Red Water Dreams
Author's Note: Apology on my part once again for things being as slow as they are. I've come a long way in this fanfic, and it will not end until it's over. I'm emphasizing this again because I refuse to let this go unfinished no matter how tough it gets for me to stay motivated. This is my most popular story, so I've gotta fight for all of you people who have given me the attention to make it here. I sincerely thank you.
Note: The title of this chapter is a song by Aviators. It's a song that will be sang in this chapter. I know writing lyrics is against website rules, but there will be a lot of other things going on during the singing, so if you want the full lyrics straight up, you'll have to watch the original song.
5:30 A.M. Happy Hotel Faculty Lounge
Douglas enters the room using Angel's card key. He comes across Vaggie's corpse inside a funeral coffin. Just as he remembers, her figure is deformed from falling. Plenty of bloodstains cover her clothes and her overall shape is lopsided in certain areas of her body. Angel shivers a bit at the sight of this, but Douglas just stares at her unphased. He's seen enough violence thus far and this is no worse than what he's used to seeing in Hell now.
"Well… are you going to pay your respects like me and leave?" The sexual spider asks nervously, glancing around. "Charlie will be waking up soon, so…"
"And so will Vaggie." The holy soldier states, getting a confused look from Angel. "This is where I draw the line. Vaggie should've never been sent here to begin with and now she's gone." He approaches her and softly moves her hair aside a little. "That is not righteous judgment."
"I guess not even God is perfect?" Angel shrugs nervously. "What are we going to do about it?" Douglas gives him a determined look before reaching below Vaggie and starting to hoist her up.
"I'm going to try resurrecting her." He says as he lifts the purple girl over his shoulder. "If they want me to kill Alastor, the least I can do is save a soul before I take another one." He proceeds to head toward the exit of the room.
"Whoa! Are you honestly saying resurrection is possible?!" Angel asks with shock. "You do realize it's never been done before, right?" He states. The young warrior shakes his head a couple of times.
"Actually Angel, there's something you aren't paying attention to." He begins. "Has resurrection ever happened to a living person on Earth?" Angel shrugs.
"No, I don't think so." He remarks.
"But has it ever been tried in Hell before to a smitten spirit?" Douglas states, getting Angel to pause for several seconds.
"Well… maybe?" He shrugs again. "But don't you think if it worked, whoever did it would spread the word about it?" Douglas grins a bit.
"Nobody who could've tried has the things I have. My prayers, my holy water, and my singing voice." The holy soldier states, getting a confused look from the sexual spider.
"Singing? What is it with Christianity and their songs?" He asks. Douglas steps out of the room with his taller friend following him.
"It's rumored singing in church is a form of praying with twice the sincerity." He states. "When people do it together it's a sign of a group prayer consisting of many worshiping voices." Angel puts a hand to his chin to think for a moment.
"I guess, but do you have a chorus? Because I don't know any bible songs." He comments as they both exit the hotel lobby.
"Don't worry Angel. I can do this alone just so long as I have the right materials." He says, before pointing with his open hand. "And I think that pond is the perfect one." Angel pauses at the sight of the holy pond Douglas had made out of Sir Pentious's crater.
"The pool you put that little boy in?" He asks. "Won't that just dissolve her body over time?" Douglas steps towards the sacred pond and sets Vaggie down in front of it.
"I don't plan on leaving her body in there. But there is one story about Jesus that stands out more than any other to me. Do you know what it is?" He asks as he sits down in his meditative stance next to Vaggie and faces the pool.
"Um… are you going to walk on water like he did?" Angel asks, raising an eyebrow. The young warrior shakes his head.
"Water walking isn't going to solve anything." He turns around softly. "Do you have another guess?" Angel begins to frown a bit.
"Look, if you want to turn water into wine, I'm really not thirsty right now, and I doubt pouring that in Vaggie's system is going to save her." Douglas looks back forward and takes a look at his own reflection.
"I'm not going to waste my holy pond with a power I doubt I'll ever have. It's not going to be good for the purest among sinners to keep sinning rather than reform." Angel takes a couple of steps forward to the point he can see himself in the reflection.
"Then what is your plan? I don't remember any more folklore from religious fanatics." He says, getting a light frown from Douglas.
