Katherine bustled around the kitchen, wiping sweat from her forehead with her apron as she went. Vegetables were copped, spices separated into bowls, water boiled on the stove. It had been a while since she had cooked but with her memories back she thought her old Jambalaya would be a perfect comfort food for everyone. She'd noticed that even Nifty hadn't been around. Although she had no memory of the girl from life she had seen enough of her here to know it was odd.
A smell of burning filled her nose and she hissed as she realized the celery she had been simmering was turning black. She rushed to the pan and moved it off the burner with a sigh. She was clearly out of practice and even still unused to doing this alone. She had a flash of the small boy stirring pots for her as she diced. He had been nervous to use the knife when he was younger so she had handled the chopping. She felt a shiver knowing now it was a fear he'd outgrow later.
She almost dropped the pan as there was a snap and the pan suddenly became clean. Raw celery sticks appearing next to her on the counter. She turned to see Alastor leaning sheepishly in the doorway.
They stared at each other for a moment and then he wordlessly moved next to her, taking the celery to a cutting board and grabbing a knife to start chopping. She instinctively snatched it from his hand and felt a pang in her heart as he closed his eyes for a moment growing still under her gaze. When he opened his eyes there was a sadness in them, but he stepped out of her way with a slight flourish and moved instead to the bowl of chives, adding the oil and pepper before putting it back on the heat. She watched him for a moment and he didn't look up from his task. She even caught that he held his hand above the pan, waiting for the slight pop of oil, just as she had taught him. Just to give them a crisp that wouldn't get soggy as they marinated in the soup. In silence they fell into their old rhythm, moving around each other like clock work. Dicing, stirring. At one point he tasted it and handed her the spoon which she took. They stared at each other as she lifted the wooden spoon to her lips. It was delicious. She smiled and he smiled back.
They continued in their preparation like a dance. Each knowing exactly what their role was. As it was almost finished she heard the soft static of a radio fill the room and then a familiar song began to cut through. She looked at her son as he kept his eyes on what he was doing, What a Wonderful World softly filling the room. Their favorite song. As she looked at him now, even with the Wendigo details she could see her little pigeon. Even the ears and horns struck her more as sweet now. Stripped down to a button up and slacks, wiping at his face with his sleeve. Smelling each ingredient before adding it to the pot. There came another pang in her heart. Her little Prince of the Forest. Her little bambi. She saw the pin on his lapel, the antlers she had given him. And she suddenly noticed the monocle as well.
He glanced at her from the corner of his eye, feeling her gaze.
"I thought you'd never wear a monocle," she said softly, a teasing tone that didn't match the tears glossing her eyes.
He paused, still didn't meet her eyes, but touched her hand lightly. "I started after you were…" he paused and was in motion again. "After you were gone."
"Thought it was too old-fashioned," she pressed, nothing but warmth in her voice.
He chuckled a little but she saw shame color his face as he kept moving around her at the stove.
"It was never…" He started, but he blinked hard before laughing again. "I never liked wearing his stuff. It never looked the same on me."
Katherine felt a lump in her throat. "Your Daddy was a good man," she offered simply, getting back to work. "Just cuz you didn't take after his-"
"It made him look refined," Alastor continued over her, his words coming quicker now, as if it was something he'd been wanting to say for a while. "It just made me look like the schmucks at the radio. I know I had some privileges for taking after you but it never seemed fair. I wanted to be like him and everyone thinkin' it was best that I wasn't. Wearing his stuff always felt like a costume. Like I'd never be enough to fill his coats."
Katherine wiped at the tears threatening to stream down her face. She and her husband had both been grateful on a certain level that Alastor had come out with such pale skin. She was ashamed to admit it but Thomas had felt the same way. They knew bringing a kid into the world together at that time would be trying and they had been relieved when he could pass for white so well. Thomas only wanted the best. They both knew it would be easier that way. She'd never really considered what it would do to a child to be told that looking like the man he saw as his hero could be bad.
Alastor stiffened as he felt her hand grasp his arm in a reassuring squeeze. She didn't look at him but he saw in a glance that she was becoming emotional and he felt regret at his honesty. He touched her hand lightly again before moving to the freezer for a paper wrapped package. His heart broke when he saw her attention suddenly turn to him.
"Mama it's just pork," he said quietly.
"You eat pork?" she asked with almost a hope in her voice that made his dead heart drop to his hooves. He felt his eyes get hot and defensively sneered before taking it to the cutting board.
"It's not as filling as…" he trailed off, not daring to look up from his task. Grabbing a knife he began slicing the link into pieces, a little harder than necessary. "It's not as sustainable now but it tides me over for a bit," he finished. Daring to look at her face desperately trying to stay stoic he smirked. "The Princess has a rule about bringing back any meat people would know, so I look at it as a diet. Fasting. I can go a week or two without hunting now."
He saw her face twitch and felt ashamed of himself. He was angry but it was true.
That all melted as he heard a soft sob. He turned his head just as she buried her face in her hands, salty tears flowing between her fingertips.
"I…" she choked. "I tried to be good to you. I know I didn't always get it right but I hope you know I tried."
A pain worse than anything in Hell filled him as he rushed to her, wrapping her in his arms. He shuddered with each sob that wracked her body.
"You were the best Mama," His voice cracked. "I swear it wasn't...I shouldn't have…"
At a loss for words he buried his head into her hair. His own tears began to fall. They stood like that for a moment, mother and son, and the song began again. He started to hum along in spite of himself and felt himself giggle as she did the same. Their embrace changed, lightened, as she took his hand and they pulled apart to dance, singing through tears. She could never sing a lick but even as wonderful as her boy always sounded, he heightened his voice into a dramatic flare, making her throw her head back in laughter. They dropped their hands and went back to the meal, now their tear stained faces smiling.
As he clicked off the burners he felt her hand on his shoulder. "We all lose our way Pidge…" he heard her whisper. "But even now you're trying to be a good man. Went to the Devil himself to to try make things better." He felt her hand move to his face and turned. She was giving him a soft smile. "It's not about when we fall down…"
"It's about how we get back up." He finished it with a soft smile.
"Hey it smells AMAZIN' in here," the spider demon's voice cut through the room and they gave each other one last smile before Alastor turned back to the pot.
He heard the others trail in as well, sniffing and complimenting before finding their seats.
He heard the sound of Angel Dust's boots clumping onto the table, the sharp thwack of a wooden spoon and a hiss from the spider. And his mother's scolding, "You're not gonna get into heaven without any manners."
Throughout the meal Alastor's eyes kept drifting to the door, but the demoness remained in her room as always. He hadn't seen her since the night he had brought her,but he made sure a bowl was on the counter waiting just in case.