It had been noticed over the last several days that Angel was becoming more and more stressed as he continued to go to the studio. Things were getting out of hand, Angel was being worn down by Val and everything the evil moth was forcing him to do.

They all knew it, they all wanted to do something...but what could they do? Angel was putting himself on the line to prevent Valentino from coming to the hotel and hurting; maybe killing everyone in it. If they had him stay at the hotel, Valentino could be there in force and wouldn't hesitate to take Angel back at gunpoint if he had to. But they all knew Angel couldn't keep it up forever...sooner or later he was going to break under the pressure. Or otherwise, Val could do something to force Angel to leave or prevent him from returning to the hotel altogether.

Alastor would at times ask inquiring questions about Angel's connection to Valentino. Such as was he in a deal with Valentino? What sort of weaknesses did Valentino have? How long ago was he put in Valentino's possession?

All of which would only irritate the tall spider demon as he left. Unfortunately, when he returned, Angel was in no mood to speak to anyone. Even Cherri painfully felt she had to keep her distance. She had taken Fat Nuggets to her room to look after him since Angel would be gone so late. Occasionally everyone in the hotel would know when Angel had returned because of how loudly they would hear the door to his room slam shut.

The Spider had not been sleeping well for some time. There were at least a few nights where they had heard him crying out in his sleep following a trauma-induced nightmare. And on top of not sleeping, he wasn't eating either. He would only help himself to a cup of black coffee or espresso before heading out the door. At times his stomach loudly protested over the lack of sustenance. Charlie had tried to alleviate this by making sure there was something in the fridge left for him so he was able to have something when he got back. Even left a sticky note on the fridge door to let him know there was something there for him to take. Unfortunately, these meals were barely touched if at all. The previous night Charlie had left half of a roast beef sandwich with a small cluster of grapes. Then when Charlie had come down it was only to find Angel only taken a few of the grapes but didn't eat much else.

Cherri hated every moment that Angel suffered due to that horrible man's depravity. Charlie was also pained knowing that Angel was suffering as part of his job. Even Vaggie was snarling expletives in Spanish under her breath at what was going on. The three girls were currently hanging out together at one of the tables in the foyer conversing over coffee."Al," Charlie inquired as the Radio Demon sauntered downstairs his usual wide grin on his face. "Couldn't you...I don't know... have one of your shadow minion... friend...things watch Angel. Or maybe find a way to teleport him too and from the studio."

"I assure you I have been keeping attention on the effeminate fellow," Alastor said. "It appears he does have some rather questionable habits that he conveniently forgot to mention."

"What kind of habits?" Charlie asked.

"He does…" Cherri said knowing she was complicit in hiding this from her companions. "He does drugs, the one he has taken as his name mostly."

"Why am I not surprised…" Vaggie sighed. "How many times is he going to knowingly violate the terms of his contract?"

"Maybe…" Charlie suggested."Maybe it's not what we think."

"Not what we think!" Vaggie nearly grabbed Charlie's shoulders and throttled the blond girl. "People use drugs to get high...I don't think there is much to consider. And you…" Vaggie turned her angry attention towards Cherri. "We let you live here and you didn't bother letting us know about any of this bullshit?!"

"He doesn't do PCP to get high," Cherri stated. "It's more he uses it as a means to deal with shit going on around him. Like all the crap Valentino puts him through. It's been something he's been doing to get by here in Hell ever since I've known him. He had been surviving on his own in Hell for over forty years before I even met him. Plus the period he was from...things were drastically different from the time I first arrived."

"Could any of you refresh my memory of when Angel died exactly?" Alastor cocked his head. "I believe it was at least a decade after me."

"Angie is from 1947," Cherri informed. "He was 33 years old when he passed away."

"That might explain some of Angel's…" Alastor commented he closed his eyes momentarily though trying to find a delicate way of putting it. "Shall we say problems? Perhaps these forms of self-medication were habits he turned to before his arrival in Hell?"

"Is there anything he's told you about when he was alive?" Charlie asked Cherri. "Maybe there is something that can help us understand what things were like for him. Such as the Mafia, he was connected to that right?"

"Sorry no," Cherri sighed. "He doesn't really talk about his life, some of it he doesn't like to think about let alone discuss. But other things he says he can't talk about because of something." Husk who was content to ignore the conversation and just drink his cheap booze in peace suddenly became interested.

"This something…" Husk asked. "It didn't start with an "O" did it?"