"Really Angel? I thought Italian mobs were actually fairly religious people." He states, getting a mirrored frown from the sexual spider.
"Don't tell me you expected us to believe we had a shot at Heaven. We're all going to Hell if we profit off of bodies." He folds his arms. "Any religious mafia mobster is an idiot if they think God is gonna forgive that sort of thing repeatedly." Douglas shakes his head softly.
"You didn't even try to make it to Heaven if you think that way." He states, softly putting his hand into the holy pond. "But no, haven't you heard the story about how Jesus used a bit of mud to give vision to a blind man?" The sexual spider pauses at this question and his eyes widen a little.
"Well… no I haven't." He says softly. Douglas summons a Seiken and buries it into the dirt beside him.
"I'm going to use pumpkin pulp as a substitute." He takes out a few seeds and removes the sword, dropping one in the hole the blade made. "And I'll use holy water as a nutrient for them." He stabs another spot and plants a second seed.
"But don't pumpkins take several days to grow?" Angel asks. Douglas smirks softly and drops two more seeds in a couple of fresh areas beside him.
"The food at the table of plenty is grown within minutes so everyone in Heaven may feast every day. A little bit of sunlight and water is all it'll take." He covers the holes up with some dirt and looks at the pond.
"Do you really think this will work? I don't want to endure the sadness if it fails." The sexual spider comments. The young warrior shakes his head softly.
"I'll have to endure sadness after me and Alastor duel one last time. For now, I can only use hope to make my decisions." He closes his eyes and puts his hands together.
"Hope?" Angel asks softly. He stares at Douglas for a few seconds but doesn't hear him react verbally to answer him. Instead, the lonesome boy tilts his head forward a bit and begins to sing.
"Take me to the water where the river meets the sea. Let the memory of rising tides come washing over me. I saw fire consume the trusting with the victims still naïve, and so they bleed." He bows a bit more forward. "And so they bleed."
Angel flinches at the initial aura surrounding Douglas and his voice. He can tell there is a stark beauty and passion to what he's saying as he continues.
"Take me to the tower where false gods reside in peace. Let them wither from the inside, watch their adoration cease." He opens his eyes and looks up. "Now with no more heroes left to cull the chaff among the streets, the gates release." He closes his eyes again before the reprise. "The gates release."
"Heh, yeah they do." Angel says as he folds all four of his arms, smirking as the chorus line comes in.
"Sing in grief a requiem, the curse of our millennium! These souls keep whispering from the river beds." Suddenly, the holy water pond begins to sparkle in many places. "An end to all these violent means, alive in these red water dreams, their haunted burden stirring in my head." He looks up. "On streets still running red!"
The area around Douglas starts to emit a bright aura, indicating life that hadn't been there before. Angel's eyes sparkle at the sight of such a sudden improvement to this otherwise dead area. There are several seconds of silence surrounding him until the door opens from behind.
"Hey man, what's he got going on out here?" It's Tex. Angel turns around to the large hellhound with a delightful smile. "I thought I heard singing." He says. Angel points one finger at Douglas.
"Our boy Douglas is singing his heart out. His voice is as powerful as the strongest angel in Heaven's, don't you think?" He asks. Tex grins softly.
"Yeah, bud!" He gives a thumbs up to the boy with his back turned. "Keep it up, Doug!" He exclaims, getting silence from the boy, now aware people are witnessing this. He feels the power around him, but among the living things at his side still excludes Vaggie. He unfolds his hands and scoops up some water from the holy pond. Dropping it in the soil surrounding his freshly planted seeds.
"Vicious thoughts are stirring, and I hunger for their power! Just to taste the opportunity to watch the elders cower. When the waters fall below the ruins, they'll see their final hour." He soaks up the last of the four spots. "The rain still showers!" Suddenly the clouds from above open up and cast light on the area, starting to reach the seeds. "The rain still showers."
Meanwhile, Cletus wakes up in Heaven, taking a moment to glance at a mystical mirror beside his bedside, he sees Douglas praying with song. The sight of this touches him deeply, and it's too much for him to contain without spreading the word of it. Moments later, Eddie and Franklin enter the room to see Douglas getting his hands dirty with fresh pumpkin pulp that shines in the light. They watch as he slathers said pulp on Vaggie's body, emphasizing the bloodstained areas and noticeable fractures.
