Chapter's warning: Trigger Warnings (TW): Physical/Psychological Abuse, Gore

Charlie slowly opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry and it took awhile for her eyes to adjust to the light that was entering what looked like a window while warming her hands that rested over her belly.

She blinked a few times trying to adjust her vision and trying to understand where she was. Her eyes first went to her hands. There was a blanket separating them and her body. She then looked around her hands and figured she was laid on something. By its softness, it was a bed.

The blonde frowned her eyebrows and shifted her gaze towards her surroundings. She was in a room she had never seen before. There was a small wardrobe made from dark wood right in front of her. Her feet were 'pointing' to the wardrobe that occupied almost the whole wall.

On her left side, the bed was touching the wall, and there was a big window above. On the left she could see an open door.

She definitely wasn't in her home anymore, neither the hotel… Where was she after all?

As she tried to see what was by her side, she saw a gray fabric. Her eyes slowly went up, to get the bigger picture. To her surprise, it was Alastor. He was sitting in a chair, sleeping. His glasses were over his lap as his hand was holding them.

For a brief moment, Charlie thought she was dreaming, but it quickly got away as soon as she recalled what happened last night with some flashbacks that popped into her mind.

Quickly she looked at her hands, they were… Clean? Then, she lifted her blanket, she was wearing a red robe, which made her blush. Did Alastor change her? Her hand went to the robe to open it, no… He didn't, she still had the same clothes with blood stains under the robe.

Her eyes went back to the man who was peacefully resting on the chair. She couldn't help but smile at the thought of him being so polite to the point he didn't even dare to change her while she passed out. The fact that she could feel some peace now just by having him by her side was… So good.

As she kept looking at him, she could feel her body wasn't totally rested yet, as she felt it getting relaxed once again, same as her eyes. Charlie fell asleep once again.

"Charlie?" A far away voice echoed in Charlie's head, as she felt her body moving slowly.

"Dear, it's breakfast." The voice echoed closer as her body moved again. She woke up, and looked directly at the sound's source.

It was Alastor, dressed with a white T-shirt with suspenders, his usual black bowtie, and a pair of dark brown pants.

"I don't know what you would like to eat but-" Alastor got a tray and lowered it down so she could see. "I made you some pancakes." He smiled. "And orange juice."

Charlie frowned, confused. He even made her breakfast? She then smiled at him before sitting on the bed.

He carefully placed the tray over her lap. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired… But safe." She half smiled at him.

"I suppose you feel good, then?" Alastor chuckled as he put his hands behind his back. "Are you… Feeling any pain, dear?"

"Pain?" Charlie tilted her head and blinked. "No, why?" She got the fork and knife to cut the first piece of the pancakes.

"You were covered in blood, Charlie…" Alastor adjusted his glasses.

"Oh- That!" Charlie looked down to her hands. She had to think quickly about what to say. "I was trying to come back here, but I tripped on something. A stick, maybe? It was so dark I couldn't quite tell what it was. Then, I hurt my head pretty badly. I tried to look after someone I knew and I saw you. I was dizzy and my vision became slightly blurry. I'm just glad it was really you." She giggled shyly. She was lying, but… What was she supposed to say?

Alastor nodded and smiled at her. "I see. Do you need anything for the wounds?"

Charlie's eyes got wider while she was giving the first bite at the pancakes. She didn't have any visible wounds, and she completely forgot about the 'blood part' in her story. Her shocked reaction was because she was caught off guard AND because she was delighted with the pancakes.

"Oh no, no no, I'm fine. I just—" ' Think fast Charlie… C'mon' She looked at him and smiled. "I got lost coming back here and I think I must have tripped into some mud puddle…" Charlie hoped Alastor would believe in this little excuse.

He looked at her and just nodded. "Well, we must get you cleaned, then." He walked towards the wardrobe and got a dark red towel. "Excuse me while I will prepare you a bath, and... Do you have any spare clothes with you?" Alastor bowed a bit to the blonde before walking towards the door.

"No... Not right now." Charlie gave a weak smile at him.

He nodded before opening the door.

"Alastor, wait." Charlie said, raising her hand.

"Huh?" He slightly turned his head.

"Thank you... For everything and -" She opened her mouth to say something. 'I missed you' - the phrase echoed in her head but a knot formed in her throat. "-Yeah." She gave a weak giggle, sighing right after.

