Alastor's POV

A few days have passed since the incident in the alley way...Aria is despondent.

Whenever we're just relaxing or out she has this far away look in her eyes.

And she looks sad...

I'm trying everything I can to cheer her up. I know she must feel...not the best...after what happened.

It was a traumatic experience.

I know I shouldn't have been as gruesome as I was when disposing of those men, but they seriously pissed me off.

Shooting me in the head? While my back is turned? That's just foul play, not fair or fun for anyone.

And when I saw them with her at the end of that alley way, something in me snapped. There was no sparing their lives after that moment.

They were going to execute her.

For what reason? What could the motive be...that makes no sense to me.

"Alastor..."

Her little voice pulled me from my thoughts and I looked up from my book that I'd long since stopped paying attention to.

"Yes, dear?" I responded and the look on her face was killing me.

Her eyes lost their brightness, her mouth formed into a soft frown. I shut my book and shifted my body to face her better.

"Can I ask you for something...?" She said softly, and I got up, making my way to the couch where she was sitting. She was nervously picking at her fingers, and bit her lip.

I took my place next to her, and her eyes fell.

"Of course you can, sweetheart, anything you want," I said and took one of her hands in mine. She held onto my fingers and I could feel her pulse through her fingertips.

"C-can you...kill me? Please?"

If glass didn't shatter in that moment, it sure as hell sounded like it did. Perhaps it was just my heart.

I just stared at her, wondering if I heard her correctly. She looked up and met my eyes, her expression nothing short of scared and just so sad.

"...what?" I said, barely above a whisper.

"Please..." she whimpered, "I'd rather be down in hell with you...I'm so tired of being paranoid every time I leave the house..." her voice started shaking and I felt saddened by the sound.

"And if the world wants me dead so badly, I'd rather you be the one to do it..." she said shakily, tears welling up in her eyes.

I shook my head, "Aria, honey, no...I won't kill you," I cupped her cheek and made her look up at me, "the world doesn't want you dead...look at you, look how pretty you are, look how many people love you..." my voice came soft and I brushed away the tears from her eyes as they started to fall.

She shook her head, and then her lip quivered before she put her head down and started sobbing softly.

"Nobody loves me..." she said through her cries, and that felt like a sword straight through my heart.

I pulled her close to me and her arms wrapped up around my torso. I rubbed her back, and let her cry.

"Yes they do, honey...people love you...Eliot loves you...Jessica loves you...Mrs. Ida loves you..."

I love you...

"You don't want to leave all of them behind, dear...trust me, hell isn't all that great," I chuckled softly and she sniffled. Her crying had quieted to little hiccups.

She was quiet for a second and I shifted, pulling her into my lap.

I put my chin on her head and sighed, "tell me...why do you think the world would want you dead?" I asked her quietly and she sniffled.

"W-why else would someone pay to have me murdered," she whimpered and I tensed.

Excuse me...?

"What? Aria, what are you talking about?" I said and she shook her head.

"Gary and Emmet...s-someone paid them to kill me...Gary said so..."

Oh...oh, that pisses me off...

I took a deep breath, and shut my eyes. Suddenly, I wish I'd kept them around just so I could've torn that information from them before crushing their sternums.

"Well...if that's so, sweetheart, whoever it was will just have to try and kill you themselves. I hope they do, because I'd personally like to introduce them to every form of torture imaginable," I growled slightly and, to my utter joy, Aria giggled.

"You'd do that for me?" She asked in a mock flattered tone. I pulled her up slightly so I could look at her.

"Well, of course I would!" I responded and she giggled again. The noise was like music to me and I positioned her in my lap to where she was facing me, her legs on either side of me.

I used my thumbs to wipe the remainder of the tears away from her eyes, and I was pleased to see they had gained a bit of their shine back.

After I did that I squished her cheeks, and she rested her hands on my chest, just looking down at me. Her lips puffed out cutely and I chuckled.

"Do you feel better, my darling?" I asked her, moving my hands down to rest at her waist.

She nodded, a small smile on her face.

"Thanks...you're the best," she said, and I lowered my eyelids and smiled wider.

"Tell me something I don't know, sweetheart," I quipped and she rolled her eyes heavily.

