CHAPTER THREE
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0. an old friend !

— THE HOUSE THEY PULLED UP TO WAS BEAUTIFUL BY MODERN STANDARDS- with pristine black and white tones, a picture-perfect synthetic turf lawn, and a few shiny cars lined up just outside. It was all a very far cry from the sort of aged, Victorian architecture that Venus had grown so comfortable with back in Scotland. It had been a few months since her move, and she was almost certain she'd never quite get used to the drastically different climate and atmosphere.

Yet, she welcomed the unknown with unending enthusiasm. Blissful ignorance was far more comfortable than everything she had come to expect from her old life. The war, the grief, every last ounce of rage and heartbreak her far too young mind had gotten used to. This was all so much easier on the stomach- on the soul.

Although, hunting down monsters, chasing bad guys, was all she'd ever known. Even as a child, with a life of innumerable possibilities before her, she could hardly escape the danger of being a willing and loyal friend of the chosen one. But that didn't matter. Not to her. Danger was different- different from all that grief and heartache. Danger was familiar.

Which is why she couldn't possibly let it go.

"You got your gun?" Chloe eyed the area as she turned off the ignition and gathered her wits, her eyes glancing about as she routinely followed a mental checklist before she could even think about stepping outside.

Venus hummed a quick 'yes' as she scratched at her ankle, inconspicuously passing her fingertips along the handle of the wand tucked in her boot as she relaxed under the comfortable notion that she was as prepared as a seasoned war-witch could be.

"D'you think we'll need them?" She asked curiously with a tilt of her head as she surveyed the exterior of the house, looking out for any anomalies in its appearance- though, not being used to the design, she wasn't entirely sure what would appear as 'strange' or 'unusual'.

Chloe sighed, downing the last of her coffee and tucking the cup in a plastic bag on the floor of the passenger seat, "Ten bucks says half the guys in there have firearms on them. We'd be better safe than sorry."

The witch nodded, patting the holster resting on her hip as she finished off her own drink and followed Chloe's lead in getting out of the car, straightening out her sweater vest to expel some of the nerves in the back of her mind. They approached the large glass doors in an understandably suspicious fashion, staying alert as they rang the doorbell.

When, presumably a butler of some kind, answered the door, Venus respectfully stepped back and allowed Chloe to pilot the investigation, having more faith in her knowledge of the area and people than Venus' own foreign outlook. Compared to her partner, Venus was out of her depth on the comings and goings of this funny sort of place, though she had other insights and talents that made the pair a charmingly fantastic and indispensable duo.

"LAPD, we need to talk to 2Vile about the murder of his ex girlfriend, Delilah." Chloe stated simply, the women flashing their badges in an almost practised manner, simultaneously, as if they'd done so a hundred times.

"I'm sorry, I'm afraid he's not looking for visitors today, he's in mourning." The man spoke carefully, a certain glint in his eyes that easily gave away his lying nature.

"Mourning?" Venus muttered, glancing back at the cars that littered the roadside on the edges of the property, knowing that they weren't the first to visit the man today, and they likely wouldn't be the last. Not to mention the distant music within the house, telling that the man they sought was likely far from a mentally destructed and grief-ridden state, as the butler may have them believe.

She had known grief inside and out. Ever since she was fourteen, it had attached itself to herself and her friends like shadowy stains upon their sleeves. She had held its hand, sat through awkward, melancholy dinners with it, alongside pain and regret. It was hardly a forgiving date, but a very reliable and constant companion.

This, however. This was not that.

"Yeah, not today, pal." Chloe grabbed the man's shoulder and forced her way through the door, her gun held carefully in her unoccupied dominant hand, Venus quickly falling into step to protect Chloe's blind spot as they followed the sound of loud music and hums of chatter.

While Chloe announced their presence to the room, and demanded any weapons be placed on the floor, Venus curiously observed the interior of the house- just as white, and pristine, and clean-cut as the outside had been. It almost felt like a future film in her eyes, just how sterile everything was, with its blocky, parallel textures. Definitely not the style she was used to.

"Detective, welcome to the party." A voice called, a mischievous and sly tone decorating the simple phrase as Chloe ignored it in favour of collecting all the guns around the house- of which, there were many. "You sly dog, you did listen to me."

Venus' head tilted slightly at the sound of the man's accent. English, similar to her own- and completely unexpected, given their geography. Their eyes met, like ocean blue waves crashing and pulsing against a rocky brown shore, and he grinned cockily.

He was handsome, and she, beautiful. It was practically a match made in-... well, perhaps not heaven. And though the devil's initial observation hadn't been untrue, as he gazed upon the blonde stranger, he couldn't help but acknowledge that 'beautiful' was a rather piss-poor descriptor.

No, the woman before him looked as though she could drape moonlight, and stars, and far flung galaxies along her shoulders as if it were a second skin. As if the universe could ever be so lucky. She had the air and stance of a graceful monarch, standing rightfully in a kingdom she had built with her own two hands. She was the picture of magnificence, and if Lucifer hadn't been so familiar with heaven, he would have assumed she was it.

"Who's your friend?" He asked curiously, being completely talked over once again as Chloe spoke.

"I ran the dead guy's cell phone, 2Vile was the last person he called." She explained, glaring at the man and purposely ignoring his question as she mentally surveyed the room. "What I find highly interesting is how you made the connection on your own."

His face became serious at the clear accusation, "Well, I've been busy, my dear."

Chloe refrained from rolling her eyes, sharing an exasperated glance with her partner, who shrugged with an amused glint in her own gaze as she stepped closer to the window, her arms folding against her chest as she took in the view and vaguely listened to the conversation, catching only the important bits and pieces before a small flash caught her attention on the other side of the glass.

