Hotel Omens

AN: Hello, dear reader! For some reason, I honestly couldn't stop with the last chapter and felt that I needed to give the story at least one more. So I hope you enjoy it.

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2 Lamenting

"And how is my favorite half-succubus these days?" Crowley asked.

"Oh, I've been great!" Charlie answered enthusiastically. "I've finally realized my dream and opened this hotel! I can't wait to see the happy looks on people's faces once they ascend to Heaven!"

"Chipper as ever, Charlie," Crowley commented.

"But how have you been? I haven't seen you in two years?" Charlie asked.

"Oh, just fine. Nothing special happened to me in the meantime," he said.

"So, this is the place?" Crowley asked as he looked around the reception room. It matched the ornate design of the hotel's exterior, with some lavish couches, chairs and carpets, many things colored in red (in fact, most of the things in Hell were colored red).

"Yep, this is the place where people will finally redeem themselves and live happy lives!" Charlie exclaimed excitedly, a wide smile adorning her face. Crowley couldn't help but smile himself. The young woman had such an effect on him.

"Is that so?" Crowley asked as he noticed some posters on the walls. "I'm not sure that having posters with your mother on it plastered around here would help in that regard," he said as he looked at the poster titled Temptation. Temptation indeed. Woof!

"Well, mom did send me those as decorations so I had to put them somewhere," Charlie answered as she rubbed the back of her head. "But I honestly doubt they will hinder our progress."

"No, but they sure will be distracted," Crowley commented.

"So, who's this guy?" their attention was brought to another person in the room. It was a man that looked very effeminate, shaped like a spider with two extra pairs of arms, covered in white fur with some pink spots. He was dressed in a white suit with pink stripes and black thigh high heeled boots. He also had a prominent chest, which was made of a bunch of fur that made it appear like a woman's breasts.

Charlie then grabbed Crowley by the arm and pulled him until the two were face to face with the spider-person. "Angel Dust, meet Crowley, a family friend!" Charlie said as she gestured towards Crowley before gesturing towards Angel Dust. "Crowley, this is Angel Dust, a client at the hotel!"

"Well, nice to meet ya," Angel said in a flirty tone as he extended one of his hands, which Crowley accepted.

"Angel Dust, eh? Like, the porn star Angel Dust?" Crowley asked as he did hear about him.

"The one and only, baby!" Angel Dust proclaimed as he struck a seductive pose, upper hands behind his head with the others gesturing towards his body. "Like those shades, by the way."

"Well he's gonna take a lot of work," Crowley said quietly to Charlie.

"He's not that bad once you get to know him," Charlie replied, also quietly.

"Hi there!" Crowley was almost startled as he heard some high-pitched voice suddenly call out from nowhere. Looking down he saw a small-looking girl with one huge eye consisting of a black sclera and peach-colored iris, and her wide smile showed her sharp teeth. She wore a white shirt with a red skirt and a dark-pink scarf. All in all, Crowley determined, she looked adorable.

"Oh, this is Niffty," Charlie said as Niffty waved excitedly. "She is the cleaner, and quite a good one. She was able to clean this place in no time, alone."

"Niffty indeed," Crowley commented. He then noticed a bar stand located on the other side of the room. There he also saw a man who looked like an anthropomorphic cat covered in black and white fur, his tail having a red plume and he also had red wings decorated with poker card symbols. The man was also drinking from a bottle of some type of alcohol that Crowley couldn't recognize since it just said 'Cheap Booze'.

"Charlie, I mean no offense," Crowley spoke. "But I don't think that serving alcohol is going to help you in your redemption quest."

"It's just for some levity," Charlie explained. "Don't worry, as long as no one overdoes it we will be fine. Now for this gentleman," she said as she led Crowley to the cat man, but not before Angel Dust gave Crowley a 'call me' gesture. "This is Husker, or Husk for short. He is the bartender of our establishment."

Bartender? He seems more like a frequent visitor, thought Crowley as he looked at the grumpy drinker.

"Husker, this is Crowley, a good friend of mine," Charlie introduced causing Husker to turn his gaze to the black-haired demon.

"Go fuck yourself, four eyes," Husker said in a naturally gruff voice before going back to his bottle.

Crowley pursed his lips in annoyance at the man's attitude. Then an idea suddenly came to him. He snapped his fingers and soon after Husk's eyes widened and he spat whatever he was drinking.

