Often, Volastor would decide to drop by in the other had done this repeatedly over the past year, usually going in to drop by for a few days,a week at most before ultimately going back to the timeline he originated from.
By now, things had cooled down and Vol's life had become relatively stress free.
Without people trying to give him up for the perceived threat he may have posed, Vol was able to live the dream. He had everything a person could ask for, a loving girlfriend, his 'parents' and a wide support system. It was partially his dream come true and the closest thing he could ever imagine to having a 'happy ending' in his life.
So far, Vol decided to pay the hotel a visit. It had been a bit since he visited and he decided to make up for the lost time by visiting now rather than later.
When he got inside he noticed something differ,et, something that made him jump back in surprise. Husk was sitting near the bar counter with Angel, which wasn't strange in itself. What was strange was that Husk and Angel had full on wings and halos, as well as both no longer having demonic forms.
Angel was wearing a pink shit with black sweat pants, Husk wearing a white long sleeve shirt and bow-tie with plain grey pants.
"What happened to you two?"
Angel turned around,"What do you think happened, Vol? We went clean and Heaven let us in. We're just visiting like you are since our retaliation is complete. Heaven's nice and all but we didn't wanna forget where we started…"
Vol then narrowed his eyes at Husk's still prominent cybernetics,"I take it that even your demonic form being stripped away couldn't heal the wounds, could it?"
He shook his head,"Nope. The robotic limbs are here to stay. Just can't shake em. Believe me, I tried getting them to see if my normal limbs could be returned when they said they couldn't do it."
"Oh...I'm sorry, Husk.."
""Eh, it ain't that big of a deal. Got used to having robotic limbs ages ago," He admitted with a casual shrug,'Besides, there's at least some positives to having cybernetics…"
"There is?"
"Well for one, I don't really gotta do anything anymore. Don't have to eat, sleep or do anything that a normal person would. Sure it kind of sucks not having taste buds and all, but at least I can do this…" Husk then began using his wings to juggle beer bottles,"See? Pretty neat huh?"
"Nice job, never knew you could do tricks with your wings!" Angel chuckled,"Wanna show me more tricks privately?"
"No," Husk said flatly,"Not interested, Angel…"
"You've been saying that for years though…"
"Because he's just not interested, Angel," Vol said,"If Husk isn't interested, he's not interested. There's no debate, he's just not into you that way. Let go of the entitlement and appreciate his friendship instead…"
"Ugh, fine. I was just teasing dammit…"
"Regardless, you should know when to back off."
"You're no fun, Vol…"
"Our definition of fun are two different things, Angel, and not everyone approves of you. Even now, you still haven't quite straightened that part of you out, hm?"
"Dude, I'm gay. I can't straighten myself out ..."
"You know what I mean," Vol growled.
"Relax, I'm just messing with ya. I get the point, I'll back off…"
"Good…" He then sighed,"So you two finally did it huh? Finally went clean?"
"Yeah," Angel admitted,"Giving up the drugs is a massive pain but I eventually cut back long enough to where I was no longer dependent. Though I gotta admit, the one downgrade about this form is that I lost most of my arms. It's so weird only having one pair after all these years…"
"But you used to have two arms when you were alive…"
"Vol, do you have a single clue how long I've been dead for? I've been dead since 1947, it's been almost an entire century since I've had a normal body. Now that I'm back to having two limbs I can't hold things like I used to. Then again, you've never been human so I guess you don't really understand not having two limbs since this is the only life you've lived…"
"I suppose I don't," He shrugged.
"So," Husk started,"How's life for you?"
"Better than it used to be, that's for sure. Now that I don't have anyone trying to kill me I've been able to focus on my loved ones without fear they'll get taken from me. Everyone's become accustomed to their lives now. We've caught our big break and we couldn't be any happier…"
"And Al? How's he doing? You know since he's missing an eye and all…"
"Oh that…" Vol made a face,"He's alright...Mostly. It took a while to get him used to walking due to only having one functioning eye. It was a long transition and only recently have we got to the point he no longer needs assistance. Before Vox or Vanny held his hand to ensure he didn't fall over since he sometimes banged his head into doors and such. It got so bad that I honestly just rolled him around in a wheelchair on certain days because I didn't want him hurting himself."
"Aw Vol-"
"It's fine," Vol said, cutting him off,"What matters is that he's able to walk on his own. I'm just relieved that I no longer have to worry about him hurting himself in an accident anymore. Even if he can't die, it pains me to see those I care about get hurt…"
"At least everything is over. Most of the people who've tried killing us are dealt with one way or another,"Husk sighed.
"Yeah, everyone's more or less trying to move on. Things have started to improve for the better now that Charlie's little project has started to work back at home. Vanny actually went through with her vow despite being a bit…silly for a while and earned a spot in Heaven along with Al and Vox."
"Damn, so you're telling me you had two versions of the doll around and you didn't try screwing both of them? She's literally right there and you're telling me you didn't try to fuck her?"
