Title Song: "How Do You Keep the Music Playing?" by Frank Sinatra


"Well, that party could've gone better."

Vaggie looked around at the littered ballroom. Only a few staff members remained for cleanup duty.

"But look at all the money we've raised." Charlie popped open the cash box at the bar. "Even if we hadn't gotten all those donations, our profits on the drinks and entrance fees alone should cover our food expenses for the month."

Vaggie rolled her eyes. "I guess…despite the…hiccups, this party was…somewhat of a success."

To everyone's surprise, the cyber-attack from the Three Vs had actually helped the Hazbin Hotel. Once the nudes were removed from the site, Charlie's and Vaggie's notifications blew up with comments of praise on how they'd stood up to Hell's most notorious Overlords. That in defending their staff, they provided a place of security for downtrodden sinners. Apparently, a video of the whole encounter had gone viral.

Not long after the Three Vs had been escorted out, the entire ballroom had erupted into applause. And within the hour, a whole slew of demons came flooding in to join the party, a bunch of them asking if there were still rooms available.

"We might be fully booked before the next Extermination!" Charlie exclaimed as she scrolled through the comments on their site. "I only hope we can get some of them to Heaven before then. I'd hate to have to turn so many demons away. Hmm." She tapped her chin. "Do you think any of our staff would mind sharing rooms for a little while? I'm sure Tina at least could move in with Al and free up her suite."

"Yeah, about that." Vaggie folded her arms. "We should definitely talk about…Tina. I mean I don't blame her for the nudes. I know why she did it. And obviously, she wasn't the one who posted them on the web. But…we should set a boundary in terms of her…methods. This incident with the Three Vs may have worked out in our favor, but someone could've gotten really hurt. And…"

Taking a deep breath, Vaggie locked eyes with her partner. "We also need to talk about…us."

Frowning, Charlie rounded the bar. "What about us?"

Vaggie sat down on a barstool. "First you take in Hell's biggest porn star, then hire a cannibalistic serial killer as our co-manager, then hire his estranged wife and put us in the middle of the biggest marital spat since Adam and Eve, and then you let her invite three more psychopaths who have an abusive history with half our staff."

She looked away. "In all these risky decisions, you either ignored my input, or didn't consult me at all. I know you're the Princess of Hell, and the official owner of this place, but as your partner…I thought we were supposed to be in this together. But sometimes, it feels like…no matter what I say, you're just gonna do whatever you want, despite my opinion. That you…don't care what I think."

"Aw, Vaggie." Charlie took the stool beside her. "That's not true."

"Isn't it?" Vaggie clenched the skirt of her dress. "If you'd come to me about inviting the Three Vs, and I'd told you not to, would you have listened?"

The princess bit her lip. "Vaggie, I know I can be…reckless, sometimes. But it's only because this project is a big deal for me, and if I want it to happen, I need to take risks."

"I understand that, but some things are just too risky to try."

"And that's why I need you here, to keep me and everyone else here in check." Charlie wrung her hands. "To be honest, if it weren't for you, I don't think I would've been able to put my foot down with the Vs tonight. I always try to see the best in demons, but it's always hard for me to tell them when they're doing something wrong. You're tougher than me."

"And you…" Vaggie sighed. "Honestly, I don't think I would've let anyone into this hotel if you weren't so stubbornly altruistic. And I have to admit, since we hired Tina, business has really been booming."

"Still," Charlie said, "I should've told you about her plan to invite the Vs."

"You should've."

"Next time an idea like that pops up again," the princess said, taking her girlfriend's hand, "I won't act on it without talking to you first. It's like you said, we're supposed to be partners." She rested her forehead against hers. "Not just in business."

Vaggie relaxed into Charlie's touch, a smile cracking through her tough expression.

"Can you forgive me?"

A hand slid onto Charlie's knee as Vaggie leaned forward. "Isn't that the whole point of this hotel of ours?"

