'I can be professional.'

I all but think, walking in the station head held up high, dusting down my shirt. 'Just go in. Act normal. And act like you're not totally nervous for the detectives exam today. You got it. I believe in you' I do not sound at all stressed over the fear of failure and having every ounce of my being reeling from potential loss. ' I can do this. If aunt Chloe can do it, so can I.'

It would be lieutenant pierce examining me, for today's exam with his insistence on being the one to take on the task personally, and I could put my feelings and opinions about him to the side for an hour so I can be prepared to give my answers for the exam itself. It's an oral examination. Which is practical but safe for me as I didn't want to take a risk of exposing my true strength against pierce.

The door to his office is ajar meaning, I didn't have to knock on to enter, but I did a clear sweep of my eyes to ensure no one else was in the office space. I poked my head in and went to say hello, to be polite, however pierce jabbed his blue pen.

" Close the door, all the way, Decker." He paused. " Please." He said, the word sounding strangely a foreign concept to use, and I could have sworn he murmured in confusion to his own use of it. I did what I was told closing the door all the way close, taking a stand before his desk. His throat cleared.

" You are ten minutes early. This isn't you trying to make yourself look good, being early, right?"

I had to remain professional. I am mature, enough, to see he is testing my response to snark. Two can play this game.

I crossed my arms, shoulders squared. " I haven't once been late, on the job, and I won't start now." I answered. " being on time is crucial when you're a cop. There is no time to make errors or make a mistake. It can cost me, or any officer, their job." I say, my nerves jittery for some reason as I stare longer at Pierce. It's the way he's staring straight into my soul is what is unsettling me.

" Now. Can we commence with the exam, lieutenant?" I ask, counting down the minutes that I am standing in front of him to be over. He arched his eyebrow.

" Determination is a good key factor for here, and on the field, officer decker. You already have that ability down in lock." He clicked the pen, writing a note on the board he had on his desk.

" Okay. If you were to describe yourself, as a person, and as an officer of the law in five words. What would be your answer? Think carefully."

He hummed and I could answer that one with ease. I know myself. I am who I am after all because I take after my dad and my aunt.

" I am ambitious, straight forward, kind, sympathetic... and I'm determine. I'm determine to make sure I become a better version, of myself, each day I walk into the station and be that girl in the middle of strife who can be trusted."

He silently nods, writing down my answers, and it takes everything in me to not walk over to him with the intention of seeing the answers he's got for me. I have to be patient. " If a crazed psycho were to, I don't know, randomly burst inside of the precinct with a loaded firearm and you only have five seconds to think of your next action. Will you A, go straight into the danger without a weapon to defend yourself and potentially put not only yourself in danger but the lives of your fellow officers also in the firing line. Or B, disarm and take the weapon out of the perpetrators hold if deemed safe to do so?"

" I'd take the gun, first, out of the suspects hand. Then I'd approach the situation with intention of apprehending the suspect in question. Which I'd do by a safe take down without causing an injury to him." I answered, thinking back to the times I have seen my aunt take down suspects, much like Jimmy Barnes a year ago. I still shiver thinking of that evening. Pierce flipped the page he's on.

" To add on. It's best to check for any extra pieces of weaponry on the suspect. In the case they're not completely unarmed and carrying live pieces of equipment. Such as grenades or guns."

" Impressive. Impressive." He muttered, a slight smirk riddled his fuller lips. " Last question. And this is off the record, not part of your exam." He goes on to state and I give him the benefit of the doubt with the question he wanted to ask me. It didn't seem all alarming for him to go off track, I answered everything he wanted me to answer. He got out of his roller chair, I watched each step he took around the desk standing to his full height I had to slightly crane my head to look in his face.

" What's on your mind?" I'm startled. What? He is asking what is on my mind? Since when did he care to know about my private life or feelings? He hasn't taken an interest to the other officers and their personal lives. " You are distracted. It's not that difficult to see you are experiencing an issue in your own life. Even when you tried to hide it, I could hear it in the way you answered. The truth. I want it."