"Yes," Cherri admitted. "It's like Omata or…"

"Omerta." Husk said. "I've seen my share of mafia types in my day, nearly was recruited by one of them. From what I know Omerta is a code of silence that all members of a mob family swear to. If a mob guy revealed anything about their mob family or family business to the police or someone unassociated there was a contract put out on 'em."

"But Angel had said he wasn't interested in being a part of the Mafia." Vaggie protested. "Now he's got to keep an oath of silence. Seriously, more secrets and lies."

"If he's related to who I think he is, spider-boy would have been brought in as a recruit at the very least...if at all." Husk said. "Even if he wasn't seen as worth their time to even do that. Most of the time with mob guys, mafia life and family life were two different things. But if he was in the know of anything that any members of his family were up to...they'd warn him the oath of silence would apply to him as well."

"I see…"Charlie sighed before biting her lip as she remembered Angel's admission "...most don't know this about me but I'm kinda connected to crime. Not just to Val and shitbags like him...I do literally have family connections to well a crime family. I was never interested in that lifestyle, still, that was the world I was raised and exposed to when I had been alive."

"The spider mentioned that he had a father and brother in the mob some days ago." Husk said. "I hope I'm wrong about this, but I think I may have seen them when I was frequenting a casino some years back. There is a mobster that goes by the name of Henroin, he's often accompanied by his freakish-looking son, Arackniss. Though I've also seen Arackniss attending to mob business on his own. Neither of them are people you want to meet in person. Arackniss in particular is a 'Shoot first, ask questions if you're still alive' sort.

"Maybe it might be better to change the subject," Vaggie suggested uncomfortably. Angel's unfortunate connection to Valentino already had her on edge. She didn't need to think about what other sorts of threats could be associated with him.

"Alright, how did you girls meet Angie, anyway," Cherri asked casually for the sake of something to occupy her mind off the worry she was feeling for her friend

"We met him on the street." Charlie her normally bright friendly eyes dimmed sadly as she gazed into her coffee cup. "But given the circumstances, I wish I had thought up this hotel before he was found by Valentino. Perhaps, he would have been spared the pain he's been going through now.

"Don't blame yourself, Hun. You can't say things would have been better for him back than or that he would have been open to listening to either of us." Vaggie answered putting a hand on her girlfriend's shoulder. "But yes, we did encounter him during one of the times he was offering himself on the street."

*Weeks Ago*

The two girls had been traveling around the city all day trying to find someone they could convince to be their first test subject. If they could prove a single demon soul could be redeemed, it would be such a game-changer. The Annual Cleansing would be taking place in a little over two weeks from now. They had to find someone, anyone who could agree to take part in this study. If they could reach redemption the Cleansings could perhaps come to an end. Demons wouldn't need to live in fear anymore...good souls perhaps wouldn't need to suffer eternal punishment for mistakes they made in life.

"We've been trying all day, Charlie," Vaggie complained. "It's getting late...just call it an evening and return to the Hotel."

"No," Charlie insisted. "There has to be a soul out there who would listen to us...one that believes in our cause. I know there has to be."

"This city has thousands of demons," Vaggie told her. "I want to find someone who believes in this as well...but no one has been interested." Charlie sighed in disappointment and glanced out the window in frustration. When she suddenly noticed something, a particular demon soul had caught her attention as the car drove past.

A rather tall spider demon was standing on the street corner. The fur covering his body was pale almost whitish-pink in tone, though there were spots of rosy-pink in the shock of fur that feathered in front of his face. The Spider demon did have a rather gunt effeminate figure. He was dressed in a white and pink Valentino jacket, bright pink gloves, a short black skirt, and a pair of thigh-high boots. The fur on his chest was fluffed up in a manner that made it look like he had a pair of breasts, though it was quite obvious he was male. He was leaning against a light post. Three of his four arms were folded across his body while a third held a cigarette to his mouth. The one thing that struck Charlie most was his bright pink eyes. His right eye was white with a gentle dark pink iris, but his left eye was completely black with a single pupilless bright pink dot. Three dark pink spots appeared like two sets of uniformly placed freckles under each eye. He blew out a puff of smoke as he removed his cigarette and looked longingly up at the sky. The blond-haired girl could feel instantly in her very being that he was a good-hearted soul who just felt trapped.

"Could you swing back to that last block?" Charlie pressed the intercom to the limo's driver.

"What...why," Vaggie asked

"I believe we just found who we are looking for," Charlie said with an enthusiastic smile.

"Who...that prostitute, we just passed?" Vaggie asked confused.

"Exactly," Charlie said.

