Charlie was smiling as she slid the beautiful ballgown dress over her head. She had been going over accessories in her head as she matched up gloves and a dainty set of slips. She wished her feet weren't so flat! If they weren't, she could wear ALL KINDS of beautiful pumps! Maybe she could commission some more decorative flats? Oh, but now she needed to find those cute hair bows that her mom had given her at her 500th birthda-

"Charlie!" The soft shout caught her attention. She pulled the ballgown all the way down her body to find Vaggie standing in front of her, naked. "I think you're overthinking this, Char."

"What do you mean?" Charlie had no clue on what Vaggie was talking about.

"Charlie, it's dinner. I don't think we need to be dressed to the nines for it."

"No, it's not just a dinner." Charlie skipped over to her dresser where she'd put the invite and pointed to the specific wording. "It's a dinner date ."

"Whatever." Vaggie stretched as she turned and rummaged through her panty drawer. "Don't expect me to dress up that much."

"But…" Charlie let loose her most dramatic pout. "But Vaaaaaggie~"

"No." Charlie could see the blush on Vaggie's face even as she held firm. Before Charlie could keep applying pressure, Vaggie whipped out a pair of panties and bra. A matching pair.

Charlie gave Vaggie a sly smile. "No fancy dressing, huh?"

Vaggie did a double-take at the undergarments she selected. Her face entirely red now, Vaggie said, flustered, "Pure coincidence."

"Aw. So you aren't dressing up for me?" Charlie felt really clever with that turnaround.

"Wha-I, I mean, I could…"

"Great!" Charlie took off the ballgown, leaving her in her frilly underwear and soft, lacy bra. She then rushed over to Vaggie's closet. "Now, I think wearing that gown you wore for our third anniversary would work best."

"Charlie, I said we didn't have to dress nice for Alastor," Vaggie insisted.

"You don't have to dress nice for Alastor," Charlie confirmed. She asked, "What about me? Would you dress nice for me?"

Vaggie looked completely taken off-guard. The redness never leaving her face, she marched over to Charlie and wrestled the gown from her. She said, "Yeah, I'd do it for you." Vaggie sighed and grumbled, "You'd better be willing to sit on my face later."

Charlie grabbed Vaggie in a tight hug. "Of course!"

In the end, they came to a compromise. Charlie did not wear her ballgown. No, instead Vaggie had gotten her to settle for one of their regular going-out clothes: a sleek deep blue maxi dress with a cute fascinator hat and her favorite slips, hair loose under the hat. Vaggie had convinced her not to wear gloves. Charlie refused to give up a hat for the occasion.

Vaggie, in turn, had dressed up from the outfit she normally wore. As she didn't actually have many 'nice' clothes, her choices were more limited. Which is how she ended up in the red and black plaid sundress with the matching red bow with black wedge shoes that they reserved for picnics. Charlie couldn't help but to giggle at the matching colors, to which Vaggie simply sighed and said, "Let's get this over with."

Now they were standing in front of the door up to Alastor's tower. The whole tower was an entirely self-contained apartment that he had fashioned as he saw fit. Why he always wanted the forest connected to his main room no one really understood. Maybe she could ask him about it?

"Are we…supposed to knock?" Vaggie asked hesitantly. "When did he want us here?"

Charlie pulled out the invite card again. "Well, it doesn't have a time. So, I guess?"

Apparently Vaggie was feeling more impatient as she reached out and knocked. Or, at least, she tried to. Just as her knuckle was touching the door, it opened.

"Ah! There you two are! I was starting to wonder if I should have specified a time!" Alastor waved them in, blocked from view by the door. Vaggie kept herself between Alastor and Charlie as they entered. They were moving to go up the stairs in front of them to the main living area but found them stopped by Alastor suddenly appearing in front of them. "We will not be going up there tonight, dear ladies!" He directed them to a doorway that had been blocked from view by him and the door. "Please, come this way!"

