The smell of horse manure lingered around while I inspected inside the barn, holding onto the tool belt used as evidence against one of the kid in the program, listening in close to Mr blackcrow tell of his records for the issued equipment.

" We keep strict records of all the equipment issued to the kids. Taking care of your gear is the sixth step on the fire-hawk path to healing."

Explains jerry, I nod in understanding. His cooperation is easily the most helpful to this case, every little piece of evidence can help us understand the motives and cause of why Emily was murdered, a small smile playing on my lips listening to the grumbles of a horse nearby. Jerry noticed, I didn't think I was being obvious in my interest in the horses, he plaintively smiled while looking around too at the stables.

" We bred the horses and raised em' since they were foals. Some of our in-recovery kids use horses as therapy animals. We are serious with helping these young people and I think, if you have time, I can always show you a few of our in house tenants if you wish."

I blinked, not expecting to be asked if I wanted to see the horses. I wasn't going to turn down that. I smiled, copying how he did to as well.

" I'd like to meet them, yeah. Thank you. But I think I should focus on finding Emily's killer and hold out on an opportunity like petting horses until then." I said, earning an understanding tiny laugh out of Jerry, an eye kept on Lucifer dangling a horses reign set to use while riding in Jerry's face. His grin is one of sarcasm. ' What kind of joke does he have now? For us?' Here we go.

" Is the seventh step, on that path, use said gear to kill someone you hate... uh excuse me. What is that? The badge?" What badge? I flicker my eyes to the bronze medal plated hawk badge on Colin's sweater, he's a participant in the program who is volunteering his time to assist us in helping track the uses of belts amongst his peers, I even failed to notice. Lucifer has a good eye. ' Damn horses. I was too distracted, again. I gotta focus more.'

" Uh, those are Colin's firehawk wings. Highest honour here."

Jerry divulged, telling Lucifer and i the system he's running here for reward points I take it, Lucifer laughed, contemptuously, at how the sounded to him which I understood the reaction. His own wings had grown back over and over. It's as if god wanted him to have wings but somehow in a way Lucifer found it to be a cruel luck of fate. " Wings? Honour? Is this a joke?" If only I wasn't the only one who knew the reason behind how he is acting. The squeak of the material of the belt in my hand creases as I shifted it in my hold.

" No. The better the residents behave, the more benefits they earn. Wings are those who've truly reformed. They get the most sought-after privileges like computer time, phone calls.."

I subconsciously rolled my shoulders, the mention of wings bringing me back to mine. I haven't gotten the chance, or time, to reunite and see my wings. I couldn't remember the last time I saw them but I can always feel them wanting to be let out. It's astonishing to be so causal and say I have wings. I shouldn't be neglecting them. I've just hadn't found time.

" Hold on. Hold on. You curtail the free will of these rebellious souls by making them follow your rules and then you trick them into thinking you given em' wings?" Lucifer exclaimed, voice at a higher volume, incredulity in his assertion that I found myself moving close enough to him when I could sense the mood change in his body. " A vile manipulation, and completely unoriginal, I might add." I am still in the process accepting we had our differences, in where we are in our lives, but it didn't mean I don't care for him cause I do. Tool belt in one hand I snake my other over his.

" Lucifer.."

" The tool belt. The tool belt, it was assigned to Tyson chase."

Colin informed Jerry, Lucifer and I, after an extensive five minutes of reading off a list that the residents sign their signatures on. My attention is put back on to Jerry, wondering who and where we could find Tyson chase. Lucifer's mood had altered once he recognised my touch.

" Where can we find Tyson?"

The return back to the station proved to me that I didn't fully comprehend to the fact I agreed on a date with the lieutenant. Marcus, though inside of his office, presence was made by how others in the station were quick to look at me strangely as if knowing I am going on a date with him. There's nothing more concerning than to have your work colleagues give you the nastiest of glares, some in jealous nature while others are conniving. Great.

