Disclaimer: Lucifer belongs to DC Comics and Fox.

AN: Pretty sure I'm not the only one with a broken heart after that mid-season finale. I think we all need a story like this. Enjoy!

Chloe bit her lip in anticipation as the lift climbed slowly up to the penthouse. She wondered if she should've called first, but liked the idea of surprising Lucifer. It was why she'd requested to be let out early from the hospital when everything looked OK.

She wondered if things were moving too fast between them. They'd only shared their first kiss a few days before, and sex was… Well, it was a big leap. For her anyway.

But then again, they'd known each other for months. There was something real between them. It didn't even feel like a leap; it felt like the next logical step.

There was a ding, and the doors opened before Chloe stepped out. She wasn't sure what she expected to see; Lucifer sat at his piano, smoking on his balcony, drinking at his bar…

The last thing she expected to see was several white sheets covering the furniture.

Not all of them were done; the couch was only half covered and the piano was still bare, with its sheet lying on the floor next to it. But the entire setting laid out before her told her one thing, and it was something that gave birth to a sick feeling in her stomach.

Lucifer was leaving.

The smile left her face and her giddiness evaporated into nothing. After everything they'd been through…after finally getting somewhere meaningful with their relationship…after saving her life and expecting nothing in return…he was just going to leave? Just like that?

She was reminded suddenly of some months before, when she'd confessed to him that he made her vulnerable. The confession had resulted in him hiding away for three weeks, avoiding all contact with her and then acting weird when she finally sought him out for a case. He'd insisted that her confession hadn't been the reason for his avoidance, but she wasn't so sure.

Every time she made a confession or pushed their relationship further, he always seemed to pull away from her.

Was he afraid of commitment? She knew there were issues, deep down. His parents were apparently divorced, and from what she heard neither were the greatest of role models. He was in therapy, no doubt for a reason. It was why she was always patient with him and tried not to push him; people like him needed support, not criticism.

But what she was seeing before her… It was different. He'd promised her they would talk about their relationship, and instead, he was running. And she deduced that he'd been planning on leaving without saying goodbye.

Lucifer took that moment to appear from his room. He was dressed in his usual attire, and if the room didn't look the way it did, Chloe would think he was just getting ready for another night in his club. But it was clear from his body language that he was making preparations to leave; the way he kept looking around the room, muttering to himself…

It took him a few moments to realize that Chloe was there, and he froze. His eyes widened, and he stared at her like a deer in the headlights. Obviously hadn't been planning on saying goodbye.

"Detective…"

Chloe held his gaze, showing him just how unhappy she was, before gesturing to the room. "What is this?"

He never lied to her. He'd promised her that he wouldn't. She wondered if he'd keep that promise.

To his credit, he managed to hold her gaze, but he looked uncertain. His mouth opened and closed as if he was debating what to say. Then the uncertainty faded and determination took its place. Cold determination. "I need to leave."

"You…need to leave?" Maybe something had come up. Maybe there was an emergency somewhere, a family emergency, and he needed to leave in order to sort it out? He was always secretive about his family, hiding them behind metaphors about God and Angels and being the Devil… "Why? And were you planning on telling me this?"

He looked down, avoiding her gaze. It was body language he adapted whenever he didn't want to tell the truth, but couldn't lie to her. Meaning that the answer to the question was 'no', and he wasn't about to tell her why he was leaving.

The hurt was stronger than she'd thought it would be, but she wasn't surprised by the pain. She'd let her guard down for him; decided to take a leap and give love another shot. She let herself be vulnerable around Lucifer because she'd thought he'd never hurt her. But that was exactly what he was doing: hurting her. In a way she never thought him capable of. It was what she'd feared, and that hurt even more.

"I'm sorry, Detective," he said instead of replying. He always called her that; Detective. But after their shared moment the other day, he'd started calling her by her given name in private and off-duty. Chloe. A good indicator of the obvious shift in their relationship. The fact that he'd gone back to her title… "You should leave."

