A/N:

Hi everyone! It's time for the news segment to start with Lucifer and Lilith, and for Alastor and Angel's date to being as well! Posting this chapter today and the final part of all these events tomorrow before I go on vacation. I hope you enjoy the drama and fluff! Thanks for reading!

Partners

Chapter 88:

No News is Good News - Part 2

Steve stood near the head of the crowd inside the television station and just watched the show, not sure if he was more stunned or appalled at the sight before him. It was bad enough that they were here, but they were still parents deep down, even if they were making a mistake right now. Steve had figured, at worse, Lucifer and Lilith might crack a few jokes about the hotel, maybe gently discourage Charlie's redemption mission, or even just make a public statement that she was on her own and didn't have their official political support.

He hadn't expected them to make this personal, or to be so very cruel.

Indeed, the moment after the King and Queen sat down while Katie gave them lavish introductions and brought up the hotel, the show quickly took such a severe turn that made Steve doubt he could ever respect hell's rulers ever again.

"Yes, your daughter Princess Charlie is quite an individual, with quite 'interesting' ideas about how to run hell! We're so grateful you've granted us this all-access, consequence-free, once-in-an-eternity interview about her, especially since she's very unlikely to show up on our show again." Katie beamed to the crowd. "If I recall correctly, her last appearance ended with a standing ovation — of jeers!" She nudged Tom hard enough to bruise a rib and glared at him, clearly demanding a laugh. Tom managed an uncomfortable cough mixed with a chuckle, followed by an annoyed glare right back at her.

The crowd was suddenly tense, waiting for how the King and Queen would respond to Katie actually insulting their daughter on the air.

There was no anger or indignation though, no smiting or threats. Lucifer and Lilith just kept their heads held high, their mouths in tight lines, a strangely numb united front. It seemed this interview really did have no limits or rules about what was allowed. And Katie was clearly eager to take full advantage.

"She's her own person, with her own ideas about heaven and hell," Lucifer responded levelly. Though he did add, with a slight tension in his voice, eyeing Katie, "Beings unfamiliar with the ways of cosmic entities such as ourselves might have trouble understanding her methods."

Lilith gave a small nod, sitting up tall. "Yes. Her nature, forged in love and flame, compels her to lead all of you — and leading is a very demanding job that requires much from her." There was an undercurrent of tension in her tone too that she just barley pulled back as she went on. "Our concern is the effect so much effort can have on a young, sensitive, powerful being such as herself, especially amidst all of the public backlash there's been already."

Katie grinned wickedly at the camera. "Well, why don't we got to the tape and judge the effects for ourselves, hmm? Tom!" She went to elbow him again, but Tom managed to duck out of the way just in time. He hit a button under the desk. A clip started playing on the screen behind them.

Steve raised an eyebrow. Wherever camera had recorded this, it was high in the air and moving. What was it looking at…?

His eyes widened in realization. This was footage of the mob battle.

The camera must have been on a drone or something, flying over everything, just like the one Baxter had used so Charlie could keep an eye on the fight. And this rogue camera was zooming in now on Angel and Husk and Alastor — all these people who were involved with the hotel and who were currently shooting guns and summoning dark magic and throwing punches and encouraging each other on with vicious grins. The carnage was on full display.

Katie spoke, a wicked smile in her voice. "This footage was covertly taken from the scene of a rather large brawl in hell's streets that resulted in the casualties of hundreds of souls. And look at the three demons leading the charge! The hotel's benefactor — Alastor the Radio Demon, one of his lackey's — that old washed up casino cat Husk, and none other than their special first hotel guest — Angel Dust the porn star and now apparently hit man. Tisk, tisk… Turf wars are one thing but massacres are just excessive. Is Charlie trying to redeem souls or train them to riot?"

"Ooo, hey, there's Cherri!" Tom beamed as the camera caught sight of the one-eyed sinner. "Look at her fight! Ouch, I'd take a fisting from her, heh."

Katie tugged his gas mask forward and then let it slam back into his face, making him groan.

Lucifer sighed, hands gripped on his thighs as he turned away from the screen. "Yes, yes, it was troubling to see sinners who claim to be acceptable companions for my daughter fighting and murdering in the streets with no clear goal for gaining territory or power."

"We've tried to build a city here in hell based on certain constants and rules," Lilith offered. "We're the damned, but we're still a society. Charlie represents the hope of that society…or, she's supposed to." She looked into the camera, the bright lights of the stage keeping any tears at the edges of her eyes from being noticed.

