[[A brief message to all!

Our (slow burn?) has reached the point of its ignition and there is something I just would like for readers who are here to know. Canonically, Alastor is a aromantic asexual male. In writing this fanfiction, it is my goal to respect this of his character while still placing him in…. unlikely scenarios. I, myself, am a romantic homosexual female. It is my hope that: in my portrayal here of Alastor's predicament within this fanfiction that it does not come across as distasteful or offensive to anyone who may strongly relate to or appreciate the established orientation of his character. I cannot fully empathize or understand the frustration some may have in regarding the perceptions that are made to this but, I still wish to be respectful. If something better can be done with the writing to reflect this, please, let me know. ]]

Alastor hummed happily, picking at the bowl of eyeballs Rosie had left out for their tea that afternoon. Niffty was perched on his shoulders where he was seated at the table. She was busily working through the fur surrounding his ears and antlers; greedily searching for the swollen ticks that he had picked up during his hunting in the New Orleans swamps. Finding a rather large one, just at the base of his ear, she quickly plucked it from the skin and popped it into her mouth before continuing to comb through his hair.

"I know we're in Hell," Mimzy was saying, "But, that's disgusting. Where did you get all those anyway?"

Mimzy had found him nearly immediately following his return from his last excursion to earth for the reaping. Unsurprisingly, she found herself in another one of her binds and needed him to sort it all out for her. He did so promptly; more than happy to do an old friend a favor while also having the chance of clearly establishing the solidity of his power to others. After the matter was settled, Mimzy invited herself with him to take tea with Rosie at their usual place in Cannibal Town.

"Why, our very own good ol' New Orleans, darling." Alastor told her excitedly.

"No shit!" Mimzy exclaimed. "How is it up there in The Big Easy?"

"…meh," Alastor shrugged. "It's not what it used to be. No talent quite like yours to appreciate, that's for sure."

"Oh, Alastor," Mimzy said, "You know how to make a girl smile! Hey, listen, I gotta go but this was nice! We'll catch up again soon! And thank you for the tea, Miss Rosie! Keep teaching Mr. Tall Dark and Stinky some manners."

With that, Mimzy hopped from her seat at the table and strolled away, leaving Alastor and Rosie to the rest of their tea and lunch.

"A very interesting woman, Alastor." Rosie said after she had gone. "You two must have been very close."

"Not terribly," Alastor said, taking a sip of his tea. "But, I did enjoy watching her performances and the lady certainly can dance."

"You've always have had a taste for entertainment." Rosie laughed and he smiled genuinely at her humor.

Niffty finding another engorged tick, giggled happily to herself.

"Those look rather tempting." Rosie noted, watching her.

Holding the plump insect in her little hand, Niffty heard the comment and proceeded to growl and hiss before shoving the whole thing into her wide mouth and biting down. Spurts of blood sprayed from between her razor sharp teeth.

"I wouldn't, if I were you." Alastor told Rosie. "This one is still quite feral and she does have quite the nasty bite." He smiled wickedly up at the small creature.

If she was a pet -Rosie thought - she was the perfect kind of pet for Alastor.

"In what part of New Orleans were you that you managed to find so many deer ticks?" Rosie asked him curiously.

"Oh, out about in the bayou, of course." Alastor told her, reaching for another eyeball. "I decided to take a little time to myself and do a bit of hunting." He told her.

He had stayed the entirety of their 40th anniversary night with Addie. When late morning came though and Addie awoke, he was gone. The blankets were neatly arranged and tucked around her on the couch and on the table was a parchment of paper with a steaming coffee mug. The scrolling script on the paper read:

The coffee will help with the hangover.

A happy 40th Anniversary to you,

dearest Adeline

Yours truly,

As promised, after taking the first sip of hot coffee, her pounding headache receded immediately. A fogginess left her and the dull, sick feeling she had had turned into a hunger for breakfast and a readiness to start the day.

Instead of returning to Hell or pursuing other prospects; Alastor spent the next several weeks hunting the marshlands all throughout Louisiana. Feeling a little drained and irritated by his frustrations with recent events; he decided to really set himself loose. Roaming the deepest, darkest parts of the swamps he could find, he took whichever great and terrifying form that suited him; killing and devouring any sizable prey: deer, bear, or gator he encountered. He even happened upon a large cougar in his wanderings. He found great pleasure in the large cat's screams of pain and fear before taking its bleeding and mangled body wholly into his great gullet, swallowing: fur, claws, limbs, organs, bones, tail and all.