And he was telling her to leave. No explanation, no answers; just telling her he was leaving, admitting to avoiding a goodbye, and saying she should go.

Anger started to boil. Enough was enough. She'd been in the dark for too long.

"No." Before Lucifer could protest, she walked past him into the main living area. She then tossed the blanket that half covered the couch onto the floor and took a seat, her gaze levelled at her partner in a challenge. "I want answers, Lucifer. No more avoiding the subject, no more hiding things from me. I want you to come clean with me, because I can't do this anymore. I can't be patient with you. I can't live with the fact that you don't trust me enough to be completely honest with me."

"And you won't have to live with it." He followed her across the room, but didn't sit beside her; he didn't even get that close to her. "I'm leaving, Detective. And I have no intention of coming back. You can be rid of me and all my nasty secrets I'm keeping from you. What's the point of all this if I'm removing the problem by removing myself?"

Chloe couldn't believe what she was hearing. Lucifer was leaving…for good. She felt her heart stop and vowed silently that she wasn't leaving his penthouse until she convinced him to stay. "I don't want you to leave! Don't you want to talk about this? Do I even…get a choice?" She rose quickly to her feet, facing him head on.

He barked a laugh, and it sounded almost sinister. "Choice. What a lie that turned out to be. I thought I made a choice; I thought I chose to come up here, but apparently, it was all orchestrated. Choice is life's great lie, Detective. None of us get to choose anything. We're all puppets, and my Father is the puppeteer. He forces us to play His game, and then He expects us to be grateful for it."

Riddles. Metaphors. Or maybe it was just nonsense. Whatever he was talking about, she was tired of it. "So you'd rather leave and run away from your problems instead of confide in me? I can help you, Lucifer. I can be there for you. What is so awful that you have to hide it from me?"

"Oh, you really have no idea, Detective." The sound of his voice and the look in his eyes… There was a sense of danger that set off alarm bells in Chloe's mind, but she refused to back down. "I couldn't tell you before because I didn't want to scare you. I didn't want to lose you. But I suppose I never really had you to begin with. And since I'm leaving and I won't see you again, there's no harm in showing you. It might actually convince you not to try and find me."

She was about to ask him what he meant; ask him what he was talking about. But then there was a flash, and Chloe's voice died in her throat as her entire worldview was turned on its head.

Lucifer's handsome face had transformed into a red, charred burn-victim nightmare. His hair was gone, replaced with nothing but smooth skin, and his eyes…

They were like flames. Red, burning, intense and glowing…

Her breath caught in her throat and she couldn't take her eyes off him. She realized with a start that she was staring at the face of the Devil.

He hadn't lied to her. Lucifer Morningstar, her partner, her best friend, was the Devil himself.

She took a step back and hit the couch, causing her to collapse back onto it. Her breathing came out ragged and uneven as she tried to keep herself under control; tried to keep herself from having a panic attack. She could hear her heartbeat thundering in her ears, like a machine being worked too hard.

"No…" Her brain was in overdrive as she tried to comprehend what she was seeing. All at once she was connecting dots – thinking back to everything she'd seen and finally understanding how he had done it and what it all meant – and realizing that everything he'd told her was real. It was all real; the Devil, Hell, Heaven, Angels, Demons, God…

Everything… Oh… He… This… Shit… She sunk her nails into the couch, attempting to ground herself before she lost it completely. My partner… He's…

"Once you're done going catatonic, the elevator's over there. Feel free to run screaming towards it." Lucifer's words brought her back to the present moment, and she noticed that his…other form was gone, and he looked like himself again. Or rather, he looked like how he always presented himself to her. His…other form was the true him. Probably. Maybe. Unless it was scarier and that was just the kid friendly version…

Her head hurt.

Chloe forced himself to look at him, really look at him. His face was the same shape as it was in his true form. She imagined it again – that red horror story of a face – despite her fear, and placing it over her Lucifer's face, it fit. If she dipped him in fire or lava, he would come out looking as she'd just seen him.

