Chapter Text
Los Angeles, 1993.
A lot has changed since he was last on Earth, quite a lot actually. The streets are more defined with its freshly painted stores, the cars modern and curvy, like the women, currently floating towards him in a flock with their hands either grabbing out to touch his arm, or ruffle his curly hair. A grin makes its way onto his face, at the women, of course, and he grasps a few of their hands or gives them a sultry wink, and at the fact that finally he’s somewhere different. Somewhere light, somewhere that smells of fresh baguettes and donuts instead of blood. Somewhere he can’t hear the screams of tortured souls, the rattle of chains and loud bangs from the halls of Hell, the cackles of demons.
It’s fair to say that Lucifer had missed Earth more than the Devil should, had missed the human exchange of sex (demons just didn’t make him feel anything), the music, the view of his stars at night time amongst LA’s twinkling lights. He’s not sure how he’s ended up here the last few times he’s been on Earth, but after not visiting any where else for at least a good Earthly century it’s become second nature to land here after breaking free of Hell’s walls. He just hopes he’ll have a little longer this time before his angelic straight-laced brother drags him back there, Amenadiel is never far away when Lucifer’s roaming Earth. Lucifer wishes he’d experience some of it for himself, the thrill of living amongst humans, the money, property, parties and booze, but he’s always too busy being God’s favourite warrior, the pure and conformist son, always doing his dirty work. Lucifer has no idea how he stands for it.
It had been eons since he’d left the silver city, or been forced to leave, not that he’d have it any other way really. Hell was…well, Hell, but Heaven was worse. He wouldn’t go back there if he was begged, by his siblings nor his Father, not that he’d seen or heard from most of them (other than through messenger Amenadiel) since he left, he doesn’t like to call it his fall, because while it was a literal fall, an awful and painful fall at that, it was also his chance to rise. To stand on his own two feet, wings or no wings, and become his own man. Even if that meant battling to the top through working his way through pits of lava and stray, rebellious demons, through prisons and fields of the dead; humans and demons. He wouldn’t have met Maze otherwise, the one person he’s felt actually had his back even though he’d never trust her with it, or hadn’t as of yet.
Maze was the first demon he’d ever seen, the first person that taught him how to walk through the river of lava and not be burnt, it had taken millions of years down in Hell and a lot of scarring on his body and face yet in the end he’d done it, he’d accepted his guilt over his actions in Heaven. His rebellion was wrong and all that, bla bla bla, he’d convinced himself there was no reason to blame anyone but himself, it was his obsessive need for free will that ruined everything, his relationships and his soul. After accepting that he did indeed, belong in Hell, he was able to cross the fire and enter the halls of Hell loops where Maze had given him his first guided tour. Lucifer had been almost fascinated by the rooms, how each one had their own individual way of working and how each demon would punish accordingly. He’d studied them from day one of seeing them up close, the way evil was trapped there for eternity, the way lost souls somehow managed to free themselves of their guilt- he’d been there the first time a human had ever managed to make it from Hell up into Heaven. Why anyone would ever want to be back in that bore of a place baffled him, but each to their own.
Earth was his favourite plane, by far.
“Ah! Sir, recommend me one of your finest pastries would you?”
Lucifers favourite café is just by the beach where he always lands, coincidentally, it used to be owned by an elderly couple in the 70s, he’d help them set it up with his business and property associates when he’d come to LA and they’d lost everything in a house fire, in exchange they’d provided him a place to stay, clothes on his back, shoes to wear, everything tailor made at his request. He’d got them the small corner patch at more than half the selling price (perks of sleeping with the very rich middle aged Landlady) and they’d made it very worth his while.
The man behind the counter isn’t someone he recognises upon entering, yet the smell is always the same, chocolate pastries and warm caramel flavoured coffee. Almost every time he gets one item from each shelf, Hell doesn’t accommodate his sweet tooth very well.
After a hearty serving of one jam donut, a gingerbread biscuit, a chocolate pastry and a coffee to wash it down with (all for free, the man-Jeffrey- is Harrison and Rita’s grandson, he’s taken over the family business), Lucifer’s off and hailing a cab, which he plans to pay for in forced compliments and favours, to his favourite bar down town.
