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Chloe has been giving this a lot of thought.
Lucifer MUST be a supernatural being. It is the only feasible explanation.
He is super strong so he can’t just be a regular human. Her rational side clung to that belief for so long but one too many times he has flung someone across a room or up a wall that the voice inside her head reassuring her that everything is normal was smothered mercilessly.
He is also apparently really really really old if some of his stories are to be believed. “He could have just made them up?” She tells herself late at night or while rewatching security footage. But Lucifer never lies. She knows this now. He could have lied many times to make things easier for himself but he has never lied to her. He wouldn’t, and she knows it.
But, if Chloe is to believe the stories from hundreds of years ago then surely she must also believe the stories where he is the King of Hell? Right?
That is several steps too far down the road of crazy and no matter how much she tries, she just doesn’t see it. How can Lucifer, her Lucifer be evil incarnate? Ruler of the damned? Prince of lies, really? None of that adds up no matter how much he assures her it is the truth.
But Lucifer never lies, not completely anyway. So when he talks about ruling hell and damned souls and torture (isn’t that a terrifying thought?) there must be some element of the truth at least.
He told her that he sees Doctor Linda Martin from their first case for therapy sometimes. She could hardly believe him at first (playboy immature Lucifer talking to a therapist?) but now she knows him it makes a bit more sense. Some very late-night googling lead her to discover the use of metaphors in therapy. Sticking all of his… “Luciferness” to metaphors alone doesn’t work anymore because of the bulletproof (or not?) evidence she has seen right before her eyes more than once. But that doesn’t mean that he doesn’t sometimes tell the truth in roundabout ways. So when he talks about all the devil stuff, what if he is talking about something else? Something that makes him other and a creature of nightmares. Feared and maybe misunderstood. What if there are elements of truth?
He looks so haunted sometimes, his deep brown eyes seem to hold the true meaning of eternity. In those moments, when he looks at her with such pain and agelessness, she just knows this man is more. More than just a little crazy. More than just her partner. More than just her friend.
Chloe has been considering her options for a week now. She could carry on as normal and ignore all of this. Keep her life simple. Pretend to not freak out completely every time he mentions personally attending historic events because she believes him now. Try to look away when he displays his strength (when all she wants to do is really look). She could maybe even stop thinking about the scars on his back, given enough time if she tries really hard. Maybe.
But in the end, Lucifer is her partner and he is her friend no matter what else he is, and she is a Detective, his Detective she smiles to herself at the thought and then quickly shakes herself out of it. It is not in her nature to ignore things like this. She knows if she tries to ignore it all, it won’t work in the end. Lucifer will do something else to completely baffle her and then she will need answers all over again.
How can she look out for her partner in the field if she doesn’t know his strengths (and maybe weaknesses)? She needs at least a basic understanding of just who this ma… this being is. To protect him, look after him. Not because she is afraid of him.
Lucifer would never hurt her, she knows this in her bones. He told her right from the start that she has notable instincts. Lucifer will always protect her and Trixie, she didn’t even need to see him die in that warehouse to know that he cares for them both and would do anything for them. Seeing that… that resurrection is the last nail in the coffin. She just needs to know. She needs to work it out.
—————
The weekend is spent with google and several cups of coffee. She knew that this search was going to be weird but scrolling through images of dragons and werewolves and demons to check if any of them resemble your best friend is just not something she ever thought she would be doing.
Sometimes Lucifer seems to exude the aura of a deadly predator, hunting alone and in the dark, so she does some further research into werewolves. Her mind provides plenty of huge red-eyed black-furred wolves stalking through the night, lapping whiskey from a dog bowl and sleeping on a thousand-dollar exclusive dog bed.
Werewolves seem to heal quickly and are faster than humans. That would certainly explain the incident where he disappeared in front of a speeding bullet. They can shapeshift too obviously so that’s a solid point in the werewolf camp of possibilities. However, some opinions are split on if they are immortal and age or not. Mostly she finds that they do age like a human but have enhanced abilities during life, so that doesn’t make sense. Also, Lucifer is so active at night in LUX that if he suddenly grew some fur people would probably know about it. She has not noticed him acting stranger than normal on full moons either but honestly, that could just be because she has not been taking notice of that particular lunar event.
Google (and Doctor Who) says mistletoe is a weakness for werewolves so she puts it to the test. Only one way to find out really. She puts a tiny bit of mistletoe on the glass divider by her desk on Monday and watches carefully as he approaches. She doesn’t want him to hurt, she just needs to know. If he so much as twitches she will take it down and rush him as far away as possible.
