AN: It's finally here! Enjoy this one guys I had fun writing it.

Cheers!

Alastor spent a good week scattering Roger around the forest as he continued his scenic wandering. He was starting to wonder if he should have started heading south, seeing that that was likely the direction he would find Ellen and his shadow, who had yet to return. He would admit, he was starting to miss the little guy. The little duck in his pocket became something he found his hand being drawn to more as the days dragged on. It wasn't a comfort thing, not at all, he was fine being on his own, he had been for a good portion of his life and a majority of his afterlife. It did seem to bring a soothing, almost calming effect though.

By the time two weeks had gone by he was wondering if he should simply just summon the shadow back to him. Since his arrival in Hell he had it with him almost always, the rare occasion he sent it out to keep an eye on someone. But it had never been away this long. He wondered if it was enjoying its time away.

He let out a sigh before turning southward. It would be so much easier to travel in shadow, a luxury he never realized he had until it was gone. How did he manage walking about everywhere before he died? Of course he bussed mostly but out here that wasn't an option either. Is this what normal sinners had succumbed to, walking everywhere? It was exhausting and time consuming and the scenic views had started to become boring and repetitive. He still enjoyed the night though, the stars and nightlife still being a relaxing and peaceful view.

He was no longer close to the road he was following before, since his encounter with Roger it was best he not be seen in the area and it would make his scattered bits more difficult to find. The long silence and lack of distractions did give him lots of time to get lost in his thoughts. Usually it was good, bringing up memories of his time with his mother, reminiscing about his time alive, something he tried very hard to ignore while in Hell. But there were a few occasions he found his mind wandered to places he'd rather keep locked up and forgotten, things like how he was going to have to start all over in Hell, how he had almost killed Ellen and lost their son in a deal of all things. Something he was supposed to be unmatched in. How ignominious.

Mostly he found he was stuck thinking about the conversation he had with the king of Hell, the one that flipped so quickly and lost him his chance of making a deal with the short devil.

"And when she finds out you played her like any other sinner here?"

Was it not a morally good thing to put others above oneself? It was something he knew Ellen would do and likely accept in time. He couldn't lie at the time, and even now if he were asked, his answer wouldn't change.

Sure it was an unpleasant thought that she would likely never forgive him for such a thing, but it's not like they had another choice. It was Charlie that was the hopeless optimistic, not him. It was foolish to believe this would end happily, not for him at least and as much as that brought a strange ach to his chest, he knew it was what would be best for her. She did not belong in Hell, no one would choose to be there if given the choice, well aside from him and probably a few others, but definitely not her.

So how come when asked, he said this was what was best for him? Did he want her gone? No, he was certain she would be missed like he missed his mother. Did Lucifer know something he didn't?

His walking paused as he let the thoughts sink in. Did she want to go to Hell? Sure she loved him, but to damn yourself to an eternity in Hell seemed an impossible ask no matter how much he wanted that. He knew better than to assume he knew her thoughts, so this was not something he could answer no matter how long he pondered it.

He took a few moments to take a look at his surroundings in hopes of finding something to clear his thoughts.

More forest like he had been wandering the past however long he had been here for. He was about to shift from his human form when a screeching had him spinning on his heels. Something was darting toward him at a remarkably fast speed. It took a few seconds for him to realize what it was and a smile broke across his face.

MASTER! I FOUND HER!

It shouldn't be possible for his corporeal counterpart to tackle him, but he did stumble back a few steps as it latched back to him. He watched as it circled around him excitedly.

"And you've made certain it's her?"

Very certain. She has an old radio in her room too!

"Interesting." It seemed he had rubbed off on her as well. Or maybe she knew he would reach out through the airwaves. He was going to have to see what she had chosen to be her reminder of him.

He slipped from the human form into his comfortable one, summoning his staff giving the head a few taps. He had never tested the range of his abilities further than the pride ring of Hell. Perhaps he should move closer before trying to reach her, it would also take a bit of concentration to find her radio in particular.

"Alright, lead the way then, I've had my fill of these woods."

His shadow pulled him into the familiar darkness and the two took off, he had never been more grateful to be traveling in shadow.

He and his shadow made distance quickly reappearing in a city just as the sun was starting to set. He made sure to reappear in his human form, but still carried his staff giving it a few taps watching as the top emitted a green glow. His smile widened as he searched the airwaves looking for a particular voice. It took a few minutes and a few pointed looks at his shadow who kept asking if he had found her yet, but he did find a few staticky voices from a house that was likely a few blocks away.

