AN: Hey All! So I'm reworking the next few chapters, but worry not I should still be posting on schedule. I hope you all enjoy this one. We have a few new faces joining the story. Hope you all enjoy!

Cheers!

She had to squint her eyes shut from the light. It was too bright. Even after letting her eyes adjust, it caused tears to slip from her eyes. Ellen should have guessed it would, on earth she needed sunglasses at the dentist office because those lights were too bright for her.

And then there was the air. Pure, clean and fresh air. A big shift from the smoky, thick hazy air she had gotten used to in Hell. It took a few minutes to get accustomed to it.

"So these are the gates of heaven, I'm super excited to show you around."

Ellen only nodded, still trying to get her eyes to open more than a few millimeters. She wasn't very successful.

"Emily? I didn't know you left. And who is this?" It was a male voice, though he was too far away from Ellen to be able to see anything through the watery and squinted eyes. There was a sound of pages being flipped.

"Oh! . This is Ellen. I've brought her here because Vaggie was worried about her. She's um, well she's mortal and no one really knows why she's here so hopefully Sara and I can help her get home."

The sound of a book slamming shut filled the otherwise silent air.

"Oh. Well then…." The male, St. Peter, cleared his throat. The sounds of an organ starting up as he started singing. "Dearly beloved, it is my pleasure to say unto thee, welcome to heaven…"

"No, no! I do not need you guys to roll out the welcome mat. I just… It's been a bit of a distressing day. I just want to go to my room please." She was not in the mood for a musical number. "I would like a pair of sunglasses too if possible. It's way to bright up here."

There was a small awkward pause before something was pressed into her hands. Sunglasses. She put them on after wiping the tears from her face. Finally she could see.

The gates were indeed gold, and they were open, where Emily and a blonde haired man in a similar rode to her, though he had a pale red bow tie, were floating on wings.

"Thank you."

The two angels shared a glance before landing on their feet waving her to follow. She did leave a bit of space between them.

"She doesn't look too happy being here considering she just came from Hell."

Ellen recognized the voice as St. Peter's.

Emily shot a glance over her shoulder to her but lowered her voice before replying to St. Peter. "Well she did kind of get pushed through the portal at her own wedding, I suppose I wouldn't be happy about it either."

"Wedding?! People can get married in Hell?"

"She did. To a demon. "

Ellen glared at the two for a moment before realizing they couldn't see it through her sunglasses. She cleared her throat. "You do realize I can hear you guys right? And yes I did indeed get pushed through without warning. It wasn't a wedding, but I was with my husband."

St. Peter turned back to Emily with a hushed voice. "Is that even allowed? Who has the power to wed people in Hell?"

She couldn't help but feel a bit disgusted. Was it allowed? Why wouldn't it be allowed? If that's what someone wanted to do it shouldn't matter especially in Hell where rules didn't seem to apply. As for the 'demon' comment, who else would it have been? Everyone in Hell was a demon, except Charlie and Lucifer.

She was starting to feel like maybe heaven wasn't too keen on those in Hell. Although Emily seemed fine joining in on the festivities. Which then led her to question, why did they listen to Vaggie and came to collect her from Hell?

She sighed and raised her voice to answer his question, which drew a few confused looks her way. "Lucifer. He's a fallen angel after all."

The two shared another glance before turning their attention forward. They walked her down the promenade pointing to different places of interests, but she was only half listening. She did notice that most of heaven's denizens also had a mix of human and animalistic look. This meant once again, she stood out and was catching the attention of all those she passed. It didn't bother her, she kept pressing forward following the two angels leading her onward.

Ellen stopped suddenly, something drew her attention down a street to her left. It felt as though something familiar was trying to lead her away from the promenade, which was odd. She hadn't been here before, and she was very fortunate to not have lost anyone close to her. All of her immediate family was still kicking around or they had passed when she was too young to really get to know them. There was no way she would find familiarity up here, so what was this feeling in her chest pulling her down a different road?

"Ellen?"

She turned to find Emily and St. Peter had stopped a little ways ahead of her. She shook her head and pressed forward. It was probably a weird heaven thing.

She had other things to focus on. Things like trying to figure out how to get back. She knew Vaggie was right, that she would be safe here, but this also kept Alastors' soul safe. It would also get him to focus on things he normally did before her arrival in Hell. She had unintentionally become a bit of a headache and he needed to get back to what he did best. Overlord stuff and what not.

She was still recovering from their encounter with Lilith and he would be looking after her until she was okay, that could take weeks, maybe even months. She didn't want him doting over her for that long. This also ensured his biggest weakness was out of reach. As much as she hated it, she needed to be here, at least for a little bit. Although the timing was pretty shit.