Lucifer walks up to her desk as confidently as always and spots the added decoration. He looks confused for a moment before a positively sinful smile spreads across his face. He leans in to her ear and whispers in that smooth deep voice of his “Well, Detective, it is a little early for mistletoe but you should know I am always up for a kiss, or anything else you desire.”
Chloe leans back so quickly she nearly falls out of her chair. She springs up to take down the offending plant and hides it in her desk. She can feel the blush heating her cheeks and it has clearly not escaped Lucifer’s attention. Chloe curses herself for not thinking her plan through but mentally crosses werewolf off the list. Back to the drawing board.
She tests her theories each day, trying to work out what on earth her partner truly is. After the first week he catches on that she is testing him but he does not fully understand. Only after he is standing in a circle of salt does he look at her and laugh so hard that she actually starts to feel that maybe she is the one being crazy. After the laughter eventually subsides, he grows serious at her look of distress and steps out of the circle to touch her arm.
“Darling, there is no need to test me like this. I am not a demon, werewolf, undead creature, or… wait what was the salt water all over my suit for?”
Chloe stares a hole into the floor.
“Anyway, I will tell you what I am freely. You should know that you need only ask.” Lucifer smiles down at her softly as she looks up into his eyes. Her hunt can finally end, he will tell her.
“What are you?” she breathes.
Lucifer leans down and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear.
“I am Ash-Shaytān, Iblis, Belial, Apollyon, Mammon, Azazel, the serpent, the prince of darkness and lies, Beelzebub. There is only one of me darling and I am the stuff of legend. I am no demon, demons cower before me as I am their king. Werewolves whimper when they sense me. All the creatures of the night know that they serve me and me alone. I have many names from many different texts and stories, not all of them correct but some of them are. I quite like Old Scratch actually. You need not hunt to find my species when I tell you who I am frequently. I am Satan, Detective. I am Lucifer.”
Chloe gapes at him, unable to move. There is a constant shiver down her spine and a heat rising not just in her cheeks. She feels it then. That power coming off him in waves. She knows he has lived a long life and will live to the end of the universe. But still it does not add up.
“No” she whispers hoarsely.
Lucifer’s confident and serious face cracks into a baffled frown. “No? What do you mean no?”
“You aren’t the devil. Not to me.”
Lucifer gapes at her.
“You can not be the prince of lies because you don't lie. You can not be the king of all that is evil because you aren’t evil. Not even a little bit. I know you Lucifer and I know that you are a good ma… you are good. You told me not that long ago that I have notable instincts and they are telling me that you are wrong. I don’t know why but you are talking in metaphors and I am going to work out what you are. So that I can know you. So that I can protect you. So that we can look after each other because that’s what partners do.” Chloe steps back from him and walks over the circle of salt to the door. Lucifer has not moved a muscle so she leaves him standing there while he puzzles over the most confusing conversation he has ever had in his life.
—————
Chloe can’t hide her disappointment when she gets home. She really thought he was going to tell her, but instead she needs to sit with google and more coffee. Trixie picks up on her mother’s disappointment because of course she does. She has seen the books and scribbles of notes left on the coffee table overnight. She has puzzled over the little sprig of mistletoe tucked in the kitchen. The rough sketches of rather regal-looking wolves stuck to the fridge were also a bit of a puzzle.
Trixie nuzzles up to her mother on the couch and plays with the buttons on her blouse.
“What’s wrong mommy?”
Chloe smiles gently and tiredly at her little girl. “Mommy’s had a long day that’s all.”
Trixie turns her big brown eyes up. “Is it to do with Lucifer?”
Chloe chuckles lightly. “My clever monkey. Yes, it is to do with him.”
When Trixie’s eyes remain on hers, she sighs and expands a little to satisfy her daughter’s curiosity. “I thought Lucifer was finally going to open up to me and tell me who he… what he… what’s going on with him. But instead, he said the same old stuff again and now I’ve got to keep trying to work it out.”
Trixie looked thoughtful for a moment. “Do you think Lucifer is magical?”
Chloe looks a little startled but recovers gracefully. “Yeah monkey, I can hardly believe it but I think he might be.”
“If he wasn’t the devil I think the wolf drawings on the fridge would be so cool!”
Chloe laughs with her daughter.
“Oh yeah, he would look awesome with a long cloak and upturned collar as well.” Trixie bares her teeth and makes a hissing sound similar to that of a cat.
