Chapter Seventeen: Charlie's Recovery Journey, a New Family and a Vicious Capture
Charlie took a deep breath. Angel Dust was an interesting choice of people to be her therapist. But she understood the reason. Angel Dust himself had been raped repeatedly by his former boss, Valentino. Angel Dust had been frequently used and abused. He was a good choice for therapists.
"Okay… Charlie…" Angel said. His voice sounded a bit forced. He was trying to sound professional rather than his casual and flippant tone that he usually took.
"So… Firs' thing we need ta do is talk about yer feelings." Angel said.
He was so happy to finally be able to pay Charlie back, even a little for all that she'd done for him. To finally prove that he was deserving of her good will and her faith in him. She'd invested so much in him and the most he'd been able to do was play nice and pretend that he could be redeemed, even though he knew he didn't deserve it. But today, now he was able to truly help her. Share some of his experience with her. He was nervous. He wanted to do this right, to help Charlie heal from her trauma and pain.
"Well… I'm confused. I've always been so powerful… So untouchable." Charlie said. It was obvious.
She was the princess of Hell. Even people who didn't like her (and that was many people who didn't like her) wouldn't dare to harm her. But this time, she'd just been a commoner. And she'd been so sure that she would be able to talk them down. Why hadn't it worked? Had she done or said something wrong? Had she just made them angrier with her attempts? She was starting to hyperventilate, remembering the horrible smells, the sounds of their grunting and growling as they raped her. The smells of their seed inside her, of the blood, the taste of their penises in her mouth.
And finally, the horrible, painful sensation of them violating her. She was so engrossed in what she was saying that she didn't notice how Angel was shaking. He took deep breaths and calmed himself down.
"That's completely normal. I don't blame ya fer havin' some trouble comin' to terms wit what happened. Close yer eyes, take deep breaths and focus on yer breathing. You'll calm down at least a bit." Angel said gently, taking Charlie's hand, squeezing it lightly to reassure her. Charlie smiled shakily, nodding. After a few minutes, he let go and they went back to talking.
"Why do ya think it was yer fault?" Angel asked.
"I-I just wanted so badly to just talk to them. They seemed angry and I wanted to help them calm down." Charlie said anxiously, wringing her hands, scratching herself as her breathing started to get faster.
"Whoa… Slow down, toots. Yer gonna hyperventilate." Angel said, putting a hand on her shoulder, pulling away when she flinched, tensing up.
"Sorry." He said. Charlie smiled weakly at him.
"It's okay." She said. He could tell she was having trouble getting how she felt about this out.
"Ya know, the first time Valentimo raped me… I told myself it was my fault… I told myself that I'd made him angry, that he was havin' a bad day and that I was pushing my luck with him. Aftah all, he gave me a place ta stay, food ta eat. This wasn't like him. He was one'a the good guys in Hell. He took in losahs like me and helped us get back on our feet. But then it happened again. And again, I said… I pissed him off. I back sassed him. And every time it happened, it got hardah fer me ta excuse his behaviah.
"I knew somewhere in me that what he was doin' was wrong. The beatin's, the rapes, the degrading things he made me do. It took me a long time bein' here to stop thinkin' it was my fault… Sometimes, I still have trouble acceptin' that I didn't do nothin' wrong. It wasn' my fault. But I still wake up wit' nightmares sometimes and I still feel dirty and worthless sometimes. Sorry, I'm ramblin'. Mah point is that this ain't somethin' ya get ovah. It's somethin' ya get through. It's somethin' ya learn to cope with and eventually, it stops hurtin' so much.
"But ya can't do it alone. That's why we're all here for ya. Ya can talk ta us anytime ya need ta. We ain't goin nowhere and day er night, we're all here for ya. If ya wake up with a nightmare, ya can come to me, Mommy. I mean Charlie!" Angel protested, realizing almost immediately he'd called her 'Mommy'. The two of them were silent for a painfully long moment. Angel Dust was tense, afraid that Charlie was going to leave the room, that she wouldn't trust him anymore. That she would hate him now. That she would be disgusted by him. Instead, Charlie hugged him tightly, tears pricking her eyes as she smiled.
"Thank you, Angel." She said, her voice hitching as she just sat with him, holding him in her arms, feeling more comfortable than she had in a while. She took a deep breath. It was hard to get this out. She felt so angry towards the men who raped her.
"I-does that invalidate everything I believe in? I want to hurt them like they've hurt me. I want to make them suffer and I… God, I-I even want to kill them… Does-does that make me a hypocrite?" Charlie asked anxiously. Angel smiled gently, shaking his head.
"Nah, babe. Ya ain't a hypocrite. You're jus' normal. It's normal ta feel angry 'bout that kinda thing when it happens to ya. I don't think no less of ya." Angel Dust said.
"So tell me… What are ya plannin' ta do if ya evah see them again?" Angel asked. The men who hurt ya?" Angel asked. Charlie sighed. Was this part of the therapy? Would it help her work through it to tell Angel what she wanted? It must be.