"Oh yes, yes, of course!" Katie nodded with a fake solemn frown. Then she grinned again. "And did we ever find out a cause for this brawl? Or why Charlie could be bothered to let loose such a shameful display on the Pentagram but couldn't be bothered to oversee it personally? Other than, of course, the obvious likelihood of wanting to avoid a PR nightmare like this one." She genuinely seemed about to giggle.

Lucifer clenched his jaw, his eyes down, and swallowed. "We…believe the fight was a personal squabble of the hotel guests that got out of hand. Our daughter didn't start the conflict…though her hotel did bring together the people who did."

"I'll remind you," Lilith started, looking to Katie imperiously, "that Charlie's purpose in hell is to be our future — ruling is a weighty burden. She needs the support of her people now more than ever to find the way that's best for her to rule — for everyone. It's no wonder a combination of prudence and the realization of her role in this chaos would overwhelm her and keep her away from the fighting."

"Yes, acting out of fear and guilt sounds about right for her!" Katie agreed, holding her head high (though even Tom looked at her with some concern as Lucifer and Lilith watched her with barely-contained looks of annoyance, and Lucifer's eyes flashed golden to look like snakes).

The camera footage changed views and now showed the hotel door opening and Husk and Alastor and Cherri dragging a passed out Angel inside. Katie cleared her throat, speaking over the clip. "And here we see Charlie offering shelter and safety to her guests who were in the fight. Tisk, tisk, all that damage to those poor souls, and so much of it could have been avoided if she'd only gone down to that small war and taken control of things. Or if she hadn't decided to drag private citizens into her cosmic plans about heaven in the first place. Really just a shame that she won't fight her own battles." The clip ended and Katie grinned at the camera. "For a princess who wants to rid hell of sinners through salvation, she's certainly bringing far more sin than we usually see to the circle of Pride."

A few chuckles left the crowd, growing only as Katie glared at them all with barely-concealed rage. The eyes of all the audience still shifted uncomfortably to her guests though, gauging Lucifer and Lilith's reaction.

They didn't demand any apologies or revenge…but they didn't laugh either.

"Now then," Katie went on as he held up a hand to silence the sounds of the crowd, "let's continue on with the interview and our deep dive into why Charlie Magne needs to stop being the princess SHE WANTS and needs to start becoming the princess WE NEED."

Steve's tail curled around himself and his ears went down. At this point the only reason he could stand to stay and keep listening to this insulting garbage was for Charlie's sake. If there ended up being some information he could bring back to her to help…it would be worth enduring this whole horrible show.

And maybe he could do even more than bring back information. He glanced over at the wall of tech devices just off screen — and at one in particular that was glowing, with a flash drive inserted in the front. There was the footage.

He snuck through the crowd in that direction as the interview went on.

Upon teleporting into Alastor's office for their date this evening, Angel had been surprised to find a mixture of decor — at the center of the room was a set table with two chairs that reminded him of the decor at the cafe, on Alastor's desk were vases of reeds and cattails with fireflies swarming around them, overhead was a sign with flashing gold lights like a Hollywood marquee that read 'Bistro FOR TWO', and next to the sofa by the window was an ornate microphone set up beside a stripper pole.

Angel had looked to Alastor with an amused grin, and Alastor had explained that on the night of the open house, just before Angel had arrival here to talk about their future and share their first kiss, Alastor had been unable to choose the right atmosphere for the room and had cycled through several of the ones Angel was currently viewing. He figured bringing in a touch of each tonight would make their dining experience unique.

And who was Angel to question him, especially as the deer shyly pulled out his chair and bowed low, waiting for him to sit, doe eyes so full of wonder and mouth smiling with such joy. All Angel could think about as he settled in was the fact that those lips might speak to him tonight of love (upon which he was going to kiss the daylights out of them straight til dawn).
Alastor took his seat, finally bringing the spider out of his reverie, and with a snap of his fingers dinner was served.

Angel blinked at the spread and then instantly felt his heart warm and a big beaming smile come over his face.

"Oh, Al…you cooked Italian?"

