Lilith tried to do everything in her power over the next few days following the baby shower fiasco to fall back into her daughter's good graces. She offered to take her daughter shopping and out to eat anywhere she wanted to go, but those offers were quickly reclined. She mailed to the hotel baby books and clothes, but they were mailed back. She offered to come up to the hotel and spend the day with her but was denied.

Tammy wasn't having much luck either. Baked goods went untouched. Knitted crafts, including the intricately knitted pink baby blanket was placed back into her room. And Charlie didn't really speak to her unless it was during the group therapy session.

The blonde demoness sighed after opening her door to find a plate of chocolate cookies on top of a cart outside her room. It was the third one this week; however, she was not expecting there to be a small card accompanying the baked goods.

Here if you need anything, hun. I'm still so sorry for what happened. Please talk to me when you're ready.

Your friend, Tammy

It was becoming a little harder each day to remain mad at them, especially since they both had been a part of her pillars of support since very early on in her pregnancy. Out of everyone who was close to her they should have been the most understanding what she was going through. That's why it hurt even more that they were the ones who pulled that crap. So, for the time being she ignored them. Although, she couldn't really ignore her physician.

Her appointments were going to soon be from every two weeks to once a week. And despite her due date starting to creep around the corner she was planning on changing doctors, even though her mother advised her not to, swearing that she would never bribe Dr. Vex again and that the physician would never dare take money from anyone outside of the Magne family. But how could Charlie trust her mother's word?

She was surprised when not too long after that conversation with her mom her phone unexpectedly rang again. Instead of Mom popping up on her caller I.D, the screen read Dad. Not once did she think she would take her dad's advice ever again. The last time she saw him they both still had very different opinions on what she should be doing with her life. Although, he seemed to be slowly coming around. She was utterly surprised when he had gifted her that lovely crib, moved to tears by the thought that he was softening up and that maybe he was looking forward to becoming a grandpa.

So, she finally took his advice and stayed under Dr. Vex's care, promised that the imp would never cross the King of Hell unless she wanted to be vaporized out of existence and that there was no other physician Lucifer could think of that Charlie could be any safer with. In addition, he subtly mentioned that he sided with his daughter, and what his wife did was wrong.

Charlie nearly dropped her cellphone when he said that she should come over soon, eat dinner at the palace, and try to talk things out with her mom. When she asked if Alastor could come to dinner too the quick 'No' she heard wasn't unexpected. Oh well, baby steps, she thought to herself with a small smile on her face.

##########

Her mother was much more easier to forgive. Lilith had no intentions of ruining the surprise or knew what Tammy was exactly planning. Plus, this was her usually kind and sweet mother she was talking about. Tammy, on the other hand, she found much harder to forgive.

She had only known and befriended this demoness for about half a year. Tammy was, for the most part, friendly, caring, loved to share the delicious treats she baked, knitted lovely crafts that she gifted to others, had a motherly persona about her, and generally seemed like a good person. But then why, ever since Cherry Bomb unceremoniously splattered pink cake everywhere, did Charlie begin to get an uneasy feeling in her gut about the she-wolf?

Was it because the large canine's past was still a mystery? Or that she really hadn't known her for very long. Did Charlie not like the way the Tammy would sometimes hover over her or worry about her? Or was it because during the baby shower Tammy seemed like…..the party was more for her than for Charlie. Did the she-wolf really need the attention that bad? She didn't seem like the type.

Whatever the unknown reason was, Charlie was having a harder time forgiving or being around her, just something didn't sit well in her gut, and it wasn't from the chocolate cookies.

However, the silence between them began to break when Charlie's due date came and went. It started with kind advice to offering to help, bringing spicy dishes and pineapple juice directly to the heavily pregnant demoness along with offering to go on long walks with her around the hotel and listening to her ever-growing list of aches and pains.

Finding herself quite desperate and wanting to avoid using medical intervention just yet, Charlie accepted Tammy's help, pushing down the nagging feeling in her gut.

That was how she found herself holding onto the she-wolf's claws for support as she steadily bounced up and down on the yoga ball she was balancing on, working up a sweat more than anything in the hotel's rec room.

Angel occasionally glanced over at the two demonesses while doing his after-work-out stretches, turning off his music from his earphones to eavesdrop what they were conversing about…..and it wasn't pretty.

