It was the day after John had brought so many of Valentino's old victims to the Hotel, and Angel wasn't sure whether to be disappointed at the fact he no longer had the place to himself, much anyway, or happy that it wasn't such a barren wasteland.

Vanessa, especially, being out of that place, was a welcome site. Fate had been especially cruel to the poor girl, especially in Angel's eyes.

The poor girl had been raped in her living life, and had commited suicide. She was barely in Hell for a day when Val had pounced on her. And if that wasn't bad enough, she had been made a succubus, so she was ironically perfect for Valentino's business.

Now, Angel was many things. He was a drug addicted psycho who enjoyed causing some chaos for the sheer thrill of it. He was in hell because his family was in the mob and he had O.D'd on… well, angel dust. Hence his name.

But when he saw Valentino bring the poor girl in, shaking up a storm, tears in her eyes… he just couldn't ignore her.

Angel was even more disgusted when he had found out the poor girl was only 16 when she died.

He refused to note how close that was to John's death.

He had befriended her, tried to comfort her, making it as less of a shit show as he possibly could.

Thing about fate… it could be cruel… but then flip right on its head.

Vanessa had only been at Val's studio for two months, and no one had wanted to take shots at her since they all had regulars. The worst she'd been forced to do was strip.

Then Angel let it slip that Val enjoys raping people.

The look of relief on his face when he spotted her at the Hotel… well, he wasn't sure how to describe it.

Angel only knew that when he saw the poor girl, wrapped around Charlie, bawling her eyes out, he felt a feeling within him that he hadn't felt in a long time. Not since… his brother…

Funnily enough, thanks to Angel's time at the Hotel already, he was able to supersede the process of finding her a room by offering to share his own.

Considering how nervous the poor girl was, he wasn't surprised at how grateful she was.

Nor was he surprised when John showed up at his room a few hours later with a second bed.

"You each get your own bed. This isn't Val's studio, and it never will be."

The hug she gave him, mixed with the tears of gratitude, was clearly something deserved.

It really did shock Angel. Sure, the kid was in Hell for a reason, and his temper really didn't seem the best. But he was just so fucking friendly and helpful… and so nice.

So unbelievably nice.

Only person he'd ever met like that was Charlie. Difference was, unlike John, she really wasn't built for combat.

To be fair, he did see the news clip, and the Princess did hold her own against that Killjoy bitch.

On the same note, Katie was only a reporter (A lousy one, he might add) whereas John had people like Vox afraid of him.

John was friendly as hell, but he could also fuck shit up if he needed too.

Damn, he should've recorded what happened to Val!

Probably would've cheered up Nessie.

Speaking of…

Angel turned to look at the girl from his position on his bed, watching her toss and turn in her own. She looked like she was having a nightmare, and he could hear some faint mumblings from her sleep.

"No… don't wanna… please…"

Angel heard those words, and he was on his feet in an instant.

It was actually relatively tame, now. But he knew what those words were leading to.

"Hey, Nessie, wake up." Angel said, gently shaking the succubus.

The girl was ignorant to his words, still trembling from whatever memory she was reliving.

Growing a little louder, he shook her a little more harshly. "Vanessa! Wake up!"

The girl shot out of bed, panting, eyes wide as she looked around the room frantically.

"Hey, calm down girl. It's just me." Angel said, resting a comforting hand on her back.

Vanessa turned to look at Angel Dust for a few moments, and then burst into tears.

Angel looked at her with sympathy. "Ah, come here kid." He said, pulling her into a comforting hug as he wrapped his arms around the girl. "That night again?"

"Mmhm." She confirmed as she buried her face into his chest floof. Some people might've blushed, but it acted as a comfort pillow for Vanessa.

Whenever she'd have a bad day at the studio, she'd almost always seek Angel out. At first, Angel was a little weirded out by it, but now, I would gladly let her do it if it calmed her down.

"It's okay, kiddo. No one's gonna hurt ya, especially not here." He reassured her.

"I keep dreaming about it, over and over again in my head." She squeaked out in a high pitched voice. "Over and over again, and it never ends."

