Vaggie would gladly admit she was frustrated right now.

There first day with actual guests, and John decides now is a good time to take off and go on some trip to an amusement park.

It would've been his first actual day on the job, and he decided it was a good time to take the day off?!

Granted, Charlie had said that he would be working all week next week, so he did have some sort of punishment.

To be honest, she was probably more irritated that he took off on his first day, than she was that he took off at all.

All of the guests, including Angel, were all Valentino's victims. None of them really planned on starting any fights or anything of the sort. Quite frankly, they all seemed as if they were good friends.

It came as no surprise that the presence of Alastor was more than a little off putting. The ever present smile and the reputation of the Radio Demon was not something people were comfortable with at first.

But despite his open admission that he doesn't believe in the Hotel's cause, and is here purely for entertainment, he was surprisingly polite and nice, if a little intimidating.

Though Vaggie would never admit it. She still didn't trust the shitlord.

Though, she would admit that the help of Alastor, Husk, and Niffty, however off putting, was more than welcome. Charlie still had to finalize all the applications, including the ones that John had apparently been able to talk into joining the Hotel, so that just left Vaggie at the moment to run around the Hotel and check on guests.

Even though they were all Valentino's victims, it really surprised her how withdrawn and scared many of them were. Admittedly, she thought many of them were completely willing, if somewhat influenced.

But not a single person there was a willing employee of Valentino.

She found herself sympathizing with most of them.

As Vaggie's thoughts continued to wander, she was jarred out of them when the front doors suddenly flew open.

Snapping her head towards the door, she found John holding the door open as Angel walked in, his arm wrapped around one of the new girls, Vanessa, while Cherri Bomb was following them, her eye looking at the two in front of her in concern.

Vaggie was stomping over immediately.

"I thought you all were going on some trip?" She asked, marching straight up to John.

"We were, shit happened, where's Charlie?" He answered without a second thought, looking down at her as he asked the location of the Happy Hotel's manager.

"She's up in her office, why?" Vaggie asked with a raised eyebrow. John practically ignored her.

"Thanks." He said, moving to travel up the stairs, only for Vaggie to catch his wrist.

"Hey, Asshole, what the fuck is going on?" She asked, none to happy about being dismissed, especially by this spiky brute.

"Really not the time, Vaggie." John said, glancing down at her.

"Make time. What's going on?" She asked, narrowing her eyes.

"It's not my place to tell, but Charlie is the only one I know with an iota of a chance to help right now." John answered, looking at Vaggie sternly.

Vaggie didn't back down. "And what is it that only she can help with, John?" She asked, looking suspiciously at John, who was obviously growing more and more frustrated.

"Vaggie, I just told you, it's not my place to tell!"

"Make it your place! You're gone for a couple hours and you come back asking for Charlie? What the fuck is going on?!"

"Please, Vaggie! Not now!"

"Yes now! What the fuck is wrong with you?! Is some plan to hurt Charlie or-"

John finally snapped.

"GET IT THROUGH THAT THICK SKULL OF YOURS!" He yelled, jerking his hand out of Vaggie's grip, causing the moth demon to nearly trip in the process. "IT'S NOT MY PLACE TO TELL, AND IT NEVER WILL BE! I DON'T GIVE A SHIT IF YOU DON'T LIKE OR TRUST ME AT THE MOMENT, MY PRIORITY ISN'T YOUR PETTY LITTLE GRUDGE!"

Vaggie was stunned at his sudden volume. She'd seen him angry, but he'd never once snapped at her.

It shouldn't affect her as much as it was, but it did. She felt like all the confidence was knocked out of her as John let loose.

"WE CAN DO THIS LATER! RIGHT NOW, WE NEED TO GET TO CHARLIE!" He said, gesturing to himself and his three companions.

"But-"

"No! No fucking buts!" John interrupted what he was gonna say. "Right now, I need answers to a question that could really help a friend, and Charlie's the one in the Hotel who will A) Approach the subject with the care it needs, and B) Has the most experience in being a succubus!"

At his words, Vaggie found his eyes wandering to Vanessa. The succubus was practically tucked into Angel's side, the spider-demon glaring at Vaggie while Cherri was trying to comfort the girl.