Typing in Tyson chase, in the system, his file had came up straight away. He's a young, adolescent, boy with a troubled past and reading his file I had sympathy for him. His mother is dead much like mine. " Tyson's father is in jail, his mom is dead, and he's been in foster care for most of his life. It says here Tyson's been in and out of juvie since he was seven but the state has sealed his record."

I flicker my eyes up to my uncle Dan, while he is perched on my desk, and dad strides up with his hand full of paper work he had gotten for me. An hour into my promotion, as detective, and I have a mountain of paper work to do. Which is totally fine. Not.

" Judging by the size of his file, fire-hawk ranch was probably Tyson chase's last stop before a long stay at chino or San Quentin." Said uncle Dan, with a furrow of his brows, he went to say something else but my dad interrupted him.

" Gossip in the station says you're going on a date with the lieutenant, Ellie. Is that true?" Dad asks, looking concerned more than disappointed I am going there with the head of the station and boss of not only me but my uncle, aunt, and father. He set the pile of undocumented cases on my desk as uncle Dan glanced between the two of us shocked at hearing the word 'Date' come out of his mouth.

" Date? Lieutenant pierce?" Uncle Dan stammers. " Isn't he a little too... a little too mature for you? Ellie-belly? Not that i am worried you can't, you know, handle yourself.."

" Yes, I have a date with the lieutenant.." I admit. " It's just going to be one date, that is all." I say, a blush finding itself spreading on my cheeks at the sudden interest in my dating life from the men in my life, and dad crosses his arms articulating his thoughts through his face. Even when i was a kid he's never been the greatest at hiding his feelings. I'm in trouble. Uncle Dan closed the file in hand, temporarily moving on the subject of this case.

" I don't have to remind you about.. using the right source of protection.. right?" Uncle Dan, a little flushed from bringing forward the subject of sex and contraception, points out and coughing dad is the first stop the conversation about that. I try to hide my mortified face but I failed to hide it badly. " What? I'm just saying, Ellie. Things are different these days and I know I can tell you there will be certain feelings you will have, if the date goes well, on the first night... just look at me. Charlotte and I..." I am not about to sit here and listen to my uncle tell me about his time with the goddess inhabiting Charlotte Richard's body.

" Okay. I didn't come over to listen to your stories about your sexual encounters, with due respect to you, Espinoza." Dad said, stiffly, his face grimace prompted my uncle to crack a smile at him when my dad said his last name. It made me almost forget they once were in-laws before dad 'Died'. I wish I could, in some way, have it where my uncle and aunt Chloe would recognise him finally after so long. Amenadiel explained to me, in the words I could understand, his father had in some mysterious sense altered my families memories. To lessen the pain of losing my mom and my dad. But he left them the memory of my grandfather.

" Decker." Pierce's voice sharply raised in my ear. I stood up, in compliance to his voice, and uncle Dan copied my action. Dad, hands on the utility belt he wore around his waist for his gun, glared directly at Marcus which is ignored by lieutenant pierce himself. " Hows it going with the fire hawk case?" He inquired, shifting between the two men on either side of me with an expression I couldn't quite grasp— it's a mixture of curiosity and a hint of sarcastic fear like he's pretending intimidation.

" Uh, The murder weapon is still yet to be found. I was just going over some details with detective Espinoza and officer Nathan here. That is all I've got, so far. Nothing else." Ella, in the debriefing meeting space behind the glass of the room with other detectives, caught my eye and mouthed her remark I couldn't quite read and I glanced back at Marcus quickly.

" Although, we've managed to identify a suspect. Tyson Chase, he's a resident." I informed the lieutenant, clearing my throat as I hear Ella whisper 'He's got a nice ass. You go girl' not knowing I could hear her every word said. It had a lot of cons to being an angel. Super hearing being one. " There's a BOLO out for him, S.. Sir."

" So no one's in custody yet?"

