Chapter Text
Of Devils and Pirates: Curse of the Devil’s Lux
Chapter 1: Hello, Poppet
⛯
Chloe made her way into the precinct, hoping that the early hour would mean that she could get a head start on paperwork and not see anyone while she was trying to stop blushing at the thought of the dreams she had all night. Just thinking about it got her cheeks burning and her lips turning upwards in a smile.
“Decker, why are you blushing?” Chloe sighed, of course Ella was a morning person! Trying to focus on the folder on her desk and the lemon bar on the napkin beside her, she shrugged.
“I'm not blushing, Ella. It's the lighting. Or maybe I used too much rogue. I didn't get much sleep…” Ella laughed as Chloe found herself remembering the dream again. “Okay, Trix and I watched Pirates of the Caribbean last night and I…” Chloe nervously smiled, “might have had some dreams.” Ella grinned, nodding in approval.
“Lucifer was a pirate, wasn't he?” Chloe stared, surprised that Ella guessed it that easily.
“Maybe…” she drew out the word. “How’d you know?” She asked, twirling her pencil in her fingers. Ella rolled her eyes as she grinned, and Chloe half expected to hear her say “Duh!”
“Come on!” Ella laughed. “Dude would look great as a pirate! He's got that whole eyeliner thing going, too! Did he request permission to board?” Ella was grinning ear to ear, tongue between her teeth as she mimed a swordfight. “Show you how he handles his sword?” Chloe rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“It wasn't that kind of dream, Ella. No, it was more like parts of the movie playing out with everyone I know in the different parts.” She looked into her cup of coffee and muttered, “but yeah, Lucifer was always Jack.”
“Okay, you have to tell me all about it! We're both super early, let's get breakfast and you can tell me all about it. I know a diner with great food and questionable ambiance, Lucifer won't find us!” Chloe looked at her paperwork, and deciding she wouldn't get anything done while the dream was on her mind, she relented and grabbed her purse.
Between ordering drinks and breakfast, Chloe started to rethink telling Ella, but she knew if she didn't get it off her chest, she would regret it. “So, how much of the movie do you remember?” Ella grinned.
“Like, all of it! I used to binge it before streaming was a thing. My brothers might have hidden the DVD from me when they got tired of me drooling over Jack and William. But it helped me deal with some things. I could practically quote the whole thing at one point!” Chloe chuckled, that she could believe.
“Okay, so…” she sipped her coffee and folded her arms on the table top. “First off, this is between us. Do NOT let on to Lucifer, or really anyone else because I will never hear the end of it!” Chloe held up a finger. “Especially Lucifer!” She shook her head. “Last thing his ego needs is knowing I had a dream about him.” Ella swore, crossing her heart and making the girl scout hand signal.
“Come on Decker! Out with it!”
Chloe sighed, rolling her eyes but smiling as she rolled her head in a circle and letting out a sigh. “Here goes….”
...
Chloe woke up way too warm and in an unfamiliar bedroom. The room was dark and for some reason she felt an urge to look in the drawer of her bedside table, and found a golden pendant, like a medallion, with a skull in the middle. “What? Why do I have this?” Before she realized what was going on, someone knocked on her door and for some reason, she could hear Linda’s voice.
“Chloe, are you decent?”
Throwing a robe on, she told the therapist to come in, wondering why she was visiting, and was surprised to see the other blonde in a colonial style gown. “Doctor, what’s with the outfit?” Linda looked down at her outfit and shrugged, taking it all in with her calm manner that must come in handy when dealing with Lucifer. She lifted her arms up to her sides and turned to show off the blue satin gown with gold trim and a cream colored stomacher that had tiny blue roses on it. It looked familiar, as did the flowered blue tricorn that Linda wore on her powdered updo.
“Oh? Oh! Yeah, just woke up like this… literally. Pretty sure it’s a dream. At least I’m hoping it is... though, I could use a vacation, even if this isn’t how I’d choose to dress for the tropics.” She looked in a mirror, hands on her hips. “Though I must say this dress does do wonders for my figure. Speaking of which, we should probably get you dressed. I think I saw some maids? And please, don’t think less of me for involving them, but I have no idea of how to get someone into these dresses.”
Chloe was surrounded by maids who got her nightgown off, put stockings on her, and then proceeded to put a corset on her. Suddenly Chloe fully understood the reason for the line about pain and wearing a corset. How did women get anything done with these on? She could barely breathe! “How’s it going, Chloe? I suppose it’s the latest fashion in London for this time, and I missed having such a tiny waist….”
