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Alastor opened his eyes. He wasn't entirely sure where he was, other than it was a place so familiar, yet so strange. He felt the soft grass underneath his scarred and scabbed claws, and smelled the sweet scent of the cypress trees above. He heard the sounds of the birds chirping overhead, and the croaks of frogs coming from the still waters near him. It was then that he noticed that he was home.
He sat up, looking around. He already felt the sweat begin to bead on his face. He looked at himself, more in curiosity than anything else. He wore his full white suit, one that his maman had made for him, but one that he hadn't seen since his last time here on earth. He could tell by his claws that he was definitely still in his demonic form, and, once he pulled himself to see his reflection in the muddy waters, his thoughts were confirmed.
The sharp chin, the red eyes, the yellow pointed teeth- all that stared back at him was him, one of Hell's cruelest overlords. With his claw, he stirred his reflection, watching his face distort in the water. It was just like the good times, the old times, when he roamed this bayou. He and his maman would come here to escape, and they would listen to the animals, and name all of the birds they possibly could.
Everything about this place was different than Hell. Some part of him wondered if Charlie's redemption plans had worked too well, and had sent him into Heaven. The air was fresh, and didn't have the same stench of iron that permeated through the air in his new old home. The light was crisp and golden, shining through the dense flora. It felt good on his aching body. He figured that it was the morning time.
A soft and sweet whistle began to break through the typical noises of his homeland. It sounded just like that of his maman. If his face wasn't stitched in its expression, he would have frowned, reminiscing on that beautiful woman who had raised him. It had been about 100 years since he saw her last, and, as much as he fought against it, the image of her face was starting to slip from his memory.
It was then that he realized something- his face. It was no longer stitched. He could drop his smile. And that's what he did. The feel was weird, and he realized just how sore his face was, from spending almost 100 years in a smile. He had stitched it on for the last ten years of his life earth side, and it carried over to his hellish form. He had tried to remove them, but they had always returned, no matter what he did.
His deal. Was he out of his deal? Among the many horrific agreements that were part of his deal, one was that his stitches would never, ever come undone. "You would never want to disappoint your poor dear maman, now would you, Alastor?" He could hear her voice now, that evil excuse of a woman. He regretted his deal, even though, without one, he would have kept smiling the same. But why was his deal broken?
There was no way that the dealmaker herself had actually double died, right? He wasn't even entirely sure if it was possible for her to die. He had hoped so, but even if she was mortal, he had no hope to ever come close to destroying her. The chains on his neck were so tight, that he would have just fallen back down in front of her. So maybe she did die? Or maybe he was right, maybe this was Heaven?
No, there was no time to panic. There was no time to think about such trivial things. Whatever had happened, he was out of his deal, and back in his bayou. Did he somehow work his way back onto earth? He looked back into the water, scared by his broken, frowning face in the water. His chest hurt, like he had been badly burned, but nothing had happened. He rinsed his face off in the water, calming himself, just as he did as a boy.
That whistle behind him grew louder, seemingly drawing closer to his body. He was tempted to jump into the water, to hide from whoever or whatever was coming. But the pitch was so sweet, just like the smooth sounds that his maman made to him. He remembered the days he spent on her lap, crying as she would sing and hum to him. He couldn't talk, although most kids his age were. But his maman understood him fully.
His head spun around, almost against his will, as he looked up to see a short woman standing over him. Her skin was a rich sepia, and her features soft and kind. She stopped her tune as she made eye contact with him. Her eyes looked like dark wooden beads, pupils nearly blending into her irises. She wore a long pink dress, one that Alastor had seen so many times. He reached out to touch it, expecting his hand to slip through, but it didn't.
She looked at him, puzzled. She looked so, so young, and so happy. He hadn't seen her this way since he was so small, since she could easily pick him up. He grew to be a tall man, much taller than her. He did so pretty quickly, too. She looked so healthy- he had surely forgotten that she used to look like this. Her curly hair, placed in its usual bun, didn't even have a single strand of grey.
A typical woman would see this monster that knelt before her, calling him as he appeared, a diable. But not Aurélie Celestin. She had a kind soul, kinder than any other woman that most would ever meet. She was a bit intimidated by the figure in front of her, but at the same time, she looked in his eyes. She saw the pain, that of a child, never fully healed. She reached down, and rubbed his warm, sticky face.
"Maman?" Alastor's voice was barely above a whisper, saltwater beginning to fill in his eyes, and leak down onto his cheeks. The way she looked at him, it was the way she always looked at him, with the same kindness and tenderness that only she could ever have. She knelt down besides him, taking her other hand and playing with his red hair. He saw a smile begin to peek through her lips.
"Oh, sweet boy, are you here looking for your maman? I don't know if you're in the right place," she drifted off, her words sounding like a melody. Alastor leaned into her touch, he looked into her soul, that beautiful, beautiful soul. Why was he seeing her again? Why didn't she recognize him- he was a demon. He had forgotten who he had become. She had never seen him quite like this.
He tried to speak, but his words failed him. Instead, with his ears pinned closely to his head, he listened to her kind words, her simple songs, all as she comforted him. He felt so loved, the love that only she could give. The love that got him through the hardest times of his life. The love that got him through his afterlife. Even though she wasn't there, he could still feel her love caressing him. He always would.