Charlie followed his shadow, Vaggie dodging around her to, again, use herself as a buffer between the other two. They walked through a little kitchenette area that was squeaky clean, almost sterile-looking, even as it smelled divine, out into a small dining area.

This room was different. Not what Charlie was expecting. It was very…human. Homey.

Green and yellow patterned wallpaper covered all the walls, crown molding and various craftsman designs on the walls and ceiling. There was a simple wooden table surrounded by four simple chairs. A china cabinet was nestled next to the doorway where some delicate-looking plates and cups sat on display. A grandfather clock ticked away against the other wall. Next to the clock was a small table with a record player and a radio that was playing soft jazz tunes.

"Wow. This is actually pretty cool," Vaggie said, a compliment a good way to start out the evening in Charlie's opinion.

"Why thank you!" Alastor stayed in the kitchen. "Pardon me as I fetch our dinner. I left it in the oven to keep warm and the icebox to keep cool. Please, feel free to sit down. No need to wait for me. I am the host after all!"

Vaggie gave Charlie a Look. Silently they made a bet as they both sat down, Vaggie's back turned to the kitchen while Charlie sat to her left. There was no need for words; it was a standard bet between them when they went out together.

"Ah ha!" Alastor's tentacles reached out of the kitchen, reaching around Vaggie and setting various dishes on the table. "I hope you two have big stomachs!"

The tentacles withdrew to reveal a veritable smorgasbord of food: a cake that she was pretty sure was pineapple but it was upside-down; a plate of potatoes, egg yolk, and what looked like butter with some pepper dashed on top styled in a swirling baked shape; two roasts of some kind of bird with bits of cranberry and oranges scattered on the platter; and a creamy soup with what looked like pomegranates and chives mixed in.

"Wow! Alastor, this looks GREAT!" Charlie turned from the table to the kitchen. "Did you bake all of this yourself?"

"Of course!" Alastor entered the dining room and said, "These are some of my favorite foods from when I was alive. I don't have much opportunity to pull out the oven mitts and get to work! Thank you two lovely ladies for giving me an excuse."

Charlie's attention was caught by his outfit. It, again, was strangely human. Not the same flashy suit that he normally wore. This was more comfortable yet high-class. A simple black and white pinstriped suit which matched perfectly with his eyepiece. He had a different cane, this one with a silver topper, and now she noticed in the corner a little umbrella stand with various canes in it, including his favored radio cane. As she was looking him over, he looked the two of them over.

"I was hoping you would take this invitation seriously," Alastor said. "I don't misuse words, and I'm glad you caught my wording."

"Oh, yeah, we definitely…caught that," Vaggie stuttered insincerely. Charlie would have to tease her about it later. It felt good to have been proven correct!

"So then…" Alastor skirted around Vaggie and sat in the seat next to Charlie.

"Dang it!" Charlie fussed. Looked like she was wearing that plug tonight.

"Is there something wrong, my dear?" Alastor asked, looking between the victorious Vaggie and the disappointed Charlie.

"What? Wrong? Me? Oh no, no, nothing's wrong," Charlie covered, taking unusual interest in the potato things. "This is potato, right?"

Alastor let her switch the topic. "Sharp eye! Yes, it is. Duchess potatoes! Mimsy could never get enough of them at our dinner parties."

Alastor began explaining each dish as they served and ate them: its background, ingredients, and where he used to eat it when he was alive. Vaggie, forgetting her distrust, began discussing the different ways to bake. She had been the one to bake for the hotel before Niffty came after all. Vaggie hadn't had any opportunity to talk shop with anyone which is why Charlie was SO HAPPY that her and Alastor were bonding.

Apparently she made it too obvious as it caught their attention. They both were looking at her, confused.

"Charlie?" they both said at the same time. They exchanged glances; Alastor gave Vaggie a toothy grin, to which Vaggie blew out a suddenly frustrated breath and looked away.

Alastor laughed. "My goodness, we let the conversation get away from us! Poor Charlie must feel rather left out."

