"WHAT IS HAPPENING?" Disbelief was bright and clear on Isadora's face as she stared at her mother, who was seated by the table of Ella's lab, accompanied by the scientist herself, and Chloe — the two of them just as astonished. Of course, Ella had already met Diane and heard epic stories of her taking down criminals like a total badass, and Chloe had been the one to request someone calling Diane in, but there was no denying that they were all surprised to find out that she, Izzy's mom of all people, was the one connection to John Decker they were missing. The needed piece for the puzzle they were trying to solve. "Mom—", Izzy began, but she wasn't quite sure what she was even trying to say, so all that came out was a confused huff while she took a seat by the table as well.
Shakily, Diane took in a deep breath. "You'd call that lovely friend of yours, Dan, some kind of a mentor, wouldn't you, sweetheart?", she turned to Izzy, who glanced between Ella and Chloe before meeting her mother's gaze and slowly nodding. It wasn't like she had particularly tried to hide it — she looked up to Dan, knew that beyond the worst parts of him, he was a good man and a great cop, someone who could teach her a lot of valuable lessons. However, why Diane would bring that up, was causing a cloud of wariness in Izzy's usually soft eyes as she eyed Diane carefully. "Yes, well, my relationship with your father was similar in that manner", Diane directed a soft smile at Chloe then, "I was a homicide detective, he was just a cop trying to do some good in the world, trying to do what I did. We weren't... partners, and he wasn't a detective, yet he did all that work, I'm sure you've noticed", before gesturing towards the scattered files all over the table — a thorn in Izzy's side, causing a wave of anxiety to wash over her.
As Isadora pushed the chair away with a screech and proceeded to arrange John Decker's old files, in the process also keeping an eye out for anything worthwhile, Diane let out a deep sigh and shrugged. "The day he died, he told me he'd stumbled on something big and wanted to tell me all about it. I trusted his gut, I knew he was good at what he did, but I didn't think that much of it — it was getting late, and I remembered him mentioning a place with the best sandwiches", Diane was getting choked up, clearly distraught and still full of guilt, even after all these years, even if she hadn't been the one behind the trigger. At the mention of the restaurant, Chloe's eyes lit up in the saddest way possible, and Izzy could only figure that it had a more significant meaning, but she remained silent while stacking up the papers.
"Well, we—uh, we discovered that it was actually a hit, so... there's nothing you could have done, Mrs. Holt. Even if you hadn't sent him there, they... could have gotten him elsewhere. Maybe right in our home", Chloe tried to find some kind of silver lining, something to relieve Diane of the pressure pushing on her heart, but it didn't come out as convincing — of course, it was true, and Izzy would never in a million years blame her mother, or anyone except the true villain of the story, but the sad truth was that there was no silver lining. There was only blood and a broken family.
"You know, we had that—that kind of relationship, where we'd tease each other, joke around. And at first, it was supposed to be just that. I told him to get me a sandwich before I could listen to any heavy theories", Diane let out a sad chuckle, causing chills to go down Izzy's spine as she wondered if that would be her and Dan one day. They made fun of each other but there was affection buried beneath it, and what if, eventually, one of those snarky comments would be the last thing they'd ever say to each other? Was that all Diane could think about whenever Izzy happily rambled about Dan at home? Wiping the corner of her eye, Diane looked down, "It stopped being funny when he never came back", making everyone else in the room sniffle too.
Gulping, Izzy pushed the perfect pile of files away before stepping towards her mother and pulling her into a gentle hug, Diane's head resting against her chest as she rubbed circles on her back. "It's not your fault, mom. But—how did I—we never know about this?", her eyes drifted over to Chloe, who was suddenly wondering the same thing — how could their paths be crossing only now, if their parents had been so heavily involved with one another? And, in a way, wasn't it quite the twist of fate to lead them into the same room after all those years, both carrying the same badge with the same duty on their shoulders?
