Dreams can be a gateway to our subconscious trying to remember, to understand, a memory we have suppressed in order to protect oneself from a traumatic past experience. I have been experiencing these dreams since last year after being saved from Malcolm. I just could never have it in me to gain the courage, to share the truth, because I didn't wish to burden those I loved with it.

No one else in my family knew of my dreams. I wouldn't call them that exactly. Each time they felt like nightmares I can't wake up from. I act like I am okay, that I'm cured of my trauma. It kills me each time I am alone out in the public, needing to be on high alert. To look over each of my shoulders Incase he came back to exact a plan of revenge.

It's no different from before, while examining a crime scene of a murdered woman stabbed to her death in an alleyway. Maddie Howard her name is.

Nineteen executive stab incisions direct in her chest, there were no witnesses who could be of help, Maddie had ran through. People recalled seeing her running in the park, out near her apartment, that is all they could think to tell officers.

Uncle Dan is writing notes, canvassing the alley for anything which could help the station dictate what is useful to catch the killer. " Save by the douche. Ah there you are, darling. Went to your place, I hoped to give you a ride but it seemed to be the wrong idea as you were gone. You alright? You are little quiet." Lucifer asks, applying his hand on my shoulder. I made the effort to not flinch, at his contact, because it is just Lucifer after all but it goes unnoticed and I play it off as me being cold. Even though LA is in the middle of the warmest spring possible.

" Our victims name is Maddie Howard. She'd been out on a run, outside of her apartment, when her assailant came out nowhere. He started to chase her, and uh, he .. he stabbed her repeatedly. I asked around for any kind of insight, of what happened, but all I got was the same." I re-enacted the stab action of the knife. " Screams of help. But no one helped her."

The bystander effect was certainly the number one leading cause of deaths. Lucifer, though a little bothered by how I acted when he touched me, uncovered Maddie. This is the first time I have seen him speechless, disturbed.

" Overkill is usually a crime of passion. They knew each other. She was killed in broad daylight. There must have been witnesses."

Aunt Chloe stated, joining uncle Dan after speaking with a on site ambulance EMT, and uncle Dan nodded as he agreed with my aunt.

" There could be a bunch of witnesses. It does depend on who you ask, though. The killer was a male who's either Hispanic, Caucasian, or black. Short or tall, brown or blonde hair, or he is completely bald."

Sometimes a witness can be a little unreliable, depending on the case, as there are many factors involved. They choose to deceive the police, wanting to mess with the investigation, or they lie. Which is two sides of the same coin.

" So we are dealing with a shapeshifter?" Asks Lucifer, trying to not sound sarcastic.

" It is more like the fact eye-witness reports can be inconsistent." I state, standing from my knelt down position. " sometimes people don't want to cooperate with us, cause of spite. This is LA. People will turn a blind eye, at times, to wrong and what is right." I've seen too many wronged and hurt people in my short time as an officer. All because of humans wanting nothing to do with another being hurt. " that's my take on this case."

" Yeah, People's ojos go a little loco. Evidence, however, does not lie." Ella came over, as she crouches to take a look at Maddie thanking me for the notebook of findings. " we got a whole heap of substantial bruising on the skin. Blade penetrated not only soft tissue, but also bone. the killer was big and strong."

The bone. Her last moments were in pain, and that made me sick to think of what she'd been thinking in her last few seconds of life being a victim of this brutality. Oh my gosh.

" Also, the blonde head-hair. So odds are really good, we are looking for a white guy."

Ella explains and I couldn't help but keep thinking of Maddie as uncle Dan came around, phone in hand from a witness.

I shake myself out the daydream I was in.

I take the phone to better understand the picture and get a visual feel of how exactly this crime happened.

" The tourist, I borrowed this phone from, caught the beginning moments of the attack, in the background of the photo. Look at the weapon."

I zoomed in on the digitalised portrait, and my eyebrows began moving together in a furrowed motion as I recognised that Blade.

' Is that the blade Lucifer used to kill Uriel?' He thought I'd have not seen the weapon, but I manage to get a look at it at the church when he was knocked unconscious. ' I thought it was buried.' Lucifer, thinking the same, took the phone from me. " It can't be."

Oh, yes it is.

~•~

Yoga. A pastime for women and men alike who want to get healthy, or express their anger out in a positive manner through techniques that include pushing your physical boundaries. The thought of yoga never interested me, that is because I wasn't big on the whole idea of being instructed on how to contain my emotions and paying for an hour of meditation when I can do it at the comfort of my house.

" So did you know the deceased, besides being her co-worker? Here?"

I asked and I genuinely showed an interest in the Soul depot building. I was here on official police work, despite the beliefs I had I was still intrigued with why they chose to participate in this activity.

