Chapter Text
-One month later...-
Michael jumped off of Chloe's couch and stretched. His back popped nicely, loosening up a little. Trixie had fallen asleep while watching a movie. He'd seen it with Ella last week and it wasn't a favorite of his. Chloe was sitting at the kitchen table. Files were open in a slightly haphazard manner. Papers and pictures covered the space.
“Work never stops when you're looking for killers, huh?” Michael asked.
Chloe looked down at him, smiling a little.
“Pretty much,” she said. “You feeling ok?”
“I'm ok,” he told her. “Mind giving me a lift up?”
She leaned down and picked him up under his arms, sitting him on the corner at her right. She gave him a quick rub behind the ears.
“Ella seemed a little distant when she dropped you off,” she said. “Something going on between you two?”
“I don't like Pete,” he admitted.
“Any reason?”
“When he came to the lab that first time, after you'd found that last victim on the Whisper Killer,” he started. “He seemed like an ok guy. I came over to see Ella since she'd just gotten back, like I usually do. When that guy touched me...you know how my powers are over Fear, right?”
“All too well,” Chloe said. “Go on.”
“Right. See, I can't use my powers, but I can still sense Fear. Pick it up through proximity, touch. With that guy, all I felt was the complete absence of Fear. And a lot of hate. He's hiding something. Something very bad. I'm worried about Ella. I told her as much. But she won't listen to me. I know she can make her own decisions. But this...I can't shake that Pete is very, very bad.”
“Ella's been down on her luck in her personal life,” she sighed. “He's a pretty sweet guy, nothing like the men she usually dates or sees for a couple of nights. She's desperate to connect with someone. It's hard to watch everyone you know and care about find a little happiness when you're still alone.”
“And I haven't been helping matters either,” Michael said, ears drooping. “I should just ask to stay with Amenadiel or Lucifer. There's no hope for me getting fixed. Or I could just stay with you. Be Trixie's pet. Better than getting in her way.”
“You know Ella won't let you do that,” Chloe told him. “She really cares about you. She has faith in you and herself to get you back to normal. Even if you can't see it now.”
“I'm so sorry for what I did to you,” he said after a minute, moving to sit in her lap. “You didn't deserve me meddling in your life.”
He shivered a little as he felt her pet him, holding him close.
“I forgive you, Michael,” she whispered. “You're trying so hard to be better. Thank you.”
“What case is this anyway?” Michael asked, looking at the crime scene photos in front of him.
“Whisper Killer,” she answered.
“I thought you caught him already.”
“He confessed...but looking over the victims, it doesn't make sense. The first three victims fit a pattern: strong, professional women. The latest one though, she's a kindergarten teacher. Her friends and family say she was pretty quiet, kept to herself. It doesn't fit.”
“Pete told Ella he has a box of research he's done on this guy,” he said. “He told her so last week, from what I heard. Maybe that has something to help you figure this out. Or at least confirm the guy you have is the one.”
“Not a bad idea,” she said, looking over the photos. “Wait...”
She picked up photos from the last 2 victims. “Look. In the corner, just under the cabinets in these. What do you see?”
“Film canisters,” he said. “And it's the brand Pete uses. He said he prefers using that kind of camera. He has a digital one for photos he turns in for his articles. And the other one he uses for his own photos.”
“I'll check to see if we have those canisters in evidence,” she said, reaching for her phone. “I'll have another tech test them for prints.”
After she made the call, he helped her put her files back together.
“Bedtime, Trixie,” she said, shaking the girl awake gently.
She woke up enough to get up and use the bathroom before wandering to her room. Chloe helped her get into bed and tuck her in. She helped him get up on the bed. Trixie pulled him close before going back to sleep. Michael followed not long after.
-1 week later...-
The days blended together; the two of them getting up and ready to go to the lab, working, coming back to her apartment. He hadn't said one word about Pete or criticized him. Ella was happy and she came home from the convention ok, so he shut up about it. Things were going well.
“Ugh, sorry Mike,” she said as she got a look at her inbox. “I've got a lot of blood cultures to process. Not much for you to help with.”
“Mind setting your phone up so I can at least watch something?” he asked, going over to his corner. He really did like his space.
“Sure thing,” she told him, getting her phone out of her pocket.
He watched a couple of movies, looking over at Ella every now and then. Michael caught himself staring at her a little too much. Even if he was back to his usual angelic self, he wasn't the best company. Maybe she'd want to after spending so much time together. Yawning, he started another movie. He ended up dozing off while watching. Hearing the door open, he snapped awake, looking over at her.
“Just got to see Chloe for a minute, buddy,” she told him. “You need anything?”
