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The weather was awful; there was no other way to put it. Black clouds filled the L.A. skies that threatened to overflow with raindrops at any second and flickered with lightening.
Yet that didn’t stop Ella from singing as she drove to work through a dense forest of pines, the only thing louder that her cheerful voice was the music blaring from her radio paired with her enthusiastic dancing limited only to what little space she had in her car. Her ponytail waved wildly as her head bobbed along to every note and her arm waved to the rhythm whilst the other was firmly glued to the steering wheel. At least, it was until lightning hit the road in front of her. Ella slammed on the breaks and the car screamed to a halt.
“What the…?” Ella exclaimed as she stared in shock out of the windscreen, her entire body as still and as tense as her car.
She was yanked from her shock when another bolt of lightning struck again, this time on the side of the road barely brushing past the trees.
“That’s weird-”
Another one struck just a few metres deeper into the forest prompting Ella to look at her crucifix and then up to the heavens. However her head snapped to the side when three struck in the same spot at the exact same time and smoke rose up.
Ella barely had time to think fire before she jumped out of the car and ran towards it. She didn’t know why but she was drawn to that spot. It called to her, something needed her.
So she went.
Ella sprinted and weaved through the pines as fast as she could. A few branches smacked her and tried to snatch her arms, trap her where she was but she kept going. Her heart pounded and her legs thundered but adrenaline kept her breathing. Ella had no idea how long she’d been running or how far she’d come when she came upon a smoking apple tree, with not a flame in sight.
“Huh” Ella muttered as she went into forensic mode.
She’d heard a few reports of freak lightning storms in the forest over the past two years but they were sporadic enough that she never paid them much attention. The tree itself looked like it was completely untouched, other than the smoke as there wasn’t a single scorch or burn mark. However there was a patch of earth at the front of the tree that was so thoroughly burnt it was basically a patch of charcoal. This confused Ella as lightning almost struck the highest point so it could get the ground as quickly as possible. If it had hit the apple tree then maybe she could’ve rationalise it, even if the pines towered over it like skyscrapers, but that wasn’t the case.
Something beneath the ground was more appealing to lightening than the huge beacon like trees.
Ella crouched down beside it and looked for anything on the surface that could give her any idea of what was down there. As she did she heard what sounded like a small scratching noise echoing through the dirt.
‘It’s probably an animal’ Ella thought but that didn’t stop her from starting to dig.
The burnt earth came away easy but the wed mud constantly tried to slip through her fingers and hid stones that cut into her hand. Just when Ella started internally debating about how long she could keep doing this something surfaced through the mud. She grabbed it and rubbed some of the mud away so she could identify what it was.
It was a child’s hand. A tiny, soft, delicate child’s hand.
“Oh god…” Ella gasped.
Without another millisecond of hesitation she plunged down and ripped into the earth. The mud splattered onto her but she didn’t notice. Even when the stones hit her she didn’t care. More of the arm emerged and lifelessly flopped over as soon as it could but that didn’t deter her. Ella clawed and scratched manically. Her fingertips bled but it didn’t register. Her breaths came out in short, panicked gasps. Prayers echoed through her head until, finally, more skin was revealed. Ella saw a small button nose attached to pale cheeks that were ice cold. Now that light was visible at the end of the tunnel she scrambled to the side and threw the final pieces of dirt from the child. The child was a small, pale girl, who didn’t breathe and had no heart beat but rigor mortis had yet to touch her.
There was a chance for Ella to save her.
Ella grabbed the girl and heaved her from the earth and out of the hole.
“Come on, please” Ella begged as she placed her hands on top the girl’s chest over her heart.
She pressed down as hard as she dared, not wanting to break her ribs. She compressed her chest again, and again, and again, and-
The girl’s eyes shot open. Her gasp for air could be heard all over the world as her heart began pumping and her chest expanded to three times it’s size.
“Oh thank God!” Ella cried, almost crying in relief.
Just like a newborn baby, the girl started to cry huge tears that washed away some of the mud as soon as air filled her lungs. Her clothes were so filthy the only available descriptor was that it was a dress and her hair was so clumped up and matted that it was just one solid brown mass. However Ella didn’t care and instead picked the girl up and cradled her to her chest.
“Ssh ssh” She cooed “It’s ok, everything’s going to be fine, I’m going to help you” The girl pulled away a little and looked up to Ella as if she were a lost puppy “Who are your parents?”
“Detective!” Lucifer shouted as he waltzed down the stairs and into the precinct.
Chloe was already halfway down them when she turned to face him, eyes already rolling.
