It wasn't until the next morning that Seviathan finally noticed that Charlotte was gone. He had fallen asleep with the TV on the night before and when he woke up, he saw a broadcast about her on the news.
"This woman seems to have no recollection of who she is or where she came from." The reporter said before showing a picture Charlotte in a hospital bed. "Doctors say that she is in perfect health but is suffering from a case of amnesia. She's recently been transferred to the Louisiana Mental Institute where trained psychiatrists will work to help her recover her memory. If anyone knows who this woman is please come to the local psychiatric ward and claim her."
Seviathan quickly got out of bed, got dressed, and drove to the mental institution mentioned in the report.
"Excuse me." He said approaching the front desk. "I think my wife is here."
A security guard led him down the hall and to a detention cell with a one-way mirror window. There he saw Charlotte surrounded by nurses and doctors, amnesic but absolutely furious with the situation.
"I am not crazy!" She screamed. "I do not belong here! Locked up like some kind of loon! Why haven't you idiots released me yet?!"
"Well we were hoping to talk to you first. See if you can remember anything about who you are."
"I can't! I have amnesia! But you all are acting like I'm a schizophrenic! I've lost my memory! Not my mind! Now I refuse! Refuse to be held here while no attempts are being made to get me back to where I was before!"
As Seviathan watched Charlotte pour forth a torrent of indignation, a slow smile spread over his face. As beautiful and rich as Charlotte was, she had proved to be a most troublesome wife. Too full of spirit which appeared to be the only thing left that existed of the naive, pathetic girl she was before he met her. And that spirit was getting more and more out of control. Seviathan couldn't take it anymore. He would have divorced her but when they got married they signed a prenuptial agreement and Charlotte's father had more money than God himself. He couldn't be rid of her without sacrificing a fortune.
But a golden opportunity had come his way this morning.
"Is this woman your wife?" The security guard asked him.
"No." He lied. "I've never seen her before in my life."
Then he got out of there as fast as possible, and returned to his yacht.
"Mrs. Von Eldritch has decided to leave me." He told the staff, his face composed into a mask of tragedy.
"Really?" Blitzo said almost elated. "Oh that's...Unfortunate. Shall we return to New York?"
"No. No." Seviathan said faking heartache. "I need time to think. To be alone. To heal. I think we should continue on to Los Angeles as planned."
"Without Mrs. Von Eldritch?" Moxxie asked suspiciously.
"I need time to forget. Excuse me gentlemen." He then slipped away to his quarters.
"Well great burning bush of Moses, I guess there is a God." Blitzo said. "And he's answered our prayers."
"Well wait a minute, where did she go?" Moxxie asked.
"Who cares?" Blitzo said. "She's gone. Let's celebrate."
"But did she just up and leave out of the blue? Does she have a credit card with her or something? And why did she leave?"
"Again, who cares?"
"I do."
"You do? Why? She treated you like crap for years. She treated all of us like crap for years."
"Yes but I don't exactly hate her. I always felt sorry for her."
"Why?"
"We worked for her parents when they first moved to New York." Millie asked. "When we first met her she was such a sad and broken girl. She lost her first love and for a while her will to live. Everyday she was just getting more miserable."
"Then her misery turned to anger and hate." Moxxie said. "By that time she had married Mr. Von Eldritch and turned into what you see today. Still, we can't help but feel some compassion for her and maybe even a little loyalty."
"That's touching Moxxie but your compassion and loyalty is wasted. After all, what has she done to deserve it."
"Well you may have a point there."
"Exactly. So I say we enjoy being finally free of the rich bitch and start praying that we eventually lose the glorified asshole who married her."
"Amen." Millie said. "Personally I wish we had lost him. He tried to hit on me. Twice."
"He did?!" Anger flared in Moxxie's eyes. "Doesn't he know you're married?"
"Yes but he said marriage is more of a guideline and that I was grade A, top choice meat. Creep!"
"Alright, where's the shot gun? I don't care if he's my boss! He's a dead man! No one makes a move on my woman!"
"Don't bother sweetie, I already threatened to sue him for sexual harassment if he ever does it again."
"Can you even do that?" Blitzo asked.
"He thinks I can and that's all that matters."
"Nice." Blitzo high-fived her.
But Seviathan's yacht wasn't the only place where Charlotte's unfortunate state was being televised. The local diner where Angel and Vaggie worked had a TV and it was on the very same news channel that was talking about her. Alastor was just getting a quick cup of black coffee when he noticed Charlotte's picture on the screen and started listening to the story.
"One man came in today hoping that this poor woman would be his missing wife." The reporter explained, showing footage of Seviathan exiting the hospital. "But he was tragically mistaken."
"I don't believe it, he's skipping out on her." Alastor said with great disapproval and disgust. "Figures, I knew he was a snake the moment I saw him."
"Who?" Angel asked.
"Mrs. Von Eldritch's husband." He answered bitterly.
"You mean Charlie?"
"Yeah. Apparently that near drowning experience gave her amnesia and now her husband's leaving her to rot in a psyche ward."
"Ooo that's cold. Then again, if she's as bad as you say she is then of course he's skipping out on her. It's his shot at freedom." Angel chuckled.
