TWO WEEKS AFTER the particularly horrendous couple of days, things were fading back to normal — or at least, as normal as they could be. Wherever Izzy stood with Maze, it felt like solid ground, as they were spending more and more time together and being more honest and open with one another. And even if Izzy had shared her struggles to sleep soundly through the night and the obsessive symptom-searching for all the possible diseases after every sneeze and cough, she had been more than happy to return to work too. Admittedly, the meltdown she had had in the precinct upon facing Lucifer after finding out the truth was weighing her heart down, but with Dan assigning a handful of smaller crimes for her to solve, and no one else seemingly doubting her skills either, it seemed like the chaos around them had finally settled down.
Ironically, her biggest worry at the moment happened to be Dan himself — the usually mellow guy who rarely caused trouble for her, was now earning extra attention from Izzy with his lack of input at work and the added pudding cups to a point where his health had to be reeling. Something had upset him, and Isadora wasn't quite sure if it was about Charlotte or Benjamin — the latter Izzy could still understand, because she, too, had had a few sleepless nights in wondering where he was and if he was doing okay. But, as long as he had Lucifer, things couldn't be so bad.
"Hey", Ella snapped her fingers behind Izzy, who instantly jumped on the chair she had seated herself on, eyes quickly turning from Dan's desk to the scientist whose lab the women had taken over. Chloe had received a new case regarding a murdered rock star, and as Ella dug through the evidence, Izzy was determined to finish the paperwork for the mugging she had handled earlier the day — the only problem was, she kept zoning out, right in the middle of Ella's rambles. "You're doing it again. Are you thinking about Maze?", the Lopez broke into a mischievous grin, her dorky goggles resting on top of her forehead as she took off her gloves and pushed aside the microscope on her desk.
With a sheepish huff, Izzy turned back to the neatly organized files in front of her and cocked an eyebrow. "Well, now I am", she chuckled, gaze briefly meeting Ella's as she did. While jumping into a relationship still seemed absolutely terrifying, taking slower steps with Mazikeen hadn't been awful at all, and that much was evident from the blissful smile that crept to Isadora's lips without her even noticing — the reaction merely the mention of her name caused.
"Things must be good, huh?", Ella sighed adoringly, her heart full of support for whatever was to become of them. And Izzy wasn't only happy to feel her enthusiasm, but glad to nod with honesty — things were good, and while undoubtedly their relationship was going to be realistic with its flaws, she was convinced that the worst was over, and for now, there was only good to come.
"Yeah", Izzy rested her jaw on the back of her hand as she beamed up at Ella, "I've had a lot on my mind lately and Maze's really been there for me through it all", making the forensic scientist smile too. It didn't take a detective notice how deeply Maze and Izzy cared about one another, even if they didn't always say it out loud. But, before they could dive into the conversation in the middle of work, Isadora's curious stare wandered to the outside of the lab, where Dan was silently investigating some files, all by his lonesome. "Hey, you know what's up with him?", Izzy frowned, worried eyes finding Ella again, only to catch the dark-haired woman eyeing him as well. It was evident that Dan wasn't himself, and although Izzy hadn't been back for many days yet, Ella had never taken a similar break, giving her the opportunity to witness the slow downhill of his mood on a daily basis.
Sighing, she hoisted her shoulders in a doubtful shrug. "I don't know, but I guess it's got something to do with Benjamin. I haven't seen him around, you know, so maybe something happened?", Ella offered a theory whilst throwing her arm over Izzy's shoulder, and as the two of them continued to observe the melancholic detective, the redhead gave her a puzzled glance.
"Yeah, but isn't he just taking a break with—", she began, but before she could finish, the very same man whose name hung on the tip of her tongue, made an extravagant entrance into the building. Calling out Chloe with his usual nickname for her, Lucifer bounced down the stairs and opened his arms wide, not to propose a hug but to show off himself after two weeks of absence, and only then, Isadora realized how much he had been missed — she had been so thoughtful about Benjamin, she had completely ignored the yearning in her heart that begged for more of Lucifer's silly quips and unique care.
Still, there was no sign of Benjamin, and Izzy felt her heart crack at the hope that took place on Dan's features only for it to die out as soon as he and Chloe came face to face with Lucifer alone. Nevertheless, one of the two men showing up was progress, and with that in mind, Izzy was shoving herself off of the seat and striding out of the lab, Ella on her heel and both of them heading towards Lucifer. All the officers in the precinct were freezing, well-aware that the tension that lingered in the air after Lucifer had disappeared without a trace or an explanation, was explosive — especially between him and Chloe, who didn't hesitate to glare at him with betrayal heavy on her heart.
And, needless to say, Lucifer wasn't really helping himself when he shushed Chloe's attempts to greet him.
"Dude", Izzy laughed out, her fist coming in contact with Lucifer's arm instead of her opting for a hug, "welcome back." She chose to ignore the fact that Chloe was quite literally fuming, certain that any attempts to calm her down would only result in her blowing up in all of their faces — she didn't blame her for being frustrated though, but she was yet to reach that same point. Instead, she smiled up at Lucifer, who mirrored the expression, but only momentarily.