"Take me as the vessel to infect the whole charade. I've come much too far to accept this society they've made." He looks up into the light, giving the angels above a direct look into his eyes. "In the corner of the wasteland, under storms of acid rain, the last remain." Franklin sets his staff to the floor and echoes him.
"The last remain." He and Douglas say together before Douglas reprises the chorus.
"Sing in grief a requiem, the curse of our millennium! These souls keep whispering from the river beds!" Vaggie's body starts to reform in the fractured areas as he continues to smear the pulp in her most injured areas. He splats another pumpkin for some additional healing substance. "An end to all these violent means, alive in these red water dreams, their haunted burdens stirring in my head." He then looks down at Vaggie with a tear in his eyes. "On streets still running red."
"Is something going on out here?"
"It sure sounds like it." Angel and Tex turn around to see Loona and Octavia exit the building. Razzle and Dazzle follow them.
"Whoa, what is Douglas doing?!" Dazzle asks with amazement.
"He looks like he's doing some sort of sacred ritual." Razzle remarks. Angel grins.
"He's making an attempt to resurrect Vaggie. And he looks like he's doing a good job!" He exclaims with spirit. The four who just stepped outside step closer to get a better look at the scene as Douglas lifts Vaggie up and gently holds her back to the surface of the holy pond.
"Most went in the flood a few were martyred by the flames." He softly strokes Vaggie's hair with the sacred water. "Yet, those who unleashed the waters are still guilty all the same." He lowers her body so it's completely submerged just below the surface. "When the ignorance of puppets serves the master's larger game, they let it rain." He opens his eyes as a couple of tears stream out and sprinkle Vaggie's upper body lightly. "They let it rain."
"What do we have here?" Augustus asks as he enters Cletus's room with a large grin. The cherub points to the mirror, causing the humble man to step forward for a better view. The sound of the mystical percussion reaches his ears and his eyes widen a bit. "Is he singing my favorite song?!"
"Looks like it, sir." Franklin says, getting a hearty laugh from Augustus as Douglas proceeds.
"When I get the chance to rise," He lifts Vaggie out of the water, no bloodstains remain on her clothes and her original structure has returned. "I'll find a light in their cold eyes." He then clutches her and shuts his eyes. "Or lose myself and carry out revenge!" He pauses for a few moments before opening them again. "The righteous hunt has just begun, the dimming of the bleeding sun." The water around him starts to sparkle brightly. "Will let these waters run clear once again!" He finishes the verse and lowers Vaggie to get a glimpse of her whole body.
"He's a good singer," Dazzle says happily.
"You can say that again," Loona adds.
"You think the man is getting somewhere?" Tex asks.
"I think he's made more progress than anyone knew was possible," Razzle says with a smile.
"I don't know about this. My dad said all souls he pulled out of the void were doomed to return shortly after." Octavia says. Angel smirks her direction with his arms folded.
"Now isn't the time to doubt. Your dad never had a bunch of holy sources around him, did he?" He asks. As Octavia shakes her head, the people of Heaven proceed to witness. Franklin's hand glows a little as he recognizes the person held.
"Hey, that's Ms. Vagatha!" Holy aura begins to expand in his hand. "I know her very well." Suddenly, Douglas gets up and looks to the sky, causing Augustus to step forward and join him for the final chorus.
"Sing in grief a requiem! The curse of our millennium!" Both Douglas and Augustus sing harmonically as the sunlight starts to shine brightly on Vaggie's body. "These souls keep whispering from the riverbeds!" The holy soldier lifts her a bit higher, feeling almost no pressure on his arms from her weight. "An end to all these violent means, alive in these red water dreams." The water evaporates off of Vaggie's body during these words. "Their haunted burdens stirring in my head." Augustus claps once and creates a shockwave that emits into the mirror as Franklin's light portal opens wider. "On streets still running red!"
The sound of an echoing chorus overtakes the area around Douglas and continues for several seconds. Vaggie's body is lowered back into Douglas's arms softly, all clean and freshly restored from previous injuries. He clutches her very softly and looks down at her beautiful purple face for several seconds as the background chorus gets softer and softer. By the final note of the very end of the song, he feels very soft movement in his hands. He kneels back before the holy pond with hope shining on his face. Vaggie finally opens her intact right eye softly, getting him to gasp quietly.
