Alastor had gone to the diner to see if Vaggie had been able to convince her and Angel's boss to give him a job. Unfortunately the owner of diner couldn't afford to hire anyone else at the time being but he recommended places around town that were short staffed and paid a lot. Even wrote down numbers that Alastor could call. Although there was another reason why he had come here. He was also making sure that Angel had not blabbed to Vaggie about his "new wife." To his relief, Angel had said nothing to no one.

"Alastor you've pulled some crazy shit in your life but this takes the cake." Angel told him once they were alone outside by the dump. "Do you realize that you could get arrested for this?"

"I do and do you realize that as long as you keep your mouth shut, that will never happen." Alastor said.

"Why are you even doing this? Don't tell me it's because you still have feelings for her and that this is some sad attempt to win her back."

"Don't be ridiculous. I can't stand the woman Charlie has become now. She's everything I ever hated in the rich and well off. I promise you Angel, romance had nothing to do with this. I'm just keeping her around until the judge declares that I no longer need Katie to check up on me. Once that's done, and I know for certain my children can never be taken from me again, I'll tell Charlie the truth and help her get back to New York."

"What if she tries to have you arrested for kidnapping?"

"Technically I didn't kidnap her. She did leave with me of her own free will, granted I did do a little, harmless, manipulating. But the alternative was staying in the loony bin indefinitely. In a way I did her a favor."

"I guess that makes sense but I still think you're playing with fire Smiles. What happens if her parents come down here looking for her?"

"Doubtful. I'm certain if Lucifer and Lilith were still alive they would have come here already. That so-called husband of hers is the only family she has and he's ditched her. Face it, no one is going to come here, looking for her."

"So what exactly are you going to do with her?"

"Well I need to convince Katie that she's my wife and the mother of my children, not to mention she owes me six-hundred dollars and for sending each and every one of my tools to the bottom of the ocean. So I think I'm going to have her keep house for awhile. Teach her how to cook and clean."

"Oh God." Angel chuckled. "If Vaggie ever finds out about this, she's going to kill you."

"Another reason why you should keep your mouth shut. Vaggie may not call the cops on me but she'll definitely go out of her way to guilt trip me into backing out. Not to mention she'll go into a whole rant about women's rights again and accuse me of being a misogynist."

"Well aren't you?"

"I most certainly am not. I was raised by a single mother just like you two were. Now granted I can be a bit of a traditionalist but only in the honorable sense."

"Honorable sense?"

"Older generations believe that men are the ones who are supposed to bear the harder burdens of life, to be the constant protectors and sacrificers. That's what my father says anyway. According to my mother, his belief was a real man does crazy and dangerous things not to prove that he's brave or strong, but to do what's best for his family."

"Your dad sounds like a stand up guy."

"He was. I didn't know him long but I know that there was nothing more important to him than myself and my mother. He proved it when he died."

"How did your old man pass anyway?"

"I was about three, when he started working in the salt mines and we lost him to a sink hole. His life insurance sustained us while Mother worked on the side but she and I never cared about money. We just wanted him. That's why I can't lose my children Angel. I know what it's like to grow up without a father and now that Mimzy's gone, if I can't get rid of Katie, they'll be all alone. I couldn't bear that."

Angel patted Alastor on the back kindly.

"You know somethin Al, you're the best father I know and in my opinion ya better off without that dumb broad. I never liked Mimzy any way. She was so fake."

"Maybe so but Katie has the judge thinking that my kids need a mother. And maybe they do, but that's not cause to take them from me."

"I know." Angel suddenly looked guilty. "It's really all my fault you're in this mess. You left the kids with me, I fell asleep and that's how the fire started. I'm so sorry."

"It's alright. At least you got my children out of your place before it burned down."

"I still don't get how you can forgive me so easily."

"I didn't forgive you easily. I didn't speak to you for a whole year."

"In my family that's letting me off too easy. Just ask my brother, he still isn't speaking to me for sleeping with his boyfriend."

"I thought your brother was straight."

"No that's my sister. He and I are both bi."

"Ah." Alastor said.

"So back to the early subject, that's all you're going to have Charlie do? Cook and clean."

"Yes indeedy. Of course if Charlie decides she doesn't want to keep house then we can just trade roles. I'll keep house and she can go out, get a job, and be the provider. One way or another, she's working off that debt she owes me."

"I see, and are there any other wifely duties you're expecting her to perform?"

"Such as?"

"Well...You know." Angel said with a sexy eyebrow raise.

"Oh please Angel." Alastor scoffed. "I'm not that crude."

"Oh come on, you're telling me that you're not just dying to take her to bed again?"

