"Here Comes The Bride." Echoed throughout the entire courthouse when the ceremony began. The song was played by a stereo, the hall was lined by plastic orchids, and the building was decorated in something that resembled a casino in Vegas. At the stand which was at the front of the hall, there stood the judge and Vox wearing a ridiculous plastic and leather suit with a cape, and right next to him was a crown on display.

But Princess Charlie did not hear the wedding march or the small oo's and awes that came from all who admired her beauty. Nor did she see the crowd of excited guests gathered for the wedding or the eager look on Vox's face.

She could only see the sun from the windows and she could only hear the intense beating of her anxious heart. When she moved her hand to steady the beating, she felt something on her chest. It was the necklace that Alastor had made for her. She was still wearing it.

"I should take this off." She thought. "I shouldn't be wearing a necklace given to me by another man, on my wedding day."

But she couldn't bring herself to do it. She didn't know why but, wearing it gave her just a small ray of hope that maybe, just maybe her crimson knight would come barging through those doors and declare that he had loved her all along.

"Stop being stupid Charlie." She thought again. "He doesn't love you, he never did. He's probably not even thinking about you anymore. Lord Vox is the one you belong with so stop hoping for something so foolish."

Yet she still did not remove her necklace.

Meanwhile, the imps were standing just outside the gates of the Fourth Kingdom, trying to figure out how exactly they would be able to get in and stall the wedding.

"I can't believe we're actually doing this." Blitzo said. "There must be countless guards, traps, and lasers inside those gates."

"You propose a good point Blitzo but you know as well as I do, that ruining this wedding is our only chance." Moxxie said. "We've got to go in there and put a stop to it. It's going to take courage, bravery, valiant-"

"Excuse me."

"Ahhh!"

At the sound of Captain Pentious's voice, Moxxie immediately screamed and jumped into Blitzo's arms in fear.

"I was going to ask you how you creatures wanted to be executed for trespassing." He said leaning close to Blitzo and Moxxie in a menacing manner. "But if you're only trying to sabotage Lord Vox's wedding day."

Pentious then typed a few numbers on a hand held device which disabled all the kingdom's security and defense systems.

"Count me in." He smiled.

Moxxie smiled in return and offered a hand in friendship which the captain shook.

"Welcome aboard."

Charlie had been wrong, Alastor had not been able to stop thinking about her. He tried just about everything to erase her from his thoughts. He cleaned, he read, he polished his hunting rifle, but it all proved futile. No matter what he did, he just couldn't get Charlie out of his head.

Then he heard a knock at the door.

"What now?" He thought agitated.

He put down his hunting rifle and opened the door. There stood Angel.

"What are you doing here?" He inquired.

"We need to talk." Angel said.

"There's nothing to talk about." Alastor replied. "I told you I never wanted to see or speak to you again. I want you out of my life."

"Too bad, because I'm not going anywhere until we talk."

"Oh is that what you think?"

Alastor was not amused.

"Angel I'm going to give you two choices. You can leave now with all eight of your legs or you can leave in an hour with just one of them."

"Yeah right." Angel said not buying his act.

"You think I'm jesting?"

"I think you're bluffing. If you had really wanted to hurt me, you would have done so from the moment we met. So don't even try to scare me off, I know you're not going to do anything to me. Now with that said and done, I have two choices for you."

"Excuse me?"

"You can either talk to me and we can actually make some progress. Or you can just not talk and I'll sit here and annoy you for the rest of your life."

"How about I take the third choice? You get lost!"

Alastor tried to go back inside but Angel held the door open.

"Back off!" Alastor warned.

"No you back off!"

They both went back and forth, pushing and pulling on the door.

"Leave me alone Angel!"

"Not until we talk!"

"Let go of the door!"

"No!"

"Dense arachnid!"

"Stubborn Stag!"

This went on until the screws in the door came loose and the door itself broke off.

"Good God, I hate you!" Alastor declared enraged.

He stormed off.

"Hey come back here!" Angel called after him. "I'm not through with you yet!"

"Well I'm through with you!"

Now Angel ran in front of Alastor, blocking his way.

"Uh-Uh! You are not just going to walk away and ignore me! Not this time!" He ranted. "I have something to say to you and for once you're going to shut up and pay attention!"