Chloe frowns for a moment. Upturned collar, long cloak, teeth… oh.
“Wait do you mean a VAMPIRE?”
“Yeah, he would look so cool dressing up as one for Halloween! That’s if he doesn’t show me his devil face by then. I bet the devil face would be way better.”
Chloe sits bolt upright suddenly, just managing to put Trixie down on the floor before the little girl gets flung backwards.
“That’s it!!! Trixie you are a GENIUS and I am an absolute idiot! How did I not think of that? Who in their right mind thinks demons are more likely to be real than vampires? HA!”
Trixie watches her mother race towards another fresh piece of paper, grabbing the laptop on the way.
—————
A few days later and Chloe is absolutely convinced that Lucifer is a vampire.
It all fits. Well… most of it anyway.
Vampires are immortal and can heal much faster than humans. They don’t age either. They have super strength and heightened senses. Chloe also read somewhere that they can make their eyes glow gold or red. She can’t help but remember the rare occasions where she thought she saw a glowing red reflection in his eyes, what if that was actually him?
Furthermore, there was something that had never made any sense before; Lucifer’s aversion to churches and any mention of God. He of course claims that God is his abusive father but maybe he actually doesn’t like God for other reasons and his actual father abused him. Maybe his dad is the one that turned him into a vampire?
Some websites even claim that vampires can do hypnosis in order to lure victims. Memories of Lucifer’s “What do you truly desire?” mojo surface. Why doesn’t it work on her? That part makes no sense, when he ditches the metaphors she is sure he will explain why that is.
And the final piece of the puzzle. His terrible scars on his back. Some websites claim that vampires can fly with their wings. Lucifer claimed that he had Maze cut his own set off his back. The mere thought of that kind of mutilation makes her want to be sick, but it makes sense.
Her mind spins as she runs through all of her admittedly-bonkers-but-maybe-true-anyway theories.
It is when she researches vampire weaknesses that she runs into some trouble.
Mistletoe is sometimes listed as a weakness of vampires as well and that has already been a proven failure. Also, fire is meant to slow them down a bit but Lucifer literally walked through flames in order to save her. Sure he got a burn but that is to be expected and he healed really fast too. Of course silver can’t be an issue because he wears it in his cufflinks and ring and who knows what else. He walks in the sunlight all the time (even if he does prefer nighttime). She has seen him eat food with garlic in so that’s also not an issue. Not to mention the fact that Lucifer will frequently enter places that he has definitely not been invited into. It might actually be helpful if that was an issue for him she thinks wryly. She decides that the incorrect weaknesses could either be because he is a more powerful vampire or because he is “misunderstood” as he claims.
Since Chloe has no idea how to test this particular theory as it is clearly not working exactly how the popular theories say, she has only one choice. She needs to talk to him again, and she needs the actual truth this time.
—————
Maze is bored to death. She could be in hell torturing guilty souls right now. She could be hearing the beautiful screams of agony and fear of those in her home but instead she is still here with Lucifer. Except Lucifer has gone out to deal with some favours and left her at LUX to wait until the party starts, so when Decker rocks up looking for the boss she sees an opportunity for entertainment. Maze goes upstairs to wait for her there.
When Chloe arrives, she sounds apprehensive. Not afraid but nervous.
“Lucifer, are you here?” She calls.
Maze waits a few moments because she can, and then she saunters around the corner from the bedroom swinging her hell-forged blades.
“Sup Decker”.
Chloe jumps a mile “Oh hi Maze, is Lucifer about?”
“Nope. What do you want, maybe I can help instead?”
Chloe seems to consider for a moment, at war with herself, and then she sighs and walks towards a couch that she slumps into.
“Did you actually cut off his wings?”
Whatever maze was expecting, it was not this.
“Uhh yeah I did. He told me to. Sure didn’t enjoy it though. I enjoy pain and suffering as much as the next demon but that was something else. Why?”
Chloe shivers at her words, feeling sympathetic for Lucifer’s pain.
“Oh, nothing just wondering. What did they look like?”
Maze grimaces at the memory. No one should have to see divinity hacked off like that, not even her. “They were huge glowy white things I don’t know what you want me to say.”
Chloe looks crestfallen. “What so not like… uh. Bat wings?”
Oh. Well this is getting interesting. “Now you mention it, he can change his wings to look different. Either white or bat-like yeah. Alright Decker what the hell is going on?”
Chloe hesitates for a few moments, nervously chewing on her lip.
