It's Not A Date

What if Lucifer didn't stand Chloe up at the restaurant? Sometimes you only need to change one thing to cause an entire ripple effect. Not even Lucifer himself could have predicted just how much things would change the moment he sat down at that dinner table.

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters only the ideas. Also, this was not meant to be religious in any way. It's Not A Date will be a two parter!

Chapter 1

I Need To Show You

The devil wasn't afraid of anything. Fear simply wasn't in the nature of someone who ruled over hell. It was his duty to strike fear into the hearts of his enemies and leave them begging for mercy. He was good at it...well at least he use to be. Yes, he wasn't blind to the fact that he had grown terribly rusty over the years. Lucifer was at the point of his "career" where a godly version of viagra might be his only hope of returning to his glory days. But it wasn't totally his fault, at least in his therapist/ex-lover opinion. There was something or someone who had changed him.

Dear Linda was under the insane notion that he had "found" whatever it was he was looking for. Even worse, she had the nerve to bring up the fact that he hadn't shown Chloe his true face yet. He had very good reasons for hiding his true appearance from the detective. Was it because he was afraid of what she'd think? Perhaps. Was it because he was afraid she'd leave him? That was a question he refused to answer even to himself.

But at the moment Lucifer had more pressing issues on his mind that left room for nothing else. It was 7:30 pm and he was standing outside the Baltaire Restaurant. It was one of the few restaurants in LA that had the devil's official seal of approval.

Of course, one of the lead chefs owed him a favor after he helped the man with his massive gambling debts, but that was just an added bonus. Beyond those polished doors sat a woman who was an enigma and his potential downfall. Chloe Decker was making him feel strange and unexplainable emotions. Anxiousness, wonder, confusion, and barely contained lust was just a few of the emotions Lucifer had whenever he was near her. Though he was also incredibly vulnerable whenever he was near her as well. It was a blessing that his enemies hadn't found out about his unexpected weakness and exploited it.

Just thinking of the word "blessing" made Lucifer groan in annoyance and glance up at the night sky. Everything above was quiet as it had been for many years now. In the past, Lucifer could hear the movement of the angels and even his father in the distant stars, but the sky was silent and stationary with heaven itself barely visible outside the universe.

Lucifer had suspected it was his father attempting to block him from his angel divinity, but as he found himself becoming increasingly mortal he couldn't exactly say anymore.

"Damn, now that's a nice car!" A voice suddenly said next to him. Lucifer turned his eyes from the sky and grinned at the valet who was a young acne-ridden male with messy hair. The poor bastard.

"Indeed it is." Lucifer agreed before handing him the keys to his Corvette. "That's why I highly recommend being careful with it. Minimum wage will be the least of your worries if I see even the smallest dent on this beauty."

Lucifer could practically feel the dread oozing off the boy and it made him chuckle. Maybe he hadn't lost his touch after all. He watched the boy drive off carefully with his car before entering the restaurant where he was immediately greeted by a brunette woman with a large chest. The hostess smiled brightly at him and he did his best to give her a smile back. The woman was one of the many humans who was very easy to read. She wanted to have sex with him in the basement of the restaurant. She even had the exact located against the wall picked out.

"Hello, welcome to the Baltaire! Is there anything I can do to help you?" The hostess leaned in and he instinctively stepped back. Lucifer wasn't in the mood to deal with the antics of the woman. He didn't need to ask her what she most desired since it was all laid out for him like a boring open book.

Looking down at her hand he saw a wedding ring glistening on her finger, though that didn't mean much considering she was having an affair with two male waiters.

Lucifer's smile tightened but he remained unfazed by the woman who was now twirling a strand of brunette hair around her finger. She licked her lips, being sure to show him a bit of her tongue ring.

The silly woman thought that would be enough to arouse him. He had slept with partners who had rings in more intimate places than their tongues.

"Yes, you can help me. I have a reservation for tonight. I believe my...wife is already here?"

The woman froze and Lucifer smirked wickedly. "It's our anniversary and I'm looking forward to an amazing dinner. After which we're going back home and well…" He trailed off and inwardly relished in the woman's anguish. She had been so sure he was rich and single, and while she was right on both accounts, it didn't mean she had to know that.

"Oh-uh-of course. I apologize." She swallowed and skimmed through the stack of papers on the podium. "Would you mind telling me your name?"

