Warning, sexual content in this chapter.
As expected, a dinner cooked by Alastor was delicious. Cooked and seasoned to perfection with an equally perfect taste. Alastor always did like to cook for people and he loved the smiles that would appear on their faces whenever they tasted his food. It was another gift he had inherited from his mother, a lot of his happiest memories took place in the kitchen where he would help his mother cook a meal. She loved to cook so much, probably because it was the only talent she was allowed to still use after she got married again.
Alastor's stepfather never let Daisy sing or dance or write. He called it a waste of time and that a wife she focus more on cooking and cleaning. Not stupid ass dreams of performing and writing. He also told her that she wasn't even good at it such things anyway. But Alastor and his mother knew better. They just pretended to believe him so he wouldn't hurt them.
"My ma never cooked much." Angel had said during the meal. "She had to work a normal job since the old man was into the business of being criminal. So Molly did most of the cooking and the cleaning and basically anything a stay at home mom would do."
"Did she ever get bored with it?" Vaggie asked.
"Bored?" He chuckled. "Babe being a stay at home mom is anything but boring."
"No kidding." Alastor said. "My mother didn't have a career but she never knew a moment's peace. Cooking dinner, doing the dishes, washing the clothes, mopping the floors, paying the bills, sweeping, dusting, vacuum cleaning."
"And don't forget the most difficult part, looking after the kids." Angel added. "Breaking up their arguments, helping them with their homework, keeping them out of trouble, going to meetings with teachers every time they screwed up at school."
"Your sister did that?" Alastor said.
"Yeah, she went down there dressed like Ma."
"She didn't." Beth said.
"Oh yes she did."
"And your teacher actually fell for it?" Alastor asked.
"Oh come on Al, you know Mr. Jindrake was always a dumb-ass. When he first met your mother and stepfather, he asked them if you were adopted."
"Good point." He grinned. "And lordy did he have it out for you. Ever since you wrote 'Mr. Jindrake sucks dick on the chalkboard.' Ha! Ha! I can still remember his reaction to when he first saw it."
"Who wrote this?!" Angel imitated. "Who wrote this lie?! Never in my entire life have I sucked one single dick!"
Everyone burst out laughing, not even Vaggie was immune to the hilarity of it.
"I still can't believe you actually did that." Beth said. "How did you not expelled for that?"
"Well I written it in the first place because he had called a little queer pervert." Angel said. "And if the board of education had found out a teacher and deliberately insulted a student like that, it would be considered misconduct."
"And you were smart enough to figure that out?"
"Beth!" Alastor scolded.
"No it's okay, I don't actually look all that book smart." Angel said. "But one of the perks of having a criminal for a father is that you spend a lot of time listening to lawyers and learning about the legal system."
"So why didn't you ever try to become a lawyer?" Beth asked.
"Oh come on Beth, me in a suit and tie? That's just not right."
It was around nine o'clock at night when Angel and Vaggie said goodbye and headed back to his apartment. They weren't tired yet so they decided to drink a little and talk.
"You and Alastor sure are close." She said.
"We're as thick as thieves." He replied. "Always have been, always will be."
'Yeah I noticed. But can I ask you something? How exactly does your friendship work?"
"What do you mean?"
"Well he just seems so conservative and you're obviously liberal, so how is it that you never drifted apart? What makes your bond so strong?"
"Well for starters toots, we're not as different as you think. We both grew up in a household of abuse, we both have a sister who we would give up anything for, we both love performing and music, we both have a rebellious streak, and we both struggle to connect with anyone romantically."
"How so?"
"When you grow up in abuse, it makes it hard for you to want to get close to enough new. Especially when you're young. Smiles and I didn't really want to fall in love when we were teenagers, so we avoided it. Albeit in different ways. He avoided it by never dating and I avoided it by only caring about sex. In truth, he's the longest relationship I've had with anyone outside my family. Arguably the healthiest. You know he never treated any different for being a pansexual, something my father and brother were guilty of, and then later he saved my life."
"What do you mean?"
"When I was an addict, I was a living nightmare. I stole money from my siblings, I got into fights, almost stabbed a man for his wallet, soon it got so bad that my brother threatened to call the police on me if my sister wouldn't throw me out."
"Oh my God." She said in horror. "Your own brother did that to you?"
"Yeah, but he was right to make Molly do that. If he didn't then it would only be a matter of time before I would try to stab her to feed my habit. For months I lived on the streets, eating garbage, willing to do anything to get high. I was a dead man walking, then one day I saw a nicly dressed man come out of the supermarket and I tried to mug him. I pulled a knife on him but he disarmed me and knocked me out. When I woke up, I was at his place and on his couch, and I realized that the guy was Al. I was too high to recognize him and I actually tried to kill him."
To this day it still made Angel shudder how far he almost went.
"I almost killed the only person besides Molly who ever gave a damn about me. That's what finally snapped me out of it. I expected to Alastor to call the cops but he didn't. Part of him suspected that I was a lost cause but he still wanted to help me. He could see beneath the filth, the drugs, and the booze. He saw me the way God sees me. So after convincing Molly to take care of Beth for awhile, he got me into rehab and moved in with me to make sure I'd attend every meeting, and he stayed by my side when I went through withdrawl. He talked me down, told me that I was a good person and that I was better than this. Stronger than this. Honestly I don't think I would have been able to get clean without him."