As their lips met, neither of them noticed that they had an audience. Alastor had been standing in the ballroom entrance for the last few minutes, the buttons of his shirt and jacket fixed in the wrong holes, his hair disheveled, and his grin twisted into something manic.

He'd listened to the two women sort out their disagreement, then kiss as if nothing had happened. How he wished his own relationship were that easy.

It was only when Charlie pulled away that she finally spotted their onlooker. "Al?"

Vaggie turned away and stiffened at the Radio Demon's untidy appearance. "What happened to you?"

Ignoring her question, Alastor glanced around the ballroom. "Have either of you seen Tina?"

"We thought she was still with you."

Charlie frowned. "Did you two get into another fight?"

"We, err…" Alastor blushed, deciding they didn't need the gritty details. "We…exchanged words and…she stormed off about an hour ago."

Vaggie tilted her head. "And you're only looking for her now?"

He forced a laugh as he rubbed the back of his neck. "I…needed time to…what was it you called it in group therapy? Process?"

In truth, he'd spent half that time on the floor of Tina's bedroom, reliving the trauma of watching her walk out of his life. The rest of the time, he'd taken to ripping up all her belongings in a fit of rage. Of course, once he'd calmed down, he'd restored everything with a snap.

"Well, we haven't seen Tina since you teleported her out of here," Vaggie said.

"We thought she might be too upset to talk about what happened earlier," Charlie said, "so we decided it was best to let you handle it."

"Another horrible decision we made tonight, it would seem."

"Hey." Charlie placed her hands on her hips. "This one, we actually made together."

"Yeah, so I blame you as much as blame myself." Vaggie's tiny smile contradicted her bitter tone.

Alastor blinked at how compliant they were being with each other. "I…don't understand."

"Hmm?" Charlie said.

"Never mind." He shook his head. "Do you at least know where Husker is?"

"Oh, yeah. He left hours ago, with—"

"Thank you." Alastor turned on his heel and left.

"Wow," Charlie murmured. "I don't think I've ever seen Al so…out of sorts."

"Yes we have," Vaggie said bluntly. "We should check his alcohol level."

"I don't think that's why."

"Well, he's Husk's problem now. Hopefully, he doesn't walk into anything," Vaggie said with a smirk, "inappropriate."


The only "inappropriate" thing going on in Husker's room was the insane amount of laughter. Not something the cat demon had expected to experience with Angel Dust of all people.

Shortly after the Three Vs had been booted out, Husk didn't like the idea of leaving Angel alone. Normally, inviting a sex worker, even a former one, would lead to a precarious situation. To avoid such a situation, Husk had poured Angel a drink and started talking. And in the last several hours, to both their surprises, they'd found lots of things to talk about. When he wasn't being a compulsive flirt, the spider was actually quite the conversationalist.

Currently, they were on the subject of their favorite Judy Garland movies.

"Uh-uh!" Angel thrust his shot glass forward, spilling the fake champagne. "Ain't no way The Harvey Girls is better than Easter Parade!"

"Harvey Girls was ahead of its time, and besides," Husk said with a shrug, "I like a Western."

"Nuh-uh. Ya wanna talk 'bout ahead of its time?" From the other end of Husk's bed, Angel sat up on his knees. "In Easter Parade, Judy dresses in drag!"

Husk crossed his arms. "In Harvey Girls, Judy holds up a saloon. With two guns."

"She woos her man with flowers, chocolate eggs and a fucking bunny rabbit! How often did ya see that in the '40's?"

"Her female co-star shoes a horse. How often did ya see that in the '40's?"

Angel narrowed his eyes. "Fred, fucking, Astaire."

Husk smirked. "Angela, fucking, Lansbury. And a whole slew of pretty dancing girls in flouncy skirts."

"Ugh, fine!" Angel huffed. "Suppose if saloon broads and cowboys do it for ya, then yee-fucking-haw." He held out his glass for a refill. "But ya have to admit, while we're all nostalgic for Wizard of Oz and shit, A Star is Born was Judy's best."

