Another short chapter. I swear, we'll return to some action soon.

Title Song: "Within You" by David Bowie (from the movie, "Labyrinth")


As the weeks went by, more demons came to visit Tina in her sick bed. Alastor certainly expected Husk and Angel to come by eventually. What he had not expected was for them to show up together.

The Radio Demon stood in the doorway, raising an eyebrow at the pair. Particularly at the spider's arm wrapped round Husk's middle.

The cat avoided eye contact. "He, uh, needed someone to show him the way."

Alastor cocked his head. "He could've called ahead, and I would've teleported him here."

"So, where's my gal?" Angel held up a basket full of beauty products. "After being hairless for so long, thought a makeover might lighten her mood."

The moment Tina saw Husk and Angel enter her room, she put down her book and ran up to hug them. She'd regained the strength in her legs, and so was fully recovered. All except her voice.

"That pixie cut's a good look for ya, Tee," Angel said as he guided her to the vanity. "You should keep it."

While Tina sat down and surrendered her appearance to Angel, Alastor tapped on Husk's shoulder and jerked a thumb down the hall. Husk followed him.

"You look like crap, by the way. Where's your monocle?"

Ignoring the comment, Alastor tilted his head towards Tina's room. "I thought you despised the spider whore. Now I hardly ever see you without him."

"He ain't a whore no more!" Husk blushed and looked down at his feet. "I mean…yeah, he's annoying, but…" He clutched his claws. "I just feel sorry for him, is all. He doesn't have a lotta male friends who don't want him for sex, ya know?"

"Mmm-hmm." Alastor smirked. "Husker, I will admit I am not a genius when it comes to romance, but I am not completely clueless."

"What? No, it's not like that! I haven't… We ain't…"

"Of course not." He laid a hand on the cat's shoulder. "I know more than anyone, physical intimacy is not always necessary for one to develop an attraction."
"Attrac—?" Husk shook his head. "No, no. Angel doesn't need another guy taking advantage of him."

"How would it be taking advantage when he clearly has an interest in you?"

"I—" He scowled. "I get what this is. You're trying to avoid talking about Tina. Don't wanna talk about how seeing her so helpless and speechless is eating you alive."

Alastor blinked in panic, but quickly recovered. "Who's the one avoiding here? I'm always coming to you for my romantic dilemmas, Husker, so why not take your own advice for once, and grab this chance while you have it?"

Husk glanced to the side. "Why do you fucking care, anyway? I thought you didn't approve of Angel."

"Oh, I don't approve of him as a person." Alastor listed items off his fingers. "He's obnoxious, loud, and lewd. By those standards, he's the perfect match for you!"

"Gee, thanks." Husk rolled his eyes. "In the meantime, have ya thought about stepping out of this mansion for a bit? Ya ain't left it since… Well, Valentine's Day."

Alastor straightened up. "Tina needs me. I refuse to leave her side."

Husk wondered if this resolve of his boss was out of devotion for his wife, or fear that if he didn't stay near her, she would disappear.

"People think you're dead, ya know," the cat said. "Erased. The Vs released the video of you getting shot. They cut out the bit where Tina brought the whole building down, of course. But since ya ain't made an appearance or even a broadcast, everyone outside of the hotel thinks you're gone for good."

"Oh." Alastor rubbed his chin. "I…hadn't considered that. Do you suppose I should give Rosie and Mimzy a call?"

"Nah, Niffty already told 'em what happened. But erased or not, your enemies are gonna start taking advantage of your absence. All those demons who pay ya for protection? They think they're scot-free. I've tried shaking 'em up for ya, but they won't take my word for it that ya still exist. If ya don't tune in or go out in public soon—"

"I get it, Husker." Alastor raised a palm. "Once Tina is fully recovered, I'll deal with my reputation."

Husk glanced over his shoulder. "She looked okay to me."

"Yes, her wounds have healed, and she can walk again." The Radio Demon flexed his fingers behind his back. "But she still has yet to speak."

"That's enough for her to handle herself while you go out."

Alastor bit his lower lip. "Last time I left her alone…"

The fizzing static forced Husk to make another suggestion. "Or, if you're really worried about her being on her own, why not just have me or Niffty watch her for a bit?" He held his nose. "At least long enough for you to take a damn bath."

