From Hell to Los Angeles and Back, Friday

[my_own_advocate]

Maze	They had been drinking. A lot. At some point there had also been sleeping (though no sex, to Maze's mild chagrin, not that she'd tried very hard) and then more drinking. And now she was taking the long way 'round to the breakfast place she'd promised Octavia. The very, very long way around. Sorry, Tavi. You were apparently Maze's replacement bestie for the forseeable future. "Stupid Decker," she snarled, glaring balefully at the police station across the street.
Lucifer?	Yes. The police station, in the middle of town, where the occasional passer-by strolled past. Like this man, a tall, broad-shouldered, handsome gent with dark hair and artfully sculpted scruff, in a black and white suit. He hadn't seen them yet. His expression was distant.
Octavia	Octavia was drunk and tired and hated police stations, or even being outside them, and she just wanted her promised breakfast, and instead she was here. And trying to understand why they were here -- Until an all too familiar form caught her bleary eyes. "Maze."
Maze	"I see him," Maze said, through gritted teeth and in a voice that sounded like violence. A heartbeat, and she was yelling. "Lucifer!"
Lucifer	His head snapped to the side, eyes widening as he clearly spotted them. Well, spotted Maze. "Mazikeen?!"
Octavia	Octavia didn't notice the distinction just yet. Too busy staring at him. "When did you get back?" she asked, her voice confused, with an odd note of hope in it.
Lucifer?	He looked both ways - of course - before stalking across the street towards them. His walk was even more rigid than usual, his shoulders ramrod straight. "I'm sorry," he said. "I've been preoccupied with the Detective, but I should've sought you out sooner, I'm sorry." His eyes slid from Maze to the one who had been speaking. There was no recognition in his gaze, but that quickly smoothed away to a pleasant, charming grin. "I got back last night," he said. "She was in a spot of bother, and I was bored."
Maze	"Really," Maze said flatly. "All that and you just walk back in here?"
Octavia	"And didn't tell anyone else." Something didn't feel right. Octavia felt like something was sinking again.
Lucifer?	"Well, I only got here twelve hours ago," he told Octavia, looking vaguely contrite. "I'm still getting my bearings. It has been... rather a long time."
Maze	"Uh huh," Maze said. Yeah. Something definitely felt off. She just couldn't quite put her finger on it.
Octavia	Octavia was just staring up at him. Clearly searching his face for something.
Lucifer?	Lucifer had a great poker face, but there were muscles in his face that always betrayed him when emotions ran high. None of them were moving right now. "You can come with us on this investigation if you'd like," he said, "Or... I can come back later and... explain things."
Octavia	Yeah. It was the same kind of empty his eyes had been when he'd first looked at her. Octavia straightened up a little, her own expression closing up. "O yu na gouva yu klin nau."
Maze	Maze shot her a confused look. That didn't sound like a human language, but it also wasn't any of the demon ones she knew.
Lucifer?	"Sorry," he said, mouth curving up. "I'm still getting the hang of human languages again. Could you repeat that in English, just to jog my memory?" (His pocket square was a mess.)
Octavia	Octavia inhaled slowly through her nose. Then she shook her head: a small, measure movement. "No," she said. "Nou na dula daun op, nomfa kom Aurora."
Maze	Maze caught the way he looked to her, and she shrugged. "I don't know," she drawled. "Not my language."
Probably Not Lucifer	"How about I come talk to the two of you this evening?" he offered, a hint of nervousness in his voice. "I need to talk to the Detective first. I hope you understand. I'm just trying to process everything I've missed, you see."
Octavia	"Of course," Octavia rasped, perfectly mild now. "Whatever you need."
Definitely Not Lucifer	"Thank you," he said, smiling. "I'm so sorry. I'll make it up to you, I swear."
Maze	"Uh huh," Maze said again, as she watched him turn around and go. She definitely looked like she still wanted to stab him.
Octavia	Octavia stared at his back until they could no longer see him. And then, she said, "I don't know who that is."
Maze	"Someone who needs stabbing," Maze said. And very little else. Beyond pointing out a breakfast place.

