Characters: Chloe Decker, Lucifer Morningstar, and most of the main cast eventually
Pairings: Deckerstar
Ratings: NC-17 (chapter 8 gets NSFW)
Notes: For The Deckerstar Valenteam Challenge. Had the prompts of “Welsh carved spoons” and “candlelit/moonlit.” I was also paired with @zeearts who will be posting the accompanying picture soon.
Link at AO3 - https://archiveofourown.org/works/22741912/chapters/54341617
Just as I was ready for everything. For us. He was really gone. Lucifer always talked about how if he left, he would never see me again. That would not happen, I’d make sure of that.
This was the beginning of my end. I Chloe Decker, will find a way to hell, especially if it kills me.
It had been twenty years before I finally kicked the bucket. I spent the last part of my life doing nothing but reckless behavior.Amenadiel had tried for a while to get me back on the right track, but I think he figured out what I was doing and knew there was nothing he could do to stop me.
I had dropped cases, put the wrong people away and my most regrettable action- signed off my parental rights to Trixie. That was where I was currently. I had relived the anger from Dan and sadness from Trixie what felt like a million times. Something told me I had to get out of there though. I walked out of the courtroom, when Trixie called out my name I suddenly felt the way Orpheus did when he peeked behind to look at his wife. Just as I was about to turn I heard the voice in my head again.
“Don’t.”
I Pushed out and stumbled onto some rocks. I was disoriented for a moment, I was dizzy and felt sick.The world around me was dark and smokey with ash falling like snow, the air smelled distinctly of fire and brimstone. Then a bright light appeared in front of me, it was warm and comforting and all I wanted to do was touch it. I reached for it but something stopped me.
I can't leave yet, i came here for a reason. I came here to find lucifer.
I turned abruptly and ran in the other direction. Having no idea where I was going I tripped and became lost quite a few times, I had to dodge demons trying to cage me back up, all while running from the white light. I was currently lost again but the light was closing in on me, so I kept running. Suddenly a giant rock was right in front of me and I couldn’t stop, so I ended up colliding with it. I fell to the ground, I wasn’t hurt or tired - benefits of being dead I suppose.
I was getting up when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I was ready to fight if need be, but then they said something. “So you're the one causing all the ruckus around here.” I would know that voice anywhere.
Lucifer.
I turned around to see the love of my life for the first time in twenty years. He hadn’t changed, I was very aware of the fact that I had.
“Detective?” He asked surprised.
“You remember.” I said tears filling my eyes.
“How could I ever forget you?” we smiled for a moment, but then his mouth turned downward. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to find you.” I said taking a step towards him. “I lived through the look for i don’t know how long, but I made my way out for you. I walked through hell for you.”
He softened and took me into his embrace. “Oh detective.” held me tight but I didn't mind. “If I had known you'd follow me, even to hell, I would have left much sooner.” It felt like a crack had begun in my heart when he spoke those words. I tried to get out of his hold but it was useless. “Chloe, love, you don’t belong here. You belong in the silver city where all the good things do. The light has been chasing you and it's time for you to go home. Time for you to see your dad again.”
I fought against him, crying out with tears saining my face and his suit. I stopped eventually, savouring these last few moments with the love of my life. It began to feel warm and I knew it was coming. “This is the end isn’t it?” I asked
“Oh darling, It's only the beginning.” Lucifers words faded as the light surrounded me.
Deckerstar Network's fearless love exchange
"The Beginning of the End" by Klergy & Valerie
For @tellmeyourdeepestdesire
I know it was ride to have me as a gifter so I'm throwing in the doodles I did while writing this. They are Lucifer style. ❤️❤️❤️Have a wonderful day.
This is my contribution to the @thedeckerstarnetwork Helloween Gift Exchange! I wrote this for @missielynne and my original prompt was the beach, blue, and vampire. But, missielynne gave me the option to go off track and come up with whatever sparked my fancy! I did keep the vampire element though! :D
This fic is rated T for graphic depictions of violence. It has established Deckerstar, established Laze, and established Dan/Charlotte (they deserve to be happy, sue me). Set sometime after the season three finale, where all involved parties are ‘in the know’.
@missielynne I hope you enjoy your gift! I just wish that I had just a little more time to put into this (but alas, school has killed me this semester). I’ll have part two up by tomorrow at the very latest, sorry for the minor cliffhanger, but I promise you won’t have to wait long!
