Note: Hello everyone! Thanks again for your support and review. I'm going away for 3 days later today, so next chapter might arrive a few days late too. Have a good time:)
Chapter 11
"Amenadiel, why did you call me here?" asked Maze, annoyed. Sitting in Lucifer's couch, she considered the brightly lit penthouse and Dan fidgeting on the opposite armchair. "I have to tell you a threesome is out of question."
"Good, because that's obviously not why I called you," he scowled. She shrugged; Dan let out a suspiciously relived sigh. "We need to talk about Lucifer. I can't find him anywhere, and he's not answering the phone."
She drew a perplexed eyebrow. "I can think of a few reasons why. Of various genders. But what is he doing here, then?" she pointed to Dan challengingly. He pitched in "Actually, I'd like to know that, too."
"Because this might be a police matter!" Amenadiel insisted. "Dan, tell her about the dead policeman. " He complied, grumbling about the confidentiality of a police investigation; when he finished, Maze was completely unimpressed.
"Looks to me like one of your brothers got a little bit over-the-top, that's all."
"Maze, this is not my family's doing, and you know it very well," he affirmed. After a few seconds, he added "Actually, I think it might be yours."
Maze's face closed off. "I don't have a family."
"You know what I mean."
The detective snorted in exasperation. "Well, I don't, and I have better things to do than listen to you two bonker's talk." He stood to leave, then realized that with Trixie at a sleepover his plans for the evening consisted in a warm-up take away in front of a reality show. Well. Still better than listening to these two crazy. Boom.
"Dan, please, stay," pleaded Amenadiel. "I really think Lucifer might be in danger. Chloe too, if she's with him."
Not too hard to convince, he fell back on the couch with a dramatic sigh.
"I still think he's in a threesome," Maze pitched in. Amenadiel threw his hands in the air. "Of course you do. Could you still check on him, please?"
She closed her eyes for a few seconds, grumbling. When she re-opened them, she was slightly concerned. "It's blurry. I can't really sense him anywhere. But I don't feel him in danger."
"What else where you expecting to happen, Professor X?" inquired Dan with disbelief. "Wait - actually I don't want to hear it." He sighed, then got up and started dialing on his phone. "I'll ask the precinct to track their phone and Chloe police car. Shouldn't take too long."
As Dan walked away with his phone call, Amenadiel leaned over the demon. "So, who do you think did it?" he asked in a conspiratorial tone.
"The butler with the chandelier." He threw her an unimpressed look. "What? Trixie loves this game."
"And among the demons?"
She groaned. "Anyone could have, if they have a new master that want Lucifer in Hell. Depends on why they would want him back: to rule or to be tortured. Also they'd need a way to go to earth and that's not a piece of cake. I still think it looks like one of your brother's plans."
"It's not. Dad wouldn't allow killing three humans for it. "
"Right. While erasing countless demons from existence is always ok, isn't it?" snickered Maze.
Dan came back, a concerned look on his face. "So their phones are off, we can't track them. And their car is in a small town near Los Angeles. It's a bit odd that they'd still be there, but they could simply be out for drinks".
Maze wiggled her eyebrows "Or for a thr…" "We know, we know!" cut Dan, wincing. Absolutely not the mental image of his ex-wife he wanted to conjure right now. "Wanna check it out?"
§
Chloe choked. "Dad ?"
"Oh, I bet you like it when she calls you that" he teased.
Lucifer grimaced. "Victor. What do you want?"
The detective turned to him with saucepan eyes. "He's your…"
"Unfortunately," cut the Devil coldly.
Victor took his hand to his heart in an exaggerated gesture. "Oh Daddy dear! You wound me so much," he feigned whining, "I was so waiting for your approval all my life." Then shifting back to his normal tone "Or your death, you know, whatever's useful."
"So you dropped me in the desert."
"Well me and my friends, but yes. What, you're gonna ground me? Anyway, " he started playing with a knife nonchalantly "grandpa apparently moved against it, so you know what they say : if it doesn't work out the first time, try, try try again… Beside I think it's a great opportunity. First plan was a bit blank, this time I'm having fun." He hold the tip of the knife under Chloe's chin and moved up until she visibly struggled to keep her head out of it.
Lucifer growled, his eyes flashing red "Keep her out of it!"
