Ella and Alexander
Ella had noticed that Daniel and Lucifer had left the interrogation rooms and entered Captain Monroe's office together. That was when she could no longer hold back. What had happened in the bullpen was easy enough to figure out. Lucifer no longer wanted to work with Chloe and was going to partner up with Daniel. She grabbed the phone. Turned her work over to a colleague and took the rest of the day off for personal reasons. She made her way to the parking garage and the Aston in a flash. In passing, she saw Chloe sitting at her desk, her gaze absent, as if staring at something very far away. As fast as the traffic allowed, Ella drove back to the beach house. She was sure she had added at least one fine to the collection she and Lucifer had put together that morning. But that was a concern for later. She burst into the house and looked for Alexander. She did not see him right away, but she did find Linda, Maze, and Jophiel in the living room. In a hurry, she hugged Linda and asked briefly about her health and if little Lucas was okay. The Demon, Angel and the doctor could see that something was troubling Ella. The little Latina asked:
"Do you know where Alexander is?"
Maze pointed to the garden and said:
"He was going to do something to your chicken, and then I heard him jump in the pool."
Ella didn't even think about that statement about Alex doing something to or with Margaret and walked towards the garden. She saw Alexander lounging on a deck chair next to the pool and was about to speak to him when she saw something that left her speechless. The chicken run that Alex had built for Margaret the night before had grown quite a bit, and her pet seemed to be enjoying it immensely. Not so much because of the larger run, but because she had been joined by six other bipeds. Ella couldn't believe her eyes, but she saw six very lively and happy dodos surrounding Margaret as if the chicken was the queen of the run. She shook her head for a moment and decided that no matter how curious she was, about how it was possible that there were half a dozen dodos in the garden when the dodos should have been extinct for some time. A more direct answer to her questions regarding Chloe and Lucifer was more important to her now.
Alexander was enjoying the sun, lying in his swim trunks and soaking up the warm rays. He had heard the Aston Martin accelerate down the driveway, anticipating Ella's arrival in the garden to disrupt his tranquility. Feeling her presence beside his recliner, he sighed and asked:
"Ella, what can I do for you?"
She took a seat on the recliner next to his and said quietly:
"I happened to overhear a conversation between Chloe and Lucifer. Did you know she was treating him so poorly?"
He didn't open his eyes, just said:
"Yep..."
"Through Rae Rae, I suppose?"
"Yep..."
"Did you also know that she fled after seeing what he calls his devil face?"
"Yep..."
"What is his devil face? Is it some kind of second form he can take?"
"Nop..."
Alexander opened his eyes and sat up. He looked piercingly into her eyes, and she saw that he was thinking hard. She guessed he was considering what he could and could not tell her without violating Lucifer's privacy too much. He sighed again and then said:
"When Grandpa El decided, after the so-called revolution in Heaven, that Lucifer should be banished to Hell, he instructed Michael to carry out the order. Lucifer was partially bound, but Michael could not bring himself to bind his twin brother so that he would be completely immobilized. In retrospect, it might have been better. As they descended into Hell, they had a serious argument on the way. Lucifer grabbed one of Michael's wings and damaged it badly. So much so that Michael could no longer hold him and dropped Lucifer. Michael returned to heaven with great difficulty. Lucifer was not so lucky. He ended up in Hell in the worst possible place. In the middle of a lava lake. The lava could not kill Lucifer because he is immortal, but it left its mark. Hellfire originates in this lava and is used to make weapons like Maze's daggers. These may not kill an Angel, but they can do more than enough damage. His devil form is the remnant of these wounds. Think of him as a burn victim, but with skin that remains fiery red with obvious burn marks and heavy scars from partial healing. His devil form only appears in extreme situations. When he is threatened in Hell by rebellious Demons who want to eliminate him. Or when he gets extremely angry. Like when he fought with Cain to save Chloe's life. That's the face she saw, and she freaked out."
Ella let these words sink in and then asked:
"She saw this shape and automatically assumed that Lucifer was the literal devil from the Bible and popular literature. She ended up in Rome, met a priest, and together they planned to banish Lucifer back to Hell?"
Alexander sighed deeply, and the look in his eyes didn't get any warmer when he thought of Kinley, who was now waiting for him in some dungeon somewhere. He nodded without saying anything. Ella asked:
"Where is this Kinley now?"
And again she saw that cold look in his eyes, which automatically made her think of an apex predator stalking his prey. He replied:
"Maze put him on ice..."
"What is your plan for him?"
"You really don't want to know what I want to do with him right now. But if I want to achieve what I have as a vision of the future for Heaven, Hell and Earth, then I too must follow certain rules. So I have asked Gabe to come by this afternoon with his file. Depending on what's in it, his fate will be sealed."
A cold shiver ran down her spine, for she knew only too well what he was not saying. She said:
"You, on the other hand, seem to know in advance what you will find in his file."
