It wasn't often that Rose Mayday found herself marching outside for some time to herself, to her thoughts. More often than not, she was content and happy with hanging out with her loved ones. If she wasn't playing with Razor or Beartrap, then more often than not, she and Viv were playing video games together or gossiping about recent trends.

But stuff like this… she just felt like she needed to gather her thoughts, go over what had happened recently.

She wasn't sure how long it's been since she stepped outside. A few hours, maybe. She just needed some time to herself.

The sinner… he was like a walking question, in and of itself. One minute, he's like destruction personified, smashing down walls, and if what Rose could see from outside, completely leveling the entire top floor of Grundy's Plaza.

And the next… he was like a kicked puppy, ashamed of his actions, genuine guilt and remorse in him over what he'd done. He looked like he'd rather be anywhere but inside that building with them.

Admittedly, Rose felt that way too.

She knew that she'd probably have to get used to his presence. If she knew her uncle, the giant sinner would be staying with them for the time being, growing used to Hell until he found his feet. Then, he'll end up leaving, striking out on his own most likely.

But for now… she needed space from the sinner. The last thing she wanted to do was snap at him, possibly set him off like the loaded gun he was. Or would it be more accurate to call him a bomb?

She just wasn't comfortable around the behemoth at the moment, and she couldn't figure out for the life of her why her uncle wanted him to stay for the time being. Especially since the sinner had destroyed every bone in the right side of his body.

At least, from the ribs down, anyway.

That was another reason she had to step outside. Seeing her Uncle Andre screaming like that… it resurfaced unwanted memories.

"ROSE, RUN!"

*STAB*

Rose visibly shuddered as the memories of that fateful day so long ago came crashing down on her.

"I wish you were here, Aunt." Rose muttered to herself as she took a seat against the wall of the building, hugging her legs close to herself for comfort as she did. Though she knew that he'd be fine, she couldn't handle the thought of losing Andre, and seeing someone who had always been so tall and imposing broken in such a manner was… hard for her to handle.

Losing her Aunt had been hard enough, especially since she'd watched it happen with her own eyes, during one of those annual… Exterminations.

It disgusted Rose, how Heaven deemed it okay to come down and murder all demons, not just the sinners who were creating the overpopulation problem in the first place.

Perhaps that was another reason she needed space; a hidden and buried hatred for the sinners who'd lead to the Exterminations. Though, she sincerely doubted that one, considering she was conflicted in her thoughts towards the sinner.

She simply wasn't sure what to think of him, but she wasn't really comfortable around him at the moment.

Rose found herself jolted out of her thoughts by the sound of a door opening, someone exiting the building causing her to raise her gaze towards the entrance. She'd been expecting one of her parents, or maybe Vortex.

Instead, she found herself laying eyes on the very person she had conflicted emotions over, as the massive sinner instead stepped outside, crouching low enough to avoid knocking his horns against the top of the doorframe.

Rose couldn't help it when she flinched slightly, a bolt of fear arcing through her body as she went tense. After what had just occurred, she couldn't help but to be intimidated by the sinner's imposing form. Even his feet fell to the ground with a heavy thud with each step he took, only adding to her discomfort of his presence.

The sinner didn't seem to notice her, instead letting out a sigh as his hands came up to his face, running down and stretching his features slightly, almost as if he were exhausted. Then again, he'd just died hours ago, most likely, so he might have been mentally exhausted.

"Hell… still feels like a fucking nightmare." The sinner grumbled as he shook his head, his hands finding purchase on his hips as his lips tightened, letting out another sigh as he eyed the surroundings of his new home.

By home, she meant Hell. Though, she wouldn't be surprised if her uncle had him stick around for a bit.

Finally, the sinner took notice of Rose's presence, his eyes falling upon her and widening in surprise.

"Oh… sorry, didn't realize you were still out here." He grumbled, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous manner, before averting his gaze once more.

Rose didn't respond, admittedly just as nervous herself. She felt like any word she said might set the behemoth off, trigger another outburst such as what had just occurred… if such an incident could be called a mere outburst.

The sinner seemed to stare off into the distance for a moment, contemplating something that was lost on Rose, before letting yet another sigh as he gave her the barest glance out of the corner of his eye.

"I… owe you an apology." He muttered, refusing to look at her fully. The look on his face was one of hesitance, almost as if he was afraid to actually look at her, as a mirthless chuckle followed his words. "Actually, I owe all of you more than that."

Rose remained silent, opting instead to wait for the giant to continue.

