Chapter Text
Charlie would’ve liked to believe that she was born into this world, as full of rigor and determination as a bull chasing down a red flag – though that, much like many of her other beliefs were just that. Make believe. Truth be told, her childhood was a blurry mush in her mind, and the bits and pieces she found herself remembering didn’t help with the image she’s been trying to spin.
“You may sound like you know your onions with this… creepy crawly, topsy turvy nonsense, darling dearest, but no matter how convinced you may be, you’re never gonna stop sounding like you’re full of bushwa baby girl,” Her father had once told her, condescendingly stroking his gloved digits through her golden locks, the reflection of him she caught in her vanity the first she had seen of the man in weeks.
It was when she was six years old that this nonsense as he so called it begun, the family friend Ernesto being the first to gleam her unfortunate interest. Like any curious child, she had snuck out of bed when the ‘rents were busy with business, and had crawled her way down to the kitchen, trying to get a good vantage of all the adulting. Instead, she noticed the elongated shadowy protrusion from the back of the balding man on the foyer, grotesque limbs sticking out in places where he had none. God forbid the child scream, so accustomed to the four limbed pale, solid figures she was used to that this ripped an unnatural cry from her throat.
Her mother had yanked open the door with such a startle that Charlie thought it was the shadow monster coming to tear her to shreds.
“Hush now dearest, it was just a bad dream,” Lilith had whispered into her scalp through the night, cradling her close while Charlie’s breath evened. The real bad dream she had that night was full of shadow monsters, her parents too, her father grinning with a jaw full of jagged teeth, a silky white top hat rivalling the snowy complexion of his skin. And her mother… beautiful as she may be, that didn’t stop the shudder Charlie felt from noticing the length of her horns, and the yellow orbs in her sockets, boring into her like bugs.
“Oh,” She distantly heard, the distorted word moving from her… her mother’s… lips. The demonic figure approached her, picking her up as if she was no more than a bundle. “Look what you’ve done Lu’, you’ve woken Charlotte,” She murmured, hair fluttering around her despite the absence of wind.
“Have I now?” Her father bemusedly responded, the sound of the cane he held, a shiny red apple atop of it echoing steps towards her like a funeral march. “Can’t have that,” He added quieter, running claws down her scalp.
Charlie woke in her own bed in a cold sweat, with the phantom feeling of those same claws raking down her spine.
+
“No you have to listen to me!” She huffed out a breath of frustration, slamming her rather petite and not quite intimidating fists on the counter, raising barely even the quip of an eyebrow from the officer she was addressing. “I just… I know, that he’s in your custody, but… but I think that he can be saved! I think just given the chance we could really turn things around for him, and for everyone after him!”
“You some sort of shrink or something girly?” The gruffer, rounder man beside him grunted. “Because they got a place for that, it’s called the loony bin. Though, the way you been talkin’, I wouldn’t be surprised if they take you in as a patient instead,” He chuckled lowly, the few around him joining in.
If Vaggie were here, Charlie could hear her breathe out a small annoyed ‘Men,’ and for once she’d be inclined to agree.
She squinted her eyes, wishing in that moment she’d been born with a fiercer color than baby blue to her irises, lips pulling into a pout. “I’m saying, that given my studies and research,” She punctuated, dropping the folder of documents, mostly scribblings and blurry pictures she had acquired upon the metal counter. “You should look into letting me open a temporary rehabilitation center for such criminals. Hell, it might even help me get onto them before anyone else can, and stop them before they spiral into the rotten eggs they turned out to be. I did predict dear ol’ Bart would end up with a bit before you even batted your peepers at him,” She folded her arms and tilted her chin with a flourish, daring the men to shoot her down.
Oh, and shoot her down they did.
“Get a load of this phonus balonus!” One of them guffawed, leafing through her folder. “What’s this skirt even on about here? Demonic aura? Shadowy silhouettes? Jeez, now ain’t this a hoot,” He continued, passing the pages around for the rest of them to snicker over. “Now I’ll only say it once doll: You’re wastin’ the precious time of the law, so I suggest you blow before this turns from funny to annoying and I’ll have to put those pretty wrists of yours in some silver. And trust me when I say this, you won’t enjoy it as much as you do that Tiffany,”
She knew a threat when she heard one, and she knew her boundaries long before she had stepped foot in the clubhouse, but it didn’t stop her from having a little hope. Even if it was dashed and trampled all over like a baby roach.
“Fine,” She seethed, gathering her papers up in her hands and spinning on her ankle to make an equally dramatic exit. “But you’ll be sorry when I’m right about yet another mur–“
Before she could finish her sentence, her button nose slammed right into a rather firm, yet somewhat soft surface that smelled of smoke, pinewood and… cinnamon? It was rather comforting, until Charlie realized she had also dropped her papers all over her Mary Jane’s, and a very surprised noise emerged from the pillar.