“Ok so, I have been thinking. Lucifer is clearly not human so he must be something else but the whole devil thing makes no sense and you being a demon? I… oh. Actually that one makes sense. Anyway, I’ve been doing some research and I have worked it out. I just need some proof to check that I actually have not gone insane. I need the truth Maze.”
Maze raises a split brow at Chloe. Well, she is bored so this seems like the best way to fill her afternoon.
“Alright Decker, what are you thinking?”
Chloe looks around the room as if checking there is no one listening to their conversation.
“Lucifer is a vampire.”
Maze has to concentrate extremely hard on not bursting into laughter. Lucifer tells everyone he is the devil constantly and yet they still come up with this nonsense instead? She considers her options. She is extremely bored and Lucifer pissed her off by leaving her here today anyway so she could totally use this for some entertainment.
“Wow, I’m impressed. You actually figured it out. How did you know?”
Maze has never seen Chloe look so overjoyed, she is suddenly filled with so much energy and excitement.
“I KNEW IT! HA! He is fast and strong and weird and old and has wing scars and… hypnotism and there must be more of a reason he is such a slut… wait. He does feed off his sexual partners right? He is not secretly responsible for half the murders of humans or animals in LA?”
Maze can not help the amused smirk on her lips. “Oh no he doesn’t kill stuff, he just sucks the blood from them a few times so they don’t pass out and distracts them with how good at sex he is. Seriously Decker, I can not believe you have not taken him for a spin yet.”
Chloe bites her lip. “Does he only bite his lovers? Or has he bitten me and I don’t even know it?”
Maze sees her golden opportunity. When Lucifer left her on her own last time, she did some TV binge watching and one of those series was “A Discovery of Witches”. Oh, I could have so much fun with this. Really screw with Lucifer.
“He has not bitten you, not yet anyway. But he wants to. He realllyyy wants to.”
Chloe sobers immediately. She doesn’t look scared necessarily but she does look a little concerned and very very interested. She leans forward in her seat.
“Have you ever heard of blood rage?” When Chloe shakes her head, Maze continues.
“Blood rage is a genetic illness in vampires that’s passed on from the sire. It can mean that sometimes they get, like, hyperfocused on one particular person and want their blood reallll bad. It’s insatiable. Poor guy has been needing your blood since the day he met you. It’s only got more intense. He tries to control it because he kind of likes and respects you and you won’t react to his desire ability but it hurts him. If anyone threatens you or hurts you he goes absolutely feral and can hardly control himself. But yeah he wants to taste your blood so damn bad. You give him blue fangs.”
Chloe is staring at her with an open mouth now. It’s incredible she hasn’t run screaming and booked a flight to get her and the kid out of town already. She still doesn’t look terrified out of her mind, sure she is wide-eyed but it’s not fear shining in her eyes.
“Huh, that actually makes quite a lot of sense. But, why doesn’t he just do it anyway? I get he respects me which is nice but if it is such a struggle to control it, he could just ask?”
Maze smirks at her.
“You already worked out that he draws blood during sex and you are about the only human that won’t have sex with him, just his luck really.”
“Ok fair enough, but asking?”
“Yeah sure because ‘Hey Detective, will you please let me suck your blood because I want to taste you so badly my fangs hurt’ would have gone down so well huh?” Maze puts on an awful attempt at Lucifer’s accent and quirks a brow at her. Chloe looks away in embarrassment. She would have thought he was crazy of course.
“Point is Decker, he won’t be able to control his desires forever. Sooner or later he is going to need you so bad he just has to take you and then there will be no lust to hide the pain and he won’t be able to control when he stops. He could drink you dry and not be able to stop himself.”
“Ah” is all Chloe can manage for a few moments and Maze takes glee in the absolute carnage she has just unleashed on Lucifer’s life. He will find another fascination she is sure but this is definitely worth it in entertainment value.
She isn’t sure that she stuck entirely to the lore of the show or any vampire stuff to the letter but a smidge of embellishment for dramatic flair never hurt anyone (and all the better if it does).
“When will he be back here?”
“Oh, not for a couple of hours at least. Plenty of time for you to get out of here.”
Chloe nods and stares at her hands in thought.
“I’ll be back at 8, I need to see him. Thank you for your help maze. Seriously it's so refreshing to have someone actually just be straight up honest with me.”
Huh. Sounds like she might get some more fun out of this after all.
