Chapter Text
She heard multiple foot falls on the stairs. ‘Just lovely’, she thought barely lifting one eyelid and wished she hadn’t as even that small movement made the room spin and her stomach lurch. The incense was no help at all for this current migraine from hell. Her niece would come up from time to time to check on her, but this was more than just her niece by the sound of it and if that was the case it was important or she wouldn’t even consider bringing anyone else with her. She was going to have to try to pull herself together enough to think. She carefully and cautiously pushed herself into a sitting position among the cushions on the raised flat lounge she had been trying to rest on and fought back another wave of nausea. She had just finished arranging her long cotton wrap dress when the door to her living quarters above her bookstore / coffee shop opened just a crack and her niece peaked around with a tentative “Auntie?”
She managed to keep both eyes open as her niece led in two people and did her best to focus on what she was saying about homicide detectives and them having some questions. Her eye and attention was drawn to the man that entered with her niece and another woman. He was over 6 foot and although he was extremely handsome there was something far more to him that tickled at the very edges of her awareness where the migraine hadn’t completely mired her gift. She looked at him again and tried so hard to focus, she nearly passed out before it came to her.
“Shining One?” She almost shook her head but caught herself in time and in stead swallowed hard and looked again carefully. “Shining One, you have no dominion over my line. What do you here?” she asked, falling back on the accent and word pattern of her mother’s people as she always did when she was in high emotion or in pain. She heard his sudden intake of breath and his eyes go a bit wide. It was a testament to her migraine muddled thoughts or perhaps to his aura of attraction that she never noticed her niece’s movements.
She watched the woman with the fallen angel slowly draw her weapon and suddenly registered that her niece had taken a position of protection in front of her and had drawn the matched blades she habitually carried in each boot. The girl was now glaring at the man and saying something about changing her mind and that it was time for them to go. She laid a restraining hand on her niece’s arm. “Be easy child. Had he meant us harm none could say him nay.” Her niece still looked extremely wary, but at her aunt’s words she slowly returned the blades to their sheaths as the pretty blond standing next to the angel just looked cautiously back and forth between the room’s occupants not catching the subtle shake of his head at their hostess.
She put her head in her hands and gave a heavy sigh before looking up once more at the woman “I am sorry, please forgive me detective. I am fighting a horrible migraine and am more than a bit muddle headed. I don’t think well like this. My niece is understandably very protective of me. I had been trying to rest when I heard you on the stairs and I mistook your partner for someone from my dream.” That seemed to calm the detective marginally as she slowly returned her side arm to its holster. “Kestrel, why don’t you put on a pot of tea for us, please?” She did her best to stand by herself, but the fallen angel was there suddenly to assist offering the support of his arm. She looked up at him again and again caught the subtle warning not to give him away. She turned to look at the pretty blond detective. “How can I be of service to a homicide detective?” The angel continued to support and help her to the counter island in her kitchen where her niece was setting out cups, sugar and cream next to a steaming pot of tea. ‘Thank goodness for modern conveniences’ she though regarding the speed at which water could be heated for a pot of liquid comfort whenever she needed.
“I am detective Decker and this is my associate Lucifer Morningstar.” Hearing his name, she very nearly slipped out of the chair and onto the floor. Once she regained her composure she looked at him with a soft comment of “in plain sight, aye?”
Detective Decker stopped to wave the pen that she had pulled, along with a small note book, from her jacket pocket, back and forth between the two of them asking “do you two know each other or something?”
“We haven’t been formally introduced, but I am aware of the nightclub Lux and its rather infamous owner. I am Elizabeth Drake, but most people know me as Kitty.” And this time it was Lucifer’s turn to cover his reaction with a cough that got a glare from both women. Kestrel finished setting the tea before looking to her aunt and with reluctance accepting a nonverbal dismissal and headed back down to cover the coffee shop counter.
Lucifer smiled and asked if he should play ‘mother’ and at the detective’s questioning look and Kitty’s nod he poured a bit of cream in two cups before looking in question to his partner. At the shake of her head he shrugged before picking up the little strainer and pouring from the pot and adding a bit of sugar to each cup. Kitty was still resting her head in her hands so rather than attempt to hand her the cup and saucer he actually walked around the island to carefully set it in front of her and rested a hand on her shoulder to let her know it was there before returning to his own place and taking his first sip.
His smile and sigh of pleasure had the detective looking at him and rolling her eyes. “What? Do you realize how long it’s been since I have had a proper cup of tea? The tea you American’s usually drink tastes of paper.” He looked over at Kitty and gently touched her hand to get her attention before telling her in a soft and gentle voice “Darling, when you are feeling better, you must let me know where you found this wonderful tea.”
