Chapter Text
Sam jerked to a stop, bangs flying around his face. “Hey, is Ella Catholic?”
Lucifer had one Louboutin in the van. “Well, she's something. Has a bloody crucifix necklace she plays with when she’s thinking. Gives me the creeps.” Really, what kind of life prompts questions like those in a crisis?
Sam brushed his hair back behind his ears for the millionth time. “ The other Ella had a rosary in her police bag, I'm going to run back and see if there’s one here. We're going to need it.”
“For Dad's sake, just get a haircut already.” His nose twitched. “Do you need religious symbols? Is that necessary?”
“Well, can you make holy water?”
Lucifer sputtered. “ You bloody well know- ”
“I’ll be right back then.” Sam bolted back inside.
At least the man was decisive. “ Make it snappy, or I'm leaving you behind!”
Chloe stepped away to call her ex, pacing fast. “...He won't say. Well come back, and you can tell him that yourself...no, I'll text you when I know more...yeah, me too.” She dropped her phone into her pocket, glaring at everyone and nothing. Lucifer had half a mind to drive off without her.
Dean felt the same, apparently. He inched over to her. “You probably should stay here. We've seen some shit go down before.”
Chloe glared at him. “Do you have kids?”
“God, no. I hope not. I'm pretty sure I don't.”
She went full side-eye on him. “Get back to me when you do.”
Sam reappeared, patting his pocket. Dean didn't ask if he stole it or borrowed it - it didn’t matter for their purposes.
The van started up. She climbed in the passenger seat, too distracted to notice there weren’t any keys in the ignition.
“We good? Anyone need to stop for lunch? We’ll be lucky to make it there alive in this death trap.”
“The van is only four years old, on par with your emotional age. Stop complaining and just drive.”
A few minutes in, Chloe got a sneaking suspicion they were headed for Lux. Lucifer confirmed it but was tight-lipped about anything else of importance, like how he knew where Trixie was, exactly.
“She told me, I told you that. Quite a feat actually, all things considered. Your spawn is quite resilient.”
He pulled over at Sam’s insistence at a hardware store a few blocks from Lux. The spire at the top of the building was easily visible from where they were. Chloe leaned out her window. “We’re going on ahead - catch up if you want. Take the back elevator inside up to the penthouse.”
Lucifer blinked at her. “Detective?”
Chloe snapped at him. “Shut up and just be a civilian. Trixie’s being held in your apartment, by an unknown captor. I don’t even know why she called you instead of me, but for now, I'm believing you. Actually, take my phone and see if there are responses from Dan when we get inside. I texted and told him it seemed like we were headed to Lux. Police backup will be on the way.”
Sam counted himself impressed. Granted, no firearm short of the Colt was going to kill a demon, but at least she seemed like she could handle whatever waited for them, or maybe at least slow it down. Lucifer dealt with the other demon just fine, so they should be fine. Probably. That last line didn’t sound like the best idea though. “Maybe we should keep more police out-”
She glared at him in a way that brooked no argument. “I don’t know who you normally work with, or what you really do, but you’re civilians here too, as far as I’m concerned. None of you should be going.”
Dean watched the police van race off, the white Lux building reaching for the sky just a few blocks away. “I like her. Too bad she’s going to get herself killed at this rate.”
They’d seen it too many times to count. Not too many times not to care, but it wasn’t the first time they watched someone charge head-first into their doom.
Sam sighed. “Who knows, maybe this one will make it.” He didn’t sound convinced.
Lucifer barely paused for a breath of relief finding his club as it should be at least from outside Without slowing down, he flung the door open from ten feet away while moving, half-remembering the last time a door involved unexpected results. He didn't see any sigils painted in blood or anything else, but he wasn't taking chances.
Chloe either hadn’t noticed or didn’t realize he was the one responsible. She started, but continued inside, right behind him and wishing for back-up to get here, now.
Lucifer did pause in the middle of the vacant club floor to yell at the ceiling. “AMENADIEL! GET YOUR USELESS FEATHERED ARSE OVER HERE!” He ground his teeth at nothing, Chloe looking more and more bewildered and on the verge of calling a mental hospital. She had her gun out, all the same, the only one out of all of them armed, as far as she knew. Lucifer continued after the second passed, swearing at air and stepping into the golden-walled elevator.