"Look at me, Nessie." Angel said softly, cupping her chin gently and pulling her to look up at him. "Val's gone, and no one here's gonna hurt you. You've seen what Spike did to the studio, Alastor is more than capable of defending us, Vaggie's got her angel spear, the Princess is pretty strong even without her powers, and Niffty's a freaking psycho." He smiled at her. "I know it's hard to get over it, I've been there, kiddo. But I promise you, nothing gets close enough to even see you, let alone touch you. Not here."

Vanessa looked up at Angel, nodding quietly. "It… it happened to you before?"

Angel's face fell, but he wasn't about to get onto her over it. Hell, maybe it would help her be more confident.

"I was Val's favorite toy." He didn't need to say anymore than that.

She gulped, and hugged him close. "I… I'm just scared. After Val… so soon after I…" She hiccuped as she recalled the events of her hellish afterlife. "I just wanna stop having nightmares. Forget about it."

Angel looked down at her with soft eyes. "I won't lie to you, kiddo. You ain't never gonna forget about it."

Vanessa looked down at his words. "Oh…"

"But, hey, you can use that to make you stronger." Angel let out a chuckle. "You think I'd be this jokey if it still hit me as hard as it used to?"

He was lying through his teeth. He'd have panic attacks that made him violent. He'd rip his room apart. Some times, he'd spend nights crying with his friend, Cherri Bomb, by his side.

Hey, wait a minute.

"Say, how about we get out of here for a bit?"

Vanessa's eyes widened. "But, I thought this was a safe place?" She looked a little scared at the prospect of leaving.

Angel chuckled. "It is, but that doesn't mean everyone is going to be gunning for you out there. And believe it or not, there're actually some pretty cool places to go."

Vanessa gulped. "Are you sure it'll be okay?"

Angel smiled. "Kid, I know you're nervous, but breaking this chain that Val slapped on you is the first step towards actually processing this shit."

Vanessa looked down in thought, contemplating her decision, before she hesitantly nodded as she wiped up her tears. "O-Okay…"

Angel smiled and jumped to his feet. "Tell you what, how about you go to the kitchen, get something to eat. I'm gonna give a gal pal of mine a call."

Vanessa looked nervous. "Are you sure? I only have these pajamas that Miss Magne lent me."

Angel chuckled. "Nessie, John's probably the only one in the kitchen right now, and he'll have no problem with the company. As for the PJ's, this is practically your home now. If anyone has a problem, they can suck it."

Vanessa slowly nodded as she processed that, before letting out a small smile. "O-Okay."

Angel smiled. "Get going, kid. I'll meet you down there and we'll go hang out later today, kay?"

Vanessa nodded as she stood up off her bed, walking to the door. She gave Angel one last gaze before she left. "Thanks, Dusty."

Angel chuckled. "No problem, Nessie. Go getcha some food."

As the door closed behind the succubus, Angel pulled out his phone, dialing a number that, in all honesty, he was probably due to call for a few days now.

"Yo, what's up, Angel?"

"Hey, Cherri, girl… think you could do me a favor and help me out?"

"Sure, what's up?"

"There's this girl… she uh… well, she needs some friends."

"What, like she's some socially awkward freak or-"

"Friends like I needed you."

The line went silent on the other end, and then Angel heard something he knew he was gonna hear the moment he called.

"I'll be there in a half hour."

John could safely say that of all the people to first join him in the kitchen for breakfast the next morning, Vanessa wasn't high up on that list.

So he was admittedly surprised when she stumbled into the kitchen with a yawn. "Hey, Mr. Gallagher."

John chuckled. "Mr. Gallagher? Please, I ain't earned that name. Call me John." He joked as he glanced at her. "Bacon?"

Her face noticeably lit up at the prospect. "Yes please!"

John didn't hesitate to pass the plate full of bacon to the succubus. "So, it's your first day. What'd you think so far?"

"My bed is comfy." Vanessa said after a few seconds of silence. "I like it."

John chuckled. "Glad to hear it. Called in a favor back home at the Hell Hole. Al teleported it for me."

"Al?"

"The Radio Demon."

"Who?"

John's eyes widened. "You don't know who Al is?" He asked, glancing at her with shock adorning her features.

She shook her head. "No." She tilted her head with curiosity in her eyes, the same way Charlie had a habit of doing. "Why?"

