A glass of wine in her hand, she paced around the living room. A cooking date wasn't all Lilah had in mind when she called Lucifer that afternoon. She felt a bit jittery each time her eyes caught sight of the door but she kept reminding herself that what she was about to do was necessary if she wanted to find answers herself.
She had tried a direct approach before, asking him what was wrong and every time she had asked, he would put her off with an excuse or change the conversation entirely. But nothing was adding up: him surviving the explosion unscathed although being closest to the blast, a feat which she witnessed with her eyes when Peter had collapsed the building section on both of them. And earlier, him waking her up in the middle of the night only to tell her to go back to sleep.
This time she had decided to play a card that would settle her doubts once and for all. She had to make him sustain an injury without raising any suspicions.
Just then, she perceived footfalls on the front porch and seconds later Lucifer was in.
"Honey, I'm home," he held a polythene bag in his left hand as he announced with his arms out wide.
Lila immediately dropped her glass.
"Hey, babe. That was quick," she smiled.
"Well, there was no traffic," Lucifer explained as they both headed for the kitchen. "Also, the lady at the grocery store was quite helpful."
"Ohh," she gaped. "Did you get the things I asked you to buy?" She inquired.
"The lamb chops and the chicken breasts, yes," Lucifer said, handing her the bag. After confirming that he got the right meat, she began to put them in two separate bowls.
"So, where do I come in?" Lucifer said after taking off his jacket and folding the sleeves of his shirt.
"Well, you could start by slicing the onion and the garlic while I wash these," she said, pointing to the kitchen counter. All the ingredients needed were arranged in fine order. It made Lucifer smile in enthusiasm.
"Yes ma'am," he cheered and began to work on the onions.
Lila kept an eye on him even as he began cutting.
"Are you sure you still know your way around a knife?" She sneered. A part of her hoped he would just cut himself and bleed already.
"Of course," he chuckled.
After cutting, Lucifer proceeded to blend the ingredients. Then they mixed the blended ingredients with the two sets of meat.
"Here, we have to fry this too," She said handing him a bowl filled with some ball pepper, green beans, and sweet corn.
"Okay," Lucifer said, enjoying every minute of what he did.
Just then, a pop song began playing on the radio. Lucifer hummed to the rhythm as he turned on the stove and placed a frying pan on it.
"Come on, Henry, focus," Lila laughed.
Lucifer continued to dance to the music. He waited till the pan heated a little before he poured in some cooking oil.
"You know you want to join in, Lila."
Lila giggled. But as Lucifer said, she couldn't help but dance along as well.
"Ah, there you go!" Lucifer exclaimed before pouring the contents on his plates into the frying pan. The reaction raised a fume in the air, although the aroma was very pleasing. Lucifer decided to flip the pan like a professional but his attempt was a poor one as it splashed some cooking oil on his hands.
"Bloody hell!" He let go of the frying pan immediately.
Immediately, Lila ran to him.
"Hey, let me see your hand," she offered.
She took his hand and examined the area where the cooking oil had splashed.
"There's no burn," she said in bafflement.
"It hurts though," Lucifer winced. "I guess I am lucky, again," he grinned.
A part of her still wondered if she was wrong. Maybe she was overreacting and there was nothing out of the ordinary.
"No Lila, you have to make sure!" She braced herself in her head, tightening her grip on the kitchen knife.
"Why don't we get back to the cook-- oww!"
Lucifer retracted his hand at the sharp pain tearing through him courtesy of the knife that cut flesh. Lila dropped the knife immediately and jumped backward in shock.
"You cut me," he stared blankly at her.
"Y-You're bleeding," Lila stuttered, her gaze locked on his bloody hands.
Lucifer, new to that kind of pain didn't know how to react. The tile which he stood was already smeared from the blood that dripped from his hand even as he held it tight with his other hand.
"It appears so," he said, dumbfounded.
Fortunately, Lila sprang into action.
"I'll go get the first aid kit."
She ran to the bathroom and returned with a pair of scissors, gauze, a Band-Aid, and a bottle of antiseptic which she offloaded on the kitchen counter.
"Here, sit down," she said and got to work immediately.
"Ow, I can't believe I'm saying this but can you take it easy?" Lucifer said as she applied an antiseptic to the wound.
"I'm sorry, this is the last one," she replied then proceeded to wrap the wound in gauze and the Band-Aid.
Not sure of what to make of her action, Lucifer studied her expression carefully. There was no way the Lila he knew would do something like that at random.
"Why did you do it, Lila?" He asked immediately she finished.
"I'm sorry, Henry. I thought..." She paused, realizing what a fool she had been. "You didn't have a scratch on you after the explosion, you didn't have a scratch on you after Peter collapsed a building on our heads. I thought perhaps it was a side effect of your experiments and I just wanted to make sure."
"And so you decided to slash my palm?" Lucifer scoffed. "Wouldn't you be happy to know that I couldn't be armed?"
"It's not about the indestructibility, Henry." Lila countered. "You've been different, things have been different. I mean I kinda like this new you but it doesn't feel like you."
Lucifer grimaced, then he looked away.
"You said you loved me."
"No, Henry, I do love you," she gently pulled his face back with her hands on both sides of his cheeks. Then she stared deep into his eyes. "I mean it. I was wrong to doubt you before. Please forgive me," she made a doggy face at the end.
Lucifer sighed.
"Well, I'm afraid you will have to be punished for your mistake."
Lila chuckled.
"Mhmm, what do you have in mind?" She asked with a sultry gaze as she sank her two front teeth into her bottom lip.
Suddenly, the frying pan made a pop sound that startled both of them. For some reason, they both laughed.
"I think we should get back to cooking. We'll discuss your penance later--"
Lila flung her hands around him.
"Thank you, Henry."
Lucifer didn't say a word. Rather, he rested his chin on her shoulder and stroked her hair with his good hand.
Henry, however, was hopeful.
she can feel he isn't me. there's still a chance.
** ** **
The only light bulb flickered at the presence of Modriel in Cortez's living room. He stood with a short sword in his hand- a blade finely made from the heavens. Modriel admired the runic markings on the handle as he played with the pointy end, almost fantasizing about how he was going to put the blade to use.
He didn't move an inch either when the door swung open.
"Good evening," Cortez walked to the leather couch as he spoke. He dropped the nylon bag on the center table. "I bought some Chinese, you want some?"
"I'll pass," Modriel said mildly, still admiring the blade.
"What you guys don't get hungry up there?" Cortez asked with a stare.
"We prefer not to waste our time on petty things like food and sex," Modriel answered sharply.
Cortez clicked his tongue.
"Suit yourself... What's that?" He asked as soon as he caught a glimpse of the blade.
Modriel turned his neck to face him.
"Are you familiar with the angel Azrael?" He asked.
"You mean the angel of death?" Cortez's eyes got wide.
Modriel nodded. "This belongs to her. It is the only weapon deadly enough to wipe a powerful being as Lucifer out of existence."
"I see. This fancy necklace isn't the only souvenir you brought from the silver city." Cortez grinned.
Modriel ignored his remark and shifted his gaze back to the blade.
"Does that mean it's time to begin carrying out your glorious plan?"
"Soon enough, my friend," Modriel answered. "Tell me, doctor, have you ever met Henry's companion?"
"You mean Lila? Maybe once or twice at some fundraising events, yeah. But what does she have to do with the plan?"
Modriel smiled.
"I believe she is the key to luring Lucifer."