"IZZY? IZZY! HEY!"

It felt like a thousand alarms were going off in her head at once, the blaring unbearable until she could hear her own name repeated over and over again, the mixed voices all drenched in panic and worry. For a second, Isadora thought she was just dreaming — that she had gone home and Diane had tucked her in after a long day, but once the haze of her unconsciousness faded away, she couldn't hold back the pained groan and figure that the burn all over her body was far too vivid to be a mere nightmare. Her insides felt like they were melting together, and while she was shivering with cold, she could also feel the wave of heat suffocate her in steady tides. Her eyelids felt like cement and every inch of her skin was crawling with aching, making it hard to move even a fingertip. At first, anyway.

As the ringing dissolved into the background, her head tilted to the side and eyes carefully cracked open, only for the bright lights to instantly blind her. Grimacing at the misery she could never find the right words to describe, Izzy's disoriented thoughts knew enough — that she wasn't home, and she wasn't safe, so she pushed herself into looking around. On her right side was a bed, hoisted to keep the man on it in a sitting position, and as her gaze weakly wandered, she noticed that she, too, was resting similarly on an identical bed. But none of it made sense, not until a new voice popped up and she painfully craned her neck to look forward, her blurred gaze trying to identify the figure through the plastic enveloping them in a home-made quarantine room.

"I was going to pick a kid from the university, but then you tried to intervene, so I decided to go after one of your own. After some digging, I found the perfect target", the intimidating male voice taunted, the words echoing in Izzy's head as the woman nearly doze off again, but the pain nor the mention of her name granted her the relief. "Izzy Holt. Twenty-nine years old, only barely started a career with the LAPD. Whole life ahead of her. I drugged her at your surprisingly poorly supervised parking lot", he continued, and even though everything was a little crooked to the wrong side and everything was spinning a little bit, Izzy finally reacted with another groan, words still a distant goal. Now she knew what had happened to her, and frankly, she didn't like it — well, she had wanted to work on the case, and now she had front row seats to a day in the killer's life.

She hadn't even realized the man — called the professor by whoever he was communicating with — had moved from his seat by his computer, not until he was standing right by her side. So close, yet out of reach for the woman who could barely keep her eyes open. "And here she is. Attached to a poison drip", he monologued, and once she had gathered the strength to turn to where he was gesturing, Izzy noticed the bag of poison slowly drying itself into her. The sight made her cry out desperately, knowing that by now the deadly liquid was flowing throughout her veins, explaining the pale sight of her face and the struggle to breathe, move, even blink.

But, she was unwilling to go down without swinging a little, so after swallowing and cringing at the burning dryness of her throat, Izzy looked up to the professor. "At least I slept through the injection", she croaked out, a bitter smile on her lips, "I hate needles."

The professor, however, didn't give her more than a small, evil smile before turning to the man next to Izzy. "And here, Leon Klem, accomplished track star, stuck in a vice. If Leon simply pulls the lever and severs his leg within sixty minutes, Izzy here gets this", he continued to the computer, pulling out a small vial filled to the brim with something orange and positively good. As the killer walked back to his desk, Izzy sent glares his way, every word that left his mouth making her entire body shudder. Or, then again, maybe it was the poison pumping into her system with every passing second. "You guessed it. The antidote. Oh, and please, for your sake, don't waste your time trying to make another. They're all unique and the only place the formula lives is right here", the professor added on with a tap on his temple, "in my head."

Izzy was losing hope by now. As much as she swore on being an optimist and always kept others encouraged, right now, all the signs were telling her to just give up. First, she had discovered that demons and angels did indeed exist, right among ordinary humans like her, and that alone made her question her importance in the world, controlled by superior powers, and now, this? As if finding out the person she was in love with had literally crawled from the fiery pit wasn't enough, she had been drugged and poisoned and there was nothing she could do to make her situation any better — she didn't know where she was, but she did wonder where she would go. And if the options were Heaven or Hell, her anxious mind was certainly intrigued by the question, but she wasn't allowed the peace to fret on it when her name was called out again.

