Final chapter! Thank you for travelling this journey with me. I hope you've enjoyed it - feedback always welcome. And don't forget to #saveLucifer #pickupLucifer on twitter!

Chloe met Linda in the parking lot. 'Are you sure this is a good idea?' Chloe asked nervously.

Linda nodded. 'You've tried talking to him, and I've tried. Maybe if we try together we'll have more success.'

'Worth a try, I guess.'

When they reached the penthouse, Lucifer was playing a mournful piece of music on his piano. His long, agile fingers hit the keys with confidence, and his relaxed shoulders bore sharp contrast to the harsh features above them, his red, glowing eyes gazing absently into space.

He stopped when he saw his visitors. 'Ganging up on me now,' he observed, picking up the cigarette that was smoldering in an ashtray on top of the piano. 'You might as well save your breath.'

'Now, Lucifer, that's no way to greet your friends,' Linda rebuked gently. 'How about offering us a drink?'

For a moment, Chloe thought he was going to argue, was going to send them both away, but he put the cigarette down again, moved towards the bar and selected a bottle, pouring three glasses. He handed them out, and Chloe took hers with a smile. It was getting easier not to flinch at his appearance, although she still struggled to recognize the features beneath.

'So how are you feeling now?' Linda asked him.

Lucifer indicated his face. 'How do you think I'm feeling?'

'I know you're upset that you killed Pierce,' she began.

Lucifer shook his head. 'You don't understand, Doctor! It's not about breaking Dad's rules by killing a human. And it's not about feeling satisfaction that I've done a good job. I killed a man and I enjoyed it. I tortured him while he was dying. And it felt so right! I really am a monster.'

'I understand you feel that way,' Linda said soothingly. 'But let's just think about that.'

'No, Doctor. I've had enough of sitting around thinking about what I've done. I want to know what's been happening in the world outside.' He turned to Chloe. 'So what happened at the precinct?'

Chloe glanced over at Linda, who shrugged and nodded. 'Our suspect tried to kill herself,' she explained, remembering the frantic scenes when she had been discovered. 'So we haven't been able to question her properly yet.'

'But why would she want to do something stupid like that?' Lucifer sat in the armchair opposite Chloe and Linda, leaning back and crossing his legs in the familiar way.

'We spoke to her briefly. She was upset, said she had done something terrible and deserved to die.'

Lucifer jumped to his feet and started pacing, as though unable to stay still. 'But that's just stupid. Assuming she means killing this guy, she didn't kill him because she was a terrible person, she did it to protect the other woman, because he was a murderer. He was the evil one. He killed for fun. She just killed in order to stop more deaths. Why should she punish herself for that?'

'So she's not a monster?' Linda asked. Chloe, realizing what her friend was doing, felt a rush of admiration as she waited for Lucifer to make the connection.

'Of course not!' Lucifer glared at Linda for a moment, and then he relaxed slightly. 'She's not the monster, he is.'

'Lucifer,' said Linda, 'how would you expect someone evil to behave?'

Lucifer struggled for a minute before answering. 'Well, like this man Bliven. Like Pierce. Not caring who gets hurt, doing what they want regardless.'

'And the person who stops them?'

He shook his head. 'Oh no, you're not catching me like that, Doctor!'

'Like what?' Linda put on her best innocent face, while Chloe hid a smile. 'Lucifer, I'm just encouraging you to think about what evilness looks like.'

'I…' He held out his hands helplessly.

'Does someone who's evil agonize over what they've done? Do they torture themselves with guilt? Do they see themselves as a monster? Don't you see, Lucifer, you feel bad about what you did. That's the sign you're not a monster. Do you think a real monster would regret or even question his actions for one second?'

Lucifer just stared at her, silent, and Chloe felt a twinge of pity for him. He really did struggle with feelings, didn't he? Thankfully he had Linda around to help.

Chloe stood up, sensing it was her turn to talk to him. 'Lucifer, listen to me. You really are the devil. I understand that now. And yes, you have a monstrous side. But you know what? So do we all. What matters is that you accept and control it. That you understand it. The very fact that you're questioning whether you're evil shows me you're not. Because you don't see that sort of behavior as normal.' She took a deep breath and took hold of his hands in hers. 'But you're the devil. Just as I'm a cop. And sometimes in our jobs we have to do things that others might not approve of, in order to protect the world from people who truly are evil. You're not a monster. Not to me. And you shouldn't think of yourself that way either.'