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Chloe drew in a deep breath of the crisp autumn air as she stepped out of the Corvette, the slight breeze sending fallen leaves and straws of hay skittering past her feet. She glanced over her shoulder when she heard the solid thud of Lucifer closing the driver’s side door of the car, watching as he fished a cigarette and a lighter out of his pockets with ease.
“Are you sure it’s a good idea to light up here?” She asked curiously as she gestured to the ground and the thick layer of hay that resided there.
“Are you applying for the role of fire commissioner?” Lucifer chuckled before placing it between his lips. Chloe rolled her eyes at his quip, but before she could begin to think of a fitting retort a white SUV was pulling up beside her. She didn’t have to look twice to know that it was Dan, Charlotte, and Trixie. Right on time. Now if only she knew when Maze and Linda would show up.
“Hey, Chlo.” Dan greeted her as he got out of the car, shooting her a smile that she quickly returned.
“Morning, Dan,” She quickly replied, watching as he pulled the rear door open, letting Trixie rush out of the car in a jumble of frizzy curls and gappy teeth.
“Mommy!” The screech of her title came just before her daughter collided into her legs, pulling a huff of breathless laughter from her as she bent down to pull her daughter closer.
“Hey there monkey.” Chloe murmured into her daughter's hair, pulling back slightly and taking in the girl’s appearance as she asked, “How was your weekend?”
“Good.” She answered happily, glancing over at her dad before she quickly added, “Charlotte helped me make Halloween cookies!”
“Did she?” Chloe asked curiously, offering Dan’s girlfriend a smile as the tall blonde walked around the front of the car before winding an arm around Dan’s back.
“They’re in the car,” Charlotte explained as Chloe righted herself, stepping forward to give the taller woman a quick hug.
“Thank you.” Chloe breathed as she pulled away, she had to admit that even though she felt a little guilty for not being there to help she was glad that at least Charlotte had been there for her daughter while she put in hours on overtime, chasing down leads that all turned into cold cases. This October had been particularly bad for missing people and what seemed to be homicides, if the massive pools of blood at the scenes were anything to go by.
“Lucifer!” Her daughter's bright peal of the fallen angel's name drew her mind from her work as she watched the girl fling her arms around his waist, jostling him hard enough to make him lose grip on the cigarette in his hand. The glowing stub fell into the thick layer of hay, quickly catching onto the dry straws as orange blue tongues of flame quickly lapped up. Chloe tensed as she watched him quickly snuff out the growing flames with his shoe, a thin trail of smoke trailing up from the smoldering ashes.
Before Chloe could even open her mouth to scold him, a shiny charcoal sports car pulled up on the other side of the Corvette before quickly cutting the engine. “Who said you could commit arson without me?” Mazikeen’s voice rang out as she stepped out of the car, earning a long-suffering sigh from the devil as his shoulders slumped slightly.
“Very funny, Mazikeen.” The retort was dry, humorless, and for the hundredth time this week Chloe wondered what exactly had been weighing on his shoulders. He wasn’t his usual cheery self; he was stressed, aloof, tired. Something was wrong, but every time she asked he claimed that things had just been taking their toll recently. Chloe wasn’t sure whether or not she should believe him.
“So, who’s ready for pumpkins?” Linda’s bright and cheery voice broke the quiet as she got out of the sports car and clapped her hands together, quickly easing the tense situation away as though it hadn’t existed in the first place.
“I am!” Trixie shouted happily, drawing a strangled laugh from her mother as the woman shook her head softly. It seemed as though this would be the new normal for Halloween’s from now on.
---------------------------
“So, how true are all of the Halloween myths?” Dan’s curious voice broke the content quiet with ease as the small band of friends slowly picked their way through the vast field dotted with bright orange pumpkins.
“Which ones?” Lucifer chuckled, a smirk filling his face as he stared down at the shorter man.
“The ones about monsters.” He elaborated, a playful twinkle in his eye as he quickly looked the taller man over.
“And demons,” Linda chimed in a moment later, wrapping her arms around Maze’s waist, earning a soft hum of appreciation from the demon.
“And the devil coming out to play,” Chloe chuckled, nudging her boyfriend with her elbow and earning a wide grin from him.
“The devil has been out to play for a while.” He purred playfully, his voice sending a delightful wave of goosebumps prickling along her skin.
“Monsters are demons, just reduced to human terms and descriptions.” Maze explained after a short beat of silence, and the group came to a stop around her.