"TRIED to cook Italian," Alastor offered shyly, gesturing to each dish. "Lasagna, sautéed escarole, garlic bread with olive oil, and the wine is Italian as well." He sighed. "I'm afraid it was a new style of cooking for me, so I may not have gotten the flavors right. And I had a dickens of a time not killing the escarole with my touch, though it is a tad wilted. And I may have overstuffed the lasagna slightly. And I was both concerned that the amount of garlic called for in the garlic bread recipe would be simultaneously not enough and too much. But I hope you'll enjoy, darling."

Angel was already heaping big servings onto his plate. He bit into the lasagna and smiled. "Smiles, it's good, real good. You did so good…" He sniffed, trying not to cry as he took bites of garlic bread and escarole now too. "You're so brilliant. I'm gonna try to cook Creole for you soon, I swear."

Alastor chuckled, the picture of happiness. "Anything you make will be a sinful delight for me, darling. Though I would indeed be intrigued to sample your take on jambalaya sometime." He poured the wine then held up a glass. "To a happy future free from strife."

Angel raised his glass too. "And to finding someone special even in hell."

They clinked glasses and drank, eyeing each other dreamily.

Alastor began to serve himself now too, adding humbly, "Just so you know, I attempted to make cannolis for dessert. I'm abysmal at sweets of any kind though, but I loaded the filing with chocolate chips so I hope that makes up for any shortcomings."

"You ain't got no shortcomings… Right now, tonight, you are perfect and all the man I ever dreamed of having," Angel mused, dunking his bread in the lasagna sauce.

Alastor beamed. "That's all I've ever wanted to be since we came together." His smile quirked up on one side. "Speaking of the cannolis, before dessert, might I have a word with you, Angel? It's about something special, and I'd really rather not wait."

Angel's heart danced — Alastor was going to confess! "Of course, Smiles, bring it on." Tonight was going to be perfect, Angel just knew it. He ate, gazing at his beloved Alastor, feeling not a doubt in his heart or a drop of pain in his angelic wound.

Valentino had woken up this morning on Vox's couch, very aware that today he would be leaving to return back to the familiarity (and loneliness) of his apartment above the studio. It was a good thing though — being away from the other overlord would give him time to clear his head and hopefully clean out his heart of his new pesky feelings. He could also take a quick tour around the place to make sure everyone knew he was back and that they needed to stay in line. And being back in the groove of his usual job would make his life start falling back into place so everything could officially go back to normal.

He should have been entirely relieved. So then why did he feel a weight in his chest — an aching sensation like something was ending? And like, if nothing changed right now, nothing would ever change, and that would be the worst fate of all?

Every time he looked at Vox's front door and imagined walking out of it, Valentino felt a lump in his healed throat. And so he decided to put off the big exit just a little longer. After all, leaving 'today' didn't mean he had to leave first thing in the morning. Might as well get a few more free meals out of Vox and spend a little extra time practicing walking with Vark and mentally preparing himself for whatever he was going to decide to do about Angel later whether or not Vox's plan for laying him off panned out. All of it was headaches — one more afternoon and evening of avoiding them wouldn't hurt.

Vox showed no signs of being ready to kick him out either. While the day passed and Valentino rested or watched shows on his phone, the television ran a few errands then just sat at his desk and counted receipts and played fetch with Vark. The television even…packed Val up a little bag of medical supplies to take with him, an action with made the moth want to cry, (which was his most fucked up emotional response yet, in his opinion).

Velvet had been suspiciously absent all day (an absence that was explained when she texted Valentino's phone saying she was 'sorry' she couldn't stop by today to see him off but he should 'have fun with Vox' followed by a bunch of hearts and kissy faces and way too many eggplant emojis).

Valentino had sighed and shoved the phone in his pocket with a scowl. Nothing was going to happen. And in only a few more hours, he would prove it.

Quickly, the day passed until the hour was just after five, and Vox was getting ready to cook dinner — their last meal here together. He headed toward the kitchen…

Heading away from Valentino, just like Valentino would be heading away from him soon too…

Suddenly the idea of spending the next (and possibly last) few hours of their time here being apart from each other felt so wrong that Valentino quickly (but still casually) blurted out, "Hey, uh…want any help with the cooking? I mean, I suck usually except for grilled cheese, but I can follow directions or whatever."

Vox paused and smirked over his shoulder playfully. "You? Follow directions?"

"Ha ha," Valentino croaked dryly. "When it comes to laws and rules and contracts and crap, no. When it comes to food, which actually matters, hell yes."

