This story is a direct sequel to my previous works "Orpheus: the Tale of Marceline" and "Typhon and Echidna: A Tale of Love". So, if you haven't already ready those yet, do so now or this story won't make any sense. Hazbin Hotel is owned by Amazon and Advenure Time is owned by Cartoon Network. Enjoy.
Chapter 1: A Happy Day in Ooo
As is often the case with events of cosmic significance, the day started out like any other.
Vaggie was curled up on her side of their queen-sized bed, her wings wrapped around her like an extra down blanket. The alarm had gone off awhile ago, but she'd been so darn comfortable that she'd decided to stay a little longer. Naturally, her beloved wife was all too happy to let do this while she went downstairs to make breakfast, for which the Fallen Angel was extremely grateful. Honestly, she probably could've stayed there all day, if a certain someone hadn't started licking her face.
She tried to ignore it at first, but after a few minutes it became clear that her tormentor wasn't going to let up. So, she reluctantly took off her sleep mask so she could face him. Unsurprisingly, she found the family pet, Schwabl the Zombie Poodle, laying right beside her, looking all dumb and innocent.
"You know, if we keep ending up in bed together like this, Marcy's gonna get jealous." The Fallen Angel said playfully, chuckling a little at her own bad joke.
Schwabl just yipped in reply.
"Alright, alright, you win. I'll get up." Vaggie 'replied', retracting her wings and giving her limbs a good old stretch. "Pussycat's probably got breakfast ready by now."
After fixing up her hair and putting on something slightly more presentable, the Fallen Angel headed downstairs and as expected, the rest of her family were waiting for her in the kitchen.
Marceline, looking as sexy as ever in her black tank top and grey sweatpants, was busy cooking something on the stove. It had taken her almost a thousand years, but at last she had mastered the art of making breakfast, which is rather impressive for someone who can only taste the color red.
A short distance away at the kitchen table, happily wolfing down a plate of scrambled eggs and toast, was their son, Vincent; eight years old and looking especially handsome in his favorite black and blue shark t-shirt.
Last but not least, sitting next to him in their pink highchairs were the latest additions to their charming little family, their one-year-old twin daughters, Reggie and Chandler, who were wearing matching pink onesies that read 'Cutie' and 'Patootie' respectively.
Overall, it was a truly wholesome sight and just the perfect thing to start her day with.
"Morning, Sweeties~" Vaggie said warmly as she entered the room.
"Morning, Mama." Young Vincent replied, taking a break from his eggs. "Did you sleep good?"
"I slept great, Hon. Thanks for asking." She said, tussling her son's hair affectionately before turning her attention towards the twins. "And how are my precious little babies today?"
In response to this, Reggie blew a raspberry while Chandler started sucking on her fist. But of course, as an experienced parent, Vaggie was able to decipher what they meant.
"Aww~ I love you too." She said playfully, giving each twin a kiss before finally taking her seat at the table.
"Morning, Babydoll." Marceline said sweetly as she floated over a placed a plate in front of her. "I made your favorite. A ham and cheese omelet with diced mushrooms and a bottle of ketchup so you can slather to your heart's content."
"Thanks, Pussycat." The fallen angel replied gratefully as she grabbed said bottle and prepared to do just that.
However, what came out wasn't ketchup. Rather it was a thick, colorless sludge that oozed all over the omelet, instantly killing her appetite.
"Oh… right. That was my breakfast." The Vampire Queen said embarrassedly as her cheeks adopted a pinkish hue. "I'll… I'll make you a new one."
"No, no, it's okay." Vaggie said abruptly, trying very hard to sound polite despite how much the sight of her ruined breakfast made her stomach turn. "I'll just save my appetite for the party. Speaking of which, did you get everything set up?"
"You know it, Babe." Marceline replied proudly. "Took care of it all while you were still in bed. You're lucky you married someone nocturnal."
"Oh, am I?" she asked cheekily. "Did you pick up the cake from that special bakery in the Candy Kingdom?"
"Yup, it's in the fridge."
"What about the sandwiches and apple juice?"
"Also, in the fridge."
"Uh-huh. And what about the banner?"
"Hung."
"The streamers?"
"Strung."
"The balloons?"
"Blown."
"What about…"
"Babe, relax. I took care of everything. This party's gonna go off without a hitch. The only thing you need to worry about today is all the other moms dying of jealousy."
