Lucifer swirled the amber liquid in his glass, watching the light play through the expensive whiskey as he leaned against the bar in his penthouse.
The events of the past few days had left even him - an immortal being who had witnessed the birth of stars - feeling somewhat overwhelmed.
Chloe had died. His Detective, the one human who somehow made him vulnerable, had been murdered in that warehouse.
Not just killed, but deliberately sent to Hell through ritual magic, bypassing the natural order of judgment. Someone had specifically targeted her, knowing exactly what she meant to him.
And then Maze - his Maze, his oldest companion, his consort and right hand - had done something that still left him reeling.
She had used the angel feathers she'd secretly kept from when he'd cut off his wings. Used them to venture into Hell and bring Chloe back.
Across the penthouse, Chloe sat perched on the edge of his Italian leather sofa, her posture rigid with tension.
Amenadiel stood near the balcony doors, his usual stoic expression in place.
Maze lounged nearby, casually cleaning her demon blades.
"So," Lucifer said, breaking the tense silence, "to summarize our little predicament: the Detective was murdered through ritual means, her soul diverted directly to Hell, where Maze - using my feathers without permission, I might add - rescued her and brought her back to life."
He took a sip of his drink, savoring the burn. "Meanwhile, Amenadiel here has graciously altered the memories of everyone involved - the police department, the medical examiner,
even Daniel and the spawn - so they believe you were merely injured, spent a couple of days recovering in hospital, and have now been discharged."
Maze looked up from her blade. "Don't forget to mention Betty and the promise I made."
Lucifer sighed heavily. "Ah yes, the cherry on top of this celestial sundae. Apparently, there's a woman named Betty running around Hell, claiming to be the 'Beloved' of my baby brother.
She's conquered a significant portion of the infernal realm in his name and awaits his arrival like some lovesick teenager."
He drained his glass and immediately poured another. "I've got to give the kid credit - he clearly knows his way around women.
Hasn't been awake five minutes and already has devotees conquering Hell in his name. It took me millennia to inspire that kind of loyalty."
Amenadiel cleared his throat. "Lucifer, perhaps we should address the most pressing issue at hand."
"And what might that be, brother?" Lucifer asked, though his tone suggested he already knew.
"The fact that Chloe's soul has been marked by Hell," Amenadiel said gravely. "Her physical presence there, after death, has left an indelible mark.
It means that when she dies - her natural death - she will return to Hell. Regardless of her worthiness for Heaven."
Chloe's head snapped up, her eyes wide with shock and fear. "What? What do you mean?"
Maze set down her blade, her expression unusually serious. "Hell has marked you, Decker.
You walked on its soil after death - not a proper death since the lady in black didn't personally escort you there, but death nonetheless.
It's like... a stamp on your passport. Hell knows you now. Recognizes you. Will claim you when you die for real."
"But that's not fair!" Chloe protested, her voice rising. "I didn't choose to go there! I was forced!"
"Fairness isn't really Dad's strong suit," Lucifer muttered.
"But there has to be something-" Chloe's breathing quickened, panic rising in her eyes. "I can't go back there. I can't. Those cells, those creatures, the endless suffering-"
Her words dissolved into rapid, shallow breaths as the full horror of her situation crashed over her.
She'd been maintaining a façade of calm since her return, forcing herself to process the revelations about Lucifer, about Heaven and Hell, about the true nature of reality.
But this - the thought of returning to that place of torment for eternity - was the breaking point.
Lucifer moved to her side with supernatural speed, gently pulling her against his chest, his arms wrapping around her in a protective embrace. "Breathe, Detective," he murmured, his voice uncharacteristically soft. "Just breathe."
Chloe clutched at his shirt, her whole body trembling.
A hysterical laugh threatened to bubble up from her chest as she realized the absurdity of her situation - she was having a panic attack about Hell while seeking comfort in the arms of Satan himself.