"Charlie…" Vaggie rubbed her forehead as though trying to ward off a budding headache. "You do know he offers himself to...people in exchange for one thing. What makes you think that he's what we are looking for?"

"Trust me, Vaggie…" Charlie insisted. "I just know he's someone we should talk to about our hotel, besides what would it hurt to try?"

"Uhhh" Vaggie gave a noise of disgust. "Okay...fine…" The Spider approached the car as they drove up. He looked away momentarily as though he was trying to get into character as the window was rolled down.

"Well hey there," The spider said, giving a sultry greeting. His voice holding a notably thick New York accent, though the manner he spoke did suggest he had been alive somewhere around the 1940's. Souls in Hell did tend to retain the mannerisms of the time they died much more easily than the memories of the time they had been alive "See some…? Oh…!" He paused and jumped back a couple of feet once he actually saw who was trying to pick him up. Vaggie just groaned as she brought her hand to her face. She knew something like this would happen.

"Whoa now..." he said, making a warding-off gesture of disinterest as he glanced away. "For ladies, I charge extra."

"No, No, No!" Charlie protested. She practically was climbing out of the open car window as she tried to explain why they wanted his attention. "No. We don't want any of that. I was wondering if we could talk to you real quick?" The spider dropped the warding gesture as he folded his main arms over his chest, regarding the blond girl with suspicion.

"I'm on the clock, sista..." The spider stated. "Ya gotta pay if ya wanna waste my time."

"Oh, yes! Sure, we can do that!" Charlie said reassuringly as she opened the door of the car for him. The brow of his white eye raised in confusion while his darker eye squinted as though trying to assess if this was something questionable before shrugging noncommittally. Due to his lanky height, he was forced to awkwardly crawl over the laps of the two girls as he got into the car, causing Vaggie to cringe in response.

"Ya got any booze in this fancy-assed car?" The Spider inquired as he crudely sprawled himself a-long the bench seat opposite them. One of his long legs was propped against the knee of the other Not quite giving the two girls a good view up his skirt, but not exactly leaving much to the imagination either.

"At you sure, THIS, is the one you want to talk to?" Vaggie demanded of her companion, while the Spider teasingly stuck his tongue out at her.

"Yes." Charlie said, knowing in her heart that she had sensed someone who would hear them out at least. The crass and childish persona he was presenting them was all an act masking a kind soul that was crying out in anguish."He's good, I can tell." Vaggie regarded her girlfriend in irritation not really seeing or understanding how anything about the Spider was good.

"So what's what?" The spider asked just wanting to hear what they were offering before he needed to get back to work. "Like I said...I'm on the clock."

"Weeeeeellll" Charlie cheerfully said as she tilting her head towards Vaggie as though daring her to see if she was wrong about him being something they could trust.

"What's your name," Vaggie asked. "Mister?" The spider regarded Vaggie with some disdain before languidly laying flat on his back on the seat with his arms behind his head.

"Angel." The Spider flippantly responded as though insulted she didn't know who he was. "Angel Dust- the Porn Star? I'm kinda famous here, bitch."

"Was that necessary?" Vaggie demanded. Angel sat up again, both of his main hands placed down on the seat between his long legs.

"Nah." Smirking in delight at the fact he was being inappropriate like it was all just one private game to him. "But those words just tend to slip outta me."

"My name is Vaggie, this is Charlie," Vaggie introduced the two of them. "We-"

"Like vagina?!" Angel said aloud. Again smirking at them as though all this part of his personal amusement.

"We have a proposition for you," Vaggie said trying really hard not to throw him out of the moving vehicle. It was obvious he wasn't taking any of this seriously. Or had any real interest in talking to them. "Your princess, Charlie here, has repurposed one of her family's buildings into a rehabilitation center for souls like you who feel they have a chance at redemption. Our goal. Is to get one damned soul into heaven. At least one just to prove that it is possible." This seemed to catch Angel's interest at least for the moment, so he was listening.

"Is it?" Angel inquired, still suspicious of what the girls were proposing.

"We don't know yet," Vaggie admitted.

"Uh huuuuh...right," Angel responded falling back into a disinterested torpor.

"But!" Charlie said, trying to regain his attention. "We want you to be our first test subject!"

"Why me?" Angel asked, cocking his head inquiringly. The brow of his darker eye raised this time. Charlie got a sense that this was a small glimpse of who he really was. He hadn't removed the mask he wore, but he had made a conscious choice on lifting a small corner of it as though testing her. Assessing if she was someone he could trust.

