The Heart's Content

Charlie and Alastor lay in bed, kissing and caressing each other intimately, when the phone on the nightstand began to ring. Initially, Alastor wanted to ignore it and continue immersing himself in Charlie's love, but a nagging thought reminded him that the caller might have news about Beth. Reluctantly, he pulled away from Charlie's lips and answered the phone.

"Hello?" He said. "Oh, hi Rosie, good morning. How are you?... That's splendid to hear. How is Beth? Did she sleep well last night?.... What a relief! I thought the storm would keep her up all night... Yes, I'm still coming to pick her up. Why would you think otherwise?... Oh, yes, it is after ten. I can see why you might suspect a change in plans. No, nothing has happened. I just overslept... Yes, I'll be right over. Don't worry."

Alastor hung up the phone.

"Looks like our sleeping in is over, sweetheart." He told Charlie. "I need to pick up Beth before Rosie gets suspicious."

"Suspicious of what?" Charlie asked.

"Suspicious of what we've been up to. Which reminds me, I have a request: could you not tell Beth about us?"

"Why? Are you ashamed of our relationship?"

"No, heavens no. But this will be a big change for Beth, and she may need time to adjust."

"Why? Doesn't she like me?"

"She adores you, but I've never had a close relationship with anyone else before. Beth has never had to share me."

"What about Angel?"

"Angel is my best friend, but I've never had to compromise my relationship with Beth for him. He doesn't need me to devote myself to him."

"I'm not expecting you to put me first, Alastor." Charlie assured him. "I know Beth is the most important person in your life, and I would never ask you to push her aside for my sake."

Alastor suddenly embraced her tightly, astonished and relieved by her kindness. While he suspected she wouldn't demand all his attention, he had wondered if she would at least ask for some compromise.

"You can't imagine how much I appreciate that." He sighed against her cheek. "But I love and care for you just as much as I do Beth. I want to devote as much of myself to you as I can. I don't want either of you to feel secondary. I'm sure Beth will understand; I want to talk to her about this and assure her that nothing will change between us now that I've found another person to love. Does that make sense?"

"Of course it does." Charlie replied. "Believe me, I understand what you're going through. I don't know how I'm going to tell my family about us—or if I ever will."

Alastor released Charlie and looked at her.

"You don't want them to know?" He asked.

"Well, yes and no." She replied, looking down. "I want them to accept our relationship and be happy for us, but... my father is not exactly reasonable. He has a specific vision for my life, and anything less, he won't accept. In other words, he's always pictured me with only one type of man."

"And let me guess, according to him, I wouldn't be your type?"

"Exactly." She admitted. "If he knew I was with someone like you, God only knows what he'd do. He'd...He'd raise hell, that's what he'd do."

A frustrated expression crossed her face as she imagined how Lucifer would react to the news of her relationship with a human. She could almost hear his voice thundering with rage, stirring up storms far worse than the hurricane from the night before.

"Please don't think there's anything wrong with you." Charlie pleaded. "You're wonderful. You really are. But my father would never take the time to see that."

"I know what you mean." Alastor said. "My mother had the same problem with her father. My maternal grandfather was a bigot, and my father was biracial. Naturally, he refused to give his blessing when my father proposed, and he later disowned my mother when she and my father ran off together. My grandfather was a cruel and prejudiced old fool, but my mother loved him dearly, and it broke her heart when he cut her out of his life."

Alastor collected Charlie's hands in his own, gazing at her with deep love.

"I'd hate to see the same thing happen to you and your father." He said gently. "If it comes to it—if you tell him about us and he insists you can't see me—I would understand. I won't make you choose between us. That wouldn't be right."

Now it was Charlie's turn to hug him close as she felt amazed by how understanding her lover was. Alastor was truly the complete opposite of what her father believed a human male was. He was not cruel or ruthless, nor was he spineless or savage. Instead, he was kind, thoughtful, honest, and sincere. No wonder she loved him so much.

"I wouldn't blame him for thinking I'm not good enough for you." Alastor said, running his fingers through her blonde hair. "I never went to college, I don't have a high-paying career, and I don't want much out of life. I've always just wanted to sing, throw out witty banter, cook Cajun and Southern cuisine, and take care of Beth. Now, I want to do all that—and love you with everything I have."

Charlie nestled closer in his embrace.

"Would that be enough for him?" He asked.

"It's more than enough for me." She replied. "I'm so happy. I'm happy here, happy with you, with Beth, and with everyone I've met this summer. You've all made me feel accepted, and for the first time in my life, I don't feel like a freak."

"You're not a freak." Alastor assured her, holding her close. He couldn't fathom how anyone could think of her that way.

They both longed to spend the day wrapped in each other's arms, only rising to cook or dance together. But they knew they couldn't neglect Beth, so they reluctantly got ready. Charlie dressed and styled her hair in Beth's room while Alastor took a quick shower. He scrubbed himself thoroughly and applied cologne, determined to mask any lingering scents from the previous night. The chance of Beth detecting anything unusual was slim, but he wasn't taking any chances.

"Do you think she'll be happy when she finds out?" Charlie asked as he finished combing her hair.

"Well, it might come as a shock at first." He answered. "For years, I've told her I'd never get romantically involved with anyone. But once the initial surprise wears off, I believe she'll be very happy—ecstatic, even."

"Really?"

"Yes, indeedy. She's always wanted me to find someone special. I can't count how many times she's urged me to settle down and meet a nice girl."

Charlie giggled.

"I know. She mentioned it to me a few times. When we first met, she even talked about setting us up."

"Why am I not surprised?" He chuckled. "But, oh boy, she's going to have quite the meltdown when she finds out I've lost my virginity before marriage."

"Why would she be upset about that?"

"She's always worried that my friendship with Angel might lead me to sleep around like he does. No doubt she'll scream and call me an idiot or a 'horny dog' when she hears the news. But once I explain that this is...," He blushed, struggling to say it, "that this is love, she'll be thrilled."

"Do you want me to come with you to pick her up?"

"No, I think the car ride back will be the perfect time for Beth and me to have this conversation. In the meantime, just relax and do whatever you like—watch TV, read a book, take a walk on the beach. If you need anything, just call."

"Alright."

"And if all goes well, maybe we can go out to dinner tonight? Somewhere romantic."

"I'd like that, but don't you have to work tonight?"

"Oh, right. Tomorrow night then."

"It's a date." She said.

"Splendid! I promise you that this date and every moment we spend together this summer will be the best of your life."

He sealed his promise with a kiss on Charlie's forehead and hurried off to find his sister.