It’s 6pm according to his watch, he’s glad he still wears it from his previous visits to Earth, along with his collection of suits, shoes, vests and hair gel he’s got stocked up down in Hell, it’s not as lively as he’d have hoped yet, there’s a few early starters on the streets, but he supposes it’ll have to do until he returns south. The bar he enters has a piano echoing outside onto the pavement, notes playing impeccably, almost as good as the Devil himself. Almost. Lucifer slides up to the bar and takes a seat in a stool, waiting a little to wave for service. From his seat he has full view of the piano player, a dark skinned, quite elderly gentlemen, he wears a beige suit and a hat, and an unlit cigar sticks out between his lips. He’s so far in a trance watching and listening that he doesn’t feel the tap on his shoulder. Lucifer jumps out of his seat and pats his suit down, frowning at the interruption.
A woman stares back at him, eyebrows raised and her hand still reaching out to him, this time it’s laid flat on the bar. He then notices the bored look of another mans face, the server, waiting with his hand on a beer pump for his order.
“Sorry, he just seems a little impatient-“ She stage whispers the last word, covering her mouth and a small smile and shrug of her shoulder.
Lucifer shakes his head, “whiskey, thanks.” He says, watching the man grab his drink, but not before adding “and another for the lady, whatever she desires.” Lucifer says, shooting a wicked smile her way.
He sees her blush and sips his drink cockily. She’s a beautiful woman, an older woman he guesses, with the way her eyes crinkle slightly, and her hair is a shiny auburn colour. The woman turns and thanks him for the drink, clinking her glass with his before downing it in one. Lucifer then notices the line of glasses beside her and assumes it’s not her first drink of the night.
“Rough day?” Lucifer asks, turning in his seat slightly, he’s hoping she’ll pay for both their drinks once he admits he’s ‘forgotten his wallet in the cab’ so the least he can do is engage in light conversation.
“Rough year, how ‘bout you?” She brushes him off, Lucifer appreciates her not diving head first into a recounting of her day like he’d painfully listened to other humans do.
“Rough lifetime-“ Lucifer chuckles as an answer, raising his glass again to his lips. The woman does the same, he really should ask her-
“Penelope Decker…” She offers her hand to shake and he takes it with a firm grasp.
“Lucifer Morningstar.”
Her eyebrows raise, as they do whenever he tells anyone his name, he knows it’s absolutely fitting but-
“Wow, here I am drinking with the Devil, and it’s not even a Friday.” She winks at him.
Lucifer rolls his shoulders, “I’d offer my services all year round, except I’m down under for most of it.”
Penelope laughs, her eyes puffy with the alcohol. She sniffles and grabs a napkin to dry the corner of her eyes before screwing it up in her hand. “So what’s the Devil up to tonight then?”
“Hmm not much, I was thinking of trying the new cocktail bar across the street, you up for joining?” He doesn’t mean it as a serious question, Penelope’s nice and all but somehow he gets the impression that she wouldn’t be up for a round of sex tonight before he leaves, or want to plan an orgy with him. She’s a little, mature anyways, not that he’s completely opposed to that…
“Thanks for the offer but I’ll have another drink and get going, I have a daughter, she’s um-“ Penelope tilts her head and clears her throat, making Lucifer lean forward in curiously, “sick, at the minute, her father’s with her in hospital right now and here I am day drinking…” She scoffs and shakes her head at herself, Lucifer doesn’t know what possesses him but he slides on up further to the woman and rests his hand close to hers on the bar, almost touching but not.
“It’s gone 6 so, technically you’re an evening drinker.” Lucifer clicks his tongue, “and after the nugget of information you’ve just shared, I hardly doubt anyone would blame you for indulging in a glass or three,” he points to the other glasses with a small smile, feeling a slight tinge of satisfaction when Penelope mirrors it, slightly more tearfully than his.
