Thorne hummed happily as he cleaned the whiskey glasses for the umpteenth time. Mindless repetitive actions, very good for relaxing the mind. Now he could see why Husk spent so much time doing this. Thorne checked the time on his pocket-watch, he still had a few minutes left. Setting the glass back on the counter, Thorne checked inventory, most of the bottles were present, with some having been taken by Husk for… medicinal reasons.

"What are you doing?"

Thorne looked up from the bottle counting and was face to face with Vaggie wearing a distrustful scowl.

"Good morning Vagatha." Thorne replied courteously with a smile, "I'm filling in for Husk. He's… indisposed at the moment."

"You mean hungover." Vaggie said rolling her eyes.

"I'd say unwell but as his doctor I've ordered…"

"Follar" the moth interrupted.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Don't think for a second that I don't know what's going on here."

"I'm not sure what you mean."

"Just because he's your ex, doesn't mean you can abuse your position and enable him. I heard you last night, after you took Angel back upstairs, you raided the bar and took bottles to Husk's room."

"You don't understand why I…"

"I don't need to." Vaggie interjected, turning her back on the tending feline, "If it isn't one thing with you it's another. First you get all pally with Alastor, then you blow-up Valentino's limo, then Charlie tells me you're tasked with tracking a serial killer that has the rest of hell spooked, when you're not busy playing a poker game for a coked-up prostitute, and now you're getting wasted with a guy you used to fuck. Please explain that away Thorne!"

Vaggie turned back around, only to find Thorne standing right behind her, his eyes glowing menacingly.

"You think you can threaten me?" She sneered, her eye narrowing.

Thorne stood there motionless for a few moments.

"Husk was right, you are a bitch." He snarled looking down at his watch before putting it away and walking to the stairs leaving the moth both surprised. He paused for a second before turning back to Vaggie.

"Well, you coming?"

"I don't…"

"I'm about to break one of the most cardinal rules of medicine. And you get to watch since you're feeling so fucking public spirited."

Vaggatha stood before Husk's room, completely confused, and if she were being honest, nervous. Thorne had completely changed. No longer his usually tired smiling self, the circles under his glowing eyes more pronounced and the visible thorns that stuck out had elongated and serrated.

The doctor demon bent over, his index claw lengthening and started picking the lock. Vaggie went to protest but the door swung open before she could. The pair of demons entered, and the moth's face scrunched at what she saw.

Husk was lying on his bed, shaking. The room was covered in discarded bottles, and by the smell all recently drunk. Thorne made his way over to the trembling cat, removed his top hat and bow tie leaving the ailing bartender a truly pathetic sight. Putting his hand on the older cat's shoulder, Thorne tried to rouse him from the sick-covered daze he'd slipped into.

Vaggie, feeling brave stepped forward. "You don't call this enabling?"

Thorne rose silently, moved back to the door, shut it. And brought out a pocket-knife.

Vaggie went for her own blade but staid her hand as she watched Thorne prick his own finger and start drawing esoteric shapes on the door in his blood.

Thorne spoke, "Through my blood I give my guidance, now fill this room with perfect silence."

The shapes glowed briefly and Vaggie just stood dumbfounded as she and Thorne watched Husk arch his back and stifle a cry of pain.

"Kid… kid, you fucking promised." Husk whimpered collapsing back onto the stained bed.

Shooting a concerned look at Vaggie, Thorne sat next to Husk ensuring not to sit on his wings.

Husk lifted a trembling hand, which Thorne clasped in his own.

"Yes Husk, I'm here."

"It hurts!" the older man snarled.

"Then let it out." Thorne encouraged, "I've silenced the room."

The scream that Husk let out was truly terrifying. Vaggie had to cover her ears, but it made no difference, it wasn't just a scream of withdrawal pain, but sorrow. The scream continued unabated till Husk's voice gave out, the now deflated demon sinking back into the mattress and started to sob.

"Thorne!" Husk cried, "Where is she?"

Vaggie took a step forward, but Thorne put his hand out ordering her to stay back.

"Husk" Thorne replied, his deep voice filling the room. "She… isn't here. She's gone."

"SHUT UP!" Husk yelled his eyes glowing, leaping forward, grabbing the doctor's face. "YOU'RE LYING!"

