Notes: Noctivagus: Wandering in the night. Etymology derived from nox ("night") + vagus ("wandering").

Noctivagus

Chapter 1

"Are you listening to me?"

Worry-bitten fingers snapped in front of Lucifer's face demanding his attention. Focusing on the evidence of her newly bad habit, Lucifer slowly focused on the Detective's frosty eyes.

For the past few months, the Lord of Hell had been living through what seemed to be an endless winter. Following that warm L.A. afternoon with him standing over Marcus' body, there had been no confrontation, no questions, nothing.

The days following Marcus' death and unveiling him as the last decade's most wanted criminal boss were filled with sympathy stares at the Detective, unwelcoming pats on Lucifer's back and puddings appearing randomly on Daniel's desk. If it was not for the new weekly bad habit Chloe manifested, Lucifer would have sworn everything was back to a time before Cain took over the precinct.

Before Sinnerman, before Chloe's romantic adventures with the First Murderer and of course Lucifer's accidental outing of divinity's existence to her. Which left Lucifer and Chloe on pretending.

Pretending that the best part of the past year had not happened. That Lucifer's mojo was not a divine gift, that his eyes did not flare red when angered or when they caught a glimpse of how far the whole ordeal had really affected Chloe.

It was the small things. The weight she had dangerously dropped and thankfully gained back. The absently scratched forearms during paperwork until she drew blood and rolled down her sleeves. The chapped lips or how she gnawed for hours the inside of her cheek. Today it was her almost bitten bloody nails.

"Not particularly, no." Lucifer admitted more interested in brainstorming over how to break this week's habit.

Chloe rolled her eyes while pulling her Glock 19 and sliding the safety lock. The very same firearm she had pointed, as a warning, on Lucifer at Too Vile's house.

Spacing out during the most critical moments of their work had become Lucifer's main problem. Somewhere between the high running adrenaline and the always waiting in the shadows armed suspected, Lucifer tended to lose himself in everything that had been left unresolved.

"I'll take the lower level you stay on the upper one." She instructed leaving him alone in the dim light of the factory's production floor.

"I thought the lower levels were my domain." Lucifer attempted to joke at her descending the stairs form but the lingering silence was proof she had not been the least amused.

Sighing Lucifer swayed on his heels before deciding to try his luck with the upper level of the factory in hopes this case would be wrapped before dinner. How hard would it be to catch a janitor cradling a bloody plumber's wrench?

Whereas the Detective walked cautiously, Lucifer was more keen on strolling around the place unarmed aside from the usual bulky bulletproof vest under his tailored one. The only proof Chloe still cared for him as it was the only condition she had set when they had resumed their partnership.

It was either that or Lucifer was more than welcome to leave and never return. Those were her exact words and Lucifer had surprisingly found himself yielding to her every absurd request ever since.

The squawking sound of rubber soles being dragged over the vinyl floor caught Lucifer's attention making his lips lift slightly to a predatory wicked grin.

"Well, hello murderer." Lucifer greeted cheerfully the hunched man behind the large pipes.

The young man was no bloodthirsty killer, no great mastermind. Just a very unfortunate bloke.

A wrong swing delivered by the heavy wrench during an argument had been more than enough for his poor supervisor to plummet, hit a safety rod that had his skull crushed and profoundly bleeding before he got swallowed up by the boiling tar.

Lucifer blamed Ella for her rather theatrical explanation hours ago but she had a point. A very unfortunate bloke, indeed.

"I never meant to- It was an accident!" The man broke with the incriminating wrench held tightly in his arms.

"It sure was." Lucifer muttered cornering him further behind the pipes.

Lucifer was aware he was trapping the guy further in the cluster of metal and the occasional escaped steam. It had become one of his bad habits to come down harder on their suspects and even more so on Hell's propitiators. Linda had warned him of his dangerous building-up bitterness and frustration but as long as no one was gravely hurt, his coping ways were acceptable.

Used on seeing the perpetrators frozen under his crimson flaring stare, Lucifer was not prepared for the once unwilling murderer to turn his back at him after throwing down on the floor the heavy tool with a loud thud.

Under Lucifer's frowning stare, the man frantically rolled almost every screeching valve he could reach before freezing. Lucifer was growing tired and being ignored was not helping with his already bad mood.

"Tell you how will this go down. Kicking and screaming. I will amiably deliver the kicks and you will be courteous enough to scream." Lucifer said growing impatient by the lack of response he was not getting.

"Or I'll just call my partner to get here and you will then graciously accept your new wrist accessory."

Lucifer knew It was a long shot but a different tactic could be enough to shift the settled uneasiness between him and the Detective since the incidence.

"Oh Dear God!" The man uttered turning his back at Lucifer and rolling counterclockwise the valves.

"Not that dear believe me and can you stop that! You are making my ears bleed!" Lucifer huffed in annoyance, deciding he had enough.

Kicking the guy's kneepad and dragging him between the rattling conduits had instantly improved his mood but not his prospects with the Detective. However, as long as she kept him around there would surely be other chances.

"They are going to burst! All levels are going to be filled with fumes soon. I thought- I thought-" The man lamented horrified.

There was an exit a few feet away but when the loud bangs started, Lucifer realized the man had wanted to disorient him by the noise and vapour escaping in order to bolt. The man was no murderer so he was more than willing to make sure to give Lucifer an opportunity to easily find his way out without having the chance to arrest him.

