A/N I've had couple of really difficult days. So here I am writing, sorry folks. A bit of angst but hopefully a little more than that. The story came together from several short ideas I've been stuck with. Inspiration for some came from reviews on some Lucifer stories here on site – so thank you people!

Timeline – after Devil of my Word – yep, another post finale story. And I haven't seen the two bonus episodes.

It was 5AM and Chloe Decker found herself sitting by her desk at the precinct. There was nobody there, the whole place was deserted, quiet, dark. It suited her just right. She wasn't really working, she was just sitting there – just existing.

It shocked her when she realized somebody had been watching her. She looked up to find Ella Lopez there with curious look on her face.

"What are you doing here so early?"

"Good morning to you too, Ella."

"Morning, Chloe." And her face softened.

"I couldn't sleep."

"Again?"

"I don't want to talk about it, really." Chloe told her seriously. But Ella being Ella didn't back away without saying something.

"How long has it been, huh?"

"Three weeks."

"Three weeks. And you still haven't talked to him?"

"No."

"Maybe you should. Maybe it's what you need so you can finally get some sleep. Think about it."

Ella left her sitting there.

Chloe watched her go and sighed. Three weeks. It has been three weeks since she has seen Lucifer for the last time. Three weeks since her ex-fiancé died after he wanted to kill her. Three long agonizing weeks since her world has basically fallen apart and she had no idea about what to do with it.

She feared she would be having nightmares about what she had seen – the red fiery face, all those scars and burns, all the pain. But there were none. Not even about his eyes – whenever she thought about him she saw him as she knew him before. She could see his handsome face, chocolate eyes, nothing red and scary. But when she was awake and thinking it was all different.

She spent the last weeks thinking about everything that has ever been said and done between her and him. And her mind would play tricks and sometimes it was the Lucifer she knew, the man. And there were other times when her memories shifted and she saw Lucifer the devil instead and re-lived them with that image.

More than anything she felt sad and lonely.

After Charlotte's funeral Dan took Trixie for a trip. They've been gone for two weeks and would be coming home in few days. They both needed some time away from everyone and everything. And if she was to be honest with herself, she needed that time as well. She loved her daughter but this time she needed to be alone.

But with each passing day she became surer of one thing – she missed him. She missed Lucifer. The last time she saw him was at the crime scene. Then she got a letter from him. Short and simple. He just asked her if she was okay and asked her to tell him how she would like to handle the statements regarding the shooting. He didn't want to cause any troubles so he offered her a way out.

Chloe kept that letter by herself. She loved the handwriting, the colour of the ink, the smell of it, she loved the paper and how it all looked, it was personal, intimate in a way, so much better than email or text. How come people never wrote letters anymore?

She replied in the same way – by hand. She sent him her own statement and let him write his own. It was the first time in her career when she did something like that – and hopefully the last time. But with all the consequences around Marcus' death and the files Charlotte had on him she couldn't afford to draw more attention to the case.

Ella and Dan had a lot of questions back then but soon gave up. And now the new Lieutenant was coming, their life was back to normal. Well, almost.

But what she told Ella was truth. She couldn't really face Lucifer as she didn't know how.

Chloe worked the last two cases on her own and she hated it. But she couldn't really afford to call Lucifer and ask him for help as she was unable to talk to him on personal level and she very much doubted they could work together like that.

That day she got a new case to work. It was marked as top priority. Murdered child in the middle of nowhere. These cases were always tough to go through but also made people even more determined to find the killer. Chloe was personally invested in it as the girl was the same age as Trixie. She just needed to get that bastard no matter what.

She also knew that with case like this she should call Lucifer as his input was sometimes so unique, so different from all the others, that it could point her to the right direction so she could get the case closed very quickly. But how could she?

She met Ella at the crime scene and saw her friend being very distressed. Well anyone would be distressed at such sight.

Chloe suddenly remembered something Lucifer said the last time they worked such case together. He said he hated those as they made him face the worst people from Earth. He said he would personally deal with them in the depths of hell before handing them over to his best demons. She thought it was a joke, like everything else, but it was true.

A lot of things made sense now and a lot of things didn't at all. She knew that what she really needed would be to talk to him. But how?

She thought about calling Linda but wasn't really ready to talk about it. Besides she got a text from Linda – telling her she could call anytime. So Linda knew. Of course she knew, Lucifer had told her before and feared he had broken her. Chloe recalled that. But she wasn't ready to talk about it.

The day went by and she started to gather information about the victim.

When she got back to the precinct Ella basically dragged her to her lab and closed the door – and shut the blinds.

"Ella what is it?"

"Something I've been working on for about... well three weeks." Ella said and was very nervous.

"What?" Chloe didn't understand.

"Look, I know you had your reasons why you said what you said after Pierce got killed. And we didn't ask for more because clearly it was pointless."

