"...Little did they know that from then on, it would carve their destinies into a tragedy..."
-Charlie POV-
-Evening-
-September 1st, 1920-
The sceneries were nothing but a green blur, with a mix of other vibrant colors as we drove down the rural road. Occasionally a cow would be in the pasture, and I would tell excitedly to Al that I saw a cow. They were far different from the hellish animals back home.
I turned to look at Al, who calmly hummed a tune while he drove, and turned to look at me, his smile widening. Maybe it was something in the breeze, maybe the scenery, but I felt a huge wave of nostalgia washing over me, reminding me to live in the moment. The longer I stared around me, the more I felt like this moment was already a memory so far beyond my reach.
"So where are you taking me?" I insisted. It had been like this ever since I got in the car. Al unexpectedly came to my apartment, and thankfully, I was already in my human disguise. He asked me if I was busy, to which I said no because I really wasn't. Back at home, my parents decided to attend a meeting that would last around 3 days, and I had told the servants to take the day off since I could take care of myself. Meanwhile Razzle and Dazzle were on the loo out, just in case.
"It's a surprise My Dear! If I were to tell you, then it wouldn't be a surprise." He replied, chuckling as he stared back at me in a way it made me feel very funny, and making me a bit nervous. All I knew about where we were potentially going had to do with the basket in the backseat which released a smell of jambalaya along with other sweets.
During the past couple of months, me and Al's friendship had been great. I confided in him with many things I wouldn't really tell anyone back at home. He was charming, and never failed to make me smile whenever I came here to relieve some stress and forget things back home.
He was a very sweet human, who was genuinely nice and caring. There was no flaw to him. He was human... he wasn't like the other humans I heard rumors about, those who were selfish, perverse, sickening.. sinners.
And if he wasn't a sinner, then I wouldn't see him back in Hell. He would go to Heaven. That made me sad, there was no point in denying it. I enjoyed our company, and it already was about to be cut short because his time would be gone before we could both realize it. My stomach seemed to tie itself in knots.
Years for me were like months, but to humans, their sense of time was different. Al's life span was going to be short. Yet when I was with him, time seemed to just vanish, and our time could feel eternal.
"I know but maybe a clue wouldn't hurt!" I said as I leaned my face to him, begging him as I stared at him with the 'puppy eyes'. Ignoring my previous thoughts so I wouldn't have to ruin the mood. Al looked at me and sighed. "I see you're using your precious puppy eyes to get the truth out of me." He noted as I nodded.
"It's not going to work! " He teased as he turned to the left, and we now faced the sun, shining brightly, and giving the scenery a more cheerful tone.
"Pleaseeeee!" I begged, ready to explode out of excitement.
"Nope, you won't get a single word about our whereabouts My Dear!" He chuckled once more as I puffed my cheeks.
What I liked about Al, is that when he referred to me as 'My Dear', he genuinely meant it. He said it in the way that for a brief moment in time. he ignored everything else and focused solely on me. I never had anyone else make me feel like the way he did.
I then turned to look at my passenger window, and looked once more at the beautiful scenery. The beautiful pastel blue sky with its pastel pink colored flowers added more detail, made it seem out of a fantasy novel. Something warm was placed on my hand, I turned to see Al's right hand. I turned to look at him who still stared at the road in front of him, but his smile was a bit wider.
I smiled too, feeling very fuzzy that right in this moment I was with Al, and I wouldn't trade places to be anywhere else. When I was here with him, I felt like I could be myself, and be less reserved than I am at home. I wasn't the Princess and Heir to the throne of Hell. I was Charlie, the human, who sought out for excitement and stared at everything of earth, and thought of it as beautiful.
A few minutes happened before Al stopped on the side of the road. I looked around, there wasn't any building, it was just grass as far as I could see, with a few patches of wildflowers blooming. Leaving a scent similar to honey in the air, making the breeze seem crisp.
Al got out of the car, and got the basket from the backseat then came over to my side, and opened the door.
"Thank you good sir." I told him while giggling as I reached out for his hand. He closed the door behind me and offered me his hand to escort me.
I faced the scenery from where we were, feeling my dress blow on my legs, and my short hair blowing all over the place. Excitement filled me inside I couldn't hide it as I couldn't stop smiling and my cheeks started hurting.
