How did she know?
How in the Hell did her mom know?
"I… I don't-"
"Charlie, I'm not stupid." Lilith's voice was almost icy, her expression stern as she crossed her arms. "You know better than to lie to your mother anyway."
Charlie's lips clenched shut, knowing that her mother was correct. The Princess's question, however, was how she even found out in the first place.
She'd kept it so quiet! Outside of Helsa, Vaggie, and now John, no one else knew what Seviathan had done to her! So how did her mother find out? She couldn't figure out how it could've happened.
She also couldn't help but to worry. She did want Seviathan dealt with, but she didn't want Helsa to get dragged into the bloodbath that would assuredly follow.
"I… can I at least ask how you know?" Charlie asked slowly, giving her mother a nervous gaze, rubbing her arm slightly.
"Helsa got ahold of me, dear." Lilith answered, her face softening. "She believes you said nothing out of care for her."
At that, Charlie's eyes shot wide, her eyebrows raising to her hairline as her jaw dropped in complete shock. That was unexpected turn.
"H-Helsa told you?" She couldn't help but to ask in surprise.
"Charlie, I'm not stupid." Lilith's gaze was soft as she placed a hand on her daughter's shoulder. "Do you really think I'd slaughter all of them for Seviathan's actions? I know how close you and Helsa are, and besides, Helsa clearly cares for you as well, or else she wouldn't have called."
"Does Dad know?" Charlie asked almost immediately. If her father knew, no doubt Seviathan was more than likely dead already.
But Lilith shook her head. "Your father's the one who would kill them all without a care in the world. I do not judge many for one's actions, but everyone for their own." She continued with a smile. "But the things Helsa told me… Charlie, I'm not trying to be Queen Lilith right now. Being a mother is the job that takes priority for me, not being Lucifer's wife, and not being the queen of Hell."
Charlie couldn't help but to be touched by that statement. The fact that her mother honestly put her before anything else in her life… well, she knew her parents cared, but she'd have never imagined it would be that much.
"I… I don't know where to start." Charlie admitted, averting her gaze as she thought of every single thing Seviathan had ever done to her. "Seviathan… he's done so many things. He's still doing things."
"The hex." Lilith guessed, causing Charlie to look at her in surprise once more. "I told you, Helsa filled me in."
"When we got together, things seemed fine, y'know?" Charlie spoke sadly, remembering the facade Seviathan had portrayed himself as, and the monster he'd turned out to be. "But then… he got mean."
"Mean how?" Lilith asked carefully, trying to conceal the anger already bubbling up in her.
"It started with insults." Charlie answered, unable to bring her gaze to meet her mother's. "He'd call me names, bad ones, like whore, slut, tramp, even accused me of cheating on him. Then it got… physical." Charlie's voice hitched at the last word.
Lilith froze, her entire body rigid, eyes widening ever so slightly when she heard the word 'physical.'
"Physical… how?" It was getting harder and harder to keep the anger out of her tone, but dammit, Lilith would do her best. The last thing she needed was for Charlie to think she was angry at her.
"He'd slap me for talking out of turn. Tell me to know my place. Sometimes, he'd even punch me if he didn't particularly like something I said." Charlie replied, hugging her legs to her chest as she tried to hold back tears.
Lilith, meanwhile, was sure that if her fists clenched any tighter, her hands would start bleeding.
"And then, it turned to actual beatings." Charlie continued, a noticable hitch in her voice. "He'd accuse me of embarrassing him for making a remark, or not doing what I'm told, and he'd start hitting me, and he just wouldn't stop." The Princess whimpered as she recounted her experience to her mother. "Remember that night I went over to Seviathan's? Three days before I broke up with him?"
"Why yes, I do." Lilith nodded, taking in a deep breath and letting out a long sigh as she tried to reign in her emotions. "You returned home some time in the night, and refused to come out of your room until for the next day."
