Lucifer came in with plates of food balanced in his hands.

"Ah!  Mum, you're finally here!  Please, sit so we can eat.  I was expecting you, I made your favorites!"  he smiled as he slowly placed the plates on the table.  He looked the same as he did before his fall.  His robes were perfect and his long flowing dark curls spilled around his shoulders and down his back.

"Samael, my beautiful boy..."  she whispered.  As much as she longed to see him, she never expected him to want to see her.  He never came to her cell, never inquired about her, never came to even yell.  "I don't understand son, you're... you're happy to see me?"

He looked at her with a sad face,  "Of course I am, mum!  Why on Earth would you think I wouldn't be?"  He walked to the chair next to her and pulled it out,  "Please mum, sit."

Taking the chair with hesitation, she sat down.  "Well, you never came to see me.  I figured you may hold some resentment from what happened with your rebellion."  One thing she knew for certain was that her son didn't lie.  She would have the truth from him, or he would find a way to change the subject.

"I know you didn't have a choice."  He sat in his seat opposite her,  "I was forbidden from speaking to you, mum.  I couldn't get in your loop.  Father used the High-Enochian wards on it, plus the chains He placed on the door.  Don't think I didn't try to see you.  Please don't think I would do that, mum."  His face had once again, turned sad.  He reached his hand across the table for her to take.  "I really missed you."

"Oh, my baby,"  she took his hand in hers,  "if I had known all this time that you wanted to see me, I would have fought harder to get out."  She could feel the truth, the hurt he felt for her, in his words.  She calmed considerably with his confession.

He smiled at her,  "Well, you're here with me now, that's all that matters."  he took his hand back and picked up his wine glass.  "I made you a wonderful meal so we can sit and talk.  We have nothing but time to get reacquainted."  

She lifted her glass as he spoke,  "Time?  Don't you want to leave this miserable place, son?  Go back home and see the family, your twin?  Don't you miss him?  We can go now..."

"I can't."  he replied with a sharp tone, cutting her off.  

"Of course you can, it's your home..."

His eyes flashed red and his voice became a growl.  "I can't.  Father banished me, I can't go back.  If I do, I'll die.  If I die, so does Mi, and I won't do that to him.  I will never hurt him.  You, of all people, should know that."

She shook her head,  "No, your father never said that, son.  He never said you couldn't come home."

"It doesn't matter, it's not my home anymore."  His anger increased as he spoke.  "I'm no longer wanted there."

"Well, now that I'm out, we will change that.  As soon as I talk to your father..."

He scoffed,  "You don't get it, do you, mum?  You see, once you got out, the gates were sealed.  I can't leave ever again.  With me trapped here and with Michael not able to get in at all, you know what will happen to us.  Our imbalance has already begun, it's only a matter of time before everything collapses.  Apparently, father has decided that everything must come to an end."  he flared his arms out.  "Even us, and I can never see Mi again."

"No, that's not true.  Your father didn't seal the gates, Samael, I did."  Her voice was sharp and angry.  "And I can open them again so we can go home."  she gave him a soft smile to reassure him,  "We can leave whenever you want.  I only sealed them to get your father's attention."  

"Oh, that's just great."  His tone was snarky and condescending, though the Goddess didn't seem to pick up on it.  Lucifer picked up his fork and dug into his meal.  He let the silence linger as he swallowed and took another sip of his wine.  "Obviously you don't understand mother, what it is you did then."  

She stared at him,  "All I did..."

He shook his head as he cut her off,  "No, of course you don't.  Right.  Let me explain it for you, shall I?  After all it's MY Kingdom, My Domain, is it not?  You see, once you sealed the gates, you locked out the souls that were supposed to come here."  he placed the glass down.  His stare could cut diamonds,  "The souls that should be in loops are now free to roam the Earth and cause mayhem to the living.  So, congratulations mum, the end of days has begun because you needed to get father's attention."

She scoffed,  "Why would I possibly care about your father's stupid human project or what they do to themselves?  Your father could have at least allowed you to speak to me.  He could have let my children visit me, He could have come to check on me, but He never did!  He owes me an explanation."  At this point, her anger had returned, though not as outwardly as Lucifer's.  She too, began to eat her meal knowing she needed the strength.  Once the food touched her tongue, she realized she had not had any sustenance in millennia and began to eat with fervor.  

"Right.  Like I said,"  Lucifer replied with the same sharp tone,  "the end of days has begun because of that little stunt.  Without the Earth's souls to keep the Silver City and Hell fed and functioning, Hell and Heaven will drain of it's power.  My brothers and sisters will die from weakness, and Michael and I will rip the universe apart because we can't get close enough to balance our power.  When you decided to lock the gates, you sentenced your family to death."  he lifted his glass,  "So, Mother of the Year, you most certainly are not."  She hadn't noticed the change in his clothes or his hair.  He looked like Lucifer, not Samael.

Her eyes snapped to his,  "No, I... no.  That's not what I wanted!"  she placed her fork down and began to feel the reality of his words.  "I... I just wanted to go back home.  To see my... my children.  I can fix it!  I can remove the runes and open the gates and everything will be fine, you'll see."  Even though she knew that opening the gates would mean that Lucifer could leave her in Hell, it was a risk she had to take.  She really didn't want to be stuck there alone,  "I can open them, and we can leave, together."

"No, you can't."  he stood up,  "You can never leave, in fact, because of what you did,"  he pushed his chair in and curled his long fingers around the backrest,  "existence itself will now be destroyed.  I hope you're happy.  You'll never see me or the family again."  He stood tall and walked out before she could get out of her chair.

She rushed to the veil he walked through, only to find herself standing by the balcony railing once more.

Hell hadn't even begun to play with the Goddess.  It knew she was weak, but would feed off everything she had left.  Hell was going to use it to his advantage.

******

Landing on the balcony, Lucifer noticed that Dan and Linda had arrived while they were gone.  In Hell, it had been maybe five or six years, so on Earth it couldn't have been more than an hour, give or take.

"You were gone for over an hour.  I asked Dan and Linda to come by as soon as I got back with Michael."  Maze replied.  "What happened to your clothes?"

"I had to change and didn't bother to take off the shirt or coat."  he replied.

Linda waved.  She already knew the truth about Lucifer, so it wasn't a surprise for her.  Though, she was immediately smitten with the way Michael looked.  "You must be Michael."  she said with a smile as she held out her hand,  "It's nice to finally meet you in person."

"Sorry about that, doctor.  Yes, this is Michael."  The look on Lucifer's face was one of surprise, not just that she was so calm, but that Dan was there.  He was not one of the few in the know, and he didn't seem to be taking it well now that he was.  "Did you forget to tell me that piece of information Maze, or was this how you planned to tell the Douche the truth about us?"  He pointed toward the man that was now white as a sheet and trembling.  "Daniel?  Are you still with us?"  Lucifer snapped his fingers.  "Wakie, wakie."

Dan let out a gasp as breath finally found its way to his lungs.  "You... you're... you have... and he..."  he pointed as he couldn't find words.  His eyes darted to his daughter, and fear struck him hard.  "Trix... come over here, baby."

Lucifer let out a chuckle, he was used to people losing their ability to speak when they found out who he was.  He removed the tattered remains of his shirt and coat.

"Daddy,"  she replied with a soft tone,  "it's okay.  He won't hurt you.  Neither will Michael."  She took his hand,  "They're Angels."

Looking from his daughter to Lucifer, Dan shook his head.  "You're the Devil."  Every story about the Devil ran through his head at once.  Then it hit him, how can this man be the Devil the Bible talks about?  He's not a goat, he doesn't have horns, he's not evil... okay, so he's a bit of a dick, but not evil.  He's not even mean to anyone, well, not that he's ever seen.

"It's just a job, Daniel, that's all."  Lucifer replied.

"The Devil steals my pudding and calls me a Douche."  he rambled out loud with a half-frightened laugh.

Lucifer laughed,  "And I enjoy every second of the torture it causes you."  He smiled childishly, raising his eyebrows.  

Dan paled once more.  The Devil he was taught about would steal your soul, flay the skin from your bones and torture you in unimaginable ways forever.  Yet, the actual Devil that is standing right in front of him, is a pudding thief with the humor of a teenager who brings pastries and coffee to the office, and remembers everyone's name.  "Torture?  You - The Devil - think that stealing my pudding and calling me names is torture?"  he replied with a questioning tone.  

"Well no Daniel, not really, but it does get such a rise out of you, and it breaks up the monotony of my day.  Honestly, you have to admit it is funny."  he smiled.

"I thought your whole thing was to punish people."

"It is."  he scoffed a laugh,  "You're not guilty of anything worthy of punishment Daniel, that's why all I do is steal your pudding and call you names.  Well, and the occasional prank.  I only punish those that truly deserve it, and I have to admit, you simply don't rank that high.  You're way too boring for that.  Those that are going to end up in my domain, no matter what they try and do, murderers, rapists, people like that - get the real punishment."  He hoped the simple explanation would be sufficient to calm the man down.  "I have never taken a human life because Angels cannot kill humans.  I don't want your soul either, I have enough as it is, and would rather no one end up in my domain aside from those that truly deserve it.  Unfortunately, that's now how it works."

All Dan could do was shake his head with his mouth open.

"Knowing it's all real can be a bit of a shock, I know."  Linda interjected as she placed her hand on his arm.  "I think you know, deep down, that he isn't evil.  He never was."

Ella nodded,  "After all, he's been working with us to put away criminals and murderers.  I mean, what better job is there for the Devil?"

"He is The Judge of the Dammed, it's his job."  Michael added as he watched the conversation between the mortals and his brother.  These humans seemed to have accepted his brother for what he is, not just an Angel, but the Devil himself.  All the stories about him didn't seem to fit with the man they came to know, and they didn't fear him.  It made Michael smile.

He locked eyes with Trixie once more,  "You knew all of this?"  he looked at Linda and Ella,  "You all knew?"

Linda sighed,  "He showed me during one of our sessions.  I admit, it was not my finest hour."

"I just found out today."  Ella replied as she shrugged,  "Oddly enough because of Michael, but yeah, I'm okay with it."

Trixie nodded,  "I knew the day we met at my school.  He told me he was the Devil.  He told the girl that was being a bully that there was a place in Hell for people that bully other people.  I saw his red eyes in the reflection of the window."  she gave a giggle,  "She never bullied anyone again after that."

