A special thanks to BelenP, a fantastic beta who always points out that which totally escapes me and pushes me to do my best. I hope you guys enjoy this fic.

Strange Tingling

Summer was particularly lovely in the city humans had ironically baptized 'Los Angeles'. Funny creatures, humans. Always complaining about the infernal heat this time of year. A euphemism nobody ever seemed to shy away from, never giving the preposterous fallacy a second thought. Sure, Hell had many levels, but the toasty climate sweeping through the city of angels during the current heat wave was an arctic blast in comparison.

Despite its glorified name, the place was far from angelic, which was, without a doubt, it's most appealing feature. Under the glamour and the pretense, lurked a darker underbelly. A sinful playground that the Devil found hard to resist, not that he bothered to even try.

Where would be the fun in that?

Lucifer had traveled the world several times over. And then a few times after that. He had lived for short periods in places like Bangkok, and Sydney, and Buenos Aires, and Shanghai, and Verona, and Timbuktu. He'd spent the better part of the nineteenth century between Hell and London, even outstaying his welcome when a series of gruesome murders had the entire metropolitan area in a panicked frenzy, and Scotland Yard embarrassingly stumped. Of course, in due time, the Devil had welcomed the culprit with open arms at the gates of Hell. Though not nearly as eagerly as Maze, who had a slew of torments ready for him down in the seventh level. Lucifer might have been stunned as to his identity, had he not suspected the man capable of such viciousness while attending one of his lectures at Oxford.

But the most enjoyable part of the process was always what Lucifer referred to as "the sinner's surprise". Overwhelming dread falls short of describing the reaction of those who witness the Devil's grin the moment he sheds his elegant human form and morphs into their worst nightmare.

Bastards never know what hits them…

Perhaps Lucifer's fascination with the city of angels was precisely that. The masks. The subterfuge. The mystery of what laid under the bright lights and perpetual smiles and expensive lifestyles. The desire to peel away its endless layers, only to discover the ugly truth beneath. As his fascination with Los Angeles grew over the years, so did his need to belong.

He'd been walking through Echo Park in the relative heat, fresh as a cucumber in contrast to those around him who were clearly bogged down by the high temperatures, when he stumbled upon a children's playground. The sight of it drew a low groan deep within the Devil's throat.

Bloody Hell! Damned things are popping up like mushrooms these days!

Before he had the chance to change course, a group of kids on Schwinns rushed past him, laughing obnoxiously and narrowly missing him by a hairline. Lucifer snarled a nasty curse between clenched teeth and marched over to the nearest bench to plot his revenge should the little shits returned riding those appalling contraptions. A simple stick hurled at the right angle could send the first rider in the group tumbling, then the rest would follow suit. It'd be a marvelous sight to behold.

His eyes scanned the playground, and he spotted a scrawny blond boy licking at an ice cream cone with gusto. His nose and mouth were covered in chocolate. The dripping ice cream had him engaged in a fierce battle against the sweltering heat. The boy regarded his messy hand through thick glasses, then lapped the back of his fingers, still curled around the cone. A bigger boy came up behind him and shoved him hard. The scrawny boy landed flat on the ground, face buried in the melting chocolate, eyeglasses and all.

Lucifer laughed.

A teenager half walked, half danced across his field of vision, lost in the world of 'pop'. Now music came nicely wrapped in a square yellow box that delivered the sound straight to one's ears thanks to a company called "Sony". Ingenious, though sorely lacking the magnificence of a live piano concerto. Of course, there were those who loved subjecting others to the pounding sounds of the so called "techno music" and propped a cumbersome device over their shoulder to ensure everybody around them endured the rhythmic beat. Lucifer estimated deafness in the ear nearest the throbbing speakers would shortly follow.

He relaxed against the back of the bench, and was quick to guffaw at a chunky kid who had just been victim to an epic wedgie by the burly boy who had earlier bullied the scrawny ice cream licker. Children could be deliciously cruel. That naughty one was well on his way to becoming a worthy addition to his nasty soul collection. Fortunately, they were rarely sent to him this young. Dear Ole Dad had a soft spot for the little critters, and redemption was a big part of His schtick, so there was that. Not that Lucifer was about to complain. There were few things in existence he despised more than children.

Grinning broadly, he watched on as the scene kept playing comically before him. His fun was interrupted when he felt a soft knock against his left shoe. Lucifer bent down to pick up the source of his distraction. It was a small ball that might have been white at some point, not that it was easy to tell. A baseball, perhaps? Was that the name of the game all these humans kept crowing about? Yet another annoying aspect of the whole playground experience, and a far cry from the type of balls he preferred to indulge in.

"Hey, mister! Could you give me back my ball?"

