As he had said, the pain came back with a vengeance. He had only stopped by to drop off lunch before disappearing again. He avoided her for the rest of the day and all through the night, which she fought to stay awake through. She did not want to have to relive that nightmare if she could. By the time the morning light had come up she was back in a fetal position in bed, waves of pain washing over her.

She grit her teeth as another wave passed through her. She didn't want to be helpless, in agony, but she didn't know what else to do. With a great effort she forced herself to roll over on to her back, very slowly extending her legs out. She lay for a moment before another wave of pain caused her to curl back up again.

She didn't want to think about how this was supposed to get worse. This was already close to her limit. Did people die dealing with this stuff? She groaned in pain. This needed to end. Alastor was dragging his heels because he didn't want to have to rut again, not to mention 'finishing the deed'. She could understand that, but he wasn't the one suffering. She was. She pushed her anger down, it would only make things worse.

Ellen was nearly suffocated by his presence, when Alastor appeared in her room. He was not in his normal attire instead in a black suit like the one he had worn during the open house. His dress shirt is the only thing in his signature red colour. She didn't show it, but she was disappointed that instead of a vest he was wearing a cumberbun.

"We've delayed this long enough. Come my dear it's time." His hand grabbed hers and he brought it to his lips placing a gentle kiss on the back.

It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough to get her to uncurl. She pressed her eyes closed as another wave hit her. Only a disapproving 'hmm' was heard before a hand was placed on her chin, pulling it up. His lips met hers and she melted. It was enough for now. He gently pulled her to her feet.

"Now my dear, let's get you ready." He snapped his fingers and she in the dress Nifty had made, the bloodstains gone. "Elegant as always my little doe."

Her heart did a little happy flip at the endearing pet name, but it was short lived. It was a beautiful dress, she loved it. But she was hoping to be in white.

"Is it not enough?"

"It's beautiful Alastor, really I just…I was hoping to wear white."

To her surprise he simply laughed. "My dear, you can't wear white. You've been deflowered, impure, used. Red is such a lovely colour on you."

Her heart wrenched. "Really?"

"Yes."

She wasn't going to cry, no. All the anger that she had pushed down was building.

"You want to do things by the book? Fine. You can't marry me without my fathers blessing."

"It's not ideal, but it can be done."

She glared at him, her skin starting to burn hot. That kiss wasn't enough to compete with her anger. She wasn't going to let this go.

"Alright, Alastor. White had nothing to do with purity especially when it comes to weddings. White dresses are a fashion statement that we've held since Queen Victoria got married in one. And if that isn't a good enough answer for you then let me tell you, down here I am pure." He opened his mouth to argue but she pushed on, her anger building. "You are not the same person you were when you were alive, down here you started out fresh, new, a clean slate. Why would it be any different for me? I have not had sex in this realm. I think that makes me pure, no?"

At this point she had sweat dripping down her face, and the pain was starting to come back. She pushed all of it back focusing on her anger.

"Very well." He sounded cold, but snapped his finger and the dress turned white. "Now let's go." He held his arm out for her grab. She didn't move.

"I can't do that." Her voice had dropped to be much softer.

He turned, his glare of pure annoyance. "And why not?"

"You can't teleport us with impure intentions. It's going to hurt. A lot. You are good at acting, but not that good. Don't think I didn't notice the whole demeanor change after your rut. You've been avoiding me. You don't have impure thoughts. I just haven't been able to figure out how you've been able to kiss me without it hurting." She may have had a bit of extra time to think. And while she couldn't deny he was being nicer than she was used to, he still seemed just as distant. She wasn't going to lie to herself and believe there were any feelings between the two aside from her own. He had another agenda.

He sighed, the annoyance shifting to exhaustion. "We can walk next door."

"So you don't deny it."

"We both have our own reasons for going through with this."

"What's your reasons?"

"You'll find out soon enough."

"If you're going to be my husband I expect you to be honest and straight with me, Alastor. Regardless of feelings."

"I will be, but as of right now you are not my wife. So my reasons are mine alone. Now I believe you've delayed things long enough. Come."