"What the hell?! This is water!" Husk yelled angrily as he glared at the bottle. Then he turned to glare at Crowley. "Alright, listen here you sonovabitch," Husk said threateningly before he put the bottle next to his face and pointed at it. "If I don't find alcohol in here in my next sip I'm gonna-"

Crowley interrupted him with another snap of his fingers, which this time caused the bottle to disappear and the water that was inside to be splashed on Husker's chest. The cat man was startled at first, looking at the wet spot on his fur before glaring back at Crowley with even more intensity than before and even growling.

"Oooo, whuza matter?" Crowley said mockingly with a grin on his face. "Wittle kitty doesn't want to get wet?"

A sound of a clearing throat made Crowley look back at Charlie who just stared at him with narrowed eyes and arms crossed. "Crowley."

"Oh, come on, Charlie. Do I really have to?" Crowley asked but Charlie just kept her looking at him. Crowley just sighed in defeat. "Ugh, fine!"

And with a wave of Crowley's hand, Husk was completely dry and a bottle was once again in his hand. He looked at it curiously before taking a whiff, confirming it was once again filled with alcohol. Husk gave a groan as he began rubbing. "Fucking great. Now I have two of them," he muttered before going back to his drink.

"Big ball of sunshine that one, isn't here?" Crowley said sarcastically. "By the way, where is that firecracker that you call a girlfriend? I thought she'd be here as well."

"That firecracker is standing right here, Crowley," an annoyed voice from behind Crowley as he just continued smirking. The woman behind him had long white hair with a big red bow in it, dark gray skin, with only a single eye with the other being covered by an eyepatch. She wore a white mini dress with a belt and two Xs on her chest, mismatched knee-high stockings, and long fingerless gloves. And she was currently glaring at him with her arms crossed. "And don't play innocent, you knew that I was standing here."

Crowley just gave a shrug, though she was completely right, he did know that she was there. "Excuse me for the term, Vaggie. You aren't a firecracker. An atomic bomb would be a more accurate description."

Vaggie growled in anger before taking out a knife and throwing it at the grinning demon. Just before the knife could hit him, it turned into sprayed liquid, which Crowley smelled as it reached his face. "Mmmmm, lavender."

Vaggie just muttered some Spanish curses under her breath as she continued glaring at Crowley.

"Stop teasing her, Crowley," Charlie said before she grabbed Vaggie by the shoulders in comfort. "No need to get upset, you know he really cares."

"I hardly see it," Vaggie said though her expression softened.

"Hey, weren't those two goaties with you?" Crowley asked. "What were they called again?"

"Their names are Razzle and Dazzle," Charlie answered. "And they are on a break, right now."

"And what exactly is your business here, Crowley?" Vaggie asked as she still looked somewhat irritatingly at him.

"Oh, just some catching up to do, nothing special," Crowley said before looking at Charlie. "Speaking of which, shall this be private or are you okay having with having some eavesdroppers?"

"No, it's alright. There is no need for secrets," Charlie said as she smiled at Vaggie, which the Hispanic woman returned. "So please tell me… how is he?"

"Oh, he's fine, trust me," Crowley said. "Though he is a bit spoiled."

"Is he… well, you know?" Charlie asked with some worry in her tone.

"Oh no, no, trust me, he isn't," Crowley said trying to ease her worries. "I assure you that he has the best care when it comes to that department."

"Somehow I doubt having you be his nanny makes it the best care," Vaggie commented.

"Well, for your information I'm not alone."

"By the way, did he like that gift I gave him two years ago?" Charlie asked expectantly.

"He loved it. He said, and I quote 'This is the coolest necklace in the entire world!'"

"Oh, that's great to hear," she said with a happy smile on her face. "I wonder what I should give him for his next birthday."

For those in the dark, the person they were talking about was a young boy called Warlock, a son for Lucifer and the Antichrist. (At least that's what they thought he was) And when it came to family, Charlie wanted the best for them.

"Well, you still have two weeks to think of something," Crowley said causing Charlie to widen her eyes.

"Oh my God! Two weeks? I completely forgot the date!" she said as she put her hands on her head.

Vaggie put a comforting hand on her shoulder. "Come on, hon. That's plenty of time."

"Well, Charlie usually prepares a month in advance," Crowley said as he watched Charlie panic.