---

The car pulled up to the curb of a nice home in the suburbs. Mr. Said Out Bitch put the vehicle in Park with a fond smile to himself.

Beside him, Lucifer sat silently, grim-faced, hands pressed together as he stared out into nothingness.

"I used to have a car just like this," Mr. Said Out Bitch said, grinning brighter. He looked up, and spotted the two giant red dice hanging off the rearview mirror. "...This is my car."

He looked aside at Lucifer's stone face, a little worried about the tightness right underneath. "Where are we?" he said.

"The root of your Hell loop." Lucifer dragged his gaze from the dark sky before him to the house beside them.

Realization sank in with Mr. Said Out Bitch. "Oh, no," he said quietly. "Not here."

Silently, they watched the family inside, laughing and celebrating.


---

Maze	Ting. Maze wasn't Lucifer. She wasn't going to stand around while someone randomly broke into his apartment. "Get down," she hissed at Octavia, sliding neatly into a hiding spot behind one of the ancient walls of Lucifer's bedroom.
Octavia	Octavia had been in enough of these situations that she was moving practically as Maze said that, ducking where she wouldn't be seen. She probably shouldn't have been in here in the first place. Too late for that now, though.
Not Lucifer	The doors opened to reveal the man who looked like Lucifer. Something had changed in his posture; it was as if one of his shoulders seemed to sag, causing him to halfway fold in on himself. He stepped into the apartment and walked to the bar, where he picked up a decanter of water, and poured himself a glass. He took a sip, then set the glass down. Looked to the piano, or what was left of it. He prodded one of the broken parts with his foot, mouth curving--
Maze	-- and then Maze was on him, leaping up, grabbing him, twisting around him like a snake. She slammed him down onto the ground and wrapped her legs around his neck, yanking his arm back until she knew it hurt. "How could you?!" she snarled, voice shaking with-- tears. "After everything we've been through, Lucifer, how could you go home without me?!"
In Severe Pain	Ohfatherthathurt-- "I'm not-- Lucifer," the man groaned. "I'm not Lucifer, I'm not Lucifer--" His hand tapped the floor. He gave up! He gave up!
Octavia	Still crouched in her hiding place, Octavia gave a silent gasp. How could something be a relief and still sting this badly?
Maze	Abruptly, Maze let him go. She watched him scramble across the room, panting, as she rose to her feet. Realization set in. "Lucifer told me he had a twin brother."
Michael	"And you," Michael said, pulling a harsh breath into his lungs, "Are Mazikeen." There wasn't a trace of a British accent in his voice. "Nice to meet you. I'm Michael." He struggled to his feet.
Maze	"Michael, huh," Maze said, some disbelief in her voice. "How do I know you're not Lucifer saying you're Michael just so I don't kick your ass?"
Michael	"Lucifer doesn't lie, remember?" Michael said, wandering back towards the bar. He heard Maze drawing her knives before he saw them. He sighed, rolling his eyes. Without fanfare, he slid dark, nearly black wings out from his back, one tattered and a little broken, one whole. "Do these look like Lucifer's wings?"
Octavia	Octavia scooted back when she heard him move. Her foot hit something. Fine. "And he doesn't understand Trig," she rasped, getting up, giving up her hiding. She had her knives drawn, too. More for comfort than anything else. "Lucifer does."
Michael	Michael took a sip of water before he bothered to look at the other one. "I didn't recognize you," he said. "You must be a souvenir from his little excursion to the East." He pulled the wings back into himself, as abrupt as he'd let them come out.
Octavia	"What is your game here, Michael?" Octavia drawled, ignoring all of that.
Michael	"I'm here to right a very serious wrong," Michael announced, ignoring her rudeness in return. He frowned, pacing through the room. "See, there I am in the Silver City, doing my thing, when Gabriel strolls in and says, Lucifer went back to Hell. Voluntarily!" He snorted. "I just crack up, as you can imagine," he said, looking at Maze. "But then Raphael starts going on about how Lucifer's grown, and then Remy says, 'Yeah, what a sacrifice', and then pretty soon, all I'm hearing is 'Lucifer, Lucifer, Lucifer!'." He walked to the window.
Maze	"So you're here 'cause you're jealous," Maze said dryly. She wasn't impressed.
Michael	"No," he said. That would be preposterous, obviously. "I'm pissed." He looked over his shoulder. "Lucifer finally does what he's supposed to do without whining about it, and he gets praised? He rebelled against Dad, almighty God, for God's sake-- since when do we congratulate a convict for serving his sentence?"
Octavia	Still sounded like jealousy to Octavia. "So you came here for what, exactly? To get away from hearing about it?"
Michael	Michael rolled his eyes. "If I know my eternally selfish brother, and I do," he said, "All this sacrifice and responsibility bullshit is just smoke and mirrors. I don't know who he's trying to fool, but I do know that as soon as he knows someone is up here, playing with his toys... then he'll come flying right back up to reveal his true colors." He sank down in a large armchair. "So hello, Los Angeles."
Octavia	Octavia threw a quick glance at Maze, but her eyes darted back to Michael a second later. "And you've started with Chloe."
Michael	"Seemed like the most logical place to start," Michael said. "Though just because I missed you at first doesn't mean I can't work with you." He leaned forward. "Tell me, what is your deepest--"
Maze	And just like that, Maze's knife was at his throat. "You stay away from her," she said flatly. "Octavia? Think you might want to get away from this asshole."
Octavia	Yeah, Octavia was backing up right now. "This another power?" Stupid question, of course it was.
Maze	"Yeah," Maze said flatly. "His thing is fear." She fixed her eyes on Michael. "Seems to me you're the only one here trying to fool people. Good luck with that."
Michael	"Whatever," Michael said, smirking in an infuriating way. "I have things to discuss with you alone, anyway."
Octavia	Octavia backed her way all the way into the elevator. She'd had enough of her fears lately, thanks.
Maze	And Maze didn't take her blade from Michael's throat until she heard the elevator doors close. "I have nothing to talk to you about," she said.

