Author's note: I told myself that I wouldn't do that, that I wouldn't write a fic after the season finally. But I found myself unable to handle the onslaught of emotions weighting down on me over the last few days. So I decided to exorcise my demons and write something after all. I hope you'll enjoy it.

Chapter 1

The Weight of Pain

Chloe opened her eyes to find him gone…

Gone from her life.

She felt as empty as the dark sky above.

Her heart was ripped apart and bleeding, leaving her choking on air that would not reach her lungs.

Who knew such a devastating feeling could exist? And how could anyone survive that?

How could she survive without him in her life?

The dizzying pain that overtook her finally reached a braking point that was simply too much to bear and she fell on her knees, shaking, and sobbing uncontrollably.

Her love was gone...

Gone forever...

In the end, they only shared a moment together. Only one moment, with their hearts and souls wide open.

She loved him and he loved her. It was that simple. Had always been that simple.

How could she have been so blind? Why had she fought against it for so long? How could she have allowed them to lose that much time?

She would give anything to get that time back.

Anything!

They could have been together right from the start.

They should have been together.

She should have listened to her heart, not to her fears.

But now was too late, and she knew she would regret that missed opportunity for the rest of her life, and suffer the loss of him until she drew her last breathe.

She couldn't say how long she stayed on the ground, crying and gasping for air, shivering cold at the emptiness left in her soul.

When the world came back into focus around her, it felt alien without him in it, colorless, lifeless.

With a strength she didn't believe she still had, she at last raised herself up on shaky legs. She slowly turned her back on the balcony where he last stood, with those magnificent wings of his.

His angel wings.

Because whatever he called himself, her love was an angel as much as he was the Devil. He'd proven it to her tonight and to himself. Not that she had doubted it anymore. He'd finally embraced both sides of his being, fully accepting himself for what he had become, as she already had.

And the sacrifice he just did to protect the world, to protect Charlie, and herself..., it was just unthinkable!

To anyone else, such selflessness could have come up as a surprise, but not to her. She always knew that Lucifer Morningstar was that kind of person.

In a daze, Chloe crossed the penthouse before looking at Lucifer's place one last time as the elevator's doors closed that chapter of her life forever.

It wasn't a conscious decision that brought Chloe to that door this late in the night but the feeling of drowning that submerged her and pushed her to reach out for help unless she suffocated under the onslaught of pain and despair.

The door opened almost as soon as she knocked on it. At first, she couldn't utter a word as she gazed emptily into Amenadiel's sad eyes. The pressure weighting down over her chest was still too much to handle. But then the words formed on her lips and came out in a trembling whisper.

"I lost him! He's gone..."

The moisture already shining in Amenadiel's eyes gathered to form a single tear that slid along his cheek.

"I'm so sorry, Chloe. I wish there had been another way."

He stepped aside to let her come in then closed the door behind her. The absence of surprise in the way he reacted to her news left her perplexed. It all came clear when she got a look at Linda's and Maze's tearful expressions down in the living room.

"You knew? You all knew he was going away and you didn't do anything?" Anger was slowly replacing the devastation in her heart.

"Chloe...," Amenadiel choke out, "you saw him. You know there was nothing anyone could say that would have made him change his mind."

He was right of course, and she knew it. Even she had not been able to shake up Lucifer's resolves to leave. Yet the need to blame someone, anyone, for her loss, was too strong. If not Amenadiel, then God? Everything could probably be put on Him in the end.

Then a painful realization pierced her straight through the heart; she, was the one responsible for everything! She had brought all of this on their heads with her incapacity to accept sooner Lucifer for who he was. If she hadn't conspired against him with Father Kinley, none of that would have happened.

She bent over with an agonizing moan that ripped her apart. In an instant, Amenadiel was there to catch her before she could fall on the ground. He half carried her to the couch where Linda enveloped her in a comforting embrace.

Chloe desperately clanged to her friend as she cried her life out. She felt like she would never recover her countenance and that the blinding pain would consume her. She wanted it to consume her, so her suffering would end at last. Unfortunately, it did not.

At some point, she became aware of Linda's hand stroking her back soothingly. Her friend was also rocking her softly in her arms. Somehow it did help a bit, to feel that she was not alone with her pain.

Eyes still closed and heavy with tears, Chloe also became conscious of a conversation going on between Maze and Amenadiel.

The demon sounded upset to the point of bursting out. "You WILL bring me down to Hell!" She commanded.

"Maze! Have you been listening to me? Lucifer specifically told me not to. He wants you to be free, and he was hoping you would keep an eye on Chloe and Beatrice. He needs to know you're all safe so he can focus on his task. Don't take that solace from him!"

Chloe heard Maze roar in fury. Yet the demon stopped arguing and walked out like a storm.

It reminded Chloe that Lucifer was alone down there, with no one to trust, no one to have his back. How lonely that must be for him! The ache in her heart redoubled at the thought of his predicament.

She thought what she was feeling was Hell, but it was probably nothing to compare with what Lucifer was experiencing and would keep enduring for eternity...

Her sobbing started anew in spite of herself. It was only after what seemed like hours that she felt Linda lay her down on the couch and place a blanked over her.

Feeling completely drained and numb from too much crying, Chloe finally succumbed to the darkness, hoping that she could join Lucifer in dreams, which was now the only place where she would ever see her love, ever again.

Author's note: I was constantly on the verge of tears as I wrote this. I may be a masochist when you think about it, but I guess putting my emotions into words helped me deal with that terrible cliff-hanger. I just hope it helped you too. But fear not, I plan on continuing this little story until I can find a certain sense closure. I already have in mind a great way to bring Lucifer back on Earth...