Chapter Text
"You won't have her."
Lucifer's deep voice vibrates in the air, runs fast through her ears and then hits her heart with a loud bang.
It's like an explosion, to hear his resolute, protective words... An explosion of feelings she wanted so hard to hide and deny, but that - she realizes - are too powerful and real. A human heart can't handle it, this powerful, all absorbing passion she's experiencing since she knows the man next to her. And now she fully understands it... Because everything's happening in front of her eyes isn't human at all.
And how is she supposed to deal with the new reality she's facing? How can the world keep going as always, after this?
"Brother... You know I have to."
The stunning, brunette woman in front of them begs for Lucifer to understand. Chloe can easily read in her eyes the fact that she doesn't want at all to do whatever she's going to do, but somehow she seems resolute, too. As if it's in her nature to obey to someone's order... An order that, apparently, Lucifer isn't willing to accept. At all.
"You WON'T HAVE HER!"
He steps forward, shielding the detective from the unknown woman.
"Samael, please, don't..."
A groan escapes from the Devil's throat, his hands clench in fists "That's not my name. Not anymore."
For the first time, Chloe feels scared. She doesn't know why, since she knows Lucifer too well - or maybe, she thinks she knows him -, but his voice... Oh, his voice is so dark that it's impossible to not be scared.
"Lucifer... You already saved her many times... She's bleeding, can't you see? Her life... Her life's going. "
Only then, the detective stares at her body. Blood's spilling all over her, but there's no pain. She's light as a feather, and that... That worries her, because pain means you're alive. No pain... Well, that's the worst thing that can happen, after a shooting.
"No. No, she stays here. She has a daughter, she's... She's the best detective LA can have. She has friends who care for her... And I... I..."
His voice breaks, his eyes now on Chloe. And they're sad, so sad she wants to hug him tight and never let him go. But she can't move. Jeez, why can't she move?
The woman's eyes fill with a warmth expression, sympathetic, and she sighs while stepping a little forward.
"You love her."
She simply states, and if Chloe's heart could've beat faster, it would, in that very moment.
"Yes..."
He whispers in response, almost sheepishly. "Yes, I do. I can't lose her... I..."
Red eyes suddenly fix on her bleeding body, then on her face, and even if the detective is still in shock about that face, she can see, clear as the sun, the love he feels for her. And the fear.
So, with what little forces she still has in her, tries to say something. "I d-don't..."
He walks to her, the soft and scared expression written in each horrible scar on his face. "Don't talk, detective..." His hand hovers on her body, but he doesn't touch her.
So Chloe takes one long, painful breath and manages to raise her arm, so she can take his hand in her. He's warm, and she's so cold that she just wants to enjoy his fire.
"I... Don't w-want t-to leave... You."
She whispers, feeling her eyes heavy, so heavy. And then she sees them... The tears spilling from those red eyes, and it's just so absurd that water can come out of the fire and flames playing in them... But then, what's not absurd in all of this?
"I know."
He's able to say, gripping her hand and giving her a chastised kiss on her knuckles, while his glorious, white wings wrap around them.
And Chloe thinks that's it. That's how her life's ending, and her heart aches at the thought of the many things she still wants to do... Seeing her child grow, reaching a new level in her career, living this impossibly strange love with the man - Devil - who's now lulling her in his arms.
She clearly feels her body give up, unable to feel anything except from a terrible, scary cold.
But then... Then, the Angel of Death decides on her own.
And signing her fall, she saves more than someone's heart.
Darkness is all she can see, except for some flashes. She hears a siren, then voices, then something against her back and faces, faces... So many faces.
They're moving, now, and again the terrible noise of a siren makes her want to scream in agony to please, stop. She's cold, too cold and she realizes that Lucifer's not by her side... And she misses his warmth. She really do.
But suddenly, every single thing becomes unbearable and the world turns definitely black.
There's peace, finally.
"You realize what you've done?"
The Devil's voice is barely a whisper in the too crowded hospital hallway, his now dark eyes roaming all over the minute figure at his side.
Her long, brown hair partially cover her face, shielding the world from the silent tears she's crying.
"Why earth's such a temptation?"