"I was really enjoying watching you two talk!" Charlie said cheerily. "Is there anything else you two want to talk about? That won't lead to an argument? Hmmmmm?"

Vaggie's eye narrowed at Alastor. "No."

"And that's my cue to change the topic!" Charlie said before Vaggie could elaborate. Taking one last nibble of what was duck, she asked, "So, Alastor, why didja wanna have this dinner?"

Alastor blinked, then laughed. "Oh Charlie, don't you understand?" He said like it was obvious, "We're on a date!"

Oh. Yeah, she'd pointed that out earlier to Vaggie. Right. That was a stupid question.

Vaggie snorted. "Yes, a 'date'."

"Don't be like that Vaggie!" Charlie elbowed Vaggie when she tried to turn her back to Alastor. "You were having fun until you thought about it."

"Yeah, when I thought about it! Charlie! It's Alastor . It's all an act!"

"Being distrustful of the host is very unbecoming of you, Vagatha," Alastor tsked.

"Whoever the HELL started that thing with my name being Vagatha is going to die SEVERAL more times," Vaggie growled.

"Oh my! How violent!" Alastor leaned towards Vaggie, his form shifting subtly to be more monstrous. " Would you like some help? "

Vaggie frowned, then admitted, "I might actually take you up on that."

Well, at least they weren't sniping at each other like normal.

Hoping to distract from the violence, Charlie asked, "What do we do now?"

"Hm? Do you mean after-dinner entertainment?" Alastor asked in turn.

"I mean, yeah," Vaggie decided to add in. "It was a 'date', right?"

" Dinner date," Alastor emphasized.

"You can't pull that shit on us. You're making us stick with you, so you're stuck with us. We don't disappear after we eat. So, what are we doing?" Vaggie leaned back, staring him down and daring him to deny them.

Charlie was amazed to find that Alastor was caught off-guard. His eyes were wide, looking around in a mild panic, his nails digging into the table at the unfamiliar feeling. Clearly he really did think he could shove them out the door.

Charlie decided to take some playful pity on him. "What did you used to do when you and Mimsy went out to your parties?"

Alastor's gaze snapped to her, and she felt the momentary panic immediately vanish as his smile reassumed itself on his face. "Ah, yes! I know just the thing!" He got up. "Please stand to the side as I clear the room."

Not needing to be asked twice, the two women got up and stood back against the wall. Alastor nodded, clapped-

And everything in the room vanished into shadows.

"I didn't know you could do that! Take things into the shadows like that!" Charlie marveled. "Where did it all go?"

"I merely moved it upstairs," Alastor said. "We needed the room. And you did, indeed, know. Remember when you came to me when you accepted my proposal?"

" Tricked into it," Vaggie muttered under her breath.

"Right! I forgot!" Charlie took a step into the open room. "What are we doing?"

Alastor's smile turned genuine as he tapped the top of his radio with his hand. A spark raced through it, suddenly turning the music to a fast, old-timey tune. It was VERY catchy and made Charlie want to dance. Her 'want' solidified into an 'actually happening' when Alastor took her hand and began dancing with her. It was similar to the song and dance that she vaguely remembered from when he first entered their lives.

Vaggie stood, unimpressed. "Yeah, that's nice for you guys and all, but I-"

"Feeling left out? Very well then!" He let go of Charlie momentarily, one hand touching the radio and the other reaching out and grabbing Vaggie's arm. As she squawked in protest and the music changed to a more frantic tone, he exclaimed, "Time to switch to a more festive dance!"

Charlie was barely keeping up. She was sure Vaggie wasn't thinking anymore either; Charlie could see her dancing out of the corner of her eye and there were no more complaints. She looked up at Alastor to find a very pleasant sight.

The genuine smile was shining more brightly than ever, his eyes were closed in joy, and he was humming the tune as they all danced together to it. It made Charlie feel something inside, seeing it. And she wasn't sure what it was.