A/N: WARNING: Contains depictions of sexual assault/harassment, reader discretion is advised.

I thought I'd restate that just in case you didn't see it in the summary! It's nothing too graphic, but I thought I'd say that to be safe. I'm back with my third fic, woo! This story is a little heavier. It takes place after season 3, but Chloe and Lucifer aren't together. Hope you enjoy!

Chloe walked into the bustling nightclub with trepidation. She thought her wariness was warranted, given all the things she had seen inside. The place really was the most sinful venue in the city, which made sense considering its owner.

It had been a few months, and Chloe was slowly starting to accept the whole 'Lucifer is actually the Lucifer' situation. She realized pretty quickly that besides he world view being flipped upside down and turned inside out, nothing had really changed. Lucifer was still the same snarky civilian consultant he had always been, and they had fallen back into their partnership fairly easily.

So that's why Chloe felt comfortable going into LUX on her night off. It was a rare opportunity for her. Dan had Trixie, and she didn't have any work related tasks to be doing. She actually had nothing to do, and since Lucifer allowed her free entry and unlimited drinks on the house, his club seemed like the perfect location.

At least, that's what she had thought initially. As she walked through the dance floor she was having second thoughts. Was it always this loud? How did anyone talk? Lucifer teased her about being a homebody, but maybe this really wasn't her scene.

She had come alone, which she was sure onlookers perceived as a bold move, but really, she just didn't have any other choice. Linda and Ella were working, Maze was off being a demon bounty hunter, and she was sure Dan was in the middle of his third board game of the night with Trixie.

An idea struck her, and she got her phone out to text Charlotte, before she quickly remembered why that wouldn't work either.

Chloe didn't know if Charlotte's death was ever going to feel real. It had happened so fast, and had been followed by so much chaos that it was hard to accept. Every day, Chloe sat at her desk and half expected the former-corrupt-lawyer-turned-district-attorney to walk in through the front door, but, of course, she never did.

All in all, Chloe felt like she had more than enough reasons to drink herself into a slight stupor tonight. She really wasn't the partying type; she liked to be responsible, but sometimes being responsible was just too tiring.

She yanked down on her navy blue dress and made her way to a bar stool. She had sent a picture of her outfit to Ella who assured her it looked great, but she still felt like she was walking around very exposed. It did help that everyone else there was dressed the same as her. At least she didn't look like a complete fool.

Chloe ordered a drink and sipped on it quietly as she observed the rest of the patrons. Most of them were drunk or high and dancing wildly. They all looked so carefree… Why couldn't she do that?

A familiar, sultry British accent broke her out of her internal musings, "My, my! Do my eyes deceive me, or is that the detective I see?"

She looked up and saw Lucifer strolling toward her, drink in hand, and couldn't help but smile at his lighthearted greeting. "Ha, ha, very funny. Is it so hard to believe I just wanted to have a night out?"

Lucifer smirked at her. "Make no mistake, I'm very happy that you're here. You know you're always welcome," he said warmly.

"Thanks, Lucifer," Choe replied sincerely.

He sighed and clapped his hands together. "Well, don't let me stop you! Enjoy yourself, darling, you deserve it."

He looked into her eyes, and Chloe had to remind herself why being in a relationship with him was a bad idea. He was unstable, chaotic, and just plain childish. But, she had a hard time remembering those things when he was looking at her like that and calling her things like 'darling'.

She realized too late that Lucifer was still standing in front of her, eyebrow cocked in confusion at her silence. "I'll...I'll try," she finally managed to stammer out, but she didn't miss the satisfied smirk on Lucifer's face as he sauntered back into the debauchery filled crowd

Chloe did try to have fun. Honest to God, (man, she really needed to introduce some new phrases into her vocabulary) she did. She ordered a drink as soon as Lucifer walked away, and even went as far as to join the middle of the dance floor. She tried to sway awkwardly in time with the music, only to find herself being pushed around by the crowd and almost face planting in front of the entire club.

After that incident, she decided it was safer to stay at the bar, which was where she found herself currently. She had struck up conversation with one of the bartenders she'd seen at LUX on multiple occasions. The woman was about the same age as her and had a daughter a few years older than Trixie. They were discussing how hard it was to be a single parent and were stressing about all the activities their respective kids were involved in… Which was the exact opposite of what she was supposed to be doing on her 'fun' outing.

She sighed and put her head in her hands. She just couldn't do this! She turned to the female bartender to ask for a refill on her drink, but someone cut her off before she had the chance.

"This one's on me," came a deep voice from slightly behind her.

