THANKS TO MAZIKEEN'S IMPECCABLE HUNTING SKILLS, the two women had located Dan who had spent the past day seeking solution to all his problems at the bottom of a whiskey glass that had been refilled time and time again. The man looked a mess, with the dark circles beneath his eyes indicating that he hadn't slept since he had shot. Izzy felt pity for him, but at the same time, she knew they didn't have any time for coddling – Chloe needed their help, and Dan was their key to finding her.

"Pull yourself together, dude. You look pathetic", Maze complained, always the less gentle one of the two, adding a scoff to rub salt in the wound. With a roll of his eyes, Dan lifted his head from the bar counter and glanced between Maze and Izzy before returning to his drink and drawing a loud sip from it.

"Yeah? Who cares, man. Nothing matters anymore. I'm going to Hell and I'll never see Charlotte again", he muttered in despair, and sighing, Izzy snuck past Maze to place a hand on Dan's shoulder and level with him.

"Come on, Dan. This isn't you. You don't know that you're going to Hell. And right now, there's something you can do to avoid it. Chloe and Benjamin are missing. The mother of your children, your own brother", Izzy emphasized, and it seemed to be enough – Dan's eyes widened as he turned to meet Izzy's serious stare, shock and fear twisting his features into something more than a drunken stupor. "We think Michael's behind it. We need you to tell us everything you know about him", she continued, and with a groan, Dan buried his face in both hands.

"I can't trust anyone", he moaned, and tutting, Izzy shook her head, reaching for Dan's face and turning it to look back at her.

"You can trust me. You know you always can. Since day one, Dan, I've been on your team. You're never alone as long as I'm alive", she swore, cradling his face in her gentle hands, loyalty burning bright behind her eyes. Slowly, he nodded, realizing she was right – they could always rely on each other, if no one else.

"Okay", Dan exhaled, "take me to Lucifer."

///

IZZY DOUBTED DAN AND LUCIFER'S REUNION would be pleasant, but it had to be done. She held Dan's hand as her and Maze walked him back to the precinct, but just as Izzy had predicted, as soon as they walked through the bullpen, Lucifer was pouncing on the man, his hands yanking Dan by the collar of his shirt and ripping him away from Izzy.

"Tell me everything, Daniel. My brother took your brother, the-the man I love, and I need answers, for crying out loud!" Lucifer cried out, and trying to act as mediator, Izzy shoved herself between the two men, encouraging the Devil to let go of the man that was already so terrified of him.

"Lucifer, please. We'll find them", Izzy insisted, and slowly, the feverish look in Lucifer's eyes faded. Dan cleared his throat and smoothed out his shirt, ran his hands through his hair before sitting at his own desk and falling into deep thought.

"Dan, we're really counting on you", Kai piped up from his own desk, his smile not all there as he gave the Espinoza an affirming nod. It was obvious that all eyes were on the man, who rubbed the back of his neck and cleared his throat.

"Michael came to me at the cemetery. But then he... he flew me someplace else. It was, uh, it was some weird cave", Dan began thinking out loud, and scoffing, Izzy rolled her eyes.

"Of course, he'd have an evil lair", she made a snide comment, and nodding, Dan continued.

"That's exactly what it looked like. I think it may have been a zoo? But no one had been there for a long time, so... an abandoned one?" Dan pondered, and clapping his hands together, Lucifer stalked over to Kai's computer, typing away in a rush.

"Well done, Daniel. That narrows it down", he praised Dan before him and Kai got sucked into the computer, looking up all Los Angeles zoos that were no longer in business. Izzy smiled faintly at the sight – the two men made a formidable duo, even if it was sad that they had to combine their intellect to find their lovers from Lucifer's evil twin brother.

As they worked on the list of zoos, Izzy gave Dan a grateful look before heading into Ella's lab, having spotted the woman sitting alone in obvious throes of melancholy. No doubt, discovering Pete's true nature was taking a toll on the woman – even Izzy was still feeling overwhelmed by the grim realization, not to mention the ghost of Pete's hands wrapped around her throat.