Suddenly, Vaggie had a sinking feeling that she had screwed up big time.

With a growl of annoyance, John turned on his heel and marched off towards the stairs, the other three following him.

Vaggie only watched, and once they disappeared up the steps, she wasn't sure what to do.

"Fuck."

The loud forceful knocks on the door to her office admittedly made Charlie jump sky high out of her seat.

As the knocking continued, she was quick to rush to the door, jerking it open.

John was standing on the other side, Angel, Vanessa, and Cherri Bomb behind him.

"Charlie, you got a minute?" John asked.

Charlie's gaze ran over the three behind him, noting that Angel and Cherri were both trying to comfort Vanessa, who was buried in Angel's side.

Glancing up at John, she looked at him with concern. "Is everything okay?"

John glanced at Vanessa. "At the moment, no, not really."

Charlie's gaze followed Vanessa, and she approached the succubus, worried. "Vanessa, what's wrong?"

The succubus turned to look the princess, a little hesitantly. "I… I'm scared."

Charlie furrowed her brow. "Why?"

"I…" Vanessa looked as if she didn't want to say anything, so she glanced at John. "Can you tell her?"

John nodded. "Of course." He looked down at Charlie. "Vanessa a sinner succubus."

Charlie nodded. "Yeah?"

"She's here because she shot herself."

Charlie's eyes widened, and she looked at Vanessa with sympathy. "You poor thing."

"That's not even the worst of it." John said, shaking his head. "She was… she was raped before she died."

Charlie froze, her eyes widened, and the full situation finally dawned on her.

"Oh my god."

John nodded as the poor girl started sobbing into Angel's side. "We uh… well, we were hoping you knew of another way for her to sustain herself, instead of having sex."

Charlie glanced at John. "Because I'm part succubus?"

John nodded. "Yeah…"

Charlie brought her finger to her chin, her brow furrowing in thought. "If she didn't have sex when Valentino had her, then how did she sustain herself?"

"From what I know, Valentino was too scared to test her himself. Something about her being an untrained succubus. That's probably why he was offering her out to people so much." John surmised. "He was… he was feeding her his… um… yeah, please tell me you know where I'm going with that, I really don't wanna have to say it."

Charlie's eyes widened. She knew exactly what John was about to say.

She glanced at Vanessa with sympathy. "Both succubi and incubi require sexual fluids… but they don't necisarrily need to have sex itself, nor does it need to come from a partner."

They all looked at her intrigued. "What do you mean?" Vanessa asked, slightly hopeful.

"A succubus can sustain herself from the orgasmic fluids of a woman, and though it is more refreshing if it comes as a partner, we can survive just fine off our own fluids."

It took them a second to catch up with what she was saying.

"What, so she just masturbates and she'll be fine?" Angel asked, raising an eyebrow. Charlie nodded.

"Yeah. Though, as disgusting as it sounds, she will have to drink it." Charlie warned. "Or at the very least, she'll have to lick her fingers."

Admittedly, it did sound a little disgusting, but it was a massive weight off Vanessa's shoulders compared to the alternative.

"So, I don't have to ever have sex if I don't want to?"

Charlie smiled. "No, Sweetie. As long as you, um, masturbate regularly, you'll be fine."

Vanessa felt herself blushing a little as a question formed in her mind. "Um… how often?""

Charlie furrowed her brows in thought. "At minimum, I'd say twice a week." She said, glancing at the succubus. "So long as you do that, you'll be fine."

Smiling widely, the girl threw her hands around Charlie's neck, surprising her considering the height difference.

"Thank you, Miss Magne!" She said gratefully.

Charlie giggled, glad she was able to help. "Please, call me Charlie, Vanessa."

"Thank you, Charlie." Vanessa said once more as she let go of the princess. "I can't tell you how much I appreciate it."

Charlie smiled. "It's the point of the Happy Hotel. We're here to help our guests, not admonish them." She glanced up at John. "Is that why you asked if you could take the day off?"

John smiled. "Not entirely. I wasn't made aware of the circumstances until we were on our way back. Angel just said that she wanted to get Vanessa out of the place, so I took them to the Ring Elevator and advised Lu Lu World."

