Angel stood back and watched as the chaos unfolded. It seemed everyone had their own thoughts to add to the situation. People were screaming over each other. Mostly Vaggie and Charlie. The only other person silently observing was the King of Hell himself.

He looked uneasy watching the argument unfolding in the lobby. Unsure if he should interfere or not. Angel did notice that Lucifer had knocked Alastor's hand from Ellen as she was pushed past him. Clearly he must have agreed somewhat with Vaggie. He crossed his arms and leaned against the wall behind him as the two women continued screaming back and forth.

"She doesn't belong here Charlie! She isn't a stray puppy without a home. She has a family, she has life. This isn't it!

"We're her family here. And what about Alastor?! She is married to him now."

"Only because she had no choice."

Lucifer raised a finger to interject but changed his mind, remaining quiet.

Charlie shook her head. "You didn't see the two of them together Vaggie. He really does care for her."

"I'm sure the act is convincing, but come on guys really?" Her gaze moved around the room looking for someone to side with her. It finally rested on Husker, who only shook his head.

"He already has her soul, there's no need in keeping up the act." He shrugged. "Even today, this party thing, not Alastor's style and Alastor doesn't do things he doesn't want to do."

Vaggie groaned in frustration, her hand rubbing her temples. "The point is, none of that matters. We're in Hell. It's like getting married in Vegas, it doesn't mean anything. Even heaven doesn't do marriages. Why? Cause you can't spend eternity with one person. You'll grow sick of each other eventually."

Her eye widened realizing what she just said. She quickly turned to Charlie who now had tears welling up in her eyes. "No Charlie, that's not what - I didn't mean it like that." She hung her head in defeat. Rosie walked over, putting an arm on both of the women's shoulders.

"I think this is a discussion best to have behind closed doors." Her gaze sweeping the audience.

"Right." Vaggie sighed. "Thanks Rosie."

Rosie turned away, moving toward the stairs to the rooms. If he had to guess Angel was pretty sure she was going to check on the Radio Demon. Poor guy.

He watched Vaggie and Charlie slowly make their way up, following Rosie. Vaggie reached out to try to and comfort her girlfriend but Charlie turned to avoid her touch.

That was going to be a rough discussion and he was glad he didn't have to be a part of it.

Husker moved to stand beside him also watching the three women. "Well everything's gone to shit hasn't it?"

Angel let out a small amused huff. That was putting it lightly. Everything seemed to have been flipped in the matter of a few minutes. He wasn't particularly happy with Vaggie either, but he couldn't imagine how angry Alastor must be. That was a dick move, even for Hell's standards.

"Yeah and that doesn't even account for the fact that shits still happenin' out there." His eyes pointed to the front doors.

"You want a drink?"

"Yeah. A strong one." The two moved across the lobby towards the bar. He took a seat on one of the stools letting out a defeated sigh. Things were surely going to be a lot more quiet without Ellen here, not to mention he didn't think there was a way to get her back. If Alastor was that upset, then clearly even he didn't have a plan.

Nifty pulled herself up onto one of the other stools looking a little distraught.

"Is miss Ellen gone forever?"

Angel felt his heart ache. He turned to Husker unsure of how he wanted to break the truth. Husker didn't seem to have an answer either, simply shaking his head with a shrug. How was he going to break this lightly?

"Uhh."

Husker slid him his drink and he took a long sip trying to find something to say. He almost finished his glass before he responded, still not too confident in his words.

"Look Nif, we don't know for sure, but it's probably going to be a long time before we see her again."

Her lip wobbled a bit but she nodded. Husker handed her a mocktail.

The three sat in silence for a while. Eyes everywhere but at each other. No one wanted to talk about what had just gone down. Rosie made her way back down after a bit, wishing them a farewell before leaving.

Today was supposed to be a joyous occasion, but it ended in a dumpster fire. No one was happy now. He let out a sad sigh. He remembered telling Ellen that Vaggie had to get through everyone to throw her out, yet when that really happened, no one moved, everyone was too shocked. Alastor was the only one not frozen. No surprise, the guy usually had a level head. Not to mention he was fighting to get his girl back. Not something he thought he would ever see.

All three of them jumped when all of the radios in the lobby cut from whatever they were playing, to screeching static loudly before all suddenly falling silent. They all exchanged confused looks. That had never happened before. Husker turned behind him to fiddle with the radio behind the bar to find it remained silent, almost like it had been muted.