"Seviathan was mad that I was in his room without his permission." Charlie explained, hugging herself tighter as the tears began to well up. "He beat me until I blacked out. When I woke up, he was asleep, and I walked home."
At that last bit, Lilith's heart broke for her daughter. "Oh, Charlie…"
"I cried till I fell asleep. I was too scared to tell you, because I didn't want you or Dad to hurt Helsa." Charlie admitted, sniffling a little as she tried to hold in the tears. "I was too scared you'd hurt her, and that you'd think I was too weak." At that, the waterworks began, and Charlie pressed her face into her knees as she began sobbing.
Lilith was feeling a multitude of emotions. Complete heartbreak for Charlie, unholy rage at Seviathan, and gratitude towards Helsa for filling her in.
But what she felt most, was the shame and guilt of knowing her daughter truly believed that telling either of them would result in the death of one of her closest friends. That she genuinely believed she couldn't tell them
"Charlie, come here." Lilith's voice was gentle, filled with her own sadness as she actually picked Charlie up and placed her in her lap, hugging her as if she were a child.
Which, to Lilith, Charlie would always be her baby.
"I feel so helpless, and he won't leave me alone." Charlie whimpered, her hands gripping her mother's dress to the point that Lilith feared it may rip, though that wasn't her priority.
She'd strut naked through the streets of Hell for all she cared, nobody would attempt to stop her, and as long as she could put an end to her daughter's pain, that was all that mattered.
"Charlie, it'll be alright." Lilith soothed, stroking her hair with her delicate but powerful hands, gentle as she tried to comfort her daughter. "I promise you."
"I'm more powerful than he is, and yet, I couldn't raise a single hand against him." Charlie whimpered, her tears staining her mother's dress as she did so. "John told me Seviathan just took advantage of me-"
"I'm beginning to like this John fellow the more you talk about him." Lilith interrupted her daughter, causing Charlie's tearstained eyes to meet her own in confusion. In response, Lilith gave a soft smile. "He's right, Charlie. Seviathan took advantage of you, of your gentle nature. It was nothing that you did."
"I needed Helsa to be with me when I broke up with him, Mom." Charlie sniffled, laying her head back onto her mother's chest. "I am weak."
"You are not." Lilith responded, smile fading in place of a stern expression as she hooked Charlie's chin with a delicate finger and gently guided her gaze up toward's Lilith's own face. "You are the most pure soul in Hell, sweetheart. That doesn't make you weak, if anything it makes you strong, not letting your experiences change you. And I wouldn't have you any other way." At that last sentence, Lilith's soft smile returned once more, kissing her daughter on the forehead, just as she used to do when Charlie was a child. "So I tell you now, Charlie, that while I do agree that you need to develope a backbone, your nature is the best thing about you, and don't ever think differently."
Charlie simply stared up at her mother, stunned for a moment, before she smiled. "Thanks, Mom." She muttered softly, closing her eyes as she laid her head against her mother.
Lilith smiled, gladly hugging her daughter back. "Always, sweetheart, always."
Suddenly, a pair of heavy footfalls could be heard coming frpm up the steps, causing Charlie to scramble out of her mother's lap in order to not be caught in an embarrassing predicament as she tried to quickly wipe away her tears as both mother and daughter turned to look at the top of the steps.
And the person it was… Charlie wasn't sure whether to feel happy or nervous.
The familiar nine-foot frame and ghastly visage of John Gallagher stepped into view at the top of the steps, confusion on his expression for only a moment, before his eyes widened at the site that awaited him.
Nervousness it was, Charlie decided.
A Few Minutes Earlier
The site of the satisfied succubus next to him was far more pleasing to John than it usually was.
Rose, much like himself, currently laid in the bed without a single scrap of clothing on her person. Instead, she laid upon his chest, his arm wrapped around her as the two basked in the afterglow of their intimate encounter.
"Now, I'm assured." Rose smiled as she looked up at John, causing the behemoth to smile as well as he leaned down to steal her lips in a kiss.
