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video | un: detdecker

Besides all this mumbo-jumbo about portals and the fact I've obviously lost my mind and am lying strapped to a hospital bed somewhere, I've got a few things I'd like to clear up—

[The blonde woman frowns deeply at the screen, brows drawn tightly together in displeasure.]

—namely, it's been told to me that we can't leave this place until they've scrounged up enough 'resources' to send us back, which seems oddly convenient. Does anyone know if there's been success with that yet? Has anyone been sent back home, or is that some nebulous 'someday' thing they're telling us? Second of all...

[Her hand comes up to gently cup a small gold locket hanging around her neck; a gift from the city to her, it seemed. Her mouth works for a moment, trying to find the words.]

Trixie, baby, if you can hear me, mommy's here and going to find you. I promise. Just sit tight, monkey.

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Gave what back—

[Her mind ran through all the possibilities, thinking of conversations and little moments of insight until she finally arrived at the only one that remotely made sense, feeling like she was grasping at an unraveling thread.]

—is this the whole thing about the wings? [A brief shake of her head.] Or the scars on your back?

[And it's then that she realizes where her hand is. Not quite at where his scars would be, but close enough. She keeps it there, not wanting to draw away but not knowing what would help him here.]

Ex scars, Detective. Ex. They're not there anymore. Two guesses why.

[He put the glass down more heavily than he intended, turning to her with a look that was somewhere between pained and angry.]

I made my choice and someone took that away from me. They gave them back. I can't for the life of me figure out why if not to try to force me back to where they think I belong. It's not bloody happening.

What? How's that even possible?

[She'd seen them. Large and raised, ropey flesh spanning over his back. But then he was looking at her, that anger in his eyes bright like fire.

She reached out to touch his shoulders.]

Calm down. You're not being forced anywhere, besides where we are now.

You don't believe me.

[Of course she didn't. She never did. Not about this, anyway. Well, this, he could prove. This he could show her without showing that last piece that he so very much wanted her to never see.

His hands moved to his jacket, unbuttoning it as he started to shrug out of it, tossing it onto the bed when it was off and working on his shirt.]

Yet. Who knows if this isn't just another part of whatever game they're playing? They could just be waiting to whisk me off again -- or you. They should never have brought you here.

Lucifer, what are you doing—

[But that was a dumb question, wasn't it? She knew very well what he was doing. But it still didn't make this any better or clarify all of the questions swirling around in her head right now.

So she watched him, mouth slightly parted in abject incredulity as he disrobed. And maybe concern, too, for his mental stability.]

Look, I don't know what's going on or why we were brought here, but you're starting to worry me now.

You should be worried. I've just gotten rid of one bit of crazy and now this?

[The shirt comes off and he tosses it aside, standing there with his arms spread as he looks at her -- then realizes where the proof is. Rolling his eyes at himself, he turns his back to her, showing her 'proof'. Or, really, the lack of it, as there were no scars there marring his back anymore.]

See? They've gone and put them back, the bloody twit.

[And for a brief instant, she's so thrown that she doesn't pick up on it at first. But when she sees the smooth skin of his back, her heart leaps in her chest, and breathing suddenly takes more effort.]

What—?

[As if to prove she's not in a dream, she reaches for him again, this time not hesitating to touch his back. Her fingers slid along his shoulder blades, gently pressing along where the scars should be. As if checking for some kind of makeup or cover. But there was nothing. Just his flesh, made whole again.]

I don't... I don't understand. How's this possible? They were so— something like that doesn't just disappear.

[Having her touch him through his clothes was bad enough, but over naked skin? It was literally a torment for him, gooseflesh rising over him as he bit his lip, keeping himself turned away for a moment before he managed to gather a hold on his control.

Turning slowly, he reached for that outstretched hand, but instead of pulling it away, he kept it there, pressed to him over his chest.]

I told you, Detective. They've been put back. They made me whole again, against my wishes. I... I really wish you'd take that as proof instead of making me do what I'm dreading.

[He could do the other bit of proof, he could spread those white wings wide and let her bask in them -- but he felt that was cheating. That wasn't who he felt he was. Not anymore. That wasn't what he'd been willing to show her before. Showing her just the wings and not the rest of it would be just as much of a lie as not telling her at all.]

Edited 2017-06-08 01:45 (UTC)

[She stood there transfixed, her attention frozen over where his hand was holding hers. She could feel the steady thrum of his heartbeat there, just under her fingers. The warmth of his skin that seemed to seep into her, a level of intensity she hadn't been prepared for keeping her stuck right in that very spot.

And against all logic, she thought of Amenadiel. Amenadiel, who stood in front of her at Lux and put all the pieces together for her, almost a little too neatly. Amenadiel, who shot himself only to reveal the bulletproof vest underneath. And her own reaction to it all, to be shocked and appalled and yet frighteningly willing, for one brief instant, to maybe believe the unthinkable.

She struggled to speak at first. When she did, her voice was quiet.]

You said you wanted to tell me everything. And I... we can't move forward until you do, Lucifer.

I know. I bloody well know it. I suppose... I'm just afraid. That something is trying so very hard to keep me from that. That it might be willing to harm you to accomplish it. You're here, after all, and you shouldn't be. You should be safe at home with your offspring. I...

[He puffed out a breath, hand not letting hers go, pressing it closer to him as he just stared at her and tried to find a way for her to believe it without him needing to take that very last step.]

I need you to understand something, Chloe. I need you to know that I would never harm you. No matter what I may look like, no matter how monstrous I might seem, I would never hurt you.

I know that.

[Said quietly, but with full confidence. Because she did — for all his flaws and mistakes, she knew he wasn't a bad person. Or a monster. And perhaps that was the reason why she fought so hard to know him. To have him put that trust in her like she did in him.]

