One thing about celebrating my birthday close to my aunt Chloe's is we can share the special day's together. It can be confusing, to some who aren't familiar, or know my family personally, to mix up our birthdays but I think that is what makes my aunt and I close for a reason.

Celebrating the big day of turning one year older is a good cause of a great celebratory between an aunt and niece in my own personal opinion.

Uncle Dan bought a cake, to the station, for aunt Chloe which I helped put candles on. There isn't the exact number of them that shows how old aunt Chloe is turning but that didn't matter. What matters is her reaction.

" Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday to you. Happy birthday dear Chloe! Happy birthday to you!"

A chorus sang from every, and each, officer in uniform around the station as I kept my arm in my aunts grinning cheerfully. It is a rare sight for aunt Chloe to be this invested in her own day of birth. Usually she'd want to celebrate in silence. " Blow the candle!"

Uncle Dan, joy on his face proud at his creation of aunt Chloe's birthday cake he spent long time hours to perfect m, but he didn't to see her blow out the candles as the lights dim to a colourfully warm hot pink that lit up the entire station. My confusion is short lived and changed to one of an amusement as an enormous sized triple layer cake rolled in to view. 'Oh. My. Gosh. No way.'

Fifty cents 'in da club' blares from the speakers, I feel my jaw drop as a whole man pops up out of the hollowed birthday cake, and I don't know if it is the spirit of my birthday month or the lack of a sleep schedule but I begin to laugh holding on my stomach. 'Oh this is so lucifer's doing' my aunt is completely traumatised, her mouth dangling off her jaw, and aunt Chloe clings to me for moral support thinking she is dreaming. " Oh no."

She muttered, unsure of what she is seeing this right in front of her. Uncle Dan and my dad, who were both bemused to begin with, short lived amused chuckles turned in gasps when the male dancer turned his attention onto me. 'Huh? Wait' his grin is devious. " Are you Ellie decker?" At his question he didn't leave me room to answer as he continued to strip off his Police uniform and he's legit left in a bedazzled jock strap and hand cuffs. My face is surely beet red, as the dancer came up, and I am proceeded to be gyrated on. I giggled in a bundle of nerves. 'What is happening?'

" I told you I had a big surprise coming your way, Liz!" Ella shouted at top of the laneway, on top of the second floor, making in rain party bucks out of American dollars. 'Oh my goodness. Ella!' My hands found my face, hiding my embarrassment. My aunt had abandoned me, to go on the sideline with my uncle and father who I'd thought be one of the main people to step in to deal with the fact his daughter is being danced on by a stripper, she hadn't laugh this loud since I've known her.

'What the hell. Let loose, Ellie.'

It's not everyday I get to be danced on by a hot guy. Ella came up, I felt my hands being taken and guided to smack a hand on the hot dancers booty but i didn't need a helping hand. Pun intended. I laughed, freely, as my hand felt the firm impact of his ass. Rebecca's laugh is the loudest in the entire station, while I'd occasionally look over her way not believing what is happening, and to me if I were to tell past Ellie I would be smacking a male strippers ass I would have not believed even myself.

I was so distracted I didn't see Lucifer leave, until I didn't hear his back forth banter with my uncle Dan, did I looked around to find he disappeared. I started to wonder where he had ran off to but I didn't let it last long as the dancer turned around to take me by the hand, encouraging me feel his lubricated up abs that are soaked in a decorative source of glitter, while he did violent thrusts from his hips in the air. Hand cuffs in mouth, grinning.

'This is the perfect start to my day.'

~•~

" I can't believe Ella hired you a male stripper! I don't think I have ever pictured you as someone to enjoy those kind of things in life, Ellie."

Rebecca commented, still not over how much of a surprise the male dancer was and a birthday gift none the wiser, laughing her ass off while sipping on her coffee. " You should have seen your face! I wanted to include myself, so the hottie wouldn't accidentally make you spontaneously combust, in the routine but I left it alone cause you looked as though you were living the dream!" She giggled, a smile which screamed amusement widely spread on her features, the longer she stared at me.

It's so random how on a random day, the beginning of the year, Rebecca re-entered my life and lands in the same police precinct as myself, where even her now deceased father was a detective, is now a friend of mine. It's crazy. I chuckled, copying her smile, as I leaned back into the seat of the break room table. The buzz of my phone made me, with a quick response, check it to see if it's Lucifer checking in to explain why he had randomly disappeared on me again and it's not him. Instead it's a email from spam. Rebecca noticed my let down response to the email ping.

" Lucifer? Again. He disappeared?"

She asked, if my silence to her wasn't the dead give away than I don't know what is, and she shakes her head at the quick shove of my hand while putting away my phone back in my jeans.