"I'm glad." John replied when he pulled away, laying his head back onto the pillow. "You are number one in my world. Remember that."
Rose couldn't help but to smile as she layed her head upon his chest once more, running her index finger in circles upon his abdomen as she did so. "I know… I guess it just hurt me a little more than I thought." Her smile faded as she spoke.
John's own smile faded as he let out a sigh. "Rose, I'm not gonna sit here and lie, or pretend I don't feel anything for Charlie. But I'd never leave you for another woman, nor would I steal one from another person." He assured, his arm gently tightening in a comforting gesture. "Besides, I love you. The last thing I want or intend is to break your heart."
"I know." Rose nodded her head, letting her eyes droop slightly.
Deciding a change of topics was in order, because honestly John wanted to get both Rose's mind and his own off the subject, John decided to speak about another topic. "So, what's this I heard about a concert?"
At his words, Rose frowned slightly, glancing up at him, before letting out a sigh. "I just found out during that phone call, honestly, but apparently, my agent scheduled a concert next week and didn't tell me until today."
At that, John's brow furrowed. "Today's… Tuesday, ain't it?"
"Yep."
"When's the concert?"
"Next Wednsday."
At that, John's eyes widened in surprise as he glanced down at Rose, jaw dropping slightly. "You have eight days to get ready for a concert you just found out about?" He questioned in disbelief.
Rose nodded her head, a sigh escaping her lips as she glanced up at him. "I need to get ahold of Tex and the crew, but that means that I'm probably gonna be leaving for Imp City some time today, maybe tomorrow." She admitted, slightly guilty at springing this upon him, even though she knew it was out of her control. "And… I probably won't be back until the concert's over."
John looked down at Rose, before letting a smile grace his lips as he leaned down and kissed her. "It's okay Rose." He assured as he looked down at her, sitting up, causing her to sit up with him as she looked up at him. "We did talk about this too. Go be a popstar, I'm not gonna get mad over it."
Rose smiled at John's words, before leaning into him. "I think I might just go ahead and take off in the morning, let the crew know today."
"Hey, where's the concert at?" John asked with a small grin. "Maybe I can come see it. I've missed almost two years of shows."
At John's question, he could feel Rose tense up in his grip, before she slowly brought her gaze up to him. "It's… um… It's not in Hell, John. We take off for Columbus on Monday."
At that, John's eyes widened, before he let out a sad sigh. "Right. Well…" He gave her another smile, though it wasn't as joyful as it was before. "You can tell me all about it."
Rose gave John a small smile of her own, before tucking her head into his chest once more. "I love you, John."
"I love you too."
The two sat like that for a moment, simply enjoying each other's presence, though different subjects were weighing on each other's minds. John couldn't help the hurt at the fact that his girlfriend could go to the living world any time she wanted, while he was stuck in Hell, away from his living family. Meanwhile, Rose couldn't help but to feel bad at the fact that she got what John couldn't, and she honestly feared that it may have an effect on their relationship.
But neither thoughts went voiced.
After a few minutes, Rose spoke up. "I need to get ahold of everyone, fill them in." She said as she looked up at him. "I'll take off tomorrow, so we can have a little fun tonight."
John smiled, and nodded his head. "I'll get out of your hair for a bit then. You'll still be at dinner, right?"
Rose smiled, and nodded her head as she leaned up towards him. "You bet." She promised before planting her lips upon his own.
The two wasted no time in getting dressed, John throwing on his typical outfit while Rose redressed into her casual clothes, tying her hair back up into a ponytail as it had become undone during their activities. John moved to give her one last kiss, before exiting the door as Rose picked up her phone to dial her friends up.
Once shutting the door, John let out a sigh. With nothing to distract him, the kiss with Charlie and now Rose's upcoming concert was at the forefront of his mind.
As John began to move down the hall, going in no direction in particular, he couldn't help but to think.
