See Me As I Am

LuciPOV: Missing Her

It had been almost three weeks since the whole almost getting murdered thing, and Lucifer was rather bored. Chloe had called him in on a couple cases, but they'd been so open and shut they'd hardly taken a day each. Lucifer much preferred the long complicated ones with twists and turns. They usually meant being at the precinct much more than the open and shut ones did. Up until now even when they didn't have a case and thus Chloe didn't call him in, Lucifer had found a way to spend time with her. Sometimes he got lucky, and other times he brought the case to her. Being away from her for so long gave him a rather odd empty feeling. Lucifer threw quite a few parties to try and fix it, and even had a wild night with a set of triplets, but the feeling still wouldn't go away.

"I just don't understand it," Lucifer said.

"I think it's rather obvious actually," Dr. Linda told him. "Just remember what's changed and go from there."

"I thought the point of coming to therapy was that you told me what's going on," Lucifer sighed. "Not me having to guess."

"The point is for me to help you recognize your emotions for what they are," Dr. Linda said. "But to do that you have to put in the work."

Lucifer never liked it when she did this, but somehow he always felt better after talking to Dr. Linda so he tried. "The thing that's changed is time with the Detective."

"Yes! Exactly," Dr. Linda said.

"But I knew that already," Lucifer said. "There aren't any cases, so she hasn't called me. Hence the party."

"But you said the party didn't help," Dr. Linda continued. "I think this all ties back into what we were talking about before, about how being alone and being lonely aren't the same."

"Ah but I have the answer to that question now, doctor," Lucifer said cheerfully. "The Detective and I are friends. She said so."

"That's good, Lucifer," Dr. Linda replied. "So then I ask you, what happens when we don't get to see our friends for a while."

"We force our company on them!" Lucifer said, suddenly understanding. "I could bother her at work. I'll bring coffee. That usually helps."

"No, that isn't what I meant," Dr. Linda said, as Lucifer was standing up. "I was going for more of an emotional awareness."

"As helpful as always, doctor," Lucifer said happily, as he closed the door behind him.

Right, first things first. Where was the nearest place he could buy a latte?

Just as he was looking up cafe's on his phone, it started to ring. Answering it, Lucifer felt that empty feeling slip away.

"Hey, you busy?" Chloe asked.

"Always, I do run a business you know," Lucifer said, grinning. "But I'm never too busy to help you, Detective."

"I have a case that I think might relate to you," Chloe said. "Can you come by the scene?"

"Does this mean I get to drive?" Lucifer laughed.

"With that attitude, I'll pick you up," Chloe replied. "Where are you?"

"Just leaving Dr. Linda's," Lucifer said, and he gave her the address.

"Perfect," Chloe said. "I'm in the area. See you in a few minutes." And she hung up the phone.

Twenty minutes later, he was in the passenger seat of Chloe's car on the way to an old theater. On the ride over Chloe filled him in on what she knew so far. The victim was a nineteen year old freshman in college, which the police had learned by finding her purse in a dumpster. Yikes. Lucifer didn't envy the officers who'd had to go digging for that evidence.