She hadn't realized she had stopped with two angels by a door, a key being held out to her. She blinked a few times pulling herself back from her thoughts.

"Ellen? Are you okay?" Emily looked concerned.

"I'm good, sorry just zoned out a bit." She forced a convincing smile to her face. "I think I just need some sleep." She took the key from Emily, opening her door and leaving the two angels with a small bow of her head, a thank you and farewell before closing the door and taking in the room.

As Hell seemed to like the colour red, it seemed heaven had picked blue and white as their colour scheme for everything. With a touch of gold to accent.

The room felt fairly empty with only a large queen size bed with a bedside table on each side. A very small desk and chair were shoved in a corner. She made her way over to the closet to find it was empty. An amused smile befell her lips at the uncanny similarity this had to her arrival at the Hazbin Hotel. Arriving with nothing but the dress she was wearing, although this time she had shoes.

She ran her thumb over her wedding band. She would need to start planning her escape now. She didn't know how long it would take to get out, so the sooner she started the sooner she had a plan.

First she needed to get the layout of the place, which meant she'd be wandering around. Something she still never really got to do while in Hell. A small twinge of disappointment hit thinking about the fact she would be more knowledgeable of heaven than the place she had actually made her home.

She straightened the front of her dress and made her way out. She hoped she could find better shoes, her heels would become an inconvenience very soon.

Stepping out of the hotel she spun around to try to get her bearings. She didn't pay any attention to how she got there and if she wanted a bed to sleep in tonight she would have to make sure she knew how to get back. She took a few steps back to get a better look at the building but ended up stumbling into someone, almost falling over. Their hands caught her shoulders.

"Apologiess, misss."

She quickly turned to find an oddly familiar face. She didn't know why this guy looked familiar. She had never met a snake person before.

He had a white suit with pale yellow stripes. He had a white top hat with a yellow eye on it that surprisingly blinked.

She stared for a long moment before she found her words. "Oh, I'm so sorry."

"Are you quite alright?"

"Yeah." She brushed herself off, her cheeks heating a bit. She should have been watching where she was going. He gave her a small nod and slithered on his way and she watched until he was out of sight. She couldn't shake the feeling she had seen him before. What was going on with heaven and the feeling of familiarity. She shook the thought and pressed on.

She made her way back to the promenade and this time actually took a look at the stores and buildings she passed. She took note there was a bookstore, she would see if she could find something that may be useful at a later time.

She was pulled to a stop again as that familiar feeling rose in her chest, drawing her away from the promenade. She bit her lower lip thinking. If she wandered off, there was a good chance she would get lost. But she wasn't going to ignore this feeling if it was going to continue pulling her somewhere. It had to be something important if it kept coming up. She looked off down the small road. This was heaven she had the luxury of knowing there wouldn't be anyone trying to cause her harm. It would be safe, it had to be right? Maybe she would see if anything changed as she followed it.

Her heart quickened from the uncertainty but she stepped off the promenade and followed the unexplainable draw in her chest to go this way. She walked past more shops, though it seemed most of this side street was houses that some had built little business out of. It brought a small smile to her face. You never worked a day in your life if you enjoyed what you did, clearly that was true even in the after life.

She turned down another street, enthralled in the sights. They seemed to have everything in heaven. It almost felt like a small thriving community. Her smile grew as she passed gyms, pools, a zoo and even a pet store. As she wandered a warm fragrant smell permeated the air and it made her realize that she hadn't eaten yet today. It too had a familiar smell. Heaven sure was a strange place.

Her nose seemed to take the lead as she pressed on to find the source of the smell. It had led her to a small house on the edge of the street. Someone had been cooking up a storm and the smell filled the neighborhood. She definitely wasn't going to intrude on someone's cooking so she took a second to refocus on the feeling that had directed her here in the first place. To her surprise it seemed to lead to the same building. Strange. Almost as if they had a mind of their own, her feet drew her to the front door where she stood for an awkwardly long time trying to figure out what to do.

She didn't want to intrude on this person's day, but it seemed she was supposed to be here. Pulled by unknown forces to be there. Her nerves got the better of her and with some effort she turned and headed back the way she came. Perhaps she would work up the courage to figure out why she was supposed to be at that house, but that wasn't today. She needed to get a better layout of heaven, see if there were spots that she could perhaps escape from. She doubted anyone would willingly escape heaven so it wouldn't be locked up tight. The problem would be getting down most likely.

She was just about to turn the corner when a voice called out.

"Excuse me! Wait! Miss?"

Elle turned and froze seeing an avian looking woman standing in the doorway of the house she herself had been standing in no more than a few seconds ago. Ah shit.

She looked around praying she was talking to someone else, but she found there was no one else around. She bit her lip trying to find a logical reason she would be standing on someone's doorway for five minutes before just turning to leave. Especially someone she had never met before. Nothing came to mind, and she sure wasn't going to say anything about the unusual draw pulling her to the house, that would surely make her look insane.