I wanted to lie to him. How could I tell my boss I am in this complicated world of celestial affairs? That I am no longer human and therefore I have these things and days of wishing everything could just stop for a minute? How I don't know what or who I am to Lucifer? I opted out with telling half of my truth.

" Everything in my life, right now. it feels is falling apart. I have these days where I'm always questioning whether or not the universe is trying to tell me something but I can't decipher it. I.." Stammering my reply, I glance around trying to avoid direct contact with his eyes considering I will break under his gaze like I always did when I am asked if I am alright.

" Feel like everything is closing in on me and I am suffocating. Choking for air that won't enter.. my lungs." I wiped the tear quick off my face. He did not need to see me weak. " Plus today I am, extra, stressed because of this exam and I came in here with a determination to succeed. Knowing that I will probably either fail or pass. Mostly the first."

Pierce hadn't said any word about my crying and I am thankful he didn't interrupt me or otherwise I would've ruined my chance of passing purely on the basis of my emotions entangled in my words. I took the sound of his silence and blank stare of his as my answer. " I am not passing. Aren't I?" I deflated, trying to appear thankful for his time in quizzing me on the exam, taking my time to turn. As I am about to leave he grabs my hand. It isn't my wrist but my actual hand interlocking mine in his.

Those voices return stronger while we hold hands with every passing second. I push them down, to the back of my mind, as he cleared his throat and tugged my hand forward. He looked at my face as he let the escape tear, out the corner of my eye, fall on his thumb. " Welcome, detective decker, to the world of the big leagues. You passed." He says with a casual shrug of his shoulder. " I was gonna give it to you, after the first questions answer, but I wanted to sweat you out first."

' I got it! Oh my goodness I actually got it!'

I let my spontaneous burst of energy show, as my body reacted by jumping up and down, cheering. I am going to be a detective like my aunt. Like my uncle Dan. Pierce chuckled in amusement at my show of excitement. Call it stupidity, a lack of my general sense of social awareness, I did what I'd never done before. I hug Pierce which in turn was maybe a big mistake to make as he tensed up and none of us move. I realised what i did would have been seen as inappropriate. 'Oh no. I'm stupid.'

" I apologise, lieutenant. This is inappropriate I.."

He silenced me with his arms tightening around my frame. My face is stuffed in his chest and my nose inhaled in the aromatic smell of gunpowder mixed with a scent of wood cologne that he wore. My hands find his underarms, riding up to where his shoulder blades and muscles I feel under his shirt were, closing my eyes. I relaxed my body. It felt nice to be able to have someone hold you. But this is my lieutenant, my boss, it will give off the impression we are close when we are in fact not.

" It's your birthday in a couple of days. How do you feel about you and I going out for dinner tonight to celebrate early? I get your ideal date isn't exactly your lieutenant, I understand the predicament I am putting you in by asking, but how about we see it as the start of a reluctant friendship?"

Marcus asked, pointing a finger at me.

" Because if I remember clearly you were the one to have cancelled our first date. You said you were under the weather but I asked your friend, Officer Paolucci, and she said different to me."

I internally cringe, hoping Marcus wouldn't bring the cancellation to attention. I tried my best but I couldn't bring myself to go on that date.

I didn't feel right even if I said yes in the beginning until I realised I initially said I would go please Marcus. And to see how Lucifer would react but he did not have the reaction I hoped he'd have. When I saw how much he didn't care it broke something inside of me. So I'm done trying to get him to see me.

" Alright. Yes, and I mean it. I will go on the date with you. Tonight." I stated, with the genuine intention of showing I meant it, nodding. " I won't cancel this time. I promise."

" Good. Now, I got another body. This one will be your first case as detective decker junior."