Lucifer wondered what would happen if he showed her his true face? Would she still want to sleep with him then? It was doubtful. She didn't have the uniqueness or goodness that Chloe had. She would most likely scream bloody murder and run out the building like her hair was on fire.

"Lucifer Morningstar." He answered.

She paused and looked up at him. "Are you the owner of the Lux nightclub?"

It was always funny that most humans associated his name with the owner of a nightclub instead of the devil. Then again he liked to believe his greatest trick was convincing the world he didn't exist. It was much easier to fly under the radar.

"In the flesh." he grinned, waving a hand over himself. "I believe I was given table nine near the back, correct?"

The woman nodded her head and was about to speak again but Lucifer beat her to it. He was actually in a good mood so he decided to help the naive woman.

"Thank you for your assistance. Oh, and you might want to stop sleeping with David. He has a bit of a crazy girlfriend who won't hesitate to kill you. Chad shouldn't give you any trouble, but just make sure you call your husband from work more often. He's starting to grow suspicious."

With one last smile, he turned his back and left the hostess gaping openly at him.

Even though the restaurant was crowded it was easy to spot the detective. Lucifer could find her in a room of millions with no problem. She was like a magnet that drew him in dangerously close. Lucifer had been with many women and even men, but none of them made him feel the way Chloe Decker did.

She was looking over the menu with a deep frown, likely annoyed at how expensive everything was. Her annoyance was validated since even a glass of club soda would cost you over 10 dollars. But the Baltaire never pretended to be a restaurant for people on a tight budget. Which was perfect since he had a ton of money to blow.

"If you're hoping to find a meal for under 30 dollars I'm afraid you'll have a better chance of seeing me running around here in my birthday suit, though that can be arranged if you'd like."

The detective looked up from the menu and scoffed at him. "About time. I was starting to think you weren't coming."

Lucifer took a seat at the table and picked up the menu though he already knew what he was getting. "To be honest I wasn't, but I decided I did owe you for helping me save Lux so here I am."

Her eyes narrowed and her frown deepened. He'd really have to tell her about that frown later on. Frowns give you wrinkles, and Chloe Decker was much too beautiful for wrinkles.

"Why weren't you going to come?" She sounded genuinely surprised and a little hurt. Did she actually want to be around him? Interesting.

Lucifer debated whether or not he should tell her, but he had made a promise to be truthful. At least as honest as he could be.

He hesitated before carefully selecting his words. "I had a little talk with Linda. She's under the assumption that I care more than I thought about certain things." Lucifer cringed at how absurd he sounded. Maze would have a field day if she could hear him now.

The detective crossed her arms and gave him the cutest annoyed look in the world. "I'm sorry Lucifer, but I don't speak cryptic gibberish. What does a conversation with your therapist have to do with you showing up to a dinner?"

"You mean a date." He corrected with a grin.

"No, it's just a dinner between friends."

A dinner between friends indeed. Lucifer stopped seeing Chloe as just a friend a while ago, now she was more of a strange entity that he couldn't quite place. A friend was far from what he'd call her.

Lucifer held up his hands in mock surrender. "Fine, it's not a date then. We can say it's a very intimate dinner between two very close friends. How does that sound?"

To his astonishment, she didn't contradict him. So that had to mean she was ok with it being called an intimate dinner. He found that immensely pleasing.

"Why does everything here cost more than my rent?" She asked in exasperation while looking over the menu again. "The cheapest thing here is the club soda and I wouldn't even call that cheap."

"Detective I didn't know you were a cheap spender." He commented amusingly.

She glared at him with indignation. "I'm not cheap. I just have common sense, plus I have a child. That brings responsibility. Something you know absolutely nothing about."

"True, I don't have a child. Little human offsprings aren't exactly my thing. But I know a lot about responsibility."

"I kinda find that hard to believe with the lavish lifestyle you live. I'm sure you use hundred dollar bills to wipe your-"

"Language, detective." He injected with a smirk.

"I was going to say butt. I'm not as crude as you are."

Lucifer tilted his head and regarded the woman across from him. Was he a crude person? Absolutely. But he couldn't help but wonder what little secrets Chloe held. Maybe she was the nice girl in the streets but a freak in the sheets as they say. But then again having sex with Chloe wasn't even an option since she was oddly immune to his charms and completely filled with virtue to a somewhat annoying degree. It was that same virtue that he admired.