" Do you want my honest opinion on him? Els." There is nothing I haven't heard before, my uncle and dad have said plentiful of words about Lucifer even while he'd stood in the same vicinity as both, so Rebecca is in line for that long parade. " From the looks of it Lucifer... he likes you. I mean if that isn't at all obvious, to everyone in the precinct, then I don't know what else I should tell you. But from where I am, looking in from the outside. Lucifer looks at you as if you were the first ever star in the sky."

The back of my neck heated up fast at that being said. I stared at my twiddled thumbs.

" It's what every girl wants in a man. To be seen. Lucifer, in spite of his odd ways of doing so, always looks at you. Not through you but it's.. as if you're in his every thought and he can't look away in fear he'll think you've disappear."

I didn't think he would be that obvious with how he stares at me, thinking I couldn't see him do it, and Rebecca saw it. This isn't helping me get the feelings I have out of my head. Rebecca then goes on to lean in, her eyes trained on my face.

" But I also see how he is easy to treat you when you are around lieutenant Pierce. He doesn't get to feel a single bit of jealousy. Cause if he's allowed to have those women, he indulges in, then you're entitled to be all about Pierce or any other man."

Even if Rebecca is right I still want to know just where lucifer ran off to. A quick visit to his house will bring me some peace and clue to where he is. But I don't want to go alone. Instead my mouth is the first to move before my mind. " You're going to come with me to lucifer's, Becca'. See if we can find Lucifer there or not." I stand up, reaching a hand to Rebecca, and pull her out of the room to get to follow me.

' I'll need Linda's help with this too. A good, old, intervention of us three ladies will make Lucifer talk. I just know it.'

~•~

The elevator shaft door dinged open to Lucifer's penthouse. Walking in I couldn't feel, or sense, a celestial in the entire place so I immediately had my answer. He isn't here. So where could he be? Rebecca, thoroughly impressed with the stature of his penthouse and its interior, spun around in a couple of circles.

" Okay. From my observation, everything is still intact, no sheets covering any of his furniture so that is a good sign. And it looks like... yep. That is his overnight bag gone." Linda, resting her purse on the luxurious piano Lucifer owned, interpreted from her assessing while my hands patted like drums on my legs looking for a trace of Lucifer. Still in denial. " All empty."

" You know, I should trust Lucifer. He's probably just out doing something I didn't need to be told, or be aware of, and like you said Linda this isn't a thing I should be concerning myself with. I am so sorry I brought you girls along."

I apologised, my head shaking snapping back into the words that I have been told by both Rebecca and Linda, but in spite of my apologies being heard Rebecca puts a hand up like we were still in school.

" You know." Oh no. " It would be a down right.. shame to let this beautiful sunset.. go to a waste. I say we take this moment and make it more fun. Don't you agree with me, Doc?" She said, looking at Linda expectingly as if trying to get Linda in on her scheming, and doctor Linda knowingly grins.

" It does seem like a shame to let this go to waste. I agree."

The next thing I know the loud speaker is on full volume, at maximum blast, as Rebecca and I are in one of lucifer's many shirts gliding around on the perfect marble floors in his socks. I felt free to say the least, dancing before the evening came, in lucifer's penthouse of all places. Stealing his good liquor which I could drink with zero precautions. Rebecca had the Bluetooth connected to her play list on her phone, playing Meghan Trainer, while I jumped on lucifer's bed giggling the loudest I've ever had. For some odd reason.. Lucifer's place it felt like home. Which didn't make sense to me.

I leap off the bed running down the steps and to the balcony, hearing Rebecca following me while Linda read a few of lucifer's ancient scriptures of textual history from William Shakespeare, and I sit on the rails. " Can you imagine how much this place must've cost? This whole building?! Jesus. Lucifer must be loaded." I snorted, she doesn't know how right of a statement that is she said. It sounded surreal to me to admit. The literal devil being infinitely rich and having unlimited money. Considering he's been alive since the literal start of the universe. If he wasn't rich I'd be concerned for the lack of better wording.

" Woah. Check out this piano! I use to have one or two lessons when I was younger. I wonder if I can still remember those days. Prepare to have a, like, bad headache with how badly I play this."

Rebecca rushed her way over to the piano's seat, I wander over to the piano too close behind, and light as a feather I perch myself on the surface to the grand instruments top. Rebecca began to play an off-tune version of 'We are the champions' by Queen, which made me outwardly cringe at how bad it sounded, and we both laughed our heads off. " We are the champions. We are.." we begin to sing out of sync. " We are the champions!" We both shouted, Linda had her phone out as she is left to record our unfortunate bad singing for her to hear, encouraging us. " No time for losers!"