She turned to see a middle aged man with dark hair staring back at her. Her eyes couldn't help but roam to his well built body that obviously hinted at time well spent in the gym. He was so tall and muscular that she would have called him intimidating if it weren't for the gentle gleam in his green eyes.

"Coming right up," the bartender replied with an encouraging wink to Chloe. She wanted to step in and tell the man that he didn't have to that; that she didn't have to pay for drinks at LUX, but the gesture was so sweet. She couldn't remember the last time anyone had gone out of their way to do something like that for her, so she went with it.

"Uh, thanks," she told the man.

He smiled warmly at her. "No problem; you looked like you could use another round."

Chloe laughed. "Was it that obvious?"

"Nah, I don't think most people in here are paying any attention, but I came alone too."

Chloe's ears perked up at that. He was alone, he was cute, and he was definitely hitting on her. Wasn't this exactly what she warned? A night of carefree fun, and someone inconsequential to share it with?

She glanced down at her now full drink and remarked, "I feel kind of bad. I mean, you bought me a drink and I don't even know your name." She bit her lip self consciously. Was she doing this right? She hadn't sincerely flirted with anyone in years.

She must have done something right, because the man laughed. "Sorry about that; I'm Kenneth. And you are?"

"Chloe; nice to meet you," she replied and reached her hand out to greet him officially.

Kenneth surprised her when instead of just shaking her offered hand, he pulled her up and to the middle of the club. She made a small sound of surprise, but that didn't deter him. He quickly gripped her waist with strong hands and moved her hips in time with the blaring music.

"What are you doing?" Chloe tried to scream over all the noise.

He leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Dancing with a beautiful woman."

She felt a blush rise to her cheeks at the compliment. She knew she was acting like a schoolgirl, but she couldn't help it; this guy was smooth!

They continued to dance together for a couple of songs, and Chloe was actually having a good time, but she wanted to take a minute to cool off and get away from all the hot bodies on the dance floor.

"I'll be right back," she told Kenneth as she moved to pull away from his grasp.

But Kenneth didn't let go.

If anything, his grip got tighter. She yanked away again and this time he dug his fingers into her sides painfully. She squirmed and tried to get away, but any movement only seemed to make him grab her harder.

She looked up at him with blazing eyes. "What do you think you're doing?!" She all but screamed at him.

He leaned down to her ear again and whispered, "Taking what's mine."

Unlike the last time, the words were cold and menacing, and they sent a chill down Chloe's spine. The man who had seemed so nice only minutes ago was now staring at her with a look of pure evil that she had only seen in the grossest kinds of criminals. His kind persona faded completely away, and one corner of his mouth twitched at the terrified look on Chloe's face.

Oh, he had picked the wrong woman to mess with, and Chloe was determined to show him that. She raised her hand up intent on punching him, but he anticipated the move and quickly had her arms pinned to her sides with a strength she couldn't fight.

So, she did the next best thing. "HELP!" She screamed at the top of her lungs, but she was almost totally drowned out by the chaos of the club.

She sucked in a large breath to scream again. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," Kenneth threatened lowly. "Not unless you want to live to see that little brat of yours that you couldn't stop about talking about."

Chloe gulped as she saw his eyes move towards his pockets. He had a gun. She could see it, and she cursed herself for not noticing it sooner.

He must have seen the defeat in her expression because he moved behind her, grabbed her arms, and began steering her towards the back exit.

Chloe found herself frantically scanning the crowded club for Lucifer. She needed someone to help her, to save her because she wasn't able to save herself, (which didn't happen very often) and she realized with a startling clarity that Lucifer was always that person.

However, her knight in shining armor wasn't coming to her rescue, and she was pulled out into the streets of Los Angeles.

Kenneth continued to drag Chloe into one of the nearby alleyways, where he proceeded to throw her against the brick wall.

He grabbed her chin in his hand and turned her face forcefully, admiring her features. "You are a pretty one, aren't you?" Chloe yanked her chin away and anger flared in the man's eyes. "Now, now. The less fuss you make, the easier this will all be."

He had her trapped. She was pinned by her arms, and he had a gun. There wasn't a soul nearby who was paying any attention to her. A stab of utter fear struck Chloe as she realized how hopeless her situation was.

If she didn't have Trixie, Chloe may have tried to fight him, but she didn't doubt Kenneth would have any problem using his weapon, and she was not going to leave her child motherless.

So, she took a deep breath, closed her eyes, and prayed it would be over soon.

