AN: Hey guys, here is the final part of episode 2! We're excited to see what you think about this one! Hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: We do not own Helluva Boss and the Angel AU concept is originally EmositeCC's idea who we were given permission to use!

Secrets and Snipers

Part 4

By TalosLives & CrackedInkWell

Edited by Anon

Based on EMositeCC's AngelAUSeries

As soon as their boss gave them their new assignments, Moxxie and Millie set to work. Having to work backwards from the original scene of the crime, and with Millie pointing out that the bullet holes left were from a sniper's gun, they pieced together that the sniper's nest was most likely in the attic of the Shubert Theater down the street.

Moxxie held up a prop gun he found from the attic and held it up at one of the windows where there was a costume rack in front with some boxes.

"I think I've found the spot." Moxxie pointed to the floor, setting the prop gun aside.

"You're sure, hon?" Millie asked.

"I figured that if I wanted to assassinate someone, I would do it right here. I mean, it makes sense, right? Rows of windows… all of them slightly opened. The restaurant just a clear shot down the street. And curtains of costumes and boxes, a way to hide in plain sight. So… if you were here, where would you go next?"

"One thing at a time, hon," Millie said, pulling out a flashlight. "Let's see if there is anything from the sniper."

"Seems pretty clean, though. Whoever did this was trying to be careful."

Millie looked over the boxes, shining a light, she saw a flash. Then another. Pushing the costumes and boxes aside. She found what she was looking for. "You're right on one thing, the sniper was here." She scooped up four bullet casings. "Say Mox, is it me, or do these look familiar?"

"What do you mean?"

"Take a look at 'em." She handed one to her husband. "What do you notice?"

Humming, Moxxie turned the casing this way and that. "Pretty thick caliber by the looks of it. Enough to send over long distances, obviously. But there's something about it that's…" Then he stopped, while rubbing his thumb over, he felt a spark. "What the…?" Summoning a cloth, he stuffed it into the blackened cylinder and pulled it out. In the sunlight, although it was very small, he spotted it. "Hey, is that what I think it is?"

"Apparently I was right." Millie frowned. "These bullets were made from Angelic steel. Now what does that tell you?"

"Whoever it is, must have angelic weapons!" Moxxie realized, "So that actually helps narrow it down. I know there are two ways that demons could get ahold of Angelic steel. Either through a black market like Blitzo had said once, or maybe…"

"Mox," Millie shone a light into a corner of the storage room, "Is that what I think it is?"

Moxxie turned to see what Millie had found. Floating over, he picked it up. It was a small, very ruffled feather. But on his fingertips, Moxxie could sense that this wasn't just any feather from a molting bird - nor was it from one of the costumes and props. This… This feather was angelic.

"Oh crumbs, we're not alone…" Moxxie reached into his pocket to pull out his phone. "We've got to warn Blitz!" Quickly summing his contacts, he pressed Blitz's number and called him. "C'mon… Pick up, pick up…"

"Dad! Dad!" Octavia was beyond horrified. Her dad was shot and wasn't moving. His wide eyes looked skyward. "Dad, say something!"

Immediately, Blitzo knelt down. "Nonononono! Please don't! Please don't!" Panicked didn't come close to describing seeing his beloved being shot. Ripping his clothes to get a better look at the wound, praying that somehow, someway that Stolas was still okay. God! God please! Let him be okay!

With the shirt being ripped, he got a good look at the bleeding hole. It was not a pretty sight. However, Blitzo realized something: while the hole was close to the heart, it was gushing from just next to his armpit and underneath his collarbone. He felt underneath his back and realized, miraculously, the bullet hadn't gone all the way through. It was still inside him, and the sniper had missed his heart by a few inches! But Blitz knew better. It didn't matter if the sniper missed; the angelic steel of the bullet, poisonous to those of sinful or corrupted natures, was killing Stolas from the inside.

"Oh Lucifer, what do we do!?" Octavia screamed. "Is he even alive!?"

And Blitzo noticed something else: the blood was pulsating. Meaning that if his heart was still going… "He's alive." He looked up at her. "The bullet is buried too deep for me to dig out. And I think he's going into shock."

"Can't you do something!?"

He didn't answer her, but instead turned to Stolas. In truth, there was… one thing he could do. The only thing he could do. Perhaps it was impulsiveness; perhaps desperation to not lose him at any cost; or maybe fear of Stolas dying in his arms; but there was something he could do. It might be the dumbest thing in his entire life, for it might bring the wrath of all of Heaven itself. It was, in every sense of the word, a longshot. But in such an intense moment where the only one that had kept him sane for so long was dying… Blitzo would do anything.

Anything.

Carefully placing a hand over the wound, he said: "Stolas, if you can hear me, I am so, so sorry for what I'm about to do."

Before Octavia could ask, Blitzo closed his eyes and, from the tips of his wings down to his fingers, started to glow a blue-violet light. She felt something from him. Something strong. She had to step back simply because it was so overwhelming.

He bowed his head. "Through the holy work of creation, hail the King of the Universe, I beg of you to hear my plea! Let this weapon of Divinity, which has been used for evil be removed from this innocent body! Take my life in his place if you will, O Lord, but please spare him! Through this, my beloved Stolas, let God grant you peace and breathe life once more! In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, Amen!"