" Whilst I am thrilled to hear you girls singing, to an amazing classic, I have another idea. How do you feel if we go snooping around Lucifer's sock draw? While we are at it?"

I gasped. " Linda! Isn't that against your rules of client and therapist relations? To snoop around?" Oh who am I kidding? It isn't like Lucifer hasn't already explored Linda's body and her his. It's a thing of the past but I still, at times, forget about their history only to be reminded. " Oh what the heck. Let's do it! I'm curious too as well!"

I glided off the pristine surface-top of the piano, Rebecca going to stand up with her hands daintily holding a clear whisky glass, and both of our heads snap to Linda. Her face said it all as her phone rang. I look over Linda's shoulder seeing lucifer flashing on the screen. 'Crap'

" That is Lucifer! That.. is Lucifer!" Linda panics. " What should I do?"

" Answer it!"

I rushed out, wanting Lucifer to at least hear we're here having fun without him here and that we were having a good old time.

" Wait. No, actually. Don't. Actually yes, answer it but we pretend we're not here!"

I signal Rebecca to turn off the sound system of the loud music playing, at full power, and she is quick to listen cringing at it abruptly stopping. Linda answered straight away.

" Lucifer!"

Tuning in with my enhanced hearing I focused on the conversation. " Ah! doctor, I didn't think you were going to answer. I'm just calling in to, you know, reschedule my therapy appointment." He said, with quite the smooth stable voice you think he could be casually talking to if it wasn't for the clear misdirection of his tone, but that isn't what caught my attention. Casino poker machines are loud enough in the backdrop which piked up my curiosity." I am out of town. No place that is  special, just Vegas." Vegas? He's in Vegas? He's there again? The last time he left to Vegas he had married Candy. I could feel the giddy excitement I had previously begin to fade.

" Oh? V.. Vegas? Again? W... what is in Vegas?"

Linda, playing it off as though I couldn't hear it, covered the phones speaks to save me the pain of listening even more to the disappointment that is him in Vegas. She hung up, on him, and Rebecca rests the glass, she held, on the piano.

" Okay. Ellie you are allowed to feel whatever you want but I'll remind you of what I said at the station. You are allowed to have these feelings but don't let it get to you."

She reasoned, as I banged my head on a key which prolongs a piercing sound of a stroke of music, and I snapped my head up acting like I am completely okay. Why is it I sound like I am a jealous girlfriend? We're friends. Best friends. A friend. That is all he is to me. A friend. " Its fine. I am fine. It's not like I am jealous of how easy it is for him to be with someone and it's hard for me to accept the fact that he'll never be more than a friend. Which is totally cool. Totally fine. I'm so over him. Oh who am I kidding? That is a total lie even I know is false."

When did my life end up as a total cheesy story I see in a romantic, dramatic, movie? Goodness.

" And there it is. It's completely okay to feel these emotions, Ellie. A spontaneous trip to Vegas, like this, will bring back old emotions triggered by his sudden departure 'cause these are emotions you have tried to suppress. You haven't completely.. dealt with them. Hence the reason for your total lack of composure, to deal with this, and the fact Lucifer leaving like this again has brought these feelings to the surface."

" I thought you weren't my therapist, anymore."

I replied with a slight smile. Rebecca looked up at the ceiling, to the brown branch chandelier I like to joke was pulled off the first tree to exist out of the garden of eden Lucifer took, and counted the number of lights.

" Where are my pants? I think I left up on the bed. Should put them back on, I'm starting to get cold now."

Rebecca continued on her mission to count the exact number of lights, while I left her to do so I went back up to the bed.

While reaching for my pants I stopped at a green safe which peaked from behind a painting, made by one of the many famous painters Lucifer met, that had caught my eye. That's new. I wonder..

" What is it... oh. That is... a safe."

" Screw the sock draw, i am more interested what is inside that safe! Keep 'becca distracted so I can crack this baby open."

I didn't need her to freak out over my unnatural strength. Linda widens her eyes, still completely new to how I could break things with the simple swift of my hands thanks to my might strength, I followed her using my eyes and when she is out of my view I create a fist ramming it straight into the security graded steel frame of the safe and it shatters in pieces. I winced.

Now he's going to be aware of whom is the one to have broken the safe clean off the wall.

I stopped, mid way as I am about to pull whatever is out of this safe, to contemplate if I should go ahead. Did I want to know what is inside? Or should it be kept a secret a little while longer? I've already broken the safe so Lucifer would know it's me.

I take a step back, backing up to the edge of his bed, and sighed dipping my head down to my hands. I sat on the comfort of the silk sheets Lucifer dressed his mattress in.