As her words sank in, his expression changed, the harsh features softening. Chloe stepped closer and placed a hand gently on the side of Lucifer's distorted face, all the time keeping eye contact with those glowing eyes. He flinched a little, but stilled under her touch. Slowly she leaned up towards him, and pressed her lips to his, feeling the roughness, almost scaliness of the skin. He resisted at first, and then relaxed into her kiss. His arms wrapped around her, holding her close, and she grew bolder, reaching up with both arms, caressing his cheek, burying herself in his embrace, running her hands through his soft hair.

His hair.

As her brain finally caught up with her body, she stepped backwards, startled, catching Lucifer off-balance. He swayed, resting his hands on her shoulders. His deep brown eyes gazed down at her, looking worried.

She stroked his cheek, feeling the familiar stubble. 'Welcome back,' she said,smiling.

He frowned for a moment, confused, and then put his own hand to his face. 'Oh.' A moment's concentration and the devil face was back, and then he blinked and it was gone again. He looked around, as though he had forgotten where he was.

'Feeling better?' Linda asked, sounding amused.

'I suppose I am,' he agreed. 'Thank you, both of you.'

Lucifer sent both ladies home soon afterward. Linda gave him a hug as she parted for the evening. 'Thank you,' he whispered in her ear, and she squeezed him gently.

'You're doing just fine, Lucifer,' she assured him.

'Thanks to you.'

She shook her head. 'You do all the work, Lucifer. I just try to steer you in the right direction.'

When Linda had gone, he faced Chloe. 'Do you want to come back to my place?' she asked.

Lucifer was tempted. 'Are you sure you want me with you?'

'Yes.' There was no hesitation.

'Even though I am the devil.'

'When you're with me, that doesn't matter. It's only when…' her voice trailed off.

Lucifer nodded sadly. 'In that case, I think I'd better remain here.'

'But why?' Chloe's eyes widened, and she looked close to tears.

'Because when I'm not with you, you have a chance to think things through. Because I want you to be really sure that you're comfortable with this. Because… I'm not sure I'm ready yet to be among humans again.'

He saw her wince at his use of the word. But she had to understand who he really was, what he really was. He couldn't bear the thought of being parted from her, but the thought of her being afraid of him, or resenting him, was even worse.

'I'll see you tomorrow,' he promised, and kissed her tenderly. When she had left, he remained facing the elevator for a long time.

The next morning, following a phone call, Lucifer headed to the hospital to talk to the second victim. Chloe and Dan were both waiting for him. 'Good morning, detective,' he greeted Chloe cheerfully. 'Good morning, Dan.'

'You've finally dragged yourself out again,' was Dan's gruff response.

Chloe looked pale but was otherwise her usual self, and greeted him cheerfully. Dan looked morose. Lucifer watched him cautiously, not sure how to respond to him or what Chloe had said about his absence.

Chloe headed off to speak to the medical staff, and Lucifer took the opportunity to clear the air. 'I'm sorry, Daniel. Pierce was my responsibility. I thought he was under control but he got away from me, turned into a monster. I dealt with him in the end, but I'm afraid poor Charlotte paid a heavy price.'

Dan shook his head. 'I should have known. I should have seen what Pierce was capable of. I should have made Charlotte tell me what she was working on. I should have kept her safe.'

Lucifer felt awkward. He found it hard enough to deal with his own feelings. 'If anyone should have known, it was me. It's not your fault, Daniel, the fault lies squarely at Pierce's feet. Don't blame yourself. Pierce was the monster.'

Dan pushed his fingers through his hair. 'Just don't hide anything from us in future, please.'

Lucifer opened his mouth to respond, but they were interrupted by Chloe. 'It's okay, guys, we can go in and speak to her now.'

Britney Joyce was sitting up in bed, a dressing around her neck. She smiled weakly at them.

Chloe sat on the chair beside the bed. 'We've come to ask you about the night you were attacked. Are you feeling strong enough to talk to us?'

She nodded. 'It was Edward. I can't believe it. He always seemed so nice, the perfect gentleman. He knew how to treat a lady, or that's what I thought. And then he just turned on me, his hands were everywhere, and when I tried to stop him he just wrapped something around my neck and was pulling it tight. I must have blacked out, because the next thing I remember was waking up here. Why didn't I see what he was like before? I should have seen something, I should have noticed.'