She bit her tongue to keep from retorting, but followed him out of her room and down the hall to his.

Upon entering she found Lucifer standing by a podium looking bored. The Bayou was behind him making it a rather beautiful scene. In front of the podium was a small table with two chairs across from each other.

"Finally! I thought you guys were just not going to show up." His eyes found Ellens and he smiled genuinely. "Ellen, you look breathtaking."

Her cheeks heated at the compliment. "Thank you."

Alastor walked with her up to the podium, keeping a noticeable distance between the two.

"Alright, are we ready?"

Alastor looked annoyed, his ears twitched. "Yes."

"We'll just cut straight to the good stuff then." He cleared his throat. "Alastor, do you take Ellen to be your unholy wedded wife, to have and hold from this day forward; for better or worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, till death do you part?"

"I do."

"Wait." The two men looked at her confused. "Till death do us part?" She laughed. "Alastor can't die. You guys just respawn. Why would death part us?"

The two exchanged glances. Lucifer spoke up. "We can all die permanently, Ellen. No one is immune to death. It may be a bit more difficult to die down here, but it's not impossible. The angels do annual purges to keep Hell's number down. Those deaths are permanent, anything caused by angelic weapons are."

Despite the heat from the rut, her blood ran cold. "You can die?"

Alastor laughed. "I would be flattered that you thought so highly of me, but you are simply naive."

Ellen stammered unsure of how to respond. She took a breath and changed her mind.

"Sorry, please continue, I didn't mean to interrupt."

Lucifer gave her a concerned look but when she nodded he pressed on. "Ellen, do you take Alastor to be your unholy wedded husband, to have and hold from this day forward; for better or worse, for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, to love and cherish, till death do you part?"

"Are last names unimportant for this? I thought you had to use full names? This is official right?"

Alators ears were pinned back glaring at her. "My dear you're getting married in hell. The important part is the contract."

"Oh. Okay. I do."

Lucifer flipped between the two a few times before he continued. "With the power vested in me, I, Lucifer Morningstar, King of hell, now pronounce you, man and wife. You may kiss the bride."

It was no surprise to Ellen that Alastor leaned in close enough for their lips to just touch, before pulling away and making his way to one of the chairs stationed at the table. She followed, taking the chair across from him.

"This is the contract?"

"Yes."

On the table in front of them was a parchment that glowed gold. Alastor was busy with a quill, writing. She glanced around for the ink pot but didn't find one. What was he writing with? Soon enough she got her answer. He had cut the back of one of his hands open, his blood being used as the ink. Her stomach dropped.

"Uh. Ink isn't good enough?"

He didn't even look up. "What's yours is mine and mine is yours. A simple kiss does nothing to ensure anything. Blood ensures the contract is binding."

"I didn't realize we were going so formal with this."

"Everything I do is with purpose, planned out perfectly. I am a dealmaker after all."

"So there's something in this for you?"

He pushed the contract over to her. "Just sign the bottom, my dear. You'll do so with your own blood."

She glanced down at the contract. He had beautiful calligraphy. A few words popped out to her and she pulled the parchment closer to read better.

"You don't trust your husband to have your best interests at heart?"

"No," She said honestly. "I'm going to read it before I sign it, Alastor. You are a dealmaker after all." She repeated his words to him.

"I'd expect nothing less from you," he muttered under his breath, leaning back into his chair.

Binding marriage contract.

Upon signing both parties agree to the following terms and conditions;

A. Ownership. The soul of party (a) will belong to party (b) for them to do with as they wish, holding for eternity or permanent death of the soul owner. Any plotting, scheming or actions taken to intentionally hurt, harm or kill the soul owner will result in the permanent destruction of said soul.

B. Privacy. Party (a) will not under any circumstances, under penalty of permanent death, disclose any information, knowledge, weaknesses and anything party (b) determines private to their discretion.

