Another few days had passed, November was quickly ending, and that didn't sit too well with Mad Dawg. The last two months of the year were usually… hard. December was troublesome due to him having effectively been cut off from his family for so long, the spirit, joy and good feelings of Christmas were long since gone. Still, he doubted that mattered all that much down here, he doubted Christmas was even a thing. Either way, he didn't much care… But November? Ugh… just… just push through it. That was the mantra he went by every year, never thinking of much else besides that. For the short time he had been here, Dawg had to admit: he liked it here! Blitzo was… unpredictable, often touting him as some sort of cornerstone one minute and denying he knew Dawg faster than a Hollywood executive denied misconduct (and about as effectively as well. Suck it Weinstein!) Millie was extremely friendly (if a bit sadistic) reminding Mad Dawg of Lena, Lori and Hana rolled into one with Reaper's view on what a life was worth. Moxxie seemed to be the only sane one in the building, although he had a shorter temper than Morrison, mostly due to Blitzo going out of his way to make the imp's life a living hell.

"Wow. What an original joke!"

You're one to talk about originality…

"And you're replaceable."

Touché.

But between Moxxie and Dawg, things were pretty good. The white-haired imp was pretty much the ranged weapons expert, and he and Dawg had gotten into challenges more than once, trying to determine who was the better shot. Dawg was the better shot. At least, he would be if he wasn't still trying to get used to his new arm-mounted crossbow. Heck, it had given him trouble already, as he had to remember to unload it, or put the safety on, or take it off when he wasn't shooting, and had accidentally put a few holes in the office wall. At the same time, he was probably the sanest man Dawg had met in all of hell.

"If someone is trying to help you, and they end up hurting you, but you in turn hurt them back… how do you apologize for that?" Mad Dawg asked, tying off another garbage bag and tossing it into a dumpster.

"What?"

"Uh, let's say… someone did something, they hurt you. And then you hurt them back. How do you apologize for that?"

"Are you apologizing because they've manipulated you into thinking whatever happened is your fault? Or did you genuinely do something wrong and want to apologize for that?"

"I think it's the second one." Mad Dawg remarked. Moxxie really wanted to ask what Dawg was getting at with this, because aside from her personality, Moxxie knew practically nothing about the newcomer.

"Look, it's kinda funny, but in hell… it's a lot harder to apologize." Moxxie admitted, looking over to Mad Dawg. "Part of it is you'll seem 'weak' and crap like that, but at the same time, the sense of urgency is gone."

"What?"

"When you were alive, if you were afraid of talking to someone, there's always the potential that the next day… they'll be dead, so you'd use that to motivate you to go talk to them. Down here, unless they get taken out in a cleanse, they're here forever."

"And you keep putting off talking until tomorrow, and then the next day, and then the next day…" Mad Dawg concluded, picking up what the Imp was getting at. "Ugh… this is never gonna happen…"

"Look, this is not good advice, for any circumstance, but take a few drinks first." Moxxie said. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but if you have some stuff in your system, it might help tale the edge off. Don't ever do this for something that really matters, but I think you know what I mean."

"Yeah, I think so."

"Look, if it's a phone call, the hardest part is dialing, just punch it, and then ride it out."

"Yeah… yeah." Mad Dawg nodded, thinking it over. "Hey, we got all the organs?"

"Yup."

"All right then."

Presently…

Mad Dawg had (sort of) figured out how night-to-day worked, and he has something of a sleep schedule. The misfit-mutant yawned as his back cracked. Entering the floor's bathroom – as for some reason there wasn't a bathroom in the office, but hey. Whatever – a few minutes later, and Dawg still wasn't awake. Groaning in irritation, he rubbed his eyes as he entered I.M.P. HQ.

"Hey boss, what's- whoa." Mad Dawg blinked, looking around at what he thought was I.M.P. HQ. Wherever he was, everything had a neon colouring to it, and music that sounded similar to Lúcio's was echoing around him.

"Uhh, when did we get a strip club?" Mad Dawg muttered, looking around in confusion. "Also. How have I not noticed this?" He mentally debated if he should go, thinking that was the correct answer, until he turned around, and a tall demoness was standing before him.

"Well, hello there…" She said with a playful smile, leaning forward somewhat. Thankfully, she wasn't that much taller than Dawg, but she certainly had a commanding presence about her.

"Hi." Dawg said, noticing something. "Ooh, nice wings."

"Hmm. Cute face."

"…uh… sorry, have we met?" Mad Dawg coughed.

"I'm Veroskia, perhaps you've heard of me?"

"No."

"Veroskia. The Pop Star?"

"No."

"Veroskia. The Pop Star? One of hell's most famous musicians?"

"No."

"Vacay to Bonetown?"

"No."

"Pleasures and Passion?"

"No."

"Love and Loss?"

"No."

"Can you say anything other than no?"

"Watermelon."

"Pfft!" Veroskia snorted, taken aback by the response. Part of that had to do with Dawg's non-reaction, as he looked blankly at her. "Heh, you're a young cutie, aren't ya?"