'What am I doing?'

Time was a blur. I had sent Linda and Rebecca to go home as I wanted to stay behind to see Lucifer would return back from Vegas since his overnight suitcase is the main thing missing from his out of town section of his closet. I don't know when I'd fallen asleep, in Lucifer's bed, but I wasn't a girl to complain since it's the comfiest bed I have ever slept on. I listen to the sound of someone enter in the bedroom, the first thing I could smell is both Lucifer's exquisite perfume he wears and voice of his that softens in confusion to seeing me.

" I don't know what you are doing here. But I've got a sneaky suspicion it's something to do with.. me not being here."

He muttered, to himself, as I keep my breathing at the same level of volume so I don't give away I am awake. The bed dipped on the side, the pressure of his body weight dropped onto the bouncy mattress, and his hand found its place on my hip.

" Truth is.. I went to Las Vegas. I wanted to tell you, the truth, and even thought it was for a very good reason I didn't tell you cause.. last time I went on a Vegas jaunt, there were very unpleasant feelings... involved. For both of us.."

'He's never been this open with me. Until now'

I let him talk. I just let him get his thoughts out. I didn't want to potentially ruin this one chance of him being honest and I am remained still as I can be to not give him suspension of me listening. Or I am awake.

" And.. well, I didn't want to dredge any of those again. 'Cause we both know how it'll end. Things said that will only bring more pain. I am pretty sure I have given you enough of that to last us both a lifetime. So, I bluffed."

My eyes are at the point of where I could feel the sting of the tears returning. I blink profusely.

" But I've come to realise that perhaps bluffing is the same as.. I guess, lying, as you know something I never want to do." He ran his hand, gentle as can be, on my back. Softly mumbling.

" Especially to you."

With a hand still attached on my back he changed his voice to one of amused. I hear him utter the words 'what do we have here? Someone has ripped the safe open clean.'

That is my cue to wake up. While Lucifer goes to the safe I pretend to have just woken up, imitating a big stretch of my arms, and I fake a confused look. I could be an actress with my put on act I'm doing.

" Oh? Look at that. Good evening, Darling. Have a good sleep? Right after you burgled my safe? If so I am deeply impressed with your precision. It would've taken a human eons to get into this!"

I cocked an eyebrow. " I did no such thing." I lie, crossing my arms, acting innocent. He chuckled, discarding the obviously bended and ruined safe lock mechanism, taking a small box out from the first deck of the safe. " What is that? Don't tell me it's another gift. Cause you already brought me a heap that I have no room in my house to put em." I joked, while Lucifer sat back on the spot he was in, as I am handed his gift. He looked nervous. A thing he's never felt which I could see coming off his face. You'd think the devil wouldn't be such.

" In my defence I was putting off this gift cause I had a feeling it wouldn't make sense, to give you a ... thing so personal I haven't given you before. But in my absence Candy, who by the way misses you Ellie darling, put in perspective for me that I needed to hear. By that I mean she had to yell it. Which helped me but.."

I stared, confusingly, at the antique shaped silver band which matches with Lucifer's ring. what am I holding? He sees my mind turning to figure out the meaning of the band.

" It's a promise ring. It's my way, or in the human way I've learnt from all the years I have spent up here on earth, of.. I guess saying is my promise to you. Ellie."

His soft expression carried on his actions, he takes me by the hand, as he brings the ring I held to my left as he puts the ring on my finger.

" That I intend to, well, try mend all those broken promises of not hurting you. Any more. That you don't have to worry I will be the cause of your.. of your problems. I am the devil of my word after all aren't I? Plus Candy said the key to a girls heart is a good piece of jewellery.. but enough about.."

He halts his sentence after I leaned over and sat, myself, in his lap and brought him in for a hug. A much needed hug. He automatically slides an arm over my waist. He's improved in reaction to physical connection since I first met him almost three years ago. It feels like longer since then. He sighed, contented. " Thank you, Lucifer. Thank you." My eyes were closed.

" I missed you."

" I was only gone for the day, Darling."

" Lucifer. Don't ruin the moment."

JASMINE SPEAKS;

So what did you think of the little gift Lucifer did get for Ellie? What do you think the significance of the ring is about? It's a promise ring but could it be something more?

Tell me your thoughts. I'll love to hear them.

I laughed writing the male stripper scene and all of the parts with Ellie, Rebecca, Linda etc.

What is your opinion on Rebecca slowly integrating with Ellie and her life?

I know it seems as if their whole new 'friendship' is moving faster than they should be but I genuinely think it's going alright. Some things and people just connect fast but I'm also aware of how it might look considering Ellie and her past with Rebecca.