Another Elvis song it would seem. A lot of you gave Vaggie grief in the last chapter, but you have to remember that Alastor is literally a psychopath, so her concern is justified. Speaking of which:

WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS REFERENCES TO CANNIBALISM AND SEXUAL ASSAULT!

Whenever Tina needed to clear her head, she would go to wherever there was a piano. At the Hazbin Hotel, that was the ballroom. It was empty, now that the staff and guests had their own rooms to go to, and decorating for the Valentine's Day dance hadn't started yet. She had the whole room to herself.

It was dark, but that wasn't a problem for a bat. Tina hummed, using echolocation to make her way to the stage and piano. She ran her hand over the keys, finding Middle C. Then she sat down, closed her eyes and began to play. There was no need for music, or for her to even look at the keys. She knew many songs by heart. She slipped into a subconscious state, allowing the music to overtake her.

Most demons liked to escape their troubles through drugs, alcohol, and or sex. Tina had fallen into all three traps at some point in her life and afterlife. Music was the one escapism of hers that didn't do any harm.

It took a few minutes for Tina to realize what song she was playing. She didn't normally think about it while in this state, as her fingers took on a life of their own.

"Would it be a sin," she sang softly, "If I can't help fallin' in love with you?"

Then she remembered for whom she'd once played this song. And the reason why she was playing it now.

Alastor had almost kissed her. Not like he had when she'd first arrived. But like the way he used to kiss her. Slowly, patiently, allowing her time to refuse. But she hadn't.

Her playing reached a crescendo. Tina needed noise to drown out her thoughts. Just as she'd been creating all week by picking fights with Alastor. If she didn't get angry, the other, more dangerous emotion would come to the surface. The emotion she'd been fighting ever since he had shoehorned his way back into her life.

How was it that even when they were fighting, Tina couldn't help but be reminded of just how much she cared for Alastor? It wasn't supposed to have happened. She'd made that deal to secure her safety in Hell. He'd had no sexual or romantic interest in her, and no one in their right mind would fall in love with a psychopathic cannibal. Especially one so obnoxious and egotistical.

It turned out that Tina wasn't in her right mind. It hadn't been for his charms or his looks. Not that she didn't find him attractive. It had happened slowly. What had started as an amicable partnership had somehow blossomed into something beautiful. And equally destructive.

The song did nothing to divert her thoughts from Alastor. The lyrics certainly weren't helping. She just kept thinking about the almost kiss, asking herself why she didn't stop him. Had it been because he'd touched her? Because of that tender look in his eyes? Or because he had refused to tell Charlie and Vaggie the truth of why they'd split up?

This wasn't the first time Alastor had withheld information to protect Tina's honor. He stayed true to his role as a gentleman, and as a husband. She supposed that was one of the things that had caused her to eventually fall for him. Even in their early years of marriage, he'd always been protective of her. Not in a misogynistic or controlling way. He'd never treated her as weak, but helped her to grow stronger. In fact, Tina wouldn't have reached her full potential as a demon, had it not been for Alastor.

"It's no use, Al," Tina said, dropping to her knees. "I just can't do it.

"Of course, you can!" Alastor held out his hand to help her up. "Every demon struggles with transforming at first!"

They stood in the middle of the bayou, not far from the manor. Alastor had said the best place for Tina to practice her demon transformation was out in a secluded area with no one else around. Unless she wanted to unwittingly start a massacre, which he hadn't been opposed to either. Tina wore a tank top and jeans, but Alastor was perfectly comfortable in his usual dapper attire. Like he'd let a little thing like mud stop him from looking presentable.

"I just don't know how I did it the first time." Tina rubbed her temple. "I don't even remember it happenin'."

Alastor shrugged. "It's normal to forget your first time, or even how it happened in the first place. Some demons go their entire afterlife without transforming, and as a result, don't last very long down here."

He summoned his staff and began circling her. "But you said you wanted to be able to defend yourself in the event that I cannot come to your aid. Although, don't mistake me," he said, giving her nose a boop, "I do pride myself in keeping my promises."

He straightened up. "Nevertheless, you should gain control over your demonic form, lest you do something you might regret in a fit of rage."

"But I get mad all the time!" Tina threw up her hands. "What made that one time so different?"

"Transforming is more than simply getting mad. It's more like… Hmm. How do I put this?" Alastor rolled his wrist. "A…survival instinct. When a demon's sins manifest into their purest form, transforming it into something stronger to take out any outside threats.