Vol scoffed,"First off, Angel, I don't know who you take me for but I'm not going to get with someone just because they look like my girlfriend. Second of all, Vanny already has Vox and Al and I respect them all enough to not intrude on their relationship. Even if I considered the possibility it'd be way too taxing on my mental health to deal with."
For as much as Vol loved Velvet he was the first to admit being around her was…draining. Like, Velvet's general ditzy personality was nice for a few hours...and then when those hours passed, not so much.
Sure, she wasn't completely unbearable but Vol did often heave a sigh of relief whenever she fell asleep on his chest after hours of nonstop chatting.
While she and Vanny weren't exactly the same personality wise, they still acted fairly similar.
They sounded the same, they had the same way of talking. They did the same things together on their phones and had the exact same interests…
Honestly though, all those things were fairly tolerable. What made Vol dismiss any possibility of adding Vanny to the relationship was fairly simple.
She and Velvet were both chatterboxes. Like literal chatterboxes. They were incapable of shutting the fuck up for long periods of time to the point having five minutes of peace and quiet was an accomplishment.
They could talk on and on about the same subject for hours without even taking a breath. The idea of listening to two versions of the same person talk for hours on end was enough to make Vol's eye twitch.
Vanny was pretty but anytime he even considered it, he remembered how Velvet usually was and that it'd be her times two. He had not the patience or mental strength for such a task and figured Vox and Al were better off with her than she was with him.
"Eh, fair enough. Velvet was always a bit cooky, having two of them would definitely be much to deal with. Even if I was straight I'd be hesitant dating the two of them. They'd exhaust the hell out of me before the day ended," Angel admitted.
"Now you know I feel…" Vol chuckled as he grabbed a drink,"Trust me, no amount of sex would ever make dealing with those two worth it. Even if she wasn't with Al and Vox I really do value what's left of my sanity enough to not indulge her. There are not near enough benefits in the deal to make putting up with the both of them look like anything but a chore."
"Reminds me why I consider relationships nothing but a waste of time," Husk grumbled,"Too much effort for something that'll probably fall apart over a disagreement."
"Don't be like that Husk, maybe you'll find someone who loves you without dropping you over something petty…"
"Eh, sounds nice and all, Vol, but I ain't in the mood. I'm good, don't really need anyone at the moment and I'm not open for a relationship and I prefer being alone anyway. I've had enough adventures and it's about time I relax completely…"
"I see...Can't say I disagree with you…Say Angel, have you talked with anyone yet? Any friends?"
"Not really. Haven't heard from Cherri in a while. Last I saw her was on a rooftop. I told her she was free to come back, but she'd had to try and show some regret for what she did. She didn't really respond and I left. Don't know where she is or what she's doing. All I know is that she's kept herself out of the news since that day so I assume she's not blowing stuff up."
The fusion narrowed his eyes,"You think it's the guilt getting to her?"
"I..I'm not certain. Cherri's never been one to admit guilt. It's not really her thing. I don't know what she's thinking but I know she's probably got a lot on her mind…"
Just then, the boys then heard the sound of the hotel door opening. In stepped Charlie, the Queen 's high heels clicking across the ground as she gracefully made her way inside her establishment.
The others seemed ready to greet her...at least until they noticed Samuel following behind her, immediately becoming apprehensive at the sight of him.
"Charlie..what is he doing here again?" Vol asked wearily, still rather uncomfortable at seeing the man who tried killing him standing right behind her.
"Oh him? Don't worry, Vol, he's not here to hurt anyone. I get you and my Dad aren't exactly buds, but I promise that nothing bad is gonna happen…"
"You're too trusting, Charlie…"
"Vol, come on. Do you really think I'd take him here if I thought he was going to hurt you?" She rolled her eyes,"Come on, Vol. I'm not that dumb. I'm not going to intentionally put you or anyone else in danger."
"Then why is he here?" Vol asked,"I thought he was supposed to be up in Heaven. I'd think Micheal wouldn't let him come down here, what gives?"
"Oh that? Well he's allowed to come down in Hell, at least, as long as someone is with him of course…"
Vol blanked,"You're kidding, right? You're telling the reason he's with you is because you have to chaperone him? What is he? Five? Does Micheal think he's that incompetent he can't get back to Heaven on his own?"
"Of course not!" She huffed,"It's nothing like that. It's just that Micheal and my other relatives are a bit...clingy and they don't want him sticking around in Hell for too long. It's more or less a compromise since the other Angels weren't all too happy when he requested to leave Heaven and he only agreed to let Samuel down here if someone like me, Mom or the other Angels accompanied him."
"And he agreed to it? Without protest?" Vol asked, raising an eyebrow in disbelief.
"Yeah. He's a bit...different from last time. He's kind of...mellowed out so to speak. Heaven and Hell have very different caste systems and expected behaviors and Heaven is a lot more equal in comparison. All the Angels are more or less equal in terms of political power so despite Micheal being King, it's not like he's the only one commanding things. Everyone's doing their part and they have to listen to each other for things to get done."
