Before we begin, I'd just like to apologize for the lateness of this new chapter. They've got me on a new schedule at work and it's got my inner sense of time all mixed up. Also, I've recently become reacquainted with a certain Canadian Animated Sitcom from my youth and the binge watching has left me quite distracted. With that said, Adventure Time is the property of Cartoon Network and Hazbin Hotel is the creation of Vivienne M. Medrano aka Vivziepop. Blah. Blah. Blah. Enjoy.

Chapter 21: A Happy Ending?

After about eleven minutes of searching, Vaggie finally managed to find her clothes. They still reeked of the events of the previous night, but at the moment that was the least of her problems. She needed to talk to Charlie right away and tell her what happened. Sure, the Demon Princess probably wouldn't take this news well, but it would be even worse if she heard it from someone else. No, she had to do this herself and in person; no matter how big a scene it caused.

With her mind made up, the Fallen Angel searched high and low for her beloved, but couldn't find her anywhere. She wasn't in the penthouse, or the kitchen, or any other place you might expect her to be. For a moment or two, Vaggie was starting to get worried. However these thoughts were quickly derailed when she stepped into the Main Lobby and found herself in the middle of a disaster area.

Furniture was knocked over. Paintings were askew. Wine bottles and beer cans were everywhere. The whole room looked like a fucking frat house.

"What the fuck happened?" she asked aloud, not expecting anyone to answer.

"Blitz happened." Replied an all too familiar voice from somewhere close by.

Vaggie slowly turned her head and, sure enough, there was Charlie; sporting a pair of rubber gloves and holding a large trash bag.

"Ch-Charlie." The Fallen Angel managed to choke out nervously. "Hey."

"Hey" the Demon Princess responded, sounding just as uneasy.

"So… you're looking well."

"Thanks… you too."

What followed was an awkward silence that seemed to drag on forever, but fortunately Vaggie eventually plucked up the courage to break it.

"So… Blitz did all this?" she asked in an attempt to break the ice.

"Sort of. Apparently the judge declared a mistrial in that lawsuit against him, so the case was thrown out. Blitz was so happy when he came home that he started raiding the liquor cabinet. Next thing I knew, everyone else was getting in on it. And when I gently reminded them about the two drink limit, they all called me a buzzkill and took their party on the road. I'll be surprised if any of them come back before next week. Sigh."

"Jesus. Well, where are Husk and Niffty?"

"Niffty had a panic attack when she saw this mess, so I sent her back to her room to recover. And when I asked Husk to help he reminded me that this was not part of his job and went down to the race track. I tried to get Alastor to use his powers to clean this up, but I can't find him anywhere. So, yeah, it's been a pretty awful morning."

"I'm so sorry."

"No, I'm the one who should be sorry." The Demon Princess admitted shamefully. "Vaggie, I never should've fired you. Or put us on break. Or thrown you out of the penthouse. I'm the worst girlfriend in the universe."

"What, no, Charlie, don't say that."

"Why not, it's true. I've been acting like a spoiled brat this whole time. You've been sacrificing all of your dreams just to help make mine come true. You stood by me when no one else would and I threw you away just for speaking your mind. Helsa was right, I am self-centered."

"No you're not. You're trying to help these ungrateful fucks get into Heaven. That's as far away from selfish as you can get."

"Yeah, but I neglected the one person I should've cared about, and you gave up Heaven for me." Charlie said remorsefully. "I mean, it's not like I ever forgot that, but I guess I never really appreciated what that meant. At least not until I read this."

The Demon Princess reached into her back pocket and pulled out a fistful of crumpled papers; which Vaggie somehow recognized automatically.

"My poem?"

"Yeah, I found it on your desk when I was putting Niffty to bed. It's beautiful."

"Really? You like it?"

"I do. I had no idea you could be so artistic. And more importantly, it made me realize that maybe I haven't always been the kind of girlfriend you deserve."

"Charlie, no…"

"Let me finish." The Demon Princess said insistently. "Vaggie, I… someone put this idea in my head that maybe the reason my Dad likes you so much is because you're just like him. And when I heard you call my ideas stupid I started to think that it might be true, but I should've known better. I mean, come on, I know you. I know that underneath that gruff exterior is a sweet, sensitive girl who just wants to feel loved, and I… I took you for granted."

"Charlie, stop…"

"But I'm only trying to apologize for being such a terrible…"

"I've been spying on you for your dad!" the Fallen Angel cut her off, unable to stand anymore of her self-degradation.

"W-What?" Charlie stuttered; clearly thrown off by this sudden confession.

"I… I've been sending him reports almost every week. To let him know how you're doing and… how close you are to giving up." Vaggie admitted, feeling totally ashamed of herself. "At first I only said yes because it seemed like the only way he'd let us open the Hotel. But then… I don't know, he made me feel like I had to do it because it was the only way to keep you safe. And now he's saying that if I don't get you to quit and go back home before the next Cleansing he'll never let me see you again. He wants me to be the next Queen of Hell!"

Just then, Vaggie felt her beloved Princess place a hand on her shoulder.

"It's okay, I know what he can be like." She said sympathetically. "I spent pretty much my whole life letting him manipulate me, but you gave me the courage to stand up to him. And if we pull together we can do it again. I won't let him separate up, or shut down this Hotel."

For a brief moment, the Fallen Angel felt a great sense of relief. Although it seemed an impossible task, Charlie's words somehow made her feel like they could pull it off.

That is, until she remembered the other little thing she needed to discuss.

"Charlie, there's… something else I need to tell you." She admitted, looking down to avoid making eye contact. "And you're really not gonna like it."

