A DEAD GIVEAWAY of her mixed feelings, silence was all Izzy could bring to the table as she sat next to the hospital bed Lucifer had settled into, her leg making its usual anxious bounce while she watched from aside. The man's shirt was undone and the defibrillator's wires had been attached to his bare chest, yet he didn't seem half as nervous as Izzy who had refused the flask that he was now casually sipping on. Time was ticking away at a torturous pace and every passing second was putting Izzy on edge — suddenly, the idea of sending Lucifer to Hell by stopping his heart didn't sound so intriguing anymore, but every time she wanted to pull the cord on the whole ordeal, she had to remind herself that Chloe's life depended on it. It was a situation she hadn't hoped, or even really expected to find herself in, but she had to face the facts — this was the new normal, and it was happening, with or without her.
"I'm gonna give you 60 seconds, then restart your heart to bring you back", Linda's voice cut through the buzz of Izzy's busy thoughts, and with her eyes alert and attentive, the deputy turned to Dr. Martin who was nervously checking the defibrillator. Isadora didn't blame her — she was a wreck herself, and she wasn't even the one to push Lucifer to the other side, no, that task had fallen to Mazikeen, who gulped down the remains of the flask desperately. The fact that even the soul torturer was having second thoughts said something, but Lucifer wasn't the slightest bit worried.
"60 seconds? I've had orgasms that last longer", he complained blatantly, and although the sass she would surely miss if things were to go awry made her smile, Isadora didn't hesitate to swat his arm in disapproval. This was no time for jokes — or maybe it was exactly what they needed, but Izzy didn't want to miss out on the plan. They needed to be prepared for anything, without actually being able to prepare for such craziness, and the lack of routine and certainty was making Izzy's anxiety go haywire.
"Time moves much slower down there. Remember?", Maze reminded, and the odd words earned a confused stare from Isadora, who was still puzzled if anything. About it all, really, just the mere concept of Hell actually existing, and she was going to have a lot of questions afterwards when they were no longer worried about someone's life or death situation.
When Lucifer tried to argue further, Linda stepped in with a firm stare. "60 seconds is already cutting it closer than I'd like. The brain only lasts three minutes after death", she sounded very professional, but before Izzy could be impressed with her knowledge, the blonde was continuing, "or so I read. Just now. Like, on the ride over. Why am I doing this again?", panic earning a foothold in her faltering tone. It was right there and then, that Izzy realized that she couldn't possibly witness this — she was of no use, Linda was not trained for this, Lucifer was going to great lengths at the cost of self-destruction and even Mazikeen's hands shook while she grasped the defibrillator pads.
It was a plan destined for doom, and Izzy didn't have it in her to just stand aside and stare Lucifer in the eye as he would die, and maybe never come back. She had seen many dark and gruesome things, but her friend's voluntary death was not one she was willingly going to experience. However, she knew that whatever she'd say would not encourage him to back down, so instead of fighting that particular fight, Izzy leaned over and hesitantly pressed a soft kiss on Lucifer's forehead — and she tried not to think about the fact that her lips had officially touched the Devil.
"I can't watch this. You better not die for good or I'm taking the next ride there and dragging your ass back by myself, okay?", she stared him in the eye, defiant on the outside but the sad veil in her hazel eyes gave away the emotions she was struggling to keep at bay. Even with all the hardships between them, the issues that were yet to fully resolve, she wasn't ready to accept that this would be the last time she'd ever see him. And that unspoken affection made Lucifer smile, almost in disbelief as he met Izzy's stern gaze. "Good luck", Izzy exhaled, giving a nod to the man, and then to Linda, "you got this."
When she, at last, glanced at Mazikeen with an apologetic smile, the demon stared right back with soft eyes and her mouth open, yet no words came out as the redhead headed for the exit. Right at the doorway, Izzy bumped into Benjamin, the two sharing a brief smile before she rushed out, unable to spend another second in the suffocation of the room. All four of them watched her go, but as soon as Izzy could finally breathe the cool air in the hallway, the plan resumed, though the thought of the woman hardly ever left Maze's head, always sticking around to remind her of what was important.