“I just, I’m trying so hard to not let Chloe see how this is affecting me, I don’t want her to be scared.” Penelope fiddles with her glass and it’s like a rock of a damn had been knocked off kilter, her words flowing out then as easy as running water. “Her dad’s a serving police officer, he’s been held at gunpoint, been involved in gang raids and been injured countless times on the job, I’ve visited hospitals with him I can’t even count how many times but, when my little girl was diagnosed with Leukaemia I’ve never been as terrified.”
Lucifer frowns, an anger bubbling inside of him as he listens to Penelope speak of her child, forced to endure hospital appointments and procedures, not even a decade old and damned to a life of suffering. An innocent child, no reason to be punished, and his father, God almighty just lets it happen.
Cancer should have its own room in Hell.
For the first time in his life, Lucifer feels the need to apologise. “I’m sorry, it must be terrible, for your whole family.”
Penelope smiles at him, and rubs her hand over his own briefly, he tenses slightly and nods his head.
“I’m trying to be in a hundred places at once on top of that, I’m an actress, I’ve just landed a role on a tv pilot, a walk on role at that but it’s something that puts money on the table and pays for my daughters hospital treatment…”
“Everything got on top of you, overwhelmingly.” Lucifer tells her, nodding towards the glasses.
“I just needed to load off, I suppose.” Penelope sighs, rubbing her eyes.
“Did it work?” Lucifer asks, despite somehow knowing the answer.
She shakes her head, opens her mouth to speak before her phone rings from inside her bag down at her feet. She holds up a finger, signalling him to wait one moment, before answering the call.
Lucifer turns back to the piano for a moment, he’s singing softly now to accompany him. On another night, Lucifer would have gone up there and asked to join him, perhaps even bribed for a solo spot afterwards. He’s content to listen to the gentleman play tonight, to clap after each song appreciatively with the small crowd inside the bar.
“Oh dear…”
Lucifer shifts back in his seat, “bad news?”
Penelope sniffles and stands, she’s a little shaky on her feet and Lucifer instinctively reaches out to steady on her feet. “I have to go, oh….where are they?”
Lucifer watches her rustling around in her bag, her eyes bloodshot as tears flow freely down her red cheeks. “What ever’s the matter?”
Penelope stops searching and slumps in her seat, “that was John, my husband, he’s been called into work last minute and he’s with Chloe at the hospital, she’s having her chemotherapy session, I have to go to her.”
Lucifer shakes his head, “well, I might not be one for rules but even I know you shouldn’t drive when you’ve had that much to drink.”
“Oh!” She stands again, and starts frantically searching for something else in her bag. “I’ll have to hail a cab I don’t-“
“Penelope.” He places a hand on her arm, the feeling of actually wanting to help someone rushes through him and for some strange reason, he doesn’t care about whether she has anything to offer in return. He’s not entirely sure whether it’s for her or the child, but he can’t settle with leaving an ill child alone in hospital without her parents there, he knows the feeling of parental absence all too well. “I’ll drive you to your spawn.”
Penelope’s eyes brighten, “really?”
“Of course, the Devil doesn’t go back on his word, one moment-“ Lucifer waves to the bar tender, “a glass of tap water, please.”
Penelope readies herself to leave, sobering instantly, or maybe she is just a good actress, after paying the bill quickly for the both of them claiming it’s the least she can do and then dries her wet cheeks with the back of her hands. She shakes herself, of the wine, the feeling of guilt or as a way of preparing herself for the dread of the hospital and seeing her sick child, he’s not quite sure. Lucifer clears his throat then, questioning why he even cares, she’s just a human, like all the others, and the only reason he helps her with her bag, holds her arm up as she walks on slightly unsteady feet and finds the nearest car he can, uses his celestial strength and light to open a and power the engine so he can speed her to the hospital slightly over the limit is because the Devil doesn’t go back on his word.
***
In all the time he’s been on Earth before, he’s never seen a hospital this close, but he can definitely understand why they’re involved in many hell loops. There’s sirens and ambulances flooding in and out like a hand on a ticking clock, every second, every minute bringing a new patient or death. Penelope shudders beside him, he understands. This is no place for children, yet they’re everywhere, some outside hobbling and holding onto the arms of their parents, some in wheelchairs, some as young as babies, wailing in their mothers or fathers arms. He’ll never understand human invulnerability, why would his dad create a whole human existence he claims to love when they can be hurt or die?