“OoooooooK” the detective replied drawing it out. This was just getting too weird for words for her. Lucifer hadn’t made one pass or improper comment at either her or their hostess and was even being far more concerned and attentive of her than he had ever been with anyone. Well, anyone other than her or her daughter that was. “If you’re up to it, I have a few questions for you. We found the remains of a drug dealer that would appear to have been killed not too far from here but then dragged several blocks out of your area. We are waiting for an ID and T. O. D. on him now, but I understand you are the main supporter of a group called the Home Guard and was wondering if you had heard anything about it.”
Kitty took a sip of tea and used the time to try to bring her migraine muddled thoughts into order. The Home Guard was the local nick name for the group of homeless veterans that took shelter in barracks style quarters in her finished basement below her shop. “They’re basically nothing more than a glorified neighborhood watch program. They stand a man on each block in an approximate 4 block radius around the shop through the night to help keep the neighborhood a bit safer.” Little old ladies made them cookies and single moms brought them out lemonade and goody bags as thank you’s for discouraging the drug dealers and other dangers from their streets through the long dark nights. Crime had dropped dramatically since her ‘boys’ began looking out for the neighborhood. “They haven’t mentioned any problems. When did you say the body was found?”
The detective consulted her notes. “The body was discovered and reported at approximately 8 am this morning.”
“The boys are normally back well before then. They normally return as the sun rises. The biggest dangers are in the dark so that is when they try to be a presence.” She took another drink from her cup before rubbing her hand over her eyes and face. “They are actually sleeping now. I am sorry detective. I don’t have any more information for you, but they will be up by this evening if you would like to come back you are welcome to speak to them at that time.”
These were men that had seen enough battle and fighting and if possible would find other ways to discourage the crime. Most cases all that was needed was to see one of her boys standing at rest in his fatigues to discourage problems.
“I’m very sorry Detective, but that is all I can offer at the moment. As I said, unfortunately I really don’t think terribly well when I have a migraine.” She swallowed hard as even the tea that normally was a comfort threatened to make a return appearance.
Lucifer set down his cup and looked at the detective. “If I may?” He then turned to Kitty, “I may be able to offer you some relief from your migraine.” She stifled a small laugh and then regretted it as another wave of pain washed over her.
“When men normally suggest they know how to cure a migraine it involves sex and although your reputation precedes you, Mr. Morningstar, I will politely decline. Now if you will excuse me,” She made a move to get up and then rethought the action when, yet again, the pain and dizziness washed over her and instead she rested her elbows on the counter and set her head in her hands to speak to the counter. “The boys start their watch at dusk so as I said, if you return this evening they should be up and available to speak with then.”
“You misunderstand my intentions Ms. Kitty” Lucifer said, surprising the detective by not making any comment about being turned down by a second woman, but considering how unwell the poor woman actually looked she supposed that shouldn't be a surprise. She watched as Lucifer walked around the kitchen island to stand behind the woman and again surprising her by showing more care and concern than he normally showed to anyone but her or perhaps her daughter he set his hands gently on her shoulders close to her neck and carefully began to use his thumbs to massage up the back of her neck. She flinched just slightly at the unexpected contact and then sighed deeply. “Oh… my.” He followed down her spine a little way, thumbs on either side before using the heels of his hands to work circles around her shoulder blades. “And how big a favor will I owe for the use of your hands?” She asked just a little breathlessly.
“Consider this a freebie, love, in the hopes of you becoming truly addicted in the future.”
She sighed again and folded her arms to pillow her head right there at the kitchen island and mumbled something that sounded like “distinct possibility” before another deep and heartfelt sigh.
Without missing a beat, he looked up at the detective and with a little cocky smile told her “you can just pick me up on the return when you come back to talk to her “boys”. I can promise you she will be much better by then and quite likely very clear headed.”
Kitty could hear the smug confidence in his voice and under other circumstances would have had great fun poking huge gaping holes in that ego of his, but at the moment she wasn’t willing to risk him stopping what he was doing. It was helping way too much to risk ending it. She also heard the soft huff from the detective as she turned and left. Kitty felt a bit bad at not having walked the detective out herself. It was rude on her part, but it had been far too long since she had enjoyed such attentions.
She felt him turn slightly before carefully feathering his touch off her and at her small sound of protest he told her rather distractedly, “it’s alright darling, I’m just looking for… ah, there… a place to do a proper of job of this.” He softly ran his finger tips down from her shoulder to her hand before carefully taking it and helping her to stand so he could guide her back to the lounge she had been resting on earlier. Halfway to their destination, they again heard foot falls on the stairs and his “bloody hell” was timed in perfect harmony to her “bugger all” and they turned to face the door as her niece once more appeared.