Almost by instinct, Alastor's hands gripped Isobel by the shoulders. His fingers sunk into her soft skin, fingernails gouging red grooves. His senses had yet to return and he didn't know what to do. He wanted to embrace her and shake her, kiss her or wrap his claws around her throat. He needed to do something to confirm she was real, not a mirage or an illusion sent to bewitch him.

He pulled her close bringing her face to face and half way out of the bed. But before he could muster any words another pair of hands reached out of the gloom and clasped around his wrists. Impossibly strong, the hands pried Alastor off Isobel and grappled with him in the dark.

With a click, a lamp came to life illuminating the room in a rusty orange glow, revealing one of those automatons in the likeness of that clown imp from Lust. This one was in the shape of a female with a red jester hat, candy striped legs, and a painted smile that rivaled Alastor's own.

Isobel thrust herself between the two, grabbing at their hands and stopping the scuffle.

"Stop, stop," she exclaimed at the automaton. "Kitty, it's fine, stop."

The mechanized imp instantly released her grip on Alastor and retreated a few steps. It became very still as if she had powered down, however, he made a mental note to be wary of it. Isobel then rounded on him.

"What the fuck are you doing here?" she said. He was not expecting her anger and his brain raced to catch up.

"You're not dead," was all he could manage.

"Yeah, I know," she scoffed. "What? Are you here to finish the job or something?"

"How is this possible?"

She sighed heavily. In the harsh light he could now see her plainly. She was gaunt and frail. As she moved she held her right side obviously in pain, but the anger and fire in her eyes was as vibrant as ever.

"Well, shocking as it may be, turns out Enki doesn't know dick about human anatomy. She stabbed me twice but failed to hit me anywhere that would kill me instantly. So I was left to bleed out slowly. And as luck would have it," she said this in a caustic, sarcastic tone. "When the rain stopped, Vox found me and dragged me here."

Alastor hesitated. He remembered Vox that night on the glistening wet street. He remembered his smug expression. That had been months ago.

"You've been here this whole time?" He took a step toward her, to which she backed away. "Why haven't you left? Or sent word?"

"I can't leave," she said sullenly. This did not sound like her.

"Angel has been down stairs almost every night. You could have sent some clue, some notice to him. If you were trapped you know Charlie would have come for you." He crossed the gap between the two of them in a flash and grabbed her by the shoulders again. "I would have come for you."

"I made a deal, Alastor," she blurted out. There was a stunned silence. "I made a deal with Vox, and I can't leave." Her gaze fell to her feet as he released her.

"You sold your soul?"

"No," she said quietly. "Just my body."

A bitter anger suddenly welled up inside of him and a harsh laugh escaped.

"You cannot sell what already belongs to me," he spat.

"Our arrangement was never set in stone," she said miserably. "There was no contract, not even a hand shake, because that's what you wanted, right? You wanted me to wake up every day and choose you, even though I didn't have to. Besides," her expression became stoney. "I think you relinquished any claim on me when you decided to walk away and leave me to die."

It was true. He had walked away. At the time it was a relief. Isobel had grown too influential for him to fully control her, so she had to be eliminated. There was no helping it.

"When Vox found me," she continued. "I had already lost so much blood, completely delirious. I mean, I'm lucky I had the wherewithal to refuse to give up my soul. But to save my life, I was made to sign a contract. Truth is part of me wishes I had the guts to just die." She sneered and shook her head from frustration. "The worst of it is that I'm expected to be grateful to Vox for scooping me out of the gutter."

Alastor's anger had not subsided and he turned to the comforting state of pettiness.

"And how, uh, grateful to him have you been."

Her eyes returned to him glaring a rage he had never seen in her. She was appalled at his insinuation.

"After all you have seen and heard right now, that's what it comes down to? Sex?" She seethed. How very disappointing. "You don't have to worry. Your flag is still firmly planted. That's not what Vox wants from me."

"What exactly does he want from you?"

"My face mostly, I guess." She had spent up all of her energy. She held her side and sat on the edge of the bed, seemingly exhausted. "He wants me to, like, endorse him and the Vees. He wants to use my sudden reappearance to bring all of my followers into the fold. He told me that Kali is still recruiting, so there must be more of them by now. However, mostly," her eyes trailed up to Alastor with a reproachful look. "I think mostly he wants me to embarrass you."

"How?"

"I don't know. Whatever it is, it's supposed to come as a surprise."

"He must want to shock me with your presence somehow. But unfortunately for him, the cat is thoroughly out of the bag. This tactic will fail." He laughed to himself. "How splendid it will be to see the expression on his asinine face when he trots you out. He will be so smug in that moment, but I will not give him the satisfaction of reacting at all. It will completely crush him." Alastor laughed again, filling the room with radio static.

Isobel nodded. "I keep telling him that it'll be pointless. That you're not going to care if I'm alive or not, but he won't listen to me."

His laughter stopped suddenly and he looked down at her as if he had almost forgotten she was there all together. Her sunken eyes were downcast and a quiet, lonely tear ran down her cheek.

"Isobel," he said as he knelt in front of her. But she put out a hand keeping him at arm's length and looked away.

"I'm glad you won't be a victim of his stupid scheming." She stood and flicked the tear away. "You should leave now, before anyone finds you here."

She was trying to put space between them, but something inside compelled him to broach that distance. He felt the urge to reach out to her, comfort her.

"I will find a way to free you from this place." He smiled and took a long lock of her hair in his hand, but to his surprise she jerked away.

"Don't bother," she said walking toward the door.

"But I…"

"You'll what?" She whipped back toward him, fury clouding her features. "It should have been you," she said loudly. "Whether dead or alive, you should have been the one to pull me from the pavement. But instead you just left." Tears now flowed freely. "You left me there. It was the last thing I saw as I lay dying, you disappearing… like it meant nothing."

In her anguish she pushed him and beat fists against his chest. She wanted to hurt him. She wanted him to feel just a fraction of what she went through every waking moment, but knew with great frustration that she lacked the strength.

"So what exactly are you taking me away from?" She continued to rage. "You're saving me from being a pawn for the Vees so I can be one for you instead? And how long will it be until you get bored and end me yourself?"

He took her by the wrists as she continued to brawl against him. She fought and struggled. If she kept this up she was going to hurt herself. He clasped both of her arms behind her back and pushed her face down over the bed. He held her tight so she couldn't move as she cried muffled protests into the blanket.

"It is rather obvious that you are upset. And you are acting hysterically." She became still and silent under his force. He could hear her labored breathing and shallow sobs. "I will come back again. After you've had time to calm down."

He released her wrists and Isobel bolted around, but he had already escaped back to the shadows.

Alastor was gone.