“I should head inside, do I look okay?” Penelope turns to him after unfastening her seatbelt, she hesitates to step outside of the car though, she looks as if she could vomit any second and Lucifer doesn’t think it’s because of the wine she’s drank.
He doesn’t lie, so he says “as well as a mother with sick offspring can be.” And she laughs. “Speaking of, she’s probably waiting for you.”
“Right.” Penelope turns to him, leans over and presses a kiss to his cheek. “Thank you, Lucifer.”
“Glad to be of service, I’ll be expecting an invitation to your first movie premier when you make it big.” He says theatrically, a wide grin on his face.
She just smiles appreciatively, “thank you for the lift too.” He frowns in response.
Isn’t that what she meant the first time? Humans…
She steps out of the car and waves goodbye, striding up to the hospital like she hadn’t been becoming wine and crying for the better part of the evening. Lucifer sighs deeply, taking another look round at his surroundings. He can’t believe these humans have to actually pay to be healthy, he was on Earth the year the NHS was set up over in London on a lovely voyage with a few merchants, he’s surprised LA hasn’t caught on yet. Lucifer turns his nose up in disgust and fiddles with the gear stick, about to pull out of the car bay when-
“Ohh…”
He’s not slept with a woman in a while, not one as gorgeous looking as the blonde headed nurse that steps out of the car in front of him. Her curves hugged by her outfit perfectly, he wouldn’t even have to ask for a bit of roleplay!
“Lovely.” He mutters, and without thinking he follows the woman in, perhaps they’ll have a quick chat and then he’ll invite her to a hotel room for a bit of fun, or the car he’s just borrowed, or even the hospital break room he wouldn’t mind-
Bloody hell.
He didn’t expect there to be that many people in here, despite the full parking area and loading bay. There’s a swarm of doctors and a patient being wheeled in on a stretcher when he walks in after the nurse, and bollocks he’s lost sight of her. Lucifer turns around quickly but he’s taken off guard by the shouting paramedics that burst through the doors, telling everyone to get out of the way for the dying patient on another stretcher, his feet move forward automatically and he feels himself narrow in hopes that he doesn’t brush shoulders with anyone, they could be ridden with disease and despite being immortal and unable to catch anything humans carry, he still doesn’t want to entertain the thought of touching anyone. They’ll dirty his suit, and this one is his favourite.
And now he’s completely lost, there’s signs all over the place but they all end in ‘ology’ and he’s not caught up on medical terms despite being very knowledgeable on language, and all languages in general. Damn. Not one points to ‘get out’ or escape, and it’s too loud in the space to think so he carries on walking through some double white doors. Here it becomes eerily silent, and Lucifer has to look around to check he’s not already back in hell. It’s all white, yet it’s so dark and haunting. Like a funeral that’s not yet begun. Everyone here is waiting to either go home, or never go home again.
Lucifer turns a corner then, perhaps theres a back door he can escape out of, or a smoking area, he could do with one of those right now. He fishes in his pocket for his flask of whiskey and takes a quick sip, much better-
“Oops!”
Lucifer looks down to a flash of long blonde hair, a young girl staring up at him with wide eyes, as if she’s staring into space, or one of his demons. He doesn’t have his devil face on, does he? He reaches up to check, nope, smooth skin, all is fine. Except it’s not, the little devil’s knocked into him, caught him off balance and now his whisky flask is empty and all down his white shirt. So much for not ruining his clothes.
“I’m sorry! I didn’t see you there…” A small voice apologises to him frantically, hands covering her mouth.
“So you should be! This shirt cost money!” He can’t help himself, but the look on her face makes him slightly regret his reaction. Slightly. She still ruined his shirt.
“I can pay for it!” She blurts out, then steps back shaking her head, “well, it may take me a while because I’ve only got 12 dollars saved up in my money box at home but-“
“No.” Lucifer holds his hand out, he supposes she’s guilty enough without needing to repay him, “there will be no need, I appreciate your apology.” He bows his head with a short smile.