Izzy, on the other hand, tried not to think about the group as she strode down the hallway to find Chloe's room, but when she heard the deep pulse of the defibrillator from behind the door, her heart stopped right along. But the difference was, for her, it was only a split second, and whereas hers continued to beat, Lucifer's no longer did. And that was the sole reason behind the tear that escaped the corner of her eye when she shut them — knowing that one of her closest friends had returned home and there was no telling whether or not he'd ever make it back here.
—————
MIRACULOUSLY, IZZY HAD avoided a complete meltdown and only wiped her eyes before stepping into Chloe's room with the intention to keep the sleeping woman company. She wasn't granted the peace, however, as Izzy stepped in and focused on the tips of her shoes more than where she was going, leaving her stumbling right into the firm back of someone much taller. And the list of friends taller than her was not very long, so without even looking up, Izzy concluded that it was either a stranger or—
"Amen—da—damn it", she stammered out the man's name, eyes blown wide as she stepped back and let her eyes travel from his broad shoulders to the face that he eventually turned to her, eyes kind as ever and a somewhat amused smile making a quick appearance as well. "Sorry, for bumping into you, Amenadiel", Izzy continued, waving her hands in the air before he had an opportunity to correct his name for her — she hated being rude, but in her defense, it was a unique one. And as she proceeded to stare at him so obviously, the quiet room seeming even more awkward with a snap of fingers, she remembered just how unique he was.
"Don't worry about it", he grinned, oozing charm just like his brother, and unable to hold back a soft laugh, the woman nodded. In regards of attraction, there was none, but now that Izzy knew him to be more than a simple human, she could feel the mysterious pull in the air — the certain aura lingering around him, like he carried something foreign but amazing within him, and it engraved an intrigued speck in the keen gaze that followed his every moment.
"My goal in life", Izzy tried to joke, but it came out more embarrassing than anything else, and with instant regret seeping in, she inhaled sharply. "Uh, Lucifer put you up to this?", she cleared her throat and took a step closer to Chloe's bed, the wave of her finger gesturing at the poor woman, unconscious and with deadly poison running through her veins. Izzy was one to enjoy the bliss of denial, though, so with that thought, she twirled back around to Amenadiel, who didn't seem too upset with the role he had been given, despite the shrug he offered as a response.
"More or less. I would have volunteered anyway — Chloe, she... doesn't deserve this. If all I have to do is keep watch and make sure she stays in this very room, then I am in no place to argue", the angel assured, unwavering loyalty behind each and every word as he stood there with crossed arms and a brave face on. Izzy hadn't really done her research on Amenadiel, but she could tell that he had been valuable to his kind, a strong warrior with a good heart, and it made her smile. She had been shoved into this whole new reality by seeing Mazikeen's disfigured face, learning about the existence of the Devil which had seemed scary at first, but she hadn't even considered the other side of the coin — Heaven, the good in the world and the fact Amenadiel was, quite literally, being Chloe's guardian angel right now.
Izzy forgot to say something more as she merely smiled up at him and wondered about angels silently, but the quietness that would have been terrifying if it wasn't for her loud thoughts, split apart when Amenadiel turned to her once again. "I heard that was you only yesterday", he nodded towards Chloe before directing his sympathetic gaze back to Izzy, "I'm sorry to hear that. But I'm very happy to see that you are all right."
Unable to believe the gentleness he held within despite the broody, tall figure Izzy had gotten used to, she gave him a grateful nod. "Yeah, me too. Thanks", she huffed while following Amenadiel's lead and wrapping her arms over her own chest — though it didn't take long for it to turn into a comforting hug of her own. The poisoning had been the most dangerous situation of her life so far, and now Chloe was going through the same, no matter how much Isadora loathed the idea of someone else sharing that terrible experience, and she couldn't do much to help. And on top of that, the hectic life she now led, had barely left her any time to process the previous night and the very real worry of not seeing another day.
However, there was a question that had the potential of granting her at least a fraction of peace. "Um, actually, can I ask you something?", Isadora sheepishly looked at Amenadiel, whose surprised but encouraging expression told her to go on, along with the turn he made with his body to face her fully. "Do you think I'd go to Heaven or Hell?", the deputy blurted out unexpectedly, the question evidently catching Amenadiel off-guard and making him drop his arms as doubt crossed his features. "I mean, I know they exist. Maze told me. So, you're an... expert, to say the least. In your honest opinion, if I would have died, do you think I would have... you know? Highway to hell or stairway to heaven?", Izzy ranted away, and it was obvious in her shaky voice that she was nervous to even think about it, her heart running in her chest and her feet beginning to rock back and forth whether she realized it or not.