"I can say why it happened, explain my mindset… but in the end, that's no excuse for what I just pulled, and sorry isn't enough."

Rose was admittedly caught off-guard by the demon's entire demeanor. Even despite the rather jarring exchange before she'd made herself scarce, it still surprised- no, it astounded her, how he seemed so different from the monster he was moments ago.

Then again… he was the same age as she was, despite the massive size difference between herself and the behemoth.

"You wrecked my home." She didn't mean it to sound like anything other than a simple statement, but Rose couldn't help the accusatory tone in her voice as she said it, slowly bringing herself to her feet as she eyed the sinner. "Why?"

"I… I was pissed. Hurt." The sinner answered, remorse in his tone as his gaze rose to eye the red sky above. "I just… I'm not gonna say it isn't fair… but I hate the hand I've been dealt, and I lashed out." He let out a frustrated sigh as his eyes fell closed, head drooping as one hand came up to massage his head. "I mean… a couple hours ago, I was a superhuman teenager. I looked… normal."

Rose watched as he brought both hands in front of his face, staring at his palms with a dejected look, lip tightening as an expression mixed of anger and sadness coursed over him.

"Then I saw myself in the mirror…" He added, his jaw clenching as he did so. "And I saw the monster I've become." His fists clenched as he finished his sentence, his eyes closing as he sucked in a deep breath through his nose, his lips tightened in disgust.

Disgust at himself.

Rose honestly couldn't help the well of sympathy that struck her at the behemoth's plight. She honestly couldn't imagine what it would feel like.

As a hellborn, a succubus not to mention, horns, a tail, and a pair of wings all felt natural to her, as did the appearances of creatures like hellhounds, imps, and the wide array of sinners that fell.

But to sinners, good or bad, they were all born, raised, and lived in a world where everyone generally looked the same. She couldn't imagine what it'd be like to die, only to suddenly wake up in an inhuman form.

"It could've been a lot worse." The words escaped her before she could even think about what she was saying, and Rose almost immediately regretted it when the sinner's gaze snapped towards her in disbelief, causing her to visibly flinch in discomfort. "I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to-" She suddenly stopped feeling like she was digging herself in a deeper hole. "It's just… a lot of sinners end up looking way worse."

"What do you mean?" The sinner asks, raising an eyebrow as he awaits her response. "Are you seriously about to tell me that I don't look like some kind of monster right now?"

"Maybe to your standards." Rose conceded that particular point, if only partially. "But I've seen sinners who look even worse than you do. Actually, I've never seen a sinner with a form as tame as yours. Most of them look like animals, or even crazier, I've seen literal stick figures, and I've even seen a sinner who's form was literally a giant foot with arms and legs."

The sinner's eyes widened in surprise at her words, and Rose was a little taken aback when he abruptly started laughing, sounds of amusement escaping his throat as his entire body shuddered with laughter.

"Wait, wait, wait… like, an actual foot? With arms and legs, and a face?"

Now that it was repeated back to her in such a manner, Rose couldn't help the snicker that escaped her.

It was a rather humorous prospect.

"Yeah…" She nodded with a small smile, causing the behemoth to break out into laughter once more.

"Oh my god, that is hilarious…" The sinner said as his laughter died down to an amused chuckle, before he gave Rose a small smile. "I guess I see your point…" His face visibly fell, amusement leaving his features once more. "But, still, this isn't exactly appealing." His gaze once again returned to his front, staring at nothing in particular.

Rose's own grin fell, sympathy welling in her once more. Admittedly, this whole situation was… unexpected.

Up until maybe ten minutes ago, it was beginning to look like a normal day. Sure, her father was out getting something, but other than that, she was simply occupying time with Razor, and her father was in the living room with Vortex and her mother while Viv was playing games (again) in her room.

And then, instead of returning home with groceries, or something Rose would've expected… Madrox returned with a recently deceased sinner.

And then he blew up.

And now he's the very definition of guilt.

A part of her wanted to be mad, furious, downright despise the sinner's very existence with everything she had. It was understandable, it would've been normal, wouldn't it? After nearly destroying their home, and severely but non-fatally injuring Uncle Andre…

But the way she was raised, the way she'd grown up, the lessons she'd been taught… her personality in general…

She just didn't have it in her to hate him right now. She genuinely felt bad for him.

She didn't know what compelled her to do it… maybe her sense of compassion, or just the pity she felt for him… but Rose found her feet carrying her closer to the sinner at a slow pace, careful, hoping not to agitate him or anger him once more.

But with each passing moment… something told her that wasn't going to happen again today.