“Well women in London must have forgotten how nice it is to breathe. What’s the occasion anyway?” Linda looked out the window and made a gasp of surprise and awe. “What is it?”
“Chloe... I think somehow we might have been brought somewhere else... somehow. Just a hunch.” Despite the maids trying to keep her from leaving the privacy of the dressing screen, she joined her friend at the window and her own jaw dropped. “I don’t think we’re in L.A. anymore, Toto… but again, I could use a vacation... and a fan.”
Downstairs a handsome young man stood in brown breeches, a brown waistcoat and jacket over it, white stockings and black shoes, a small box under his arm. A maid approached, taller than himself, blonde, blue eyed and legs for days, at least one could assume, since every woman had skirts down to their feet.
“Hello, Daniel,” she smiled and he tensed as he was on the job and didn’t want to get in trouble for impropriety in a house of someone in a higher station than himself. Much higher. “I had a dream about you last night…” he blushed. “About the day we met, you remember...right?” He nodded.
“How can I forget, Miss Richards?” She grinned and elbowed him while also looking around since she could also get in trouble for flirting on the job.
“How many times must I ask you to call me Charlotte?” The sound of shoes on the marble floor overhead sent her hurrying back to her duties, but not without a wink. Later, as he left the house, he whispered to himself. “Goodbye... Charlotte….”
The warm salty breeze gently tossed the tails of a red bandanna that encircled the head of a very good looking man who was doing his very best to look dignified. This wasn't difficult for him at all as he was already very handsome, and he knew it. How could he not with dark hair, dark eyes, and perfectly groomed five o' clock shadow? The skirt of his brown frock coat flapped about his long legs as he stood on the yardarm of his boat, holding to the mast with one hand, the other on his hip. Something was wrong though. His perspective of the harbor and docks was changing, and upon looking down he discovered the cause. The boat had begun to sink as he passed a few unfortunate former pirates strung from a popular hanging spot. He had borrowed it from a friend... a lady friend, without inquiring first about the seaworthiness of the vessel.
He climbed back on the yardarm and was now riding it in as the hull went lower and lower, but ever the show of dignity, his head was thrown back and a hand was on his hip, the other holding on to the mast. Upon stepping onto the dock he strode along, fixing his cuffs as he headed in toward the town, that is until he was stopped by the dockmaster.
“Wha- Hold up there, you!” The suspicious but very handsome and dashing man spun on his heel and casually strolled back. “It’s a shilling to tie up your boat at the dock!” The man looked at the boat that was most certainly sitting on the bottom of the harbor, shallow enough that the yardarm was just barely visible at the surface of the water. “And I shall need to know your name!”
“Oh, is that the issue? Well, no worries, then!” He pulled a wad of foreign cash out of his deep pockets and laid it on the clipboard, paying no heed to the man’s bewildered expression. “That should cover it, and no need for a name, don’t you think?” The man stammered, but managed to stutter.
“Welcome to Port Royal, Mr. Smith!” The taller man pressed his hands together and bowed, before finding his way to a dock and coming across two redcoats, as the sound of violins and a posh affair was going on up on the hill. Two sentries had been talking but hurried to their stations, standing at attention and blocking his path.
“This dock is off limits to civilians!” They hurried to block his way from a smaller but clearly very fast ship due to the shape of the hull and the trim of the sails. Across the bow read the name that made the pirate roll his eyes. “The Favorite Son”. Really, even in this bizarre alternate reality, he still couldn’t escape his father’s insane manipulations? He wasn’t sure how he got here, clearly another ploy from his father, but he’d get to the bottom of it once he got his ship back, The Devil's Lux.
“I’m terribly sorry, I didn’t know, if I see one, I will inform you immediately….” They blocked his way again, causing him to huff with exasperation. “It seems there’s quite an exclusive party going on up there! How can it be that two upstanding gentlemen such as yourselves did not merit an invitation? On second thought, how did I not get one? I’m far more eligible for it than the two of you… oh, sorry, that wasn’t what I was supposed to say, was it?”
“Someone has to make sure the dock stays off limits to civilians!” The heavier guard lifted his chin up with pride, clearly very proud of his status.
“And as well you should keep up your position with honor, but it seems to me that a ship like that…” he gestured at a larger one off in the distance, one larger but also clearly slower, “makes this one a bit superfluous.” He gestured at the ship he really wanted, one that would have more luck in chasing down Pierce and retrieving his dark beauty.
