By The Light Of The Blood Moon

Stranger Than Fiction

Once the sun was up and the world in hell was waking, Alastor put on his best smile and left his room. He stopped briefly at Angel's door, listening for any movement inside, but it seemed quiet. He was probably still asleep, poor thing, it had been such a long night and Alastor didn't want to wake him, but he was also simply aching to see him. He would normally have slid under the door for a moment as a shadow, but he was afraid of being caught exiting again, which really would not have made a great impression on Charlie, and also, there was the matter of it being daylight now and other people might notice. He decided he would chance a small knock and if there was no answer he would simply catch Angel in a bit, no harm done. 

He had knocked, but still heard no movement inside, so he straightened his jacket and continued down the hall. As he rounded the corner at the stairs, he could hear Angel talking to someone below. He must have been outside with his pig already. Of course, thought Alastor. But then he heard a louder voice shouting something. Alastor snapped his fingers and went immediately to the source of the sound, appearing next to Angel Dust, who was holding Fat Nuggets and none other than Valentino shouting at Angel to stop walking away and come speak to him now. Infuriated, Alastor stormed over to where Valentino was standing, only for Val to try to outrun the stronger demon. 

"You fool!" shouted Alastor, his antlers already rapidly spreading, "I'm a deer demon you dullard! You can't outrun me." He gave chase across the street, then, stopping, snapped his fingers just prior to several dark tentacles sprouting from the ground and wrapping themselves around Valentino's legs. Alastor strolled over to Valentino, who seemed very agitated at having been caught, and without a word he moved his hand, suspending Val in midair and pulling him right back over to the hotel. "Oh Chaaaaarlieee!" he called out cheerfully, as though he hadn't just been on the verge of homicide. "We have a guest, Charlie!" 

He left Val upended and suspended in the air, following helplessly behind as he entered into the front door of the hotel, Angel Dust standing in the back garden quietly saying "What the fuck was THAT?" 

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Once Valentino, Charlie, and Alastor were in the office, Valentino now being upright and seated, although still bound up tightly by the shadowy tentacles, Charlie began the impromptu meeting. 

"So nice of you to join us, Valentino" smiled Charlie. "I was going to come visit you, but you saved me the trouble!" The only person in the room that managed to smile more than Charlie was Alastor, which made Valentino very nervous. 

"The pleasure is all yours." he spat furiously. "Can you get these fucking things off of me?" he demanded.

"No, I am afraid we can't" said Alastor dryly. "We have some questions and you are going to answer them" 

"Ha." he said with a sneer. "Not if I don't wanna. Eldritch powers or not, I only talk if it suits me." he bragged. 

"It will suit you very well, my dear" growled Alastor. "Or maybe you might like to see what life can be like after your second death, perhaps? We still have unfinished business from last night." Alastor simply smiled a little wider and waited until it registered to Valentino that this was not an empty threat before looking back to Charlie.

"Right." she said, eyeing Alastor nervously. "So. Val. Spill. What was the deal with the dance last night? What happened when Al and Angel danced?" 

Valentino was laughing. It started as a little snicker, but ended up as a maniac, although Charlie and Alastor didn't seem to be amused in the slightest. "You are some thick motherfuckers, you know that, right?" 

Alastor stood up. "Well, Charlie," he said with an eye roll. "It looks like we are done here. Shall I take him outside to make cleanup easier, or shall I do it in the lobby to set an example?" he stopped, as if considering his options. "Oh! I know." he said excitedly, his grin growing exponentially, "I can broadcast it, just like the old days! Wouldn't that be swell? I think I love that idea the best!" Alastor was clearly quite excited about the whole business, which made Val look to Charlie for help. She just waved them off with her hand. 

"Meh. If he isn't going to talk, I don't care what you do with him." She looked from Val to Alastor and then smiled sweetly "Have fun, boys!" she said. 

"Wait, Wait WAIT!" yelled Val, his voice raising by at least an octave. "I can tell you what happened just call him off!" 

Charlie looked up at Val and then to Alastor "Let's see what he has to say, Al." Alastor looked seriously disappointed, but he leaned against the door frame, pausing his exit long enough for Val to speak.

"I swear to Satan, you're as fucked up as he is!" cursed Val

"HEY!" Charlie shouted, her features momentarily changing to her demon form, "That's my dad, you asshole. Watch your damn mouth." 

"Sorry." he said "Habit. Anyway, last night"

"Yes," said Alastor, losing patience "about last night. What do you know"

"It was announced at the dance, ya know" said Valentino "you were all too busy with the cameraman to notice." 

Charlie held her hands out in exasperation "And?!?" 

"The blood moon curse. Does nobody here know what it is?" Val sounded both exasperated and incredulous. "At the stroke of midnight, at the blood moon ball, the moon will choose one couple and their souls are knitted together. They become soulmates. Forever." He looked up at Alastor, angrily. "That was supposed to be MY dance with Angel, not yours, Deer Boy. It was supposed to be ME!" 

Alastor fell into the chair behind him, a myriad of thoughts running through his head. Was the curse the only reason that he had these feelings? He had been so caught up with the idea that he might have finally found love that it actually hurt to think that it hadn't just been love between the two of them. 

That explanation did, however, explain why the feeling had been so much stronger since the dance last night. So now, he was going to need to have Angel by his side forever? He had become a little more at ease with the idea of love, but that was when it had been his idea. If this was something that he hadn't had a choice in, did that change things? He needed to think about this. He needed to be alone for a minute, and so of course, now is the time that Angel decided to walk into Charlies office. 

"What, and I cannot stress this enough, the FUCK is going on here?!?" he demanded, seeing Alastor disheveled in a chair, Charlie with mouth agape, and Val, suspended by shadow tentacles and looking as if he was having a stroke.