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"I'm pregnant."

When she spoke those words to the Devil himself, Izzy expected many things. She expected rage. She expected a bellowing outcry of accusation. She expected fire to come up from the floor and for the man in front of her to turn into some kind of winged monster with horns and a tail. A small part of her even expected to put up a fight to keep from being dragged to Hell.

What Izzy did not expect was for Lucifer to first choke on his whiskey and then promptly spit it out, reducing himself to a coughing fit.

The display shattered any illusion of terror the Devil could have held. Once the initial chaos died down and Lucifer was able to breathe without wheezing, however, he did not seem all too shocked. He sauntered over to the bar, topped off his glass of whiskey, and downed it all in one go, forgetting that the very same drink had caused him second degree esophageal burns two seconds prior.

"You're certain?" Lucifer asked, his dark eyes wide and slightly manic.

"Unfortunately."

Lucifer nodded and took another large drink. If he were mundane, he would have been comatose by now. Instead, he kept steadily pouring whiskey into his glass in the hopes that maybe it would do something to take the edge off.

"I was afraid this might happen. Normally it wouldn't be possible. But as soon as I saw those runes, I feared the worst."

Anger flashed through Izzy. He knew. He knew this could have happened and yet he said nothing? Oh, Izzy was so mad she could feel her knuckles crack in their fists. Rationally she knew that she had left Lucifer without so much as a name, nonetheless a number for him to call. Though, he said he saw her runes...she could have sworn her glamor stayed in tact the whole night. There was no way to know. Anger and rational thought warred in her brain, so she kept her mouth closed until she could get a grip.

In the mean time, Lucifer kept steadily drinking and Magnus stood between them like the awkward third wheel he was. He was torn between supporting his family member and supporting Izzy. So he kept a fair distance from both.

"I know it's a crazy bomb to drop on you, but I just learned that my hook up in LA was the Devil, and that he's the father of this child, so I'm just as lost. I don't know what else to do. I don't even know where to start. I need your help."

As humiliating as it was to beg the Devil for a sliver of mercy, Izzy was proud of herself for keeping it together long enough to get that out. Lucifer, however, was staring at her like she had grown a second head.

"What makes you think I can be of any use?" Lucifer asked, bewildered. "I don't know the first thing about children. I don't even like them."

Izzy felt like she had been slapped. She had come all this way, stuck her neck out on the line, and made herself vulnerable...for this? The anger came back ten fold, and this time she could not help the way it bled through.

"Are you telling me you can't help me, or won't help me?"

Lucifer shrugged. "Sorry to disappoint. I have a habit of doing that."

Sarcasm dripped off of his very word. As if he had any right to be offended when he was the one who got Izzy into this mess. The gall!

Frustrated beyond belief and close to tears, Izzy turned to Magnus. "This was a waste of time. Take me home, Magnus. Now."

Magnus, who looked rather irritated himself, only had to be told once before he had his hands out, fingers sparking up magic.

"Wait!" Lucifer shouted, looking terribly conflicted. He reached out with one hand, the one that wasn't holding his whiskey, halting Magnus in his tracks. "Miss..."

"Lightwood. Izzy Lightwood," she supplied, turning around and crossing her arms over her chest. She must have looked rather impetuous, staring down the Devil like a child throwing a tantrum. Lucifer didn't smite her for the attitude, so Izzy took that as her cue to keep pushing her boundaries.

"Miss Lightwood Just...wait. I apologize. It's not like this sort of thing happens every day...or ever in the history of humanity." There was a false cheer to Lucifer's rambling that covered a deeper fear, but Izzy didn't bring it up. Lucifer clapped his hands together. "Let's try to figure this out like adults, hmmm? First thing's first, does anyone want a drink? Dad knows I need it. I can make a virgin."

Magnus immediately nodded and moved to the bar, bypassing Lucifer's whiskey collection to get to the other stuff. Izzy rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"I'm fine."

"Suit yourself," Lucifer sighed, shooting a glare towards Magnus who was in the process of mixing many expensive liquors. "Drink me out of the house why don't you."

Magnus gave Lucifer a matching glare, pouring an extra shot into his colorful concoction just to spite him.

When all drinks were made, the three of them took to the living space. Magnus sat close to Izzy on the leather sofa while Lucifer sat in the chair across from them, sprawling himself in a way that took up the entire space. He had both arms on the rests, his fingers drumming on the leather.

"Second item of business," Lucifer said rather seriously, dark eyes searching. "Do you want this child?"

Izzy was so taken aback that it took her a second to process what Lucifer was asking. She took Magnus' hand and grasped it tight. "What?"

"You are pregnant, yes, but that does not mean there has to be a child. There are many, many dangers attached to carrying a child like this, the biggest one being that no one knows what the bloody hell to expect. You're a first, Miss Lightwood. Plus, out of all God's creatures, celestial or otherwise, you're having a child with the Devil. I wouldn't blame you for choosing the way out," Lucifer explained, never once wavering from Izzy's gaze. And then, his eyes turned soft, something incredibly human lying there. "I would never force you to do something you do not want to do. Whatever you decide, I will support you."

Out of all the possible outcomes, abortion had never once crossed Izzy's mind. It wasn't that she was against the concept, it was just...not an option she thought was available to her. None of the Shadowhunters she knew had ever once uttered the word. Their entire culture emphasized marrying young, having kids young, passing on knowledge to the future generations and keeping Shadowhunter bloodlines alive before dying young. The idea of cutting off a future branch of a precious bloodline, especially one as prominent and ancient as the Lightwood line, went against her very nature.

But, Izzy had to admit, the option was appealing. It would solve every single one of her problems. If the pregnancy was as dangerous as Lucifer thought it would be, it could very possibly save her life. Izzy could have her life back. She could hunt demons again. She could use her runes again. She could walk through the Institute without fear again.

Her hand reached down to rest on her flat stomach. No, flat wasn't the right word. There was definitely a give to it now, a softness that was not there before, and a slight rounded shape. She would have trouble hiding it soon, especially with the revealing nature of the clothes in her wardrobe. She had never had the need to hide her body before. It was always a point of pride. She should have been sad that the musculature she had spent her whole life building was going to be ruined by this creature making a home in her womb. However, all Izzy felt was a strange sense of acceptance.

Whether she had known it or not, Izzy's subconscious had made its mind up about the baby.

"I'm going through with this. Whatever happens, I can handle it."

Lucifer let out a long sigh, canting his head back against the cushion of his chair. One breath in, another out. Like he was coming to terms with her decision. He was staying miraculously composed; Izzy had to give him credit for that.

When Lucifer's head came back up, he looked all his years. "If that is what you want, Miss Lightwood."

"It is."

A single nod. Another drink from his glass of whiskey. "Better send a memo to the Nephilim to expect some increased demonic activity. It's in good manners, and best to avoid an unwanted house call."

"The Shadowhunters know you're here?" For some reason, that was what shocked Izzy most.

"Of course they do. I have a longstanding arrangement with the Los Angeles Institute: I ignore them, and they ignore me so long as I don't cause too much trouble. My presence would wreak too much havoc on their fragile systems otherwise. No matter what I do, I can't get rid of the stench of Hell. It clings to me like a jealous ex. Makes for a rather nasty demonic aura."

"Demonic aura..." Izzy repeated, feeling a bit lightheaded as things started to make sense. She turned to Magnus, her eyes wide and searching. "The alert...my necklace..."

Magnus nodded once. Catching on to Lucifer's confused look, they explained the incident at the Institute from the previous night.

"I can only imagine that those instances will get worse the further along you get," Lucifer said, his expression pensive and drawn, like he was going to deliver bad news. "I am afraid that it will make your job as a Shadowhunter impossible."

"It already is impossible," Izzy sighed. "I can't use my runes. I can't control angelic weapons. Last night the Institute wouldn't even let me in without a fight."

"That is not the only thing you should be afraid of," Lucifer warned, his expression dark. "A child this powerful giving off their own demonic aura will draw attention from all sides. Demons and angels alike will try to obtain the child for their own means...or kill it. You won't be safe, Miss Lightwood. Not from Heaven nor from Hell."

In all her worries about her immediate future, Izzy had not stopped to think about the future consequences of bringing the Devil's child into the world. It was safe to assume that the child would be powerful, probably more on the celestial side than the mortal given that Izzy herself was part angel. Would they be born with some divine purpose or power? Izzy knew that the Clave would kill to have a power like that behind them, executing their will on the Downworld. Opposite, Izzy had a feeling that the Downworld would want to use the child as a means of retaliation. What better weapon to use against the Shadowhunters than a creature born of their own blood?

That was all speculation. What was real was Clary bleeding on the sidewalk from wounds inflicted in the blink of an eye. What was real was demons that looked like Death itself, horrible and grotesque and constantly shifting in the dark.

"Do you know anything about demons that look like shadows? Huge, black smoky things..."

"Unfortunately I do. Wraiths. Nasty creatures, usually reserved for lurking in the lowest levels of Hell and tormenting evil souls," Lucifer said with a grimace, and then, with a realization. "Have they come after you? Already?"

Izzy nodded. Lucifer swore.

"This is worse than I thought."

"Those demons tore through Clary and Jace like they were nothing," Izzy said, still shaken from the fight in the alley. The way those demons moved, how hard they were to put down. She had never seen anything like it. And to think that they could keep coming, and coming, and coming...Izzy shivered. "Normal demons I can deal with. But how do I protect myself against something like that?"

No one had any answers. Izzy was sure that she looked disparing. This conversation was supposed to bring her good news. It was supposed to make her feel better. The only thing it had done was succeed in making her feel worse.

"There is something else I could do, something drastic," Lucifer said, chewing on his bottom lip pensively. "But you would have to be absolutely certain."

"It's not like I have any better options."

"I shouldn't be doing this," Lucifer muttered under his breath, a drawn look on his face the one of a man about to give into a very bad idea. He looked at Izzy and Magnus was a fierce insistence. "None of you are to say a word about this. Dad only knows what he'd do to me if he found out..."

At first, Izzy was confused. Then, the room was full of sixteen feet of white feathers, and Izzy couldn't think of much else other than wow.

Lucifer's wings were beautiful. No, that was an understatement. Lucifer's wings were otherworldly. Pristine white feathers immaculately groomed and faintly glowing with a light unrelated to the setting sun streaming through the windows. Izzy had the compulsion to fall to her feet and praise them. She never wanted to look away, the wings filling her with a sense of peace and warmth unlike any other she had felt before. A look towards Magnus showed that he too was affected, but not to the same degree as Izzy. In fact, Magnus seemed to have an aversion to the wings, his glamor gone, cat eyes wide and weary as he took a step back and watched for what Lucifer would do next.

Lucifer combed skilled fingers through the feathers near the bone, ruffling this wings. Oh, they looked so soft. Izzy had to physically hold her wrist down to keep from touching them. He loosened one of the pristine white feathers and brandished it in front of Izzy. The look on his face was deadly serious.

"Are you sure?" He asked her again, making direct eye contact. Izzy should have been afraid, making a deal with the Devil. Instead, it felt like one of the better decisions she had made lately.

Izzy nodded once. Lucifer grimaced but nodded back all the same.

Then, he crushed the feather in the palm of his hand, the glow turning white hot for a split second before he set it loose on Izzy. The light washed over her, making her vision white out. And then it was in her; she could feel it buzzing down her spine. It was everywhere.

"Whoa," Izzy said as she gathered her bearings, feeling slightly light-headed.

"Are you alright, Miss Lightwood?" Lucifer asked in a voice far too compassionate to belong to Satan himself. Izzy was quite unsure what to think of him anymore.

Lucifer had put his wings away, the room dimmer for the lack of their light. Izzy missed them, something in her soul aching for him to release them again, but she refrained from mentioning it.

"Fine," Izzy replied, finding it was true. She felt like her whole body was tingling, from her nose to the tips of her toes. "What was that?"

"Angel feathers can do a whole slew of useful things. Different angel, different set of abilities, but the core ones remain in tact: healing, empowering, protecting. Get your hand on an angel feather and it's like you have your own personal genie. Only one wish though. You can imagine why giving them to the people is a huge celestial no-no."

"Okay...but what was that? The light?"

"Oh, that was the protecting part," Lucifer said with a smile, though it was strained through the edges. "Imagine that I threw a neon sign up over your head that said: Property of the Devil, Trespassers will be Dismembered! Not that you are my property, obviously. Demons aren't as caught up on feminism and all that, the savages. They only understand things in claiming terms."

Izzy processed this, staring down at her hands which she swore still held a hint of a glow. She had never been blessed before. Not by Raziel, not by Ithuriel, nor by any other angel. She wondered if their blessings were as warm as Lucifer's. For a fallen angel, everything about him seemed to radiate warmth and light.

She finally tore her gaze from her hands to smile at Lucifer, the words on the tip of her tongue -

"Don't thank me just yet," Lucifer said with an apologetic tone, like he had just done something terrible. "You actively express my blessing now. Because of that, your own angelic grace has been dampened. Not gone, just muted. Overpowered."

"What does that mean?"

"It means that you can't go home," Magnus said gently, taking one of Izzy's hands for support. "You can't go back to the Institute."

"Nor any Institute, I'm afraid," Lucifer cut in, magnifying the enormity of the problem. "Nor your little Nephilim city. All angelic spaces have been...temporarily closed so to speak."

"You have too much demonic energy around you now. They'll think you're a Downworlder," Magnus finished. He looked a little said, waiting for the news to hit Izzy. And it did. It hit her like a bulldozer. Only the fact that she was sitting kept her legs from giving out.

"Where am I supposed to go?"

Izzy hated how small her voice sounded, how young and completely lost she was. She thought that being raised to be independent and fight for herself had broken her of being helpless, but she was wrong. Her entire world was being pull out from under her, safety net and all.

"You can stay with me," Magnus offered immediately, leaving Lucifer's mouth gaping open with words left unsaid. "My loft is plenty spacious enough to accommodate another guest. Plus, it's in a familiar area and close to your family. I can start throwing up the extra wards tonight."

"Oh Magnus, but you've already done so much. I couldn't - "

"You can and you will. I won't take no for an answer."

So many emotions flooded through Izzy, the ones she normally kept under lock and key. Tears were dangerously close to the surface, and she had to work her throat to push the lump down. She did give into the urge to hug Magnus, holding the warlock tightly, a lifeline.

"Well, it seems as though we've got that settled," Lucifer clearing his throat and clapping his hands together like he had at the beginning, a sense of finality in the motion. He stood, smoothing down his suit. Izzy and Magnus parted and did the same. "Anything else that needs to be addressed?"

"I'm sure there are a dozen things we forgot, but I'll figure it out," Izzy said, a sense of peace washing over her. As crazy as this conversation had been, she was glad it happened. It made so many things clear. "Thank you, Lucifer. You managed to be helpful after all."

"I aim to please."

Lucifer flashed one of his winning grins, the same type that had won her over on the dance floor and gotten her into this mess. She heard the double entendre but refused to acknowledge it.

Knowing he wasn't going to get anything out of Izzy, Lucifer turned his focus to Magnus.

"Don't be a stranger, Magnus. Maybe next time we can get drinks elsewhere."

Magnus rolled his eyes, his expression annoyed but fond. "You still owe me from Paris."

"I haven't forgotten."

A shake of hands and Magnus started moving towards the open space near the elevator to crack open a return portal. Izzy took a step to follow when another thought sprung to mind. She turned back to Lucifer, who had migrated over towards to bar once more. He stopped in his tracks as soon as he felt Izzy's eyes on him, looking up at her curiously.

"Do you want to be involved?" she asked without preamble.

Lucifer arched an eyebrow, confused. "Involved?"

"In the baby's life, that is," Izzy asked, feeling nervous now of all times. She wrung her hands and ducked her head. "I could, I don't know, portal over every once in a while. Get those little pictures mundanes do."

Lucifer's face fell, anguish striking through it before Izzy realized what it was.

"That is a generous offer, Miss Lightwood, truly. But I believe it's best for everyone if I am as far removed from the situation as possible."

Izzy didn't expect the rejection to hit her has hard as it did. Embarrassment washed over her, her cheeks flushing. Why did you even ask? Stupid, stupid question. He doesn't even like children!

"Oh. Right. Of course. Sorry, I..."

"It's not that I don't care. I do," Lucifer insisted. He took Izzy gently by the shoulders, his hands warm on her bare skin. She looked up to meet his gaze, dark eyes intent and a little melancholy, and she knew what he said was true. "Believe me when I say that you are safer without me around. The people I care about have a habit of getting hurt because of me. I don't want to be the reason something terrible happens to you...or the baby."

The silence that followed was full of unspoken things. Mostly because Izzy had no idea how to reply to something laced with millennia's worth of baggage. She didn't think Lucifer wanted her to say anything anyway.

"That's not to say I will be completely absent. If you need anything - if you find yourself in danger or something terrible does happen - just pray. Pray to me, and I'll be there."

For the second time in a row Izzy did not know what to say. This time she was sure she was supposed to reply with something, but she couldn't find the words. How could she properly express her gratitude for something like this?

Anything she might have said was cut off by the chime of a text. Lucifer frowned and pulled out his phone, letting out a dramatic groan of frustration as he read the message. Izzy had no idea who or what would be texting the Devil, nor what kind of bad news could sour his mood so quickly.

"Sorry, I have to reply to this. It's the Detective." Izzy's pure confusion must have registered above Lucifer's texting fingers, so he explained. "Long story, but I work for the LAPD and apparently someone had the audacity to get murdered right next door the only edible pad thai in the city. The nerve."

Again, Izzy was struck with how normal Lucifer was. How human. How he was nothing she had ever imagined and yet the best possible outcome.

"I have to say, you're not what I expected."

She had definitely not meant to say that out loud.

"Oh?" Lucifer asked, cocking his head to the side. To most people, Lucifer looked like he may be basking in some kind of praise, his grin shit-eating and slightly mischievous. But Izzy could see the genuine curiosity that lied underneath. "And what did you expect?"

"I don't know," Izzy admitted, shrugging her shoulders. "Horns, tail, fire and brimstone."

"Sorry to disappoint you yet again."

"Not disappointed," Izzy replied, enjoying the way Lucifer's face morphed into surprise. "Thank you, Lucifer. For everything. I hope I'll see you again."

"Likewise, Miss Lightwood," Lucifer replied, his voice a little rough. "Best of luck with everything."

Izzy smiled and nodded to his phone. "You too."

Behind her, the familiar whoosh of a portal sparked to life, ready to take her back to Magnus' loft. Her new home. That was a strange thing to wrap her head around. At least she wouldn't be alone to make the adjustment.

Izzy took Magnus' hand once more and together they stepped through, leaving Lucifer and the West Coast behind.