Vaggie went to stop the older demon from attacking, but was once again stopped by Thorne waving her back.

"No Husk." Thorne asserted, taking Husk's claws away from his spectacled eyes. "Your sister is gone, she died."

Husk's face fell, he howled. Falling backwards wrenching his hands out of Thorne's grasp and started clawing at his face.

Thorne leapt fluidly into action, grabbing Husk's claws to stop him from scarring his face or putting an eye out. Vaggie was aghast, this was not what she thought Thorne spent his time doing each day. She assumed that as an overlord he went around encouraging bad behaviour in others, then milking them dry as he pretended to put them back together.

Husk howled again, "Just let me fucking die."

"I can't." Thorne insisted, "And you know, that as your doctor. I will not let any harm come to you. Even if it's from yourself."

"But it's my fault." Husk cried, "She was my baby sister, and I killed her. She told me not to drink at her wedding. I promised but… her car… and…"

Husk's voice tapered off before he started panting and shaking as the alcohol withdrawal took over.

Thorne gently released Husk's hands, put his trembling one on the older man's head and spoke.

"These dark thoughts, your mind obsessed. I release them all, I give you rest. As a doctor I neither wound nor maim. I take your suffering; I feel your pain."

Husk gave a final shudder before collapsing back on the bed and whimpering as he passed out.

Vaggie could just stand silently as Thorne slowly rose from the bed.

"Thorne," Vaggie muttered, "I'm sor…"

Thorne ran for the bathroom before she could finish her sentence. Vaggie gave chase and was met with Thorne clinging to the edge of the sink retching.

"Thorne, what's happening?"

"Did you hear me earlier?" Thorne stuttered, as his body trembled. Heaving and drooling.

"You… You're feeling what Husk is?"

"Not quite." Thorne muttered, whipping his mouth with his cuff. "I took his suffering. I took it off him. Now I'm the one going through withdrawal."

"Isn't that dangerous?" Vaggie asked concerned, approaching the now standing doctor.

"I'm an Overlord, this is merely an inconvenience. Give it a few moments and it will pass."

"Why let him drink so much if you knew that this is what would happen?"

"I didn't."

"I don't understand." Vaggie said shaking her head.

"He didn't drink them Vagatha. I brought them to show him how strong he was, by having him pour them away."

"Who was he talking about?"

"His sister, when alive, Husk was asked to be the driver at his sister's wedding. But he'd been drinking, he lost control of the car and… she died. I've spent the better part of five years helping him come to terms with that."

"Are all Overlords, this powerful?"

"Oh, I'm not nearly that powerful." Thorne chuckled. "As far as Overlords go, I'm one of the weakest. Our power doesn't come from luck, divine or infernal providence. All I know is that our powers are different for each of us. The only thing with me is that I use my mind more than most. Whereas your average Overlord is a sledgehammer, I'm a scalpel."

"I'm sorry I shouted at you Thorne." Vaggie apologised, looking away.

"And I shouldn't have spoken to you that way earlier, I'm sorry to."

"Is there anything I can do?" Vaggie asked concerned.

"Do we have any ginger tea?" Thorne asked with a pained smile.

"Can I ask you something?" Vaggie asked, sipping her tea as the pair of them sat at the bar.

"Ask away." Thorne replied, his stomach having settled. His thorns shrinking back to their regular size.

"How did you meet Husk?"

"It was at one of his casinos, I'd only been in Hell a few weeks and was desperate for money. I managed to amass over $250,000 in a night. Husk assumed I was cheating, but after a few games. He just laughed order the pair of us drinks and we got hammered and as I'm sure you guessed… shenanigans ensued."

"That's a nice way of putting it." Vaggie smiled over her cup. "Why did the two of you… stop?"

"Well, we never really started I suppose." Thorne mused, "It was very on again, off again. Whenever I needed money, I went back to his casino. He offered to give me money, but since we always… hooked up when I went to see him, it always felt… well I didn't want that. I think the last time I saw him was when I lost Abigail."

"The imp you were looking after?"

Thorne nodded, draining his cup, grimacing at the aftertaste.

"Can I ask? How did she die?" Vaggie inquired, putting her tea down.

