He sat by his fireplace mind lost in thought. She hadn't openly said that she loved him, but it seemed implied. 'It's what you do for people you love.' It seemed he couldn't hide from that reality now. He had known for a while that she liked him, perhaps even loved him, but a part of him hoped he was wrong. Hoped that Rosie was wrong, though she rarely was with these sorts of things.

He understood love to an extent. He had loved his mother all those years ago, but that was not the same. This. This was different, this was something no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't fathom. What does one do when they discover someone loves them? Was it to be expected since they had wed?

She mentioned protecting him, regardless of the contract, he knew she meant it. She had indeed already proven that before the contract was even made. Did he feel the same? Would he protect her even if he wasn't contracted to? Of course he would. Did that mean he loved her? Surely not. He would do the same for Rosie and Charlie. They needn't ask, nor be expected to return the favour. Perhaps that was the same love he shared with his mother. A fond adoration of them that he wanted to keep protected. But Ellen was different.

He sighed, running a hand through his hair. He ignored the silent want that suggested he call her to him to massage his ears. Hold his hand, help him clear his head. What about her drew him in so harshly? Why did he long for her company when she was away? He couldn't find answers to these questions. Or maybe he didn't want to think about the possible answers those thoughts could stir up. He was glad that his thoughts were no longer carnal, like during his rut. Though every once in a while he would be surprised by the want or desire to hold her close to him, to press his lips to hers. She made it easy to open up, almost too easy. Much like with Rosie he would find his lips loose in her presence. Maybe that was why he was so fond of her.

She was hardly a threat to him, the thought was even laughable. Yet she was a force to be reckoned with. She could very easily ruin him if she so wished, a thought he wasn't comfortable lingering on for very long, even though he knew she never would. She was an easy soul to manipulate now, yet the thought of doing such a thing to her felt wrong. Odd. In all his years in Hell he never once hesitated in manipulating whoever he needed to, to accomplish his goals. He still didn't see how this could be a strength. And was it really worth all of the trouble and headache she had caused him? Perhaps. Perhaps not. Who's to say?

He sighed, standing, finally caving to his desires. He was done being stuck in his mind, all the thinking hadn't really answered anything. He wanted to clear his mind and lately that was done by being in her presence. He sent his shadow out. It was late in the evening and he wasn't sure if she had retired for the night already. He silently hoped she hadn't.

It promptly returned with a simple nod. He slipped into her room.

"I was starting to wonder if you were going to stop by this evening." She didn't even look up from whatever she was writing at her desk. She was getting very good at detecting his presence.

He remained silent for a bit, watching her write, she seemed engrossed in whatever she was working on.

"Am I interrupting something?"

"Not at all." She put her pen down, turning to face him with a warm smile.

He moved closer to see what she was working on. It was a list of some sort but he couldn't make sense of it. It was quite extensive, there had to be at least a hundred and fifty items listed. Her penmanship was simple print script. A bit sloppy.

"It's a list of all the music I miss. Songs and artists. I was hoping maybe I could find some of them down here. Get a phone or mp3 player and I can just listen to what I want."

"A What?"

She paused thinking before responding. "It's like a mini radio that only plays the music you put onto it?" She bit her lip. "It's…uh…hmm. I'll show you if I ever get my hands on one."

He didn't particularly care. He looked back to the list. "You know all of these?"

Her grin was back and she leaned back in her chair. "Yeah, I can even sing the ones that aren't in English. I find lyrics easy to memorize, so they stay in my head. And music can really set the mood, bring you energy, ease heartbreak, empower you and just…I dunno it's my lifeline."

So music was her vulnerable point. He smiled. If he had known he probably could have gotten her to sell her soul for a radio. He shook the thought.

"You speak other languages?"

She sputtered a laugh. "Oh no. Just English. Languages are not my strong suit."

He tilted his head to one side. How does one sing in a different language if they didn't know it? She answered seemingly reading his thoughts.

"I listen to the same song over and over again until I can sing along. Ones in a different language I could never sing acapella, but I still try with music. Here." She leaned forward pointing to her list. "This one is in Russian…Swedish… Icelandic… Spanish…Oh this one has some Latin in it. Surprisingly no French though. Huh, I'll have to change that."

"You don't understand these languages but can sing in them?"

She shrugged. "Scat isn't a language, but people sing it too. I figured it's kinda the same thing. You hear it enough you can copy it."

He had never thought about it that way. He suddenly realized that he didn't really know much about her. He didn't know much about her likes or dislikes or her past. What did she aspire to? He had never really cared to get to know someone, except Rosie.

"What was your life like?"

The smile fell from her face. "Oh. It's been okay I guess. I can't complain." She turned back to her desk. "I should be grateful I've had a good life so far I suppose. There are so many others that have suffered greatly, I feel like I have no right to complain." She stared off, eyes glazing over lost in thought, her words free flowing.

"I have a great family, my parents love me very much and they support me. I got good grades in everything I did. Except French and math." A small chuckle. "I didn't have a lot of friends, but the few I did have were amazing. Definitely quality over quantity. I miss my cats though. I miss being outdoors. I never got out enough. The forest and fresh air would always make me feel better." She sighed, finally blinking back into the moment. "I suppose my life was normal, simple and boring, can't complain."