The cat grunted as he poured from the bottle he'd been drinking from. "She was robbed of that Oscar."

The spider nodded, pointing with a lower finger. "If there was anyone who deserved an Oscar for Best Actress but never got it, it was Judy!" He lifted his glass." May she rest in peace and hopefully not down here with us!"

"Amen to that." Husk raised his bottle. "Wait. Were you even still alive when A Star is Born came out?"

"Nah, but thanks to Val's connections with Vox, I had access to streaming services from the living world." Angel downed his glass. "What's with this fake-ass champagne, anyway? The only reason I came to your room was cuz I figured ya'd have a secret stash somewhere."

"The only reason, huh?" Husk raised an eyebrow. "Like I'm stupid enough to get wasted in front of the likes of you."

Angel released a dramatic gasp and placed a hand to his chest. "Really, Husky! What sort of sleazy spider do ya take me for? If I was gonna get frisky with ya while we were both drunk, I would've at least asked for payment first."

"Not funny."

"What? Can ya blame me?" He shrugged with his upper arms. "Since Our Ladies of Perpetual Abstinence forced me to go clean, I ain't boned anybody in like…" He took a moment to count on his fingers. "I don't even need all my hands to count!"

"Aw, you poor baby." Husk rolled his eyes. "Welcome to the world of normal people, kid. There's more to life than getting boned and wasted, ya know?"

"Yeah? Like what?" Angel folded his lower arms. "A drunken hunk like you probably gets offers to bone all the time."

"Pfft. I ain't cared 'bout any of that since before I died. You were what, twenty, thirty when you died?"

Angel smirked and adjusted his bodice. "You should know better than to ask a lady her age, Husky."

He didn't even glance at his chest. "What I mean to say is that when ya get older, and death starts creeping up on ya, that stuff doesn't matter much anymore. I don't know how you were up top, but when I kicked the bucket, I didn't change at all." He took a swig of his bottle. "Except get a stronger-ass liver, maybe."

"Well. If ya think I'm such a slut who gets funky with passed-out bums, then why'd ya invite me up here?"

Husk shrugged. "After this crazy night, didn't think ya'd wanna be alone."

Angel opened his mouth to protest, then paused. "You're not wrong."

While the former porn star wouldn't say it aloud, it was refreshing to be talking this long with a man without something sexual happening between them. At the same time, however, it only made Angel want Husker more.

"Hey, uh, actually…" The spider rubbed his upper arm. "About what ya did down there…with Val…I…" He bit his lip. "Thanks."

Husk tipped his bottle back and forth, watching the liquid swirl. "No problem."

Angel smiled softly. "There ain't a lotta folks who'd do that kinda thing for me. Cherri, my sister a couple of times, but…you just might be the first guy to do that."

"Well, seeing what he did to you, I…" Husk glanced at Angel's back, which had sported nasty bruises about a week ago. "It wouldn't've been right. Letting him do it again.

"But damn." The cat scoffed as he shook his head. "The way you showed him up onstage and then told him off! That took guts, kid." He gave Angel's shoulder a firm pat. "You should be proud of yourself."

Angel flinched and blushed at the touch. Then his eyes welled up. He quickly wiped away the tears, but not before Husk noticed.

"Whoa. Was it something I said?"

"No. Sorry." Angel looked away as he smoothed out his face. "Don't know where that came from. I guess…" He glanced down at his empty glass. "I'm not used to people sayin' I should be proud of myself. Seriously, anyways."

A lone, pink-gloved hand lay on the mattress, just behind its owner. Husk eyed it, wondering whether or not it would be appropriate to touch it. Not in a weird way, but in a comforting way. Men did that with their male friends, didn't they?

Who was he kidding? Of course, they didn't. And yet, Husk wanted to.

"Well, you should be." He inched his paw toward the pink-gloved hand. "I am. Of you, I mean."