Vol blinked,'That means...he can't control anyone…None of the other Angels would really heed him, they most certainly don't fear him and would probably be unfazed by any threats he made towards them. He still has power but he has to more or less share it with his siblings and make compromises if they don't go along with what he wants…'
Still..Vol remained skeptical. He just couldn't help but feel weary that something was amiss and couldn't be sure if it was truly genuine. After all, this was the Devil and he could manipulate people if given half the chance...
"Are you certain he's changed? This seems a bit...too drastic for him…"
"I know my Dad long enough to know when he is lying or faking his emotions. He's not faking Vol. It's just not in him to fake being sad or even cry."
"How would you know? People can pretend to cry to make themselves look sympathetic."
"She's right," Angel admitted,"As a star, I've seen people act. Hardest thing I've seen people do is trying to act sad. They can try, but it doesn't look real half the time unless you're really talented. There's a reason why people use fake tears in certain scenes since they just can't cry on cue. I've tried to do it a few times and I ultimately just decided to ask Val if I could fake one and for once, he let me do so without any real complaints."
"Even if that's the case...why is he here again?"
"Because I want to speak with you myself…"
Vol flinched, eyes widening at Samuel's sudden intrusion. In all honesty, he had almost forgotten that the man they were speaking about was standing right there. He had remained so quiet that nobody had paid attention to him up until he spoke, and even then, his voice was just barely above a whisper.
"Why?"
"Because…." He didn't finish, his sentence trailing off…
"Because what? Say it dammit…"
"I...I can't do it…"
"What do you mean, you can't do it? What's stopping you?"
"I can't do it while the others are here. It's too uncomfortable. I'd rather speak with you in private…"
Vol made a face,'This isn't a trick is it?"
"I gain nothing by tricking you. I know you have no reason to trust me but I'd really appreciate it if you at least heard me out first before you turn your back on me…"
Gritting his teeth, Vol reluctantly gave in,"Alright then. Have it your way, I'll hear you out. Just this once. Though make no mistake, if you try anything...it won't be pretty…"
"I understand…Follow me, I know a place here that would grant us privacy…."
The fusion followed after him, eyes shifting from side to side in discomfort.
Next thing Vol knew, he was suddenly led to an area of the Hotel he hadn't recognized. It appeared to be some sort of private area that was only accessible to the Magne Family.
"Where are you taking me again?"
"As I said earlier, I'm taking you somewhere where they won't be wandering eyes...I'd rather the others not hear what we have to say. It's much easier that way…" He then sighed before approaching a door, pulling out a key from his sleeve.
"How long have you had that one?"
"Longer than you've been alive, that's for certain. I always carry my prized valuables with me. Just because I don't have my old attire doesn't mean everything of value has been stripped of me…" Samuel then placed the key inside and unlocked the door, allowing them to go inside.
"Why didn't you just force the door open?" Vol asked.
The shorter male rolled his eyes,"Did you think this was a normal key, Vol? Come on now, I know you have a low opinion of me but do you really think I'd have an ordinary key on my person? Especially one that leads to a special chamber?"
Vol scowled,"Don't show an attitude with me, Samuel. I'm just barely tolerating your presence as is and you're acting a bit too arrogant for my liking…"
Unfazed by the threat, Samuel simply said,"Remember that we're not here to fight, Vol. We're here to talk and it wouldn't look good on your part if you attacked me for merely responding to a question you asked."
"Hmph. Just don't push your luck…"
Samuel scoffed before allowing them to enter the separate part of the building.
Vol's eyes widened for a moment, taken back by the scenery.
This part of the hotel looked entirely separate from what he was used to. There was a large dim glass dome surrounding the area with a dying garden that appeared long was even a built-in stream with a wooden bridge going across.
"What is this place? It looks…"
"Old and run down? Yeah, I thought so. Believe me, this place wasn't always like this when we used to live here…"
"We?"
"Long before any of this started, before Charlie was even born, it was just me and Lilith. This Hotel used to be a private area for just her and I. back when things were normal...when we were happy.."
"Why'd you even create this place again? It couldn't have just been for privacy reasons now, could it? And what's with the garden? I've never seen anything like this before…"
"No...originally, we just wanted a place away from home that we could visit. Most of the other rooms had already been completed and Lilith figured we could have something of our own. The reason it looks like this is because Lilith told me how much she missed Eden, or rather, the way it looked to be exact so we did our best to replicate what Eden looked like, albeit with a hellish touch to it. Back then when we created this...Lilith was beyond ecstatic, it was like her dream come true..Too bad it didn't last and it's all because of a stupid lie! Those two deceived me and I fell for it and now…. I've lost everything because of them all because they got petty. Hope Cherri's happy, because she's ruined my life because of her pettiness…"
Vol made a face, already having a feeling where the conversation was going,"You're not the only life that has been ruined because of this…"
"Oh I know. I'm far from the only one. Not that it makes anything better…." Samuel clenched his jaw, eyes tired and heavy,"Thanks to her, I've never been more alone in my entire life. Everyone turned their back on me, my wife, my daughter, everyone had turned against me. Those few years felt like eons going by. Countless nights sleeping alone, not interacting with anyone except the maids, who were hardly suitable company and didn't provide the companionship that I craved.I wondered when life would return to normal, foolishly believing things would eventually shift back if I waited long enough. Foolishly, I watched everything in my life drift away..."