"That's... yeah, I can understand that."  he smiled at her.  He looked around the room and realized that if everyone here could accept that the Devil isn't evil, he could try to do that too.  He stared at Lucifer,  "Does Chloe know?"

"Like you, I've tried to tell her the truth, but no, she still doesn't believe I'm the Devil."  he replied.  

"I... I get that.  Okay, okay."  He nodded several times.  Looking at Maze now - shit - she really is a demon!  A demon has been babysitting for his kid.  Okay, stay calm...  He nodded then questioned her,  "Was this really what you wanted to tell me, or should I expect something worse?"

Maze laughed,  "You're gonna be fine Dan, and yeah, that was the big one.  The other was to tell you the truth about your boss."

"What about that dick?"  his eyes went wide.  Chloe was dating Pierce, not that he liked the idea, but if there was something going on, he wanted to know.  Especially for his daughter's sake.

Lucifer scoffed a laugh,  "I couldn't agree more, and as wonderful as that conversation sounds, Maze, I need you to take care of a small situation for us.  You have a holiday to get to, remember?"  Lucifer tilted his head and eyed her.

"Wait?  You're not coming?"  she snapped.  "What the Hell?"

"I'll be along as soon as I can, but I do believe you'll like the hunt that you'll go on."  he smiled wickedly.  He let Michael go and waved her to the balcony,  "Go inside and get a drink, Mi.  Let me give Maze the details and drop her off."  He looked at the room,  "Just a moment, and I'll be back."

Michael walked to the bar and poured a drink for himself.  Ella followed close as she stood near him,  "Uhm, so did you get the gate open?  Is that why Maze is going back?"

"He did, yes.  Seems that Mother did manage to get out of her cell, but Lucifer has her contained in his palace."  he picked up his glass, drained it and refilled it.

"He has a palace?  Of course he does, he's a King.  Duh."  her mind tried to think about what it would look like.  Knowing how Lucifer is, she could see it being like his penthouse.  "Awesome."

With a nod and the shake of his head, he replied,  "I wouldn't call it a palace so much as a collection of rooms that aren't like the rest of Hell.  No fancy crap like he has here."  he waived his glass at the room,  "Everything is made out of the rock that Hell is made with.  Hell doesn't know what happiness is, so it has no concept of how to create it.  Everything down there is made to make and keep you miserable."

"Really?"  Dan questioned in a sad tone.  To think that Lucifer, Mister thousand-dollar-suits and pockets full of hundreds, would live in a place that wasn't top of the spectrum of comfort was just unbelievable.  He knew that Hell wasn't supposed to be a vacation spot, but for the King to not live in luxury sounded wrong.  "That's messed up."

"It's Hell."  he replied.  "Hell thrives on misery as much as the Silver City thrives on happiness.  It's a balance that must be maintained for the universe to exist.  The balance between the realms is currently tipped, and it needs to be corrected before it becomes unstable.  If that happens, then it's too late."  He took a sip of his beverage.  The looks of panic on their faces gave him pause, and noticing that they weren't going to speak, he continued.  "Let me explain before you all freak out, okay?  The Silver City and Hell are like Lucifer and me, he is the light, and I am the shadow.  If his light becomes too bright, he could burn the universe into nothing but atoms, should my shadow become too big, I could freeze the universe to death.  If we keep each other balanced, then neither becomes a threat.  Hell and the Silver City are currently out of balance, not in a dangerous way, just enough that we noticed.  It's not a problem right now.  We can fix it, we have before, and will no doubt have to do it again in the future."

Trixie cocked her head at that,  "So then, all the happy people go to Heaven and all the sad people go to Hell?"

"No child,"  he gave her a soft smile,  "it's not that simple.  Your soul decides where it will go when you die.  Not my father, and not Lucifer, but you, yourself.  If your guilt is heavy at the time of your passing, it weighs the soul down, and you go to Hell.  If you have little or no guilt, it rises the soul toward Heaven.  Though I will say that Azrael and her reapers check the souls they reap to make sure they go to the proper destination."  he explained.  "They never make mistakes.  There are also protocols in place at the Gates to ensure you do end up where you need to be."

"Woah... reapers are a real thing?  Like in Supernatural?"  Ella questioned.

Michael tilted his head,  "I have no idea what that means, but yes, there are thousands of reapers.  A human dies every one and a half seconds on this planet.  Poor Rae-Rae would never be able to rest if she didn't have help.  She only sees extreme or touch and go cases."  He watched Ella go still.

"So, I guess that Heaven has a lot more souls than Hell, right?"  Dan asked with a waiver in his voice.

"Quite the opposite, I'm afraid."  Lucifer replied from the bedroom.  After explaining to Maze what he wanted to be done, he took her to Hell.  He intentionally returned to his dressing closet and changed the remainder of his tattered clothes.  He'd been listening to their conversation as he did.  "Sorry to disabuse you of that notion, Daniel."

They turned to see him now properly dressed as he made his way to the bar to get a drink.  

"I thought it needed to be balanced?  That's what Michael told us."  It was Linda that now questioned him.

He sipped his beverage,  "Oh, it does.  You see, happiness generates way more power than misery, so Hell has more... occupants, to keep the balance stable."  he took another sip,  "You humans do love to feel guilty about everything.  It's like you live to be miserable."

"So is it, like, a two to one thing or..."  Ella was trying to do the math in her head and not think about her 'ghost friend'.

Lucifer laughed.  "Miss Lopez, Hell has billions of souls, I can't imagine the human heavens being nearly as big as my domain."  In fact, he knew from what Michael has told him that the human Heavens were minuscule compared to the size of Hell.

"Oh, it's nowhere near that big."  Michael responded flatly.  "Maybe a quarter of the size.  Probably smaller, but keeping track of the population isn't my job.  I simply file the reports as they come in."

Dan sank into the couch,  "So more people go to Hell than to Heaven?  Dude, that's so messed up."

"Well, Michael and I know that the system is flawed, we need to find a better solution."  he replied.

"Uh, why don't you just ask God."  Ella questioned,  "I mean, he made everything, so he can fix it, right?"

Michael nearly spit his drink out,  "What?  No, He can't fix it.  Father didn't make everything, why would you even think that?"

"Mi, they don't know it was us.  The bastard got all the credit when they wrote the bible."  he scoffed,  "Typical of Him, though."

"Wait - whaaaat?"  Ella shook her head,  "Are you telling me that God didn't create the Earth?"

Michael raised his glass and smiled at Lucifer,  "Of course not.  That was all us."  

"But he created Heaven and Hell, right?"  she asked while clutching the cross around her neck.

"Nope."  he popped the 'p' to emphasize the word.  "That was us again.  As well as all the stars and planets you see.  Everything we created has a balance to it, just like the two of us."

"Mother and Father created what you humans call 'the Big Bang', the primordial beginning for this universe, it's building blocks."  Michael began.

Lucifer cut in with,  "What humans call the 'big bang' was nothing more than the after effects of their mating.  Just imagine the cleanup after..."

"Sam shut up!  There's a child in the room."  he eyed his brother, placed his fingers to the bridge of his nose, then continued,  "That actually took millions of years to happen, and it grew as they created us Angels.  When Sam..."

Lucifer cleared his throat, indicating he didn't want that name used around the humans.

"- sorry, Lucifer, and I came into our abilities, we began to make the universe you now see using the materials they made and the instructions they gave us."  He smiled at his brother as the memories of those early days flooded their bond.  Most of those memories included very intimate details.  "We were young when we did it, and we didn't question them.  If we knew then what we know now, we would have done things differently."

Lucifer cleared his throat once more, and slipped behind the bar to conceal his now growing erection.  "So no.  Dear 'ol dad can't fix it.  We will, like we always have.  Like we've done all over the universe, since the beginning of time."

"Great, since you can fix it and the world isn't going to end right now, can you please skip to the part about Pierce?"  Dan just wanted to know what Maze wanted to tell him.  "Maze left before she could tell me anything."  Not to mention, he was totally freaking out at the moment.  

"Right.  Him."  Lucifer placed his fingers to the bridge of his nose.  He was not looking forward to this conversation.

"I hate him.  I don't trust him at all."  Trixie stated, crossing her arms in front of her.  Just the thought of the man made her angry.  "Like I said before, he gives me the creeps."

"You're right to feel that way, child."  Michael added.  "He's not who he says he is."

"What the Hell does that mean?  Is he dangerous?"  Dan was now standing and approached the bar.  His only concern was for his daughter.  "Tell me now, because if he is, I won't let him near my daughter again."

Michael nodded,  "Very.  In fact, I would venture to say that 'dangerous' is understating what he is."  He peered into Dan's soul and found him to be very protective of his offspring.  This made his soul brighten, and Michael nodded again.  "You're right in your anger to keep your fledgling away from him.  He's been a threat to humanity since the day he was cursed."

"Cursed?"  he curled his arm around his daughter,  "Cursed... like, by God?"

Lucifer sighed,  "Daniel, this may come as a shock to you, but seeing as how you've been talking to the Devil and the Archangel Michael for a bit of time, you should be fine.  The man you know as Marcus Pierce is actually Cain."  Lucifer stopped to let the information sink in.

Dan simply blinked.  No one else spoke.

"The world's first murderer?"  Lucifer added as he tilted his head, trying to get some sort of reaction from the man.  "Killed his brother, was cursed by God to walk the Earth for all eternity?"  He looked at Ella and Linda,  "Anyone?  No?"  he looked back at Dan,  "Any of that clicking in that pudding-riddled brain of yours?"  He continued to stare at the man.

With another blink, Dan shook his head,  "Lucifer... are you telling me that Chloe - the mother of my child - has been dating Cain from the Bible, and she has no idea?"

"Yes."  Michael and Lucifer replied together.

"I told you something was wrong with that guy."  she curled closer to her father,  "Please tell me I don't have to go back there anymore."

"No, you don't have to go back.  Not ever if I have my say."  he replied as he looked at her.  "It's gonna be okay, Trix, I'll do whatever I need to do to make sure of that."

Lucifer raised an eyebrow,  "Right.  I've been gone for two weeks, remember?  I may have missed a few things by not being around.  Are you okay, spawn?"  He looked at her, concerned,  "If he's hurt you..."  he placed his glass on the bar as his anger rose.  He stood to his full height.