“What on earth was that about?”
“I'm not in the mood to stop and pray.”
Lucifer could hear her teeth grinding from two feet away.
He jerked his head at Chloe, holding the elevator door open. “Detective, call Maze, would you? While you stay down here and wait for me to deal with this?”
She didn’t put up her sidearm. “Can’t you? And no.” She stood in front of the button panel and didn’t budge. He sighed, dropping his hand. The doors closed. Chloe shivered, feeling as though she just walked into a freezer.
“My phone doesn’t work here anymore, she’s got my SIM card. Had to have it swapped out for all the good it ended up doing.” he cocked his head. “Bloody hell. Hers probably won’t work either.”
Exasperated with his Luciferness, she sighed. “What’d you do, go overseas?”
He looked at her like she was the crazy one in this conversation. “Of course not, told you, dimension hopping. I don’t recommend it. I’m of half a mind to go back there and buy ‘Rodeo’ just so I can burn it to the ground.”
What? Wait, didn't he say…? “How did Trixie call you then?”
He huffed. “She called to me, a prayer. She got around the thing that’s holding her to tell me where she is.”
She shoved him back, taking center front in the middle of the doors and waiting for them to open. She was already irritable about stopping at a hardware store for bags of salt, paint, cording and God knows what else his new boytoy tagalongs ran inside for, even if they barely stopped to shove them out of the vehicle.
“Lucifer, I swear to God-”
“Must you?”
She mentally swore to herself instead. The doors slid apart softly, and Chloe stepped out, pistol at the ready and up. The apartment was deathly quiet. She didn’t leave room for Lucifer to exit until she saw Trixie, sitting at the bar. She kept her gun pointed elsewhere, but ready. The girl glared at her mother with an unsettling glint in her eyes. Chloe wasn’t going to let Lucifer out of the elevator either until she was sure they wouldn’t just become more hostages.
So he was right about one thing. Trixie was here in his apartment. She couldn’t see anyone holding or threatening her. Her instincts were screaming at her to run away, take the elevator back down, jump out a window, just do anything to get out.
She didn’t.
Chloe took one long step out and spun left and right, looking for anyone else. “Who’s here? Show yourself!”
Trixie’s eyes narrowed. “Just me.” Her voice was flat. For some reason, she wore one of Lucifer’s favorite crisp white button-up shirts over the jeans and sneakers she wore this morning with the sleeves were rolled up. On any other day, she would have looked adorable, the shirttail hanging below the barstool. Her pants and shoes were both caked with something dry and dark and unreflective. Chloe had seen far too many crime scenes not to know what it was, but she shoved it to the back of her head for now. All that mattered was that her daughter was alive and seemed to be safe. She didn’t look hurt, or scared, despite the jeans looking to be more stained than clean.
Chloe pointed her weapon toward the floor and well away from Trixie. Lucifer grabbed her arm as she started to walk further in. “Wait.”
She glanced at the hand on her arm, gritting her teeth. “What now?”
Lucifer raised his hand, palm up, looking at Trixie. His body radiated tension and anger. “You need to get out of her.”
She glanced up at his face, puzzled by his reaction. What was he doing?
“No, I don’t.” She smirked, making a joke to herself with the next word. “Sammy.”
Chloe was completely lost. The air grew heavy, stifling even.
“That’s not any version of my name.” He took a half-step in front of her, blocking Chloe’s line of sight. “You will leave her, one way or another.” His upraised hand, the one with the ring, clenched tightly into a fist.
Her stomach lurched as power rolled off him in a wave.
Trixie buckled and screamed. “Mooooooooooooooooooooooooom! ”
“Trix! ” She bolted, breaking Lucifer’s grip. She was halfway across the room before Trixie’s eyes flashed hazy white and Chloe found herself bodily thrown sideways and into the glass coffee table, where it shattered under her. Shards exploded and flew, scattering across the middle of the living room and cutting her clothes and face. Spinning, the gun went a different direction as she lost control of it.
“Chloe ?! ” Lucifer swore and dove after her, brushing loose hairs out of her face. He picked pieces of glass off her jacket. “ Detective? Are you alright?” She felt blood running down her face from her hairline, but it was more of a nuisance than anything else. There were two Lucifers in her unfocused vision, and that was a problem. She wiped the blood off her face and blinked, trying to clear up her sensory signals. He looked down at her, his eyes flashing with anger and worry, swimming with red licks of fire. He looked away from her and back several times, the red glint traveling with his face. Faces.