"You are such a fucking tool," she grumbled but then smiled.

She glanced at my lips then and I did the same to her. Those lips...soft, pillowy.

She leaned forward slowly, and I did as well. Our lips connected and I sighed softly. There was a moment of those gentle kisses before I wanted more.

I passed my tongue across her bottom lip and she opened her mouth slightly. I growled and slipped my tongue into her mouth.

She tastes so good...such dangerous territory, because she has a taste that I crave. I just can't get enough.

Her little moans only motivated me, and I pulled her hips forward in my lap.

That earned me a gasp followed by a whine.

There we go...forget those nasty little thoughts in your head, dear...

I'm right here to replace them.

Each kiss and each movement she melted further against me. I was rubbing her sides, coaxing her gently into a calmer state of mind.

My fingers trailed down to the hem of her shorts, and I tugged. As soon as she lifted up to allow me to take them off, she gave me the permission I was silently asking for.

Discarding the shorts, I kept kissing her.

By the time I'm finished with her, she won't even remember why she was upset.

I moved my hand between her legs and rubbed up and down against her heat. She's already producing that moisture...good.

Her soft whines were only fueling my want to touch her. Using my pointer finger claw, I sliced her underwear open to give myself access.

She gasped and pulled away from the kiss.

"You bastard..." she said breathlessly, her eyes barely open. I didn't have time to respond before she was kissing me again.

I smiled against her lips, shifting into my human form before coating my fingers in the wetness seeping from her core.

She broke the kiss and rested her forehead against mine, panting softly. My eyes widened when her hands wondered down and started undoing my belt.

I used my free hand to stop her, still just teasing her with my fingers rubbing against her sex.

She looked at me, confused. Her eyes were dazed and her nose was covered in a deep blush. I'll admit, the sight before me is making me feel very excited.

But I want to be able to focus fully on her.

"Ah ah, dear...no touching me, I want to be able to focus on pleasing you," I cooed at her and she reluctantly pulled her hands away from my belt, resting them back on my chest.

I smiled at that, and then pushed my fingers into her once I was satisfied that they were lubricated properly.

She gasped and her face scrunched slightly, her hands gripping at the fabric of my shirt. She tucked herself against me, putting her head into my neck.

I used my free hand to rub her back and brush out her hair, pumping my fingers in and out of her at a steady pace.

She was soft inside, and warm. Her muscles would tighten every now and then, followed by a muffled moan.

After about two minutes of this, she started panting breathlessly, and locked her lips against my neck. I chuckled at that, and then sighed as she began sucking on my skin.

I'll allow myself that small pleasure.

By now she was dripping, the sweet liquid coating my hand. The soft wet noises were like music to me, but I think they were embarrassing her.

She pulled away from my shoulder, and covered her mouth, still whining softly. My smile widened at the sight, and I used my thumb to press hard against her clitoris.

I started rubbing little circles and immediately she tightened around my fingers. Her breathing increased and her eyes shut tightly.

"Alastor..." she whimpered through her hand, and then her body shuddered. Her grip on my shirt tightened and she removed her hand from her mouth, only to make my eyes widen when she shoved her lips onto mine.

She kissed me roughly, and I chuckled against her lips before speeding up the little circles I was massaging against her. A low, protective growl rolled through my chest and I closed my eyes, furrowing my brows in concentration.

And finally I felt her constrict around my fingers, making it nearly impossible to move. She gasped and then moaned into the kiss.

I wrapped my arm around her, holding her close to me as I continued massaging her clit with my thumb. Her legs quivered and then warm liquid started dripping out of her.

After a few more seconds of her moaning into my mouth, she started kissing me again. Slowly I pulled my fingers from her, and she sighed softly. Her entire body collapsed into me and she broke the kiss, tucking her head back against my shoulder.

I chuckled at that, feeling her small body heave as she caught her breath. I brought my fingers to my lips and licked off the excess fluid.

Then I ran my hand through her hair and started humming. She slowly relaxed against me, her arms wrapped securely around me.

Eventually her breathing evened out, and she fell asleep on my chest.

**

A/N: A little bit of sad and a little bit of smut...perfectly balanced, as all things should be.