Caught in the Fire

Chapter VI: Like There's No Tomorrow

Lucifer sat at the piano in Lux, pondering the meaning of life now that his was coming to an end. It was almost 3 AM. Some of his guests had either gone home or passed out around the nightclub. He was still awake, of course, and mostly sober thanks to his supernatural metabolism. Just once, he wished he could actually get drunk for a few hours so he could forget about his impending doom.

After hours of phone calls, he had finally silenced his phone, but he could hear it vibrating every now and then. He had managed to come up with all sorts of excuses as to why he wasn't answering the Detective's phone calls. He'd told himself that she was better off without him, that he didn't deserve her, that she would try to convince him to go to Heaven, that he didn't want to ruin her vacation, and so on and so forth. But the truth was that he just couldn't bear saying goodbye to her again.

Lucifer started playing the beginning notes to the song. "You had to kill the conversation," he started singing, thinking about the Detective. She had run away from him, terrified of the monster in that loft. "You always had the upper hand. Got caught in love and stepped in sinking sand. You had to go and ruin all our plans. Packed your bags and you're leaving home. Got a one-way ticket and you're all set to go. But we have one more day together, so..."

Lucifer wished more than anything that he knew where she was hiding. He would go to her and tell her how much he cared about her on his last day on Earth. He stopped for a moment, needing to compose himself, and then pressed on.

"Love me like there's no tomorrow. Hold me in your arms, tell me you mean it." He remembered their near kiss on his penthouse. Their first kiss on the beach. When they kissed at that murderer's house. "This is our last goodbye and very soon it will be over. But today just love me like there's no tomorrow..." He felt tears in his eyes again, thinking about all that he'd lost, but again, he continued through the pain of losing the Detective in just a few hours.

"Tomorrow God knows just where I'll be. Tomorrow who knows just what's in store for me. Anything can happen but we only have one more day together, yeah. Just one more day forever, so..." He stubbornly tried to keep his tears held back, but he was losing the battle. At dawn, he may go to Hell, leaving her behind forever, and he would never get a chance to say goodbye to her in person. "Love me like there's no tomorrow. Hold me in your arms, tell me you mean it. This is our last goodbye and very soon it will be over. But today just love me like there's no tomorrow..."

He played the last few notes, then he closed the piano lid and bowed his head, trying to hold it all back. Those who remained in the club cheered, but he couldn't hear them. His time on Earth was coming to an end, and he wished more than anything that he could hold the Detective in his arms and love her like there was no tomorrow.

"Brother," he heard Michael saying behind him, and he barely suppressed a groan. "Your time is running out."

"What are you still doing here?" Lucifer said, trying to control his emotions. His life on Earth was almost over, and there was the one who was going to end it, talking to him like he was an old friend. True, they were twins, but they hadn't been close in eons. "Don't you have to go bow down to Dear Old Dad or something?"

"I am concerned about your future. You are damned and all you have done is..." He struggled to think of the word, "...party for hours on end."

"And drugs, brother! Don't forget the drugs. I love drugs! I won't be doing those in Hell, so let me enjoy the time I have left. Go kiss Dad's feet or something. I know you love that."

"I am here to help you. Have you made a decision?"

Lucifer got up and went to the bar, but Michael followed him, much to his annoyance. "I haven't decided anything, you royal pain in the arse. Now get out of my sight until dawn."