"Vaggie… you're alive." He says proudly, getting a smile from each person standing behind him. They mutter a couple of impressed comments to each other as the strength to speak returns to her.
"Douglas…?" She says in a quiet tone. Her body is still far too weak for her to stand or speak quicker. "What happened…?" She asks curiously about the situation. The young warrior holds her upward a little so her head is closer to his, offering her a little support in a comfortable manner.
"What do you remember happening?" He asks, causing her to blink a couple of times, before glooming.
"The last thing I remember… was you clutching my hand in an attempt to keep me from falling." A tear comes to her eye. "But didn't you drop me?" Douglas exhales deeply.
"Yes Vaggie, I couldn't hold on forever and dropped you. To that, I apologize and hope you can forgive me." Vaggie turns her head softly to face away from him.
"No Douglas... you're not the one… who should be sorry for anything." A few more tears come to her face. "I am. I tried to kill you." She says, sniffling a bit. Her crying is halted as he gives her a warm hug, gentle to not upset her freshly aching muscles.
"Do you remember what I told you before you fell?" He asks calmly. Vaggie sniffles again as she starts to regain minimal energy.
"No, I don't actually." She replies in a sad tone. The holy soldier ends the hug and tilts her head at an angle so she can see his warm smile.
"I said I promised I'd save you." He answers, getting a shocked look from her. "And that's a promise I was never going to let go of, no matter how slim the odds seemed." Vaggie takes a deep breath, beginning to circulate a little more.
"Why Douglas?" She asks. "I didn't deserve resurrection. Not from you of all people." She says with shame in her voice. "I didn't trust you, I tried to kill you, and I never stopped once to really get to know you and give you a chance." Douglas shakes his head a few times, his humble smile remaining.
"None of that matters to me, Vaggie. You were just scared. Scared of what I was capable of doing, not just to you, but to Charlie as well." He sits her up a bit more so she's sitting at the base of his lap. "All of your actions were done knowingly because you wanted to protect yourself and those you love. I'm not going to blame you for that." Vaggie sighs a bit.
"Are you sure?" She asks. He nods and looks directly into her eye.
"I'm sure." He holds his hand out. "I forgive you." He says. Vaggie smiles softly and takes his hand, feeling the strength return to her body.
"You're a real man Douglas. I never would've imagined a guy like you existed." She says, chuckling lightly. Douglas smirks a bit and reaches for a bit of pulp.
"You know Vaggie? A great man is always just around the corner." He says as he rubs the blessed pulp to her left eye. "Sometimes, you just need to open both of your eyes." He winks and sprinkles a bit of holy water onto her face, rinsing the pulp off and causing her left eye to finally open. He brushes her hair aside to give her a clearer view as joyful tears come to her face from both eyes.
"You fixed my eye?" She asks in an almost broken voice. "Thank you so much, Douglas." She says, wrapping her arms around him and hugging him softly with her limited strength. The young warrior smiles proudly and returns the hug.
"You're welcome Vaggie." He says sincerely.
"You're a true hero." She whispers. Douglas flinches and blushes as he feels Vaggie plant a kiss on his cheek. He's in total shock for a few seconds.
"Well, thank you." He says with a shy smile. Vaggie chuckles and gathers the strength to stand back up. Douglas gets up with her.
"No Douglas, thank you. I'll never be able to fully repay you for saving my soul." She says, taking his hand and smiling softly. Douglas squeezes her hand a bit and shakes it.
"I guess we can be friends now." He says a bit more confidently. "But if you want to truly repay me, I need you to do something important." The now two-eyed girl nods.
"Anything you want and more Douglas." She says with sincerity. "What is it?" Douglas turns to the rest of the group and speaks a bit louder.
"This goes for all of you actually." He glances at the goat brothers. "Even though Razzle and Dazzle already know."
"Is it about Queen Lilith and King Lucifer?" Razzle asks. Douglas nods.
"Yes, you boys know the truth about them." He states. Angel, Tex, Loona, and Octavia look at each other for a moment before Octavia answers.
