IZZY WAS CONVINCED that it was impossible to not like Ella Lopez — the woman was almost like the incarnation of cute, though not entirely pure, which Isadora had picked up through the story of how she had used to steal cars, but nonetheless, Ella was good. The two women had had a great time together as the scientist had insisted on stopping by for three solid reasons — meeting the iconic Diane Holt, getting to know her new co-worker better, and of course to spend some time with Thor, who was more than happy to make a new friend. Frankly, Izzy saw some resemblances between the two, possibly the extensive adorableness and the innocence that also managed to hide the mischief underneath the surface. Needless to say, they had had a splendid evening together.

"She seems like a great girl", Diane commented later when Ella had left and the older redhead could finally fill the dishwasher without feeling guilty — of course, both her daughter and Ms. Lopez had offered to do the job for her or at least help, but the retired cop had almost gasped at the outrageous idea. And that left Izzy on the couch with Thor sleeping against her, his tiny head and large ears resting on his mother's shoulder while she herself watched the movie that happened to be on TV.

Glancing at the kitchen where Diane was limping around, Izzy nodded. "She is, really funny and no doubt one of the nicest people I've ever met", a small smile painted across her lips as she nodded to confirm her own words.

Curiously, the oldest Holt peeked into the living room, simply hoping to find out more about her daughter's new job. "And what about everyone else? They're all treating you nicely, yes?", she inquired, always the protective mother that shivered at the thought of her only child being mistreated. Perhaps the fear was rooted from her ex-husband's behavior towards Isadora, but luckily, Izzy rarely had to deal with hatred — whenever she did, it was because of someone close-minded, unable to accept her sexuality but those were, thankfully, rare cases and therefore she could respond to Diane's question with a smile and a reassuring nod.

"Yeah, of course. Well, there's this, uh... unique guy at work, but it's nothing I can't handle", Izzy chewed on the inner side of her cheek, Lucifer's grin plastered on her thoughts, followed by a memory of the uncomfortable tension between her and Chloe, but she elected to continue with, "I like Dan, too. I'm actually going to pick him up tomorrow to return the favor", instead of digging into the other thoughts twirling in her mind. However, even if she chose to remain silent about it, she was also unable to push away the rising image of Mazikeen, the woman's sultry smirk and her smooth voice stuck in Izzy's brain. She had always been quick to develop crushes, though only once before it had evolved into something more than a fleeting attraction.

For that reason, she wasn't worried — it would pass, surely.

"Well, I'm happy for you, Izzy. And I am proud of you", Diane smiled as she entered the living room while wiping her hands against her jeans, and the words caused the younger woman's head to snap over to her, while a wide grin of her own spread out on her radiating face.

And Izzy was proud too, the rush of her first arrest still fresh on her happily beating heart, and it was encouraging her to believe that the upcoming days were going to be just as wonderful.

—————

EARLY MORNINGS WERE impossible to love, but somehow Izzy was coming to the realization that perhaps she didn't hate them with a passion as burning as she had thought, or maybe, the last case was still lifting her spirits enough to put a little bounce in her steps and a plucky smile on her red lips even when she had to step into the crisp air at 4:30 to walk with Thor. It seemed the dog was sensing her good mood, because he too was prancing around a little more than usual, and their cheerful stroll around the street earned judging glares from neighbors who seemed to be the very opposite of morning people.

"Bye-bye, mommy loves you, okay? See you soon, Dumbo", Izzy sent a kiss to the Cocker Spaniel when it was finally time to leave, and once she had checked for her keys, phone and everything else essential a handful of times, she was but a red flash through the doorway and strutted to the vehicle she intended to drive over to Dan's apartment building. Truthfully, making her way to new and unfamiliar places was always unnerving, but she had promised to drive him to work today and she wasn't the kind of person to back out on said promises, which led her into hunting the right address while passionately singing along the iconic Foreigner song that was playing from the radio.

It took her a fair amount of time between checking the apartment number Dan had sent her and comparing it to the one in front of her, but eventually, the deputy was knocking on 302 with a deep inhale held within her lungs. But when the door was swung open and she came face to face with a familiar leather jacket-wearing detective, Izzy could exhale in relief. "Hey, boss! Ready for work?", she nudged Dan with her elbow gently, but before the man could speak up, someone else had appeared behind him, with the same kind of twinkling eyes as Dan's, though they had a tad less innocence in them.

"Ooh, who's this?", a suave voice rang throughout the apartment as the tall man eyed Izzy, who did the same and took in the sight of him, dressed in PJs and a tank top which meant he had no intentions to go anywhere yet, and only then Isadora understood to miss her bed.

Sticking out her hand right away, she flashed a smile. "My name is Isadora Holt, though most people call me Izzy. And you are...?", she introduced herself gladly as the man held her pale fingers in a firm, but gentle grip and responded to her cheerful expression with one of pride and confidence.

"Benjamin Espinoza. But most people call me Benji. I'm Detective Douche's brother", his introduction was nothing short of smooth, although the nickname earned a disapproving glare from Dan — from Izzy, it got a snort, the woman always happy to meet more people who liked teasing Dan. And she believed that Benjamin was taking the victory, if he was truly Dan's brother because even as someone who had zero of them, Isadora knew that siblings could get under your skin more than anyone. But they were also the people closest to you, and about the importance family, she did know a thing or two.

The sight was filling her heart with joy — she hadn't expected Dan to have a brother, but there were some uncanny resemblances between the two men as they stood in front of Izzy, whose admiration quickly faded into confusion when she noticed Benjamin gazing into her eyes with the same attentive stare. Suddenly, the silence that had landed into the foyer was turning uncomfortable, and it didn't take the deputy long to speak up and clarify something before her intentions could be misunderstood.

