ANNIKA WAS PROUD. She wasn't one to enjoy exercise very much, but with Maze's help, she was learning how to defend herself and she wasn't sure there was a better way to do that than with a demon created for hurting others. Now, she could put up a fight and picking her up off the street wouldn't be so easy, making her more than satisfied with her day's work.

    On top of that, she had gotten a much-needed drink with Maeve who always knew how to cheer anyone up, and afterwards, Annika had stopped by the therapist Lucifer had arranged for her. Indeed, Linda Martin was more than capable and even just one session with her had brought Annika relief and comfort. With another meeting booked for next week, the Hayden didn't doubt that with time, she'd be able to shake hands with her trauma and accept what had happened to her.

    Stepping out of her bathroom, Annika tightened the white towel around her body and let her hand wander into her dark curls to ruffle while walking into the bedroom. It felt good to be home, at last. With the weekend having arrived, too, she didn't have to worry about classes, simply correcting exams and checking in with her students, and the Civilian Consultant gig for the LAPD was probably now a done deal. She hadn't gotten even nearly enough chances to just breathe and relax, so as much as she had enjoyed her adventures with Chloe and Lucifer, she supposed it was time to leave the crime-solving for the pros.

    But, just as she trusted that everything was okay for a while, life had to intervene and throw something else at her lap. She had barely gotten to get dressed and settle in front of her TV when there was already a knock on her door and she was forced to get up. A weary sigh slipped from her mouth as she strode over to the front door and opened it with a quick yank, still putting on a smile to greet whoever awaited, only for a frown to quickly take place, instead. Lucifer stood at her doorstep, clearly upset and shaken by whatever he had been up to ever since he had left that morning, and Annika didn't need to be asked — she instinctively stepped aside to let him in.

    "What's wrong?" was her first, immediate reaction as she shut the door and watched Lucifer slump onto her couch cushions and bury his face in his hands. Concerned, she rushed to his side and placed a hand on his shoulder, softly caressing him while trying to break through the haze he was in despite him making it so truly hard for him. He was always so loud and confident, radiating strength in every possible manner, but it was clear that he had a tendency to hide things and bottle up his feelings. It was heartwrenching to know he wasn't always as okay as he insisted on being, but at the same time, it warmed her heart to know that he trusted her enough to come to her when he needed support.

    Chuckling with anything but amusement, Lucifer dropped his hands and turned to Annika with exhaustion evident in his gaze. "Someone is killing people in my name, toying with it as if I ever wished for this or aimed to murder innocent humans. As if I am so terribly evil", he rambled with his voice cracking, "and now detectives Decker and Douche think I have something to do with this and everyone is turning against me." Before he had even finished, Annika had wrapped her arms around the man and brought him in for a gentle hug, one that he accepted willingly, his head coming to rest on her shoulder while he trembled against her.

    "Not everyone. I would never do that", she reminded with her fingers running through his hair in soothing patterns. "Besides, I'm sure Chloe isn't, either. It's just her job to consider every possibility, right? They're gonna catch the real murderer in no time and it'll be okay. And I'll be here, no matter what", she continued quietly, remaining calm and collected to help Lucifer feel the same. Slowly, she let go of him and took his shaky hand to give it a reassuring squeeze while her lips curled in a careful smile. "Do you want to stay here or go somewhere?"

    At last, adorned with his usual grin, Lucifer touched her cheek and nodded towards the door. "While staying here sounds lovely, I'm afraid I own much more alcohol and I'm in a desperate need of a drink", he decided while already tugging Annika towards the foyer, and unable to argue, the woman simply grabbed her jacket and pulled on her shoes before following him outside.

    His Corvette awaited on the driveway, and soon enough, they were both buckled in and Lucifer was stepping on the gas to speed away. Undoubtedly Annika's curious neighbors were going to have a blast talking about the handsome guy whose shiny car she had gotten into.

    After Annika's story of how Maze had taken her under her violent wing, the two started to near Lux, only for a fervent crowd of people to force Lucifer into parking his car further away. Every muscle in Annika's body protested against the idea of walking, but with her arm linked with Lucifer's, she swallowed down any complaints and relied on his warmth on the way through the streets.

    "What is all this?" Annika wondered with a mumble, mostly talking to herself whilst observing the chanting people under the light of the street lamps, her eyebrows knitted together and her hold on Lucifer instinctively tightening. Lucifer was frantic and quick with his steps, practically reeling Annika behind him to get through the mass as swiftly as possible.

    That plan, however, was stopped when the man seemingly in charge of the group yelling "Satan is here, but God is near!" stood in front of them.

    "You! I know you're behind this, because I have seen you", the street preacher insisted, and Annika instantly thought of Lucifer's true nature. The uncontrollable man must have witnessed it too, his hostility spilling over the edges as he got up in Lucifer's face and pointed a stern finger at him. "I know what you are", he kept going, pushing Lucifer to his limits, but rather than lashing out, he gripped onto Annika's hand to level himself.

    "What I am is annoyed", Lucifer responded snarkily, and Annika had to hold back an amused snort for the sassy comeback.