“Oh the First Angel is the power in these waters sure enough, but no one can match The Favorite Son for speed.” The pirate held a finger to his lips, pretending to think.
“I’ve heard one of one, very fast, nigh uncatchable and host to the most debauched parties in the Caribbean... The Devil's Lux…” the men laughed, not the expression he’d hoped for.
“There’s no real ship that can match The Favorite Son,” the heavier one informed him, with that glee that know-it-alls have.
“The Devil's Lux is a real ship!” The pirate left them behind, paying no attention to their argument, but used it to sneak aboard The Favorite Son, a smile on his face for taking it so easily, a big ‘screw you’ to his father…
The two guards realized he was not with them and hurried onto the ship, pointing their bayonets at him. “Hold up there, you! You don't have permission to be aboard there, mate!” The pirate pouted in a way that would have made anyone else swoon.
“Oh, but it's such a pretty boat!” He patted the helm with a smile, holding up a finger as he corrected himself. “Ship, not boat!” The men still eyed him.
“What's your name?” The heavier of the two guards asked.
“I believe your Dockmaster has me down as ‘Smith’, so we can go with that, if you like!”
“What's your purpose in Port Royal, Mr. Smith?” His fellow guard added, “Yeah, and no lies!”
The man smiled and tucked his left hand into his coat pocket as he stroked the spokes of the wheel with his right hand. “Very well, if it's the truth, you shall have it. It is my intention to commandeer a ship, pick up a crew in Tortuga and raid, pillage and plunder and otherwise pilfer my evil, satanic guts out!” They stared at him before the thinner guard spoke.
“I said no lies!” The other one stared nervously.
“I think he's telling the truth!” The pirate scoffed.
“Of course I am, I never lie. Point of pride with me, and besides, if my experience with humans is any indication, you don't believe what you're told, even if it is the truth!”
***
Ella broke Chloe out of her reverie, remembering the dream. “I can just see it! Lucifer in a white shirt, blue vest and a long sexy pirate coat... what? Oh come on Decker, don’t play, you know it would be hot as hell, girl! Mm, I wonder if we could get him to wear a pirate hat in real life?” Chloe snapped her fingers to return the lab tech to the world of the living and to make her aware that their meal had arrived.
They ate in silence a few moments before Ella leaned forward over her omelette, asking thoughtfully. “So if ‘The Favorite Son’ wasn’t his ship, then who is the Commodore in your dream?” Chloe smiled, chuckling….
***
In an outfit that would be fitting for a Mardi Gras float in New Orleans, blue with gold brocade and trim and all the fixin’s, a tall, handsome dark skinned man with a powdered, ponytailed wig and a bedazzled tricorn approached Chloe and bowed slightly to ask her to join him at the parapet of the fort that overlooked the harbor of Port Royal.
“This promotion has thrown into sharp relief that which I have not yet achieved…” Chloe smiled, unsure of what he was up to, and tried to remember the lines of the movie she’d just watched with her daughter.
“A marriage to a fine woman?” She suggested, laughing and fanning herself since it was rather hot in the Caribbean, even more so than L.A. He gave her a funny look and shook his head.
“No, my father’s approval! I have done everything I thought was expected of me! I have tried to look after my brother, but he fell and is now a pirate. I tried to bring him back to hell, and when that didn’t work, I thought I was meant to put him on the right path, but I have still yet to achieve that greatest honor!” Chloe nodded, not sure what to say to any of this. The lack of air to her lungs was also a bit of a distraction. “And I know that when I have my wings back, I will be forgiven!” Chloe was desperate for a way to get out of this conversation and fanned herself even harder.
“Oh, I can’t breathe!” Closing her eyes, she let herself fall off the parapet of the fort into the harbor below. Commodore Amenadiel nearly went in after her but for another officer holding him back and warning him about the rocks, while the newly instated Commodore continued to bemoan his lack of feathery appendages.
Meanwhile, on The Favorite Son, the pirate was entertaining the two redcoats with stories of all the people he’d met, namely some cannibals whom he’d made a deal with to get out of being eaten. “And then they made me their chief….” There was a splash and they all went to the rail. “Right. You’ll be saving her?” They both shook their heads and one of them shrugged.
“I only dog paddle!” The pirate scoffed and shed his coat, hat, and flask.
“Yes, clearly the Navy has lowered its standards in hiring. Really, for a branch of the military devoted to the sea, I never understood the fear of water. Fine, excuse me, do not lose those…” he pointed at his flask and his hat before diving in to save the lovely young blonde from a watery grave. Not before pulling her dress off since it was weighing them both down and he also didn’t mind seeing a lovely female form….
