Charlie woke up with a long, relaxing stretch the following morning. When she opened her eyes, she forgot where she was until she felt the bandage over her left cheek. The blonde damsel scanned the beautifully decorated walls of the palace bedroom. It was rich in all shades of red with gold trimmings and dark mahogany furnishing.

She threw off her covers and stood up with a sigh as she wandered the bedroom on her pale, bare feet. Charlie stopped at a set of ten foot French doors that were on the other side of the chamber, parallel from the entry to the hallway. She pressed her fingers to the glass panes on them as she studied an intricately carved stone balcony on the other side. For a moment, she wondered if all of the guest rooms were this magnificent until a wonderful smell wafted beneath her nostrils. The young blonde became aware of how hungry she was and wondered what time it was.

The sky outside possessed its usual red hue as it did the day before, for there was no sun there.

Charlie skittered about the room until she located a massive, wooden wardrobe. Once she swung it open, she found exquisite clothing and garments lined up on a single rack. The mere thought of keeping anyone waiting in a palace such as this left her uneasy, so she simply chose an outfit without a thought before rushing to the bathroom. The damsel ended up picking a scoop suspender dress in dark violet, paired with a frilled, white, button up blouse to go underneath.

After hastily doing her wavy, blonde bedhead into a loose French braid, Charlie let it rest on her shoulder and hurried to her doorway. The sight she was met with after swinging open her door would have gave any poor soul one hell of a fright. The radio demon stopped in his tracks when he heard her frightened gasp at his bloody attire.

In all truthfulness, at first glance, one might have not noticed the gore coloring his daily red suit. Alastor observed her new look of the day with her utterly appalled expression. His same bright smile was stretched across his face as he straightened his staff beside him. Well, it was only a fitting way for Charlie to start her first morning in Hell. There could have easily been far, far worse sights for her to catch him in.

The King of Hell was the first to speak. "Ah! Good morning! Didn't expect you to be up so early after your arrival yesterday. Breakfast was put on the table not too long ago. Sadly, I won't be joining you. I had some affairs I had to take care of," he chimed, as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened.

'Maybe it's for the best...' Charlie thought with a slight grimace. It was all she could do to awkwardly smile as she hesitantly nodded. The stag tapped his chin. "As for later, I'll fetch you, so we can discuss the upcoming future in the parlor," he informed in a chipper tone. This had immediately caught her interest. It was about damn time. "I'll see you later, then, my dear." Alastor twisted away from her and proceeded his stride to his room while humming a tune to himself that Charlie did not know.

Her stroll through the corridor after that was a cold one, as she had been reminded who she was truly staying with. Charlie folded her arms, and she suppressed a shiver from crawling her spine. She tried not to think about who Alastor was wearing.

'Maybe it was someone who deserved it...?'

After all, when Alastor had performed his gruesome display of terror in that alleyway, it was strictly to rescue her. He had begun to morph into something much uglier, much darker, and much scarier... The recollection sent a wave of goosebumps across her skin. Charlie had covered her eyes in the nick of time—something told her she would have never been able to unsee anything if she had not.

Nevertheless, the sounds of bodies and limbs being torn apart was enough to scar her alone. She expected to be greeted with nightmares the previous night, but oddly enough, she did not remember any of her dreams. She prayed it would stay that way.

Charlie pinched her eyes shut and viciously shook her head. No one deserved a demise like the one she witnessed, no matter how guilty they may have been. She was not even able to envision a horrid being such as Alastor meeting that bloody of an end.

She abruptly quit walking once she realized that she had no idea where she was. The young blonde spun around to study her environment, but it was merely another corridor that pertained the same appearance as the rest. "Ugh!" Charlie groaned and tugged on her braid. A flicker of movement then caught her eye. She glanced over her shoulder to discover the shadow minion from previous evening peeking out at her from behind a tall china cabinet against the wall. She cocked her head.

"Are you following me...?"

