A/N: You didn't think I forgot about you guys, did you? ;) I took a much needed break to focus on myself and now I'm ready to give you more of this story! Enjoy and thank you all again for the ongoing support! xx

It probably wasn't a good idea to just randomly walk around while your mind's racing because when Charlie finally let her thoughts scatter, she looked around and saw that she had somehow traveled all the way into the city. Tall buildings surrounded her making her feel incredibly small. She held her arms close to her, feeling uncomfortable for the first time in her own home. She reminded herself of Alastor's harsh words toward her, cutting her deeper than any angelic weapon ever could. She also twinged when she remembered her own words that she hurled recklessly at him.

Sure he was the Radio Demon but he was more than that now and she couldn't stand the idea that she possibly hurt him.

She weighed in her head about who should apologize. Rather, who should apologize first. Everything in her body was screaming at her to turn around and head back to the hotel and search for Alastor, but her legs still carried her further into the part of the city that had the highest crime rate. She turned a corner and felt someone collide with her abruptly. She had to brace herself to make sure she didn't topple over, her hand gripping a rough brick wall.

"Hey watch- Princess Morningstar!"

Charlie shook her head and let her eyes connect with the person who ran into her. She was stunned to see that it was Alon, his wide eyes filled with fear.

"Alon! H-How're you doing?" Charlie never actually interacted with a former hotel member before so she felt kind of awkward. Should she try to recruit him again? From the look of him, he didn't seem real comfortable being in her presence to begin with. He was ringing his webbed hands nervously while his eyes bounced around everywhere like ping pong balls. Looking in all directions other than hers.

"I'm uh, I'm ok. I guess." Alon was fidgeting to the point that Charlie felt the ridiculous urge to question him.

"Is everything ok, Alon? You seem kind of...squirmy." Alon's eyes went wide and let a smile paint on his face. Even Charlie could see that it was fake and filled with anxiety. It stretched across his face disturbingly, almost as if an invisible force was stretching the corners of his mouth against his will. It made her stomach to a nervous flip.

"What me? Pft yeah! I'm uh I'm actually glad I ran into you! I needed to talk to you about...the hotel!" Alon kept looking around the street and behind Charlie which made her a little uneasy. She had to assume that he was concerned with someone like her father coming out and destroying him for leaving the hotel in the first place. He was always a timid guy but now he was a bag of shaking bones and all Charlie wanted to do was give him a hug.

"O-ok. What about the hotel?" Charlie said, stretching the O out, suspicion in her tone. She crossed her arms, waiting on the question that has obviously gotten Alon so rattled. Alon again was looking over her shoulder, then toward the concrete below them, then finally returning to her eyes.

"Um. Uh..." Charlie felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand straight on end. Warning bells were going off in her head, telling her to get out of this situation. She couldn't understand why though, it was just her and Alon out in the street. She tilted her head to look over her shoulder-

"How do I reapply for the hotel?" Alon rushed out quickly, grabbing Charlie's attention yet again. Her forehead wrinkled in confusion. He really didn't seem like he actually wanted to go back to the Hazbin Hotel so she couldn't understand why he was questioning how to put in another application.

"Alon something is obviously wrong with you. Tell me." Charlie knelt down a bit so she could meet him face to face. His pupils quivered, almost like he was in his own internal Hellquake. His false smile fell like his face muscles gave out and he let out a breath that was hiding in his lungs.

"Did I say something?" Charlie placed a hand on her chest. Alon shook his head and took a step back.

"I'm so sorry. It's nothing personal. Please forgive me." Alon pleaded. As Charlie opened her mouth to question him further, she felt a powerful blow to the back of her head. She collapsed to the ground like a sack of potatoes. She heard ringing in her ears as her vision began to double then triple. She instinctively tried to reach for her phone in her pocket, but she felt an aggressive hand beat her to it. The slender hand pulled out her cell, threw it to the ground before her eyes and crushed it under their heel. Cracked metal was far too loud and it made her eyes well with tears.

The foot that crushed her life line wasn't Alon's.

"Alastor..." That was the last thing she mumbled before she blacked out.

Alastor began going to all of the places he thought Charlie might be. Her favorite pastry shop in town, the park where she enjoyed people watching and even the local dog park where she would talk about all of the dogs she would own one day and what she would name them.

Alastor was partial to the name Butterscotch but she would never know that.

When he still couldn't locate her, the only idea he had left was Cannibal Town. Once he crossed the town's threshold, he could already feel in his bones that she wasn't here. He sighed as he looked over at the table they both sat at only hours ago. It was still empty so he decided to take his spot once again. Where could she have went? Alastor ran through his mental list, running through all possibilities in his head.

Someone took her. You know this.

Alastor growled under his breath at the intruding thought. Maybe her phone died? She was pretty upset with him, maybe she didn't want anyone to bother her. Then Husk's words rang through his head once more. She asked him to call her if Alastor came back to the hotel. She would've answered his phonecall, if anyone's.

If anything happened to her because she was out looking for him, he would slice his own throat.

He let his face fall in his hands, public image be damned. Charlie could be anywhere and he was just sitting here sulking.

"Have you been here this entire time? Where's Charlie?"

Alastor perked up and saw Rosie approach him as she looked around for the princess. He felt his heart plummet to his feet, knowing that he had to explain everything to Rosie.

"Take a seat and I can explain."

Rosie sat across from him as he proceeded to explain everything. He watched her facial expressions change depending on what he was saying. He even told her about him and Charlie's intimate moment together and Rosie's face lit up like fireworks.

"Oh my stars! Alastor that is such good news!" She clapped her hands together giddily. She noticed Alastor's tired eyes didn't reflect her glee, making her hands pause. "Isn't it good news?"