"You think our usual forms are beastly?" He gestured to himself. "Our sins run skin deep, and are far more monstrous when released."

Tina looked him over curiously. "Can I see yours?"

Alastor's ears twitched. "I don't think you're quite ready for that, darling."

"Come on, Al." She folded her arms. "Ya know I don't scare easily."

"I don't doubt your bravery, dear," he said, patting her on the head, "but believe me when I say you're better off never seeing what I look like when I'm truly enraged."

She tilted her head. "Why?"

He clucked his tongue hesitantly. "Let us simply say that the uglier the sins, the uglier the monster within."

He shook his head. "Besides, we're here for your demon transformation, not mine."

Alastor took on the demeanor of a mentor once more and twirled his cane. "Demons first trigger their stronger form with a strong emotion, usually from some stimulus related to their past."

"What set you off?" Tina asked.

"Hmm." He rubbed his chin. "I don't quite recall. It was almost seventy years ago. But I do remember coming out of it and finding myself in a sea of mangled corpses."

His eyes and smile took on that sinister glow that told Tina she had to say something before he got lost in his sadistic train of thought.

"Boy, am I glad the worst I did was break a few windows."
"Ha-ha-ha!" Alastor pinched her cheek. "You're a delightful little bundle of rage, sweetheart, but your sins weren't nearly as gruesome as mine!"

"Don't patronize me." She swatted his hand away. "I can still slap ya silly."

"That's because I let you, dear. Now." He caused his microphone to vanish. "Perhaps if you recount the events leading up to your blackout, we can pinpoint the exact trigger. And don't worry about injuring me in the process. I have a high tolerance for pain, so I won't hold it against you."

Tina smirked. "Says the man who flinches when I so much as tap his shoulder."

Alastor ignored her quip and moved behind her. "What exactly were you and Lucifer discussing before the ceremony? He must've said something to set you off."

She bit her lip anxiously.

"You don't have to say it aloud," he said, settling his hands on her shoulders. "I simply want you to think about it."

She looked down at his hands, but didn't move them. "He was…askin' me to seduce ya. So ya wouldn't try to steal his throne, remember?"

Alastor nodded. "You told me so, yes. Was that it?"

Tina shook her head. "H-He also mentioned my sins, and…"

Lucifer had threatened to tell Alastor the one sin she'd never had the courage to confess. She tried to recall the anger she'd felt. At Lucifer, and at herself.

Then she heard it again. That infernal crying. Falling rain flashed before her eyes. The crying grew louder, ringing in her ears. She covered them, but this did nothing to block out the noise that had haunted her for years.

"Not my fault," she muttered. "Not my fault."

Her claws came out. Alastor released her shoulders and stepped away. Tina's back arched as she increased in height, the bones in her wings becoming more distinct as they grew. Her fangs stretched over her lower lip, like a vampire's. Alastor circled in front of her to get a better look. When she opened her eyes, they were pitch black and soulless. Then she threw her head back and released a sonic screech. The ground shook, the trees cracked, the swamp water sloshed, the resident gators swam as far away as they could with their tails between their legs.

Alastor's hair and coattails flew back, his monocle was knocked off his face, but his feet remained firmly rooted to the spot. His eyes were wide and unblinking as they watched the screaming bat flap her wings and rise into the air like a banshee summoning Death.

Then her screech faded away and she tucked in her knees, curling herself into a ball in midair. She snarled and squeaked, pulling at her hair and clawing at her scalp. She seemed keener on destroying herself than the nearest living being.

Without taking his gaze off her, Alastor replaced his monocle. He moved it outward and inward like a microscope lens, taking in every detail of the creature before him. His eyes gave off a faint glow, almost as dangerous as the one before.

"Oh, Tina, darling," he said breathlessly.

The bat snapped her black eyes onto Alastor, as if just realized he was there. But he showed no fear as he sized her up once more.

"You are beautiful."

The creature swooped down and tackled him, screeching at a lower but still painful volume for the ears. But Alastor was used to high-pitched noises, given the constant static that surrounded him. She pinned him to the ground, her claws piercing his shoulders, her knees digging into his hips.

Yet Alastor made no effort to fight back. As he gazed up at the snarling beast, his ears fell flat against his head. Like a prey yielding to a predator.