Amenadiel was speechless for a moment, but with a gulp, he swallowed down his hesitancy and exhaled. "I don't know you that well, Izzy, but from what I've seen personally, and heard from my brother and Maze, I'd say you're doing good. And I can't... define your future, or alter it, but people are so much more complex than just good or bad. But when your name comes up, I believe people think of the good more than the bad", there was no hiding the passion in him as he elaborated, but the hint of sweetness was what ultimately turned the frown on Izzy's lips upside down again. She wasn't quite sure what he was doing on Earth, but she was glad, and she could tell that he made a good angel, a good soldier. Maybe he, too, had made some mistakes, but he had a lot of care to share and she liked that.
"Thank you", Izzy nodded quietly, and although she didn't expand on her gratitude more than that, she hoped that Amenadiel could hear it in her positively surprised voice. Concluding from the firm nod he repeated after her, they had reached a point of agreement, and too happy with the contentment that enveloped them in its grasp, they both stayed silent and settled for watching over Chloe. But Izzy's thoughts didn't cease to race in her throbbing head, and as she tried to dodge the darkness of Chloe's fate, she inevitably ended up smiling — maybe finding out about demons had been beyond shocking, but befriending an angel didn't feel half-bad.
Time passed as Amenadiel and Izzy stood by the doorway of Chloe's room, looking rather similar with their tense postures, with the exception of him being a soldier of Heaven and her being a cop of the LAPD. But what united them, was the loyalty to the task, and the friend they both cared about in their own, unique ways. Eventually, though, Izzy elected that the curiosity in her was far too great to ignore, and the wonder of whether or not Linda and Maze were succeeding with Lucifer drove her away from Amenadiel, kind goodbyes spoken quietly to maintain the peace in the room before she headed back.
Frankly, she was scared to discover the other side of the door, but the more she thought about it, the harder it became to stay away. Not to mention, all the questions were clashing together at once — she was still shaken by her own near-death experience, she was still trying to grasp the reality she now shared with creatures she had never thought to be real, she was still calculating her feelings for Mazikeen, and she was endlessly worried for Chloe's well-being. None of those things could be easily solved, but Lucifer's state was one mystery she could figure out, so she went after what she could, and told her heart to stay in her chest as she found her way back.
Truthfully, she nearly had a flicker of hope as she strode down the hallway, but whatever enthusiasm was on the verge of rising in her nervously beating heart, died as soon as Linda's desperate shouts reached her ears. Erupting into a sprint, Izzy swallowed her nerves and burst through the door, only to find the therapist trying to revive Lucifer's limp, lifeless body, to no avail. Isadora's stomach made violent flips at the sight of his blank eyes staring at the ceiling while Linda attempted to restart his heart, and when nothing happened, she couldn't stop herself from letting out a shaky gasp. She was unwilling to accept that this was the end, that they were going to lose Lucifer and Chloe, and when Izzy's teary eyes trailed over to Maze, she found the demon staring right at her with something new in her eyes.
Despair. Heartache. Emotions Izzy had never seen in Mazikeen, not like this — the night she had shown her true face had left her upset, but this was way different. This was her first and only friend for the longest time, unable to escape his own death, and it was leaving Maze in a state of total panic. She didn't know how to act, how to react, and the hopeless look she gave Izzy was like a cry for help as if she needed guidance and support, and the woman simply didn't have it in her to fight back. With the bitter tears making a comeback, Izzy scrambled over to Maze, an apologetic shake of her head following as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders and held her closer, both of them watching Linda's futile attempts to bring their beloved friend back to the land of the living.
Ironic, wasn't it — the Devil getting stuck in Hell, forced to live out a miserable loop for the rest of eternity.
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aHHHH the drama omg, this is definitely (in my opinion) one of the most intense episodes of the show and writing it is always emotional (': but ignoring the sappy lines and constant tears, i really liked including more amenadiel and izzy, because they're actually really similar?? neither really get along with their dad, but love their mom and would do anything for family + they both have a sense of duty and integrity AND I'M SERIOUSLY ONLY NOW REALIZING ALL OF THIS
for once, i don't have a long ass author's note to bore you all so i'll just thank you all for reading once more, and for sticking with this story 🖤