"Under normal circumstances, it would be fantastic news. Unfortunately, me and Charlie had a bit of a spat here after you left us. We returned back to the hotel and now she's out and about somewhere whilst I'm trying to locate her. Also..." Alastor paused, bracing himself for saying what he fears out loud. "I think someone's taken her."

Rosie's onyx eyes went wide with shock. "Someone took Charlie? Well surely she can take care of herself, she's a little spit fire!"

"I have no doubt of that, but she does. That is actually what our spat was about. I basically told her that the way she sees the good in everyone makes her weaker than she should be. She...did not take kindly to that."

"Wow Alastor, you sure have a way with women." Rosie said flatly. Alastor felt a growl crawl up his throat, but pushed it back down into his chest.

"Yes yes I'm an idiot but now I can't find her and if someone's taken her, I fear that she's in actual danger." Alastor felt his wound pulse underneath his jacket, making his hand fly to it and placing some pressure. It ached greatly, making his eye twitch trying to keep his composure. Rosie could see though that he was in pain.

"She hasn't been able to heal you completely has she?" Alastor shook his head curtly. "You need to let her heal you, Alastor! Your pride be damned!"

"It's not my pride that's in the way. It's something far more complicated I'm afraid."

"Like?" Alastor let his hand drop back to the table top as the pain subsides. He left out another piece of information while divulging to his oldest friend. Mostly because she was not going to be happy with it.

"Rosie I need to make something perfectly clear. I don't plan on living long enough for Charlie to heal me. I fear that she would never be capable so after I find her and make sure she's not in harms way, I will be taking my leave." He watched as she covered her face in shock, her stomach falling to the floor below. He loathed giving her such upsetting news, but she needed to know.

Rosie couldn't let her brain wrap around this information. Alastor was actually giving up? That was so out of character for him, it felt like sparks were firing off in her head. If he was anything, he was a survivor. Always making it out of the craziest situations no matter what. He was really going to lay down and accept his fate over a holy scratch?

"Alastor we can find another way, no need to be rash. I know people-"

"People who don't have enough magic power to do what needs to be done. Rosie, I've accepted my fate, please respect my choice."

Alastor added 'Rosie back handing him' on his list of wild things to happen today.

He placed a hand gently on his cheek that now stung like he stuck his face in a beehive. The force made his chair scoot to the left a bit as he now stared at the coffee shop building. He slowly turned his face toward Rosie again and he would bet all of his power that he saw steam coming out of the top of her head.

"Don't you fucking dare, Alastor. You cannot ask me to respect such a stupid choice as this. You're only giving up because you believe that Charlie would be better off without you and you're too cowardly to face her yourself." Alastor's face blanched from the direct approach Rosie was showing. A small part of him felt rage bubble in his stomach at such an insult, but he let it die in his gut. Rosie had every right to be upset. He didn't dare say a word, letting her continue.

"If you plan on giving up, fine. But do not ask me to be ok with it because I never will be. And neither will Charlie. It'll destroy that poor girl. You will destroy her. Do you want that?"

"Of course not!" Alastor stood up, palms on the table, antlers growing slightly bigger. "But I haven't a choice, Rosie. Charlie will never love me in the way that she needs for her magic to heal me completely. I refuse to have her watch me grow more sick and eventually die, ultimately blaming herself for my undoing. I refuse. She doesn't deserve that."

"What she doesn't deserve is for her to lose you without her having a say."

"She said plenty earlier, trust me. I believe she will be ok."

"Oh? Then how about you go ahead and leave then. Right now." Rosie stood up as well, her blood feeling like ants were swimming in her veins. "If she's in trouble she doesn't need you to rescue her. Her father is Lucifer fucking Morningstar. He'll rescue her just fine. So why put yourself through, what I'm sure will be, pain and torture just to save her?"

Alastor opened his mouth to reply but then stopped. His antlers shrinking back down to normal size as his thoughts collected. Why was he searching for her? He could swallow his pride enough to admit that she was absolutely more powerful than him, even if she has self confidence issues. He thought back to how they'd grown so close in the last month. How she's looked at him with no judgment or fear, but rather acceptance and comfort. How she's taken care of him, even though he has done deplorable things that would make Dahmer himself cringe. The way she listened to him talk about his past and stayed to support him no matter how dark the memories. Charlie had always been there for him and he didn't deserve a bit of it.

Love potion be damned, he loved her. His heart didn't beat for her, it ached for her. He could scrub his skin all day long but she would forever be etched into him like stone. She would forever live in his mind, his veins, his mere existence. He didn't care that a potion caused this. It was the most real thing he has ever felt and he wasn't going to lose that so easily.

"What would I do without you Rosie." Alastor said quietly, his inner demons calming down from a roar to a purr. She gave him her classic smirk as she crossed her arms.

"Apparently lose your life and your love. Don't worry, I'll cash in my favor at some point."

"I'll wait on it." Alastor chuckled. "I can't believe that such a pain in my ass is such an Achilles heal for me."

"In all fairness, her being your weakness isn't all bad."

Alastor's knees nearly buckled when realization hit him like a freight train.

Weakness.

"I know who has her." Alastor whispered more to himself than Rosie. None the less, she still heard.

"You do? Who?"

Alastor felt his nails bite into his palms as he bunched them up. He couldn't believe he didn't realize it sooner. He was so focused on his anger toward Charlie and the panic of her possibly being in danger that it clouded his ability to analyze the situation from a different angle.

"Vox."

A/N: A longer chapter because you all deserve it! Things are starting to build and I can't wait to reveal this next battle ;) Until next time! xx