"That's better," Kenneth purred as she felt his hands snake up her waist, his touch rough and uncaring. He was the worst kind of person, but he didn't seem to care. His hands made their way up to Chloe's arms where they gripped tightly. So tightly, that she let out a yelp of pain that only seemed to spur him on. To her horror, his lips crashed into hers. Her arms screamed in pain as he held onto her impossibly tighter, but she remained immobile.

Chloe felt like she was going to throw up when she realized where this assault was inevitably heading. She racked her brain for ways she could get out of there, all while Kenneth continued to attack her mouth with his. Maybe she could grab his gun? It was a long shot, but it was her only option. Maybe-

Her plotting was cut short by a blood curdling scream of rage coming from the entry of the alleyway. Immediately, Kenneth pulled away from Chloe and aimed his gun toward the unexpected visitor.

Too quickly than should have been possible, the mysterious person was in front of Chloe's attacker. Chloe gasped as she realized the man coming to her rescue was none other than Lucifer Morningstar.

...And he was being a complete idiot! What was he thinking? He was mortal around her. He could get killed, and he was standing in front of an unpredictable man with a firearm! She opened her mouth to scold him, but he…

He bent the gun backwards like it was a piece of Play-Doh instead of metal.

Chloe breathed a sigh of relief that at least his preternatural strength didn't disappear when she was nearby.

Kenneth's eyes went wide at the sight before him. Lucifer's own eyes were flaming red, and at the top of his voice he yelled, "GET AWAY FROM HER!"

Kenneth dropped the gun without further incentive, and Chloe could tell his hands were trembling. "Yeah! Yeah man, sure," he said, his nice guy facade back in place. "Hey, I really think this is all some kind of misunderstanding…"

Chloe wasn't positive, but she was 99 percent sure that Lucifer actually growled at Kenneth's attempt to defend himself. He quickly grabbed the assailant by the neck and had him pinned against the wall Chloe and been trapped against only seconds ago.

"HOW DARE YOU?!" Lucifer spit out. Chloe didn't think she'd ever seen him this angry. His expression was one of pure rage without a hint of the gentle man she knew he was, at least with her. His hands almost shook with the force of his anger.

Kenneth attempted to sputter out an explanation, but Lucifer just gripped his throat so that the man couldn't utter a sound. Lucifer's eyes lit up with a gleeful fire that was terrifying in his current state of fury. "Now, how shall I end your miserable life? Oh, the options!" He seemed giddy about the possibilities. "Though, I suppose it doesn't really matter. I'll only follow you down to Hell and torture you in ways you can't even begin to imagine, over and over," he smiled at the prospect. "So, I might as well make this quick so we can get on with the real fun!"

Lucifer squeezed Kenneth's neck until the man's face turned blue. That snapped Chloe out of the stupor she'd been in through the entire interaction. She'd been completely frozen; she was in shock that Lucifer had kept her worst nightmare from coming true in a Los Angeles alleyway. She was still shaking and could feel tears streaming down her cheeks, but she couldn't let Lucifer go any farther.

She walked up to him and slowly put a hand on his shoulder. "Lucifer, stop."

He turned his hellfire filled eyes to her. "Are you out of your bloody mind?!" He spit out. "This bastard deserves punishment more than anyone I've ever met!"

Chloe nodded and kept her voice soft in an attempt to calm him down. "I know, I know, he does; I agree, but let me call some guys at the station to come take him in. They'll make sure he gets what he deserves."

Lucifer only stared at her in response, eyes still flaming red.

Hesitantly, Chloe lifted her palm up to his face and stroked his cheekbone gently with her thumb. "This isn't who you are Lucifer. You aren't a killer. I know you aren't."

Almost immediately, his eyes faded back to their normal brown color. He looked at Chloe with so much affection that she felt her heart literally skip a beat. Her hand was still resting on his cheek, and he leaned into her warm touch. He closed his eyes and turned his head to nuzzle closer to her.

"As you wish, detective," he finally responded as he let Kenneth fall onto the hard ground. Chloe half expected the scumbag to try and make a run for it, but he only sat there huddled in a little ball with glassy eyes that were focused on nothing.

Lucifer noticed Chloe looking at the man and remarked, "Ah, yes. I tend to have that effect on people." His lips turned slightly upwards as he attempted to lighten the mood.

Chloe's heart warmed as she realized he was trying to make her laugh. She grinned back at him and ran into his arms.

Lucifer was stock-still at first, but eventually he brought his arms around her in a tentative embrace. One hand cradled her head while the other rubbed gentle circles on her back.

"Thank you," Chloe choked out, and only then did she realize there were tears streaming down her face.

Lucifer rested his chin on top of her head. "Anything for you, Chloe. Anything."