אָמֵן.

Stolas heaved a sudden gasp, his back arching and arms shaking. Blitzo clenched his fist to feel the bullet in his hand.

"Dad!" Octavia knelt down. "Dad, are you okay?! Say something!"

"Holy-sweet-tapdancing-FUCKING-Lucifer-on-a-pool-of-holy-water that hurts!" Stolas blurted out.

"Stolas!" Blitzo embraced him. "Oh praise God you're-" A gunshot interrupted him, and he immediately realized two things: that the sniper was still watching, and more importantly, that another bullet had gone over his head and landed directly in front of him. "Oh shit, gogogogo!" Without thinking, he dragged a screaming Stolas over towards the corner of the alley, making sure that they were out of sight of the sniper.

Octavia followed after them behind the brick wall as Blitzo was taking off her father's shirt. "What the living fuck was that?"

"First's thing's first," Blitzo rolled up the torn shirt and placed it on the wound where Stolas hissed, "put pressure on this so he doesn't bleed out."

"But what about the bullet?" Octavia obeyed, pressing her hands on where Blitzo told her to.

"About that…" Blitzo opened his hand, showing the bloody bullet.

"Did you remove that?"

"Uh… no… That wasn't me."

"B-Blitzy?" Stolas closed his teary eyes. His breath was heavy and in pain, but not as he was earlier. "What did you just do?"

"In short… we had a genuine miracle."

"What does that mean?" Octavia asked.

Blitzo looked up to the sky, expecting to see something come at them. But nothing did. "I did the only thing I could do… but I didn't expect this."

"Blitzy?" Stolas asked, "What happened? What did you do?"

"... I… I asked God to give you a blessing."

"You what!?"

"I was scared, okay? You weren't breathing, you had an angelic bullet in you a-and I did the only thing I could and prayed for a miracle."

"Angels can do that?" Octavia blinked.

"Praying? Of course we can pray. But getting a God-ordained miracle from… Well, God, is like hitting a bulls-eye on the moon with a bow and arrow. The fact that my prayer was answered at all is… too incredible for words. But what I find really weird is… Hey Stolas, do you notice something missing?"

Wiping the tears, Stolas looked up. "Notice what? I don't see anything."

"Exactly! That should have brought all of Heaven down on us! That should have ended us permanently and yet… There's nothing but…" He looked down at his hand at the bullet. "... a miracle."

"But you told God!" Stolas pointed out, "For fuck's sake, Blitzy, if you blessed me, then that means He knows now! That would mean all of Heaven knows about us now, right?!"

"God, yes. Heaven… I really hope they don't know about it."

"But…" Octavia said, "Dad is alive. If God wanted him dead, why not just let him die?"

It was a question the three of them couldn't answer.

בליץ מתחנן להציל את חייו של סטולאס? מלאך מקריב את חייו ברצון למען שד? עכשיו זה נהיה מעניין…

And what of the Archangels, Lord? Should they know about this?

... עדיין לא. חוץ מזה, יכול להיות שיש בזה יותר ממה שנראה לעין. כן, בליץ עבר על חוק גן עדן, אבל זה מה שעושה את זה כל כך מעניין! זה לא נעשה מתוך זדון. זה היה מתוך אהבה. אתה מבין, זו פריצת דרך! זה משנה הכל! אני תוהה…

Will Blitz answer for what he did?

באופן טבעי. אבל עדיין לא.

When?

... בתנאים שלי.

Very well, Lord, I will trust your judgment. I do hope you know what you're doing.

תאמין לי, מטטרון. הכל יהיה בסדר. זה רק עניין של תזמון.

At that moment, Blitzo's phone rang. "Would you excuse me? I need to take this." He answered it. "Hello?"

"Sir! I think the girl you were with is in immediate danger."

"Hold on, slow down. What did you guys find?"

"We have reason to believe that the sniper from earlier might be a fallen angel. We found bullet casings that held Angelic Steel, along with molting angelic feathers. So whoever this was, is intending to erase the girl and possibly her father from existence. Speaking of which, is Octavia okay?"

"Uh, yeah. Yeah, Octavia is fine, but her father was injured. Thankfully, the sniper missed, but he does need medical attention."

"Should we come and help, sir?"

"No. No need. We're getting an ambulance now and her father will be heading towards a hospital in New Jersey. Away from New York."

"Other than that, we have no idea where the sniper's gone."

Blitzo peeked around the brick wall. The skyline was blocked… except for a lone skyscraper that stuck out.

"I have a good idea where he is. Now Mox, get back to the office with Millie, bring as much of the armory as you guys can carry, and meet me at the top of the New York Times building. Assume that our assailant will be armed and dangerous."

"What about you, sir?"

Blitzo looked over to Stolas. "Don't worry about me. Get what you need, and be ready for anything." After hanging up, he went over to Stolas. "First thing's first. Stolas, can I borrow your copy of spells for a sec?"

