ONCE MORE, IZZY WAS SUBDUED BY INSOMNIA. The one time she managed to doze off, she had jumped awake from a nightmare so vivid it still had its hooks in her, sending a chill down her spine as she recalled the images she had seen. But when her alarm rang and she had to actually be ready for the upcoming day, a smile still touched her lips, and her hand searched for Mazikeen's under the covers. No matter how dreadful the night had been, she was still lucky enough to wake up next to her best girl, and that was enough to wipe away the horrible nightmare.

                     Rolling to her side, Izzy nuzzled closer to Maze, her nose brushing against hers as she mumbled a hoarse good morning. Even with her eyes still closed, Mazikeen broke into a grin of her own, leaning in when Izzy pressed a kiss onto her forehead.

                     "This is my favorite part", Maze muttered, not really specifying if she meant the day or life in general, but either way Izzy would have agreed. She made a resounding noise and then curled up into Maze's chest, letting the demon wrap an arm around her to cuddle into her.

                     "Should I ask about what you said last night?" Izzy murmured, careful to approach the subject – and rightfully so, as she immediately felt Maze stiffen around her. She supposed there was no need to specify what she meant, then, but made sure to tilt her head upwards to kiss Maze's chin softly. "It's okay. I'm all ears."

                     Maze took in a deep breath. "Lucifer, Chloe, my mom... It feels like everyone is walking out on me and I wonder if I'm just not right. Good enough. I don't want you to go, too", she explained quietly, and chuckled when Izzy turned to look up at her with a stern stare – the kind that wanted to prove her wrong immediately. "I just needed to hear it, I guess", Maze added before licking her lips and hesitating, "I've been thinking about finding my mom."

                     "Lilith?" Izzy was surprised, it was obvious on her face as she sat up on the bed and crossed her long legs. "I mean- if that's what you want to do... I support you. 'Cause I'm on your team, Mazikeen, and I always will be. I won't leave you. You're more than good enough", she assured, giving Maze a soft smile that was reflected back at her instantly.

                     "I know Lucifer knows something. I'm gonna find out what", Maze announced, giving Izzy a defiant look before throwing the covers off of her naked form and climbing up from the bed. Picking off her bra from the floor, she began getting dressed, whereas Izzy stayed in bed with the blanket clutched to her chest.

                     "Lucifer?" she frowned, "how do you know?"

                     Glancing over her shoulder, Maze shrugged. "Michael told me", she said, simple as that, and Izzy leaned back into the pillows with widening eyes.

                     "You've been talking to Michael?" she uttered, not even realizing the words left her mouth when a spell of dizziness hit her in the head, her eyes squinting shut as she tried to process what she had just heard. She remembered his grin, the strong smell of aftershave, the feeling of his fingers around her neck...

                     "Not willingly, Izzy, I wouldn't do that to you", Mazikeen spoke up, and when Izzy opened her eyes, she was right in front of her, frowning at the panic all over Isadora's face. "I thought he was Lucifer and he... told me I should ask Lucifer about Lilith. Anyway, that's a mistake no one will ever be making again because Lucifer – well, he carved up Michael's face. What he fucking deserves", she explained with a huff, giving Izzy's cheek a quick caress before getting up and rifling through their dresser for her favorite leather pants.

                     Forcing herself to take deep breaths to calm down, Izzy nodded. "That makes sense", she squeaked, feeling almost guilty for how relieved she was to hear that Michael had gotten a taste of his own medicine.

                    But Maze was right – he had earned it.

///

                     WHILE MAZE WAS OUT TO FIND HER MOTHER, Izzy was taking advantage of her day off by cleaning the entire apartment as thoroughly as she could. Elaine had offered to help, but as quickly as the promise had been made, she had disappeared and Izzy was left with her chores – in a weird way, she was glad. There was a specific way she wanted things done, and usually, other people's help only added an extra step to her process. It wasn't always cleanliness that drove her, sometimes the disorder manifested in other ways, but lately... all she wanted to do was scrub and shine.

                     Only when there was a knock on the door, Izzy remembered to breathe and realize that she had been at it for hours – and now, with the uncertainty of who was waiting for her in the hallway, she dropped the rag in her hands and wiped the sweat off her forehead before warily making her way to the front door. She peeped through the hole, her heart racing in her chest, but when she spotted just Kai and his roommate, good old Mateo Ruiz, she calmed down and unlocked the door.

                     "Don't you have better ways to spend your weekend?" Izzy grinned teasingly, giving Kai a gentle nudge before stepping out of the way to let the two in.