C. Cohabitation. Both parties will not share sleeping quarters, having separate beds unless party (b) specifies otherwise or physical/sexual intimate actions occur. Physical/sexual intimate actions are listed as, but not limited to;

i kissing

ii petting

iii cuddling

iv caressing

v intercourse

D. Intercourse. Shall only occur when/if both parties agree to participate in the action outside of consummation.

E. Protection. Party (b) will protect, care for and look after all and every need of party (a) with their life for all of eternity. They will ensure no harm or death to occur. If they are unable to prevent death, party (b) will lose their status and up to, but not limited to, half of their power.

F. Public Displays of Affection. With the secrecy of the marriage there will be no public displays of affection. Glances will remain under 3 seconds and no words of endearment will be uttered in the presence of others.

She looked down to find Alastor had sighed as party (b). She plastered a fake grin on her face and turned to Lucifer.

"Lucifer, would you mind giving us a few minutes? I would like to discuss some things with my…husband."

He looked a bit uneasy.

"I won't be signing anything while you're away, I promise."

He only nodded before creating a portal and stepping through, closing it behind him. The second he was gone her face fell to what she was actually feeling. Angry. She turned her gaze to the Radio Demon, who was sitting back looking amused.

"Alastor. WHAT the FUCK is THIS!?"

"It's a simple contract dear. I thought it was quite obvious."

"This isn't a contract, this is a form that sells myself to you. I am NOT signing this."

"Some of the terms are negotiable, it must be agreed upon by the both of us."

"Some? Uh, I don't think there's any part of that contract that I agree with."

"I specifically put the last two in for you, my dear." He looked rather bored.

She glanced down at the contract. "Uh no. Relationships are about compromise, I have already compromised by agreeing to marry you Alastor. This-" She waved at the contract. "-is not beneficial to me at all."

"I will protect and provide for you in all and any means. That is quite beneficial to you."

"No. no,no." She started shaking her head. "If I even speak out of line I die instantly. But you? You lose status and possibly half of your power. That's insane! How many souls have you actually gotten this way?"

"More than you think." His smile was smug.

"I am not signing this." She crossed her arms staring at him.

"Perhaps not right now, but in time you will sign one." His grin turned devilish.

"The first fucking point is owning my soul?! You're not allowed to make soul deals."

"It's not a deal, this is a contract. And with you signing as the primary party, this is your contact."

She scoffed. "Unbelievable. This whole thing, everything was a lie. Just a means to an end. All you ever wanted was to own my soul."

"At the start, yes. Not entirely the case now." He waved himself a cup of coffee to sip from. "I do care for you in some way though I am still unsure of what that entails. I'm sure you've noticed my touches do not cause you pain. Those feelings are near impossible to fabricate."

"So why would you have my death and permanent destruction of my soul as part of this contract?"

"Simple. I do not trust you or said feelings and I intend to ensure my future here in hell. With or without you."

She narrowed her gaze at him. "Your mother would be rolling over in her grave if-"

"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK TO ME ABOUT MY MOTHER!"

She didn't even flinch as his eyes flipped black and antlers grew. His form became larger. She was confident now he wouldn't hurt her, so this was just for show. She sat back crossing her arms, head following his face as it now towered above her. The glyphs and sigils that floated around him were unfamiliar to her. Maybe she'd ask about it one day.

"You call yourself a gentleman. Prove it. You're my husband now so be honest and straight with me Alastor. I have done nothing to betray your trust so what's the real reason?"

He knocked the table and chair over to loom over her. He was tall enough that it hurt her head to look up so far. It seemed there was blood dripping from his mouth. She made sure to keep an eye on it. She didn't want him ruining her dress. She could feel a bit of pain returning to her.

He remained above her, glaring, but remained quiet. After a slight pause he returned to his normal self, waving the table back in place, his chair now stationed beside her. He took a seat.

"You've shown me your tail, I've healed most of your angelic wound, even let you feed from me." The thought still sent a shiver down her spine. "I know now it wasn't super important but I stopped that bullet. It probably would have hurt a lot if I-"

"-it would have killed me. Permanently." He was looking down at his feet, ears down as well, sounding surprisingly defeated. "It was a special angelic steel bullet."