It was still Lucifer.

His eyes were dark and stared down at her with that cold determination she'd seen in him before, but…there was something else in them.

Sadness.

Before she had the chance to look further, Lucifer suddenly turned and bolted into his room. Like he couldn't stand to look at her any longer.

Like he couldn't bring himself to watch her flee.

And she almost did. With the face of the Devil clear in her mind, Chloe felt the urge to run from the room, the penthouse, the building, and never return. But Chloe Decker was an officer of the LAPD, her father's daughter, and she'd never been one to run from anything, let alone her best friend. Even if said best friend was actually the Devil.

Instead she pushed his true face from her mind and focussed on the one she had come to know. The one that had stared down at her with an expression of resolve, wanting to never see her again.

The one that had, for a moment, shown sadness. And possibly regret, along with a whole number of other emotions she couldn't even begin to name.

Did he expect her to run? To fear him? I couldn't tell you before because I didn't want to scare you. I didn't want to lose you. That was what he'd said moments before showing her, and she honestly couldn't blame him. If he'd shown her early on in their friendship, like the moment in the warehouse where she'd shot him, when his wings were stolen, perhaps even when Malcom shot him, she feared that she wouldn't have taken it well.

He's still Lucifer, she told herself. He'd been the Devil all along, and yet, he'd done so much for her. He helped her when no one else would, supported her, saved her…

Many times. When Jimmy shot her, when that restaurant caught fire, when Malcolm tried to kill her, and then there was him finding the antidote in time to stop the poison from killing her. That's why I came here. Not just to talk about our relationship, but to ask him how he saved me. Only the Professor knew the formula for the antidote, and he's…

Realization hit her. Professor Carlisle is dead. The antidote formula died with him. He killed innocent people, so there's no doubt he went to Hell…

That meant one thing. But she had to know for sure.

Chloe leapt to her feet and crossed the penthouse to Lucifer's bedroom. She stopped in the threshold when she saw Lucifer sat on the bed with his head in his hands, and for a moment she was startled by how…broken he looked. But then he looked up and his gaze met hers, and she had to ask before he said anything.

"Did you go to Hell?"

He blinked. "What?"

"Did you go to Hell for me?" she asked again. "The formula for the antidote could only be found in one place, and that was Carlisle's head. But he died. He slit his throat right in front of me. And since he wasn't exactly the most pleasant person to be around, there's only one place he'd go: the place you used to rule. So, tell me…did you go to Hell to save me?"

Lucifer still looked utterly baffled. It was like she'd asked the hardest question in the world. "Why are you still here?"

Oh. He was confused because she hadn't run, like everyone else who'd seen his face probably had. "Because Devil or not, you're still you. You're still my partner and my friend. You never lied to me, and honestly, I'm kicking myself for not realizing sooner, because all the clues were there and I'm a Detective for crying out loud…" She stopped herself when she realized she was getting off-topic. "Look, it doesn't matter. Please answer the question, Lucifer."

"Of course I went to Hell," he replied, still staring at her in disbelief. "It was the only way to save you. And it was simple, really. I had Maze use one of those electrical devices to stop my heart – but then she wouldn't do it so I had to do it myself – and then Linda brought me back once I had the formula-"

"Wait." Chloe backtracked. "Your heart…stopped."

You didn't die, after all. That makes one of us. His voice echoed in her ears. She hadn't paid much attention to his words before; she'd just woken up and was so happy to see him, plus she was used to him saying strange things that didn't make sense…

But putting two and two together…

"Yes, Detective, my heart stopped," he explained nonchalantly. As if it meant nothing. "Our hearts have to stop in order to die, and I needed to die so I could go down to Hell. How else was I supposed to get down there? Taking an Uber would've been easier, but I don't think they cater that far."

He died for me. Died. And he went back to the one place he swore he'd never go again. "You died…for me…"

"How many times do I have to repeat myself? And how else did you expect me to get into Hell without dying?"