The girl nods, and he then notices what she’s wearing. A hospital gown, fluffy socks and some mini mouse slippers. She’s a patient here. At that realisation, Lucifer feels as if he’s been punched in the gut from the inside, he’s not sure why. Perhaps it’s her bright blue eyes, so full of hope like his once was, only to be damned to fail and suffer from the beginning of time, or the way she has to pull a large machine behind her, she’s attached to it with wires injecting fluid into her arms. Lucifer swallows, blinking the moisture from his eyes.
“Are you sick too?” The girl asks then, a frown creasing her forehead.
“No. I’m not.” Lucifer says, looking around him then for an escape, feeling hot all of a sudden.
“Oh.”
That one syllable rings like an unanswered prayer, a cry of sorrow, and Lucifer suddenly has the desire to do anything so she doesn’t look at him like…that.
“Do you like cool ranch puffs?” He asks then, walking over to a vending machine he spots in the corridor and bending down.
She follows behind him with a curious look on her face, “sure, why?”
Lucifer beckons her closer and she crouches down beside him. He looks around before putting a finger over his lips, she giggles slightly and covers her mouth as he reaches his hand up inside the machine and grabs two packs of cool ranch puffs and a chocolate bar. The girl makes a shocked face, and he shushes her before standing and handing her one of the bags.
“You just stole them.” She says, crossing her arms without taking it, though Lucifer can see the smile creeping up on her lips.
He rolls his eyes, “no one will know, here.”
The girl bites her lip, as if taking the bag will be the worst thing she’s ever done in her young fragile life, and maybe it is he thinks, but then she laughs and cracks the bag open. “My daddy’s a police officer, he could arrest you.”
Lucifer feigns shock, a hand coming up to his chest, “well then you’ll be coming down with me won’t you child!”
“I was co-co erased…”
He frowns, “coerced?”
She nods quickly, “yeah that.”
Lucifer spots two free seats and he nods his head towards them, the girl follows, he’s not sure why he does it, but he snaps the chocolate bar in half then and hands her one half piece of it, the full blown smile on her lips is worth losing his Devil reputation for a few moments. He doubts this girl will be spouting about his random acts of kindness to anyone.
“What’s your name?” She asks, munching on one of the crisps, crumbs are wiped on the hospital gown and he grimaced slightly.
“Lucifer Morningstar.”
She laughs, “really?”
“Well yes, really why?”
She shrugs, “my name’s Chloe.”
Interesting didn’t he just-
…
“Pumpkin! There you are!”
Ahh. That explains the familiar need to help this young girl out, he’s just helped her mother, he doesn’t care about either of them, he’s just going with his word still, helping the child is helping the mother, of course.
“Lucifer?”
“Mommy you know him?”
“Where have you been? You know you can’t just wander off without telling anyone!” Penelope ignores the girl’s question, and Lucifer looks between them both, the resemblance is uncanny, except for the hair. Penelope’s is a bright, autumn red whereas Chloe’s is a golden blonde. There eyes are the same, ocean blue pools that seem to stare right into his soul. He wonders what they see…
“Sorry, I needed to stretch my legs. I’ll tell a nurse next time.” Chloe says, hiding the chocolate in her hands and the empty crisp packet under her gown, she looks at Lucifer with a secret smile as she meets his eye. He returns it without thought, and stands.
“No harm done though, and how fitting, now I get to meet the little devil you’ve been talking all evening about.” Lucifer smirks at Penelope who blushes slightly. The young girl practically beams, and his smirk turns into a fond smile. What is happening to him? The devil doesn’t do fond smiles. He schools his features the best he can, he has to turn away from the girl’s bright face.
“What are you even doing in here I thought you left as soon as you dropped me off?” Penelope asks, he’s thankful for the conversation. It’ll help him get out of here.
“I was meant to but, I got distracted, and then slightly lost.” He admits.
“Oh, well I’m heading to the store across the street to pick up a colouring pad for Chloe so I’ll walk out with you?” She offers, pinching her daughters cheeks. The girl frowns though and stands then, reaching an arm out to him, he side steps it though at the sight of chocolate on her fingers.