"See? Fun," he retorted with a toothy feral smile, brushing the knife down her neck. She took a deep breath, letting her head down.
"Victor," Chloe tried in her most reasonable voice. "I'm a police officer. Lucifer is a consultant. However angry you are against your dad it's not worth fighting the LAPD. Let us go now, and we won't press charges."
She threw a discreet look at Lucifer, who was shaking his head in disproval.
"Oh that's sweet!" swoon Victor. "You're very sweet. Wait, I have an idea." In a swift move, he grabbed Chloe's cheek and cut the outline of a small, shallow heart. She screamed in surprise and pain. "Victor!" shouted Lucifer, tuning to the Beast in a flash.
"Whooo, just who I wanted to see," he said with a smile, patting his dad on the head. "I'm kind of resentful you didn't transmit the special effects. Anyway, I'd stay with you for some more fun, but stuff to do, torture to plan…" he wiped the knife on Lucifer's jacket and put it back. "You know you kind of pissed of the Yakuza here, Dad. So I'll have to share you. Possibly literally, actually," he reflected. Then turned to leave, "See you later!"
§
The car stood in the middle of an empty, mildly creepy residential area. No bar or hotel in sight anywhere.
"Ok, this is odd," admitted Dan.
"They're not around here," informed Amenadiel.
Dan threw his hands out in exasperation. "And you know that thanks to your portable Dick-o-meter?"
Maze snorted. « Don't say anything, » cut Dan. She pouted. "You guys are not fun. Come on, that house is open."
In a few long strides, she crossed the small, neatly flowered garden of the Duerte's house. "Maze!" called Dan, trying not to alert the neighborhood. "You can't just barge into people's houses!"
Amenadiel laid a hand on his shoulder. "Believe me, that's fine. Keep your breath for when she'll start torturing people."
Livid, Dan rushed in the house.
§
After Victor left, it was apparently the Yakuza's turn.
Chloe didn't fully understand why they were angry with Lucifer. Something about humiliating their leader, honor and thieving; nothing she didn't fully believe her partner capable of in a bad day. Or even in a medium day.
But God were they angry. And the most astonishing part wasn't even the fierceness they hit him with – although it brought tears to her eyes – but their imperviousness to the fact that he was the Devil. He turned a few times during the beating; they didn't flinch, merely taking care of avoiding his gaze.
That made her wonder what their plans where after death. Surely they weren't betting on going to Heaven? Then why pitch themselves against the Lord of Hell?
When they finally gave him recess he was thrown to the floor like an old rag. For a while he laid back a few feet from Chloe, chained up and bloodied, whizzing with every breath. Seeing him this way was breaking her heart; more so knowing that he would have been fine without her in the room.
She took long, deep breaths, trying to get rid of the constriction in her throat.
"So," she started with a forced casualness, "what's your most awkward sex experience?"
Lucifer let out a chuckle that turned into a pained wheeze. "Please don't make me laugh, detective."
"Sorry," she replied impishly. "We need to get you out of here. Can't you contact your brother?"
He frowned. "Believe me, I've tried. Either he doesn't have that part of his powers back yet or the Nephilim found a way to block celestial peeping-toms. Seeing as Maze hasn't come running yet I'd go with the second option. "
"The Nephilim…?"
"Yes. Half-angel, half human. Victor. "
"Your son," declared Chloe hesitantly.
Lucifer groaned "That's a very disturbing way to put it, but yes."
"How is it…" She shook her head, deciding to change course. They'd have time to argue semantics when he'd be safe. "What happened? Did you… raise him?"
The idea of Lucifer being a father was extremely disturbing, but the idea of him trying any form of parenting was downright absurd. She half wondered if this was what happened when you bought your kid 300$ All-American dolls to reward manipulation.
"What? No!" protested Lucifer, offended. "I only learned about his existence recently. Did you think because he's a crazy sociopath he must have been raised by me?"
"No. Noooo, I'd never think that," she asserted completely unconvincingly.
The Devil raised a quizzical eyebrow. "Well, I didn't. I didn't know." He sighed, and she could see this was a more difficult subject for him than he was letting on. "I doubt his dad being the Devil is a coincidence thought, I probably passed on a bit of Hell to him. Or just a bit of me. Although his mother was not particularly a peach either."