"You're the Devil…I thought…"

"What, I'd have magic teleportation powers?" His eyebrows rose. "No. Normally I'd fly, but I cut off my wings and burned them so that wasn't an option. I suppose burning them was a bit rash…"

He died for me. The Devil died to save me. She couldn't say anything, so decided to let actions speak for her and leapt forwards, falling onto his lap as her arms wrapped around him and pulled him close. She felt him go still like he had before, but she didn't care. "You literally went through Hell for me."

"Yes. Your point?"

How can he be so nonchalant about this? Does he really not get how amazing this is? She pulled back a little to look at him, sat sideways on his lap with her arms resting around his neck. "There's this saying, that friends go through Hell for each other, or if you care about someone you say that you'd go through Hell for them. It's kinda literal in your case."

He stared at her, and Chloe saw the awe in his eyes, though he was trying to conceal it. "You're really not afraid of me, are you?"

"Sorry to disappoint." She shrugged.

"Pity." He sighed. "Now I'll have to find another way to scare you off."

That reminded her of what they'd been arguing about before the reveal. "Why do you want me to leave? Why were you even going to leave in the first place?" She slid off his lap and stood facing him.

"Think about it, Detective." He rose to his full height. "You know now that I have "magic" powers. I have irresistible charms and I can draw out people's innermost desires. Aren't you even the slightest bit curious as to why my powers don't work on you? Or how about why the immortal Devil can be hurt whenever you're around?"

Chloe frowned. She hadn't thought about that. "And I suppose you know the reason?"

"It's a recent development," he told her. "But yes. It turns out that my Dad orchestrated your existence."

"What?" She could only stare at him. "What does that even mean?"

"By any chance, were your parents having trouble with creating a spawn of their own?"

A sick feeling of dread crept up inside her. "There were some…infertility issues, yeah. Their doctor said they had only a one in a million chance of conceiving a child. When I was little, they…they always called me their little miracle…because that's what I was. A medical miracle."

"You're a very literal miracle baby, Chloe Decker," Lucifer explained. "Your parents were blessed by God. It was actually Amenadiel himself who performed the blessing. He met your mother in a bar some thirty-five years ago. There's photographic evidence, and everything."

Her head was starting to spin again. How much more of this can I take? "What are you saying, Lucifer?"

"I'm saying that you were never meant to exist," he replied. "My Father made you and specifically put you in my path. In creating you from His blessing, He made certain that my powers wouldn't affect you, and that I would become vulnerable in your presence. This is all part of His plan; His game! We're puppets, Detective! What happened between you and me isn't even real!" There were angry tears forming in his eyes. "And that's why I'm leaving! Because I won't dance to His tune any longer. I won't be a pawn in His game. Is having the free will to choose so much to ask for?"

Did you know? This whole bloody time, did you know? The words he had yelled at her, sounding so broken, had been lost in her fear and focus on the blood pouring out of her nose. But there were no longer any distractions, and she could think about what his words meant. Does he think I'm behind it, too? "I…I didn't know…"

"I know you didn't," he assured her. "Who would want to be a willing pawn?"

Pawn…puppets… I've been nothing but a puppet? A manipulation from his Father? I wasn't meant to exist. Her breathing became heavy again. If I was never meant to exist… All those cases would've been unsolved, all those killers would've gotten away with what they did… Dan never would have met me… Trixie never would've been born…

"I…I was…" She felt her knees give out.

Lucifer's arms were instantly around her and he held her against him. "Easy, Detective." He steered her in a circle and lowered her onto the bed. "Deep breaths."

"Why?" she asked desperately, wanting to search for some meaning in her existence. "Why would He do this? Why create me?"

"I don't know," Lucifer admitted. "Amenadiel was never told why. Back then he never asked questions; just did as Father asked. He's only recently starting to grow a spine."

"I think…I need…" She couldn't calm herself down no matter how hard she tried. "This is too much." And now my head's spinning. Her palm went to her forehead as dizziness overtook her.