Feeling the slightest brush of claws, Angel turned around, looked down at their hands, then up at Husk, and smirked. "Okay. Get real. This a come-on?"

"What?" Husk retracted his paw, his cheeks turning red. "N-No. What gave you that idea?"

"Just checking." Angel pointed. "Your cute blush tells me enough, pussycat." He chuckled when Husk hid his face behind his bottle. "Okay. Now that was a come-on."

Ignoring his flustered state, Husk scowled at the spider. "I can easily kick ya outta this room."

"You can try." Angel crossed his upper arms and leaned forward. "I grew up in the mob, kitty."

Husk pointed his bottle at him. "I fought in 'Nam."

"I fought Nazis."

The cat got onto his knees and straightened up. "I have a machine gun under this bed."

"Ooh." Angel fanned himself. "You just keep gettin' hotter."

What the hell is happening here? Husk thought. "You're weird."

"Don't ya mean queer?"

"Shut up."

"Make me."

Their faces were so close now. If just one of them were to lean an inch forward…

The door slammed open. "Husker!"

Husk yelped and fell off the bed. "Boss! Uh, I swear, this isn't what it looks—"

Alastor stomped right past him and Angel. "I've made a horrible mistake!"

The cat sighed as he stood up. "And he doesn't even notice."

"The thing is I don't know what that mistake was!" Alastor began pacing. "I was sure I did everything I was supposed to, I was completely honest, I was almost ready, but now Tina is angry with me and—" He stopped when he finally realized that Husk was not alone in the room. "What's the whore doing here?"

Angel gave a finger wave. "Hello to you too, Smiles."

Alastor glanced between the spider on the bed, and the cat beside the bed. Then his internal radio crackled.

"Sweet Satan," the Radio Demon said, pointing at them, "were you two about to—?"

"No!" Husk screamed.

At the same time, Angel said, "Yes."

Husk glared at him.

"What? Weren't we leadin' up to that?" All Angel received in response was a growl. "You were at least gonna kiss me, right? Or were ya all up in my face cuz it's fun?"

The Radio Demon couldn't believe that even Husker, the standoffish bum, was having better luck with romance tonight.

"We were just talking," Husk explained.

"And flirting!"

"We were not!"

"Oh, we totally w—"

"You know what?" Alastor pinched the bridge of his nose and waved a hand. "I don't care. Back to my problem."

At this point, Husk would take any excuse to avoid talking about what had almost happened with Angel. "What?"

"You see," the Radio Demon said, stooping down, "after Tina had her panic attack, I took her back to her room," he reached under Husk's bed, "and waited for her to calm down." He produced a bottle of liquor. "When she woke up—"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa!" Angel snatched the bottle and examined the label. "Your secret stash was under me the whole fucking time?! Kitty Cat, I could've been drunk ages ago!"

"None for you." Alastor took back the bottle and popped it open.

"Uh, boss." Husk raised a claw. "The Princess said—"

"I. Don't. Care." The Radio Demon threw back his head and gulped down the liquor.

"Hey, if he's gettin' wasted." Angel stuck a hand under Husk's bed and felt around. "Holy shit, ya weren't kiddin' 'bout that machine gun. Can I borrow it?"

"No," Husk said.

"What? It's for hunting."

Husk slapped his hand. Only to realize too late that kind of thing turned him on.

"Ooh." Angel gave a sultry grin. "You slap real hard, kitty."

"That's it." Husk held up his claws. "Everybody get the fuck outta my room right now before I shoot ya into Swiss cheese!"

"You don't tell me what to do, Husker." Alastor wiped the liquor from his lips. "Now, tell me what to do about Tina."

Husk facepalmed. "You ain't leaving till I help ya, are ya?"

"Nope!"

With a sigh, Husk plopped onto his bed while Angel snuggled up next to him as if they were kids about to hear a story.

"You don't need to be here," Husk said.