~•~

I've always loved bonding with animals, horses in particular are my greatest interest in the animal kingdom, and today I am investigating my first murder as detective Elisabetta Penelope decker at a reform ranch. I could smell the manure and dirt in the air, from a mile away easy, along the lines of a tinge of horse droppings and the neighs ringing in the still air. Ella is snapping away, her professional camera in hand, as I strode up with a newfound sense of pep in my step. " I saw you. In the lieutenants office getting pretty cozy with him, Liz." She teased, saying such as she snapped the filter of her camera in the bloody water barrel the victim was found inside of. " He's so into you. It's obvious he, likes, like you. You go girl!"

She nudged me. I laughed it off, putting my pair of sunglasses on top of my head. " It's just going to be one date. Nothing special." I whisper but I failed miserably. She hears me, gasping. " I am trying not to announce it to the world, Ella."

" Ellie Penelope decker, you naughty girl. Going out with the boss? Does that mean I'll have to, like, answer to you now as well?" She chuckled, as I pushed my palm into her shoulder shaking my head, as she looked around at the ranch.

" It's such an amazing sight, isn't it? These horses are.. beautiful. Back on to the obvious. Our vic's name is Emily Goddard. Twenty three, a consoler here at the reform program ran here in the ranch. She was found inside of the vat of water, meant for the horses, and it appears it happened around a few hours post mortem to her death."

" Firehawk ranch transformational centre." Said the voice of lucifer, coming up from behind me, and I do my best to ignore him keeping my eyes focused on Emily's body as I feel him boring both his eyes into my head. " What kind of person, or people, thinks firehawk is a bloody good name? Oh mind my tongue I didn't mean for that pun." I don't react to his pun, much as I wanted to crack a small smile, keeping my professionalism first in check. I answered him using a steadied tone.

" This is an expensive, high end, reform program that helps delinquents and juvenile drug offenders from relapsing in their bad habits. It's actually quite a beautiful place, considering what goes on in this compound. The horses are quite a refreshing touch." I answered, staring out at the direction of the horse stable neighing is heard in. I wanted to see the horses but had to focus on the murdered girl and bring her to justice. " What is the observation, you got for me, Ella? Anything?"

" She was stabbed. In her office, upstairs. Took a tumble, out of her window, and splashdown." She said, using her hand to reenact her prognosis for her observation, imitating a splash and how she thinks Emily fell. I crouched on the level of Emily lying on the gurney, looking up at the window, as my senses picked up lucifer walking to the barn.

I looked behind to see him inspecting the whips, of course he'd be interested in those whips. I rolled my eyes as he suggested, using his thumb, and I listen to Ella inspecting Emily's body for a stab wound. " I'd say we're looking for either a.. knife or a tool with a four to five inch serrated.. blade. Are you alright? Liz? You and lucifer aren't fighting? Cause you are giving mad cold shoulder and I can feel it from all the way over here."

" What? Oh. It's nothing." I dismissed. " He's.. he is just being complicated. More than usual."

" Sure doesn't sound like nothing, Liz. But I won't ask further. Just know I'm here, Girlfriend. If he doesn't get his act right you can always focus on that date you have with lieutenant Pierce."

" So this so-called reform program claims to turn bad kids into good ones? "

Lucifer, pessimistic in the belief of the program's legitimacy, scoffed as he came waltzing up to my side. Then his face fell once he thought for a second before he regained his composure.

" Wait a minute. Miss Lopez did I just hear you say our darling Ellie has date? With that lieutenant penis.. I mean Pierce. You have a.. date with the lieutenant?"

He asked, a questionable cock of the eyebrow, as he did a full one eighty turn right around to face me. I shrugged. " Yes. I do have a date, tonight." I answered, Short and curtly, stepping away back to the gurney. He didn't seem pleased to hear I'm going on the date but in all honesty I didn't care if he didn't approve. " It's not like we're together. Lucifer. I can date whoever I want." He seems to have a physical reaction, taking a literal step back out of surprise of my brash resignation, as he had to pretend he's not bothered. He faked a smile.

" ..Only reform program I knew was my abuelita's boot. It was pretty affective. Oh, there's the guy in charge."

