The silent protector.

***Alastor's POV***

It had taken a few more minutes before she calmed down enough to stop crying. While I was calming her, she was muttering some more words. I did manage to hear some but not all. I heard the words: shade, taken out, and blackout. Letting that go for the moment pull away from her.

I take out a handkerchief and wipe away any stray tears before putting it up to her nose. She looks at me before blowing her nose into the handkerchief. I wipe away the excess snot and incinerate the fabric.

I look down and see her hands are still bloody. The blood had dried at this point. So, I summon a bottle of water and another handkerchief. I help wash the blood off her hands.

She doesn't look at me while I help her with this. She must be in some kind of shock. Once I get the last of the blood off her hands, I incinerate the bloody cloth.

I help her stand and walk her out to the dining table. I have her sit on one of the chairs while I check on Charlie. Before I leave, I notice that she isn't smiling, which is understandable. But at the smile time it truly doesn't suit her.

I tilt her head up to face me.

"Smile darling. You know you're never fully dressed without one." I say to her hoping she does smile for me.

She does. A tiny smile forms on her lips. Sadly, it doesn't last very long as moment later the smile melts back into a frown. She also goes back to looking down. I think that's the best I am going to get right now.

I softly sigh as I leave to find Charlie. She apparently moved the injured demon to a different room. I did manage to find her not long after I began searching. She ushered me into her office to talk.

***Hope's POV***

As I sat at the dining room table, I couldn't help but feel nervous. Questions and worries fill my mind.

Will Charlie punish me? Will she kick me out? Will I have to live on the streets? What will Alastor think? What will everyone else think?

This is bad. Everyone is going to hate me. I feel the sting as tears beginning to build up again.

'Why Shade? Why?' I think in my head.

'I did what I had to in order to protect you. He was going to hurt you. So, I gave him a taste of his own medicine.' She replies back.

As true as that is she went too far.

'Besides it's not like I killed him.' She says to me.

'Wait you didn't kill him?' I ask confused.

'No. He was bloody and unconscious, but still alive.' She says back.

I sigh in some kind of relief. I thought she killed him.

Before I could think more on that Alastor came and told me that Charlie wanted to talk to me. My nervousness rose again. I follow Alastor to Charlie's office. On the way he tells me not to worry. But I can't help it.

Charlie tried to reassure me that I wasn't in trouble. That she was just wanting to know what happened.

"I don't know. I blacked out so I can't tell you." I answer her honestly.

When Alastor mentioned that he heard me mention Shade I tense. Damn it. No one suppose to know about her.

"Hope, Who or what is Shade?" Charlie asks me.

No use hiding her now, I guess.

"I am not sure what she is. The only things I know for sure is she at least tries to keep me safe and that whenever she is in control I blackout. I can't remember anything when she takes over. So, I suppose if you want to know what happened you'll have to ask her." I reply to her question.

"Would it be ok if we did speak with her?" She asks me.

Personally, I rather not have anyone know about her, but here we are. Well, I guess it wouldn't hurt. Charlie and Alastor are stronger than her. So, if she does get out of control, they could get her under control.

"I guess it would." I say before closing my eyes and calling out to her.

She takes over in moments and everything goes black.

***Alastor's POV***

There was a definite shift in the air when Shade takes over. Hope brings an air of kindness, gentleness and politeness. The moment Shade takes over all that is replaced with strength, confidence, and self-assurance. If I didn't know better, I would think this was a different person.

Shade sits in a different position than Hope. While Hope sat more like she believed she was in trouble, Shade with her legs crossed and laid back. The most striking difference I noticed was her eyes.

Hope's eyes change when Shade takes over. Hope's eyes are bright and beautifully full of color with small black slits in the center. Shade's eyes are the opposite. Black as night with small slits of color in the center.

"Hell's most powerful overlord and the princess herself want to talk with me. I feel so honored." She says in a voice that kind of sounds like Hope's, but slightly distorted.

"So, you're Shade?" Charlie asks.

"Yes ma'am. I am." She says to her.

I am not sure what to make of Shade so far. She's so different from Hope so far. Yet I can sense that she is a part of Hope. I'm just not sure what she is though.

"I know that there are things you want to know and don't worry I will give my honest answers." She says smiling.