"What? It's like a soap," Angel said. "Plus, my girl Tee's involved. I gotta hear this." Putting on a stern expression, he crossed two sets of arms and narrowed his eyes at Alastor. "What'd ya do to her, mister?"

Alastor scoffed. "Why does everyone automatically assume I'm the one at fault?"

"Cuz you're a fucking psychopath with absolutely no basic understanding of human emotions," Husk said.

"Besides that!"

"So, what happened?" Angel asked. "Why's Bat Girl angry with ya? Did ya slut-shame her for the nudes?"

"Of course not!" Alastor returned to pacing. "I mean yes, we did have a discussion about the photographs, which led to shouting, which then led to kissing—"

"Uh-huh." The spider nodded, elbowing the cat. "That's usually how it goes. Right, Husky?"

Husk shoved him away, muttering, "Eh, screw it."

He reached under the bed and pulled out a bottle. Wanting something to drink as well, Angel grabbed the discarded bottle of fake champagne.

"Anyway," Alastor continued, "shortly after we started kissing, I told her I wanted to consummate our marriage."

Both listeners spat out their drinks, and said, "You didn't!" Husk sounded shocked, while Angel sounded elated.

"I did!" Alastor stopped and flexed his claws. "But for some reason, even though she'd begged me to make love to her for years, she pushes me off and says she doesn't want to!" He spun around to face the others, his eyes transforming into dials. "Doesn't she realize how much I'm willing to sacrifice for her?" Static and Vodou symbols filled the room. "I give her everything she asks for, and it's still not enough for her?!"

"Okay, okay!" Angel stood with four palms raised. "Chill for a sec, Smiley. Maybe Tee just wasn't in the mood?"

"She…" As the Radio Demon's face reddened, the static and symbols faded. "I mean…she seemed…eager."

"Alright." Angel decided not to question how he could be sure of that. "Well, then maybe ya set the mood wrong? Maybe she wanted a more romantic atmosphere?"

"But I set the mood perfectly."Alastor blinked his eyes to normal. "Soft music, low-lighting, whispered sweet nothings. What else is there?" He gasped. "Flowers! I should've gotten flowers!"

"Hey, hey, flowers ain't always required." Angel rubbed his chin. "Okay, if the mood was good, maybe it was a move ya made. Like ya got too rough? Or not rough enough?"

"We, err," Alastor said, wringing his hands, "didn't get that far."

Angel blinked. "Did the clothes even come off?"

"Well—"

"Come on, Smiles, I'm a porn star, I've seen it all."

Gulping, Alastor gestured to his torso. "From the waist-up?"

"Well no wonder!" The spider tossed four arms in the air. "Bambi, when it comes to sex, anything from the waist-up is optional. If ya really wanna go at it, the panties need to be off at the very least!"

"I tried." Alastor turned away, too embarrassed to make eye contact while explaining this. "But that's when she stopped me."

"Really?" Angel scratched his head. "That is weird. Maybe ya took too long to get there?"

"She didn't seem to," the Radio Demon said, tapping his fingers together, "mind us going slowly. I think the issue was that I couldn't, um…" He glanced downward. "Well…"

"Oh." The spider gasped. "Oh! Ya couldn't get it up?"

Alastor winced.

"Should've come to me then if that was it. I could've hooked ya up with some Viagra. Amateur." Angel rolled his eyes. "Honestly, Al, if ya wanna do this right and please your woman, ya gotta be pre—"

"Oh, for crying out loud!" Husk hung back his head. "It's not about the fucking sex!"

The other two turned to him, saying, "Huh?"

Tired of keeping his mouth through this conversation, Husk stood and approached the Radio Demon. "Think about it from Tina's perspective. You wouldn't sleep with her, she banged a hooker, you pretended like nothing was wrong, she leaves, you two get back together, and suddenly ya wanna sleep with her. How is she supposed to react?"