"This is a lot of work for just a few hours out on the town." He was fairly certain this voice belonged to Ellen.

"Oh no, girl. I have the whole night planned. I got a hotel booked close by so we don't have to worry about driving downtown. It's been forever since we had a sleepover and I booked the next two days off work so there is no excuse not to go hard tonight." This was another female voice but Alastor didn't recognize it.

"Julie…you gotta stop booking all these days off for me."

"Well when else am I going to use them Ellen? It's not like I have anything exciting happening in my life. Unlike you."

"Yeah, well it's not by choice exactly." Ellen muttered.

Alastor smiled, turning to his shadow. "I concur. It's her."

His shadow grabbed him, sinking back into shadow before popping up in the backyard of a house. His shadow waved him around toward the front where they watched two women step out and Alastor was not proud to admit his eyes bugged out at the sight.

He didn't know why he expected her to look differently when he finally found her. Of course she looked the same, though he would admit seeing her dressed up was a pleasant surprise. Not a perfect rendition of the flappers in his era, but he could appreciate the effort.

He watched them pose for photos before getting into a taxi, he didn't hesitate to follow them as they made their way into a more crowded part of the city. It took a little bit of time to find a spot hidden enough to appear without being seen, but shortly was able to follow the girls into a bar, making sure to keep a bit of distance. He took a seat at the bar scanning the area quickly, finding them seated at a booth not too far away.

He contemplated simply marching right over to make his presence known but thought better. He had never really courted her, circumstances hadn't really allowed them to, so maybe he would turn up the charm a bit and work at wooing her. She clearly had no idea it was him and he was wondering how long it would take her to figure it out, she was smart surely it wouldn't be long.

He ordered himself a drink as he watched the two, taking time to think about his plan of action.

He noticed that Ellen's little friend, Julie if he recalled correctly, had spotted him watching a few times, her smile slowly rising. The place was too loud to be able to clearly hear what they were discussing, but he knew she must have said something to Ellen, her posture straightening for a second before a scowl befell her face. She took a slow sweep of the room, her eyes finding him, though he didn't look away, watching her as she seemed to be analyzing him. She pulled away after a few moments before turning back to her friend.

Ellen rolled her eyes at whatever her friend said before waving to a server to make an order.

Based on the sheer number of glasses on the table he wouldn't be surprised if the two were completely inebriated. This was only going to make the evening more entertaining. He smiled behind his glass of whiskey crossing his leg as he continued to watch the two women. He could tell Ellen was getting restless, never one to be able to sit still for long and while he had only ever really seen her drunk once, the foot tapping to whatever was playing was as clear a sign as any that she wanted to get up and dance or at least move.

Not a minute later did she get up pulling at her friend's arm to join her, the two making it to the dance floor. He thought about going up to steal a dance but he held off simply enjoying her looking like a loony with her friend, an opportunity to see her enjoying herself like she did alone on the roof of the hotel, only here she was with the crowd. He was going to have to steal at least one dance with her this evening while she was so open and loose.

It was surprisingly nice just watching her have a good time with her friend, and it seemed Julie was keeping any other man from getting too close. She was clearly not as drunk as Ellen.

Her friend kept giving him curious looks, side eyeing him as he watched. After a couple of songs he watched as she slipped through the crowd toward him and he put on his best polite smile. He had already watched her chase a few men away so he'd have to be a little extra charming if he was going to get some time alone with Ellen. This friend was keeping a watchful eye on her, almost as much as he was.

"Hey."

He tipped his head to her greeting back, "good evening."

"Want me to introduce you?"

He chuckled, shaking his head, which caused his spectacles to slide down his nose a bit. She was bold, he'd give her that, but that was something he could work with. "No need, I'm certain I will capture her attention on my own."

The woman crossed her arms smiling, an eyebrow raised. "Certain eh? Well good luck, she's a tough nut to crack. And if you pull anything you'll have me to answer to."

Her meager threat was laughable, mere mortals had no idea who they were really talking to.

"Hardly a concern my dear." He watched her expression sour, mouth open to retort but was interrupted.

"Julie!" Ellen hurried over her cheeks pink, though it was hard to know if it was because of the alcohol, the wild dancing or embarrassment. She quickly turned to him, though there was no recognition in her eyes. Maybe if she wasn't so fried, she may have seen it in his.