He had long since come to terms with the fact that he was in Hell. Unlike others, it was impossible for him to deny reality, and he'd accepted his circumstances the moment he landed in Hell, even if he hated them. He knew he shouldn't be hurt, but he couldn't help it.
He still missed his entire family, all of his friends, up on the living world. And while he was stuck here, many people he knew could gladly travel between worlds, even had a human form to blend in. Rose could, Vortex could, even everyone at Grundy's Plaza had human forms that they simply didn't use.
Even that bastard Blitzo had access to the living realm, and John, who'd had good intentions and done good most of his life, had damned himself with one bad action.
He didn't regret killing Jason, not by a mile. Honestly, if he could find the man in Hell, he still thought to this very day how he'd dismember the bastard before ending his existence for good.
He knew, on some level, that he deserved to be in Hell. He tried to do good, but honestly, he never really thought of himself as a good person. There's good and evil in everyone, no one is perfectly good or perfectly evil, no matter what he'd like to think.
It just hurt, the fact that he was stuck in Hell, while most of his loved ones were free to go about the living world with no problem.
John's feet carried him down the steps and through the halls as he mulled over things. He genuinely felt bad for kissing Charlie, and he'd do anything to make it up to Rose, but he was hurt not only because she was going to be in the living world for a few days and gone for a week, but because he wouldn't be able to do much but hope she didn't decide somehow that he wasn't worth it.
Or worse.
As he walked the hallway of the second floor, he wasn't really paying attention to where he was going, until he found himself at the top of the staircase leading down to the lobby. And as his eyes rose up, they widened and his brow shot straight to his hairline as he took in the site before him.
Sitting upon the couch in the lobby was Charlie… and Queen Lilith.
Their own eyes met him as well, and the three found themselves staring at each other in surprise, or more precisely, John and Lilith were staring at each other while Charlie nervously glanced between the two.
And then John's eyes found Charlie, and he noticed her red puffy eyes and the tearstains upon her cheeks.
"Charlie?" He couldn't help but ask in concern. "You alright? You look like you've been crying."
At his words, Charlie's eyes widened, before her hands came up to wipe away any tears that may still have remained as she nodded, smiling at the behemoth. "I'm fine, John."
"So, you're this John that she spoke of?" Lilith spoke up, eying the sinner with an unreadable expression.
It caught John off-guard, honestly, when Lilith adressed him, but his own face became expressionless as he met her gaze. "I am." While he wasn't stupid by any means, he was also no coward either.
He didn't fear Lilith, nor her husband. While John knew that he wasn't the top dog in Hell, it didn't mean he feared anyone.
"A pleasure to meet you." Lilith spoke, offering her hand over the back of the couch as John made his way down the steps, in a way that suggested she expected him to kiss her hand as a sign of respect.
Instead, John took her hand and shook it, as he would anyone else. "You too." He said as he let go, ignoring the raised eyebrow the queen gave him in favor of glancing at Charlie. "You sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine." Charlie nodded once more, giving him a soft smile to reassure him. "Mom stopped by because she heard about Seviathan… what he's been up to."
John nodded his head, turning his glance back towards the succubus. "You gonna deal with him?"
Lilith's expression darkened at the giant's question. "He'll be lucky if he doesn't suffer."
"On that, we can agree." John replied, his own hatred for a man he didn't even know burning in every fibre of his body as he recalled everything Charlie had told him. "I'd like to rip the fucker limb from limb."
"You just might get that chance." Lilith remarked, before giving John a polite smile, though the sinner could something else behind it, a hidden intent of some sort. "So, Charlie has told me a lot about you."
At her words, John couldn't help the teasing grin on his face as he glanced towards the Princess. "All good things, I'd hope."
"Of course." Lilith nodded her head, before gesturing to the couch across from them. "Please, do take a seat. No point in standing there."
John would give the queen this; she was polite.