"It's okay Lucifer."  Trixie cut him off,  "He doesn't even like being near me, so no.  He hasn't hurt me."  She lowered her eyes,  "It's just that... well, mom's been acting really weird since he's been around.  She forgets about me because of him."

He stared at her, knowing that the last thing she said really hurt.  That made him upset for the child.  "So, he has hurt you."  he growled out as his wings twitched in the pocket dimension, wanting to be freed so he could protect her.  He began to breathe sharply.  

"Calm down babe."  Michael's soft voice came to him.

"Chloe's been acting strange ever since they started dating."  Dan and Trixie began to tell them what had been happening since he left.  Ella jumped in with what she noticed at work, and with the way Pierce and Chloe acted toward everyone.  It was more Chloe who was acting out of character.  Linda managed to remain quiet, she didn't know much of Chloe outside what Lucifer told her, aside from the Tribe Nights.  They haven't had one in over a month, so she had no information to add about this situation.  

"Well then,"  Lucifer drained his glass,  "it's time to finally end that walking stain on humanity."  He never would have bothered with the man had it not been for Beatrice.  The detective making the choice to be with Cain was her own, but it was now causing distress to the child.  That, in his book, was deserving of punishment.  Chloe was not guiltless in that equation, either.  She, too, would be punished for her part in making the child feel neglected.

Michael shook his head,  "You know we can't remove his curse, it's father's Will that created it.  No Angel is powerful enough to unmake it."  He took Lucifer's hand,  "There is no way to kill him without removing the mark first."

Lucifer stared at his brother and smiled,  "Challenge accepted."

******

Marcus and Chloe enjoyed their lunch as they discussed what they were going to tell everyone.  Their engagement was a bit of a shock to her, so she could only imagine how the others would take it.  She liked to believe they would be very happy about it.  When her and Dan got married, they simply ran to a Judge during their lunch break and were back at work in an hour.  She didn't want that this time, not with him.  He told her that he wanted to give her the wedding she dreamed of, (or so he said to make her happy, personally he didn't care), so whatever she wanted, she could have.  Letting her know that he had plenty of money put away for the day he would finally find someone to love, she should spare no expense.

Chloe smiled at him as her heart fluttered in her chest.  "We need to make a guest list, find a reception hall, flowers, caterers, I'll need a dress..."  

She began to go on and on as he seemed to fade out of caring.  Though, occasionally he would mention a few things, and it seemed to keep her happy.  Now he needed to find a way to spring Andrea on her.  That meeting was going to happen any minute now, and he hasn't said a damn thing.  "Babe?  I know you're happy about our engagement, but I need to talk to you about work for a minute."

"Yeah, sure.  What do you need?"  she stared at him with a smile.

"Well, as you know, the department won't let a detective work alone."  

She went to argue, and he held up his hand to stop her.  "Let me finish, please?"  He waited for her to nod, and continued.  "Lucifer's not coming back and you need a partner.  I can't play favorites, even though I want to.  When you were just a girlfriend it was one thing, but you're going to be my wife and I want the big brass to know we both take the job seriously."

Rolling that over in her head, she knew it was exactly what she would have done.  "That makes sense.  Okay, so, do I get a choice or did you choose someone for me?"

"I didn't have another detective to pair you with, so Olivia is sending someone she thinks would work well with you."  He made the lie convincing,  "She's known you longer and knows what kind of partner would work on your level.  I trust her judgement."  

Knowing that he didn't make a choice for her, she smiled.  "She does know me well.  Whoever she sends would have to be as good as Lucifer was.  I can't have my numbers sink because I'm trying to bring someone up to speed."  

"Well, in that case,"  he walked to his desk and came back with a file,  "you should read this."  He took the last sip of his beverage as she opened the file.  He knew damn well that everything in it was a lie.  Not only that, but he basically copied Chloe's file with some minor changes, she would never notice.

"Impressive."  she noted, as she read the file.  "Why doesn't she have a partner now?"

"Read the last page."  he pointed.  He was particularly proud of that bit of fiction.

She flipped to the last page and her heart sank.  "The Sinnerman killed her partner?  How did they know that?  I thought he was just a myth."  Then she saw his name.  "Damien Pierce?  Was... oh my God, Marcus, was he..."

He took a breath and decided to tell her,  "My younger brother, yes.  He was her partner at the time.  We were all working together when he was killed."

Placing the file down, she curled him in a hug.  "I'm so sorry."

"It's okay."  he whispered as he released her.  "I have no living family left.  Andrea and Damien were engaged to be married, she has a son about Trixie's age."

Chloe smiled,  "So you do have..."

"No, he's not my nephew.  They met after he was born, his father was killed by a drunk driver.  Damien loved that kid like he was his own, though."  he hoped she fell for the story.  "Andrea's kid Brian, has Autism and hardly speaks, but he's a good kid, you know?  He's the kind of kid that makes you always feel like everything is how it should be.  He loves to hug and cuddle.  I could only hope my kids are that loving."  He was actually a thirteen-year-old orphan and not Autistic, just a good actor that was willing to play the part and get paid.  Marcus had been grooming him since he was three.  The kid was good at manipulation, it was useful to Marcus to keep him close.  He had no problem playing the part as long as the money kept coming.

"He sounds like a good kid by the way you talk about him.  Maybe we can arrange a play date for him and Trixie.  The five of us can do dinner one night, or maybe a lunch so her son and Trixie could meet?"  The thought of Marcus talking about this child and his feelings made her heart skip a beat.  If he's that interested in kids, maybe they could try for one of their own.  She made the decision to stop her birth control when they began dating, not that she told him that.  It didn't matter now that they were getting married.

Marcus smiled, although inside he dreaded the thought of having to deal with Chloe's kid.  In all fairness, Trixie made him nervous because of her closeness to Maze and Lucifer.  Regardless, he liked that Chloe was already thinking of ways to incorporate her new partner into their lives.  This couldn't have gone better for him.  Now Andrea can worm her way in quicker, he knew the kid would soften the blow.  "Why don't you meet her first, then you can work on that?  I'm sure the move here may have put her son on edge.  It's my understanding that Autistic kids don't like abrupt changes in their lives.  He may need some time to adjust before she brings in new people to meet him."  

She nodded as the wheels continued to spin in her mind.  Marcus asked her to marry him, he likes kids, he's romantic and charming, he takes her to dinner but not stuffy places where she feels uncomfortable, he's perfect.  "Babe?  Since my case is pretty much wrapped up; I mean, once the facial recognition and warrant clear and I can arrest the bastard; why don't we go away for just the weekend?  Somewhere that's not LA."

He allowed a wide smile to crease his face,  "What did you have in mind, my love?"  He looked her in the eyes as he took her hands,  "Anywhere you want to go to celebrate this day, I will follow.  Let me know, and I'll get us a hotel or a Bed and Breakfast, unless you'd rather have an Air B&B?"

"Just the fact that you let me choose, instead of making arrangements without me, makes me love you even more."  she kissed him softly.

"Why would I assume what you would want?  I'd rather you tell me so that you're happy.  I like to surprise you with the little things, but big things we should do together."  he replied in a well-thought-out response.  He knows Chloe likes to control everything, that's where Lucifer always messed up.  He always did things without asking her, and she would get mad instead of seeing it as a nice gesture.  There was no way he was going to screw up his best chance of finally ending his curse and going to heaven.  "Besides, you have excellent taste, not too fancy, not too drab, the perfect blend of fun and responsible.  It's what I love about you."  He wanted to vomit just saying that, but the look on her face made it worth it.

Leaning in to kiss him again, she hummed softly.  "I'll send you the details once I get back to my desk.  I know the perfect place, and it's not that far away."

A knock at his door made them both pull apart.  "One second."  he shouted.

Chloe began cleaning up from their lunch and placed Andrea's file on the table.  

He opened the door and let Andrea in,  "Good to see you Dre."  he gave her a hug,  "I hope Brian is settled in okay and hasn't been giving you too many problems."

"Good to see you, too."  She smiled at the ruse already in play,  "You know how Bri can get, but oddly enough, he took it well.  He even moved the furniture in his room differently, so that was a huge step forward.  You know how anal he was with the way his room had to be.  It was progress that I wasn't expecting.  Well, not so soon after the move, at least.  Not one meltdown since before the flight here."

Chloe had stood up and was watching as they spoke.  A hint of jealousy rose in her when Marcus gave the woman a long hug, but when he asked about her son, that feeling dissipated quickly.  He had more concern for the child than the woman that would have been his sister-in-law.

"You get your paperwork sorted with Martha?"  he inquired as he shut the door for privacy.

She nodded,  "Yeah.  She's a sweetie, where did you find an HR person that isn't a total hardass?"

He laughed,  "She was here when I got here."  He turned to Chloe,  "This is..."

Andrea stuck out her hand,  "You must be the infamous Detective Decker.  I recognize you from the file they sent me.  Pretty impressive record, I hope I can keep up."

"I read yours as well,"  she shook the woman's hand, firm and confident,  "your record is excellent.  I think this department is about to have all its previous records shattered with us as a team.  I'm looking forward to working with you."  She honestly meant that.

"Why don't we sit so we can all get to know each other better."  Marcus motioned for them to take the couch, he pulled a chair over to sit across from them.

Knowing that this was work, Chloe didn't take offense to him sitting across from her,  "So, Marcus tells me that you worked with him back in Chicago..."

Andrea smiled, it was time to turn on the charm.  

******

Lucifer had placed Maze right at the door to his palace.  As the King, he never needed to enter by the gates, so this made things so much easier.  It would have taken Maze too long to reach his place had she come in from the gates.  He stayed just long enough for her to get the details of what he wanted, then he was gone again.  She may see him in a few days, or a few hundred years in Hell time, depending on what happens up on Earth.  Either way, he promised she wouldn't be there longer than her two weeks in Earth time, even if he had to send Amenadiel to get her.  She didn't like the idea, but agreed nonetheless.

Maze entered his rooms and found the Goddess standing on the balcony.  By the looks of her, Hell must have been toying with her pretty good.  That gave her a smile.  She could tell that the Goddess was weak, essentially powerless.  That didn't make it much fun, but hey, locking the bitch in her cell was what she came for.  Taking her time and watching for any sign that the woman could sense her, Maze thought about how she would take her down.  Several scenarios went through her mind, and in the end, she decided on the direct approach.  She had other things to do while she was here, and wasting time on the King's mother wasn't one of them.  She stepped out into the room and waited.