"Oh, you did", Diane parted from her daughter softly. "You met John a few times, actually. I think, at one point, you and Chloe even stood next to each other, but she was a busy actress with a lot on her plate and you were a twelve-year-old gushing over the sirens on my car. You just never clicked, until now, I suppose", she smiled, and for the first time during the entire conversation, both Chloe and Izzy broke into similar expressions, grinning at the thought of what could have been. "When John... when he was shot, I never told you, because you were so young and excited to become a detective. I always did warn you about the dangers, but I didn't want to come home and tell you that I had sent the guy who looked up to me, to his death", Diane sighed out loud, and at that, no one dared to add anything more.
Well, except for Ella, who gave the silence a fair moment before speaking up, reminding everyone that she was still present, as well. "Is that how you, um, I don't mean to be rude—but, your, uh...", she tried to form a question, as politely as possible, and letting out a fond laugh, Diane got the hint and answered by shaking her head.
"No, that's not how I got shot. But, actually, if I recall correctly, the case I was working on at the time was one that John revived. It had been closed ages ago, but he found a new lead and after his untimely demise, I was eventually given the honors of leading the investigation. Of course, it resulted in me getting a bullet in my leg, but at least I got to take down a whole lotta criminals and do good before it did", Diane smiled at the nostalgia, the warmth of it reminding her of the good times she had had — being a cop wasn't always easy, but she had been an amazing one and not all the memories were painful to remember. It had been great too, one of the reasons why she had been nothing short of encouraging when Isadora had first expressed interest in following in her footsteps.
"And, I can still help. Whatever it is you need, I'm game. If it'll give you what you need to finally take down the guy who killed him and others... Let's just say yoga hasn't exactly been the peak of my retirement", Diane smacked her hands against the table, and while Ella was certainly the most thrilled about the iconic Detective Holt making a comeback for today, all of them were more than ready to get investigating and get closure.
—————
THE DAY WAS well on its way when Diane finally left the building, her assistance much appreciated and both effective and nostalgic — Chloe and Izzy had both enjoyed the walk down memory lane, even if they were yet to find something concrete regarding the actual killer, but at least they had successfully narrowed it down to some specific files. The task was finding the case that John had made a break in, the case that Diane never got to discuss with him, because that would surely lead them to the murderer, but so far, they hadn't found anything solid and worthy of following up on. Lucifer and Dan, however, had caught Boris Sokolov, the guy who arranged fall guys for murders and was undoubtedly somehow connected to John's death. It seemed their teamwork at the bathhouse had worked out, and as Chloe headed home to dig a little deeper, Izzy held the fort back at the precinct.
"Your daily pudding delivery, darling", Dan's god-awful mockery of Lucifer's accent snapped Izzy out of her thoughts, forcing laughter up her throat as she looked up from the case files she had gotten lost into. Walking into the break room with two cups of pudding, one of which she tossed to Izzy, Dan laughed with her, "I thought that since he's spent the day mocking me, I should try and switch it up", shrugging casually while taking a seat on the couch, whereas Izzy sat by the large table.
"I think Ella's onto something with the method actor theory, actually, because Lucifer is doing a way better job than you are", she teased, and faking a gasp, Dan pretended to be insulted while tearing open his pudding, just like Izzy did, both of them digging into the chocolate goodness happily. It had been a long day, and neither of them had had the time or the reminder to eat, only now they were allowed this moment of partial peace with one another.
"Oh, you have no idea", Dan chuckled to himself, and instantly, Izzy lifted a questioning eyebrow, only for the man to glance around warily before leaning forward. "Okay, if you tell anyone I'm canceling your pudding subscription. But I've been taking improv classes for a while now, to, you know, loosen up a little. Cope with everything — Benji, the divorce, whatnot. I'm actually about to head over to one in a minute", he revealed, and at this, Izzy genuinely gasped, her eyes widening and lips twisting up.
And for a second, Dan thought she was about to make fun of him again, but obviously, he had spent too much time with Lucifer to think that of Isadora. "Oh my god, Dan! That's awesome! I'm glad you have that. Maybe there's an actor in you, after all", she gushed, putting the pudding down as she smiled up at him from across the room. And then, as they sat there and she felt the bond between them, she couldn't help but gulp thickly and blink her eyes to avoid them welling up with tears at the memory of Diane's story. What if Izzy & Dan was truly going to be the new Diane & John? Of course, she wasn't ready to lose any of her friends or loved ones, but as Dan then stood up and said something sassy as a goodbye that was merely a buzz in Izzy's ears, she panicked, feared that that would be the last thing she'd ever hear him say, the last time she'd see him walk out.
