Traitor's Secrets
They were in the courtroom, Vaggie with her arm around Charlie, trying to comfort her, the next moment they were back in the Hotel lobby where everyone was gathered around a disappointed Sir Pentious.
"That motherfucker!" Vaggie screamed at the closing portal, throwing her spear just moments shy of sending it through. "Shithead!"
"Aaahh I'm guessin' things didn't go that well." The quartet walked towards the two, clearly having had quite a night themselves, even Alastor seemed interested in their adventure.
Charlie shivered next to Vaggie, slowly taking a step away from her, the same shock and betrayal still on her face. "You… how could…" Hearing that happy voice so broken hurt almost as much as getting her eye cut out. "All this time."
"Charlie…" Vaggie reached out only to have Charlie run. She ran from her, like the Sinners used to do. She fucked up big time. It was up to her to fix it, if it was even possible anymore.
"My, what's got dear Charlie so out of sorts? She looked like she was looking at a ghost." A ghost… yeah she kind of was. "I won't lie, I'm incredibly curious right now however I'm willing to let you settle this on your own. It seems like a… lovers quarrel. I'll keep these guys out of your hair."
"Thanks Alastor. I mean it this time." Words she never thought she'd say but this day has been full of things she never thought would happen.
Vaggie hurried up the stairs and stood in front of her and Charlie's bedroom. That place used to mean peace, their little safe haven from the craziness of the going ons in the Hotel and outside of it. But now… Vaggie was scared to go in. If she went in there and Charlie hated her, what would she do then? Only one way to find out. Do what she should have done a long time ago.
"Charlie? I'm here to talk." There was no reply. Nothing. Vaggie gulped but pushed on, quickly entering and closing the door behind her. Charlie wasn't looking at her, she was turned towards the big window. When it came to Charlie silence meant she was very, very upset. "Charlie."
"Why didn't you tell me? All these years Vaggie, you could have told me." Her voice was tight, restrained, much deeper then her usual happy tone.
"I was scared. And that's not an excuse. I… I thought if I told you… you'd hate me, who I was, what I was." That fear choked her so badly that she had walls upon walls put up around her, not just from the demons but also from Charlie. She hated it and she hated herself for it. "I'm sorry Charlie."
"For hiding the truth or for getting caught? Would you ever have told me?"
"There wasn't a right time-"
"Right time?!" It took a lot to set Charlie off, a whole damn lot. Her having control of her emotions and choosing when to unleash them was something Vaggie greatly admired. When those emotions came out there was usually Hell to pay. She could see anger in Charlie's red eyes, but sadness and betrayal most of all as the tears couldn't even run down her face without evaporating from the heat. "How about when we spent all that time getting to know each other? How about when we went on our first date? How about when we confessed out feelings to each other? How about when we kissed? How about when we fucked? How about when I told you about my plans for the Hotel? Were none of those the right time?!"
Vaggie knew all of this, she could have told her, should have."I know. Trust me I know I should have, we could have avoided so much of this shit." But that wasn't what Charlie needed to hear, that wasn't a proper answer. "I don't know what you want from me Charlie. I was scared! I was scared to death that you'll leave me. It's selfish, and I'm selfish but I love you Charlie, more then anyone or anything."
For the first time Charlie cooled down enough to let her tears fall on her face. Vaggie could see her shoulders shaking and it took every bit of her strength to hold back from hugging her girlfriend and telling her it was gonna be okay. Except she wasn't sure if it would be.
"How many?" Charlie asked, her hands wrapping around her shoulders for comfort.
"What?" She was scared she knew what Charlie was asking about.
"How many of my people have you killed? A hundred? A thousand?" Charlie's eyes were hopeful, maybe Vaggie was new? Maybe she wasn't an Exterminator for long? Was that what she was thinking right now?
"Thousand...s." Honestly she didn't know. She forgot the exact number, stopped counting after a while.
Charlie's hands fell to her sides, her mind processing the answer given. "And when I found you…"
"There was a kid there. A little demon kid and… fuck I could do it. I let them go and… I got punished for it." Vaggie's hand pressed against her eye-patch, the pain of that moment coming back, "Then you found me."
That was the happiest moment of her life, and she didn't even know it yet. But she knew that Charlie saved her.
"Was it real? What we had together? Or was it some kind of attempt to atone for the things you did?" That question almost broke Vaggie's heart. Charlie doubted her love, her devotion.
"I would never use you like that. I love you. You're the most important person in my life, I love you Charlie, I… want to spend my whole life with you." Up until this point Vaggie kept a distance but she took Charlie by the shoulders, closing the distance between them, "You gave me a reason to live again, to be better, to have the courage to love someone."
Charlie pressed her hand against Vaggie's eye-patch, "They were the ones who took your eye." Her touch was more then welcome, comforting even. "And your wings… do you still have them?" She knew her dad could fold them out and in, she could too.
"No." Vaggie shivered from the memory, "They got cut off. I still get phantom pain from them."
"Cut off?!" She couldn't imagine the pain. But she understood why Vaggie curled up into a ball sometimes and then asked Charlie to massage her back. She had seen the scars on her back of course, but every demon in Hell had scars somewhere.
"It was worth it. I got to meet you and fall in love with you." Vaggie placed her hand on Charlie's cheek, rubbing over the red dot, "The only thing I would take back is not telling you sooner. I never meant to hurt you Charlie. I should have been a better girlfriend."
Charlie leaned in and pressed her forehead against Vaggie's. "I don't like you keeping things from me. Especially not when they also hurt you. Is there anything else you haven't told me?"
"No. That's all there is." Vaggie relaxed into Charlie's touch, now finally letting herself cry too. "I love you, so much."
"I'm still pissed at you. A lot. But I love you more." Their lips pressed together. The kiss was so salty from all the tears, yet neither wanted to break it. "But don't you ever lie to me again." Charlie's horns were now fully out, her eyes darkening to red.
"U-Understood ma'am." Vaggie wasn't scared anymore. She was aroused.