When she noticed Maze, she became more animated.  "Finally!  A servant.  I need you to draw me a bath, this place is so filthy, and I feel it crawling on my skin."

Maze cocked an eyebrow.  She couldn't believe the woman's audacity.  "I'm not a fucking servant, and in case you haven't noticed lady, this is Hell.  There's no water to bathe in."  That was a lie.  Lucifer had clear hot springs below his rooms that he bathed in frequently.  A little gift given to the King from Hell itself.  Though Maze wasn't about to tell the bitch that.  The sooner she was back in her box, the better.

"I am a Goddess, you pathetic creature, you will not speak to me like that."  The fact that she was a Goddess was apparently lost on the creatures of the underworld.  She was trying to use her power and it wasn't working.  

"Yeah, the fuck I will."  she pulled out her blades.  Lucifer said she couldn't kill the bitch, he never said she couldn't wound her.  "Time to put you back in your cell."

She shook her head in shock,  "This is my son's Kingdom, and you will show me the same respect you show him!"

Maze laughed and took a step forward,  "Um... no.  That's not happening."

The Goddess waved her hand out to try and throw Maze across the room and nothing happened.  "What..."

"Man, you really are delusional, aren't you lady?  No wonder you're here."  her blades spun in her hands,  "Who do you think sent me to put you back in your hole?  I’ll give you a hint, I’m here on the King's orders and,"  she pointed with one of her blades, "you're to go back to your loop.  He doesn't want you here, mommy dearest, he wants you gone."  The wicked smile she possessed could melt solid rock.  She was truly enjoying taking the woman down a peg.

"My son would never harm me, and he certainly wouldn't want to see me back in that cell.  I'm his mother, he would never refuse me."  she waved Maze off.  Treating her like just another annoying creature her husband created.  "If you're not a servant, then you're of no use to me.  Just get out, get away from me before I smite you.  I plan to tell my son about this act of defiance when he returns."  She turned back to the balcony.

Maze narrowed her eyes.  Apparently no one told the Goddess about how Hell works, because turning your back on an armed Demon, especially her, is the dumbest thing anyone could do.  She was on the Goddess before she knew what hit her.  The karambit at her throat kept her still, but she could feel the Goddess trying to struggle.  "Never, ever, turn your back to a Demon you poor excuse for a Goddess.  You might as well have just invited me to kill you."  she purred as she squeezed her grip on the woman,  "Too bad I don't have permission for that."

"Get your filthy hands off me, you wretched creature, or I will unmake you."  the Goddess growled out.  "Slowly and painfully."

"Go ahead and try it, bitch."  her grip around the Goddess became painfully tighter.  "You can't do a damn thing to me because you're pathetic and weak."  

The Goddess tried to break free once more, and failed.  Her mind was reeling from the fact that she had no power at all.  

"Well?  I'm waiting."  she purred again.  “What’s the matter?  Can’t get it up?”  The woman's fear was just what Maze needed to feel better.

Her eyes went wide as the anger over this creature touching her grew.  Though, try as she may, no power would come to her.  Not even enough to break free of the hold the disgusting creature had on her.  How was this possible?  She is more powerful than anyone, second only to her husband.  She used the only tool she had left, her manipulation, to try and talk her way out of the situation she now found herself in.  "Let go of me and I will not tell my son what you have done here.  He may even let you live."

"Yeah, that's not gonna happen."  she replied as the first cuff encircled the Goddess' wrist.  With a well practiced move, she spun the helpless woman around and cuffed the other.  "You're going back to your cell now.  My King gave the order, he doesn't want to be anywhere near you or that dickhead father of his."  It was too easy, she wanted the Goddess to fight so she could at least smack her around a bit, but no, no fight at all.  "Can't say I blame him, you both suck as parents.  At least my mother had the balls to abandon us as soon as we were created."

The Goddess looked at her hands, appalled by the audacity of the creature.  She ignored everything the demon had said.  "Do you honestly think I can't get out of these!?"  she exclaimed with a short laugh.  She had never before been treated like this by a lower life form, and will not tolerate it now.  Her son is going to be furious when he finds out what happened here, that she was sure of.  Still trying to be the powerful woman she thought she was, she shook her head.  "There is nothing in this universe that I can't unmake, you worthless animal.  I am the Goddess of All Creation."

"You didn't create shit aside from a few Angels.  Everyone knows that the Demiurge created everything."  Maze simply replied.  "We all knew that the moment we were created."

Stunned to know that this lowly creature knew enough about her twins to the point that she had that information, the Goddess narrowed her eyes.  It was time to change tactics.  "You do know that I can get out of these restraints quite easily, don't you?"

"Sure, okay."  she nodded and smiled.  "Go ahead and give it a try, but do it while I'm walking you back to your cell.  I have other things to do, and you're wasting my vacation time."  She held the blade in front of her,  "Walk."

"Oh, I don't think so."  the Goddess replied as she pulled her hands apart to break the cuffs.  Nothing happened, and the cuffs remained in place.  Her eyes went wide as she stared at them.

"Wow."  she nodded and laughed.  "I bet you thought that was going to work, huh?"  Maze was truly loving this.

The Goddess stared at her wrists, shocked that she couldn't break free of them.  "This isn't possible."

Maze laughed,  "It was a nice try, though.  I thought you were supposed to be all kinds of dangerous and shit.  You're about as dangerous as a puppy on NyQuil."  she scoffed at the way the Goddess tried numerous times to break free of the cuffs.  "Those are demon steel.  I don't care who you are, you can't break them."  her face changed to reflect her demonic side, and the Goddess winced at the sight of it.

While Maze was talking, the Goddess tried several more times to get the cuffs off herself.  "My son will hear about this, and you will regret the day you were born!  I'm not leaving until I speak to him!"  She remained firm in her voice, but was now slightly concerned that her son would allow such treatment of her.

"Yeah, that’s not happening.  Whatever, either walk, or I'll drag you."  she replied with a shrug.  "I was given an order to return you to your cell, I plan to do just that."

"Well, when Samael -"

"DO NOT CALL HIM THAT!"  Maze growled at her in a shout loud enough to echo in the room.  Her blades once again pressed against the tender flesh of the Goddess' throat.  "The King’s name is Lucifer Morningstar, and you will show him proper respect.  Say that name again, and you will bleed.  I may not be able to kill you, but I can make you suffer."

The Goddess stilled once more, though made no outward sign that she was frightened.  She couldn't show weakness in front of such a creature.  "He's using his title as a name?  Why would he do that?  His name is a perfect reflection of who he is, who he was meant to be."

Maze could feel her fear and in a half scoff, half laugh replied,  "You think he likes to be reminded that he's 'the poison of God' when his twin is 'the one who is like God'?  He hates his father just as much as he hates you, lady."  Her blade pressed in deeper but not enough to draw blood,  "He wants nothing to do with either of you for what you did to him.  For what you and God did to both of them."

Hearing what the demon said, the Goddess was stunned.  "That is NOT what his name means!  It means 'the POWER of God'.  Who told him that it means poison?  Why would he think I would name my Light-bringer and Night-bringer, the most beautiful creations to exist, something so horrible?  Mikhael means 'the Creation of God', not one who is like God.  My twins are perfect, powerful, and much stronger than El could ever be!  Especially when they combine as one."  

Relaxing her hold on the Goddess, Maze tried to see any deception in her words, there was none that she could detect.  She thought about those words, 'when they combine as one', maybe that's why their father is keeping them apart.  God must really see them as a threat.  That was a good piece of information to have.  Maze knew that Hell would come to the same conclusion and tell Lucifer.  She stared back at the Goddess, who's futile effort to get out of the cuffs continued.  "Whatever, he still hates the name, and has forbidden its use.  Don't use it ever again, or I will cut you."  she pulled on the cuffs and started dragging the Goddess out of the room.  

"I'm not leaving!  I want to speak to my son, I need to speak to him!"  the Goddess argued once more.  She needed to talk to him before this demon put her in her cell again.  With her power weakened like this, it may take her thousands of years to get out again.

"Yeah, still don't care.  I have my orders, and you have a cell to get back to."  she yanked on the cuffs as she started walking.

"I refuse to go back into that cell!"  she grumbled as she was being pulled, quite forcefully.  "Let me talk to him.  Let me explain..."

Maze whipped around and stared at her,  "He doesn't want to see you!  Don't you get that?  Why do you think he sent me to deal with your whinny ass?"  Grabbing her by the cuffs once more, she pulled her to the hall.  "Now, get moving, or I will chain your legs and drag you like a bag of trash through the halls."

The Goddess began walking, knowing she had no way of escape.  "Fine, put me back in my cell, the runes are gone, so I can easily get out now anyway."  

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?"  Maze replied with a laugh, Lucifer had given her instructions to put his mother in a loop, not her old one, a newly constructed one.  Normally it would have taken time to get her where she needed to go, but Hell made it quite easy for her to get the Goddess to her new room.  They walked to a clearing that had a large room with no others around it.  When they came to the structure, Maze smiled.  "Welcome to your new abode."

Staring at the basalt structure, the Goddess shook her head.  "There's no door, you idiotic creature, how exactly am I supposed to get in that?"

Before Maze could speak, the ground began to subtly shake.  Hell had constructed the room without a door on purpose.  It knew the Goddess would start to work on getting out the second she entered, so it blended the door into the structure.  It moved at random times and to random places in the cell.  No matter what she did, no matter how hard she tried, the door would never be found.  Once the shaking stopped, a door appeared.

Noticing the door, the Goddess smiled inwardly, but made no indication on her outward appearance.  This door had no chains on it, no runes preventing her from leaving.  This was going to be much easier than she originally thought.  She eyed Maze and held up her hands,  "Are you going to take these off me now, or am I to stay like this?"

"As soon as you enter, the cuffs will disappear.  Thank you for choosing Hell as your final destination.  Enjoy your stay!"  Maze smiled wickedly as she opened the door and pushed the Goddess in with little care.

Once the Goddess passed the door, it disappeared and a flat wall was all there was to be seen.  Hell seemed to take a breath, as if the ordeal was now over, and it could move on from the distraction.  The cuffs appeared at Maze's feet.