"Well, good for you, sweetheart. You deserve a bit of a break." Rosie told him. "Still killing it in the reaping, I've noticed." She smiled wickedly at him. "And, you've managed to find me my very own prospects. That 'Jeffery'-fellow sounds like he'll fit right in…But, I am curious." Rosie had debated with herself on whether she should bring it up; "How is your little 'passion project' going? Oh, now don't give me that look, Alastor, you know I'm kidding. Has the young lady grown tired of your deal yet or are you still trying to wear her down?"

"Still trying to wear her down, I'm afraid." Alastor told her honestly. "The woman is more…tedious than I expected."

"Ha!" Rosie laughed. "Maybe this is good for you; someone giving you a bit of grief."

Truth be told, Alastor was feeling rather confident in how his deal with Adeline was falling into place. She finally had admitted - to both herself and to him – that she really wasn't happy. Despite the added years, despite all of his gifts, despite her endless youth…it wasn't enough. Just how he had meant it.

Human souls – pure human souls – craved connection. A connection that Adeline would never find, no matter how long she wished to wander in her supposed…freedom. The only connection she had left to anyone was him and him alone. He enjoyed emphasizing this to her during their visits; giving her the briefest taste of familiarity and companionship only to walk out of her life until he decided to walk back in. She was very nearly done with this game that they were playing. He knew it. He just needed to be a little more patient. Bide his time. In the end; it would be more than worth it for the reward.

Her little confession she shared with him recently left him feeling…irritable, however. It wasn't that he cared what the outcome had been. He just didn't like surprises. He might have known, might have considered her…condition…more closely had he not been so eager to entrap her within her own foolish mortal yearnings. Instead, he had overlooked a fine detail; jumping to his own conclusions as to why she was ever out in the bayou that night with him in the first place. He had…miscalculated; he had been wrong. And, that bothered him. Immensely.

Alastor had no comment to Rosie's last remark. Enjoying the company of friends and Niffty's obsessive grooming; he softly hummed to himself, sipping his tea. Rosie too, enjoyed their quiet time together. A part of her worried for Alastor, worried about this deal he had made…But, another part of her saw that he seemed to be handling the whole situation just fine. There was not the slightest hint or sign that he was any different than the Alastor she knew and adored. Maybe, he did have everything all under control. She just hoped…for Alastor's sake….this part of her was the part that was right.

New Orleans, Louisiana

June 18th , 2000

Dearest Adeline,

Please join me in celebrating our 50th Anniversary early together, on the night of June 24th. I will arrive promptly at 7 p.m. I look forward to seeing you.

Yours truly,

She wasn't sure if she wanted to cry happy tears at finding the letter within her apartment or if she wanted to promptly burn it. Ten years. Ten years and not one single fucking visit; no letter, nothing. She accepted him leaving the way he had on their 40th, had even anticipated not hearing from him for quite some time…but…ten years? Of course, she had thought about using the trick with the ring he had offered her; even just to see if he would show up. But then, the thought of her having to pissed her off enough that she eventually stopped wearing it altogether; deciding to keep it pocketed instead.

With the letter came several packages. Opening them, she found there to be three different beautiful dancing dresses with shoes to match. The dresses were of different colors and styles: one red, one green and one black. It wasn't lost on her that she should pick one for whatever plans he had for her in one week. She ended up deciding on the red. It was a long, flowing soft, silk dance dress that had a long split up one leg. The neckline dipped – rather dramatically – but the dress, all-in-all, shaped her body nicely and gave her plenty of freedom for movement. Black silk sharply outlined the borders of the dress; it was remarkably comfortable and eye-catching.

One week later, Addie had just finished putting on her shoes, and was slipping the wooden ring over her finger, when the radio crackled to life; playing:

"Who cares what they're wearing

On Main Street or Saville Row,

It's what you wear from ear to ear

And not from head to toe

(That matters)

So, Senator, so janitor,

so long for a while

Remember, you're never fully dressed

Without a smile!"

- Little Orphan Annie

The song ended and the radio switched itself off before there was a knock at the door. Opening it, she found him as she thought she might; in human form, dressed handsomely in his black pinstripe suit, a wide smile across his face.

"Good evening, Adeline." She felt something twist inside of her; hearing her name spoken aloud with such familiarity. It…had been so long.

"Luc…" He smirked but before he could say anything; she was through the door and hugging him to her.