If you really think I don't know that by now, then you're wrong.

I think you believe that now, but I'm... I'm not entirely sure that will hold true once I show you what you've been asking for.

[And knowing what was coming, knowing she might very well panic when she saw it and not wanting to make it worse, he let her hand go. In fact, he moved well away from her, going to stand on the other side of the room, left hand moving to fidget with his ring as he looked over at her. He felt much more nervous now than he had with Linda. As much as Linda meant to him, Chloe meant more. She always would.]

Ah, I don't think there's really any easy way to do this...

Then you'd better rip off the bandaid now.

[Why was she waiting with bated breath? As if he was going to perform a miracle in front of her. Almost like she expected it now. Was waiting for it. She felt that loss of him as he moved away but didn't follow, giving him his space to... do whatever he was going to do.]

[For a moment, for one fraction of a moment, he almost went with the wings. He felt that ripple under his skin and had to fight against it. No. She wanted the truth. He'd give it to her.

It wouldn't last long. Not more than half a minute, but for those achingly long seconds, she'd see something she'd never be able to unsee. His face.

And through it, he'd stay quiet. Wouldn't move. Wouldn't make a sound. But his eyes would be locked on her as he waited to see what she did.]

[And for the briefest of moments, it felt like all the air had been sucked out of the room. Until all that was left was her and him, and the alien features in front of her.

Except it wasn't. Not really. It was obviously still Lucifer in front of her; features burned and raw and red but still him. She could see it in the shape of his nose, the cut of his jaw. Even something in his eyes told her it was still him, though morphed into something inhuman.

Her mouth fell open in a quiet exhalation, eyes shimmering with some unnameable before for a fleeting moment. And then, quietly—]

Ha. Ha ha. Ha.

[Unbidden, a smile rose to her lips, followed by another few quick breaths of amusement. And then more, until what followed were small bouts of laughter.]

That's great. That's just perfect.

[Of all the reactions he'd expected, he hadn't expected that one.]

Brilliant. I broke you.

[Muttered half to himself as he stood there, looking as he usually did then and not sure if he should stay where he was or come closer.]

It's all right, Detective. It's... why are you laughing?

[Her subsequent laughter quickly broke off into breathless little huffs of air. Amusement was clear as day on her face.]

Because clearly I've lost my mind. First I fall through some portal, and people tell me there are monsters outside of the gates, and now you're proving you're— this whole time—

[Her breath hitches a little bit, her voice cracking, and suddenly her laughter falls away as realization sets in.]

Oh God.

[He'd taken one step towards her before she said that last bit. It had him jerking to a stop, face set in a blank mask as he tried not to let his mind run wild with all the things she might be thinking.]

Chloe...

It's fine.

[It slipped out before she could really think about it, but it was the truth. She was fine, perfectly fine, but at the same time she felt herself unraveling a bit. Like someone came and took the rug out from under her. And suddenly all her thoughts coalesced into one giant tangled mess as she tried to work through this. Thought of moments where he'd done something out of the ordinary or things she couldn't explain. Of his behavior the past few weeks...

What it all meant.

And that, above all else, was something she wasn't equipped to deal with yet. Either that, or she'd lost her mind.]

I'm fine, it's just— you're really...?

[She didn't say it. Didn't think she could, really. But she looked at him as if imploring for the answer anyway, as if she just needed that one last push.]

The Devil...?

[Dear Dad in Heaven, he'd really broken her. She had this desperate look on her face, like she wanted him to take it back. Like he'd changed the rules on her, even though he'd never been anything but honest.

And that look, that mess of a look aimed at him... It hurt. Much more than in the way a fat man on his chest would.]

[She nodded wordlessly in response, unable to speak right away. Seems her voice had disappeared on her. But she could see that look on his face, too; the quiet hurt there, the anxiety, the concern. It cut through her momentary lapse in... well, general human intelligence, and pushed her to clear her throat as she tried to word what was going through her head. Even though she hadn't quite worked that out herself yet.

Her voice was quiet, almost small.]

Yeah. That.

[She released a shaky breath.]

I'm okay. I'm fine. I think I just need to... clear my head.

Right.

[How could he have expected anything else? At least she wasn't screaming. Or wetting herself. Or throwing anything at him. There were a variety of actions she could take, but she wasn't. Though, that didn't mean he didn't wish she'd be okay with it right off the bat. 'I know you', she'd said.

It seemed she didn't know him as well as she thought she had.

He nodded, looking over at the door that was closer to her than himself.]

Well, ah... you know where I am now. If you... need me. To talk. Or... if you need me.

[She followed his gaze until they landed on the door, biting her lip a bit before she nodded.]

Yeah. I'll— [And suddenly it felt like she needed to say something, wanted to ask a million questions even as they all flew into her head at the same time. Or at least she wanted to reassure him, which was how she found herself approaching him until she reached up to place a hand at his elbow.]

— it's... it's okay. Really. It'll be fine, and we absolutely need to talk, I'm just... I think I just need a little space. To clear my head. Which I already said. Okay.

[And as if to indicate that, she let him go and took a small step back, gesturing at the door.]

I'm gonna just... yeah.

[That she touched him at all was a small miracle in itself. His smile was soft but still a little sad as he nodded.]

Of course, Detective. You... take the time you need. I don't think I'll be going anywhere.

You'd better not.

[It was an empty threat, but one she felt she needed to make anyway. They needed to figure this place out, and Devil or not, he was her partner.

That much she still knew. So when she got to the door, she gave one last glance over her shoulder.]

I'll... see you later, then.

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hellicious - 2017-06-10 02:48 (UTC) - Expand

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