"Because you seem like," Charlie said trying to come up with a reason why they wanted him in particular. "Someone who regrets his life choices and would be interested in self-reflection and bettering himself." Angel made a face that clearly said she had not given an answer and obviously had no idea who she was talking to.

"Because," Vaggie translated "We have been talking to demons all day and nobody has agreed to it yet." Angel let out a snort before he fell onto his back and began laughing hysterically. The two girls had been seeking sinners who would be interested in redemption and got no one who was interested. So they had to resort to talking to a sex worker of all people. A person whose entire profession revolved around sin and hedonism. The whole thing was so sad it was hilarious.

"Look!" Vaggie explained though she had largely made up her mind that he wasn't interested in helping them and just wanted to get the conversation over with. "You get free meals, free housing, and protection from Hell's constant hazards. That *is* if you agree to attend to what activities we plan and genuinely attempt to rectify your behavior!"

"Sounds lame," Angel remarked when he stopped laughing, which only made Vaggie all the more ready to strangle him. Charlie grabbed on to her girlfriend to prevent her from giving in to the urge to do so.

"Aw!" Charlie pointed out. "You can't tell me you enjoy standing on the side of the street waiting for someone to pay to…" The blond suddenly became flustered and embarrassed about what she was about to say. "...You know."

"I don't know," Angel smirked wolfishly at her as though daring her to say what she was going to say. "Please finish that sentence." Vaggie had had enough by this point. It was obvious they were just wasting their time with him.

"Charlie," Vaggie stated. "He's not a good candidate. We'll just look again tomorrow." Unseen to the two girls, Angel seemed to have made up his mind about something as well. He wasn't sure if he could trust these girls and he didn't know if this would work, but if he played his cards right this could be his opportunity to get out of Valentino's clutches.

"Hey!" Angel called out. "Who said I'm not a good pick. You broads don't know me, I could be whatever I wanna be!"

"Then prove it!" Vaggie challenged. The moth girl and spider man glared daggers at each other momentarily.

"I'm in." Angel finally said, much to Vaggie's surprise.

"Really?" Charlie enthusiastically cheered.

"Really?" Vaggie echoed suspiciously.

"Yeah!" Angel stated. "I'm also three months behind on my rent, so free housin' sounds fucking good to me. Plus, it'll be nice not to have to suck the greasy landlord's dick every month."

"Charming." Vaggie groaned in disgust.

"Anyways," Angel said as he stretched out his limbs. "If that's all, then I guess I should prob'ly get back to work today, at least. If you gals ain't payin' for playin' I still need to make about-" The spider didn't get to finish that sentence as Charlie placed a stack of money in his hands. He carded through it suspiciously; mentally calculating how much it was. "What's is this?" He finally asked, tilting his head in confusion. The darker of his mismatched eyes seeking an explanation.

"Money," Charlie responded.

"For?" Angel's darker eye narrowed in suspicion, he usually received payment for his services and he hadn't done anything for these girls that he was aware of.

"Helping us!" Charlie cheerfully responded. Angel was taken aback. Charlie could sense he had decided to lift the mask again. He was still testing to see if she was someone he could trust, but he had lifted the mask farther than he had previously.

"This is a trick." He said, not quite understanding what he did to deserve this.

"No." Charlie explained. "This is an investment in you." The blond-haired girl placed a hand on Angel's chest and looked up into his eyes with a warm and friendly smile offering nothing but sincerity. "There's a lot more to you than you think there is, Angel! We want to help you." Angel really seemed to be struck by Charlie's words and actually considered what she had said. Debating with himself, questioning whether he should tell her that having him would require more than just simply changing his own behaviors. Trying to figure out how much was safe to reveal. All too soon his customary mask was put back in place.

"Pfft...okay" He scoffed as the car came to stop. "I mean I don't need any help so…yeah." As he climbed out of the car he did lift the mask one last time. He knew he was taking a big risk by doing this and dangers unknown to the two girls would follow him if things went forward. He looked about him anxiously. Thanks to Vox, Valentino did literally have eyes and ears everywhere. If his boss learned he was seen talking to the actual Princess of Hell herself. He may not have asked too many questions, but Val would certainly pick up this wasn't just a coincidental encounter. And there was no telling what would happen if his father learned he was associated with. There was also the matter that could cause problems...he mentally told himself not to inform Charlie about a certain VIP client he would entertain upon request. "Okaaay...well um...thanks. We'll be in touch, huh?"