"Hey, sweetie. How you holding up?" Izzy broke the silence in the lab, and with a slow turn of her head, Ella met her eyes but didn't return the smile Isadora was sending her way. "Where's Mariah?" she added, carefully approaching the shorter woman.

"She went to get me something to eat", Ella informed Izzy, her fingertips brushing past the dark indentations on her neck. "I've been better. I just... how did I not see it sooner? I let him get close to me, to all of us", she continued, and nodding in understanding, Izzy wrapped an arm around Ella's shoulders and squeezed her tight.

"He was a good actor. Don't blame yourself for that", she reminded Ella, who only shrugged in response.

"He said we're alike, me and him. He said he can... see the darkness in me", she whispered, clearly scared of speaking the words any louder, and with worry twisting Izzy's face into a frown, she gave Ella a serious look after shaking her head.

"You're nothing like him, Ella. He was just trying to get under your skin. You're the most good-natured, kind-hearted person I know", Izzy insisted, sincerity behind every word as she firmly held onto Ella's shoulders. It broke her heart to see her like that when all she deserved was as much joy as she put out into the world.

Izzy didn't get a chance to comfort Ella more than that, when Lucifer was bursting through the door to the lab, his eyes wide and his lips curled into a grin. "We've found the right place, Izzy. Join us, will you?" he proposed, and once again torn from a friend in need of reassurance, Isadora gave Ella an apologetic look and kissed her forehead before letting go of her and heading over to Lucifer.

"Let's go get your boyfriend back."

///

IZZY WAS SCARED OF FACING MICHAEL AGAIN, but she did feel confident with Mazikeen, Lucifer, Kai, and Dan by her side, well-aware that there was strength in numbers, especially when two of those numbers were supernatural beings. No doubt, to get his girlfriend back, Kai would go to great lengths, as well. And Izzy, well, as anxious as she was, wasn't going to shy away from the opportunity to swing at Michael, who'd certainly deserve a black eye at the very least.

As they arrived at the right cage that Dan had instructed them to, however, Michael was nowhere to be seen. In fact, the cage seemed empty altogether, and in a fit of rage and frustration, Lucifer ripped the cage's door from its hinges, sending the rusted metal flying. As soon as he stepped in, though, he got smacked in the stomach with a heavy branch, earning a groan from the Devil who keeled over at the impact.

"Oh my god, babe, it's you!" Benjamin's voice rose above Lucifer's pained grunts, and as he stepped from behind the corner, the whole group felt a collective wave of relief at the realization that it was Benji who had attacked Lucifer. "I thought you were Michael. I'm so happy to see you", the younger Espinoza sighed out, wrapping his arms around Lucifer who pushed through the pain of the swing and embraced his beloved tightly and with joy.

Kai frowned, but only for a second, as Chloe emerged from behind the corner, as well. At the sight of her, the detective burst into a sprint, tearing up as he pulled Chloe into a vicelike grip. "Goddamn, woman, I'm never letting you out of my sights again", he sniffled, and chuckling at the sentiment, Chloe peppered Kai's face with kisses, grateful to be back in his arms.

Smiling at the scene in front of her, Izzy took Maze's hand in her own and interlocked their fingers, eternally delighted to have the demon with her. It was a mutual feeling, and as much was obvious when Mazikeen lifted their joined hands and pressed a lingering kiss onto Izzy's knuckle.

"You did good, Dan. I'm proud of you", Izzy chimed in as Benjamin hugged his brother, and with a smile, Daniel looked over to her and nodded.

"Couldn't have done it without you, Iz. Thanks for checking in", he beamed, and returning the nod to silently promise she'd always be happy to do it, Izzy grinned.

The group then decided it was better to leave before Michael arrived – as much as Lucifer wanted to deal the beating of a lifetime to his brother, he wanted to take care of Benjamin first, and Kai felt the exact same way about Chloe. Izzy was happy to avoid Michael, either way, and Dan shared that sentiment, both of them traumatized by the man in their own ways. Mazikeen, however, let go of Izzy's hand and stayed back.