" We didn't just work together, I mean, Maddie was a friend. She is the person who introduced me to the glory way." The yoga instructor we are questioning answers.

" I do insist you think of joining, officer decker. I can see you carry trouble that weighs you down. In the glory way we aim to release any troubles, a way of making our earthly bodies a vessels free of pain."

She advises, way too calm if you ask me.

" I just cannot believe she is dead. Our guru, Jenson glory. He founded the glory way. This is a mind and body sensibility system designed to reveal what we call, the Home you."

'This is all a little cult-ish for my liking.' I was not alone in my sentiments, Lucifer hummed. I looked around at the poster fliers, yoga mats, and all the recruited people in the room. Okay. All of it is starting to make sense to me, now.

This is a cult. ' As if it wasn't obvious enough.' We are in the middle of a brainwash facility. I retract the curiosity I had.

" Do people actually believe in the word salad that you're selling? I mean, look, I enjoy a taut spandex wrapped backside as much as the next chap. That was one large helping of spiritual gobbledygook."

Lucifer chuckled, and much as I felt a pang of jealousy that he made an innuendo, about the beautiful ladies in the room, I cracked a smile at the irony she tried to sell.

" Follow Jensen's teachings and you will uncover your true self."

She replies, her eyes expressionless to a point I started to feel uneasy being around her.

" Then will you come to understand what he is aiming to teach us."

" And what if your true self is a four hundred pound nimrod with a flatulence issues? Just saying, some things are left buried."

Lucifer, after I nudged him in the side of his arm, said. I take a step towards her, as she silently stares soullessly into my eyes. The one issues with being in a cult, they diminish your soul and suck it dry.

" The thing is we're on a search for someone, who.. someone who hates Maddie. I mean a real hatred. Does anyone you know come to mind? That might want to hurt her? It can help us a lot finding out, who did this to your friend. Tell us."

" No. maddy was a wholesome soul." Well then that helps. Not. " A true light.."

Lucifer piped up, his tone slowly showing his growing sense of annoyance.

" What about petty grievances? May-Haps Maddie accidentally drank some poor sods probiotic smoothie or did one too many peacock poses for someone's taste? The possibilities are true to the endless here. Think. There must been a disagreement here."

If I was my aunt Chloe I'd stop Lucifer, and the way he is interfering with the situation but this was the one time I am glad he is doing his part of being the public consultant he aimed to be. I nodded along to his idea of the list.

" if there is anyone who might have raised a patchouli scented eyebrow in maddie's direction could be our killer."

Lucifer added. I deadpanned, to a realisation he wanted the list to get to know the particularly well fitted people in the room.

" seriously. No, No list. I back trait. Excuse me while me and my partner have a small chat." I dragged Lucifer away the instructor, a few feet from where she stood. I might be ridiculous, or plain old selfish, but I didn't appreciate how he made this investigation his personal Tinder. It is inappropriate, well he's always been. " that's not the profile of the murderer, Lucifer." I say, self-conscientiously folding my hands over the tops of my arms.

" I'm just being thorough, Ellie, darling. Like you said, Shake the bushes until the truth flies free." I've never said that phrase in my life ever and I am sure Lucifer realised that by his face.

" I've never uttered that phrase before, Luc."

I said, out-right. That is something Ella would say. She is full of inspirational quotes and the word of god on her side made her loveable. It has come to my attention Lucifer is around her quite often.

" Ella would say something on the lines of that but not me. Speaking of Ella, I've seen you being friendly with her at the station. Working together I mean. It's nice to see you two laughing and getting along, yeah."

Lucifer leaned in tilting his head. As if to try and figure out a puzzle, put together pieces, wanting to make a full picture to understand.

" Are you.. never mind. Let's go see if that list is ready? Shall we? Darling."

He cleared out a cough, from his mouth, and wandered off from me. I huffed. What is going on with me, right now? Huh.

~•~

Whilst my aunt Chloe is calling in potential suspects, in the case, I am seated at my desk looking over the photographic evidence of the stabbing. Dad is helping me too.

" I have been put in the loop of the whole missing Celestial blade. Amenadiel came around earlier, in the day, to tell me. I don't have a good feeling bout this." He admits, slamming the file shut. " the fact this literal heaven sent knife is out there. I can't brush the feeling it's going to lead to a lot of blood-shed. And it's already happening."

" It scares me too, Dad. I don't know the effects of the blade, I've never touched it, but it landed in the hands of humans and I think you could imagine how badly this will end." The thought alone scared me. What if dad accidentally has it in his possession? Would it make him angry and all sorts of manic? He's technically mortal.

" So the guy that complained maddie didn't have enough cool-down time was at an ashram in Sedona. So, not our guy."

Aunt Chloe stated, shoving her phone in her pocket, sitting in the free seat vacant for people to sit in that walk in to the station for questions.

