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It didn’t take a high IQ or a fancy degree to see that they were in love with each other. Watching them stare at one another when they thought no one was looking, or the way their hands lingered on the other’s body when they touched.
It was obvious, and if she was being completely honest, it was getting kinda gross.
But as she twirled her finger around in circles and watched the wooden spoon in the pot on the stove follow her movements, she let out a huge world weary sigh that drew the attention of the distracted lovebirds hovering close to one another in an almost silent conversation.
“Good grief, urchin. What could possibly be causing you to make such a noise when there is a chocolate cake in the oven?” Lucifer stood up straight from where he had been leaning on the counter by the stove, and pushed his shirtsleeves back up to his elbows.
Her mom shook her head and tried to pass off her giggle as she cleared her throat. A blush creeping across her cheeks as she realized, seemingly for the first time, how close she had been standing to her partner, deep in hushed conversation about their case.
“What is it Monkey? Something going on at school you want to talk about?” Chloe rounded the counter to stand next to Trixie and placed a kiss on the crown of her head.
“Have there been more bullies? Shall I pay you a visit during your mid day release from the cages and have a chat with someone?” Lucifer took a step closer to the women at the bar, but didn’t come around to their side.
He looked only at the young woman in front of him, a confused yet determined look in her big brown eyes.
“No guys. Nothing is wrong at school, everything is fine.” Trixie sighed and stopped twirling her finger, the resounding clank of the wooden spoon hitting the pot making both her mother and Lucifer startle and look over.
“Ella and I have been doing some more studying and we think-” Her eyes brightened up as she began to tell them about all the things she and her friend had discovered during their bi-monthly sleepovers, but Chloe cut her off before she could start.
“Trixie, I told you I didn’t want you two messing around with magic. I know you have these powers, but that doesn’t mean I think you’re old enough to start mastering them.” She looked sternly at her daughter, now finally a teenager pushing boundaries.
It had come too quickly.
“Mom, don’t be like that. It’s stupid to ignore my powers! Have you ever read anything fun before in your life? I have to take advantage of the time I have to study and get stronger. I want to be able to help the next time demons come to the surface or if angels come down from Heaven to hurt Lucifer or Charlie!”
Trixie stood up off the stool and began to pace around the living room. Chloe tried to exchange a concerned look with her partner, but he was watching her daughter wear a pattern in her carpet as she continued to rant at them.
Trixie being able to do magic shouldn’t have been a surprise really. With everything Chloe had experienced since meeting Lucifer and everything that came with him, she should have expected something like it.
And yet, when Trixie’s powers manifested on her twelfth birthday and the young girl had snuck away from her own party to Uber to Lux for Lucifer’s help, Chloe spent the whole night asking Lucifer a million questions and ruining his shirt with her tears.
She especially didn’t like the idea of her 13 year old daughter being prepared and willing to stand up against a horde of demons or a legion of angels. Hell, Chloe certainly wasn’t as confident in her own ability to stand up against them if that happened.
“Trixie, if you think we would let you fight even if you were capable, then you have another thing coming to you. This isn’t some fantasy novel or a TV show. I let Maze teach you self defense so you could protect yourself, not so you could be thrown into danger.” She glared at Lucifer as she spoke, since it was mostly his fault for bringing the demoness with him in the first place, but he was still staring at her daughter.
“Lucifer? You don’t have anything to say to the child who wants to go to battle for us? I know you say you’re not good with kids, but even you have to think this is crazy!” She waved her hands around in frustration.
“Mom, I’m not a little kid anymore! I know I’m not anywhere close to being an adult, but that doesn’t mean I can’t help protect my family! I won’t let someone else fall to this curse like Charlotte. Not if I can do something about it!” Trixie stood tall, her arms crossed over her chest, nostrils flaring as she fought a scowl.
Her statement and her conviction finally caused Lucifer to speak.
“Urchin, I agree with you mother about not throwing you into danger,” he paused, holding up his hand as the teenager started to open her mouth. “It would be too much of a distraction to have you so close in a fight. Too many of us would be too concerned for you to pay attention to the enemies. No matter how powerful you become, you still mean a great deal to everyone in this family.” He gave her a level look, one she tried to fight, but he saw the moment the fire in her eyes died out and she relaxed. He spared a glance at Chloe again before taking a deep breath.