Once back on the docks, he cut her corset since the other fools weren’t helping. “Never would have thought of that!” He scoffed at them as he was leaning over her.
“Clearly you’ve never been to Los Angeles! Oh the fun I’ve had with the Brittanies….” The woman on the dock sputtered and coughed as he realized what was around her neck, the gold medallion…. ”Where did you get that?” he asked, as people surrounded them and he quickly pulled on his pants, snatching them from the redcoat to his right. Linda hurried up and put a coat on Chloe.
“You can shoot him.” She said flippantly, not really meaning it, but being still a little perturbed by the whole situation in general. Chloe stopped her.
“He saved my life, we’re not shooting him!” The pirate pressed his hands together and bowed in thanks before facing the man before him, resisting the urge to make a crack about his attire since it wouldn't help him right now. Even if his brother did look ridiculous….
⛯
The scene changed quickly to later that evening, a loud ruckus kicking up, waking Chloe up as pirates started attacking the fort and town of Port Royal. She ran out of her room and found herself at the precinct, looking down at the homicide department as a rookie opened a door that shouldn't exist. Knowing what was coming, she shouted out, “no, don't!” It was too late, he was shot point blank and fell, causing Chloe to shriek softly into her hand before running back into her room and running into Charlotte, who was in a maid's uniform and not looking terribly happy about it. She took Chloe by the shoulders and pulled her out of sight of the door or windows.
“Chloe, it's the pirates, they're after you!” Chloe looked at her, puzzled by the taller woman's attire, though the nightgown she was wearing was not something she’d pick either.
“What?” Chloe was baffled until she remembered that she wore the medallion that the pirates were after in the movie. “Why?”
Charlotte stood up straight, smiled awkwardly and chuckled. “Honestly, I'm not really sure, but let me handle this, I have represented pirates before.” She made quotation marks in the air. “Well, ‘alleged’ pirates, that is. I know how to handle them, but we should probably hide. If they find us, let me do the talking.” Knowing to trust Charlotte now that she was a DA and trying to shake her previous record and the karma that came with it, she joined the taller woman in the evidence lockup.
Two men came in, calling out to them. “We know you're here, Poppet!” The other one stood up straight, his pistol at his side.
“Why are we talking like 18th century pirates?” The other one, a shorter man, shorter than Chloe, sighed.
“Because Pierce said to and we owe him a favor! I don’t know why that involves piracy or acting like we’ve gone backwards three centuries, but that’s the orders! Shh!” He held a finger to his lips. “Come out Poppet, and we promise we won't hurt you. You've got something of ours and it calls to us….” A bloodshot eye peered into the slats of the door to evidence lockup. “Hello, Poppet...s?”
“Parley!” Charlotte shouted when they opened the door. “I invoke the right of Parley! According to the code of Morgan and Bartholomew, you have to take us to your captors! Once an adversary demands parley, you cannot harm them until the parley is complete.” She beamed at Chloe as though to say, “Ah, see? I got that right!”
“Damn, did Pierce say we're honoring the code?” The bald, thinner one asked, and the shorter one nodded, smiling.
“She wants to be taken to the Captain, and she'll go without a fuss! That one, too!” He pointed at Chloe, and Charlotte insisted that she be covered by the parley as well.
“She's what you want anyway, and I know how to deal with your Captain!” And so they were dragged onto The Devil's Lux, but on the way, Charlotte spotted Dan in a long sleeved shirt and vest with breeches, fighting off the pirates who were looting the town and was torn between laughing at the thought of him dressed like a peasant and turned on by it as well. Daniel did have excellent calves, after all.
Once they were aboard, Chloe looked around with some surprise. Given the name, she had expected at least to see something that resembled the nightclub, but it looked exactly like The Black Pearl. At least as far as she could see. A man approached them, tall and blue eyed with solid muscles under a green frock coat. Chloe knew those eyes, that build. It was Pierce. Even with a beard, longer hair and a capuchin on his shoulder, she knew it was him.
“Captain Pierce, we are here to negotiate the cessation of hostilities against Port Royal!” Charlotte informed him, standing straight and calm even if her voice trembled ever so slightly as he stared at them both, his expression somewhat bored.
“Yeah, that’s a lot of long words and we’re just humble pirates so why don’t you just tell us what you really want, Miss Richards?” Even if the question wasn’t aimed at her, Chloe was tired of sitting aside and relying on someone else to speak for her as that was so not like her!