He nodded softly:
"I know the type. The hell in the other universe is full of the souls of such zealots. I don't think it will be any different here. He is a zealot and a so-called exorcist to boot. You can do the math yourself to see how much misery such a figure has to his credit."
Alexander and Gabe
Shortly after lunchtime, Gabriel had landed in the garden with the file from Heaven's archives that Alexander had requested. Of course, Gabe had read it before he arrived and knew what was in it. He handed it over and asked:
"What are you going to do with him?"
Alex laughed quietly and said:
"You're the second person to ask me that today. Before I read this, I would say: I want to limit myself to a chat in the presence of Maze. But I've known this type for a long time. Hell at home is full of the souls of such characters; I don't think his record will surprise me. So...'
Gabe understood the unspoken part and guessed that the conversation would not be pleasant for the priest. Alex put the file down. He did not want to get into a foul mood already. He asked:
Do you have the list with you so I can see how the camps in heaven are divided and what their motivations are? Before Grandpa returns, I aim to unravel this mess and gain a clear understanding of how we can resolve it. I don't want any schism in Heaven. Especially when I'm in the business of bringing Heaven and Hell closer together."
Gabriel took a stack of papers from the bag he had brought with him and said:
"This is roughly the list of the camps and their motives. As you can see, each camp is actually represented by a few angels. It is not so much the followers in the camps that could be a problem, but the leaders."
For the next two hours, Gabriel and Alexander discussed the list and the main characters in detail. Gabe had to pull Alex back from his thoughts a few times. When he seemed to lose focus again, Gabe asked:
"Okay, Alex, what's going on? You seem distracted."
The boy nodded. He thought for a moment and said:
"Lucifer, he asked for and got another partner. But this has an unwanted effect that I don't like. Without Lucifer, Chloe is on her own. There are not too many other cops who want to work with her. There were problems even before the Cain debacle, and now that her so-called lieutenant has turned out to be a shady underworld figure, their suspicions of her have only increased. However, I know enough about Detective Decker to know that she is something of a pit bull in human form, and once she gets her teeth into something, she never lets go. This has put her and Lucifer in danger a few times in the past. Detective Decker out on the streets without a partner is a thought that makes my stomach turn. If something were to happen to her, you can be sure that Lucifer will take the blame, and his urge for self-destruction could become dangerous."
Gabriel got a sly little smile around his mouth and asked:
"Does this concern for Miss Decker and Lucifer's health perhaps have something to do with the fact that Lucifer is the favorite Devil of a certain Miss Beatrice and Miss Decker is her mother?"
Alexander's ears flushed a little at the hidden implication in Gabriel's question, and he said quietly:
"Well, yes, of course. Her health is a concern for several reasons. The detective is without a partner, and the precinct where they both work is still suffering from the aftermath of the whole Cain affair. So much so that they can't find a suitable lieutenant for the time being."
Gabe thought for a moment and then said:
'From what I know, I think the situation would be best served with outsiders."
Alexander looked at him, not understanding, and the Angel explained:
"Cain has raised so much suspicion that the police seem reluctant to appoint a new lieutenant from within their own ranks for fear of making another mistake, right? Miss Decker has kicked enough colleagues in the shins in the past to ensure that it will be extremely difficult to find a partner who actually trusts her and has her back. Both problems could be elegantly solved by adding outsiders to the mix. An outsider as the new lieutenant, someone who is above suspicion, has no ties to LA and can therefore act with complete impartiality. A second outsider to be added to Miss Decker would have the same result."
Alexander looked a little strangely at the Angel who had taken it upon himself to become his mentor and said:
"And Heaven happens to have a Rolodex of contacts on Earth who could fill this role and who would be willing to drop everything in their lives to resolve our situation?"
Mysteriously, Gabriel said:
"Well... Now that you mention it, we do have something like that, yes."
Alex's eyes widened, and he said:
"That needs a lot more explanation, Gabe. How did you get these contacts?"
The other sat up straight, looked deep into Alexander's eyes, and sighed before saying:
"I see... Probably Rae Rae was too busy shopping with Casiel and forgot to tell you something very important."
Alexander groaned and muttered:
"For the love of all that is holy and unholy... So what did she forget, Gabe?"
The Angel took a deep breath and replied:
"Michael is a general, and his thinking is based entirely on strategy. One of the most important things for a commander is to know everything about friend and foe. The more information you have, the more thorough you can be."
Alexander nodded:
"I learned that lesson from Dad a long time ago. Information is the best tool you can have as a policymaker, or the best weapon you can have in your arsenal. What does that have to do with my problem?"