She watched as Hell made the changes to the exterior of the room.  She didn't need to tell Lucifer what had happened, Hell spoke to him directly, so he knew what had taken place.  There was no way of her knowing what the loop inside would look like, but with her knowledge of what Hell was capable of, it made her smile.  Seems Hell wanted this one for itself.  The bitch would suffer, and that's all that mattered.  All she could do now was wait for Lucifer to return.  Picking up the cuffs, she turned and made her way to Malcolm's loop, she had a promise to keep to the little human.  

******

With Lucifer voicing his 'challenge accepted', Michael knew it was not a good thing.  His twin could be quite stubborn, as the past has proven.  "No Sam."  Michael replied once more.  "The last thing we need is for Him to get involved.  Cain's not mortal, so he won't die if we bring him to your domain.  Can't we just trap him here, then put him in a loop?  I'm only asking because if we can, that should balance things out nicely."  He smiled, knowing that it was better than seeking out the guilty on their deathbeds and ensuring they went to Hell.  Michael never did like doing it that way, but it was the only solution they had at the time.  "It may actually get me more souls in the human Heavens."

"That would make Hell, dare I say..."  he raised his eyebrow, "happy?  But yes, that would balance things nicely."  Lucifer nodded.  "And I do believe you're right, it'll also open up the Silver City for more souls.  Cain is Hell's most wanted, after all."  He let out a small laugh,  "Well, next to dad."

"I'm always right, Sam."  Michael smiled sweetly,  "So?  What do you say?  You up for a good game of best, my love?"

"Always darling, you know that."  he smiled sadly.  It hurt him to know that their time together was short.  "It's just... we don't know how much longer you can stay.  He'll send Amenadiel to force you back, and if you don't go..."  he hesitated, leaving the sentence unfinished for more than one reason.

"If he doesn't go, where?"  Ella questioned.  What was going on with these two?  Why aren't they allowed to be together?  They seem so happy.

Michael looked at her, his face showed his pain at the thought of being away from Lucifer once again.  "Back to the Silver City.  If we stay together too long, then father will intervene and separate us, like he has many times before.  He'll then punish us both again if we overstep our stay.  We can only see each other when we need to, and only for a few days at most.  Any longer than that, and father has always found a way to separate us.  To be honest, this is the longest we've been together in thousands of years."  

"That's mean.  Why is your dad so mean to you?  He's supposed to be good, not bad!"  The look Trixie gave him was one of sadness.  "If I had a brother, I'd never let my dad take him away from me."  Trixie prayed in her head to God, knowing that what she was saying would probably get her in trouble.  'God - it's Trixie Espinoza - please don't take Lucifer and Michael away again.  I don't like Cain, he's mean, and he hurts people, and he's making my mom act weird.  Let Lucifer and Michael stay together to make Cain go away!  Stop being mean to Lucifer.  He's my friend and I love him.'   She looked at him again, then to Lucifer,  "I won't let God take Michael away from you.  I prayed, and I told him I need you to help my mom and to stop being mean."

As shocking as her confession was, Michael knew nothing would come of it.  His father hadn't paid attention to humans in hundreds of years.  Even if he did hear the child's prayer, he would simply ignore it like any other.  At least, he thought so, or rather, hoped so.

"Thank you for trying, child, but I'm afraid there is much more to our story than you can hear."  Lucifer responded.  "There's a reason he wants us apart, and will do what He needs to do to make it so."

Michael looked at Lucifer and sighed,  "I hate this.  I shouldn't have to leave you, not now.  Not when things are so up in the air."

"It's not any easier for me."  Lucifer pushed his sadness through their bond.  He didn't want everyone in the room to know how he felt.  "Dad is well aware of what Cain is capable of.  It amazes me that he let the bastard live this long."  he let out a scoff,  "Half of the misdeeds you humans have pinned on me are because of him."

"And the other half?"  Linda asked in her 'Doctor' voice.  "Are you saying those are yours?"

He stared at her,  "The other half is you humans making things up or doing it yourselves."  He refilled his glass,  "My carnal activities aside, I am not responsible for the myriad of evil or depraved things you humans have managed to do to yourselves.  I'm just used to taking the blame for them."  He released another sigh, drained his glass and placed his hands on the bar top.  "Right.  So, shall we go wrangle us an immortal, or..."

"Easy Sam.  First, we need to see if Chloe's irrational behavior is a result of Cain's influence or something else.  I won't pass Judgement until I know for sure.  Then we can decide."  Michael pointed out.  "Granted, he's never getting into the Silver City, but that's for other reasons."

"Then why does it matter?"  Dan barked,  "I mean, if he's making Chloe act like this, or Chloe's doing it to herself because of him, it's still his doing, right?"  Dan was confused as to how the blame was being placed here.  As far as he was concerned, the way Chloe was acting was all Cain's fault.  "Chloe was fine until she started dating Pierce or - Cain or - whoever, now she's not.  The only change was him.  He's got to be the reason."

Lucifer shook his head,  "That's not how it works, Daniel.  If Cain is making her do these things, then yes, he would be the one to blame.  If Chloe is choosing to be like this, then the guilt is on her, not him.  He cannot be held accountable for her wrongdoing."  He knew the man wouldn't understand how things worked, but he was going to try.

Dan shook his head,  "But she's been acting like this since she started dating him.  He's the one that changed her."

"I understand how you feel, Dan, you're too close to the situation to see it clearly."  Michael tried to calm the man,  "As a Judge, we have to look at every side of the situation to properly place blame on the soul that deserves it.  Not that I'm coming to Cain's defense here, but we have to be impartial.  There is a lot involved that, as a mortal, you couldn't understand, and that's okay.  We are not human, we know what to look for and how to find the truth.  They will both be judged by their actions, but the guilt will lie with the person that deserves it, not the person we would like to punish."  As Michael spoke, he noticed that Dan had calmed considerably.  "Cain will be punished for the things he has already done, make no mistake.  If he is guilty of this as well, then it will be added to the very long list of crap he will suffer for."

With a boisterous laugh, Lucifer added,  "That's got to be one Hell of a list, brother."

"I had to have a separate file cabinet brought into my office, just hold all of his records."  He laughed and smiled,  "The watchers bring me reports weekly now, instead of daily.  It got to be too much paperwork."

Lucifer shook his head, letting out a scoff,  "Why am I not surprised at that?"

"No joke.  I don't know why I bother reading them anymore, he'll never get out of Hell anyway."

"Oh my God.  Oh my God, no...  I'm so screwed."  Ella clutched the cross around her neck,  "You... you write down every bad thing we've ever done?"  Thinking of her childhood and the trouble she got into, she paled.  "That's so not good."

"What?  No... No, Ella, we don't."  He smiled at her,  "There are no records for average mortals such as yourself.  My father requested that Cain be watched, and his deeds recorded as soon as he killed his brother.  The majority of humans are only judged upon their deaths, and only for the deeds they have guilt for.  Only the truly depraved souls are recorded.  Cain doesn't have guilt for any of the trespasses that were recorded, so when he dies, he will be judged based on those, as well as the guilt he takes responsibility for.  He honestly believes that because he feels no guilt for what he's done, that he's going to heaven when his curse ends.  He's in for a very rude awakening, I can promise that.  Hell will be very well-fed off his suffering."  Michael hoped that made her feel better.  She seemed to relax as she let the cross go and her hands fell to her sides.

Lucifer stilled, and his expression went blank for a few seconds.  He seemed to be staring into space as his eyes flickered between red and a glowing white.

"Luce?  Are... Are you okay?"  Ella asked, concerned.  Michael held her hand back when she went to reach for him.

"Leave him be, he's talking to Hell."  he replied,  "This is probably important."

Trixie smiled,  "That must be so cool."  She jumped up and shouted,  "Say Hi for me!"

Coming out of the connection a moment later, Lucifer let out a laugh,  "Oddly enough child, Hell said it hopes you never meet.  Mainly because your soul is too bright, and it would rather you stay as far away as possible."

She frowned.  "That sucks."

"Quite the contrary.  Take that as Hell's way of saying hello.  It has no concept of greetings or pleasantries, and is unfamiliar with how humans communicate."  he reassured her.  "It knows you don't deserve to be there, so that was it's way of being... I guess, kind would be the right word."

"That's so awesome!  Hell knows me.  That is so cool."  she said with a wide smile.

"Well,"  his twin inquired,  "is she back in her cell?"

Lucifer nodded,  "Of course.  Maze has never failed in her tasks in Hell.  However, mum's new accommodations are nowhere near what her other one was like.  Hell created her new loop itself.  Apparently, her last room didn't show her anything.  No wonder she never changed, she was in a dark room, alone for millennia.  Hell fed off her divinity, but it was a slow process."

"Okay, now that's torture.  That would make anyone insane."  Linda said with a shaking voice.  "I can't believe God would do that to his own wife.  Why would anyone do that?"

"Because my father is a cruel, manipulative bastard who doesn't care about anyone but himself, that's why."  Lucifer barked out.

Ella's hand went right back to her cross as she took a deep breath.  The thought of what he did to his own wife, his own son, made her fear for her afterlife.  "God's supposed to be the good guy..." she whispered too softly for the humans in the room to hear, but Michael and Lucifer heard it well enough.

"Sorry Ella, but he really isn't.  The God you have been taught about in your churches is nothing like our father."  his reply was dry and laced with his own heartbreak.  "He doesn't see us as his children, we're nothing more than tools for him to use.  If a tool doesn't do what it's supposed to, it's discarded and another will take its place.  He doesn't rule by love, he rules by fear."  He sighed,  "We know that feeling better than anyone."

She stared at him, her eyes wet with tears she hadn't let fall.  "He hurt you too?"

Michael shifted uncomfortably,  "Yes.  He took Sam from me.  There was no pain greater than that.  I will never forgive Him for making me do what He did.  He knows that, and I was punished for telling Him as much.  I was whipped, and had my flight feathers pulled out.  He did that because I questioned Him about getting to see Sam."  He saw her wince at the thought.  "I didn't care.  As long as Sam knew the truth; that I didn't want to hurt him; that's all that mattered to me."

Lucifer moved from behind the bar to fold his brother in a hug.  "You know I never blamed you, Mi.  I saw what He did, everyone but Amenadiel knew the truth.  He still doesn't get it."

"Because he's a fucking daddy's boy."  Michael muffled into Lucifer's neck.

"Language."

"Sorry."

Trixie curled both her arms around them,  "I'm sorry your dad is such a bad man.  He should be nicer to both of you."