"I'm… I'm not young." Mad Dawg shook his head. Wow. He hadn't ever been called 'young' before... He wasn't sure he liked it, there was something about the way she said it…

"D'aww! You're shy!" Veroskia laughed, lifting Dawg's chin up.

Immediately Dawg's mind went into self-defence mode. His brain screaming for him to run, or lash out, or… do ANYTHING! However, his body was mostly frozen stiff. Be it out of awkwardness, tiredness, or something else. He didn't want to go back… he didn't want…

"Uh. You good?"

"Huh? Yeah! Sorry. Mind just blanked there." Mad dawg muttered shaking his head. "Weird considering how little there is…"

"Awww. Say, what's a hell… actually, what the hell are you?" Veroskia began with her question, then got a better look at Mad Dawg and blinked in confusion.

"I have no idea." Mad Dawg shrugged.

"You look like a hellhound mixed with a bear and a sabretooth tiger…"

"Okay… I thought it was more Jackal, but whatever."

"Whatever, what's a little guy like you doing working for a sideshow-reject like him?" Veroskia smirked, pointing over to I.M.P.

"I'm bored. I need a place to stay. I don't know. Any of those could be the answer." Mad Dawg shrugged indifferently. Not paying attention to Veroskia's confused blinking, as if she was genuinely taken aback by his answer. In reality, she was bewildered not only by Mad Dawg's oddly calm persona, but the fact that he didn't seem effected by her… draw. She cast a glance to Josh, who shook his head, not picking up… anything. Heck, if anything, he felt the opposite of what they wanted. "Anyhow, I'm out." Mad Dawg said, beginning to walk away.

"Aw, why don't you stay a bit? It's not like you're doing anything of value with those horned freaks."

"Yeah, look. I don't know what you're beef with them is, but-"

Thump

"Oh, crap." Mad Dawg whispered. What was worse than a mutant hellhound? A BIGGER hellhound. And that's exactly what stood before him.

"Whoa, sorry dude." The wolf coughed.

"N..no… that was my bad." Mad Dawg shook his head, laughing slightly.

"I'm Vortex, what do they call you?" Vortex remarked, seeming calm as ever, and clearly picking up on something being very off about the younger hound.

"I'm Mad Dawg." Mad Dawg. Nodded, looking up at the taller hellhound. "Uh… nice… nice eye scar…"

"Damn. Right back at ya." Vortex nodded, noticing Dawg's. "Ahh… you got lucky, you kept your eye."

"Yeah. Somehow. I dunno." Mad Dawg said, his eyes darting around nervously. "Fffuuhhh… I gotta go… I'm making… Banana bread, and it'll be done in like… a minute."

"Ooh! Really!? You gotta bring us some!" Veroskia said seductively.

"Hahaaa. Okay. Sure will! Uh… bye!" Dawg smiled as he left, exiting back into the hallway.

"WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU, DAWG?!" He screamed at himself. "WHAT WAS THAT?! Dude! You were in topless bars when you were eleven! Why is THIS such a big deal!? Why were you so- Holy… I… am I in love? No… No… No… that can't be it… She's gotta be a succubus or something. But- okay, deep breaths." Mad Dawg cracked his neck and sighed, not noticing Veroskia was looking at him in confusion through the window. "What just happened? Am I half-asleep still? Am… wait. I'm in hell, does that mean that part of this punishment is me going through all the emotional growth I never did when I was alive, rendering my ability to be a member of society mute?"

There was no response.

"Man… Ah, well. Just avoid that place." Mad Dawg mentally noted as he entered I.M.P. HQ, and was suddenly side-lined by Blitzo. Except the Imp practically bounced off of Mad Dawg, while the mutant just took a step back.

"YOU TRAITORUS BITCH!" Blitzo shouted.

"What?"

"I BRING YOU INTO THIS COMPANY, GIVE YOU A JOB AND A PLACE TO STAY! AND YET YOU TURN YOUR BACK ON US AND GO TO HER!?"

"Ver… whatever he name was?"

"YES! HOW COULD YOU!?" Blitzo snarled, while the others looked to one another, then to Mad Dawg in confusion.

"Boss, I just went to the bathroom. I was half-asleep. And I went in the wrong door." Mad Dawg flatly replied with an indifferent tone.

"Oh. So, you mean you didn't go over there to get laid?"

"You know I'm technically underage, right?" Mad Dawg asked flatly, a question which took Millie aback.

"Yeah. One, you're in hell. Two, some people are into that."

"SIR!"

"Nah, she ain't my type." Mad Dawg waved dismissively, but it was clear there was more. His whole body tensed and then quickly released said stress. "Also, why do you care?"

"They dated." Millie said.

"I thought he and Stolas…"

"AHHHH that's enough for right now!" Blitzo shouted, waving his hands in the air. Except this time, he did care.

"How long has she been there?" Mad Dawg asked, grabbing one of the few cans of Phoenix Energy he had left from Royal Woods and cracked it open. The sour lemon and apple taste kicking him awake.

"Few months." Moxxie shrugged.

"How have I not noticed that!?"

"Well, they were gone for a few months." Moxxie explained. "She's a pop star, she was touring in the living world and all in order to gather souls.'

"Ohhhh… Okay."