"What?" Her stomach dropped. "P-permanently? I- i had no idea I just…didn't want you to get hurt." No wonder he was so mad about it. That save was a big deal, and she didn't even know it.

"I have no reason not to trust you. You're right." He sighed, resting his head in his hands. "I NEED a binding contract, I NEED your soul."

"Why?"

"BECAUSE I DO!"

"Honest and straight Alastor." She warned.

He let out a more frustrated sigh. "I need them to get my soul back. I can break my soul contract by creating one through marriage. It would need to be binding and it would need to obtain the soul of the one I am wed to. I didn't see it before but when you mentioned marriage being a contract I did some digging and found a small loophole. My ticket to freedom. I didn't even think about it. Who gets married in hell?"

She sat quietly thinking. She didn't fully understand what was going on but she knew owning your own soul was a good thing. She never would have guessed he didn't own his soul. He owned many others based on what she had heard. She bit her lip. Was there a chance he was lying about this to get her soul? Another glance at him shook the thought. He looked pretty upset. He seemed certain this was the only way. He would definitely know the ins and outs of contracts and deals and if this was his only way out, then it was no wonder he agreed to this.

She wasn't thinking about giving up her soul, was she? Charlie had been very adamant about her not giving her soul to anyone, and though she didn't say, she was sure Charlie meant Alastor most of all.

She bit her lip looking away in thought, trying to find a way to have this work in both of their favours. She let out a long breath. "Okay."

"Hmm?"

"Okay, we can rewrite the contract to be less one sided and you can take my soul. BUT-" she glared at the side of his face. "-When all of this is done and over with, you're giving your soul to me."

He whipped his head around. "What!?"

"My soul is worth more and if you have it, I can't… I can't go home. I know it's not a good idea to give up my soul, so when this is all done, you will give me yours. I still don't fully trust you Alastor. It's the only way I can assure my soul stays safe. I'll keep yours safe, too. I promise."

"No, I'm not going to just pass it off to someone else. The whole point of this was to get it back for myself."

"It'll be half yours." She offered him a small smile. "What's mine is yours, right?"

"You don't know what it's like not owning your own soul. You are bound to that person, basically at their beckoning call. You do as they say without question. It's a weakness."

"Sounds kinda like marriage."

"No, you don't get a choice."

"Well it's a good thing I'm not an evil son of bitch then isn't it. I'm not going to use you Alastor. We're partners. All I ask is, you take good care of mine in return. We can figure out everything else as we go."

"I can't do that."

She raised an eyebrow. "You most certainly can. Don't tell me you've grown a conscience in the past few minutes."

"My soul isn't worth that much, this isn't a good trade, not for you. As your husband it's my job to protect you, even from myself if need be. I'd take it eagerly but." He shook his head. "I can't let you make that deal."

She looked at him surprised. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I am disappointed in you, Alastor. Firstly, when does the Radio Demon care about fair deals, and second, you don't get to tell me what the value of your soul is. I determine that. You are one of Hells greatest overlords, THE Radio Demon and I think that counts for a lot. Besides, you own a whole bunch of other souls right? I'm sure added up they are worth something. Seems pretty valuable to me." She smiled at him. "Just don't tell Alastor, his ego is big enough," she joked with an eye roll, hoping to lighten the mood a little.

He looked up to her his normal smile plastered to his face but behind his eyes, behind the facade she could see gratitude. He let out a long sigh.

"This is unwise Ellen, one of the worst deals you could possibly make."

She shrugged. "Probably, but now you have to put up with me forever so I think it evens out. I can be quite the handful, I've been told." She smiled warmly. "So do we have a deal?"

"Very well."

With a wave of his hand the contract returned to the table and Alastor went to work rewriting it.

She went to go get Lucifer so he could watch them sign.

After a few minutes Alastor pushed the contract back to her. She plucked the quill from his hand and pricked her finger, drawing blood. She signed her name at the bottom. He looked at her stunned.

"You aren't going to read it first?"

She just smiled and pushed the contract back to him. "I trust that you wrote down what we agreed upon. I expect my husband to be honest. You're not going to play me for a fool are you?" She held the quill out to him. He hesitated for a second before taking it and signing his name beside hers.