"No need to thank me." He smiled and passed through the door, closing it right after.

Charlie slowly leaned a bit towards the plates.

For some reason, Alastor seemed a bit colder than he was the last time she saw him and it left the blondie insecure to say such a phrase.

She looked at the pancakes and smiled. He was such a gentleman even if it seemed something was off...

And the pancakes were so delicious that she could savor them.

While Charlie was alone, a flash of these last days came into her mind.

In fact, the blondie didn't show up at her home for at least two more weeks now. She went to another place, another city, far away from New Orleans until that man was there too. She made sure he saw her at the city at least one time before coming back.

After Charlie went back home, her parents were relieved to see her back, but she had to deal with their rage as well.

"How could you do that?! You have everything you need right here!" It echoed in her head, making her contract the muscles of her face and shoulders.

Having to deal with her parents being mad at her and with what she did as if she was still a kid was annoying. But the worst part was how her fiancé and sister-in-law treated her.

Seviathan kept saying how silly she was for wanting to visit this place, even laughing at her desire. On the other hand, her sister-in-law was... A pain in the ass, but nothing different from usual.

All the time she was there, she couldn't stop thinking about New Orleans and... Alastor.

Every time she was with Seviathan, she saw how harsh he was compared to Alastor.

As the weeks passed, the more distant she became of her fiancé. What intrigued her more was that he didn't even seem to care, until... The last day.

That day, Seviathan finally noticed how distant Charlie was. It was during dinner with her parents.

"Charlotte, pass me the meat." Seviathan said after a long conversation with Charlie's father about business.

There was no response from Charlie as she was playing her food with a fork. Her cheek was squished by resting against her hand supported by her elbow over the table. She had a small smile over her lips, remembering the dances she had in New Orleans.

It has been a few days since she came back and she didn't have any invitation from Seviathan for a dance, where she could show her learned dance moves. At this point, she doesn't even know if she wants to show them anymore.

"Charlotte, the meat." Seviathan said one more time.

No response yet from the girl, who has a peculiar shine in her eyes. A music was playing in her head.

"Charlotte, are you dreaming about some silly colorful bullshit again?!" Seviathan placed his hand over the table and impatiently tapped his fingers against it.

That's when Charlie woke up and looked at her fiancé.

"I'm sorry, but what did you say?" She frowned her eyebrows, blinking a few times as if she was trying to assimilate what she heard.

"Oh, now you heard." The man rolled his eyes and pursed his lips before it turned into a smirk. "I said, pass the meat and stop dreaming about your childish stuff."

That made Charlie frown even more, pursing her lips and showing a little of her sharp canine.

But then, she just passed the -so- desirable meat to him and ignored it. Her parents didn't do anything because they didn't even hear the conversation.

They were talking between them. The table was a large one, which would easily fit at least 16 guests.

They were close enough to hear each other, but her parents were talking so vivid and loudly, especially her father, overpowering Seviathan's and Charlie's voice.

After the dinner, Charlie went to her room and put on a nightgown.

She had a little radio in her room and turned it on. She wouldn't be able to sync to Alastor's station, especially because it was already night time, but she tried to search for a station that was playing jazz.

As soon as she found it, her smile got even bigger. With a little jump she got up, and started to dance to it as if there was someone there. Truth is, someone was. It was her little helpers her dad gave her, Razzle and Dazzle.

They tilted their heads while looking at the girl who happily danced, throwing her long blonde hair.

They looked at each other and smiled while getting up. One jumped to climb the other's shoulder and clumsily walked towards Charlie.

She had her eyes closed, remembering their dances at the club and park and imagining Alastor was there again.

She opened her eyes wide and her heart skipped a beat when she felt something touching her hand.

She gave a soft smile at her helpers who were trying to dance with her, all clumsy, but in a very adorable way.

They for sure didn't know how to dance jazz, but she was trying patiently to teach them. In fact, the blondie was having more fun seeing them being clumsy than actually dancing.

Unfortunately, it didn't last long because they were interrupted by a knock at her door.

"Excuse me, boys." She smiled adjusting her nightgown and Razzle and Dazzle quickly got her a pinkish robe to cover her.

"Thank you." She smirked and walked towards the door.

When she opened the door, there was Seviathan. He didn't even wait for her to assimilate who it was or what was happening. He just suddenly glued his lips against hers.

Charlie widened her eyes and tried to step back, pushing Seviathan away.