"Izzy—Izzy, listen to me, you're gonna be okay, I promise", this time the voice wasn't the professor's eerily monotone one, nor Izzy's own reassuring thoughts in her head. The poison was doing a splendid job at keeping her one step behind, but as she thought about the professor's words — one of your people — and the proud explanation of the project he had concocted, it made sense. He was talking to the LAPD, and the realization of that sparked something within Izzy.

"Dan?", she whispered, so faintly it could barely be heard but the sharp inhales that echoed from the other side of the line meant that they were paying close attention.

"We're coming for you, Izzy, don't wor—", Chloe joined the conversation, but before her attempt at reassuring the woman could pull through, the killer was ending the video call and separating Izzy from her friends. The cut-off words made Izzy wince, but now that she knew that they were looking for her, that they knew to look for her, she tried to take deep breaths and be rational. Her life was at risk, but with L.A's best on the case, she could still make it. She could survive.

And it wasn't like she even wanted to die, but in a situation like this, she couldn't pretend like the option didn't exist. She still wanted to hug her mother, she still wanted to walk Thor, she still wanted to become a detective, patch things up with her dad, see Benjamin one more time, eat her favorite foods, hear her favorite songs. And maybe, somewhere in the distant backspace of her mind, she acknowledged that she wasn't ready to let her bond with Mazikeen snap like this. Without closure.

Yet, she put on a brave face when she turned to the man next to her. "Listen, kid — Leon, right?", she gulped, her crossed eyes hardly catching the small nod she earned in response, "I just want you to—to know... whatever you do, it's okay. It's okay. I don't blame you, don't worry. This isn't your fault", coughs making her words stutter but she needed him to know. If she was in his place, she would, one way or another, make the decision to cut off her leg, but she understood how hard it could be, how big of a challenge it was to drop the blade on your own flesh. And the professor had landed him in this situation, not him, and whatever the outcome, Izzy would only judge the one who had put them here in the first place.

"A hero, are we?", said man butted in, circling the two beds he had arranged for his victims. "I'm afraid that the choice is Leon's to make alone. You, Izzy, can only sit tight and feel how inevitable death creeps closer and closer", he teased, and admittedly, his words made Izzy a little more aware of the pulsing of her veins and the sweat coating her hairline, but she still defied him boldly, colorless lips drawn into a thin line.

"Only my friends call me Izzy", she gritted out, wanting to add something more but the burn in her chest made her gasp for air instead, head falling back into the hard pillows. Eyes fallen shut, she silently begged for the agony to end, but she knew it was a fruitless attempt — she could only rely on Chloe and Dan finding her, or Leon severing his leg, but despite her survival in the latter scenario, she would have to live with the guilt of pushing him to such dire measures. One thing she did know for sure, however, and that was that whether or not it would be by her own hand, she was going to make sure that the mastermind behind all this would face justice.

Time passed, to a point where Izzy wasn't quite sure if it was day or night, or how long they had even been there, and the professor's timeline was but a faint memory in the cobwebs of her mind. Every time she had been near to either passing out or actually falling asleep, the man reminded them of the situation or another sharp jolt throbbed somewhere on her body. She wasn't granted a moment of peace, and if these were to truly be her final breaths, then she wanted to go out in a state of calmness. Izzy hadn't really thought about death, until now when it was a pressing matter, even if her job was one of the dangerous sorts — but she knew that she didn't want the panic or the horror, she just wanted to drift away. At least today. She was too tired for a blaze of glory.

"Well, well, isn't this a surprise", the professor suddenly voiced, his plotting tone never ceasing to creep Izzy out, even in her half-conscious state. However, the rattling of the door managed to snap her back to reality, and with a wheezing inhale, the redhead lifted her head just enough to see Chloe and Lucifer on the other side of the locked glass door, the sight of the latter twisting the knife in her heart. However, right now, if it took the Devil to save the day, then she was okay with that. She was willing to die for a lot of things, but her own stubbornness was not one of those.