Vox chuckled, which made Valentino's eyes widen and his body feel warm all over. How the hell had he never noticed how Vox's little digital nose crinkled when he thought something was funny or the way his digital eyes closed and turned to little triangles of joy for a moment, or how the sound of his laughter was like a bright, digital song. He felt so good making Vox laugh.

Fuck, there HAD to be a way to turn this shit off.

Vox walked back over held out his hand to help him up off the couch. Valentino made himself take it, because why the fuck not at this point? Shit, was holding hands supposed to feel all warm and special like this? As he got standing, Valentino quickly released Vox's hand and tried to shake off the sensation.

Vox just smiled. "You can help me — I'd appreciate it. Vel usually chops the vegetables for me when she's here since she loves the knives so much, so can do that. It's just like cutting lines of coke, only the blade is bigger and you have to do some dicing along with the slicing, heh."

"Oh great, vegetables again AND you just reminded me how good coke is even though I don't have any." Despite the sarcasm, Valentino couldn't help breaking into a little grin of his own. As they walked toward the kitchen, a smiling Vark yipped and dashed around their legs, leading the way. Vox reached out and pushed open in the door, and all three of them entered the warm and welcoming little room.

Being in here together felt nice — even better than the hand holding. And suddenly Valentino had a feeling that this moment (even if everything really did go back to 'normal' after he left tonight) was something he would remember fondly forever…no matter how many drugs or drinks he might take in any number of fits of stubbornness and despair to purge it from his mind.

Vox pulled out a pan and gestured to a brown grocery bag on the counter. "Veggies are in there. All of them are going in the lasagna — Don't try sneaking any to Vark to eat, he always spits them out."
The little shark panted with a happy smile.

"Lasagna?" Valentino wrinkled his nose. "Where'd you get that idea? Angel?" He hadn't meant to let that last part slip out — he knew Angel was still a touchy subject for them.

To his surprise Vox actually nodded as he grabbed a bottle of tomato sauce and a bag of cheese out of the fridge. "Actually yeah. He likes posting food on his Voxtagram account." "You're following him?" Valentino tried not to snarl. First the deer demon now the spider slut. Seriously? Why the hell was the tv obsessed with everyone but HIM?!

"I follow everyone — it's my platform." Vox shrugged. "Anyway, one of his feeds is a lot of Italian food, and some of it looks really good." He turned on the oven then hesitated. "Val, you do know that… me keeping Angel away from the studio — it's not something I'm doing to hurt you or to mess with you. It's really just for the studio's sake and your sake…and for Angel's sake, of course. Hell, maybe for Alastor's sake and my sake and Velvet's sake too."

Valentino had the knife in hand, trying to chop a zucchini without butchering it. He clenched his jaw. "Can we just not talk about Alastor or Angel?"

Vox sighed and nodded. "You're right. Maybe we could…talk about us instead?"

Valentino nearly chopped his finger off in surprise at that question. "Huh?" 'Us?' Oh fuck, did Vox have feelings too? Was he about to confess something? Did they both want… Oh, Valentino would play hard to get at first, rolling his eyes and acting like he could care less. But if Vox pushed even a little, there'd be no stopping him. And suddenly all Valentino could see in his mind was an image of himself being railed by that television right here on the kitchen counter.

Vox nodded, smiling at him. "Us — you know…our friendship? I really want us to start over now and to try to be better than we were. Because you're a good friend to me, Val. And I don't want to lose you again like I almost did. And I don't even just mean the mob battle, I mean before that too — the falling out we had."

Valentino felt his antennae droop a bit. A really good friend… Their friendship… Friends to the end. That's all Vox wanted to talk about, and of course it made sense — cuz that's all they were or would ever be. "I, uh…" Maybe staying this long today had been a mistake. He should make an excuse and leave now.

Before he could talk though ,Vox's screen flashed red and let out a high pitched beep.

"Vox?!" The knife in Valentino's hand clattered to the floor, and his heart raced in panic.

Vox's face returned to normal, a serious look there now."There's a news broadcast going on. Something big that I didn't authorize and that's pre-empting all the other shows and ads. What the hell…." He stalked out of the kitchen. Valentino and Vark shared a nervous look and quickly followed.

Vox turned on the living room television. The Channel 666 Logo appeared with the anchors Katie and Tom behind a desk, and…King Lucifer and Queen Lilith in the guest chairs.

"Oh. Fuck." Valentino's jaw hung open. "I don't know if I'm more impressed with whatever the fuck drama this is more more pissed for you that they slapped it together behind your back."