Charlie looked at John with a smile. "That was nice of you."

John shrugged. "Her first day of freedom. Wanted her to enjoy it." She took a glace at Vanessa, noting her loose clothes that she borrowed from Angel. "We did forget to stop and get her some actual clothes to hold her over for the time being."

"Oh, don't worry about it!" Charlie said, glancing at the Succubus. "While you were out, your clothes came in. You have an entire selection in you and Angel's room."

Vanessa gasped in joy, and pulled Charlie into a quick hug, muttering 'Thank you!', before bolting off down the hall.

The group watched her run, before Angel looked at both Charlie and John."You two really are something else."

John chuckled and Charlie smiled. "Just trying to help her out."

Charlie glanced at Cherri Bomb, and narrowed her eyes. "You're not gonna be dropping bombs, are you?"

Cherri laughed. "You kidding? You gave my best buddy a safe place to stay!" She said, swiping Charlie's hand and shaking it vigorously. "Far as I'm concerned, I'm protecting this place before I hurt it."

Charlie smiled. "Well, would you like a spot here, or-"

"Let's not go that far, Princess." Cherri said, Holding up a hand to silence Charlie. "I don't entirely believe it will work, but I'm not gonna ignore the good it will do."

Charlie looked disappointed, but nodded. "Well, if you ever change your mind, feel free to stop by."

Cherri nodded. "You got it, girl."

Angel looked down at Cherri, grinning. "Say, how about I give you a bit of a tour of the place?" He proposed, causing Cherri to nod vigorously. As the two of them walked away, John and Charlie watched them go.

John let out a sigh as he brought a hand to his head, a guilty look on his features. "Well, I better go. I owe Vaggie an apology."

Charlie looked up at John in confusion. "Why?"

"I flipped out on her when we got here. She wanted to keep asking me why we were in such a rush to find you." John explained. "I was a little worried and frustrated." He glanced at Charlie with a smile. "She really cares for you."

Charlie nodded, smiling. "That she does." She looked up at John. "If I know her, I know she's probably going to be a little unreasonable. I would accompany you, but…" She trailed off, gesturing to her office.

John chuckled. "Go do what you have to, Charlie. I can apologize to her myself."

Charlie nodded, and grinned. "Just be ready for some serious attitude."

John rolled his eyes. "Wouldn't be the first time…" He glanced at Charlie. "Well, I'm gonna go find her. I'll see you later, Charlie."

Charlie nodded. "Good luck, John." She said as she watched him leave.

She had the lingering thought of who was gonna die. Vaggie out of anger, or John from a spear to the chest?

John sighed as he wandered the Hotel, looking for the moth demon he had snapped at earlier.

To his chagrin, she was nowhere to be found.

He had scoured every section of the guest area, and had knocked on her bedroom door to see if she was there, to no such luck.

It was starting to irk him.

Granted, if she didn't want to see him at all, she had no reason to. She had better reason to avoid him.

But still, John was determined to apologize.

He had mostly stuck to the lower levels of the Hotel. He didn't really see a reason she'd be up higher. If she wasn't downstairs, she'd probably had taken off somewhere.

But John had learned, both in his living life, and his afterlife, that you should at least be sure.

Which is how he found himself entering the fourth floor for the first time.

Walking around, he was somewhat confused. Charlie had given him a tour of the entire place, and since he was technically staff, he wasn't restricted, but he didn't really have a reason to wander above the third floor, where his bedroom was.

Most of the rooms above the third floor were guest rooms, it wasn't until you reached the eight floor that it became staff only.

There were plenty of balconies on the upper floors, but no one had really used them yet. Since they had plenty of guests now though, plus his buddies from the Hell Hole coming soon, he figured that was fit to change.

As he walked by one of the stained glass windows of an upper floor balcony, he froze when he noticed the door slightly ajar.

As he slowly approached the door, a voice from outside came slightly more apparent.

Cracking the door open a little more, he was surprised to find Vaggie outside. It took him a moment to realize what she was saying.

She wasn't saying anything.

She was singing.

His eyes widened in surprise, and he was about to close the door, but something inclined him to stay.