" No. Not yet." I simplify. " We still have to make sure we get every detail right, about Chase. He is a troubled boy, Lieutenant. We want to do this... properly. Plus we, meaning Lucifer and I.." when I mentioned lucifer pierce's face momentarily, in a span of a second, switches to a darkened gaze of annoyance before it goes back to neutral. " Well, I should say, I have to go back to fire hawk ranch to ask the owner more questions. So.."

He paused to stare at me before being firm with his nod and walked away without saying another thing of the subject. Strange. I would've thought he had more to say. Ella did provocative air thrusts, to suggest I should and in her words Pounce on that, and I face palmed holding my head. " Okay. So I'm not the only one who saw it? Right?" Uncle Dan spoke up, squinting his eyes.

" No you are definitely not the only one to have seen it, Espinoza." Dad replied with equal unease in his tone. " Seems like you got yourself into a bit of love triangle here, El's." Dad said, shaking his head.

" is that what the kids are calling in this day and age? A love triangle?"

A love triangle? A love triangle would indicate I have feelings and a love for either men. A bit superficial in my mind. Even if that is a complete lie I tell myself.

Lucifer is currently spiking his own coffee, to be honest I didn't acknowledge him for half of the time we've been back in the station since I didn't want to openly admit I'm slowly becoming less angry at him for the feelings he has about myself. It's more accepting things will never be. Even if I am aware of the future that waits for us. It could change. " Lucifer." He perks up, at the sound of my voice, and comes sauntering back to my spot. He has the same smile on his face he's reserved to pestering me with. " I need you..."

" oh, now you need me, don't you Darling.."

" To Help me.. find Tyson Chase." I finished, His words made my face hot. Stupid face betrayed me. I could feel my neck heating up. Dad and uncle Dan exchanged silent glances. What has my life come to. " We need.. you to work with us to find him. The last known of his location and whereabouts is in Hollywood."

" Well, well, it seems little detective has come to her senses and remembered I am her partner. Oh don't look at me like that, Darling. I am playing with you, don't fret. Allow me to consult." I hate to admit it but lucifer still knew how to make me break into a smile even though I'm upset about a lot of things that has happened between us. " If we wanna catch this little degenerate it's going to be quite simple. Whatever Tyson's sin was in the past, he's back at it, and you know why? People don't change."

" That's a lie. I have." Oops. I said that out loud. It grows silent after I spoke it into existence and I cleared my throat. " Well, I'll call a judge and get Tyson's case unsealed, considering it says here on his record he's a minor. So we need a judge to give us the go ahead to investigate this. Further."

' It also is an excuse to get myself out of this messy, and uncomfortable, position I have put myself in.'

~•~

I'm not going to ask how he did it. Lucifer brung me Tyson chase, into the station, and Tyson had a bewildered and scared straight out of mind look in his eyes as Lucifer placed him in the room that I will interview him. Tyson is a young man of age eighteen, a year younger than me, and I could see the cogs in Tyson's brain moving fast as I walked to the chair to sit down. His brown eyes followed me. " I present to you one unreformable gnat to answer for his crimes. I witnessed this lil reprobate stealing a getaway car, so I carried out a citizen's arrest." Chuckled lucifer, making it his point to glare at Tyson.

" Like I said, once bad, always bad."

" Get this psycho dude away from me. He almost killed me!"

" Hello! Kettle calling!" Lucifer exclaimed, knocking a fist on his head, but I bring him down a notch by pulling Lucifer back. There isn't time for him to get me in trouble or for Tyson to press charges against him. " Sorry, Darling. Forgive me, Tyson. However I must commend you on your choice of murder weapon." Lucifer spun the chair, around, sitting and squaring down on the metal seat.

" Murder weapon?"

" We found your tool belt, inside of Emily Goddard's office, minus the pruning saw that was used to kill her."

" Wait." Tyson interrupted, shocked at the info he is given, his pupils had dilated in surprise.

" She.. She's dead? Emily is dead?"