Alastor was almost impressed with Angel's new found assertiveness.

"You are mean to me! You insult me, you don't appreciate anything I do. You're always pushing me around or pushing me away! You don't do that to your friends!"

"Well if I treated you so bad, why did you come back?"

"Because that's what friends do!" Angel cried desperately. "They forgive each other!"

Alastor's face hardened and he gave Angel a bitter look.

"Forgive you?! You expect me to forgive you for stabbing me in back?!"

"What are you talking about?" Angel asked confused. "I've never backstabbed anyone in my life. Okay there was that one time I sold out Valentino for passing flour off as cocaine to his dealers, but he was a massive dick who had it coming. You're my friend, I would never betray you."

"Would you just stop with the whole friendship act already?! I know how you really feel about me! I know you never really saw me as a friend!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?! Are you really so screwed up, that you can't even fathom that someone might actually care about you?!"

"Just go away!"

"See?! There you are doing it again! Just like you did to Charlie! And all she did was like you! Maybe even love you!"

"Love me?! Love me?! Don't you dare put that idea in my head! She couldn't possibly love me! She said I was ugly! She called me a hideous freak of nature! I heard you three talking about it the other night!"

"That's what this is all about? Our conversation in the mill? Hey didn't your mother ever teach you not to eavesdrop?"

"Don't change the subject! I heard every word and I now know that neither one of you had a single shred of feeling for me!"

"Oh you great big idiot! You did not hear every word because if you did then you would know that she wasn't talking about you! She was talking about-" Suddenly he remembered his promise to Charlie. "Somebody else."

There was a lengthy silence as the weight of Angel's words hit Alastor. He had misheard? He was wrong? Charlie didn't say that he was ugly.

"She...She wasn't talking about me?" He asked, almost too scared to believe it. "Then who was she talking about?"

"Sorry but I've decided not to disclose that piece of information."

"Angel."

"No! You don't want to talk? Fine we won't talk."

"What do you want? An apology? Fine! I'm sorry!"

But Angel knew that Alastor didn't mean it. And until he did, not another word would leave Angel's mouth. For the first time ever, he stood firm and silent.

At first Alastor thought that Angel was just being dramatic and overly sensitive. But as he recalled the words he had said back at the mill, he quickly realized that Angel had every right to be angry with him and expect a genuine apology.

Alastor suddenly felt very ashamed and disgusted with himself. What he had done? He had cruelly and viciously hurt the only friend he had in the world, and without good reason no less. Alastor was no better than all who had judged and persecuted him. He had made a terrible mistake and the time had come for him to correct it.

He then swallowed his pride and spoke in a tone full of remorse.

"I'm sorry Angel. I really am. It's just that I've been rejected, bullied, persecuted, and judged for so long that I...I find it so hard to believe that anyone could sincerely like me."

"That's not your only problem." Angel said. "You've gotten into the habit of thinking that you're the only one who's ever been shit on by the world. But you're not. Countless people have been put through one hell of a wringer. I have, Vaggie has, Charlie has, everybody has been screwed by something or somebody, one way or another. So maybe you should just stop feeling sorry for yourself and think about what everyone else has had to suffer through."

"You're right." Alastor forced himself to admit. "You're right, all my life I've only thought about my pain and what I've had to deal with. I guess...I really am just a big, blood-thirsty, hideous wendigo."

Angel smiled upon seeing Alastor's sincerity.

"Can you forgive me?" He asked.

"What's to forgive? We're friends right?" Angel asked hopeful.

"Right." Alastor finally accepted with a smile.

Alastor held out his hand for Angel to shake, but the tsuchigumo just hugged him.

"Okay don't push it." Alastor warned. "One step at a time."

"Sorry." Angel said stepping back.

"So what did Charlie say about me?"

"What are you asking me for? Go ask her." Angel suggested.

A new, determined thought crossed Alastor's mind. He would ask her. He'd go to her himself, he'd apologize and beg her forgiveness, then he'd tell her that he loved her.

One problem though.

"The wedding!" He gasped. "We'll never make it in time."

"Never fear." Angel laughed. "For where there's a will, there's a way. And I have a way."

He then ushered Alastor to follow him to their means of transportation.