“We want you to leave and never come back.” The rest of the pirates laughed at them both as Pierce smiled with only his lips, his eyes mocking them with his usual emotionless gaze, muscular arms folded, an eyebrow raised.
“I’m disinclined to acquiesce to your request. Means no,” he responded coolly. Chloe pulled the medallion from around her neck, determined to not let Charlotte take the wheel completely.
“Very well!” She headed over to the starboard side of the ship. “I’ll drop it!” The crew leapt forward as Pierce slowly approached, playing it cool as ever.
“Our holds are bursting with swag, what do we need that piece of junk for?” He chuckled and his crew joined in like the bunch of yes-men that they were. Chloe looked at them as she tried to remember the next line, she’d seen the movie enough times.
“It’s what you’ve been searching for, I saw this ship in the-- I mean eight years ago on the crossing from England!”
“So?” Pierce shrugged, but the eager look in his eyes belied his cool response. So she tested him.
“Well if it’s of no importance, there’s no point in me keeping it!” Chloe let the medallion fall from her hand but caught the end of the chain before the pendant ended up in the harbor. That got the response she was looking for. They lurched forward and Pierce shouted, “no!” He recovered his shock and chuckled, moving closer to her as Charlotte slid in beside her, not in character with what she would have done even a year ago.
“You have a name?” Chloe looked at him incredulously, puzzled.
“You know my name, it’s--” Charlotte interrupted as Chloe found herself too puzzled to make any kind of sense.
“I’m Charlotte. Charlotte Espinoza, and she’s Chloe Decker. She’s the Governor’s Daughter, I’m her... maid, it seems, by my attire, but I promise I am usually more fashionable than this!” She chuckled as she leaned over to whisper to Chloe, “oops, just let my ego in there a bit, didn’t I?” Chloe just smiled, but it fell from her face as Pierce’s eyes widened with surprise and recognition before he turned around and addressed the rest of the crew. “But the necklace was mine, she was holding it for me, weren’t you?” Chloe nodded, having a feeling she knew where the lawyer was going with this.
“Miss Esperanza!” One of the men who helped abduct the ladies raised a hand.
“Um, Captain? It was Espinoza, not Esperanza… Bootstrap....” He was roundly ignored.
“How does a maid come to own such a trinket? Family heirloom, perhaps?” Charlotte stood up straight, nearly as tall as Pierce, himself.
“I didn’t steal it if that’s what you mean.” She defended herself, even though it wasn’t hers, or Chloe’s but it seemed prudent to try and go along with this story. Pierce nodded, ever perfunctory, and held out a hand.
“Right, well hand it over and we’ll put your town to our rudder and ne’er return.” He winced, as though he couldn’t believe he was letting himself slide into pirate talk. Charlotte nodded at Chloe who handed it over and Pierce headed for the steps to the quarterdeck. Charlotte followed him, pulling up her skirts as she did so, not used to wearing such long dresses.
“Our bargain?” He nodded at a crew member who started shouting out orders to get underway without any sign of letting them go, not that Chloe expected them to. Charlotte continued to follow after him.
“Wait! You have to take us to shore! According to the code of the order of the Brethren--” Pierce pivoted quickly and addressed her with a bit of delight and with the air of someone just as well versed in the law and loopholes as she was.
“First! Your return to shore was not part of our negotiations, nor our agreement, so I must do nothing. And secondly, you must be a pirate for the pirate code to apply, and you’re not. And thirdly, the code is more what you call guidelines than actual rules.” He grinned, which was unsettling for a man that barely cracked a smile at times. “Welcome to The Devil's Lux, Miss Decker and Miss Esperanza!” Charlotte rolled her eyes.
“It’s ESPINOZA!” A nearby crewmember shook his head. “Give it up, Miss, he’ll never bother to get it right….”
***
Chloe took a break from describing her dream as she took a drink of her coffee and paused to take some more bites of her breakfast. Ella was sitting across the table, shaking her head at it all. “Man, Pierce never really did bother to get Dan’s name right, did he? And I love that Charlotte’s still alive in your dream! I miss her….” Chloe nodded. Despite the differences they had a year ago, once she returned to their lives determined to turn over a new leaf, she’d grown on the detective and she missed her terribly. Everyone did, even those who hadn’t liked her at first.
“Is there more?” Chloe checked her watch and nodded, glad to see they had another hour. It would take at least that long….