"What are you doing?" She pulled away and pressed her hands against his chest while he kept pulling her waist closer.

"What do you think I'm doing? Trying to make out with my fiancé." His hands went up on her and they started to open her robe.

"But I don't want to." She held his wrists, making him stop.

"We just need to start. You know you want it." Seviathan smirked at her, biting his lip and slowly sliding his hands to enter inside her robe.

"No! I don't want to, I'm- not in the mood." She pushed his hands away and turned her back. "I ask you politely to go away."

Seviathan raised his eyebrows, looking confused at her. Then his eyes went down to his wrists that she pulled away.

"You don't know what you are saying. You always enjoy it. You're trying to play with me, aren't you?" Once again, he smirked and went towards her, getting her wrist and making her spin to collide her body against him once more. "How can I make you get in the mood, huh?" Seviathan leaned against her and kissed her chin, going to her neck.

"Sev- I said no." Charlie contracted her body and her neck.

"C'mon Charlie, just a little bit." He bit her neck slightly, and it made Charlie contract even more.

"I said NO!" She frowned and pushed him even stronger, making Seviathan's almost trip. He blinked at her and frowned after it.

"How… What is happening?" He looked angry, impatient and annoyed.

"I just don't want to. And I want you to respect that." Charlie crossed her arms. "Now, goodnight." She turned her back again going towards her bed.

Not happy with Charlie's behavior, Seviathan held her by her wrist again, pulling her strong enough to make her spin and face him. "What is happening, huh?"

"Nothing. I'm just not in the mood." She tried to release her wrist from his grip.

"For two weeks? No, I don't buy this shit anymore." He closed even more his grip around her wrist.

"Sev, let me go. Nothing happened." She tried to resist and he got his other hand holding her face.

"What that filthy place did to you?" His grip was getting even tighter than before. It started to hurt Charlie.

"Nothing. Just let me go!" Charlie pushed him away but he didn't move a single inch.

"If nothing happened, I can do this." He glued his lips against hers once more, and she contracted her whole body. She tried… Just to pretend everything was okay, but it wasn't. She couldn't. She tried to push him away, but he kept forcing.

Charlie's hand made contact with his face in a strong and loud slap.

Seviathan backed up and looked at Charlie in a mix of surprise and anger. Charlie was surprised by her own reaction, but most of all, she was annoyed by Seviathan's behavior.

"How dare you?!" His nails were craving against Charlie's skin, and he got her face again. "Who did that to you?"

Charlie tried to free her wrists from his grip, but his nails were opening her skin, while blood started to roll down slowly from her wrist and her face. Seviathan's eyes started to glow.

"No one, I'm just tired of this!" With a strong push, she freed herself from him, but that made him open her skin even more. He almost tripped back with the push. "I'm tired of you not letting me be who I want to be. I'm tired of doing whatever you want. What about me? What about the things I enjoy? You never ask what I WANT! You and your sister always make fun of me and my desires. I'm tired!" Charlie's eyes were glowing while she was spilling all that agony. Her head turned to Seviathan's direction and she frowned. "You don't even care about me. Never did."

Seviathan's eyes were looking at Charlie, up and down.

He gave a step to her direction. "You know, you kind of look hot when you are angry like that." He gave a half smile, his hand went to her waist but she slapped it.

"It's over." She finally said.

"What?" He squinted his eyes, he was shocked.

"You heard me well. It's over. I'm tired." She showed her teeth. "Now, please. Get out of my room."

"You will regret it, princess." Seviathan's shocked face vanished, giving space for a smirk.

"Razzle, Dazzle, escort him to the door, please." Charlie caressed her wrist, but it just made the blood spread more.

"Your father will love to know about it, Charlie. I'm not finished with you." Seviathan was escorted by Razzle and Dazzle, the two closing the door.

Charlie remained quiet for minutes… Just holding her wrist and letting the radio's music echo in her room.

It was until her eyes got up and she snapped her fingers. She had a slight orange dress and rushed out of her room. Razzle and Dazzle looked at each other while Charlie got out of her room and they followed her.

She was determined. She was going to leave that place once again. Just the two weeks she spent there sucked her energy like… It never did. She felt so vivid, so ALIVE in New Orleans. She just wanted it back and she would have it back.

Once she reached a huge portal at her home, she noticed someone pulling her skirt. Razzle and Dazzle were staring at Charlie, pouting and looking worried.