"Ella what have you done?" Chloe was getting worried now.

"They had cameras there."

"What? Where?"

"At that loft where Pierce tried to kill you. They had cameras there as some of those paintings there were actually quite expensive."

"How do you know?"

"Well I collected evidence, what did you think?"

"When did you get it?"

"Back then. It was a video and there was everything that happened." Ella said and watched all the colour leave Chloe's face before Chloe had to sit down.

"So you know..." Chloe whispered.

"Yeah." Ella agreed and sat down next to her.

"And I totally get why you can't sleep girl." Ella added.

"Why are you telling me about the video now?"

"Because the feed was damaged. But as it was all digital I asked a friend to help me a bit and we've been working on it..."

"And now you have it ready."

"It was ready before but it was missing the audio. Now it's complete. And I think you should watch it." Ella said and gave Chloe USB drive.

"I have already seen it and... just. Chloe you have to watch it yourself." Ella told her seriously and felt very sorry for putting her friend through it. Although she knew it was for the best.

"Ella... can you... would you... would you watch it with me?" Chloe asked and at first Ella was about to say that she should watch it alone but then she realized that her friend was clearly upset and worried. So she reached over to give her a hug and agreed.

And so they left together.

Back home Chloe turned on the tv and plugged the USB drive in. Ella watched her from a little distance, giving her some privacy.

"Where does it start?"

"You can skip the beginning, it's just Pierce and his men preparing themselves."

"All right."

And so she pressed the button on her remote watching her ex-fiancé and his gunmen getting ready to kill her and her partner. It hurt to see that man again but not as much as it should given their previous relationship.

Then suddenly there she was with Lucifer stepping into the loft.

Both women watched the feed and both gasped the moment Chloe took the shot. It surely looked like she was dead on the spot. Ella watched her friend and all the emotions on her face, the way her hands were fidgeting with the hem of her blouse before she gripped the edge of the couch.

And then it happened. On the screen Chloe watched Lucifer hold her close to him and before she could blink suddenly his wings appeared and covered them both. She was taking short sharp breaths unable to take the deep ones. Her heart was hammering in her chest and silent tears were rolling down her face.

Lucifer's agonizing painful screams were cutting into her heart and she felt it bleed. She saw his magnificent wings being shot multiple times as he was protecting her and the noise from all the bullets was deafening. Chloe wasn't sure when it started but she was openly crying, in shock and in pain.

Lucifer suddenly disappeared with her in his arms. People on the screen didn't seem surprised. Chloe gasped.

"What happened?" She looked at Ella in panic.

"Well I'm no expert but I'd say he took you away."

"Oh my... that's how..." Chloe's head was throbbing and memories were rushing back with a force of a tsunami.

"How what?"

"That's what I didn't tell you. I remember being shot and then I woke up in Lucifer's arms on a helipad. And then he was gone again."

"He used his wings..." Ella understood and Chloe nodded after a moment.

Before they could continue with their conversation there was a loud crashing sound coming from the tv. Chloe looked back at the screen and saw Lucifer with his bloody wings standing there in the loft fighting with the gunmen.

"I'd say this is how hell breaking loose looks like." Ella said and Chloe couldn't disagree. It was scary.

"He was all alone..."

"Yes." Ella answered and let Chloe watch the rest of the tape.

They both felt with Lucifer as he folded his broken wings. And they were shocked when they saw Lucifer getting shot – and not bleeding at all. The holes were in his shirt but he was still standing. The look on his face gave away all his emotions and feelings. Chloe knew him well enough to understand why he was so driven back then. Little voice in her head was telling her that he was like that because of her – because he cared. But she silenced that voice as she wanted to see what had happened while she was away.

And to be honest she wanted to see everything because things were kind of blurry for her and this could help. She decided to ignore her tears as she couldn't stop them. They were for Lucifer and his pain, for the fear and anguish, they were for her and the bullet that was meant to end her life, they were for Marcus as well. She knew she was a mess but she just needed to see. And needed to hear – as she wouldn't tell a living soul but she missed Lucifer's voice.

'There's no point. The detective's a safe distance away now." Lucifer told Marcus.

'Ah, that's good. I came prepared. As I recall this can kill you pretty well.' Marcus replied and showed them one of Maze's blades.

'A fair fight it is, then, Cain."

And the fight started. Marcus attacked Lucifer and he easily held him off.

Adjusting his cufflinks he said with a cold smile 'Someone's been working out.' And it amused him clearly.

The moment the blade cut through Lucifer's jacket and hurt his shoulder there was anger in his eyes and as he seemed to have the upper hand in the fight he seemed dangerous. They fought some more before Lucifer said 'I promised you that I would find a way to kill you' and with considerable effort he turned Marcus' hand and stabbed him with the blade.