The blonde woman then took a deep breath to calm herself. "I'll have something ready by that time. I just hope I'll get the right thing." Then something clicked. "I forgot to tell you. We got help in running the hotel by Alastor."

That comment made Crowley freeze in place. Did he hear that right? "Alastor?" Crowley asked as he looked at Charlie as if she lost her mind. "As in… the Radio Demon Alastor? That Alastor?"

"I know that it might come as a shock, Crowley, but he is genuinely helping us. He is the one who brought Husker and Niffty to work here," Charlie explained. "Though it is mostly for his own amusement."

Crowley was still dumbfounded. Why the bloody Hell would one of the overlords of Hell bother himself with a sinner rehabilitation hotel he had no idea. Especially an overlord of Alastor's caliber. "Right, right," Crowley said before he looked around. "So… where is he then?"

"Not sure, he just said he needed to check on some business," Charlie said.

Crowley inwardly sighed, relieved that he didn't need to deal with an overlord right now. He wished that age was a factor in demon's power, as Crowley was over six thousand years old while Alastor was only a bit over a hundred, but Fate wasn't so kind to Crowley.

"Don't worry, Al won't harm anyone," Charlie said with a smile.

"You better know what you're doing, Charlie. Dealing with one of the overlords," Crowley said as he shook his head. "Not a good idea, trust me."

"I will be fine, you can trust me," Charlie assured him. "But that's enough about that, let's gather around and talk.

Crowley, who took off his shades a little while back, showing his yellow serpentine eyes, was currently sitting on a round table with Angel Dust and Husker as the three of them held poker cards in their hands. While they played poker, Charlie, Vaggie, and Niffty were watching, with Niffty jumping around excitedly.

While the three were playing poker, Crowley also got an explanation of how exactly this hotel business came to be. Apparently, after Charlie presented the idea on TV she was ridiculed by other sinners but she held her ground by saying that Angel Dust was making progress towards redemption only for the next moment to be revealed he was a part of a turf war. And Charlie was also the reason why there was only a single host on the news as Charlie beat the other one after she attacked her. Alastor then came later with his deal. All in all, while the situation was sad, Crowley found it amusing.

"So, what you're telling me," Crowley began as he fiddled with the cards in his hands. "is that Angel Dust here screwed up and got you into this."

"Screwed up would be putting it lightly," Vaggie said as she looked irritatingly at Angel Dust. "He practically fucked us over with that stunt and made us make a bargain with Alastor."

"Calm down already tuts, you'll get wrinkles," Angel said with a smirk, only further annoying Vaggie.

"Can't say I'm surprised," Crowley said. "I honestly doubt Dusty here would be able to go clean for ten minutes."

"Hey, give me some credit here," Angel complained.

"Will you two continue playing or not?" Husker growled as he got annoyed (a frequent thing with him) with all this talk and no game.

Angel Dust checked his cards but sighed. "Sorry, I'm out."

"Ha!" Husker exclaimed in confidence and then revealed his hand. "I got a Full House!"

Crowley just continued smirking as he revealed his hand. "Royal. Flush."

Husker looked shocked at that before his expression narrowed. "God damn it! That's the third fucking time!" He then glared back at Crowley before pointing at him. "You cheated! There is no way you are this fucking lucky!"

Crowley just stared at him with his mouth open and blinked several, looking at Husker like he was an idiot. "For your information, sunshine, I'm a demon. Playing fair isn't an attribute we are known for, is it?"

Before anyone could say anything more, Charlie's phone rang and she quickly took it out. Seeing who it was she smiled before accepting the call. "Hey mom, I see you got my message," she said. "Yeah, he's here right now." Charlie then turned to Crowley before handing him the phone. "Mom wants to talk to you."

Crowley wasn't sure for a moment but he ended up grabbing the phone, getting up and putting it next to his ear. "He-e-ey, Lady Lilith! How have you-?"

…

"Oh, right, uh, sorry. How've you been, Lilith?"

…

"How's he been? Oh, he's doing great I assure you. Lovely little tyke, takes so much after his mother."

Angel Dust turned to Charlie. "So mister Tall and Handsome here knows your folks?" he asked while pointing at the man still taking on the phone.

"Well he did hook up my mom and dad," Charlie said.

Well, hook up was kind of a strong phrase as the most thing Crowley did back then after the whole Eden incident was approach Lilith and said "Hey, there's this guy, Lucifer. Great guy, go get him." and things escalated from there.