Chloe frowned, perplex. She opened her mouth to say something, then closed it, unsure how to word her question. Lucifer picked up on her silence. "What is it?"
She shook her head. "Nothing really. Maze said something about you not having emotional relationships before, just one-night stands. I guess I just didn't picture you…"
With someone else. Building a life, making plans. Trying to have a baby. She felt a perfectly absurd and completely unwelcome pang of jealousy.
"Oh, I haven't," assured Lucifer casually. "Victor's mom was a one-night thing. I came back to Hell and never saw her again, that's why I didn't know."
The detective took a couple of long breath, reminding herself that since she was restrained, she couldn't actually punch the stupidity out of his face. Satisfied she'd come back to her usual levels of exasperation, she retorted "So you just sleep around without protection? Lucifer, he is probably the thousandth Nephilim walking around Los Angeles by now!"
"I didn't thought it was possible!" objected Lucifer. "An angel impregnating a human is not supposed to happen on accident. It requires a specific process that hasn't been used in millennia, and certainly never by me." His face closed off, and his voice became darker. Then suddenly, she realized. Oh no, not again… "Victor is a miracle."
Right. She was beginning to think the God thing was less an all-benevolent paternal figure, more a dictator with a huge propaganda team kind of deal. "You think your Dad made him on purpose? Why?"
Lucifer gave it a bitter chuckle and whined in pain. Finding his breath again, he replied. "There is no thinking it; I am certain. Such celestial consequences don't just come out of an unforeseen freak accident; which by the way was Uriel's nickname. No. Victor is bad, his soul his rotten, and although as a Nephilim he might live a pretty long time he will ultimately end up in Hell." His breath hitched. "And I…"
"You'll have to punish your son," finished Chloe in a breath. "Lucifer, I'm sorry your Dad is a bastard." He smiled, trying not to laugh. "But at least you're not Lord of Hell anymore."
"Well, I took on the vacation when I figured that one out. I decided it was a rupture of my terms of contract. I used to think I had got out of his game, but now…"
Now me, Chloe thought. I'm sorry.
§
"There is nothing here," stated Maze. "Not them, no demon, no people. Just an empty house."
"Well, there is no sign of struggle," admitted Dan. "But do you smell that?" he stood in the middle of the darkened master bedroom. "Detergent."
"Yeah, someone cleaned up their house, big deal," snorted Maze. The house was neatly put and tidy, after all, so cleaning must have been a recurring activity.
Amenadiel looked at him with a penetrating gaze "You're thinking they've cleaned up evidence of a bloodshed."
Dan visibly flinched. « We're still looking for my ex-wife and your brother, so I'd rather not think that, thank you. But there is a way to be sure. I'm calling Ella." He left the room and Maze dropped on the bed with a sigh, sprawling on it. "I still think this is a huge waste of time," she moaned. "Any moment they're gonna walk out of these woods all hot and disheveled and we'll look like complete fools."
The angel sit down next to her. "I'd like to be as sure as you are that he's safe."
She took pity on his concerned look and put and hand on his arm. "He is," she guaranteed. "I'd feel it if he was in serious danger. I always have. That's what I'm for."
He stayed silent a moment, looking at her hand. Then grabbed it. "I don't want us to fight anymore," he admitted in a whisper. "I miss you."
She looked at him quizzically. "Is it some sort of trick again? Because if it is I swear I'm gonna cut your balls and dip them in frying oil before…"
"It's not! It's not," cut the angel, flinching. "And I'm sorry I made you feel it could be."
She considered his deep, sincere look. "You were a prick", she stated.
"I know."
"But I did consider killing you in your sleep and blew up your car."
The ghost of a smile played on Amenadiel lips and he propped up on one elbow to loom over her, watching her intently. "Does that mean you accept?"
"To a truce. We are not just picking up where we were." Linda would be so proud of her.
"I wasn't suggesting we do," he breathed. The street lights were playing on Maze's lips, drawing his gaze.
This elicited all sorts of pleasant memories. "So no sex… yet" added Maze.
"Of course not," he whispered, inching closer.
Dan walked in and immediately jumped out of the room, a hand on his face. "Guys!" he screamed, horrified. "Could you take a room in which Lucifer and Chloe may NOT have been bloodily murdered?"