City of (Fallen) Angels
Authors’ note:Feli: If you've been spending any time in the Hangouts group lately, you'll have seen that I developed an obsession with the TV show
Lucifer.
Being the sharing person that I am, I passed the obsession on to one of our newer members, Endelda. (And by 'passed', I mean forced her to watch all three seasons with me).
Endelda: It's true, she did! It got into my brain, and I started wondering: What if the world's biggest boy scout met the Devil who's trying to become a better man? One thing led to another, and before we knew it we had a plot for a Lois & Clark/Lucifer crossover.
Feli: The story quickly spiralled into something much longer than either of us anticipated, but we got it done. It's also Endelda's first completed L&C fic, so congratulations Endelda!
Housekeeping:
Lucifer is set in present-day LA, so we've moved the Lois and Clark timeline to then. This story is set between 'Fly Hard' and 'Barbarians At The Planet' in the L&C world, and straight after 'All Hands On Decker' in the Lucifer world (S3E22 for those that happen to watch it).
If you haven't seen Lucifer, we wrote some brief biographies of the main characters, which you can find
here. Also, thanks goes to Val (folc4evernaday) as we borrowed your name for Mrs Cox.
Disclaimer: All recognisable L&C characters are property of DC Comics, Warner Bros and December 3rd Productions. All recognisable Lucifer characters are property of Vertigo Comics, Warner Bros and anyone else who has a stake in them. We own nothing.
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Prologue:
Joshua Cox opened the door and entered the dark interior of the building cautiously. The abandoned warehouse was often home to squatters, thieves and drug dealers; you entered at your own risk, especially at night. It was a far cry from the home he’d once shared with his wife, but once The Boss decided you were a threat, you did everything you could to stay off-grid and anonymous if you wanted to stay alive.
He felt his way along the wall towards the corner he’d been dossing down in since he found this particular hideout, hoping that he wouldn’t be forced to fight for a place to sleep like he had a few nights previously.
“Cox.”
He jumped at the sound of his name from the darkness. The voice was familiar; the one that had been haunting his nightmares. The one he knew would be coming for him.
He spun, moving towards the voice and trying to brazen it out. "I hear you've been planning something for my wife."
Stephens snorted.
"Yeah? I hear she threw you over years ago."
"Maybe so, but we both knew whose doing that was. You need to stay the hell away from Beverly,” Cox warned.
"Sorry pal - orders are orders, and orders are that she's taking the fall the next time the big man gets too close to the edge."
Rage filled him at the thought of Beverly taking the rap for his former employer. "You son of a bitch, leave her out of our filth!"
"I take orders from one man, buddy, and it ain't you!"
With a roar, Cox rushed Stephens in the darkness, trying to grab the other man’s wrists to prevent him from using the knife Cox knew he’d have ready. He successfully grabbed Stephens’s knife hand, feeling the sharp blade slice the back of his own hand to ribbons as the other man fought to free himself. Flailing to maintain control, Cox tried and failed to stop Stephens from switching the knife to his free hand. Another wild swing from Cox contacted with nothing but air. Panting from the brief scuffle, he turned on the spot, trying to get some idea of where Stephens had gone.
Without warning, Stephens attacked from the side; Cox’s body jerked as the razor-sharp steel slid into his abdomen. Gasping at the sudden pain, he twisted violently, flinging his attacker to the ground before sinking to his knees.
His last conscious sight was the shape of The Artist looming over him, blacker against the shadows of the warehouse. “The Boss sends his regards.”
Stephens rammed the knife home, twisting it to make sure Cox wouldn’t get back up before pushing himself to his feet and staggering towards the exit. Suddenly woozy, he dropped the blade somewhere in the darkness. Reasoning that it would take a few days before the body was discovered, he resolved to come back for it in the daylight. He lifted one hand, touching the painful spot on the back of his head before shrugging it off.
In the darkness, he couldn’t see that his hand had come away covered in blood.