Angel tilted his head. "Eh, excuse me, but how is what you said not about sex?"

"Al's never wanted sex in his life." Husk pointed the bottle at the Radio Demon. "To say he wants it now contradicts everything he's said before."

"So, what?" Angel shrugged. "Tee wants him to bang her. Why would she freak out over getting what she's always wanted?"

"You see why I don't understand what I did wrong?" Alastor said.

Even if Husk switched to French or Italian, neither of them would understand. If he was going to get his point across, he needed to change tactics.

So, taking a deep breath, Husk set his bottle on the dresser and turned to Angel. "You probably don't get it." He smirked. "Cuz you never got what you wanted."

The spider placed his lower hands on his hips. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"It means," Husk said as he advanced on him, "I'm sick of playin' around, Angie."

Angel recoiled as the cat suddenly came very, very close. "Say what now?"

"Yeah." Husk stepped further, forcing Angel to walk backward. "I ain't fighting this feeling no more."

"W-What feeling?"

Without warning, Husk grabbed Angel and threw him onto the bed. "Whaddya think, dumbass?"

Before Angel could process the situation, Husk climbed on top of him. Even Alastor was thrown for a loop.

"Husker! What impropriety—?"

"Leave if ya wanna." Husk straddled Angel's hips and pinned his upper wrists to the mattress. "I've held back my horniness for this sexy idiot for too damn long."

Normally, Angel would be all for this aggressive foreplay. But he was so surprised and flustered that he couldn't respond in the usual way.

"Holy shit." His white face turned pink. "Ya really did have real booze under this bed!"

"What's the matter?" Husk touched his nose to where Angel's would be if he had one. "Ain't this what ya wanted? Ain't ya been asking for this since I got here?"

"Not when you're this drunk, Husky!" Angel pushed against him with his lower arms. "And not in front of Deer Boy! Aw, crap, you're stronger than ya look."

Husk snorted. "Like ya ain't done it in front of others before, Mr. Porn Star."

"Yeah, but he's a baby virgin! And as hot as ya look right now, babe, you're kinda scaring me!"

At these words, Alastor tensed. Al, you're really scarin' me right now.

"And hey!" Angel exclaimed. "What 'bout that I'm not gonna get wasted with the porn star thing? I know I teased ya, Husky, but—"

"Alright, Husker." Alastor held up a hand. "You've made your point."

"Eh? What point?"

Husk climbed off Angel. "Tina had a similar reaction, didn't she?"

"What's going on? Why'd ya stop?"

Alastor nodded. "The words were practically verbatim."

"Ya mean ya were—?" The spider's entire body seemed to go red as he sat up and slammed his fists on the mattress. "Jesus, Husky! Warn a guy next time ya do a one-eighty on your personality just to prove a point!"

"So, ya see why she freaked out?" Husk rose from the bed and approached his boss. "Tina knows ya, Al. When ya ain't acting like yourself, she worries. What's worse, you ain't acting like yourself cuz ya think that's how she wants ya to act.

"And I know," Husk said, clasping his paws together, "ya wanna give her everything she wants. And you not wanting the same thing has been a problem in the past. But you're overcompensating the fact that ya don't want sex by forcing yourself into doing it with her. And that ain't healthy, Al."

Alastor was quiet for a long moment. Then he slowly lowered himself onto the edge of the bed.

"I…I can never give her what she wants," he whispered. "Can I?"

"I didn't say that." Husk sat beside him. "Maybe you'll do it, one day."

"But what if we don't?" Alastor pulled his feet onto the bed and hugged his knees, surprising both demons with the vulnerable position. "What if she grows tired of me and leaves like she did before? I know she wants us to have a physical relationship. And that racoon says it's possible for people like me. But if I can never deliver on this desire of hers…"

He stared up at the ceiling. "Is…is our marriage over?"

"Well," Angel said, "if ya really can't do it—OW!"

Husk elbowed him in the ribs. "Hold your horses, boss. You might still be able to come back from this."