Alastor wrapped his arms around himself. "You know how I feel about baths."

"Hey, if ya won't do it for yourself, do it for Tina. I'm sure she'll recover faster without ya smelling like the rotting corpse of a skunk."

This much, the Radio Demon could agree on.


"Hey." Husk poked his head into Tina's room, just as Angel was painting her toenails. "Al's going in the bath. Want something from his liquor cabinet?"

Tina gawked.

"What?" Husk shrugged. "We ain't at the hotel. You ain't the boss of us here."

"You know what I like, kitty," Angel said as he brushed purple nail polish on Tina's big toe. "But if ya bring me back some weirdo Voodoo potion with blood in it, ya can forget about me coming to your room later tonight."

Husk's entire face reddened. "Quit saying junk like that in front of people!"

"Whaddya mean?" The spider batted his eyes innocently. "I ain't mentioned my junk for a good five minutes!"

Groaning, Husk closed the door behind him. Tina turned to Angel with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh, yeah. We're totally fucking."

Her jaw dropped. He burst out laughing.

"Kidding, kidding! Aw, the look on your face!" He snorted as he shook his head. "Nah, believe it or not, we ain't gone there. We're just… Well, I don't know what we are, but ever since Valentine's Day, Husky just can't seem to leave me alone. I mean he says it's outta pity, but I ain't got enough fingers to count how many nights we've stayed up drinking and talking and…"

He caught Tina's scowl. "Relax, the drinks were nonalcoholic. Most of the time."

She crossed her arms, minding her drying fingernails.

"Hey, withdrawal's tough. Going cold turkey right away wouldn't be healthy."

Tina rolled her eyes with a scoff.

"It's been great." Angel's voice grew quieter as he finished her toes and went back to her fingers to brush on the second coat. "Can't remember the last time I just talked to a sexy guy. I mean sure, it'd be nice if we could do a little something, but for now… I don't know. Feel like if I'd ruin it if I said something."

The tone was melancholic, but the small smile was probably the most genuine Tina had ever seen on the spider. Oh, how she wished she could tell him she knew exactly how he felt.

"But hey, enough about me and my sorry love life." Angel shook his head and grinned. "How are you and Bambi doing? I know ya can't talk, but gimme some kinda hint."

Tina looked down at her drying toes. The radio on her bedside table switched on:

"Don't wanna be
All by myself…"

"Jesus!" Angel jumped and covered his chest with a hand. "Do your hubby's radios go and spook everybody, or just me?"

Tina shrugged as she stared at the radio.

"Though seriously, I know he's been takin' care of ya and all, but has he made any moves? Don't mean sex, of course, like, ouch. Like, kissin' your booboos to make ya better? Dressin' up like a sexy nurse or doctor?"

She released a snort of laughter and shook her head.

"Look." Angel sealed the cap on the nail polish. "I get ya just been through shit, but if ya really wanna keep this marriage or whatever this is going with him, you're gonna have to do something to make up for that fight ya had on Valentine's Day. Yeah, Al ranted to me and Husk all about that."

Her face fell. The radio changed stations.

"A second chance is all I need
To change what's wrong and make it right…"

Angel didn't notice the difference. "So, what say we put this little pamperin' sesh to good use." He lifted her chin. "And show Radio Boy just how much better ya've gotten."


The bath was torture. Most baths were, for Alastor.

The minute hot water touched his skin, the voices of those boys from his childhood would come rushing back. He'd feel them scrubbing his skin with rocks and mud, thinking if they scrubbed hard enough, they'd find "chocolate" underneath.

He steadied his breath, reminding himself that he was doing this for Tina. If he neglected his own needs for too long, who would be left to care for her?

The thought of Tina caused the voices to fade away. Slowly, they were replaced by a hum. A female hum.

The scrubbing continued, but it wasn't as aggressive. It was gentle, soothing. Like a sponge.

The hum was of his favorite lullaby. The one about the ship on the sea. His mother used to sing that song, but the voice wasn't hers.