Vox blazed with anger, sparks coming off of his antennae. "Who the hell authorized this without telling me!?"

"Probably Lucifer…" slipped out of Valentinos's mouth as he still tired to piece together what might be happening here with this clear impending dumpster fire of drama. "He's the only one who kind of outranks all of us, the uppity prick…" Suddenly, on a big screen behind them, some footage started playing that seemed familiar.

Vox's digital eyes blazed a variety of colors as he turned up the volume to hear what was big said. "I don't care if he IS the king of hell! This is a raging violation of my domain… We have a fucking government for a reason!"

Valentino tried not to let his heart pound at unexpected passionate display.

They could hear Katie speaking now. "Yes, the hotel really is quite a mess! Princess Charlie certainly has some explaining to do and so do her guests. Don't you agree, Tom?"

"Only because I have to, Katie."

That reply earned him a belt in the ribs that sent him straight to the floor.

Katie turned to talk more with Lucifer and Lilith. "Now then, while we continue watching the rest of this dreadful proof of Princess Charlie's poor performance both as a savior and sovereign of hell, don't you two have a final nail in the coff— I mean, a final compelling reason for questioning her actions until she gets her head on straight and abandons this hotel nonsense?"

Lucifer's eyes went wide, staring down. He grabbed Lilith's hand on instinct and squeezed.
She took a breath and spoke for both of them in a low but steady tone. "Charlotte has stated that her desire with redemption is to end the purges for the sake of our citizens. Our citizens should NOT mock her for that intention." Her eyes flashed as she looked out at the crowd, and a small tremor of fear when through the audience. She sighed and looked away from them again. "But our citizens should know that our daughter may not be thinking all of the parameters through clearly. She knows better, and she has a personal stake in the matter now because she…" But now even Lilith swallowed, the words weighing heavily on her lips.

Head down, eyes glowing gold, Lucifer finished for her. "Last year's extermination was one of the worst in centuries…and Charlie was the cause." The words hung heavy in the air for a moment before he went on. "The exterminations have always broken her down inside — an incompatibility we've tried but failed to aid. She's been playing with the idea of sending sinners to heaven for years but…it was never serious until last year." His eyes narrowed in thought. "last year was the first time we expected her to signal the start and end of the extermination — it's part of taking her rightful place as ruler, with all the responsibility leading entails. She…was unhappy. She did signal the start of the angel attacks…but then she snuck out and tried to reason with our heavenly 'guests', smiling and speaking of her people and singing songs about chasing rainbows." His hand holding Lilith's shook. "Her insolence and denial of their purpose enraged them…and so did her very presence among them. They razed whole districts of demons in seconds — only her return home stopped the perpetual carnage. And then later she…signaled the end of the yearly purge, and left home for the hotel once and for all." His gold eyes were shining now with tears he couldn't hide.

There where whispers and murmurs in the crowd.

Lucifer managed to go on. "Her only hope for escaping the tremendous guilt of her role in the exterminations… and her role in the deaths of so many last year…would be to really find a way for the souls themselves to circumvent the process through redemption." He looked up, voice booming. "You don't understand her burden! She's not like you! She's like me, she's like them… the angels! I was one of them once, and she…has part of that legacy within herself as well, deep down in another life that never was but could have been! A part of her that…doesn't belong here. She is a bit of heaven forcing a breach into hell, a betrayal in the eyes of the angels. So much so that she can never engage with them directly again on your behalf of they will tear this realm asunder!" The tears in his eyes were so heavy now that they glinted under the stage lights. "The least you masses can do is stop toying with her idea for redemption for joke or a bit of gossip and actually help her take full pride in herself and her position and destiny so she can belong fully and help you for all eternity."

There was total silence.

"Did…" Tom started, looking almost fearful in his bewilderment, "did he just…say our demon princess is different because she's definitely…part angel?"

Katie was smirking with such delight. "And she got a bunch of demons killed because she just would't play ball with her cushy princess life…"

Lilith spoke quickly, addressing the crowd, soothing them with her dulcet tones and firm conviction. "She is a competent and capable leader who only needs your continued support, as your King has said. The Princess is working to accept her destined nature. Once she does, she will mature into the queen you all need. We've chosen to discuss these delicate matters publicly today for her own good and yours, and we hope you will support her journey. And we hope that next year she will oversee the extermination without hesitation or false hope given to others about heaven. We are all here for a reason, and here we must stay." She squeezed Lucifer's hand, then blinked away her own tears and quickly added, "Erm…perhaps we can leave off further questions and go back to the footage now?"