The effect this form of hers had on him was overwhelming. A sensation he was unfamiliar with. He didn't care if she devoured him right then and there, so long as he could continue watching this gorgeous display of raw, animal ferocity.

Then she let out another sonic screech and Alastor was reminded of his task.

"As captivating as you are this way, dearest," he said, raising a hand to her face, "you really need to get your bearings."

The monstrous bat shut her mouth. She blinked her black eyes, caught off-guard by the non-threatening touch. Alastor chuckled, wondering how she would react if he were to do something really daring. Like kiss her. Of course, that was an absurd thought.

"Take deep breaths." He lifted his other hand to fully cup her face. "In through your nose, out through your mouth."

Tina seemed to be coming to her senses as she closed her eyes and obeyed his instructions.

"You're raging. That's good. Your rage makes you stronger. Now, you must focus that rage." He brought her head down, pressing her forehead to his. "Stop fighting against it. Let it flow through your veins. Into your organs, into your muscles, into your brain."

He dragged his hands down to her neck, then her shoulders, then her arms. "Don't let the anger control you. You control the anger. Now that you have it, use it to your advantage."

The claws eased out of his shoulders. Alastor took the opportunity to sit up, redirecting Tina so that they were both on their knees. His hands were now at her wrists, holding her steady as her features shrank back to their normal state.

When Tina next opened her eyes, they held purple irises once more.

"Do you remember anything?" Alastor asked.

She looked down at his hands holding hers, and blushed. "A little."

He leaned forward. "How did it feel?"

Tina put a hand to her head. "Like…I was a different person. Angrier." She pulled her hand away to examine her retracted claws. "Stronger."

"You were flying."

Her eyes widened. "But Husk and I only just started flying lessons!"

"That's what transforming can do to your body." He licked his finger and smoothed out her hair, which stood up in all directions. "It'll become easier over time, with practice. Soon you'll be able to transform at will."

"But what am I supposed to do in the meantime?" She pushed his hand away. "Unless ya follow me around everywhere, there's no way you can protect me all the time."

"Oh?" He put a hand over his heart. "And I thought you appreciated my company!"

Tina rolled her eyes. "I may be your wife, but I gotta have some time to myself, don't I? Ya know, other than bath and bedtime. And I'm sure you'd like some time alone too. Or do ya expect to have me glued to your hip everywhere ya go?"

"Hmm." Alastor rubbed his chin. "Give me your engagement ring."

Tina held up her left hand that bore the ruby ring. He took her hand and brought his own finger to his mouth. He bit down on it, drawing blood.

She gasped. "Al, what the Hell?"

"Hush now," Alastor said, holding the bloody finger over her ring. "And stay still."

He then muttered some words in a language she didn't know. Blood dripped from his finger and onto the ruby, sizzling on its surface like acid. A glowing Vodou symbol Tina couldn't identify appeared on the gem for a moment. Then it faded away, leaving no visible trace of blood.

"Did ya just curse my ring?"

"More of a charm than a curse," Alastor explained. "If ever you need me, turn this ring around your finger three times. I will be alerted of your location, and come directly to you."

Tina smirked. "Do I get three wishes too?"

He chuckled. "I'm a demon, not a genie."

"What if you're busy? And ya can't come right away?"

Alastor locked eyes with her as he raised her hand to his lips. "I made a vow to protect my wife at all costs."

She was worried he was going to kiss her hand, but his lips stopped at the ruby.

"I will never be too busy for you."

They hadn't needed romance back then. There was no word to describe their relationship. None that Tina knew, anyway. They had simply been two friends who happened to be married. If only they hadn't allowed that to change. Then maybe she wouldn't be sitting alone at this piano right now.

Tina imagined Alastor coming up behind her, snaking his arms around her middle like he used to do while she played piano. His chin would rest on her shoulder, the corner of his smile against her cheek. He would somehow manage to swing his legs over the bench, guarding either side of her. Then he'd hum along to whatever tune she was playing if he was familiar with it. Or he'd bury his nose in her hair and inhale.

Or, what would really distract her from her performance, he would plant small kisses on her cheek, neck and shoulder. Her breath hitched at the ghost of his lips. His teeth would just graze against her skin, but he would never dare to leave a mark. She was "too valuable to damage," he would say. He'd make her feel secure, adored, wanted.