She hoped anyway.

When she found herself next to him, she contemplated what she would say to the sinner, what would be the best thing to say, and it gave the sinner more than enough time to notice her sudden closeness and raise an eyebrow in confusion.

Finally, Rose offered her hand, giving the sinner a smile.

"I'm Rose." She introduced herself properly. "Rose Mayday."

The sinner stared at her for a few moments, before he visibly relaxed and a small smile made its way onto his face. "I'm John Gallagher." He introduced himself, allowing his larger hand to wrap around hers.

The moment it happened, Rose couldn't help the way her eyes widened in surprise, nor could she help the urge to tense up, expecting some sort of slight jostling or to nearly be throw off her feet, even though she was the one who'd offered for a handshake in the first place.

But she was even more surprised by how gentle his grip was, even though his entire hand completely engulfed her own, and the gentle, smooth way he shook her hand, as if he didn't have enough power to level the building.

"You… said you were a superhuman?" Rose spoke once he let go, her hand falling back to its side as she looked up at him in confusion. "You mean, like a superhero?"

The sinner, whom she now knew to be named John, chuckled in response to her question. "Nah, I wouldn't say I was a superhero." Then his own expression turned to one of confusion. "Do you really not know what a superhuman is?"

Rose shook her head in response, and was caught off-guard by how baffled the giant sinner looked.

"Um… okay…" John spoke slowly. "Well, superhumans carry a gene in them, which activates in response extreme stress. It causes a mutation, mutates your body so that you can survive." He explained to Rose, who looked intrigued at the prospect.

"So… there are humans, living people, with abilities too?" The thought sounded so foriegn. Sinners were one thing, since it was a lottery as to how powerful they'd become when they die, but she'd never so much as heard of a living person having superpowers.

John nodded his head in response, a small smile on his face, and Rose was beginning to find it charming, in a way. Despite how gruesome his entire visage admittedly was… he wasn't bad to look at, and his seemingly gentle demeanor had a kind of charm to it that was hard to find in Hell.

"Yeah." He answered. "No superhuman will develop a particular power, what they get is completely random is based solely on the situation, although it doesn't always apply to physical truama. I developed super-strength after… let's say a bad experience, whereas a friend of mine had a rough patch in her childhood that was extremely stressful, and she ended up with the ability to control fire." He elaborated a little more.

"Do you think that's reason you're so strong?" Rose couldn't help it when her eyes wandered once more to the very visibly destroyed upper floor of Grundy's Plaza, and John's eyes followed hers, his falling slightly.

"I'm sure of it." John said with a nod, before glancing down at her. "Why, is strength like mine unheard of?"

"Don't get me wrong, there's plenty of people down here with a lof of strength." Rose said, turning her gaze towards John with a small smile. "It's just… I've never seen a demon in person, let alone a sinner, as physically strong as you. Up until today, Uncle Andre was the strongest person I knew."

"Andre…" John's expression became consumed with guilt at the name. "He's the guy I just sent through the floor, isn't he?" It wasn't really said as a question, but more as an acknowledgment, before his face scrunched in confusion. "He's your uncle?"

Rose couldn't help the giggle that escaped her at the behemoth's visible confusion. "My mom adopted me when I was four. That's why I'm not a hellhound like everyone else in my family." Sometimes, it made her feel left out… but then Arya would go into mom mode, and Rose would never doubt that she belonged.

"Um… I don't mean to be offensive, and please let me know if I am, but… what exactly are you?" He asked curiously, and Rose could see him eying her horns and wings.

At least, she thought it was her wings he was eyeing… though she wouldn't be opposed to him staring a little more… up front.

"I'm a succubus." Rose answered with a smile, turning to face him fully. "But… I guess I don't really get out that much, because I'm not really like the more popular ones down here."

"Succubus, succubus…" John's brow furrowed as his gaze moved away for a moment, glancing around as he tried to recall the where he'd heard the name. "Oh. Oh."

Rose couldn't help the way she blushed in embarrassment as he finally realized, or remembered, what precisely a succubus was noted for, and his eyes came to look at her in surprise.

"I know, it sounds bad, I'm not that experienced. I'm… admittedly still a virgin." Rose honestly couldn't help how ashamed she felt. Even with her parents assurances, she felt like she should've already lost her virginity by now, and the other succubi she'd met definitely made sure she knew it.

So she was honestly shocked by John's response. "I don't know, I find something kind of adorable about an innocent succubus." At his words, she turned to look at him in surprise, only to find a him looking at her with a gentle smile.

