Lucifer sat in the back seat with one arm stretched along the bench, looking entirely too pleased with himself for a man who had been arrested less than an hour ago.
Chloe drove with one hand on the wheel and her phone pressed to her ear, her attention split between the road and the call.
"Yeah, therapist in Beverly Hills with first name Linda. See if Delilah was a client."
"Actually, she had a pseudonym. Which I happen to know. Penny Lane."
Chloe glanced at him through the rearview mirror before speaking into the phone again.
"Delilah could've gone by Penny Lane... Okay, thanks."
She ended the call and dropped the phone onto the center console. For a few quiet seconds, the car filled with nothing except the low sound of traffic and the feeling of Lucifer staring at her from the back seat.
Chloe could practically feel his smug grin pressing against the side of her head.
"What? Don't be so smug... hasn't panned out yet."
"No, that's not it," Lucifer narrowed his eyes. "I knew I recognized you."
Chloe's grip tightened slightly on the steering wheel.
"Right. So you saw my boobies. Never heard that one before."
"And your ass, don't forget. A thing of beauty-"
"I will pull this car over and shoot you."
"I told you. I'm immortal."
Chloe rolled her eyes so hard she nearly missed the next turn. Lucifer watched her with the calm satisfaction of a man who enjoyed irritating people purely because it proved they were paying attention.
Then his smile softened around the edges.
"Is the movie why you have such a chip on your shoulder?" He asked.
Chloe kept her eyes on the road. The question struck closer than she wanted, especially coming from him. "Trust me, that's low on the list of things I have to live down."
Lucifer leaned forward slightly, resting his forearms across the back of the front seat while watching her profile with an unexpected seriousness.
"Right. Attractive female cop struggling to be taken seriously in a man's man's world. That it?"
"Something like that."
"Who cares what the other pigs say? You're a kickass detective, should listen to me a bit more maybe, but you know who you are."
Chloe's eyes flicked toward him in the mirror again. She expected another joke, maybe an obnoxious comment, or some ridiculous declaration about his own brilliance. Instead, Lucifer looked strangely sincere.
"I know who I am. There's just a lot of people out there who have a problem with it. Other cops mostly," She replied.
"They're threatened. You're clearly smart and have notable instincts. Ignore them. Trust yourself."
For half a second, Chloe did not know how to respond.
This man was ridiculous. He was arrogant, inappropriate, impossible to arrest properly, and somehow capable of making a serious point sound like he was complimenting a wine selection. Yet he had seen something in her that most people at the precinct ignored or mocked.
Her phone rang before she could say anything.
Chloe grabbed it quickly, grateful for the interruption.
"Detective Decker... Really? Okay, text it to me. Thanks"
She ended the call and stared ahead for a moment, considering the information.
"Huh."
Lucifer lifted an eyebrow from the back seat.
"What?"
"Looks like what you said stands up. There's a Penny Lane who sees a Dr. Linda Martin. Address in Beverly Hills."
Lucifer's face brightened instantly.
"Excellent. I'll clear my schedule."
Chloe shook her head as she drove. The idea of taking Lucifer Morningstar along to question Delilah's therapist was completely unreasonable. He was technically a civilian, a nightclub owner, a witness, and a walking human-resources complaint all at once.
Still, his clue had been right.
Before she could decide how much of a mistake this was becoming, her phone rang again.
Chloe answered it with a tired breath.
"Yeah... What? You're kidding me. Is she okay?... Her father was supposed to pick her up today... Of course he's not."
Lucifer sat up slightly when Chloe's expression changed.
"Okay, I'll be there as soon as I can."
She hung up and pressed her lips together, visibly annoyed.
"We have to make a pit stop."
Lucifer tilted his head.
"Where?"
"I have to get my kid from school. She got into a fight."
Lucifer's face lit with immediate interest.
"Oh my, I guess she takes after her mom, huh? So, did she beat the other one to a pulp?"
Chloe gave him a flat look through the rearview mirror.
"She's seven."
"And?"
Chloe hit the gas.
The cruiser surged forward through traffic, throwing Lucifer back against the seat with enough force to make even him blink.
For the first time since getting into the car, he looked genuinely impressed.
'She's a feisty one.'
...
...
[School]
Chloe pulled the car up in front of the elementary school and parked along the curb beneath a row of wide green trees. Children moved through the front entrance in noisy groups while parents waited beside expensive SUVs, old sedans, and idling minivans.
Chloe turned around and pointed at Lucifer.
"Wait here."
Lucifer gave her a polite smile that did not inspire confidence.
"Whatever you say, detective."
Chloe frowned as if she already regretted believing him. She stepped out, locked the doors with a sharp click, and headed toward the school entrance without looking back.
Lucifer watched her disappear through the glass doors.
Then he looked down at the lock beside him.
A small flicker of power moved through his fingers.
The lock popped open.
Lucifer pushed the door outward and stepped onto the sidewalk, stretching his shoulders beneath his suit jacket. Sitting in the back of a police car felt deeply insulting, especially when the car belonged to a woman who could apparently make the Devil feel weak just by looking at him.