Her fingers became shaky, and she soon found she could no longer move them. The music stopped, and the fantasy was shattered. Tina opened her eyes and looked around the ballroom.

Alastor was gone. He'd never been there to begin with.

With a heavy sigh, Tina dropped her elbows onto the keys with a clang and cradled her head. No matter how many lost souls she took under her wing, there was always that nagging feeling of loneliness that could never be satisfied. She'd never connected with anyone the way she had with Alastor. She tried so hard to convince everyone that she was just fine on her own. And she was, business-wise.

But on the inside, she was just a sad, sorry mess wallowing in self-pity, with only memories to keep her company. Which she was willing to accept. Memories were preferable. She couldn't hurt memories. And she sure as Hell didn't deserve the real thing.

The advantage of having an entire floor to himself was that there was no one in the next room to overhear. The penthouse suite also had a private kitchen Alastor could use for his special meals. He hummed as he chopped the heart into chunks and dropped them in the boiling pot.

On his walk, he'd happened to hear a lady calling for help. Alastor had followed the cry to an alley, where a man had a woman pressed against a wall. Rapists were the lowest of sinners, in Alastor's opinion. To treat a lady with such disrespect was really distasteful, like bad meat.

If Alastor couldn't have Tina's heart, he might as well take another's. After all, that lustful pig hadn't been making any use of it.

It was a great risk to the Radio Demon's plans to be practicing his hobby within the confines of the hotel. Yet there was a pleasant thrill to be murdering in secrecy again. That was one reason he'd grown bored of Hell. All his crimes were allowed, which offered him no challenge. And since everyone knew who he was, he couldn't lure his victims the way he used to. There was no finesse in his methods, no real effort.

Now, by working at the good-natured Princess's hotel, there was not only one, but two challenges. The first was to continue his violent exploits without Charlie or Vaggie finding out. The second was the challenge of winning back his one true soulmate.

Currently, however, Alastor was at a loss with how to proceed with that particular plan. So, he had to take a step back and absorb himself in his other, older obsession.

This was the one part of his life he simply couldn't share with Tina, which made it the perfect distraction from her. When it was just him and his meal. Although, he'd fantasized her many times cooking alongside him, chopping up the meat into little pieces. He even imagined her assisting him in the carving, or, dare he to dream, the hunting.

But no, he could never involve her in this. Tina already regretted so much. She'd taken one life in self-defense, and that had been enough to plague her with night terrors. Alastor couldn't add more sins to her conscience, even if they were already damned. Her morality was stronger than his. If Charlie's silly idea for redemption were possible, which he doubted, Tina would be among the first to ascend with the angels.

Perhaps that was why Alastor had tried to be so good to her. Tina wasn't like his meals. She wasn't an impulsive animal that deserved to be slaughtered. At one point, he'd almost considered her a pet. A creature that provided amusement and comfort, pardoned from the fate of the kitchen. But his respect for her had grown so much since then that he no longer attributed her to an animal in any way. Except as the bat she literally was, of course.

Alastor sighed as he stirred the demon heart stew. This meal was failing to divert his thoughts from his wife so far. It didn't help that he'd acquired this meal while defending a lady's honor. Just as he used to do with Tina. But he hadn't spoken a word to the damsel. Not even checked to see if she was harmed. He'd simply left her in the alley without a second thought.

When Alastor tried to think of what the woman had looked like, he could only picture Tina. On the ground, her leg badly cut, as she had appeared on the night he'd first rescued her. She had offered no thanks, no screams, not even a catatonic look of terror.

Rather, her initial response after witnessing him mangle two ruthless rapists had been to scowl up at him and say, "Were you followin' me?"

Tina was far from a damsel in distress, even if she tended to find herself in distress from time to time. No woman had ever reacted to him casually murdering the way she had. So clever, so bold, so sassy. Not to mention the amount of damage she'd managed to inflict before his intervention. Naturally, they were engaged within the hour.

The kitchen timer went off, snapping Alastor out of his thoughts. He took a spoonful of the stew out to check that the meat was tender, then turned the stove off. As he scooped the stew into a bowl, he continued humming, trying to place where he'd heard that tune before.

Then he remembered. Once again, it had to do with Tina.

After setting the dining table, Alastor went over to his box of records. He thumbed through them until he found the one marked: TINA, 5TH ANNIVERSARY.