His scowl deepened as he turned in the direction of the petulant voice. Just as he did, his dark gaze met a pair of huge grey-blue eyes looking up at him defiantly. His breath hitched in his throat and, for an instant, the world stopped turning. He blinked once, twice, thrown off kilter for some bizarre reason. On the surface, there didn't seem to be anything out of the ordinary about the child. She was wearing denim overalls and a blue baseball cap over a shortish ash blonde bob. Lucifer could only guestimate as to her age, but judging by her tiny frame and toothless lisp, she couldn't have been more than…

Oh, Hell! What did he know about human spawn!

Petite as she was, she exuded inner strength. Her full lips, impossibly red against her pale skin, were pursed in a semipout. But it was her no-nonsense stance that spoke volumes and made her appear self-assured and mature beyond her years.

Sporting a tight grin, Lucifer stood up with the sole purpose of towering over her. This caused the girl to tilt her head skyward and squint up at his silhouette as he blocked the sun above her. Rather than cowering by his size, which was easily three times her height and weight, or be intimidated by his presence like so many others, she stood her ground.

"Sir, the ball, please," she insisted.

Her tiny fist came to rest on her hip and she extended her arm towards him. A hint of impatience had tinged her voice. Lucifer found her entire demeanor oddly amusing. Sassy little minx! It was enough for him to huff out a scoff of approval and place the ball on her outstretched hand without further taunting. Their fingers brushed as he did, albeit for a fraction of a second.

It was all it took for the skin at the base of his wings to tingle strangely. A sensation he had never felt before.

It took all of Lucifer's self-control to keep his cool. He stood on the spot, mysteriously petrified as the girl took off running into the crowd of children horsing around in the playground. His heart was racing like a wild horse, and he found himself struggling to still himself.

What the Hell…?

From that moment on, Lucifer kept his curious gaze on her, completely absorbed by the peculiar little human. He watched her and a slightly older boy throw the ball back and forth more times than he cared to count. Ignored the horde of kids that wheezed past him on their bikes, his clever vengeance long forgotten. At one point, he saw the burly boy head in her direction and yank the blue cap off her head. The little girl swirled around with indignation and tried to recover her cap. The bully sneered and mocked her mercilessly, reveling in her frustration. Lucifer felt a bubble of anger begin to build in the pit of his stomach. He watched the girl getting more and more agitated, lunging forward to try and snatch the cap from the boy's grasp to no avail. The boy's laughter grated on his nerves, and when he saw the hard shove that propelled the girl backwards and made her fall painfully to the ground, Lucifer had about enough of the bully's antics. He took a menacing step forward, eyes blazing with rage. Then stopped in his tracks when he witnessed the girl rush forward and kick the boy in the groin so hard, it made the Devil grimace in sympathy.

Well done, little human!

The chorus of laughing kids was already dissipating when a man in a cop's uniform called the little girl's attention.

"There you are!" he smiled. "Are you ready to go, Monkey?"

Lucifer squared his shoulders and observed from afar as they got inside a patrol car and drove away. Still a bit shaken by the strange encounter, he began his trek back to the beach. This particular visit had come to an end. Once he crossed over, he would make sure to habilitate a special section on the fifth level just for bullies.

It seemed only fair, after all.

Twenty eight Earth years later…

Music always managed to soothe his nerves, and in light of recent events, it felt like he'd been playing for hours. A forgotten cigarette consumed itself next to the short glass of single malt scotch on the grand piano, the sixth one of the evening. A surprisingly low count by his standards.

He heard her voice, but didn't bother looking up from the comforting pattern of the dipping and rising keys.

"Lucifer Morningstar. Is that a stage name or somethin'?"

He was unable to hold back a chuckle. "God given, I'm afraid." His gaze finally trailed up to assess the visitor. She looked nothing like a cop. Not one he had ever encountered before, anyway. Yet, a flash of awareness coursed through him, and his eyes narrowed. "You look familiar, have we met before?"

"Yeah, five minutes ago," she said curtly. "And I'm asking the questions."

The conversation progressed into the interrogation it was meant to be, and that initial feeling of familiarity diluted into something else.

The Devil recognized it immediately.

It was lust.

Lucifer kept up with her banter, which he appeared to enjoy far more than she did. Only once the detective had left LUX did the Devil allow himself to wallow in the memory her sudden visit had unlocked. And, though her stellar performance in a teen R-rated movie would come to dawn on him later, he would have recognized those grey-blue eyes anywhere. Not that he would let her in on that little secret. Not until he could figure her out, at least.

Well, well, well! It appears little feisty thing's all grown up!

Now, if only the scars on his back would stop tingling strangely...

[To be continued in another flashback… should people be interested in such a fic]

Reviews are always welcome. Please let me know if you would like this fic to become a series.