This story takes place shortly after the events of the season finale and Boo Normal. If you want to know how we got between those two episodes, then check out my previous story, I am the Devil.

Nick opened up his phone and played the voicemail yet again, smiling at hearing his sister's voice, so familiar even after all this time. "Hi, Nick, can't wait to see you! It's been so long since we last spoke. How is everyone? Never mind, you can tell me when you see me. We've got so much to talk about!"

He listened again as his sister recited her address, although he had the whole message memorized. It had been such a shock to hear from her, but she seemed eager to make up for lost time. And he had to admit: he was curious to find out what his big sister had been up to all these years.

He double-checked his location: yes, this was it. An apartment complex - around a dozen apartments gathered around a courtyard that included a swimming pool. It looked like she was doing well for herself.

He found her apartment on the right of the courtyard, number 3. A tap at the door received no response, and he frowned. A glance at his phone confirmed that he was on time; where was she? Surely she wouldn't have forgotten - the sister he remembered was always on time, never forgot what she was supposed to be doing.

He tried knocking harder, and then stepped sideways to peer in the front window.

Was that her, lying on the sofa?

He returned to the door and started bashing at it and shouting his sister's name desperately.

"Is there something wrong?"

He turned to find a young man walking over to him. By the leaf skimmer in his hand and the overalls he wore, he did maintenance around the place. His earnest brown eyes looked concerned behind his black-framed glasses. "Yeah, my sister lives here. I'm supposed to be meeting her, but it looks like she's lying on the sofa, and she's not moving." He tried to control the fear that leaked out in his voice.

The pool guy peered through the window. "I see what you mean. Hold on, I'll get the key."

A couple of minutes later, he returned bearing the master key, and unlocked the door. Nick pushed past him and into the living room, where he found Sarah lying on the sofa, motionless. On the floor next to her lay an empty pill bottle.

"No!" Nick tried to revive her, but it was obvious she was long gone. "Why would she do this?" He looked wildly around her. "She wouldn't! This isn't real! Call the police, this is murder!"

When Detective Chloe Decker of the LA Police Department arrived, the forensic team were already hard at work, Ella Lopez taking photographs while another officer was dusting for fingerprints. A third member of the team was outside, checking the area around the apartments, while about half a dozen residents looked on and gossiped.

The apartment itself was tastefully furnished and decorated, a couple of landscapes hanging on the wall. The kitchen area was tidy and clean, a single mug sitting upside down on the drainer. In the living area, a man in his early twenties was slumped in an armchair, his eyes red-rimmed. Another man, dressed in overalls, stood beside him, looking as though he'd rather be elsewhere. A third, middle-aged and overweight, dressed in a suit that looked too small, hovered around in the background. He was wringing his hands and murmuring about how shocking it all was and how he couldn't believe it had happened in his building.

On the sofa lay the body of a woman, in her early to mid thirties, Chloe estimated. There was a family resemblance between her and the man in the armchair; both had the same blond hair and long, straight nose.

"Hi Chloe," Ella greeted her cheerfully. "Lucifer not with you?"

Chloe smiled at the young forensic scientist. "No, he's on his way." Chloe still hadn't got completely used to the fact that her partner really was the devil. Every time she thought of him it was with a sense of shock. He had been keeping his distance over the past couple of weeks since she had seen the truth, working more often with Dan than with her. In a way she appreciated the space he was offering her; in another way, she resented it. When he was near her, everything felt right. It was when he was away from her that the doubts and fears crept in.

"He's okay now, right? I really missed the guy when he was away."

But they'd been spending a lot of time together since his return, Chloe thought. "Yeah, he's fine. Fully recovered. Back to his usual self." The devil had bounced back in his usual inimitable fashion. It was Chloe who was struggling to come to terms with the fact that the man she loved was really the devil himself and the man she had nearly married had been the first murderer, cursed by God to roam the world forever.

Until Lucifer had killed him.

Chloe dragged her attention back to the case in hand. The man in the chair was sitting forward rubbing his hands over his face.

"Is it all right if I get back to work?" asked the man in overalls. He looked impatient rather than concerned.

"I just need to ask you a few questions," Chloe answered, taking her notebook and pen out. "Name?"

"Henry Davrell. I do the maintenance around here. When this guy started yelling for help I got the key from the office and let him in."

Chloe nodded. "All right, Mr Davrell. Once I have your details you're free to go for now. But don't disappear. We might have more questions."

He nodded, flashed a smile, gave her his contact information and then left, looking relieved to have escaped.

Turning back to the body, Chloe felt a wave of pity wash over her. "So she took an overdose?"

"No!" The man in the chair stood. "She's - she was - my sister. Sarah. I was coming to see her. She was looking forward to it, she said so. There's no way she would have taken her own life."

"So what do you think happened?" Chloe asked gently.

"Someone - someone must have made her do it." He waved his hands in the air helplessly. "Don't you see? She has a wonderful life here. She has a good job. She was just about to get back with her family. There was no reason for her to take an overdose."

Chloe looked at Ella, who shrugged. "We'll know more when we have the results of the post mortem," she said. "But I've seen nothing here that's inconsistent with her being on her own."

"Good morning everyone, did you miss me?" Lucifer breezed into the room, as ever convinced that the whole world was waiting for him. Not so surprising, Chloe supposed, considering who he really was. Somehow his behavior made more sense now she knew the truth.

"Nice of you to join us," she snapped, and even as she spoke she wondered why she was so short with him.

He just raised an eyebrow at her. "I came as soon as I could, detective."

And he was making her feel guilty already. She decided to ignore him, and turned her attention to the other man in the room, who introduced himself as Rafe Kirtley, the apartment manager.

"I came as soon as I heard what had happened," he said, mopping a damp brow. "When Henry came to ask for the key, I thought perhaps Miss Baker had got herself locked out. She did that sometimes. And then I heard this gentleman shouting for the police," he indicated the brother, "and so I thought I'd better come and see what was happening."

"Uhuh." Chloe made notes. He just couldn't resist coming to the scene of the crime, to be nosey. So many people just couldn't keep away, had to revel in the misfortune of others.

She looked up to see the deep brown eyes of her partner studying her closely. "Are you all right, detective?"

"I'm fine," she snapped. "Make yourself useful and see if Ella needs help." After all, they were best buddies these days. If that was all it was, she thought with a burst of anger.

She tried to ignore the hurt look in his eyes as he turned away. What was wrong with her this morning? She had been fine, and now suddenly she was in a foul mood.

Life had got so much more complicated since all that business with Pierce. That must be it. She brushed the thought off irritably and tried to focus on studying the crime scene. Although it looked at first glance like suicide, the brother's claims made sense, and they would treat it as suspicious circumstances unless and until they could prove otherwise.

Feedback always welcome! I do have this one mapped out, and hope to update around every three days with a new chapter.