"We know it too Douglas. And that's why Angel and I came to save you last night." The young warrior nods and glances back to Vaggie.
"Alright then, Vaggie, I need you to trust my word on one specific thing." He states. Vaggie's slight smile fades.
"Alright…" She says in an uncertain tone. Douglas glares a bit and shuts his eyes.
"I did not kill Charlie's parents. No matter how many people in Hell think I did, it didn't happen. I spared them and left them unconscious with a sanctuary on their powers. But I'm not the one who murdered them." Vaggie smirks a bit.
"I know you didn't Douglas." She says, catching him by surprise. "You don't have the heart to leave people like Charlie without their family members." Douglas shakes his head a couple of times.
"I'm glad you know, but Charlie will never take my word on its own. I just want you to tell Charlie that I'm not the one responsible for killing them because if she won't trust anyone else, she WILL trust you." He states. Vaggie gives him a proud smile and takes his hand, shaking it again.
"You've got a deal pal. I won't let her speak illy of you anymore." She glances to the six behind her. "All of us know you're not that type of person." There's a bit of nodding from the people behind her.
"Alright, thank you," Douglas says sincerely. "I know I'm probably not going to ever see Charlie again, but she's not someone I ever wanted to hurt." He glances at the hotel doors. "I know she'll be waking up soon. All I can ask you to do is tell her the truth." He then looks back at Vaggie. "If you can convince her I'm not a mass murderer out to kill people in Hell, then you can consider us even for me resurrecting you." Vaggie puts a hand on his shoulder.
"Is that really all you want Douglas? You deserve a lot more from me given that was more than I'll ever be able to do for you." The holy soldier nods.
"Yes please." He sighs a bit and looks away. "I just don't want to leave things the way they are. She thinks I killed her parents and will never believe me no matter what I say." Angel takes a step forward.
"Dude, are you hiding something?" Douglas looks back to him with a confused frown.
"What do you mean Angel?" He asks, the sexual spider raises an eyebrow.
"You say that like you know the person who actually did it." He states, causing Douglas to flinch.
"Well actually, I do know who it was." He looks around at the seven friends for a moment. "But none of you ever will, so it doesn't matter." He then makes a fist. "And trust me, I'm going to file a complaint to the Judgement Hall for allowing this man to attain his power."
"Save that for when the journey is over, Douglas," Vaggie says, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his list. "You still have one person left." The young warrior stares at Alastor's portrait with a sad look in his eyes.
"Alastor. I honestly don't know if I'd still be alive without his help. He gave me a poison to defeat Velvet, some information on Valentino, Vox's power source…" He closes his eyes. "Killing him isn't going to be easy anymore." Vaggie frowns with determination and folds his list back for him.
"It was never going to be easy Douglas, but you can do it. I know you can." She hands him the list. "After you take out the radio demon, you're free to live on freely." She glares softly. "That is what you were promised, isn't it?"
"It was, but I'm not sure it's worth it anymore." He says, turning to look at his reflection in the holy pool. "What am I good for anyways? I'm just another lost boy in a world full of evil and surprise. I'll never get my parents back, and my very existence down here has brought a lot of harm to a lot of people." He shuts his eyes tightly. "What difference does it make if I kill Alastor or not? He's not a threat to Heaven on his own, and killing him is only a task because they're scared of him." Vaggie puts a hand on his shoulder.
"No matter why they want it, you're a pure soul Douglas. You deserve to be free, not trapped down here with the sinners." He turns over to face his purple friend. "If fighting Alastor is what it takes to get that, you need to go on with it. If you die, your spirit will go to Heaven, and if he dies, you have a long life ahead of you and a beautiful afterlife." She makes a nervous smirk. "You shouldn't worry about us. We can take care of ourselves." Douglas stands up and turns to the group.
"I do worry about all of you. All of you guys have helped me out." He pauses for a moment and then glares. "That crazed psychopath was trying to stab me while I was chained to the wall last night!" Angel makes a fist.
"And I wasn't about to let her finish that job! We ended up executing her!" He says with fury. Douglas holds a hand out.
"I know Angel, and I appreciate that." He states, before proceeding. "I'm just saying leaving all of you is going to be hard. You guys are my friends." Vaggie softly taps his shoulder.
