"I couldn't very well miss your birthday two years in a row now could I?"

She felt her head slowly shake back and forth as she moved closer but her feet stopped when he was just beyond arm's reach.

"Well, come on then. Don't be shy," Lucifer chided as he held one of the champagne flutes out to her. "It's no fun drinking alone on your birthday. Besides, this is your vintage!"

She watched the steady streams of effervescent bubbles dance inside the glass but didn't move to take it from him. She'd had dreams like this before, always tantalizing and painfully real. She believed them every time, right up until the moment when she woke up alone.

She blinked and her eyes shifted from the glass to him. His smile faltered, losing some of its lustre. She could see the unspoken doubts behind his eyes. Had he been gone for too long? Had her feelings for him changed? Could she still accept him for all that he was?

"I've missed you, Lucifer," she blurted out with tears welling up in her eyes. Her voice was little more than a whisper. "I mean, really missed you. All these months I've barely been holding it together. I'm terrified that if I take that glass and realize you're not really here I'll break into a thousand pieces."

Lucifer's brows knit together in concern and he set the champagne flutes down atop the piano. "I promise you I'm real. Here, see for yourself." He held his hand out to her and patiently waited for her to take it.

Chloe stared at his outstretched hand a moment then tentatively reached for it with her own. When the tips of her fingers met the warm, solid flesh of his palm she gasped and uttered a broken, "You're really here!"

Tears were tumbling freely down her cheeks by the time her body collided with his. Her arms wrapped around his mid-section and held him tight enough that he was left momentarily winded.

"Of course I'm here," he chided, but a warm smile softened his features as his cheek came to rest against the top of her head. "I wouldn't miss your birthday for the world."

"I can't believe you came," she whispered in disbelief. She could feel the heat of his skin radiating through his shirt and heard the thundering beat of his heart beneath her ear. She discretely inhaled the scent of him and savoured the first real breath she'd taken in months. "I've missed you so much."

Lucifer's hands settled lightly atop the bare skin of her back and he pressed a soft kiss into her hair.

"I'm afraid I can't stay," he cautioned as his fingers slid down her spine in a soothing gesture. She could hear the trepidation in his voice and felt the way his muscles tensed beneath her hands. He didn't want to hurt her again.

She shook her head against his chest and muttered, "I'm just happy you're here now."

"It feels like I've waited an eternity for this moment," he confessed with a shy smile. His fingertips caressed her cheek, wiping away the last traces of her earlier tears.

She closed her eyes and leaned into his touch, determined to commit every detail to memory, "I know the feeling."

After a moment Lucifer took a quick step back and boldly held out his hand for her to take, "Chloe, would you join me for a dance?"

Feeling as light and carefree as the effervescent bubbles in her champagne glass, Chloe grinned and placed her hand in his, "I would love to dance with you, Lucifer."

From out of his pocket he retrieved a small remote control. With a press of a button the synth pop beat of "Time After Time" flooded the apartment. Setting the remote aside, he pulled her in close and began swaying to the beat of the music.

"How did you know I'd be here?" she asked as they danced in slow circles.

Lucifer spun her away before pulling her back in close again, "You mean did I use my special Devil radar to find you?"

An amused smile spread slowly across his lips and she rolled her eyes. It used to annoy her how he seemed to delight in her ignorance of the divine, but she'd missed him far too deeply and for far too long to be annoyed with him tonight.

"A certain demon told me," he admitted with a playful lift of his brow.

Her head gave an understanding nod—Maze. She owed her a drink – maybe several.

"Though I suppose the better question is why you are here. Shouldn't you be celebrating with your friends downstairs and not sulking alone in an empty penthouse?"

"I wasn't sulking," she objected. Lucifer raised a dubious brow and she felt her cheeks grow hot.

"It's my party and I'll cry if I want to," she added in half-hearted protest.

"Well I've never been one to object to a good pity party," Lucifer teased, "though usually it's my own."

He dipped her backwards and pressed a light kiss to her cheek as he pulled her upright again. She held her breath waiting for him to kiss her again, but he pulled her close instead and continued to lead them on a slow dance around his living room. She masked her disappointment with a smile and closed her eyes as their bodies moved in tandem.

"How did you escape Hell?" she wondered suddenly, then added more hesitantly, "How long can you stay?"

"Always a detective, even when off the clock," he teased. "Amenadiel. My brother offered to babysit Hell for the night."

Chloe's smile faded, "Only for the night?"

"Regrettably," he answered. His fingertips brushed a loose strand of hair away from her face and tucked it behind her ear. She could see for herself how he felt—the pain and regret were written clearly across his features.

"It was a generous offer, and quite unexpected I might add," he explained, trying his best to sound jovial. "I'm not one to look a gift angel in the mouth."

"Of course..." The disappointment in her tone was palpable. "Lucifer, I don't know if I can do this. I don't think I'm strong enough to say good-bye to you again."

She stepped out of his embrace and stumbled blindly towards the elevator doors.

"Chloe, wait," he called after her. She paused next to the elevator and turned back to face him, tears already brimming in her eyes. His feet drew to a halt, allowing her space to leave if she wished it. But his next words were raw, the emotions behind them hovering just below the surface.

