Chapter Text
After the entire fiasco that was the angel war at the coliseum, Lucifer decided that he and Chloe deserved a much-needed break and vacation before he officially took up the mantle of God. Especially after nearly losing Chloe to the Silver City forever. He refused to let her out of his sight and was practically glued at her hip the entire time since then. Chloe didn’t really mind all that much, knowing he needed that physical reassurance that she was still with him in the flesh. She was more surprised when he suggested the vacation, and definitely the location caught her interest. “Sleepy Hollow? Really? That doesn’t seem like you at all,” she commented as she took out her suitcase to pack.
“Yes, well, I figured with everything that happened, the both of us could use a quieter scene for a week.”
“Not that I don’t disagree, Lucifer but what about the whole ‘Sleepy Hollow’ legend?” She paused in her packing and looked over her shoulder at him.
“The Headless Horseman?” Lucifer chuckled a little bit to himself as he raised a brow. “Why Detective, do you actually believe in that legend?”
She just raised a brow at him, giving him a look. “With you around? Yes.”
He smirked even more and kissed her cheek. “You’re no fun, Chloe. Besides, if such things were true, what better way to keep you safe than being with the Devil himself?”
Rolling her eyes at him, she playfully batted him away. “Alright then, Devil. Give me some room so I can pack.”
Holding his hands up in surrender, he stepped away from her and wandered over to her closet. Opening it up, he frowned and shook his head. “Really Detective, if we’re going to New York in this fall weather, none of these would be sufficient. Maybe one of your few blazers could work but…” He sighed and shook his head, giving the closet door a sharp close.
“What’s that supposed to mean?” Though she was certain she knew the answer, she wasn’t overly pleased with the idea.
He just grinned at her and stuffed his hands in his pockets. “It means a shopping spree of course.”
She sighed and moved her gaze towards the ceiling. “Lucifer, we can’t possibly find everything we need for me by tomorrow.” The minute those words came out of her mouth, she frowned. “And no, that doesn’t mean that you can just buy me anything that strikes your fancy.”
He pouted at her, giving his best puppy dog eyes. “Please Chloe? You’ll be cold up there this time of year. Besides, I’ve been meaning to get you a whole new wardrobe.”
“Y-,” she cut herself off and took a deep inhale through her nose. “Of course you have. My wardrobe is fine, thank you very much.”
“For L.A., maybe but even then…” he paused and glanced at the few things that were already in her suitcase.
She glared at him a little bit and gave a loud huff. “Alright, fine.”
Grinning from ear to ear, he perked up quite a bit. “Splendid!” Taking her hand, he led her out of her apartment to his Corvette with a spring in his step.
Not much of a surprise to her, the shopping spree was Lucifer’s time to shine and she could tell he had probably way too much fun picking out items for her. Thankfully though, he picked out some tasteful items for being out and about. But he wouldn’t be Lucifer if he didn’t offer up some lingerie for them during their private time. She had to fight him a few times in a couple of pieces, refusing to give him the satisfaction that they were good ideas. Though he pouted as he often did when he didn’t get his way with her, he respected her wishes as he always did.
With purchases in hand, they returned to her apartment to get the clothes washed and packed as quickly as possible. They had an early flight in the morning, or rather that’s when Lucifer decided they were going to leave, on his private jet of course. Even though she enjoyed the shopping, Chloe was even more eager to see the east coast with Lucifer. Whether or not the famed legend was true, she knew she was going to have an unforgettable time with him.
True to his word, as he always was right, this fall weather in New York was amazing and she was definitely glad of the new wardrobe Lucifer picked out for her. But of course, the Devil didn’t need any sort of warm clothes like she did as he naturally ran warm. Walking through the main street of the historic Sleepy Hollow, hand in hand, Chloe couldn’t help but smile at the sights. Fall trees were littered with the colorful leaves and the soft breeze only added to the ambiance. They enjoyed the quaint town, and it was certainly a far cry from the skyscrapers she was used to. “It’s beautiful here Lucifer.”
“I told you so.” He grinned at her and kissed her knuckles.
“Even with all the children running around?” She smiled up at him with a slightly knowing smirk up at him, pointedly looking at the kids that were running through the street.