He then moved forward, Vol quickly following after just behind him. Samuel then did a small whirl across the bridge, creaking noises coming from the aged floorboards that hadn't been tended to in eons.
"The worst part is that you eventually keep turning pages, trying to find someone who still cares the same way…." He then plucked a faded rose that had since lost it's hue and handed it to Vol, who blinked as a small breeze passed by, causing the petals to fly away."And yet when it all comes crashing down, you realize that...nobody is there. All the people you've cared about have long since moved on without you…"
Vol blinked, merely staring back at him somberly.
"And then the bombshell comes…The one you love most finds another person in her life. The person who you've ruled alongside for centuries loses interest in you entirely. She's completely given up on you entirely and in an effort to fill the whole in her heart...she chooses the next best thing. Your brother...who she eventually marries with a smile ear to ear. Your daughter takes up the throne to make up for your absence and doesn't need you anymore. Everyone's replaced you and you're forced to watch as the entire world has moved on and pays you no mind. And when you try to reach out…"
Outstretching his hand, he tried to reach for the illusion that he created of Lilith only for her to move away, preferring to go with Micheal, who welcomed her with open arms and a dashing smile.
"You realize that she's stopped being yours long ago and that a new person has claimed her heart…. You've lost everything...Your wife...your daughter..your Kingdom...All because of a damn lie that made you think that an anomaly would destroy it all instead." He then fell to his knees,"And in the end...I watched everyone in my life drift…away…"
Vol cringed, reaching out in an attempt to touch his shoulder.
Before he could, Samuel whipped around with the most agonized look on his face, tears threatening to burst from his sockets, teeth clenched angrily.
The fusion stepped back, he had never seen so many emotions on someone's face before.
Devastation. Rage. Betrayal. Sadness. Grief. Desperation. Insanity. Loneliness. Insecurity. Confusion. Any doubts he may have had about Samuel faking his emotions went out of the window at the pained expression his face had taken, it was something no one could truly fake.
And for once...he couldn't help but feel pity for him. Before he'd probably laugh at seeing him like this but now...he just couldn't do it. He didn't ever think he'd see the day he'd feel sorry for the Devil, but it was a first…
So Vol did something he honestly didn't think he'd ever do...he..knelt down and gave him a hug. Samuel blanked, eyes wide in disbelief…
"W-What? What are you doing?"
"Hugging you? What else?"
"Why...why are you being so nice to me? I don't understand...I almost killed you…"
"You're not the first person who's tried…"
"But I came the closest...You would've died had Vox and Al not merged with you…"
"I know...regardless, we can't exactly go back and change what happened. The only thing we can truly do is try and move on. We'll never have what we lost back, but we can try to move forward and start again…"
"Are you...suggesting we be 'friends'?"
"Err...I wouldn't go that far. Maybe some time in the far future, but I think it's a bit too soon to try and be buddies, just saying. I'd say being acquaintances would be a good start…" Vol then helped Samuel to his feet, both of them standing in the decayed garden together.
"Volastor…" He started,"I don't get why you're being so friendly towards me but...I just want to say that I'm really sorry for ruining your life. I'm sorry I took your 'parents' away from you…"
"It's fine…" Vol said,"I've more or less accepted what happened by now. I'm not over it but it's more healthy to acknowledge what happened while still living your life on a daily basis…"
"I see...still... " Samuel reached into his pocket,"I thought perhaps you'd like something like this…."
Vol was then handed a silver lock with a 'v' at the front. When he opened the inside he saw that there was a picture of Vox and Alastor inside.
When he regained the ability to speak he weakly smiled,"Oh...Thanks, Samuel. I...I really appreciate it…"
"It's nothing…" He mumbled,"It was the least I could do since I ended up taking them away from you…."
"Thanks. Though I'm sorry for doubting your intentions earlier…"
"It's alright," He shrugged,"Can't really blame you for not trusting me after what occurred earlier. I can't say I'd react any differently in your situation…"
"Do you think we should go? The others might wonder what's going on if we stay here too long…" Vol admitted, looking at the time,"We should probably get go-Eh?"
He paused when Samuel grabbed his arm, pulling him close.
"Is something wrong?"
"No...it's just that...well…"
"What?"
He averted his gaze,"You're the first person who isn't a relative of mine who tried spending time with me. I've just felt alone for a while and I didn't want to let go too quickly…"
"Oh I see...guess even the Devil needs company. Oh well, I don't see why I cannot stay. A little rest would do us well…"
And so, Vol allowed Samuel to cling to him, eventually decided to sit down and lay against the dying tree to rest, decided to take a quick nap before they left, Samuel's head leaning against his chest as he fell asleep alongside him….
Back in the lobby, Angel and Husk were talking about the conveniences/inconveniences of their new heavenly forms while Charlie talked with Lilith on the phone about their upcoming plans in managing Hell while still keeping contact with Heaven, Charlie having just been informed that Micheal would be coming down more often to visit his new wife alongside being there for business reasons.