"Time moves slower in Hell. One of the benefits of eternal damnation—it literally drags on forever," he explained. "It's been months for you here, but for me it's felt like years. The only thing that got me through it—the only thing!—was the knowledge that someday I'd find my way back to you. I know I have no right to ask this, but please stay. For a minute, an hour even…"

She understood completely. His absence had left a void in her life (and heart) she thought would never be filled. The paralysing fear of reliving that pain had made her run for the door, but she would never forgive herself if she left now.

He slid his hands into the pockets of his slacks, looking thoroughly contrite, "I'm sorry that I've hurt you, Chloe. You must know I never wanted that. I wish more than anything I could remain by your side, but I think we both know why I can't."

"I know," she said softly, practically suffocating on all of the unspoken words that filled her.

He took a hesitant step closer and she silently wished he'd take another, then another, until there were no steps left between them. How many times had she kicked him out of her house or told him she needed space when they were working together? How many times had she taken his presence in her life for granted?

Countless times in the past six months she'd wished she could go back to just one of those moments and have another 60 seconds with him. How desperately had she longed to catch a glimpse of that playful look in his eyes when he teased her? Or the smile that lit his face when they finally solved a case together? She remembered the unabashed honesty and reticence written across his features when he told her exactly who he was, and the way it felt when she caught a glimpse of his eyes focused on her in quiet admiration. She missed the soft gasp of surprise he made when she kissed him and the rumble in his chest when he laughed. She would have given anything to re-live any one of those moments with him. No man had ever loved her as openly and unconditionally as Lucifer Morningstar and she loved him just as deeply in return.

"I'm here now," he reminded her gently. "For a little while, anyway. Come have a drink with me?"

He surveyed her expression and assured her he wouldn't do anything untoward. "Unless you ask, of course," he added cheekily.

She walked slowly towards him until she was close enough to reach out and touch him. Her hands moved slowly, sliding up his torso beneath the heavy warmth of his suit jacket until her palms laid flat against his chest. She heard his sharp inhale and felt the steady thrum of his heart as it hammered against her palms.

"How long do we have?" she asked and lifted her face to his.

His thumb brushed a light caress across her cheekbone and his dark eyes filled with longing as they held hers, "Until sunrise. Perhaps a little longer."

He was careful to keep his voice soft, as though the slightest noise might scare her away.

She nodded her head in understanding and listened to the way the breath caught in his throat when she undid the top button of his waistcoat. Her fingers slid down to the second button and undid it slowly, purposefully. By the time she'd reached the third his finger was under her chin, gently guiding her face upwards where his lips waited to settle softly over hers. His every movement was measured, calm, and achingly slow. He seemed determined to savour every second of their time together.

She responded instinctively to his touch, rocking up onto her tip toes and tugging lightly on the lapels of his jacket to pull him closer. He made a soft noise in the back of his throat, somewhere between a chuckle and a groan of approval. With one hand he lightly cupped her head while his other came to rest against her lower back. He felt warm and solid and she melted into him as her hands went to the bowtie at his throat and tugged it loose. The silk slipped easily through her fingers and landed atop the floor.

"Wait," he pleaded breathlessly as her hands began prying open the buttons of his shirt. She stopped and pulled back, her eyes searching his for an explanation.

"What is it?" she asked, "What's wrong?"

He smiled patiently as he scanned her features, taking them in one by one. "I've waited a long time for this, Chloe. Can you blame a Devil for wanting to do it right?"

"I don't understand…"

"I seem to recall you vowing once upon a time that you would never, ever, ever sleep with me," he challenged, barely suppressing a grin. "I would never dream of asking you to break such a solemn vow. What was it you said? Hell will freeze over first?"

Chloe laughed in spite of herself and nodded, "Oh, I see what this is. I denied you for years, so now it's time to get even, right? Maybe you have been spending too much time in Hell."

"I wouldn't dream of pressuring you to do something you vowed never to do, Detective," he teased with his tongue firmly in his cheek. The saucy smile playing across his lips said loud and clear that he was enjoying their little role reversal.

Lucifer thought he would play hard to get? Little did he realize Chloe Decker was the QUEEN of hard to get. "Well, if you don't want to…," she challenged with a lift of her shoulders and slipped out of his grasp.

He laughed in spite of himself, all pre-tense gone. "I have never wanted anything more," he assured her and his words sounded so genuine she had little choice but to believe him.

"I would never want to hurt you, Chloe. More than I already have, that is," he amended softly. "Whatever happens between us tonight won't change what must happen come morning."

"I know," she replied, her expression melting from playful to serious. "It's okay, Lucifer. I understand."

"If it were up to me-" he tried to reason, but she cut him off with a shake of her head.

"It's okay," she said again, this time with a smile. "I know how much tonight means to you because it means just as much to me."

A boyish grin lit his features and she felt her heart melt into a warm puddle in the center of her chest. He took her hand in his and turned her in a slow spin before pulling her close once more. The song was fading now, but they continued to dance until the next tune came on. He'd made an entire playlist of the 80s love ballads he knew she liked. The smile that pulled at her lips felt like it'd become a permanent fixture.