“Hmm yes, well I still despise them.” He muttered under his breath, but she could hear in his tone that he didn’t truly mean it.
“And yet, you treat Trixie like your own.” She playfully countered.
Playfully, he narrowed his eyes at her. “The Urchin is different.”
“If you say so Lucifer,” she just shook her head with a smile as they passed by a local coffee shop. “C’mon, I want some coffee.” Pulling on his hand, she led him inside.
“Just please tell me you’re not getting one of those hideous pumpkin spice concoctions.” He wrinkled his nose up in disgust as they looked around the store.
She rolled her eyes at him, “And what if I am? I’m actually getting to experience true fall for once. Let me live my moment please.”
Sighing heavily, he just shook his head at her. “Fine, fine. Have your ‘pumpkin’ goo. But really Detective, if you truly wanted something like this, I can actually make one for you that is actually true pumpkin spice.”
“I know you can, but this is part of the novelty.” She smirked and kissed his cheek. “Just don’t spike yours with too much booze hmm?”
“No promises.” As they approached the counter, he ordered a simple black coffee for himself, and he had to suppress a shudder as he had to order a pumpkin spice latte for the Detective. It certainly wasn’t her usual coffee order of course, but he supposed she had a point. Living in L.A., one never really got to experience fall and certainly not an east coast fall. Though he certainly preferred L.A. for a number of reasons, he could once recall a time so long ago that he enjoyed visiting this area.
With drinks in hand, they left the store to continue walking around the town. Sleepy Hollow was adorable and he was right, this vacation was needed. Leaning into his shoulder, the day started to come to a close and she shuddered as the wind whipped up a bit. “You weren’t kidding. It is a bit chilly.”
“Well, thankfully your Devil is here to keep you warm.”
With a contended hum, she leaned deeper into him and sipped her drink. “Thank you.”
“For what?”
“For suggesting this and forcing me to get away.” She looked up at him, her eyes softening and yet telling him all that he needed. “I wouldn’t be able to do this without your help. Any of this really.”
Leaning into her hair, he took a small inhale and hummed. “I’m always happy to oblige wherever you’re concerned Chloe. I never want to let you go. Ever. Not….not after losing you. Temporary as it might have been.”
She sighed and tightened her grip on his waist, burying her face into his chest. “I’m here Lucifer. I’m here with you, because of you. Because you were willing and have given your life for me too many times to count. I love you Lucifer.”
“I love you too Chloe.” Gently pulling her to a stop, he tilted her head up by the chin and gave her a kiss. “You’re my everything.”
“As you are mine.” She hummed and shuddered again as another breeze crept through. “Is it usually this windy this time of year?”
He smiled and nodded, finishing up his coffee and tossing the cup into a nearby trash can. “It is yes, just wait until the fog starts rolling in. Now that’s the true ambience of this place.”
“Hmm, just pull me away to safety if we start hearing haunting melodies,” she smirked and finished off her own drink. A third time she shuddered and frowned, looking up at him. “It’s getting a bit cold. Should we head back to your place?”
“If you’d like Detective, but the night has just begun.”
She raised a brow at him and snorted a little bit. “Lucifer, we’re in a tiny town. What sort of fun are you expecting to have? I highly doubt there are night clubs here that are up to your standards.”
“Oh, I guarantee there aren’t any here, but that doesn’t mean we can’t have fun here.”
“As long as it won’t get us arrested. I’m sure small-town rules are a little different than L.A.”
“More than likely yes, but that’s what makes it fun.” He looked at her with a grin, kissing her forehead and tucks a strand of her hair behind her ear. “C’mon, I know of a nice little park we can stroll down before we end the night.”
“Well, if you’re being such a gentleman.” She smiled and wrapped an arm around his own. “Lead the way you handsome Devil.”
Giving her his signature smirk, he led her across the street and deeper into town, keeping his grip firm and secure on her as the sky grew darker. “Just stay close to me darling. Small town, not a lot of nightlife or light and everything. Hard to see with your human eyes at times.”