"There is a way," Lucifer said, his chin resting atop her head. "I won't let you go back there, Detective. You have my word. And you know my word-"
"Is your bond," she finished for him, the familiar phrase bringing a strange sense of calm. In a world turned upside down, this was one constant she could cling to: Lucifer never lied, and he never broke his promises.
The tension began to drain from her body as she allowed herself to believe him.
Whatever else Lucifer might be - the Devil, the Lightbringer, the former ruler of Hell - he had always protected her. Had always been there when she needed him most.
Amenadiel shifted uncomfortably. "Lucifer, while I appreciate your sentiment, the fact remains that a mark from Hell can only be removed by-"
"Just get to the point, brother," Lucifer snapped, irritation flashing in his eyes. "We both know where this is going."
Amenadiel tried to look innocent, but his expression quickly sobered. "Since Michael is only Father knows where, your wings are burned,
Gabriel has fallen and is now human, and the fundamental laws Father has established regarding the markings of Heaven and Hell can only be altered by beings with aspects of His power - specifically, Demiurgic Archangels - the only one who can do anything is-"
"Samael," Maze finished for him, testing the name on her tongue.
Lucifer's arms tightened slightly around Chloe. "I know you've been angling for this, Amenadiel. Trying to get me to meet my replacement since you first mentioned him."
"I understand your reluctance, Lucifer," Amenadiel began. "Meeting the one Father created to-"
"I'll do it," Lucifer interrupted, his decision made. "For the Detective's sake, I'll meet the little upstart."
Amenadiel's eyebrows rose in surprise. "You will?"
"Don't look so shocked, brother. I'm capable of putting aside my pride when necessary." Lucifer's lips quirked in a sardonic smile.
"Besides, I'm rather curious to see what Dad's latest project looks like. Whether he's managed to improve on the original design."
Chloe pulled back slightly to look up at him, her eyes still red-rimmed but no longer filled with panic. She didn't understand what they were talking about, but she did feel like it was something that bothered Lucifer.
"You don't have to do this for me if it's... difficult for you."
"Nonsense, Detective," Lucifer said with forced lightness. "What's a little family reunion between celestials? I'm sure it will be perfectly dreadful, but that's par for the course with my relatives."
Maze stood, sheathing her blades. "So we're doing this? Going to find baby brother and asking him to remove Decker's Hell-mark?"
"It appears so," Lucifer confirmed. "Though perhaps not 'we' in the collective sense. I think this initial meeting should be... limited in attendance."
He glanced at Amenadiel. "Just myself and my brother. No need to overwhelm the new Lightbringer with too many faces at once."
Amenadiel nodded, understanding the unspoken message. This was something Lucifer needed to do on his own terms.
"Where is he?" Chloe asked. "This... Samael?"
"Gotham, in universe 7777" Maze supplied. "According to Betty, he's living as the son of some human billionaire named Luthor." She made a face. "Sounds like a real downgrade from Heaven, if you ask me."
"Gotham," Lucifer repeated, his expression thoughtful. "Well, that's fitting. If I were to choose a city that most resembles Hell on Earth, that cesspool would be high on the list."
He gently disentangled himself from Chloe, moving back to the bar to refill his glass. "Amenadiel, I'll need you to locate him precisely. And perhaps arrange a... neutral meeting ground. Somewhere private."
Amenadiel nodded. "I'll make the arrangements."
"Good," Lucifer said with finality. "Now, if you'll excuse us, I believe the Detective has questions that require answering. Questions best addressed without an audience."
Taking the hint, Maze and Amenadiel made their way to the elevator. As the doors closed behind them, Lucifer turned to face Chloe, his expression softening.
"Now then, Detective. I imagine you have quite a few queries burning in that brilliant mind of yours. Where shall we begin?"
Chloe took a deep breath, steadying herself.
The past few days had been a whirlwind of finding out things, each more earth-shattering than the last.
But now, alone with Lucifer, she finally had the chance to ask the questions that had been churning inside her since her return from Hell.