He looked at her curiously. Her answer had nothing about achievements or aspirations. She mentioned the people in her life and their connections. Surely she accomplished much.

She turned to face him, but her smile wasn't genuine. "But that's not why you stopped by is it? So what kind of trouble are we going to get into this evening?"

"Trouble?" He raised an eyebrow. "No, I just wanted to check in with you."

"You're tired of being lost with your thoughts, you're looking for a distraction."

At this point he was starting to believe the women in his life all read minds. It seemed uncanny Ellen and Rosie could so easily read him and his thoughts.

"You've come to the right place." She stood, crossing the room to her bed. "I wanted to ask you about something, so this kind of works out." She stared at him with a cheeky grin. She snapped her fingers and their contract appeared in her hand. He stared unsure what she was waiting for.

She held her arms out expectedly . "Oh come on. Nothing?" She shook the contract in her hand. "I summoned it on my own. I figured it out. Rough crowd," she mumbled. "That's fine." She pulled the contract open and spread it on the bed.

"So the very last clause on the contract is about rings and I thought since all of Hell knows you're married, having a ring on your finger isn't going to be out of place. Plus, I know some of our friends would have liked to have been to our little ceremony so maybe we could have a little party to exchange rings."

He walked over to take a look, wording was key. Providing rings wasn't a concern, quite a simple thing, but having a gathering of 'friends'? He had Rosie. Maybe Husker. Who would she be referring to? They didn't share friends. Our friends? And why didn't she mention herself as married?

"Of course this is all up to you, only you can nullify the confidentiality. We don't have to do the little party if you don't want to."

And now she was taking her words back. Was this something she wanted and if so, why wasn't she fighting for it?

"And what is it that you want?" He stood up straight, arms crossed behind his back.

She looked up at him. "Hell knows you're marr-"

"We. My dear WE are married, yes," he corrected.

She looked a little shocked at his correction. "Hell doesn't know about me. They can't. So to the rest of this realm it's you."

His eyes slid down to be half lidded, his smile tightening. While she made a valid point, he didn't like that she seemed to be excluding herself. He was bound to her as she was bound to him. Keeping her hidden was logical, yet there was a very small part of him that detested the idea. He wanted all of Hell to know she was his.

It seemed silly trying to keep her hidden. Hell knew he had gotten hitched, yes, some knew there was a mortal in this realm as well. Surely some would have put the two together. It wasn't likely this was something that would be a secret for much longer. She would surely be treated with more respect. Only fools would try to mess with her if they knew she was his. His reputation alone would keep most away. It would also give her some freedom to wander the pentagram, though he doubted he would ever let her do so alone. This was Hell after all.

"Alastor?"

His eyes moved back to hers.

She was trying to get a read of him. She was rarely able to. Though lately he could argue it has been a bit more difficult to hide from her. Stupid feelings.

She gave him a soft smile. "Lost you there for a second. More thinking?"

"Too much."

"Right! Distraction. I'm not doing a good job at that, am I?" She rolled up the contract letting it disappear into oblivion. "Massage or a dance? Or If you're feeling a bit more adventurous we can try something else."

Her cheeky grin was a give away. Something 'adventurous' was probably not something he was going to want to partake in. When he first arrived he was thinking something simple, though now he was wanting something more. He wanted to hold her close to him, press his lips to hers. He shook the thoughts.

"A simple dance should suffice." He offered a hand. She didn't take it.

"Suffice? No, we're going to have to do better than that. Let's see." She eyed him curiously. Slowly trying to decipher him. "You're looking for some physical touch. But more than just an ear massage. You want something more, but you don't want to admit it so a dance is the next best thing." She was slowly circling him as she spoke her thoughts aloud.

He felt oddly like prey. He didn't like that, even if she wasn't a threat.

"You want a hug." She deduced. "The dance would be close enough to scratch that itch." Her grin grew as she stopped in front of him, certain of her answer.

He had always admired her intelligence. "And?" He asked, amused.

"Yes!" She clapped rubbing her hands together leaning in closer, in hopes of being able to read him from his eyes. Her grin was infectious.

To humour her, he leaned down so they were face to face, only inches separating them.

"And…" She squinted. Her eyes widened as it clicked and she quickly leaned forward pressing her lips to his.

He didn't stiffen at the connection, he knew she would figure it out. Instead he wrapped his arms around her, holding her close. This was indeed what he needed to clear his head. He wondered if he would ever get used to the little jolt this sent through him. Wondered if the fuzzy feeling in his head would ever cease. Surely in time this would become nothing, he would grow tired of it. This was all temporary, it had to be, he wasn't sure if he could function normally if not.

When they broke apart she just stared him in the eyes. "You know you could just tell me what you need."

His smile grew. "And where is the fun in that my dear?"

She pouted but the small smirk still pushed though. "It is very difficult to kiss you my good sir. You are much too tall."