"That's not good." He muttered under his breath before turning to Angel, who was gradually getting more concerned.

"It ain't workin?" Angel was already standing working his way to a different radio to try. Same result. Deafening silence. The two men shared a concerned look before uttering the same name in unison. "Alastor."

"Has this ever happened bef-"

"No."

Angel turned to look towards the stairs. It would have been easy to just send Ellen to go and check on him, but to have him or Husker go check on him? He didn't think Alastor would even let them into his room let alone tell them what happened. Would he talk to Charlie? Did they try to flag down Rosie?

He looked to Husker to see what his reaction was. Of everyone in the hotel, he was the one that now knew Alastor the best. If anyone would know how to react it would be him.

"Should we be worried?"

Husker said nothing, but the blank look on his face was more than enough of an answer. It was a look Angel had never seen on the cat's face. This was definitely something to be concerned about. He didn't think he would get any answers but he was going to try anyway. If not because he was curious than because he was going to keep an eye on him for Ellen.

"Come on Nif, I think we should go visit Al."

No matter how much Alastor paced, he couldn't find a way to fix this. He couldn't get to heaven. No, that was out of the question. Hell would forever be a place of sin, there was nothing he could do to make it 'safer' either. There had to be SOMETHING he could do.

He took his jacket off, tossing it onto the foot of his bed as he passed it.

She would be safe, that went without saying. He had been stuck there for seven years, he knew how boring and mundane it was. He very well could lose her there, while it was not his ideal place of residence, he was certain it would be hers. Even if he could get her back, would she want to? And if they indeed were able to get her back to her mortal life, he was certain he would never see her again. She was too sweet a little thing to end up in Hell. It had always been a possibility, though it never seemed so real until now.

Could heaven break their contract? He never thought about it before. It never needed to be thought about, it wasn't something that was possible. But like everything that involved Ellen, no one knew. It was all uncharted territory. His stomach twisted at the thought of losing even more of her. He could still feel her presence, the chains that bound him to her, her emotions, but if the contract was nulled it would all go away.

He took a seat at the foot of his bed. The small vial of Ellen's blood slipped from the pocket of his coat onto the floor, making a small noise as it hit the floor and rolled a few feet away. He watched it go. A small wave of his hand had a tendril bring the vial to him.

He sat and stared at it for a while unsure of what to do. It seemed foolish such a small thing now held a large amount of importance. It's all he had left of her now. That and the silly little music thing he didn't have the chance to give her.

He pulled his shirt up, taking a look at the small gash left by his hip. It seemed negligible, not something he really cared about now that it was no longer causing him problems. Yet Ellen seemed adamant that it needed to be closed. He would have done it eventually; he just had other more important things to do.

He had spent many nights reading what he could on Angelic weapons and injuries to try and find out why she was able to close the wound but he found nothing. He eventually gave up, assuming it had something to do with the fact she was still mortal. His research had stopped there seeing as there was nothing on mortals in Hell. Something that had never occurred before.

He pulled the lid off the top of the vial, leaning back he poured a few drops into his wound. It burned the second it touched. He watched with intrigue as he saw the flesh meld together where he had poured her blood. He repeated his actions and stared with wide eyes as the result was the same. He didn't think this would work.

He knew Ellen couldn't have lied when he had asked her about the night of the open house, but the idea seemed foolish. She couldn't regenerate like sinners could, yet the one wound sinners couldn't heal from she could heal. If he had more of her blood he would consider trying it on other wounds, perhaps on other sinners to see the extent of its healing properties.

He finished closing his wound. He didn't know how she knew, but she gave him the perfect amount.

He needed a distraction. Recently that was her, now he had to find something else. He could focus on his broadcasts. Maybe try to regain his power. The thought made him sit up a bit straighter. If he accrued more power, he could better protect Ellen. Ensure no one would even think to mess with her.

He clutched the empty vail in his hand. That was something he could turn his focus to. He may not be able to eliminate all of Hell's issues, but he could take out all of those that posed a large threat. If he planned it out well he was sure he could take out the Vs, maybe get Lilith to move on. Yes. That would make Hell a safer place for the mortal soul he had found himself bound to.

A knock on the door pulled him from his thoughts.

"Alastor, I know you're brooding in there. You better let me in, I ain't going to yell through the door."