"Then would you like to take a moment to tell us all goodbye? We're going to miss you too." She states. The young warrior sighs and steps closer to the group. He begins with the couple of taller werewolves on the right.
"Tex, you're a good man." He says, holding his hand out. "And I owe it to you for saving me from that Imp. Thanks, pal." Tex smirks and shakes his hand.
"Awe, any time little buddy. He wasn't that hard to take down." He says with a bit of a grin.
"Well if it weren't for you, he would have killed me. So you have my eternal respect for saving me." He says. "Thank you very much." They end the handshake.
"No problem man. Say hi to your kid pal for me in Heaven." Douglas chuckles.
"I'll tell Eddie you said hi for sure!" He says as they both laugh a bit, he then faces Loona, who is far less enthusiastic, but still rather happy. "Loona… I'm extremely sorry for your loss." He states, glooming a bit. Loona sheds a tear but maintains her smile.
"That's okay. You were only doing what you did to protect yourself." She says, softly holding her hand out. "No hard feelings." Douglas shakes her hand softly.
"None on either side. I'll continue to pray for Blitzo if opening the void becomes possible again." He promises.
"That's okay," Loona says as they end the handshake. "Thanks for saving Millie and Moxxie. I'm glad to know they're okay." She says proudly. The holy soldier nods.
"You're welcome Loona. I hope they're doing okay in Heaven, but they'll be sent back your way soon enough when I get that answer." Loona gives him a thumbs-up as he moves on to Octavia. "Octavia."
"Yes?" She asks with an uncertain tone of voice. He lowers his head a little.
"I'm incredibly sorry for the loss of your father. He was one of my enemies, but I never intended to tear a family apart when fighting him." Octavia nods lightly.
"I understand." She looks to the side nervously. "I wish I could've talked him out of kidnapping you. You seem really sweet." She says. Loona rolls her eyes a little.
"He just couldn't let his crush on Blitzo go away." She says softly. "He wanted to torture Douglas in retaliation." Douglas shrugs lightly.
"I can't say I blame him. There are people I've wanted to torture," He turns to Octavia. "Including your mother." The young owl sighs and glances at the ground.
"Yeah… she wasn't a loving person." She mumbles before Douglas puts a hand on her shoulder.
"But here's the thing Octavia, you're stronger than her." Octavia looks up into his eyes. "You've gone through a lot of things thus far in your life, so you can't give up now." He raises his arms to present the rest of them. "Now you're surrounded by people who care about you and will give you a home." Octavia looks around at her friends as they all smile and nod.
"You know… you're right." She says softly, beginning to smile as well. "Thank you for helping me realize that." Douglas nods.
"You're forever welcome." He says, looking back to Loona and Tex. "Please take good care of her you two, I'm counting on you."
"We're all in this together," Loona says proudly. "We won't let you down." The young warrior nods at her before looking down a bit at the goat twins.
"Razzle and Dazzle." He says, looking at the two smiling creatures.
"What can we do for you Douglas?" Razzle asks. Suddenly both boys are grabbed by the larger and stronger man.
"WHOA!" They both shout in surprise as he lifts them up and hugs them.
"You bring it in you huggable plushies!" He says loudly, giving them both a firm squeeze that doesn't hurt them but limits their wiggle room so they can't escape easily. Both brothers blush softly.
"Okay Douglas, we get it!" Dazzle says, chuckling a bit. Razzle squirms a bit to try to escape his grip.
"Wouldn't a handshake have been enough?" He asks, struggling a little. Douglas retracts his right arm and lets Razzle go, continuing to hug Dazzle.
"Sorry Razzle. I just couldn't help myself!" He says, laughing a bit. Dazzle laughs a bit with him and hugs him around the neck.
"It's okay Douglas. We're so glad you're okay." He says calmly. Douglas loosens his grip on Dazzle so he's not too close to make clear eye contact with.
"I love you guys." He says passionately. "You two are both very wonderful young gentlemen and Lucifer was right to bring you to life." He then closes in on Dazzle again. "Thank you for having my back." Dazzle pats the back of his shoulder.
"You're welcome, Douglas. I'm glad we could help you."