"I… I don't know what I'll do. I want to hurt them as badly as they've hurt me. I want to make them suffer. I… I don't know what I'll do. Maybe I'll just end up letting them go. Maybe seeing the fear in their eyes and knowing that they know they fucked up will be enough for me. Maybe I'll betray everything I thought I believed in and end up killing them. I-I don't know how I'll feel if and when I'm face-to-face with them." Charlie said, rubbing her arm nervously. She didn't like thinking like this. She didn't like feeling like a monster. She didn't want to believe she thought she was better than anyone else.
But in some ways, she really was. She helped Demons rather than hurting them. She wanted to help redeem Demons. She wasn't judging them. She'd spent almost a month on the streets. She'd done some things she wasn't proud of to get food sometimes. She'd learned that sometimes, dignity was just surviving. That doing what you needed to do to survive didn't have to mean that you were giving up your pride. She'd done that so she could understand the guests at her hotel better.
She didn't have the right to judge most Demons. But the men who raped her… She hoped to meet them. And she hoped to judge them. She didn't like thinking like that. But she was thinking like this. Maybe talking about it would help.
-0-
Evan smirked.
"Okay, Zephael. I need you to do some searches in Pentagram City. Work with any number of my servants that you need to scour Pentagram City for these Demons. Zogard, a Rhinoceros Demon, Elbert, a Cheetah Demon and Luitgardt, a Jackal Demon. When you find them, don't approach them until you're sure you can bring them in alive." Evan said. He was going to track down the Demons that raped Charlie and he was going to make them beg for forgiveness. Then he was going to kill them.
Zaphael bowed politely. He was a fairly new recruit. Zaphael was a Nessian Hellhound who had been sold to him by Lucifer. He was an experimental breeding line between Zovrolaet, Enakon and Acugri Bloodlines. He had more than acquitted himself by all three family's standards and was more than qualified to lead an investigation. Evan nodded, handing him a copy of the data that he might need to start the investigation. He took a few other servants with him and they spread out through Pentagram City, trying to be discreet, not wanting to spook the three Demons.
If they realized that they were being tracked down by someone as high profile as Evan Magne, they might flee to avoid whatever plans he had for them. Of course, they didn't yet know that they had raped the princess of Hell. If they had, they probably would have fled as soon as they learned, and there was no evidence that they had left Pentagram City. Several people that they spoke to said that they were still frequenting the back alley of the restaurant that they'd raped Charlie behind.
"Excuse me. I'm looking for some former acquaintances of mine. They may still be working together. Zogard, Elbert and Luitgardt?" A Hellhound named Lysander asked. He was talking to a young Imp. The Imp nodded.
"What's it worth to you?" He asked. He had heard rumors about those Demons and that they were in trouble with more than one person around the city. It was amazing how much you heard when nobody noticed you were there. Lysander smiled. Money. It was hard to imagine a simpler request.
He pulled out a small wad of cash that had 20 Pecunias in it.
"How does 20 Pecunias sound?" Lysander asked.
"Not as good as 50." The young Imp said. Lysander chuckled, writing down the expense and asking the Imp to sign it. He had to keep track of whatever expenses he spent of Evan's money. Evan had given him 2,000 Pecunias to spend as needed on the investigation, usually to buy information or pay to be in a place for a while. Many businesses had a fee to just hang out in a place.
"Deal." Lysander said, handing the young man 50 Pecunias.
"Good doing business with you. I saw them at Rolanda's the other day. I heard that they had bought a few weapons and some Hellscape Mace." The young man said.
"You know, me and my guys and gals hear a lot. If yer boss wants, we could be convinced to work fer him." The boy said. Lysander had him write down his information and said that he would give the info to his boss. The boy nodded. Lysander went to Rolanda's, going in and ringing the bell at the counter.
"Is Rolanda here?" Lysander asked.
"I'm Rolanda." The proprietress said.
"Ah, good. My name is Lysander. I'm looking for three clients of yours. Zogard, Elbert and Luitgardt." Lysander said. Rolanda chuckled.
"Well… I don't just give away the names of my clients. That would be bad business." She said.
"Could I offer you a little incentive?" Lysander asked.
"Well, a little incentive helps. But how much is 'a little'?" Rolanda asked.
"Well, I was thinking 200." Lysander said.
"Sounds a bit measly, don't you think?" Rolanda smirked.
"Hmmm… 400?" Lysander asked. Rolanda gave a soft hum.
"600…"
"1,500." Rolanda said. An exorbitant amount, But Lysander had been told not to be greedy.
"1,250." Lysander said,
"1,400." Rolanda said.
"Deal." Lysander said, writing down the amount he was spending and having Rolanda sign it.
"Okay… So I've already sold them what they wanted. But I could get them back here if you wanted."
Lysander nodded, calling five of his subordinates and having them report to Rolanda's. They went to Rolandas in plain clothes and pretended to look around as Rolanda called Zogard, telling him that a new product that he might be interested in had come in. He should bring Elbert and Luitgardt since their orders had come in as well.
"Great! That was quick. We'll be right over." Zogard said. Rolanda rolled her eyes. As strong as they were and as much as they'd intimidated Demons around them, they were pretty dumb sometimes.