"Not here My Dear, follow me." He told me as he guided me across the street. Under the tall grass that reached our knees, there was visible remains of what used to be a pathway of stones, that eroded with time, covered with moss and vines. I could feel how we moved uphill, and pushed through the grass that seem to tangle on our legs. Al Waited for me, and as I reached the top of the hill, I was speechless.
"What do you think My Dear?"
A field of pink and yellow flowers, grew wildly, and were probably the same height as me. They surrounded a large lake, it's water a beautiful shade of blue that also seemed like a mix between blue and green.
"It's so beautiful.." I said, taking in every detail of this moment. A sight like this in hell, would never be real.
"It really is My Dear." I heard Alastor as I turned to look at him who was already staring at me.
"I took it upon myself to prepare things earlier today." He pointed over to the dock, and the basket he held.
"Al.. this is.. very thoughtful. Thank you so much!" I told him as I hugged him, and felt him hug back. No one had ever done something like this for me.
"Let's go My Dear, you have yet to see the best part." He told me as he held my hand and guided me through the stone path in the field. The pink and yellow flowers brushed over us and I stretched out my hand to feel them. As I followed him I looked around us, and I was amazed how simply beautiful everything was. It felt like a dream.
Once we reached the small dock, Al opened the basket and pulled out a rolled up red and white checkered picnic blanket. He extended it and guided me to sit down. I sat down and placed both my legs to the side since I was wearing a dress. Al sat across from me and set down the basket and opened it. He got out a pink wine bottle and two glasses, along with his jambalaya, a bowl filled with berries, strawberries and raspberries, and finally a couple of pastries such as cookies and croissants drizzled in black chocolate and sprinkles of white sugar.
He passed me a plate along with some utensils and gave me a slice of his jambalaya, and served both of us some wine.
"For us." He told me as he stretched out his arm as he lifted his glass. I smiled, trying to hide this small feeling of heartache as our glasses clinked with one another and drank. A very bittersweet wine.
"Is it too strong My Dear?" He asked since he probably se how I squeezed my eyes due to be taken back from the flavor.
I shook my head as I swallowed the liquid. "No its perfect. All of this is perfect." I told him as I convinced him. I wasn't trying to get him the idea that all this was bad, when in fact it was the most sweetest thing anyone had ever done for me.
"I'm glad to hear that My Dear." He replies as he stares at me, reassuring himself I wasn't lying.
"You know, your jambalaya is simply divine." I told him as I took in the first bite, and felt the mixture of the vegetables and meats very scrumptious. In all hell, I knew no one could make it this delicious.
"I'm glad you think so My Dear. My Mother was the one who taught me how to make it like this, having a very scrumptious lasting flavor, in fact it almost killed her." He chuckled and I didn't know whether to or not but simply let out a small giggle because he was probably exaggerating.
"How is she?" I asked him. We never really did talk about our parents after all. His eyes softened as I asked this.
"She passed away a few years ago actually, from an illness." He told me as he got out napkins for us.
"Oh. I am so sorry for your loss." I told him, feeling a bit guilty from asking in the first place. I was glad at least I didn't giggle at his remark from earlier, the least I wanted to do was to make it seem like I was mocking him.
"It's fine My Dear. It has been quite few years since this happened. What matters is she is in a better place." He tells me as he carries on eating his jambalaya.
"That's good." I tell him as I take a sip of the bittersweet drink. I didn't want to keep asking about her because maybe he wasn't comfortable with talking about it. I wonder how old he was when she passed away.
"How about your parents My Dear?" He asks which didn't surprise me since I half expected him to return the question. I tried not to change my expression and kept the same smile I had.
"They are well, and pretty much still living. However they bury themselves in their business, it feels like they are barely present in my life." I tell him as I stare at the merlot liquid swirling in the glass as I swirl the glass in my hand. I wasn't lying I mean at the moment they were in a 3 day business meeting. Someday that would be me, attending meetings regarding topics concerning Hell.
"Hm. What business do they own?" He asks. Of course he would, his curiosity is normal but my parents and their business aren't very exactly human. I try to think of something at the top of my head.
"Their business is huge, it sort of is considered illegal you could say I mean it wasn't." I stuttered as I am at a loss of words while Alastor raises his eyebrow from confusion.
"Oh I know what you mean now." He tells me as he points out towards the wine. "The Prohibition has been able to make people quite rich in these times. Finding this rare gem that we are drinking took me quite some time My Dear."
