MARIAH HAD NEVER been the kind of person to walk back on her word or give up in the middle of a project — she took seeing plans through seriously, always refusing to be a quitter, determined to finish what she had started. She supposed she was similar to Lucifer in that way; insistent on getting what she wanted, and it was also why she had, against Kai's recommendations, chosen to follow the Devil.

The silence in her car was heavy as she glanced between the mostly empty, dark road and her phone with Lucifer's location waving at her as a colorful dot on the map. Sooner rather than later, though, she closed in on the unfamiliar building that turned out to be a club named The Mayan, and a frown etched onto her forehead as she slowed down on the side of the road and looked the seemingly harmless place. It was quiet all over and besides the neon signs outside, the only source of light was the purple hue sneaking through the cracks of the rotating door inviting her to make her contribution to whatever they were doing.

As she exited her car and made sure her gun remained strapped to her hip, she recognized the chance that she would only find a phone, not Lucifer. She wasn't so sure if that was good or bad, but she remained stoic while trailing across the cracked concrete and over to the club's entrance.

Before she got to make her way inside, though, the clack of high heels alerted her to turn around, only to find Eve running down the street with baby Charlie in her arms. Unsure whether she was trying to carry him to safety or if she was the one taking him away from Linda, Mariah planted herself in her way to stop her from escaping, and in response Eve stared at her with wide eyes. Once she seemed to recognize her, though, she heaved out a relieved sigh.

"Thank goodness! That was some nasty fight in there but I'm sure it's not too late for you to help", Eve flashed a wide smile, full of her usual naivety as she clutched Charlie closer to her chest. "They gave me the baby to look after", she added, but before Mariah could ask for any details, the door of the club was swinging open and Amenadiel and Maze were filing out, breathless.

"Are you kidding me?" Mariah huffed as she glanced between the trio, "no one thought to call me?" Nevertheless, she was glad that Charlie was safe, pulling a sigh from her as she ran her hand across her face and then nodded to approve of their plan. Whatever it had been, it had worked and even if she wished she could have helped, she couldn't deny the good results.

As Amenadiel gathered the baby in his arms, he gave Mariah a soft smile as a silent thank you for being there for Linda, and with that, he walked away. No doubt, his intention was to go home, and at the thought of Linda being reunited with their child, Mariah had to crack a similar smile before turning back to Maze.

"I guess you're alright", Mariah admitted with a chuckle, and laughing, Maze gave her a doubtful look.

"That's the closest I'll get to a compliment with you", she accepted before grinning at Mariah and nudging her shoulder with her fist, "one game night with me and Iz and you'll be on board." The idea didn't sound as awful as it would have even just a week ago, but regardless, Mariah said nothing in the belief that it was best to not lie — the bud of a grin on her lips spoke on her behalf, though, promising that she was willing to give Maze a chance after everything she had helped her with.

As the demon and Eve left the street, Mariah turned back to the entrance to confront Lucifer once more. She wasn't given the chance to see the aftermath of the fight for herself, though, when Lucifer and Benjamin exited the building with Chloe in tow, all three of them surprised to see Mariah waiting outside.

"How is it that whenever there's trouble, you're there?" Mariah narrowed her eyes at Benjamin, though the hint of amusement in her voice suggested that after such a long day, she wasn't looking for another argument.

Accordingly, the Espinoza smirked at her and shrugged. "It's what I do best", he simply promised before linking arms with Chloe and heading for the shiny Camaro parked by the side of the street. With a snort, Mariah supposed she should have guessed it belonged to him.

"Here to tear me a new one, eh?" Lucifer theorized, then, and rolling her eyes, Mariah folded her arms over her chest and gave him a reviewing look. He didn't look quite so put-together as he usually did, but she couldn't place the difference. There was something weird in the air, but his grin was as lively and taunting as always, earning a sigh from Mariah who decided it was best to not look a gift horse in the mouth. Or, whatever the devilish counterpart of the metaphor would be.

"That was the plan. But you saved Charlie and for now, that's what matters", she admitted reluctantly before tilting her head at Lucifer and sucking in a breath. "I don't trust you but I guess you're not all rotten inside, after all", she concluded, and with a breathless chuckle, Lucifer made a dramatic bow at her.

"What every man dreams of hearing, Miss Rose", he teased before shooting her a wink, "but I'll take it. For what it's worth, I think you're excellent. For Miss Lopez, especially."

At that, heat crawled high on Mariah's cheeks as she broke into a hesitant smile. Now that the adrenaline was wearing off and the danger seemed to be over, she could turn her priorities elsewhere, and there was not a single doubt in her mind what it could be.

—————

MARIAH FELT RELIEVED to the maximum as she entered the precinct she had gotten almost accustomed to. With Charlie safely home with his parents, her difficult conversation with Kai ending so neatly, and her ordeal with Edwards almost over, she couldn't help but grin as she weaved past the desks and into Ella's lab where the woman awaited. It had been a tiring day, but even with the moonlight outside, she hadn't left unlike most of the other officers and detectives — and delighted, more than ever, Mariah felt her heart skip a beat as she leaned against the doorway and watched Ella calmly tidy up her workspace.

"Need a hand?" she quipped while toying with the zipper of her leather jacket and admiring Ella from afar, even more so when the woman turned to face with a smile of her own.

"Nope", she beamed up at Mariah from across the lab, "just about done here." As promised, she was soon skipping over to the Rose only to slow down right in front of her, almost hesitant to close the space between them. Mariah, on the other hand, couldn't wait to be closer to the woman, at last, to fully enjoy what they had been trying to grow without having to worry about something else. For now, at least.

