For a long time, Chloe remained on the balcony, just staring blankly at nothing. What had even happened? Just a few short weeks ago she had been living an ordinary life, balancing the needs of her job and her child, and her biggest concern was the rather eccentric British man who had invaded her life and turned her feelings upside down.

And then she had seen Lucifer's devil face, learned that he was telling the truth when he told her he was the actual devil, and since then life had been crazy, with barely a moment to grasp one new revelation before another came along.

She had finally come to terms with the truth about Lucifer, and could finally see a way forward for them both, and now…

She sank into one of the seats on the balcony, her legs giving way as the last few hours caught up with her. Two thoughts chased themselves around her head, making her dizzy. She loved him. And he was gone.

After what felt like a lifetime, she stood and unsteadily made her way inside. She should go home, find Trixie.

Get back to normal life.

The penthouse was still in the mess that the demons had created, broken glass everywhere, furniture overturned, papers scattered. She found herself picking up a couple of books that lay in her path, and gently pushing glass fragments to one side with her foot. Maybe she should tidy up for him. She couldn't just leave it like this; when he came back…

If he came back.

This wasn't her responsibility. She supposed that Amenadiel would have to deal with it all. She put the books down on the desk, and placed the lamp back upright. Lucifer was gone. And she would never see him again. Her mind refused to move past that thought, and as though on autopilot she continued to tidy.

As she straightened the cushions on the sofa - the Italian leather settee, she corrected herself wryly - the fuzzy grey blanket lying on the floor next to it reminded her of that moment the previous night when she and Maze had found Lucifer napping. She picked the blanket up and ran her fingers over it. It reminded her of Trixie's baby blanket, and of the blanket that baby Charlie had been wrapped in. The texture conjured up feelings of being warm and safe and snuggled, and she sank down on the sofa and pulled it around her. Lucifer's unique scent still clung to it, a mixture of aftershave and musk, and just for a moment she felt his presence beside her. She buried her face into the blanket and sobbed.

When she awoke, the sun was beginning to creep into the penthouse, and she stretched and yawned, trying to remember why she was here.

He was gone.

The thought hit her like a slap. She had told him she loved him. She had begged him to stay. And he had left.

Her mind flashed back to Marcus. He had done the same to her, had run the moment she declared her love to him. And she had thought that had hurt.

This was a different level of hurt. It was like a splinter compared to a broken bone. It was like a cold compared to pneumonia.

It was like hurt pride compared to having her heart ripped out and shredded.

He couldn't have gone permanently. Surely he would return. She couldn't imagine life without him.

Chloe threw the blanket aside and jumped to her feet. She couldn't bear to sit still a moment longer, with thoughts of Lucifer running round her head. The mess around her struck her anew, and she hesitated, telling herself again that it was none of her business, but the thought of anyone else seeing it like this felt wrong, and she decided that she would do what she could to at least make it look halfway decent.

She struggled to set the heavy chair back upright, and found a piece of pink card underneath it. Stooping to pick it up, she frowned; it looked familiar. Turning it over, she found that it was one of Trixie's birthday party invitations. She smiled at the thought of Lucifer hanging out at the local pizza parlour with a bunch of ten year old girls, then found tears pricking at her eyes at the thought that he would not be there, would never hang out with them again.

What would Trixie say when she told her that Lucifer had had to go away? And that she didn't think he was coming back? She would be heartbroken. Guilt lanced through her as she thought about the babysitter. Trixie would be waking for school soon, and she should be home to take her.

But she couldn't face the thought of leaving the penthouse and walking back into her life. Instead, she continued methodically moving around the room, picking things up, putting things back into place, noting where broken glass lay scattered. One bottle had been smashed onto a rug - the splinters would be impossible to clear safely. She rolled the rug and placed it to one side, putting the larger shards in a pile. There should be cleaning materials somewhere. She stood and looked around, trying to work out where he would keep them. She knew there was a kitchen and other rooms downstairs, but surely he would keep stuff on this floor as well.

Ahah! Investigation of the cupboards under the bar on the back wall revealed a dustpan and brush, and a roll of garbage bags. She pulled them out. Turning back towards the mess in the room, an envelope caught her attention; it was propped up against a bottle of whiskey that was sitting there. On the front, written in an ornate hand that she recognised as Lucifer's, was her name.

With shaking hand, she picked it up. It contained a thick pack of typewritten papers, plus a sheet on top that was handwritten.

My dearest Chloe

By the time you find this, I will be gone. I'm sorry. I didn't want things to end this way. But I'm sure you'll understand that I have to do this. Returning to claim my place as King of Hell is the only way to ensure your safety. If I don't, then they'll return, and then not only you but all of humanity will be in danger.

Please take these papers to my lawyers. They'll know what to do with them.

The penthouse is yours, as is everything else that I own. I no longer need any of it, and you'll make much better use of it than my brother would. All I ask is that you keep an eye on Charlie and Linda. And tell Maze I'm sorry, but I'm sure she's better off here protecting them than coming with me, just in case. I think she's finally found her place.

I thought I had too.

Just please understand - I loved every moment I spent with you (a part from the betrayal bit of course).

Take care of the urchin, and that douche of an ex-husband of yours.

And give Ella a hug. You were always better at those than me.

Yours forever

Lucifer Morningstar