---


"How could you bring me here?" Mr. Said Out Bitch breathed as he stepped out of the car. Staring at the house with awe and fear written all over his face.

"So you recognize it?" Lucifer said, with a special brand of spiteful glee he'd perfected over the past few million years. He slammed the passenger side door shut. "Of course you do. It's your memory."

Mr. Said Out Bitch shot him a quick glance, but that was as much time as he wanted to spend... not looking at the family insid, the woman holding a baby. "It's my parents' house," he mumbled. "It's the house I grew up in." He swallowed. "I haven't been here in fifteen years."

He pointed. "That's Meg. She just had a baby, my niece." He smiled a little. "This was her baby shower. The last time our whole family got together. My mom? She got sick right after. She died." The smile fell away. "My dad, he... followed right after."

Inside, Meg turned and smiled at a passing relative, gently rocking the baby.

"This was my last chance, and I didn't go inside."

"Ah, the wonders of Hell," Lucifer mused, watching the man more than he watched the house. "So your sister's baby shower, eh?" He brushed his suit jacket aside and stuck his hands in his pockets. "What a joyous occasion, full of warmth and happiness. Truly, a celebration of life, so..." He stepped forward and turned to look Mr. Said Out Bitch in the eye. "So go on, then. Go inside."

Mr. Said Out Bitch stared at him like a deer in headlights. "I c-can't," he said.

"Of course you can! It'd be so simple. Just open the door and walk in," Lucifer said, gesturing at the door.

"They don't want me in there," Mr. Said Out Bitch said quietly.

"But they invited you, didn't they?"

"They didn't mean it," he said sharply.

"Oh, come on, excuses," Lucifer laughed. "They're like arseholes, everyone's got one, nobody wants to hear them."

Mr. Said Out Bitch sounded strained. "I'm not making excuses for anything," he said.

"Well, your whole family is in there, and you're here. Why?" Lucifer said, looking from the house to the man. "Is it because you're afraid?"

That got some spark back into Mr. Said Out Bitch, at least. "Afraid?" he said. "Why would I be afraid to see my own family?"