" You look like you are upset about something, baby. What is up? I can try and help you. Talk to me."

She asks me, ignoring the buzz of her phone.

Dad smiled, warmly.

" After all of these years, in her line of work, she is still a selfless woman worried about others."

He spoke in a really low manner enough for me to hear him. I knew he is hurting. Knowing he couldn't tell his sister he is alive. Dad explained amenadiel had in an intentional sense temporarily changed the way my aunt saw her Brother. Now he's a stranger.

" How is training your first rookie? He follows the orders you give, right?"

Aunt chloe looked at me then to Nathan.

" I hope you're listening to everything she is teaching you. This is all a little uncommon for someone fresh out of the academy, like my little girl, to be thrust into a position of power like a training officer. But it makes sense for her to up in the ranks. She's a grade A student who graduated at the top of all her classes!"

" My pudding is gone."

Uncle Dan pouted, as he came around to where my desk is, sitting on my work bench.

" Someone took my pudding. It was clearly labelled Dan and now it's gone. It's not the first this has happened, either."

My little girl. My breathing began to fasten, to a point I feel my chest beginning to tighten as I touched the place of my beating heart. ' Oh no. No, no.' Flashbacks of Malcolm calling me that echo in my conscious mind.

" Are you alright? Baby? Baby? Hey. Hey, what's wrong? Talk to me. Talk to us, honey."

Aunt Chloe, worriedly, asked standing to attention and uncle Dan got off my desk. Dad is the first to get to me, his hand cupped the part of my face where my eyes met my cheek.

" You're safe. You see? We are here, Ellie. We aren't going anywhere."

Aunt Chloe, realising what's happened, gasped she started to apologise to me.

" Oh my gosh, I didn't even think about it. I'm so sorry, baby. I was just saying how proud, I've been, to know I used one of your trigger words. It's my fault for not thinking."

My heart is beating too loudly, I wanted to cover my ears from it screaming at me, and I curse out my own sensitive hearing.

" What's wrong with her? What happened? Did someone upset her? Who did it? Name names? Do I need to punish someone or plural?"

I hear Lucifer shoot out his questions, moving my dad to the side, and searched my body for external wounds. Uncle Dan, holding my hand, glared at Lucifer for blocking his sight.

" Talk to me. I can help you, darling. All you need to do is speak."

His touch brought me a sense of comfort and I leaned into the palm of his hand. It feels like a moment of silence, that defeated the voices in my mind. He blocked out the negative emotion of Terror and horror I felt during the memory.

I held his hand, interlacing our fingers, so that it feels real that he is there and not a trick of my mind.

" I accidentally said one of the words that triggered her post traumatic stress and.. I should have known better to Think. I am the one who caused an episode to happen."

Aunt Chloe admitted, ashamed.

It wasn't her fault I am triggered easily. It's not her responsibility.

" Don't be sorry, Mom. You didn't mean to do it. It's fine."

I just wanna avoid drawing people in and then them asking me if I am alright. It's wasting time away from the cases that need it, I cleared my throat.

" I want to get back on the job at hand. No more distractions are needed."

Maybe working will keep me from staying with my thoughts. A well needed distraction.

~•~

Lucifer had ran off back to Soul depot in a hasty manner, convinced that a begrudging real estate agent murdered Maddie after he'd got his revenge for her parking in his car space only to round up dead and we found his body. Along with another half a dozen other corpses, found in disordered positions on a floor.

Jenson glory, his real name Jamie Ostrowski, is a leading figure of a failed fitness enterprise which could have been the motive of this crime and with the blade in his clutch he convinced him to act upon his urge to maim.

' Don't even get me started on the fact he has a pile of fraud and sexual harassment claims. Guys a piece of garbage.'

Who is now out there, wielding that weapon that can kill angels and demons. Just perfect.

' As if my life can get any crazier. The Angel of deaths blade is free in the city and the goddess of creation wants to Kill me. Can it get worse?'

" I better not Jinx it. But I think it is too late to say that, ugh."

JASMINE SPEAKS;

I love how Ellie is realising she is starting to be jealous of how Lucifer acts with other girls, if it be Ellie, or other ladies in the episodes he acts around.

Though I did have a little fun writing how she is when he does flirt with others but in future chapters he'll be the one jealous.

Especially in the later episodes with Cain/Pierce, though I'll be hesitant about Pierce around Ellie. Because of who he is.

It's going to be hard to write the scene, like where Cain and Chloe make out in the evidence room, cause it doesn't really scream 'Ellie' for her to act that way.

Anyway. If you have any ideas, for season 3, I'll be happy to hear them! I have a few that I am hoping you guys will like to see and others.

What did you think of this chapter? Ellie and Lucifer? And Chloe with Ellie?