It wasn't until the next morning that Alastor made an appearance. Ellen found him at the dining table with a cup of coffee, a paper in hand. He either didn't hear her approach or ignored it as she made her way into the kitchen to get herself something for breakfast.

She sat down beside him silently trying to focus on her breakfast, but she couldn't help stealing a few looks his way. After a fifth look he put the paper down meeting her eyes.

"Is there something you wish to discuss?"

She shook her head. There was actually a lot she wanted to ask, but it was clear he was not in the mood.

"Then I suggest you get yourself ready for this afternoon, you will be joining me on a bit of a stroll."

"I'll make sure I am ready."

"Good." He lifted the paper again and that was all she was able to get from him the rest of her time at the table. Had she done something wrong? He seemed to be closed off all of a sudden. Was it because she tried answering that last question on the broadcast for him? She pushed the thought aside, focusing on getting ready for the afternoon.

This was going to be the first time she will be leaving the hotel as herself. Alastor never made any mention of it, but she knew she would want to be looking her best. This was going to be her first time on display for Hell and it would be on the arm of the Radio Demon. He had a reputation to uphold and she needed to make sure she was meeting those expectations. So most of her morning was getting herself ready.

She had showered, shaved and even attempted light make up. Mascara and lipstick. For her outfit she knew it would need to be modest, but something that made her look good. She opted for a tea length A-line dress in black with small red decals and butterfly sleeves. She would have to have comfortable shoes on and short heeled booties made the cut. She pulled her hair back into a high ponytail and after a few attempts of trying to get all her flyaways under control she gave up. The wind would likely mess it up anyway.

With one last look she made her way down to the lobby, sitting in one of the chairs waiting, unsure when Alastor wanted to head out. It had been a while since she had to be a 'lady' so it took a few seconds for her to get herself set; sitting up straight, knees together and ankles crossed shifted to the left, hands laid in her lap.

"You will stay by my side, no wandering and do not think for one second that these sinners will welcome you with open arms. You do not belong here and being associated with me, people will not take to you well. Understood?"

She jumped unaware of his presence behind her.

"Yeah I know this is a show, but are you sure you want to do this? You don't seem to be confident about it."

"I don't have much of a choice, now come my dear, it's time Hell finally sees you."

She stood brushing the front of her dress nervously. He had been so closed off since the broadcast last night she wasn't sure what sort of mood he was in. He discovered something, and he wasn't telling her.

She followed him to the front doors of the hotel holding her arm out for him to link. He made no effort to link her arm so she put it down walking close to his side instead.

"You will be watched very closely so I expect you to be on your best behavior. You will carry yourself with poise and ladylike conduct, understood?"

"Alastor I-"

"Understood?"

She looked at him, unsure why he seemed so uneasy about this outing. She nodded. "Okay."

She was hoping being dressed up a bit nicer than normal would help her feel more confident, but whatever confidence it did create, quickly shattered and she found herself almost slinking back into her normal behaviour on earth. Submissive, frightened, doing what she could to please those around her. A good girl, quiet, behaved and shy.

She normally would have bit back, that she did indeed know how to be ladylike, she had been to very formal events, some with princesses and princes while alive, to black tie events more than a few times. But she believed everything had a time and place. She didn't need to be like that at all times. Alastor was worried and that had her worried.

He held the door open for her. Her eyes widened at the amount of sinners that lined the streets. It seemed all of Hell wanted to see who had found themselves tied to the Radio Demon.

She could feel all of their eyes on her. There were whispered conversations of her being mortal, looking different. She didn't belong here, she was an abomination. She tried not to let the words get to her. Her stomach twisted in unease. She was safe, Alastor would ensure no harm would come to her and if she really needed it, she had access to his power.

She closed her eyes to refocus herself. She may not feel confident, but she needed to look like she was. Smiling kept people guessing, it was Alastor's form of power and being an extension of him, she too would try to find power in it as well. She lifted her head up and pulled her shoulders back and down.

She smiled and waved at the sinners as she passed them. Many seemed excited to see her, and waved back. She tried looking at the sinners in the eyes, making the connection seem personal. If they could see her as a separate entity from the Radio Demon maybe they wouldn't be so opposed to her. It wasn't until they made it to the doomsday district that the atmosphere seemed to flip.

"She doesn't belong here!"

"Go home mortal!"

"This is unnatural."

"You're going to die soon bitch!

She moved closer to Alastor, the smile harder to keep forced on her face. She knew some would be a bit surprised seeing a mortal soul walking with the Radio Demon, but for the crowd to be so divided, she was starting to get worried. What did she do for all these people to hate her so much? Was it just the association with Alastor that caused all this hate? She tried not to show any of her worry or concern as she passed more sinners screaming at her to leave and that she was 'unnatural'. Was this what Alastor was worried about?

A gunshot echoed through the air causing Ellen to turn, her heart rate raising in fear. People wanted her dead? She didn't do anything! Why were these people full of such hate?

Another gunshot filled the air and she turned to Alastor to find he had morphed into his demonic form, tentacles ravaging a few sinners amongst the crowd. With him distracted it seemed others had made her their target and she was found herself dodging things being thrown at her, garbage, some threw shoes and she even dodged a whole arm. What the heck was happening? The broadcast seemed to have gone over well, now it seemed Hell was against her and Alastor.