Only for Cherri to suddenly waltz right through the door, catching them all off guard. Everyone turned to her in bewilderment, Husk immediately getting on guard,"Oh god, who told you to show your face around here again? I thought we told you to scream…"
"You did, but I came back regardless," She huffed,"The Hotel didn't specifically ban me. Ya'll only said I had to leave at that moment and unless Charlie's made a rule that I can't stay here then I have all rights to be here.."
"So…" Angel heaved,"Ya finally came back, huh? What's the deal this time, Cherri? Hope you haven't gotten yourself into trouble and came running here for help cuz I'm not certain everyone will be willing to assist ya after what you pulled last time."
"Relax Angel, I didn't pull anything. I've been rather quiet in case you haven't noticed and I've been to myself as of late. I've kept myself out of trouble and I think maybe it's time I try sorting my life out…"
"Oh great," Husk groaned,"You're trying to 'redeem' yourself too, huh?"
"What else would I be doing? The project is ready and proven to work and if Angel can go clean, I can do it too. What's the big idea? You think I can't do it?"
"No, it's just I don't appreciate the idea of you staying here after what you pulled on us. There are other Redemption clinics and you chose the original one to stay at instead of the other ones that opened?"
"I went here because I know where it is.. Just because you have a problem with me doesn't mean I can't stay here. You've already passed your redemption trial anyway so what's it to you?"
"You know why! You're the reason I'm a cyborg in the first place! You and Val's lies ended up screwing us all over big-time!"
"I know. I'm sorry about that...I really am…"
"Sorry means jack to my limbs," Husk grumbled,"Thanks to that stupid lie of yours my limbs are gonna be like this for the rest of my afterlife. People died because of this, Cherri, no amount of apologies are gonna make it go away…"
"At least I'm trying to do something. I've thought to myself about my life decision and I'm aware I've fucked up massively. I've fucked up before this but this is something that goes beyond what I did earlier."
"Damn right it did. You managed to trick the King of Hell into targeting someone who wasn't a threat just because Vol kicked your ass in a petty conflict. It's a miracle you aren't double dead yet because I think if any of us were aware of what you pulled earlier you'd be in a ditch somewhere…"
"I know. I probably deserve more shit but since destiny is being nice today, I'm at least gonna use that to my advantage and try to do something right for once. I'm setting myself straight and making my way to Heaven one way or another, whether you want me to or not…"
Before Husk could refute this point, Vol and Samuel came back, both men jumping when they saw Cherri in the room. Samuel's eyes flared with rage, horns protruding out of his head just from the sight of her,"You! You lying manipulative little bitch! How dare you show your face after what you did to me! No...after what you did to all of us! You've ruined our lives over a petty conflict for territory! Everything we've endured was for NOTHING! I lost my family, my throne, my life as I knew it, over a LIE! And after all that you STILL have the nerve to come back here!? Give me one good reason why I shouldn't tear you limb from limb!?"
Cherri was unable to respond, scared to death upon seeing the former King of Hell glaring daggers in her direction, prepared to murder her with his bare hands.
Charlie then stepped forward, getting in her Father's way,"Dad, enough. Cherri is here to check in and I won't let you hurt one of my residents…"
"Are you kidding me!?" He growled,"You know what she did! She ruined our lives and you want me to just let her off the hook!?"
"Cherri's already realized what she did was wrong, that's why she's here. I understand your anger towards her and honestly, I feel angry at myself for what she did. Regardless, I cannot let you kill her, the Hotel is a safe haven and killing is not allowed. I understand your issues with her but I can't let you hurt her…"
Samuel scowled, gritting his teeth,"Grrrrr…."
Vol then pulled him back,"Samuel, let her go…"
"But she-"
"I know...But this is Charlie's establishment. Cherri is under protection and since she's becoming a resident she is not to be harmed. I understand your frustration, but we cannot let the past get in the way of the future."
Samuel bit his lip before sighing,"Fine then, have it your way. I'll let her go...But if she dares cause any problems the moment she gets into Heaven...I'll be certain to deal with her. She'll be in my domain and I'll cut a deal with Micheal to remove her if she does cause problems. I may not be able to kill her, but I can do...other things as a punishment. And we know she wouldn't want that now, would she?"
"No…"
"Precisely. Which is why you should be on your best behaviour, because otherwise...you won't like what happens…"
Cherri flinched, quickly taking her leave to her room to flee the situation. Everyone watched her leave with weary looks on their faces, Samuel's expression still laced with thinly hidden rage.
"Dad, you're not supposed to threaten my guests…"
"It wasn't a threat, Charlie, it was a promise. One that I will keep if she does anything stupid. Heaven is my domain and once she's out of your care...it's free estate. For her sake..she better hope it doesn't have to come to that.."
There were no other words exchanged between the Father and Daughter pair afterwards. The silence spoke volumes as Samuel's eyes slowly flickered back to normal.