“Lucifer can you colour with me? All the nurses are always busy with the older kids…” Chloe says.
Lucifer stammers, running a hand through his hair. He needs to leave, he’s been back on Earth for less than half a day and already he’s spent it interacting too much with humans, in the way he least preferred. He wants to visit that cocktail bar, perhaps find a party to attend, join a poker game in one of the casinos, not stay here with a child, colouring- whatever that means.
“Lucifer’s probably too busy, Pumpkin…” Penelope adds a tut for sympathy, running a hand over Chloe’s head lightly.
She steps away, tears in her eyes and threatening to overspill. “Everyone always is.” She eyes her mom sideways and frowns deeply, Lucifer doesn’t think a child her age should ever look this upset. But, he definitely knows how it feels to be abandoned, her Father, leaving her in the hospital to go to work? Absurd. Penelope’s about to reassure her, perhaps spin her a lie, distract her with promises of..,whatever children liked, more chocolate bars maybe, when Lucifer interrupts.
He can’t help himself, he’ll not allow another child to feel the way he did, not this one at least. Something about the way she looks up at him, her innocence and youth, winding round his gut like his siblings once had. He’d always protected them all, the same can’t be said for them, who’d allow him to fall without his wings and live years in Hell with tortured souls and demons. This girl though, who looks at him with eyes as bright as the sun, or his stars, will never have the chance to hurt him in return because by the end of today he’ll be down in Hell and she’ll be forgotten. It can’t hurt, he supposes, “alright, child, suck those tears up,” he grimaces at her snot covered face, “I’ll stay a little while, if only so we can share the rest of this chocolate equally…” He whispers the last part, yet Penelope looks as if she heard it anyway, an amused smile on her features.
Chloe breaks into a large smile, and Lucifer’s afraid is she keeps that up it’ll break her face in two. A strong sense of pride seeps it’s way into his stomach, and not the usual kind; when he makes women or the occasional man orgasm or when he hears the applause of a crowd after he’s performed a set on a piano, he clears his throat and cracks open his own bag of ranch puffs.
They head back to a large open plan room, there’s families crowded around patients as nurses and doctors make their way around them all, notepads in hand on occasion. He swallows as he takes a look around, they all look so close to death it makes a shiver rack up his spine. Being on Earth has never felt so much like home before, like Hell. Penelope thanks him quietly as they head back to the room following Chloe, she’s slower in her step now, Lucifer wonders if she’s tiring or if the fluid pumping into her arm has anything to do with it. Is it like sedation? Or medicine? He doesn’t want to ask, doesn’t want to think about Chloe’s life hanging in the balance of a few flimsy wires. She leads him over to a spot in the corner, there’s a red rucksack on the floor which she side steps before sitting on the bed upright. She crosses her legs and points to the seat beside the bed which he figures she wants him to take up. He drags it across the floor and sits closer to the bedside, watching as she reaches for the bag and pulls out a pencil case.
Penelope kisses her daughters head, “I’ll be right back Pumpkin, if you need anything let one of the nurses know, Helen should be here soon to check how you’re doing.” She grabs her own bag from the floor after Chloe’s nod. “Apple or orange juice?” She asks before leaving and Chloe cups her chin with a smirk.
“Apple.”
Penelope blows her a kiss and Chloe grins and then waves, Lucifer gathers it’s like a ritual, Chloe coming here for a few hours a day to have treatment, doing what she can to pass the time, he’s not sure how chemotherapy works exactly, but with the glumness of the room, he feels the suffering in his bones.
Chloe turns back to him then and opens her pencil case, emptying the contents of it onto her bed. He eyes her curiously, watching as she sorts the colours into a neat line of colours, forming a pencil rainbow on the bed. She winces as she stretches for a stray pencil that’s rolled off of the bed and he quickly grabs it for her with a frown.
“It hurts?” Lucifer eyes the hand Chloe places on her forearm where the IV line goes into her skin. It sends a shiver through him at something penetrating his arm like that, he feels it like it’s Azrael’s blade or a Hell forged knife, pricking his skin.