He put the record on the gramophone and sat at the table. As the piano instrumental started, Alastor fanned out his napkin and lay it across his lap. He took the first bite of his stew just as Tina's voice came out of the horn:

"Wise men say
Only fools rush in
But I can't help fallin' in love with you."

Every year on their wedding anniversary, Alastor would gift Tina with a pair of shoes, and she would record a song on the piano for him, one that had been written after his time. But their fifth anniversary had been special. The first one they'd shared as a true married couple. So that year, Tina had made a more romantic selection, by that Elvis fellow who had apparently been a big deal during her lifetime.

Of course, it would be this song stuck in Alastor's head now.

"Shall I stay?
Would it be a sin
If I can't help fallin' in love with you?"

Alastor closed his eyes, reconstructing that day in his mind. Tina sitting at the piano, no sheet music in front of her. Her luminous eyes occasionally glancing his way, filled with shyness and unconditional adoration. It had only been a few weeks since they'd confessed their feelings for each other. Although Alastor hadn't felt the least bit nervous in that moment. Not when she was singing her heart out for him.

"Like a river flows
Surely to the sea,
Darlin', so it goes,
Some things are meant to be.

"Take m-y h-hand…"

Alastor's smile widened as Tina's voice became shaky. This had been when he'd snuck behind her, pulling her into a comfortable embrace.

"Take my wh-whole l-life too."

He sighed at the memory of her back pressed up against his chest, the lavender scent of her hair tickling his nose, the warmth of her cheek. He'd caught her off-guard, but being the determined little musician that she was, she'd kept going.

"For I can't help fallin' in l-love with you."

The song was finished, but the record wasn't.

"I can't help falling in love with you either, darling," said past Alastor.

"Al!" Tina said in a half-scream, half-laugh. "Stop lickin' my neck, ya weirdo!"

"How can I stop when you're so delicious?"

Tina scoffed. "What, ya plannin' on eatin' me now?"

"Hmm. Not today."

Then came Tina's adorable, squeaky laugh. "Keep talkin' like that and the only piece of me you'll be gettin' is my fist in your face!"

The present-day Alastor chuckled along with past Alastor.

"Wait. That thing still recordin'? Al, I can't believe ya—"

The recording cut off and the Radio Demon opened his eyes. The table he sat at was long, enough chairs for eight people. Yet he only thought of the empty chair to his right, and who he wished would fill it.

He put down his spoon, his appetite gone. Then he sipped his wine glass, filled with a dark red liquid that wasn't wine.

Alastor had tried everything he could think of to regain Tina's favor. He'd cooked her favorite foods. He'd left gifts at her door every morning, from flowers to dresses to jewels to records of her favorite artists. He'd even gone so far as to be courteous to her employees. Most of the time.

She hadn't ignored his efforts. She'd eaten the food, accepted the gifts, and acknowledged his cooperation. But all this had done nothing to change her animosity towards him.

What was there left to do? Alastor was acting no different from when they were living together. It couldn't be an apology Tina was after, because he had nothing to apologize for.

He wished the Princess and that pesky moth hadn't gotten involved today. The nerve of those two, asking such personal questions! Why did anyone else need to know what had caused Alastor and Tina's marriage to fall apart? Although he didn't think he'd been at fault, he had no desire to slander his beloved. No, he would never do what that pig-headed agent had done and sabotage her reputation. Alastor cared about her too much to enact some petty revenge.

Any other man would've given up after ten years of scorn. But how could the Radio Demon give up on the one person who made him feel anything close to real affection? His afterlife was so mundane and aimless without his wife. He needed her to be his anchor, his muse, his partner in every way possible. Perhaps Tina was doing fine on her own, but Alastor certainly wasn't.

He didn't know how long he had been silently brooding. He initially didn't notice the pattering of rain on the windows, or the lightning flashing, or the thunder rolling in the distance.

Until he was awakened by a mighty crash, light flooding the room. Alastor sat up and finally looked outside. It was pouring like a monsoon. The short time between the lightning and thunder indicated that the storm was right on top of the hotel. It was so loud that it was bound to wake up the hotel's residents.

But Alastor's concern was for but one person in particular. "Tina."

In a fearful frenzy, he quickly stood up, knocking over his seat, and teleported out of the room.

I may have to up the rating, as the next chapter's going to be a bit gorier. Also, the flashbacks will not necessarily be in order, so let me know if it's unclear when they take place.