"How she found him"

A Lucifer fanfic

Summary: A few minutes of boredom for Ella leads to what weeks of searching couldn't find: a certain former club owner in a place that Chloe would've never thought to find him.

Author's Note: This update is entirely too long in the making. There are no excuses for it, just an apology for making my readers wait this long. I'm sorry for taking so long and hope you can forgive me.

Author's note pt. 2: I was watching a dance choreography while writing this, lyrics for the song will be sprinkled throughout. Thanks to Jade and Josh for inspiration, as well as the original artist's meaning behind the lyrics.

Disclaimer: I own nothing but the idea for the story. All show characters and song lyrics belong to their respective creators.

Chapter 2

"Sometimes the head rules the heart and sometimes the heart rules the head—it's a constant struggle to work out which one is right." -Kai

The bed creaked as the moring's light shown through the soft beige curtains. The bed's occupant groaned at the unwelcome end to his sleep, which had only begun a couple hours before dawn. Running fingers through unkempt hair, he made his way to the bathroom to make himself presentable before breakfast arrived.

There was to be no time for that, though, as someone knocked at the door. Muttering about his luck, Lucifer went to answer.

"Good morning," a cheerful elderly woman said, bringing in the tray and setting it on the table, "Did you sleep well?"

He did a half-hearted shrug while pulling on a button-up shirt, not caring whether she showed any appreciation for the bare skin on display. She chuckled.

"What?" he said.

"The last time I saw someone with insomnia like you, it was when I was missing my late husband while he was off to war. Mind telling me who your missing, son?"

"Very much so," he replied, sitting at the table and pushing his eggs around his plate. She laughed.

"You're stubborn like he was, too," she said, patting his shoulder, "If you ever need to talk..."

"I won't," he stated. She shook her head, continuing.

"...you know where to find me. Now if you'll excuse me, I must get the nectar ready to refill the hummingbird feeders."

She paused before leaving the room.

"You're more than welcome to play the piano again tonight, dearie. The guests last week enjoyed it quite a bit, as did I," she offered. Not waiting for a response she then closed the door, leaving Lucifer alone to his thoughts on the impromptu performance she was referring to.

What I would do to take away this fear of being loved...

Lucifer pushed away from the table, ignoring his food in favor of pacing the room, bracing the onslaught of his own thoughts. He'd been here for weeks, this place near Yosemite, not too far away from where he awoke in the desert. His skin had healed by this point, as for his wings...well, there was no way to be rid of them without going back to L.A. and facing the reason for his current avoidance of it.

I would give anything to change this fickle-minded heart...

"I'm missing you...because why wouldn't I be," he said to the emptiness of the room. Lucifer felt the muscles in his chest tighten and, cursing how very human he was feeling, sat on the edge of the bed, resisting the urge to cover his face with a pillow and scream (or tear it apart...again).

"I'm a fucking fool..."

He wasn't sure how long he had been sitting like that when there was another knock on the door and expecting the elderly woman that owned this place to have come for his barely eaten breakfast, he unlocked the door and turned away as it opened.

"I seem to not have much an appetite this morning, I apologize..." he started, but was interrupted by a more familiar and much younger voice.

"Mind if I have it then?"

As he slowly turned the confusion on his face was as clear as the sky outside.

"What in my Father's name are you doing here?"

"It was either me or Chloe, and I'm not sure you're ready to see her just yet," Ella responded, "Where have you been?

Outstretching his arms to indicate his surroundings, he sat back on the bed, facing the young woman who was poking at his food.

"What are you doing here, Ella?" he repeated, glancing between her and the door, "More importantly, how did you find me?"

"Dude, if you're trying to disappear, don't let yourself get recorded playing the piano. It's a very telling part of who you are," she said, tossing him her phone with the video already on the screen.

Lucifer shook his head, tossing the phone back without even pressing play. He didn't need to anyway, the only thing he dreamed of as of late was Chloe walking away while he played the song.

"Well, now you've found me and now you can leave," he said, not even trying to sound threatening.

"First...can I have this?" Ella asked, pointing at the food, "and second, no."

"No...?" the surprise in his voice plain as Lucifer raised an eyebrow. He gestured at the food for her to help herself.

"No, not until we've had a talk," Ella stated, "or I will send Chloe a text right now telling her where you are."

Not in the mood for arguing nor to see his Detective (or both at the time), Lucifer stood up and sat across from Ella at the table.

"Well, I'm all ears," he said in defeat.

"Good," Ella said between bites. She wiped her mouth with a cotton napkin on the table, then looked him in the eyes.

"Why haven't you told Chloe that you love her?" she asked quite bluntly, sipping on the orange juice that was part of the breakfast.

Of all the things he imagined, that was not the first thing that he expected to hear and it hit him like a knife in the chest. He stood back up, pacing the room again.

"I can't," he said, running his hand through his hair, "I just can't..."

"Why?" she questioned, setting her utensils down.

"I can't," he repeated, turmoil from his thoughts apparent on his face as he sat on the edge of the bed. He put his face in his hands.

"Lucifer..." Ella said, standing up from the table. She sat down next to him, wrapping her arm around him in a sisterly way. Something broke in Lucifer, and his shoulders began to shake although he refused to let the tears fall.