He then looked up at the entrance,"I...I should get going. Micheal will probably get angry if I stay here too long. Only reason he even let me here was because Charlie had to follow me down, if I don't come back he'll get antsy…"
"Yeah, we should go. It's only a matter of time before he asks what's taking us so long. I have to…"
As Charlie and Samuel were about to leave, he turned to Vol and said,"Hope we can see each other again. It'd be nice if you could visit sometime…."
"I'll think about it…"
"Fair enough. It's only just a shame though...if none of this had happened there's a chance we could've been good friends. All this bloodshed and pain over a petty lie, a lie that we all fell for…"
"We all got played honestly...Only thing we can do now is try and move on from this event. It's not exactly the greatest outcome but it's the best we can hope for…Besides, if there's one good thing that came out of this is that you've taken a level of kindness after this event. You're actually rather pleasant to be around, Samuel…."
"I...Thank you, Volastor..I really appreciate that…" Samuel's heart raced, his cheeks heating up as the fusion's voice was like a seraph's lullaby, a familiar feeling burning in his chest. "I...I should get going…"
"I'll see you soon…" Vol said, waving farewell as Charlie and Samuel left, giving a smile as they left.
The moment the door closed Charlie decided to ask why he was so nervous,"Dad, what's with the blush? You got sick or something?"
"N-No…"
"Then what was that? I've never seen you that nervous around someone…" She then smiled as the realization dawned on her,"Aw...does someone have a crush?"
"Shut up, Charlie. We both know nothing will come of it. He already has Velvet anyway and he seems rather happy with her…"
"But that doesn't mean you two can't be friends! Maybe one day you'll both be the best of buds and walk hand in hand together in the sunset like in those movies!"
"I...I hope so…" He mumbled, the last part about holding hands sounding rather enticing to him, even if he knew it was very unlikely to ever happen in reality….
Charlie then looked at her phone and sighed,"Micheal wants us back. Better go drop you off before he gets fussy…"
Samuel nodded,"Agreed. We shouldn't wait any longer, else he'll get moody and a moody Micheal is the last thing you want…"
They soon headed back to Heaven, taking off to the skies with their wings.
Eventually, Volastor managed to catch up with everyone else in his life. He spent time with Sir Pentious, who insisted on doing just about everything those 'cool' kids were doing in modern day. Vol obliged, albeit while cringing internally whenever Sir Pentious tried acting hip with him.
He then paid a visit to Baxter, who was experimenting with some new inventions and even showed him some of the things he had been working on and even offered to let Vol try and mix some potions together…
Of course, Vol being completely inept at science, decided to mix the coolest looking colors together on instinct….
Only for said potion to end up exploding in both of their faces. Apparently those chemicals didn't go together and when put in the same container...they had this tendency of exploding…
Thankfully, Baxter seemed used to his experiments blowing up(it happened countless times by this point) and with Niffty around to clean the area, it was nothing that couldn't be fixed.
Hell, Baxter's lab was actually neat and organized, something Vol attributed to Niffty being there to fix the entire place up given Baxter himself wasn't all too neat when it came to his work.
There was an added bonus with Niffty's presence, not only was she able to clean things up at a fast rate, but she was able to cook. She even made Vol and Baxter frosted cookies before Vol took his leave.
Still, as the day came to a close, Vol decided he had to eventually head back home. He bid farewell to all his friends before going back to the old timeline.
Back at home, things were fairly peaceful. Charlie may not have been Queen in this timeline, but she was still doing her best to improve the situation in Hell now that her project had succeeded, working on having extra Hotels built across Hell so that more of the population could be sent to Heaven to deal with the overpopulation, Vaggie sometimes tagging along to help her girlfriend in any way she could.
Angel had gone clean and was currently lounging about in Heaven while Arackniss decided to check into the Hotel now that his brother had left. He let the gang his Father had taken care of themselves, figuring that he wouldn't be needing them anymore.
Husk and Niffty were still at the Hotel and doing their jobs last that Vol checked. They didn't see any reason to leave and despite not being bound to Alastor anymore, figured that staying at the Hotel was the best possible place for them.
With the situation mellowing out, Velvet had been convinced to let go of her business since the Three V's had long since disbanded and with Vox in Heaven, she figured it'd be better to let someone else take charge, allowing one of the more competent workers to handle the finances as she sold it all off, preferring to live with Vol at the Hotel instead while they took care of the Varks.
And now, it was time to visit some old faces…
Vel and Vol made their way to Heaven, spotting familiar faces, Vox, Al and Vanny were all there, chatting amongst each other.
"Oh hey Vol…" Vox waved,"Nice to see you here kid, we were beginning to wonder when you'd come to visit again…"
"You know I always come back…"
"Say what's that thing around your neck? I don't remember you having that before?"
"Oh this?" Vol asked, holding out the locket that Samuel handed over to him,"The Devil gave it to me when I visited the other timeline."
"What!?" Al jumped,"You visited him? After what he did to you?"
"Well not exactly. I came down there with no intention of talking to him. He more or less went to me. Trust me, I was skeptical at first but eventually, we managed to talk to each other. He showed me that he had changed quite a bit from when I last saw him…"
"Still, are you certain about trusting him?" The former TV Demon asked,"He's still the Devil you know…"
"Yes, but he's not the same person we're used to seeing. He's actually mellow for the most part and outside of being bitter and distant he's fairly nice, albeit a bit clingy."