The room was filling quickly with a strong-smelling gas that made Lucifer feeling instantly light headed. Thankful for his insistence to never go without a silk pocket square, Lucifer secured it over his nose and mouth while heading for the nearest stairs that led to the lower level.

"Are you crazy? The exit is right here!" The man yelled at him with great difficulty from the now open door.

Ignoring him Lucifer quickly made his way down the stairs hoping that the Detective would at least not have wandered far. If luck was by his side she would probably have used her tiny flashlight thus helping him spot her easier.

Everything was filled with a milky grey smoke that damped his handkerchief. It smelled sweet in a familiar way that had Lucifer recalling their last case.

Miss Lopez had insisted on making him smell the differences between coolant brands for their car-theft/murder case a few weeks ago. Their forensic's past had proven to be helpful and rule out an exhaust fumes suicide as a premeditated murderer. Which in this current situation was bad. Really bad.

As Lucifer got down the metallic stirs his foot stepped on his partner's faithful firearm making his foot slip and land on something soft that cracked ominously under his leather shoes. Not wasting time on figuring out how he had compromised the bone integrity of the Detective, Lucifer blindly fished the motionless body from the floor.

Draping what Lucifer assumed was her face with his suit jacket, he unceremoniously threw her body over his right shoulder.

His legs were shaking by the effort to stay upright yet Lucifer knew he was close to the exit. With some more luck, whatever part of his partner Lucifer had stepped on would be the only injury she had sustained. That and probably some light abdominal bruising from where he had placed all her weight on his shoulder as he slowly found his way out of the factory.

Taking several long gulps of the night air was a riveting experience. Tossing the jacket on the ground Lucifer placed Chloe's head on top of it making sure she was still breathing. It was a bittersweet thought to admit he only addressed Chloe silently by her given name when the seconds mattered more than the days.

Roaming his dark eyes over her limp body Lucifer inspected Chloe's state cringing at the sight of the odd sticking angles of her left hand's fingers. That's where his foot had obviously landed and his long frame had not been merciful on her delicate bones.

Perhaps her unconscious state was a blessing that could spare her of the pain but it was also a worrisome sign that called for an immediate professional care.

"I'm going to be the death of you." Lucifer sighed turning the keys on the ignition and losing the battle to rearrange the car seat for his long legs. Chloe's car had, fortunately, something his would never willingly have. Beacons.

The ride was quick and no one had dared to look twice the fast cruising vehicle with the loudly screeching siren. Lucifer had hoped that the commotion would have earned him a softly spoken scolding for over-reacting or at least a death glare yet Chloe had remained unconscious throughout the whole ride.

When Lucifer barged through the hospital's sliding doors, Chloe was still lifeless as he supported her on his unsteady hands. An expected after-effect of the gas and his jittering nerves. Almost over a year ago Lucifer had passed through the same doors with Chloe again unresponding in his arms. The absence of nasal bleeding this time hardly made a difference.

The deja-vu threatened to make him crumble after Lucifer placed his partner securely on the quickly offered wheeling bed and like the last time he was left to collapse dejected on the same waiting lobby. On the same ugly plastic yellow chairs.

The smell of antiseptic was still there as was the constant whimpering of invalid infants around him and like the last time Lucifer was left feeling as lost and helpless as the sick children around him.

"Mr Morningstar?"

It may have been seconds or hours after Lucifer had crashed on the lobby, eyes staring almost obsessively at the shiny doorknob that led to the room behind the reception desk. Unlike the previous time, he didn't send out a message to let Daniel know of his ex-wife's condition, especially since Chloe had left the spawn at his place for the weekend.

"How?" Lucifer's thoughts were still hazy and any form of articulation had been long lost.

"Your previous visit with Detective Decker was pretty… memorable Mr Morningstar." The blue-scabbed dressed physician explained with a grimace, obviously remembering the havoc Lucifer and Amenadiel had caused as well as the severity of Chloe's health back then.

"How is she?" Lucifer asked tiredly.

The doctor had the good sense to realise Lucifer was not in any condition to either remember what had occurred back then nor was he willing to wait for the news concerning his partner's health.

"One fractured pinky, two broken fingers and several hairline fractures on the left metacarpal. Respiratory issues that should be cleared up with an overnight stay, everything else seems good actually." The doctor assured Lucifer, smiling at the evident relief on Lucifer's face as the tension melted away.

"Splendid, It's all good then?" Lucifer insisted foolishly seeking for more reassurance.

"All is cautiously good. Detective Decker's exposure to antifreeze amounts at this point, to a lower probability of any serious issues arising in the near future." The doctor pacified him, daring to lightly squeeze the tall man's shoulder for emotional support.

A simple gesture that stopped his body's previously unnoticed, treacherous trembling. Bobbing his head Lucifer gave the man a grateful smile and freely exhaled for the first time since he had found his partner lying on the factory's floor.

"Just make sure to stay optimistic and keep an eye for any sign of miscarriage or premature delivery. Other than that the baby is fine." The man assured him again with a slight pat on the shoulder this time before pushing some papers at the stoically bored receptionist.

The assertion of Chloe's stable health state was overthrown malevolently by the casually thrown last words. The obviously incompetent charlatan with a questionably valid medical degree was with toying him.

"Baby!?" Lucifer recoiled, grabbing the surely germ infested yellow chair in an attempt to steady himself.

To Be Continued...