Alastor stood on his balcony peering out at the expansive city before him, smoke curling up from the Lucky Strike cigarette loosely hanging from his lips; they were always her favorite although Alastor often wished that she would quit that particular habit. His black robe flapped around his legs from the gentle breeze; a frown etched onto his face and no sound emanated from him nor his room other than the faint sighs he let out periodically as he delved further into his thoughts. Slowly his eyes roamed across the horizon and up to the crimson sky, tears pricking his eyes as another year rolled by and he had finally hit 90 years in Hell. "All these years my Darling and we have yet to find one another; did you live a long and full life as I had always prayed? Did you remarry and start a family as we had always dreamed of before I was taken from you? Antonia; Mon Ange, please tell me you made it to heaven and that you managed to repent for your sins, after so long apart you would have passed on by now. Darling if you can hear my prayer please know that I miss you terribly and I still love you."
Snuffing out the last few embers burning on his cigarette he turned back inside and pulled out a picture from his living days, the one reminder that he kept from the man he used to be. His beautiful Antonia standing dutifully behind him one hand posed on his shoulder while the other had been brought up to his lips in a gentle kiss. Her face glowing with happiness and pride she was in full view of the camera her hair and skin so much lighter than his own after all he was mixed, although she looked directly into the camera his face was turned away. He still remembered that day well, they were celebrating with his brother Guillaume and their mother Celeste as Alastor had just been promoted. Guillaume took the photo catching a rare moment of tenderness between the newlyweds who tended to keep that sort of thing private. Finally, Alastor let a few tears fall as he gently stroked the glass over the memento, a whole lifetime had passed since that morning when he kissed his wife goodbye before heading out to go hunting, she was still asleep when he had met his end.
"Cher I wish you and I could have had a proper goodbye before I left for that god-forsaken hunting trip, if I would have known that I was going to die that morning I would have stayed home with you. Was it you who found me or did I simply just disappear never to return?" He asked knowing there would be no answer. Snapping his fingers he changed and got himself ready for the day, despite the melancholy atmosphere of the day he still had to keep up appearances. He quickly said a prayer that Angel would leave him alone today, he could handle the constant flirting any other day of the year but today was different. Making his way to the lobby he was surprised to see that Angel looked just as rough as he had before coming down. He was seated at the bar wearing an oversized sweater and pajama bottoms; his makeup staining the fur on his cheeks a dark black as he polished off what looked to be his third cocktail that morning. Curiosity killed the cat as the old saying goes and Alastor had always been naturally inquisitive (although most people would call him nosey) so he approached the distressed arachnid.
"Why hello, my dear your positively naked sitting here without your smile, what's got you so underdressed for the day my effeminate fellow?" Alastor inquired. "Piss off Red I'm not in the mood today." Angel snarled glaring up at the man challenging him to continue with his interrogation, Husk was standing behind the bar cleaning the empty glasses and snorted. "The kid has been down here crying about some guy he knew in his topside days, can hardly understand him through all the blubbering." Alastor raised an eyebrow at the peculiar coincidence that they would both be grieving their long-lost lovers. "Ya don't get it, Husk he wasn't just some John, he was my everythin'. After he was taken from me shit went ta hell for the next fourteen years of my life. None of you do" Angel sniffed and brushed past the deer demon to head up to his room, for a brief moment Alastor felt his heart hurt for the spider despite what Angel may have believed he understood perfectly.
Hmm perhaps there was more to this spider than what Alastor had initially thought, much like himself Angel was a rather private person and hardly spoke of his personal life both topside and down here. In a lot of ways he almost seemed lonely, sometimes late at night Alastor recalled watching Angel staring out a window deep in his thought eyes almost searching lazily before shaking himself from his train of thought and disappearing to his room. Was he thinking of this mystery man? Was there a possibility that he was down here in hell or could it also be a possibility that he was either killed during the yearly extermination or maybe even more tragically he was in heaven and that's why he held on to the fragile belief that he may be redeemed? The curiosity and questions festered under his skin creating an itch that wouldn't be scratched without answers, making up his mind he turned around and decided to make his way down to the music room. It was in the same hall as Angels' room and Alastor knew that the spider was an avid music lover often coming in to listen to Alastor when he played either the violin or his sax.
He played song after song getting lost in the melody he failed to hear the door open as Angel stepped inside listening to him play. As he played he thought back to his days with his wife back in New Orleans and how much he had missed her his tune soon changed to a slightly more hopeful yet somber song. "No fricken' way," Angel whispered under his breath as the first few notes registered it was Vera Lynns We'll Meet Again he had often sung this during the late nights in New York after his husband died longing to see him again. "Ah I didn't see you there, don't be shy make yourself comfortable. Surprised? I've been known to tickle the ivories from time to time." Angel just stared as the notes washed over him as Alastor continued to play. "Ah, there's few things more entertaining than a good song don't you think? I'm rather fond of this one, it's a little bit after my time but it is such a... thoughtful melody." Alastor cleared his throat and began to sing, Angel humming along as Alastor continued to play. "Until we meet again, my friend." Alastor quietly spoke before facing Angel fully who by this time was starting to tear up.
"My dear, do you care to tell me more about this mystery man who has you so upset?" He inquired hoping that his brief moment of vulnerability would be enough to allow Angel to speak freely. "Heh sure thing Smiles, I was just thinkin' of my husband. He died not long after we got hitched, today is the anniversary of his death and it is just hitting harder this year than it usually does. I think it's because you remind me of him in a lot o ways, you even have the same first name." Angel laughed at this while Alastor was confused Angel was a man and if he wasn't mistaken they were from around the same time, homosexuality was a major taboo as well as in many states you could be arrested for it. " I see my dear and this husband of yours was it a legal union? You are a man after all." Alastor questioned. "Oh yeah it was legal one hundred percent, have ya ever heard of transgender Al, because that's what I am. I was born a woman originally but later in life, I changed ta a man. Pops wasn't too happy with me but oh well what can ya do? Anyway, when I was nineteen I ran away from home and moved as far away as I could get at the time and landed myself in New Orleans of all places! That's where I met my husband, he was tall, suave, and a total southern gentleman. It was love, at first sight, and we got married a year later. He was killed during a hunting trip when I found him later that day he was torn to shreds, I was never sure if it was an accident or if he was killed for being found out as a serial killer."
Alastor couldn't believe what he was hearing, there were too many coincidences now to be ignored he took a step closer to Angel and uttered one word that he never thought he would be able to say to another soul again "Antonia?"