Itchy stretchmarks, swollen ankles, restless legs that constantly cramp, and oh the back pain. Fuck the back pain. Didn't her daughter know she was supposed to be evicted two days ago? Well apparently she didn't get the memo or was just too comfortable where she was.

Mentions of Alastor trying his best being her main pillar of support by listening to her woes, usually while retrieving a cold compress or a heating pad for her cramps or while giving her a back massage. And mentions of concern that she still didn't think he was getting a lot of sleep lately and that she was worried about him. But she didn't get too far into that spiel before she said that she needed to rest for a moment, complaining that her back pain was coming back.

Feeling his heart sink a little into his stomach from what he heard, Angel felt like he had to walk over and say something, help in some way.

"Have ya tried fucking?" The first thing to leave his mouth upon approaching the two demonesses.

"Uh….excuse me, what?" Tammy asked quizzically as she stared up at him, taken aback by his crude choice of words to start a conversation.

"I've been told by family members and a few gal pals that one of the best ways to get labor jump started is to get screwed. Something about hormones or somethin'."

A light blush lit up across the blonde's cheeks as she looked away for a moment before she mumbled. "….I've tried….but Al won't do it."

"What? Are you shitting me? Is he revolted by pregnant chicks or something?" Angel asked.

"No, no, that's not it. He said he'll only help if he gets to choose her name. I don't think he likes the ones that I've picked out." She said as she shifted her weight on the yoga ball.

"Well, what were the names you had in mind, suga'?" Tammy asked curiously.

"Um… well, he thought Duchess sounded like a dog's name, he said Petunia sounded atrocious, and Abcde was completely thrown out the window when I spelled it for him."

The two stared at her in disbelief before Angel spoke up. "I for once agree with Smiles. Charlie, those names are terrible. Ya want your kid to get picked on for all of eternity? Because that's how you create self-esteem issues. Plus, look at yourself. You look absolutely fucking miserable." He not so vaguely pointed out. "I think you should let Al win this one, toots."

"Maybe I should." She sighed as she rubbed the lower part of her back, already feeling pretty close since this morning of letting Alastor win this disagreement. The demoness felt pretty done and desperate for her pregnancy to be over with, wanting her body back and for her daughter to be here already. With that final resolution in mind she allowed Tammy to help her stand up before heading out of the rec room to go find her boyfriend.

"That's right go make your sex therapist proud! Oh, I almost forgot!" Angel shouted towards Charlie across the, thankfully mostly empty, rec room. "I heard that it works best if the guy blows his load, so make sure he leaves a deposit!"

"You, are vile. Do you even hear half of the things you spout out of your mouth?" Tammy asked with her arms crossed and a disapproving, disgusted look on her face towards the spider.

##########

Alastor may have had a short fuse and a love for a little violence, but he was a patient man when it came to pursuing a hunt. That patience being vital as he felt his legs already become a bit cramped and stiff from crouching so long in the brush situated along the edge of a small clearing. Doing his best to tune out the chirps and whistles of the early birds coming to life as the first rays of light broke through the Louisiana greenery.

The loud chirps and barks of noisy squirrels rustled through the woods around him made him realize he should have been squirrel hunting instead of deer hunting. Always when he went deer hunting did the squirrels love to come out and play, but when he had the intention to squirrel hunt not one damn rodent in sight.

But that wasn't the only thought running through the young man's mind.

Why was everything so green and the air so warm? He usually never hunted deer during the late spring months, not like anyone would call him out for it or stop him. These hunting grounds were vast and fairly remote and not too many people passed through, which was why these grounds were quite useful to cover up his other favorite hobbies.

A grin began to creep slowly across his face as he remembered his latest kill, the memories of them choking on their own blood as they writhed in pain, their crimson soaking through his brown vest and white shirt, staining his gloves, all still fresh in his mind. The stiffness in his legs disappeared as the images made his heart pump a little faster, spreading the adrenaline that was dumped into his system. Which couldn't be a better moment for the light-furred doe to slowly walk into the clearing, unaware that the grass she was tentatively grazing on was her last meal.

He observed her through the lens of his bifocals. Such a stunning creature she was. A shiny blondish hide and bright clear eyes, with a fine amount of fat and muscle on her.