"She SAID she was doing free-lance work for a WEEK! Not nine months!" Blitzo continued with another tirade.

"Right. Well… uh… I think I promised to make them banana bread, so… I'm gonna have to do that at some point." Mad Dawg remarked.

"What? Great! That's exactly what we need…" Blitzo said, rubbing his hands together with a wicked grin.

"Sir, whatever your thinking, it's a bad idea." Moxxie spoke up.

"Let's hear it!" Mad Dawg added.

"Oxybutynin and laxatives." Was all Blitzo said. Mad Dawg blinked, thinking it over, and realized what his Boss was getting at.

"Sir, this could be a chance for us to move past your quarrel." Moxxie spoke up in a flat tone. "We could use it as a peace offering to try and get her off our backs in exchange for us leaving her alone."

"Doesn't he want her on her back?" Mad Dawg asked, the question made Loona choke on her drink before letting out a barking laugh. "I have no regrets."

"I'm docking your pay."

"You don't pay me."

"Oh, right. Uh… you're on corpse clean up then!"

"Sir, isn't that his job already?" Millie asked, and Blitzo seemed to realize something.

"Damn, your life here is a literal hell… and yet you're not complaining!? Why?"

"I don't care." Dawg shrugged. "I don't pay rent, so I don't feel like I can complain about the trade-off being a dirty job." Dawg picked up his crossbow and slipped it onto his arm, before loading a bolt into it. "Now if you'll all excuse me, I need to go make banana bread for a woman I think wants to eat my heart."

Charlie had finished looking over some papers for the hotel, making sure bills were paid and all that, and was rather surprised when her chellphone rung. She was ever more surprised when she saw who was calling.

"Hi, Daddy!"

"Charlotte! How's my little apple doing?"

"Fine, okay."

"Really? Just okay?

"Yeah, just been… busy. Y'know?"

"Oh, man do I know! You'd think being the ruler of a hellhole like this would be easier!" The devil joked, and they both laughed. Her father seemed in a rather (genuinely) good mood today, and not just in the way he would act as if he was in one.

"Heh, uh… any… any reason you're calling?"

"Well, actually. Are you going to be busy later today?"

"N..no… is something wrong?"

"What? No! Why would anything be wrong?!" Her father laughed. "I just… haven't been able to talk to you in a bit, I wanted to see how you're doing."

"Really?" Charlie asked, her tone a mix of skepticism and optimism.

"Yeah, I was wondering if you wanted to meet up, you and I could get some lunch, talk about whatever, go to that old ice cream place you loved when you were little…"

"Tasha's is still open?!" Charlie exclaimed. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?!"

"Because I'm evil." Her father simply replied, again, making them both laugh.

"O..okay! Sure!" Charlie said with a smile. "I'll need to tell Vaggie and the others I'll be gone for a bit, but sure!"

"All right then, I'll be by in say… two hours?"

"Okay, see you then!" Charlie smiled, hanging up and feeling… happy! Her father wanted to meet up and talk? That sounded… "Oh, boy." Bad. Still, she'd do her best to make sure that her father heard what she wanted him to hear. After all, she was the devil's daughter…

Mad Dawg left the store he stopped by to get stuff to make banana bread (hey, he said he'd do it, he was gonna do it!) and began walking back to I.M.P. HQ. Along the way, he had the feeling he was being followed, but every time he looked back, nothing.

"Gah!" Dawg exclaimed, walking into someone else. "Aw, crap… sorry, I wasn't-"

"It's quite fine, young one." The woman said with a smile. From an immediate glance, she didn't look like she belonged in IMP City, or hell, actually.

"Ugh, sorry, I wasn't paying attention." Mad Dawg repeated.

"Hello, child." The woman said with a smile. "Are you the one called Mad Dawg?"

"Maybe…" Mad Dawg answered tentatively. "Who's asking?"

"My name, is Delilah." Delilah answered. "Please, I've been looking for him for some time now. Are you the one known as Mad Dawg?"

Mad Dawg narrowed his eyes, looking at the woman who stood before him. She seemed… human. Oddly human… there was something different about her. "Yeah. That's me." He finally said, unsheathing his claws on his right hand, ready to fight if need be.

"Wonderful." Delilah smiled warmly, something about her smile and eyes made Dawg feel… re-assured. That set him on edge. "Now, listen… I know what I am going to say may be hard to believe, but I need you to trust me. All right?" When Mad Dawg nodded with a small frown, Delilah finally came clean: "I'm an angel from Heaven, and I'm here to help you."

Mad Dawg immediately took a few steps back, his eyes narrowing and teeth baring somewhat. This was a trap. Most definitely. This wasn't going to end well if he fell for it, so he slowly began to back up.

"Oh, it's quite alright little one." Delilah spoke softly, smiling at Mad Dawg. "I understand your confusion and apprehension, and those feelings are justified." Stepping forward, she ran her hands through her hair, and a golden halo appeared over her head. Two transparent, snow-white wings briefly appeared behind her as she floated about a foot off the ground. Mad Dawg's eyes widened in shock, and he fell backwards, staring up at the angel.

"Right…" He finally said, it was all he could think. All he could say was a stammering: "S-s-sorry."