"Whatever you say…" Al grumbled,"Just stay weary of him if you do come and visit him. I still wouldn't trust him if I were you…"
"Don't worry, I don't fully trust him but I'm still giving in the benefit of the doubt. No matter, I do believe we should change the subject. What are all of you guys doing now that you're up here?"
"Nothing much," Vox admitted,"Heaven's pretty much like paradise. Don't really have to do much and any conflict up here is pretty mundane compared to Hell. It's like living the dream…"
"Yeah!" Vanny shouted,"It's like Hell but better! There ain't any blood anywhere and the video games ain't rigged! I even managed to beat Vox at whack-a-mole!"
He scoffed,"Only because I let you win…"
"Oh shut up! I won fair and square!"
Vox rolled his eyes,"Yeah sure, you totally won, Van. Totally…"
"Be quiet! I still beat you and Al at bumper cars at the local arcade!"
"Yes…" Al informed,"Unfortunately this only happened after you rammed into us so hard that the entire thing exploded. At least up in Heaven the people here seem to care about safety as the maintenance Cherubs ended up fixing the ride that Vanny broke free of charge…"
"I thought that was how it was supposed to work!"
"You don't cause the car to explode to win the game, Vanny. I don't know what you were thinking but that's not how it works. You just end up breaking the ride."
Vanny huffed,"I still won!"
"Yeah, keep telling yourself that,dear...Maybe you'll believe your lies eventually…"
Vol chuckled,"Honestly, seeing you all bicker never gets old. No matter how much has changed, that much stays the same. It's like we're one big family now…"
"One crazy family to be exact," Vel added,"But still a family! And we all love each other despite our differences!"
Al nodded,"Indeed, Vol's particularly the closest thing I've ever had to a biological child and I wouldn't trade him for the world!"
"Neither would I. I wasn't too big of a fan of this responsibility at first but I guess we all come around eventually. Now I see why our other selves were willing to kill themselves for you. You made this entire journey worth it Vol and if I had the chance to go back and change something...it'd only be to be there for you from the start instead of running away."
"You're telling me that you'd still want to be trapped inside my gem? You'd do that all over again if you had the chance? Really?"
"Course we would!" Al chuckled,"Why wouldn't we? At this point we'd more or less agree that it'd be worth it! Even if it meant we had to be trapped all over again, we'd still want you to exist! You're the reason we even got this far, without you Vox and I would probably still be at each other's throats. Valentino would still be alive and a menace to the rest of us and it's doubtful Charlie's project would've ever made the cut. Your existence caused so much and it'd be unfair to deny you that just because it'd mean we'd be unconvinced."
"And it's just them! We'd do it all again if it meant we could all be together!" Velvet said, giving her boyfriend a tight squeeze,"Cuz we love you and we'd do anything to keep you safe, Vol! We're all in this together and we're gonna be here for you no matter what!"
"Yup!" Vanny said,"We're not going anywhere! Even if we had a chance to do it all again, we wouldn't change anything about this! No matter the limbs we lost or the pain we went through cuz it was all worth it in the end!"
"Thank you everyone. I don't quite understand why you care so much for me but...I really do appreciate it…" Vol said with a smile, tears welling up in his eyes."I love all of you and I'm so happy we could all be here together…"
"All of us do…" Vox said,"And I think we've reached the end of the so-called 'rainbow' that Charlie was talking about. We've gone through Hell and back and now...the time where we earned our happy ending arrived. Not quite as sappy as the ones in the stories, but it'll do…"
"There are no happy endings in life...only the best ones. And we've finally caught a break this time around…"
And thus, everyone looked up at the sunset upon the horizon, all of them sitting beside each other as one happy family.
The grueling journey, the hardships, the conflicts that had arisen had all come to a close,giving them time to rest their eyes and lean back to enjoy the show with a new sense of discovery for not only themselves, but for those around them.
'Can't say I've ever been more happy to see the sun setting…' Vol admitted to himself,'It's not perfect or anything...but I'll take what I can get…' He then ruffled Velvet's hair, his girlfriend giggling at the touch.'Then again, who needs a happy ending when you have the happiest girl in the world at your side? Not me, that's for sure…'
Meanwhile, back in Hell, Lucifer sighed as he hung up the phone. Micheal had been talking to him about sorting out affairs and Micheal had more or less become sidetracked about how much he loved his son and how Ada was starting to grow attached to him as well now that it was their turn for custody again.
Every few weeks Micheal and Lilith would trade Samuel back and forth to avoid any sort of custody battles that may ensue. They had already had a schedule planned and if one parent got more days, it was decided that the other parent would get more time with Samuel the next month in return.
Still, as happy as Lucifer was for Micheal...it was fairly strange to think that your brother had basically fucked your wife and had a kid with her. The only thing that brought him peace was that Lilith loved him and while she was fond of Micheal, held no romantic feelings towards him as a person.