When she dipped her head back down to take another bite, that was when he made the slight movement to take aim. Her large dark eyes looked around behind long eyelashes as she surveyed her surroundings when she lifted her head back up. The young man paused for a moment as he steadied his aim, grateful that he was downwind from her and that she hadn't flagged her tail up and bolted yet. Strands of brown hair from his bangs were only slightly obscuring his vision, but he barely noticed as all focus was on the spot on her ribcage just a little behind her forelimb.

The shot from his rifle rang in his ears as he watched the doe jump and let out a surprised guttural scream before darting off into the brush.

He was just as surprised as the doe as he watched her take off. With the perfect aim he had he was expecting her to drop dead immediately, not run. Luckily, the splattered blood on the forest floor from her dripping wound left an easy trail. If this were his slightly more preferred two-legged prey, he would be more disappointed that he botched his opportunity, not one to chase after fleeing victims. However, he followed the beckoning bright droplets. One because he wasn't going to let perfectly good venison go to waste; and two because he didn't want an innocent animal to suffer more than necessary.

With the hunter's obligation to finish his kill he pursued her, ending up a little less than a quarter mile from where he fired his gun, discovering that he was close to the end of the trail when the droplets became less dispersed and more clumped together in larger pools.

The woods were eerily quiet the closer he got to the end of the blood trail. He was expecting to not hear any birds after shortly firing his weapon; however, several minutes had passed and there wasn't even any sign of the pesky squirrels that had teased him earlier with their presence. Only the soft rustling of the green leaves as the warm spring breeze brushed by, and something else as well. A sound that made Alastor feel uneasy the closer he got to the bushes and tall grass where the trail seemed to finally end.

He heard the soft whimpers of a woman crying.

The doe body he was expecting to find laying in the tall grass was not a doe.

The dark ruby droplets on the ground were not from a doe.

And the large dark eyes that looked up at him were not the soft and docile eyes of his prey, but the pained, tear-filled eyes of his Charlie's. Those tears stained here cheeks as they flowed, joining the red droplets on the ground. Her lower lip trembled along with the rest of her body as she looked up at him, tightly grasping onto the side of her chest that leaked crimson through her white button up.

"Y-you shot m-me. W-why w-would you s-hoot me?" She rasped as blood dribbled steadily down her chin, adding more to the red pool underneath her.

He tried to move, tried to say something, tried to do anything but found that he was paralyzed to the spot. Unable to move as he watched her cry and choke on her own blood while tightly scrunching up her no longer white shirt that tightly hugged to her lithe flat stomach.

The bleating of a young fawn cried out in the distance for her mother, her cries sounding uncannily similar to a human child's.

##########

The red demon sat up with an abrupt start as the door to his office swung open.

"Fine, you win, I give. I can't stand another moment being…..You okay?" Charlie asked with worry as she noticed the extended, tangled antlers on his head and the radio waves in his eyes on his panic-stricken face. She slightly jumped when he quickly disappeared from behind his desk and materialized right in front of her, pulling her into an unexpected hug.

Her concerned only worsened as she listened to the fast thumping of his heart against her ear while he had her side pinned close to him, one of his hands firmly but shakily grasping the side of her head. "Al? What happened?"

The demon didn't respond to her concern as he focused on the confirmation that she was alive and unharmed. Feeling the radiating warmth coming from her porcelain skin and listening to her soft breathing as he felt her chest rise and fall against him. Relieved that the only scent filling his nose was her shampoo, not a single hint of iron to be noticed.

Charlie wished she could return the hug and try to comfort him, but he had her arms unintentionally trapped at her sides, the best she could do was let him hold her as she patiently waited for him to relax. Which he finally did relax, just enough for her to slightly pull away so she could readjust and wrap her arms around him. She nuzzled into the black and pink striped button up he was wearing as she asked, "Can you please tell me what's wrong?"

"It's just a night terror, my dear." He tried persuading her, his eyes back to normal and his antlers down to their original size.

"A night terror at 4 in the afternoon? No, I think there's something more going on that you're not telling me." She said as she took a quick glance over at his desk, long claw marks etched into its surface. "You've never taken a nap in the middle of the day, and rarely have I've ever seen you that panicked before. Please tell me what's going on, I thought we agreed no more secrets?" Charlie asked as she took a small step back away from him, grasping both of his gloved hands with her small pale ones as she looked up into his eyes.