What?
She blinked and it was gone, he became one Lucifer again as she concentrated, then turned her eyes back to daughter. Or who she thought was her daughter.
Trixie’s bland expression belied the dangerous tone of her voice. “You really want to talk to me first.”
Chloe groaned, getting her feet under her and crouching on the floor. “Trixie? Lucifer?”
He gripped her shoulder. When had he moved this close to her? He was way over there a moment ago, wasn’t he? “Stay down, Detective.”
The girl smiled softly, white-eyed. “Right, like I won’t hurt her if she just stays there. You shouldn’t have brought her.”
Lucifer looked at Trixie, standing and cocking his head. “Speaking of things that shouldn’t be here. Lily.”
Chloe clawed her way up Lucifer, unable to stand up on her own, but damned if she was going to wait helplessly on the floor. “Trixie?! What’s wrong with her?” he grabbed her around the waist to keep her from lunging again. She stopped, staring. Opaque white eyes barely glanced at her. The eyes were on Lucifer.
She smiled. “Isn’t anyone going to ask me what I want?”
No one moved, then Chloe spoke, strained. “What do you want, baby?”
Trixie leaned on her hand, elbow on the bar. “My own little bright spot of the universe. Hell seems to be short a ruler. The only problem is, the other demons aren’t listening to me.”
Lucifer looked around. “Maze?” One of her knives rested on the bar.
“Your bodyguard is preoccupied. I had to bring my own demons. Your hell isn’t easy to get into. Funny how it’s the other way, back where I’m from. ” She frowned. “I need you for that, apparently.”
He ground his teeth. “I can’t take you there, nor would I.”
Chloe couldn’t take her eyes off her daughter, her lungs tightening with each breath.
She glared, anger rising. “Oh, but-”
He glared right back. “I literally cannot. I lack the wings to do it. I don’t have the power to just up and go like a bloody angel express. You’re wasting your time. Get out of Beatrice, get out of my home and you can return to your rightful plane and cause havoc there.”
“No wings, huh?” Trixie hopped off the bar stool. “It's true then?” The curly black pigtails cocked as she looked up at Lucifer, her voice dripping disdain.
Lucifer moved in front of her, blocking the view of her daughter. He held up his beringed hand, palm out and open. “ Leave Beatrice! I command you to depart her!”
She smiled. “Luci, you really ought to watch your step.”
He looked down quickly. Nothing. Maybe a vague outline of a wet circle. Something was wrong - most of his power was cut off. His eyes flew up to find the Devils Trap painted on his ceiling. His eyes burned. “I am going to destroy you, Lily.”
“Humans were always going to be your downfall, Sam. This one fragile woman throws you off your game more than I ever would have expected. Oh, and just in case.” She threw one of his lighters on the floor, igniting and burning an opposite circle of oil on the floor that flashed up from blue to bright gold flames then settled to burn a foot high, without consuming the fuel.
His eyes blazed. He stepped forward, but couldn't cross the flames. Trixie stuck her tongue out. Frustrated, he turned back to Chloe, clenching his fists. “Detective, get out, I can't protect you from here!”
Chloe gaped, eyes flicking from the fire to the ceiling, then back to Trixie, her eyes still solid white. Those eyes turned on her. “That's right, mom. The Devil can't protect you. If every world is this soft, I can take them all, and give them to my lord. He deserves them.”
Trixie smiled at her captive. “Lucifer will be pleased I found an alternate vessel for him. Even better than the Winchester boy. I can’t wait to watch him take you.”
There were no pupils, but Chloe felt the hate in the gaze all the same. She swallowed on a dry throat. This wasn't Trixie. “I'm not leaving without my daughter.”
This was it. Actual demon possession. She looked at Lucifer, the flames on his carpet neither spreading nor flaming out. He couldn't step beyond them despite the fact they were all of a foot high. He shifted his weight, glancing at her a few times, panicky. She followed his hands, pressed up against nothing.
Lucifer.
Wing scars.
Trixie smirked. “Then I guess you aren't leaving.”
Sam hated it when kids got possessed.
It didn’t happen often since human kids tended to be physically weaker and shorter. But when it did, it got creepy as hell.
