Well inspiration struck again so even though this wasn't planned at all here we are. Again. This is the sequel to Devil Inside, which is the sequel to Better the Devil You Know. In the extra/deleted scene chapter of DI I mentioned that Lucifer and Maze had gone to Hell to reclaim it, this picks up just as he gets back. Timeline wise I'm going with about six months after the epilogue of DI. Updates will come regularly after I finish my other story, Vitae.

Two months.

That's how long it had been since Lucifer and Maze had descended to Hell to reclaim it so the demon could be interim ruler while the Devil continued his retirement/vacation time. It had been a rough goodbye for everyone since no one knew how long it would take or if anything would happen to anyone. Lucifer had assured Chloe and Trixie that they would be fine, that there was no reason to worry and he would return as soon as he could.

It had been quite an ordeal for him to get in the right state of mind to go back to the place he hadn't been since he had been assaulted. Linda had helped dramatically and Maze had assured him she wouldn't allow anything to happen, especially after failing him before. Amemadiel had offered to accompany them but Lucifer had bluntly informed him if he did he was going to leave him down there, permanently. Their relationship was still a work in progress, much better than it used to be but still filled with petty arguments and fist fights. Gabriel had also offered but Lucifer had outright refused, telling him he needed to stay here, not telling him that he never wanted his little brother to ever have to step foot in the pit.

Instead Gabriel had been tasked with watching over the girls and had actually melded into their lives quite seamlessly. He lived above Lux, like Maze, but had his own space since Lucifer had shut down the idea of him occupying the penthouse when he wasn't there. The Devil loved his brother dearly but he also enjoyed his belongings not being used as hockey pucks and footballs. The small angel was over at the beach house almost every evening after Chloe returned from work and took absolute delight in sampling all the food Chloe prepared and playing with Trixie.

"Mom when is Lucifer coming back?" Trixie sighed, pushing around her glazed carrots with her fork.

Chloe set down her glass of wine and smiled sadly at her daughter. "I don't know Trixie bug, I miss him too." Looking to the other occupant at the table she watched him shovel bite after bite into his mouth without swallowing first. "Gabe, do you know?"

The archangel was officially a California beach bum; skin deeply tanned and hair lightening after being in the sun everyday. Lucifer said he looked like a hippie, Gabe had replied it's better than looking like an attorney. He looked up quickly, cheeks over stuffed with food and swallowed it after a few more chews. "It's been what? Twenty years? Maze is there with him and they had to clean it up, it's been a while since they've been down, Luci's got his wings back this time so- I have no idea," he shrugged. "Can I have more bread?"

Chloe passed him the basket and slid the butter dish over to him eyes falling upon the empty seat beside her for a moment. She missed him more than she let on, more than anyone realized. Having someone there every single day then suddenly not was jarring and though she could function just fine on her own she missed having him there beside her. The cases felt longer and more like work, the bed felt too big and cold, and she missed the feeling of his warm skin against hers. It was a given that his trip would take a while but she hadn't been prepared for it to take this long, at least Gabe was here to tell her if he felt there was anything wrong. Shaking her head to get rid of her self-pitying thoughts she took another sip of wine and frowned at Gabe's distracted expression.

"Gabe?"

He had the exact same look as Lucifer when he got caught doing something he knew he wasn't supposed to be doing but did it anyway. Their eyebrows rose, eyes widened, and mouth formed a small 'O' before in an almost defense tone they demanded, "What?"

"What are you doing?" she asked curiously, eyes starting to narrow when Trixie giggled. With a sigh she pursed her lips. "Are you feeding the dog? Stop feeding Lili, she's going to get fat."

"She's already fat," he innocently replied, wiping his hands on his shorts before running one over the top of her head between her overly large ears.

Trixie peeked around the table at the animal, "Because you feed her all the time."

The angel looked down at the huge black pathetic eyes staring up at him and stuck out his bottom lip. "Sorry Lilith, your human said no. I know, she's no fun. You miss Luci don't you? I do too. Pudding!"

Chloe startled at the random shout and arched a brow, "Pudding?"

"Yeah! You said you were making some for desert!" he excitedly rambled. "Did you?" he whispered, eyes as big as saucers.