Her friend noticed immediately and gently eased her into a laying position. "Why don't you lie down and I'll call for some help?"

"No more hospitals," she mumbled. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"I know. I meant some therapeutic help. Linda will know what to do." He removed his phone from his pocket and began texting.

"Linda knows?" But even as she asked, she recalled his words from a few weeks back; saying that Linda had shut him out, how he'd "broken" her.

"Yes, of course. Her reaction to my ugly parts is what turned me off the idea of showing you. I didn't want you turning into a useless, babbling lunatic, which is what she was after she finally let me back into her office." He continued texting.

Chloe closed her eyes and tried to think of something else. Anything else. She needed to keep her mind distracted until Linda arrived.

She tried thinking of Trixie and what they could do at the weekend, but thinking of her daughter only reminded her that said daughter wasn't meant to exist as much as her. She tried thinking about her mother and the convention she was attending across the country, but that only reminded her that Penelope had met Amenadiel years ago, and she wondered if her mother would even recognize him if she met him again.

No matter what she tried thinking about, her thoughts always led back to the matter at hand. It was getting harder and harder for her to hold it together, and more than anything she wanted Lucifer to sit by her side, hold her, and tell her that everything was going to be OK.

But she couldn't ask that of him. Not when the revelation was affecting him just as badly, if not worse. The manipulation had apparently been for him, after all.

An uncertain amount of time passed before Chloe heard the elevator ding, signalling Linda's arrival. She heard the older woman talk with Lucifer for a few minutes, and with a surge of determination, Chloe pushed herself upright. If she didn't move soon, she doubted that she'd ever get up again.

It took some effort to stand up, but she managed. She walked slowly into the main area of the penthouse and saw Linda sat on the couch with Lucifer stood beside her. They both turned towards her, and while Lucifer looked hesitant, Linda just gave her an encouraging smile.

"Hi," was all Chloe could manage before she crossed over to them and sat down next to the therapist.

"It's good to see you feeling better, Chloe," said Linda. "Lucifer explained everything to me. First off, welcome to the club. I must say, you're taking this a lot better than I did. The part about Lucifer being the Devil, I mean."

Lucifer impatiently rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes. She took it almost unnaturally well. And yes, she'll probably be attending our next Celestial Planning Session. Now can we focus on the matter at hand?"

"OK." Linda nodded. "So, to recap in order to wrap my brain around this: God created Chloe by sending Amenadiel down to bless her parents, thus enabling them to have a child. This unconventional creation led to her being able to…suppress Lucifer's abilities?"

"You could say that, yes," said the Devil in question.

Linda nodded again. "So, God put Chloe in Lucifer's path purposely, and now the two of you are wondering if your relationship is real?"

"And realizing that I was born just so I could grow up and meet Lucifer isn't exactly comforting," said Chloe.

"Then we'll focus on you first, Chloe." Linda turned to fully face her. "How do you feel about all this? Take your time. There's no need to rush."

It took nearly a minute for Chloe to put her thoughts and feelings into words. "I guess I feel like that guy in Stranger Than Fiction. I feel…manipulated. Violated, even. I don't know if anything about my life is in my control. And…" She looked to Lucifer and suddenly realized why it was hurting her so much. Sure, she still felt violated and manipulated, knowing that her entire life was just an orchestration, but there was something else…

"And…?" Linda said, vocally giving her a gentle nudge.

Chloe looked down at her lap and said, "I'm scared that I was created specifically to hurt Lucifer. He's vulnerable around me. He can be killed whenever I'm nearby. And he has died. Twice. If that's my purpose…then I'd rather die."

There was a rush of wind and suddenly Lucifer was beside her, his hands gripping hers tightly. Daring to meet his eyes, she saw raw fear in their depths. And also surprise, most likely at her words. "Don't you dare die on me, Detective. I've already gone through enough trouble to save you. If I have to storm the Silver City to get you back, I will."