After a short nod, Chloe makes her way back to the elevator. Maze rushes to the bookcase and grabs a really old and stupid book that Lucifer only has because the author wrote a hot dedication to him in the front. She hands it to Chloe before the doors can shut.
“It’s not all completely accurate but it may help with working stuff out.”
Chloe eyes the red book and the black-lettered “How to spot a vampire” and smiles at her. “Thank you”. And then she is gone.
Maze has a few hours and plenty of ideas already. She is not hell’s best torturer for nothing. When Lucifer gets back from deal-making he often comes back up to his penthouse to play some piano before going downstairs into the crowd.
Maze twirls her demon blades around her finger. All she needs is one of the spotlights from down in LUX and to reposition the piano a bit.
Her cunning plan comes from that amazing advert for the BBC Dracula show. She only noticed it because it is unusual to see so many knives out in public on earth. And the way that they were used to cast a shadow that looked like a face? Truly inspired. She heads down the elevator after it returns to begin setting up, she has 3 hours to pull this off. Plenty of time.
—————
The moment that Chloe gets home, she sits down on the couch and starts to read the book Maze gave her. Trixie is with Dan for the next few nights so she is free to see Lucifer at 8. She needs to fully understand what she is walking into though. What maze told her was… intriguing… to say the least. She knows she should be feeling terrified but she doesn’t. Maybe there is something wrong with her, but the thought that Lucifer has been wanting her so badly all this time and yet has not acted on it despite it causing him pain is fascinating in ways that it should not be. The thing is, Chloe is convinced that this goes deeper than just needing sex to cover the bite. Sure he makes constant passes at her to get her to sleep with him but that night that she turned up drunk to his place, he could easily have had her blood then. Even without the sex to cover up the pain of the bite, she would not have remembered it anyway. But he turned her down, he resisted the temptation.
She reads the book she has been given in detail. It’s a thick one but she gets through about 4 chapters before it is time to go. She changes into some jeans, a white shirt and her brown jacket with matching shoes. The thought of seeing Lucifer again now that she knows for sure she is correct excites her. The blood rage was a turn that she was not expecting but she is so glad that she knows now. Maybe now that she does know, Lucifer will listen to her properly. Maybe he will listen if she gives permission for him to bite her. She doesn’t want him to hurt. Chloe pushes deep down the twinge of sadness at the situation and curses whoever his sire might be.
The drive over to LUX feels longer than normal, maybe because she knows that everything will change for them when she gets there. The list of questions she has for him only grows as she gets closer. Who was his sire? Was he originally a human? If so then how did he die? Does the sun hurt him? Why did he get rid of his wings? How often does he get blood rage for someone? Is it just for her? What does he usually do when he craves them like that? Would he consider taking her blood in his usual way if she consented now?
Thankfully she pulls into the car park before she starts second-guessing herself. She takes the book back up to Lucifer, he might not have wanted it to leave his library in the first place so the least she can do is return it. She steps into the elevator and tries to prepare herself for whatever is going to happen. As she gets higher and higher she starts to hear music and singing. She recognises his voice of course the moment that she hears him. The song is unfamiliar but it is slow and thoughtful. Not exactly the rock she expected to hear as he prepares himself to head into the buzzing crowd. The elevator doors open and she steps out silently. Thankfully he hasn’t noticed her entrance. It is strange that the piano has been moved, and even stranger that there is a spotlight on him in the empty room. She stands back near the elevator so as to not let him hear too many footsteps and listens to his singing.
“Could there be more
to this life we call ‘mine'
than a journey through space or a storyline?
More to life than the body can sense,
than the mind can conclude from experience.
Does who we are begin with breath,
depend on form or end with death?
Strip away these roles, these names and tell me what remains
And who you really are, who you really are”
The last lines are sung with more power and emotion than the rest of them and it’s then that something catches her eye on the wall. It’s just his shadow cast by the spotlight, but something is bugging her about it. Then she notices the teeth. Fangs would be a much more accurate description. As he sings some particularly powerful notes, she sees them on proud display in his shadow. She must take a sharp intake of breath because Lucifer whirls around, surprised.
“Detective!” He says, clearly not expecting to see her but happy nonetheless.
“You have fangs!” Chloe bursts.
They both stare at each other in shock.
“I beg your pardon?” He is looking so confused now that Chloe just has to laugh.
“I knew it. I KNEW IT! HA! You ARE!” Chloe punches the air, completely oblivious to how insane she appears to Lucifer.
“And what exactly am I Detective?”
“A vampire!” She says delightedly.