It was hard to keep up with this man- angel sometimes. "Trixie and I made some for after dinner."

This answer seemed to at least mostly appease him. "I love pudding! Not tapioca. That's not pudding, that's something else. You kn-"

Trixie looked to her mom and back to Gabe when he stopped talking, seemingly frozen. "Gabe?"

The table, which had been filled with the noises of silverware on plates and light conversation, was eerily quiet; even Lilith was frozen, ears erect and tail still, eyes focused on the back door. Suddenly the angel's face lit up, eyes brightening and smile wide. "He's back!"

There wasn't a need to clarify whom he was talking about because there was only one person that had been missing from everyone's lives. The angel jumped up and ran to the back entrance, Lilith in tow, and after grabbing the handle stepped out onto the porch.

Chloe and Trixie hurried after him and waited, unsure of exactly how he was going to show up. With his wings he gracefully and silently appeared anywhere he wanted but this time he was coming all the way from Hell so it was unknown if he would appear in the house or wash up in the tide like he and Maze had years ago. The blonde's eyes scanned the beach, the full moon thankfully making it easy to see, and she sucked in a sharp breath when she saw a figure stumble out of the water, tripping a couple times and pushing himself back up. It was definitely Lucifer with his long legs and arms but there looked to be something wrong, his movements weren't fluid and his limbs looked heavy. She took a step forward and shouted, eyes widening when he began to fall forward. A sudden breeze blew her hair around her face and she saw Gabe was gone from the porch, reappearing only a millisecond later next to his sibling.

Lucifer began to slump, unable to keep himself upright but before he could fall face first into the dreaded sand two hands caught him and gently lowered him down on his back. His vision was blurred, ears popping from the rapid ascent, and he was so tired he was barely staying awake but he still managed a weak, "Gabe."

"Hi Sam!" he excitedly whispered. "Wait- sorry. Luci!"

Chloe ran over after instructing Trixie to stay on the porch, not knowing exactly what shape he was in. Unwillingly visions from his last return from Hell entered her mind and she swallowed down the bile at the thoughts, he had been barely alive. Once to him she dropped down on the gritty beach and after a quick look over him she grabbed Lucifer into a hug, ignoring the salt water soaking into her clothing and the sand biting into her knees. Her heart pounded, emotional breaths coming out unevenly and after a minute she pulled back and grabbed his face in her hands, gaze flickering over his features and unfocused eyes. "You're back," she shakily stated, pushing his hair off his forehead and smiling unsurely. He didn't respond fully, only offering a very weak smile and she looked to Gabe for reassurance.

"He's fine, it's not exactly a short trip I'm told. Plus you know with the demons and the Hell and the fighting and the whatever else is there that I have no idea about since no one will let me go down there even though I'm an archangel and why does Amen get to go there? Just because he's all broody doesn't mean anything and I know I'm a little bit shorter but I'm still a meany when I have to be," he rambled, fingers wrapped around his brother's arm.

Chloe nodded but it still bothered her that he wasn't fully coherent, that there were various cuts on his head and face, bruises both new and old on his skin, and a pained furrow to his brow. She pressed her forehead to his and ran her fingers down the stubble on his cheek. "You're home," she whispered, pressing her lips to his and closing her eyes in relief. He was cold, too cold for someone that ran hot, and she noticed the tremors starting to work their way through his muscles. Sitting up she looked at Gabe and took charge of the situation. "We need to get him inside, he's freezing."

Knowing Gabe had it covered she ran up the beach to Trixie and smiled happily, "He's home Trix but he's a little sick. We've got to get him warmed up. I need you to get all the blankets ok?"

With determination on her face Trixie set off on her task while Chloe ran up the stairs and turned up the heat before entering the bedroom to see Gabe trying to wrestle a limp Lucifer out of his damp and sandy clothing. She bit her lip at the angry marks across her boyfriend's torso, purple scars trying to rapidly heal, but for someone that had just been in Hell for the last two months he looked a lot better than the last time he had come back. Between the both of them they managed to remove each layer and get him under the covers, the Devil starting to shake more violently, teeth chattering and lips taking on a blue tint. Lilith trotted into the room and jumped up on the comforter, body draping over him as she released a soft whine and huffed, the tip of her tail timidly wagging.