Michael shook his head. Lying back down, he dozed off again. The sound of the door slamming snapped him awake again. Ella looked furious as she closed the blinds before approaching him.
“You put Chloe up to it, didn't you?” she snapped, hands on her hips.
“What are you talking about?” he asked, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.
“That Pete is a suspect in the goddamned Whisper Killer case!” she shouted. “Really, Michael? Who else would? Give me a break here. I've spent most of my free time for months trying to find a way to get you out of the mess you put yourself in. I just wanted a little time to myself, live my life.”
“Look, did I mention to Chloe that I think Pete's bad news?” he asked. “Yes, I did. But I didn't put that in her head. She was comforting me when I was feeling down that I'm imposing so much on you that I should just stay with Trixie as a new pet. We were talking while she was going over the case file and she noticed something in the photos, then had some of the items taken into evidence dusted for prints, that's it.”
“Liar,” she said.
He growled, holding back tears. “Take it back.”
“Why should I? It's what you're known for.”
“I may have lied to you when I was posing as Lucifer, but I haven't lied to you since then. I'm not going to start now. Why do you think I stay far away from Pete when he's over? I can't stand being touched by him.”
“You said you can't use your powers,” she said, crossing her arms.
“I can't, but I can feel Fear when I'm close to someone, or when someone is touching me. I've felt yours, but I try to ignore it so that we can cuddle. I like to cuddle. With Pete? The man doesn't feel Fear about anything. Every time he touches me, it's like I'm staring into the Endless Void. He feels nothing, Ella. Why he's putting on the show he is with you, I don't know. I'm telling you, please listen to what I'm saying. Stay away from him.”
“Why? So, I'll be at your beck and call? Then when you get your angelic form and your wings back...you just walk away?”
“This isn't about me!” he shouted, standing tall and pointing at her. “Forget the mess I'm in! This is about you, Ella. I don't want you to get hurt, in any way. I care about you too much.”
Ella jerked back a bit like he’d slapped her. He didn’t bother trying to hide his wince at her reaction. So much for putting himself out there. At least he’d admitted it faster than his dingbat of a twin to Chloe. Shaking her head, she went back to work on the blood cultures she’s been working on. He tried to settle back and watch something, but he couldn’t get the look on her face out of his head.
Barely an hour had passed when Ella sat back on her stool, scrolling through her phone. After looking at her watch, she got up again. He was startled when she grabbed his leash and roughly clipped it to his harness.
“What’s going on?” he asked, a little worried.
“I’m taking up Pete on his offer to look through his notes and case research on the Whisper Killer,” she bit out, practically dragging him. It forced him to follow a brisk walk. “I’ll show you that he’s not involved, and we can put this crap behind us.”
Michael said nothing during the drive over to Pete’s place. It was a modest, one story home with a nice lawn. Ella angrily shifted into park before shutting the car off.
“I’ll only be five minutes, tops,” she told him. “Stay here.”
He nodded when she looked at him. Cracking the windows, she got out of the car. Michael slumped into the seat, staring at his feet. Maybe wanting to be close to anyone wasn’t worth it. The one person that’s been nothing but sweet to him clearly wanted nothing to do with him. True, he wanted to get back to normal. But it wasn’t all about him either. Not anymore, anyway. Michael really did want to take Ella out on a date. At least try to be a better person to her than she’s had. What she’s been through in her life…he saw himself in her a lot. And it wasn’t fair. But of course, admitting to her what he felt had blown up in his face. Like so much in his life. His relationship with his brother, the work tasked to him by Father. His plans after hearing their siblings gush over Lucifer.
But he couldn’t just leave things how they were. Living as a mortal being, even for this short time, had made him realize where he’d went wrong. Power…it wouldn’t get him the attention and love that he was looking for. His power over Fear had manipulated even him. His own Fear of being left alone, ignored. Every night before bed, he’d prayed to Father, pleading with him to change back again. Or at least find a way to reverse it. He just wanted a chance to try at having…some kind of life here.
Finding Ella’s phone sitting in the center console next to him, he grabbed it and checked the time. He frowned. She’d been in there for over 10 minutes now. What was she doing? Hearing another car pull up, he sat up and looked out the windshield. Dread twisted his stomach as the car parked and Pete got out. Sure, he’d given Ella a key to his place last week, saying she could come and go as she wanted. But he still had a very bad feeling. After Pete went inside, Michael tried opening his door. It was locked.
“Damn,” he growled. Looking at the door, he noticed a silver pin at the edge of the window. When he pulled it up, he could hear something pull back inside the door. When he tried to open the door again, it opened easily. “Thank Father.”
