Chapter Sixteen: Vaggie's Delivery and Charlie's Trauma

The next two weeks weren't easy. Charlie recovered to some degree, and she had the help of almost everyone at the hotel. The problem was that Vaggie could rarely even look Charlie in the eye, much less touch or kiss her. She wouldn't sit with Charlie or talk to her. Vaggie was so caught up in her own guilt and shame that she couldn't be there for the princess.

"I-I need to break up with her. I failed her. I failed the biggest thing that her father told me to do. He tested me extensively to see if I could protect her. I couldn't. I failed."

Charlie was still waking up with nightmares most nights. She wasn't sleeping well and she'd moved to another room from Vaggie so that she wouldn't disturb the moth demon's sleep. Vaggie hadn't stopped her. She should have. She should have told Charlie that it was okay, that if Charlie was scared, that she should come to her. But she didn't. She just let Charlie move out of the room. Angel Dust hadn't been happy with her. And normally, she wouldn't care what the Spider Demon thought, but he had a point. Pregnant or not, Vaggie was supposed to be supporting Charlie like Charlie supported her.

"I don't deserve her." Vaggie said. She was swollen like a blimp in her stomach. She was going to be giving birth any time now. She'd gone faithfully to see Lucifer, who wasn't exactly thrilled with her that she failed Charlie. But Evan had spoken up on Vaggie's behalf that it hadn't been Vaggie's job in this particular instance to look after Charlie. It had been Lorcan's, Lupa's and Selene's job. They'd had one job. To keep a stern eye on Charlie and watch her wherever she went. They'd failed to do that. They were being punished severely for their shortcomings. But Vaggie didn't deserve to be punished.

Evan didn't say it, but he knew that Vaggie was already punishing herself quite enough. More than Lucifer ever could. She went to every alchemy session to be examined and given elixirs to help her carry on with the pregnancy. Some of the elixirs and rituals were slightly experimental. Lucifer warned Vaggie that this could leave her unable to carry any more children, even taking into account the fact that she was a Sinner and thus should not have been able to carry these children. She was having twins. Lilith, who had precognition, saw a boy and a girl.

She hadn't looked too hard, and so she didn't know much about them, except that there would be a male and a female and that they would have both Angelic and Demonic powers, similar to Evan. Though to what extent they would have each, even Lilith couldn't know. Lucifer, who had used Rituals of Balance on Vaggie, hoped that they would be true Nephalem like Evan was. But he would be happy and proud whatever they were. As Vaggie was anxiously thinking about her job as a mother, of how Charlie would handle being a mother with her current trauma, she felt something break inside her.

"My water broke." She breathed. Angel stood up.
"Everyone! Getcher asses in gear! Vags here is 'bout ta pop!" Angel shouted. Everyone in the Hotel went into action, including Charlie, who was eager to see her children. She and Evan carried a table over and Evan sanitized it with alchemical solutions, scrubbing it down. Alastor, who had been surprisingly helpful throughout the pregnancy was directing people.

Though he was hardly a doctor, he had studied anatomy extensively both in life and in Hell. As a Blood Magician and a Dark Voodoo practitioner, he needed to understand anatomy to perform his magic properly. He was especially handy with a scalpel. He assisted Evan along with Skarra to prepare for the babies. Charlie immediately called her father.

"Dad? Mom?" Charlie asked, having been put on conference call.

"Vaggie is about to give birth." Charlie said, her voice shaking with her anxiety.

Lucifer nodded.
"We'll be right there sweetie. Do you need us to bring the doctor?" Lucifer asked.

"No. Evan is here." Charlie said. Lucifer nodded again.

"Good. We'll be over as soon as possible." Lucifer said. He then hung up and Charlie held Vaggie's hand while Evan coached her. Nobody knew exactly what was going to happen. As far as even Evan was aware, never had a Sinner actually given birth before.