After he took it out of his pocket and handed it over to Blitzo, the demons watched as he placed one hand on the page that glowed a hellish red and placed the other on the brick wall. Slowly, he carved a symbol on the wall which, once complete, read: "Ego por sit perum." And before they knew it, a portal opened up to Stolas's bedroom, where Xein was dusting a picture frame on the wall. "Xein, we need help."

Xein was surprised. "What the fuck!?"

"Look, there's not much time to explain. Now, go get the medical staff on the double. Stolas is seriously hurt."

"He's what!?" Xein poked his head out, shocked to see the demon prince laying there, his back against a wall with his daughter by his side. "Lady Octavia! Prince Stolas! What the Heaven hap-"

"Stolas was shot. I removed the bullet, but he's bleeding. I'll explain later, but go get the medics now."

Xein dropped the feather duster and rushed out of the room.

"One last thing." Blizo knelt down. "Stolas, this is your call: what do you want me to do to the bastard who shot you? What, my Prince, is thy bidding?"

Still in pain, Stolas grabbed him by the collar, looked him in the eye, and told him one thing: "Fuck him in the vagina!"

Blitzo chuckled. A wicked grin grew on his face, and in his eye, a flash of anger. "Alright, but I'll have to make one first!" Turning invisible, he spread his wings and started out for the skyscraper.

Octavia, wide-eyed, turned to her dad. "Remind me to never make your boyfriend angry. Ever."

Just then, the bedroom door burst open and the medical staff rushed over to Stolas. They carried him through the portal and onto the bed, where they immediately got to work cleaning the wound and stopping the bleeding. All the while, Octavia never left her father's side, holding his hand as they worked on his shoulder.

Thankfully, they gave Stolas some painkillers to make the impromptu surgery run smoothly as possible. The morphine injections helped a good deal so that Stolas could be relaxed enough for them to sew the wound up. But as soon as they were done, Stolas had closed the portal.

"Thank you, Via," Stolas said. "I didn't anticipate this day would go to shit like it did."

"It's okay, Dad. Just as long as you're okay."

Stolas tightened his grip and looked her in the eye. "I didn't mean for this to happen."

Octavia sat on the edge of the bed. "Do you love him, really? I think Blitz does care for you, and is loyal, but do you really love him?"

He nodded. "Yes, I love him so much. I love him even more now for what he did. And I love you as well. I know it must be difficult to understand this. Truth is, even I don't have the words to begin to describe it - but one thing I am certain about, is that while I do love him, you are still my number one priority above all else. I have… I pulled so many strings, put on so many masks to try to juggle being with you and him. Even after I came out, it's still been hard…"

"Dad, don't start beating yourself up. Just…" She looked over her shoulder. "Don't tell your boyfriend I said this, but I think I gained an idea of what it might have been like for you."

"What do you mean?"

"That angel… I cornered him earlier to tell me what he had over you and… he basically came out to me. The first time he did so, in fact. And Dad… the way he talked about himself… how he saw himself… for a moment, I saw you there. It's horrifying that anyone could see themselves like that."

Stolas sighed. "I tried so hard to spare you from so much unpleasantness. And I know things haven't been… going according to plan for you. If it wasn't for all this legal bullshit, I wouldn't have you go near her. I just… I wanted you to be happy. And I failed." He paused, trying to fight back the tears. "Via… if you are bothered with me seeing him, all you have to do is say the word, and I will break it off."

Octavia's jaw was on the floor. "I'm sorry, what!? But didn't you just say you loved him?"

"I do. I love Blitz, but what matters more to me is your own happiness. It's clear that you've been hurt by what happened between me and your mother - and that isn't fair to you in the slightest. And you're right."

"So wait, you're willing to just give up on your lover for me?"

"Only if you say the word. Blitz does make me happy, but I can't be; knowing that you're suffering at my expense - and that's not fair. I would rather spend the rest of my life unhappy so that you wouldn't. Knowing him, Blitz would do the same for his niece because, from what I've heard, she hasn't had the best life either. He would give up everything just to see her smile. And the funny thing is, so would I for you."

Standing up, Octavia faced the window, looking up at the pentagram in the sky. "When he gets here, I want to talk to both of you." Turning around towards her father, she added, "No more secrets."

Stolas nodded. "I understand."

Blitzo had known anger. He had known rage, sorrow, grief, guilt, and shame. But the idea that Stolas had been hurt was enough for Blitzo to push aside any morals he had to make these demonic scum pay. The fact that it almost cost him his love's life made him want to burn the world down. It was like there was a single thought in Blitzo's head as he flew towards the skyscraper: Kill.

Kill.

Kill them all.

A part of him he buried a long time ago was unleashed. An old, familiar shadow that was thrusting for demonic blood. It was born in sorrow, grief, loss, and death. It fed on pain and suffering of the damned. It was the living incarnation of death itself for all who stood in its way. For ten years, Blitzo kept it down. Chained up in the bottom of his soul to only unleash if necessary as it wanted for the day it would be needed again.

Now the day had come.

It didn't take him long to arrive at his destination and finally look at his prey face-to-face. It stood there, standing like a human, but it was anything but. The dark, armored clothing was covered in patches filled with bullets and tools of its trade. Puffs of darkness oozed from the small cracks of its shady gray custom-designed military outfit. A heavy, gray, bulletproof poncho covered the greenish-gray jacket that it was using, while its shoulders and kneecaps were protected by elbow pads.