The small minion smiled with its glowing eyes and sailed out from its hiding spot before whirling around her a few times. Its dark form stood in front of Charlie as it folded its hands behind its back. She smiled faintly and bent forward until their eyes were leveled.

Little did she know, a slender figure in the shadows was watching her intently from not too far away. The being rapped his nails against his microphone curiously while he observed with narrowed eyes.

"Hey, you're actually kind of cute," Charlie giggled as she held out her finger to the creature. If air was a fabric, it would have felt like a thin satin that your hand could pass through. The experience brought awe to blonde's complexion. It was something she could feel, but never touch. The radio demon studied her behavior as the two were acquainted. "Do you have a name?" She asked, now sitting on her knees. The cheery shadow nodded. Its black shape instantly streaked across the carpet before her, until there were shadows spelling Otis.

Charlie's lips extended into a wide grin as she held out her hand. "Pleased to meet you, Otis. I'm Charlie," she introduced. Otis looked at it for a moment until he reached out a tiny hand resembling a mitten and wrapped it around her forefinger, giving it a small shake. The action caused Charlie to giggle a second time, at which Alastor could not help but widen his smile to.

He was not used to witnessing such pure interactions. It was a lovely sight to see, watching the damsel's friendly beam take control over her white face as all her worry lines vanished. Fear did not suit his little, blonde guest, that was for certain. Of course, the radio demon adored the fear of others—no, he craved it. Fear fed his massive ego, and it reminded him of all the power he possessed in the seven circles. But that was from his prey and the subjects he ruled from a day to day basis—something that this girl was far from. She was merely a lamb that was fenced up in the middle of the largest slaughterhouse in existence.

Charlie got back up on her feet and placed her hands on her hips. She blew a flyaway hair out her eyes in frustration. "Do you think you can show me the way to the dining room?" She requested. Otis answered with a happy nod before gliding through halls and around the corner. "H-hey, wait up!" She abruptly yelled as she chased after him. As her feminine form disappeared down the corridor, Alastor raised an eyebrow before stepping out of the shadows with his hands behind his back. The lights dimmed, and his grin responded by emitting a low glow of its own.

"Hmm...interesting."

Charlie enjoyed her breakfast like she had with her meal the previous evening. There were pancakes and syrup on the table, accompanied with sausage, grits, scrambled eggs with seasoning and ham, as well as biscuits, and gravy with a glass pitcher of cold whole milk. It was obviously enough to feed a dozen souls, but with her as the only guest, one could easily see her host was a splendid one. The King of Hell was generous enough to ensure there was something she would have liked for her first morning in the underworld.

Charlie's mouth watered at the sight. There were so many selections, so many choices; she hardly knew where to begin. She stacked her plate with more than what she could handle, but she ate at least a couple of pancakes, a handful of the sausages, a couple of biscuits with honey, and a fried egg. She was relieved that she was not in the presence of royalty. When she was done, she pushed her plate away and sighed heavily. Charlie was full to the brim and decided that perhaps she would return to her bed.

She glance at the clock on the wall, and it was only seven thirty. Yes, she was definitely going to take a brief nap. Just as the blonde got up to her feet, Alastor unexpectedly popped his head in through the opening to the dining hall. "I see you are done with breakfast!" Charlie jumped at his spontaneous arrival, all while stubbing her toe on her dining chair. She yelped and stumbled face first toward the carpet, but somehow, she landed into a pair of red arms.

Despite being six feet away, the radio demon had managed to break her fall effortlessly. "Good golly! Are you alright, darling? That was quite the tumble," he remarked. Charlie squinted from the throbbing pain in her pinky toe—she was too busy shaking her foot to notice that she was so close to Alastor. It occurred to her that she never thought to put on a pair of shoes over her sheer, black tights.