"I'm sooo sorry sir, my friend issa bit drunk." Ellen slurred as she started pulling at her friend's arm, trying to lead her away.

"I'm not that drunk," her friend mumbled with an eye roll.

Ellen laughed nervously. "Great party, eh?"

Alastor had to bite his tongue to keep from laughing. This was a side of her he hadn't really seen, nervous, almost shy, despite the added liquid courage. Nothing like he had gotten accustomed to in Hell.

"Indeed." He tipped his glass to her as she dragged her friend away scolding her for making her look foolish, though she did no such thing.

Alastor finally turned his attention away from Ellen looking over the rest of the place. It was not a very convincing looking speakeasy. He had been to a few in his time ranging from ritzy clubs to hidden basements and this didn't fit anywhere in between. The stage was barely large enough for a band and they didn't even have a dance floor, just cleared tables and chairs by the stage. Humanity really had fallen to ruin since he had been a part of it.

He didn't really know anything that was being played, though he was glad it was in what Ellen had called the 'electro-swing' genre. It was tolerable.

Though the alcohol had changed much since his time, much smoother and a bit stronger than he was used to. Not a problem, he was always a classy drunk, if he did get to that point, though he had no intention getting that carried away. Though because it was so smooth he found it easy to down, already on his third neat double whiskey. He thought maybe the bartender was a bit heavy handed, but it seemed they all poured three fingers of whiskey when he ordered a double. Something he may ask about later.

His eyes wandered the crowd watching people dance in ways that he could only describe as distasteful. None of the men here seemed to know what it meant to be a proper gentleman. Ellen had laughed when he had asked about the lack of gentlemen here. He could see why. A dying breed it seemed. He shook his head in disgust.

He found Ellen had made her way back to the dancefloor, this time off to the side in a corner by herself and this time without her friend. He quickly downed what was left of his drink before moving through the crowd toward her with a smug grin on his face. She may not recognize him, but with a few well placed phrases, maybe a dance or two it would be undoubtable. He was enjoying the thought of her surprised reaction.

The piece that was currently playing was just wrapping up and his grin turned wicked. With a quick snap of his fingers the speakers started lightly glowing a sickly green, unnoticeable to the untrained eye.

He would show all these degenerates how it was done properly and 'Puttin' On The Ritz ' by Fred Astaire was a good piece to do that too. The people on the floor didn't even seem to notice the change, not that he would have cared anyway. He took Ellen's hand pulling her to him, not giving her a chance to react as the trumpets started.

He did hear a small squeal from the gesture, but as soon as he started leading she effortlessly fell into their normal rhythm, leading her with ease, the two so well practiced she was predicting his next moves. When she finally looked up to see who had swept her off her feet she blinked back a bit of surprise. "Oh."

He grinned down at her flushed face, never faulting in their movements. "Apologies darling, I couldn't resist. You're quite the hoofer, I wanted to make sure you had someone that could keep up."

Her face burned hotter, her eyes now having a hard time keeping to his. He hid a chuckle at her flustered state, he had missed it, something he hadn't done in a while.

"Thank you, though I assure you it's the alcohol," she laughed. "I'm not very good without it."

He knew that wasn't true. He watched her carefully as he pulled her close, so she had no choice but to look up to him, his grin pulled wide. "Well then, I won't lead you astray, you have my word."

Her eyes widened, her body suddenly becoming stiff, though no one would know watching them, he continued to move her across the floor like she hadn't stopped.

It took a few seconds before she recollected herself, though she wasn't as free and loose as before. "Right," she mumbled.

The rest of the dance the two were quiet and he found it odd that she had suddenly shut down. She almost seemed upset, and he didn't know what had caused it. Surely she had clued in by now. The reaction was an obvious sign she recognized the light banter they usually shared while dancing.

When the song finished, she pushed away abruptly, the movement causing her to sway for a second.

"Thank you for the dance, it was great, you're…" Her face turned away from him, though she couldn't hide that her whole face had turned red, even under the dimmed lights. '...You're quite good."

His habits getting the best of him, he bowed, arm sweeping out in front of him. "The pleasure was all mine, my dear."

She attempted a curtsy in response, though it was a bit wobbly. She turned to flee and he knew she had still not put the pieces together. It seemed she was quite oblivious.

He needed to keep her from returning to her friend, where it would be much more difficult to have Ellen to himself again. His gaze shot over to the table to find Julie distracted with her phone. He could work with that.