"It's okay, Vaggie. Whatever it is, I know we can work through it."

"I had sex with Marceline last night."

And just like that, all of Hell seemed to freeze.

Charlie didn't stutter, stammer, gasp or even flinch. She just stared back at Vaggie with wide, unblinking eyes; her expression totally unreadable.

"You… what?" she asked in a tone that made the Fallen Angel feel two inches tall.

"I… had sex with Marceline… last night."

"You had sex with Marceline last night." The Demon Princess repeated, still using that unnervingly even tone. "Why?"

"I… I don't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"I mean it's hard to explain why I did it."

"Did my Dad order you to do it?"

"No, he doesn't know anything about this."

"Did she come on to you?"

"Not exactly."

"So you're saying Marcy forced herself on you?"

"No! Of course not! Actually, it was… sort of… my idea."

"So what then? Were you mad at me? Were you trying to get back at me for firing you?"

"No! I would never do that!"

"Then why did you have sex with Marcy?"

"Because she felt sorry for me." A new but familiar voice suddenly spoke up; instantly earning everyone's attention.

The two of them turned their heads and, to their mutual surprise, they saw Marceline standing just a few feet away; looking slightly less pitiful than the Fallen Angel felt.

"Marceline?" Vaggie said in mild disbelief.

"Yeah, it's me." The Vampire Queen answered. "I know you told me to stay out of this, but I wanted to make sure everything went okay, and well… it didn't. So I'm stepping in."

"Marcy, I don't really understand what's going on right now, but…"

"Shut up, Charlie." She cut the Demon Princess off abruptly. "Both of you just shut up and let me have my say."

Naturally, Vaggie was worried. The situation was already less than ideal, and Marceline had a bad habit of making things worse when trying to help. And yet for some strange reason, she felt compelled to let the Vampire Queen have the floor.

"Sigh. Look, I know you're both confused and upset right now, but don't take it out on each other. Take it out on me." Marceline said boldly, before turning to face the Demon Princess directly. "Charlie, you were right about me all along. I was never really in love with you. I just convinced myself that I was because I was afraid of being alone. So afraid that I kept going after you even after I found out you had a girlfriend. And I just… I fucked everything up."

The Vampire Queen paused for a moment to compose herself before she continued.

"I destroyed a relationship. I turned you into a zombie with all my lies. I got Angel Dust fired and cost him his protection. And when the weight of all that finally hit me last night I started crying like a little baby. That's when Vaggie showed up. She was just trying to comfort me and it got out of hand. But it didn't mean anything. You're the one she loves. You're the one she belongs with. And me, I'm just a selfish bitch who almost ruined everything."

She paused yet again, before turning to face Vaggie.

"But don't worry. I know I said I was gonna stick around awhile, but now I think the best way I can help is to just leave before I do anymore damage. I'm sorry for all the trouble I caused and I promise I'll never bother either of you ever again. Goodbye."

Then without another word, she turned away from them and slowly floated towards the front door. Within moments, Marceline would be out of their lives forever, which is exactly what she'd been praying for all these months.

And yet for some strange reason, Vaggie just couldn't accept this.

She just couldn't let Marceline leave.

Not like this.

So, without even thinking, Vaggie rushed after the Vampire Queen to give her a hug; shocking everyone else in the room.

"Vaggie, wh-what are you doing?" Marceline asked confusedly.

"I don't know, I just… I don't want you to go. Not like this."

"But I'm trying to help you fix everything."

"I know that, and I think it's sweet, but how am I supposed to fix things if I know you're out there feeling sorry for yourself. So come on, stay. We can start over. As friends this time. Think of it as your second chance."

"I don't deserve a second chance."

"I know, but you're getting one anyway. So please don't go."

Just then, a strange twinkle flashed in Marceline's eye, and a half smile spread across her lips.

"Well, alright. If it will make you happy. I guess I can stick around a little longer." She said teasingly, before returning the Fallen Angel's hug.

Suddenly, this touching moment was interrupted by a vigorous round of applause. Charlie, who was still standing right where they'd left her, was clapping her hands like mad as tears of joy ran down her smiling face.

"Bravo!" the Demon Princess proclaimed joyfully. "This is exactly what I've been looking for."

"What is?" Vaggie asked confusedly.

"This! Forgiveness. Reconciliation. People learning to put others before themselves. People making friends with people they used to hate. This is what I've been waiting for. This is what the Happy Hotel is supposed to be about. This validates everything I've been trying to do."

"So… you're not mad that I slept with another woman?"

"Oh Honey, of course I am, but we can work through that later. Right now, I'm so proud of you two I could just… Oh, what the Hell, come here you goofballs."

And with that, Charlie pulled the two of them into one of her famously inescapable hugs.

For a moment, it seemed as though all was finally well again. She and Marceline were friends now. She and Charlie were essentially back together again, pending a lengthy and unpleasant discussion about last night. And none of the stupid, asshole guests were around to ruin the moment.

Everything was perfect.

Until…

"Well, isn't this a lovely sight." Said Alastor as he casually stepped out of the shadows. "And to think I almost missed this."

Then the Radio Demon snapped his fingers and instantly the lobby was transformed into an eerie facsimile of a gothic wedding chapel. Likewise, everyone's outfits, minus Charlie's, were changed to fit the venue. Marceline now wore a jet black tuxedo, while Vaggie sported an ivory white wedding dress.

Alastor, now dressed in the garb of a Catholic priest, smirked maliciously as he walked over, false holy book in hand, and said,

"So, shall we begin?"

End Notes:

Again, so sorry for how late this is.

Thanks for reading and I'll see you in the next one.

Peace.