What stood out the most was the face. It was first covered by the poncho's hoodie to hide it from the sunlight of the mortal world, as well as the ugliness of its appearance. Inside was a set of three glowing eyes, all red like the fires of hell that slowly turned like a wheel from its inhuman eldritch face. Slowly turning to let each eye see in a different angle and blink while scanning for whatever was in front of it. The gaping voice-like mouth it held with tiny pincers swiped the air. Upon seeing Blitzo arrive as it aimed its large, spiked and hellfire steel sniper rifle at the angel.

"What is an angel doing here protecting a demon prince?!" he demanded, hissing and snarling. "You have done nothing but ruin my attempts to claim my target's life! Why?!"

"Because I'm not going to let you touch a single feather on him or his daughter," Blitzo answered in a cold tone that sounded like a steel blade being sharpened.

"You are an angel. He is a demon. Why do you even care?" He hissed in confusion as he continued to keep his eyes and the sniper rifle focused on the unmoving Blitzo. "This is not your affair, angel!"

"It's my affair because that demon prince you shot is the man I love," Blitzo growled.

"...What?" The assassin nearly dropped his rifle. All three eyes widened before it fixed them again. "What?! What?! Impossible! Angels and demons cannot be in love! We are enemies! Eternal foes?! Are you serious?!"

"Put my hand on a bible and I'd say the same thing."

"Sick! Disgusting! I don't give a shit most of the time when people do crazy shit in bed, but this?! I'm going to gag!" the demonic sniper said, choking, before he shook his head. "How is this even possible?"

"I don't need to explain anything to you, because you are going to die here," Blitzo said, raising his blade and pointing it at the sniper.

"You think you scare me?! I've faced angels before and I have even killed two of your kind! What makes you so different?!" The sniper hissed.

Blitzo closed his eyes and prepared to unleash the beast that was gnawing and howling. It wanted blood. It wanted this monster's blood. Lifting his right hand, Blitzo snapped his eyes open as he clenched in a fist. A holy circle appeared in gold on the fist of the angel, with a cross in the middle and two blades side by side. "Because I am not just an angel… I'M YOUR REAPER!"

The demon yelped as a gold and dark blue cone of energy swarmed Blitzo. Those who looked up at the skyscraper from above could swear that they were seeing a star shining above in the day. All the demons working for the sniper instantly felt this energy and knew what it was in terror. Some of them even shat themselves as any demon would know this presence that was bursting before them. All children grew up fearing their kind. They were the ones whose names were spoken in whispers of terror and hate. Even the highest of demon lords feared their kind as they were the ones trained to hunt them down and eliminate them once a year on the worst night of Hell. It didn't matter who you were, where you were from or what age you were. If they found you, then you were dead. The very name was on all their tongues as they whispered it.

Exterminator.

In that moment, every lackey under the demonic sniper fled. They returned to Hell with tails between their legs. They didn't care if they got fired or even killed for their cowardness. It was better than dying a permanent death at the hands of an Exterminator.

Moxxie and Millie also felt the presence of the sudden divine power, and knew it was their boss. They also shivered as the strength behind his aura. They had known he was a powerful Exterminator. One of the best. But to feel his power firsthand, to feel just how much Blitzo had been holding back, was an eye-opening experience.

The demonic sniper just stared in horror, realizing how screwed he was. His earlier bravado had all but evaporated. The gun in his hands was barely being held and he wanted nothing more than to flee for his life, but he was too scared to move. When the last of the light faded, he found himself face to face with an angel that had been the reaper of death for his kind for a long time.

The clothes that Blitzo had on were all but gone. Instead they were placed with a combination of a pure heavenly steel silver set of armor wrapped with snow white cloth. His chestplate was the first thing that stood out, the sun reflection turning into rainbows as the etched holy symbols and protections glowed in a blue aurora. The upper platemail held the holy cross on it while the one lower platemail held the holy trinity symbol. His legs were plated with similar steel yet there were winged designs on them also glowing blue on each leg while also protected by a white cloth sash that was wrapped around the waist like a belt.

The shoulder blades were protected as well, and it was here that the wings of Blitzo were no longer white but a darker shade of gray. A symbolization of the loss of purity one must go through in order to mentally qualify for the task of exterminating hundreds, if not thousands of demons. Some did not have the heart to kill, even if it was demons. Blitzo's heart all but opened up to the idea long ago when he first trained. From around his neck was a white cloak whose scarf-like ends waved in the air from the wind while wrapped around his head to make a hood that covered his head in total darkness save for his gray armored horns that stood out.

Blitzo raised his head and the final piece of his Extermination Armor was finally seen by the sniper demon. The most famous and feared piece of it all. All Exterminator Angels held a different mask for their face. A design unique to them to symbolize their individuality. And to spread fear among the population of Hell of those so good at their job of genocide that they became legends muttered in the dark like ghost stories.