                     "That's what I've been saying! I feel like when you get stabbed you should definitely always get to decide what we're doing for all future weekends", Mateo theorized, sending Kai a playful glare that was met with a stick of the tongue. Children.

                     "Ha-ha, you're fine, it's been months", Kai pointed out before looking over to Izzy who had automatically moved to put on the coffee pot. The Nolan took a look around the shiny apartment, freshly-mopped floors, and the multiple bags of trash awaiting taking out in the foyer. "Besides, I was worried about my friend Izzy here, so I figured we owe her a check-in", he added, and immediately giving him a look, Izzy sighed.

                     "You're sweet, but I'm okay. Trying to hang in there, you know", she claimed, and with a dubious stare, Kai voiced an uh-huh and made his way to the countertop where Izzy was getting ready to pour their mugs.

                     "Did something happen?" Mateo wondered, wasting no time in digging into the cinnamon buns that Izzy took out just for them.

                     "Oh, you didn't hear? Lucifer's evil twin brother kidnapped Izzy", Kai emphasized, all the while staring at Izzy to prove he knew things couldn't be all fine and dandy. She huffed, nodding to prove it was true when Mateo's eyes widened and looked over to her for confirmation.

                     "Michael, yeah. By the way, he has a nasty scar on his face now, so he won't be impersonating Lucifer again", Izzy declared. She was relieved when the coffee machine turned itself off, the click giving her something else to focus on, and so, she turned around to grab the pot and pour the contents into three color-coordinated mugs.

                     Sighing in disappointment, Kai drew a sip of his. "You'd think having two handsome Devils would be a win, but no", he shook his head, and at that, Izzy managed a laugh. He was right – and frankly, Izzy had a lot of reasons to hate Michael but she was helplessly bitter at him for ruining her bond with Lucifer. It wasn't Lucifer's fault, but she couldn't look at him the same anymore, even if Michael was now flying around with a massive scar across his mug. Still, she was struggling to open up to Lucifer.

                     Izzy swiftly switched the subject to Mateo and his recovery from being stabbed by Mariah's nemesis, and the three of them chatted away over coffee and cinnamon rolls. Time seemed to be flying by and Isadora could actually relax for a moment and simply enjoy the company of her friends. They were only interrupted when her phone rang, and as soon as she saw Mazikeen's name, she was excusing herself to the bedroom, making sure to seal the door behind her before lifting the phone up to her ear.

                     "Hey, did you find her?" Izzy breathed out, pacing back and forth as she waited for a response.

                     "I found the bitch", Maze spoke with confidence that faltered when she continued, "do you... Are you free right now? I- uh, I need you."

                     Her hesitation made Izzy smile fondly. "Of course, send me the address and I'm on my way", she promised, smiling even deeper when she heard the relieved exhale from Maze.

                     "I love you", the demon sighed, full of gratitude for the one person who hadn't let her down, and Izzy felt exactly the same way. They worked in harmony with each other, even though being with an inhuman torturer from Hell wasn't always an easy concept, but most times, they could communicate well enough to get through anything.

                     "I love you", Izzy returned the favor before hanging up. She reached into their closet to grab her jacket, and after throwing it over her shoulders, she grabbed her keys from atop the dresser and headed back into the kitchen where Kai and Mateo were laughing with mouths full of cinnamon rolls.

                     "Hey, guys, sorry but I gotta head out and meet Mazikeen. We'll pick up this conversation another time?" she suggested while shoving her keys into her pocket and her phone into the other. Nodding, both men climbed up from their seats, but whereas Mateo headed for the front door, Kai circled over to Izzy.

                     "Be careful. And take care, okay? We're all here for you if you need anything", he insisted, leaning in to kiss her cheek, and with a nod, she promised that she knew and understood. She gave him a soft smile, before urging him towards the front door and following their lead outside.

                     Once she was seated behind the wheel of her car, the realization hit her – she was going to meet Lilith. The mother of all demons. Neglectful, horrible mother, but still. It wasn't going to be easy for Maze, she knew that, but she wasn't quite sure if she was prepared for it, either.

                     With the help of her navigation system, she found her way to the apartment complex where Maze was waiting. She looked restless and impatient, far more than Izzy could recall her ever being – usually, she was the cool and collected one of the two – but Isadora didn't mind switching roles for one day and keeping her confidence for Maze's sake. She was going to be brave, and she hoped Mazikeen could tell as much when she stood by her side and took her hand tightly. She gave her a look that, even in silence, assured her that she was there and she wasn't going to go anywhere.