This was a novel occurrence and Evan was eager to see how it played out, whether for good or for ill.

"Okay, Vaggie… You've given birth as a human, correct?" Evan asked.

"Y-yes…" Vaggie growled in pain as a contraction hit her.

"Good, good. Then you have an idea of what to do. How far apart are the contractions? Tell me when you get one." Evan said. Vaggie waited about forty seconds and then let him know.

He put on the stop watch.

"Now, tell me when the next one is." Evan said. Vaggie growled in pain. It hurt. She was already feeling weak as her body prepared to push her babies out. She held Charlie's hand, looking lovingly at her.

"Hon… If I don't survive this… Please… I know you'll be a great mother." Vaggie said. Charlie smiled back at Vaggie. This had been the first time in weeks that Vaggie had even looked at her. And even now, she looked anxious to do it.

"I know you'll survive. You're one of the strongest people I know." Charlie said.

"Now!" Vaggie snarled in pain as the next contraction hit her. Evan stopped the watch. They were close enough together. He felt her stomach. Her cervix was fully dilated. She was ready.

"Start pushing. When the next contraction comes, push hard." Evan said. He didn't want to tell her, but she was already starting to bleed from the tearing and he was concerned that if they didn't get this done quickly, that she would bleed too much and maybe even die.

Normally, Sinners couldn't die from physical trauma. But he had no idea what to expect from a delivery by a Sinner. Maybe she would die regardless of the physical trauma. Maybe her babies were growing parasitically off of her life energy and once they were out, she would simply wither away. Who knew what would happen. But Vaggie nodded and pushed as the next contraction came. She cried out in pain, closing her eyes and gripping Charlie's hand tighter. Charlie cooed lightly to Vaggie, encouraging her as they heard a door slam open. Lucifer and Lilith were there.

"Sweetie, how far along is she?" Lucifer asked. Charlie smiled at her father.
"She only just started a little while ago." Charlie said. Lucifer nodded and brought his doctor in. Partien and Lexthos were both there, using different methods to examine and ensure the well-being of the soon to be children. Partien coached Vaggie through the delivery. Though she had given birth before and he had never aided a sinner in giving birth, he felt sure that he at least could help to some degree. Vaggie cried out in pain. She was already bleeding pretty severely.

The delivery seemed to be going fast though. Vaggie was already opening up and the crown of the first child was already coming out.

"Good. You're doing well, Ms. Vagatha." Partien said coolly. She growled as she pushed again. The baby was coming out fast. She was hooked up to machines to replenish her blood. It was fast, but this was even more painful than Vaggie could have imagined, even compared to her previous delivery. She pushed, screaming in pain as the baby came out further.

"Okay… Okay… A few more good pushes and we'll be able to get this one out." Partien said. Vaggie nodded, snarling and pushing hard. She waited for the next contraction and then pushed again as Partien began pulling to help the baby out. They worked together and finally, the first baby was out.

"It's a boy." Partien said. Charlie took the boy.

"Apollyon Luis Magne." Charlie said lovingly. Vaggie smiled. She and Charlie had talked about giving the names of her children when she was a human to the babies as their middle names.

She didn't know if Charlie was actually going to do it. Especially after she had failed Charlie like she did. Betrayed her, really. Charlie needed her and she wasn't there. She growled, pushing. The second baby was easier coming out. There was less to rip. It was still uncomfortable and she was still feeling woozy as the baby came out, as she pushed. But she had dealt with incredible pain both physical and emotional in her life. As a guerilla soldier, she'd seen true horrors and dealt out horror to her enemies. Now, she was happy. Now she was safe with someone she truly loved.

She pushed hard, finally getting the second baby out.

"Abaddon Lisbeth Magne." Charlie said. Vaggie was touched that Charlie remembered her children's names. She'd only mentioned them in passing. But Charlie remembered them without being reminded.

"Very well. How did you get the names Luis and Lisbeth?" Lucifer asked curiously. Charlie looked at Vaggie, who nodded.