    Nodding in agreement, the woman tried to appeal to the preacher with a pleading look. "Let us through, please. He's done nothing wrong, and if you know who he really is, you should know better than to drive him up the wall", she defended the man, feeling an unfamiliar rush of confidence in her chest as she stared at the preacher in the hope that her words would have an effect on him. But, they did not.

    "He is not innocent! And you're no better if you claim that he is. Shedevil! Murderers!" the group leader screamed in horror, shocking Annika, who didn't really know how to handle being called Shedevil. Lucifer, on the other hand, didn't take the accusations so calmly.   

    Dropping his hold on the woman, Lucifer grabbed the preacher by his throat and smacked him against the nearest street lamp, fury burning behind his eyes and complete and utter rage causing him to slowly choke the life out of him. "Stop blaming me! And don't you dare drag her into this. I should destroy you!" the Devil seethed, no remorse left for the preacher who was struggling in his grasp.

    Annika stepped forward to put an end to the violence, but before she could, someone else was pushing through the crowd to separate Lucifer from the choking preacher, giving the latter the chance to breathe again. Annika wasn't allowed any consolation, though, because when she hurried to Lucifer and whispered words of comfort to him, the man who had come to intervene commanded everyone else to leave the scene, and she instantly recognized the voice. In fact, she would never be able to forget it.

    "Chloe thought you might need protection from freaks like that", the unexpected detective behind them — Malcolm Graham himself — explained as he turned to Lucifer, only for his smug face to drop at the sight of Annika who was holding onto the Devil.

    Dropping her voice to a whisper, Annika shook her head. "You're the only freak here."

—————

    A SHARP SLAP echoed throughout Lucifer's apartment as Annika gave Malcolm a taste of his own medicine, her hand leaving a red print on his cheek. Now that she wasn't tied down, facing him was much easier, and there were no restraints on Annika's anger — and yet, the detective reacted with a laugh, although the way he touched his stinging skin was satisfaction enough for the woman.

    "Feisty one. I can totally see why you like this chick, dude", Malcolm commented at Lucifer who was silently drinking by the bar, still shaken by the events of the day. He was hardly paying attention to what was happening around him, and that was ultimately why Malcolm took the opportunity to shoot one last nasty glare at Annika. "Bitch", he muttered under his breath, and with her blood already boiling, the Hayden stepped forward with her fist up in the air and Mazikeen's lessons fresh in mind.

    Before she could do anything to hurt Malcolm, he grabbed her wrist with a grip that pulled a wince from her as the pressure on her bones only grew. The look he gave her was sheer craziness, but as much was obvious from the crushing hold he refused to drop on her — until Lucifer was intervening by shoving the detective across the floor. With a violent push, Malcolm was falling onto his back and Annika could retreat into Lucifer's chest with horror distorting her face.

    "Are you hurt, darling?" Lucifer questioned with a gentle caress on Annika's irritated skin, his fingertips soft as ever. With a shake of her head, Annika promised that she was fine, but her eyes burned with gratitude for the worry that Lucifer seemed to carry for her. But, as soon as he was facing Malcolm, that fondness in his gaze melted away and all that remained was hatred and impatience at the cruel man in front of them.

    "Right, right. Won't touch your girl again", Malcolm cleared his throat apologetically while lifting his hands in the air to defend himself. That, however, turned out to be a grave mistake on his part. Lucifer didn't have the time to shout at him for landing a single hostile finger on Annika, when he noticed the red paint on Malcolm's hands, effectively pulling a gasp from Annika who still stood by the Devil's side. He had told the gruesome details to her on the way to Lux, how his name had been smeared with red paint on the crime scenes, and now, it was hard to suspect anyone but the vindictive detective before their eyes.

    "You? You murdered all those people?" Lucifer spoke, appalled that this pathetic excuse of a man had gone after his back and turned people against him. To Annika, it made more than sense — Malcolm was an overly eager nutjob, trying too hard to be equal to the Devil himself, and this was where it got him.

    Slowly, Lucifer let go of the woman and she didn't hesitate to stay behind and take shelter by the leather couch while he took menacing steps towards Malcolm. With a threatening posture, he approached the man, promising that rather than taking him to Hell, he was going to bring Hell right to him. Even when the unstable cop whipped out his gun, Lucifer refused to back down, the possibility of bullets no longer scaring him — if anything, he looked almost amused.

    Nonetheless, Annika had a feeling that none of it would end well, but it wasn't because of Malcolm. It was because of another person arriving on the balcony of the penthouse and stopping Lucifer from ruining his enemy with one threatening sentence.

    "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Amenadiel's booming voice echoed throughout the place, and Annika shivered, now more than ever convinced that whatever she was seconds away from witnessing, it wouldn't be pretty.

»»»

I usually update after two days but IT'S TOM ELLIS' BIRTHDAY AND THAT MEANS I DEFINITELY HAVE TO PUBLISH ANOTHER CHAPTER

Happy birthday to this incredible bean ((':

Update 09/04/2020: This book has now been rewritten, so the face claim for Annika is no longer Scarlett, and Myra's name is now Maeve! Most of the changes are minor but if you're suddenly confused about the subtle differences, that's why! x