"Shortly after Father retreated from Heaven and left Michael in charge, Mi set up a new department that reported only to him. Call it intelligence. At his beck and call, his angels go to Earth to infiltrate the most important factions or armies of the day. Since 1918, when the US finally took its place on the world stage and it became clear that it would not voluntarily relinquish that role, some of Michael's people have been continuously active. In the military on the one hand, but also in the FBI, the Department of Justice, the CIA that was set up after the Second World War, and others. I don't know exactly how many and where, but I know we have some people in various federal law enforcement agencies and Interpol. People we can pull out of their positions at any time and give them a new assignment."
Alexander closed his eyes for a moment and murmured:
"Yeah, that's a piece of information Rae Rae could have shared with me before she went shopping or whatever with Cas..."
He thought for a moment and then asked:
"Gabe, do you have a problem going back and asking Michael if I can use two of his people? Preferably from two different police forces, so it looks like there is no connection between the two. But they should be able to drop everything on the spot. I need two people now, not in three months when they have a difficult case to deal with first."
The messenger of God stood up, unfolding his wings. The smile on his face said he was relieved that Alexander had assumed his leadership role and could give orders, even when they did not feel like orders.
"I will talk to Mi and come back with an answer."
Alexander merely nodded, and the Angel disappeared from the garden.
Mazikeen and Lucifer
Maze stepped out of the elevator and headed straight for the house bar. Lucifer watched as the leather-clad demon entered the penthouse, her high heels tapping on the floor, and poured her a drink. With a smile on his face, he said:
"I was wondering if you could pull yourself away from Doc Linda and little Lucas."
She plopped down on a barstool:
"It's hard for me, yes, but like you said, there's always an Angel around, and that little twerp Rae Rae keeps popping up too. So..."
They both emptied their glasses, and Lucifer immediately refilled them as Maze spoke:
"Lucifer, what the hell is wrong with us? I've always hated Earth and weak people, and now I'm having a hard time getting away from Linda, and I feel responsible for Lucas, who can't do anything on his own, speaking of weak."
He nodded:
"Personally, I have never had any problems with Earth and humanity, even though they are physically as weak and fragile as you say. But I see what you mean, Mazi. I didn't want to go back to Hell; I didn't want to be king anymore because I hate that place. Now I want to stay on Earth for something other than fun. It is as if I have finally found my purpose. Oh, don't get me wrong, I've got Lux, and that gives me more than enough opportunity for carnal pleasure and booze galore. But that's not my main goal anymore."
"A while ago, I was so incredibly angry at you for not wanting to take me back to Hell. Now, I'm not sure that would have been the right decision. All this emotional stuff with these people is very confusing and strange. But more and more people seem to show up, making me unable to leave, unwilling to go. First Trix, then Linda, and now Alexander and Lucas. I am a demon, I am not supposed to feel anything, and yet I seem to feel that I belong here for the moment. Near these four."
"So you changed your mind? No more going back to Hell, even though you are now a princess and free? I thought you would at least want to rub it in your mother's face that you have found your freedom and are the second highest authority in Hell after the King."
She nodded, tipping back her glass and holding it out for Lucifer to refill.
"I have to be honest; it was the first thing I thought of after Alexander bound me to the throne, and there was a bit of peace here. To go back to Hell and make Lilith kneel before my throne. When it became clear that Lucas was going to be born, everything changed. Revenge suddenly seemed so small against the desire to protect the baby. I don't understand, Lucifer. You know how I am. I lived for revenge in hell and could spend years thinking up a plan to make that revenge as effective and painful as possible and to make my target suffer."
"Have you talked to Alexander about when he wants to go to Hell to take his place on the throne and establish his rule?"
The demon shook her head:
"No, but I suspect it will be tonight. We'll talk to this Kinley later. He's different from you, Lucifer, this son of yours. I can see it in his eyes. What you did in Hell, you did because you had to, to survive, to keep order, to make life in Dis and the upper circles a little more bearable for us Demons. You never wiped a demon out of existence just because you wanted to. Alexander doesn't have that restraint. He will do what he thinks he has to do to achieve what he wants in Hell. I feel that he even likes to hit hard and get what he wants. He is a living contradiction, Lucifer. On the one hand, I clearly see your light in him. On the other hand..."
"Is that a problem for you, Mazi?"
She said without pause:
"No! You have been a problem for thousands of years, but that could not be changed. You are an Archangel, and not just any Archangel. The bringer of light and the personification of justice. Hell, if you want to make it more right for the demons, at least those of Dis, you need someone like Alexander who can get his way, no matter what he has to do. Hell needs that side of him. The souls that we have always considered innocent because they were drawn to Hell by something as stupid as guilt, and that we have tried to protect as much as possible by putting them in the first or second circle? They need the other side, your light. It is only when both halves begin to work together that these changes will come. More than that, I think he can change Heaven. That he doesn't care about the plan your Father had when everything was created. That he sees the flaws in that plan and wants to fix them at any cost."
"At any cost?"
She looked deep into his eyes and nodded quietly:
"At any cost and damnation to those who stand in his way..."