Fire and Smoke

Celebrating the Life of Asa Fox

"Nonsense. You said you didn't have a ride, right?" Jody crossed over to the backseat of the Impala, and Alex's wings drooped to find herself caught in her lie. She reluctantly followed after Jody as she reached down for Lucifer's grace. Looks like I'm stuck here for the night. I'll catch up to you when I can.

She felt displeasure radiate along his grace, but the single warning in her head was calm. Be careful. It disappeared as she slid into the backseat, settling against the old, familiar leather. The car roared to life, the engine fueled by Dean's frustration, and she sunk lower, reclining her shoulder against the door. She could feel Jody's eyes on her, a million questions burning in her gaze, and she cleared her throat. "So, what have you two been up to since ... since ... you know?" She reached forward with her grace, adding, "How are you feeling, Sam?"

"I'm fine."

"Not much," Dean added over his brother. "Hunted a few ghosts, found a telepath ... I killed Hitler." The gruffness had started to leave his voice, something like triumph creeping in, and Alex found herself meeting his gaze in the rearview mirror.

The angel took a moment, eyes narrowed as she racked her brain. "I ... don't think I get that reference," she finally admitted, forcing a faint note of humor. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It mean's I fucking killed Hitler." The Impala swung around a corner, tires squealing. "Remember Aaron Bass — that kid who's grandpa had gift-wrapped a golem and delivered it on Christmas Day?" He only waited long enough for Alex to give a hesitant nod before he continued on. "And we hunted all those necromancers — they called themselves the Thule Society."

"Ah." Alex drew her legs up under her as she nodded again. "Oh, okay, okay. So you guys got to hunt some more Nazi necromancers."

"We hunted the fucking Nazi necromancer motherlode," Dean corrected. "The Thule's one goal was to resurrect Hitler after the war. They had preserved his soul in this watch, and once they found it, they were going to put him back into a body and take over the world." His earlier anger begun to slip away, replaced with smug excitement; a glance at both Sam and Jody confirmed Alex's suspicions that this story had already been told on this road trip. "Okay, okay, here's what happened."

It was dark by the time the Impala pulled down the driveway of the Fox Estate, the paved edges lit with small orange lanterns. A line of cars were parked along the grass that led up to the large house, the windows bright and full of life. Music could be heard, muffled by the brick walls, but it was enough to have Alex lifting her head. She took a moment to study the structure before them, the wings of the massive house disappearing into the darkness on either side. "That's a big house." Sam spoke her very thoughts, and Alex grunted as she lifted her grace to her eyes to take in its extent; who was this hunter?

Dean pulled the Impala into the grass beside the large center fountain, and Jody reached for the door handle as the engine died. "It's a family home," she explained. "Asa was just a guy." She stepped out, and Alex followed, shaking out her wings in the night air. She let her grace fall from her face and instead trickle out towards the house, but the slamming of the other doors had her pulling back. With a small frown, she circled around to stand on the other side of Jody, using the sheriff as a barrier between her and Dean. Jody's eyes found the side of her head, confused and concerned, but Alex refused to pay it any attention. The gaze lingered for several seconds before it turned away with a poorly concealed sigh. "Come on."

Alex fell in step at the rear of the group as they crossed the drive to stand beneath the arched porch. The music had grown louder, and she could make out the faint words beneath the clamor. Won't you come and save me? Feed my eyes — can you sew them shut? They were momentarily drowned out by the doorbell, and Alex cast a look around the dark as footsteps approached from the inside. It opened a moment later, revealing a middle-aged woman. Her short hair was dyed blonde, an attempt to hide her age, but a hint of greying brown was still visible at the roots. A string of pearls hung from her neck, the only touch of color to her mourning attire. "Jody!" Despite the smile on her face, sadness clung to her chocolate eyes, partially obscured by a pair of thick, round glasses. "Oh, Jody, thanks for coming."