“A VAMPIRE?” Lucifer screeches, clearly scandalised. “Darling of all the things… a vampire? Really?”
“Hey, don’t you try to deny it! I’ve done my research. You are a vampire and a super old one at that. Trixie gave me the idea and then Maze gave me all the info earlier today and this book.” She holds the red book out to him and he sighs. That book is far more fictional than most of the fiction titles in his collection. He hopes she read the dedication anyway.
“As much as I enjoy your newfound appreciation of my library, I feel I must warn you that Maze is a scheming little demon who has apparently been rather too bored lately and decided to have some fun with you. I am not a vampire, I am the devil.” He is going to be having some serious words with Maze. Taking advantage of the Detective when she is confused is absolutely unacceptable. Where is that scheming little hellion anyway?
“You can bite me, you know. I know you want to. Maze told me all about blood rage. I know who you are and if biting me would make you feel at all better and stop you hurting then I want that. And I’m not entirely sure about the sex right now but…” She steps closer to him and he steps away.
“Detective! I. AM. NOT. A. VAMPIRE! I do not drink blood nor sleep in a bloody coffin. Understood?” He holds up his hands in a placating gesture but Chloe takes another step forward, determined to get him to drop the metaphors.
“It’s ok Lucifer, I know you and accept you. Just let me in, please. I want to look after you. If you are craving my blood then take it while you still have control of yourself. Just, try not to make me pass out or anything. Where do you usually take blood from? The neck or…”
“Detective! For Dad’s sake I am not a vampire. What are you talking about ‘blood rage’ I… oh.” If this was mostly Maze’s doing then it is no wonder the phrase is familiar. She had left an episode of a program playing not too long ago where he had heard it. He had just finished a season of bones so decided to give this show a try and had quickly decided that it was utter nonsense, but he found himself rather taken with it anyway.
Lucifer’s mind works in overdrive. If Maze told Chloe that he has some form of blood rage and is craving her blood, why is she still here? Why is she offering herself to him? If she believes him to be a monster that can hardly contain his desire for her lifeblood why on earth would she seek him out to give him a taste?
Oh.
Because she believes him to be in pain trying to control his urges and she is selfless to a nauseating degree. Of course.
He can not let this continue any longer.
“While I sustain that I am not a vampire, thank you for offering in that way. You are truly selfless but I must gladly in this case admit that the service of drawing blood is really not required.”
Why does she suddenly look disappointed?
“Lucifer, I saw you have fangs, just now! Please just drop the metaphors and be fully honest with me.”
“Detective I am always honest with you. Where did you see me having ‘fangs’?”
Chloe turns to the wall and points, “While you were singing, your shadow had two sharp teeth.”
“Shadow” Lucifer wonders allowed. He had been curious as to why the spotlight was in here earlier but after a long day of favour granting he could not find it in himself to care. The piano move was also curious but could have just been the cleaners (that would be sternly told to not rearrange his furniture thank you very much). But what if these things were connected and all a part of someone’s plan? That someone being the troublesome demon that he brought up from hell.
“Mazikeen, you can come out now.” He turns his head towards the blinding light. When he is only met with silence he growls at a pitch he hopes the Detective is unable to hear. There is a little shuffling and then Maze appears looking far too pleased with herself.
“Aw come on Lucifer, it was just getting good!”
“Wait what is Maze doing here?” Chloe looks around slightly alarmed and clearly confused.
“Mazikeen was having some fun at your expense Detective and will be dealt with later. In the meantime, she must leave.” He fills his words with as much menace as possible without terrifying the Detective. Maze gets the message and leaves in the elevator with a bored roll of her eyes.
Chloe turns from the elevator once the doors close to her partner. She looks confused and exhausted from all of the uncertainty. “Lucifer, I don’t understand. What is going on? Maze told me everything already. Why won’t you just drop the pretence? Why was she hiding back there?”
Lucifer smiles sadly at her and ushers her to sit down with him on the couch. She does not deserve this. The Detective has always been so kind and caring (she looks after an urchin that does nothing to contribute to the rent after all), but now she is showing him such overwhelming understanding and care despite the fact that she rightly believes him to be some kind of monster. He never thought he could dare to have so much hope that she may not run away from him if he were to prove his more devilish side to her. Honestly, he would still much rather not have to do this. She does not deserve to see the truth of the monster he is. Vampires are one thing, but the actual biblical devil from hell? Proof that a God exists (bastard or not)? Proof that there truly is an afterlife? The Detective needn’t worry about the afterlife of course, he will ensure that she never steps foot in hell (there have to be some benefits of ruling such a realm after all) but he imagines that obliterating her understanding of the universe may not be the best thing for her sanity.