He snapped himself into his usual attire before opening the door to let Rosie in.

She stood there staring at him for a few seconds, trying to gauge his mood.

"Well?"

He waved her pass knowing she was waiting to be invited in. She made her way over to the fireplace taking a seat. He followed, taking the seat next to her.

"How are you feeli-"

"-No." He cut her off. He didn't want to talk about how he was feeling. He was having a hard enough time keeping the anger at bay, he wasn't going to get riled up again trying to explain himself to Rosie. "If you are here to ensure I'm not plotting Vaggies death, you can leave."

She turned to face him, a little shocked. "Alastor, I'm here to make sure my friend is okay. He just had his wife taken from him and he can't do anything to get her back."

He glanced away. She didn't think he could get her back either. A small part of him had hoped that she may have come up with a plan. His jaw clenched. He didn't like the idea of waiting for this to solve itself. He also didn't like that whatever the outcome was, he had no way of controlling it.

"I'm fine."

She gave him a knowing look. "I wouldn't be. That's a lot to take in." Her face softened. "She'll be safe up there, for now take some time to rest. The sting ain't going to go away overnight." She offered a small smile. "Love hurts sometimes, but it also prevails through the toughest parts of our lives."

"I've suffered through worse things, my dear. I'm certain I'll manage this too." He wanted to believe he was speaking the truth, but he had no way of knowing. He had been absolutely miserable when Ellen was bedridden for weeks because of him, but he could at least still see her. Hold her hand and make sure he was there for her and her every need. He couldn't do that now. Not with her in heaven. She was on her own and he hated the thought.

Rosie let out a small sigh before turning her gaze to the fire, the light flickering in her hollow eyes. He knew she was trying to find something else to say, but she was at loss for words. Not common for her. After a long silence she finally spoke, the words whispered like she was unsure of her question.

"What are you going to do?"

He normally had things planned out, but right now he was at a loss. He wasn't going to give up trying to find a way to get her back. He closed his eyes, jaw clenched again holding in his anger. He was going to get back what was rightfully his.

"I will start by regaining my strength and power. I won't stop trying to find a way to get her back, but while that is happening I won't sit idly by doing nothing."

He sighed, rubbing his temples. It had been a long time since he had gone out to find victims for his broadcast. It was probably a good place to start. Taking out some overlords would undoubtedly rekindle the fear and terror he held all those years ago. His staff also still needed fixing, but he couldn't do it on his own. He would need someone's help, and that was a favour he didn't want to owe anyone but if it helped him get Ellen back…

"What's the first step?" Rosie was sitting up looking at him encouragingly. Her smile was warm. She was trying to help him get a plan going, being a distraction. He was grateful for that.

"I will need to fix my staff."

"You haven't-" She cut herself off already knowing the answer. She paused for a moment in thought before her smile grew. "When you try, what do you think of? Why do you try?"

He looked at her confused. What an odd question. "I need it fixed, Rosie. It's a simple thing."

"Yes but why?"

He scoffed. What was she trying to get at? It wasn't a complicated concept. "It's to help channel my energy and power Rosie, you know this."

"I think you got it all wrong, Alastor. You'll fix it this time. You got more power up your sleeve than you think, my friend."

"I've tried Rosie. More times than I care to admit," he mumbled, annoyed. "It simply can not be done alone. I'll have to -"

"-You've been trying to fix it for the wrong reasons."

He looked at her stunned for a moment. What in the nine circles was she getting at?

"Why would it matter the reason? I need it fixed. Simple."

"Do I really need to spell it out for you?"

Her smile had lit up her whole face, much to his annoyance. He had already tried everything, there was no new insight Rosie could add that he hadn't already tried. He gave her a look.

"Do it for her. Love is a powerful thing, Alastor. You'll find you have more strength there than anywhere else."

"Ha! That's nonsense! I am either strong enough to do it or not, clearly I am not."

"Humph." She pushed to her feet, making her way out. He stood and followed, shifting quickly to open the door for her before she got to it first. She turned and gave him a smug look as she passed.

"You are the only one to disobey a direct order from Lilith. That took great strength Alastor, strength you had all along. You just needed the right push." And with that she made her way down the hall, leaving him to stew on her words.

How did she…? He shook the thought, Ellen must have chatted with Rosie at some point. Though he couldn't seem to piece together when she could have done so. He went back to her parting words.