"That's not funny, Angel." Alastor said. "You know how I feel about spouses just running out on you."
"Oh yeah, sorry. "
"Besides, Lousiana's Mental Institute is one of the worst facilities in the world. They treat their patients like they're animals."
"You think anyone is going to try to get her out of there?"
"Her parents might but I don't know if they're even still alive. All our parents are dead."
"True. Hey maybe this can be a positive thing. Why don't you go up there and try to get your money back?"
"Angel her husband's long gone."
"Not him, her."
"She doesn't even know who she is, how is she gonna know who I am?"
And with those words said an idea quickly popped into Alastor's mind. He needed a wife and a mother to help out with the house and to get Katie Killjoy off his back. Now here was a woman who had no idea who she was and had been pretty much abandoned, with her only alternative being a psyche hold. And perhaps this was rather low-brow, but she did cost him six hundred bucks and his tools for taxidermy, so a little karma wouldn't hurt her. In other words, today life had given him a chance to fix his family problems and to exact some revenge.
"Angel there is a God and he loves me." Alastor grinned mischievously.
"You're not gonna shave your head are you?"
"Angel do me a favor, keep Vaggie away from the house for awhile."
"Why?"
"Because she might ruin it."
"Ruin what? What are you up to?"
"I'll explain later. Right now I have talk to my kids."
His grin grew ever wider and more devious with each thought he had of his new plan.
"Oh no. I know that look." Angel became worried. "Whatever it is, don't do it Smiles."
"See ya Angel." Alastor took one last sip of his coffee and raced on out of the diner.
"Alastor you can't do this!" Angel called after him. "Alastor this is illegal! Alastor you're crazy!"
But his warnings fell to deaf ears and after he picked his kids up from school, Alastor had a very long and important conversation with them. Next he put on some presentable clothes, fixed his hair, grabbed some photos from his late mother's lock-box, and headed straight for the Louisiana Mental Institute. There he introduced himself as the husband of "Mrs. Devalcourt"
"So you're her husband?" The doctor asked him.
"Yes indeedy I am." He lied. "Been happily married for almost eleven years."
"I was starting to think she didn't have a husband."
"So where is she?"
"We just got her up though I gotta warn you she's pretty upset."
"Don't worry, whatever she throws at me I can handle it." He chuckled and then whispered to himself. "Which will be nothing compared to what I'm going to throw at her."
The doctor led him into the room where several patients were waiting about. About five mintues later, two nurses walked in with the amnesic blonde in a hospital gown and robe.
"Charlie!" Alastor cried joyfully, flashing her a smile and going to hug her.
"Stop!" She objected. "I don't know this man."
"What? You don't remember me? Oh I'm hurt sweetheart. I thought you'd at least know you're own husband."
"Husband?" She thought, taking a good long look at him. Something about him did feel familiar but the word "husband" didn't exactly fit wit him.
"This missing link person can't possibly be my husband." She insisted.
"With all due respect ma'am, how do you know?" The Doctor asked.
"Just look at him. Do I look like someone who would marry a man like that?"
"Oh Charlie." Alastor said shaking his head.
"Charlie?" She tried the name out. It did sound right but she still wasn't sure.
"Charlie listen to me." Alastor said. "I am your husband, my name is Alastor Devalcourt and we've been married for ten years."
"I don't believe you. If you were my husband, I'm positive that I would feel some spark of recognition and I'm not feeling any spark right now."
"Maybe you'll spark to this."
He suddenly swept her into his arms and kissed her passionately. She quickly shoved him off of her and he didn't mind, he wasn't really all that attracted to her anymore. She had grown too cold and snobby. He didn't really see her as the girl he once fell in love with anymore. Which was perfect given the scenario.
"Ick! He could be some stranger off the street." She said wiping her mouth.
"Well he seems to like you and he's a nice guy." The doctor said, wanting to be rid of this insufferable woman more than anyone in the entire building.
"If you really are my husband, then answer some questions for me." She asked Alastor.
"Certainly."
"What's my name?" She asked.
"Charlie."
"What's my full name?"
"Mrs. Charlie Devalcourt."
"What's my maiden name?"
"Charlie...Magne. Charlie Magne."
"Where am I from?"
"You grew up here in New Orleans with me."
"Where did I meet you?"
"We were childhood sweethearts though we didn't officially hook up until high school."
"Where do I work?"
"You don't have a job, you're a housewife."
"No! No! No! None of it sounds right! How do I know you're not some weird guy who's making this up just so you can take me off somewhere and do God knows what to me? I need some proof that you're my husband."
"How about these?" From his jacket pocket, he produced several photographs of him and Charlie when they were kids and teenagers together. She examined each picture carefully and she couldn't deny that the girl looked like her.
"Any of these ringing a bell?" Alastor asked.
"No." She said. "I mean I can see that girl could pass as me in my younger years but I truly, from the depths of my soul, do not remember you. And how do I know for certain that's really me? You could have doctored these."
"Well no one could have doctored this little detail that I know about." He leaned over and whispered something into her ear. "You have a birthmark in the shape of an apple of your left cheek."
She blushed and went into the nearest bathroom. In two seconds flat, she came out with a huge look of shock and disbelief on her face.
"Come to Daddy." He said grinning and holding out his arms to her.