Speaking of Lilith, he felt her arms snake around his neck,"Hey Honey, what's bothering you? You look like you've got something on your mind…"
"Nothing, just finished talking with Micheal on the phone. Things have been going rather smoothly now that we agreed to work together. For once He'll actually seems manageable now that Charlie's little project was put into play. I still can't believe it actually worked…"
"Neither did I, but I guess anything can happen. Nobody thought Micheal and I would fuck but that certainly didn't stop us while we were intoxicated…"
"Yeah…" Lucifer grumbled,"Can't say I saw that coming. Still Lilith, do you think I should hand Stolas his book back? I've been keeping it with me for a while and Micheal said that he confiscated it while he was posing as me. Should I hand it back to him or what?"
"It's your call, though I suggest if you want to avoid any problems with Micheal and the others that you make it clear that if he gives those little imps the book that he won't be getting it back…"
"Good point. I don't want Micheal coming up to me about this issue so maybe I'll do something with those imps so they stay out of the way and I have just the idea. Since Doom's been absent from his post for some reason, I'll have those imps be my little helpers. It'll help me keep an eye on them while still having someone replace him…"
"Do you know what happened to him? I haven't seen Doom in a while…"
"Hell if I know," He shrugged,"Never even bothered to say anything so I'm of the opinion he just quit or died in a hole somewhere. All I know is since he's gone I've been seeing some weird spider creature sprawling around it's creeping me out. I think it's about time we call the exterminator on it…"
"Please do. I don't want any mutated spiders running around in my house…."
"I'll get on it soon. Though I have to admit, I didn't think it'd ever go this far…"
"What do you mean?"
Lucifer made a face,"Oh you know. Remember how I said earlier all those years ago about how annoying it was seeing Vox and Alastor bicker all the time?"
Lilith nodded her head,"Yes….What about it?"
"Well I kind of got tired of hearing them argue so I thought of finally doing something about it. I was just so damn tired and I figured that maybe the best way of putting them in their place was having something to get rid of them and make them someone else's problem. Thus, I enacted a plan: I'd recognize a scavenger hunt, but stick them together and then let the crystal deal with it…"
"Wait...you're telling me that the entire reason Volastor even exists is because you got annoyed over hearing Al and Vox bicker at each other? Really Lucifer?"
"Oh come on, I only thought the crystal would teleport somewhere else, not merge them into an entirely different being! I knew it was sentient but I didn't think it was capable of traveling through time itself! I never thought it'd go this far!"
"Of course you did," She pinched the bridge of her nose,"Figured you'd do something like this. I'm not surprised, just a bit disappointed. Now how are we going to tell Charlie and everyone else?"
He narrowed his eyes,"Who says they need to know? It'd be way too problematic coming out about something like this."
"So you're just going to keep it a secret?"
"Course, why won't I? Charlie doesn't need to know anything and it's not like it'll kill her, it's not the first time we've kept things from her. Besides, what's the point? Everyone's already happy and I'm certain even Vox and Al themselves are happy with their lives now. No point in telling them…"
"Fine…" Lilith sighed,"I suppose there's no point in saying anything at this point. Better we both just pretend this never happened…" She then turned her back to go focus on her own affairs, leaving her husband alone.
The King of Hell nodded his head, grabbing a bottle of wine from the cabinet, popping the bottle cap off and taking a situation of Volastor was something he hadn't anticipated when he sent Vox and Al after the gem. It was merely supposed to take them somewhere and let them be someone else's problem and now that it escalated…
Well...perhaps it was better off for the truth to be left unsaid.
'Better the truth remains hidden than for the ugliness to rear its head…' He thought to himself.
His daughter would no doubt be disappointed in him and he'd rather avoid that at all costs now that their relationship had mostly mended. Wasn't the first time he had withheld things from her, this was simply another truth to be kept secret from her…
And the day Lucifer ever told her or anyone else for that matter the truth behind that day would be when he was buried in a grave…
Some secrets were better left untold, and in the Devil's case, he'd prefer to keep it that way for the rest of all eternity. The truth behind Volastor's existence would be shrouded in the dark, forever kept from the eyes of the public for the rest of time, ignorant to the truth as they embraced their so called 'happy endings'.
Alright guys, thanks for 15,106 views, tell me what you think! This is the final chapter and I took extra time making it special!
Enigmus-288: Yeah, still packing a punch drama wise. Guess I did my job well. Everyone was skeptical of Lucifer apologizing and when the full sympathetic light is shown, every reader just goes 'god fucking dammit Cheri, you and Val really fucked up'. I wouldn't worry too much about Charlie she's...not exactly a pushover. She and her mom are still the most powerful beings there and anyone stupid enough to challenge them is in for a rude awakening. Thankfully I got a solution for both of those problems that you mentioned and they're in this chap.
Anyhow, thanks everyone! I often thought a lot aobut quoiting this fic but the people reading kept me going! Thank you! I hope you enjoyed reading this because this is my most popular work yet!
This is PureVanillaCookie and I say, PEACE OUT EVERYONE! HAVE A NICE DAY!