"Perhaps, if she was still the woman I fell in love with. But she's not. Now she's someone I wouldn't want to touch with a ten-foot pole." Alastor said bitterly.

"Ouch."

"But I am gonna have a little fun with her tonight."

"What kind of fun?"

"Nothing you would find particularly amusing."

"Oh so it's nothing sexual?"

"Not in the least."

"Damn."

Before going home that night, Alastor messed up his hair, swished a little beer around in his mouth, spilled some on his shirt and started to practice walking in a slouchy, dizzy way. When he entered his bedroom where Charlie had been waiting, he looked and acted as drunk as a man who decided that he had nothing to live for. When Charlie saw him she was beyond scared. Husband or not, she didn't want to have sex with a man she didn't remember. Especially if he was drunk. Or rather appeared drunk.

"Wait!" She cried as she watched him undo his pants. "I don't know if I'm ready for this."

"Sweetheart, you jumped my bones the moment we decided to become a couple."

"We did it on the first date?" Charlie asked nervously.

"Yep. Right in the middle of the street, no less."

"In the street?" She cried out, mortified. "Oh my God I'm a slut!"

Once he was only in his boxer shorts, he climbed on to the bed and hovered over top of her. Charlie froze and held in her breath, revolted by the ghastly scent he had splashed on himself. As for Alastor, it took all his will power not to burst out laughing and keep up the act.

"What? No boom-boom tonight?"

"No please!" She said squinting in disgust of his beer breath. "This is impossible! I don't know you!"

"Alright then we don't have to do it." He said getting off of her. "I'll just have to work my charms on you all over again."

He put on some sweat pants, an extra pillow and blanket from the closet, then opened the bedroom door.

"In fact, maybe we shouldn't share a bed. Maybe one of us should just sleep on the couch until you feel more comfortable with the idea."

"Yes." She said laying down in bed, thinking that he would take the couch. But he just handed her the pillow and blanket. "What are these for?"

"Well it'll be a little hard to sleep on the couch without them." Alastor said.

"You're saying I'm the one sleeping on the couch tonight? Why me?"

"Because you always preferred the couch. Said it was better for your back."

"It is? How?"

"I don't know. You always said it just was."

Charlie gave him a strange look, but she

got out of bed, took the pillow and blanket, and went to the living room.

"Goodnight my dear." Alastor said before closing the bedroom door.

The couch felt more rough and hard than the bed, so she couldn't understand why she apparently had always preferred to be sleeping here. Then again there were a lot of things about her life that she didn't understand. Was she really married to a dirty drunkard with four savage children and living in this hovel? It didn't seem right. It didn't feel right.

The only thing that kept her from sneaking out and running to find a police officer was the irritating feeling that despite how ludicrous this whole situation was, she somehow knew Alastor. She still didn't remember him mind you but in her heart she felt like that she really did know him. That she had known him all her life and that he was someone very special to her. But why? Why did everything about all this feel ridiculous except for him? Was it because she didn't really know him and this was all just a lie? Or maybe it was all true and she was just in denial?

"Maybe some sleep will help me." She thought getting comfortable on the couch.

She turned on her side and just laid there, waiting for sleep to take her. Though she was unaware that at the moment she was being watched. Watched by Carrie who was peeking from the door cracks of the room she shared with Ella.

"Carrie?" Ella yawned, when the creaking door hinges woke her. "Carrie what are you doing still up?"

"I'm just looking at our new Mommy. She sure is pretty."

"She's not really our new mother Carrie." Ella said. "We're just pretending she is."

"Why?"

"So Miss Killjoy will go away and stop trying to take us from Dad. Once she's gone, that woman will be out of here. Tout suite."

"You mean she's not staying?"

"Not for good, and not that we would want her to stay anyway. She's way too snobby and mean."

"So someday she's going to leave."

"Yes."

"Just like our first mommy?"

Ella sat up in bed wide awake, looking how lost and confused her little sister was.

"Ella, why do our mommies always leave?" She asked. "Don't they like us?"

Ella didn't know what to say. Like Carrie, she was so young when their mother left, that she didn't remember her. In fact Aaron was the only child who did and to this day he still refused to even think of her. Louis, Ella, and Carrie had asked him but he just said that she wasn't worth remembering and would get so angry. The twins had learned to accept it and not ask any questions but Carrie was still ever the curious one.

"I don't know." Ella said. "I really don't know."

She then lifted up her blanket and made room on the bed for Carrie to climb on in next to her. Neither one of them said a word for the rest of the night, they just snuggled up together and went to sleep, wondering about they and everyone else in the house were going to do tomorrow.