"Go ahead, ask me what I desire," she prompted him, a playful gleam returning to her eyes.

He smiled indulgently, amused by her request, "All right, Detective. What is it you truly desire?"

She held his gaze a long moment, until her stomach filled with butterflies and her mouth went dry. Had he always been so impossibly handsome?

"To spend my birthday with you."

He didn't respond at first, at least not with words. A shy smile flirted with his lips and then his forehead briefly pressed against hers before his lips found her cheek. He left a trail of soft kisses along a carefully cut path to her mouth where he kissed her until her head was spinning and she felt utterly intoxicated by his presence.

Her hands moved boldly up the smooth plains of his chest to his shoulders, where they pushed his soft wool jacket to the floor. It felt expensive. Hand-made and lined with buttery soft silk. He didn't even notice when it hit the marble tile. His hands were too busy gently cupping her head while his mouth moved against hers, bolder than he'd ever been before. Her mind flashed back to the countless dreams she'd had of moments just like this. Dreams where he'd ravished her on every possible surface in his penthouse suite.

The Lucifer in her dreams was always the same - frantic, passionate, and utterly insatiable. She'd wake with her body tingling from head to toe, desperate for some kind of release. But the real Lucifer was different in every way, and it didn't take long for her to realize she liked him better. Rather than a raging inferno that engulfed everything in its path, his passion was a bright and steady flame.

He removed the straps of her dress slowly, one slender rope at a time. His fingers and lips explored each new inch of skin that was revealed to him as each strap slipped down her shoulder. By the time his mouth was carving a path from her ear to her throat, she found it impossible to focus on anything other than the way his lips felt against her skin.

She pulled his mouth to hers and her fingers tugged at the remaining buttons on his shirt until his chest lay bare before her. While her hands pushed the thin material from his shoulders, her lips mapped a trail of kisses from the underside of his jaw to the small scar in the centre of his chest. She traced it gently with her fingertip before pressing a soft, apologetic kiss overtop the spot where she'd pressed an axe a little too deep into his flesh.

He hadn't tried to stop her then, and didn't now. He lifted her instead and set her down atop the glossy lacquered lid of his piano.

"You still wear this?" he asked, sounding astonished as his eyes settled on the bullet fragment that dangled from a golden chain around her neck. Her fingers went to it instinctively and caressed it the way she did when she thought of him.

"It helps me to remember," she confessed softly with a light shrug of her shoulders.

His hands slid slowly up her thighs, fingertips pressing into her skin. He kept his head bowed in anticipation, waiting for her mouth to find his. She rewarded his patience while her fingers went to work tugging at his shirt to loosen it from his pants.

"Shall we move this party somewhere a little more private?" he suggested with a pointed glance in the direction of his room.

Chloe nodded and slid off the piano top, utterly miscalculating the ability of her legs to support her. She went crashing to the floor, falling awkwardly at his feet.

"Detective?!"

Lucifer surged forward to help her up but she waved off his hands as her shoulders shook with laughter.

"I can't believe I just did that."

"It happens to the best of us, I assure you," he said and she took the hand he offered to rise unsteadily to her feet.

Her cheeks were bright red with embarrassment and she exhaled a loud sigh, "Wow!" After a beat her smile faltered, "Did I totally just ruin the mood?"

"Not possible," he replied with a grin and offered her a champagne flute. "I don't imagine much could dissuade us at this point, do you?" She grinned at the adorable way his forehead creased when he lifted his brows and shook her head.

"It's been a while since I did this. I guess I'm more nervous than I thought," she admitted before downing what was left of the champagne in her glass.

"That makes two of us," he confessed and took her by the arm to lead her to his room.

"Really?" She searched Lucifer's features for any hint he was teasing, but there was only bare honesty staring back at her.

"I guess I'm just surprised," she said. "You've been with so many others I guess I just assumed..." She finished with a lame shrug and looked away shyly.

Lucifer gently cleared his throat and took her hand in his.

"None of them were you," he said sincerely then placed a sensuous kiss against her knuckles. "Might I remind you, you are the only human to have ever given the Devil a case of blue balls?"

Chloe's hand went to her mouth to stifle a giggle, "Right. I'd forgotten about that. I'll be right back!" she promised and slipped out of the room only to return a moment later with the champagne bottle in hand. Lucifer raised a brow in question.

"I thought we might make a toast," she explained with a mischievous smile. "To the end of blue balls."

"And about bloody time, too!" Lucifer teased. He watched as she filled both of their glasses with champagne then clinked his glass against hers. "To ending blue balls," he said formally.

"To ending blue balls!" she laughed and downed the contents of her glass.

Setting his empty flute aside, Lucifer held out his hands for her to take. Wearing a positively salacious grin he pulled her gently in the direction of the bed.

"Now, where were we…? Ah, yes. I remember now…"

The End

Author's Note: Thank you for taking the time to read this little ficlet. It's been a while since I've been able to write and this helped me get back into the swing of it. I'd love if it you could leave a comment and let me know what you thought of it. Here's hoping the wait for Season 5 isn't too much longer. Until next time...