Daniel shook his head. 'Some people can hide their evil all too well,' he said, and glanced quickly at Lucifer. 'You can't blame yourself.'

Chloe watched the two men warily as they headed back to the parking lot. She had worried about Dan and Lucifer meeting again, but it seemed that they had managed to come to at least an uneasy truce.

Lucifer squeezed her arm as they reached the cars. 'Everything okay, detective?'

She nodded. 'Everything's fine, thank you.' As Dan headed over to his own car, she added, 'You're probably right. Trixie is still really unsettled over Pierce. I'd like to give her the chance to settle down before we…' She had slept with her daughter in her bed last night, holding a sobbing child until she fell asleep. It hadn't been easy, breaking the news that the man she had thought would become her stepfather had tried to kill her mother and had been killed by Lucifer. She had tried to make the story as gentle as possible, but Trixie was far too perceptive for her own good.

He raised an eyebrow, but didn't question her, instead nodding. 'As you wish.'

'I'm sorry,' she said impulsively. 'I know it's not what you want…' It wasn't what she wanted either; she wanted to hold Lucifer close and never let him go. But the idea of being without him frightened her, and for that reason alone she felt she needed to give herself time to adjust before rushing into a relationship.

'I want whatever makes you happy,' he answered.

'Thank you. It's not that - I just need time, I think.'

'You can have all the time you need,' he said. 'Do you want me to stay away from you?'

'No!' Her answer was out before she could think about it. While she wasn't ready for a relationship with Lucifer right now, the idea of not seeing him, not spending time with him, hurt like - well, like Hell.

They traveled to the precinct in separate cars, and met the suspect in the interrogation room, where she sat awaiting her fate with a set expression on her face and trembling hands.

Chloe made the introductions, and asked Martha to tell her side of the story. It came out amongst many tears; how he had started a relationship with her, and then turned nasty. He had tried to strangle her at one point, and she had escaped. But her nightmare had just begun, as he stalked her, accused her of attacking him, and then blamed the death of two girlfriends on her.

'I just couldn't get away,' Martha sobbed. 'He ruined my life, and he was just carrying on as normal. And so… I followed him. I'd tried to warn Britney about him, but she wouldn't listen, insisted that he was a good man, that I was just jealous. And in the end, I couldn't take it. I wasn't going to interfere. I tried to walk away, but I heard them struggling, and I had to go back. I used my purse strap, wrapped it around his neck and pulled hard. I thought they were both dead, that it was my fault. I called the police, told them where to find the bodies, and then I ran. I can't believe I did it.'

Lucifer leaned forward in his chair. 'You stopped a murderer,' he said. 'You tried to stop him before he struck, and then when no one would listen, you took action yourself. You did what you had to do. There's no need to torture yourself over it.'

Chloe listened to him silently. Martha's words had struck rather too close to home: she wouldn't listen, insisted he was a good man, that I was just jealous. She gave Lucifer a sidelong glance, wondering if he was thinking the same thing. She had treated him so badly over Pierce.

As though sensing her look, he nudged her affectionately with his elbow. She patted his knee in return, and saw him fight back a smirk.

They finished up the interview and Chloe headed to her desk to complete the paperwork.

'What will happen to her now?' Lucifer asked.

Chloe sighed. 'We'll have to see what the prosecutor says,' she answered. 'She did murder someone, but there were mitigating circumstances. It sounds like he treated her pretty badly, even abused her emotionally. She might get off lightly.'

'Good.' Lucifer stood. 'If you don't mind, detective, I've got some errands to run - now that I'm out and about again. Even the devil has to go food shopping sometime.'

'Sure,' she replied, and watched him all the way up the stairs until he was out of sight. She had a lot to adjust to: the idea that he really was the devil, the fact that he did have feelings for her, and the effect that Pierce had had on her life was just beginning to sink in too. She had a lot to process.

But Linda had promised to help her work through things. And once she had done so, Lucifer would be waiting for her.

The devil himself.

That's it for this story, which aimed to bridge the gap between A Devil of my Word and Boo Normal. Now I suggest you go watch Boo Normal again, and watch out for my next story, Voices from the Past, which will pick up after that episode.