And Chloe absolutely believed him. Reluctantly, she disentangled herself from their hug and took out her phone. She dialed the familiar number of the station and responded immediately when a member of the force picked up, "Hey guys, it's Detective Decker. I'm gonna need some backup for an arrest."

Chloe stood next to Lucifer as the two of them watched Kenneth get handcuffed and hauled away in the backseat of a police car. As soon as the man was gone, Chloe let out a breath she hadn't even realized she was holding in. She glanced over at Lucifer who was glaring at the police car, but he also seemed much more calm now that her attacker was a safe distance away.

A bit of an awkward silence followed the cop car's exit. Chloe wasn't sure what to do. She sure as hell wasn't going back into the club, but she also didn't feel like she was in any condition to get herself home safely. She could call an Uber, but getting in a car with a complete stranger made her feel uneasy.

As if reading her mind Lucifer inquired, "Would you like for me to drive you home, detective?"

She looked up at him gratefully, but in an attempt at selflessness replied, "It's okay, Lucifer. I'm sure they need you at LUX."

His eyebrows furrowed, and it seemed like he couldn't make sense of her statement. "I'm sure they'll manage, but even if I was needed, my nightclub is not nearly as important as you, Chloe."

A blush tinted her cheeks at his words. "Well in that case, yeah, I'd love a ride home."

Lucifer smiled down at her. "Splendid! Come along, then."

He put a hand on her lower back and gently guided he towards his massive garage. He opened the passenger's side door for her and helped her into the corvette before seating himself behind the steering wheel.

The drive was comfortably quiet. They made small talk about recent cases and listened to mindless pop music until they reached Chloe's apartment.

Lucifer was helping her out of the car as soon as he cut the engine off. She thanked him and made her way to the door, but was surprised to find him trailing behind her like a lost puppy.

She looked back at him skeptically, and he returned her gaze with an equally bewildered one. "What?" He asked incredulously. "You thought I was going to leave you without properly seeing you inside?"

Well... yeah! That's what Chloe had assumed was going to happen. It was just like Lucifer to share a wonderful, heartfelt moment with her and then vanish out of thin air the next second because he was too afraid to confront his feelings. However, Chloe was glad he seemed to be breaking that habit tonight. Sitting all alone in her dark apartment didn't sound very appealing.

"Oh...thanks," she replied. "Come on in."

The two made their way inside, and Chloe immediately slipped off the uncomfortably high heels she had been sporting all night. Her feet were absolutely aching! She had no idea how some women wore those every single night. She pulled her carefully straightened hair up into a more comfortable ponytail and was beginning to make her way to the couch when she heard Lucifer audibly gasp.

"What?" She asked when she heard his panicked intake of air.

His jaw was clenched, but he said nothing; he only walked over to her and gently trailed one finger over her upper arm. The contrast between the furious expression on his face and his soft touch was jarring.

Chloe looked down and saw right away what had caught his attention. In matching patterns near both of her shoulders were purple bruises in the shapes of fingerprints. She wasn't surprised. Kenneth had been very rough, and she was actually thankful that she wasn't injured more significantly.

Lucifer, however, didn't seem to share this viewpoint. His lip curled up as he snarled, a sound that made Chloe's insides quake with fear even though she knew he wasn't going to hurt her.

"That absolute cad!" He spat out between clenched teeth. "I ought to break him out of that jail cell and-"

His statement was cut off by a glare from Chloe. She wasn't going to let him kill anyone because of her.

He sighed, "Don't worry, detective, I'm a man of my word. I won't murder that scoundrel, even though he deserves that and more." He glanced down at her arms again, and that seemed to reignite his passionate anger with a vengeance. "But how dare he! How dare he leave a mark on your body! How dare anyone treat you in such a manner!"

Chloe couldn't help but shrink back from him. Although not directed at her, the pure menace laced in each word he spoke was enough to send her running at the drop of a hat.

"Lucifer, it's fine," she assured him.

This caused his eye to alight with hellfire once more. "It is not 'fine', detective! It is far from 'fine'! Do you know what he could have done to you, Chloe?! He was going to rape you, and he likely would've bloody well killed you afterwards if I hadn't stumbled in to stop him!"

Chloe felt all the blood drain from her face as she realized what could have actually happened tonight. She wasn't an idiot, she knew she had been in serious danger, but she hadn't allowed herself to think through the possibilities as clearly as Lucifer had just spoken them. She noticed her hands begin to tremble uncontrollably.

"Detective?" Lucifer asked in concern, his anger fading quickly at the sight of Chloe in distress.

She struggled to take in oxygen as her breaths came faster and faster, causing her to become lightheaded, yet she couldn't catch her breath.