"Thank you again. For what you did for Lux." He said quietly. His voice was soft as if afraid she would reject his sincerity. Lucifer was honestly grateful for what she did for him. Lux was more than just a club, it was really the only place he truly felt he belonged.

Her eyes softened and she reached out her hand across the table towards his. He stared as their hands nearly touched, but at the last second she pulled away and went back to holding her menu. Lucifer would have been lying if he said he wasn't disappointed.

"You did most of the work with the information you gave me." She reminded him with a smile. "All I had to do was get some paperwork going. I didn't know Lux had such a...uh...colorful past."

Lucifer chuckled. "It's quite the place. Sometimes it reminds me of my old home without all the gloom and torture."

Chloe hummed thoughtfully before a frown once again graced her lips. "So you still think you're the devil?"

"As I've told you a million times before I am the devil. But you never believe me. At first, it was beyond aggravating, but now I'm glad you don't believe."

Damn it! Where did that come from? When did he start blabbering off at the mouth like some naive fool with no sense? Once again Chloe Decker made him say and do things he wouldn't normally do with anyone else. He hoped she would leave the subject there but of course, she didn't.

"Why are you glad I don't believe now?"

Lucifer was at a lost. He didn't know how to answer her, or if he should at all. He couldn't tell her the reason he was glad she didn't believe him was because he didn't want to run her off. Despite the fact that she really should run away from him, he frankly couldn't allow it, not now.

'Because you've found what you're looking for.' Linda's words echoed through his mind.

Thank his father (though he'd never say it out loud) he was saved when the waitress arrived at their table and asked for their orders.

The detective hesitated as she was still scandalized by the prices. Lucifer knew what he wanted the moment he came through the door.

"I'll have your best well-done steak. Also, a bloody mary on the rocks with a hint of lemon."

The waitress wrote down his order before turning to Chloe. "And for you, ma'am?"

She stuttered out a hamburger and fries order which Lucifer was quick to dismiss.

"This isn't some low rate McDonalds. Plus I'm paying for our dinner tonight, and I'd rather choke on holy water than watch you eat some greasy monstrosity. No, she will have the steak dinner too with a glass of your best wine."

The waitress quickly jotted down the information before walking off, but not before staring at Lucifer a second longer than was necessary.

Chloe didn't look pleased with him but she wasn't mad either. There was even a hint of a smile on her face. "You always have to be extravagant. Why am I not surprised?"

He shrugged. "Because you adore me?"

"Because I know you too well." She corrected. "And this steak meal better be amazing. I haven't eaten steak at a restaurant since I was twenty years old."

"Oh, it'll be amazing. I know because I've had the steak before." He replied. "I've been around longer than I can count and I still haven't found a steak as good as Baltaire's. Though their turkey sandwiches leave a little to be desired."

Chloe pursed her lips the way she did whenever she wanted him to ask him something but thought better of it. This time her curiosity must have gotten the best of her because what she said next took him completely off guard.

"How old are you exactly? I just realized you've never told me your age."

Lucifer blinked at her in surprise before clearing his throat and looking down at the tablecloth as if it was the most interesting thing in the world.

"I'm very old." He answered after what could have been an eternity.

She made a noise that clearly meant she didn't believe him. "You're not older than 38. No way are you in your 40's."

Lucifer was highly intrigued and amused by her statement. "I didn't know you studied my features so much."

'Well...I...it's hard to not see you when you're around me all the time."

"Chloe Decker is that a blush I see?"

She tried to hide her face behind her curtain of hair but it was too late.

"It's not a blush!" She retorted. "And don't try to change the subject. How old are you Lucifer?"

He sighed deeply and leaned back in his chair. "Fine since you're so adamant on knowing everything. I assume you know about the seven days?"

"Seven days of what?" She asked confused.

"The seven days of creation of course. You know, on the first day blah blah happened."

She still looked confused, obviously not understanding where the conversation was going.

"Yeah, I'm pretty sure I know about that. It's one of the things they drill into you at Sunday school."

He nodded. "On the first day, he created the heavens and the earth. He also created us, the angels, well with the help of my dear mother of course. She took part in much of the creation business. Except for humans, that was all my father's doing and she still hasn't forgiven him for it."