“Lucifer” She greeted “You’re early”
“Actually I think you’ll find I’m right on time”
“Which is early for you”
They reached the bottom of the stairs ready for whatever grisly homicide was waiting for them. But they weren’t ready for Ella to run up to them with nothing but nervousness filling her eyes. Her hands, face and clothes were covered in mud but that was clearly the furthest thing in her mind. She was shaking and uncertain, her eyes blown wide as she seemed to stare straight through them.
“Ella?” Chloe questioned only to be ignored.
“Miss Lopez, what happened?” Lucifer asked becoming increasingly concerned at how solemn his normally cheerful friend was and swearing revenge on whoever had done this to her.
Then she looked up at him with an expression that was far too similar to the one Linda had when she’d seen his Devil Face. Lucifer frantically thought of any time when he may have accidentally revealed himself to her as he couldn’t bear the thought of permanently wiping her smile. After what felt like hours Ella finally swallowed and spoke.
“Lucifer, do…do you have a…a kid?”
“What?” Chloe laughed until she saw Lucifer.
His skin was a ghostly white and he looked like he’d aged by ten years. A great sadness settled on him. It pulled on his soldiers and his filled his eyes with the world’s tears that were to afraid of overflowing in order to do so.
“Lucifer” Chloe called out softly as she reached for him, stopping just shy of actual physical contact “Lucifer, do you?”
“…I did” He replied, voice barely above a whisper.
“Did?” Chloe asked despite knowing the answer.
“She died…-two years ago”
“Lily, right?” Ella asked “About five years old? Red hair, brown eyes, not a big fan of talking?”
Lucifer was clearly taken aback and appeared shell shocked “Well…yes, she would be five now”
“Then she’s not dead”
Lucifer stared at her with both shock and hope in his eyes that he dared not have but Ella continued.
“I found her this morning-she’d been buried alive-I dug her up-she’s in the interrogation ro-”
Lucifer ran. He didn’t care who or what he pushed or knocked over nor about Chloe shouting after up as she and Ella followed his path. His heart pounded so much it was a wonder that it didn’t rocket out of his chest. When he reached the door he didn’t wait for even a second, just grabbed the handle and burst into the room.
The girl, Lily, was sitting in the chair usually reserved for suspected murderers with various mud covered tissues and wipes scattered around the table along with her folded dress, tights and shoes. She was wearing one of Ella’s t-shirts (the blue sushi one that matched Trixie’s) that was too big on her it was basically a dress on her. Her skin was covered in various mud smears and clumps of it were still embedded in her hair but there was no denying who she was.
“Daddy!” Lily cried, eyes lighting up as a smile broke onto her face.
“Li-Lily?” Lucifer stammered, somehow turning even paler.
He fumbled for something to grab onto but was able to before collapsing.
“Lucifer? Lucifer!”
Lucifer’s bleary eyes flickered open to see Chloe, Ella, Lily and even Dan crowding around him.
“Guys give him some room” Chloe ordered.
The other three backed up a little as Chloe helped him sit up.
“What happened?” Lucifer groaned, looking at Lily who stared back at him.
“You fainted” Dan replied “You’re lucky you didn’t hit your head on anything, I’ve never thought of you as someone who would faint”
“I mean, wouldn’t you if you found out your child, that you thought had been dead for two years, suddenly showed up alive in your workplace after being buried alive?” Ella asked.
“That’s not a train of thought I ever want to get on” Dan confessed.
Chloe ignored them. She’d never seen Lucifer so shaken and it was little scary and disconcerting. Lily wasn’t giving her many cues either, her face so blank the only feature that suggested any semblance of life or a soul was a small glint in her eye of dark light. Since Lucifer had fainted she’d hovered around Ella but refused every attempt of comfort or removal from the room that involved physical contact. She’d even refused Ella’s famous hugs instead of accepting them awkwardly like her father.
“Detective” Lucifer said calmly “Could you give Lily and I a moment?”
“Yeah, sure” Chloe agreed once Lucifer was on his feet and ushered the others out.
After the door clicked shut there was a long moment of silence, both father and daughter were in disbelief as they stared at each other. Lily didn’t blink at all but it was like Lucifer didn’t realise that it was abnormal at all.
“Oh my sweet child” He finally said “What happened?”
“I don’t know” Lily confessed tearfully, her blank expression finally cracking “I…I thought I was in hell but you didn’t save me”
“Oh princess you know I’ll always save you”
“But you didn’t Daddy!” Tears finally fell down her cheeks “You didn’t come! I kept dying and you never came!”
“I know and I’m so sorry. If I knew you were still alive I would’ve saved you immediately!”
Lily had crossed her arms as if to hold herself and had been pouting but as young as she was the last time she’d seen her father she remembered him and knew him.
“Promise?” Her bottom lip trembled, making the r sound like a w.
“Of course” Lucifer pulled out his handkerchief and gently wiped her tears away “You know I never lie”