She hadn't planned on doing it. She wasn't even sure why she had. She wanted to yell, to scream at him for leaving her for so long…alone. She wanted to be angry, to hate him for everything. But, right now, she was just happy that he was here.

She thought he might stiffen or step back from her sudden embrace but he softened into her and held her close to him. "Happy Anniversary." He told her, his voice thrumming through her chest.

She started to cry; quickly letting go of him. "I'm sorry…I'm-"

"It's quite alright, my dear." He told her. "We could always-"

"No." She told him. "We're doing whatever it is you have planned. I just need one second." She excused herself to the bathroom; quickly fixing the mess she made of her makeup. Coming back, she found him sitting perfectly content on the sofa, soft jazz playing from the radio. It was just then she noticed he was holding something.

Seeing her sudden curiousness, he stood from the couch. Going over to her, he showed her the beautiful black rose corsage.

"A little silly, maybe." He told her, taking her hand to gently place it around her wrist. "But, I saw it and thought of you so-"

He released her hand and she turned it this way and that. The corsage had an eerie, soft shimmering glow like that of the restaurant he had taken her to years ago. And - just like the restaurant - it did not belong to this realm.

"It's…beautiful." She told him. "Thank you."

"You are most welcome, dearest Adeline." He said her name again and she fought the wave of emotion that it sent crashing into her. "Shall we?" He asked her.

"Yes." She said and with her arm in his; he led her out the door.

The evening was full of surprises. Addie had expected Alastor to flourish a portal for the both of them and take her to some version of reality for them to spend the night together; just the two of them. But, after stepping out of the apartment he hailed a taxi; chivalrously opening the door for her before they were off to wherever he had planned. She was even more surprised to find that their destination for that evening was the fanciest restaurant in all of New Orleans.

Arm in his, she went with him into the fine establishment.

"Good evening, sir and madam." Greeted the Maître D. "Do you have a reservation?"

"'Adeline'." Alastor told the man. Addie glanced at him briefly; wondering what he was needing from her before realizing he had used her name for their reservation.

"Right this way." The gentleman said, leading them to their table.

With a flourish - not very dissimilar to that of Alastor's – the man pulled a chair out for Addie to take a seat. Alastor seated himself, politely excusing the Maître D from having to attend to him.

After they were both seated and comfortable, Addie found herself starring vaguely at the menu; suddenly feeling completely out of her element.

Their waiter came to their table and he politely asked Addie for her drink order first.

"Uh…" She quickly scanned the menu, "A wine…I think…"

Alastor laughed, with good humor. "Your Champagne, please. For the lady, and for myself."

"Sorry." Addie told him when the waiter left. "This isn't really my sort of…" She gave up.

"Quite alright." Alastor told her. "I have a good idea of what to order, should you like to me to do the honors."

"Very much." She told him with relief, setting her menu aside.

When it came to time to order their meal; he told the waiter that they would be having: the Oysters Arnaud to start; a Shrimp Bisque to follow, the Filet Mignon Au Poivre for her – for him as well only: "as rare as the chef was willing to make it" – and the Café Brulot for a dessert directly following their dinner. His French was so delightfully fluent; she enjoyed listening to him discuss the food options he had chosen for them with the waiter.

After the ordering was out of the way; Addie and Alastor sipped at the bubbling Champagne and chatted as amiably with one another as they had for their previous anniversaries.

There were a few brief awkward moments when their waiter would pass or pause nearby to their table; looking at Addie with a confused look before shaking his head and going about his work. Addie - of course - was used to this sort of thing while Alastor gave no kind of indication as to whether he had even noticed.

When the food arrived, Addie couldn't remember ever having enjoyed a meal more – save for the meal Alastor had prepared for her himself…years ago. When their meal was finished; Alastor led her away from the dining hall of the restaurant and into a large, open bar room. He took her to the long counter of the bar; ordering himself one Whiskey Rye, neat. When he looked to her for her own drink request, she ordered herself one as well.

"It's kind of strange," She told him as they waited for their drinks. "I mean, I wouldn't have thought of you ordering a Whiskey Rye from a bar like this when you can just make one – however you like it - yourself."

Alastor laughed. "You think I'm going to drink whatever comes back to me in that glass? Heaven's no! Neither shall you." He told her. Just then their drinks were slid across the counter. He paid the bartender and taking the glasses, he led her to a small bar table with two stools.