"They were Vaggie's children when she was a human." Charlie said.

Lucifer thought for a moment.

"I see. How old would they be now?" Lucifer asked.

"Well, I was sixteen when I had them and 24 when I died. So they were eight when I died. They'd probably be twelve now." Vaggie said tiredly. Charlie held Vaggie's hand, whimpering as Vaggie pulled her hand away. Vaggie was still having trouble accepting her own failure to help Charlie when she needed it. She knew that Charlie didn't blame her. But she also knew that Charlie should blame her.

Lexthos injected Vaggie with an elixir that would accelerate her healing after giving birth.

"Don't move for about two hours." Lexthos said.
"After that, you should be healed enough to move around as you like as long as you don't undertake strenuous activity for about nine hours." Lex said.

"So sex is out." Lexthos said. Vaggie nodded, lying on the bed as Lucifer left with his doctor and alchemist.

Evan was holding Abaddon, smiling lovingly at her. His nephew and niece were so beautiful. He knew that Charlie would raise them better than he'd raised Charlie and him. He knew that while Lucifer had been relatively neglectful of Charlie while overworking Evan, Charlie and Vaggie along with the whole hotel would give the children all the support and love that they needed. And Evan would give them the training that they needed to truly become great both as warriors and as diplomats and peacekeepers. He had a massive library that they could study in. He had training rooms they could spar in.

Nothing would he deny them. He rocked Abaddon lightly, cooing to her. She started to cry though. Vaggie smiled. Abaddon was hungry. Apollyon probably was as well. She gathered both of them, taking off her shirt and feeding them.

"Leon… Abby…" Vaggie cooed to them tiredly as they drank from her. She was glad at least that she could breast feed. She hadn't been sure her body would be able to do that. But they were drinking eagerly from her. Finally, they fell asleep and Charlie put them in their cribs.

The blonde princess tried to sit down with Vaggie and hold her hand. She wanted to lie there with her and just cuddle. But Vaggie turned over away from Charlie. Charlie whimpered, heading back to her room. Angel could see that there were some issues between them. What was going on? He wondered.

"Okay, why don't yous guys go bout yer days? I'll keep watch ovah moth girl here." Angel said. For a moment, nobody did anything, but finally, they all moved on, going to their rooms. The excitement was over and frankly, most of them were tired. Angel sat down with Vaggie.

"Ahright… What's goin' on, Toots?" Angel asked.

"You twos are usually joined at the hip practically. Now, ya won't even look at er." Angel said critically. Vaggie turned over away from Angel.

"Mind your own business, you furry freak." Vaggie snapped. Angel chuckled.

"Is that the best ya got, Sugah tits? If yer tryin' ta hurt me, ya bettah come packin' somethin' wit' a lot more punch than that load a' weak ass shit.

"Ya ain't getting' outta talkin' ta me so easy, babe. Now, normally, I don't get involved in othah people's shit. But Charlie is like a mothah to me. She cares about me. She actually saw a good person packaged beneath all the jizz and piss and shit that was matted in my fur. She saw someone worth savin'. And I would do anything fer her. And you. I'm bettin' that ya came from some place not much bettah than where I came from. She prolly found yous sellin yer body on main street, din't she?" Angel asked. Vaggie didn't answer. Charlie had saved her from worse than that.

Vaggie had overestimated her ability to fight large numbers. Charlie had actually somehow negotiated her way out of a potential lynch mob. Vaggie was walking around with an Angelic weapon. She didn't know yet just how much one of those was worth and she had gotten it by actually killing an exterminator. She was about to be slaughtered for it. Charlie somehow managed to talk the Demons down and load Vaggie into her limo before they knew what hit them. When Vaggie found out who and what Charlie was, she was surprised that Charlie didn't just drive right by her.