He had never thought about that. He didn't kill Ellen. He was almost certain he would. Ellen had made mention that she never resisted while he slowly sank his claws into her chest. He didn't do it because he couldn't, he never would have forgiven himself if he had. Heck he still wasn't sure he felt guilt free about it. Did love do that?

He shook his head, closing the door and headed back to the chair he had just vacated. A simple emotion was not something that could change one's ability to accomplish something. The thought was laughable. So why didn't he kill Ellen?

He slowed to a stop before reaching his destination. His eyes darted to the stairs to his radio tower. Surely trying once more on his own wouldn't hurt.

He slowly made his way up the staircase to his radio tower, each step building apprehension. He needed this to work. It was ridiculous to think it would, but he had to try. He hesitantly grabbed the two pieces of his radio staff holding the cracked shaft together. He took a steading breath and closed his eyes to focus his mind. He needed to fix his staff. Not just for him, but to ensure he had the strength to prevent anything from taking Ellen from him. The thought seemed silly, almost sappy, something he was definitely not. He took another breath to refocus.

Every time he tried to repair it before it left him breathless and weakened. It drew a lot of his power and that meant he had one real good shot at this. Otherwise he would have to wait a few days to try again. He filled his thoughts with Ellen. Her smile, her laugh, her face. Slowly he could see her dancing across his eyelids. He had caught her on the roof a few times. Wild and free, where she felt she could be her unapologetic self.

He slowly pushed his power into the staff willing it to repair itself. After a few minutes he was sweating, concentrating on his task. His power slipping, slowly leaving him, but he kept pushing it, he could push more. He was going to go until he couldn't. His teeth clenched and he was now pushing past pain. It felt as though he was slowly breaking every bone in his body, pushing everything he had into his task. He kept his eyes squeezed shut thinking about Ellen being back at his side.

His knees gave out, but he didn't stop. He continued pushing through, the pain becoming unbearable. The Angelic wound had never hurt this much, but he pushed through. A few moments of agony would be well worth it if he was successful. He had suffered many injuries while in Hell, but this put them all to shame. He didn't know what he could compare it to. He could feel more power leaving him, almost like a string pulling harshly from his feet up, the pain following it up. At this point he could taste blood, he had been clenching so hard against the fatigue, the desire to quit.

The string pulled past his chest and up his neck. His whole body felt exhausted, but he still refused to give up. He was feeling lightheaded and the pain couldn't be contained anymore, his scream of anguish filling the room.

Then there was nothing. It was almost like the world itself had shifted in a way. The pain was gone and the room became eerily silent. The silence stretched on for a few minutes before he opened his eyes, the room was blurry, his eyes needing time to adjust from being squeezed shut so tightly. In his hands laid across his lap was his staff, back in one piece. He had repaired it.

He let out a small laugh of disbelief. While he wasn't going to believe love had fixed it, he was glad he had tried once more. Though it would take a day or so to recover from all the energy he had just exerted.

"It worked." His grin faulted for a second. He was sure he opened his mouth to speak yet no sound could be heard. Had he only thought he had spoken aloud? He must have used more energy than he thought.

Something warm and wet trickled down his face. Probably sweat. He had never exerted himself this much. After reaching up, his fingers revealed it was blood. In a second he was filled with panic. That wasn't good.

As he looked around the room he realized there was no sound. The normal buzzing of electricity, the screams and gunfire of the streets below no longer present. Deaf. He couldn't be deaf. Could he? He couldn't hear anything. Had he burst his own eardrums? He didn't even know he could do that. With a shaky hand he reached up to touch his ear, he winced, pain radiating through it.

He took a steading breath reminding himself it would heal. Everything healed with time. For now he just had to make do.

With the help of his newly repaired staff he managed to pull himself to his feet, leaning heavily on it for support. He couldn't shake the discomfort twisting in his gut. He was breathing hard, or at least it felt like he was. He managed to hobble over to his chair, falling into it harshly. Silence.

The world looked different in its silence. He had never thought about what the world would be like without sound. Not even his own breathing could be heard. It was unsettling. He let the staff rest against the control table. He was too exhausted to do much of anything else. For now he would rest in hopes this would fix itself sooner than later. He was probably going to need more than a day or so to recover, but if he was absent for too long people would come looking for him. He didn't want that. It would have been easier to deal with if he had Ellen here. He sighed. He was missing her already.