"A dónde se han ido todos los hombres buenos… y dónde están todos los dioses?"

John listened to the song. He was unsure of what she was singing, and he had no clue what she was saying, as he was not well versed in Spanish.

Which was odd, since he knew it was Spanish immediately, now that he thought about it.

"Dónde está el gran Hércules blanco combatir la creciente desigualdad… No hay un caballero blanco sobre un exaltado corcel?"

The tune was soft, but even though he had no clue what was being said, he had an inkling that he had heard this tune before.

"Tarde por la noche, me revuelvo y doy vuelta y sueño con lo que necesito…"

John found himself entranced by her voice. It was beautiful. He hadn't heard a voice this beautiful since…

Maddie.

John wasn't sure what he was listening too, but his curiosity got the best of him.

He knew she'd probably be mad, but honestly, she was probably mad at him anyway.

"What is that?" He asked, opening the door and making his presence known.

He was unsurprised when Vaggie spun on him, eye wide in shock. "How long have you been there?"

"About the past ten seconds." He answered honestly as he closed the distance. "That was beautiful."

Vaggie turned back away from him, staring out to the open city. "Glad I could give you a show." She said with a scoff.

John walked up to her and sat down next to her. "Where'd you learn to sing like that?"

"Is that really why you're here?" Vaggie asked, looking at John. "I seriously doubt you found me just to hear me sing."

John looked at Vaggie in surprise, before sighing. "You're right. I wanted to apologize."

Vaggie's eyes widened as she looked up at him. "What?"

"I… I'm sorry snapped at you earlier." He said, a guilty look making it's way onto his face. "I was frustrated, worried… I was just trying to help Vanessa."

Vaggie looked up at John, raising an eyebrow. "Were you able too?"

John cracked a grin. "Yeah. She's a happy girl now."

Vaggie nodded, before looking out over the city. "Good."

The two sat in silence for a moment. John was taking quick glances at Vaggie, curious about her behavior at the moment, while the Salvadorian gazed out at the city.

After a few moments, John heard Vaggie speak.

"I don't trust men."

John's eyes widened at the sudden sentence. "Uh… really?"

Vaggie didn't look at him as she continued. "When I was alive, I was… in a bad spot. I met this girl. We were both killed by a jealous man."

There was more to that story than she was saying. But John wasn't about to question her. It was her choice to open up.

"I was used by men for most of my life. I was hurt, treated poorly. When I died, and ended up here, that opinion never changed, it was only strengthened."

John didn't interrupt her. He simply listened to her.

"Then you came along."

That surprised John.

"Huh?"

"I've been nothing but a bitch to you." Vaggie said, keeping her gaze averted. "I always was suspicious of you. I'd call you names, treat you like a piece of shit. And you never got mad."

John was quiet as Vaggie looked up at him, and he could see guilt in her eyes.

"I was so paranoid because you were a man. I thought you only wanted to use Charlie, get in her pants. Maybe that was why you never got mad." She shook her head. "But the first time you ever got mad at me, it wasn't because I was giving you shit. It's because I was keeping you from helping someone."

"That's not entirely true." John admitted, catching her attention. "I won't try and downplay your attitude. You've been a fucking bitch since I've met you. Only time me and you ever got along was over superhero movies."

Vaggie looked away at his words.

"But at the same time, I respected you."

Vaggie's eyes went wide and she turned back to the spiky behemoth next to her, who was smiling.

"You care for Charlie. You legitimately care. You love her, you are loyal to her, and even if you don't have complete faith in this place, you stand by her and defend it like it's your own."

Vaggie nodded. "I love Charlie. I would face the entire might of this place for her."

John smiled, before gazing back out at the city.

Vaggie looked at him. The smile on his face was sad, forlorn. Like he was remembering a memory that he missed.

"When I was alive… me and my best friend were inseparable." John began, surprising Vaggie.

Vaggie, almost on instinct, was gonna ask him what he was going on about, but she stayed silent.

He listened to her… the very least she could do is listen to him.

"Me and her grew up together. We had a bond that nothing could match." His eyes gazed over to Vaggie. "Me and her… we got together a year before I died."

Vaggie's eyes widened. "What happened?"