Glancing at the occupants of the room to ensure there were no eyes on herself nor the window, Venus shuffled closer to it and observed a well groomed tree hanging over the backyard just outside, tilting her head at all sorts of odd angles as she tried to catch a glimpse of the wispy light magic.

There it was, sat simply and beautifully on a low hanging branch, beneath a canopy of emerald green leaves. A single transparent blue magpie, with its calm and beady-eyed gaze set on the blonde witch.

Venus' chest began to hurt as she regarded the creature. A reminder of her youth that had been so twisted and contorted from a comforting, treasured memory, into only anguish and despair.

"Detective Decker?" She muttered professionally, before her brain could even comprehend the words she had intended, they began to tumble haphazardly from her lips as she took a few tentative steps back in the direction they'd come, not noticing Lucifer's look of surprise at the unexpected, yet familiar accent, "I'm going to take a look outside. Licence plates and such."

Chloe accepted the excuse with a respectful ease, having worked with Venus enough to know how exceptionally thorough she was at her job, and it was hardly the first time the woman had paused to jot down licence plate numbers and other seemingly useless or random bits of information she had quite rightfully deemed important. It was this in-depth approach that had solved a steady number of cases for the pair, "Yeah, I can handle this."

The witch barely allowed her partner to finish her sentence before she had whisked out of the house and into the persistently sunny atmosphere of Los Angeles, taking a moment to regain the breath she had lost in her rush, before her eyes began to search the trees for that ghostly creature once again. She weaved between cars, her eyes on the sky before stopping at the end of the perfectly paved driveway.

After a few moments, her efforts proved fruitless and she had almost given up hope in finding the transparent, wispy blue magpie before it suddenly passed over her shoulder like a friendly, cascading waterfall, dancing before her eyes. A silent, flowing passerby delivering a far more deep and meaningful message, one which struck Venus with a smashing intensity. It fluttered and flapped before disappearing in swirls of dust, dispersing into the open air as if it had never existed in the first place.

Venus didn't notice the tear that had escaped her until a few seconds later, too busy staring at the big blue world above her head, and those thoughtless, puffy clouds gliding along as if darkness had never- could never touch them.

She used to be like those clouds. Bright, and hopeful, drifting peacefully in the ignorance that was her brief childhood. Back when pinkie promises, and things like 'forever' existed. Back when all that stuff felt real.

But it wasn't forever. It could never have lasted- as much as they all wished it could have.

She had to taste the storm eventually.

"Detective?" Chloe called out, announcing her presence to the witch, who quickly wiped the thoughts and feelings from her face, turning to face the woman with a plastered smile.

"Sorry, got a bit distracted." Venus excused, glancing momentarily at the Englishman from before, now trailing after her partner and dangling a pair of handcuffs from his finger, which she- for now- decided to ignore. "Phone call from an old friend- I uh..."

It felt as if the letters in her purse were the only thing occupying her mind as she awkwardly rubbed at her arm and joined Chloe, and the stranger, next to Chloe's car, squinting slightly as the sun reflected off of the silver vehicle.

"You okay?" Chloe asked in a concerned manner, recognizing Venus' occupied thoughts, stepping slightly closer so as to create some illusion of privacy from Lucifer, who looked on in quiet fascination.

"Yeah, of course." Venus assured with a rather unconvincing nod, "I just... Y'know."

"Do you need to go?" The woman before her asked, not in an accusing manner, but with an air of knowing, almost understanding. There was more to her partner than what meets the eye, of that she was absolutely certain, and Chloe had spent enough time with Venus to grow somewhat fond of her.

"Chloe-" Venus began in a mildly argumentative tone, being immediately interrupted.

"You do."

Venus laughed slightly, shaking her head, "That's hardly fair on you."

"Hey- I got this. The evidence may not even lead to anything, and I know you still have tons of paperwork to get through from your old position. I swear, I'll call you if I need you." Chloe assured kindly, somewhat excited to have a crack at an independent investigation again, as much as she did appreciate her partner.

Although, she then remembered Lucifer standing only a pace away, and decided to end on a different sentiment, "Besides, I've got whatever this guy is supposed to be."

"I told you who I am already, Detective." He spoke indignantly and in an exasperated fashion, turning back to the conversation as if he hadn't been very obviously listening in.

"Can it, and get in the car." She held the door open for him expectantly.

Lucifer sighed in annoyance and almost comically crawled into the back seat of the police vehicle, staring at the protective screen between him and the front, pouting at distinct realisation that he was being escorted around like some sort of criminal.

"Is this really necessary?" He asked, before the door was slammed shut after him.

After a few heartbeats, the front doors opened simultaneously and Chloe sat rightfully in the driver's seat as Venus gathered her purse from the floor of the passenger side.

"Call me when you close all this, yeah?" Venus smiled, her shoulder length blonde waves falling into her face as she leaned down to speak with Chloe, "I wanna hear all about it."

"Excuse me, I never caught your name." Lucifer curiously tilted his head, with his face practically pressed against the protective screen in his undisguised interest.

Venus rolled her eyes lightheartedly, and not in an unfriendly manner, "Have a good day."

author's note

this is a chapter brought to you by our Thankmas fundraising efforts!! $150.00 on day one is unfathomable and unexpected I literally thought I'd have more time to prepare before you smashed that goal, but remind me not to underestimate you guys 😭😭

more chapters and more fundraising incentives are on their way, I prOmise, so keep up the amazing work <3