He chuckled. "Whatever do you mean? I don't have any issues with that." He joked, leaning down to press his lips to hers again. Proving his point. "No issues at all."

She tried very hard to keep the smile from her face. To his amusement, she was unsuccessful.

These actions no longer brought him unease. An odd thing he chose not to think about at the moment. His cheeks didn't heat at the connection, nor the thoughts of being so close to her. It brought him something else. Joy perhaps? Something to think about later.

"You're lucky you're cute."

"Cute?" He feigned hurt. "My dear I don't think I have heard crueler words from you. I am Alastor, the Radio Demon. I am fearsome, cunning and not one to be trifled with. Not cute." He adjusted his bow tie watching her with one half lidded eye.

Her eyes flashed with mischief. "Is that so? Hmm. You can be all that and still cute. Would you kindly remove your jacket then? Perhaps I can change your mind."

Cheeky girl. "I don't think I will."

She shrugged her shoulders, turning to watch him from her peripherals. Her smile grew cocky. "I suppose I can make a convincing argument for your ears then."

"My dear now you are just being hurtful." He couldn't hide the humour from his tone. He pulled her back into his arms resting his head on hers. "To think my wife would speak of me so."

"Would you rather I lie?"

"Never. Honest and straight regardless of…" he stopped. Feelings. The one thing he had been trying to avoid for weeks. Was it wise to cave and speak to her about it? Rosie had mentioned it may be good to speak to her about it. How could he possibly explain it all if he himself couldn't even comprehend it all? He was certain now she would not ridicule or push him. Though he knew she never would have. She was far too caring.

"Feelings?"

He pulled away slightly to give her a mild disapproving look.

"You'll eventually figure it out. You've got an eternity to work on it."

He kept his judgment to himself. "It's not a priority."

"Hmm" She turned, looking off thinking. It probably wasn't an answer she was expecting but, it was the truth. He had other things he felt were much more important than sorting out his feelings. Things like getting his staff fixed or fixing the angelic wound and recovering his strength.

"So what are your priorities? Maybe I can help."

His smile softened at the sentiment. She was always focused on him and maybe it was a bit selfish, but he liked that about her.

"Nothing you can assist with my little doe, you've helped more than enough as is."

She scoffed. "I've done nothing. I'm kinda useless down here. I'm a weakness. In fact, I've only been making things worse." She pulled from his arms and moved to the window to stare out over the city, arms wrapped around herself in an attempt to comfort. "There's a battle brewing out there." Her voice was quiet. "I'm a big part of the reason and there's nothing I can do to help. I have to hide on the sidelines while everyone else is left to take up arms. Even if I could fight, I'm an easy target and I have no experience. I'd just be a hindrance."

He was surprised she was managing to keep herself composed. Though he couldn't understand why his stomach was twisting uncontrollably. He wanted to reassure her, but he had no arguments. She wasn't stupid, she was correct about almost all of it. He moved to stand behind her, eyes out to the city line, arms crossed behind him.

"You are indeed a rather substantial weakness, to myself mostly. You have managed to find trouble everywhere you've gone and in almost everything you touch. Your usefulness is rather limited. Definitely not a fighter, no matter how much you try. Though you can hold your own if needed." He paused.

He could sense her composure slipping. While she understood this was the truth, it still hurt to hear it. He pressed on. "I'm not one to express admiration, so I will say this once and only once." He met her eyes in the reflection of the glass. He hated giving out honeyed words, people should be able to recognize their own triumphs. Praise did nothing to help people achieve higher or better things. People did that through their own will and perseverance.

"I would not be standing here if not for you. I would not be as…" He bit his tongue. Did he really want to admit she had done so much for him? Surely she already knew that she had shaken his status quo. He glanced away from her, eyes back to the skyline.

"I would not be as strong as I am now. You've assisted me in ways others could never. Not simple things either. I believe that is more than just nothing."

The two fell into silence for a moment. He let out a small huff closing his eyes trying to find words that would build her up, preventing further doubt.

"Perhaps you are weak, but everyone is in some way my dear. Don't let your shortcomings define you. You are above such things. I also have a reputation to uphold and as my new wife your demeanor will affect it, so no more of this miserable self loathing." His eyes found hers again giving her a stern glare to solidify his seriousness.

"We are, as you put it, partners, we will find a way to make it work."

She smiled at him. "Thank you Alastor." She turned and hugged him tightly. "That's exactly what I needed." Her words were a bit muffled being pressed to his chest. He resisted an eye roll. He wasn't sure what would take longer. Him getting an understanding of his feelings or her getting her emotions under control. Either way they had an eternity together to work on it.

He gently pet her head. "It is time for bed. The hour is late my dear and you need rest."

She nodded but made no effort to move, still pressed to his chest. He sighed but wrapped his arms around her hiding the small upward tug of his smile.

"Can I have a few more minutes?"

"Of course my little doe." He would never admit that he too wasn't ready to let her go. She brought a warmth to his chest he hadn't quite figured out yet. Regardless of what it was, he liked the feeling.

AN: I'm super excited for the next few chapters! Things are going to pick up pretty quick so stay tuned!

Cheers!