Her smile fell, getting serious. "I will have access to that later though, right?"

"Your name is on it, it's half yours," he joked, before the parchment rolled itself up and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"So it's all settled then? You two love birds are done and I can go now?"

Ellen stood and gave Lucifer a hug. "Yes, you did an amazing job, thank you. You are free to leave." She stepped out of his embrace and he eyed her for a few seconds before leaving again though his portal.

She watched in awe as a gold cuff formed around Alastors neck. It looked terribly tight. From the front of the collar a chain appeared, link by link leaning upward almost infinitely. It was an odd sight, but strangely beautiful too. There was a light tug and it shattered into gold dust. He instinctively put his hand on his throat as a small gasp left his lips. His smile never looked more genuine. A moment of freedom. How long had he been trapped? Did she see tears glistening in his eyes?

Moments later a white cuff appeared around his throat, but it didn't look as tight, a chain formed heading from him to her hands. She dropped it suddenly from the shock. This was her owning his soul? Leashed and literally bound to another person. It disappeared but there was a weird feeling now present in her chest. Something she couldn't explain. Before she could think more about it a cuff appeared around her neck and she watched as the green chain led straight to Alastor's hand. He held it, his grip looking a little shaky. There was a heaviness to her, like she had the weight of the chains now forever stuck to her. A bit uncomfortable, but she was sure she would get used to it.

She turned to Alastor and her shoulder fell. That weight he had been carrying for who knows how long had finally been lifted, only for her to put it back. This was all to ensure she could keep him from using her soul, but she still felt bad about it. "I'm so sorry, Alastor."

He turned to her, his smile was not as big as before. "All part of business, my dear. It was worth it. You have no idea how to own a soul, so it's almost like being free."

"But the weight, I felt it. I just, you're still carrying it around now."

He laughed. "The contract between us is much lighter than the one I was in before. This is still an upgrade, I wouldn't have agreed otherwise."

"Honest?"

"You have my word."

She smiled at him, if he was okay with it, then that was all that mattered to her. "So I guess it's official. I'm your wi-AH" She fell to the floor clutching her side. "Fuck!" The pain had returned quickly and worse than before, tears already slipping from her eyes.

Alastor was at her side, arms wrapped around her pulling her to her feet. The touch helped enough to be able to stand, but still hunched over. In a quick movement he scooped her up in his arms and carried her over to his bed where he lay her down. He started unbuttoning his jacket.

"What are you doing?"

"I would like to relieve your pain, my little doe. You've suffered enough as is." He threw his jacket off to the side now going for his tie.

"No. Stop. We are not doing that right now. You're not even in heat, I'm not going to let you do that."

"I don't mind."

"Alastor…" she scorned. "You do mind, stop it. I can tough it out for a few more hours. Days if need be. I'm okay with the light touch and kissing. Really." She knew what this was really about. He felt he owed her for giving up her soul so willingly. He felt he needed to return the kindness in whatever way he could.

He stopped. "Okay." He moved to sit beside her on the bed.

She sat up and leaned in waiting for him to make the move. "We go at your pace. Mine is a little cloudy at the moment."

He leaned in gently pressing his lips to hers. She resisted wrapping her arms around him. When he pulled back his face was glowing red. "I'm not used to this kind of thing."

"I can change that." She raised her index finger grinning shyly. "Just a scratch right? Only if you want."

"I don't have much experience in that field."

"That is totally fine. I'm sure I can get you where you need to go. If there is anything you've seen or want to try, I'll keep an open mind."

He looked a little horrified. "It's not just… a simple act?"

She pressed her lips together, unsuccessfully trying to hide a smile. "It can be. It can also be anything you want it to be. I think we just see where it goes. Don't think too much about it."

He looked at her finger and swallowed nervously. "It will last six days regardless of whether we do it or not. I'm not sure if yours will follow or end once we've…finished."

She shrugged. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

He nodded. "Okay. I'm ready."

"Is there a specific spot you want me to scratch?"