“Werewolves?” Charlotte questioned curiously.
“A kind of demon.” Lucifer supplied simply.
“Vampires?” Linda asked as she released her hold on Maze’s waist.
“Another kind of demon.” The demon answered as she reached down and took the blonde’s hand in her own.
“Zombies?” Trixie’s bright voice inquired as the child practically bounced around the adults.
“A product of the human imagination.” Lucifer chuckled as he started forward, spurring the rest of the group back into motion.
“Is the veil really thinner on Halloween?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes, actually.” The devil answered, “Though not very much so. Only the really strong ones can get through.”
“And if they don’t get back over in time, then it’s game over,” Maze added, taking a finger to her throat and making a slicing motion. Chloe shivered slightly at the implications of the gesture, willing herself not to think too much about it. She was still trying to come to terms with dating satan himself.
“So how are you two here year round?” Dan questioned, quirking a brow.
“I’m an angel, Daniel.” Lucifer scoffed, “I’m not reduced to any of the rules that pertain to demons.”
“What about Maze though?”
“I’m one of the powerful ones.” The demon in question answered. “And Lucifer’s angel magic keeps the veil open for me. I’m sworn to him, I’m allowed wherever he is.”
“You’re sworn to Lucifer?” Linda asked curiously, something that sounded like jealousy spiking in the woman’s voice.
“In service.” Lucifer clarified a half-second later. “The servant of an angel can only be an effective asset if allowed the same jurisdiction over an area as said angel.” He paused for a long moment, letting out a soft chuckle before quietly murmuring, “I don’t think Dad ever expected a demon to serve an angel, though.”
“So you just have a demon swear their services to you and suddenly they can come topside whenever they want?” Dan pressed, earning a scoff from the devil.
“It’s a bit more complicated than that, Daniel. I’m only allowed one at a time, and I can’t appoint another until the current one dies.” Lucifer clarified, nudging the man in the side with his elbow before conspiratorially adding; “And if I’m being honest, we all know that Maze will outlive even me.” His quip managed to draw a few chuckles from the group.
“Mommy, I found one!” Trixie’s bright voice drew the adults from their conversation as they turned to glance at the child as she crouched next to a massive pumpkin lying in the dirt.
“That’s a big one baby,” Chloe stated as she bent down beside her daughter, carefully brushing some dirt from the side of the pumpkin. “What are you going to carve in it?”
“A black cat! Or a witch!” She exclaimed happily as Dan retrieved a pocket knife from his jacket and quickly sawed through the thick stem. “Or Maze!” The girl's voice grew even more excited as she smiled at her favorite demon. “And then you could carve Lucifer!” Chloe forced herself not to snort at the mental image. It wasn’t as though her boyfriend needed any more reason to be cocky.
Maze stepped forward as soon as Dan bent down to pick up the behemoth of a pumpkin, scooping it up as though it weighed nothing. “I’ve got this.”
“Maze, you don’t have to.” The man protested quietly, trying to take the squash back as Maze batted his hands away.
“Hush, I’m trying to impress my girlfriend.” Maze quietly whispered under her breath, and Chloe grinned at the statement, watching as Dan only nodded mutely as he lifted his hands in mock surrender.
“So, is there even a point to Halloween?” Linda asked curiously, glancing between the two hellions.
“No,” Lucifer answered simply. “You humans and your odd traditions are mostly meaningless.” He chuckled, quickly adding; “Not that I’m going to complain about Halloween. It’s one of my favorite ones.”
The small group didn’t manage to get more than a dozen paces before Trixie’s bright voice was ringing through the air once more, “Dad! Can we go to the corn maze?”
“I haven’t picked my pumpkin yet, monkey.” The girl's shoulders slumped slightly at the statement, a soft huff of disappointment escaping her tiny frame.
“I could take her,” Charlotte offered a moment later, and the child perked back up immediately.
“Are you sure?” Dan asked, earning a quick nod from his girlfriend.
“Of course,” She answered, quickly placing a kiss against his cheek before continuing, “Go pick your pumpkin.” She turned to the girl a moment later, holding her hand out as she playfully asked, “We need more girl time anyways, don’t we?”
Chloe watched as the two linked hands before quickly making their way over to the maze across the field. A small spark of jealousy threatened to flare up, but she quickly pushed it irrational emotion away. Charlotte wasn’t replacing her, and Trixie deserved to have a good relationship with the woman who would likely be her stepmom one day.