Michael released one of his hands and placed it on her back.  Lucifer patted her head,  "Thank you, urchin."

Breaking the spell that seemed to fall over everyone, Linda grabbed her stomach and ran to Lucifer's bathroom.  The trio broke their group hug and stared at the space that contained the doctor previously.

"What on Earth was that about?"  Lucifer questioned.

Dan shook his head and let out a small laugh,  "She said her stomach's been bothering her for a few days.  She thinks it's just a bug.  My guess is she's pregnant, but she said the guy she's dating can't have kids."

"As far as I know, it's not possible.  If it was, I'd have thousands of offspring by now."  

"Uh... what?"  Ella stared at him.

Michael let out a snicker,  "Oh yeah, she's pregnant, alright.  I knew that the second she touched me.  I know souls better than anyone.  She absolutely has a bun in the oven."  Michael picked up his drink.

Lucifer's mouth was agape.  "No way."

"Yes way.  Mister 'humans and Celestials don't mix' is about to be a baby-daddy.  I wonder how father's going to take that spot of news.  That is, if he even cares."  he quipped.  "So much for being the good son that followed all the rules, am I right?"

The sound of wings drew their attention to the balcony.

******

After a half hour discussion between Marcus, Chloe and Andrea, the phone rang.  Walking to his desk, he picked up the receiver.

"Pierce."  There was a brief pause, and he continued.  "You can come in."  He hung up the phone as there was a soft knock on the door.  "It's open."

Officer Cacuzza slowly opened the door,  "Sorry to disturb you Lute, I know you were meeting with Detective Decker and Detective Hadley."  She smiled,  "Cacuzza,"  she stuck out her hand and Andrea shook it.  "You need info, I can help."  It was her usual way of greeting any and all new members to their department.

"Andrea Hadley,"  she gave a firm handshake,  "but you already knew that.  I was told you're the one to see if I have any questions regarding what goes on here."

"Yeah, I don't know why, but I have a knack for remembering the weirdest things."  she smiled.

With an approving nod, Andrea gave her a short laugh,  "Sounds like a good thing to me.  I'll have to remember that."

"I read your file, working with Detective Decker is going to make the solve rate skyrocket.  She's the top dog when it comes to closure."  she turned to Marcus,  "I know this isn't exactly a priority, but I thought Detective Decker would want it right away."  She held a file in her hand.  

Chloe stood and took the file,  "You finished the facial recognition that fast?"  It's only been an hour and a half since she returned from the scene.  Even Ella couldn't work magic like that.

"Yeah, the new program that Ella wrote for us made it so much easier.  I can't take the credit."  she let out a small laugh,  "Well, that and the guy pretty much parked in front of one of the houses with a door cam.  Got the car and his mug clear as day."

"Great, now we just have to get the warrant."  Chloe smiled.

Cacuzza nodded,  "I also tracked the car back to his house using traffic cams.  Got a positive ID on his address and cross-referenced the DMV for his license photo.  Pulled his record, and he has a laundry list of priors for aggravated assault, DUI, possession of an unlicensed firearm, and a ton of unpaid parking tickets."

"Nice work.  Very thorough."  Pierce interjected.

She shrugged,  "Didn't want Detective Decker to have to waste time.  Since you were in a meeting, I figured I could pick up the slack.  It was easy stuff."

Chloe smiled at Pierce,  "You were right."  The unspoken words let him know she was talking about Cacuzza's promotion to Detective.

"Thank you for doing that."  

"Sure."  she turned to Andrea,  "See you out there."  

Once she left the office, Marcus smiled at both the detectives,  "Well, now is as good a time as any to start working.  Oh, and the old conference room is going to be your new office.  Another desk won't fit in the bullpen, so we're putting you guys there instead."  Well, that, and he wanted Andrea to be able to talk to her without people listening in.  He already had cameras and mics placed in the room so he could listen in.

"Oh, the guys aren't going to like that at all."  Chloe laughed.  Most of the detectives thought they deserved private offices, whenever one did become available, they would jockey for position to be the one to get it.  She never bothered because she was hardly ever at her desk, and when she was, she was just doing paperwork.

"With your close rates combined, you'll be angling for my job soon."  he smiled.  "Go on, go get your guy so we can start our weekend on a high note."  He was actually dreading having to go away with her, but he'd do what he had to do to be free of his curse.  He rubbed his hand over the mark, still feeling it under his shirt.  There had to be something he was missing, the mark should have disappeared when she said she loved him.  Ugh, what more can he do?  Thank - well, not God - that Chloe didn't like any PDA at work because he really didn't want to act like that right now.  He gave her a false smile.

She spun the ring on her finger, and imagined what their weekend would be like.  "It's already on a high note."  she blushed deeply,  "I'll send you that info that we discussed earlier."

"I'll make the arrangements once I have it.  Go on, the faster you do this, the sooner we go."  he waved her and Andrea out the door,  "Call if you need anything.  Oh, and Dre?"

"Yeah?"

"Welcome aboard."

She nodded with a smile,  "Thanks.  I hope I can live up to my rep."  She turned and followed Chloe toward her desk.

******

She prowled the halls until she came to Malcolm's loop.  She saw him in a diner, sitting at a counter.  In front of him, several plates of food were laid out.  Watching with a grin from the far end, Maze knew what was coming.

He reached for the coffee and gasped when he couldn't pick it up.  His hand phased right through it.  "What the fuck?"  He tried again, with the same result.  "Is this coffee a hologram?  Am I being punked?"  He went to pick up the fork, to take a bite of the home fries in the plate in front of him.  He picked up a good amount, but once it got to his mouth, he tasted nothing.  No food was on the fork.  "What the fuck is going on?"

Laughing out loud for him to hear it, he turned to see her.  She smiled,  "What's the matter, Malcolm?  Are you that stupid, you don't know how to eat?"

"What the fuck are you doing here?"  he snapped out.  "Don't you have anything better to do?"

She walked toward him, sitting down and grabbing one of the strawberries from his Belgian waffle, she plucked it into her mouth,  "I'm on vacation, and this is better than being stuck on Earth with no one to torture."

"Right.  Crazy bitch."  he tried to pull the plate away from her and his hand went through it.  "What..."

"You haven't figured it out yet, have you?"  she smirked as she took another strawberry.

"Figured out what?"  he wondered how she was able to pick at the food, but he wasn't.  It had to be some sort of trick.  "That someone is fucking with me and I don't like it?  Yeah, I got that."

She laughed and moved behind the counter to pour herself a cup of coffee.  Turning back, she drank it in front of him, making a 'mmmm' as she swallowed the beverage.  "That's fantastic coffee, Malcolm.  You should drink it while it's hot."  Her torment of the man has only just begun.

He reached for the cup in front of him, and once more, his hand went right through it.  "Okay, what the fuck is going on?  I'm starving, why can't I touch anything?"

Draining her cup, she leaned over and picked at his plate with her fingers, picking out a potato and plucking it into her mouth.  "Wow.  You seriously don't remember what happened?"

"Nothing happened to me..."

She cut him off,  "Okay Malcolm, you keep telling yourself that... but you're dead and in Hell... again."

He shook his head,  "No.  See, I made a deal, I have the coin that Lucifer gave me.  I'm not going back to Hell."  He began to check his pockets for the coin.

"Yeah, well, you broke the deal when you shot Lucifer, so here you are."  she purred in a devious way.  "The deal was for the coin if you didn't shoot him.  Annnnd... you did anyway, so by default, the coin goes back to him.  Because you broke the deal, you came back here."  She plucked another potato from the plate.  "You made a huge mistake going after the kid, Malcolm."

"Decker fucked up my plans, I needed that money.  I told her to come alone, it was her fault that he got shot."  he tried to argue.

She leaned back and let out a demonic laugh,  "Wow.  You seriously believe that?  She didn't bring him by the way, he followed her.  You shot him in cold blood, in front of a child and his partner.  That was really stupid of you.  Then again, you humans are not the brightest."  The loop changed to the hangar.  "Personally, I think you should have killed Decker the second you saw her, but, whatever."

"What just happened?"  he looked around.  "How the fuck did we get here?"

"It's Hell, you idiot.  It does this to show you just how much of an asshole you were, or still are, in your case."  Maze smiled.  "You remember this moment, don't you, Malcolm?  The moment you fucked up?"

The shot rang out as he held the gun to Lucifer's abdomen.  "Yeah.  I killed the prick."  He smiled wickedly,  "That Angel said he would get to Heaven if I did it."

Maze shook her head,  "You honestly believe you killed the Devil?  With a human made weapon?"  she saw the look on his face,  "Not to mention, no Angel, not even the Devil or God himself can get you to Heaven.  That's not how it works.  You really are stupid, aren't you?"

"I am not."  he replied,  "We had a deal.  Lucifer said so!  I have his coin, I can't go to Hell."

"Look again."  she pointed as the scene played out.  "You broke the deal, Malcolm.  Lucifer loves loopholes, and you fell right into one."

Malcolm watched as Lucifer held up the coin, then flipped it in the air towards him.  He stared as it disintegrated as it fell.  "No.  No, no, no!  We had a deal!"

She scoffed,  "Your deal was contingent on you NOT shooting him.  Well, you broke the deal when you pulled the trigger."  She flared her arms out,  "Welcome back to Hell, Malcolm.  It's so nice to have you back."  With that, she kicked him in the balls with all her strength.  As she fell to the ground, holding his now painfully damaged privates, Maze leaned in and whispered,  "That was from Trixie, for taking her against her will and making her afraid."  She punched him in the face several times,  "That was from me, because you caused her to have nightmares for weeks after this shit."

Malcolm reached into his waistband and pulled out his gun, he aimed and shot Maze several times.  He smiled, knowing that she would die for hitting him.  The sound of her laughter made the smile disappear from his face.  She wasn't even wounded, not a scratch.  "What?  How are you not dead?"

"I'm a fucking demon, you idiot!  You can't kill me here,"  she smacked the gun out of his hand,  "especially with a gun that doesn't really exist."

His eyes followed where the gun skidded to a stop and disappeared in a fluff of ash.  He looked back to her, and struggled to his feet.  No way was he going to let her get away with hitting him, no fucking way.  He tried to throw a punch that she easily avoided while punching him in the gut.  He fell a step back and came at her again.  This went on for a few more tries before Maze put a stop to it by kicking him in the chest, making him land on his back.  He was bleeding and battered.