"It's all right, little one." Delilah smiled, extending a hand and helping Mad Dawg to his feet. The halo and wings disappeared, but Dawg had a hard time saying they were fake. "Would you come with me for a moment?" Mad Dawg wordlessly nodded, his body clearly saying 'I need an adult', as he followed the angel around a corner and into an abandoned warehouse. Once they were inside, she dropped her plain-looking garb for a golden-white outfit befitting, well, an angel. There was something about it that was so captivating, so real… "There we go, I would like some privacy while we talk."

"Talk about what?" Mad Dawg asked.

"You." Delilah said with a smile. "I understand you must have many questions about why you're here-"

"No, I don't." Mad Dawg shook his head. "I know why I'm here."

"Y..you do?" Delilah asked skeptically.

"Yeah, I made bad choices in life, hurt a lot of people, end of story." Mad Dawg shrugged. Delilah's eyes softened as she took in the levels of self-loathing Mad Dawg had brought upon himself.

"…perhaps I should get to my point. Mad Dawg… you shouldn't be here." Delilah frowned, deciding to cut to the chase.

"Agreed." Mad Dawg nodded. Delilah seemed annoyed by his response, but she quickly let it go.

"Then you'll have no problems with leaving with me right now?"

"L-leave?" Mad Dawg blinked, turning around and looking at the angel in absolute astonishment. "W-what?"

"Leave this place and go to Heaven." Delilah calmly explained, smiling at the light shining in Mad Dawg's eyes'. However, she frowned when he once again took a step back apprehensively. But then again, she couldn't exactly blame him for being fearful about good promises in hell.

"Why?" He bluntly asked. "If I'm… if I'm supposed to go to Heaven, why am I here?! Are you telling me God made a mistake? If not, why me!? Why are you trying to get me out of here!?"

Actually, who cared?! He could leave. YES! Why was he even debating this! It was time to split! To haul ass, head on out, go to heaven, maybe he could see his family! He could leave all this crap behind-

"Wait…" He thought, knowing he wasn't going to like where this thought went. "Did Charlie put her up to this? Is this a test? And if not, isn't this kinda spitting in her face? Actually, screw it. Why am I questioning this?! I have no loyalty to her, she knew what Dust did! She couldn't help me, and now an Angel of the Lord was offering to do what she couldn't!? I'd be nuts to turn this down!"

"Yes. But you'd be leaving them behind without telling them that you..." Another voice spoke up.

"YoU dOn'T OwE tHEm aN aPOlOgY… NoT aFteR WHaT tHeY DiD tO yOU…" Virus then made himself known, his metallic echoing voice like a cold blast of frost to Dawg's spine. What concerned Dawg about this, was that he was agreeing with Virus.

"I understand this can be frightening, little one." Delilah smiled. "But the hardest part of Faith, is making the jump. I understand I cannot convince you to come along with me, but I do offer you a better life for your soul, and not one of demonic torment."

"How do I know this is real?"

"Would you prefer to remain?" Delilah asked, avoiding the question.

He could leave, put his pain behind him. Sure, he'd be bailing on his Boss, Loona, Millie and Moxxie, four demons he actually kinda liked, but hell was eternal, right? They'd move on. Everyone would, eventually. Besides, they deserved to be here, right? Everyone down here, even himself, and Annie, and Moxxie and… but… but he'd see his family! Right?

"Miss Delilah?"

"Yes?"

"W-w-will… will I get to see… see my family again?" Mad dawg stammered, feeling closer to crying than he had since he got to hell. Yet still, he didn't. They wouldn't come for whatever reason.

"Yes, my child." Delilah smiled, placing a hand on Dawg's cheek and rubbing the fur. "You will know nothing but happiness, you will be free to experience the best of everything forever. The Lord himself awaits you, waiting to welcome you home."

"I…I can see Jackson? And Don Kim?"

"Yes, dear." Delilah smiled, but felt a twitch in her wings. She had to almost violently bite her cheek to make it stop.

"Okay. I'll go with you." Mad Dawg nodded.

He took Delilah's hand…

…and nothing happened.

"Wh..what?!" Delilah sputtered, and Dawg pulled away in disgust. Great, he'd been bamboozled again. "Impossible! This works on the souls of those condemned down here! Mad Dawg, I'm so sorry, I-"

"Save it." He spat with genuine venom and hatred, turning and walking away, aiming his crossbow at her the whole time, clearly not wanting to get caught in a trap again. "I don't want your salvation. If you wanna help me, get your boss down here, that is, if you actually do work for him…"

"Mad Dawg!" Delilah called, shocked at what she was seeing. "You can't walk away from this!"

"Actually, I can. I'm doing it right now." Mad Dawg flipped her off. "Now leave me alone. I've got banana bread to make."

When the doors closed, Delilah felt righteous anger flowing through her veins. What had just happened!? He was in hell! He was dead! That should've been the end of it! But that wasn't what upset her the most. This… boy had just spat in her face, and more importantly, the face of the Lord, and she didn't like that.

"Serenity… serenity…" She whispered, calming herself. "He's just a boy, he's clearly frightened… you can figure this out, and you can help him. Whether he knows it or not, he needs you."