"Can do!" Tom quickly replied. After awkwardly watching the confession of the King and Queen he was now grateful for any distraction.

Back in Vox's penthouse, the tv overlord tapped the mute button. "Oh wow…" He blinked, mouth gaping open. "That…That interview was rough even by demon standards. I…I think they just shifted the entire role of royalty in hell. They turned their own daughter into some kind of holy outcast… Shit, this is going to be a PR nightmare… Val, any ideas for how to spin this because at this point I'm open to anything, even stuff involving drugs or porn." He glanced at Valentino.

But Val wasn't paying attention to him. His eyes were glued to the screen, and he was trying not to let his heart sink as the footage focused in on three specific demons — Alastor, Husk, then Angel — and he finally realized…this was footage from the mob battle. And if someone had taped that fight they might have also gotten footage of him with his ass kicked, pathetically dragging himself through the massacre, or maybe nearly getting the shit kicked out of himself by that spider mobster, or worse…being bound and gagged right at Angel's feet. "Shit…shit…shit…" Valentino felt panic descend over him, stronger than it had ever been since his first days as an anxious streetwalker in hell. His breaths were shallow, he was light headed, and he couldn't feel his fingers or toes. He would not be able to come back from this degree of public humiliation — his reputation would be in tatters and everyone would see that deep down he was just…just…

Suddenly the moth couldn't keep standing and he fell to his knees, Vark hopping over and bracing him just in time.

"Val?!" Vox dashed over too, face full of worry.

Valentino swallowed and swore he could feel the piano wire tight around his throat again. "Make them shut it off." He croaked. "Before they see me in that footage of that fucking mob fight, make them shut it off!" He clung to Vox's lapels desperately.

Vox met his eyes, understanding dawning. Then the television gave a single reassuring nod before standing up with a wicked glare. "Why make them when I can do it myself?" Wires shot out of his sleeves and latched onto ports on the sides of his television. His screen flashed with binary code and brightly colored pixels as electricity gathered around him in a blue glow.

Valentino held his breath and watched while Vark cuddled into his lap in worry.

"Yes…almost…" Vox mumbled. "Oh shit!"

Both the moth and the shark gasped as the electricity suddenly overloaded and blasted Vox to the floor. Valentino and Vark crawled over to check on him, but thankfully the tv sat up and just coughed, rubbing at a small crack in his screen. The screen of the room's television, meanwhile, was black now. Then it suddenly changed to rainbow bars with a 'technical difficulties' sign across the front.

"What the fuck was that, are you okay!?" Valentino asked in a panic, not giving a fuck about staying cool anymore as he looked over every inch of the television and winced at the sight of the crack in his face.

"I'm fine, really. Just a blown fuse. It'll heal quick." Vox sighed. "Looks like I wasn't the only one trying to cut the show short. I think that might have been Alastor's work — or at least the Cannibal Colony. They used to chew through my main tower cables sometimes." He sent out another cable that latched onto the tv, his brow furrowed. "Yeah, definitely them along with me. Broadcasting is cut off from both ends — means I couldn't turn things back on even if I wanted to. I'll have to head down there and do a full reboot." His look went dry. "This is gonna be such a paperwork headache with all my advertisers."

Valentino just sat there quietly, still processing the fact that Vox really was okay.

"But first…" Vox pulled his cable out of the television and straightened his tie and little hat. Then he grabbed his phone and dialed. When he spoke into the receiver, it was not in a happy tone. "Get me Katie and Tom NOW! … I don't fucking care if god themself is their guest, I said NOW!" He stood up and paced as a moment passed. Then he was all fire and brimstone, and toying with Katie like an exemplary overlord. "Katie! … Yeah, I did see your special… No, it was not an 'impressive surprise' and no, I DO NOT want to be the next 'super secret headliner' guest on your show! Your show only exists at my pleasure. So you tell me, why the hell wasn't I told about… Oh, special request from Lucifer, huh? One of the conditions of him appearing for a nothing-off-limits interview? I see, uh huh. Well, is Lucifer going to keep you safe when I come over there and demote you to OFF THE AIR PERMANENTLY in a media and biblical sense? You KNOW that any major programming events and changes are supposed to go through me no matter who they involve! And let me tell you something — this little segment of yours will NOT be repeated, you will DESTROY that footage, and you will leave the hotel situation ALONE. This stunt riled up the cannibals, and I am not getting into an overlord war just so you can get a scoop! And for the next three months Tom will be anchoring the news alone while you hold the cue cards, and you can thank every damn circle of hell that I don't do something worse to you! Do you understand me?" He paused as a response was given, his quieting a bit, but sounding dark now. "Good. Now, go offer your sincerest apologies to the King and Queen for having them take part in such an embarrassment of program, then GO HOME and just hope the Radio Demon doesn't get to you before I do and turn you into HIS special guest!" And with that final threat, he hung up.