She didn't even get the pleasure of walking though much of the city. They started in the doomsday district and everything had gone to..well…Hell.

A small mod started advancing on her and she kept stepping back to keep them away, her stomach in her throat. She had never experienced anything like this before, she had never even seen something like this, and she worked retail on both black friday and boxing day. Before she could turn back to the crowd she was sunk into shadow, returned to the hotel.

Alastor let out an unamused hum before he sunk back into shadow leaving her in the lobby. She stood staring at the spot he had been only moments ago in confusion. What the heck was that? He wasn't the type to just bow out like that. Did he go back? And why did Hell seem to turn against her overnight? She fell into one of the couches in the lobby with a loud huff, no longer caring about looking ladylike.

"Sooo. How'd it go?"

She turned to find Angel sitting in a chair a few feet away, lost in his phone.

She didn't answer, still unsure what had happened.

"Sounds like it went to shit." Angel looked up to take a quick glance her way before returning to his phone. "Hell seemes divided about you."

"What?"

"Yeah, half of Hell is excited to see a mortal in Hell, let alone the wife of the Radio Demon. The other half thinks you're some sort of abomination. What'd you do?"

Her face scrunched up. "What the fuck is going on?"

"That's what I wanna know. The doomsday district is in chaos, well more chaos than it normally is I guess…"

She rubbed her temples trying to figure out what could have gone wrong. Alastor was on edge, he clearly knew more than what he was letting on. It seemed like Hell had been hypnotized overnight. She sat up straight.

"Fuck."

"What?'

"This is Lilith's doing. She can't take me out if I'm in the hotel. But if Hell rises against the idea of a mortal in Hell, then it looks like a simple coup." She turned to Angel. "Eventually all of Hell will rise against me and Alastor."

"What?" He sat up looking at her confused.

"Lilith wants something from Alastor and she needs me out of the way to get it. She can't just openly kill me, not without hurting Charlie, but if one of Hell's denizens takes me out, then she is in the clear."

Ellen's head was spinning. How could one fight against something like that? Could Lucifer help? Is this why Alastor was so out of sorts this morning? She was just a simple mortal, how was she supposed to take out the queen of Hell?

"What does Lilith have to do with the divided state of Hell?"

"She's using her power to cause conflict."

She stood working her way to the stairs. She needed to talk with Alastor when he got back. Clearly he knew this was coming, maybe he knew more. If she had the full picture maybe she could start coming up with a plan.

She made it up three steps before she stopped. No, she needed to speak with Lilith. One on one, woman to woman. She turned back to Angel.

"Hey Angel, I have a small favour to ask. Well, two things actually."

She didn't know where she would find Lilith, but she thought she would start at the most obvious place. The palace. Seeing as Lucifer was staying at the hotel, the palace would be empty and likely left undisturbed. Perfect place for the queen.

She had no idea where it was, but figured it should be easy to spot, they were usually very large buildings, probably fenced off.

She changed into something a little less conspicuous before leaving, in hopes of keeping herself hidden amongst the sinners. She could already hear the words Alastor would have after finding out she had snuck out. Not only was this stupid, it was very dangerous. Hell didn't want her around and anyone getting a real look at her would draw a lot of unwanted attention, attention that likely followed with gunfire. Not to mention she was going out to actively look for one of the most powerful beings in all of hell. One that wanted her dead. Very stupid.

Yeah she could already hear Alastor yelling at her asking if she was insane. Did she have a plan? Not a full one? She knew she needed to deal with Lilith. That wasn't something she could do alone, not entirely, but if she could get some sort of proof, some evidence that she was up to no good, maybe it would do something. It was a bit much to hope there was some sort of court or prison, this was Hell after all, but surely there had to have been some tyrants before, that needed dealing with.

She probably would have been better off if she had waited and talked with Alastor about this, but seeing as he wasn't in a sharing mood she didn't bother. If he wasn't going to be open with her, she was going to do things on her own. He had a whole day to tell her what was going on, and she had to figure it out on her own. She shook her head, a laugh bubbling up her throat. Communication was the foundation of everything. She truly believed if you looked back at all of history every terrible event could be broken down to lack of or poor communication. She pushed her thoughts aside trying to refocus on what she was doing. She needed some sort of plan and probably a few backup plans.

She knew the palace wouldn't be in the cannibal colony, nor the entertainment district, so she didn't bother wandering those districts. She had never been to the industrial district, but she figured it was safe to assume the palace wouldn't be there either. She let out a breath as she passed a group of sinners chuckling about a girl that had passed around between them the night before. She bit her tongue and pressed on.

She didn't remember seeing any large building in the district with the hotel. Uptown? She didn't remember all the names. So she was left with the downtown part and the doomsday district. Her gut had a feeling she needed to go to the latter, but she couldn't work up the courage to go alone, not after the stroll from earlier. She would head there last. Hopefully not at all.

She was pulled from her thoughts when someone bumped into her causing her to stumble.

"Hey watch it bitch!"

