Chapter Text
Lucifer nervously adjusted his cuff-links as he approached the Detective's home, bracing himself to tell her the truth. He'd considered calling ahead, ideally leaving a voicemail. She'd texted him first – asking him to come over right away.
He was done hiding. He wanted to apologise for being so evasive. Yes, he didn't lie, but withholding certain information was a bit of a dirty loophole in some situations. She deserved the full story, and he was intent on giving it to her. All of it; he would tell her everything.
No more going backwards.
Rare as it may be, he knocked first. Dan yanked open the door and pulled a face when he saw who it was. That put a damper on things, being greeted by the very last person Lucifer wanted intruding on his moment with the Detective.
'It's him,' Dan said over his shoulder.
For whatever reason, he was annoyed with Lucifer. Which was unfair, considering Detective Douche was the one ruining a long-awaited moment. Without an explanation, Dan headed to the kitchen counter to resume tossing things into a box.
'Thank God.' Chloe gasped, hurrying over.
'Wrong deity, I'm afraid.' Lucifer tried to smile, but confusion won over. He let her pull him into the apartment, which was sparser of belongings since his last visit.
'I'm sorry about the short notice. I called Maze too. She's on her way over,' Chloe said. She messily tied her hair back, though may as well have not bothered. Not that she looked any less beautiful, of course.
Seeming unaware that Lucifer didn't know what was going on, she peeled drawings off the walls to store in another box. Doing so revealed knife marks previously concealed by said drawings. Maze's doing, no doubt.
'Mommy, I don't want to go.' Beatrice emerged from her bedroom, placing a toy alien atop a purple suitcase.
Lucifer's original reason for his visit vanished. The offspring's parents were removing any and every sign of Beatrice's existence. Though a whisper of faith in the Detective remained, the sight of it had an inexplicable but thoroughly awful impact on him.
'Are you banishing her?' Lucifer asked in a heated tone. He forced a calming breath, which proved rather useless. A for effort?
'What?' Chloe stared at him, offended. 'No. Of course not. It...' She bit her lip, abandoning the drawings to reassure Beatrice.
Dan explained he'd been working on a case for a long time, but couldn't find enough proof. Murder. Drugs. Kidnapping. Corruption of justice. Worst of the worst, apparently. Lucifer nodded along, not caring for the specifics, as he watched the mother and daughter duo.
'It'll be like a special, secret vacation,' Chloe was saying. 'And it'll be so much fun that you'll forget all about us. Then it'll be time to come home, okay?'
The child nodded, unconvinced.
'Chloe found out what I was doing,' Dan continued. 'Then we got a break. A big one. We can finally bring these sick bastards to justice, but they have an entire network. And a bunch of other sick bastards owe them. It's a lot of players to knock off the board. When we do this, it could get ugly.'
'What has any of that got to do with banishing your child?' Lucifer frowned, tension seeping further as Beatrice held back her tears.
'We're not...' Chloe sighed. She kissed her daughter's forehead. 'These guys are dangerous. And worst, they have a history of targeting family members. Children, Lucifer.'
She withheld a sob, glancing at Beatrice.
'Take her.' Chloe tearfully handed him the child's backpack. 'Hide her. Keep her safe. No one can know she was ever mine or Dan's. Get her far away from us until the case is over. Use your resources, I don't care, just... please, Lucifer. Please protect my daughter. If you need to, pretend she's yours.'
'Detective...' He was at a loss for words, as if hers drained him. 'Are you sure? Do you truly understand what you're asking of me?'
She nodded.
'I'm not sure you do.' Lucifer couldn't explain; it was too big for words.
Of everyone to entrust her daughter to, Chloe chose him? The Devil? It made little sense. Ignoring the fact he usually made a conscious effort to avoid the little demons, she'd also said to pretend as if Beatrice was his? Pretending and lying were cuts of the same cloth, which he intended to remind her, but the fear in her eyes was too much to bear.
'Trixie's safety and well-being are all that matters,' Chloe said firmly.
Lucifer could only nod, averting his gaze, though the promise was clear. No matter what it took, he would ensure the little urchin was safe. He refused to let the Detective down, though it felt rather inevitable.
'I know it's a lot to ask, especially out of the blue. And I know you have a business to run or you probably have plans...' Chloe stared at him, apprehensive.
'None of that matters.' He made a dismissive gesture. 'Lux will be fine. Like you said, the urchin comes first.' Did she really think he'd consider anything else of higher importance?
'For the record, I am not thrilled with this plan,' Dan said. He shot Lucifer a strict look, which, of course, the Devil ignored. 'You need to be responsible for once, man. No partying, drinking, smoking or drugs, and all of that.'
Lucifer scoffed. 'In other words, don't do anything fun.'
Chloe reached for his hand, softening his gaze as it met hers. 'Lucifer, I trust you.'
“At this point, you either trust me or you don't.” Her words from earlier burned in his mind. He'd come there to trust her with everything, and instead there she was – placing all her faith in him. If he couldn't prove himself with the truth, then perhaps he could substitute it for the time being. Actions were supposed to be louder, as the saying goes.