Though, John still remained a little weary. He had to wager that she wasn't simply trying to spark up conversation.
Nonetheless, John did as the queen asked, taking a seat on the recliner next to the couch.
An awkward silence hung over the three for a moment, each of them waiting for someone else to start up some kind of conversation, staring at each other.
Eventually, after a few moments, Charlie spoke up.
"So… this is my mom, John."
At that, both Lilith and John let amused smiles come onto their faces.
"Yeah, I got that, Charlie." John responded with an amused chuckle, before turning to Lilith. "Queen, this is your daughter, Charlie."
At that, Lilith laughed in amusement, opting to keep the joke going as she turned to Charlie. "Charlie, this is your security guard, John."
The two of them were both grinning like madmen, laughing when Charlie began to glare at the both of them.
"Jerks." Charlie muttered, crossing her arms with a pout.
"So, Charlie tells me your genuinely invested in her hotel." Lilith spoke once she came down from her laughter, shooting a smile at John as she began an actual conversation. "Is this true?"
"Yeah." John says as his eyes began to wonder the Hotel lobby. "This place… it's a good thing. Hell doesn't have enough of that, and if there's one thing I know, it's that just because you're in Hell doesn't mean you can't do the right thing." He spoke as he turned his gaze back to Lilith. "If I can do some good down here, for better or worse, I'll damn well try."
Lilith was admittedly taken aback by the response. She had never heard such genuine words from a sinner's mouth, and his reasoning was not at all something she might've been expecting.
"I… I see." Lilith said, nodding her head after a few moments. "So, you really just want to see the Hotel succeed?"
John nodded his head, raising an eyebrow at Lilith's words. "Well, yeah. Hell's not just filled with bad people. Some people are down here because they made mistakes, made a bad decision. Don't make them bad people." He explained his reasoning further, before glancing over at Charlie. "Charlie gets that, and besides, this place isn't just for redemption. She's turned it into a sanctuary, a place people can go to just for some semblance of peace."
Charlie visibly blushed at John's words, while Lilith was absolutely dumbfounded.
While her thousands of years of experience has taught her better than to take someone at face value and first impressions, she couldn't detect a single hint of deception coming from the man in front of her.
He was being completely honest from what she could gather.
"Well…" Lilith turned her gaze to Charlie, and a soft smile found its way onto her face. "Charlie has always been a caring individual. She sees the best in people where we've always seen the worst." She said as she wrapped an arm around her daughter's shoulder.
It was there that John saw the woman that Charlie had told him about. Lilith wasn't just the queen of Hell, the wife of Lucifer. She loved her daughter, with everything she had.
John found himself smiling as well. "That, I can believe." He said, his eyes drifting towards Charlie with a fond gaze, to which the princess returned.
"So, I trust you can do your job well?" Lilith asked with a raised eyebrow, relaxing a little around the behemoth as she shot him a teasing smirk.
John took it in stride, chuckling as he looked at the queen. "Outside of dealing with Val, and then this bullshit with… Seviathan Von Eld-bitch, ain't really had to be a security guard. Most I've done is usually just walk around, do safety checks, make sure everything is in tip top shape."
"Speaking of, you could've told me during your interview that you can write just fine." Charlie said with a playful glare, causing John to let out a laugh.
"Hey, you jumped to conclusions!" John retorted with a grin. "You know, the same as you did with the be-mph!"
Whatever John was going to say was interrupted, to Lilith's own surprise, when Charlie seemingly materialized upon John's shoulders, her hands clamped over his mouth with a look of panic and alarm all over her face.
"You will not tell my mom that story!" Charlie cried in a panic, glaring down at John with one of the angriest looks Lilith and ever seen upon her daughter's face. Admittedly, the scene made her giggle in amusement.
Even more so when she spotted the look of irritation on John's own.
Charlie's hands suddenly shot into the air, slicked in saliva, if John's visible tongue was any indication.