She snorted a little but didn’t deny it. “Of course. Thankfully I have you at my side to help me.” Closing her eyes for a moment, she took a breath and just enjoyed the moment with him. Though, it was strange not hearing the low hum of traffic as a backdrop like she was used to. It was extremely quiet and rather unsettling to her. However, in her mind, as she tried to calm the racing thoughts, her brow furrowed as she swore she heard something in the wind. Was that…a horse? Okay, not unusual she supposed in a place like this. But it was still odd…
Her eyes opened when she felt Lucifer’s body stiffen quite a bit and his grip on her tightened. Even though it was a bit dark, she could just barely see the outline of his jaw and it was tight. He was looking around them and his red eyes flickered in and out as he growled. She deeply frowned and squeezed his hand. “Lucifer? What is it?”
The thunder of a horse grew closer to them and his growl grew even more, his red eyes encompassing them completely. “Someone who shouldn’t be here.”
“What? Y-you’re serious?” She frowned even more and wished she had her firearm with her. “No…Lucifer, I was kidding with this whole thing. This isn’t some angel manifestation thing or whatever is it?”
His voice crept down into a lower register, as his gaze remained fixed on the sound of the horse getting close to them, as the darkness around them grew ever more. “No. We need to leave. Now. I’m getting you out of here.”
“And what about you?”
“I’m not letting you out of my sight Chloe.” Holding her close to his chest, he unfurled his angelic wings as the sight of a man without a head galloped towards them on a pure white horse with a broad axe in one hand.
Chloe’s eyes widened a tad as she managed to catch sight of the fabled headless horseman charging at them before a shot rang out and the horseman went flying off said horse. With Chloe’s training, it was from a rifle, she could tell that much but in the dark, she had no idea where the shot originated from. With no rider, the horse wandered off a little bit, but not too far, its own red eyes betraying that it wasn’t a run of the mill horse.
As if his grip upon her wasn’t firm enough, it grew even tighter. A gunshot ringing out in the middle of the night would normally make him curious, but not while Chloe was undefended. Not…not again. He won’t allow it.
Sensing his growing distress, she kissed the underside of his chin. “Hey, I’m okay. But we should really get out of here before that person with the gun starts getting trigger happy.”
Holding her close, he looked past her at the horseman as it got back up without issue and began to stalk their direction with renewed purpose. If his eyes had any more devilish light to them, they nearly became beacons. Oh, he was going to have some words with him later, once Chloe was safe. Maybe he’ll pop down to Hell to figure out what is going on. Retired King of Hell or not, he wasn’t going to let this stand. With a generous flap of his wings, he took off into the night sky and held Chloe close to him. Thanks to the cover of night, even with the slight glow of his wings with his powers, he ensured that the two of them were cloaked in darkness.
Chloe’s hand gripped tightly to his lapel while the other was wrapped around his neck, and she buried her face into his chest. Well, this was certainly going to be an interesting story to tell Linda once they got back. She supposed, despite her adrenaline going all over the place right now, who else to introduce her to legends and stuff like this other than Lucifer himself? If she wasn’t in his arms being flown back to his manor, she’d probably be laughing at the absurdity. But was it more absurd than meeting God himself or dealing with all of his siblings? She wasn’t sure.
Another shot rang out, but it faded as they climbed higher and higher into the sky. Looking down below her, she saw the town getting smaller and smaller and her heart twisted a little bit at the distance. Being up in LUX, she wasn’t afraid of heights really, but this was a new place, new town and all unfamiliar. “Lucifer, I think we’re plenty high up now.” Even through his flapping, she knew he could hear her and despite wanting to touch his cheek, she was a little bit nervous about letting her grip go. He was never going to let her fall, but that instinct still clung to her.
Getting far away from the town square, he flew them deeper into the woods where his private manor lay. Like the many old buildings in this town, this manor was constructed in a colonial style, every outside wall covered in brick and those cute little windows at the top that Chloe adored. Landing just outside the front door, he still refused to let her go from his arms. The whole way here, Chloe could feel his heartbeat through his shirt as it galloped just as fast as that horse. Keeping her hand in his hair, she shifted the other over his heart to try and calm it down. He was shaking just a little bit and though he tried to hide it, his breathing was just a touch frantic. “Lucifer…,” her voice soft as she searched his eyes, making sure he was still with her.
During the flight, the redness of his eyes faded back to his soft browns and his attention was carefully guided to her own. His body sagged in relief and he blew out a breath in an attempt to soothe himself. Placing his hand over hers on his chest, he simply stared at her for a long moment. “Are you alright?”