"I fucked up...I made a mistake," he started rambling in a way very unlike himself, "Why did I think...why would she...?"

"I take it you're talking about Chloe," Ella guessed. Lucifer nodded.

"If she only knew the truth..." he started, unable to finish the sentence. His heart wanted to spill everything to this mortal woman, but he couldn't get past the choking feeling in his throat that didn't want to lose what seemed to be his only friend.

"What truth, Lucifer?" Ella asked, trying to coax a coherent sentence out of him. He shook his head, unable to speak without the mental damn holding back his tears from breaking.

"Look, whatever it is, she's your partner and more importantly, she's your friend. And, she's gonna kill me for saying this, she misses you too," Ella said.

Lucifer looked up, eyes brimming with unshed tears. The tears seemed wrong in his face, and in a gesture that surprised them both, Ella gave Lucifer a big bear hug. Ella felt him stiffen at the contact and she started to release Lucifer, but she felt his arms slowly go around her and return the hug.

"If you tell anyone about this..." he said, still holding her.

"Maze will have my guts for garters, right?" she finished for him.

"Among other things, yes," he replied, releasing his hold on her.

The radio played as she drove through the rain, but Chloe only heard bits and pieces of it through her own inner turmoil. She received a text message with an address from Ella and nothing else. After a few minutes of internal debate, she called her mother to see if she would watch Trixie for the weekend, still being paranoid about leaving her with her father...

"I would love too, Chloe, you know that. Is it a case?" Penelope said, giddy with excitement of spending time with her granddaughter.

"Yeah, um...following up on a lead for a missing person case," Chloe said, the little white lie rolling off her tongue.

"I hope they're alright...be careful out there, Chloe. I'll go pick up Trixie from school so you can get going," the elder Decker said.

"Thanks, Mom," Chloe said.

As she drove down the forested road, passing the blue "Traffic Info Radio AM 1610" sign that she knew meant she wasn't far from her destination, she began to get more apprehensive about she was going. Not questioning how Ella got the information, she had started out on the nearly 6-hour drive knowing her personal Devil would be there.

"Here I go again, buying into his Devil routine," she muttered to herself in the empty car, but it lacked the conviction that it formerly held. She was a detective and, remembering one of her father's favorite quotes, she knew there was more to Lucifer than he let on.

"Remember, hun...When you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."

She glanced at the clock on her dash, seeing that she had an hour of sunlight left before the roads became a lot more foreign to her than they already were.

"Please be there, Lucifer," Chloe asked of the empty car.

The rain slowly became torrential, but it didn't bother Lucifer. Ella was in her own room, which Lucifer paid for on the promise that she would not call Chloe in any way telling her his location. She smirked but agreed that she would not make a single call. He was suspicious of the smirk, but let it go.

Lucifer thought back to the conversation he had earlier with Ella, pouring out his heart in a way that was very unlike him. Replaying the scene in his head, he shook his head at his actions.

"So..." Ella started, " how long have you had the hots for Chloe?" she said, nudging him in his side.

They were sitting on the private patio attached to his room, watching the rain clouds in the distance sluggishly make their way in their direction.

"The sex part or the..." he gestured to his chest, still having a hard time admitting the truth of things.

"Both," she said, more comfortable with the conversation than he was.

Lucifer thought back on it for a moment before replying, "Day one and the incident with that Professor whatever his name was."

"Carlisle," she filled in for him.

"Yes, that fool. He has a special place in Hell, trust me on that," Lucifer said dismissively.

"I would've too if I had gotten ahold of him first," Ella said, a protective tone in her voice.

Lucifer laughed at this petite woman next to him, "I would've made sure you didn't go anywhere you weren't supposed to."

"I'm sure you would have," she commented, and then they were in companionable silence for several minutes. Ella spoke up after finishing off her tea she had been sipping on.

"You should tell her, you know," Ella said, not needing to clarify who she was talking about. Lucifer sighed.

"For what? Her to reject me once she sees me for who I really am? I rather not have my heart torn out and stomped on if it's all the same to you," he responded with the hint of the earlier sadness flickering in his eyes.

"She's a lot tougher than you're giving her credit for, but alright," she said, dropping the subject.

Lucifer stood by the window, watching the downpour that hid the nighttime sky with its blanket of stars from view.

"You couldn't even give me that simple pleasure, could you, Father? What else are you going to take from me?" he spat at the sky.

He saw a set of headlights pull onto the road leading to the main building, but gave them no mind as he turned from the window and made his way to the bed...at least until an unexpected knock, made him jump in surprise and stub his toe into the corner of the bed. It took a few moments of pain to register that he shouldn't be feeling any pain, at least not physical...then he looked at the door and swallowed down his hammering heart as the knocks repeated themselves.

He hesitated with his hand in the handle, before opening the door to a very soaked and shivering Chloe.

"Hello, Chloe."

"Hello, Lucifer."

Author's Note: There goes chapter 2! Once again, I apologize for the long wait. Between personal issues, real life/work bullshite, and numerous other things, I haven't worked on much of anything writing-wise. I'm hoping to get more time in writing, even if it means staying up till almost two in the morning (like I'm doing at the time of writing this). Please leave a review, it helps a lot. Thanks!