Lucifer waited to see what her response would be. He felt at ease telling her this much because she didn't believe him anyway. She'd laugh him off as she always did and would comment on the insane things he said sometimes. But once again she surprised him and said something completely different from what he expected.

"So basically you're older than humans?" She asked him slowly.

"Humans didn't come around until the sixth day. Mother went off to explore and while she was gone father decided to make the first humans. Imagine her surprise when she returned to see something in the world she didn't help create. Now that I think about it, maybe that's why she's such a bitter old hag."

Chloe absently folded a napkin and chewed on her bottom lip. She was deep in thought and Lucifer just watched her.

"Ok say I believe all this crazy stuff. If it's true and you're the devil, why did you get Adam and Eve kicked out of Eden? Seems like a dick move if you ask me."

Lucifer actually laughed out loud at that. Several people turned in their direction but he couldn't care in the least.

"You are such an intriguing person." He said admiringly. "I can't recall anyone asking me that question before. Yes, it's true, they did get banished because of me. However, I didn't do it out of spite. Eve and I...well….we had a bit of a prank war going on. She would find me while I was sleeping and pour hot water all over me which hurt like hell let me tell you. The water in Eden was strangely effective even on immortals. Though to be fair, I did make her plants wilt and ruin her once perfect hair. In fact, because of that, you humans have me to thank for your bad hair days."

Chloe rolled her eyes but didn't interrupt so he continued. He was more guarded now since he was about to tell her one of the few mistakes he actually regretted.

"But one day the pranks went too far. I took the form of a snake, an animal they were unfamiliar with, and convinced Eve to eat an apple from the ridiculously named forbidden tree. I knew my father would be mad, but I had no idea he would banish mankind from ever entering Eden again." Lucifer looked up at her. "For that, I am truly sorry. If it hadn't been for me humans, especially you, wouldn't have the hardships in your lives that you do now."

Chloe wanted to say something. He could practically feel the words coming from her mouth and wrapping around his heart. Humans were originally meant to be in the paradise of Eden for all time, but that ended because of him. It had bothered Lucifer in the past, but not like it did when he realized the gates would be closed even to Chloe, a person who deserved paradise more than anyone he had ever met.

Lucifer wished more than anything that the waiter would return. As if he willed it to happen, the waiter arrived at that very moment with a tray full of steaming hot food. She placed their meals and drinks on the table before smiling and walking off. The table was silent as Lucifer started at Chloe and she stared back at him.

Lucifer was afraid of what she was about to say. The devil wasn't afraid of anything, it simply wasn't in his nature. But that was a lie. He wasn't afraid of his father, or hell itself, but he was very afraid of losing Chloe. He would rather face a million centuries of isolation in hell than to see the detective stand up from the table and leave him. It was then that the realization hit him hard. The reason he thought about not coming to the dinner, and why Linda's words shook him to his very core. As he sat at that table across from Chloe with nothing but an extremely expensive dinner between them Lucifer couldn't run away from how he felt. If he had stayed at home he could have run from it and with enough effort even block it. But he couldn't block the emotion now.

'Maybe you should just stay away from everybody. Stay away from Chloe.' His therapist had suggested only for him to say he didn't want to.

'I think you did come to Los Angeles looking for something. But I also think you've stopped. Because maybe you found it.'

Lucifer studied everything about Chloe in that moment. How the lights of the restaurant played against her hair, making the strands even brighter than normal. How beautiful she looked in her gray turtleneck sweater. She was so perfect that he couldn't imagine how any other woman could hope to compare. If he had just stayed at Lux he could have ignored the feeling until it was nothing more than a dullness in the back of his mind. But now she was too close and there was nothing stopping him from realizing that he was in love with Chloe Decker.

So when she finally spoke Lucifer knew exactly what he had to do. He had to do it now while he had the courage because if he waited any longer he would continue hiding it from her.

"Lucifer I-"

"You need to see something." He interrupted. "If it makes you want to leave I'll completely understand but I can't go a moment longer without showing you."

Her face was filled with concern and worry. "What do you have to show me? What's going on Lucifer?"

He took a deep breath and couldn't help but wonder if this would be the mistake he regretted most of all.

"I need...to show you this."

A/N: Part 2 coming soon! Make sure to read and review! :)