"Yes, hello, hello. As I said, I have some news so shall we skip the reunions?", he dismissed Isadora with a wave of her hand, and that was what made her take a step back, over to Chloe, the two now following him in displeasure. Whatever he was plotting, had to be big though, or at least for his sake, Izzy hoped so — best case scenario, he was going to tell them where he and Benjamin had been all this time, and for that, perhaps standing aside was worth it.
As for the worst case scenario...
"Lucifer!", a chirpy voice called out the man's name from the stairs, stretching each vowel in that syrupy tone and grasping the attention of everyone there as it dawned closer with each step. Eyes already wide, Izzy was left speechless at the sight of a pair of silver stilettos that clicked against the precinct floors, and led to legs for days, and a pink, tight dress hugging the body of a happily smiling blonde. As the donned woman painfully climbed down with her heels and flashily swiped her pink hair extensions away from her shoulder, Isadora forced her baffled stare to tear from her to Lucifer, who was rushing over to her with hushed whispers and reminders to stay in the car.
"I wanted to show your police friends just how generous my honey is", the blonde insisted, pink lips widening as she grinned and lifted her hand for all of them to see, a large diamond shining on her ring finger and immediately dropping their jaws. Whereas Chloe and Dan simply stared at the giggly woman, and Ella had decided to sneak away from the rising complications, Izzy was the one to gasp and grab her painted nails to inspect the rock closer. A wedding ring? It was not what she had expected in the slightest, and as much as she wanted to beg for an explanation, or ask about Benjamin, all she could do was gape at the enormous diamond in dead silence.
Chloe, luckily, was not the same. "Lucifer, who is this?", she questioned in confusion, speaking the very words they were all thinking but didn't dare to say out loud.
"Right. Meet Candy Morningstar", Lucifer cleared his throat, and that alone was enough to make Izzy drop her hold on the woman's hand. Already shaking her head, the deputy was begging for him to stop speaking, but her pleas went unheard as he pulled Candy closer and smiled proudly, "My wife."
Quite frankly, Izzy didn't know what to feel. Confused, for sure, but there was also a punch of aching in her heart, yet she ended up barking out a laugh in utter disbelief — a wife? Of all the possible things Lucifer could have done in the two weeks he had disappeared for, he had gotten married? And not even to Benjamin Espinoza, but a random girl he had never even mentioned, and that was ultimately what made Izzy clench her jaw as she shook her head at Lucifer, overwhelmed by disappointment. She wasn't sure if she, or Dan, was going to punch him first, but she was certainly dying to hear the epic explanation to his foolish actions.
"What about Benji?", Izzy gritted out, fists clenching by her sides without her even comprehending it — as much as she appreciated Lucifer, there was a whole other level of understanding she shared with Benjamin. And albeit she was sure Candy was a sweet person, she couldn't stand aside and pretend like Lucifer hadn't just set fire to whatever he and Benjamin had — she couldn't support anything that would undeniably cause heartbreak for a friend, especially one that had already suffered more than enough.
Only then, a shaky exhale left her mouth as she realized that all this time, she had lived in the oblivious belief that Benjamin and Lucifer had been together, that they had been vacationing as a couple, only for the latter to return with a strange woman by his arm. The truth was, she had no idea where Benji was, and that encouraged her to firmly poke Lucifer's chest, the amusement in her eyes finally fading away for good. "Where is he?", her voice cracked just slightly, but the defiance remained — as did the panic that only began piling up by the second, making her breaths grow heavier and heavier. She hadn't heard from Benjamin in two weeks, and no one had told her anything, either. As far as she knew, he could have been missing.
Staring right back at Izzy, Lucifer's smirk became replaced with something he tried to pass as harsh coldness, but she saw through it effortlessly — he was heartbroken. "I don't know", he insisted with an unwavering voice, but it wasn't good enough for Isadora. But, when she turned around to ask Dan the same question, the man was already long gone, and right with him, every last bit of Izzy's patience and peace.
She had work to do, and along with assisting Chloe on the case, that meant figuring out where the hell was her friend and why.
—————
"I'M SORRY, IZZY." Maze's fingertips grazed the back of Isadora's hand, and glancing up at her enough to shoot a half-hearted smile, the redhead nodded. Mazikeen had dedicated time to help her, but there wasn't much they could do with Benjamin not returning their calls — instead, it left them seated in the kitchen of the Decker house, freshly brewed coffee keeping them nurtured and warm while Izzy impatiently stared at her phone and Maze followed the argument between Chloe and Lucifer. Naturally, as soon as the detective had expressed her unwillingness to work with Lucifer any longer, that had only encouraged the man to try even harder, and as they fought about whether or not he was as valuable of an addition to the case as he pictured, Maze and Izzy were left in the company of his new darling.
"So, who's Benjamin?", Candy inquired curiously while fixing her lipstick, and already, the two women exchanged looks as the blonde continued. "I mean, Lucifer talks about him a lot. Benjamin this, Benjamin that. He sounds really sweet, though", she ranted away, and despite her words, they didn't come out as jealous or bitter — if anything, she seemed to radiate almost naive innocence, and in a way, it reminded Izzy of Benjamin. As annoyed as she was, she couldn't blame Candy for the situation, and therefore, she cracked a careful smile while nodding.