Alastor glanced behind him. He was alone in the tub, except for his shadow. And yet, he felt like there was someone who should be sitting behind him right now, washing him. But that was absurd. The only ones who'd ever bathed the Radio Demon were his mother and…

Then he remembered. The memory was hazy, but he could feel the sponge on his back and hear her reassuring voice. Just a few months ago, when he was blackout drunk, Tina had been there. In the tub. With him.

He tensed. Had she been naked? Surely, she wouldn't have wanted to get her clothes wet. She'd washed him. Naked. While he was naked.

"By Satan, we were both naked!"

Alastor ran his hands down his face. How could he have allowed such a thing to happen? Of course, he'd been drunk, but really so drunk that he had let Tina remove his clothes, then remove her own and sit in the tub with him?

How could I have missed that?

The heat rising throughout his body could rival the bathwater.

"No, no, I can't think like that." He hugged himself, his claws digging into his arms. "She was…only trying to help me. I've bathed her, why should it matter that she bathed me?"

As much as he tried to put the image out of his head, it wouldn't leave him. Nor did the desire to have her in the tub with him, scrubbing his back. Maybe he'd return the favor by scrubbing her back. Or her chest. Or her feet. Or her legs. Or her…

"Damn it!" Water splashed as he covered his groin.

This was not the time to be thinking such things. Tina had only recently recovered from her injuries, and was in no position to give consent.

"I really am a dirty boy." He pulled the plug from the drain.

Foregoing the towel, he snapped his fingers to dry and dress himself, as well as brush out his hair. Husk was right that it wouldn't do for Tina to see him so disheveled when he was supposed to be the one taking care of her.

He also needed to do something about the rumor of his second death. Otherwise, the Vs or someone else might try to invade his property, putting Tina in danger once again. Perhaps a short announcement, or a brief walk through Pentagram City. He could take Tina with him, just like old times. She could use the fresh air and exercise.

With this idea in mind, Alastor knocked on the door. After hearing Angel's confirmation that Tina was decent, he opened the door, about to invite her on a walk, but then stopped.

Angel and Husk sat on the bed, each sipping a bottle which Alastor was certain had come from his own liquor cabinet. But he was too focused on the woman sitting between them to chew them out. She met his gaze, put down her whiteboard, then rose to her feet.

The last time Tina had looked this lovely was Valentine's Day. Her much shorter hair curled at her jawline, framing her golden-brown face. Her violet eyes were lined with black. Her hands, tipped with purple polish, smoothed out her sleeveless, lilac dress, with a sweetheart neckline and a skirt that fell just below her knee. The sort of dress she used to wear during her routine. Her wings tucked behind her back as she smiled up at him, her cheeks bearing a slight shade of pink.

If the Radio Demon hadn't known better, he wouldn't have guessed she'd been bedridden for almost two months.

The bedside radio switched on. The harmonizing voices of a man and a woman sang:

"And I, I want to share
All my love with you.
No one else will do."

Alastor gritted his teeth and mentally switched it off. His emotions were getting the best of him again. Strange, though. He wasn't familiar with that particular song.

"Whaddya think, Smiles?" Angel stood at the Songbat's side and gestured to her. "I do pretty good work, don't I?"

Tina elbowed him, glancing shyly down at her feet.

"Ya know, I'll bet Tee here is gettin' a case of cabin fever after being cooped up so long." Angel settled a pair of hands on her shoulder. "Maybe ya should take her out on the town for a bit, now that she can move around, yeah?"

Alastor's heart pounded in his eardrums at the thought of the two of them strolling through Hell, her arm linked with his, their sides pressed together. Everyone would see that they were both existing, and still together. Walking, laughing, talking.

No. Not talking. At least, she wouldn't be. He could tell her everything that was in his heart, but what would be the point if she couldn't say it in return?

"I…" Alastor stepped back. "I…need a drink."

Tina's smile disappeared as he teleported away. Husk and Angel glanced at each other in confusion, then left to search the house. They found him in the kitchen, pouring himself a glass of whiskey.

"What the Hell, Smiles?" Angel smacked a hand on the kitchen counter. "I go all out to make your woman look fabulous, and ya just leave?"

Alastor downed the glass and went to pour another. "Why'd you have to make her look so damn beautiful?"