"Fairfax, the Overlord I was working for at the time made a deal with a demon calling themselves Mia Halentine. What I wasn't aware of was that the cost was Abigail. Satan only knows why or what Fairfax was after. But by the time I tracked them down to a warehouse, I… was too late. So, I killed Fairfax, his followers and torched the place to the ground."

"That was on the news?" Vaggie confirmed.

"That's the one, all I remember is diving into a heroin haze and waking up with an Overlord status. And new powers bestowed upon me by Lucifer himself. I spent months slipping in and out of lucidity, even thought of walking out during an…"

Thorne's phone started vibrating before he could finish. He picked it up and answered.

"Millie… how can I help?"

"You didn't have to come Vaggie." Thorne shivered in the back of the limo.

"Didn't feel right to let you go on your own." Vaggie shrugged, surprised at the informality Thorne had used. "By the way, where exactly are we going?"

"Imp City, I have a pregnant lady to see."

"Are you going to do to her what you did to Husk?"

"I hope not."

"Wait…" Vaggie realised, "Is that how you healed Angel? He kept going on about how 'cool' it was. Injuries there one minute but gone the next."

"Don't tell him… please." Thorne insisted. The limousine coming to a stop outside a dilapidated house.

Thorne made his way to the house, wrapped on the front door and was soon met with the concerned face of Millie.

"Oh, good Doc, you're here." She said, "It's Mox, can you hurry?"

Millie led Thorne to the back of the house to the kitchen, where the pair of them found Moxxie huddled up by the fridge, gently rocking back and forth.

"Moxy, sweety." Millie knelt near her husband and started stroking his hair. "Doc Thorne is here, tell him what's wrong."

"Can't… be… a…" Moxxie shook, tears pricking the corner of his eyes.

Thorne dropped to his knees, "Moxxie, I want you to listen to my voice. I want you to slow your breathing." Thorne started lifting and lowering his hands, Moxxie's breathing gradually changing to match Thorne's conducting.

"Now tell me what's wrong."

"I… wont… be a good father." Moxxie snivelled.

"Oh, Mox Mox. Of course you will." Millie soothed, kissing her husband's forehead.

"She's right." Thorne agreed. "The fact that you're worrying about it, means you're gonna be a good one. You will love your child, and that is all you have to do."

Vaggie lent against the limo, tapping her foot anxiously. She didn't like hanging about on the streets, anything could happen. Keeping her eye fixed on the front door, she breathed a sigh of relief as Thorne emerged and made his way to the car.

"Nervous father." Thorne smiled.

Vaggie went to smile but her nose crinkled at the smell of vomit.

"And a pregnant wife." Thorne shrugged.

"How do you stand the smell?"

"Oh, I have spent a lot of time around disgusting bodily fluids, this is nothing."

Thorne frowned at the moth's expression, "Although, I guess I should change. Quick stop at the hospital?"

"Sure." Vaggie nodded, "But I'm opening the windows."

"Help yourself to whatever you find." Thorne instructed, as the two of them entered his office.

"I'm good, but thanks."

Thorne made his way to one of the back walls and waving his trembling hand at it, it slid away revealing a lavish bathroom. Thorne unbuttoned his shirt and pulled it over his head.

Vaggie's eye narrowed noticing the lattice of black stripes on Thorne's back. It almost looked like…

Thorne coughed gently, undoing his belt and peering at Vaggie over his glases. "I'm sure you don't want to watch this bit." Thorne nodded to the wall, "What do you think of my progress?" he asked, moving into the bathroom, shutting a frosted glass door behind him.

Hearing the doctor turn the shower on, Vaggie turned to the largest wall. Thorne must have renovated because Angel said that office was empty when he was here. There were documents and photographs fixed to the wall with string criss-crossing between them. Ok, less artistic expression and more murder board. Not wanting to dwell on the grisly task assigned to the cat demon, Vaggie glanced round the office. The black granite sparkling in the light from Hell's moon, the room would have been very inviting if it had more personal touches and art. She noticed, a small frame sitting on Thorne's desk.

Picking up the frame, Vaggie noticed the subject. It was a female imp. Her skin the usual imp red with amber eyes. Very young judging by the shortness of the horns, with short white hair. Vaggie smiled, with all the shit that goes on in Hell, it was nice to see that even the children had the chance to be pretty.