It took five minutes to run in and run out, grabbing paint and anything else that made sense. Dean and Sam split up, only one of them getting yelled at by an irate store manager on the way out the door for stealing. It was five minutes Sam worried they didn't have, but they couldn’t show up with nothing.
It was too late to paint circles. The plain, empty paint bucket and a rosary would make quick holy water once they had a place to fill it with tap water. Sam just hoped it still worked the same way. He threw matches, rope, paint, lighters, accelerant, road salt and a few other things into his improvised basket. As an afterthought, he grabbed some metal gardening stakes, a fresh rosemary plant, emergency candles, and a duffle bag. He didn’t have any spell components otherwise, but salt and some herbs could go a long way.
He hated angels. Count on them to throw him and Dean into a situation they had to take care of without proper equipment.
He had a bad feeling about this.
Sam paused at the threshold. “Where the hell is Cas?”
Cas, as it turned out, waited by the elevator, on the ground floor. “it’s Lilith.”
Dean swore. “Because of course it is. Stupid question time - our Lilith?”
“Why would you think that’s a stupid question?”
“Cas.”
“Yes, our Lilith.”
Sam looked at Cas. “Upstairs? Where are Maze and the other angel?”
Cas’ eyes unfocused. “Amenadiel is weakened. I'm not sure.” He stopped. “Mazikeen?” he tilted his head. “I hear screaming. It sounds like…” He turned around in a circle, looking down. “A lot of profanities and obscenities. At high volume. Under the floor.”
The storeroom under the bar held Maze, tied up. She’d bitten through her gag but lay in a trap painted on the floor. She had no guards.
Sam leaned over to scrub one of the edges of the painted Trap.
Dean grabbed his wrist. “What are you doing?”
“She can help.”
“Demon, Sam. Whose side do you think she'll be on?”
Maze growled. “Get me out of this thing.”
Sam jerked back to Cas. “You heard her from upstairs, we didn't. Are we freeing her or not?”
Cas sighed and wiped out part of the line with his foot. “Here, she's on the side of Lucifer, whom she's sworn to protect, or at least serve. Which makes it our side, if we're discussing Lilith.”
Maze rolled up to her feet, holding out her bound hands. “you mind?”
Dean glared, but Sam cut the cording. He held on to her wrist a moment longer. There was power moving under her skin.
Sam frowned. “Were you attacked by Lilith or someone else? Why did she leave you alive?”
She rubbed her wrists, looking down at them. “I'm a daughter of the Lilim. Maybe she thinks she can use me. I didn't expect a demon in Trixie, but she has more demons in bodies. Patrick, the other bartender, is possessed. I don't know if it's her guard or just some lesser demon that came through with her.”
“Are you alright? We need to get moving.”
She flinched.
Sam had started up the stairs, leading. Cas turned and Maze leapt at him. She had a knife out, plunging after the angel. Dean slammed her into the storeroom shelving before she moved more than a foot, holding her in place.
She writhed and spit, one eye black, the other white. Her human glamour fought with itself, bleeding away at the edges of the left side of her face until only the scars were visible.
Sam produced a silvery dagger with a serrated edge. “Maze?”
Castiel reached for her forehead, fingers extended.
“Wait, can you smite her without killing her?”
Maze grinned. The black eye cleared, leaving her normal one and the white. She twisted and screamed, fighting Dean’s grip. “Get this thing out of me!”
Dean held her, but it was a near thing. Sam grabbed her other arm, looking across to his brother. “We have to throw her back in the circle, Sam. She's neutralized. We’ll either waste time getting the...demon banished or waste time figuring out where to put the damn thing once it's free of her.”
Cas nodded. “He’s right. If I smite her now, I'll drain some of my power. I need as much as possible for Lilith.”
The angel fixed the circle. Dean held her arms and threw her back in, where she spouted more obscenities. The black eye flickered and was pushed back. Maze, actually Maze breathed hard, panting. “You're right, I'd be a distraction to Lucifer. Go help him. As long as I'm stuck here, so is this bitch.” She got her breath back, snarling, black eye fighting for dominance. “You weren't supposed to find out until we were in the elevator, and Castiel would be dead.” She threw the dagger out of the circle where it skidded over the floor. “Take it. Lilith has the other one.”
The black eye returned and she screamed.