"Yes, which is why thank you so much for going through all this trouble." I add as he pours wine into my glass. He went through that length for my sake. I mean I could see my parents having an illegal business of alcohol, and I could see my Dad making wine jokes, while my Mom laughed maybe out of pity or because she was genuinely laughing.
"For you My Dear, I would do anything for, despite the troubles." He tells me as he takes away my glass and holds my hand and plants a small soft kiss, making my skin warm and tingly. and making me blush a little. And that's when it hit me.
Al had done so many things for me. He always made it out of his way to make me happy, whether it be telling me corny jokes, or illegally buying a bottle of wine during these times. His company made me feel genuinely happy like I had never been before. I could just be myself, and tell him all these wild and crazy thoughts I kept to myself and hw would either agree, or expand on my idea. And the fact I kept being nostalgic thinking about out future, confirmed what I thinking.
I liked this human... more than a friend.
As the evening passed, me and Al joked around, and got to know ourselves a bit more. He told me a bit about his childhood, and how he even got the job of a radio host. He also told me about fun memories with him, Husker, and Niffty, who had all been close since they were kids. Al and Husker were the similar age, and Niffty was a bit younger than them by a couple of years. He told me he always acted as his older brother because when she was a child she was so precious, he wanted to protect her.
Time passed, and the once pastel colored sky, was now turning into a navy blue, and the stars seemed to twinkle at us, and at the crescent moon, that resembled a small smile.
"It's getting late Al, we should probably start heading back." I told him while we were now eating the pastries. The cookies were simply delightful.
"You're right My Dear!" He told me as he still kept eating.
I then remembered the newspaper headlines of last week. Another body had been discovered near around another lake. The body was already decomposing at the bottom of the small lake. Of course if I reminded Al about this he wouldn't batter an eye, and convince me we would be alright. He wasn't wrong, I could defend us both if something were to happen but that would expose me.
Al got out a box of matches and lighted up the candle inside the lantern. A small orb of light lighted our area, and with the light from the moon it was already enough. He then walked to me, and stretched out his arm to me.
"My Dear, will you join me to a dance under this starry night?" He told me to which I nodded, and we walked away from where the picnic was so we wouldn't fall onto the pastries, or even worse, the wine glasses.
Once we did, we got into position, but this time I leaned my head against him, hearing his heart beat go 'lub dub..lub dub..' in a soothing pattern. It seemed to follow the rhythm that Al was humming into my ear as we waltzed for a bit. As I pressed my head closer to his chest, I enjoyed the sound of his precious heart pounding of life.... someday it wouldn't do that anymore.
Some day I would come visit, and he would no longer be here, nor Hell. He would be with his Mother where all the good humans go. I would live the rest of my life back in Hell, and no matter how many other demons I would meet, he wouldn't be there, and no other demon could compare to his way of being. To his charisma that lighted up the room, or how considering he was of others.
I could feel myself starting to tear up, because I didn't want that to happen. I didn't want him to die, I didn't want him to be away from me, a place where I could never be able to reach him.
I wished I had been a human, because regardless if human time is shorter, to me it would have been an eternity being with him. Talking and enjoying his company without feeling the feelings of regret and sadness crawl in the back of my head.
"My Dear, are you alright?" He asked as he pulled away and I turned to look at him, tears were now running down my face. I saw Al's face switch from curiosity, to worrying.
"My Dear, what's wrong? Please tell me." He insisted as he wiped my tears with his handkerchief he got out from his pocket.
"It's just... no one has ever done something like this for me... or made me feel the way you make me feel." I told him, hoping he would understand me because I felt like I was a blubbering mess.
"My Dear, I'll always make you happy, no matter what happens." He told me as he brushed my hair with his fingers, his other hand cupping my face so I could face him. I could see his smile glisten with the moonlight, his eyes staring intently into mine. I cupped his face, and felt how soft his face felt, and stared back at him.
We stared at each other, knowing the inevitable act that would happen right now. I stared at him as we lingered our stares and slowly closed the distance between us. I knew, that once our lips touched, there would be no going back, and that I would be tied to this human even as he took his last breaths. At the moment, I didn't have planned out how I would explain to him who I am, or even be freed from my current life at Hell. maybe it was selfish of me, I told myself as our faces were merely inches away. Then our lips met one another. I melted into his arms as he held me tight and I did the same, savoring the taste of his lips with mine.
Once we broke away from the kiss, I couldn't help but smile until my cheekbones hurt, and he did the same.
"I love you..."