She leaned down as she stood over him, her knees now falling to pin his shoulders to the floor.  "You can't do shit to me here, Malcolm.  You're dead and this is Hell.  I can beat you over and over for hundreds of years, and there isn't a damn thing you can do about it."

He struggled to get free from her, but it felt like he'd had a truck parked on his chest.  How can someone so skinny be so fucking heavy?  "I'm gonna fucking kill you."  he growled out in frustration.  He tried again to get free, but it was no use.

"Oh Malcolm..."  she smiled,  "you're never leaving Hell."  Pulling back her fist, she readied the blow,  "Nighty night, dirt-bag.  This is gonna be so much fun."

"Fuck y..."  the punch landed, knocking him out.  The loop reset and Maze prepared to beat the man once more.

She had a list of people she wanted to visit while she was here, but there was no rush.  She knew that even though it felt like days had passed while she was dealing with the Goddess, it was only about an hour topside.  With the vacation time of two weeks by Earth standards, she had a few hundred years to play around before Lucifer even gets there.  A few years with Malcolm, a few with some of the others, then she made her way to the last one on the list.  This one was just so she could see how that case really happened.  How Chloe was able to get Lucifer to save her life.  Maze wanted to know for herself.  She was walking toward the loop of Jimmy Barnes when Hell gave a rumble.  She leaned into the column next to her,  "What the...?"  She looked up to see Lucifer and Michael, dangling between them from chains was another figure.  "This should be interesting."  She raced to where they landed.  

******

"Remy?"  Michael squared his shoulders, she was dressed in her fighting armor,  "What's all this about?"

Ella knew that name - Remy - Remiel!  "OMG - the Huntress!  Wow..." she smiled wide.

Remiel ignored the human's recognition.

Dan and Trixie remained quiet.  Dan, because he's had more than he can take for one day, and Trixie because she wanted to know what was going on.

Remiel looked at Lucifer with narrowed eyes,  "I knew you would manage to impregnate one of these... humans."  she sneered the word out.  "All that fornicating was bound to catch up with you."  She shook her head,  "You know how father feels about Nephalim, I've come to take the fledgling back to the Silver City where it belongs.  Even if it is yours, you can't have it, father would never allow it."

"Sorry to tell you this, dear sister, but the child isn't mine."  Lucifer quipped,  "You can blame the Nephalim's creation on none other than your mentor, Amenadiel."  He honestly wished he'd been recording the look on her face when he told her.  "I'm not that careless."

Knowing that Lucifer can't lie, she startled at that,  "Amenadiel would never do such a thing!"  Her eyes turned to Michael,  "How did this happen anyway?  I thought humans were too far removed from the divine for it to be possible.  Is this why you were down here so long?"

"No, but it will prolong my stay even further, now that I know all the details."  he replied.  "Yes, Amenadiel is the father of the child, not Lucifer, as you have wrongly accused without the facts.  We have this under control Remy, the Nephalim is now under our protection.  The child will remain on Earth with Amenadiel and the mother until her natural passing.  No one is to interfere or cause this child, or his mother, harm.  Do I make myself clear?"

Lucifer noticed the tone he used with their younger sister.  It was not just powerful, it was commanding.  Michael was in charge of the Silver City, had been for over two thousand years now, and they obeyed him.  

"Yes, Michael."  She bowed,  "I only came because I thought it was Lucifer that did it.  Father would have been furious.  Though, I am disappointed that Amenadiel fell from grace."  She thought he was above mating with humans.  "He always spoke of how disgusted he was with Lucifer for it, and now he's just as depraved."

"It is not depravity sister, it's a natural, and rather beautiful connection between two people.  You would know that if you allowed yourselves to have a mate.  This is why our numbers have fallen, no new Angels are being born."  he had to throw that in.  He knew that most Angels did not like what Michael and Lucifer were to one another.  They thought the act of copulation was beneath them, especially after father told them that they were not meant to lay with humans.  "Amenadiel fell in more ways than just his loss of grace, Remy.  He was actually fallen when the Nephalim was created."  Michael replied.  "He lost his wings and had no powers.  He was practically mortal, sister.  But he did learn something most Angels of the Silver City have failed to even grasp."  he smiled at Lucifer,  "Love."

Her mouth hung open, there was no way that Amenadiel could know love.  Angels didn't love anything but father.  She shook off the thought,  "Wha... how?"  she looked at Lucifer,  "You caused that, didn't you?  You tricked him into this somehow."

Lucifer shook his head and released an exasperated sigh,  "Oh, here we go again!  Stop blaming me for something I had nothing to do with."  he scoffed,  "Let me tell you a little story about our holier-than-thou brother, shall I?"  He poured himself a drink and continued,  "In his quest to send me back to Hell, your mentor decided it would be a good idea to revive a dammed soul.  He did so by giving said soul the impression that if he killed me, he would be welcome in heaven.  Amenadiel didn't have the balls to do it himself, so he hired a hit-man instead.  So much for being a good son."  he huffed.  "Well, I in turn, made a deal with the man not to kill me.  He negated that deal when he shot me after he'd kidnapped the detective's offspring.  Needless to say, said soul was returned to Hell and not to the Silver City as your dear brother promised."  He watched as she looked at Michael, then back at him.  When she didn't speak, he carried on with his tale,  "When Amenadiel realized he had not only broken a vow, but failed in his task, he understood that he was no better than the guilty souls I rule over.  He caused himself to fall."  He smacked the glass on the bar,  "So you see, I had nothing to do with it."

"He would not have done those things had you remained in Hell where father wanted you!"

Lucifer laughed,  "Contrary to what you and most of our siblings may believe, I am not bound to Hell.  I can come and go as I please."  He took a sip of his beverage,  "I have control of my domain, unlike Amenadiel."

Not wanting to continue with the line of conversation, Remy eyed him sharply,  "Where is the human that has the Nephalim?  I want to know how this happened."

"Not that you have a right to know, but I will tell you.  As Linda is Lucifer's therapist, Amenadiel went to speak to her to seek a way toward redemption.  During their encounters, they developed a relationship, and over a period of time,"  he made a jazz hands motion,  "Nephalim."  

"Has he not been restored?  Do you plan to punish him further, Michael?"  She inquired as she looked at Michael.  She knew - well, everyone knew - they didn't have the closest relationship.

He laughed,  "I didn't do this to him, Remy, weren't you listening?  He did it to himself."

"He has his wings back, though I'm unsure if his ability has fully returned."  Lucifer added.  "Yeah, he can still slow time, but he said it doesn't last as long as it did before and other times, it doesn't work at all."

Remiel shook her head, this was too much for her to take.  "Father will not like knowing there is a Nephalim on Earth."

"Well, tough shit.  The kid stays here with its mother, as does Amenadiel until the mother has passed her Earthly time."  Michael clapped his hands together,  "You can return to your duties, and send Raph down, please.  I would like to make sure the Nephalim is developing properly."  Yes, he did mean to dismiss her like that.  If it's one thing he knew about the Host, it's that they take orders very well.  Stepping out of line is a one-way ticket to punishment, they knew what happened to Lucifer and wouldn't dare question their father - or Michael - again.

"Yes, Michael."  she bowed again, and took off to the Silver City.

"Well, now that Remy knows, that's going to bring the entire bloody host down here."  Lucifer refilled his glass.  "I really don't need the flock of pigeons crowding my penthouse.  Can you keep them in line, Mi?"

"Only Raph will come down."  He took a deep breath,  "I let Gabby know to keep the others in the Silver City until I say it's okay for them to leave.  Unless they are prayed for, of course."

Lucifer relaxed at that statement.  The conversation had returned to what should be done about Cain.  Before long, Linda emerged from the bathroom, looking tired and slightly disheveled.  They eyed her with concern, but it was Lucifer that walked to her to make sure she was okay.  While she was out of the room, Ella made her a cup of ginger tea.  Lucifer had taken out a can of club soda and some saltines, placing them on the coffee table.

"Doctor, are you feeling better?"  he asked as he put his hand out for her to take it.  

With a soft smile she nodded,  "My stomach's been acting up, I'm okay now."  She took his hand and he walked her to the chair by the coffee table.  

"Well, I'm told that some pregnant women have very bad morning sickness, so..."  he flared his hands to the table.  "This should help."

She saw the crackers and let out a laugh,  "Lucifer, I'm not pregnant, Amenadiel..."

"Was fallen when it happened, it's HOW it happened to begin with.  Congratulations."  Michael replied, lifting his drink.  "I wonder how father will take the news that his firstborn is having his firstborn."

The shock of what he said hit her hard.  "No, no, no, no, no... that... that's not possible."  She looked at Lucifer,  "Lucifer, you said it wasn't possible!  Amenadiel told me it wasn't possible!"  She was shaking,  "Wha-?  Are you sure?"  she looked at Michael.

He nodded,  "Oh yeah, I'm never wrong when it comes to souls."  he walked toward her and pointed toward her abdomen,  "That is a new soul, a Nephalim to be precise.  Hasn't been one of those in thousands of years."

"What?"  she placed her hands on her belly.  “Thousands of years?”  Her mind reeled from the information.

"Not since Noah's time.  Nearly all of them were taken with the flood."  he continued,  "Mom and father had a Hell of an argument that time.  Mom didn't know about the Nephalim that existed then.  She just wanted to wipe out humanity and sent the flood to do it.  Father gathered the Nephalim and brought them to the Silver City."

She began to panic, and felt herself becoming dizzy.  Her hands cradled her abdomen,  "God won't take my baby, will he?"

"I honestly don't know.  Father hasn't been around for thousands of years, but if he knows this happened..."  Michael shrugged as he pointed once again to her mid-section,  "who knows.  Amenadiel is the firstborn, so dad may go easy on him and not punish him too harshly.  He may even let you keep the child."

"Or he could smite Amenadiel for disobeying him and take the child anyway.  Depends on his mood."  Lucifer added sharply.  "He’s a dick."

Michael shook his head,  "Sam, no.  No one is being smote.  He never did that to the others, he won't do it now.  Besides, father won't hurt his own grandson."

"It... it's a boy?  You can tell that already?"  she smiled as her hands now rubbed her belly with a tenderness.

"Raphael will be down shortly to take a better look, but yeah, from what I can tell, it's a boy."  He looked at Lucifer,  "You should prepare to meet her, Raphael, that is.  She asks about you all the time, love.  Especially after we've been together."