"Why, because you'd like to surrender? It's a bit anticlimactic, but very well, we accept", Lucifer spoke bitterly, and although Izzy wasn't quite sure what the professor had said for such a snide comment, she couldn't help but roll her head back and let out an utterly unamused chuckle that felt like sandpaper in her throat. Well, if she was going to go then it might as well be accompanied by Lucifer's dark sense of humor.

The chuckle developed into a fit of coughs, however, and as Izzy tried to keep on breathing, her stomach twisted and her chest tightened. Although being present was a nearly impossible challenge and time no longer made sense to her, Izzy knew that it was almost up, that her system was going on its last round of firepower. Maybe it was all her imagination, or maybe the bright lamp above her was actually the gates of Heaven opening before her, or maybe the fire licking her skin was Hell trying to get a grasp.

"Hold on, Izzy", Chloe pleaded from the other side of the door, and just as a lulling silence was about to fall into the room, the detective fired her gun at the glass, but concluding from the lack of noise afterwards, the bullets were ineffective.

"Acrylic glass, detective. Please don't kill yourself with your own bullet. We wouldn't be able to conduct the final part of this experiment", the professor offered his insight on the matter, and at this, Lucifer snorted, though it wasn't amused, by any means — if anything, when Izzy turned her desperate gaze towards them again, she could see his features coil with fury, and for a second there, she could have sworn his eyes flickered with the brightest, most wicked shade of red she had ever seen.

"Experiment? I'll show you an experiment when I tear you, limb from limb and feed them to you one by one. You took my friend, and you poisoned her. All of these people, they have been innocent. And this woman, right here, is one of the most caring, kind people in a world full of scum like you. So, rest assured, you will regret this", he growled, voice dropping to low and threatening as he glared at the professor. And although Izzy now knew that he could easily deliver on those promises, she couldn't stop herself from smiling a bit, numb to the salty taste of the tears that dropped onto her wobbling bottom lip. Well, if she was headed for Hell, then at least she was on good terms with the man in charge.

The professor, however, was completely unmoved by his threats. "Time for you to make a choice", he talentedly steered the subject back to himself, lifting two vials, one orange, and one light green. "In this vial, an antidote that will save Ms. Holt's life. In vial numero dos, poisonous gas that will kill you if you enter the room. Simple, really. You decide what's more important", he presented a challenge, and as the rest of them stared in terror, the man lowered the antidote but held up the gas. Already aware of the horrors he was capable of committing, Izzy knew how this would end, yet she didn't tear her blurry eyes away when the professor covered his face with a gas mask and then smashed the vial onto the floor, causing a dangerous hiss to enter the room while thick gas began to flood out.

"Hey, it's okay", Izzy choked out to Leon, trying her best to remain strong and alive. "It's gonna be okay", she promised, even if she knew that she was already on the verge of grim death and that there was no way for Chloe and Lucifer to save them without facing the same fate. It was game over, and that was confirmed as the professor ran out of the building and to the freedom he was unworthy of.

Izzy could hear Lucifer and Chloe bickering about what to do, so courageously, she elected to offer her own advice. "You guys, you can't do it", her weak voice barely carried, but when both of them turned around to face the dying officer, she ended up smiling, glad that it had worked. "You'll die if you do", Isadora pointed out, but the words hadn't even left her mouth when Lucifer had scoffed, clearly not willing to argue about this.

"And if we don't do something, you will die", he reminded, before turning to Chloe with a determined look. "Listen to me, Detective. I can get them out safely, without harming myself. But you need to go after the professor right now. I promise I can do it. Do you trust me?", Lucifer wasn't messing around, and with a slow nod, Chloe confirmed his words — they were partners after all, and that kind of relationship was built on trust. It made Izzy reconsider if Chloe knew the truth about him, but as soon as that thought had appeared, it vanished, just like Detective Decker who began to chase after the professor, leaving Lucifer with Izzy and Leon.