"Don't worry… I… I will be back. I just need some more time to think. Please be safe, and don't tell anyone where I'm heading to… Promise?" She kneeled in front of them, caressing their heads.

They both nodded, their eyes were shining, worried.

"Take care, boys." She gave a small kiss on their foreheads but Razzle held her arm, pointing at the wound in her wrist.

"Don't worry… It will get better." She smiled and then got up. She gave a little look back to Razzle and Dazzle before going through the portal.

As she touched the floor on the other side the portal closed. Once again, she was in the same place the man caught her just in case someone followed her so they couldn't track her down to New Orleans. It was night, and she was in the middle of a forest. It was probably inside the park of the city she was in. As she walked further in the forest, the sound of nature filled her ears and her heart with joy.

Her eyes stopped at one flower. She couldn't tell which flower it was, but it was trumped-shape and its petals were light purple at the tips and dark purple in the center.

As she was about to pull the flower closer to her nose, something else caught her attention. Her wrist was still bleeding. She pursed her lips and looked around, proceeding to walk. If she found a river or such, it would be good to at least clean her skin.

Time passed by until she heard a water-like sound. She followed the source and found a small lake in the middle of the woods. The view was astonishing. The water shining under the pale moonlight.

She walked towards the lake and kneeled on the edge. After she pulled her dress' sleeve, she noticed how her skin was already healing fast, as if there was no wound there. She leaned her wrist to clean it when a pair of hands got her from behind, imprinting shallow scratches on her face.

The pain was terrible but before Charlie could even scream or turn to defend herself, she was pulled back and her head hit something like a rock. She passed out instantly.

Once she woke up, the sky was all blurry to her vision. The sky was orange, turning into a dark blue. That is when it hit her that the night was falling slowly.

She got up and felt a terrible pain in her head, and was hungry. How many days have passed? She knew it was at least one day since… The last time she could recall it was night already.

She tried to get up, but her head hurt a lot, same as her stomach. She was starving, or at least felt like it.

Charlie looked around. She realized she was in another forest, but there wasn't any lake. The trees felt and seemed different from where she was. She was lost again? What happened? She couldn't remember anything at all.

'Focus Charlie.' She reassured herself before slowly and weakly getting up. There was no sign of someone near her. She needed to sort out what she wanted to do. First, she needed to eat. Second, find where she was. Third, go to New Orleans. And fourth, find Alastor.

She felt so weak. Could she find him by herself since it… Appeared she was thrown in the middle of nowhere?

She quickly solved the first thing in her list. While she was looking for an exit from the forest, she found a deer walking there. She didn't think twice as her instinct just made her attack the poor creature. She wasn't proud of her behavior for killing such a kind animal, but she needed to. The animal tried to defend itself when Charlie attacked, one of its horns injuring her rib. For a moment she was out of control. She ate what she needed, ignoring the sharp pain coming from her rib. Her face and her dress were covered in blood, as she felt a terrible pain and finally looked down.

How could she not be so careful? She took off the piece of the horn and made an agonizing sound.

It took her a few seconds to regain her breath. When she did, she placed the remains of the animal behind a huge bush.

She had no idea if people walked there, but in any case, it was preferable to take care of it.

The second and third part were surprisingly easy too. She had no clue what happened before she passed out but she was in the middle of the same park Alastor brought her.

She was tired. The hunt helped her somehow but she felt she could pass out due the headache she is having. She could try to find Alastor at his home, but she had NO clue where he lived… Neither the locals he used to go or-

'Wait a minute…' She stopped at the entrance of the park. 'The club' she thought and a little hope grew on her.

Charlie couldn't appear to anyone the way she was, she would scare everyone. A girl appeared in the city covered in blood. It would be an amazing headline for the morning papers. She could even get arrested, right? People arrested others after all, right?

She had to walk through the shadows and that's what she did. Luckily, Alastor was in the jazz club. She saw him through the glass, far away from the building. He was dancing with an unknown girl.

She patiently waited in a valley with her back leaning against the wall. Her legs were trembling and she was mentally hoping he would get out of that place soon. The minutes went away until he finally left. It was a torture to her to keep up.

She followed him through the shadows. She knew she would scare him, but if she was going to scare him, at least she wanted to do it when he was alone, not in the middle of the street.