                     Maze knew the right apartment, so, it didn't take them long to find themselves standing outside the door. The demon hesitated again, bringing her hand up to the door but not finding it in herself to do it, after all.

                      "Take your time", Izzy whispered, "do you want me to do it?"

                       "No", Maze decided, "I can do this." With that, she knocked on the door, and when they heard footsteps from inside, her hold on Izzy's hand tightened like a vice. An elderly woman opened the door, shorter than both women who were stunned at the sight of her – for a mere second, that was.

                         "You've been a horrible mother", Izzy blurted out before she even realized the words were tumbling out, widening Mazikeen's eyes as the words awkwardly hung in the air. The lady looked taken aback, but not quite enough for them to be apologetic – something in her eyes suggested that she knew exactly what she was talking about.

                            "Are you Lily Rose?" Maze butted in, and with a lift of an eyebrow, the woman turned more defiant.

                            "Who wants to know?" she demanded, unimpressed by the women in front of her, her arms crossed over her chest as she inspected Maze's face. A flicker of hope sparked on her features, her eyes lighting up as she placed her hand on her chest and nodded toward her mother.

                             "It's me. Mazikeen", she announced, a soft smile tugging on the corners of her mouth as she hoped her mother would return the smile – show any sign of happiness that her daughter was in front of her... only for nothing to appear on her face except for dismay.

                              Huffing, the woman looked at Izzy briefly before licking her lips and deciding she was not happy. "Lucifer told you that I was here, didn't he? You'd think the Devil would be better at keeping his trap shut", she complained, and with her smile fading away, Maze frowned and shook her head.

                             "No, I found you all on my own", she corrected before tilting her head in curiosity, "Have you... been here all this time?" Izzy tensed, knowing that this wasn't going to end well, and with a soft sigh, she leaned over to Mazikeen's ear.

                               "Maze...", she tried, but she wasn't able to suggest leaving when Lilith was speaking up with no regret or sympathy in her voice.

                               "I gave something a shit. It didn't work out", she shrugged, and at that, Mazikeen scoffed in disbelief. Izzy turned back to Lilith with her eyebrows together, a displeased expression blooming on her face as she stared at the woman. She wanted so badly to argue, to defend her girlfriend, but before she could, Maze reminded her that she was plenty capable of doing so herself.

                               "That's it? That's all you have to say to me?" she seethed, any freckle of hope and joy gone from her face as she stared Lilith down, her demonic side making an appearance with the glare.

                                 Chuckling, Lilith was ever-so unconvinced. "What do you want from me?" she asked simply.

                                 Izzy could practically see Mazikeen's heart breaking. "I wanted to come and see you. I wanted to know why you abandoned us", the demon continued, her voice faltering, "why you abandoned me." It was no wonder that the woman was scared of Izzy leaving – but more than ever, she was sticking to her guns and standing by Maze's side, her hand warm in hers.

                                 "I did it to make you strong. And it worked. Just look at you, I can see you don't need anyone", Lilith defended herself, not the least bit sorry for what she had done. Just like that, Maze wasn't the only one angry.

                                "Caring about people doesn't make you weak", Izzy cut in, a scowl obvious on her face as she stared at Lilith. "Being scared to care does. And Mazikeen... she does care. Having that support only makes her stronger", she insisted, but Lilith didn't even bother to respond – simply gave Izzy a look of disinterest and doubt.

                               Mazikeen let out a dry laugh and let go of Izzy's hand to turn around and storm off. Izzy was left standing for a mere second, but as soon as Lilith retreated into her apartment and slammed the door shut, the Holt turned on her heel and chased after Maze who was wiping away angry tears.

                               "Hey, hey", Izzy tried to comfort her, placing a hand on her shoulder once the woman stopped running and leaned against the wall to catch her breath, "I got you. I'm right here." That was enough to break Maze, and with a sob, she toppled over Izzy who caught her in wide arms and closed her in a tight embrace. She swayed side to side with Mazikeen in her arms, soothing shushes leaving her lips as she held onto her.

                                "Hey, screw her. You deserved so much better, okay?" Izzy mumbled into her hair. "You have a family with me. My mom loves you like you're her own. You don't need Lilith", she went on, knowing her girlfriend well enough to know what she needed to hear – and eventually, Maze's sobs slowed down to the occasional hiccup, her chest heaving against Izzy's.

                                  "You're right", Mazikeen breathed out, lifting her head up enough to place her forehead on Izzy's and bask in her warmth and love.

                                  "You're my family, Izzy."