"Heading out?"
Ellen quickly spun to Husker, who didn't bother pretending to be busy. He just stared curious.
She hoped she was able to keep her cheeks from blushing. "Just grabbing a few things. Do you need anything while I'm out?"
He didn't bother answering her question. She knew what he was actually curious about, but she was hoping to avoid it.
"No escort?"
Yeah, that. She let out an annoyed breath. She had free reign of the pentagram, but Alastor still didn't trust her to be out on her own. He probably didn't trust the rest of Hell either, but he never spoke of it. He 'insisted' if she were to go out, she would at least have someone with her. Normally it was him, which led to very uneventful outings. Not that she particularly wanted to deal with that sort of trouble. It was nicer to walk with Angel or Charlie. It was a good excuse to have a nice chat and catch up. She would normally oblige, she was a goody-two shoes, but this outing had a specific purpose she didn't want ANYONE knowing about, so she would have to go solo.
If she wasn't so nervous, she would probably be excited to be going out on her own. She would just have to keep her emotions in check and head straight to the store and back, and it should be fine.
"I'm just running out real quick. If he asks, you didn't see me."
"Hard to do that if you're sneaking out the front doors." He raised an eyebrow, leaning over the bar.
She bit her lip. Yeah, if Alastor found out Husker had let her go, he would be in a world of hurt. Perhaps she should try again at a different time, though Husk was almost always manning the bar. For half a second she thought about waiting until it was dark to sneak out, but that thought died almost as quickly as it came. Definitely more dangerous.
Husker grabbed a bottle taking a small swig before he turned away, eyes still watching her.
"If you're looking for something to do, I'm sure the trash can be taken out in the kitchen."
She turned looking toward the kitchen with a small grin on her face. The kitchen. He was helping her sneak out.
She gave Husker a smile.
"You're right. Perhaps I'll head off to the kitchen and-"
"-the less I know the better." He held his paws up, but he gave her a playful smirk.
She pulled the hood up over her head as she snuck out through the kitchen. She had gone on enough walks to know the area close by the hotel. She was glad most of the denizens weren't giving her a wide berth. Unlike when she was out with anyone else. Hell knew who she was, and they were terrified, much to her dismay.
She stood out already being mortal, but now that she was recognized as property of the Radio Demon people gave her space. It was difficult to talk to anyone, everyone being afraid it would lead to their demise. She tried, wishing those she passed a good morning or a small greeting with a warm smile, but they all ignored her, crossed the street to avoid her. It was hard not to let it get to her.
She moved out of the way as a small gaggle of demons wandered by, most resembling some sort of sea creature. They gave her a suspicious look up and down, but carried on their way. Though she did hear one mumble something about her face looking weird.
She hadn't really disguised herself more than just a large hoodie and straight legged pants. As long as no one got a good look at her face, she would be fine. A small part of her thought about borrowing Angels makeup, hiding her face a bit better, but it would lead him to ask questions.
She made her way into the store quickly stepping over a body laying at the front that looked like it had been there a few days. She made her way down a few aisles, scanning the shelves for what she was looking for. No luck.
She didn't realize that what she was looking for would be a difficult thing to find. Back on earth you could find them almost anywhere, grocery stores, gas stations, convenience stores, heck even some walk in clinics had some. Though knowing what she knew about Hell and sinners, it finally clicked, this would not be a simple task. Fuck.
She made her way to the front looking at the large slug looking demon sitting at the til. He was oblivious to her approach, nose stuck in a porn magazine. She tilted her head to the side realizing it was Angel on the cover. Huh.
She cleared her throat hoping to get the demon's attention. He opted to ignore her. She let out a small sigh. If she was on earth she would have waited patiently for this guy to be done, although back on earth she probably wouldn't find an employer like that, but it didn't matter, today she was in a time crunch.
"Um, excuse me."
He barely moved his eyes off the magazine but he tilted his head up, signaling he was listening.
"I'm looking for something in particular and I noticed it's not on your shelves, would you happen to have a-"
"-If it ain't out there we ain't got it."
"Right." She pressed her lips together. She didn't really want to wander around Hell looking for pregnancy tests, nor did she want anyone assuming she was. She was certain she wasn't. Just not a hundred percent certain. Sinners can't procreate, it was common knowledge so Hell having pregnancy tests seemed like a ridiculous idea. But surely it wasn't impossible. It was more so to clear her mind of any doubt.
"You got a problem lady? Get the fuck out."
She could very quickly turn this situation around, but she hated pulling that authority. This demon would bend over backwards to get her what she needed if she simply placed her left hand on the counter. Heck she could probably just pull her hood down and he would instantly know who she was, and what would happen if he wasn't careful.
She groaned. She didn't want people to be afraid of her. She was a people pleaser, concerned about what others thought of her, a bit of a rough flaw to have in Hell, but it was something she could pretend wasn't an issue. She supposed Alastor was a good role model that way. He never let anything bother him, not outwardly anyway. She could plaster on a smile and fake it, even if it was only temporary.