The ranch program leader, a man of his late thirties that had a staunch interest in reforming the troubled youth in the ranch, trudged towards us. His gut hung out, a little, under his blue shirt. " Hi. I'm detective decker and this here is.. well I am just going to let him introduce himself to you. Cause I don't have anything nice to say." I snark, the leader didn't get the cue of my tone which in hindsight I should have checked cause I'm still on call for work and have to keep it professional for my own sake, clearing my throat.

" I'm skeptical."

" Jerry Blackcrow, found of the firehawk ranch." Jerry introduced himself, hands on his hips as he sighed. " This is terrible."

" Is it possible you may know, anyone, who might have wanted to cause harm or hurt Ms. Goddard? Or perhaps give us a little inside information on what you think could've happened? To her?"

" No. She was one of my best consolers. Everyone adored her."

Emily's body is taken, by the EMTs, off the rubbles of the pathway we are standing on back to the on site ambulance that awaited to get her back to the morgue.

" Someone must have... must have snuck onto the property and done this. That is all I can come up with to explain it."

Lucifer's laugh rang in my ear. Of course he'd be laughing it's on brand for him to do so. " Well, I will be the first to say it. We're surrounded by Ne' er do-wells and he thinks the culprit came from the outside? Delusional." Lucifer puckers his lips to emphasis on the last word and I sighed. " The killer is obviously here. Oh, look there. Shifty eyes. Oh no, sorry. Her, the ginger. She's got that I like to watch the life drain out of people look." Okay. This is getting out of hand. Even if he's not wrong this isn't the best move to make. I slapped his chest. Warning him.

" Like I'm the only one who sees it."

" No way one of my kids did this. They all walk the firehawk path. This is a place of transformation."

" Uh, No, this place is a scam." Lucifer retorted. " People can't be changed. Trust me, I know."

" At least we can agree on that one."

I muttered, replying under my breath which I knew had heard me say. Jerry sighed, which meant he could sense lucifer and I's palpable tension the longer we stand close enough, taking the initiative of breaking it for us.

" Perhaps they just need the right kind of motivation. As a former addict and ex-con, I'm living proof that people can change. Our kids graduate to better lives." Jerry says, glancing between lucifer and I. " I can sense there are changes in your life, Miss decker, too. More than meets the eyes. You have.. such pain in your life that you are healing from, but it still lingers in your everyday life. I can see it in your eyes. It's changed you. All of you."

I didn't know my feelings were that visible to him or anyone in that fact. I shifted on my feet as Ella came back with a tool belt in her gloved grasp. It is a brown leather bounded compartment belt. I counted the items noticing its missing one. Our possible murder weapon. Ella pointed it out too.

" I found this in the victims office. Looks like an items missing."

Jerry inspects it and his eyes, defeated, turned to the missing and empty space of the tool. Like he didn't want to admit one of these reform kids is reliable, and responsible, for killing Emily. Jerry closed his eyes. " Sheering tool is gone."

" It doesn't happen to be a four to five inch serrated blade? Does it? It's our missing murder weapon. Whose tool belt is that?"

" One of the residents. Only they receive them."

Now it's time to play where's Waldo.

JASMINE SPEAKS;

I was inspired and encouraged the idea of doing this update while I had it, still, fresh in my head. I still can't believe this book of mine has gotten a lot of traction recently and people are still in the Lucifer fandom.

I don't see much of it mentioned no more and it saddens me how little it's talked of. I feel like Lucifer is the underrated, popular, show.

You will be seeing more of Nate and Rebecca. I'll admit have neglected putting them in more parts of the story, than I'd like, but that is because I'm partially responsible for focusing on Ellie and the two men interested in her. I haven't forgotten our sweet boy Luka as well.

Onto the questions.

What did you think of Ellie in this Chapter?

She's definitely not that shy and timid girl from when we first met her. What are you thinking of her attitude with Lucy and Marcus..?

She is detective Ellie decker now!

Her with Ella and their friendship?