Alastor was looking back from time to time but Charlie was well hidden. Despite the difficulties, she slowly walked and followed him to his home but when she was going to knock on his door, she stopped. Her head was hurting way more than before but she wandered something. Could she really trust him?

Who was she going to trust? If she went back, she was sure Seviathan would release his rage on her and her parents would probably stay by Sev's side… Maybe not. She didn't want to find out.

Her legs started to tremble even more. Charlie didn't have time to wait so she finally knocked. Her vision started to blurry once again due to the headache. She wouldn't be awake for any longer. She was losing blood even if she was certainly the wound in her ribs were already closing.

Her legs continued to tremble. Then, she heard Alastor's voice but didn't understand what he said. Her body just fell against the door making a huge knock. As he opened the door, she felt her body collapse against something softer than the door. She looked up. "Al…" she said before passing out.

After those flashbacks, Charlie shook her head and smiled weakly at her pancakes and continued to eat.

She looked discreetly to her pulse. They were just blood and some scratches now and as soon as she finished her breakfast, she would have to check her rib. She was almost finished when someone knocked at the door.

"Come in." She said with a sweet voice and closed her robe.

"Just to inform you, the bath is already prepared. When you want to… Let me know." Alastor said between a small opening in the door.

"I'm done, I just- Don't have clothes yet." She reminds him, since she already said before.

"Don't worry, I got some of my own clothes. Old ones that might fit you." He slowly opened the door and entered the room.

Charlie quickly ate the last piece of pancakes and finished her drink as well. "Thank you, Alastor. It was delicious."

"Glad you enjoyed it, now-" He got the tray and put it on the bed table next to her. He offered his hand so she could get up. "Let me lead you to the bathroom."

Charlie grabbed his hand and with his help, she got up. He was about to release her hand but she kept holding it. His eyebrow raised but he let this go.

He held her hand and led the way.

As they got out, Charlie saw they were in a long but narrow corridor. On her right, there was a closed door at its end. On her left, she could see it had a bigger room with a small table in her range of vision. Maybe it was the kitchen? In front of 'her room', there was another door. Alastor opened it, revealing a kind of big bathroom but not bigger than the bathrooms at her home.

They entered the bathroom hand in hand. Then, Alastor released her hand and went closer to the toilet. "Here are the clothes. And anything you need is around the bathtub- soap, shampoo, conditioner, the towel is right next to it." He pointed to the little towel support next to the bathtub.

"If you need anything, let me know." He said with a kind smile at her and then got out of the bathroom. Charlie just watched him leave. She wanted to thank him so much. How could a stranger be so kind to her?

She put her hand over her chest and just watched the closed door for a few seconds before removing her robe and locking the door.

The blonde walked to the sink, where there was a mirror above it. As she removed her clothes, she saw the wound on her rib was closing, which was slower than the one in her wrist. Her body had some bruises. Some of them she knew were from Seviathan. But the ones in her wrists, who did that to her? And how she just woke up in New Orleans?

She leaned over the sink, thinking how she couldn't remember anything after she passed away. Neither a voice or a sound.

She sighed and then smiled, at least she was in a place where she felt… Free, finally.

After a few minutes, Charlie got out of the bathtub and dried herself. She got the clothes Alastor made available for her. A pair of suspenders, black pants and a white shirt. He mentioned they were his old clothes, right? They fit perfectly! Probably from when he was younger.

She picked up her old clothes and folded them. She got out of the bathroom and crossed the corridor to leave the dirty clothes there. She was looking directly at them, not even paying attention to the floor when she collided with something.

Alastor, again. He was getting out of the room after fixing the bed sheets.

"Dear, you have to stop doing that." He chuckled as he held her elbows right after they collided, just so he was sure she wouldn't fall back.

"I'm sorry, I got distracted." She giggled shyly. "Taking advantage of the fact that you are here, can I leave these on the bed?" Charlie got her hands up and smiled at the brunette.

He looked down and then smiled. "Well, I can take care of it for you." Alastor offered.

"If it won't bother you, I would be more than grateful." She bowed her head a bit, giving the dirty folded clothes to him.

Alastor gave a nod before heading out of the room. Curious as she was, Charlie followed him with her hands behind her back. Her eyes were wandering around the house, admiring and observing them.

Soon her nose catches a delicious and irresistible smell.

"Your house smells so good, Al." Charlie stretched her neck so her nose got up and she could delight herself with the said smell.