"Can you do something to warm him up?"

Gabe shook his head, actually looking slightly concerned for once. "I know Hell's hotter than here but I don't know why he's so chilly willy Milli Vinilli." With a grin he sang, "Girl you know it's true. Oh, oh, oh, I love you." With a laugh he shook his head and finished his thought, smile falling until disappearing. Moving closer he pressed his palm against his brother's forehead and bit the inside of his cheek nervously. "He should be able to regulate that."

A giant pile of blankets with legs entered from the hallway and Gabe giggled at the sight, moving over and taking the linens from the tiny human, covering up Lucifer with them one by one after the dog shifted back a little.

Once relieved of all the weight Trixie finally got to see Lucifer and walked to the bed, climbing up and laying down on top of the covers facing him, small body scooting as close as she could. "Lucifer! Mom said you were in London again but I know you went to H-E-double hockey sticks because Gabe told me." She dropped her voice and whispered, "Mom says I can't say Hell."

Lucifer's lids slid open, eyes still unfocused, and he huffed a soft laugh at his tiny trouble maker. He wished he could properly see all these faces, could talk to them, but he was barely holding onto consciousness.

"Did you miss me?" she asked curiously, hand grabbing onto Lilith's paw and playing with her toes.

"Yes," he barely rasped before his lids slid closed again, so tired he didn't even move or comment when the dog licked the side of his head.

She smiled giddily, "I missed you too."

He didn't reply this time, instead just lying still as his breathing evened out, face relaxing further. Chloe looked at Gabe and internally smiled at the adoration on his young looking face, it was obvious how much he loved his brother. "Did you want to stay or?"

The angel turned and shook his head, "Naw, I'll see him tomorrow." With a happy wave and one more nervous glance at Lucifer he disappeared in the blink of an eye, leaving only the family of three in the room.

Chloe could have insisted Trixie go downstairs and get ready for bed but she knew she had missed him as well so instead she moved over next to her daughter and lay down, both their eyes trained on the man sleeping soundly. Trixie fell asleep not long after and Chloe managed to get her downstairs and into her own bedroom before returning upstairs and climbing under the covers. It was almost unbearably hot in the king sized bed with the blankets and the dog but when she reached out her hands to touch Lucifer's skin it was still frighteningly cold. Scooting closer she wrapped herself around him best she could and tried to find sleep, it difficult as he shivered against her well into the night.

Lucifer blinked a few times, eyes trying to adjust to the harsh sunlight after being stuck in the unrelenting dark for so long. He felt chilled yet comfortable, his bedding soft and familiar and he sucked in a breath of the clean air tinged with subtle smells he had missed tremendously. It took a while but his vision began to mostly clear, the blurry objects coming into focus one by one.

He was home.

A smile broke across his face, body fully relaxing for the first time in years, or just months on earth he supposed. His body ached and he forced himself to try to move, wanting to see the faces he had thought of every day since he left. The first face that met his wasn't necessarily the one he planned on but he was still thrilled nonetheless.

"Lilith, no!" he growled, trying to shove her away when she excitedly began to lick his face and climb on top of him, tail wagging at an alarming speed. "Don't! Get!" he tried before giving up and grabbing her into a hug, burying his hands and face in her fur. "I missed you too my little monster," he grinned. "Did you attack Chloe like I taught you? Did you cause as much chaos as you could?" A frown appeared as he squeezed her again, "Did you get fat?" The dog barked happily before jumping back and running from the room leaving him alone once more.

Lucifer moved to the edge of the bed and sat up, trying to get his bearings and rubbed at his eyes again, the sunlight affecting them badly. Opening them again he realized there was someone else here and smiled tiredly at the woman in the doorway. "Hello love."

Chloe stared at him from the doorway, toes curling in the carpet, and when he looked at her with those jet black eyes she hadn't been able to look into for the last eight weeks she couldn't contain herself any longer and ran towards him, knocking him back and smashing her lips to his. He didn't taste like she remembered, there wasn't bitterness from nicotine or sweetness from bourbon, instead he tasted like ash and something metallic. She pushed away her distracted thoughts and focused on the feel of him underneath her, the way his hands tangled in her hair before firmly sliding down over her shirt and settling on the dimples in her lower back.