Smiling warmly again, Delilah felt her eye twitch and collected herself once more before leaving. She needed to talk to some friends, and she needed answers. Maybe she needed to hunt…

"Damn. This place ain't half bad!" Cherri remarked, looking around the hotel. "You made it out to be a real crap pile, Dust!"

"Whoa, what are you two doing here?" Dust blinked, confused.

"I'm here because I'm bored, she's here because she can't find her boyfriend." Cherri said, before pointing to Molly.

"He's not… UGH…" the female spider-demon groaned. "Have you seen him since he ran off?!"

"No… why do you care so much?" Angel Dust asked with a raised brow, not even needing to ask to know who she was talking about. "Were you two-"

"No! For the last time, no!" Molly yelled, throwing her hands up in annoyance. "It's just… look, I don't have a lot of friends, and then he disappeared, and I wanted to make sure he was okay, and apparently you and him had a falling out, so I wanted to ask what happened."

"Look, I don't wanna talk about what happened." Dust muttered. "The kid was an asshole, he got thrown out."

"No, you did something to him that pissed him off-"

"Oh, so you're on his side now!?" Angel Dust snapped, glaring at Vaggie.

"No, but I'm saying what ACTUALLY HAPPENED." Vaggie snapped back, Cherri and Molly watching.

"I feel like this is a daily thing." Molly remarked.

"You sure Dust ain't Bi? 'Cause they're arguing like a married couple." Cherri snarked.

It was another minute or two before the fight somewhat settled down. By now, Alastor, Husk and Nifty were also present, mostly wanting to see what Dust and Vaggie were fighting over this time.

"Look, who cares what happened! He's gone!" Dust finally yelled, ending the argument before looking to Cherri. "You said he got caught by those chicken fetus', right?"

"Apparently his ass got gassed harder than-"

"Hey. Don't finish that joke." Husk spoke up. He may not care about much, but there were some jokes that went too far, even for him.

"Whatever. Apparently, he got taken."

"So, he's out there, alone, unarmed and potentially taken by Pentious and-" Molly began.

"Th'kid had a chainsaw! That's all he needs to kick Pent's ass!" Cherri smirked, leaning against the wall. "Heck, he's probably already killed everyone up there and is taking the airship for a joy ride!"

"Charlie's gonna lose it if that's true…" Vaggie groaned, rubbing her face. "I really hope that isn't true…"

"Where is she, anyways?" Angel Dust asked.

"She and her father went out for a jaunt!" Alastor remarked, suddenly speaking up and making Molly jump in fear at the sight of the Radio Demon being in the same room as her.

"Oh. Hey, Smiles. You got anything to add?" Angel Dust sighed, being mostly sarcastic.

"Well, according to Loa, you're absolutely correct! Mad Dawg was taken a few days ago by that pathetic worm's egg pawns! Loa should know, he was there!"

"You saw him get taken and didn't do anything!? WHY!?" Vaggie (and Molly) snapped. Alastor's grin didn't falter, and he just shrugged.

"Allow me to defend myself, ladies." He said with a slight bow, suddenly summoning a picture of Mad Dawg. "See, Mad Dawg was a resident at this hotel, he is not anymore." Alastor explained, marking a red 'X' across the picture. A second picture, this one clearly hand drawn of Mad Dawg's blades, claws and fangs appeared. "Secondly, it's not as if Mad Dawg is running out into hell unarmed! The boy has an assortment of tools to try and survive with! Do I think he'll succeed? Ha! No. But I certainly think he'll try!" Finally, a newspaper appeared with the story about the 'monster' at Val's studio. "Finally, and to me, most intriguingly… he's connected to this!"

"What. The hell. Are you talking about?!" Vaggie growled. "He's never been in the studio! What are you-"

Alastor's smile grew somehow more demented as his eyes glowed a sickly yellow which left everyone feeling sick for some reason.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes! I-" Vaggie began but stopped, thinking things over. Did she know for certain? Hadn't Dawg been there once for five minutes?

"I'll be honest, he never seemed like the kind of fellow to waste his money on such a pathetic pleasure." Alastor continued with a shrug.

"That reminds me. What money were you talking about?" Angel Dust asked again, the last time he asked, Cherri got distracted by an explosion and had to hang up.

"Uh… the money you sent with the letter saying you couldn't make it, but that should cover it? I managed to get some good explosives with it."

"The fuck are you talking about?! I never sent you mon-" Angel Dust began, still struggling to put everything together before having a new thought. "Hang on… the kid got to talking with Val… But Val wouldn't care about some random person showing up! I paid him my cut, all was good… But Dawg took the money, which is why Val was pissed…"

"What?" Vaggie blinked, unsure where Dust was going, Alastor just raised a brow, this (potentially) being something even he hadn't heard about.

"But then Val said he never got the money, and that I sent some sort of monster after him…"

"Why was Dawg there in the first place!?" Molly snapped.