"How?" Alastor ran a hand through his hair. "How can I fix this?"

Husk shrugged. "There ain't no one easy, one-size-fits-all fix for marriage problems like this. This is something you and Tina are gonna have to figure out together. Go find her, tell her everything this time, and stop barging into my place every time you can't sort your own shit out."

"Wow, Husky." Angel planted an elbow on his shoulder. "I didn't take a grumpy-puss like you to be such a love guru."

"Hey, I just fucking pay attention." Husk shoved him off. "Unlike some slutty demons who can't seem to learn the meaning of no."

"Aw, and here I was hopin' we could continue our little tryst a minute ago." Angel thrust his face into his. "I was being dramatic earlier. You can be as aggressive as you want, pussycat."

Husk aimed his glare at Alastor. "Would it make ya feel better if I let you kick him out?"

"Wait, what?"

"Gladly!"

Alastor picked up the spider by the skirt, magically opened the door, and then kicked him hard in the rump, sending him flying out of the room.

"That's still kinky!" Angel shouted right before he hit the wall.

"You're right!" The Radio Demon's grin grew. "That did make me feel better!"

"Good." From under his bed, Husk took out his machine gun. "Now you get out and find your wife before I have to shoot some fucking sense into ya."

"Will do!"

Of course, Alastor doubted his minion could actually shoot him, but he was right about finding Tina. The question was, if she wasn't in her room, where was she?

Once the door to Husk's room was closed, Alastor took an item from his pocket. It was the ruby engagement ring he'd given to Tina. She'd left it on the floor, along with her wedding ring, during their…almost entanglement. If she still had this on, it would be easy to find her. Instead, he summoned his shadows and ordered them to search the hotel for her.

While the shadows went off in all directions, Alastor wandered about the halls, clutching the ruby ring to his heart. He would start by apologizing. Then they would talk more about Lucifer's deal. If she didn't feel up for trying again, well, there was the envelope he'd received tonight.

In hindsight, perhaps the Radio Demon should've led with that.

"Please, let me try again, chère," he whispered as he kissed the gem. "Please, at least assure me there is still hope for us."

If there wasn't, he didn't know what would become of him.

One of his shadow minions whooshed in front of him, waving its arms and screeching. Before Alastor could utter a word, the shadow tugged on his sleeve and tried to drag him.

"Calm down, man!" He yanked his arm back. "What's wrong with you?"

The shadow motioned for Alastor to follow, and flew down the hall. He followed it downstairs and into the kitchen. He looked around.

"Why did you bring me here? I don't see Tina."

The shadow pointed to floor, where shards of a teacup sat in a puddle of golden liquid. Alastor bent down, picked up the piece with the cup's handle, raised it to his nose and sniffed. Chamomile. Tina's favorite.

Also a trace of something else. Faint, but it stung his nostrils like a toxin.

He knelt to the floor and touched the spilled tea. It was cold. It must've been dropped at least an hour ago.

Alastor squinted at the floor. A line of tiny drops of blood led from the pile of shards to the kitchen's back door. As if someone had cut their foot on the shards and gone out the door. Although, with the smearing of some of these dots, it was suggested this person was dragged out.

He pressed a finger to one of the dots, then stuck it into his mouth. His eyes widened. He knew the taste of that blood anywhere.

The shadow pointed to the door. The Radio Demon jumped up and bounded to it. He flung the door open and frantically glanced up and down the alley. No one. Nothing but piles of trash bags surrounding open trash cans.

Then the shadow pointed to something on the ground. Alastor picked it up and examined it. A cigarette butt. One he recognized from earlier tonight. To be certain, he took a whiff and stiffened.

No. Not again. But how?

The shadow expressed the same thoughts by taking the form of the cigarette's owner. Alastor growled as he crushed the cigarette butt in his hand.

"Valentino."


Last bit of comedy and wholesomeness before...well, you'll see.