"Ok….I'm confused." She said, sitting down as he politely helped her into the stool before taking his own seat. "What's the point of any of…of this then…if you're going to just turn it into whatever you want anyway. I mean, you just paid the man...why are we even here?" She was asking him.

"My dearest, Adeline." He gestured a small toast to her, taking a drink from his whiskey. "If you shall ever know anything about me, it is this. If I am anywhere, it is for the entertainment."

Just then a live jazz band began playing from a stage across from them in the bar room. More and more people were going to the bar or heading toward the dance floor. Addie sipped her whiskey and felt a familiar warmth cascading down into her belly and thrumming through her veins.

"Wow…"She said; leaning back. "That…is wonderful."

He smiled at her from behind his own glass, turning to watch the dancers and performers as the two of them enjoyed their drinks.

Finishing his glass, he patiently waited for her to be done with hers before standing up from his stool and courteously asking her to join him to dance.

To his amusement, she readily agreed. He happily pulled her with him to a spot in the room. Immediately, he started leading them into a swing-y jazz step to the rhythm coming from the lively band. He was surprised to find that she easily - seamlessly even – kept time with his steps; smoothly following him into every turn, dip or spin he guided her into.

"Why, Adeline!" His smile nearly split his face. "You've been taking lessons!" He laughed, spinning her around again.

"I have!" She laughed with him, smiling at the genuine joy he expressed. "Ten years worth of them!"

"Well, let's show these Crescent City folks what it means to really jive!"

Pulling her with him; he led her through a series of increasingly more advanced routines. He was still a much better dancer than her; but what truly impressed her was how flawlessly he was able to guide her through the more intricate stepping. Each time she felt herself about to falter, slip or make a mis-step; he carefully compensated and adjusted their movement so that every step she made seemed planned, purposeful and without error.

They were dancing so well together that people around them started to stop what they were doing; watching the couple working their way around the dance floor. Appreciative whistles and claps were filling the bar room and Addie felt herself blushing from the unexpected attention they were now getting.

Noting her brief distraction; Alastor pulled her in close to him for a bouncing two-step. "Ah, ah, dear Adeline." He purred. "Tonight is for just you and me." Effectively bringing her full attention back to him and what they were doing. She felt something briefly, almost a kind of tightening within her before he spun her smoothly into a transitional step, going into a quick jitterbug.

After several songs; Addie had to stop. Out of breath and her head spinning from it all; she excused herself for a visit to the lady's room. He offered to get them another round of drinks. Taking her hand, - with the black rose corsage wound around the wrist - he brought it to his lips; lightly kissing her skin just beside the wooden ring before letting go and politely stepping away.

In the bathroom – alone – Addie stood by the sink; looking at the reflection of the wooden ring and the black rose corsage in the mirror. Her hands were on the counter, trembling slightly. Her vision blurred briefly as hot tears dripped onto the beautiful, smooth granite top. Her shoulders shook as she choked back a ragged sob from leaving her chest. Forcing herself to take a deep breath, she steadied herself.

She had made her decision.

She would do it tonight.

She would relinquish her tired soul.

Though she had been away for some time, Alastor never commented on her absence when she came back to their small table near the bar. He was sitting; perfectly happy, content on watching others dance, continually listening to the live band play as he nursed his whiskey. She had recovered herself and, smiling warmly at him for politely helping her into her stool again, she took her seat at the table. Pulling her own glass of whiskey over to start on.

She couldn't help but watch him enjoying the evening. Relaxed, he was sitting back, eyes closed now as he softly bounced his head to the rhythm coming from the music. The long fingers of one hand were delicately tapping a beat along the table's edge. His ever-present smile, stretched across his face. She could hear the soft notes of him humming, intermingling with all of the other sounds of the evening.

For the briefest of moments: she wondered. What would his reaction be to her decision tonight? Would any part of him actually miss this...or would he simply…forget her.

She took a deep swallow of the whiskey; appreciating the sharp burn it left trailing down her chest. She then, too, wondered: what it would feel like. When he took her soul from her…would there be pain, suffering or even anguish? Or would she just…stop existing…resigning herself to the absolute nothingness that would be there, waiting for her.

She shivered. Opening his eyes, Alastor tilted his head, looking at her now.

"You are very quiet, Adeline." He commented, seriously.

"Just watching you." She told him, taking another swallow from her whiskey. "You seem to be rather enjoying yourself."

His smile widened.

"You're always doing that." She told him. "Smiling. I admit, it's quite clever of you."