And she honestly couldn't help the way her face heated up at his words even more.

"You… don't mind?" She asked in surprise, turning her gaze away from him in a bashful manner. "Most succubi I meet seem to think it's pathetic… they always tell me how I'm a pussy, how I don't know how to be a propper slut, and that I'm just a dog lover."

"Fuck 'em." John's abrupt words caused her gaze to snap towards him in shock, and he let out a chuckle in response. "Who gives a damn what they say? The only people who's word matters is your friends and family. Anyone else? Fuck 'em. They wanna treated as toys, that's their choice."

It seemed as if a lot of the succubi, at least the ones her age, were always making it known how much of a failure she was because she was still a virgin at seventeen, whereas most succubi tended to have a double digit body count from the time they were thirteen to fifteen.

Considering how depraved Hell could get, Verosika wasn't entirely shocked that a lot of succubi, and incubi, were having sex the moment they weren't technically children anymore, but teenagers.

Even Hell had issues with age up to a degree.

And it wasn't just succubi, but anyone she'd met outside of the Hell Hole, which was why she didn't leave it often.

But to hear someone, a sinner nonetheless, tell her that not only was her apparent innocence attractive in some way, but that it was perfectly fine…

Suddenly, the door opened up, catching their attention, and they turned to find Arya leaning out the door, eyes wide in surprise as she spotted them.

"Oh…" The hellhound said as she stepped out, letting the door close. "I… I didn't know where you went, Rose." She said as she made her way towards the duo.

Rose smiled at her mother's concern. "I just needed some time to myself. Hearing Andre scream like that, it just…" She trailed off, her face falling slightly as she recalled her Aunt's death. A death that happened right in front of her.

A pair of hands wrapping around her startled her slightly, before she found herself pulled into the cloth pink shirt of her mother's.

"He'll be okay, sweetie." Arya assured her daughter in a soothing tone. "I grew up with Andre, and I can tell you for certain that this isn't the worst he's been injured. Not by a long shot."

"I've never seen him like that, Mom." Rose couldn't help the hitch in her voice as she allowed her own arms to wrap around her mother, holding Arya as if her very person was a lifeline. "He's always been the toughest guy in the room, and now every bone in the right side of his body is broken."

"He'll be fine in a couple of days." Arya reassured her daughter with a smile, pulling away so that she could see her face, bringing a finger to her eye to wipe away a tear. "He might be hurting now, but by tomorrow, as long as he stays still, he'll be fine."

Rose didn't say anything at first, instead eying her mother, before she let a smile grace her features as she nodded, finally deciding to believe her mother's words.

"Okay." Rose said, as if to assure both herself and her mother. "Okay…"

"Uh…" John's voice suddenly piped up, causing both gazes of mother and daughter to turn towards the sinner, who looked rather nervous as he pointed towards Grundy's Plaza. "You left the door open, miss."

At his words, both Rose and Arya looked confused and wondered if he really thought it was an appropriate time to mention something that seemed so menial at the moment.

Only for another voice to sound out, coming from the direction of the apparently open door. The voice of a babbling baby.

Turning towards the entrance to Grundy's Plaza, they were surprised to find Beartrap waddling his way towards them, a smile on his place instead of the fear that was present earlier.

"Dammit, I thought I told Madro to watch him." Arya muttered with a sigh as she turned towards the sinner. "Thanks, sorry about that."

John simply shrugged his shoulders in reply. "No problem."

Arya moved away from her daughter's side for a moment, crouching down to lift her youngest son into her arms, giving a smile as she tickled the baby's tummy.

"Did Beartrap sneak away from Daddy?" Arya cooed with a smile, which grew even wider as Beartrap let a round of laughter engulf him.

Rose couldn't help her own smile at her baby brother's joy, and with a glance, she could see that even John had a small smile on his face at the site as well.

"Well, let's get you back into Daddy for a bit." Arya said as she moved to go back inside the building.

However, she only managed to take a single step towards the building before Beartrap's joy quickly turned to anguish, as he began crying out almost immediately in protest as his arms reached over her shoulders.

"I know you wanna see your sister, but you have to wait a little-"

"Mom… it's not me he's pointing at." Rose couldn't help but to mutter, just loud enough for her mother to hear, as she stared at, or rather, who Beartrap was trying to get to.

Beartrap wasn't reaching for Rose, rather… he was actually trying to reach for John.

At Rose's words, Arya couldn't help but to turn around, and her jaw dropped in shock as her eyes widened when she saw that Rose was indeed correct. Beartrap seemed almost desperate to get to the stunned sinner, who looked absolutely baffled and stunned at the site.