Jumping out of the car, he ran on all fours across the grass. He hit the door a little hard. Michael jumped up and grabbed the knob. Using both hands, he tried to open the door, but his hands kept slipping on the smooth, round surface. His side twinged, making him let go of the doorknob. Michael rubbed at his hip, trying to think of another way inside. Breaking a window would just alert Pete of him, but it could allow Ella to escape out the back…that’s it! He could try the back door. He could hear Ella say something, shouting at Pete, followed by what sounded like a slap.
Ignoring the throbbing in his right side, he bolted off the porch and around to the back of the house. He was surprised to see a dog door in the bottom of the back door. It must’ve come with the house. He only hoped it wasn’t sealed off. Michael stopped right outside the door. He reached out and carefully pushed on the dog door, it swung in easily. Walking inside, he found himself in a laundry room. It was neat as a pin and very clean.
He growled when he found the door leading into the house was shut firmly. A loud crash echoed through the house, Ella shouting again. Panic had him running and jumping for the door handle. This one was a handle instead of a knob. Michael silently thanked his father when the door swung open easily. Letting go, he found he was in a very clean kitchen. He moved through the space and down a short hallway to the living room at the front of the house.
Pete was straddling Ella on the floor, one hand around her neck, the other…had a syringe. She was fighting him, but it wasn’t doing much. Michael was tired already just from getting into the house, his side was screaming with pain. He pushed it aside, Ella needed help and there was no time. Digging deep down, Michael ran full speed at the pair, jumping up and knocking the syringe from Pete’s hand before he could uncap it.
“The hell…how?” Pete asked as he tried to grab him.
Michael growled and swiped at his face. His claws caught Pete’s cheek, leaving gashes across his cheek and nose. Pete hissed in pain, letting go of Ella and holding his face. Michael went at him again, scratching his hands and face more. The guy grabbed him, but he didn’t stop. Michael bit down hard on his hand, drawing blood. He started getting flashes of the murders…the atrocities this man has committed. But he refused to let go. With a scream, Pete tore him free from his hand, Michael taking a chunk of flesh with him. He spit it out and tried to latch on again. Pete grabbed hold of the scruff of his neck and tossed him. Michael hit a wall. Pain exploded in his head and back from the impact, slumping to the ground. His head was spinning a little, leaving him immobile momentarily.
“Lucifer,” Michael prayed as Pete strode towards him, holding his bloody hand against his chest. “It’s Pete. He’s the Whisper Killer. Ella…Ella’s here and he’s going to kill her. I’m trying to distract him. Please. Please get here. She needs you.”
“Stupid fucking animal,” Pete spat, kicking him.
He whimpered as he felt bones snap. Pete kept up the attack, lifting his booted foot and stomped him. Michael screamed as pain became the only thing he felt. More bones snapped. He needed to give her more time. Hopefully, she’d get up and run…get her phone, get help. When Pete pulled his foot back, Michael got up and latched onto his other leg. In spite of the agony he was in, he held on tight, biting anywhere he could get a good grip, clawing his jeans to shreds to get at skin. Pete jumped around, yanking on his fur to pull him off. Michael growled again, doubling his efforts.
Pete punched the back of his head, dazing him. Grabbing him by the fur on his back, he gets thrown even harder. When he hits another wall, he feels something else snap in his chest. He stayed down, struggling to breathe. Tears fell as Pete turned away from him. Ella had gotten up off the floor, but he didn’t know if she was still in the house. He shut his eyes, praying harder for his brother to show up.
-Ella-
Just as she found the discarded syringe Pete had dropped, she felt a hand grab her ankle, pulling her back out from behind the couch. Seeing it was Pete, she wasted no time. Ella stabbed the syringe into his calf and depressed the plunger.
“You bitch!” he snarled, kicking her in the head.
It stunned her, leaving her unable to move as he grabbed her throat again. Fear choked her as she clawed at his hands, trying to get free.
“Nice try,” he chuckled. “This will be interesting…my hands are about to be locked around your throat since the paralytic is starting to kick in. I’ll get to watch you die slowly. You should’ve left things alone, Ella. You’re just too curious for your own good.”
She managed to pry one hand free of her throat, but the other one was already starting to lock into place. It was so hard to breathe with his hand on her throat and his weight on her chest and stomach. Ella coughed as she was now able to get more air in when Pete was ripped off of her. Lucifer was standing over her, Pete dangling in the air from his one-handed hold. The paralytic took hold and left Pete paralyzed, a look of fury on his face that Ella never imagined she’d see. He’d been…such a nice guy. What…what was wrong with her that she attracted men like this to her? Michael had been right. Michael…
Ella looked over, finding him lying against the wall across from the front door. She got to her feet and ran to him. Sirens could be heard outside as backup arrived. Michael moaned and whimpered. Blood was dripping from his nose and mouth. Going by the sounds he was making, he had to have a number of broken or fractured bones. Tears fell as she very carefully cradled him to her chest.