The damsel had never worn shoes around at her old home, so naturally, she didn't wear any to wander around the massive palace. She made a mental note to do so from now on. Charlie eventually opened her eyes and saw her hands were pressed up against Alastor's chest, and that his own were carefully gripping her upper arms. This time, he was wearing a new outfit of the same crimson suit that was completely absent of blood.

When her big orbs gradually drifted up to his bright red ones, her cheeks instantly flushed to a shade matching that of his jacket. Charlie immediately hopped a step back and shyly averted her gaze. Alastor straightened his tinted monocle and chuckled. "Would you like some ice for that?" He offered.

She swiftly shook her head, then brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "No...I'll be fine..." She mumbled into her long braid. Her entire demeanor reminded him of a small child. As a matter of fact, the girl's entire personality resembled one, now that Alastor thought about it. The blonde could be wild and energetic at her best, and her shy attitude she had while playing with her hair was constant, whether she was upset or unsure over something.

Alastor tilted his head sideways, wondering if all innocents were this way. He shrugged, then snagged Charlie by the elbow with his own as he led them to the parlor. "Come now, sweetheart! I think it's about time we get this conundrum out of the way. Don't you agree?"

"Wait, really?" She asked hopefully.

"Why, of course!"

When the two had entered the parlor, Alastor parked her yet again into his usual seat by the unlit fireplace. He stood before her as he cleared his throat and summoned his staff. He twirled it about, then propped it on the ground beside him with his fingers loosely grasping it. "So, here's the deal! I chatted with the higher ups, and they would love to have you!" Charlie's eyes lit up with excitement as she squished her cheeks with her fists. "Really?! So, I can still go??" She squealed.

"Correct!" Alastor replied, holding up a forefinger with his free hand. "BUT—" The radio demon was suddenly inches from her nose as his gaze darkened, his voice becoming absent from all static. "You cannot sin for a week. Not once." Charlie's eyes widened as she shrank back from his ominous tone that had lowered without warning.

Alastor zipped to his original spot with a cheerful grin as he regained his usual composure. "You see, dearie, those celestials will only accept you for as long as a week," he explained. "After that, they decided your soul will be 'tainted,' as they called it. After all, nothing like this has ever happened before. So, if you sin during that time frame, they won't take you back. The thing is, judgement was created only for your life—not your afterlife, if that's makes sense."

Charlie hesitantly tapped her fingers on the velvet cushioned arms of the seat as she processed everything. "Sooooo...you're saying...that I can't sin because they won't judge me twice? But why?"

"Exactly! It's because a mistake such as this doesn't happen every millennia!" Alastor remarked, dramatically pointing his finger at Charlie. She frowned at his choice of words.

'Great, so now I'm a mistake?'

Her shoulders slumped in the chair as she stared at her purple dress. She did not like the way things were sounding anymore. "So, to sum it up, even the smallest of sins in the afterlife can turn your perfect, little soul impure in their eyes," the deer finished, his hand doing the trademark Italian symbol.

Charlie jumped to her feet and threw out her arm. "Then why don't they just take me now?" She demanded. "Why should they wait an entire week for me to screw up or even die? Is this some sort of stupid test?!" Her voice rose to a shout until her hand drifted to her side, her fist loosening.

"I-I just...feel so helpless down here," she spoke softly. Charlie collapsed into the armchair in defeat, her expression turning grim. Alastor watched her with newfound interest and took a few steps toward her quickly, his dress shoes clicking on the floor. He robotically patted her shoulder twice. "There. There. I assure you, nothing can harm you on these grounds but me," he calmly soothed.

Charlie slowly rotated her head over her shoulder until she met his gaze. Despite his poor choice of words, Alastor's toothless grin was kind, and she could tell he truly did not mean her harm. She whipped her head away and crossed her arms. "You need to work on your pep talks," she muttered. The stag's long, fuzzy ears twitched, easily catching every word.