"Hey fuck you man I was walking here!"

The sinner pulled her off her feet by the front of her collar. She had really hoped responding back would have been the normal for down here. Maybe it was but this guy didn't like it? She had no idea how to act down here to blend in, another thing she probably should have figured out before wandering around on her own.

"You wanna say that again?"

She kept her chin tucked, masking most of her face. "Yeah, I said fuck off, you deaf or something?"

He threw her and she landed harshly against a wall before landing on the sidewalk.

"Watch where you're going you stupid bitch."

She watched as the sinner turned and walked away. Well at least she didn't have to worry about that guy anymore. She just hoped she hid the pain well enough to not alert Alastor. She needed to find Lilith before he came to find her, or she would lose her chance. Her hand quickly went to her pants pocket feeling for the little device she borrowed from Angel. Still in one piece, good. She let out a quick breath pushing to her feet.

She didn't stay in the inner part of the city for long, it was clear the palace wouldn't be here either. She had almost made it to the Doomsday district when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. A quick look found Alastor's Shadow. Shit.

It gave her a quick look before turning to dart away.

"Wait!"

She was surprised it did. He moved back to her head tilted to the side.

"I need you to stall, just for a little bit. I need to find the palace first, then he can come find me."

He shook his head, eyes looking around behind her. Soft chitters could be heard, and it took her a second to realize they were coming from the shadow. It could make noises? Had it always been able to do that? The two had spent so much time together, how could she have not noticed? Questions for later she shook the thought.

"I know, this is probably the most dangerous place in all of Hell for me right now, but if Alastor was here it would only draw more attention. Don't worry I'll be careful."

There was a pause before he nodded slowly.

"Thank you." She turned and started to make her way.

She didn't get much of a look at the area when she was here earlier, mostly because the streets were full of sinners lined up to watch the Radio Demon walk through with his wife. She was quickly about to discern why it was called the doomsday district. It looked like something out of dystopian movies. Buildings falling apart or half destroyed, fires running rampant and people running around screaming, some on fire. She noticed that Alastor's shadow had stuck closely to her. A small smile passed her lips. At least she wasn't alone.

There weren't any sidewalks or streets to follow, more like a space that wasn't littered with trash or debris. Ellen kept her eyes on her surroundings, watching the sinners around her, how they acted, where they were going. She was on high alert and once she realized it she inwardly kicked herself. Alastor would feel her fear. Fuck. Can't be helped, she guessed.

Soft chitters pulled her to the shadow that had somehow worked itself even closer to her, half pressed to her. It was pointing off to her right. The palace. She wanted to be relieved, but she couldn't shake the wave of anger bubbling up. Who the fuck puts the royal family in the middle of the fucking doomsday district!? Uhg. Stupid. She shook her head.

"Alright buddy, this is where we split ways. Go find Alastor, I'm sure I'll need his help soon."

The shadow did its best to hug her before darting off leaving her by herself staring off at the large building in front of her. No turning back now. She made her way, eyes watching to see if she was being followed, watching to see if anyone noticed her head up the path.

People must have been afraid of whatever power the king and queen had, the building was left in good condition. No one dared disrupt its walls, the fence or grounds. It looked out of place considering the rest of the district.

By the time she got to the front doors, her nerves had finally caught up to her. She turned to look at the path she had come. She had wandered a good portion of the pentagram for this and now she wasn't sure she could do it. She surely didn't think she could take on Lilith did she? And surely there were other people here. Someone was taking care of the grounds, probably looking after the upkeep because there was no way it was Lucifer or Lilith doing so.

"You have precisely five seconds to get off the property or I will send you to your second death."

Ellen's eyes shot up looking for the source of the voice. She didn't recognize it, deep and a bit gruff.

"I'm looking for the queen."

"One…"

"I know she's here."

"Two…"

"She will want to see me."

"Three…"

Ellen pulled her hood off.

"There. You can't send me to a second death if I haven't had my first one yet."

There was silence. At least the counting stopped, that was a good sign

"Ellen!" The sound made her jump, turning behind her where she found Alastor standing on the other side of the fence unable to pass the threshold. It was at this moment she realized she had fucked up.

"Get back here. NOW!" He sounded angry, but she could discern a hint of concern in his tone.

How had she been so stupid? If Alastor had magic to keep people from entering his room obviously the king and queen had something to keep sinners from attacking their estate. No wonder the building looked in pristine condition, no one could physically get close enough to do any damage. She had walked right into Liliths arms where Alastor couldn't follow, couldn't help.

The door behind her opened and she didn't need to turn to know it was Lilith. The glare on Alastor's face said it all.

"Don't worry Alastor, I will take good care of your wife while she's here."

A hand grabbed her shoulder and she was pulled into the palace the sound of the door echoing in the empty halls. Ellen's hand went into her pocket turning on the little device. She was on her own now, and none of her plans or back up plans had accounted for that, she would be stuck having to adapt to whatever came her way. Aw dicks.

AN: Hey all! Hope you guys are doing well! I'm super excited to post the next chapter for you all. Got some crazy stuff in the works and I hope you guys are still enjoying my writing. Have a good weekend and as always stay tuned! Cheers!