He could just let her continue thinking he is a vampire. She seems almost comfortable with the idea somehow. Her behaviour is terribly confusing but she has not run, in fact she came to him to try and help no matter how mislead she had been. The thought is awfully tempting but he can not do that to her. She really does deserve better than this. She deserves the truth and he shall give it to her in a way that will ensure she can not explain it away with another myth. If she runs then at least she has all of the facts. Honesty is important to him, as it is to her as well.
It is time.
Time for proof.
"I can offer you irrefutable proof that I am the devil and not any other creature you may come up with next. I am a monster Detective and I can show you the evidence you so clearly require. It is disturbing though and I would never wish you to have to see it, but it appears that this is necessary. I must have your consent though, I will not make you see the truth without it. Detective, do you want to see irrefutable proof of the truth about me?”
His eyes bore into hers as Chloe leans forward on the couch towards him.
“Please, show me. I want to know. I need to know.”
Lucifer tips his head to her in assent and then stands before her. He is filled with a cold sense of dread but also the smallest glimmer of impossible hope.
—————
Chloe can hardly believe it, proof! Exactly what she has been wanting all along. She still has no idea what happened with the fangs she clearly saw, that seemed like pretty good proof to her at the time. However when he turned to her she never actually saw the real things. Maybe she got a little excited on that front then.
Lucifer looks really nervous and keeps adjusting his cuffs. If he thinks she won’t accept him, whatever it is that he shows her then he has another thing coming. She knows she should be scared, but how could she be scared of him?
“As I told you before Detective, I am the Devil. Maybe I need to really explain what that means a little better now that you believe that I am not human.” He runs a hand through his hair and Chloe can not suppress the thought that it ruffles adorably.
“I was an angel. I helped in the creation of the universe, specifically the creation of light. That is why I chose the name Lucifer for myself after my rebellion. My given name was Samael meaning poison of God. Lucifer means light bringer. My rebellion was…” Lucifer sighs and runs a hand through his hair again. Chloe nearly tells him that he doesn’t need to explain if it hurts him but he holds up a hand in determination.
“My rebellion was a failure. I was young and stupid and thought I could defeat God. All I really wanted, all I really desired was freedom to be my own man. But I was angry and obviously lost against my father and many of my siblings. I was bound and made to kneel before my father, my twin was all too eager to force me into submission. Dad passed judgement and chose to banish me from heaven for eternity and sent me to hell. Michael pushed me out of heaven and with my wings bound I fell. I fell so far that I set alight and burned.”
Chloe watches in fascination as his skin slowly begins to melt into patches of red, burnt skin. She should be recoiling but she feels more awe than fear.
“I burned and suffered in hell for centuries, attacked by demons who could sense my divinity. I had to fight to the top to survive. I killed, I tortured, and then I ruled the realm of the damned for millennia.” His skin is nearly completely transformed now and his eyes are starting to burn with a deep flame.
“To rule the monsters, I had to become the worst monster of them all.”
Suddenly huge bat-like wings erupt from his back and his eyes flare a brighter red. His skin is fully transformed now and Chloe stares in wonder at the new body before her. His voice rings unnaturally low and reverberates around the room.
“I was Samael, angel of God. I am Lucifer Morningstar, King of Hell. I am the devil.”
Chloe’s brain does cartwheels trying to catch up with all the complicated things she is feeling, some of which should definitely not be there.
She almost believes him, almost. Despite the overwhelming evidence before her, she still can not wrap her mind around what Lucifer being the devil would mean. God, the Bible, heaven, hell, demons and angels, all the things she has spent her life very definitely not believing in at all.
There is a good reason that when trying to work out what supernatural being he might be, she did not look too deeply into the whole devil thing: she is not ready to have her understanding of the universe turned upside down and stamped on. Vampires and werewolves are one thing since they do not necessitate a creator of the universe, but all that Biblical stuff is a whole different league. Staring at the being before her she realises she is probably in denial but she just can not let go of the little tendril of hope that is rather attached to her remaining sanity.
Chloe takes a tentative step toward him.
“You could just be a crispy vampire.”
His jaw drops.
“You can NOT be serious!” His voice has lost all of its powerful tone and now would be more accurately described as an indignant squeak.