"Well, I wrote two letters, I asked Dawg to deliver them to Cherri and-"

Angel Dust froze, thinking things over. Everything had hurt. There was so much pain. He knew what had happened. Mad Dawg stole the money. That's why Val didn't get it! But why was Mad Dawg so angry with him!? Because of Molly?! Why-

"It's weird, I write anything, ANYTHING with my bottom arms and I'm not looking at what I'm writing, I write them out of order." Played in his mind, freezing him in place. "…write them out of order…write them out of order… write them out of order…" After that, a series of memoires played, new light shining on them.

"By the way, thanks for the money!"

"You didn't kick your cut, and you sent some sort of monster to attack me? He didn't wanna play along, and then he went nuts… No matter what we did to restrain him."

"He was such an adorable little guy too… he would've been lots of fun to play with!" Velvet had cooed with a sadistic smile as she was applying Dust's make-up. "At least I…" Angel Dust hadn't paid that any mind, he was… afraid. Vox had done… 'his thing' to ensure Dust would cooperate. But now-

"Baby… you're gonna REALLY have to prove how much you care…"

While this was happening, and everyone else looked to one another, no one noticed Loa appear and tap Alastor on the shoulder, before handing him the shadow of his microphone cane.

"Well, I have a question for all of you…" Alastor spoke up, seeming beyond his usual brand of psychotic pleasure. "Would you like to hear the whole story?" Not waiting for an answer, Alastor motioned to his microphone cane, and it crackled to life, playing a series of voices.

"Please… I wanna go…" Mad Dawg's quiet voice was heard.

"Ha, aww… no you don't. Just relax! Just relax and let us take care of you… you're safe here, you're not gonna be hurt…" Velvet giggled with mock affection.

"Oh. Shit…" Angel said, his eyes widening in disbelief and shock. "I sent Dawg into a porno studio, with the letter for Cherri saying; 'I can't come today, Dawg will cover for me.' And then Val… and he gave Cherri the letter with the money saying I wouldn't be there, period."

"Look at me. It's okay, you can trust me. I'm here to help." The sickly-sweet voice of the infamous Moth Pimp could be heard.

"No. You're not." Mad Dawg growled out, clearly struggling with something. "I know… what you… want…"

"You can trust me. I'm here to help."

"I…I can trust you."

All that followed was a few seconds of screams and roars, then silence.

Horror seemed to settle in on the faces of many. Realization and panic began to linger in the air, and a dreadful sense of pain was taking root, and no one could escape it.

"WHAT HAVE I DONE!?" Angel yelled as fear, anger and realization all came crashing down on him. Not just the pain of what he had been through, but the pain fo what he subjected someone else to. The others demons seemed to be realizing what had happened, horror and disgust dawning on their faces. Even Alastor seemed repulsed.

"That's why he was so angry." Vaggie concluded. "He thought you set him up."

"Holy shit." Angel Dust practically whispered, feeling like he was going to throw up. "I think… I think I got Mad Dawg-"

"What happened?" Molly asked, concerned for Mad Dawg. "Is… is this because you thought we had a one-night stand?"

"Hold on. What?" Husk snapped to attention.

"No, I don't think he's upset about that. But I think he's paranoid because he's well, in hell. Add that to our rocky relationship as of late, and then the fear of being used or abused like he had been… It all makes sense…" The porn star muttered, putting it all together into one clear picture before snapping to another realization. "Th'kid ran off into hell! We need to find him!"

"Why do you suddenly care so much? Recently, you two hated eac-"

Slap!

Everyone stared in mortified shock as Angel dust outright slapped Vaggie. It wasn't harsh, or even along the lines of a bitch-slap, but it was shocking nonetheless. The one-eyed Salvadorian demoness looked back to Angel, and hand on her cheek, not angered, but genuine shock clear on her face.

"VAGATHA." Dust shouted. "This is not the time for that! I need to at least apologize to him for this. I need to know what happened! If he spends the rest of his afterlife avoiding this place, then that's that! And you and Charlie can blame me all you want, I couldn't give less of a shit about my sins." He trailed off, seemingly unable to finish his thought. "But not like this! Never like this! He… he's just a kid! This isn't about my 'redemption', this isn't about the hotel, this is about someone I considered a FRIEND getting hurt! Hell, hurt in ways YOU SHOULD PROBABLY UNDERSTAND BETTER THAN MOST. What's so hard for you to understand!?"

Vaggie blinked, she had never seen Angel Dust like this. This was so… wrong, compared to how he usually was. But with everything that had been revealed? All of this potentially just being a mistake? She nodded. Knowing that for once, he was right. She needed to talk to Charlie about this, but she was still out with her father… hopefully things were going better for her.

Charlie felt dirty.

She clutched her arm and looked at the ground, honestly finding herself struggling not to cry. That… that was not what she had expected. She had met with her Father, and things were actually rather pleasant. They talked about her and Vaggie, the current state of hell, and then, out of nowhere…

"Oh yeah, how's it going with that Mad Dawg guy?"

Charlie hadn't replied, and she didn't need to. One look at her body language and the apprehension in her eyes told the devil everything he needed.

"Oh… darling I'm sorry…" He had spoken in the soft, reassuring tone she used to love when she was a child, the one that made her feel like she was safe. Now? She felt like he was trying to slip into her very mind. Using something she had always seen as… as… "What happened?"

"I-I-I…"

"Did he hurt you?"