"Uh…" John couldn't help that no words left his mouth. He wasn't even really sure what to say, so completely caught off-guard by a baby, human or hellhound, reaching for him when it should by all rights be absolutely terrified of him.

Once she recovered from her shock, Arya looked down at Beartrap with a contemplative look, before she sat the hellhound pup back down onto the ground.

It took a moment for the baby to get back on his feet, but once he did, Beartrap wasted no time waddling his way towards the massive sinner, of whom the pup was only the size of his foot at most, reaching towards the stumped demon with a massive smile on his face, babbling as if asking to be picked up.

The site stunned all three of them, as the baby continued to make his way towards the increasingly nervous sinner.

"Uh…" That seemed to be the only word that could leave John's mouth for a moment, before he let a small, nervous smile grace his features as he gave a small wave to the baby. "Hey little buddy."

Credit where it was due, Rose had honestly never expected her mother would let Beartrap near John so soon, and a part of her was wondering if this was some kind of test, upon which, why use Beartrap? Or if this was more to reassure herself.

Finally, Beatrap made it to John, and Rose honestly couldn't help the way her heart melted as she watched her baby brother climb up onto John's boot and begin tugging at his pant leg.

"Up! Up!" The baby spoke, a massive smile on his face as he looked at John with an excited gaze. "Up! Up! Up!"

'Up' had been Beartrap's first words, and so far, the only word in his vocabulary, but he at least knew what it meant.

John gave the baby a nervous gaze for a moment, before glancing towards Arya. "Um, are you okay with that, or… should I just leave him be?"

At his words, Arya glanced up at John's eyes for a moment, before moving back down at Beartrap, thinking over her answer. "Just be careful." She said with a nod, giving him a small smile.

John looked surprised by the answer, before letting out a sigh as he looked down at the baby. "Alright…"

The site that followed somehow managed to be both nerve-wracking and heartwarming, as John slowly and carefully bent down and wrapped his hands around Beartrap, up under his arms, before gently lifting him up off the ground.

"Up, up, up!" Beartrap babbled, his arms waving in excitement as he bounced in the sinner's grip, and if it weren't for the fact that John's hands extended down past the baby's legs and were more than big enough to wrap around themselves as he held the pup, Rose imagined his legs would've been kicking around as well.

John looked nervous only for another moment, before he seemed to slowly relax as he pulled the child closer, before he managed to manuever himself with surprising grace as that Beartrap was now resting against his chest, tucked snuggly but comfortably in the palm of his hand.

Rose couldn't help the smile on her face as John let a chuckle escape himself, before glancing up towards both of them. "I'm surprised he likes me." He said with a smile as he glanced down at Beartrap, who was currently trying to reach towards his face, even as John began to bounce him lightly..

Arya couldn't help but to smile at the site, Rose noticed, and she couldn't help the way her heart practically melted at the site of this massive behemoth cradling a baby like it was the easiest thing in the world.

"To be fair, he never really got a good look at you." Arya remarked with a smile, walking closer to the sinner who held her baby in his arms, her gentle gaze landing on Beartrap for a moment before glancing up at John. "And it's a good thing if we all get used to you. If I know my brother, you'll be staying with us for a while."

At yet another reminder of his actions, whether intentional or not, John's face visibly fell as guilt once again began creeping back into his features.

Before he gave Arya a small smile.

"For this to be Hell, you people sure seem to be very forgiving."

Arya smiled as she reached into John's arms and took Beartrap into her own once more. "Just because you're in Hell doesn't mean you can't do the right thing."

Andre's saying. Something ingrained to every single person who lived in Grundy's Plaza, and a majority of the Hell Hole's population.

John looked surprised at Arya's words as she turned away from him and began making her way back towards the building, pausing as she pushed open the door before glancing towards John.

"Why don't you come inside, see how he's doing?" Arya suddenly spoke as she glanced towards John with a smile. "I know you feel guilty, it's written on your face… but if there's one thing I know, it's that he doesn't want you beating yourself up for it. Whether you deserve to or not."

And with that, she turned and made her way inside.

Silence befell them as it was once more just Rose alone with the sinner, and she turned her gaze towards the sinner, who seemed to be staring at the entrance, hesitent.

Before letting out a sigh.

"You coming in too?" He asked Rose with a glance as he began making his way towards the door, and once more, Rose was reminded of how much strength this sinner held with the heavy sounds of his footsteps.