Marcus lied on the ground, blood seeping from him.

'I am a devil of my word' Lucifer said triumphantly and there was no doubt he meant every word.

'Is Chloe okay?' Marcus suddenly asked and Lucifer chuckled. 'She's fine. No thanks to you.' He replied and didn't really understand why Marcus would ask as he just shot her.

Marcus was lying on the ground, in pain, exhaling sharply.

'Now that I know I'm dying, I don't know what I was so afraid of... I'm going to Heaven.' Marcus said with a smile. The thought clearly calmed him.

When Lucifer bent down to be closer to him he said 'You really believe that' and there was this strange gleam in his eye and the way he held himself that made him look ... different.

'I told you Lucifer, I don't regret anything I've done.' Marcus replied.

'Yes, but that was before you killed Charlotte Richards.' Lucifer clarified – the way he would when he was explaining something to someone who had it all wrong. He was enjoying telling him that.

'No' Marcus denied him. 'No, that was an accident.' He confessed.

'Well, you pulled the trigger. You ended her life. You chose to kill her.' Lucifer told him and watched him squirm and look at him with fear.

'Oh deep down you know you're a monster. And that you belong in Hell where you will torture yourself with that truth for eternity.' Lucifer added, his face turned away from the camera. Whatever had been happening made Marcus laugh.

'Cause no matter what you tell yourself, you can't outrun what you've done. What you truly are.' And he wanted to pull the dagger out? But Marcus didn't let him and with laugh that seemed crazy and full of madness he told Lucifer 'And neither can you.'

At that Lucifer's face was on fire and Marcus died.

'Lucifer' Chloe came back down the stairs.

'Lucifer' she called him again as he was standing up by Marcus' body.

Lucifer turned around and exhaled, relieved to see her, clearly unaware of his change.

'It's all true.' Chloe said and it caught him by surprise as he asked 'Detective?' not so sure about himself anymore.

'It's all true' Chloe repeated with eyes wide open. Chloe took few steps back and had to sit down.

'Chloe...?' Lucifer asked and then caught a reflection of himself in a mirror. He closed his eyes and with exhaustion catching up on him he fell down to his knees. Chloe was still just watching him, not even daring to blink.

Lucifer suddenly clutched his arm and grunted in pain. He looked at Chloe and asked her 'Do you know how to pray, Detective' and looked at her as she was not responding at all. He had to brace himself against the floor when he added 'please, call my brother.' And with that he fell down completely losing consciousness.

Chloe was watching him her face not giving up any clues. Suddenly Amenadiel appeared, in a tunic of some sort with magnificent pair of wings on his back.

He stopped before Chloe and looked at her with concern.

'Chloe? Did you just called me? It sounded urgent. Serious. Are you all right?' He said and she finally looked up.

'Help him, please.' She said softly and hugged her knees close to her chest with few tears on her face. She kept on watching Lucifer.

Amenadiel turned and saw his brother lying down.

'Oh Luci...' He said. Then he noticed Cain's dead body and the other bodies around the area. Then he picked up one broken feather covered in blood and looked back down at his brother.

The video seemed to be broken as suddenly there was nothing – no Amenadiel, no Lucifer, no feathers.

Chloe stopped the feed as she knew that other would come soon and she didn't have to relive that.

"Is the feed damaged?" She asked Ella without turning to face her.

"No. I tried to dig in and it seems the time was slowed down."

"What?"

"I don't know how much you know about angels and such... but they do have powers. And it seems Amenadiel here can slow down time. I tried playing it in a slow motion and it worked. Do you want to see?"

"Just tell me." Chloe asked her and finally turned away from the screen that made little sense to her.

"He gathered all the feathers to a pile and set them on fire. There was nothing left. Not even ash. Then he picked up Lucifer like he weighted close to nothing and then he was just gone." Ella came closer to Chloe and just had to ask.

"Did you really pray to him?"

"I ... I thought about it but didn't know how so I just did my best."

"And it worked. Now there is no evidence pointing to something divine happening. And Lucifer got away before the cavalry arrived. I just don't understand how he was suddenly bulletproof."

And it had Chloe thinking and there was a particular memory of him telling her that she made him vulnerable. She looked up and with a sad quivering smile she had the answer her friend was seeking.

"I make him bleed."

"What? Come on Decker, it's not that bad." She tried to argue, not really understand the point Chloe had.

"No, you don't get it. When I am around he can get shot. He's mortal. When I am not around he's... like this."

"That's why he wanted you to leave in the beginning."

"Yes. And that's why his wings... oh Ella his wings..." Chloe said and without a warning she started sobbing, crying all her pain out of her chest.

Ella didn't hesitate for a moment and drew her friend into her arms.

"Shh... it's okay. Let it go, let it all go..." She whispered into her hair and held her as she cried. It was long overdue and she truly needed it.