Chapter Text
"Mommy, is Daddy going to Hell?" Those words have been weighing on Detective Decker's heart for 3 days, and she doesn't dare let Lucifer know. She's passed it off as a headache. The best sort of lie: the truth. Dan wasn't exactly around to reassure his little girl, and it seemed that the most responsible man in her life was currently one Lucifer Morningstar, lunatic and partner-in-crime-fighting. How she got herself into this mess she still has no idea, but at least he seemed unharmed after being shot. And possibly dying. Nope, he did not die and he is not the Devil. She is never going down that road.
Her phone rang, distracting the Detective from the malaise that had settled over her like an oppressive summer heat.
Similar phone calls were always a hallmark of a new case, some poor soul who found themselves on the wrong end of a confrontation or simply in the wrong place with the wrong people. These calls were pervasive; they came at the grocery store, the daycare, home alone in bed, and anywhere else Chloe found herself. It niggled in the back of her mind, a constant tension that she couldn't be allowed to lose herself in her favorite song while on a road trip or read a trashy romance novel and just ignore the world for 5 minutes.
This call was different. Caller ID read [BLOCKED], a not unheard of phenomena but rare enough to warrant suspicion. "Decker." The voice of an angel answered. Literally an an angel, not that she would ever believe that nonsense. Though quite how Amenadiel and "Luci" came to be brothers was beyond her. "Detective. I've been looking for Lucifer, do you know where he is? He hasn't answered my summons for almost 3 days now, and Mazikeen isn't talking to me." Trouble with your lady is always bad, no matter what species. "Sorry Amenadiel, I haven't talked to him since the incident with Malcom. We... I decided I needed some space after dealing with everything. Have you tried Dr. Martin?"
"Actually, she's not currently speaking to me either."
"OoooKay. Well, if I do see him I will let him know you're looking. It could be a while." When she saw him, not if. She'd planned to take Trixie to the zoo during her mandatory 7 days of leave. Post-shooting investigation would decide her future on the force from there, but so far it sounded like she'd be in the clear. At that point, she would be in the field again, with Lucifer again, but she could sense something had changed him fundamentally.
Friday night and nowhere to go. A freshly tailored Armani and no enthusiastic sinners to admire the dashing figure he cut. The Devil was bored out of his eternal mind. Not even the piano, surely the most divine instrument, could provide solace. It was harder than one would think to find another black 1962 C1. Once he did, it'd be no problem to get hold of it, but he'd been rather fond of the original. Once he'd decided to acquire a human vehicle, the question had been which one. Classy but not overly ornate; it was required to accompany and enhance his charm, not overshadow him. As he had some to the US of A, he'd decided to stick with a classic All-American option, and a few words in the right ears soon had the car removed from the Barrett-Jackson listings and in his admiring hands. It oozed elegance and sin, perfect for the being driving it.
A sip of Lagavulin 30.
Lucifer Morningstar: problem solver, crime solver, Punisher. Bloody comic rag stealing his line. What he had been avoiding for the last 57 hours was a conversation he truly needed to have, but he found himself facing an insurmountable wall. And then Amenadiel of course; dear brother had wanted to chat for some reason or other. Surely he hadn't already Mum. Anyway, the Detective. His favorite conundrum. When he considered their relationship he found in the forefront of his mind a most peculiar sensation, one that he was growing more accustomed to.
He still hadn't quite puzzled out the nature of Chloe's effect on his invulnerability. The radius would require some discreet testing and he didn't think she would blindly agree to Maze poking and prodding either of them. He'd come to the conclusion that no matter what she was or how it worked, he was currently unwilling to abandon their budding... whatever it was. Attempts at getting her into bed had become rote amusement. She was clever, for a human, though he'd known many more in Hell. Clearly the mother was nothing special; perhaps the father. Unfortunate that he was deceased, Maze was good at tracking down information even if the methods could be unsightly. Of course he'd never do anything to harm Chloe even indirectly.
Their current state of radio silence had everyone sitting uneasily. Certainly they'd all had a lot to think about. Lucifer was fairly certain that the police were unaware of his recent run-in with a gunman which necessitated a new vehicle and new suit. The entire incident was rather puzzling, but dragging the Detective into it struck him as crass.
The zoo had been hot and sticky, strange pungent odors wafting from the enclosures and Trixie loved every second of it. Chloe was mostly looking forward to a shower and a nice glass of Reisling before bed. Her lack of real plans didn't concern her one bit, until she noticed the gold-embossed envelope stuck on the door.
Thursday evening 9:00 PM - 3:00 AM
MasqueRave Ball with your host Lucifer Morningstar
Present invitation at door - First drink free!
Handwritten on the back in a script that she didn't recognize was a note. Feel free to wear only the mask, darling.
She couldn't quite help but grin at the obvious ploy, and pulled out her phone to call the new babysitter. She knew just the dress to wear.