"Me too…" Razzle says glancing to the side a bit. Douglas stops hugging Dazzle and leans down a little to get a better look at the sadder goat.
"What's wrong Razzle?" He asks, getting him to look up at his face.
"I feel like we didn't do very much." He says with shame in his voice. "The von Eldritch family still got you and Charlie left you in the dungeon last night instead of releasing you or healing you first." The holy soldier pats his head softly.
"It's okay Razzle. I'm okay now." He smirks a bit. "And the von Eldritch family paid dearly." The goat boy chuckles softly.
"If you say so." He says, beginning to smile. "I hope you beat Alastor this time."
"Me too! You've got this Douglas!" Dazzle chimes in. Douglas puts his hands up in a humble manner.
"I appreciate the prayers, boys. Just promise me you guys will continue to take care of Charlie for me." Dazzle raises a fist.
"You sir, have a deal!" He says with enthusiasm, Razzle beginning to grin.
"That we can promise!" He jumps up and hugs Douglas suddenly. "Go get him, buddy!" Everyone starts to laugh softly at this newfound excitement.
"I thought you said you didn't hug," Douglas states, causing Razzle to shrug.
"Eh, it grew on me a little." He smirks at his brother. "Thanks a lot, Dazzle." His twin gives him a thumbs up before he lets go and allows Douglas to move to Angel Dust.
"Well… I guess this is goodbye Angel." The young warrior says. "Thank you for everything you've done for me." He says with sincerity. The sexual spider shrugs a little.
"What can I say, Douglas? You've changed my afterlife in so many ways." He says. "Most importantly, you got rid of that fuckface Valentino for me," Douglas smirks savagely.
"Always happy to teach a rapist a thing or two." He says as Angel holds all four arms out.
"Come on pal, bring it in." He says. Douglas steps forward and hugs his tall friend.
"You're a real lifesaver. I would've been killed last night if you didn't stop Helsa." Angel pats him on the back with one of his hands.
"Don't mention it, dude. Consider us even for Valentino." He says. They end the hug and Douglas just looks up at him for a few seconds.
"You're the best friend I've ever had." He says, holding his hand out. "I mean that too." Angel shakes his hand with his top right one.
"You know Douglas, I didn't know I'd ever have the honor of being anyone's bestie. I appreciate you saying that." The young warrior gives him a thumbs-up with his other hand.
"Don't mention it. Just promise you'll treat more people the way you treated me and not overly flirtatious." He requests, getting a nod from Angel.
"Alright pal, I'll make note of that." He gives him a fist bump. "Go take on Mr. Sexyface for me!" Douglas nods.
"I will." He then turns back over to look at Vaggie, standing there with a proud look on her face. "Vaggie." She gives him a thumbs up.
"You're a good boy Douglas. God made no mistake in creating you." She remarks. "Now don't be scared. You can beat Alastor, I know you can." The holy soldier glooms a bit.
"I'm going to miss you all. You've all done so much for me." Vaggie steps forward and hugs him softly.
"And you have for us as well. Don't pay attention to Charlie anymore, she was never someone you were going to end up knowing for a long time anyways." She then lets go of him and continues speaking proudly. "And on that note, you were never meant to know us that long either. But all of us are very blessed to have gotten to know you." She softly takes hold of his hand. "We love you, Douglas. And you'll always be in our hearts no matter how Charlie feels about you or how your fight with Alastor goes." She promises. Douglas's confident grin returns as he shakes her hand.
"Thank you very much Vaggie. You may be the smartest person I know." She chuckles lightly at his compliment.
"And you're the strongest person I know. You have a heart very few people will ever be fortunate to receive and that's why God has chosen you." She gives him a determined look and points to Pentagram City. "Now go to him, Douglas. Go take on Alastor and return home. Fight for the fate you truly deserve and win the battle for righteous justice!" Douglas nods firmly one time and starts stepping forward.
"Alright, I will. There's no turning back now. The stairway to Heaven is calling my name louder by the hour. Goodbye, everyone!" He says as he begins walking further away.
"GOODBYE DOUGLAS!" Everyone behind him shouts, waving at him with happy looks on their faces. They continue to cheer him on as he walks further and further. Just before he can walk out of sight, Charlie opens the front door with a confused look.