She asks, taking a deep breath "First you, then Amenadiel, and now... What do these humans have?"
Her voice raises, a nurse glares at them and shushes the young woman.
"They... Feel."
Lucifer looks at his sister, trying so desperately to cover his fear. Because Chloe's still in surgery, and his heart can't handle the thought of how hurt is she, right now.
He just can't.
"They feel, and they makes you want... To feel in the same way they do."
The Angel of Death sighs, sitting heavily on the hard chair.
"My task's never been easy. Never. Dad always told me to be distant, to not look at these creatures as people, but as... As objects whose purpose was coming to an end."
The words make Lucifer boil with rage, but he just has to stay calm. He has to. Beatrice is just some feets away from them, and the Devil knows well to behave in front of the child, if he doesn't want her mother to be angry at him.
" Bloody bastard... "
Azrael seemes to ignore his statement, and goes on
"It was hard, sometimes, but I had to do it... To carry their souls where they belonged. But... Your human... She's different. And you're different with her. For the first time I saw something else in your eyes, brother..."
"What?"
He bitterly replies, hands fumbling on his trousers and anxiety getting the best of him. 1 hour and they still don't have news?
"Hope..."
His sister takes a hand on one of his, and smiles "I don't want to see you suffer anymore. You know you're my favourite!"
He huffs, but is able to smile at her "How can I be not?"
"I couldn't take her away from you. Or from her daughter. And maybe, even if I'll lose my powers, even if I've decided to fall... Maybe it's ok."
Tears fill her eyes again, and the Devil puts an arm around her shoulder and his head on hers. "I'll help you. You won't be alone... It's the least I can do to thank you."
"You don't have t-"
"Chloe Decker's family?"
A young doctor asks, that bloody door finally opening.
And everyone, from Daniel to the little urchin, to Linda, Maze, Ella and of course the two angelic brothers, stand up.
Chloe wakes up at the tedious sound of a Bip.
Her eyelids are heavy, her body seems a stone well planted on the ground, and something in her throat makes her want to puke.
And she's coughing, hard, and her eyes have to open in shock and horror because the peace is over. She's back in the world.
But... Which world?
'Cause everything she knew before, all the things she believed in, sound now just alien.
The detective always has been a concrete woman. Heaven, Hell, God, angels, the Devil were just stories, for her. Because... which God allows so many crimes in this world? Which God takes away a father from his family? Which God lets people kill each other?
Which God makes his own son burn and live alone and become a scapegoat for all the bad things in the world?
Which God?
Her rage increases, but she can't breathe now and she just wants to scream at something, at someone... And then, finally, the nurses arrive and extubate her, and even if her throat is sore, she inhale in relief.
She's back in the world. A world in which her partner's the Devil and she doesn't exactly know what to do with this information.
Days go by slowly. Dan's often there for her, sometimes bringing Trixie with him - Chloe insisted that she had to go to school, whether she wanted it or not -, and she appreciates those brief visits. She does, but she can't deny that, when the visit time comes, she hopes the door will open and reveal Lucifer in all his weirdness.
And everytime's the same.
He's not there, although Dan keeps saying he checks on her every day, but never wants to come in the room for "God knows why".
Chloe now understands why her partner doesn't like those divine references, and she bitterly laughs every time her ex husband says things like that.
But... Still... Why? Why Lucifer doesn't want to see her?
She's hurt, she cannot deny it. But somehow she knows there's something deeper in his behavior. Something she has to discover when she'll finally go home.
And at the same time, there are times in which she's grateful he's not there. That face is hard to forget, and those eyes... Those flames...
Chills run down her spine every time her brain thinks about the last moments she'd seen him.
It's a bittersweet situation, and a very confusing one... Because in those flames she's seen how much he cares for her, and the Lucifer she knows mixes with that Devil face.
And how can she decide whether she wants him by her side or she's too scared of him?
How?
But then... Then she remembers his desperation, and those words she had told him.
"I don't want to leave you..."
And they still sound true.
So, she realizes she needs help to wrap up her mind.
"Dan? Can you call Linda and tell her to come here? Alone?"
She asks just when the man's about to leave, after a final hug to her precious little girl.