"N-no…"

"Charlotte, I need you to be honest with me. Did he hurt you?"

"No! Okay?! NO! He didn't! We were so damn close! He was changing, he was better! And then he had to throw it all away because of some stupid mishap between him and Angel Dust!"

"Angel Dust… the porn star? What happened between them?"

"I don't know. Apparently, Dust thought Dawg slept with his sister, Dawg didn't. He wouldn't. But he and Dust got into a fight, and seemed to resolve it. Then… then he just got really pissed off at him, he-he-he attacked him…"

"You don't need to say anything more, my princess…" He had said softly, pulling her into a hug.

"It's just… he… I… I was so close… and he threw it all away, he hates me, he… he… agrees with you. He thinks the hotel is a joke…"

"Do you agree?"

"What?"

"Do you agree, with what he said?"

"NO!"

"All right, all right, I'm just trying to understand how to help you. Would you like me to have the Seekers track him down? Have them return him to the hotel?"

Charlie shut her eyes, thinking about the thoughts that seemed so… un-her that had occurred. Even more so, she hated the answer she had given. She had talked a little bit more, and the whole time, her Father had the kind, caring façade he showed when he entertained guests, and Charlie desperately wanted to believe it was real, but deep down, she always felt like he was acting around her. That… that he was happy Dawg had left. She knew he didn't like the hotel idea, she knew he didn't think demons could change… but this was her dream! She had done it before, but even with that, no one seemed to believe in her as well.

"Ah, hello Charlie! How was-"

"Not now, Alastor." Charlie cut him off, not meeting his gaze. The radio demon watched her leave, but didn't push her further.

"Hm… why do I feel like there's a bigger show happening, and I'm not part of it?" Alastor thought. "Well, we'll have to fix that, now won't we?"

Charlie sat on her bed. Tired, dejected. Tired… What was she doing wrong?! Her plan made so much sense! Why wasn't this… was it her? Was it him? No… it was something else!

"Uh, hey. Princess." Husk coughed awkwardly, standing in her doorway. "Look, I uh… I woke up from a black-out, and… uh… I found this, and… I think you should hold onto it." He finished, tossing something to Charlie. It landed on her bed, and Charlie looked down at it. "It belonged to the kid."

"What is it?"

"A journal, I think." Husk remarked. "Look, I read a bit, but it felt wrong, and… man there's some stuff in there that really explains a few things-"

"Husk, he's gone. He hates me." Charlie cut the winged bartender off. "I was so close, and I failed… My plan, it… it…"

"Look, I ain't sayin' invadin' someone's privacy is okay, but look at the back end of th'book. Y'might be surprised." Husk remarked, before leaving, not really caring about how Charlie was currently feeling. Slowly, the Princess sighed, trying to avoid even looking at the book, but eventually gave in and looked at the back. There were mostly blank pages, and then…

The Spider in Kinky Boots A.K.A. Angel Dust

Tomboyish Woman (Actually, he's a dude. I feel really weird for not knowing that.)

Likes me a bit too much.

Kinda creepy, actually. Makes a lot of weird advances, and I don't know how to react.

UPDATE: So, it turns out he's actually a pretty nice guy. We were out on the town today, and there's a much kinder side to him. I think someone hurt him, and hurt him BADLY. There's that look in his eyes, the one I had for so long… I got a bad feeling that the pain ain't gonna stop anytime soon tho, this being heck and all…

Another Update: He hurt me. Why? What did I do wrong?! I'm trying so hard to actually be better, and he just attacked me?! WHY!?

Friend: Yes UPDATE: I don't know at this point. I want to be his friend, but he kinda scares me now.

Charlie felt her heart break when she read that. She knew Mad Dawg was young, but this? This… there was no other word, disheartening. Angel was problematic, that much was clear, but Mad Dawg seemed to be better around him. Heck, even Dust seemed to be (somewhat) better behaved around Dawg! They were friends, real friends! And now… still, what was on the next page was something that made her tear up, but also smile.

Princess 'I-Secretly-Wish-I-Could-Constantly-Break-Out-Into-Song' Charlotte

Really nice!

Scary demon face when angry. Don't make angry. (I.E. do anything to Vaggie)

devil's daughter (may be evil? Doubt it.)

Seems to care about me more than I care about myself (not a high bar, but still)

I really like her! She's really nice. Maybe she's faking it and she's gonna try to kill me, but she reminds me a lot of Ms. Ziegler (or is it Aunt Ziegler? I'm not sure I ever really called her that) She really seems to care for everyone. Even more than herself. I hope I can help her… with this whole rehab thing… I know what caring for others more than yourself does, and it isn't fun XP

Still, she's satan's spawn (that may be harsh, but still) and I can't say this to her face, but I'm afraid she's gonna try and kill me. (SEE BELOW)

Friend: I wanna say Yes (UPDATE: Been here a few days, I feel… safe. I'm gonna say she's a friend. Not sure about the one-eyed demon chick she's with, I think she doesn't like me. But they seem happy, so WTF am I to say anything?)

Call In An Emergency: Probably. This would most likely result in me + Dust getting yelled at, but hey.