Chloe nods, “I’m not used to it yet, Helen says I should barely feel it by the end…” She finishes with a sigh and reaches up for her hair, twirling a piece around her finger. Lucifer tilts his head at her upset face again, he thought the tears had stopped. “My hair will be all gone by then, I’ll look horrible. Like an egg.” She says quietly with a pout, flashing her sad eyes in his direction once before looking down at the bed.
Lucifer leans forward, “I happen to like eggs, not boiled, fried, with lots of French toast and bacon, wonderful protein it is.” He hopes it cheers her up, and she does smile once quickly but it’s gone as soon as it appears. He feels sad too then, and reaches inside his pocket for the chocolate bar again, it worked before… “Child,” he holds out a piece, encourages her to look up at him, “hair or not, you’ll still be very pretty, inside and out but, inside is what matters most.”
Chloe follows his hand to where he places it over his chest, teary eyes blinking rapidly to clear them as she then looks up to meet his gaze. “Honest?”
“I don’t lie, Chloe.” Lucifer says. He looks at her, really looks at her. Skin pale and smooth, eyes full of hope and sorrow all at once. She’s strong, he knows that, not many adults never mind children would cope as well with what she’s having to go through. He’s looked at the other patients enough when he’d walked in here long enough to know that everyone here is very sick, yet Chloe looks like sunshine, the light in her eyes never leaving despite how awfully ill she must be feeling, despite the sorrow.
They spend the next few minutes in silence as a nurse comes to check them, she introduces herself as Helen and chats a little with Chloe, asking her how she feels, what she’s doing at school, if she’s doing anything nice at the weekend. Chloe responds to her questions quietly, but with certainty and enthusiasm, her whole face lights up as she tells Helen about getting all her spellings correct at school earlier in the week, whatever that means, still, Lucifer can’t help smile along. Her energy is irresistible.
After Helen’s finished checking her over, Penelope returns with Chloe’s colouring pad and apple juice carton. Chloe thanks her and puts the juice aside to focus on finding a page in the book. Lucifer looks curiously at the outlines, he figures it’s some kind of childhood story book with pictures instead of words? He frowns when Chloe picks up a pencil and starts drawing on the sheet of paper, oh, so this is colouring. He watches as she bites her lip in concentration, hand moving up and down on the paper rapidly.
“Lucifer, you start on that side…” Chloe pushes the paper towards him as well as some of the pencils that had escaped out of the line she’d created earlier.
“What just start scribbling randomly?” That’s what she’s doing…
“Pick a colour, try not to go outside the lines…” Chloe tells him firmly, and he scoffs a laugh.
“Right.” He chooses the red pencil and press it to the paper-“what!”
Chloe snaps her head up and covers her mouth, a little giggle escaping.
“Bloody hell-how can you get anything done when they just snap like a tiny twig.” Lucifer tuts and takes the sharpener she’s holding out to him unconsciously, only looking at it when it’s clutched in his own hand.
Chloe must notice his confusion because she laughs again and says, “use that to sharpen it, slot it inside and turn.”
Lucifer sniggers at the innuendo, but does as she says.
“Not for too long!” She tells him, and he removes the pencil after a few turns and it’s back to its original sharpness. He tries again, this time softer and Chloe smile, satisfied. She goes back to her own side, colouring in a yellow flower, it’s a little messy, a lot messier than his side but he focuses on his own shape-a rose it seems.
Around an hour passes by and Lucifer doesn’t even consider leaving, he’s aware he should but he’s actually enjoying conversing with the child. She’s quite the character. She wants to be a detective when she’s older, solving crimes and punishing ‘bad guys’ as she calls it, he’s intrigued at that, it’s what he does for a living after all. He tells her of his own job, when Penelope’s deep in conversation with a couple of the other parents sitting close by, and she listens to him intensely, she asks questions, not just about his job but other things, what his favourite food is, what he likes to do for fun (he doesn’t tell her about soaring through the chambers of hell after demons and playing torturous pranks on the souls, but he does tell her about playing the piano, and driving, and how much he adores the opera). One thing he does notice is her lack of fear, usually he’d mention Hell or torturing demons to some humans and they ran off in fear, some shrieked at his name alone. Not the child though, it must just be the naivety of youth.