"I think this is the first time I've seen you smile." Thorne said emerging from the shower, fully dressed in his usual black suit and blood-red tie-clip, towelling his head.

"That was quick."

"What can I say; incredible doctor and mad showering skills. My CV is getting thicker all the time."

Vaggie smiled again.

"Another? Perhaps I should start charging you." Thorne chuckled.

"Yer well down here, there isn't much to smile about. So you take what you can…" Vaggie said before her phone vibrated.

Taking out her Hellphone, Vaggie's smile widened.

"It's Charlie." She said, "She wants to know if everything is alright… I'll tell her that I took you to see patients."

"Thank you." Thorne smiled.

There was a knock at the door.

"Come in Corvus." Thorne commanded.

The lanky owl demon shuffled into the office, holding his clipboard.

"Sir." Corvus muttered, "What should we put out?"

"What about?" Thorne asked, folding his arms. He always hated it when Corvus asked him questions like this.

"The power fluctuations, they're occurring all over the Pentagram. People are worried that the hospital ain't safe."

"Vox, must be arguing with Val again." Thorne smirked at Vaggie, power cuts and fluctuations of the grid were common when Vox was having issues with the porn studio CEO. "Don't worry about it Corvus, the hospital has its own generator. Generously installed by the head of Pentious Industries himself. Tell the Pentagram, that the hospital will remain the same fortress as always. And that the care we provide will not be compromised in any way."

Corvus nodded and bowed out of the room.

"Back to the hotel?" Thorne asked adjusting his tie.

Thorne sighed and stretched in tiredness and he and Vaggie walked through the hotel's front door. Fuck he was tired, that shower had drained him. He was already running on fumes to begin with. Perhaps he could return to the hospital and…

"Yo Vags, Doc. Check this shit out." Angel cried out, shaking Thorne from his thoughts.

Thorne looked towards the bar and was confused. Roses, everywhere. Bouquets of pink roses; on the bar, the couches, the bar stools, some had fallen to the floor.

"Pretty sweet huh?" Angel grinned.

"Val has really gone too far." Vaggie snarled, her bow glowing.

"Nah, it ain't from Val." Angel said, picking up a bunch from the floor, his smile widening, "He doesn't like flowers. Nah, these are from a fan."

"Really?!" Thorne asked bemused, stifling a yawn. "Which one?"

"No idea, can't find the card." Angel shrugged, "It's gotta be here somewhere. Oh, I almost forgot." Angel said, taking one of the blooms and putting it in Thorne's lapel. "Boop, as a thanks for last night". Angel winked.

Thorne gave a tired smile, reached forward, took a flower of his own and slipped it between the locks of Angel's hair.

"You're very welcome, Angel." Thorne said as Vaggie made her way to hug Charlie and Angel chuckled in embarrassment. Thorne made his way to the bar where Husk was sipping something orange.

"Screwdriver?"

"Nah kid, just orange juice." Husk winced leaning against the bar, rubbing his temples. "It helps with the shakes."

"Ever think, you'd wanna stop?" Thorne asked hopefully.

"You ask me that every year, and I don't get it kid. I ain't got a problem."

Thorne sighed defeatedly. "I just thought that…"

"I don't wanna talk about it." Husk spat, looking ashamedly down at the floor.

Thorne turned to walk away but was stopped by Husk grabbing him by the wrist. Thorne looked back surprised.

"Thanks Thorne." Husk muttered barely above a whisper. Wiping his eyes with his free hand.

"You're welcome Husk." Thorne smiled, struggling to keep his eyes open. "I've now got to spend my evening looking for that damn card. Y'know that Angel won't let us get any sleep till we find it."

"No need. Got it here." Husk bent behind the bar and retrieved a small pink card. "Kept it from him, read it and you'll see why."

Thorne took the card and bared his fangs.

"For the Angel that broke my heart." The card read. "Soon you'll be as pretty as you've made me feel. Bryrin."

Thorne coughed tiredly as the tremor in his hand worsened. It would appear that sleep would have to wait.

My mind seems all over the place these days. Sorry that this one seemed to take forever to get out to you.

Kudos to you if you can remember who Bryrin is.

Please leave a review or PM me and let me know what you think.