"You licked me again!" Charlie said in disgusted, glancing down at John, who returned her gaze with his own irritation.
"Do you remember what happened last time you pulled this stunt?" He asked in an irritated tone, causing Charlie's eyes to widen, before glancing at one leg upon John's shoulder.
When Charlie pulled her leg up, Lilith understood what John meant when she spotted Charlie's pants tugging on his shoulder spikes.
"…oops…" Charlie mumbled sheepishly.
Lilith couldn't hold it anymore.
Loud, genuine giggles erupted from the queen of Hell, the kind of giggles that she herself hadn't felt in years, at the site of her daughter's childish antics upon someone whom Lilith honestly felt more comfortable around than she expected.
"Woman, the first tug on those spikes I feel, your going on your back." John said, causing Charlie to pale slightly.
"You wouldn't." She called his bluff.
John's raised eyebrow and amused smirk said it all.
John suddenly stood to his feet, causing Charlie's eyes to widen as she scrambled for something to grip onto, only to find herself immediately plopping into the chair with her legs in the air, a portion of her pants ripped away, sticking to John's shoulder spikes.
To make it even more comical, John immediately plopped back down on the edge of the chair, locking Charlie in her position.
"John!" Charlie practically whined, pushing against his back in an effort to shove him off. A fruitless effort, Lilith could tell. "Move! I'm stuck!"
"Huh." John said with a short nod. "Sounds like your problem." He added, just barely glancing towards the pretzeled princess behind him.
"Joooohn!" Charlie whined, before turning towards her mom as best as she could. "Mom, get him off!"
"I don't know dear." Lilith said with a smirk, crossing her arms, relishing in the chance to tease her daughter. "He does have a point. You brought this upon yourself."
"Mommy!" Charlie cried in exasperation, causing both John and Lilith to snicker.
"Has she always been this easy?" John asked, glancing towards Lilith with a grin and ignoring the struggling princess behind him.
"Indeed." Lilith answered with a nod. "Why, I remember her first boyfriend."
"MOM!" Charlie cried at her mother. She was promptly ignored.
"Oh?" John raised an eyebrow, grinning. "This, I gotta hear."
"You see, Charlie was-"
"OW, OW, OW!" John suddenly cried out as Charlie finally reached up, gripping the spikes protruding from his elbow and tugging on them. "Jesus, Charlie!"
"Get off of me!" Charlie cried out, flailing her legs in the air and kicking her heels against the behemoth's upper back.
"As soon as you let go!" John retorted, grimacing when her pulling intensified. "Charlie!"
Finally, Charlie relented, letting go of his elbow. John promptly stood to his feet, causing Charlie's legs to flop down onto the ground, leaving her essentially laying in the chair.
"Serves you right." Charlie muttered, giving him a playful glare as she stood back to her seat and moved to sit next to her mother once more.
John simply chuckled in response. "Says the one who can teleport and reshape reality to her whim." He joked as he turned to look at her.
"Indeed." Lilith remarked with a raised eyebrow, causing Charlie to actually pout.
"You guys are jerks." Charlie muttered, causing the two of them to laugh. "You just can't let me win, can you."
"Nope."
"Afraid not, Charlotte."
Charlie's pout seemed to intensify even more, causing the two of them to laugh even harder. It seemed that the longer they laughed, the more embarrassed Charlie felt.
Finally, when it died down, did one of them actually speak.
"You're so easy to tease, Charlie." John chuckled as his gaze drifted towards the princess. "You make it too easy."
"No I don't." Charlie mumbled under her breath, averting her eyes from the sinner's gaze.
"Anyway," Lilith spoke up, catching there attention as her tone brought an end to any amusement. "I believe it is time to bring about an end to my visit."
Charlie's face fell, a saddened look coming across her expression as she looked at her mother. "So soon? Why can't you stay?"
"Because I have matters to attend to, Charlie." Lilith answered, her own saddened expression making its way as she wrapped an arm around Charlie's shoulder and pulled the princess into her side. "And thorns to deal with, apparently."