He'll storm Heaven for me?

"Let's get things back under control, shall we?" said Linda, and Lucifer took a seat next to Chloe with his hands never leaving hers, before the therapist continued. "Are you feeling worthless in any way?"

"I guess," said Chloe. "I mean, if I only exist for one purpose, what other use am I?"

"Don't talk like that, Detective." Lucifer gave her hands a squeeze. "You're an officer of the LAPD. You've helped hundreds of people and brought countless criminals to justice. Not to mention that you made Dan happy, as much as I hate to admit that, and you brought a child into the world. The only child, I might add, that I don't hate. You are anything but worthless, Chloe Jane Decker."

His words filled her with warmth, and Chloe found herself smiling. How anyone can call this man evil is beyond my comprehension.

She sighed. "I just want to understand what's going on. Why am I here? Why was I born? Why was I put in Lucifer's path?"

"Don't expect an answer from Him," said Lucifer. "He's never been a chatty Dad. He never explains anything; never lets anyone in on his so-called "plan". He simply doesn't communicate with anyone."

"But we can try to understand this," Linda suggested. "What exactly did Amenadiel say happened? In fact…" She took out her phone and began texting. "I'd like to hear the story from him, just in case we've missed something." She pressed 'send'.

Chloe prepared to wait…but then the lift suddenly opened, which was followed by a text alert. They all glanced over at the lift to see Amenadiel standing with his phone in his hand, taking in the scene.

"Perfect timing, brother," Lucifer greeted. "Or have you finally got your powers back?"

"No. Mom told me about your fight, and…" He frowned, glancing between the three of them and the sheets that covered the furniture in the room. "Luci, are you going somewhere?"

"Was planning to. Got a bit side-tracked."

Chloe squeezed his hands. "You're not going anywhere."

"I'm glad that you're here." Linda beckoned the Angel over, and he crossed the room warily before taking a seat on the sheet-covered coffee table. "Because I need some elaboration on Chloe's existence."

When Amenadiel's questioning gaze turned to Chloe, Lucifer said, "Sorry, brother. I revealed our true nature to the Detective. I know you had your heart set on one of those Celestial Planning Sessions before I did that again-"

"You what?"

Lucifer rolled his eyes. "What's done is done, brother. So, you little play-act with the bullet proof vest and the blood packs was all for nothing."

"I so didn't buy that anyway," Chloe spoke up. Before anymore could be said, she spoke again, "Look, I've just found out that my life might be a lie, and I'm really not in the mood for any arguments. So, Amenadiel, can you please tell us everything you know."

"It's not much," the Angel explained. "God told me to bless your parents, which I did. I didn't ask Him why, and He never told me why."

Chloe frowned. "So, you just went along with it?"

"We're not supposed to question our Father. The last Angel that did got banished to Hell." He glanced at Lucifer.

"Is there really nothing else, brother?" the Devil asked. "You never answered me before: How deep does Father's plan go?"

Amenadiel shook his head. "I don't know. But it's clear that Father has some sort of plan, and we're all His pawns."

"Wait…" The was a spark of realization in Linda's eyes. "You're saying that you did nothing beyond the blessing?"

Amenadiel nodded. "Yeah."

"Is there a way God can force humans to do his will?" she asked. "Can he force people to make certain choices?"

"Of course not," said Lucifer. "Humans have the gift of free will. He can't make them do anything."

"So, then we've proved one thing: Chloe may have been created by God and put in Lucifer's path, but all of her choices have been her own." She turned to Chloe. "You haven't been manipulated. He may have brought you into existence, but technically so did your parents. Your life is yours, and no one else's. You made your own choices." Then she turned to Lucifer. "And so did you. Your Father didn't force you to work with Chloe. Your Father didn't make you like her." She sighed and stood up, addressing them both. "God didn't force these feelings upon you both. They came about all on their own. The two of you chose to become friends…and that makes the relationship real. It doesn't matter what you are or where you came from," She looked at Lucifer, "or why you came about," She looked at Chloe, "because what you have is real."

