Chapter 4

Vaggie woke up the next morning, half-expecting to be back in Heaven, the whole thing little more than a dream. Instead, much to her relief, she was still in Charlie's room, lying in the Princess's bed. She looked down to find, much to her delight, that their hands were touching. She looked back up for a glance at Charlie's beautiful face, only to be greeted with a gaping mouth slobbering with drool, her tongue hanging all the way out. Her hair was also a total mess. While initially startled at this sight, after about a second, she adjusted. She even smiled a little. Somehow, it was still cute. Besides, what else would she expect from someone who snored like that…which was also still cute somehow. Actually…in a way, these things made her seem more real.

"Wow…is this what being in love feels like?", she thought to herself. "I could get used to this."

A few minutes later, Charlie woke up as well. She looked at Vaggie and smiled a little herself at the sight of their hands. "Morning, Vaggie."

"Morning, Charlie."

Charlie looked down at the small puddle of drool at her side. "Oh…uh…sorry about that. Probably should've warned you, huh?"

Vaggie smiled, and said, "It's fine. I…actually don't mind."

"Good. So…you sleep alright?"

"Yeah…mostly. Whenever you weren't…". She paused, trying to think of a polite way to say it.

"Snoring like a demon?", asked Charlie.

"I mean…your words, not mine."

"It's alright. I AM the Princess of Hell, after all."

They both laughed at her joke.

After a minute, Vaggie told her, "Hey, um…thanks again for staying with me. I…really needed you here."

"Of course. I'm happy to do it."

"It still meant a lot, though.", said Vaggie, then awkwardly admitted, "Especially after…I…uh…"

"Hey, don't worry about it. It's really okay."

"Right…"

"Yeah. Well…I'm gonna go see about breakfast now. I'll let you get ready here, okay?"

"Sounds great."

As Charlie left, Vaggie lay there in the bed considering things. Yesterday had started as the worst day of her life. She'd finally grown the spine to disobey orders one time, and she lost everything. She was lost, broken, and had no purpose. Then, it became…possibly the best day of her life. This literal princess found her…and took her in. And even though she'd only just met her, as crazy as it was…she was everything to her. But…what if she didn't feel the same way? She obviously cared…but the idea of telling her was still scary, somehow. And if she DID feel the same way, what would she do when she found out…everything about her? Would she still like her then? She had to find out eventually, right? After thinking a bit, she came to a decision. She HAD to tell her how she felt. As for everything else…she'd tell her when she was ready. If she really was as amazing as she seemed…surely, she'd accept her. It would be painful if she didn't, of course. It'd be like losing everything all over again. It was a terrible risk, of course. But…maybe it was worth it.

Vaggie got up a few minutes later and left to find Charlie. She found her in the kitchen scrambling some eggs. As she poured herself a cup of coffee, she asked, "So it's just you? No Razzle and Dazzle?"

"I like to give them the morning off. Besides, I wanna be a as self-reliant as possible, and this is easy enough."

"Cool. I respect that."

"It'll be ready in just a few minutes. You can wait at the table."

"Sounds great."

Vaggie sat down and waited a few minutes, until Charlie returned with two plates of scrambled eggs and toast. They started eating, silent for a few minutes while Vaggie worked up the nerve to speak. Eventually, she cleared her throat and said, "So…about last night…"

"Don't really DON'T need to worry about it—"

"I know, but…I've been thinking, and…there's something I REALLY need to say."

Charlie looked up and said, "Alright. Well…I guess…go ahead, then."

Vaggie took a deep breath, and told her, "Okay…so…I know we JUST met…ugh, this is crazy…but…I think I…like you. Like…really, REALLY like you. You are…kind, generous, cheerful…caring…giving …plus you're a great listener. Not to mention you're pretty. Like…REALLY pretty. Seriously, how do you look THIS good right now, huh?" She grew flustered and laughed a little. "Look…point is…I've never felt this way towards someone. I'm sorry about…what happened last night…you were absolutely right, there, by the way…but I'm really feeling something between us, and I wanna see where this goes."

She looked back at Charlie. She was clearly touched by her words. For a moment, she took it all in and pondered what to say. Eventually she asked, "Vaggie…when we first met…you asked why I hadn't given up hope yet." Vaggie nodded, then she continued, "Well…the truth is…the moment right before I found you…that was the closest I got. And it was…DANGEROUSLY close."

She paused a moment to collect herself. "I've grown…accustomed to the aftermath of the extermination over the years. You never truly get used to it, but…you live with it. But…the angels were EXTRA brutal this year. And seeing at that carnage…it was too much. I needed a moment, so I retreated into an alley. And…there you were, lying by a dumpster. And seeing this beautiful girl slain so brutally…it broke my heart."

Vaggie was moved to hear about this. As she teared up, she tried to play it cool, but still ended up saying something genuine anyway. "You think I'm…beautiful?"

Charlie smiled. "Yeah. Anyway…then I saw you were breathing. And…it gave me hope…and that means more than you know." She paused a beat, then said, "I always promised myself that no matter how hard it was…no matter how futile it may seem…if I could save at least one life…just ONE life…it would be worth it."

They both fully broke down in tears that moment. When they both composed themselves, Charlie got up and moved her chair next to Vaggie and sat down. "I'm glad you're alive, Vaggie. And…I'm SO thankful I found you. And…yeah…like I said…I think you're beautiful, and…I ALSO like you. It's nice to meet someone who takes such a genuine interest in me…who doesn't laugh at the idea of redemption, who thinks its…cool I try to help people after the extermination…someone courageous enough to stand up to the exorcists…and yeah…like I said, you're REALLY beautiful. But…again…last night was…not the right time."

"Of course…and thank you for that, by the way. It's…nice to know you care."

Charlie smiled and told her, "But…I also wanna see where this goes. There is DEFINITELY something between us…and I wanna explore that."

Vaggie took her hand and said, "So…take it slow?"

With a flirtatious grin, Charlie said, "Well…maybe not too slow.", then leaned in and kissed her.

Vaggie was the happiest she'd ever been. After everything she'd done, and everything she'd been through, something good had finally come out of it all. She was ready for this chance to finally put the past behind her and start over for real. At last, she felt she had a true purpose that suited her, and she could finally be the person she'd always wanted to be. No more orders from Adam, no more shutting down her emotions, no more constant dread of her superiors discovering her true feelings about the extermination. Instead, she had a new life with someone who cared for and accepted her. Someone who could love her, and she could love in return. If Charlie believed she could change, then maybe she could. She'd always yearned for a second chance. At long last, she'd found her.

And so, with a smile, Vaggie looked into her eyes and said, "I can do that."