The King of Hell chortled to himself, static thick in his voice. Charlie opened her eyes, and for the first time, Alastor did not seem so frightening. "Trust me, I have no beneficial reason to hurt you. Besides! I could never dream of maiming an innocent. Hell is for the sweet torment of the scum of the earth." His voice was almost peaceful until it darkened with sinister pleasure in his last words.

Charlie cringed and lifted his hand that remained on her shoulder, dropping it like it was dirty laundry. "Righhhhht," her voice dragged out. Alastor nodded his head with a widespread smile. "Yes, indeedy!" He confirmed, ignoring her discomfort.

"Any who, let's move on to rules!" He announced as he wacked his microphone into his free palm in order to seize her attention. He strode to directtly in front of the young blonde and rested his elbow onto his staff. "Now, like we already discussed, no sinning. Also, no leaving the premises. I won't stop you from doing so, but I highly discourage it, and I'm sure you can put two and two together on your own."

Charlie shrugged. That sounded easy enough.

Alastor straightened his posture, tightening his grip on his staff. "Also one more thing," he added, the static fading from his voice again. Charlie immediately tensed as she braced herself for another intimidation tactic of his. But he didn't come any closer.

"Please, do stay out of the east wing. I mean it."

She reluctantly nodded. "Good girl!" He abruptly chimed, giving the blonde a quick pat on the head. The abrupt flip-the-switch attitude of his had surprised her for the umpteenth time, and his contact made her stiffen. It was going to take Charlie a while to get used to that sort of behavior. "Although, I will admit this is all quite the hassle, it'll certainly liven things up around here!" Alastor laughed and snatched her by wrist before yanking her up to his level.

She gasped as he twirled her around under his arm. "This will be a new form of entertainment, yet, darling," the radio demon crowed.

"How so...?"

"Why, a never before dispute between realms all over an innocent, young girl? I don't know what can be more entertaining than that!" Alastor announced with glee. Charlie sulked and stared at the lush, burgundy carpet. "Gee, thanks." Knowing that the King of Hell took pleasure in her own emotional suffering was just swell. Although, that statement should not have been all that surprising.

He swatted his hand at her glum composure with a chuckle. "Oh, dearie, don't take it personally. I seldom see any action these centuries, so I now have you to thank for that!"

Charlie let her view wander around the room along with her thoughts. "Are you the only one that lives here?" She asked.

"The one and only!"

She put a finger on her lip and met Alastor's deep crimson eyes. "Don't you ever get lonely in this huge palace all by yourself?" For if he was truly as bored as he made it sound, surely he longed for company sometimes?

The inquiry had certainly caught him off guard. Why would she care? Alastor threw his head back with a hearty laugh at her ridiculous words. "Of course not!" He lied. "That's wacky nonsense!" Charlie leaned her head to the side and gazed at him strangely. Well, he was a demon. Did he not possess sentimental feelings as humans did?

The observation shifted from an odd one into something sadder. It was something she could not explain, but it was hard to picture someone not having anyone or anything that they held closest to them, much less not even needing those things. She pondered if anyone had ever given a damn about the all powerful radio demon.

Charlie was not aware she was frowning until Alastor pinched both of her cheeks, trying to pull the corners of her lips apart. Although, this time his grip was less harsh than it was the past night. "Smile, darling! Why the long face?" When she came to, she mildly blushed as a docile smile encased her black lips. "Um, n-no reason," Charlie stammered slightly. She wrapped her fingers around Alastor's gloved hands and gently pulled them off of her face. Their eyes locked onto one other's for a moment, and for a spilt second, Charlie's heart skipped a beat.

Alastor was bemused. His wide eyes stared at her bright ones cluelessly, for he had not the slightest idea of what was going on. Her warm grasp around his hands felt strange and different, and it was making him act like a deer in headlights. It was not a bad different, though, it was actually kind of nice...

He tore himself from her gentle hold and folded his hands neatly behind his back. "I have some things to take care of, if you'll excuse me," Alastor claimed as he dismissed her actions. "I'll be in my study." Then his stride carried his thin form out of the parlor.