"It's lunch time, so probably that's what you are smelling right now."

"Lunch time already?" Charlie's eyes got wide as she looked around for a clock. In the kitchen, there was a clock hanging in the wall. It was 1:28 pm already.

"You woke up late, dear. But if you are still hungry, I made enough for us two." He informed her as he proceeded walking through the living room and passing by the small table for two.

"I- I'm still hungry, to be honest." She admitted.

Alastor turned to her without any warning. "Fair enough, could you wait for me here?" He nodded to point out the small table.

"Sure." She took a seat and Alastor walked to a door on the end of the room. He closed the door behind him so she couldn't see what it was. But by the sound, he was turning on water. Maybe there was where he was going to clean her clothes?

After a while, he finally got out with his sleeves folded, showing more of his arms.

"Right, how hungry you are?" He passed by without even looking at her, which… Bothered Charlie a little.

"Quite hungry." She giggled shyly.

Alastor didn't say anything, he just put some food on two different plates and went to the table, serving them.

"Do you like grape juice or prefer water?" Once again, he didn't look at her at all…

"Grape juice is fine." She felt her body wanting to shrink just as her shoulders did it.

As silent as before, he just went to the small fridge in the kitchen, passing by the counters that separated the kitchen and the table.

As soon as he returned with a juice jar and two glasses, he placed them at the table. He sat with Charlie and started to eat quietly.

Charlie was observing Alastor while they were eating. He still didn't look at the blonde and was slowly eating the meal. It was rice, red beans, round chopped sausage, and chopped ham. It was a special dish from New Orleans.

She slowly got her fork and started to eat as well. After a while, the silence was bothering her. The place she felt free awhile ago now felt like its walls were closing in on her.

"Al…?" She called him after cleaning the corner of her lips with a napkin.

"Yes?" He still didn't look directly at her.

"Are you mad at me?" She bit her lip and her expression was apprehensive.

"Why do you ask that, dear?" He said as he got his glass and gave a sip. He wasn't looking at her at all.

"You are not even looking at me… What did I do to you?" She was shrinking in her seat, while her hand went to rest over her own arm.

His eyes slowly went up. And as they reached her eyes, she felt a lack of emotions on them. He had a smile on his face, but… Something was different.

"Pardon me, dear. I didn't notice." He adjusted his glasses as he put his glass of juice over the table again.

"Al…" She called him in low volume, almost in a whisper. "Tell me, what happened… It's because I went away?" She was slowly caressing her arm as she tried to reassure herself.

"Went away without warning, you mean." He chuckled.

Once he said that, she frowned her eyebrows. "Without warning…?" She blinked at him.

"Well, yes. I went to pick you up and waited for hours. And then, you weren't there for the next few days." Once again he chuckled and tangled his own fingers putting his hands above the table.

"Al, I did warn you… I wrote a message for you—" As she was telling him the truth, he squinted his eyes as he was doubting her or as he was confused. "You… Never got the message, right?" She pursed her lips.

"I don't know what you are talking about." His thumbs began to give little taps over his hands.

"I – was in a clothing store and asked for the seller to hand my purchases and the letter for Lorraine. She didn't mention anything?" She leaned closer to him, her eyes showed how worried she was.

"As far as I recall, no, dear." The taps of his thumbs were gradually getting faster. He didn't seem like he was believing what she was saying.

"Al," She looked down at his hands and put her over his, which made his eyes widen with the sudden touch. "I would never get away without warning you, unless I really didn't have time. Please, believe me." She had frowned her eyebrows and started to caress his hands.

He was getting slowly bothered with her touch until she started to caress his hands. His shoulders were less tense and he closed his eyes for a second.

"Alright, later we can go to Lorraine and search for your stuff." He still didn't quite believe her. After all, he didn't get the message.

"Okay." She didn't notice but she was still caressing his hands. Her eyes went down, and soon as she noticed, she released it with a shy giggle. "I just hope, you know, I'm sorry I left you in such a hurry." She concluded as she put one of her hands over one of her knees under the table.

Alastor just observed the girl. The way she contracts her body in her own seat, how her body language showed how insecure she was. He sighed.

"That's fine, dear. I'm pretty sure you had your reasons." This time, he put his hand over hers, specifically the one that remained over the table. Why was he being kind like this? He had no idea. Maybe Charlie's adorable way made him do that.