He let out a small laugh as he drained his glass.  "Tell her all the good stuff, do you?"

"No."  Michael blushed as he smacked his hand against Lucifer's arm playfully,  "Not all of it.  It's mostly to check my levels and make sure I'm okay."

"Uh, hate to be the party pooper here, but remember Cain?  Are we gonna do anything about that?"  Dan asked, finally breaking out of the spell he was under knowing that another Angel was just there.

Lucifer refilled his glass,  "No worries Daniel, Michael and I will deal with him."

"Please make him go away, Lucifer."  Trixie pleaded in a desperate voice.

"Make no mistake, urchin, we will ensure that Cain no longer causes problems for you and your mother."

******

Chloe and Andrea had picked up the perp and were back in the station in less than two hours.  Paperwork had been completed, and they were just preparing to leave when Chloe got a text from Marcus letting her know that the place she had chosen for their getaway had been booked, and he was going to his place to pack.  He would pick her up at her place at seven.

With Chloe being away from her apartment, Andrea was given the go ahead from Marcus to set the place up with cameras.  The kid would be with her father all week, and Maze was out of town for the next two weeks on vacation.  They had time to get everything in place.  

After saying goodbye at the precinct, Chloe raced home to gather some clothes for her weekend with Marcus.  With a giddy smile, she packed the two nighties she had purchased just for him, as well as the special gift she picked up on her way home.  It wasn't like her to buy something so expensive, but she knew he would love it.  It was important to her that she made him happy, she needed him to be happy with her.  This was her chance to be with someone that loved her, that listened to her and cared about her.  She showered quick, just to clean the day off her, and changed into a sundress.  Most of all, she did her hair and put on make-up so she would look good for him.  

As she came down the stairs and placed her bag by the door, she checked her phone for the time.  Marcus would be there any moment, and she felt the flutter in her chest at the sight of her engagement ring.  She looked around one last time, making sure she had everything she would need, when there came a knock at the door.  She smiled as she opened it.  He greeted her with a wide smile, telling her how beautiful she looked, and kissed her softly.  

He picked up her bag and looked around,  "You only packed one bag?"

"What can I say, I travel light."  she smiled.  "I didn't think we'd be doing much outside of our room."  

If she thought she was being flirtatious, it wasn't working.  The way she spoke made him feel sick.  He looked in her eyes and tried to find something, anything to say to make it seem like he was interested.  What came out was nothing like that.  "Well, I hope you packed an evening gown in here."  he said with a sly smile,  "I was thinking we could go out for a romantic dinner one night.  If you want to, that is."

She curled her arm around his waist,  "I didn't think you'd want to leave the bedroom, but for a romantic dinner with you, I can grab one."  She kissed him softly as she walked upstairs, pulled out her best evening gown and the shoes that matched, as well as the clutch, and zipped them into the garment bag.  Walking back downstairs, she noticed he hadn't moved from where she left him.  "All set."  She kissed him once more.

"Perfect."  Taking the garment bag from her with a false smile, he turned and walked toward his car.  Had she been paying attention, she would have seen him roll his eyes at the thought and grind his teeth in frustration.  The thought of having to be stuck in a crappy bed and breakfast with a woman who is so lackluster in bed that masturbation was more exciting, was making him want to scream.  If she wasn't the key to his death, he'd kill her just for spite.  Hell, if he found a way to die, he'd make sure to have her killed after his death, just on principal.

Locking up the apartment behind her, she followed him with a spring in her step and a smile on her face.  As far as Chloe was concerned, this was going to be the best weekend of her life.

******

Dan and Trixie had made their way to Dan's place after they spoke to Lucifer and Michael about the Cain situation.  Lucifer explained that the less they knew, the better.  That was fine by Dan, as long as the asshat was gone and Chloe became a normal person again, he didn't care what happened to the guy.  When they entered the apartment, Trixie asked about her bag that her mom was supposed to give him.  

"She never gave it to me, but you knew she'd forget.  Maze dropped off your stuff last night, it's in your room."  he said with a sigh.

Trixie pulled out her phone and checked the time, she also noticed that her mom hadn't even tried to text or call her all day.  "Figures.  Not a single call or text from her, either."  Her face revealed the hurt she so desperately tried to hide.  "She probably has no idea that I wasn't even in school today."

Looking at his daughter, Dan felt a stab of pain in his heart.  He knew she loved her mother, but the way she's been acting has really hurt Trixie.  He didn't know what to say to her.

"So, should I even bother to ask her about it?"  She looked at her father for an answer.  She didn't want to talk to her mom,  "Maybe you can call and ask her why she forgot, again.  She never listens to me."

Dan took out his phone and called, but it went to voicemail.  He left a scathing message,  "Chloe, you knew I was going to have Trix this week, and you have her bag - again.  What the Hell is going on with you lately?  The least you can do is answer the phone when I call.  I'm glad this wasn't an emergency, because as of late, you haven't been there for Trixie.  If you don't call me back within the hour, I'll have to bring her back to your place to get clothes."  He hung up and stared at his daughter,  "Sorry kiddo, but I'm done being the nice guy."

"It's okay daddy.  I know at least you still love me."  she sat on the sofa and curled her arms around her body.  "I just don't understand why..." she said with a choked voice as she looked up at him,  "Why doesn't mommy want me anymore?  Was I bad?"  

He watched as two tears slipped from her eyes.  This nearly broke him.  How could Chloe have been so blind to their daughter's pain?  He shook his head,  "Baby, no.  That's not true."  he curled her in a hug and tried to comfort her.  "Your mom loves you, and will always love you, no matter what."

Trixie scoffed and wiped her tears away with her hand.  She wrestled out of his embrace and stood up.  "No!  No she doesn't!  All she cares about is him and what makes him happy!  UGH!"  she let out a frustrated grunt.  "It's like I don't even matter anymore!  Like she doesn't even care if I have dinner or breakfast or... or even lunch money!"  She stood up and began to shout.  "She doesn't bother to look at my homework, she doesn't read to me anymore, and the only time we watch movies together is if that dick is with us!  Did you know I had to take an Uber home from Science Club last week because she forgot to pick me up?"

Dan shook his head.

She scoffed,  "Why would she bother to tell you?  She always forgets about me!"

Dan took a deep breath and let her vent her anger.  He knew damn well what she was feeling, and why she was so angry.  He had to give her the space and time to let it out.  Linda told him to listen to her, to hear her and to understand what it was like from her side, and that was what he was going to do.  She continued on for almost fifteen minutes, letting out every piece of anger and frustration she had.  By the time she was done, she was exhausted and told him she wanted to go to her room and rest.  He gave her a hug, told her he would be there when she was ready, and watched as she went to her room.

As soon as she was away from him, he sent a text to Charlotte.  He needed to get full custody of his daughter, and he wanted it now.  

She replied, letting him know she would be at his place within the hour.

That relaxed him, only slightly.  Watching his daughter's heart break in real-time was not something he had ever wanted to witness.  All he could do, was wait.

******

Raphael had not been to Earth in several centuries.  Their father told them to limit their interactions with humans, and she did just that.  She stayed within the Silver City, caring for the Angels in her charge.  When Remiel came to her, saying that there was a Nephalim on Earth, and that Amenadiel was the father, she was struck silent.  The only Angel on Earth, that she knew would even fornicate with a human, was Lucifer.  Knowing that the First-born had created a child was something she never would have expected.  Being given a directive from Michael to go to Earth and check on the child was unusual, but she understood why he would want her there.

Without further delay, she took off for Earth and located Michael's signature easily.  She only became uncomfortable when she realized that he was still with Lucifer.  She landed a few buildings away and prayed to him, not understanding why he would ask her to see him if he was having his personal time with his twin.  She knew that they didn't like to be disturbed when they were with one another.

He let her know that they had been together for almost two weeks, and that there were a few humans with them that he would like for her to meet.

This both confused and intrigued her.  It was not like Michael to be near humans, let alone ask another angel to be near one.  She landed on the balcony and surveyed the room.  Her heart did a small flutter when her eyes landed on Lucifer.  "Brother."  she whispered as she walked toward him.  "I've missed you so much!"  She engulfed him in a wing hug as he let out a small laugh.

"I guess it's not just me then,"  Ella laughed,  "seems like everyone loves to hug the Devil."

Lucifer let out another laugh,  "It's seems like this is becoming a habit.  The urchin, you and now, Raph.  If Gabriel finds out, I’m doomed."  He kissed his sister's head softly,  "I've missed you as well."  

She started to giggle,  "Well, at least I know you're telling the truth."  She kissed his cheek as Michael cleared his throat.  He was indicating that there were mortals in the room and she had not furled her wings.  "Oh crap,"  she furled them quickly and looked at Michael,  "sorry.  I got excited."

"It's okay, Raph.  We'd like for you to check that the mother and Nephil are doing well."  he pointed to Linda, who waved with a shy smile.  "Amenadiel doesn't know yet, and before we tell him, I'd like to know if the child is okay."

"Yes, Michael."  she nodded at him and moved toward Linda.  "My exam won't cause you any discomfort, and we don't need you to disrobe."

"Well, that's a relief."  Linda said with a smile.

Raphael already liked her,  "I only need to place my palm on your forehead."  She raised her hand,  "Do I have your permission to do so?"

She let out a small chuckle,  "Do all Angels as for permission to do things?"

"If someone doesn't, then it's inconsiderate and rude."  Lucifer replied.

Linda nodded at Raphael,  "Yes, please."

Raphael placed her hand to the human's head and scanned her body.  She was in perfect health, which Raphael found unusual.  Most humans had a small degree of illness in their bodies, always something off - but Linda seemed different.  It was most likely due to the Nephalim she carried.  The thought of a Nephalim being host to an ill, or even damaged host would be bad.  The child actually used its own ability to make sure its host was in perfect condition to carry it.  'Remarkable.'  Raphael said to herself, as she made sure the small child was in good condition.  

After removing her hand, she smiled at Linda,  "You and your child are in perfect health."

Both Michael and Lucifer could see that changes had been made to Linda's physiology.  "Apparently the fledgling, even at this young stage, is protective of his mother."

"That he is."  Raphael turned to Michael and smiled,  "As if you didn't know already."

He shrugged one shoulder and smirked,  “Yeah, but still.  I wanted you to check anyway.”

***