The tension eased out of Chloe as Linda's words processed. It all made sense; God made her, but that was all He did. Saying that was manipulation would be like saying that parents manipulated their child in creating them. That wasn't the case, because Linda was right; the choices in her life had been her own. There was no evidence to prove otherwise. She chose to become a cop. She chose to marry Dan, and then separate from him. She chose to let Lucifer help her on cases.

She chose to fall in love with him.

Lucifer was frowning. "He can't force feelings on us, yes. But it's like a chess game; move one piece, and your opponent reacts to it in the way you want them to. That's how Father plays this game."

Both Linda and Amenadiel went to speak, but Chloe raised her hand to stop them. "Thanks guys, but…can I take it from here? Alone?"

They both nodded in understanding, and after saying their goodbyes they left together. And once again, Chloe and Lucifer were alone in the penthouse.

Her partner glanced at her with uncertainty. "Are you suggesting that we go along with my Father's plan?" There was a hint of betrayal in his voice.

Chloe shook her head. "No. I'm saying that we should figure out what His plan could be before we make any rash decisions. Because if what you say is true – that He can predict people's moves – then what if He predicted that you'd try and leave to get away from His plan?"

Lucifer's eyes lit up. "Oh. That's a thought."

"And what Linda says is true," she continued. "Your Father put me down here, sure. But that doesn't mean he controls my life. And he doesn't control yours, either."

"He's certainly trying to."

"I get it. I do," said Chloe. "I'm not comparing or anything, but my mom was pretty pushy. She wanted me to become an actress like her; was constantly taking me to auditions and acting classes, and I felt like she was controlling my life instead of me. But then my dad died, I decided to become a cop, and she understood."

"Of course she understood. Your mother's delightful. My Father will never be like that." His fist clenched. "Any choice I make could be playing right into His hand. How am I supposed to choose…anything now?"

"How about you stop thinking about what your Father could be planning, or what He thinks of you?" she told him. "How about you make choices for your benefit? Choose what makes you happy, Lucifer."

"But…" There was desperation in his eyes when he looked at her. "I can't."

She frowned, her Detective Radar (as Lucifer had once christened it) on high alert. "There's something else going on here. There's another reason you want to leave and avoid your Father's plan, whatever it may be." He looked away, confirming her suspicions. "You can tell me, Lucifer."

He sighed. "This is about more than just me being a pawn in His plans. You're a pawn, too…and you deserve more than that. You deserve to live your own life, away from my Father's plans. I thought maybe he'd leave you alone if I did. You were created for me, and you deserve better than that. You deserve someone else; someone who isn't the Devil. Someone who isn't a monster."

Her heart broke at the shattered look in his eyes. She vowed that if she ever made it up to Heaven, she was going to find God and give him a piece of her mind, because Lucifer didn't deserve everything that had happened to him.

Lucifer deserved to be love.

She reached out, and with both her hands she turned his head to face her again. "I have a right to make my own choices – and I've decided that only I get to choose who and what I deserve. And I choose you."

Before he could speak or protest, she closed the gap between them and pressed her lips to his. She wasn't surprised when he wasted no time in kissing her back.

When they finally pulled apart for air, he said, "Chloe, this may well be part of His plan."

"Maybe. Maybe not. But it's still my choice. And honestly, I can't be mad at anything that brought you into my life. So please…" She felt tears forming in her eyes. "Please don't leave me, Lucifer. I'm…I'm not ready for you to not be here." She buried her face into his chest. "We can pause this thing between us if you want to. Pause it until we figure out what's going on and your Father's plan for us. We're in this together, you and me. Please don't go. Please…"

Gradually she felt his arms slide around her and hold her close. She was in the Devil's arms…and she felt safe.

"You Decker women…" He sighed. "I can't say 'no' to you."

Her laugh came out as a half-choked sob, and Lucifer gently rocked her from side to side until her tears ran dry.