Such was the mask of The Grim Reaper Exterminator, whose black mask was a red skull with the eyes of hatred and fury. Teeth like that of a wolf in the night, ready to sink its jaws into your neck. And a glowing glare that made you realize that one thing was here.

Death.

Death had come for you.

Blitzo said nothing as he felt the familiar power of his old self. The Reaper had returned, and it demanded one thing. The one thing it had demanded since he lost everything that night in his childhood.

VENGEANCE.

Blitzo was the first to move. With a smash of his fist into the face of the demonic sniper, the hellspawn was sent flying out into the air, blood coming out of his face and making a streak that followed. It took falling for a few moments for the sniper to remember he could fly, and he summoned a hazy form of shadowing wings from his body. He aimed his gun at Blitzo and fired his shot.

The shot went straight towards Blitzo, who didn't even move and let it pass by his face mere inches from his cheek. He didn't even look phased and merely glared down at the pathetic creature before him.

Screaming, the sniper fired more shots as fast as he could. Blitzo lifted his angelic blade and swiped in the air, blocking them all as if they were baseballs and he was the batter. He didn't move one single inch from his place in the air and merely swatted them away with one hand on his sword.

The sniper then ran out of shots and tried to reload, but before he could Blitzo was already on him—in barely a blink of an eye—with his sword lifted in the air to strike. The sniper lifted his gun to defend himself only to see it sliced in two like a hot knife through butter. Before he could process what happened, Blitzo was like a blur. He slashed, cut, sliced, and so forth in all directions. Appearing like a blur on one side before appearing at another. The strangest thing was that the sniper could feel the blade on his front but he didn't feel pain and there was no blood.

Then Blitzo appeared before him. Silent. Uncaring. Cold.

And then every cut he made, about a hundred, opened up, and all the sniper felt was pain.

Utter pain.

He fell, but Blitzo caught him by the throat. He wasn't done with him. Not by a long shot. He lifted him up, the gasping and screaming demonic sniper who was all but done at this point. Blitzo saw all three of those eyes and put his sword away before he readied his hands.

First pluck.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!

Second pluck.

"GAAAAAHHHH!

Third pluck.

"GUUHHHHHH!

He crushed all three eyes, already melting in the hot aura of his angelic presence, in his fists. He glared up at the bleeding, blind, and brutalized sniper, who was all but a waste of space at this point. But this wasn't enough. It was never enough.

It would never be enough for his pain.

White hot flame burst from Blitzo's wrist as he grabbed the demonic being's head and proceeded to burn it. He didn't even have time to scream. The flames engulfed his body. The smell of rotten burned demonic flesh filled Blitzo's lungs and excited him like a drug. He then threw the demonic body up in the air before summoning his sword once more. As the burning body, on the last legs of its painful existence, came down, Blitzo sliced it in half. The blood washed down upon him like a waterfall of crimson, and his coated white armor and clothing was spoiled in the blood of his enemy.

How a part of him missed this.

The taste.

The sensation.

The pleasure of vengeance.

He floated there in silence. Dripping with blood. Taking it all in. So long. So long since he had done this. So long since he had been unleashed.

So long since he had slain.

"...Sir?"

Blitzo's turned around. Moxxie and Millie were floating behind him and looking at him with something they had never shown their boss before: Fear.

Immediately, Blitzo forced his Exterminator powers back inside of him. A small bright burst of energy and he was back to his normal self, sweating and gasping for breath. He forced his darker self back down. Chained it. Locked away the key. It didn't fight for once, as it had been satisfied with demon blood. But it would hunger for more.

Ten years.

Ten fucking years of never using that power.

And he used it now.

He felt like an addict that just broke ten years of soberness in one moment of weakness.

Looking back now, using it on a demon like this one was stupid. Idiotic. He could have easily killed the assassin without resorting to such brutal measures. But he knew why. He hurt Stolas. He hurt the person he loved. And Stolas had given him permission to do this. That was always his weakness. Love. Love of family, friends, and lovers. He treasured them all. He adored them all. He would kill for them all.

"... Assassin's dead. We're going home," Blitzo whispered as he turned away. He couldn't face them. Not out of just shame, but also to hide his tears.

"But what about-"

"Octavia and her father are safe. Our client's daughter is safe. We're done..."

"... Okay," Millie said as she flew over and put a comforting hand on Blitz's shoulder. "Blitz? It's okay. It was just a demon. They deserve it."

"... Do they Millie? Do they really?" Blitzo whispered before texting Loona to open the portal.

Nobody said anything as they went back to Purgatory.

When her Uncle Blitz returned to the office, Loona couldn't help but notice that something was… off about him. He didn't say a word floating past her, but she saw enough to make her raise an eyebrow. His face was solemn, his eyes gazing at nothing, as though he was looking at something thousands of miles away. And what's more, although it was subtle… he was shaking. Before she could get a word out, Blitz retreated into his office.

Loona looked over at Moxxie and Millie. "What happened?"

"I don't know…" Moxxie said, opening up the door to the armory. An armory they had to put back. "Apparently, we didn't need all of this after all."

"Uncle Blitz got the bad guy?"

"You… could say that." Millie rubbed her arm. "Look, sweetheart, we don't know what happened. By the time we'd shown up… Blitz… wasn't himself."