Her eyes went up and caught his, a certain spark in her eyes. "Thank you for understanding, Al." She smiled at him and Alastor's hand slid away from hers. His company made things lighter for her even if he was a little off.

Alastor just nodded and quietly went back to his meal. Even if he kept quiet, she knew he was lighter too, just by his mannerisms. Every now and then, his eyes encountered hers and she always gave a small smile to him.

The time passed and they slowly got to talk to each other more normally than a while ago. Charlie asked more about Alastor's week. He was very brief about his week, but he mentioned hunting. She asked more about it and he explained it was something his father taught him when he was still alive.

Charlie also discovered that Alastor's father died when he was young, and hunting was one of the things he taught his son.

She was about to ask about his mom when he interrupted and went to the room he left her clothes in.

Charlie got up and cleaned the plates. It was the minimum she could do for him after what he did for her.

As the day passed, Alastor and Charlie exchanged a few words every now and then. He noticed she was still pretty tired so he offered her to stay one more night before they went to the hotel. Charlie agreed as she needed to rest after all. Those last days made her feel more tired than they should.

The night fell and each one went into their rooms. Alastor was the last one since he took a shower before going into his bedroom.

Charlie borrowed a pajama from the man's wardrobe, which has a purple-ish tint. It was too feminine to be his, but she decided to not question. As she was laid down, her mind wandered in the previous days.

How she fought with Seviathan, how she felt unhappy the last weeks, and how she missed Alastor and their talks. Being able to talk to him again warmed up her heart. Maybe that was the enchantment of humans after all. Is this why her mother liked to come to earth every so often?

Suddenly, the blonde heard a loud noise echoing in the house. It came from the other side of her door, not from the window, which made her jump from her bed. She put her hair behind her ear to listen better.

For a second, she thought she heard Alastor's voice shouting something. A glow started to shine on her skin as her heart was beating fast inside her chest. She was getting worried.

Charlie's skin glowed up more and soon, she was different. Her skin was completely white, her nose was a small black dot, her fangs grew sharp, and her eyes were red. It was supposed to be white and yellow where they once were dark. She jumped and opened the door.

She was so desperate that she didn't even check if she felt any 'presence'. She just rushed towards Alastor's room. As she walked fast in the corridor, a pair of horns grew on her head. The tips of it were maroon with a few details in the same color. Once she opened the door, she faced Alastor moving in his bed with his eyebrows frowned and grumbling something.

He was… Sleeping? Just sleeping? That's why she heard the shout? She slowly approached the man. His facial expression was changing slowly to a small smile. He looked peaceful. So calm, so… Pretty.

Charlie's hand went to his cheek. She wanted to touch his face as he looked precious there. But when she did that, Alastor moved abruptly, turning himself around. It made her open a huge pair of wings and jump against the ceiling.

The wind made Alastor open his eyes, slowly facing the wardrobe. Right after he closed his eyes, he was still sleeping even though he opened his eyes.

There was a tail swinging in the air, moving side to side. It was Charlie's tail. The end of her tail has a heart shape to it, which has a beautiful gradient color as well as her wings. The gradient was pink to white. The base of both the tail and wings were white, while the ends were pink.

After examining her tail and wings, she noticed her wings weren't properly closed. With that, she opened her wings again to adjust and closed it without making any noise.

'So humans also had nightmares just like demons?' She thought, looking at the brunette from the ceiling. She cracked a small smile at how adorable he looked now.

'Glad it was nothing.' She bit her lip and looked around. Finally, she noticed there wasn't any presence there. But at least she could make sure. She didn't know who made her pass out last night and how they brought her to New Orleans but… Certainly whoever did that didn't seem to be after her. Or not for now at least.

Charlie stayed there to watch Alastor sleeping for a few more minutes before heading out quietly. Still on the ceiling, quietly crawled out the door and closed it with her tail. She dropped her body over the floor but once again, there was no sound since her wings did the job for her. It just quietly touched the floor .

Once again, her skin glowed slightly and she went back to her human form. She looked back to the door closed.

'I could sneak in again and sleep with him…' She thought, but then she blushed, placing her own hand over her cheek. 'What a silly thought, Charlie. You would freak him out.' She giggled and started to walk towards her temporary bedroom.

'Humans are fascinating.' She thought as she entered it and closed the door behind her. 'I wonder… What was Alastor dreaming about?'

_

Corrections: Beta Reader

Sierra: user/iced_coffee_11