That isn't usually the reaction a murderer would have to killing a girl in cold blood. " Oh my god. You think... I killed her? You think I was the one to have done it? No."

" Yes." Lucifer, simply, said in retort to Tyson.

" No. Look, I loved Emily. I'd never hurt her."

" Tyson." I say, softly, using a softer approach. " There are counts of witnesses that say you and Emily were fighting. We asked around and.."

" Because she wouldn't talk to me. I just wanted to talk.."

" I turned... eighteen and didn't have to stay at the ranch anymore. And I wanted her to come with me. Look we kissed one time.." oh. He loved her. I sympathetically stared at him, looking to my left at lucifer to see he was taken by surprise at the confession as well, and let him continue to speak. " She said... she said it was a mistake. She wouldn't leave."

" Oh, she rejected you, so you killed her?"

Lucifer accused, drawing a fake tear down his cheek, as I put a hand on his arm to be keep him from doing anything that could jeopardise this case. Shaking my head no. " No, it wasn't like.. it wasn't like that. Look, If I hadn't left, Emily would still be alive. I could've protected her." The way he phrased it made me lean forward, out of concern and curiosity. What did he mean?

" From who?"

" Uh, she was worried about expelling a resident. Said everything had gone to hell. That's why she wouldn't talk with me. That's why we fought." He turned to me, almost pleading his case to me, and his face contorted in a deep worry. " Look. Please. You have to believe me."

' Something is telling me to believe Tyson. I should be listening to These instincts of mine more than anything.'

~•~

I knew I shouldn't have trusted Lucifer to be the one to be trusted around responsibility. Where do I find him? In the barn, on Fire-hawk ranch, surrounded by the residents with a strong musk smell of marijuana leaves fresh in my nostrils. It smelt putrid to begin with. Not to mention how a beautiful animal such as a horse, Lucifer is on, is around the drug itself.

" Lucifer Morningstar." I say, marching into the barn, earning 'Oooes' out of the residents along with 'Your girlfriend isn't happy, Teach.' I didn't have an answer for that.

I soften my face, after the horse faces me, and he lowered his head to me as I reached out to pet his long snout. " What are you doing on this horse? I don't think it's safe for him to be around all this." I say, sighing, smiling as the stallion moves more into my hand lightly Whinnying. " Hey, Boy. You are alright? Yeah."

" What horse?"

I called one of the ranch handlers, to come take the horse back into the field where he belonged, while I disappointedly shook my head at lucifer. I leave him alone to be responsible and he's getting high on farm grown weed these kids have illegally distributed. " They should award him his wings, then he'll look like a Pegasus." Lucifer comments, I chose to be silent as if I were to had spoken I'd most likely start an argument which I didn't want to invoke.

" Come on, Darling. It was a valuable teaching moment for the children. They are our future, after all." I take in the residents around us and can't help but wonder each story they'd tell. How they ended up here.

" You were teaching the kids how to grow drugs?"

" No, I was simply trying to teach them how they should sell them. There is a difference, darling!"

" Okay, I am going to switch the subject 'cause I know this will turn into an argument that I don't wanna involve these kids in."

I say, switching and turning the conversation topic off of the drugs to the main reason I came here, sighing.

" It's about the case. The kid who Emily was about to expel. I saw, in her files, it says she had recently busted a resident for apparently running a drug operation. Which... i see now... is true." I say, looking at the guilt washing over like waves before my eyes in a lot of the kids here. " Mind explaining? To me?"

" It seems I've been doing our job all by myself. I will introduce you to Carly, here! Carly. Front and centre. I want you to meet Detective decker! Ellie, sorry detective decker, this is Carly. She is in the one to be in charge of this operation and is the one responsible to get it up and running!"

" So, this is all yours?" I asked, mildly impressed. She is so young and running her own, thought it is illegal, enterprise. Lucifer looked proud as she said 'Not saying a word without my lawyer'. Like it or not I was a tad bit charmed by how Lucifer is with the kids. Even if he's being a bad influence.