She had no clue what Lucifer planned on, but it seemed that he did have a plan, to begin with, as he quickly found some glass and stepped on it. From amongst the broken pieces, he picked up a shard and dragged it across his skin, only for blood to trickle out — as expected. Already ready to question his intentions and if he was just winging it, Izzy's words got stuck in her throat as she coughed again, back arching while she groaned in pain and writhed on the bed. The misery was doubling by the second, and Lucifer could tell, his nervous mutters keeping him company as he kept trying and glancing towards Izzy, falling head-first into the comforting embrace of darkness.

Finally, a victorious laugh rose from his throat, and with one powerful yank, he managed to sever the door from its hinges, granting him access to the room. "Don't—Lucifer, you idiot", Izzy complained, not happy to find Lucifer breathing in the toxic air, but his proud smirk didn't falter for a split second as he rushed towards the two of them.

"Yes, we have a lot to talk about, but for the record, being the Devil equals immortality 99% of the time", he explained hastily while grabbing the antidote and making his way over to Izzy, who tried to insist he saved the kid first. Lucifer, however, gave her a judging look in return. "Don't be silly, Izzy. Come on, open up", he instructed, and unable to fight back, the woman obeyed so Lucifer could pour the antidote down her throat. The bitter taste made Izzy squeeze her eyes shut again, but the cool relief was almost instant, some weight on her tired limbs evaporating as she sighed deeply and thanked the heavens for the last-minute save. Or, well, maybe she was supposed to thank the opposite, actually.

At that moment, as she watched Lucifer release Leon from the restrains and offer him his suit jacket to cover his face to get through the remaining gas, Izzy felt warm relief in her heart — the same kind that she was used to feeling around her friend. Maybe, he was still the same Lucifer. Maybe, even with the added knowledge of his true persona, he was still kind and caring despite common belief, someone protective and righteous, not cruel. And when he returned to Izzy, his arms scooping the weakened woman up from the bed and clinging onto her tight, she felt — ironically — a punch of regret in her steadily beating heart.

"Come on, let's get you out of here. I know Maze... showed you, but I promise, I won't hurt you. Or anyone else. And after all, you were the one to tell me I'm not evil", Lucifer smiled softly, making sure Izzy wouldn't be harmed as he gently carried her outside, tight grip ensuring that she wouldn't slip from his sturdy hold.

Sighing lightly, Izzy closed her eyes and leaned on his shoulder, unsure if relying on the Devil was smart, but she didn't let that uncertainty stop her. "Yeah", she muttered, "and you saved me", disbelief coloring her tone as she thought about the hours before — she had attacked him, lashed out on him, and while it had been more or less justified, he had been the Devil before, too. She knew the truth now, but that didn't change the fact that they had been friends, and maybe they still could be.

And maybe the same thing worked with Maze. It was overwhelming, for sure, strange and hard to accept, but Izzy, if anyone, knew the need for being open-minded. She had gotten to know both of them beyond the labels, and while being a demon or the Devil was undeniably a big part of them, it wasn't all that they were. They were passionate and reliable and ultimately, good, and maybe Izzy just needed to remind herself of that. Of what mattered.

Because if today had been anything, then a reminder that everything was fleeting and could end just like that — and no, figuring it all out wasn't going to be easy, but they had been telling the truth from the start, a truth she hadn't accepted without proof. And now that she had the proof... maybe those fleeting moments could be spent on learning and appreciating what she had loved all along.

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this is one of my favorite chapters because i love drama and angst but also because it has so many valuable lessons and turning points for izzy (: she's hit bottom, now she can start climbing back up and maybe almost dying also put things in perspective for her, especially when lucifer saved her. i really love their friendship tbh

anyway, thank you so much for all your support and for sharing your thoughts, i truly appreciate it! and as for those of you who are worried about maze and izzy reuniting, it will understandably not happen in a blink of an eye but there is a lot of good headed your way too x