Quickly shaking it off, Rose nodded with a smile. "Of course." She assured as she began making her way towards Grundy's Plaza, coming up behind John. As they made it to the door, John grabbed the door and stepped away from it, his arm easily holding it open as he glanced down at Rose with a smile.

"Ladies first." He said, nodding his head inside.

Rose couldn't help the genuine appreciation at the gesture. "Thank you." She said as she stepped inside.

And with only his foot falls and a slight grunt as he crouched low enough to clear the doorframe, John followed.


Hell.

Actual Hell.

Literal Hell.

Not an exaggeration. Not a metaphor for a place you don't like. Not a comparison for some kind of bad event in life.

John Gallagher was actually in Hell.

It still hadn't quite sunken in yet. The fact that he was actually dead, that his corpse was still somewhere up on Earth, probably being transported somewhere by now. Meanwhile, his soul had been damned by his final act, and he was now forced to spend eternity in Hell, a place that's foretold to be nothing but fiery torment.

But… John had to admit, it didn't seem as bad as people made it out to be.

Or maybe, even in death, even in Hell, his luck followed him.

Even after flying into an emotionally charged rage, wrecking a family's home and even worse, injuring their patriarch, this family seemed to be trying to help him in some way or another.

Andre… that was the one John had hit. He remembered exactly how he did it too.

Thank god the spike on his elbow, which he had just now noticed, had missed just enough to not pierce the hellhound's stomach. Instead, he'd smacked him off, which was probably where a good chunk of his ribs went, and then spun around and just… hit him. He brought his spiked fist up, right into the already damaged ribs of the demon, and sent him flying through the floor.

And right at that moment, John had known he'd fucked up. That he'd made a mistake.

Maybe he should be a little more weary. Maybe he just wasn't used to Hell, and these people were already planning how to get payback against him behind a facade of gentleness and understanding.

But even though he hadn't been in Hell long, John had always had a decent judge of character, and it wasn't often that trusting somebody had ever backfired.

And something told John that he could trust these people.

However, that didn't nullify the mindnumbing guilt, the sheer disgust with himself, at his actions.

These people had tried to help him, drug him all the way to their apartment building by about a block… and he'd responded by nearly leveling the entire building on top of them and severely injuring the man who'd tried to keep him calm.

There was no excuse for it.

There was no excuse for any of this.

In the back of his mind, his thoughts wandered, not to his own current situation, but to that of his loved ones.

Of that voice he'd heard before everything went black. Before he… died.

"JOHN! NO!"

He knew that voice. It had always warmed his heart, given him the sweetest dreams.

The anguish in it would now taint his nightmares forever, he knew it.

Madison Thompson.

Maddie.

The last voice he ever heard while he was alive would always be her voice as she found his corpse.

Or… was he technically a corpse when he heard it? Even if it only happened a moment later?

Wait… why was he even thinking about technicalities right now? Maddie… god only knows how she would be able to handle this. And that didn't even account for Peter, Rachel… God, how would Mamaw and Papaw react?

John feared that Papaw might end up in Hell sometime soon for suicide, if Mamaw didn't go first, she'd assuredly follow. And what of James and Shiela? Would they be stuck with Charles? Or would Papaw be able to get custody of them?

And what about Levi? How would he handle losing his best friend? Would he be able to comfort Maddie, be there for her when she'd most assuredly need someone, maybe a few someones there for her?

And Peter… Peter would be crushed, John just knew it. The poor man would blame himself, even though none of it was his fault. And Rachel… well, the casualty rate on the enemy side of missions was most assuredly going to rise.

But there was one person that John was concerned for, even though he never thought he'd be.

Alex MacGrath was the leader of the militia John had joined. And Alex was Jason's brother.

For so long, Alex had tried to get Jason to see better, to see the good in normal people, try to move him away from his path of genocide. Until John had come along, Alex was also Jason's number one enemy.

And when they'd found out that it was Jason who'd poisoned John… Alex was devastated. Darkened. And if what he'd told John after finding out was any indication…

Well, if John hadn't done Jason in, Alex most assuredly was going to later down the line.

Speaking of Jason, it now occured to John that the bastard should be down here with him. There was absolutely no way in Hell- wait, did that saying actually make sense anymore? Ah, who cared, it's only an expression, right? Anyway, John knew there was no way in hell that Jason would ever go to Heaven. Not a chance.

After all that son of a bitch had done… Jason had earned his place down here more than John ever could.

He just hoped that he wouldn't have to deal with Jason any time soon. Or ever again.