"Look, I'm only doing this because I really need what I'm looking for. But you gotta keep this under wraps okay?"
The slug put the magazine down and laughed squinting at her.
"Who the fuck do you think you are?"
She let out a breath and pulled her hood down, taking a few seconds to ready herself before returning her gaze to the demon.
As she thought, the laughter quickly died and he stared wide eyed, now becoming a nervous wreck. He quickly looked around as if looking for her husband to appear from the woodwork and take him to his second death.
"Y-you're…you're the…"
"Yes. Now I'm a bit pressed for time and I don't feel like wandering the pentagram to find what I'm looking for."
"Whadda need?"
"I'm-" She bit her lip. Man she hoped this guy could keep secrets. Hopefully Alastor's reputation was enough to keep this guy silent.
"I'm looking for a pregnancy test."
The demon's eyes widened even more as his glance flicked between her face and her stomach.
Her face flushed with embarrassment. So much for keeping her composure.
"I'm not! At least I don't think I am?"
She groaned and turned her back, pulling her hood back up and sliding down the front of the counter, sitting on the floor. She was just feeling sick, that's all. She'd been feeling sick for three weeks to a month. It wasn't something out of the ordinary, right? People got sick all the time, she was definitely overthinking this. Ever since the love potion. Maybe she hadn't worked it all through her system? Side effects?
This was insane. She didn't actually think it was possible did she? Charlie had said it was impossible. So why was she going to all this effort? And now this guy probably thought she was, which would allude to Alastor being a dad, and what would that do to his reputation? Uhg, she was messing everything up!
She hadn't told anyone about her suspicions of course, they would all probably just laugh it off, tell her she was crazy. And it was. She herself wanted to laugh it off, but the unsettled feeling in her gut made it hard to simply shrug off.
She took a few shuddering breaths. She needed to keep herself calm. She promised herself she could have her mental breakdown only after she got back to the hotel. Until then she would have to fake it til she makes it. If she didn't get a grip on herself soon, she would be stuck having to try explaining herself to Alastor and she would likely die of embarrassment.
She stood to find the demon had circled the counter and stood over her a small brown paper bag held out to her.
Her eyes quickly shot up to his, in surprise.
"You have-"
"-I don't know what's going on, but clearly you need 'em so take it."
A smiled and threw her arms around him in a quick hug.
He didn't return the hug, just stared at her awkwardly before mumbling something about the Radio Demon and not pissing him off.
"Thank you! You are a lifesaver." She pulled back, her face getting serious. "But I'm not. And I was never here, you never saw me."
"Yeah sure."
She placed a few bills on the counter despite the insistence of it not being necessary by the shopkeeper.
With a wide grin she turned away stepping over the body like she had on the way in, giving the store owner a wave and turning back down the street. After a few blocks she peeked into the little brown paper bag to find he had given her not one, not two, but three pregnancy tests. She almost laughed. She only needed the one. And the few bills she left were definitely not enough for all three. He was probably terrified, but she elected to believe he was being kind.
She rolled up the top before shoving the bag into the front pocket of her hoodie. This went quite well. Now she just needed to sneak back into the hotel and she was as good as gold.
"Hey there, sweet thang. Where ya headed to?"
She ignored the comment with an eye roll. This creep would regret trying to mess with her. He'd be stupid to try.
"Hey! I ain't gonna be ignored by some stuck up bitch."
He grabbed her, throwing her against a wall to her left. Her head smacked against the wall. Okay, so he was stupid. She turned to find the small gaggle she had passed earlier. There were three of them all standing, blocking her in. Hmm. She hadn't expected to be thrown against the wall so the pain wasn't something she could hide. Alastor no doubt would know. It would be only a few minutes before he found out she was not at the hotel, and a few more to find her.
She sighed. So much for sneaking back in unnoticed. She didn't bother trying to talk nice, she simply pulled her hood down disappointed these goons had only proven Alastor right. People were still going to mess with her. Although it was clear they realized their mistake.
"Holy shit you're the…the Radio Demon's girl."
In an instant all three panicked. The one that had grabbed her was already spewing apologies while the other two were yelling about whose idea it was to pick her.
"Alright enough! God I don't care." She rolled her eyes.
"It was Franklin's idea we- we didn't want to get involved." The other two now had fingers pointed at Franklin, the one that had grabbed her.
She held her hand up to silence their squabbling.
"Listen up, here's what's going to happen. You three will escort me until you are no longer needed. Then you simply carry on about your day."
All three jaws dropped. She pulled herself from the wall and continued her way toward the hotel. The three followed, one on each side and one behind.
"I'm terribly sorry Mrs. It-it won't happen again."
"You had no idea who I was. I'm not hurt so let's just forget it happened."
"Your husband-"
"-doesn't need to know. I am entirely capable of handling things on my own."
She saw Franklin's eyes widen in shock. He nodded.
They took a few more steps before the cause of her escort's fear materialized in front of them. He was not pleased.
"My dearest, what are you doing roaming without accompaniment?"