"I'm so sorry I didn't mean to intrude." She was going to mention something about the smell of her cooking, but even that wouldn't help much. This poor lady probably thought she was off her rocker.

The woman took a few steps from the door eyeing her carefully. "Do I know you?"

Her voice had an accent she couldn't quite pinpoint. Definitely southern but she had never really traveled that far south in the US to know distinctly. Heck she could be completely off. Accents were not something she was good with.

"No." Ellen took a few slow paces toward her.

Ellen couldn't tell what kind of bird mix this woman was but if she had to guess it was some sort of owl maybe? She had large round eyes that were a soft brown and her feathers were a dark brown, so dark they could be mistaken for black. She had wings folded behind her, her arms a darker colour skin, no feathers. She had on a long dress in a pale blue that practically covered her from the neck down, her sleeves rolled up, probably from cooking. She was quite beautiful.

The woman continued her slow approach, trying to search Ellen for something she didn't know. "You feel…familiar."

Ellen's eyes widened. "You feel it too?"

"Yes there's a strange draw to you I can't make sense of. Who are you?"

Ellen slowly approached the woman, holding a hand out. "I'm Ellen. I am mortal and don't belong here, but I do feel oddly drawn to you too."

The woman gave her a suspicious look but took her hand. "Cecile." She promptly dropped her hand but continued eyeing her carefully. After a few seconds she turned back to her home.

"You must be famished, come on in, sweetheart, I just finished cookin up my famous gumbo. One of the best in heaven if I do say so myself."

Ellen stood stunned for a moment before quickly following up behind her. "I don't want to intrude-"

"Nonsense. It's been awhile since I had someone join me for dinner. Besides, we both know you got nowhere else to be."

She followed Cecile into her home where she led her to the kitchen, the smell of her gumbo filling the whole house. She was waved to the table where Cecile grabbed two bowls before sitting across from her.

"So mortal you say?"

Ellen nodded, blowing on the spoon to cool her food.

"How did you end up here?"

Ellen let out a quick breath. "That is a long story that doesn't have any satisfying answers." She took a bite and melted into her seat. This was divine. Probably the best she's ever had.

Alastor's cooking was the best in the hotel, hands down, and while Ellen never considered herself a foodie, this was something worthy of awards or at least high praise. She would even consider it better than Alastor's.

"Wow this is amazing." She didn't bother waiting to swallow to answer, speaking through the mouthful.

Cecile only smiled as she took a bite of her own. The two remained quiet for a while enjoying the food. Cecile's eyes followed Ellen's hand for a little bit before she asked.

"So you're married?"

Ellen quickly looked at her ring before tucking her hand under the table. "I am, but it's, well…yeah." She didn't want to go into it all. She already stuck out. She wasn't sure how Cecile would react to finding out she's arrived from Hell. Let alone being married to a demon. Emily and St. Peter made it clear it probably wasn't something she should advertise.

Her smile warmed. "He waitin' back home for you?"

Ellen felt her cheeks heat. She hadn't been gone a day yet and she already missed Alastor. Already missed the side glares and unending smile.

"He is."

"Poor thing must be missing you somethin' fierce. I hope you get back to Earth soon, my dear."

Ellen hoped her shock didn't show through. She wasn't going to correct Cecile. Home wasn't Earth, not now at least. And she didn't want to know what Alastor must be thinking. She left him with nothing more than 'we'll figure this out'. No plan or idea of when she would be back. She glanced back down at the ring, her thumb lightly running over it.

"That's very kind of you."

Ellen slowly returned to her food under the watchful eye of Cecile. After another long pause she pushed up from her seat. "Would you like some tea, dear?"

"Yes please."

Cecile made her way back into the kitchen. "So." She called out. "How long have you been married?"

Ellen swallowed nervously. She wasn't a good liar. "Not too long."

"When did you arrive here in heaven?" Cecile returned, placing two tea cups on the table before going back into the kitchen.

Fuck! If Cecile could feel that weird pull, surely she knew it had been less than a day. Unless she was trying to see if she was hiding something. Ellen shook her thoughts. It would be best to tell the truth. Maybe she could pull a page from Alastor's book and bend the truth a little if she needed to.

"I arrived today, actually."

"I thought so. I didn't feel you until today. It's quite strange." She returned to the table again, this time with the teapot. She sat before continuing. "I've heard a few people get that little tug in their souls to find people from their past life. Usually family or close friends. You're still alive, so I don't know why we would be drawn to each other." she looked away. "We don't have any connection at all."