Charlie smiled as she closed the journal. Going through someone else's journal was… wrong. She was probably going to regardless, but for now, she just thought about what Dawg had written, then frowned slightly. What would he had written now? The anger, the pain… he didn't care, he just lashed out, and disappeared.

Well, disappeared after she told him to get out.

She regretted how she worded that. She was angry, understandably so! But she made it seem like she wanted him gone forever! And now… he was.

"There's still a chance I can find him! A chance I can save all this!" She reminded herself and sighed with a nod of confidence. She'd figure this out, one way or another, she'd find a way to make this right! Or, worst comes to worse, she'd cut her losses and try again. A sound caught her attention, and lifted her spirits, and she rushed out the door to deal with it.

"I gotta do this." Mad Dawg thought, trying to steel his nerves.

"No. WHaT aRE yOu dOiNg?!" Virus demanded, growing angered.

"I need to do this."

"NO! YoU DoN'T nEEd tO do AnYThINg! YoU KNOW wHAt ShE dId! ShE uSeD yOU! LiEd tO yOu!"

"Maybe. But she was also genuine, at least once. I need to at least let her know…"

"NO! YOU DON'T!" Virus shouted, his voice losing the mechanical filter, and giving Dawg pause as he hit another key. That voice… it… "You owe them NOTHING!"

"It's the right thing to do."

"WhO gIVeS a DaMn aBoUT DOinG tHE rIGhT tHInG!?" Virus kept yelling. "YoU dIDn'T cARe wHEn yOu wErE wItH OvERwATcH. YOu DiDn'T CaRe WhEN yOU WeRe WiTh LInCoLn oR LuNa. SO wHY dO yOu CaRe nOW?!"

"Because… Because I need to be better." Mad Dawg whispered, hitting the last key. The second he did, he regretted it. He needed to hang up, walk away! He didn't need to do this now, Virus was right! Did he even owe them a call? Did he NEED to do this at all?! Was Delilah just a demon in disguise!? Yeah, he didn't need to-

"Hello, you've reached the Happy Hotel. We believe you can change and we're here to help!"

"Uh… Miss Charlotte?"

"MAD DAWG!" Charlie full on screamed in disbelief. "IS THAT YOU!?"

"Y-yeah… uh, listen, I-"

"Where are you?! I'm so sorry! I shouldn't've gotten angry like that, please don't hate me for it! I'm so sorry I'm-"

"Miss Charlotte, I'm calling to let you know I'm okay." Mad Dawg cut her off as he spoke softly, choking on practically every word as he could almost hear the tears through the phone.

"Kace, please listen! I-" Charlie began, almost in a panic, but froze when she heard the very low growl from the other end of the line. "I'm so sorry… I'm sorry, please, I just need- I can explain- I need you to-"

"Don't worry about me, just… move on. I'll be okay." Mad Dawg said quietly. "We'll both be okay."

"Mad Dawg, wai-"

Click.

Mad Dawg hung up the phone and sighed, rubbing his face. That… didn't feel good. If anything, he now felt somewhat worse off than before. Why!? What was he doing wrong?! He told her it was okay, he had a reason to stay away, but he wasn't ghosting her!

"Charlie… we need to talk." Vaggie spoke up, getting her attention. The Princess almost immediately noticed something was very, VERY off.

"He called Vaggie… he called." Charlie said with a sad smile.

"Who, Mad Dawg?" Vaggie asked and when Charlie nodded, she sighed deeply. "Listen, we found something out, and I need to talk to you about this. It's… it's about Mad Dawg."

"God? If you're still listening… there's gotta be some sorta silver lining here, right?" Mad Dawg muttered, looking up to the twisted sky, and knowing most likely, there wasn't… at least, not for a mutant.

At the end of the day, it didn't matter. He had done bad, he had done a lot of terrible things. Good intentions or no, it made no difference. He… he was a monster, he always was, and always would be. He deserved to be down here, why was he trying to talk to God?!

"Just go home, Beta." He told himself. "It's time to go home."

Walking back out into the streets, Mad Dawg groaned in annoyance then froze in fear when a limo pulled up next to him. Immediately, his thoughts went to one demon, and one demon only. He had to run. NOW.

"The Boss Lady would like to speak with you." A large demon stated in a melodramatic voice, opening a door. Mad Dawg unsheathed his claws and growled, but when he heard hammers cocking, he knew he didn't have much of a choice. So, in a mixture of anger and genuine terror, he got into the car.

"Hello, dear." The smiling face of Lilith spoke, her calm, happy tone both settling and unsettling Dawg. "I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

"…" Mad Dawg looked at his bag full of bananas.

"Are you all right, dear?"

"…."

"I'm not going to hurt you, if that's what you're afraid of."

"…..what do you want."

"I just want to talk, that's all." Lilith smiled sweetly again, Dawg growled but relented, knowing it'd be hard to escape. Sure, maybe that new thing-

"No. No. No. No. NO! Do NOT bring that thing back!" He mentally screamed.

"Fine." Was all Mad Dawg said, and the limo casually drove off.

The whole 'November' thing is there for a reason. One you'll find out soon enough. Also, two meetings next chapter, both should be rather… interesting.