“Now saying that, I do agree with you that you should be using this time to study the craft. There is no sense in you ignoring your powers only to not be able to use them if you need to.”
“HA!”
“Lucifer!”
“I told you Mom! It’s stupid to just sit around and wait for me to get older!”
“Beatrice Espinoza, I am your mother and you are the most important thing in this world to me. I have to keep you safe!”
“You can’t control everything that is going to happen to me Mom! Bad things will happen no matter what in a world where magic and the afterlife are real! I’m just trying to be realistic! I wish you guys weren’t always in danger from stuff like that already, but on top of it, you guys are cops!” Trixie practically screeched the last part, throwing her arms up in the air.
Lucifer noticed the detective deflate slightly as her daughter’s words sunk in. Her shoulders lowered and her scowl became less pronounced, softening ever so slowly.
“You and Dad and Lucifer and Ella go out there every day and put yourselves in danger! How many times have you been shot or almost died now? I’m sure Lucifer knows, because he remembers everything, but I’ve lost count!” Trixie pointed a finger at Lucifer before storming back into the kitchen and pulling open the fridge to grab a water bottle.
Slamming the door back she spun around to face her mother again, tears now collecting in her big brown eyes.
“Even Maze! She goes out looking for fights every day! Even though I know she’s strong and none of the weak humans compare to her, sometimes she comes home and has had the crap beat out of her! Do you realize how much I hate seeing all of you hurt?” She wiped her eyes with the back of one hand as she took a long drink from the water.
“Trixie I-” Chloe was cut off as the teenager held up her hand.
“I can finally do something. Whether it's a protection spell, reversing a curse placed on us, or even just a locator spell if someone goes missing. I can do something. But you have to let me learn. You have to let go, Mom.”
Chloe stood rooted to the spot. She was a mother, she would never be able to let go of her daughter, or not worry about her safety. But part of her knew that Trixie and Lucifer were right. If Trixie could train, she could protect herself, and maybe even the ones she loved. No matter how much her maternal heart screamed at the mere idea.
Just as she opened her mouth to concede to their argument, a sly smile spread across the teenager’s face.
“I might even be able to break the curse that’s keeping you and Lucifer from finally getting together, once and for all.” She stated in a voice a little too proud and grown up for her mother’s liking.
With that, Trixie laughed and trotted happily off to her room as the two adults in question stared at each other dumbfounded, their eyes wide and their lips parted slightly.
“Why does she think we’re cursed exactly?” Chloe turned and walked towards the kitchen to hide her blush at her daughter's confident statement, reaching up into the cabinet for her wine and the whiskey she kept in the house for him. “And did I even say yes? That girl will be the end of me if she doesn’t give me grey hair first, I swear.”
Lucifer was staring at Trixie’s door, his mouth still hanging open and his cheeks slightly pink. Chloe wasn’t even sure it was possible for the man to blush, based on the many different ways he seemed to make her do so. But there he was, cheeks dusted pink from the words spoken by a teenage girl.
Instead of saying anything else on the matter of magic or curses, she turned the stove off and set Trixie’s boiling pot to the side. Then she picked up both glasses and went back to her partner’s side, tapping his hand with the tumbler full of whiskey.
“Drink. Forget what she said about curses and focus on magic training. Is there anyone who owes you a favor that might be able to help her and Ella? I know El has some teaching behind her, but I’m sure she would love to learn more from an expert.”
That shook him out of his fog, and he finally reached out to grab the glass from her hand, trying hard not to revel in the brush of their fingers.
“I have a few witches in my ledger. I’ll make a few calls tonight and see what we can find for the young ones in training.”
They spent the rest of their night together, finished preparing their meal and played a few board games before Trixie went to bed.
When Chloe walked him to the door, she wanted nothing more than to take his hand and place a kiss on his cheek. But no matter how much she wanted it, her body would not obey. Instead she said goodnight with a smile and closed the door behind him, watching from the window as he drove off.
She hadn't realized she had been holding her breath until she finally let it out in one giant gust.