Charlie stayed in place while her focus drifted to her hands. Recalling how his hands felt in hers made her feel...peaceful. She almost wanted to do it again.

"What was that?" She uttered to herself.

As Alastor paced throughout the halls with his staff, he studied his hand. Why did he freeze like that? And why in the hell did he allow the damsel to touch him to begin with? He never even seized chance to reprimand her. 'That was peculiar,' he wondered to himself. It was apparent she was only trying not to disrespect him by grabbing him too fast or harshly, but it felt like there was something else to it. Not the girl's intentions, but what she did.

Alastor could not quite put his finger on it. It was as if something unseen had been exchanged. His guest's tiny, porcelain hands di did not quite fit all the way around his—it was nearly...entertaining? No, not that. It was as if the word did not exist in his vocabulary.

'Sweet...?'

Alastor halted in his tracks and released a raspy sigh of annoyance. 'No, no, no, no. It's all wrong. Why the hell am I dwelling on this anyway?' He proceeded his brief trek to his destination, occasionally traveling through shadows once or twice to get there faster. While it was time saving, he preferred his occasional walks for either exercise or clearing his mind. When the stag arrived at the door, he swung it open and made a beeline to his desk. The radio demon then unbuttoned his jacket before sliding it off to hang on the back of a cardinal, French chair made of velvet.

Once he tore off his gloves and tossed them on his desk, Alastor sat down, then pulled out a top, center drawer and retrieved a Cuban cigar. With a snap of his finger, he lit the end with a flame at the tip of his forefinger when he was finished getting comfortable.

After inhaling his first breath, Alastor exhaled a steady stream of smoke as his discolored hand reached for the ear piece of his antique, candlestick telephone that stood off to the side on his desk. He tucked the cigar in between his teeth, then dialed with his other hand. "This one is going to be just dandy," he retorted to himself.

When the other line picked up, Alastor brought the stand closer to him before resting an elbow on the desk and leaning into the mouth piece that was attached. Using his free hand to take another smoke from his cigar, his grin lengthened when he spoke.

"Alastor speaking. Put Gabe on the line."

His long, uneven nails dug into the cigar, causing ash to fall onto the desk. "Or you can do your damn job and put him on," he answered as venom laced his voice.

'Receptionists.'

"Ah, hello, Gabriel. Thought you would personally like to hear this...Still hot as hell down here, thank you for asking...Right, of course. I have a proposition for you. You're still in charge of family crisis and public relations, are you not?" Alastor proceeded, taking a puff of his cigar whenever he was waiting for a response. "Yes, that's right. Let's make a deal..." He trailed.

"Oh, I think you'll want to hear this one," he chuckled. "Now, now. No need to raise our voices. You agreed you wanted the poor gal back, correct? Well, you can have her...for a price." The widest shit eating grin spread across Alastor's face. "Oh, it's quite simple, really. First, I suggest you cease the exterminations. Second—lower your tone, have you always talked to Mary with that mouth?...And why would I tell something everyone already knows?...Calm yourself. You're getting off topic."

Alastor sighed while gritting his teeth and dipped his cigar on an ivory ash tray. "...Because it's my own damn business. I don't need a bunch of featherbrained cherubs to flutter down, every year, to do my job for me. This is not the Precious Moments. Keep your noses in your own affairs, and I'll do the same...What will I do? I will tell you what I will do. I will keep the girl for all eternity. How does that sound?"

Sooooo how was that? I wrote this all almost in one go so honestly I have no idea how this is. You writers know how that goes....(￣▽￣;)

In case you haven't noticed, but these chapters are themed by Billie Eilish songs. You don't have to listen to the soundtrack for the chapters, but it will be highly recommended for future chapters.

BUT thanks for reading! Pls vote or comment to help support the story ^^ Hope you liked!

~ Sapphire out