"Someone needs to kick his ass, baby. I'd hate to miss out on that kind of opportunity, especially after what he did to you", Maze explained, and with a flustered smile, Izzy trailed back to her to kiss her hard and deep, both hands cupping the demon's face as she took her breath away in quite a literal sense. Mazikeen grinned into the kiss, but eventually withdrew, gesturing for Izzy to follow the rest of the group. "Go, be safe. I'll see you soon."

Reluctantly, Izzy parted from Mazikeen and joined her friends in their journey back to the precinct. Soon enough, they were all in the bullpen where Chloe gave a big thank you speech for the whole department and all their hard work.

"So, again, I really appreciate what you guys did for us. We're happy to be back in one piece", Chloe announced, and as she placed a grateful hand on her heart, the audience of officers and detectives erupted in applause, showing their love for the detective who had become such an integral part of their community.

Before the crowd could disperse, though, Izzy rushed to the stairs, replacing Chloe as she cleared her throat. "Hey, guys, while I have you... I just wanted to thank you, as well. You've been such an awesome group of people to work with. With that said, I'd like to let you all know that I'll be taking a leave of absence for an unspecified amount of time. I need to take care of myself and to do that, I need to take a step back from work. Thanks, everyone. I'll miss you", Izzy announced, quickly picking up on the confused stares from her friends as they glanced at each other, wondering if anyone had heard of this until now. And the truth was, Izzy hadn't told anyone except Maze and Captain Moretti – it was a big decision she had been mulling over for quite some time now, but it had become abundantly clear that she needed to go back to therapy and start processing whatever Michael had dug out of her.

As the officers slowly returned to their work, Lucifer quickly appeared in front of Izzy. "Surely, you must be joking. Right? You... you're not leaving, Izzy", Lucifer chuckled in uncertainty, his dark eyes searching Izzy's for any hint of hesitation, but he found none.

"I'll be back, Lucifer. But for now, I just need to put myself first. There's something wrong with me. I think it was there before Michael showed up, but he brought it to the surface. And I just can't ignore it any longer", Izzy elaborated with a wistful smile, and doused in sadness, Lucifer nodded, trying his very best to understand her point of view.

"I truly owe Michael a colossal kick between the legs. I am sorry, Isadora, that I wasn't able to protect you", he looked down in shame, but Izzy was quick to grab his chin and force his head back up so she could give him a serious look.

"You've done so much for me, Lucifer. Not just recently, but the whole time we've known each other. I see now that you don't have Michael's face, he has yours, and that is the only good thing about him. I wouldn't change anything about you", Izzy smiled down at him, causing his smile to curl upwards, as well. "Now, go take care of your boyfriend. I'll see you real soon, buddy."

With that, Lucifer headed back to Benjamin, who was sitting in the break room with Dan's pudding in his hands, and Izzy could breathe a little easier. She caught Captain Moretti's gaze through the windows of her office, and they exchanged looks – it had been Moretti's idea that Izzy take some time for herself, and although she had hesitated at first, she had quickly seen that the Captain was right. She'd get to being a detective some day soon, but for now, all she needed to do was look after herself and not worry about any new cases.

"Is everyone missing you yet?" Mazikeen's voice rang through the bullpen, and breaking into a grin, Izzy reunited with her girlfriend between the abundance of desks. They embraced, and Izzy kissed Maze's lips briefly but with love.

"I don't think they realize they can always come visit us", Izzy snickered, and repeating the sound, Maze tucked a stray hair behind Izzy's ear. "Did you kick Michael's ass?" the Holt then asked – a question that Mazikeen had feared, because the reality of the situation was, she hadn't. In fact, she had made a deal with the angel, and she wasn't quite sure how to break it to Izzy.

But, as she tried to find the right words, Izzy's face didn't contort with impatience. In fact, her face didn't move at all – it was like she was... frozen.

Confused, Maze looked around, only to find everyone immobile – well, everyone except Lucifer and... Amenadiel. The realization set deep into Mazikeen's chest as she spotted them from across the bullpen, no doubt the latter angel being the reason every human around them was set in stone, none of them moving. Time had stopped, and as Michael stepped out of the elevator, ready to face his brothers, Maze knew what she needed to do.

Turning to face Izzy once more, Mazikeen leaned in to kiss her cheek. "I'm sorry, Isadora."