"Yes, and thank you." Charlie said, offering a hand to Angel. The two demons shaking hands at the dawn of what was a new friendship for them both. Charlie took one last look out the back window as he watched them drive off into the evening. She couldn't shake the feeling that something with him was filled with great pain and sorrow. Something he didn't want to reveal but knew he eventually would. She hoped she would be able to bring him out of the darkness where he was left lost alone. It will all be a long road ahead, but love and time would get his festering wounds to finally heal. Only then will redemption be possible.

Angel was sitting on the bed in one of the on-call rooms, his knees tucked up to his chin. He had been told he was requested by an exclusive client. So he had been brought to this room to wait for them to arrive. He focused on his breathing as the minutes ticked by.

Valentino had been ignoring him or wasn't monitoring him quite as much, but that didn't mean he was letting Angel off the hook. Val was obviously planning something, you didn't become an Overlord without being two steps ahead of everyone else. Right now he was just watching as Angel twisted in the wind, waiting for him to drop his guard, make a mistake, do something to leave himself open to Val's control once again. And when that happened, he would be broken for sure. He knew for certain he couldn't hide the rapes from Cherri for much longer.

He had been hiding them from her because it would only make her more determined to go after Val. But he hadn't been deliberately hiding or denying they had or were occurring, if anything they should go without saying considering what he was...what he did as a profession. It wouldn't be too much of a stretch to figure out that sexual assault fell under the umbrella of abuse.

He wasn't completely worried about Cherri; he knew she could hold her own in a fight. Even younger twin sister Molly, when she had been alive, had not been what one would classify as a helpless little girl.

Due to his born culture, the idea of family…his la Famiglia was sacred. He was raised with the concept that family was everything. It was where one belonged and provided social cohesion. They stuck together, they looked out for each other. And everybody who stepped foot into their household was seen and treated as part of the family. Unfortunately being born a child of a notoriously dangerous Mafioso, didn't exactly gain you many friends...or even the right ones. And discovering you were homosexual on top of that...you were just as likely to be murdered as disowned.

Cherri was someone he loved and cared for as his la Famiglia. She wasn't Molly and she could never replace his younger sister. But he did view her as an adopted sister and he would rather be squashed flat by the hand of God than to let anyone deliberately hurt her. Same with the people at the hotel, Charlie, Vaggie, and the rest, while he didn't know them or trust them in the same way he did with Cherri. Still, being with them...being someone they welcomed and included as one of their own. For the first time in ages, he actually felt like he was part of a family, a real family. Certainly a better family than the one he originally had. That was not something he wanted to give up for any reason, but he still had his doubts about it. He had friends he had wanted to see as a family before and they had turned their backs on him the one moment they found something they didn't like. He couldn't...he wouldn't be able to take being hurt like that again.

Even Angel himself didn't really know how or why he was able to endure all the horrors that Valentino and others had subjected him to for so many years. There had certainly been moments over the past decades where he had felt his defenses crack and shift. And he would admit to falling into the 'just give them what they want' mindset. Still, he had his drugs to turn to when he really wanted to dull the pain and he'd shield himself with mask of egotism. Showing the world around him that he could endure anything it threw at him and laugh. It was only recently that he had noticed the walls that he had built around himself were beginning to break. The thorns he had wrapped around his soul were beginning to fall away. But was this because of the hotel and the people he was daring to trust there? Or was it because Valentino and all his crap was finally getting to him? It was all too overwhelming.

He brought a hand to his head as he felt a wave of weakness pass over him. He had been spacing out his drug use so he didn't let on that he was high or under the influence of anything while at the hotel. It had been what two days, maybe three since he had last used his drug stash. Dust stayed in a body's system for eight days, and already he could feel his own crying out for more. It wanted that rush of detached pleasure. After this client, he was instructed to meet up with Val in the penthouse before he could clock out for the night. He inwardly shuddered at this, there were some rumors throughout the studio today that Vox and Val had one of their spats and had supposedly broken up again. If that was true, Val would not be in the most pleasant of moods and he would be looking to take his frustrations on somebody. And more often than not Angel was the hapless victim. He hoped all this was just a misunderstanding and that he would be free to leave once he had that check-in. If Val wanted him to stay longer, he hoped he would be able to call the hotel and let them know he would be home later than expected. He knew the time he spent here would worry Charlie and the others, and if they got too worried, Cherri at the very least would want to do something about it.

There was a knock before the door opened and his client for the evening waltzed in. The all too familiar smile and rosy circles on his cheeks.

"Hello, Angel dear," A masculine voice simpered. "Ready to have some...fun?"