Back at the cabaret, Charlie was doing her best to keep Alastor's mind off of Beth by telling him everything she knew about each creature that lived under the sea. Now normally Alastor could have cared less about marine life, he was never really fond of the ocean, but something about the way Charlie explained it kept him very entertained. She described each living organism in such great detail and enthusiasm. She spoke as if she had spent her entire life around these animals.

"You know it's pity you never went to college." Alastor said. "You would make a wonderful marine biologist."

"What's that?" Charlie asked.

"Oh good lord, my dear, what professions do they teach you in that commune? Do you at least know about doctors?"

"Yes. We don't use them though, we use medicine makers."

"How many people in this commune are still alive?"

Charlie giggled.

The next amateur act was a band and they were actually pretty good. They played jazzy swing music which was among Alastor's favorite type. Soon the customers were getting up from from their tables and dancing.

"Would you like to dance?" He offered to Charlie.

"I would but..." She nervously fiddled with her hair again. "I don't know how to dance."

"It's actually easier than most people think. Here I'll teach you."

His hand took hold of hers and he led her over to the center of the room where all the other couples were dancing. He kept holding her right hand, placed her left hand on his shoulder, and moved his right arm to her waist. She gave a quiet gasp at the unexpected touch.

"Are you alright?" He asked her.

"Yes, I'm just not used to this and I'm a little worried that I might end up embarrassing myself."

"To tell you the truth sweetheart, there's really nothing embarrassing about using movement to express yourself. That's all dancing really is you know. It's the way your feet smile or laugh. It's a language that's felt instead of heard."

"I'm afraid I don't understand."

"Just let your emotions tell your body what to do."

Charlie did just that. At first her steps were very shy and apprehensive, her feet just moved forward and back very slowly, she was so scared of looking like a fool. Then just as she had feared, she did something silly by stepping on Alastor's foot.

"Ouch." He said.

"I'm sorry." She shrunk back. "I knew this would happen. I'm so stupid and clumsy."

But instead of scolding her, he started to laugh. Her self-consciousness grew.

"You're laughing at me."

"No! Ha-ha! Not at all!" He chuckled.

"Yes you are!" She argued. "You're laughing at me right now!"

"No it's not you. I'm laughing because this is reminding me of when I tried dancing the first time."

"Oh?"

"I was six years old and it was Easter Sunday, the local church was having a special lunch after sermon and when everyone started dancing, Mother insisted that I share dance with her. Heaven help me, I must have trotted on her foot countless times and I spun myself right into the dessert table of all things. I was covered head to toe in sticky frosting and powdered sugar. Bleh!"

"Did everyone laugh at you?"

"The adults tried not to, the other children didn't hold back, the reverend tried to hush everyone, but I felt like crying. It was the most humiliating moment of my life. I was so sure Mother was going to scold me. But instead she cut herself a slice of that sickeningly sweet Easter cake, shoved it right into her face, and pulled me in for another dance."

"She wasn't embarrassed by you?"

"Not at all. In fact she said that the whole thing was her fault because she was the one who gave me the clumsy genes."

Charlie giggled again.

"Later when the reverend gave us towels to clean ourselves with, she told me that the secret to dancing was to see it as conversation without talking. That every single gesture reveals something splendid about yourself. There is no right or wrong way to do it, there's just your way."

He looked at her with a most tender gaze.

"If you let your feelings guide your steps then the world will just fade away, and all you'll hear is music and all you'll feel is love."

At once all of Charlie's fear and doubts were gone, replaced by happiness and intrigue. She moved closer to Alastor, but not too close, and she let her emotions carry her like a calm current would when she was in the sea. Very soon her footsteps adjusted to the motion of the dance and she was in perfect sync with Alastor. They jived and shagged with ease. Pulling each other back and forth, spinning round and round. From Charlie's point of view it was incredible. She understood the enjoyment that humans felt from dancing but experiencing it herself was unlike anything she could have ever imagined. It was like swimming in a melody instead of water and floating on lyrics instead of a wave.

Without words, Alastor and Charlie spoke as one. Cheek to cheek, toe to toe, heart to heart. They were evenly matched in that moment and just as Alastor had said, the world faded away for the two of them and all they heard was music and all they felt was love. How wrapped up they were in that moment. Their eyes unable to look away from each other and their bodies unable to stop getting closer together. A feeling was slowly forming from inside. One that was half familiar and half foreign. They didn't understand it but they didn't necessarily want it to go away.

"Alastor?" A confused voice called which killed the mood.

Alastor and Charlie quickly broke away from each other and turned in the direction of where the voice came from. It was Angel.

"Alastor is that really you?" Angel asked approaching them.

"Yes, who else would it be?"

"Sorry it's just that I almost didn't recognize you for a minute."

"Why?"

"We can talk about that later. Right now, tell me about your new friend here."

