Fire and Smoke

Rock Never Dies

"Not at all." The man's face remained expressionless, only giving the arm that had wrapped itself around Alex a single glance before moving on. "If you need anything else, don't hesitate to ask."

With that, he was gone, returning to his post beside the front desk, and Lucifer frowned at his turned back. "You're here." The statement was repeated, quieter this time. "Any problems?"

"No." Alex gently extracted herself from his grasp, mindful of the eyes around them. "He was just doing his job." She let Lucifer take the lead towards the elevator, wings pinned tightly against her back until they were out of sight. "Sorry I'm late. The Winchesters —"

The icy wave of displeasure that crashed into her had her falling silent, and she watched as Lucifer's shoulders drew back. "Delayed you. I know." The elevator opened with a ding, and he stepped inside. "Room's this way."

With a frown, Alex followed; no sooner had the door closed than his hand found her wrist, and his wings carried them into the air. A second later, she found herself standing in a long hallway, the white walls broken by a line of equally white doors. "You can —" The words seemed to echo through the silence, and Alex bit her tongue before repeating herself quietly. "You can fly. When did that happen?"

"Last night." Her curiosity was brushed off, and Lucifer pushed himself through the nearest door. "Don't worry about it. Come on in."

The hotel room was less of a room and more of ... rooms. The short hallway led to an expansive living room with two other doors sprouting off toward her left. A balcony let in the sun, illuminating the mess that marred the pristine white furniture. "What the hell happened here?" Alex's eyes immediately locked on the lacy black bra that was slung across one of the white chairs, and her feathers bristled as she hooked a finger under the strap to hold it up. "Seems like you've been busy."

"I have." For a brief moment, amusement flickered across Lucifer's grace, quickly quelled. "Don't mind the mess. The boys got a bit crazy last night."

Alex let the bra fall back onto the chair, arms folding across her chest as she looked the archangel up and down. " 'The boys'?" she repeated, scorn still lacing her tone. "What the hell have you been up to?"

"Plenty, since you took your time getting here." Lucifer moved past her, and Alex swallowed back her jealousy as she followed.

"You told me to lose any tails," she snapped. "Since last I checked, you weren't strong enough to fly with me in tow. When did that change?"

"Like I said, last night." Lucifer dropped down onto the chair, brushing off the various clothing items until he could sit comfortably. One leg crossed over the other as he reclined, head propped up on a fist as he gestured for her to do the same. "Funny story, actually. A couple of kids tried summoning me." His wing flicked, a dismissive gesture, and Alex settled herself down on the edge of the white couch. "They were nobodies, but somehow they'd managed to get their hands on one of my feathers. It had just enough juice to get this vessel back up and functioning."

"And you've been ... celebrating." Alex straightened the guitar that was haphazardly leaning against the armrest. "How'd they get one of your feathers?"

"Didn't ask. Little too late to find out now."

"Why —" Alex narrowed her eyes, and she probed at his grace as a frown spread across her features. "You killed them, don't you?" Lucifer's admission came in a shrug, and Alex leaned forward with a hissed, "Luce!"

"What?" Lucifer's eyes drifted past her, only returning when Alex snapped out her wings. "What?"

"You can't just —" Alex drew in a breath, deep and controlled; he was irritated with her. Irritated. With her. "You can't just go around killing people," she said, leaning back into the couch as she aimed for a calm composure. "This isn't the Stone Age. You need to, you know, be a little more tactful. Civilized."