They went over to the shop. But they clearly weren't as dumb as they'd let themselves come across as being, since they were clearly well armed. Zogard had two high caliber handguns and a set of knives. Elbert had a few flashbangs and some knives and Luitgardt had a smaller pistol on his waist. The Hellhounds looked up and watched as they went to the counter.
"Zogard, I have your objects back here. Elbert and Luitgardt… I'm so sorry… I checked the items and they were damaged. I'll be dealing with the sender personally.
"Will you permit me a little more time to get the items back in?" Rolanda asked. Elbert sighed, but nodded. Rolanda looked around and saw that the Hellhounds had closed off all the exits, putting guards on every practical way out, especially if they were in a hurry. Lysander himself pulled out a gun and put it in Zogard's back. He had loaded bullets that would penetrate even Zogard's flesh, since a Rhinoceros Demon was notoriously difficult to pierce the flesh of. This gun was magically enhanced and the bullets were designed to pierce armor.
"What is this about?" Zogard asked calmly. Elbert and Luitgardt weren't nearly as calm, getting tense as they looked around. They saw that they were surrounding. There were five people with weapons, prepared to attack if necessary.
"Who else do you have with you?" Zogard asked.
"We didn't call anyone else. But other members of our force heard the news that we'd found you and are surrounding the exits. There's no escape. It would be best for you to just surrender." Lysander said.
"Ah, yes. Of course." Zogard said, snarling and thrusting out his arm, sending Lysander reeling and falling back. Zogard pulled out both his guns and fired directly into Lysander's chest. Lysander had some resistance to bullets and even swords. He had regeneration, but bullets from a 50 caliber hand cannon was still bound to hurt. He gasped, collapsing as blood spurted from his wounds. The other servants all fired on Zogard, hitting his arms and legs, forcing him to drop the guns. Zogard managed to take down one of the others before being taken down.
The five captured the three. Elbert and Luitgardt surrendered peacefully, wanting to gain as much goodwill as possible from whoever was seeking their capture. They were chained up with strength sapping shackles and brought out to the vans, taken to Evan's mansion.
-0-
"Hey, Hon… Are you okay?" Vaggie asked, feeding Abaddon and Apollyon currently. She took an empowerment serum twice a day. Once when she woke up and once when she went to bed. It kept Vaggie's energy up, given the amount of energy that it took out of her to carry the twins to term, and enhanced her milk to stabilize and enhance the twins further with the alchemical powers that Lucifer had given to them with his experiments. Charlie nodded helplessly. She felt better in some ways, but in other ways, she felt strangely exhausted after the therapy session.
"You don't look okay." Vaggie said.
"Would you like to hold Abby and Lyon?" Vaggie asked, hoping that it would help Charlie to feel better if she could bond with her babies. Charlie nodded, taking the twins in her arms, smiling lovingly at them, pulling them close, supporting their heads with her hands. Vaggie smiled as Charlie kissed them lovingly on their foreheads, staring into their tired, slightly hazy eyes. They yawned, seemingly in sync with each other. Charlie felt tired herself, curling up with Vaggie on the couch.
The other members of the Hotel had done well taking up the reins and helping Charlie and Vaggie with the hotel's duties when and where they could. Angel was taking charge well. He was showing impressive leadership, no doubt from his days of being in the mafia. Alastor was stepping up as well and helping organize the Hotel members. He and Angel were planning a Hotel Dance. Everyone could invite who they liked. Even people who weren't currently guests. Angel was anxiously trying to figure out how to invite Husker without seeming like a creep.
He'd made a pretty bad impression on him when he first joined the Hotel. Husk had been annoyed and rightly so when he'd told Angel to 'go fuck himself', and Angel had said 'only if you watch me'. But Angel had really come to admire and even be attracted to Husk. True, Husk was much older than he himself was when he died. Husk had probably been in his mid-60s, while Angel may have been in his mid-30s when he died. But Angel was still attracted to Husk. They both had addictions that they needed to work through. They both had traumas from their lives and from their time in Hell.
Angel wanted to prepare the dance so that Charlie could have something fun to look forward to with Vaggie. Alastor was thinking himself. He could tell that Charlie was stressed right now. He was sure that she would enjoy a dance. He imagined that she went to a lot of dances and parties as Lucifer's daughter. Maybe one where she could just be herself would be nice. He wasn't sure who he would be asking to the dance. There was nobody he particularly fancied. But he was aware that it was somewhat expected that he bring someone so that they could show off the Hotel to outsiders.
This was as much for advertisement of the Hotel as it was for the enjoyment of the guests. Charlie had already fallen asleep in Vaggie's arms with Abaddon and Apollyon in her arms. Angel smiled and put a blanket over them, easing Abby and Lyon into his own arms, bringing them to their cribs and setting them down to sleep. He had never felt as satisfied with his life as he did right now. He had the chance to help take care of babies, even if they weren't his. He had the trust and admiration of people that he really respected and admired himself. He felt more at home than he ever had in his life or death.
He covered the babies up, smiling at them.
"Sleep well, ya little devils." He smiled.