The Beginning of the End

1. Why'd You Have To Leave Me?

Chloe Decker tiptoed carefully through her daughter's bedroom. The small space was a mess, filled with clean clothes to be put away, school supplies, and locker decorations.

"Trix! I thought I told you to clean this up today!" Chloe yelled in frustration as she ran a hand over her tired face.

The sound of feet came pounding down the stairs and the fourteen year-old came running into the room. "Sorry Mom. I was just hanging out with Maze," Trixie maneuvered her way through the disaster-zone to her bed where clothes were tossed in random piles. "Did she tell you that's she's going all the way to Maine to chase a bounty?"

Maze had moved back in with Chloe and Trixie after Charlie had been born. She had been a huge help with the rent and making sure that Trixie was taken care of. Chloe couldn't help but wonder if Maze had been told to keep an eye on her, but she didn't think he would have had the time to talk to her after The Mayan. Given how pissed Maze was when Chloe told her that Lucifer had gone back home without her, it was a pretty good guess that he didn't even say goodbye to her, much less given her a job to do.

"Yeah, we talked about it last week." Chloe huffed as she sorted through a box of locker decorations. Trixie was starting high school tomorrow and they had spent the last few weeks buying new clothes and school supplies for this new chapter in Trixie's life. Chloe had enjoyed every second that she got to help her daughter prepare for this new phase, but dealing with the mess left by a young teenager was a completely different story.

Trixie was rambling on about something she and Maze talked about upstairs, but Chloe stopped listening somewhere after "Maze said the best parties don't start until after three." She tossed a locker shelf and some decorative magnets in a backpack. In her tired rush, she accidentally knocked a small bag off the dresser.

Chloe cursed under her breath and it caught her daughter's attention. Pictures were splayed all over the floor, just another thing to pick up.

"Here, I'll help, Mom." Trixie said gently, kneeling down to begin picking up the pictures. Chloe took a calming breath and counted to ten in her head, an anger management technique she learned years ago.

"Sorry about that monkey." She apologized and knelt next to her daughter. "Hey wait a second," Chloe said more enthusiastically, gently taking a hold of Trixie's wrist as she picked up a handful of pictures. "I didn't even get to see what pictures you developed for your locker!"

Trixie smiled wide with all her teeth and quickly gathered up all of the pictures on the floor, in no particular order, to show her mom.

"There's not very many. Just a couple in case I start missing you guys during the day." She explained.

She showed Chloe a picture of the two of them from when she was ten. They were eating gelato outside a small cafe in Rome on a very sunny day. There was a family selfie of Trixie, Chloe, and Dan from a random Taco Tuesday. Next, a picture of Trixie holding Charlie when he was a baby. There were several pictures of her and Maze, and even a few with Ella, making weird faces. She had a couple with her friends from junior high.

Trixie was about to quickly skip the next picture, but Chloe caught her and took the picture in her own hands.

It was a picture of Trixie from when she was nine. Chloe remembered when this picture was taken as if it were yesterday. It was the Friday night Lucifer came over for game night. Trixie had drawn on both of the adults' faces and made them both partake in a round of monopoly and karaoke. She insisted on taking a selfie of the three of them. Chloe loved taking selfies with her daughter - they always turned out to be adorable - but Lucifer wanted absolutely no documentation of his painted cheek for the top hat deal. Eventually, Trixie convinced him that this was part of the deal and nobody would see it. He agreed, but insisted on taking it since his arms were longer and would get the best angle. Lucifer had his free arm wrapped around Chloe's shoulders in a friendly posture, and Chloe hugged Trixie in front of her. They were all smiling and happy.