Loona tilted her head. "What do you mean?"

Moxxie began putting the weapons back. "Let's just say we walked in on something that… we probably shouldn't have. Blitz… well… you know how he said that he used to be an Exorcist?" Loona nodded. "We saw that."

Loona's eyes widened. "Wait, you're serious!? But he never-"

"Hon, please." Millie went over to her. "I don't know why either, but I think it's safe to say that he's shaken up. Don't blame him, really. That said, after we put all this stuff back, we're gonna go ahead and go. But Loona, could you at least do us a favor?"

"What is it?"

"Just make sure your Uncle's okay."

It was well over an hour since Moxxie and Millie had put the armory away and went home, and still Loona waited at her desk for any sign of her Uncle.

A part of her tried to keep herself occupied - like playing a mini-game or two, or sending Collin a text - but most of the time she sat there. Worried. Wondering what happened today that made her uncle go full-on Exorcist. Of course, she knew that was his job in the past. But never once had anything like this happened, as far as she knew. It was out of character, if she was honest. Even with the most dangerous of missions, never had Blitzo ever done anything like this. Glancing over at the door, she couldn't help but wonder…Why? What changed? What caused it?

Finally, Blitzo's door opened. "O-Oh! You're still here?" h asked, wiping tears from his eyes.

"Are you doing okay?"

A forced grin and he nodded. "Uh-huh. Yeah, I'm fine. Still, it's getting late. How come you haven't clocked out yet?"

"... Because only you tell me when to get off, remember?"

"Oh." He blinked. "Oh yeah. Well uh… You're done for the day. Now, do you mind if I borrow that book?" Blitz went over to Loona's desk, where the grimoire sat on the corner between a lamp and a game console.

"Uncle," Loona shifted in her seat, "are you okay?"

"Yes, I'm fine. Really I am."

"If you say so… It's just…"

"Just what?"

"Well, from what Mox and Mill said, you apparently weren't having a good day."

Blitzo went around the desk, wrapping an arm around her. "Oh Loonie, I do appreciate you looking after me. But I am made of stronger stuff, so you don't have to worry about me." He gave a small smile, "Really, I'm okay."

"If you say so." Loona got out of her seat, and as she was picking up her things and her Uncle was heading towards the front office door, she asked, "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna be running some errands before I come home. That, and to make extra sure that someone is okay."

"Okay, and one more thing." Loona walked up to him. "I know I'm adopted, but you're still family to me. I know you're older and all but just so you know, if there's something you want to talk about, I'll hear you out." Then, heading towards the door, she said, "Have a good night, Uncle Blitz. Be safe out there."

"Loona…" Blitz said aloud, making his niece stop just when she touched the doorknob. For a moment, though brief as it was, he did want to tell her everything. About what happened today, about Octavia, and Stolas, and… Instead, he said, "...I'll lock the door on the way out."

And like that, Loona was gone. He wondered for a moment if he really should have said something. Should he have sat her down and tried his best to explain what's really going on now? But he shook his head. Not yet… Not after today…

Then, his phone chimed. Curious, he took it out to see a message that's from Stolas.

When you can, please come to the palace. Octavia wants to talk.

He texted back that he had an errand to run first. As he was shutting off the lights and locking the door, he was dreading what was about to come. Of course, deep down, he knew that it would happen eventually - but for now, he felt like a criminal being called to answer for what he did. He wasn't sure what Octavia was going to say, or what she wanted.

But before he could go and face the music, there was one thing he needed to do. Using the grimoire, he opened a portal back to New York City and stepped right in.

In a royal bedroom in Hell, a portal opened. Blitzo walked through with his arms full, and he immediately spotted Stolas on the bed, along with Octavia and Xein, who was presenting a cup of coffee on a tray. Octavia looked over to him, her gaze sharpened.

"Wait. I come with a peace offering," Blitzo said as he stepped through and his beloved closed the portal behind him. He went over to lay the bags at the foot of Stolas's bed. "It took a while to track everything down, but I figured that you two might want these back."

Octavia went over and looked inside one of the bags. "Wait, isn't this the stuff we got from New York?"

"All of it." Blitzo nodded. "Believe me when I say it wasn't easy. Trying to get all this from a crime scene without anyone noticing and all. Oh! And I also found this." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a phone. "I think this is yours."

"You went to get my phone back?" Octavia took it and unlocked it. Yep, this was definitely hers.

Xein cleared his throat to get Blitz's attention. "Would you like anything, sir? A drink perhaps?"

"After today, I'm gonna need it. The usual, if you don't mind."

Xein nodded and exited out the room.

Blitzo turned his attention towards Stolas. It was almost surreal seeing him there. His back against pillows with bandages on his shoulder and an IV drip going. No doubt some painkillers to help ease getting shot. "Are you okay?"

"I'm soldiering on, as they say. And…" Stolas's face darkened. "Did you get him?"

"He's dead. I made sure he won't ever be repeating that again."

Stolas nodded. He raised a hand to beckon him to his side. Blitz complied, taking his hand as he sat on the edge of the bed.