"I died."

Vaggie looked at him in confusion.

"Maddie. That was her name." John said, sadness lacing his voice. "She was the only one who could calm me down with her presence alone. She'd put her hand on my arm or my shoulder, say my name… and I just couldn't ever stand the thought of disappointing her."

Vaggie shifted so that her body was facing him, listening intently to his story.

"She had a mental breakdown when we found out I was dying. She was determined to find an antidote for me. But I was too focused on the fact that that was probably never going to happen." He admitted, glancing at Vaggie. "The man who killed me… his name was Jason. Jason Meadows."

"Was he the electric psycho?"

John nodded. "He was fucking determined to make my life hell. He uh… he cut me open like a petri dish for three weeks."

Vaggie turned green at the info. "What?"

"That day I turned up in Portsmouth was my first day of freedom after three weeks of Hell." John explained. "And he just kept trying to get to me. Threatening my loved ones, trying to kill off all normal human life." John pulled his knees to his chest. "But everyone kept telling me not to kill him. They didn't want to see me with blood on my hands."

"But you found him. You strangled him while you were dying." Vaggie said, causing John's eyes to widen slightly.

"You know?"

"Alastor let it slip while we were tailing you and Charlie." Vaggie admitted. John let out a sigh.

"Probably trying to make you see me in a different light." He guessed, looking at Vaggie. "Yeah. I had pretty much assumed I was dead. So, I spent my final hours tracking him down. I wanted to make sure he couldn't hurt anyone of my loved ones while I was dead."

Vaggie nodded, averting her gaze. "I get that. Unfortunately, I wasn't strong enough to do the same for her…" She glanced up at John. "The girl… her name was Ashley."

John smiled, a look of understanding on her face. "We do anything for our loved ones. Even if we turn into monsters in the process." He said, looking down. "The girl… Ashley… did you get to see her, before you died?"

Vaggie felt tears pulling in her eyes as she answered. "No."

John was quiet, and when she looked up at him, his face was turned away so that she couldn't see it.

"Maddie found me… after I throttled Jason."

The way his voice hitched surprised Vaggie.

It was quivering as he spoke. "The last thing I ever heard was her voice screaming my name, so full of pain… anguish…"

John's gaze turned back to her, full of tears.

"She found me as I died, and I still didn't get to see her. And I have to live with the knowledge that I caused her so much pain… and turned into a monster in the process."

"You're not a monster."

Vaggie's words surprised John.

"W-What?"

"You. Are. Not. A .Monster." Vaggie said sternly, gritting her teeth. "You've done nothing but help. You freed god knows how many people from sexual slavery. You defended the Earth on a regular basis when you were alive." Her voice held a level of conviction that shocked even her. "You never… even if I irritated you, you never got mad at me for it. You believe in Charlie's dream. You try to help everyone you find, and you are always so friendly…"

She looked at John, and her eyes were solid, filled with seriousness. "You are not a monster. Killing that Jason bastard… sounds like it was a long time due."

John smiled at Vaggie. "Still think I'm another piece of shit in this hell hole?" He asked with a small grin.

Vaggie felt a grin of her own forming on her face. "Depends. Still think I'm a bitch?"

John chuckled. "Hey, between you and Charlie, someone's gotta be." He joked.

Vaggie lightly punched his arm. "Screw you, asshole." She said, though the insult lacked its usual bite, especially with the smile on her face.

John chuckled. "So," He reached his arm out to Vaggie, in a peace offering of sorts. "Friends?"

Vaggie glanced at John's hand with a raised eyebrow, before rolling her eye. "Fine, friends." She said, shaking John's hand.

And within both, was the start of something that would change their lives forever.

A/N: And that's the chapter.

Yes, Vaggie and John are on good terms now, but they aren't gonna just suddenly speed into a relationship. Don't worry, John is going to be with both Vaggie and Charlie, but we've still got a ways to go before that happens.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter. Don't forget to leave a review, and please, stay tuned...

PS: To GodzillaMaster, Vortex is still a hellborn, don't you worry. And as for Verosika, that's less of my own hatred, and more of the character's annoyance based on his interactions with her. I'm not gonna make her a piece of shit.