"Uh… well… um… yeah, uh, I'll be honest with you, his reputation is fearsome." John informed the succubus. "Most demons know about him within the first year of being down here." He had a thought. "Though, if what Vaggie said was true, Angel didn't know who he was, and he's been here since the 40s."

Vanessa averted her gaze. "Well, I'm relatively new here. I've only been… dead… god that still feels weird to say, but I've only been dead for about two months now."

John's eyes went wide. "Oh… Well, I won't lie to you, Al's a good and loyal friend, and he'd never raise a hand to hurt anyone in this hotel… but he also brags about being a… well…"

Despite the fact that she was in Hell, Vanessa seemed to feel safe at the Hotel, especially since she was so new here. He really didn't want to ruin that image.

"Is he the, and I quote, smiley faced fox eared cannibal dear freak?" Vanessa asked. John actually stared at her for a moment. "I remember Vox talking about him a few times. That's something he said that just stuck out to me."

John chuckled. "Well, that is a pretty apt description. You should hear what Angel calls him."

"What?"

"Strawberry Pimp."

Vanessa nearly choked on a piece of bacon in her mouth as she began giggling. "Really?"

John chuckled. "Oh, yeah. He fucking hates it. Funny as hell when his radio feedback picks up, and he just starts growling."

Vanessa laughed. "So, what exactly did he do to get here then? He doesn't sound that bad."

John averted his gaze at her words. "He, uh… he was a serial killer."

Vanessa froze at those words, and gulped. "Wh-What?"

John nodded. "Yeah. Died in 1938, or somewhere around there. Admittedly, I get the decade right, but I always forget the exact year."

Vanessa glanced nervously out of the doors, suddenly afraid that Alastor was gonna walk into the kitchen. "He really won't hurt us?"

John chuckled. "No. Look, I'll be honest with you. He has a fearsome reputation of being a powerful, cruel, murderous cannibal. But even though he doesn't believe this place will work, he takes his position very seriously. It's a matter of class to him, I do believe." John had a slight grin on his face as he spoke. "He ain't gonna hurt anyone here, in fact, he'll protect them if anything."

Vanessa nodded slowly, a little more put at ease. "Okay."

John smiled softly, and took note of her PJ's. "Those the clothes Charlie gave you?"

Vanessa nodded with a smile, more than happy to get away from the previous topic. "Yeah. They're only PJ's, but they're comfortable, and I appreciate it. Even if this is the only outfit I could get."

"Well, Charlie's doing her damndest to get you some actual clothes. I'd expect you to have an entire wardrobe in about a week." John laughed at the thought. "For the princess of Hell, that woman is fucking generous."

Vanessa smiled at his words. "Yeah, she is." She looked up at John. "By the way, Angel's taking me out today. I think she's wanting to get my mind off of…" She trailed off, and John could tell whatever it is was an uncomfortable subject.

"Hey, Don't talk about it if you don't want to." John said, smiling softly. "No one's gonna try and make you uncomfortable."

Vanessa nodded. "T-Thank you."

John nodded, a kind smile on his face. "No problem." He looked down as he finished cooking breakfast, biscuits and gravy, before offering some.

"Yes please!" Vanessa gladly accepted the breakfast, taking three biscuits and dunking them in Gravy. "Is there any salt?"

"Here you go." John asked, handing her the salt as he finished putting some on his own biscuits and gravy. "So, where are you all going?" He asked as he took a seat and began eating."

Vanessa shrugged. "I don't really know. It was Angel's idea, really, thought I could use the distraction."

John nodded. "Eh, not too bad of an idea." He looked at her. "After the shit-show you just got out of, I'd say you deserve some distraction."

Vanessa averted her gaze. "Yeah…"

They didn't say anything for a few minutes after that, just calmly eating in a comfortable silence.

Then Vanessa looked up at John.

"Thank you."

"Hmm?" John looked up at her, a questioning look on his face as he was chewing his food.

Vanessa smiled. "You got me out of a really, really bad spot, and I can't thank you enough."

John smiled back at her. "You don't need to. Just know that there are SOME decent people in this shit show."

"How long have you been… dead, if you don't mind me asking?"

John looked up in thought at her question. "Um, I'm looking at about four years now." He looked back at Vanessa. "I died when I was 17, and I'm 20, now."

At his age of death, Vanessa averted her gaze. "Like me…"

"I'm sorry?"