The spider shrugged. "Didn't take much. Your wife's a natural knockout. For a dame, anyway."

"If ya weren't in the mood to take her out, fine," Husk said. "But ya could've said something."

"And then what?" Alastor gulped the second drink. "Act like everything's all hunky-dory?"

"Isn't that what ya always do?" Angel asked.

"Exactly." He started pouring again. "But it's not all hunky-dory."

"Dude." Angel pointed at the door. "Ya won. Ya got your wife back. She's in that room, waitin' for ya. What more do ya want?"

"Is she really?" This time, Alastor sipped slowly. "I know, I made all that effort trying to get her back here, but…she's not here. Not completely." He leaned his elbows onto the counter and ran a hand through his hair. "Until she can speak again, I cannot be sure she wants to be here. With me. And I'm getting sick of…"

Waiting. He was sick of waiting.

Waiting for the right moment to apologize. Waiting for her to say that she still loved him. Waiting for her to throw her arms around him. Waiting for her lips to caress his. Waiting for them to get lost in each other's passion.

Waiting to feel complete again.

"But it doesn't matter how I feel." Alastor topped off his glass. "Once she is all better, she can leave, and then that'll be the end of it."

Before he could raise the glass to his lips, a cat's paw covered it and lowered it back to the counter.

"I know you, Al," Husk said. "You're not the guy who just gives up on what he wants. Don't get me wrong, it's great you're putting Tina's needs above your own, but don't forget why ya went after her in the first place. You saw how she looked at you just now. She may not be able to say it, but she is willing to try again with you. Maybe ya can't do everything ya want right now, but don't let her slip away like ya did before."

He slid the glass out of Alastor's reach. "One thing ya never failed to do in your marriage, was show how much ya care about her. So, get back in there, and do just that."

To make doubly sure the Radio Demon didn't take that fourth drink, Husk guzzled it up and slammed the empty glass on the counter.

"Come on, Angel." The cat took the spider's hand. "Let's leave these two idiots alone and get back to the hotel."

Angel smirked. "My room or yours?"

"Shut up."


After several minutes of staring at what was left of the whiskey bottle, Alastor finally worked up the courage to return to Tina's room. When he entered, she was at her vanity, stuffing some papers into the drawer. He tilted his head.

"What you writing there, darling?"

Tina glanced at his reflection in the mirror, biting her lip. He stepped closer.

"May I see?"

She shook her head.

"Oh. Is it private?"

She turned slightly, showing her profile as she pointed a finger towards him.

"Are you saying it's…for me?"

She nodded.

"But…you do not wish for me to see it."

Another shake.

"Ah. Not quite finished with whatever it is, then?"

A nod.

Well, that confirmed that there was something Tina wished to discuss with him. Something involving their relationship, no doubt. But apparently, it would take some time. He took a breath, telling himself to be patient a little longer.

"I…apologize for running out so suddenly." He was now a step away from her. "You look stunning, mon amour."

That smile he adored so much was back.

"So," he said, resting a hand on her shoulder and kneeling down, "shall we pick up from where we left off?"

Tina looked at him with wide eyes. Then he realized the implication of his words.

"Err, with the book, I mean." Alastor produced a copy of The Scarlet Pimpernel from behind his back. "We were at the part where Chauvelin was blackmailing Marguerite into uncovering the identity of the Scarlet Pimpernel, yes?"

For a moment, he could've sworn he saw a flicker of disappointment in her eyes. But, keeping her smile, she nodded. Alastor sat in the armchair and opened the book. However, Tina had other ideas.

Taking him by the hand, she guided him out of the chair, and to the bed. She hopped up, settled her back against the pillows, then patted the spot next to her. Alastor wanted to hide his reddening face behind the book. But, remembering Husk's advice, he climbed into the bed, and sat next to her. She snuggled into his side. He draped an arm around her, holding the book in his other hand as he read aloud.

A whispered voice emitted from the radio: "I can't live within you."


The bath scene was inspired by a fan comic by Megluvyoutube. The songs included in the radio (other that the chapter song) were:

"All by Myself" by Eric Carmen

"I'm Sorry" by All-4-One

"Endless Love" by Lionel Richie and Diana Ross