'I give you my word that no harm will come to her in my care,' Lucifer vowed. 'If anyone even considers it...' He trailed off. The fierceness in his gaze left little to the imagination.
'I don't want to leave you,' Trixie sobbed, hugging her mother.
'I know, Monkey.' Chloe crouched at her level. 'But you have to. Just for a little while, okay? Lucifer will take good care of you.'
He hoped to Dad that was true. Of all things to mess up, this would be the biggest and worst – and he'd had a millennia to set a record for screw-ups.
'Why do I have to?' Beatrice frowned.
Lucifer numbly accepted whatever Dan handed him next, too affected by the sheer emotion of the child. It made his chest ache in a way he couldn’t describe.
'Your dad and I need to expose some really bad guys,' the Detective said. 'And their friends will be pretty angry about it. When people get that angry, they might make other people feel bad too by taking away their happiness.'
'So Lucifer and I have to go somewhere else because we make you happiest?' Beatrice asked.
Chloe gave Lucifer a hesitant glance, then nodded.
'And when you throw the bad guys in jail, you'll do the same to their angry friends?' the clever little urchin assumed. 'Then we can come home?'
'Yep. Exactly.' Chloe stood, giving Lucifer a stern look. 'Someone tipped them off about an investigation, so we have to hurry. You need to take her now.'
'Who do you need me to kill?' Maze strolled into the apartment, a Hell-forged knife in each hand. 'I want names.'
'Not kill.' Chloe rolled her eyes. 'Find and arrest.'
Maze made a disappointed noise, though her presence cheered Beatrice up a bit. Dan wheeled the purple suitcase outside. The child shrugged on her backpack while Maze dutifully held the alien toy as if it was the crown of an awaiting queen.
Something in him wasn't working properly. Lucifer couldn't speak, couldn't figure out what to do next, or much of anything. Except to go through the motions and follow the group outside when Chloe tugged his hand.
Maze kept an eye out. It was late at night and the street was empty.
'You're so brave, Monkey.' Chloe hugged her offspring, reluctant to let go.
It was mutual.
Lucifer caught up to the direness of the situation as Chloe placed her child in his front passenger seat. She handed him an envelope, then gave him a quick one-armed hug. It realigned his priorities and focus, even as his pit of sadness grew ever deeper.
'Thank you so much. I...' she whispered. Her lip trembled with her voice, though strength and determination shone through. She faked a smile for Beatrice. 'It's going to be fun, you'll see. Lucifer knows how to have fun, yeah?'
'Yeah.' Beatrice mimicked the smile, eyes shining. 'He's a lot of fun.'
'I won't let you down.' Lucifer pocketed the envelope. 'I give you my word, Chloe. I'll figure it out. We'll... Ah, I know. New York. I've wanted to take a trip, anyway. Not my usual apple, but...' He smirked, earning a watery smile from the Detective.
'Enough with the emotions,' Maze cut in, making shooing gestures with her knife. 'Get out of here. We've got this.'
He started the engine, trying to shake the feeling that he was stealing away someone's child. Beatrice sniffled beside him, hugging the alien for dear life, though she waved at her parents and Maze with what enthusiasm she could muster.
Lucifer hesitated.
'Are you really, truly sure about this?' he asked Chloe. 'It feels wrong, Detective. Surely it'd be better if I stayed? We're partners, after all. And I'm the Devil. You could use me. Couldn't Maze protect the urchin?'
Demon or not, she had more experience than him.
It wasn't a viable option. Yet being so far away from the Detective while she faced a dangerous situation was incomprehensible. And with only Daniel at her side? It'd taken him that long to realise, as the shock of her request subsided.
'You know I wouldn't ask this if there was another way,' Chloe said, giving him permission to put someone else first. As if he was capable of it, given how hard it was to leave her. 'I don't need you to protect me right now, Lucifer. I need you to protect her.'
'Fine.' He hated everything about it, but he'd given his word. 'At least you have Maze. She'll be very helpful, I assure you.'
Maze scoffed. 'Duh.'
'Yeah, duh,' Beatrice added in the same tone.
'Keep her safe, Maze.' Lucifer fixed the demon with an unrelenting glare.
She nodded, gripping her knives as if ready to fend off assailants right that second.
Chloe rolled her eyes, though relaxed at the gesture. 'Lucifer, go.' She fought to maintain her resolve.
It was like a proper goodbye. It felt so final. But none of that mattered; he had the most precious task to carry out, and there was no going back on his word. Hard as it was to leave the Detective, Lucifer had to trust in her. And in Maze. And... well, no, Daniel was useless, but he made for good cannon fodder.
Chloe's eyes welled with tears, begging him to leave. So Lucifer drove away – not daring to glance back or he'd break his own resolve.
'Ready for an adventure, child?' He grinned at Beatrice.
He got a subdued nod in return. The rush of the cold air wasn't enough to mute her sniffles as they sped off into the night.
~~~
Lucifer stopped by Lux to get things in order and do some packing of his own, though kept his luggage light as time was of the essence. The urchin stuck to his side, often literally, throughout the process. She even insisted on holding his hand a few times, much to his inconvenience, but he couldn't shake her off.