Crowley continued talking. "So, I honestly think-"

…

Crowley then suddenly blushed. "Oh… oh, well, I… honestly don't think that's necessary."

…

He then looked at one of the posters where Lilith was featured. "No, I… uh… I did not know that."

…

"Yeah, about that, I… gotta go. Bye!" then he pressed the quit call button before handing the phone back to Charlie. He exhaled slightly. "Man, what a woman."

"What did she say?" Charlie asked.

"Eh, nothing to concern yourself about. She's just happy her boy is alright," Crowley simply said.

While she accepted the answer, something else crept up in Charlie's mind. "Wait, didn't you say last time that my little brother took much after my dad?"

"That's because I was talking to your father last time." Charlie chuckled at that response. Crowley looked thoughtful for a moment. "Charlie, may we talk? In private?"

Charlie looked surprised at the seriousness in his voice.

"And just what is so important that you need to keep this private?" Vaggie asked, not fond of the idea of Charlie being alone with Crowley.

"It's alright, Vaggie," Charlie said. "If Crowley needs to talk in private then we will."

Crowley and Charlie later found themselves on a balcony on one of the upper floors of the hotel. They both leaned on the railing, looking over the city and the ever-red sky above. They stood there in silence for a while.

"So, you finally did it," Crowley said.

"Yeah, I did. Even I can't believe it sometimes, but I'm glad I was able to pull through," she said as she smiled.

"Well, I'm sorry to say, but you couldn't have found the worst time," Crowley said, shocking Charlie and making her look at him curiously. "Warlock's upcoming birthday will be his eleventh one."

Charlie's eyes widened at the sudden realization. "Then that means…"

"Yeah, Armageddon will soon be upon us," Crowley said, confirming the girl's concerns.

"No," Charlie said sadly. That wasn't good. That only gave her a few most and she knew that she couldn't rehabilitate anyone in such a short amount of time. She hasn't even received any clients yet. Despair and sadness filled her heart. Was this it? Has she finally been able to achieve her dream of opening the hotel only for her to have the dream crash and burn soon after?

Tears began welling up in her eyes at such thoughts. Crowley then cupped her face and slowly turned her to look him in eyes. While the serpent-like eyes would make anyone go on edge, Charlie saw them as comforting. "I promise you, I'll try to stop it from happening. I'm still his guardian and I'll make sure he doesn't fall."

That assurance made Charlie smile again. "Thank you, Crowley. That means so much."

Crowley smiled back at her. But soon after his smile turned into a thin line. "I'm sorry to ask this, but I have to," he began. "If your hotel turns out to be a success, what will you do then?"

Charlie looked at him confused. "What do you mean?"

"Charlie, your plan is to have everyone reach Heaven and live happily ever after," Crowley said. "But, what will be with you after that?"

"Well… I'll just live my life as usual I suppose," Charlie said as she rubbed the back of her head.

Crowley sighed. "It's not so simple. Once you redeem them, everyone will be gone. Angel Dust, Niffty, Vaggie, everyone gone. Once they cross over to the Heavenly Realm, they will be gone for all eternity. The two of us aren't like them. We aren't mortal souls damned to Hell, our ethereal nature binds us here…" He gestured towards the rest of Hell. "…for all time. Once your friends are gone, they will be out of your reach. Forever. "He stressed the word 'forever' as much as needed. "Will you be able to live with that?"

Charlie only looked down, her blond hair covering her face. A pregnant silence permeated the balcony as the two just stood there. After a few moments, Charlie's shoulder shook as sniffling sounds came from her.

Crowley instantly regretted what he said. He knew he needed to say it but it honestly didn't make it any easier. "Charlie?"

"I know, Crowley," she said as she wiped her face with her hands. She looked up to him, new tears streaming down her face. "I know what will happen if my plan succeeds. But I can't stop what I'm doing. As a princess of Hell, I have a duty towards my people. I can't be selfish and leave them in this torment."

Crowley could only stare at her, seeing the determination behind those tearful eyes. He then slowly wrapped his arms around her in a hug. "You're way too good for this place, Charlie," he said in a soft and comforting tone. She only responded by hugging the demon back.

AN: And that is it. I hope I ended up doing the characters justice in this chapter. Though I have to say that you don't expect any updates anytime soon as I think that this is all I'll be posting so recently. The next chapter will take a while to upload.

Still, I hope for your feedback. And check out my other stories.

See you next time!