"I died at 16."

John's eyes shot wide. "And you're in Hell?" He asked in disbelief.

She nodded. "I uh… shot myself."

John was completely and utterly baffled. But he was not about to open any wounds. "Damn…" He let out a chuckle. "Well, at least you died on your own terms. I was poisoned." He joked, though every word was true.

Vanessa's eyes widened. "Who would want to poison a 17-year old?"

John chuckled. "Ever heard of the Juggernaut?"

Vanessa tilted her head. "The real guy?"

John nodded. "Yep."

"Yeah, he died about four years back, didn't he?" Vanessa asked, her brow furrowed. "They found him next to that electric dude in an abandoned warehouse."

John was taking a drink as she looked at him, so he simply pointed to his chest.

The message was clear.

Vanessa's eyes widened to an unfathomable degree. "You're the Juggernaut?"

John chuckled as he sat his drink back down. "Yeah, though I didn't choose the name."

Vanessa had a look of wonder in her eyes. "You were the local hero! You were like the strongest person on the planet!"

John laughed at her amazement. "Local hero? Where were you from?"

"Portsmouth." Vanessa replied. "My entire apartment complex was practically obsessed with you."

John shook his head, a smile on my face. "Yeah, a lot of people were. Couldn't go anywhere without a crowd of people up my ass after a few days."

Their conversation was interrupted when Angel walked into the kitchen.

"Hey Spike, Nessie." He looked at the two of them as he grabbed some poptarts out of the cabinet. "How's your morning so far, Spike?"

"Well, usually, I'd say I'm alive, but I'm four years past that point." John joked. Angel Dust chuckled. "Dead as a doornail, but nothing's being annoying."

Angel laughed at those words. "Yeah, I guess that's true." He turned and looked at Vanessa. "So, I'm still trying to think of something we can do today. We could just go shopping, or-"

"How about Lu Lu Land?" John suggested. Vanessa tilted her head, and Angel Dust raised an eyebrow.

"Lu Lu World?" Vanessa asked.

"Uh, John, that's in the Greed Ring."

"So?"

"Sinner's can't leave the Pride Ring."

John looked at Angel in legit confusion, before realization dawned on his face, and he was laughing. "I forgot about that rumor!"

"Rumor?" Angel asked, confused.

"That's a myth, Angel. There's literally nothing keeping us from leaving rings, it's literally just an Elevator between the rings of Hell." John explained with a chuckle. "We're told that because of some societal thing. Like, apparently, We aren't born here, so we have to stay up here?" John had a look of confusion on his face as he spoke. "Or something like that. Basically, there's nothing stopping us, and Lucifer doesn't care, or a lot of sinners would be gone in the Void."

Angel looked stunned. "Huh. Holy Shit." He glanced over at Vanessa. "Alright then, wanna go there?"

"Sure!" Vanessa said, practically bouncing. "I've never been to an amusement park before! Closest I've ever come was the county fair!"

John chuckled as he stood up, finished with his food. "Well, you two have fun. Since we have actual guests at this place now, I have to actually do my job and be the security guard."

"Oh come on, Spike. You really telling me Charlie'll throw a fit cause you weren't here? Hell, half the people here are too afraid to cause any trouble with each other!" Angel reasoned. "Plus, I uh… well, I have no clue where this Elevator is."

John raised an eyebrow, and then chuckled. "Tell you what, I'll show you the way, and when we get there, I'll give Charlie a call. But if she isn't up, or says she needs me, you're on your own."

"Deal." Angel said. "By the way, I have a friend who's gonna join us on this little trip."

"Is it that Cherri Bomb girl?" John asked, raising an eyebrow. Angel looked like he'd just been slapped.

"How the hell do you-"

"I was the newscast the day I showed up at the Hotel, Angel. I saw you and her fucking shit up." John explained with a chuckle. Angel was silent at his words. "Is it her?"

"Yeah…"

"Well, I'll judge her when I meet her." John remarked, before looking at the spider-demon sternly. "But if she gets anyone hurt, it's you I'm coming after."

Angel nodded, waving his concern. "Yeah yeah, we'll be fine."

When they heard the sound of the lobby doors opening, Angel was quick to rush out and see who it was, leaving John and Vanessa to look at each other in confusion.