Ellen could tell it upset Cecile. She could understand why. She'd probably been waiting to find lost family, only to find her. A lost mortal with no connection. She chewed on her lip in thought. Would it be rude to ask who she is hoping to find? Who she had unintentionally given her false hope of? She was kind of curious, though she didn't think it would do anything but bring up sad memories for Cecile. She didn't want to do that.

Cecile let out a sad sigh. "I keep hoping to find my son, but it's been far too long now. He was a good boy, I raised him right. Or I thought I did."

Ellen felt her heart sink. What words of comfort could she possibly give this woman? Her son was probably in Hell. What mother wants to know that?

Cecile started pouring the tea and Ellen didn't know what to do. Would there be any comfort in knowing Hell wasn't as bad as what most thought it was. She didn't mind being there. Heck some people thrived there. Like the overlords. Maybe she could go looking for her son when she got back and see if she could convince him to give redemption a shot. Maybe that could help comfort Cecile.

She took the cup from Cecile, blowing lightly to cool the hot liquid. " I um… I'm trying to get into Hell myself, maybe I could find your son?"

"And why in all that is holy would you want to go down there?"

Yeah she didn't think that through. How was she going to talk herself out of this one? She let out a sigh putting her cup down.

"That long story I was talking about earlier, it starts in Hell."

She saw the look of horror pass her eyes. "You've come up from Hell?"

"I did yes, and not because I wanted to. It's not perfect, but it's not as bad as everyone thinks it is. I kinda started a life down there for myself. Not really what I planned but, I do intend on going back to my husband."

"You married in Hell? Your husband is…is a demon?" She pushed to standing, distancing herself from Ellen. A look of disgust on her face.

Ellen remained seated, trying hard not to get visually upset. She figured this would happen, and if Alastor could still feel her emotions, it would probably cause him more stress. She needed to remain calm and collected.

"Yes, I did and yes, he is a demon."

"Why?"

"He is also quite a perfect gentleman. He is smart and cunning and maybe a bit old fashioned, but we've made it work. We protect each other, though being mortal it's a bit more of a challenge for him, but despite our differences we make a pretty good team. Do I approve of everything he does? No, but the same could be said for any married couple."

Cecile shook her head. "That's a lot of high praise for someone who earned damnation in Hell."

Ellen pressed her lips together to prevent her from responding to her comment. She understood the idea of light and dark, good and evil things, but people can change, even in the after life. No one was perfect.

"Look, I'm only telling you this because I do intend on going back, so maybe if I can find your son, I can see if he would be willing to try the redemption program. It's possible he could come here."

The hard glare stopped. "Redemption program?"

Ellen nodded, taking a sip of her tea. "Charlie believes it could be possible to redeem a soul. There's no real proof of it yet but-"

She froze her eyes going wide. Proof. The snake she saw earlier. She knew he looked familiar.

"Holy shit." It slipped out of her mouth without realizing it. Cecile made a comment, but she didn't hear it, the blood thundering in her ears. Sir Pentious. Sir Pentious lived, because he got redeemed. It works. Redemption works! She had to let Charlie know. She had to find Sir Pentious and ask him about it. Her mind started racing. Did heaven know?

"What is going on?"

Her eyes darted back to Cecile. "It works. Redemption works. If I can find your son, if he wants to try redemption he could be reunited here with you." Ellen couldn't hide the excitement. This poor woman had been waiting years to see her son again, and now, maybe she could.

"How do you know it works?"

"There is someone here that came from Hell. Sir Pentious was redeemed. I ran into him today and I didn't realize it. He got redeemed!"

Cecile sat herself back down, her face filled with hope. "So it's possible?"

Ellen nodded. "It's very possible. My husband has high connections. I'm sure I could find your son."

Ellen fought hard not to cry as Cecile wept. She took a sip of her tea, her smile hurting her cheeks. Nothing could ruin this beautiful moment.

"His name is Alastor."

She spit her tea out all over Cecile coughing as she tried to recollect herself. She was sure she had heard wrong.

"Alastor?"

Cecile nodded, but gave her a glare as she wiped her face with a napkin.

There had to be other Alastor's in Hell. She couldn't be referring to her Alastor. The one she married, the one who very much didn't care for the idea of redemption. The one that definitely deserved Hell and wanted to stay.

"He's a fine young man and was one of the best voices on radio and always the perfect gentleman. I was always so proud of him."

Ellen felt like she was going to be sick. It all started clicking into place. The signs were there all along. The tea, the amazing gumbo, terms of endearment, all habits and rituals Alastor would have picked up from someone close to him, someone he thought highly of. Someone like his mother.

"He loved all your cooking recipes, his favourite being your famous jambalaya."

Cecile froze, staring at her with wide eyes. "You know of him?"

Ellen only nodded, certain all the colour had drained from her face. "I married him."