" See? I taught her that. But I have to say, Ellie, this young lady really is going places."

I sighed. This next part is going to be difficult.

" That place being jail."

~•~

Carly lawyered up, to which her father was her in actual fact her lawyer too, and with further delay in the execution of this investigation to figure out who is the one to have killed Emily Goddard we ended back at the ranch. Night fell in over on the horizon, cicadas of the sorts were chirping away, Lucifer is sat on a tractor still high out on weed. I had to question how he is high. His immunity to the simple extremities such as drugs should keep him sober.

" Aren't you a bit far from the sundial?"

" Lucifer. Can you be quiet for one second? I've got it. We got it. At least I hope I do." I muttered, to Ella, and she grinned nudging me as I hacked at the ground below me more and more. It could be more easier if I just ripped the earth open but Ella is with me and I couldn't expose my secret to her. " Ella. I have a... have a question."

" You are wondering what to do on the first date."

" On the first da.. I.. how did you.."

" Don't stress it too much, girl. The first, ever, date can always go either A, real good. Or Be, real bad. There is no in between. Trust me, as a lady whose dating life is so not down the drain, take my word and go into this date expecting a hope of forcing a spark." Ella, with a clear of her throat, in reply to my question she cut off answered me. She aimed the shovel, she welds, at me. " Though I do sense there is a real crazy tension there with you and the lieutenant. Him more than you but I can still see it!"

" Are you talking about the lieutenant and how he has that moronic need to assert his dominance of his when he's around Ellie, Miss Lopez? I do have to admit I like him but I don't like how cocky he's always shown himself to be around her."

Lucifer said, interrupting Ella and i's private talk between us girls, with a hint of a jealous under-tone. He didn't have the right to be jealous when he is the one that can't be intone with his own life choices. " Well, Duh. I'm helping her with some, like, girl advice and how to go into this first date with limited expectations of what to expect when and if this date goes wrong." Ella shrugged using the shovel. " But take it from me. You will see if it is a good idea or not if you listen to your gut, Liz."

I slowly nodded listening to Ella. " Pay attention to things like that, Liz. Then you'll figure out if you and him mesh well together. I've seen how he is around you." This aroused my curiosity. How is he around me? " You don't see it but pierce has a kinder spirit when he's around you. Less big man and more softer around the edges of his exterior he puts on. If that makes any logical sense... what is it? What did you find..?"

'The missing sheering tool' I thought lifting up an old, dirty, sheering device that could potentially be the murder weapon discarded in the ground. I looked at Ella, shaking my head.

" Nine five four-four. It's Tyson chases number." It doesn't make sense.

" See? What did I tell you? Once a bad guy, always a bad guy."

'I don't know why but I feel as though there is an element missing in this story.'

It was decided by the lieutenant he'd do a ride long with me, I didn't need a babysitter to do the investigation with— worst of all the one man I'm potentially going to be involved with— being the one to watch my every move.

Lucifer had other important discrepancies to partake in than to be on this trip back to fire-hawk ranch. Which is all but fine by me because I could have time to really think about how much it bothered me how easy it is for him to be this dismissive of me.

" Something on that mind of yours, Decker, that you wish to share?" Pierce prods for an answer, out of me, and I had to repress a sigh out of my mouth of irritation. Not at him but my situation. " It seems to me you are more awfully quiet than usual. You are quite the idyllic lady of verbal and reactive nature when Lucifer is around. But... it's like you are a completely different person when.. he's not around."

" It's nothing. It's just..." I sighed, which seems to be a habit I've grown to have since meeting both Lucifer and Marcus, the crunches of which gravel below breaks under the pressure of my boots I'm in. " Ever since I met lucifer things have become.. well they have become more complicated. All my life I've felt like I've been floating between what I thought was the life I wanted to not knowing how I wanna live it anymore. If that makes sense. And now that I am in this world I've created.. it's.."