Then again, an eternity is a long time. And John could say anything about the scumbag known as Jason Meadows, it's that he was patient. He could wait years before finally striking, before achieving whatever he wanted, as John's very first and most horrific encounter with the man made clear.

But John decided to put that thought on the backburner for now.

He let his eyes fall to the succubus he was currently following, Rose.

John wasn't stupid, he knew exactly why she'd stepped outside earlier. It wasn't just because of her Uncle's condition, something he heard them talk about outside, but it was also due to his own presence within the building.

Make no mistake, John knew that she was extremely weary around him. But at least she wasn't treating him with hostility.

It was more than he deserved.

He followed them into the apartment that they'd moved Andre's makeshift bed into, and once inside, he could see everyone huddled within the apartment living room, where the bed had been set up, currently eying Andre with varying looks of concern.

The smaller hellhound in the room, Arya's oldest son, if John remembered right, spotted the lumbering behemoth behind his sister, and John couldn't help but to wince at the downright hateful glance directed at him.

"What's he doing back?" The hellhound growled, his voice absolutely filled with nothing but malice and hatred.

"Ralph-"

"He's the one who did this! Why is he even still here?!" The hellhound, whom John now knew was named Ralph, didn't even let his father finish, interrupting once more to make his protests known.

John couldn't blame him.

"Enough." Despite how raspy and pained it sounded, Andre's voice held authority as he locked his gaze onto the irate hellhound. "I told Tex to bring him back, I told him to come back. It was an accident, Ralph, so enough."

At those words, the younger hellhound's demeanor seemed to calm, if only slightly, ears drooping down as he eyed is uncle for a moment, before letting out a sigh, crossing his arms with an unsatisfied expression. "Fine."

Satisfied for the moment, Andre turned his gaze back towards John, who continued to eye him with a guilty expression. "How are you feeling?"

John couldn't help but to raise an eyebrow. "Shouldn't I be asking you that?" He asked with a sad, ever so slight smile.

At that, Andre began to chuckle, which quickly turned into pained coughs, though the grin was still on his face. "Fair point." He managed to rasp out. "I wanted to talk to you for a bit, if that's alright."

John shrugged his shoulders, but he nodded. "Sure."

Andre smiled slightly, before turning his gaze to Madrox. "Madro, take everyone out for a bit. I want to talk to him alone."

At that, everyone's eyes widened, Madrox's gaze in particular moving to the behemoth for a moment, before his eyes turned back to Andre. "Are you sure?"

Andre nodded his head in response. "It's alright."

Madrox was silent for a moment, before he let out a sigh. "Come on, everyone, step outside for a bit." He said, waving his hand towards the door.

Arya carried the baby out the door, and Ralph followed almost immediately, shooting John yet another hateful gaze as he passed. Both Vortex and Viv looked hesitant to leave their father's side, but nonetheless, they complied, Viv giving Andre a quick kiss on his head before moving out the door, Vortex following her.

Rose seemed to be surprised, simply staring, possibly weary of leaving John alone with her Uncle. Not that he would blame her.

Nonetheless, Madrox moved next to her and put a gentle grip on her arm, catching succubus' attention. "Come on Rose, we can come back in later."

Rose shot one last look to the both of them, before nodding, hesitantly turning and moving out the door, with Madrox following her.

And with one last gaze, he shut the door behind him, leaving only sinner and hellhound in the room.

"Take a seat, kid." Andre said, gesturing to a chair next to him. A rather small chair, compared to John.

Hesitantly, John moved over to the seat, slowly moving to sit down in it, refusing to let his full weight fall onto it until he was positive it wouldn't break. After a few moments, he finally allowed himself to sit, before looking over at Andre. "So, what'd you want to talk about?"

"What's your plan?" Andre asked suddenly, a curious expression on his face, although the question only confused John, who looked at the older Hellhound in confusion.

"Huh?"

"What are you gonna do from here?" Andre clarified.

"I… I don't know." John honestly hadn't really had time to think about it, the events the entire… last twenty minutes, possibly, maybe more, had been running through his mind, his thoughts and concern on his guilt and shame, and his concern for his still living loves ones. "I… This is all new to me. I have no fucking clue what I'm gonna do."

"The sooner you accept it, the better." Andre advised, only for John to give a mirthless chuckle.

"I've already accepted it." He assured with a shake of his head. "Accepting reality, no matter how strange, has always been easy for me. It's the worry, and ignorance of myself, that's on my mind." The behemoth admitted, glancing over at Andre. "I'm in Hell… nothing's gonna change that."