"Oh?" His head tilting more now, eyes gleaming.

"A smile…it inspires people; uplifts and reassures them. But," She went on. "It also keeps them guessing. It gives you complete control over nearly any situation you'd ever find yourself in. I mean, who could ever truly know: what you've got hidden there, underneath."

Laughter slowly bubbled and built from deep within his chest, turning into raucousness. A few people turned their attention to his merriment, obviously curious of the joke he must be enjoying, but then all went about their evening.

"Oh, dearest Adeline," His shoulders were shaking, his laughter only just abating. "You are so…insightful." The word came out, almost like a growl from within his throat. He was smiling rather wickedly at her now. Even as a human, he could be rather scary.

"Yes…well. You asked." She finished off her whiskey.

He softly chuckled to himself.

"Listen." She set her glass down now. "I want to…"

She hesitated, not sure how to say it. He was sitting across from her, an arm resting across the table as he waited for her to continue. Not really thinking anything of it, she reached out and placed a hand on the sleeve of his suit jacket, touching his forearm.

"I want to…to thank you. This has been an…amazing evening. I don't know how I can express to you just how much it…means. To me." Her hand squeezing around his arm briefly, as she emphasized this.

There was a tiny moment when she had first reached out and touched him that something…changed, a sharp tension. It was so quick that she barely registered it. Of course, he didn't appreciate her physically touching him; but with all the dancing and whatnot she really hadn't considered it would be that much of an issue. He, himself, made a show of the small moments in which he had touched her. Really, it was very one-sided. She supposed that's just how he preferred it.

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear." He told her now, his other arm coming across the table to settle his hand on hers. He had softened, his eyes warm. In this small moment between them, he hadn't moved away from her touch in the slightest. When he lifted his hand from hers though, sliding himself from his seat at the stool, she really wasn't surprised when he politely excused himself for a moment – presumably, going to the men's room.

She sighed, wondering just how the rest of this evening would play out.

Entering the men's bathroom, Alastor made a disgusted sound, entering the small but pristine toilet room that was apart from the urinals. He closed the door behind him, then turning around and leaning with his forehead pressed against the cool wood, he let out a tense, hissing sigh.

"How…irritating." He mumbled.

He stood like that for a few moments, breathing deeply, waiting. Soon though, his irritation grew – much like the barely visible bulge that was making an appearance just at his crotch. He pressed his head harder into the smooth surface of the door, gritting his teeth in his annoyance.

It had been…awhile…since he had had an arousal catch him at a bad time. They were not a totally uncommon event for him. It was an unfortunate biological need his body demanded, even as a demon. Though…he was more apt to have an arousal when he was in his human form, it seemed. Sighing again, he tried shifting into his form as the radio demon; hoping to dissuade his body from continuing with this nonsense. He could handle the situation here and now - if it came to that - but the thought filled him with such true revulsion – having to do something so leud…here…tonight; he quickly dismissed it as solution to his problem.

The form change had helped though. He could feel himself calming down now.

Truly though, what bad timing. Adeline had merely touched him; hardly even. And, after they had been dancing together all evening…He had seen her reaching across the table to place her hand on his jacket and he knew what the gesture was. But, when he felt her; heat had shot through his body like an electrical shock; heat that had simmered the blood in his veins; sending it rushing to –. To think something so inconsequential would get a rise out of him was abhorrent.

Feeling better now, Alastor shifted back to human form. Taking careful precautions, he adjusted himself so that if he were to have any further issues, the result would be much less noticeable. He likely would have to deal with his situation at some point - later on - but right now, he was a gentleman. Leaving the toilet room, he went to one of the sinks. He washed his hands and then splashed cool water across his face before drying off. He fussed with his hair and his suit jacket for a moment, then left the men's room.

Returning to his seat across from Adeline, he reached back for his whiskey. He waited for her to comment on his absence; ready to disarm any question or statement she had for it but she said nothing.

She was watching the band play; her head resting in her hands as her delicate body leaned across the table; her legs were crossed, the sharp defining slit in her red dress justifiably emphasizing them; her long, brown hair cascading across her lean shoulders; her eyes softly reflecting lights from the club; her seven freckles painting a unique constellation across her beautiful…and smiling face.

A dull, throbbing heat flared in Alastor's groin, and he was grateful for the prudent adjustments he had made before leaving the restroom.

This was more than just an irritation to him now.

This was a problem.

[[Please STAY WITH ME here! There are REASONS!]]