Their breath was already near panting, hearts pounding, both wanting what had been denied for so long. Chloe sat up, crossing her arms and pulling her shirt over her head, her bra joining the rumpled pile of clothing already on the floor a moment later. Her pants were next and she stood to remove them, Lucifer beating her to it, fingers gripping her belt loops and thumbs catching her underwear to tug them down over her hips.

Lucifer wasn't about to let his bedmate take the lead his first time back so he quickly and effortlessly twisted her underneath him, moving them up onto the bed more and softly laughed at her surprised squeal. Impatience was obvious on both their faces and not wanting to wait any longer Chloe grabbed him snugly and pulled him close.

Not wanting to draw this out, just wanting him Chloe urged him to set a quick pace by digging her heels into his back, groaning when his left arm slid underneath her spine to hold her against him. Her light eyes held his, hands under his arms and wrapped around his shoulders, a small smile on her face. "Did you think about me every day?"

"Yes," he replied truthfully, kissing along her jaw up to her ear, his hot breath contrasting with his cold lips and making her shiver.

Her fingers slid to his head and she turned it to get to her favorite feature, his ears. Running her tongue over the outer shell she bit the very top of his left one, reveling in the whine that left his lips.

"Did you think about touching me?" she panted, hands threading in his hair and tugging, pleasure filling her with every thrust of his hips.

He nodded, momentarily forgetting how to speak. How he had ever had the strength to walk away from this woman was beyond him but he knew he never wanted to do it again. Finally able to string a couple words together he managed to wheeze, "Every night."

Chloe kissed him deeply once again before sucking on his bottom lip. "Me too," she breathily whispered and bit into his bottom lip hard enough to draw blood.

Lucifer was done for, hips stuttering, a broken 'Chloe' leaving his lips as his left arm tightened around her, face burying in her neck. She felt the warmth inside her, the slickness of his release between her thighs, and let out a fast breath as she clenched around him, hands still in his hair as he sucked on her pulse point.

Coming down from her high she lifted his head and smiled up at him, it falling a hair when she saw he looked to almost be in pain. Perhaps she had been too rough with him, but he seemed to enjoy it so what else could it be?

He dropped his head down and lazily slid his tongue along hers, pulling back after they both needed air.

"How's Hell?"

His right hand ran up and down her arm, goose bumps appearing in its wake and fingers hesitating a moment on her gunshot scar. "Mine once again. The traitors have been destroyed, the throne is waiting for my eventual return, and Maze is getting her rocks off punishing everything in sight." His eyes slid to the pillow underneath her head, "I checked on Michael."

The air suddenly felt a little bit thicker. "And?"

When he didn't look like he was going to answer she ran a hand over his hair and smiled reassuringly. His jaw ticked as his teeth ground together, eyes glowing softly. "And he'll be punished for all eternity unless I see fit to release him. Mazikeen is taking care of him personally, he'll get what he deserves."

Lucifer rolled off and lay down next to her, Chloe's hands tracing the numerous cuts on his skin once she sat up a bit. "You got pretty beat up didn't you?" she asked sadly.

Instead of an answer he pulled her closer and stared at the ceiling, trying to hold off the shivers trying to overtake him again. He knew why he was having a hard time adjusting to being back but Chloe didn't need to know or worry about it. "How's the hell spawn? And why is Lilith fat?"

The detective laughed, "Ask Gabe about Lili and Trix is good. She missed you, we all did. She's excited to see you after school today."

"Well of course you all missed me, who wouldn't?" he smirked. "And Gabe's been assisting with things? And Lux is running smoothly?"

She sighed in contentment and snuggled closer, "Lux is good, that guy you had run it while you were gone did really well. He's scarily focused, like weirdly so and- wait- He's not human is he?"

He chuckled, "No."

"How am I just now realizing that?" she wondered, dropping her face into her hands in embarrassment. "Anyway Gabe's good, he's been here almost every day since you left eating me out of house and home."

