~Arella~

Arella walked the halls with Lucifer by her side. The fallen angel was a surprisingly comforting company. They talked about their next steps in the redemption process. The new sinners seemed to make good enough progress and Lucifer believed they could be redeemed by next year. Charlie believed even sooner, but Arella tried the more realistic view.

A scream stopped Lucifer and Arella. Both of them looking at each other in confusion.

"What was that?"

Lucifer shook his head. "I don't know. I think it came from—"

Another scream interrupted him. The two angels started to run, only to find a shaking Charlie. She stood in front of a resident's room, the door open. Lucifer immediately went to his daughter, pulling her into an embrace and asking her what happened.

Arella moved around them and looked into the room. She did not scream, like Charlie did, but she felt her blood turning cold.

One of the new residents lied on the ground. Stabbed to a bloody blob of gore. Arella only recognized her because of the bright red fur the woman had had.

Arella heard steps behind her, but she could not look away.

"Charlie? Is everything okay?" She heard Vaggie ask. Arella could also hear Angel cuss and someone gag.

"Well, this is a surprising sight." Alastor had stopped beside her. Close enough to brush her shoulder.

She turned her face towards him, not at all surprised when she saw that Alastor had already been watching her. "Who could have done this?" She was surprised about the rage in her voice.

"I do not know. But I will figure it out."

She trusted him and with a nod, she turned around to leave the horrific murder scene.

The hours had passed without more information. Alastor had promised an enraged Vaggie and a traumatized Charlie, that he would deal with this without their involvement. Residents were not allowed to leave the hotel until the murderer had been found. In the meantime, Lucifer and Vaggie spent their time babysitting Charlie.

Arella had stayed with them for the first hour. Until she had become too restless and had joined Angel, Nifty and Husk at the bar. But after another two hours, she had excused herself. Now, she paced in her room. Folders in her hand, to figure out which of the residents could be the murderer.

But she was not a detective. She was an angel.

A knock on her door made her jump. With a sigh, she went to the door, opening it and looking up. The radio demon looked back.

"Alastor? What are you doing here?"

"Darling! I hope I am not interrupting something important." Arella immediately smiled; she could hear in his voice that he was not concerned at all. "I could use your help."

"My help?"

"Mhm."

"Why?"

Alastor laughed, using his shadow to push her out of her room. He laid one of his hands on her lower back and started to guide her down the hallway. "Because there is an important question I need an answer too. And who could better answer this question than our own moral guide?"

Confused, Arella let him push her into a room she had never been in before. "I still don't understand what you want from—" Her words died in her throat.

In the farthest corner cowered one of the new sinners. He was shackled to the wall, looking up in fear.

She heard the door close behind her and looked back to Alastor with wide eyes. "What is this?"

Alastor's smile widened as he stepped closer to her. He reached out, grabbed her by her shoulders and turned her around. His touch was feather light and in complete contrast to the whole situation.

"This is our wanted murderer."

A chill ran down her spine at the soft words. She leaned back, not wanting to be near the man in the corner. Alastor's grip did not waver, but he pulled her closer. His chest was pressed against her back. She could feel his calm breaths that made this whole situation even more bizarre.

"And why did you bring me here?"

"I already told you. I need an answer to a question.", he purred in her ear.

Arella could not take her eyes off the sinner. Her brain tried to figure out what exactly was happening right now, but it was like she missed a puzzle piece. "What question?"

Alastor removed his hands and started to walk around her. He placed himself between her and the sinner but did not block her view completely.

"What is the right punishment?"

Arella's eyes grew wide as they snapped to Alastor. "I cannot decide something like that! I am an angel not—"

"Exactly. You are an angel. Which means your decision must be the most deserving, right?"

She gulped and looked back at the sinner. He looked back. His eyes pleading.

"What exactly did he do? Why did he do it?"

Alastor tilted his head to the side, not taking his eyes off her. "This actually took some time to figure out. It seems this bastard..." Alastor's voice grew to a growl, and he looked back at the sinner with hatred. It was the first time Alastor had lost his composure since he led her to this room.

"...was heavily infatuated with the victim. And no was an answer his sorry excuse of a brain could not understand. He raped her, before stabbing her twenty-eight times."

Arella's mouth hang wide open. This man had wanted redemption, right? How could someone do something like this and still believe they deserved... anything.

"So, I ask again, darling. What is the right punishment? Ban him from the hotel?" Alastor stepped closer and Arella shifted.

"Give him another chance?" Arella's hands turned to fists as rage filled her with the mere thought of letting this guy leave without consequences.

Alastor stopped in front of her. His red eyes bored into her soul as he stated the last option. "Kill him?"

She looked up at him, searching for a hint on what to do. "He would deserve it, wouldn't he?"

Alastor's chuckle lacked any type of humanity. "A lot of people down here would deserve it. And I think such a cruel and wasteful death should at least be punished with the same force. But I am a demon. I want to know what an angel would decide."

Arella took a deep breath and looked behind Alastor. Watching the murderer squirm under her gaze. There was pure panic running through her veins. She felt like a monster, even considering making such a decision. But after the first rush subsided, there was another feeling too. She felt a tiny thrill. The power of having complete control over another one's life. She did not doubt for a second that Alastor would kill him if she wished for the sinner's death.

She felt like a psychopath. She felt like a goddess.

Alastor's grin widened, but he said nothing. Not pushing her to a decision but waiting for her to make it alone.

"I don't want Charlie to find another dead body."

"Who would want that?", Alastor purred back.

"He deserves it!"

"I think so too."

Arella took another deep breath and looked back at Alastor. "Death. That is my answer." Her voice sounded strong, but she felt like she was about to pass out.

Alastor just nodded as he conjured a dagger and held it out to her. Immediately, Arella shook her head and stepped back.

"If you want to play judge, you should also be ready to play executioner."

A hysterical laugh escaped Arella. "Want? You brought me here! You wanted an... I can't..." Her words died as she looked at the dagger. He was right. If she thought the sinner deserved death it was cowardly to think she would have less blood on her hands if she were not the one to wield the blade.

She reached out for the dagger, taking it in her hand. Alastor moved to the side and guided her towards the sinner. Both of them knelt down, but Arella did not look at the man in front of her.

"Do not distance yourself, darling." Softly, Alastor pushed her face upwards until she looked at the sinner. With his other hand, he guided her hand and the dagger in it to the sinner's heart.

She looked the sinner in the eyes, thinking about the almost unrecognizable body he had left, because he had been rejected. Alastor had not to push her hand for her to stab the man's heart.

The man yelped, before he fell into himself. Arella let go of the blade like she had been burned. She stumbled back, looking horrified at the dead body before her. She had done that!

The first tears flowed down her cheeks as her knees gave out. She would have fallen if Alastor had not caught her. He pulled her into a warm embrace. One of his hands buried in her hair. She hid her face in his chest, silently crying.

"It is alright, darling. You did the right thing. The shock will wear off."

He continued whispering in her ear. Holding her that close, that he became everything she could make out. And she listened until she calmed down. And when she had calmed, Alastor had promised her to keep this between the two of them. He had brought her back to her room and had stayed until she had fallen asleep.