InsaneJournal

Lucifer needed to talk to Peggy, and was growing impatient when it came to scheduling time with her. So when he saw a decent-sized list of arrivals, he had a feeling he would find her in her office that evening and he was right. Knocking on the door on his way in, he was already in front of her desk by the time she even looked up.

“Hello, Ms. Carter,” Lucifer said cheerfully. “Are you busy?”

At the very least, he’d at least waited long enough for the new travelers to have been processed through.

Peggy only half heard the knock and the greeting. She was in the middle of processing some final details about the latest round of arrivals - it seems that they’d be in for rushes every week, for some reason - and just motioned to whomever it was to come in and have a seat. Her attention was on her PADD and when she finally looked up, she was surprised to find Lucifer standing there. “Mr. Morningstar,” she said, sitting back in her chair and looking over at him. “What can I do for you?”

“Well, you’ve been ignoring my request for drinks,” Lucifer pointed out. “But I have a new favor to ask, and this one is even more important than the last.”

But first, he walked over to the window, looking out at space. “I haven’t been here since that first day, when you had to intercede with whoever was trying to get a blood sample. It’s bloody mental,” he said, glancing back at her, “that this is just how life is now. There’s no going back, at least not on purpose.”

“You seem to have a lot of favors to ask of me lately,” Peggy said, tilting her head to the side to watch him as he made his way through her small office and looked out the window. She had never thought that having a drink and trying to seduce her was as important as it sounded like he did. “No, I think many of us would go back in a heartbeat if we had a choice in the matter.”

“I’ve taken the one back,” Lucifer replied, turning to look at her though remaining at the window. “I don’t need alcohol that bad. I actually appreciate being fully in control of my mind and actions. I think we relate there, don’t we?” he asked. “Though taking a break every now and then isn’t going to hurt anybody.”

He gave her a shrug, still intensely curious as to what she was like when she wasn’t busy being the perfect model traveler aboard the Enterprise. “Anyway, I was talking with Kate Beckett the other day and she gave me a fantastic idea of what I could do aboard the Enterprise, and I’d like your help in securing that role.”

They could relate there, yes, and Peggy merely arched an eyebrow in agreement before he continued. She took breaks, even if someone like Lucifer didn’t consider her break-taking as break-taking. She did, though, she also worked more than was probably good for her. It had been that way at home and it was that way here.

“Oh? I don’t really picture you taking on any responsibilities,” she said, almost a challenge.

“Either did I,” Lucifer admitted, not even bothering to hide the surprise in his voice. “But back in Los Angeles, I had my own nightclub, Lux. Not entirely different than the lounge. I was telling Kate how much I missed it, especially playing the piano whenever I felt like it, and how it felt weird to do so here and she told me I should ask about running the Deck 5 Lounge.”

He paused before continuing. This was something that actually meant a great deal to him, but he was attempting not to show it, though he was probably failing. “Tony and I did organize a successful karaoke night. And then there’s the weekly Saturday events. I don’t think there always needs to be something going on, obviously. But I’m there almost the entire time it’s open anyway, I can’t get drunk, and it could be helpful to have someone who could back up the bartenders when they cut someone off, or make sure someone makes it back to their room. Other than security, as that’s not really their job, is it?”

He shrugged. “I know it’s run just fine on its own before, but with more and more people showing up? They could probably use someone, and this is what I’m good at.” And it would feel more like home, but he didn’t add that.

Now that was a surprise, and it showed on Peggy’s face. She sat up a little straighter and she looked at him curiously. “I think that could be arranged,” she said carefully, because while she did think it could be, she didn’t know for sure. And she certainly wasn’t keen on making any promises to the devil when they might be broken.

“Yeah?” Lucifer asked, looking hopeful. And then he almost laughed as he realized Peggy’s reaction. “It surprises you that I can care about something, doesn’t it?” he asked.

“It surprises me that you want to take what you’re already doing every day and put it to good use,” she said.

“It would feel a bit more like home,” Lucifer admitted. “If I had an official role.” He shrugged, but it was clear that meant something to him. “I miss it. Lux, Los Angeles… Six years there and I was more at home than I ever was in Hell.”

He considered Peggy a moment, before turning to look at the stunning view of space her office provided again. “It might also surprise you that my interest toward you extends well beyond getting you to sleep with me.”