Octavia, sitting in a chair on the other side from the angle, laid back in her seat. "So, Blitz," she said, getting their attention. "Before I say anything, first I want you to know something that I couldn't say to you earlier."

Blitzo gripped Stolas's hand tighter. His throat felt dry. "O-Okay…?"

"It's true that you scare the piss out of me, then after what you did for my Dad here, I do have to bring up that if it wasn't for you, he wouldn't be alive right now… Thank you." She leaned forward. "That said, I have been thinking of this for hours. The idea that you are seeing my father."

"Octavia-" Blitzo was about to say something, but she held up her hand to shush him.

"Here's the thing," she told him. "Since my Dad came out, I knew that he would eventually probably go dating someone. That I get. When it turned out that it was you, an angel, suddenly I was worried more of you possibly using him. So, after everything that has happened, I have two questions for you."

Blitzo raised an eyebrow. "Really? Only two?"

"You heard," she nodded, "Don't you dare try to bullshit me when I ask. Because what I want right now is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing except the truth. And that goes the same with you, Dad. I don't want it sugarcoated. I don't want any white lies. I want you to at least tell it to my face. So, Blitz, be honest with me here… Do you love my Dad, really?"

Blitzo looked her in the eye, unflinching. "Yes. I do love your father."

Octavia stared at him for a moment. "I want you to remember that. Remember those words exactly. You may be an angel - a bloody Exterminator, even. But you know what? After today, I don't fear death now. Mark my words, if you - ever - hurt my father... If you try to manipulate him. If you ever betray him. If you so much as break his heart; I will do everything I can to hunt you down, knock down the gates of Heaven itself if I have to so I can rip every single feather off you and deep fry your wings. There will be no place in this universe you can hide where I won't find you. Do you understand me?"

Blitzo nodded. "If I ever do that, then I swear I won't try to stop you."

Octavia nodded and sat back down. "I can see why you like him, Dad."

Stola's eyes widened. "You mean…?"

"I told you back at the restaurant that you're an adult, and I can't tell you want to do. Of course, I'm both confused and terrified that you picked an angle as a boyfriend - but at the end of the day, he did save us. He saved you. If there's any proof that he does care, it would be that. Besides, I can tell by looking at him that he's nothing like Mum. He's not a coward, nor a fucking backstabber. So Dad, if you really want to keep seeing him, I promise I won't stop you."

"But what about when I said-"

"I was worried that he might be manipulating you but… I don't see that. That said, Dad," she smiled, "just be careful, alright?"

"Oh, Via, thank you!" Stolas reached up and kissed her forehead. "Thank you so much!"

Octavia broke away, but the smile still remained.

Blitzo was relieved, his arms were are already hugging Stolas tightly. In that rapterus moment where it felt like another miracle, he kissed him with tears of joy in his eyes.

Octavia looked away - yeah… this was something she'd have to get used to.

After breaking the kiss, Blitzo looked up. "Thank you." Straightening up his back, he asked, "And what's the other question you have?"

"Right," Octavia looked at him. "It's a complicated one. I had so many questions about you and Dad that I didn't know where to start until now."

"Oh…" Blitzo looked down at Stolas, their eyes meeting. They knew it was time.

Just then, the bedroom door opened where Xein walked in with a cocktail. "Your drink, sir?"

Blitzo instantly gulped down the whole glass - by the love of God was he going to need it.

"Xein," Stolas told him, "I want this conversation to be private. So make sure that no one interrupts. We want to be alone for this."

"Yes sir." Xein walked away, closing the door behind it. Stolas even locked it for good measure.

"So…" Blitzo gulped. "W-What do you want to know?"

Octavia closed her eyes. "Begin at the beginning, go on until you get to the end, then stop." She opened her eyes. "I know you two mentioned meeting up ten years ago, but you didn't say how exactly. So my question is… how did you two meet in the first place?"

Blitzo looked over to Stolas, he felt him holding his hand tightly. "It's alright, darling." Stolas told him, "I'm here."

The angel looked between his lover and Octavia, "Are… Are you sure? I don't know if I…"

"Together then. I'll be right here beside you."

There was a tense pause. The uncomfortable kind. He looked up at Octavia. He was going to do this. Dear Lord, this was really happening. He could feel himself sweat, his hand clammy and cold, and those memories… "Your father and I…" He gulped, looking down at Stolas, at those eyes that assured him that no matter what, everything was going to be okay.

But he needed a moment to form his words. It had been so long, and yet, still so fresh in his mind. "The truth is, when I met your father, it was on the second worst day of my life."

Octavia raised an eyebrow.

Taking in a deep breath, Blitzo and Stolas began their tale.

"SATAN FUCKING DAMNIT!"

A scream.

A crash.

Over by a wall, a telephone was smashed in dozens of pieces.

Stella seethed beyond rage, and not without good reason. The company she hired to assassinate Stolas - the one she paid good money for - hadn't done their damn job!

A lamp exploded on the floor.

It was beyond outrageous! The nerve of those fucking cowards! By every account, this should have been easy for them to do. The tracking device on Octavia's phone should have easily led right to him. All they had to do was to go to where he was, shoot him with an angel steel-tip bullet, and then mission accomplished! But no. Instead, they spend her precious time on a phone call to tell her some ridiculous story of an angel that came to save her husband, and later butchered the assassin she hired.