She smiled sweetly at him, though his eyes were narrowed at the three with her.
"I simply went for a little stroll and these lovely gentlemen offered to escort me home to ensure I made it safely."
His glare slowly moved to her and she saw it soften. He paused a few seconds before he returned to glaring at the other three.
"I appreciate the chivalry chums, but I can take it from here." He twirled his cane before planting in front of his feet.
They all were too stunned to respond, quickly turning with a simple nod the three practically sprinting down the way they had come.
"You're going to get yourself in some trouble you can't talk your way out of, one day." He fixed her a sideways glare as he took pace beside her. He was still not happy with her.
She gave him an overly sweet smile. "And that's when I'll need you to step in and be all big and scary. For now I have things handled." She turned her gaze back forward, smiling at herself proudly.
"They attacked you, they should be ripped into a million little pieces right now."
She wasn't going to ask how he knew. It didn't matter, she wasn't going to lie about it.
"They didn't know who I was, the second they did, they were tripping over themselves. They're not going to make that mistake again. Besides, they did agree to escort me."
"By your request no doubt." His eyes found her again with a knowing look.
She chuckled. "You're good. I can't keep anything from you can I?"
"Not when it comes to you and your safety, my dear."
She forced a smile onto her face, laughing nervously and swallowing the mild panic that tried rising. She turned to face him, walking backwards. "Just promise me you aren't going to hunt them down later. They were all actually really nice. The only reason you found out-"
"-was because they caused you harm. More than enough of a reason to make an example of them." His glare returned, but it wasn't as harsh as before. He may not like what she did, but he wasn't going to hunt them down. She let out a small breath of relief.
"Very well." He couldn't hold the glare anymore, settling on a simple look of annoyance.
"You know, there is one person I can think of that put me in a lot of pain…"
She turned back to walk beside him but she looked up at him with a cheeky grin.
"Some call him the Radio-"
"-that's enough of that." He scolded her.
"I'm not upset about it, Alastor. I know you would never-"
"- I said that's enough." He turned, glare back to its full force, his eyes darted only for a second down to her chest where the scar was hidden.
He knew exactly what she was referring to. She pressed her lips together. She was really trying to get him to forget about it. No matter how many times she tried to argue he didn't need to hold on to it, he still did. She was never stupid enough to do it, but a small part of her wanted to get herself in some serious trouble to have him swoop in and 'save' her so he could feel like that debt was paid even though she would never hold it against him.
The two continued for a while in silence. She hadn't meant to upset him. She should have known he was not going to be in a humorous mood seeing as she had snuck out only to get herself in trouble. Not that it wasn't something she couldn't get herself out of. She knew he would eventually turn on her again. Looking for why she had felt the need to sneak out, and she needed to prepare a solid lie, because she was definitely not going to mention her thoughts of being pregnant.
"I take it you got what you needed?"
"Hmm?" She hadn't realized she had gotten lost in her thoughts.
"You snuck out with a purpose, I assume you've acquired what you needed, yes?"
"I did."
They continued for a while in silence. He knew her well. She just hoped he hadn't figured out what she went out for.
"What could you possibly need that would require this silly behavior? You know I am more than capable of fetching whatever you need, instead you act like a child, sneaking about."
Ah. There it was.
"You have your secrets, I have mine."
"Secrets? Oh, we're keeping secrets now are we?"
She sighed, her pace slowing as the hotel came into view.
"Alastor." She turned to look at him. "I need this for my own piece of mind. It has nothing to do with you or anything else. Okay? It's just me. Once I've figured it all out I will tell you and we can laugh about it later, but right now I need this."
He eyed her suspiciously before a frustrated breath whistled through his nose. "I don't like this Ellen."
"I don't like being secretive either. I'm not really good at it." She let out a nervous laugh. They would surely laugh at this when she found out she was indeed being paranoid. Her stomach twisted hard. She felt sick. All the nerves were getting to her. The sooner she could pee on one of those stupid sticks the sooner she would find she was indeed being paranoid and the sooner she could get back to being herself.
"My dear are you alright? You've gone rather pale." Alastor had stopped, bent down looking at her, his hand tilting her gaze up to him. She couldn't meet his eyes.
She swallowed her nausea and slowly nodded, her eyes locked onto the hotel that now felt much further away than before.
"I'm fine."
She nodded to herself trying to get her to push through it. She pulled herself free, moving to continue home, though her pace wasn't as relaxed as before.
"You are feeling unwell."
She turned and snapped at him, unsure of where the sudden anger came from.
"I KNOW! I know how I'm feeling Alastor you don't need to tell me. Unlike you, I understand my feelings. I'm a mess and I don't know why. So just...just leave me alone!" She turned and marched her way to the hotel fighting the tears that were threatening to slip down her face.
He was simply looking out for her, as he normally did, he didn't deserve to be yelled at. What was wrong with her?
She pushed the front door open and stormed through the lobby. She didn't bother greeting Husker, heading straight for her room. Alastor didn't follow her. Not even his shadow dared to follow.