When he reached the lobby, he was happy to see it was exactly who he thought it was. "Cherri!"

The pink cyclops' face lit up at the site of her best friend. "Dude, what's up?" She asked as they fist bumped. "So, this is that Hotel you were staying at?"

"Yeah. It's actually not as bad as I thought it was, and it does come with an upside." Angel said with a smile. Cherri laughed.

"Well, I hope so. Does the purple freak know your here?" Cherri asked, slight worry in her voice. She was a little confused at the wide smile on Angel's face. "Dude?"

"Girl, Valentino's gone. Like, I'm almost positive he's never coming back. Didn't you watch the news yesterday?" Angel asked, only to remember who he was talking to. "Wait, no, you were probably blowing shit up, weren't you?" He asked with a grin.

Cherri playfully punches his arm. "You know me. So what happened to-"

"So, this is Cherri Bomb?"

Cherri's question was interrupted by a new voice in the room, and her eyes shot wide when they landed on John. "Jesus, you're fucking huge!"

John laughed. "Yeah, I've been told that a lot."

"Speaking of, I want you to meet the guy who pretty much fucked Val and destroyed his studio!" Angel said with excitement as he gestured to John. "This beluga is John Gallagher, though I call him Spike."

"You fucked up Val?" Cherri had much interest in her tone. John chuckled.

"Oh yeah, he's done for." John said, smiling. "That motherfucker ain't hurting anybody, ever again."

"Fuck, I wish I could've been there! I would've loved to shove a bomb up his ass!" Cherri exclaimed, giggling maddly at the thought.

John laughed. "Considering what I put him through, he'd probably be in too much pain to feel it." He remarked.

Cherri smiled. "Dude, that is sick. I like you."

John laughed. "Thanks. So, your joining us on this trip?"

Cherri nodded. "Yep. Favor for my best guy here." She turned to look at Angel. "Where are we going, anyway?"

"Thanks to John here, we just found out that sinners aren't actually restricted to the Pride Ring, so we're going to Lu Lu World."

Cherri's eyes widened as she looked at the spiky demon. "Really?"

John nodded, grinning. "Yeah. Just a myth to try and keep us up here."

Cherri fist pumped, excited about the news. "Sweet!"

"Angel?"

Vanessa's voice caught everyone's attention, and she was looking at Cherri curiously.

"Is this that friend you were telling me about?" Cherri asked, looking over at Angel, who nodded. With a smile, she walked up to Vanessa. "Hi, your Nessie, right?"

Vanessa nodded, hesitant. "Yeah…"

Cherri grinned. "Nice to meet you, girl!" She said, shaking the succubus's hand excitedly. "Angel told me you were a good friend of his!"

"He did?" Vanessa asked, surprised.

"Yeah, girl! Was telling me all about how wanted to take you out for a fun time." She explained. "Now, my idea was to blow up anything Val related, but I think his idea works better." Cherri remarked, gesturing to John, who chuckled.

"Well, glad I can be of assistance." He looked at Angel. "You got any clothes Vanessa can borrow while we're out?"

Angel raised an eyebrow. "You do know the size difference is gonna make everything I have a little big on her, right?"

John shrugged. "I'd imagine it'd be more comfortable than walking around in PJ's." He remarked as he glanced at Vanessa. "You okay with that?"

Vanessa nodded. "Sure!" She said, smiling.

Cherri giggled madly. "Then what are we waiting for?! Let's get this show on the road!"

A/N: So there's that. Honestly, the character Vanessa came to me as I was writing the last chapter, as I wanted Angel to actually know and have friends among Val's victims, instead of just Cherri Bomb. As I got to thinking about her, I came up with a rather tragic and hellish backstory, based on one I had read about in another Hazbin Hotel fic, though the name escapes me at the moment.

Also, Cherri is here.

As for the sinners not actually being restricted to the Pride Ring, I did that because Vivzie hasn't confirmed yet what exactly keeps them stuck in the Pride Ring, and technically, for all her power and her position in the Heirarchy, Lilith is a sinner demon as well. This is also why I made Vanessa a Succubus, as I feel Sinner demons can become succubi or incubi as well as being Hellborn.

Anyway, that's the end of the chapter, please don't forget to review, and as always, Stay Tuned...