Chloe sees him then, Lucifer. Her partner and friend. She hears his voice and sees his vulnerability. She was not afraid of him before she saw these things but now she is comfortable enough to take another step forward and hover her hand above his in a silent request. He still looks shocked but his jaw snaps shut as he looks deeply into her eyes and then nods imperceptibly. She lets her hand brush against his rough skin at first and then starts to trace the ridges. His breath stutters as he presses into her touch gently.
Chloe looks into his deep burning eyes and knows what she needs to do.
She reaches up and cups his charred face gently in her hands.
“Whoever you are Lucifer, I know you and accept you. I know who you really are under the vampire bat wings and the red skin. Don’t be afraid that I am going to run because of this. I want to know you Lucifer. I could never be afraid of you.”
Lucifer’s skin starts to transform back into the familiar shade. His lips turn up into a hesitant and disbelieving smile that slowly turns blinding. Like seriously blinding.
Chloe squints against the light, trying to work out where it is coming from.
On either side of Lucifer, his wings are also undergoing their own transformation before her eyes. Red bat wings transform into a more birdlike shape and suddenly the source of the light becomes apparent. Glowing feathers are slowly growing, spreading from the base of his wings to the tips. The tiny fluffy down feathers get covered by larger flight feathers and after a short few moments, she is looking at huge bird wings.
No.
These are not the wings of a bird.
These are angel wings.
The last string of her hopeful denial snaps. If these are angel wings then he is no vampire. The thought of assigning wings as divine as these to a vampire seems absurd now.
Lucifer really is the actual devil.
Through the earth-shattering revelations she is going through, he is just staring at her in an awe-filled daze. It is almost as if he has not even noticed his angelic transformation.
Chloe moves her hand from his now smooth face and holds it up to his wings, once again wordlessly asking for permission. Feeling them might make them more real to her. This whole situation is bizarre and her mind is spinning but she feels like stroking his feathers could give her some much-needed grounding.
Confusion flickers over his features as he follows her hand's path downwards and towards his outstretched feathery wings. He somehow looks more shocked than even she does. It is his turn to hesitate now until his wings nudge her hand softly, seeking contact. Chloe gets lost in the beautiful feel of them. They are not necessary soft but they feel… well… divine. She starts to stroke them in the direction that they seem to want to fall. The activity is mesmerising and after a dozen repetitions her eyes sweep up to the owner of these appendages. He is in so much bliss that his eyes are threatening to roll into his skull but still he has an air of tension around him.
Why would he be tense about anything when he has these?
Ah… right.
Because he thinks I’m about to snap out of it and run away in terror now that I know the real truth. She needs to reassure him she isn’t afraid of him, even if her head is starting to poke at a rather large and scary box labelled “GOD EXISTS AND SO DOES HEAVEN AND HELL”.
“Ok, so maybe not a vampire then.”
“No, not a vampire.” He agrees softly.
“Would you rather I was?”
Chloe finds herself shocked by the question even though she really shouldn’t be. Would she rather he was something else? Would she wish him to be anything other than he is?
“No. I won’t pretend that the whole heaven and hell thing is going to be easy to wrap my head around but I would never want you to not be you just to be more convenient for me.”
Lucifer’s smile loses most of its tension then. “Are you ok Detective? Are you ok with me, with all of this?” He waves his arms around in a gesture meant to mean the newly revealed celestial side of life.
Chloe sighs and rubs her hand over her forehead. “Well, I won’t pretend that I don’t have an awful lot of headaches forecast in my future and so many questions, but I knew you were not human and I accepted you then. I still accept you. I always will. We are partners Lucifer. I am just sorry I looked in every direction but the one you clearly pointed me in from the very start. I am sorry for not trusting you. We have a lot of talking to do before I fully grasp all of this but yes, I am ok. I am more than ok with you.”
Chloe has never seen him look so radiantly happy.
“I will happily answer any and all questions you have Detective. I can not begin to tell you how glad I am that you believe me and are not running away. I swear to you I will never harm you or the urchin. You have nothing to fear from me. I will tell you everything you want to know. Just… thank you.”
A tear slips out of Chloe’s left eye and Lucifer brushes it gently away. She nuzzles into his warm palm feeling his soft skin and now knowing that there is more to him than just this side of him.
She wants to know him. Lucifer Morningstar, Satan, The devil, her partner and her friend. Titles don’t matter. If you strip away the roles and the names, she knows what remains. Her Lucifer, and she wants to get to know all of him more than anything.