Ah, there it was, wasn't it? Fear was rarely that simple. Oh, sometimes it was about an outside threat, but... not this kind of fear. The kind that landed you in hell.

Lucifer leaned in. "Because you know that if you go through that door, it's only a matter of time," he said, stalking around Lee, "before you screw up again, isn't it?"

His mouth curved. "It might take two days, two months, two years, but it's gonna happen," he whispered in the man's ear before he pulled away.

"You're gonna rob a bank, or steal a car... pawn a family heirloom..." He spread his arms. "It is inevitable. Sooner or later, you are going to disappoint them--"

He didn't even realize he'd raised his voice.

"All. Over. Again."

Or that it cracked.

But he did notice the way Mr. Said Out Bitch had gone silent. It wasn't a silence he liked. It was a silence that made him feel oddly uncomfortable, like he'd gone somewhere he couldn't wiggle out of again.

"...And so you'd rather stay away for all eternity," he said, breathing shakily.

Mr. Said Out Bitch swallowed. "You're right." He shook his head. "It's true. All of it."

"It is," Lucifer whispered.

He wasn't looking at Mr. Said Out Bitch anymore.

But Mr. Said Out Bitch was looking at him.

"This... isn't just about me, is it?" the human ventured slowly. "Whose hell is this, anyway?"

---

Maze didn't return for most of the day.

She'd warded Octavia off from going back to the apartment. Dropping her off at some restaurant that specialized in hangover cures seemed to work.

She and Michael had an understanding.

But it proved fragile.

Helping him break up Lucifer and Chloe was one thing. Lucifer was gone anyway. Letting him fuck up Chloe by roping her into a relationship without telling her about himself, though? Fuck, no. That was wrong.

And so by nightfall, she picked up Octavia again.