Tipping her head down, Mariah softly kissed Ella in the doorway of her lab, her lips instinctively curling high as her hand fell to her hip to make sure she wasn't swooning on her. Gently, Ella brought her own fingertips to her cheeks, prolonging the kiss beyond anything they had shared before, the silence of the precinct allowing them to revel in the moment of just one another and nothing or no one else.

Breathing in Ella's perfume, Mariah eventually retracted her lips with a soft smack but remained close enough to cast a smile at her collarbone where her gaze found the Lopez's shiny cross. She hadn't seen it on her yet, knowing she had given it up after Charlotte's demise, but there it rested now, looking like it couldn't possibly belong anywhere else.

"I had faith in you", Mariah assured quietly, not needing Ella to explain her belief to her — that was why it was called belief, after all. She relied on it, too, and she didn't blame people for straying from it. It wasn't as important for everyone, but it was to her, and it was to Ella, and she was utterly happy that she had been able to find her way back.

"I could say the same for you", Ella responded with a smirk, her light-hearted tone pulling a chuckle from Mariah as she took a step back with her hands still resting on her waist.

Before she could say anything more, the shorter woman glanced through the window of the lab and frowned, causing Mariah to turn on her heel, as well. "Why is Izzy's mom here?" the Lopez wondered, and with equal confusion, Mariah plucked out the older redhead in the quieting bullpen.

"I heard from Kai she's sort of a legend around here", the Rose commented, and nodding vehemently, Ella confirmed the rumors.

"More so than you, probably", she pointed out before reaching through the open doorway and waving at the woman. "Hey, Mrs. Holt. Izzy headed home already", Ella explained, but rather than being stopped by her words, the former cop only broke into a wide smile.

"Please, Ella, I've told you just Diane is fine", she dismissed the formalities with a wave before turning to Mariah and sticking out her hand, "I'm here for you, actually."

At that, Ella and Mariah glanced at each other in surprise, but nonetheless, she took Diane's hand in a firm shake before snaking her arm back around Ella's waist. "Detective Mariah Rose", she introduced herself, even though she suspected it was no news to the woman.

Accordingly, Diane nodded before digging through her pocket for what turned out to be a small card with her info on it. "I hear that you're thinking of leaving the force. Just so happens, I'm looking into putting up a P.I's office so if you're interested, I'd love to have one of the best detectives on my contact list", she announced before slipping her hands into the pockets of her jacket and shrugging, "no rush. But think about it."

Mariah didn't even have the time to say anything when Diane was giving Ella's arm a gentle squeeze and then turning on her heel to walk away — cool as ever. Supposing that the woman was as good at reading people as her daughter, Mariah admitted that she was unsure what to do, but mildly tempted by the idea, she reviewed the card before slipping it into her pocket.

Who knew, maybe there was enough in L.A to keep her there.

—————

WITH ONE SWIFT flick, Mariah ignited Kai's lighter and ducked it down to the white candle she had been clutching the entire ride to the cemetery. Once the flame flickered to life, she heaved a sigh and lowered the candle onto the ground before Charlotte's headstone, the etching of her name greeting her as she nodded at the final resting place of the woman who had meant so much to so many.

"I wish I could have met her", she voiced quietly, and with a fond smile, Kai glanced over to her from where he was sitting, as always. With his frequent visits, Mariah was surprised there wasn't a permanent indentation on the flourishing grass, but happy to join him whenever he'd let her, she sank down by his side.

"She would have loved you. Maybe you wouldn't have gotten along first but she was strong and badass and capable of anything she put her mind to, just like you", Kai elaborated with his head colliding with Mariah's shoulder, and faintly smiling at the thought, she accepted the idea.

They sat in silence for a moment, simply enjoying each other's company and the thought of what could have been. It was a sunny day, as it usually tended to be in L.A, but the air was calmer now than it had been in days — or maybe it was just her imagination, but with her first date with Ella on the calendar and Edwards' trial due to begin soon too, she could enjoy the warm, peaceful air in the knowledge that things were, more or less, good.

"Have you thought about Diane's offer?" Kai spoke up then, inching backwards to rest his back against the sturdy tree casting a shadow by the grave.

With a hum, she looked back at the flickering candle and weighed her options for a second. "I think I might take her up on it", she admitted before glancing over her shoulder to give Kai a look, "I guess staying here wouldn't be the worst, after all."

Grinning, he reached forward to smack her back encouragingly. "I knew it! I'm proud of you, Ria. No matter what job you have, I'll always be your number one cheerleader", he gushed, warming Mariah's heart as she extended a hand to grab Kai's knee supportively. "Mateo and I never gave up hope", he added dramatically, and in return, she snorted while thinking back to the time Mateo had offered to decorate her apartment and she had been so unwilling to grow roots.

Now, it was too late to pluck them out and she wanted to be bitter and troubled by it, and yet... she was just content.

»»»

Author's note

AHHH the end is here, y'all. This is the last chapter :) I'm still working on the epilogue and hoping to post it soon though!! That will wrap the story up for good but for now this is a happy ending, too!

I thought about exposing Lucifer's true nature to Mariah but I figured it'd be interesting to have a character who doesn't know for a change. (At least for now.) And after everything I put her through, a crisis of faith would have probably been a bit too cruel even for me.

Anyway, like I said, epilogue still left so until then!! Thank you so much for reading ❤️🥺