“I don’t know,” Peggy said casually, “sometimes Los Angeles was as hot as hell.” She couldn’t help but smile a little at that. She had enjoyed her time in L.A. well enough, getting to know Howard better, seeing him in his element, working with Mr. Jarvis, and - well, she missed them as much as she missed anyone else. She touched the side of her neck in thought for a moment before looking back over at Lucifer.

“I hope it doesn’t disappoint you then to know that I’m not interested in sleeping with you.”

Lucifer laughed. “Most of hell isn’t as hot as most people seem to think,” he pointed out. “As people create their own version of hell for themselves, and that often has nothing to do with fire and brimstone.”

Turning back to look at her, he said, “Well of course I’m disappointed. But I can live, knowing that’s not going to happen. That’s not the most intriguing thing about you, after all.”

It wasn’t surprising that the idea of creating her own version of hell slipped through Peggy’s mind for a moment and she shivered, shaking her head. “Then I guess that’s just one of those sayings that people say that has been wrong all this time, hmn?”

She met his gaze. “Really. Then what is it about me that you find intriguing, Lucifer?” Peggy asked.

“What’s yours?” Lucifer asked, watching her carefully. He’d noted her reaction, and in asking the question he was in part answering hers.

“I don’t find you intriguing,” she said simply, which might have only been half truthful.

Lucifer was briefly confused and then realized she'd taken the question wrong. “Oh? Good thing I wasn't quite asking that. So, more implicitly, what does your version of hell look like? You know. The one you conjured up in your mind just now.”

Her lips formed a brief ‘oh’ of understanding, and a faint blush crossed her cheeks. “I wonder, is that a question that you ask everyone?” she asked, avoiding answering the question, of course.

“If I see it on their faces, yes,” Lucifer replied, though his voice was softer than usual. “I don’t actually expect you to answer, but that’s never going to stop me from asking.” He moved away from the window and took a seat opposite her desk. “I can tell by now that you’re highly unlikely to end up in hell. But if you did, what would it look like?”

Peggy laughed. She had never thought one way or another whether she’d end up in hell, but at the same time, she hadn’t lived any kind of angelic life. “I’m sure it would be something like a barren wasteland, devoid of anyone and everyone I’ve ever known,” she said. But that wasn’t the whole truth. The whole truth is that she’d see everyone she knew and loved dead, scattered around her.

“And that’s what intrigues me about you,” Lucifer replied, not entirely sure he was getting the full picture but he was willing to let that slide. “I asked the same question three times before you answered, because you’ve mastered avoidance. For someone who fears being entirely alone, you push people away. Now, before you say you don’t know me and you don’t trust me, we both know it’s not just me, is it?”

His voice was more curious than anything, and not judgmental or condescending. “You’ve admitted you have trust issues, so that’s another thing we have in common. And you’re clearly the sort of person who throws yourself into your work. But you arrived here and threw yourself into helping other people, in a tedious, stressful and sometimes neverending job. So you don’t trust easily, probably don’t let others close to you easily, but you obviously care about people. If you didn’t, you couldn’t do this job. That, Ms. Carter, is what intrigues me.”

Peggy took a breath and folded her hands in her lap for a moment before answering. “Well, it looks like you’ve got me all figured out, don’t you.” And he had, somewhat. But it was less about trust and more about the fact that people she became close to tended to be lost to her. And if she didn’t get attached, then that loss wouldn’t hurt as badly. It didn’t always work, though, and she was kidding herself if she thought that it would.

“No, I don’t,” he replied, noting that it took her a moment to speak. He’d hit on something, at least. “Because I don’t know the why.” He met her gaze for a moment, wondering what it was that had her closed off. And wondering when it was he stopped pressing for answers incessantly. Had that been the detective’s doing? “Maybe that will change at some point.”

A smile appeared on Peggy’s face. “As it seems we’re both going to be on this ship for quite some time, there’s always that possibility,” she said. Peggy cleared her throat. “Was there anything else, Lucifer? I need to finish this work. I don’t know if you saw, but we had quite a few new arrivals today, and at least two of them are still in the med bay and I haven’t had a chance yet to properly brief them.”

“Oh,” Lucifer said, eyes widening. “Hawke said you all were finishing up. My apologies, Ms. Carter.” He stood, asking before he left, “You’ll get back to me then?”

She nodded. “Yes, I’ll get back to you. For what it’s worth, I think you’d be good at managing the lounge, so I’ll see what I can do to make it happen.”

Lucifer smiled at Peggy. “Brilliant, thank you. And if all this happens, I’ll owe you one.”

He left her office with that smile still on his face, and went to find Hawke.