It was well after midnight as he crossed a runway with the small human asleep in his arms, cradled like an infant. He wore his usual suit – minus his jacket, which was draped over the child to keep her warm.
'Are you sure about this, brother?' Amenadiel pushed a trolley of luggage to the private plane. 'This plan is... I don't like it.'
'For the last time...' Lucifer muttered, rolling his eyes. 'I don't like it either, but I don't have a bloody choice. I gave the Detective my word. And I need you to stay here – take care of Lux, but most importantly: keep an eye on Chloe. If anything happens to her...'
His stomach gave a painful lurch at the idea of losing her.
'I will. You have my word.' Amenadiel watched the suitcases being loaded, as if he wanted to object further but didn't.
'And keep me in the loop.' Lucifer shot him a warning look. 'No matter what the Detective says, I need to know what's going on. And when it's safe to bring the urchin home.'
'It could be awhile. Weeks, even.' Amenadiel frowned. Dan filled him in on the case over the phone while Lucifer packed. 'Have you ever been around a small child for more than a few hours? She needs proper care, Luci, not just your protection. How will you cope?'
'I don't bloody well know.' Lucifer clenched his jaw, though lowered his voice to not wake the spawn. 'And I don't need reminding of how unprepared I am for this, thank you very much.'
The Detective's trust in him was one thing, but Beatrice gave hers so easily. To the point of falling asleep in his arms, clutching her stuffed alien, amidst the chaos of Lux then the busy traffic. Her precious and fragile life was, quite literally, in his hands. It made him nauseous.
'I've kept her fed many times. Tucked her in once or twice. There's always the internet for whatever else small humans need or do,' Lucifer said. 'I'll figure it out.'
It was surely a trick of the light, but it almost seemed as if Amenadiel believed him.
'We're ready,' the pilot said. He didn't at all resemble one, with his rugged beard and many tattoos, but he was discreet and didn't ask questions. He owed Lucifer quite a hefty favour for giving him a whole new lease on life – erasing his entire criminal history and mounting debt.
The late hour was caused by the amount of favours Lucifer had to call in. The Detective gave her blessing to make use of his copious resources; there was no telling how well he'd need to hide the child, so he took no chances in being thorough.
'Thanks for the lift, though I know you only came to change my mind,' Lucifer told his brother. 'It's just a vacation, that's all. I'll be back where I belong before you know it.'
'I've heard that one before.' Amenadiel gave him an unimpressed look. 'Call if you need anything.' He stepped aside so they could board the plane.
Having first located the scotch, Lucifer gently placed the child on a seat by a window.
'Lucifer?' Beatrice yawned, lifting her head.
She peered uncertainly at their small but impressive surroundings. Red velvet curtains covered most of the windows, drawing further attention to theirs. It was quiet with just the two of them.
'Right here, child.' Lucifer sat beside her, apprehensive as the plane took to the air. It was an unfamiliar and slow way of flying. A painful reminder as well, but he hardly had his wings right now. Not that he missed them, of course.
Not that he could've skipped the plane altogether, if he'd had his wings...
'Will Mommy and Daddy be okay?'
'They have Maze,' Lucifer said.
Beatrice nodded. It was a solid and reassuring argument.
With the demon knowing the child was in danger, Lucifer was confident the bad guys would soon realise the error of their ways. He’d miss all the fun of seeing that play out, but sacrifices had to be made.
Pouring himself a glass of scotch, he glanced at the unusually subdued urchin. Her eyes were still a bit red, but she showed renewed interest in their “vacation”. She shifted upright to stare out the window. The view of Los Angeles was stunning from afar – like an inky sky lit with stars.
'Have you ever flown before?' she asked, slipping her arms into his jacket despite how absurdly large it was on her. 'It's cool. The world is so big.'
'I have.' He fidgeted. 'I don't anymore.'
'Why not?'
'I no longer have my wings.' Lucifer fussed with his cuff-links. 'Lost them a long time ago.'
It was hardly long ago at all, especially for an immortal such as him. Yet it felt different; it wasn't the physical loss of them, but how long it'd been since he was worthy of those wings. Since they'd stood for something good, rather than a reminder of everything he wasn't.
'I lost my favourite teddy once, that I had since I was a baby. I was really sad.' Beatrice glanced at Lucifer with such empathy he didn't have the heart to dismiss the inadequate comparison. 'What's in Mommy's envelope?'
He reached into a pocket to find out for himself, unfolding it with care.
'Lots of rules, unfortunately.' Lucifer scrunched it into a ball. 'Bedtimes, proper meals, appropriate language... boring stuff.'
'Yeah. Boring.' Beatrice smirked, which faltered as she studied him carefully. 'Did it hurt? You know, when you lost your wings?'
'Yes.' Lucifer swallowed, looking away. 'It hurt very much.'
The spawn leaned against him, ignoring his instinctive recoil. Sniffling, she closed her eyes and drifted back to sleep. Sighing, Lucifer focused on the fading view of Los Angeles as a means of ignoring his growing unease, yet protectively tucked Beatrice closer.
'What in Dad's name have I gotten myself into?' he muttered.