It had to be a lie.

Not only could the assassin she hired couldn't do his job, but now the company had the balls to not offer a refund!

Bang!

Boom!

Crash!

In moments, her room looked as though a war had gone through it, with furniture shattered, expensive knick-knacks broken, and walls having several holes.

It was only until she smashed her mirror that it snapped her back to reality. Taking a breath, she ran her talons through her hair. "Note to self, don't trust incompetent fucking idiots to kill your butt-fucker husband."

She had hoped that someone on such a large company would have done their job - after all, she already had the celebration for Stolas's death planned out, from the vintage bottle of champagne to the days-long orgy she was going to engage in. But now, it looked like all of those would have to be on hold.

"So now what?" Stella asked herself. She didn't like having this feeling of being stuck, but that's exactly where she was. Among the chaotic mess that would be a migraine for her servants to clean up, she spotted something on the floor. Walking over and picking it up, the page was the advertisement section from a newspaper. She never gave it a second look before, but there was a rather bold-looking one that caught her eye.

"This better not be a scam," she said aloud, tracing a finger around the ad. "One way or another, he will pay. Stolas will die, and I will make everything right again."

She hoped that they would be more competent than the last one.

A knock on the door made her growl. "I'm busy! Leave me the fuck alone!"

"Come on, dear sister! Not even for your loving brother?" a flamboyant and arrogant tone asked before Stella rolled her eyes and walked over to open the door for her annoying brother, Marquis Andrealphus. "I love the new decoration style, Stella! War-zone afterglow with a hint of inadequacy. I take it they are from the aftermath of your failure to kill your husband? Again?"

"Shut up, Andrealphus!" Stella growled as she walked back to her broken seat and crossed her arms. "I was close this time!"

"Yes, well, close doesn't put Stolas in the grave and Octavia in our clutches, now does it?" Andrealphus said with amusement before smirking. "Mother certainly wasn't pleased."

That made Stella sweat and gulp. Of all beings she feared in Hell, only Lucifer was above her mother. The very thought of angering her was enough to make Stella need a drink to calm herself - if not several. Shaking her head, Stella muttered, "I'm going to get Stolas. I will."

"Well, you better. Honestly, how hard is it to kill your spouse? I did it with my dear Claeria about two years into our marriage. It's shockingly easier to fake suicides then people say it is," Andrealphus giggled.

"You don't think I tried?! I tried for years to kill Stolas after Octavia was born so we could get full custody as planned, but those servants of his are extremely loyal to him and good at their jobs!" Stella shouted in frustration. "Not to mention he is such a recluse! The only time he goes out is taking Octavia someplace, and that's often with his best guards or places no assassin would ever try to attempt to kill someone out of fear of risking the wrath of a Ring Lord! Poison? Please, Stolas is more careful than that. I even thought about switching his depression medication for suicide pills, but he stopped using that stuff ten years ago for some fucking reason. When I learned he was going into the human world today, I thought this was finally it, but that didn't work either!"

"Well, this would be easier if he hadn't divorced your white-feathered ass," Andrealphus mentioned.

"Oh, like you thought he was going to have the balls to do that too! We all didn't see that coming! Not even our dear sweet mother who planned all of this!" Stella huffed before covering her eyes. "I have until Octavia turns eighteen to get her under my ownership if we're going to get anything from Stolas's inheritance for our own family, and that's only a few months away! So forgive me for being stressed out!"

Andrealphus sighed as he wrapped his arms around his sister's neck and nuzzled her top. "My dear, sweet, beautiful Stella. Just be patient. Our time will come. Our family has never failed to take what we want in all the years we've been doing this. Even if you fail, mother will come through. She always does. Stolas will die and Octavia will be ours. After that… well..."

"... We're not going to kill her to get everything when she is ours," Stella whispered softly. "Are we?"

"Having second thoughts? Well, there are other ways. But remember, the only loyalty we have is to our own family. If Octavia is a liability… we might have no choice," Andrealphus whispered as he patted her back. "Besides, you know you can always have another one."

Stella said nothing, but sighed. "Let's just focus on killing Stolas. I have an idea for who to hire this time."

"Good, but if you fail? I would go to mother," Andrealphus whispered as he walked away, sashing his hips. "Oh, and do be a dear and stop by my room later?"

"... Sure," Stella whispered, looking down.

"Ta-ta!" Andrealphus said as he closed the door behind him.

Stella just sat there silently, before sighing. After getting another phone, she called the number.

"... Striker here. Who can I kill for you?"

End Of Episode 2

Next Time: Heart Of Greed

"Loona feels that she's not getting the respect nor attention she deserves from both her family and her crush, but it's because she might be acting a bit greedy for both. Her friend Keenie believes she needs to go through a special kind of therapy that will help her with her greed issue. It works at first, but soon Loona starts acting weird for her desires, especially when it looks like Collin might be having a new girlfriend. Is it really a problem deep inside or does the Doctor taking care of her have ulterior motives?"