"Angel this is Charlie, a new friend of Beth's. She'll be spending the Summer with us due to living difficulties. Charlie this is Angel, one of my oldest friends."

"His only friend toots."

"And how many friends do you have?"

"Touche."

"I'm very pleased to meet you Angel." Charlie said. "Are you an actual Angel?"

"Just the opposite, pretty lady." He said. "I'm a very ironic person."

"Oh Alastor is this that person you were telling me about the other day? The one you said had platinum white hair and one third of his sanity?"

"What?!"

Alastor bit back a laugh.

"Yep that's him." Alastor confirmed.

"My hair is not platinum!" Angel denied. "It's chiffon!"

"It's platinum. Your hairdresser is a bloody liar." Alastor said.

"How would you know? You don't even dye your hair, and you really should. I see a few grey strands in there. Maybe you could cover them up with some red highlights?"

"Oh that reminds me." Alastor said. "Beth has been gone much too long for an expected bathroom break. I better go check on her."

"No let me go." Charlie said. "It is the ladies room after all."

"Oh right. I wouldn't want to look like a pervert."

"Wait right here."

She then hurried off down the hall.

"So what brings you by Angel?" Alastor asked him.

"Well I have a problem."

"Got fired again?"

"No, worse."

"Contracted syphilis from a client again?"

"Worse."

"HIV?"

"Worse."

"What could be worse than HIV?"

"I'm in love."

"Oh no." Alastor said rolling his eyes. "Who is it this time? Is it someone who's at least unmarried?"

"I know what you're thinking Al but this is different. She's not just a job or a fine piece of ass."

"Ah so it's a woman this time. Hooker or wife? Either one is destined to destroy you Angel. Wives never leave their husbands and hookers never leave their pimps."

"No, no, no, she's nothing like that. She's a performer in that circus I work at."

"Worse than I thought, she's a freak show for a corrupted business."

"She is not! She's a dancer."

"Stripper?"

"No! Just a dancer. Nothing dirty or sexual about her."

"And you're interested in her?"

"Can't a guy have a little variety?"

"Fair enough. Okay what's her name?"

"I uh...Don't know."

"You don't know her name? You're in love with her and you don't know her name?" Alastor looked at him skeptically. "Angel remember when you promised that you'd tell me if you ever relapsed?"

"I'm not on drugs man. I can't explain it, but as soon as I saw her I felt this immediate connection. It was like something inside of me told me that she was special."

"Does she even know you're alive?"

"Not yet."

"Angel you're either high or you've lost your mind, and frankly I don't know which would be worse."

"You just don't believe in love at first sight."

"Because that's a crock of shit. How can you fall in love with someone you saw only one time? You don't know anything about this woman."

"Alright so maybe it isn't love yet but it's something. Something that says I have to pursue her."

"That's what you said about that male model from Persia."

"Well that was just my dick talking, this is my soul talking."

"And it says you should go after a woman you don't even know the name of?"

"My sister Molly had a saying, when you meet your soulmate, you feel something the minute you see them. An instinct. I have to meet her Al. I just have to."

"Well hey I'm not stopping you, even though I'm sure you're off your nut."

"Look who's talking."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're letting a woman your sister made friends with, move in with you. How much do you know about her?"

"I know plenty actually. For starters, her name."

"Fine but you are getting the hots for her."

"I am not."

"Liar. I saw the way you were dancing with her. Why did you think I doubted that it was you at first? You were looking at her and moving with her in a way I had never seen you do with anyone, especially not a woman. I didn't even think it was possible for you to look and move that way."

"You don't know what you're talking about."

"Hey I've screwed enough people to know what losing your head over someone looks like, and yours has fallen right off your shoulders for blondie over there."

Alastor wanted to argue but in cases like this, there was no fooling Angel. He could see through any man or woman trying to hide their romantic feelings for someone. Not even Alastor could slip past his radar.

"Look if you wanna keep it a secret, my lips are sealed." Angel said, taking Alastor's silence as confirmation. "But if you ever wanna talk, my ears are always open."

Alastor smiled quietly.

"Thanks Angel. I really don't know what's going on with me. I've never felt this way before, and it's not like I haven't spent my entire life seeing beautiful, friendly, and talented women, but this one just seems so different. She's gentle and charming but genuine and free with herself. She sees so much beauty and joy in life. She's a mature woman but she hasn't lost that childlike faith and sweetness. And for some reason I feel like she and I have a connection."

"Oh you have it bad, Smiles." Angel said.

"It's not love. I know it's not, but it's...It's...It's..."

"It's a start. A start for something that could lead to love."

"What should I do?"

"Since this is your first time you should probably take it slow. Don't rush into anything like I did otherwise you might find yourself caught in a jealous beat down."

Alastor chuckled and made certain to take his friend's advice