"He is. Immature, but he has a good heart. He's the kind of friend that will either bail you out of jail, or be the reason you end up in jail", Izzy chuckled, shaking her head at the idea — it wasn't something she had personally experienced, but she had been the one to lock him up once, and no doubt, if she had just hung out with him more, her career would have been compromised one way or another. Still, the friendship was worth it, and he was worth it, and all that was precisely why she was struggling to let go of her phone. Even if deep down, she knew that it wasn't going to ring, she couldn't risk missing the call, just in case.
With an exaggerated pout, Candy sighed and put a hand on Izzy's arm, her pink nails scratching against her jacket as she caressed her comfortingly. "I'm sure it'll work out. You seem like a great cop, after all", the woman tried to smile, successfully making Isadora do the same as the deputy looked up from her phone and quirked an eyebrow. Well, if Benjamin and Lucifer were to end up apart, then at least his wife had manners and a dashing smile.
But, before Izzy could appreciate her too much, a protective arm wrapped around her shoulders and her eyes darted from Candy to Maze, whose tight-lipped smile didn't even resemble genuine. "She is, isn't she? Awesome with the handcuffs", Maze's ablaze eyes didn't leave Candy for a split second as her fingers trailed down Izzy's arm and deliberately squeezed her closer to herself. Already smiling, Izzy leaned in, gaze dropping down to the demon's glossy lips, and that was all it took for Candy to get the hint and move away. Isadora doubted that she had even tried to flirt, but surely, messing with a woman who excelled in torture was ill-advised, and something even Mrs. Morningstar was wise enough to steer away from.
"How would you know?", Izzy teased Maze once Chloe was shoving the newly-weds out of the apartment — surprisingly, the promiscuous demon was yet to charm the pants off of the deputy, though it wasn't for the lack of effort. And there was no denying that it had certainly crossed Izzy's mind more than once, but her taunting was still well-justified.
With a confident shrug, Maze was pressing a brief but deep kiss on the corner of her mouth. "Wild guess", she smirked, while her other hand slid down the woman's knee, "I guess I gotta find out for myself eventually."
As Izzy's mouth opened partly in a gasp and partly a chuckle, Chloe was slamming a washcloth and a bottle of sanitizer on the countertop, making their forgotten coffee cups quiver in the process. "I'm happy for you two, but please, spare me the details", the detective muttered in frustration, her ponytail bouncing as she began to scrub the marble, and her words successfully driving Maze and Izzy apart. As the bounty hunter got up to refill her mug, Izzy twirled on the chair, sympathetic eyes finding Chloe's irritated expression.
"I know it sucks. He disappeared on all of us, but he is your partner—", she tried to find the right words for comfort, but Chloe was quick to interject with a fiery stare.
"Was. Clearly, he wasn't interested in being one so I told him I didn't need him anymore. At least now he has extra time to spend with Candy", she shrugged, seemingly careless but Izzy doubted that was the case. However, she wasn't sure what else to add, so with a sharp inhale, she was turning Mazikeen who met her panicked gaze and decided to take a stab at it while sipping on her steaming coffee.
"He did get you an in with the mediator. That's a good thing, right?", the brunette attempted, reminding the cops of what Lucifer had done — now that he was officially a married man, he had had no trouble with arranging a meeting with a counselor that was, supposedly, a suspect in Chloe's case. Nodding vehemently, Izzy pointed at Maze as if to confirm that she was right, but without even looking up from the counter that had to be squeaky clean by now, Chloe shrugged.
"Yeah, well, I don't care. There's no way I'm letting him and his exotic dancer wife on my case — or any case", she made it very clear that they weren't going to change her mind — fair enough, Lucifer had screwed up, and now he needed to face the consequences, which he often did a good job at dodging. This time, Chloe wasn't letting him off the hook too easily, and since it wasn't causing him any actual pain, not like it had hurt Chloe anyway, Izzy gave up with a shrug.
And, he had just let Benjamin go and lost him in his search for a wife to adorn his side.
"Maybe you and Lucifer need a mediator", Maze wondered out loud, grabbing her coffee mug as she began to head towards her bedroom, and following her lead, Izzy readjusted her coat and got up from her seat. However, when Mazikeen extended a hand for her to take, and a devious smirk that was barely possible to resist, she only looked back with an apologetic smile. "Gonna show me those handcuffs, Holt?", she suggested boldly, and as tempting as the invitation was, Izzy declined with a soft shake of her head.
"As much as I hate to say no, I have an Espinoza to interrogate", she clapped her hands together, flashing a fake smile at the two women while scooting closer to the front door, "and for once, it's not Benji."
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thank you so much for 25K reads!! your support means the world to me ❤️
i also said this last chapter (i think) but big spoiler for the ending of light me up in the next chapter!! just a fair warning, in case some of you wish to read that one first — everything will be explained though so hopefully you won't be confused even if you don't (: