Who: Lucifer and Linda What: a therapy session Where: her office at the clinic When: Thursday late morning Warnings: should be low Status: closed/g-doc
Thankfully, Kate seemed happy to take back her old job and Charlie warmed right back up to his nanny, which worked out well for Linda. She’d been gone a few months and it felt like she had a ton of work to catch up on and notes for her patients. At least Cami wouldn’t be taking on the entire workload anymore.
She’s started seeing patients on Tuesday again, after getting caught up on notes, scheduling appointments, and organizing things with Cami. After all, a few patients might want to remain with Cami after Linda’s disappearance.
At the appointed time, Linda went to greet Lucifer. “Come in, Lucifer.” Who knew how he was doing. Based on her conversation with Chloe, Linda figured not well.
To say there were things on Lucifer’s mind would be an understatement. He hid it well behind his bravado and carefree attitude, but inside he was in a bit of a turmoil. He was definitely glad that Dr. Linda was in town.
As always, he appeared handsomely impeccable, right down to the smile he gave the diminutive blonde. “Dr. Linda,” he said with that rakish smile. “You look as lovely as ever.”
He walked in as invited and immediately looked around. “No Charlie?”
“No Charlie. He’s at home or somewhere with his nanny. Thankfully she’s still here, because they get along really well.”
Linda knew Lucifer well and could tell when something bothered him. She could call it intuition, but really it had more to do with being his therapist all these years. “And you look handsome as ever.”
The therapist settled in a chair and told Lucifer to sit wherever he felt comfortable. “Do you want to tell me what’s been happening, Lucifer?”
Lucifer took in the details of her office since his nephew wasn’t here for him to dote upon. “Hmm. Your office in LA was much nicer.” He gave a heavy sigh which said everything about how he felt about being stuck in the Midwest.
Finally, he took a seat in a comfortable looking chair. “How shall I start? With the closet I’m living in? The lack of designer clothing? My daughter continuing to loathe me? Or perhaps how cagey Chloe is being?”
“Why don’t you stop by tonight, Lucifer? You can visit Charlie, whom I’m positive will be thrilled to see his favourite uncle.” She sighed and shrugged. “I had more to work with in LA, Lucifer.” More clients who paid more money. Not that Linda complained. She enjoyed her job in town.
“I understand about the closet. I had a gorgeous house with Maze and Quentin before the Dome sent them both home and then me.” Linda found she missed her adopted son differently now that he’d been gone for so long and she’d been sent home. It no longer hurt, but was just part of her day.
“You can always go to transportation services and go on a shopping trip, Lucifer. But, I think it’s the lack of control you’re missing.” Linda pushed her glasses back up her nose. “You just have to give Rory time. She’ll come around. She started to warm up with the previous you who was here and that one seemed less interested in time with Rory.” Linda loved Rory, but the girl had never been the most open of souls.
“Cagey how?”
Lucifer shifted in the chair as if it wasn’t as comfortable as he thought it was. “I would love to come by. Thank you.”
His smile was just as awkward as his constant adjusting in the chair. It was up for debate whether it was because the chair was uncomfortable or the topic was.
“Yes, well the problem is that I haven’t the bank account I had back home and I am trying to behave and not remedy that in my usual way.” Even if everyone knew that would happen anyway.
“Lack of control?” Lucifer tried for a scoffing chuckle. “I…well. Perhaps.” He gave Linda an acknowledging nod. “Rory seems somewhat surprised that I’m taking an interest in her, while the detective seems, if you’ll pardon the term, hell bent on damning me for actions she couldn’t exactly remember me doing.”
Linda watched Lucifer shift and added, “I think you’ll find the couch more to your liking, Lucifer.” That chair had been here before Linda’s arrival the first time and she made a note to get a different chair. Assuming the Dome didn’t send her home tomorrow.
“I think it’s good that you’re trying to behave. Are you considering a job?” Linda couldn’t imagine Lucifer with a job, but maybe it would help fill up some of his time.
She watched Lucifer. “Rory wants her father, but she doesn’t know how to…accept it.” The therapist sighed. “I’m not diagnosing Chloe, but she loves her daughters fiercely. She might feel overprotective of Rory. Considering she hasn’t lived through as much as you at home, she might also need time.” Plus, according to Dan, she’d been seeing someone else.
“You made a decision, Lucifer. One, that I fully support, but it doesn’t mean there wouldn’t be repercussions.”
Lucifer gave up on the chair to move to the couch where he sat, leaned back and crossed his legs then uncrossed them and leaned on the arm of the couch then sighed and leaned his elbows on his knees.
He almost burst out laughing at the idea of him getting a job. “Can we both be serious for a moment? Me? In customer service?” He would cheat in under two minutes and either show some Karen his true face or keep asking people what they really wanted.
“I am aware of that, doctor.” He huffed. “Back home she understood.”
She watched her friend and sighed, before laughing herself. “Okay. Being serious, no, I can’t imagine you with a job, but you could become a piano player?” That sounded like something which might hold Lucifer’s interest, given how often he played at Lux.
“Back home they both lived through the reasons for the decision. They haven’t made it that far in the timeline. Learning about it and living through it are two different things,” she added, sympathetically of course for Lucifer.
“As much as I know it will annoy you to hear it, she just needs time. They both do.”
Lucifer’s head tilted as he pondered the suggestion. “Lucifer is rather good at music and singing, isn’t he.” He grinned for his use of the third person. “I suppose that could work, but it would hardly keep me in the lifestyle I am accustomed to. One might say I would be tempted to do whatever I could to ah…help that along.”
He let out with a long suffering sigh. “And I'll have to suffer through their verbal barbs and accusations along the way, hmm?”
“You’re very good at music. If you want to help yourself along the way, I can’t stop you.” After all, Klaus did something similar and she didn’t think less of the hybrid. Not that they were exactly friends, but they both cared about Cami.
“You could use your words and tell them when something makes you uncomfortable,” Linda suggested.
“I’ll take it into consideration,” Lucifer said with a nod and a grateful smile. There was a very good reason he spoke with Dr. Linda as often as he did.
“You don’t think I have?” Now he huffed and slouched on the sofa a little. “All that seems to do is make them even more angry. I can’t win for losing, doctor, and I’m not used to that. I love them both. And I tell them which makes them entirely uncomfortable. Then, when I leave them be and do my own thing I hurt them and they accuse me of abandonment. So tell me. Where is the middle ground?”
Linda hated this for her friend. What could she possibly say that would help besides time. “What have you actually said to them?” Given she spoke to Lucifer, she wouldn’t be surprised to learn his words weren’t as obvious to Chloe and Rory as he thought.
Lucifer looked more than a little dejected…which was probably a weird thing to see on the King of Hell’s face.
“I explained to Chloe what I am doing in Hell for the damned. Helping them to forgive themselves. I told Rory that I’m glad she’s here. Neither of them seem to feel any of that is good enough.”
“Lucifer, they’ll come around. Rory just…she really needs time. And it doesn’t help that Sabrina got sent home. The two were close. I think she’s worried you’ll leave again.” Given Linda and Rory spoke often, she felt secure saying these things.
“The longer you’re here and the more effort you put into this, the better it will be.” Linda did an uncharacteristic thing during a session. She walked over and hugged him. “It’ll get better. In the meantime, tonight, you can come hang with your nephew who adores you.”
Sabrina. He’d heard of her from a number of sources. Lucifer wanted to know more about this daughter he didn’t know, but other things were a priority.
The hug was greatly appreciated and reciprocated. Lucifer wasn’t exactly known for needing hugs, but there were definitely times when the Prince of Darkness enjoyed them.
“I would like that,” he said as he released the good doctor. Lucifer gave her a small smile. “Thank you.”