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“Go on, go on
Go bravely on
Into the blackest night
Hold my breath
'Til your return
My love will never die” ©
For all her life Chloe has known that leaving is the person’s nature. Everybody leaves. Everything fades away with time or life. And in the end, all she has is loneliness and waiting for something to happen. It’s been her way of living and it doesn’t mean that she is happy with accepting it.
First, her father left her. She knew, of course, that that day would come someday, but she didn’t expect it to be this soon. He would never make her his famous Hawaiian sandwich and would never say how proud he was again. She stopped being his little monkey. She had to grow up too soon.
The second was her mother. They’d never been very close, but having been left without her father, Chloe simply craved understanding and acceptance of the closest person left. Her mother had other plans. Of course, they still called each other on Christmas Eve or Thanksgiving Day, and she even came to visit when Chloe gave birth to Trixie, still. It wasn’t the same. It would never be the same again.
The third one was Dan. There was a time when Chloe believed that everything in her life was perfect: she was a wife and a mother, she was a successful police officer and a trusted friend, and her husband always waited for her to come home from work and was eager to help her create a new family tradition. They loved and laughed, they argued and made up after that, they were happy with Trixie until they weren’t. She wasn’t sure what exactly happened between her and Dan, but one day he left. He just left. Like every one of them did.
And then, just then, there appeared Lucifer. He drove her crazy and he made her laugh when she wanted to cry. He was the first to admit her success and he saw the vulnerability in her, she didn’t know even existed. He was that constant presence in her life, no matter their fights and insecurities, no matter lies and broken trust, no matter anything. He stayed right by her side. Just until…
Chloe knew everybody left but it didn’t mean it hurt any less.
So, she just struggles with her life like she’s done a lot of times before. She is not alone now: she has her Tribal Gang and Trixie is here, always ready either make her laugh or drive her crazy. There is even Dan mumbling something reassuring and eager to make her a cup of coffee. And there is Ella who has been mad at her at first for keeping everything a secret. Ella is no newcomer in a police world and she knows how to look for obvious things. And there is her “friendship” with the Big Guy upstairs, so she puts two and two together very quickly. Ella is mad but she loves her friends and misses them.
Chloe has friends now. And she is hurt.
She stands on that pompous balcony of his and stares ahead at night. She’s nowhere to go and nobody to talk to. Yes, there are her friends and she is sure that they are always ready to help her with whatever issue she is having troubles, but… she is alone in her longing for acceptance. She is alone without him.
Everything is empty without Lucifer. Cases are more boring, paperwork even more endless, Dan is grumpier, Trixie – sadder, Ella – less hopeful. All reminds Chloe of a puzzle with a missing piece in the center. The most important piece. So, a year goes by and Chloe tries.
Amenadiel loses his angelic patience first. He always was the impulsive one, or Lucifer at least claims him so. Amenadiel cannot see Chloe retire into her shelf and ignore the life around her, so he does the only thing possible. And impossible at the same time. He goes down to Hell and drags Lucifer up by the lapels, hands, and wings.
“Three hours. You’ve got three hours, Luci, do not ruin everything this time” Amenadiel instructs his brother and sits down on his throne.
Time to make amends. Even for self-confident big brothers.
He finds her on his balcony – the last one among the unexpected things where he expected to find her. And she cries in his arms, softly reprimanding him, herself, and their strange but interesting life.
“You’ll leave me again, without even trying to explain!” she cries into the crook of his neck. And she is right, of course, but they don’t have time to waste and he doesn’t want her to suffer more. So, he says the first that comes to his mind:
“I would never, not in any realm or time-loop leave you, love. I will always return, never forget about it”
And she believes him, for he never lies. Especially to her.
The next time Lucifer visits Chloe is because Azrael has gossiped with Ella and decided to interfere. The friendship between Ella and his little sister never ceases to amaze him, but he misses them, he has to admit.
Ella prays, looking up at the stars.
“I’m sorry, God, but I didn’t come to talk to you today, I know that you know about it and you’ll forgive me. It’s the first time I am trying to talk to someone else, but, damn, I miss him and I terribly need some sign or help, or whatever… Lucifer, we miss you up here, you can hear me, so, drag your sarcastic ass here and make us all happy again”
And right that time Ella hears the rustling of the wings, and her childhood friend appears by her side.
“My brother is a dork but he never meant any harm, you know, and he’ll always get back here for his loved ones, but he needs the magic kick” and with these words, Azrael disappears. Ella takes it as a much-needed sign from the Guy upstairs, and she smiles.
Twenty four hours. Twenty four hours is all they have this time for it is the most that Earth is able to survive without the balance of life and death. Azrael flies down to Hell and sits casually on the throne. It couldn’t be more pathetic but the demons are scared by her to death, for she makes no difference between demons and mortals, as long as they can die. And they can. So, Azrael leans back and watches them mischievously.
And Lucifer flies up for dear life.
Twenty four hours is not much but it’s enough for them for now. They would have time to talk, to laugh, and to love. And he would have time to see his friends he misses terribly. And time to reassure Chloe one more time:
“I’ll be back to you, I promise, I need just little more time to deal with everything. Hopefully, Azrael would scare them to Hell and it would be easier for me to finish with them down there. I would never ever leave you; none of you, for you are the best that could happen to me in my pathetic life. I will return to you, Chloe, I will never leave you”
And this time she knows it.
The end.
22.04.2020