Vaggie suddenly felt a terrible amount of guilt wrap around her heart and squeeze it so tight that she could hardly breathe. That was the kind of man Alastor was? Someone who was so loyal and compassionate that he'd help his drug addicted friend get clean even after he tried to pull a knife on him? Vaggie couldn't possibly help Valentino trap a man like that. She'd never be able to live with herself if she did. Yes she and Husk would be free but their freedom would come at the cost of someone else's. Someone who, unlike them, was wise enough not to fall for Val's tricks. It wouldn't be fair. It wouldn't be right.
"Hey what's wrong?" Angel asked noticing that her eyes were now brimming with tears.
"Nothing." She swallowed a sob. "That's just a really sad and touching story. I don't really meet a lot of people like that in my world. They're all so selfish and dishonest."
"Well at least you're not like that."
"Oh yeah? What makes you say that?"
"Because you hang around a loser like me. No one selfish and dishonest would do that. Well at least, do that and mean it."
"Hey you are not a loser." Vaggie insisted. "You're annoying beyond all reason, but you're not a loser."
"Yes I am. I'm nothing. A worthless piece of shit. That's what my father always said and he's right. Yet for someone reason. I've got people like Al and Molly in my life who think that I'm special."
He took a swig of booze. It was obvious that despite how far he had come, he still had doubts about his self-worth. The abuse and addiction had left permanent scars on him, scars that would forever haunt him and make him feel at times, unworthy of the good things in his life.
"Vaggie, you're a smart, strong, and talented woman who just got roped into the wrong crowd. Once you get away from Val for good, you'll make something great of yourself. But me? I'll be lucky if I can get a job cleaning toilets."
When he tried to take another sip, he discovered the bottle was empty and got up to get another drink from the cabinet. But Vaggie didn't think it would be for him to drown his insecurities in alcohol. So she stopped him and opt for a better solution.
"Do you wanna dance with me?" She asked turning his face to look at her.
"What?" He replied, not sure if he had heard correctly.
"Do you wanna dance with me?"
"Here? Now?"
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I think you should find a more healthy outlet for your negative feelings. Whever I feel bad about myself, I just dance it out."
"And it helps?"
"Mmm-hmm." She nodded.
"Well I've never danced out my feelings before but I'll try anything once."
Angel put on some music and he and Vaggie joined hands, facing each other. They moved slow at first. Really slow. just the two of the swaying and just letting each negative emotion slide off their shoulders and down their legs. Wordlessly expressing their feelings with their steps and reading each other like an open book. Seeing the years of struggle, misery, and abuse that they each had to deal with, and now were finding solace in each other. Vaggie rested her head on Angel's shoulder and he held her close.
Then a new feeling began to arise. A feeling of want and passion that neither one of the had ever known. Their eyes were hungry, her hands were on his shoulders and she started to dip her head back, while grinding against him. It took Angel completely by surprise and for a moment he just went stiff. Standing still and hold her waist, not all sure where this was going.
When she came back up, her hands moved to the back of his neck, and into his hair while a leg was wrapped around his side. Angel gulped.
"Um Vaggie." He had to take a moment to breathe before continuing. "Do you know what you're doing? I mean, how much have you had to drink?"
"Not enough to be taken advantage of." She assured him.
"You know...You don't have to do this...I know we kissed the other day but that was just an accident. It didn't have to mean anything."
"It didn't mean anything to you?"
"No!" He quickly. "No! Not at all! In fact it was the best kiss of my entire life! Which is saying something because I've kissed a lot of people but...But if it didn't mean anything to you, don't feel obligated to-"
She tightened her grip on him slightly and pulled his face to where he could look her dead in the eyes.
"I would never feel obligated to do this with anyone. If I ever do this, it's because I want to." She was completely overcome with a firey passion and it was the most attractive thing Angel had ever seen.
"So you...You want this?"
"I want you." She said seriously. "Do you want me?"
Angel swallowed hard before responding.
"More than I've ever wanted anyone."
With that said, he began kissing her hard. They kissed and grinded against one another, keeping it with the rhythm and letting it all come naturally. They were electrified. They wanted everything, and all at once. Still dancing, she pulled his T-shirt off over his head and he unzipped her dress. Fingers and lips explored the other person's body without shame and before they knew it, they had waltzed over to Angel's bed and he had grabbed a condom from his bag.
Angel's back hit the mattress and Vaggie climbed on top of him, kissing down his chest and naval as she pulled down his pants and underwear.
"Wow." She said, looking downward, already drenched in sweat.
"What?" Angel asked trying to keep his heart beat under control.
"You're a big boy." She smirked playfully.
That made Angel practically rip off her panties and ravage her like a mad dog yet she still remained on top. And when she let out a scream of pure desire, Angel thought he had died and gone straight to Heaven.
Their insides were burning, their mouths bit and nipped the other's skin, their lips and arms and legs and bodies became entangled. Skin and sweat as the two of them rolled back and forth on the bed, they were joined together and moving silently to the music that played outside Angel's room. It was the most intimate dance that ever could have existed in this world, or at least in Chante de la Mer. It was wild, insane, sensational, and completely different from any other time Angel had ever had sex.
It was different because with everyone before Vaggie, it was just pure lust. A meaningless conjunction of two people in a desperate attempt to just feel anything, only for him to feel pathetic, ashamed, and unsatisfied when it was all over. But with Vaggie it wasn't like that. When it was over he didn't feel dirty or disgusting or used. He felt like he had just made a connection with someone who cared. Someone who saw him as who he really was instead of just a quickie. She made him feel good about himself.
"Oh God." Vaggie panted on his shoulder when they finished. "I can't believe I really did that."
"I can't believe you really did that either." Angel panted into her ear. "Wanna do it again?"
She gave him an irritated look, but then smiled.
"Okay."
Needless to say, it was way past midnight when they finally went to sleep.