Andre was silent, watching the giant in silent concern, waiting for him to speak once more. When he didn't, Andre spoke instead. "It could be a lot worse. You could've landed in Pentagram City."

"I have no idea where that is."

Andre couldn't help the chuckle that escaped him, which once more turned into coughs, but nonetheless, he smiled. "Story for another time. Besides, you could've had a worse form."

At that, John actually smiled, glancing over at Andre. "Your niece told me the same thing." He said with a chuckle. "But still, it's… kind of hard to just ignore the fact that I'm now a… probably nine-foot Doomsday."

"Doomsday? I wouldn't go that far." Andre joked.

"Not like the apocalypse or anything, but the character. You know, Doomsday. Killed Superman?"

"Superman?"

"Nevermind." John said, waving it off. "Point being, to living people, I look a monster. Can't say I don't agree." He said, his tone despondent and his expression sad.

"John, look at me." At those words, John found his gaze pulled once more to the hellhound, and was surprised to see a gentle smile on his face. "I know it'll take some getting used to, but here in the Hell Hole, we actually try to be decent people. Jail system, court, checks and balances, all that stuff." He explained. "And I don't think you're a bad kid, just did some bad things. I think… you know what, how about you stay with us? Here, at Grundy's Plaza."

The offer pretty much floored John, who looked at Andre in complete disbelief, eyes wide, jaw dropped, eyebrows touching his hairline as he took in the question. Even despite being warned beforehand by Arya… he still wasn't expecting it. "You… you serious?"

"Yeah." Andre said, nodding his head. "I can't watch Hell corrupt someone who might be a good soul, and at least you'll be able to have a start of some sort, rather than… just wandering until someone here or there picks you up, or something worse." He visibly shuddered at the thought of the sinner in front of him becoming a typical selfish, power hungry sinner. "I can't, in good conscience, just leave to claws."

John simply stared, genuinely touched by Andre's offer, his hospitality, his everything. This was the same man who's home he nearly leveled, who's body is very nearly broken, who was now bed ridden for maybe a few days… and he was offering John sanctuary. "I… I don't know how to repay you."

"You don't owe me anything, John." Andre waved off his words, but John wouldn't have it, suddenly standing to his feet.

"No, I do." John spoke, looking Andre square in the eye with a serious gaze. "You're taking me in after I damn near killed you and your family, so I will be damned if you say I don't owe you anything."

"You're damned anyway." Andre tried to joke, but John wasn't paying attention.

"There's gotta be some way to fix this." John muttered as he allowed a hand to raise, eyeing his own hand in scrutiny for a moment, an idea popping into his head. "Maybe…"

And then a flame erupted from John's hand, blue in color, startling both sinner and hellhound.

"What's that?" Andre couldn't help but to ask curiously, eyeing the flame wearily.

"It feels like… energy. I could absorb energy, and either redirect from my mouth as a focused beam, or use it to heal…" John explained, eyeing his hand for a few moments, before turning to Andre. "Let me try something."


It took a few minutes, but finally, the tension in the lobby was broken when the door to Andre's makeshift hospital room was opened, causing all eyes to snap towards the room.

John stepped out, and unlike most of this time, he actually had a genuine, joyful smile on his face, a complete contrast to what he'd been so far.

"Is everything alright?" Arya couldn't help but to ask, standing to her feet as she looked at John in concern, noting his suddenly positive demeanor. "Did something happen with Andre? What'd he say?"

If anything, John's smile widened even further.

"Ask him yourself."

And with that quizzical statement, John moved out of the way, no longer obscuring the doorway…

And revealing Andre, who stood on both his feet, a massive smile on his face as he stepped out, not an ounce of pain or injury to be seen on the patriarch.

"Dad!" Viv couldn't help but to cry out as everyone else stared in shock, the teen hellhound rushing to her father, nearly slamming him to the ground as she wrapped her arms around him. "You're okay!"

Andre let out a chuckle as he gladly hugged his daughter back, smiling as he did so. "Jeez, Viv, you trying to break me again?" He joked as he ran a soothing hand along his daughter's back.

As everyone else stared in shock, Vortex finally found his voice. "H-How? How are you…"

Andre merely grinned. "Guess the healing really kicks in when you're hurt."

Everyone knew that wasn't quite the case, but they had no clue what the answer could be. Instead, they all simply opted to rush the patriarch, slamming him with words of joy and happiness as they all attempted to hug the man.

And Vortex's gaze slowly moved towards the still smiling sinner.

'John Gallagher. You sure are a mystery.'