"Why?" she started, her voice quiet but steady. "Why are you here? On Earth? In L.A.? Why become a civilian consultant, my partner?"
Lucifer considered her for a moment, then moved to sit beside her on the sofa, maintaining a respectful distance. "The simple answer? I was bored. Five years ago, I decided I'd had enough of Hell, of punishing the guilty, of being the scapegoat for humanity's sins. So I abdicated my throne, came to Earth, and opened Lux."
He took a sip of his drink. "As for why I became your partner... well, you intrigued me, Detective. You were immune to my charms, to my ability to draw out desires.
You saw through the façade I present to the world. You treated me as... just Lucifer. Not the Devil, not a monster, not a fallen angel. Just me."
His expression grew more serious. "And then you made me vulnerable - literally. When I'm near you, I can be hurt, can bleed. That's never happened before. You're unique, Detective. Special in ways I'm still trying to understand."
Chloe absorbed this, processing everything. "And all those times you told me who you were..."
"I was telling the truth," Lucifer confirmed. "I've never lied to you, Detective. Not once."
She nodded slowly. "I believe you." She hesitated, then asked the question that had been nagging at her since her return. "And Samael? Betty seemed... obsessed with him. Who is he, exactly?"
Lucifer's expression tightened almost imperceptibly. "Ah, yes. My replacement."
Replacement. Again that word. She didn't understand what they truly meant.
Chloe quickly backpedaled. "If you're not comfortable talking about him, that's fine. You don't have to. I'm fine with not knowing."
A small smile tugged at Lucifer's lips. "Detective, I've told you many times that I don't appreciate being lied to. You won't sleep well tonight with that curiosity gnawing at you."
Chloe blushed slightly, opening her mouth to defend herself, but Lucifer gently raised a hand to stop her.
"It's quite alright," he assured her. "I forgive you, as your intent wasn't malicious. And you deserve to know what we're walking into."
He leaned back, his expression becoming distant as he gathered his thoughts. "To understand Samael, you need to understand how I came to be.
In the beginning, before Creation, my Father attempted to create the perfect being - the Demiurge, a creature that would embody both His Will and His Power, capable of creating from nothing just as He could."
"But the experiment failed," Lucifer continued. "Instead of one perfect being, the essence split into two: myself - then called Samael - and my twin brother Michael.
I received the Will of God - the Demiurgic Will, the ability to shape, to desire, to ignite.
Michael received the Power of God - the Dunamis Demiurgos, the raw creative force.
Together, we could create as Father did. Apart, we were... incomplete."
Chloe's eyes widened at the revelation that Lucifer had a twin, and as well was in awe at the power he described, but she remained silent, not wanting to interrupt his flow.
"I lived in Heaven for eons," Lucifer continued. "Serving my Father, leading the Host, basking in His love and approval.
My mother - the Goddess of Creation - doted on me particularly. I was the Lightbringer, the most beautiful of all angels, God's favorite son."
His expression darkened. "But then Father created humans. Flawed, limited creatures with something we angels never had - free will. The ability to choose. And He commanded us to love them, to bow to them.
I... refused.
I wanted what they had. I worked for him for eons, tirelessly and I was supposed to lower myself to them when they had done nothing but be born and be bestowed the greatest gift...."
Lucifer's voice grew distant, lost in memory. "I gathered a third of the Host and rebelled. Not out of hatred for humanity, but out of principle.
Why should beings of pure celestial power bow to creatures of dust? Why should we, who had no choice in our existence, our purpose, our very nature, serve those who had been given the gift of choice over us?"
He took another sip of his drink. "The war was... devastating. Brother against brother, angel against angel.
And in the end, we lost. Michael cast me down into Hell, into a lake of fire where I burned for what felt like eternity."
Chloe's heart ached at the pain evident in his voice, even after all these millennia.
"In Hell, I encountered Lilith, who had been sent there before me for refusing to submit to Adam, for directly disobeying God's command.