“You ok?” he rasped, his breath ragged and shallow.
“Thanks to you, I am,” she told him. A sob broke through her resolve seeing how badly he was hurt. “I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I should’ve listened to you.”
“It’s ok,” he wheezed, his chest rattling as he struggled to breathe. “I shouldn’t have…shouldn’t have gotten my hopes up that you’d believe me. I know how…how loneliness can make you desperate. Trying…try anything to make it go away. It…it pushed me to do…do what I did.”
“Hold on, Michael,” she pleaded, feeling him growing colder, his body shuddering in her arms. “Please.”
“I…I can’t,” he groaned, coughing up a bit of blood, his breath getting more ragged. “I want…want to stay. With you. I…I don’t care if I stay like this, I just want to stay with you.” A tear slipped free as she pet behind his ears, the way he liked. “Please…don’t stop trying, Ella. Keep that light of yours shining. For me.”
Ella felt her heart break as he closed his eyes. Tears flowed freely and her pain made her scream his name as his breath hitched once before stopping.
“Why?” she all but shouted as Lucifer moved closer. “Why didn’t God help him?! He’s your brother…his son. He…He…”
“Ms. Lopez…Ella, darling,” Lucifer said softly. “I do not know why dear old Dad let this happen. He doesn’t answer any of us; me or my siblings when we question his methods, his ways. And Michael…he didn’t deserve this. He did need to learn that what he did was wrong. And you helped him with that. You cared. In spite of his villainous plotting, you were the one that even bothered to pay attention to him. I can admit…when we were younger, I may have been more focused on the task given to me by Father, neglecting my own twin. I could’ve been better to him. We all could have. But you did what we couldn’t…what we wouldn’t bother doing. He gave his life for you. I never imagined he’d ever do something like this.”
“He was a good guy, under the anger…the pain,” she sniffled. “It made me so sad whenever I’d hold him, and he’d jump. That he’d been deprived of simple affection. I…I loved him.”
“Come on now,” Lucifer said, helping her to her feet with Michael’s body in her arms. “Let’s go and get you looked over. Then we’ll put him to a proper rest.”
“Thank you,” Ella said, leaning into him as they walked out of the house together.
-2 weeks later-
Ella yawned as she rolled onto her back. She’d woken up from the sound of small feet running across Chloe’s apartment, stopping in front of her door.
“Breakfast is ready, Ella,” she heard Trixie say. “Mom made pancakes.”
“Be there in a minute,’ Ella said loud enough for her to hear through the door.
As she sat up slowly, she thought about just lying here, in the dark for the rest of the day. But she’d done that all last week. That week had ended with Chloe and Lucifer finding her wasting away on her couch, holding onto a plush Rocket Raccoon she’d kept on a shelf. She’d been too weak to argue with them and they took her to a hospital. They kept her in there until Monday morning. At which point she found out that Chloe had packed some of her clothes and told her she was staying with her and Trixie for a while.
She had to admit, she felt more like herself after a few days with Chloe and Trixie. Besides, she knew Michael would be disappointed in her, not taking care of herself. The revelation of Pete being a serial killer barely registered. The only thing that had her crying into her pillow at night was the loss of Michael. Having him die in her arms was easily the absolute worst thing she’d ever been through. They’d buried him that same day, under the oak tree in Linda’s backyard. Everyone had been so good to her, supporting her, talking to her about the good things that had happened with Michael. She’d felt numb, slapping a smile on her face that she couldn’t feel.
That night, when she was lying on her couch in the dark, she’d prayed. She cursed God for taking him away like that. For ripping him away from her before she could tell him how she’d really felt about him. Then cursed herself about how she’d turned her back on him when he was only trying to help her. And as much as she’d like to just lie here in the dark, she needed to start the difficult process of moving on with her life. But she’d never forget him. How could she? Even when they were on the outs, she enjoyed sharing her space, her life, with him. Still in her pjs, Ella used the bathroom before having a seat at the table. Trixie was happy to see her, telling her about some of the stuff that had happened at school over the last couple days.
“It’s good to see you up and about, Ella,” Chloe said, giving her a smile as she set a plate of pancakes in front of her. “Did you have any plans for today? I could help. I have today off.”
“Actually, yes,” Ella said. “I thought I’d go back to my place…just to clean. That’s if you’re ok with me staying a little longer?”