As soon as the two forms disappeared into the mouth of the maze, Linda shot Dan a sly smile. “So, when are you going to propose to her?” The doctor questioned almost conspiratorially.
“What?” Dan chuckled. Shaking his head as he stammered over himself, “I don’t - I’m not -”
“Daniel,” Linda pressed, a no-nonsense tone taking up residence in her voice.
Dan let out a soft sigh, running a hand through his hair as he quickly dropped the charade and admitted, “I was thinking around Christmas time…”
His admission drew a wide smile from the doctor, and Chloe had to admit that she was a little surprised at how quickly their relationship was moving. Though to be fair, her relationship with Lucifer had been moving at roughly the same speed. Linda coughed exaggeratedly before nudging Lucifer with her elbow, earning an eye roll and a chuckle from the devil. “How subtle, doctor.” He admonished playfully,
“I’m just saying, you’re not getting any younger.” Linda stage-whispered, and Chloe couldn’t help the blush that spread across her cheeks at the thought of her devilish boyfriend proposing to her.
“I’m also not getting any older.” Lucifer replied, gesturing to himself as he added, “Immortal. Remember?”
Linda fell silent at that for a long moment, finding her voice after a drawn-out pause. “That does beg the question, what’s going to happen with you two when...well, when you get old?” She directed the last half of the question to Chloe, and she faltered under the woman’s knowing gaze.
It was a question that she’d been trying to avoid. The thought of the inevitable. The biggest roadblock standing in the way of the relationship that she had with her boyfriend. “I - um…”
Thankfully, Lucifer answered for her. “Chloe will go to heaven.”
“And you?” Linda pressed, her eyebrows drawing together as she asked,
“Well, either father will let me back in, or I’ll have to start a war. Besides, the place could use new management.” He answered simply. As though starting a war between heaven and hell was the simplest thing. “Don’t you think?” He asked, directing the question at Maze who gave him a demonic grin that sent a small wave of shivers down Chloe’s spine.
“New management would be good.” She purred, something dark and promising violence sparking in her eyes.
“Dude. You’re talking about overthrowing God.” Dan deadpanned, giving the two hellions a stern look as he continued, “Isn’t that like...the stuff of apocalypses?”
“It would be, if I actually had any intention of causing humans harm,” Lucifer answered, waving his hand through the air as though he could wave Dan’s question away. “What’s the saying, live and let live?”
Chloe worried her lower lip between her teeth as she quickly focused on a nearby pumpkin, crouching down beside it as she easily pulled the subject away from her death and a possible apocalyptic war. “Hey, I found my pumpkin!”
Lucifer bent down beside her, holding one of his hands out as she quietly ordered, “Mazikeen.” A moment later, a shiny black demon blade was being placed in his outstretched hand, before he made quick work of the pumpkins stem, slicing through it with ease.
Before either of them could right themselves, Charlotte’s voice was ringing across the field, “Dan! Chloe!” The desperation in her tone was enough to send the detective’s senses on high-alert, but it was the next words out of the woman’s mouth that made her blood run cold. “It’s Trixie!”
“What’s wrong?” Chloe questioned as she stood up, and if it wasn’t for the hand Lucifer wrapped around her forearm she would already be sprinting towards the woman.
“I lost her in the corn maze, I’m so sorry,” Charlotte explained breathlessly as she came to a stop before the small group. “One second she was right next to me, and the next she was just gone!” Chloe could hear the near hysterics in her voice, and it only made her try to pull free from Lucifer’s grip. “I can’t find her anywhere!” It was like a nightmarish re-run of when Malcolm had taken her baby, and it sent her heart skittering in her chest.
“I’ll find her.” Maze spoke up, quickly placing the massive pumpkin in her arms on the ground before stalking towards the corn maze with determined strides. “Child’s play.” The demon threw over her shoulder confidently as Chloe tried to pry Lucifer’s fingers from her arm.
“Darling.” He spoke up gently, soothing a hand over hers. “Give Maze a chance, she’s one of the best trackers I know.” The statement didn’t help her nerves at all, she knew that Maze was the best, but she still wouldn’t feel alright until she had her daughter back in her arms. “She’ll find your little offspring in no time.” Chloe wanted to protest, but she knew that he did have a point. Maze was otherworldly, and there was no way that she wouldn’t find her daughter...right?