" It doesn't feel right. Like you are a stranger. And You don't know anything about yourself anymore."

I paused, in completely silence, with my shock he understood what I meant and put it in words i'd been searching for visible. " Y-Yeah. That is what I feel like." He's amused. " W-What?"

I stuttered, the corners to my lips trying hard not to rise but I end up smiling under his gaze. For the first time I see the smile I hadn't noticed before until now. It is quite dashing which I regret thinking because I know that I shouldn't trust him but something in his smile made me swoon.

" There is that smile I was hoping to see, Decker. I have been wishing to see it since the first day we met those weeks ago." Pierce said, moving a strain of my hair out of my face which had fallen off of my head, I stare at my feet. Behind you. In the split second it takes for me to turn around, I am met with the barrel of a shotgun and even if I am immune to the attack about to happen I will be exposed if I attack Jerry who is the one with it.

" Decker! Gun!" Pierce redirects me to behind his body, the round flies into his chest sending him and his body backwards in the truck gasping. He surprisingly manage to shove me back, with the strength to match mine, and a couple of rounds of the shotgun sound in the night before it goes to silence. He ran out. Oh, he's going to get it. But I have to stay out here with the lieutenant and see to he is kept safe.

I hear the engine of a car begin, Jerry making his escape, and I watched as his pick up truck drove by kicking up a dust cloud in his escape as I lean into the view of the lieutenant. I check his pulse, mistakenly, without a mind to my ability and the veins show for a brief second before I pull back. I have to act quickly, grabbing my phone I call it in to the station.

" Officer down! I repeat I have the lieutenant, here, and he's down. Send back up!"

Soon the night filled with blue and red. Police, ambulance and fire brigades were dispatched to the seen, as it is a common response to an officer involved incident, while I paced on the spot as to form a reasonable answer for Jerry to shoot at me and Marcus. I hear the hurried footsteps, I've come to recognise, and soon enough a concerned lucifer came with a pep in his step to me fast. His breathing is laboured as if he's been worrying.

" Look lucifer I don't have the energy to deal..."

" Don't you worry me, like that, ever again. Darling. You hear me? " Lucifer brought me in, for a moment of vulnerability, to give me an embrace that I could have easily pushed myself out of if it wasn't for a fact a hug is what I needed. I relaxed in the hug. I rested my head on his chest and exhaled. " I thought it was you, who'd been hurt, when I overheard the news an officer had been shot. Jerry blackcrow tried to kill you. I know I should trust you, on the field, but we are both aware of each other's ability to still bleed.."

I closed my eyes. That is another thing I've had a lot of confusion over. My ability to shed blood, as if I am still human, when I'm around lucifer's. It's like I have the ability to make myself Vulnerable. Lucifer continues to hold me, tighter than he had before, and I hear his breathing getting heavier.

I slowly gain the strength to pry myself out of his hold— he made a noise of protest. I have to check in on the lieutenant. He risked his life for me and I wanted to know if he will be okay. " I have to go." I muttered, To Lucifer, he tried to keep me in place by holding my hand but I slip my hand out his to walk away.

' I owe it to Marcus for putting his life on the line for me. I'm sorry, Luc.'

JASMINE SPEAKS;

Another long chapter. I know some of you don't prefer the long chapters but once I start writing I just accidentally go into this mind set where I am writing and writing and I don't stop.

I could write ten thousand words if I let myself do that much.

Question time. What did you think of this chapter for Ellie and lucifer's story? Their relationship?

I know it must be hard to read all of this, trust me I want to so badly write them as a couple and for it to be there already but i want it to be right. If that makes sense. If I rush into it, right now, the canon ( even though I've strayed from it ) will be incorrect and the storyline's ahead will affect the story for them.

What are your thoughts on Marcus and Ellie? If you have any theories on Marcus and his way of thinking/his actions I'd like to read them.