The distressed expression displayed on her face made Alastor realize that his attempts to deal with his metaphorical demons on his own was backfiring, handling them this way wasn't protecting Charlie from worrying in the slightest.

He let go of her right hand, moving his now freed left hand to her cheek as he gently caressed the warm skin, an attempt to ease the worry out of her face as she leaned into his touch. "You're right, my love, I promised to always be level with you and I don't plan to start breaking deals today. But I have to ask you this," he started as his thumb grazed over the pink circle on her cheek, "how are you so calmly handling all of this?"

"Handling what so calmly?" The blonde quizzically asked.

"The daunting fact that our lives are going to change drastically. I don't want to seem lousy with doubt, because I do want her, believe me dear I do, but…." He trailed off, having a difficult time placing into words his emotional turmoil and doubts.

"Your worried about being a good dad for her?" She questioned.

"I-I've only ever had to think of myself and the different ways to ease my boredom. Always looking for the next form of entertainment. There are very few people, both when I was alive and now, who I deeply care about. I've never been in a situation where I have so much to lose. Sure, I've made several acquaintances and have taken in the stray rug-rat or two until they could take care of themselves….,but I've been pondering if I'm even capable of playing the role of a good father."

Charlie's expression softened as she looked up at him, placing her hand on the black gloved one on her cheek, intertwining her fingers with his. "Do you want to know why I'm so calm? It's because I'm not alone in this. I have friends and family who are kind, supportive, and amazing…..most of the time." She quickly added before continuing. "But most importantly I have a wonderful partner who, despite his large ego, short fuse, and tendencies to be a sarcastic asshole-"

"You slay me, darling." He matter-of-factly stated as he rolled his eyes, letting go of her hands.

"-I know will be one badass of a great father. I know you can do this, Al. Don't think you have to limit yourself, we both know you're capable of so many things." His girlfriend said before reaching for his hands again, placing them on her very swollen bump. "And when she's finally here, I think you'll find that you're going to be just right for her."

The warm smile lighting up her face always seemed to have an almost magical-like ability of reaching into the darkest depths of his heart, making him wonder if she really was hell born. She never stopped amusing him with the unexpected feelings she brought out of him, especially the ones he thought died long ago.

He returned the sweet smile on her face with one of his own.

"Uhm… before I came in here I was looking for you." She sighed, looking a bit uncomfortable before continuing. "You win. You get to pick out her name. I know I'm only two days past my due date, but I don't think I can stand another moment being pregnant." A dark blush lit up her face before continuing. "I've read on the internet that it might work…..and it has been awhile. So, I was wondering….do you want to help me out?"

##########

Alastor truthfully didn't think a bit of whoopie was going to in anyway be able to trigger his girlfriend to go into labor. He believed the baby was going to arrive when she was ready to be born, not when Charlie was ready for her to be born. However, it was a good strategy to get Charlie to change her mind about the atrocious names she had picked out…..although, maybe on some subconscious level his brief act of celibacy wasn't just for the sake of his daughter's dignity to have a decent name. Maybe, just like his daughter, he hadn't felt ready yet.

Originally, his sole focus was selfishly on himself, even when the smile and dreams of a naïve princess caught his attention. And he really did get a kick out of the futile attempts from the sinners trying to redeem themselves, both now and back then; however, over time, his preference of entertainment began to shift more towards Lucifer's heir, finding her to be a swell joy to be around.

The way she could keep up with his pace on the dance floor at Mimzy's, thrilled to have a dance partner like her, or how her elegant soprano voice complimented his tenor one during their duets, both the random and the practice choreographed ones for the hotel's talent show nights. How she found his jokes hilarious, or when she complimented his cooking, devouring every bite on her plate. Not to mention the way her laugh and smile could radiantly light up a room.

Or the way she could get him to care about someone who wasn't himself.

Although, he still found himself to still be a selfish man, wanting all of the love and attention from the divine woman in his arms. The woman who made him both question himself yet, made him more sure than ever that this was where he was supposed to be, convincing him that he was both ready and capable of change.