"Just to reiterate, you'll be taking care of this asshole, won't you?" John asked, catching the queen's attention. "Because I would really like to get my hands on him."
At that, Lilith smirked, eyeing John in amusement as she spoke. "You sure are confident, aren't you?"
John shrugged in response, his own amused grin making its way onto his face. "Been in Hell for four years. Sure, it's not that long, but nothing's hurt me yet."
Lilith raised an eyebrow in response to that, but she opted not to question it. Instead, she nodded her head, as if impressed. "Well, Charlie trusts you, and you seem well enough equipped to act as her… security guard." Lilith spoke as she stood to her feet in one smooth motion. "So I trust you to watch over her."
At that, John's gaze moved back to Charlie, and he gave her a genuine smile. "Always."
At that, Charlie smiled as well, before standing to her feet as she turned to her mom. "When do you think you'll be back?"
At that, Lilith let a soft smile worm its way onto her face as she rested her hands upon Charlie's shoulders. "I'm not entirely sure, sweetheart. However, I'll try not to wait as long for the next visit as I did this one." She assured her daughter as she leaned down, planting a kiss upon Charlie's forehead. "I shall see you later, Charlie."
Charlie smiled at Lilith's words, and quickly wrapped her arms around the other woman, pulling her into a hug as she did so. "I love you, Mom."
"I love you too, sweetie." Lilith responded with a smile of her own as she returned the hug.
John couldn't help the smile on his own face as he watched the scene play out. He wasn't sure what he expected of Lilith when he first met her, especially considering conflicting opinions expressed upon her.
However, John could safely say that despite being on guard at first, he genuinely enjoyed this first meeting.
When the two pulled apart, Lilith's gaze met John's own for a moment, and she smiled as well. "You take care as well, John Gallagher."
John smiled in response, and stood to his feet. He hadn't planned on it, but considering the respect that had built itself up over the course of the meeting…
John bowed. "You too, your majesty." He said, his words sincere as he leaned back up.
Lilith have a nod, before turning away and making her way towards the entrance of the Hotel.
However, just as she pushed the door open, she stopped short of exiting, turning to gaze at the both of them one more time.
"Oh, and I am interested to hear how things progress between the two of you." She said with a teasing smile, leaving a wide-eyed behemoth and a blushing princess as she made her exit.
After a few moments of silence as the two stared at the door, John finally turned his gaze to Charlie, the princess meeting his own.
After a few moments, the behemoth let out a sigh, and sat back down.
"Rose knows." John spoke, looking towards Charlie with a forlorn expression. "I just told her before I can down here." He neglected to mention the activity that followed.
At that, Charlie visibly winced, before sitting down upon the couch, her hands cupped together on her knees, the very definition of guilt. "I… I'm sorry, John. I shouldn't have kissed you."
"I let you, Charlie." John said quietly, his expression softening as he turned to look at the princess. "I shoulder the blame just as much."
Charlie stared at John for a moment, before sighing as she pulled her knees to her chest. "Where does this leave us?" Charlie asked quietly, refusing to meet John's gaze.
At that, John turned his own head away, his thoughts a whirl as he tried to think of an answer. "We just… we'll figure it out, I guess." The behemoth finally answered as he turned back towards Charlie. "Have you told Vaggie?"
"Not yet." Charlie admitted. "It wasn't too long after you left that Husk came running, telling me that my mom was here." She explained, turning to look at John. "I've been down here for almost the entire time."
John slowly nodded his head, before shaking it in disappointment with the entire situation. "There goes any peace between me and Vaggie."
Charlie didn't say anything in response, but she didn't feel the need to. He was right.
Vaggie was going to be hurt by the news, very much so. Charlie didn't know if the moth sinner would lash out at her, but she very much expected some sort of animosity towards John.
All she could hope for… was that everything worked out in the end.