"You know," she spoke up again, her face fully being transformed by the smile on her lips now. "I came here looking for my fils, I'm hoping to find him soon. I don't know how long it's been since I've seen his face. It's probably not good if I was sent to look for him- I hope he lived a good life. I hope that, when I see him, I can take him into Heaven with me. Is that why you came to find your maman?"
"No," that was the only word that Alastor could spare. He saw a bit of hope leak out of her gaze, but she pulled it back in herself. She looked like she was going to cry, too. Was that all she wanted? Was to take him into Heaven with her? There was no way that he could actually ever cross into the borders. He couldn't find it in himself to tell her who he was, and that he could never go with her.
"This may sound strange, but you remind me of my beloved fils in a way. I'm not sure what it is. But, you really do remind me of my dear Alastor," her voice drifted with the sounds of the wind.
"Alastor- that's my name," the deer replied, his jaw dropping slightly. He knew his name. He didn't think his maman would remember him. "Maman, is that you?"
She giggled, her face lighting up. "Oh no, I don't think I'm your maman. My beloved boy was a human, just like me. Maybe you are my Alastor, in some other universe. You sound like him. But I was sent here, for my human son. I was sent to say goodbye, before he went away forever. I think he's ready to pass on from this life to the next. I'm sure I'll see my little gentleman in Heaven." She kissed his long claws a kind goodbye.
Those words. Gone forever? What did that mean? Surely just because he would be returning to Hell after whatever this was, this little experience with her once more. This final time to see her, to see her beautiful face and remember what she looked like. He took note of every inch of that beautiful face, promising himself that he would never let himself forget it, ever again. He couldn't believe that he already had once.
As she opened her mouth to speak more, a light shone on her face, lighting up her features even more, ingraining them into his memory. She turned her head to see, across the water of the bayou, a beautiful bridge appearing in front of Alastor. She looked at it with sad eyes, before turning down to the demon in front of her. She traced his lips, making the shape of a smile with her finger.
"That's my cue," she said, leaning back on her heels to get ready to stand. "That's my invitation back to Heaven, it appears when love comes. I guess I didn't find him in time. I think he beat me to those brilliant golden gates. I wish you luck, dear Alastor. I'm sure you will find your maman soon. I promised my boy that I'd wait for him in Heaven, to creation's final days. I guess I better get going, before he thinks I didn't fulfill my promise."
Standing up, she began to walk closer towards that bridge, that bridge made of pure golden light, one that appeared like she couldn't even step on it without falling through. But yet she did. Her shoes clacked as she took her first step, and she turned, looking back at him. Those eyes, those beautiful eyes. And that smile, so pure, so gentile. She offered him a small wave.
"Oh Alastor, on your journey for your maman, never forget one thing for me, ok? Never forget to smile- you're never fully dressed without one," as those words passed through her mouth, before Alastor could even give her an adieu in return, she vanished across that brilliant bridge. And Alastor, laying on that bayou grass, began to sob. He couldn't control himself.
The world around him began to fade, the color beginning to drain. The sounds became more dull, and he couldn't parse out the sweet cypress scent from that of all of the other plant life around him. His chest ached even more than it did before. It was burning, and when he looked at it, he saw a faint glow coming from under his shirt. In that moment, what was going on hit him.
Alastor was double dying. These were his final moments. He suddenly remembered that battle with Adam, and the angelic wound that cut his chest. He was dying. He had always told Charlie that redemption was impossible, but he had some faint hope of it, just to see his maman again. The universe granted him the opportunity one final time before he was gone forever. There was no coming back from double death. It all faded to black.
"Alastor! Alastor!" The Radio Demon's eyes opened slowly, greeted by some very pale figure, with blond hair messed around her face. Kneeling next to her was a grey skinned woman, with solid black eyes. They looked familiar, especially her, that grey skinned woman. She seemed so familiar, and so full of love.
He couldn't shake the fog from his head. "Maman?" He mumbled out, and then noticed the woman shaking her head. That was when he noticed the pale figure's hands on his shoulders, desperately shaking him. He noticed the tears running down both of their cheeks. They seemed so upset? Why? Wait- this was Hell. He was back in Hell. He had survived.
"You're gonna be ok, Alastor. We're not gonna let you double die. I promise," the woman said. Wait. That was Rosie. Rosie, the cannibal. The woman he had called his maman of the afterlife. She was here, and that was Charlie kneeling next to her, crying, looking so desperate. That was Charlie shaking him. Then, Charlie gasped.
"How? My dad wasn't up here, Rosie, look! His wound- it's healing!" Charlie was right. The glow that was emanating from his chest began to dim. The pain began to disappear. He felt the skin mending itself, and the burning slowly faded. "How is he alive, he shouldn't be alive! My dad is still an hour out, maybe this will hold us out!"
Rosie shook her head. "I told you that Alastor was one stubborn man," she chuckled a bit, in a way that was far too similar to that of his real mom. "Look at him, his stubbornness is healing an angelic wound. I know your dad said that only the kiss of an angel can save one from an angelic wound- but Al is one stubborn demon. Not only does he wanna live, he doesn't wanna be kissed by your dad!"
Alastor smiled and laughed a bit in return. "Rosie's right, dear, I am one stubborn demon," but as he said those words, it hit him. The kiss of an angel- that's all that could save someone from an angelic wound. His maman. She had kissed him, and had taken his claws, and she had kissed him, before walking back across that bridge. She had always said that he would find her in the sky, and maybe, just maybe, she was right.