He reached into his pocket, pulled out a cigarette, and lit it with a lazy snap of his fingers.
"Much better," he murmured.
A Milfy mom crossed the sidewalk in front of him, walking toward the school entrance with an easy confidence that made Lucifer pause halfway through his first drag. She wore a fitted blouse, dark sunglasses, and carried herself like she had never once apologized for taking up space in a room. She was a hottie with big boobs and a well-toned body.
Lucifer watched her disappear through the doors.
'Now that is one very attractive milf,' he thought.
He followed her inside.
The school lobby was way louder and crowded than he expected. Colorful posters covered the walls. Finger-painted artwork hung beneath a large banner about kindness. Somewhere farther down the hall, a teacher shouted at someone to stop running.
'I miss my school life so much. Haha... Always wanted to get out of that life, yet now, even with all this power and money, I'm craving to go back to that school life,' He thought. 'But where's that woman?'
The woman had vanished.
Lucifer frowned and looked around, mildly annoyed.
"Darn it," he muttered. "Where did she go?"
He noticed a small girl sitting alone near the front office. She had dark hair, bright eyes, and the confident posture of someone who had recently committed a crime and believed she had excellent reasons for doing so.
'Finally, we meet, little monkey,' he thought. 'Okay, all that is left now is Linda and then I can stop yapping the OG lines. Haa, it's so exhausting.'
Lucifer sat beside her with the lit cigarette still resting between his fingers.
The girl looked at the cigarette first, then at him.
"I don't think you're allowed to smoke in here."
Lucifer looked down at the cigarette with theatrical concern, then at the girl. "Oh dear, what will become of me?"
The girl stared at him for another second. "My mother is a police officer. She could arrest you." She said. A couple of her front teeth were missing.
Lucifer smiled, clearly enjoying himself.
"I think I might know your mother. We're working together. On a case. Top secret."
The girl's eyes widened.
"You know my mother?"
"Unfortunately."
"What's your name?"
"Lucifer."
Her face changed immediately. She asked in a hushed voice, "Like the devil?!"
Lucifer grinned, pleased by the reaction. "Exactly."
She leaned back, "My name is Beatrice. But everyone calls me Trixie."
Lucifer nodded thoughtfully.
"That's a hooker's name."
The words left his mouth before Karl could stop them.
'Fuck. I shouldn't have said that. What a drag,' he thought, already regretting it.
Trixie tilted her head.
"What's a hooker?"
Lucifer crushed the cigarette in his palm and looked toward the hallway as if the answer might be waiting there.
"Ask your mother."
Then he turned back toward her.
"Why are you in trouble?"
Trixie pointed across the lobby toward another little chubby girl with a mean face sitting near the wall. The girl had her arms folded and a sulky expression, though she looked considerably less confident than Trixie.
"See that girl over there?"
Lucifer followed her finger.
"The ugly one?"
Trixie nodded immediately. "Yes! She was bullying me. She created a fake Snapchat account and used it to make fun of me! So I kicked her in the no-no-touch zone!"
Lucifer paused.
Trixie pointed toward his crotch.
Lucifer nodded with serious approval.
"I see. Well played."
He rose from the chair, threw the crushed cigarette into a nearby bin without setting anything on fire, and crossed the lobby toward the girl. 'I hate bullies.'
She looked up as Lucifer sat beside her.
"Hello, Mean Girl. Did you know that you will never amount to anything in this life, and that there's a special section of Hell reserved for bullies? So, have fun!"
For one brief instant, Lucifer let his eyes change.
The girl froze.
Beneath the elegant human face, something ancient peeled open. His iris became bright red for a moment.
"Aaaaaaaa!!!!" The girl burst into tears and screamed.
Then the sound stretched.
The whole hallway slowed.
Children moving past the lobby became blurred figures drifting through thick water. A teacher's raised hand hung motionless in the air. A backpack slipped from someone's shoulder, but it fell so slowly that it barely moved.
Lucifer's grin faded.
'Amenadiel! Is he stalking me? This never happened in the OG show. That creep... Haaa. Well, whatever.'
He stood and looked toward the far end of the hallway.
A shadow seemed to loom beyond the students moving in surreal slow motion. Lucifer could feel the familiar pressure of his brother's presence somewhere nearby.
The bastard was watching him again.
Before he could move, a distorted voice called out from behind him.
"Hello?! What'd you do?"
Everything snapped back to normal.
The crying girl sat against the wall with tears streaming down her face. Trixie watched with open approval. Children continued moving through the hall as though nothing strange had happened.
Chloe stood a few feet away with her hands on her hips and a look that suggested she had already reached the limit of what she was willing to tolerate today.
Lucifer recovered instantly.
"I think someone's feeling a little guilty. Isn't that right, child?"
The girl cried harder.
Trixie smiled.
Chloe stared at Lucifer.
'What the hell?' her expression clearly said.
Lucifer only smiled back.
...
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