“Take all the time you need, Ella,” Chloe told her. “And so, you’re not blindsided, Lucifer wants you to know that if staying at your place is too hard…he’ll offer you one of his other holdings or get you a new apartment that you can afford.”
“If you see him before me, tell him thank you,” she said, smiling a little.
After finishing breakfast, Ella put her plate in the dishwasher, got some fresh clothes and hit the shower. She hadn’t showered for what had to be a week and a half. It felt great to get clean. She was quiet as they dropped Trixie off with her dad and headed for her place. She felt comforted by having Chloe with her. Hopefully, she’d be able to keep her from wallowing too much.
As they approached her apartment, Ella couldn’t help but notice that the front door was open.
“You locked up when you took me to the hospital, right?” she asked Chloe.
“I made sure to grab your keys and I know I turned the lock while Lucifer carried you to my car,” she said. “Of course, the one day I don’t have my gun with me.”
Ella pushed the door open quietly, Chloe following her and closing it with a quiet click. Ella grabbed the baseball bat she kept next to the door, just in case. She had another one by her bed too. Keeping a firm grip on it, she headed for the living room. She could hear someone moving at the other end of the hall, near her bedroom door. Ella cocked the bat back, ready to swing as the intruder came back down the hall.
“Oh god…Michael,” she said as the person walked out of the dark hallway.
It was Michael. Back to his normal, angelic self. She knew he and Lucifer were twins, but Lucifer had mentioned he’d ended up with a scar on his face during a fight they had after he’d come back from Hell. Sure enough, the jagged line ran from his left eyebrow, down the bridge of his nose and ending at top of his right cheek. Michael favored his right side, due to the injuries he’d told her about. Wearing a simple black t-shirt, jeans and hi top sneakers, even without the scar, she knew this was Michael. She was frozen there, dropping the bat in her hands as she kept staring. He stared back for a minute before looking at the floor. Wait…was he blushing?
“Hi, Ella,” he said sheepishly. “I’m…I’m so sorry to leave you in so much pain like I did. After I died, which by the way, is very unpleasant, I found myself back in Heaven. I spent a week flat on my back, recovering. When I could finally walk again, I talked with Father for a while. After that…I came here to find you. But all I found was the place a mess, you were gone. When I found you at the hospital, Chloe telling Lucifer that you were going to be staying with her, I felt horrible about doing that to you. I came back here and started cleaning everything. I…all that’s left is your bedroom. I wanted to finish before I came to see you.”
Tears in her eyes, she threw herself at him, hugging him tight. Sobs forced their way out of her throat when his arms came around her and he hugged her back firmly.
“I missed you,” he said softly, one hand resting on her lower back, the other one coming up and gently cupping the back of her head. “I tried so hard to hang on, but…I’d been too broken.”
“I missed you too,” she sniffled, feeling relieved to have him back, yet drained emotionally. Damn Celestials and their never-ending drama. “I love you. I…I didn’t get the chance to tell you because I so hung up on…”
“It’s ok,” he interrupted. “I understand what you were going through. I love you too. As much as I tried to deny it.”
She couldn’t help but smile, pressing a kiss to his chest.
“You know…you did mention that once you were back to normal, you wanted to take me on a date,” she said, looking up at him.
Michael blushed again as he looked down at her. “Um…we’re going to need take a rain check on that for now.”
“Why?” she asked.
Pulling away from her, he turned to the side. Her eyes went wide as she saw the large, bushy raccoon tail poking out of his pants. She laughed, she couldn’t help it. That blush on his face got darker.
“I thought your Dad forgave you?” Ella asked, moving closer and touching it. It was very soft and warm.
“He did, but I think it’s me self-actualizing,” he replied. “I think…I still feel like I’m not quite there yet. It comes up unexpectedly. Mostly it’s just the tail. Sometimes ears too. While I was still up there, I was being a bit of a brat to one of my sisters that was only trying to help me and poof! Full raccoon again. Sorry.”
“It’s ok,” she told him, making him look at her. “I’m just so glad to have you back.”
“Wait until Lucifer hears about this one,” Chloe said, snapping a few photos with her phone.
“Can’t we just tell him I’m alive and that Dad forgave me?” Michael asked on a whine.
“Oh, I’m going to tell him that too,” Chloe replied. “But I still haven’t paid you back yet for kidnapping me.”
“Damn it,” Michael muttered as she hugged him again.
“Just so you know…I like the tail,” she told him. “And now you get to cuddle me.”
“Now that’s worth Lucifer’s teasing any day,” he sighed, hugging her tight.
The End