So, before Dan could walk away, she jumped up from her seat and rushed over to the man, grabbing his wrist to stop him from leaving. "What? Did I forget something?", he was already questioning, but without answering, Izzy simply threw her arms over his shoulders and hugged him tight, exhaling in relief when he felt his warm body against her own. Although he was undeniably taken aback by the unexpected embrace, Dan eventually melted into the gesture and wrapped his arms around Izzy, a soft smile creeping up to his lips as he held her.
"No, but I did. Thank you. For everything. I know I tease you but I truly appreciate you, Dan. Everyone should do that more, you know. Just—just remember that you're awesome and there's no one I'd rather have as my boss and friend", she muttered, squeezing him against her once before letting go, a soft bump to his shoulder done in the attempt to clear the air.
Nudging her shoulder in return, Dan nodded softly, his eyes appreciative albeit confused. "Not sure where this is coming from, but right back at you, Iz. No one I'd rather have as my right-hand woman", he reassured, and just as he was about to leave again, the man twirled around once more and pointed a finger at Isadora. "Except maybe Lucifer", he wiggled his eyebrows, and laughing, the redhead returned to her files, heart full of love and gratitude.
And she, for sure, didn't take it for granted.
While Dan left for his improv class, Izzy remained in the break room, drowning in the files she was determined to bore through, the peace and concentration causing her leg to bounce up and down as she kept on reading. She didn't even realize how much time passed as she read through John's reports, until a surprised voice spoke from the doorway, causing her to finally snap out of the haze.
"You're still here?", Lucifer shook his head, and after glancing at the clock only to realize hours had gone by, Izzy turned to the man who gracefully seated himself on the edge of the table, his lanky form towering over her. Collecting the papers she had absentmindedly scattered all over, Izzy shrugged, not sure whether she was supposed to be embarrassed or smug of the amount of work she had buried herself in.
"I really want to help Chloe solve this", she sighed, "I wouldn't be holding it together as well if this was about my mom", and crossed her hands underneath her jaw while looking up to Lucifer, who nodded slowly — he was trying to understand, even if he wasn't particularly versed in the delights of family.
"Not your father?", Lucifer questioned carefully, and chuckling, Izzy leaned back in her seat and ran her thin fingers through the tousled red mess of hair.
"I believe it was you who once said that fathers are overrated", she lifted an eyebrow, and as the Devil laughed at the fair argument, Isadora finally noticed that he had shed the leather jacket and skinny jeans and was back to wearing a sleek suit and shiny shoes, the sight earning a small smile from her. "The end of Douchifer?", Izzy inquired, and as Lucifer parted his lips and looked down at his clothes as if to ensure that was indeed true, she continued before he could say anything, "I'm glad. One Dan is enough, zero Lucifers isn't."
With a borderline amazed look, thoroughly surprised by her unconditional benevolence, Lucifer lifted his gaze back to Izzy, devoid of words. Well, for a while — some things did make him speechless, but it never lasted for long. "Yes, well, I had a very illuminating conversation with... Dan. And I actually came here to ask if you'd like to join me at the Detective's house, since you've clearly dedicated yourself to the case, as well", Lucifer gestured at all the paperwork Izzy had dug her way through, and that was about all the coaxing it took to get the officer out of her chair, her hands already picking up all the files and her coat.
After tossing her cap onto Lucifer's perfectly styled hair, she flashed a grin and hooked arms with the man, ready to go. "Shall we?"
»»»
heyooo ((: this was kind of a filler chapter but i feel like skipping over these little moments would just make the story dull, and i also don't want to concentrate only on izzy's love life?? buuutttt the next chapter is going to be very exciting, i had so much fun writing it and i can't wait to share it with you all (:
i'm not gonna ramble more because my author's notes are usually so so so long, but as always, feedback would be much appreciated, thank you for reading ❤️❤️