"I'm gay", she blurted out confidently, only to realize that Benjamin had spoken up at the same time and said the very same thing, making it sound like an echo of her own words. Both adults than nodded at one another approvingly, but before they could develop another conversation, Dan had taken the opportunity to speak.

"Okay, we're leaving. Try not to set my apartment on fire, okay? I'd rather not come home to a pile of ashes", he sighed while tossing his arms over Benjamin to pull him into an adorable hug, warming Izzy's heart in the process. "And promise me, you will at least try to act like an adult. Be responsible, mature. And do not fall for Lucifer", he warned his brother with a stern voice, and after Benji had made a reassuring point of how people fell for him, not the other way around, the detective and his right-hand deputy could step out and get ready for the day and whatever murder was waiting for them at work.

As the door shut behind the two, Izzy readjusted the cap resting on her hair and didn't bother to hold back a grin while her eyebrow lifted sassily, letting Dan know that he was in for some teasing. "Your brother and Lucifer, huh? Bet you're just loving that", she laughed at the thought, and the look that crossed Daniel's face was enough to make her giggle even harder. Still, she had to admit that Benjamin and Lucifer could have made quite the couple if first impressions were something to have faith in. Both seemed to be rather confident, had a knack for teasing others, and no doubt the fancy Camaro parked in front of the building belonged to the younger Espinoza, a fair match to Lucifer's Corvette.

"Yeah, let's change the subject or I'm taking back the pudding I got you", Dan narrowed his eyes at Izzy, and unwilling to sacrifice her snacks — which she was surprised to even hear about — she gave up, but the mischievous smile on her lips signified that it was merely temporary.

—————

IZZY DIDN'T KNOW whether to be creeped out or impressed by the creative methods that murderers had — she had been enough of a peculiar child to insist on hearing some of the gory stories from Diane as a kid, and whereas most went to sleep  to some magical fairytales of princesses and their knights in shining armors, Izzy preferred old crime scene reports and memories of chilling cases that she could still vividly remember hearing about. Still, needless to say, she was rather surprised when she and Dan pulled up at the newest crime scene they were assigned to, only to find Lucifer, Chloe and Ella crouched over a charred corpse tied to a pole while the latter explained how the fire had started from the poor man's crotch. It was quite interesting, and the urge to bring down another killer and allow a peace of mind to the victim's family was already bright and hot in Izzy's heart and soul.

Evidently, the successful arrest was still keeping the healthy speck of confidence alive.

Her and Dan's job was to interview any possible witnesses, and the person who had found the body, but as the crime had been uploaded to social media and tons of people had seen the gruesome video, they had lots of ground to cover. There was plenty of work to do, but the two had quickly developed into a dream team of sorts, allowing them to proceed effectively, even if Izzy's anxious thoughts occasionally slowed them down — however, Dan being the sweetheart he was, he never judged her nor the need to check something twice or more, simply reassured that she should do her thing before they could continue. And Izzy could tell it was an unfamiliar thing to him, yet he was trying and for that, she was immensely grateful.

"Hey, Izzy?", a sweet, careful voice received the deputy's attention when her bubble of peace was burst suddenly, and looking up from the file she was inspecting at Dan's desk while the man himself was getting them some more pudding from the fridge, Isadora came face to face with Chloe who was gesturing towards the papers in her slender fingers. "If you're not busy, I could really use your help. You did good with the Charlotte Richards case, and you know, when I was in your place all I wanted was a chance to prove myself, so... Lucifer and I are heading to Wobble Headquarters to talk with the woman in charge if you'd like to come with us. Maybe something will catch your eye", the detective shrugged casually, as if she wasn't just giving Izzy her biggest chance yet. Of course, she was a long way from becoming a homicide detective herself, but getting in on the action sounded far better than the paperwork she was undoubtedly destined to come across sooner or later.

Nodding rapidly, Izzy dropped the file onto the table — only to then put it in a neat stack with the others — and broke into a profoundly happy grin. "I'd love to! Thank you so much, Chloe", she gushed at the blonde in utter gratitude, and in response, Detective Decker merely pushed her lips into a meek smile, before turning on her heel and heading back to Lucifer. Isadora was about to follow suit, but she was stopped by Dan who stared at her in betrayal, two pudding cups in hand.

"You're leaving all this work to me?", he lifted an eyebrow, though there was a teasing hint in his eyes, and Izzy made sure to return it.

"Hell yeah. You're the one who got demoted — don't mean you gotta drag me down too. I'm gonna be a detective, my dear douche", she clapped her hands together, and after throwing her coat over her shoulder, she was following Chloe and her Civilian Consultant with her heart yearning for this amazing opportunity she was going to cherish with her entire being.

Indeed, things could change with a snap of fingers, in a blink of an eye — just like that, she was done interrogating suspects and suddenly a temporary part of Chloe Decker's detective team. But as quickly as things could begin, they could also end.

»»»

ahhhh can you hear the sound of my motivation running back to me? i suddenly have lots of ideas for this fic, so i promise that there will be more action and more mazikeen soon (in the very next chapter) but i needed to set a ground for all things to come, hence this potentially slightly boring chapter.

i know the ending sounds kinda ominous, and that's because it is — things are going really well for izzy right now but life ain't perfect so i gotta throw in some drama to balance it out ((: but worry not, that will lead her right to mazikeen so maybe it's okay. (there you go, a subtle teaser for the next chapter)

also, now i've officially introduced benjamin espinoza to the story and OHMYGOD how i miss writing my son, i'm so excited for his and izzy's friendship (: anyway, i hope you liked it, thank you for reading!! i really appreciate all the support ❤️