She only took two steps before he cleared his throat calling after her.

"Your friend seems to be a bit distracted, perhaps you could join me for a bit. I would greatly enjoy the company."

He pulled his grin high, careful not to over do it. He watched as she looked over to the table, her shoulder slumping ever so slightly, before she turned back to him.

"I warn you, I have had too much to filter my thoughts. I will scare you away."

She was having some difficulty keeping her eyes focused on him.

He laughed holding his arm out, which she seemed to cling to almost instinctually. "I don't scare easily."

Alastor slowly made his way back to the seat he left earlier close to the bar holding Ellen tightly. She seemed to be leaning on him a bit and he lightly shook his head amused at how this evening was playing out.

Once he had carefully helped her onto the bar stool (something he was almost sure she would end up falling off of at some point), he took the seat next to her.

He ordered himself another whiskey, only a neat single this time, sipping slowly, back to watching her over the brim of his glass.

She had a silly grin on her face and he watched as her eyebrows knit together as she started looking at him with great curiosity. They stayed like that for a few minutes, the silence not at all awkward, but comfortable. He took the time to really absorb her, his first real good look at her since she died a little over two months ago.

She was just as beautiful as he remembered, her cheeks a little rosier than normal, likely from the alcohol. The distinct pout was an expression he admired fondly, a sign she was putting great care into her thoughts, piecing together every little clue or scrap of knowledge she had to find her answer. He had never really thought about what she would look like with makeup, something she never bothered with while in Hell, but it was done nice enough. He never cared much for the stuff finding she had a more natural beauty, likely something she saw herself. He finally moved to her eyes, a rich warm hazel he found piercing his. It seemed he did indeed love her.

There was a second of pause as he thought about the likely devastation that was inevitable at the end of this all. He didn't want to lose this, to lose her if he could help it. Of course the choice would end up being hers and the thought terrified him. Could he get her to marry him again? Surely that would make it impossible for her to leave, she would be bound to him for eternity, which was what they had originally signed for. This break, shattering of their soul deal wasn't supposed to happen, wasn't supposed to be possible. So maybe it wasn't as crazy of a thought. This time though he would-

"You remind me of someone," she finally admitted.

Alastor let the statement hang in the air for a few moments wondering, once again, if she would connect the dots. Still nothing. He set his glass down realizing she didn't have one.

He knew well enough she hadn't been hydrating well with her drinking and he was not going to spend another night sitting with her on a bathroom floor. It would ruin her night out and he didn't want that either.

"Can I get you anything?"

She plastered an overly wide smile to her face shaking her head. "No, thank you, I am a-okay."

He took a second to watch her before turning to the bartender. "Glass of water my good man."

He slid the glass of water over to Ellen when it arrived before taking a sip of his own drink watching her slowly nurse the water with a whisper of gratitude.

Finally he was ready to pull all the stops. It seems he had no choice.

"Who is it that I remind you of, hmm?"

Her eyes shot up to his, the smile faintly slipping from her face.

"Uh…just an old…friend."

He hummed, crossing a leg, eyes fixed on her face to watch her reaction. He wasn't disappointed. There it was, only for a second was a flash of recognition. He would get her to figure it out and then proceed to tease her about how long it took.

"A good friend I hope."

Her eyes returned to his. "Yeah he was…"

It sounded like she wanted to continue her sentence but stopped herself before she could. Her gaze moved back down, hiding her face behind another few sips of water when she stilled suddenly. Her eyes widened, latching to something on his hand.

"You're married."

Despite the reaction, her voice was calm, no element of surprise or disappointment, simply an observation.

He turned to look at the black ring that he refused to remove. She had to have recognized it. He watched her carefully waiting for her to return her gaze to him before responding. "I am," he started casually. "A lovely dame she is, but has quite the knack for finding trouble."

He learned in closer so they were only a foot apart, chin resting on his fist, his eyes never leaving hers and it seemed she couldn't pull hers from him either. She really was oblivious. His grin pulled to a lazy knowing smile, eyes piercing hers.

"Isn't that right my little doe?" he cooed.

She jolted back with such force she took the stool with her. The stool landed harshly on the floor where she would have followed had he not grabbed her by the waist, holding her securely to him. She stared up at him, her eyes wide in shock.

AN: This week is the week from Hell for me so I may be delayed on my Thursday post. Fingers crossed! Honestly feel like the "This is Fine!' Meme. XD Have a great week everyone!