Every second that ticked by seemed to be its own short eternity. And with every passing minute, even Lucifer seemed to grow more and more antsy. Maze came crashing through the side of the corn maze after a few minutes, but the sight Chloe was greeted with only sent her nerves racing under skin stronger than ever. Maze’s hair was a wild mess, and her eyes even seemed to be sparked with worry, but it was the words out of her mouth that almost made Chloe’s world stop spinning. “Lucifer, we have a problem.”
Chloe was frozen in place as her boyfriend cursed under his breath, quickly making his way over to the demon with determined strides. Chloe’s mind finally kickstarted itself a moment later, every single one of her synapses going into overdrive as she sprinted towards the two of them. “What’s wrong?” She questioned, doing her best to keep the hysterics from her voice as she followed after Lucifer and Maze as they stepped into the corn maze. “Where’s my daughter?” She pressed, barely even aware of Dan, Charlotte, and Linda following after them.
“I found her last spot.” Maze supplied, but the vague answer did nothing to soothe the distraught mother.
“And?” Lucifer questioned, his voice as business as he easily pushed thick stalks of corn out of his way.
“And traces of demonic activity.” Maze answered, pulling another string of muffled curses from the devil as he pressed forward. “Probably the same ones you’ve been keeping an eye on for a while.”
The simple statement made Chloe falter, Lucifer knew there were other demons around? “You’ve been keeping an eye out on some demonic activity for a while, and you never thought to tell me?” She questioned, the pitch of her voice rising slightly with each word. He should have told her. Why didn’t he tell her?
“Darling, I didn’t want to worry you with it. I doubted that they would do anything, especially to me or mine.” Lucifer explained, but it was a poor defense when her daughter was missing...stolen away by demons. “This is...unorthodox.” He muttered to himself before quickly adding, “If I had thought that anything might come of it I would have told you.”
Chloe opened her mouth to protest that he should have told her regardless, but Maze beat her to it as they stopped in the middle of one of the maze’s corridors. “This is the spot.” The demon stated, and Chloe quickly looked around, finding nothing out of the ordinary. “There were three of them.” Maze added, and another icy chill seeped through the detective’s body.
Chloe watched as Lucifer crouched down, quickly drawing some foreign symbols in the loose dirt under his feet before pressing his hand against one of them. The symbols glowed a blinding white for a moment, and then the light seemed to sweep out in every direction, pouring against the ground and illuminating several inhuman footprints, the shoe prints left by her daughters light-up sketchers, and a few puddles of something staining the dirt. “Oh, bloody hell,” Lucifer muttered under his breath, running a hand across his stubble as he blew out a long, harsh breath.
“Life drainers.” Maze whispered, and the name only served to stir up more unease in the detective.
“What?” She pressed, her voice nearly reaching hysterics at the thought of something called a life drainer having its filthy hands on her girl.
“Vampires.” Lucifer clarified a moment later. “Or at least...what you humans call vampires.”
“Are you saying that a group of vampires has my baby?” Chloe questioned, and for a moment she swore that she was going to start hyperventilating. Why would they take her daughter? Where would they take her? What was the point of this?
“How do we get her back?” Dan asked, having fallen into full-on cop mode as he stared down at the devil.
“Maze does some searching, I go back to Lux and dig through some of my older books, try to see if I can figure out how to locate them,” Lucifer explained as he stood up, brushing his shoe through one of the elaborate symbols in the dirt, immediately causing the otherworldly light seeping up from the footprints to disappear. “We will find her.”
“And then I’ll kill the bastards that had the nerve to take her.” Maze growled darkly, and the promising threat of violence in her tone sent a shiver down her spine as she stared at the ground.
Lucifer must have thought that her shiver had to do with something else, because he quickly stepped forward, resting his hands on her shoulders as he spoke up, “Darling, she’ll be alright.”
“How do you know that Lucifer?” Chloe questioned, tears welling up in her eyes as she shook her head. Vampires had her baby girl, and she was just supposed to believe that she was going to be alright because Lucifer said so? For all he knew they could have already hurt her...or worse.
“Because they usually don’t go after children. There’s no point, not even a full meals worth of blood in there.” Chloe shivered at the blunt honesty in the statement. “They must want her for something else…” He muttered softly, glaring at the soil beneath his feet before Mazikeen’s voice broke the heavy silence.
“A summoning ritual?” Lucifer nodded at her question, and Chloe wondered whether or not she should even ask what a summoning ritual was.