"What are you all doing out here?" She asks, she gets a glimpse of Douglas from far away before he walks behind a building and out of sight. "Wait, wasn't that Douglas?" She asks with a bit of surprise. Vaggie faces her girlfriend with a savage look.
"That's right, our boy just checked out." Charlie gasps loudly upon seeing her.
"VAGGIE?!" She closes her eyes tightly and rubs them before looking at her with an astonished look. "You're alive?!" The goat bros and Octavia step to the side to open up room for the purple girl to step through.
"That I am hon." She says, taking Charlie's hand softly with a proud smile. "Our pal Douglas was able to get me out of the void." She says, causing Charlie to raise an eyebrow.
"What? How did he do that?" She asks in disbelief. Angel points to the pond.
"He sang a song next to that pond and used some pumpkins and holy water to clean her off." The sexual spider says with a savage smirk. "He's a real good guy, isn't he?" He asks. Charlie looks at Vaggie and continues holding her hand for a few seconds. Her shock turning into guilt.
"That's what he did? I had no idea…" She says, looking down a little. The group glance at each other for a moment before Razzle and Dazzle step back toward her.
"Don't worry about it princess," Dazzle says. "He said he doesn't want you to blame yourself." Razzle pats her back.
"That's right Charlie. He said he knew why you felt that way and doesn't blame you. But you shouldn't feel bad long term for this." The princess begins tearing up softly.
"He told me I should kill him… and I almost did." She mumbles. "I left him in the dungeon while he was injured and now after healing, he brought back the love of my life." She says, Vaggie softly hugging her.
"It's okay honey. He knows why you did this and isn't spiteful about it." She puts a hand on Charlie's shoulder and makes eye contact, Charlie now noticing both of her functioning eyes. "He said if you look a little deeper into someone, you may find more than just a monster, but something beautiful." She then smiles proudly. "He's the first man to officially prove that to me. You know how I felt about men before." She says, getting a chuckle from a few of the others.
"I guess…" She says before raising an eyebrow. "But who taught him that?" She asks. Vaggie smirks mischievously again and points to her.
"You did Charlie." She says wisely. "You're the person who taught Douglas that there's some good in people in Hell, and him believing that is what led to him resurrecting me." Charlie looks back out at the city.
"I suppose but… where's he going now?" She asks. Tex speaks up.
"The man's going to fight the radio demon and get out of here. We like his odds this time." He says, causing Charlie to gasp.
"What? But he can't!" She says before tears come to her eyes. "I don't want either one of them to die!" She exclaims in sadness. Angel pats her on the back.
"Don't be sad Charlie. If he dies, he goes to Heaven where he'll belong anyways." He says. Charlie wipes her tears and frowns at him.
"And if Alastor dies?" She asks, getting a wave of silence before Vaggie speaks up.
"Alastor dies, he goes to the void without hope of returning." She says. "I don't think Douglas is going to do another symphony of the holy spirit for another resurrection anytime soon." She remarks, looking her girlfriend in the eyes. "But listen, Charlie, Alastor's reputation has gone and he doesn't have many followers left if any at all. He doesn't have the urge to take over Hell, nor does he have the motivation to do anything more with his afterlife." She states, glaring softly. "If Alastor dies, we'll all have to live on. And until then, all we can do is pray for the best outcome." Charlie stares at Vaggie for several seconds, then looks towards each person in the group as they all give her the same look.
"Alright, you're correct." She says, exhaling deeply. "I… need a few minutes." She says, turning around to step back inside the hotel.
Author's note: Well, it's finally finished. I don't know how many of you were expecting Vaggie to resurrect, but I wasn't going to leave an angsty story without a little bit of happiness. Now that I've gotten a full-time job, my motivation is pretty limited and so is my free time. But nonetheless, no matter how long it takes, I'm going to finish this story. I hope you all enjoyed this chapter and look forward to the upcoming finale. I'm going to estimate right now that there will only be four more chapters, so at least you can all set an expectation.
I do also recommend checking out the Aviators as they've inspired this chapter. The song that this chapter is named after is the very thing that inspired everything that took place in it. I look forward to Swordfish Frenzy which I'll try to complete sooner rather than later. So bear with me and I'll get it done when I can.
Resurrected:
Vaggie