Vox shook with rage for a moment, then took a deep breath and finally calmed down. When he turned back to Valentino, he was all concern and sincerity once more. "Hey, Val? It's okay now. Trust me, she'll do what I say. No one's going to see any more of that footage. Are you all right?"

Valentino blinked a few times and nodded. Seeing Vox hurt had almost made him entirely forget about his panic at his looming public embarrassment and shame. "Yeah. Thanks for…thanks." Suddenly he was fighting back tears, and then in a weak moment he stood up and hugged Vox tightly.

The television stayed perfectly still in surprise… then gently patted him on the back.

It wasn't a hug in return, but it was enough for now, especially as Vark wrapped himself around the both of them.

A far-too-short moment later, they separated. Valentino couldn't meet Vox's eyes.

"Val?" Vox asked softly, gently, like he really cared… "Maybe you should stay here one more night. Just to be safe. Come on, you can rest on the couch and I'll finish making dinner. Then you can head to bed early, and I'll head out and fix the cable situation. Everything will be fine by morning." He held out a hand, like he was going to guide him over to the couch, but Valentino hesitated.

"Vox…why did you want them to leave the hotel alone?" Suddenly tumbled out of him

Vox paused, tilting his head curiously. "Because that place is connected to the King and Queen and Princess, and messing around in their stuff is a complete cluster fuck of an idea. And because Alastor is also connected to that place, and I really don't want an overlord war with him. He's been acting kind of… okay lately. And Angel's been okay too." He shook his head to clear it. "I just don't want any more antagonizing bullshit in our lives for no reason. I don't want us getting hurt anymore" He sighed, seeming weary for a moment. "Honestly, I should probably let Alastor know right away that none of this tonight was my idea so he doesn't get pissed and start catapulting cannibals through my windows."

Valentino let out a shaky breath but nodded. So Alastor and Angel WERE part of the reason Vox was protecting the hotel…but at least they weren't the whole reason or maybe even the biggest reason. That was something.

Still, though, Vox had just said he might go talk to Alastor, that he was worried about what Alastor would think. That idea sent a spark of jealousy…followed by a wave of upsetting insecurity through Valentino, even though he knew there really couldn't be anything between Vox and Alastor, or Vox would have been acting like an enraged and flustered jackass like the old days. But the moth knew pushing this issue would only make things worse. And he also knew that it was absolutely the smart move for Vox to keep out of royal business and to smooth things over with Alastor before they all ended up with another huge brawl in the streets.

"So, Val…about staying one more night?"

Vox's voice accompanied by a gentle smile snapped Valentino out of his thoughts. He shook his head and didn't take Vox's hand, keeping close to Vark instead. "I can't stay one more night. It's getting weird, like we live together." He didn't check Vox's expression to see his reaction to that comment, he just couldn't. "I'm better now. I'll…I'll take a short rest on the couch just for now then head out before dark. Sorry for not helping more with the vegetables. Let me know when dinner's ready. I'll at least stay for that." He hobbled over to the couch and plopped down with a sigh. "Vark?"

The little shark jumped on the couch with him and cuddled up.

Vox watched them with a curious and concerned look but then finally nodded. "Okay, I'll let you know when dinner's ready then. And Vel left chocolate cake for dessert — knife-free and drug-free and totally Vark-safe." He watched Valentino for a moment longer, biting his digital lip, then hesitantly returned to the kitchen.

Once he was gone, Valentino sighed deeply. He laid down close to Vark, pulled up the blankets around his head, and just tried not to tremble as he rested in the safety of this space for one last time.

A/N:

Yes, everything's heating up on the news, and Alastor and Angel's date is about to take a turn! I hope you all like how things wrap up for this segment of the story. I appreciate your support, and thanks again for reading! Take care!

-Azure129