“My, don’t you look a tad out of sorts?” A bemused and oddly familiar voice chimed. He sounded like he had torn himself right out of the picture show, and Charlie was certainly reacting to him in the same manner, a look of horror donning her features as she peeled herself off of him like he was a red-hot iron.
“Oh dear I—I’m so terribly sorry I’m just such an utter klutz and oh no I’ve spilled my papers everywhere—” She rattled, eyes bugging between the tall brunette in front of her and the mess she had created on the floor. The policemen from behind her had caught notice of the commotion and a riotous roar of laughter came from them. Yeah. Public servants they sure were.
“Boys!” Said brunette managed to say loudly in a way that was bewitchingly still attractive, clapping his hands together. “I think that’s no way to treat a lovely lady in need now is it? Though given the only thing lying between both… elephant ears are a heaping amount of wax, I’m not surprised you only know how to react in the knee jerk!” He cruelly commented, eyes narrowed but a wide grin still propped upon his sharp features. Charlie balked, brunette stood his ground, and the policemen’s laughter died out unceremoniously with a couple of unsatisfied grunts.
Now this was the Mexican standoff she had definitely not signed up for.
“And, I think we’re on our way! Sorry for the trouble officers!” Her voice found her before she found it, right when she had chanced a look over her shoulder and saw how their shoulders were squaring up. This mystery man may have the voice of honey and the smile of Adonis, albeit a rather maniacal rendition, but he was lithe and slim, whereas these men were, well. They were built like brick shithouses.
Without a second thought, she had snagged her hand through his elbow, pulled him out, and was grateful he had gathered up her papers whilst having his eerie staring contest with four men who could twist him up like a pretzel. Not quite the prince charming she had ordered, if she were ever to have wanted one at all.
“My, you have quite the grip, I’d say you’re hitting on all eight!” He laughed, and there was a familiar lilt to that tinkle that flowed from his perpetually upward turned lips. Two blinks later and it clicked.
“…Oh no,” She gripped at one of her cheeks, when she should’ve been gripping the folder out of his grasp and hurrying out of there to recover what little of her pride she had left. “Oh no, please don’t make me one of your morning anecdotes Mr. Roscoe, even if it’s anonymous I don’t think I could really bear reliving this experience over a cup of—”
“Why what nonsense! I don’t target every innocent bystander for the ways of comedy my dear,” He laughed, handing her the now neatly arranged folder. “And please, Alastor will do. You caused quite the kerfuffle in there! Never before have I seen a dame with such fire in her eyes, such absolute rage! Not for any of the right reasons at least,” A chuckle trailed off from that statement and Charlie could still feel the heat emanating off of her cheeks. Of course she of all people would make an absolute fool out of herself in front of one of the few voices in this town she could recognize, one that she found herself chuckling too as she cracked eggs in the pan for supper or had her feet tapping to the music he’d put on. There was a reason he was known around these parts, and of course her acquaintanceship with him when materialized consisted of her acting an absolute ditz.
Yet, despite that he looked rather intrigued by the little display she had put on, peering at her from behind his wiry frames with an amused smile, pearly whites glinting at her from behind the stretch of his lips. “Truthfully, I was approaching you to ask about what I’d managed to overhear! It was just an unlucky twist of fate that we should collide rather than seamlessly meet, but ah, what can’t be helped can’t be helped now!” There was just an overwhelming air of energy that poured from him and shook in his shoulders with every chuckle that was pronounced in the movement of his chest. She twiddled her fingers together and tucked her folder closer to her chest, finally looking up to observe his features properly.
Bright brown eyes bore into her own and her throat suddenly felt dry. How one person could appear so captivating but intimidating all the same was... entirely beyond her. Something about him just unsettled yet captivated her but she couldn’t quite put a finger to it. There wasn’t the chance to either, as that bright voice weaved its way between her thoughts like a colorful snake. “Perhaps we could rehash this in a more civil environment, maybe over a coffee or a Sazerac?” He did have quite the charming smile though, and the way he curved an eyebrow up at her with the proposition had her fighting back her own smile.
“Maybe,” Was what she managed to get out after recovering her voice again. “Though, surely you were here for your own reasons?”
“Just a bit of a troublesome friend of mine that had found himself in a pickle! I was here to simply see what help I could offer to help him out of it,” He said it with such ease, as if there was nothing alarming about someone being brought down by the dogs. “Which reminds me I must get going. Pleasure meeting you Miss…?”
“Charlotte. Charlie,” That dazzling smile she reserved for certain situations couldn’t help but blossom. “And a coffee, sounds splendid. We’ll see about that Sazerac,”
“Wonderful!” He exclaimed, turning to assess the front door before deciding the side entrance might be a better bet. “Find me at Ace of Spades any time around two,” Two fingers saluted her farewell, as did a wink that made her clutch her papers a little tighter. “I’ll be waiting,”