Maze	"I'm going to need you to find a good spot to hide," Maze said quietly, as the elevator sped back up to the top. "I don't know how he's going to take this. Might be good to have back-up he doesn't know about." She was... a little on edge.
Octavia	Octavia just nodded, already mapping out the layout of the loft near the elevator as she shifted to press a little closer to the wall where she'd be out of view of the doors when they'd open. This, she could handle. The anticipation of a fight was a familiar, comfortable feeling.
Michael	Michael heard the sound of elevator doors opening from the bedroom. He'd been practicing his smile (how did Lucifer keep his mouth in this shape all the time?) and so he was a bit slow to turn around. "Detective," he enthused, stepping out of the bedroom.
Maze	"No," Maze said flatly, stepping up to face him. "It's just me." Her eyes snapped up at him. "I know what you're about to do and I won't let you." He slid past her. "I have my issues with Lucifer," she said, turning. "And yeah, I'm pretty pissed at Chloe. But this? No." She watched him move, careful to aim herself so he wouldn't head towards Octavia's hiding place. "Kissing me was one thing. But Chloe's a good person, she doesn't deserve this."
Octavia	Octavia had no intention of letting on about being here, this time. She'd slipped while he'd still been in the bedroom, and was crouched there now, ready to move if it came to that, but trusting Maze to keep him away. She had knives, either way, and was listening intently.
Michael	"You're right," Michael was saying, "She is special. That's why I've had a change of plans." He laughed, grinning. "And-- I'm pretty sure Chloe has too, actually." He pulled his pocket square out of its hidey-hole. "She likes the new Lucifer better than the old one."
Maze	"You told her who you really are?" Maze asked, some of the determination slipping out of her. The hell, Decker?
Michael	"No," Michael allowed. "No, but I will." He held up a hand. "In time." He took a step closer, a pleased, affable smile dominating his face. He huffed out a laugh. "See, I've decided I'm not going to break Lucifer's life, I'm going to take it." He held out the unfolded pocket square.
Maze	"What? No, you're--" And then his arm was around her throat, and she couldn't breathe.
Octavia	And Octavia couldn't tell what was happening. Couldn't risk peeking out to see, either. Come on, Maze.
Michael	After a while, there was silence. Michael flung Mazikeen over his shoulder and brought her into the bedroom. Lucifer had an oversized closet - he could hide her there.
Chloe Decker	Ting, said the elevator again. Her hair might have been brown now, the bags under her eyes more pronounced, but otherwise, Chloe Decker hadn't changed much. "Lucifer?" she called, as she walked to the balcony.
Octavia	Well, fuck. Octavia didn't see who it was before it was too late to try and call to her. To stop her. Warn her. So she waited to see what would happen, holding her knives a little tighter.
Michael	Michael donned his best Lucifer grin as he closed the closet door on Maze, and stepped back into the living area. "Good evening," he called.
Chloe	Chloe spun around, and her face lit up. "Hi," she said softly. Looked at him, for a moment longer. Just looked. "Do you remember the last time we were here?" she said. "We told each other how we felt." She shook her head a little, thinking back to it. How much she'd been crying. "I just hope you know that... I meant every word I said. I..." She looked down, working her way up to saying it again. A second time. "I love you, Lucifer. And I still do."
Michael	"And I meant it too," Michael said, his smile softening. "I love you, Chloe."
Chloe	She took a step towards him. He backed away. "I've waited such a long time for this," Chloe said quietly, as he bumped into the arm of the sofa and sat down.
Michael	"Ah," Michael said, his gaze roaming over her face. "Me too." Their lips almost brushed.
Chloe	Chloe shifted, shrugging off her coat, letting it fall to the floor. She pressed her cheek against his forehead, ran his fingers along his face. "See," she said, holding up the mangled bullet on her necklace. "I still have it on."
Michael	Michael had absolutely no idea what that was, but he smiled anyway. The big Lucifer grin. "I can see that," he said.
Chloe	"You know," Chloe said softly, cupping his cheek. "Once we do this, things are never going to be the same..." She slid away from him, just a few inches... ... and fired a bullet straight into his thigh. He yelped. It felt good.
Octavia	Octavia flinched at the sound of a gunshot. It was unexpected. But good. ... Wait, it wasn't going to do more to Michael than it would have done to Lucifer, was it? Octavia leaned a little, debating trying to get a peek, for the purpose of anticipating Michael's reaction.
Chloe	"Once I shot Lucifer to prove he was the Devil, and now I'm shooting you to prove you're not," Chloe said, jaw set. She was still aiming the gun at him. She watched him pull his hand away from his thigh. No blood. "That's what I thought."
Michael	Michael got up slowly, watching her. Recalculating. "How long have you known?" And once again, the British accent faded into nothing.
Chloe	"I knew something was off the first time I kissed you," Chloe said. Watching him right back. "But you always had such good explanations. Such good lies. And... I wanted to believe you. But then I saw you with Maze." She shook her head. "That's when I knew. Because Lucifer would never do that to me." She took a step closer. "So," she said. "Who are you?"
Michael	The edges of Michael's mouth tugged up. "I'm Lucifer's brother," he said. "Michael. It's nice to-- Ow!" Getting shot hurt just as much the second time around. "You know that won't kill me," he snapped.
Chloe	She shot him again in the other shoulder, just because she could. "Yeah," she said, "But it makes me feel better." She shot him in the stomach.
Michael	"Okay, okay, I get it, I get it," Michael said, laughing breathlessly as he tried to recover. "I guess this means you never really liked the new Lucifer."
Chloe	"You're not the only one who can lie," Chloe said flatly, "And you are no Lucifer. I don't know why you're here, and I don't care. But I do know that I am glad, because you made me realize that all my fears that Lucifer had changed were just that. They were fears." She lowered her gun. "What Lucifer and I have is special. It's real, and it doesn't matter how many lies you tell me. I will never lose faith in me and him."
Michael	"Oh really," Michael said darkly. "No more lies, huh? Well, how about a truth, then?" He stepped towards her. "You... are a gift from God, Chloe Decker," he said. "That means you were never supposed to exist. Father made you for Lucifer. You were put here on Earth only for him, to be his little plaything." Glee spilled out into his tone. "Now isn't that... special?"
Chloe	What-- no. It was Michael. He had to be lying-- he had been lying. "I don't believe you," she said. Bit down on her bottom lip. "It's time for you to go," she said. He started to back away, but it wasn't fast enough for her tastes, she needed space to think-- "I said get out!" She didn't stop glaring at his back until she saw the elevator doors close, and suddenly it felt like someone had pulled her spine right out of her back. His little plaything.
Octavia	Well. At least all of this was really pulling Octavia's mind away from some of her own shit? "I know this a bad time for a reveal," she called, very deliberatly before finally straightening up from her hiding spot, "but I'm pretty sure Michael stuffed Maze in a closet, and I need to check on her right now."
Chloe	Yeah. The look Chloe threw her could best be described as 'deer in headlights'. She nodded - unnecessarily - several times. "Yeah," she said. "Yeah, you should do that."
Octavia	Octavia swallowed the urge to apologize. Instead, she just darted for the bedroom, and for the closet door.