He nodded, pleased with what he was hearing. Chloe and the hell spawn had been his main concerns before leaving and Gabe had promised he would take care of them. He wasn't the most focused angel but if you could point him in the right direction he could usually stay on course. Amenadiel had also said he'd keep an eye on them but Lucifer felt much better about Gabe, there were trust issues between them still. "Why don't you go start the shower and I'll join you in a moment?"

There was something off about his tone but she didn't want to press with him having just gotten back last night. Instead of asking she filed away this small detail and slid off the bed and walked to the bathroom, smirking at Lucifer over her shoulder when his eyes watched her every movement.

As soon as the door closed and the water started Lucifer sat up with a groan and let out a small whine. Hell had been brutal, more of a fight than he and Maze had been prepared for and though they had won and power was restored he had taken a beating for most of the time. The worst had been two weeks ago when one of the last demons on their list to send to the Void had gotten the jump on a weary Lucifer and managed to break his left wing.

The pain had been excruciating, the damn thing having broken it right at the top where they unfolded. The unexpectedness of it had brought him to his knees and as soon as Maze heard his scream of pain she had massacred the demon and managed to get him back to safety. It was having a hard time healing and though Maze had stated he should stay and let it properly heal he had refused, wanting to come home. The flight had been agonizing, every flap making it worse until he couldn't do it any longer and ended up in the dark waters of the Pacific Ocean instead of the side yard at Chloe's house.

He knew he should tell Gabe, see if he could reset it or try to mend it but the little bugger would no doubt accidently tell Chloe and he didn't want the fuss, he just wanted to pick up where he left off and move on. Standing he grabbed onto the wall before he could topple over and counted to ten before trying to move. Without wings he healed just fine, but with them and having them damaged it impeded him. They were a great strength and a terrible weakness all in one. Because of the damage he couldn't regulate his body temperature, couldn't get his senses to adjust to earth again, couldn't get past his exhaustion and he knew he was going to have to tread carefully for a while.

Blowing out a steady breath he moved to the end of the bed and rolled his shoulders, barely holding in a cry of pain. He used the mirror inside the closet door and tried to inspect the damage, twisting his shoulders to better see them. "Bloody hell," he sighed, realizing just how much damage he had caused yesterday coming home. The bones were sticking out from the wound, feathers beginning to molt around the spot and dried blood pulled at the healthy plumage. Rolling his shoulders again he gritted his teeth and let out a harsh breath through his nose, the pain shooting through his shoulders and down his back.

Chloe smiled when he joined her under the warm spray and wondered why he looked so pale suddenly, he had been just fine a few minutes ago. "You ok?" she gently prodded, grabbing his hands and squeezing them.

"Just pleased to be out of that wretched ash filled wasteland," he replied easily.

Redirection. Something was definitely up with him and she knew she was going to have to keep a close eye on him, he wasn't the best at sharing things even with all the progress they had made. Moving aside she let him under the water and watched him closely for a hint of what was wrong but he wasn't giving anything away. He sill looked beyond exhausted, and if he were human it would seem like he was coming down with a cold except this was the Devil and as an immortal he was incapable of getting sick. His hands lifted to his face to scrub them up and down over his features and something caught her eye.

"Your ring," she pointed, grabbing his hand to inspect it. "The onyx is cracked."

Lucifer harshly jerked his hand away and stared at the ring with wide eyes, his mouth a thin line. Running his opposite thumb over it he could feel the small ridge. "So it is, I hadn't noticed."

"You've never told me why you wear that. I don't think I've ever seen you without it. Does it mean something?" she asked curiously.

He eyed it for another moment, his face tight, before dropping his hand. "You're very inquisitive today, let's put that mouth of yours to better uses."

"You perv!" she laughed, slapping his arm lightly and laughing. "I have to get ready for work, 'my boyfriend just got back from Hell' isn't a recognized excuse. Are you coming?"

"Not yet, you're still using your mouth to ask questions," he grinned devilishly.

With a wry smirk she stood on her toes and kissed him, "I have to get going and if you feel up to it it'd be nice to have you there. We have a new tech starting today."

He hummed and yawned widely, grabbing the soap to begin washing his hair. "I'll accompany you, I just need some bacon and a bottle of whisky first."

"Because the Devil runs on sins and alcohol?" she laughed.

He grinned. "Because the Devil runs on sins and alcohol."