She wanted children, a legacy. Using the Will of God that remained within me, I granted her the ability to conceive from devouring the flames of Hell itself. Thus, demons were born."
He glanced toward the elevator where Maze had departed. "Mazikeen was among the strongest of Lilith's children.
She challenged me, fought me - and lost, of course. I considered ending her, but instead offered her a place at my side.
She accepted, becoming my right hand, my enforcer, my... well, everything a woman can be to a man."
Chloe couldn't quite hide the flash of jealousy that crossed her face when he said that. Lucifer noticed, his lips curving into a knowing smile as he reached out to brush his fingertips against her cheek.
"Don't worry, Detective. My heart still has room for you."
Warmth spread through Chloe at his touch, at his words.
She was surprised to find that the idea of sharing Lucifer with Maze didn't repulse her as much as she might have expected.
The thought was... intriguing, in ways she wasn't ready to examine too closely.
The only reason she could think of right now, was that if the only way to be with Lucifer meant having to share him with Maze who literally saved her from Hell...
Well, it was something trivial to care about.
Still, she filed it all away to consider later, focusing instead on his continuing explanation.
"As for Samael," Lucifer said, his voice growing more serious.
"He is something unprecedented. A human soul transformed into a Demiurgic Archangel by my Father - something that has never happened before.
There have been no new angels since the Great War, let alone archangels of his caliber."
He paused, seeming to debate with himself, then continued. "I'm about to tell you something that likely no one else in existence knows, save for my Father and perhaps my Mother."
Chloe leaned forward, sensing the gravity of what was coming.
"Samael is the Demiurge," Lucifer said simply. "Not half of it, as Michael and I were. The complete Demiurge, as Father originally intended."
"But I thought you said the Demiurge was supposed to be you and Michael before you split, that it failed, God having been unable to do it," Chloe said, confusion evident in her voice.
"Precisely," Lucifer nodded. "It seems the old man has been tinkering in his little workshop all this time, and finally succeeded.
I wasn't entirely sure when I first sensed his power - when he created an angel from a fallen one, Marchosias, I believe."
"Marchosias," Chloe repeated, remembering the massive beast of light who had rescued her in Hell.
That explained the profound loyalty she had sensed whenever he spoke of Samael - he had literally been remade by him.
"But I became certain when I felt him blow up God's Palace," Lucifer continued, a hint of pride in his voice.
"Excuse me," Chloe interrupted, unable to contain her shock. "God's Palace? Samael destroyed God's Palace?"
Lucifer chuckled, a genuine sound of amusement. "I was rather shocked myself. And, I must admit, somewhat proud of the little brat. No one but me has ever had the balls to flip Dad off quite so spectacularly before."
He refilled his glass, his expression growing more thoughtful. "What it means to be the true Demiurge... I'm not entirely certain, Detective.
Even I don't know the full potential of such power.
But I do know this: my baby brother is going to have more of Dad's attention than anyone else in existence has ever had. And trust me when I say that's not necessarily a good thing."
Chloe sat in stunned silence, trying to process everything Lucifer had told her.
The scale of it all was overwhelming - wars in Heaven, the creation of Hell, powers beyond anything she knew.
And now she was somehow caught up in the middle of it all, her very soul at stake.
"So this Samael," she finally said, "he's our only hope of removing this... mark from my soul?"
"It appears so," Lucifer confirmed, his expression grave. "And I will ensure he does so, Detective. Whatever our familial complications might be, I won't allow you to suffer eternally because of them."
Chloe slowly nodded, finding strange comfort in his determination.
The world as she had known it might have been turned upside down, but one thing remained constant: Lucifer Morningstar would move Heaven and Hell to keep her safe.
And that, at least, was something she could believe in.
-------------------------
(Author note: Hello everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the chapter!
So, finally Chloe has got her answers, though of course, they lead to even more questions.
Also, yeah, Lucifer knows Samael is the Demiurge, what do you guys think of that?
Do tell me if you are excited for them meeting.
Well, I hope to see you all later,
Bye!)