"Chloe?" Lucifer inquired again.

She tried to answer him, but her teeth had begun to chatter, and speaking was impossible. She heard a high pitched sobbing sound that she didn't fully register was coming from her own mouth.

Lucifer looked horrified. "Chloe! Darling, shh, it's alright now." He reached out a hand to console her but stopped himself before he made contact. He looked at her with a question in his eyes.

He was asking permission, Chloe realized.

Since talking wasn't an option, Chloe just nodded her head subtly. That was all Lucifer needed before he wrapped his arm around her waist and led her to the couch.

He pulled a soft throw blanket over her shoulders and murmured a quiet "Come here," before he tucked her securely into his side. She gratefully leaned her head onto his shoulder. He was so warm and comforting. He felt like home.

"Take some deep breaths, love. Like this, see?" He demonstrated by inhaling dramatically and letting out the breath excruciatingly slowly. With her head halfway on his chest, Chloe could feel the rise and fall as he continued the process, and eventually she began to mimic the motion herself.

"There, that's it," Lucifer soothed. "You can relax now, Chloe. You're safe." She continued to take deep breaths and started to calm down. She was actually feeling pretty relaxed, cuddled up against Lucifer and swaddled in a blanket.

Lucifer must have noticed that her breakdown was over. "Why don't I fix you a cup of tea? I've heard it can be very soothing. You still have some in the far right cabinet, I presume?"

Chloe nodded and gave him a small smile which he returned with a brilliant one of his one.

Lucifer scoured around the kitchen and gathered everything he needed to perfect the drink. As she watched him, she had to hold back a laugh. Satan was standing in her kitchen fixing her a cup of tea! She couldn't help but wonder what people who considered the devil to be evil would think if they could see the current scene. She was sure that if they were asked what they thought Lucifer was doing right now, they wouldn't guess he was debating the perfect milk to sugar ratio.

Eventually Lucifer returned to the couch, cup of steaming tea in hand (which was perfect, of course). As she took her third sip, Chloe caught his eye and was shocked by how agonized his expression was.

He turned to face her with his sorrowful eyes. "I was almost too late," he whispered. His expression turned to one of self loathing as he continued, "I should've known better! I should've stayed with you...kept an eye on you. You're too precious to take those kinds of risks with, yet I thought surely you were safe at LUX. But, no! That dirtbag found you anyway, and what was I doing? Sipping on a glass of whiskey and dancing with some shallow blonde named 'Stacy'." He scoffed at his own behavior.

"I didn't notice anything was array until I saw that man leading you out the back, and even then I wondered if you were just having a casual hookup, which I certainly wouldn't judge you for, but your eyes. I could see in them that something was wrong. I got through the crowd as quickly as I could, but obviously I wasn't fast enough. I searched the entire perimeter and was about to give up before I caught a glimpse of you both in the alleyway. But Chloe, I…" He stopped to take a steadying breath, tears beginning to form in his eyes.

He looked at her tenderly as he put his hand on her cheek and stroked the skin under her eye. "I could have lost you," his voice was choked with emotion as he finished his statement.

It was Chloe's turn to comfort him. She pulled his head onto her shoulder and felt him sob against her neck. She stroked his hair and murmured reassurances. "It's okay, Lucifer, I'm okay," she repeated like a mantra. "I'm okay because of you. You saved me, Lucifer. I...I can't thank you enough."

Those words made him lift his tear-stained face from her shoulder, and a soft smile settled onto his lips, "Always, detective. I'll always save you; no thanks necessary."

That was what threw Chloe over the edge. The sincerity in his words was undeniable. Chloe didn't think she was worthy of such selfless devotion, especially from an archangel, but she felt the same way about him. The close proximity of his face to hers was intoxicating. Chloe could deny it no longer; she had fallen for Lucifer Morningstar.

Chloe's eyes were drawn to his lips, and their faces seemed to navigate towards each other like magnets. Before either of them could overthink it, their lips were touching.

It was a gentle kiss, not filled with passion as one might imagine a kiss from Lucifer would be. No, it was soft and caring and...so very loving. Chloe pulled back only to rest her head against his chest. She knew they needed to talk about a lot of things. She knew that being with Lucifer wasn't going to be easy, and she knew she was probably getting in way over her head. But, if tonight had solidified anything for her, it was that she also knew she couldn't live without him.

A/N: Thanks so much for reading! Let me know what you thought by reviewing! Be sure to tell me if you felt like the warning wasn't sufficient; I don't want anyone to be unknowingly triggered by the story.

Keep reading and writing! :)