“Yes, I’m fine. Are you? You’re shaking.”
“I’ll be fine Detective. Come, let’s get inside before something else might come our way.”
She frowned but let him have this for now. He was agitated, she knew that much, and it wouldn’t do her any favors right now to try and stir the pot. Nuzzling his chest for a second, she reached out to hold his hand as they went inside. Despite the historic look of the outside of the home, the inside was a bit more modern, but not overly so to destroy the history of this building. Of course, there was proper plumbing and electricity in this place but there was still that old world charm to it. A far cry from LUX that’s for sure. Closing the door behind them, Lucifer led her into the kitchen where they both would need a stiff drink.
When she moved out of his reach, he made a tiny noise in the back of his throat that sounded a little bit like a whine. “Lucifer. I’m not leaving your sight, promise.” Yes, he was being clingy and frankly, after just what happened, she was going to be clingy to him too. Instead, she just settled on one of the barstools in the kitchen. Rubbing a hand down her face, her mind was going crazy while Lucifer busied himself with giving them both a healthy dose of some of his whiskey. Placing the glass in front of her, he joined her on the stool beside him, but he didn’t drink. Not yet.
His whole body was taut, and he just stared into the amber liquid in his own glass. “He shouldn’t be here…” he muttered quietly, almost to himself. “And yet…he is, and I didn’t know about it?” Grumbling, he took a generous sip of his drink.
Chloe took a sip of hers before she turned to face him a bit more. Taking his hand, she gave it a squeeze. “Hey, we’ll figure it out. So, who or what is this headless horseman? Another demon or something? Is Dromos trying to do his schtick again?”
Turning his hand over, he held hers properly before he sighed. His voice weary and drained from this ordeal. “No. This isn’t quite like the Dromos situation, but, I would argue, is something of similar caliber. The demons know and were certainly reminded the last time I was in Hell that I forbade human possession. Especially Dromos. I put him in his place.” Twirling the glass for a minute, he carefully ran his tongue along his lips. “Still..the horseman, at least according to some accounts, is said to be 1 part of 4.” He paused and rolled his eyes a little, “The 4 Horsemen of the Apocalypse.”
“Riiiiight, okay so is this a case of another prophecy interpreted wrong or…? I’m still a bit out of my depth here with all of this.”
He hummed a little and took another sip, giving her hand a squeeze. “I’m not entirely sure. Generally speaking, the headless horseman has been a symbol of death. Certainly not a symbol Azrael is overly fond of, I can tell you that much. As to whether or not he's supposed to bring on the apocalypse, that I’m a bit skeptical of.”
“Is there any way we can confirm or deny that?” She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “I know you said we were simply using this as a vacation but…”
“But now this warrants our attention, unfortunately.” He scowled and finished his drink with one big gulp.
“Alright, so what do we do? Do we just start talking to the locals or?” Ugh, this was so out of her depth, and she hated not knowing. “Or do we need to get Maze out here to help? Do you have any contacts around here?”
“Hmm, having Maze around probably wouldn’t hurt.” Running his thumb along her knuckles, he sighed. “Certainly, it would be nice to have an extra pair of eyes.” To keep you safe. The way he was looking at her, she knew there was more that was unsaid between them.
She simply nodded and she too completed her drink. “C’mon, let’s try and get some semblance of sleep and you can call Maze in the morning yeah?”
He hummed and got up from the stool, pulling her with him. “I promise I won’t leave your side tonight to go after him.” Chloe only gave him a soft, understanding smile and gave him a little side hug.
“Good. I don’t want to be left alone right now.” Was it a bit sad? Maybe but Lucifer made her feel safe, no matter the situation and this was certainly one of those moments. With a playful yelp as he gathered her up in his arms, he smiled, the worry of the situation being relegated as tomorrow’s problem. For now, Chloe would have whatever she desired tonight.
She giggled a little and wrapped her arms around his neck. “I never get tired of this.” Leaning forward, she placed a delicate kiss to the underside of his jaw and smirked when he shivered. “I am yours Lucifer,” her voice as silky and alluring as she could make it.
A rumble of appreciation emanated through his chest as he kissed her temple. “Flattery will get you everywhere with me Detective.”