---



"Who else's Hell would this be?" Lucifer asked Mr. Said Out Bitch, frowning, trying to avoid the sinking feeling in his chest.

"I'm thinking," Mr. Said Out Bitch said, searching his face, "that you're just here torturing yourself."

What? No. This wasn't a place Lucifer even knew. Not like LA, which he'd just succesfully extracted himself from. He wasn't doing that anymore. "Preposterous," Lucifer said, glaring at this-- sad little man. "You do realize this is your Hell loop? How does this have anything to do with me?"

"I'm just saying. You could've chosen any moment to torture me with, but you chose this," Mr. Said Out Bitch replied.

"That's because this is clearly the most painful moment for you," Lucifer spat.

"Right," Lee replied, rolling his eyes, "And I'm sure this doesn't resonate with you at all."

Who did he think that he was, exactly? His shrink? His friend? "This has nothing to do with me," Lucifer said sharply, and again his voice broke, and this time he noticed, and he hated it, and hated this man for dragging him back into it. He was done. He had stopped. "I am here because I am the King of Hell, this is my job, this is my duty...!"

There was pity in Mr. Said Out Bitch's eyes. "Now who's making excuses?" He smiled. "But I should know, right? I spent my whole life makin' 'em. A million bullshit reasons why I haven't seen my family in 15 years. I mean, the truth is I should've just gotten out of that goddamn car and walked through that door." He took a breath. "I missed my chance," he said. "What about you?"

How dare he?

Something in Lucifer quavered, and he loathed it. Loathed the breath that came out, shivering and small, too.

"The self-centered simplicity of you humans never ceases to amaze me," he said, something distant, small and scared winding into his rage until he couldn't tell one from the other. "How can you presume to compare yourself to me?"

Unbidden, Murus's return jumped to mind, his agonizingly detailed debrief of his trip to Earth and all the things he'd heard, and-- he cast it aside with his rage--

"I am here out of responsibility! Demons were in full revolt! I had to protect humanity! I had to protect them!"

"Lord Morningstar!"

Lucifer whipped around. "WHAT?!"

The demon recoiled. "He's, he's got news about that detective," he said, pointing helplessly at the human beside him.

There was a fire-fight, turned out. And Chloe was in the middle of it. And... and Lucifer thought of the last two thousand years, how precious little his interventions with Duke and Octavia had accomplished, bitter words and the gnawing emptiness whenever he left illusions behind.

"How long have you been listening in on people?" Mr. Said Out Bitch asked.

"For a long time," he said. He sounded deflated. He felt sick.

"And you're not going to go up there and help?"

"No," Lucifer said, staring at the house. Not seeing it. Turning away from it. "No, she'll be just fine without me. I-- they all will. And I--" He swallowed. "--I'm exactly where I belong."

Mr. Said Out Bitch sighed. Shook his head. "All right, man," he said. "You do you."

Moments later he was gone. Lucifer didn't look at the house to see if he'd gone in.

He didn't dare.

[[ nfb, nfi, ooc-okay, adapted from Lucifer episodes 5x01 'Really Sad Devil Guy' and 5x02 'Lucifer! Lucifer! Lucifer!', guest-starring the lovely okteiviakom! ]]