Or barring that, just slaughter all the Demons that were threatening her. It would have been easy for the princess of Hell. But Charlie chose not to. And Vaggie owed Charlie her life. She couldn't tell all that to Angel though.

"Well, whatevah yer meetin' wit er was like, she needs ya now. If ya haven't been lookin' her in the eyes, I'll tell ya, she's broken. She needs ya to be there for her. Do ya know what it's like to be raped? To look in the mirror and instead of seeing a person, seeing a worthless piece of shit?" Angel asked.

Vaggie shivered. Thank God in life, she hadn't ever been raped. But she had had to do things she wasn't proud of to get a mission done. Things that made her feel dirty.

"No. I've never been raped." Vaggie said. Angel nodded.
"Well, good. I'm glad ya ain't been raped. But Charlie was. And Charlie, whatever yer feelins' are right now. Whatever ya think'a her or yerself don't mattah none. Cuz Charlie needs ya and ya need ta be there for her. Ya need ta convince her to talk ta someone.

"The entire Hotel is willin' ta do anything for her. She just needs to humble herself a bit and ask fer help. I think she'll listen to ya, even aftah ya been ignoring her." Angel said. He was getting emotional. His accent and manner of speech got more pronounced when he was emotional. Vaggie could tell this meant a lot to him.

"You love Charlie." Vaggie said softly. Angel blushed slightly.

"I told ya. She's like a mother to me. But better. Even my own mother nevah cared like Charlie did."

Vaggie smiled, standing up and stretching, taking it easy as she went up to Charlie's room to lay down with her and cuddle like Charlie had wanted to earlier.

-0-

"Charlie? Can I come in?" Vaggie asked softly. Charlie whimpered out a yes. Vaggie hurried into the room, lying down with her, cuddling with her from behind, putting a hand on Charlie's stomach. She could feel Charlie crying. The princess didn't understand why Vaggie had become so cold to her lately.

"I-are you disgusted with me? Because I let myself get raped?" Charlie whimpered.

"What? No! First of all, you got raped. You didn't let yourself get raped. They raped you. This is not your fault. It's entirely theirs." Vaggie said.

"And second of all, no. Disgust isn't the reason I've been turning away from you lately. It's guilt." Vaggie said quietly. Charlie gasped.

"Guilt? Why do you feel guilty, Vags?" Charlie asked, turning around and holding the silver haired moth in her arms, kissing her gently on the lips.

"Because… I wasn't there for you. Because you needed me and I promised you and your father that I would be there to protect you if you needed me and I wasn't there." Vaggie said.

"Because I said horrible things to you and convinced you that you needed to leave the safety of the hotel. Because when it came down to it, when you actually needed me, I was back at the hotel." Vaggie said.

"You were back at the hotel because you were pregnant and needed to rest." Charlie said.

"I understand why you didn't go out to monitor me. But there were people out there for me and that means a lot to me." Charlie said. Vaggie shook her head. She hoped that Lupa, Lorcan and Selene were being punished horribly for their failure to act when Charlie needed it.

But no punishment would be sufficient to teach them the error of their ways. No punishment would satisfy Vaggie that they'd been taught their lesson.

"Vaggie… I'm not angry at you. And I don't want you to be angry at yourself either." Charlie said.

"Okay… On one condition." Vaggie said. Charlie perked up.

"You'll go to therapy and let the rest of the guests here help you. Hon, you need help and we all are here for you. Angel Dust and me and even Alastor I bet will be at your call when you need us." Vaggie smiled.

Charlie thought for a long moment.

"Okay I'll talk out my issues with the other guests." Charlie said. After all, she'd done exactly the same for all of them. It only stood to reason that she should have the same resources available to her. Vaggie kissed Charlie adoringly, stroking her hair as they fell asleep together. Neither woman would get a full night's sleep though. Abaddon and Apollyon would wake up, though not as much as Vaggie was expecting that they would. She was actually fairly surprised that they were so quiet.