“On Halloween…” The devil added quietly, something calculating taking up residence in his expression as he turned to face his right-hand demon. “We have four days, Mazikeen.” Lucifer’s voice held a steely note as he spoke, and Chloe couldn’t help but dwell on the fact that four days wasn’t a very long time to track down a group of vampires. “Get to work.” Maze nodded once at his order, turning and grabbing Linda’s hand before dragging the other woman away from the group without another word. “We’re going home,” Lucifer stated, his tone leaving no room for argument as he wrapped a hand around Chloe’s forearm and started after Maze and Linda.
“And what are we supposed to do?” Dan questioned, a hint of anger and desperation in his voice.
“Stay out of our way while we hunt them down,” Lucifer answered. “You’re human, you won’t do any good here,” Dan said something else in protest after that, but she wasn’t able to pick up what. Some small part of her recognized that she was going into shock, and Lucifer seemed to notice it too as he ran warm, reassuring hands up and down her arms.
“Everything is going to be fine, Detective.” He murmured, and Chloe nodded mutely even though she had a very bad feeling that nothing may ever be fine again. “I promise,” Lucifer added a moment later, and that helped to soothe her at least a little bit. He didn’t lie. Especially not to her. Maze was already working on it, and she knew that as soon as he dropped her off at home and made sure she would be alright without him that he would join the chase.
Regardless of all of that though, some small part of her felt like there was no way this could get any worse. Her daughter was missing. And her life was at stake.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
A Valentine's @thedeckerstarnetwork exchange fic for @leydehermione
The prompt was a section of Annabel Lee by Edgar Allen Poe:
But our love it was stronger by far than the love
Of those who were older than we—
Of many far wiser than we—
And neither the angels in Heaven above
Nor the demons down under the sea
Can ever dissever my soul from the soul
Of the beautiful Annabel Lee;
This is a little more neither the angels in Heaven above than demons under the sea, but perhaps that just means an eventual second part?
:D
Summary:
Setting out to have a perfect Valentine's Day date with the devil himself is hard enough between Trixie, work, and Chloe's life in general. She really didn't need any angels showing up.
An Archive of Our Own, a project of the Organization for Transformative Works
For @penelope97! I hope you enjoy it and happy Halloween!
--
“Perhaps I should have expected you not to enjoy surprises, given your profession, but you must at least be familiar with the concept of them,” Lucifer chided in return. He flashed her that impish grin of his, the one that made her want to roll her eyes in exasperation but also give him whatever he wanted at the same time. “I promise we’ll arrive soon.”
My Deckerstar Network Bat Out of Hell Exchange Fic
Title: Flare-Ups
Fandom: Lucifer TV
Characters: Lucifer, Chloe, Trixie, Dan, Ella, and Azrael
Summary: After being gone three years in Hell, coming back home is more complicated than Lucifer anticipated, and requires more adjustments even with the Detective than he'd hoped for.
For The Deckerstar Network prompts of
1) a dribbling candle
AND
2) “It’s not hemorrhoids, Detective.” (Lucifer 4.10)
Exchange Recipient: @arlome
Beginning Excerpt:
“He’d been easing himself back into the regular rhythm of life back on earth for over a month. It was odd. All of it odd. He’d left earth before, of course. More often than not within a few days---maybe a month if he were lucky---his brother would find him, subdue him, and drag him back to Hell. He’d missed everything from 1978 to 2011; decades and to have missed a lot of glam rock in the early ‘80s felt like a crime anyway. There had been whole centuries he’d never bothered to go topside to witness. Honestly, the Dark Ages hadn’t interested him much, had felt as much like Hell on Earth as one could get, and he’d no interest in watching humans suffer and die from plague. So, in the grand scheme of things, the fact he’d been gone three years shouldn’t mean as much as it did.
Not really.
Yes, it meant that the infant nephew he’d left behind was three and toddling about. Alright, it also meant that Trixie was almost through eighth grade and an actual teenager. It did mean that in his absence Eve had “found herself” (whatever that entailed) and settled down with Maze, well, as much as a demon and the original party girl could settle down whilst maintaining a bustling bounty hunting business out of Los Angeles, which included being on the road half the time. It meant the Detective had a few more lines near the corners of her eyes and a streak of grey she’d refused to color---one he’d probably put there himself with how much she had to have worried about him down in Hell. And, alright, maybe it even meant that after what had felt like to him centuries in Hell, he was a bit rusty with everything on earth again.
Like eliciting desire.”
Link at AO3: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21258881/chapters/50616839