After a while they stop colouring and he notices Chloe become more lethargic, and then all the colour drains from her face and she’s vomiting in a bucket her mother had been quick enough to hold underneath her. Lucifer tenses in his seat as she coughs, tears pricking her eyes. He makes himself useful after spying a water fountain and fills her a plastic cup up, holding it out for her shaking hand.
Penelope’s smoothing back her hair when Chloe thanks him softly, the energy she’d previously had has practically evaporated. She leans back in the bed and Penelope wraps a blanket around her now shivering form. Lucifer can’t find anything to say, instead he sits on her bed and smiles at the colouring they’d finished together. He gathers her pencils together and slots them back inside her pencil case, laughing under his breath at the doodles of all sorts drawn into the case, Chloe’s handy work he figures.
The room around them empties slowly until Chloe’s one of the last few patients inside. She’s asleep now, yet Lucifer still can’t bring himself to leave. He finishes the last of their chocolate, leaving her one last piece in the packet for when she wakes up beside the apple juice she’s not yet opened. Penelope’s still reading, occasionally looking a concerned eye over her daughter, who looks even more small and fragile than she already did. He glances towards the clock, in the corner of the room, it’s just gone 7:40pm, he knows he’s got a few hours before Amenadiel comes looking for him. He should leave.
Lucifer prologues getting himself ready, slipping on his suit jacket, that he’d removed a while ago, and smoothing it over himself, fastening the buttons one by one. Penelope eyes him and gives him a soft smile, he returns it and clears his throat quietly. “I best be off…”
She folds her corner in the book she’s reading and places it next to Chloe’s small legs on the bed. “Thank you again for today Lucifer, it’s not often Chloe has anyone else to speak to aside me and her dad so I really appreciate you entertaining her for a while.”
Lucifer shakes his head, “no need for thanks, it was no trouble, I’ve actually enjoyed speaking with her, she’s very wise for a little urchin.”
Penelope tilts her head at his words with a smile and then Chloe wakes up with a stir, sitting up quickly when she sees he’s preparing to leave. “Are you going?”
“I am child, my brother will be here to drag me back home soon…”
Chloe frowns, “do you have to go?”
Lucifer nods, “I’m afraid so…” it’s a first anyone’s ever cared enough to be sad about his department, although perhaps she’ll just miss out on receiving free snacks and exciting company, that has to be it…
She leans forward and fiddles with the colouring book before ripping out the page they’d coloured in together, she hands it him. “So you can remember me.”
His chest tightens and he finds himself having to take a deep breath before thanking her, he doesn’t want to fold it, so instead he holds it to his chest and nods his head. “Get better, Chloe.”
And by dad he hopes she does.
After waving a goodbye, he doesn’t turn around when he leaves, instead he hugs the paper closer and smiles to himself. He finds the way out a lot easier than when he’d first arrived, the corridor practically empty compared to what it had been like earlier on.
He doesn’t have long before Amenadiel comes for him, he puts up a fight, of course, and vows that he’ll be back on Earth in a few years or sooner. He’s clear to his big brother that no one will stop him from visiting every once in a while, perhaps he’ll even move here permanently.
The Devil on vacation, how fun.
Once he lands back in hell, he clutches his and Chloe’s paper under his suit so it doesn’t get dirty from the falling ash, he places it beside his bed, in a drawer, hidden away from demons and their prying eyes and grabby hands. He takes one last look before closing the drawer, and then returns to his throne after taking a lap of the hell loops.
And then, for the first time in a long time he prays, not to his dad, or Amenadiel, but to his sister, Azrael, she’d been the only one who hadn’t been all for sending him to Hell. The only one that managed to visit occasionally, even if she did have to deal with Father’s wrath afterwards.
Even if she doesn’t hear him, he prays to her, the Angel of Death, collector of souls and visitor of the dying, that she does everything in her power, to not take Chloe.