"Sigh. You're too good to me, Pussycat." Vaggie said dreamily.
"Yeah, well you're too good for me, Babydoll. So, it evens out." Marceline replied playfully before leaning in so they could kiss.
Not a real kiss, of course. There were children present after all. Just a quick peck on the lips to express the fluffy feelings they were both having.
"Um, Mama?" young Vincent interjected innocently.
"Yes, Honey?" the Fallen Angel replied, still a little high from the kiss.
"What do I get to do at the party?"
And just like that, things got awkward.
"Well, Vincent… Sweetheart… the thing is… you see…" Vaggie stammered anxiously before mouthing her significant other 'Help me out here.'
"This party's gonna be dull as dirt, buddy." The Vampire Queen said bluntly, too bluntly for her spouse's liking. "It's just gonna be a bunch of smelly babies and moms gushing over how cute they are. Trust me, you're gonna have way more up in your playroom than at this snoozefest."
"But I wanna gush on the babies too." The young lad whined, causing his vampire mommy to burst out laughing.
"It's 'gush over', Sweetie." Vaggie correctly her son gently. "And don't say 'gush on'. It's rude."
"I'm sorry, Mama."
"I know you are, Baby. Just be more careful about what you say, okay?"
"Okay, Mama."
"That's my boy." She said, giving his hair a tussle. "And don't worry about the twins' party. You're gonna plenty of fun with your little friend Eglantine."
"Eggy 's gonna be here?" Vincent asked excitedly as his little eyes went wide with joy.
"That's right, Hon. And she's not just staying for the party. Her mom's letting her stay over for the whole weekend, because we've got these." The Fallen Angel said with more flair than was probably needed as pulled several slips of paper from her pocket and held them up for her son to see. "Ta-Dah~ Four tickets to Don Quixote live in the Wildberry Kingdom tomorrow night."
"What?" the young boy exclaimed, seemingly overwhelmed by all this good news. "But I thought those tickets were sold out. How'd you get 'em?"
"Your Mama has her ways." Vaggie answered vaguely before quickly changing the subject. "Now finish your breakfast, Sweetie, and go get cleaned up. You wanna look nice for when Eggy gets here, right?"
Not needing to be told twice, Vincent quickly wolfed down the rest of his eggs and, after being excused from the table, hurried upstairs to get ready.
"We're spoiling that boy." Vaggie said amusedly to her better half.
"Yeah, but I think it's okay." Marceline replied thoughtfully. "As long as it's to show him we love him, not to make him love us."
"How did you get these tickets anyway?"
"I cut a deal with Wildberry Princess. She gives us her box seats and I sing at her daughter's birthday party next month."
"That was nice of her."
"Eh, not really. I get the feeling she doesn't even like ballet. She probably only bought them so she could look like a bigshot."
"Still, works out great for us."
"I know, right? We are totally nailing this mom thing. Boosh!" the Vampire Queen emphasized that last part by pumping her fist dramatically, which caused her mate to chuckle at her antics. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, I just like it when you get hyped about stuff like that." She said sweetly. "It reminds me of Char…"
The words suddenly died in her throat as Vaggie realized the can of worms she was about to open.
"…coal." She finished nervously. "It reminds me that we're out of charcoal. You know, for the grill. Heh… Heh…"
"Vaggie, it's okay." Marceline said reassuringly. "It's been fifteen years. You don't have to dance around it anymore. We can talk about her, if you want."
"I know… I just… sigh… I need some air."
Then without another word, the Fallen Angel stood up and hurried out of the kitchen.
XXX
(Ten minutes later)
As she often did when faced with tremendous stress or embarrassment, Vaggie went out onto the deck to let the raindrops hit her face. Which was always an option thanks to her wife's insistence on building their forever home in the middle of the Swamp of Seemingly Never-Ending Rain. In hindsight that was one argument she was glad she'd lost. For although the area was little more than a vast expanse of mud and decaying plant life, it had a strange soothing effect on her that came in handy during times like these.
"Feeling better, Babydoll?" Marceline asked as she floated outside with one of her old parasols in hand.
"Yeah, a little." Vaggie answered plainly.
"Good. Vincent's still in his room picking out what to wear and the twins are in their playpen, so they should be okay by themselves for a few minutes."
Then came a short but awkward pause.
"So… do you wanna talk about it?"
"No." the Fallen Angel replied wearily. "But I will anyway."
"You know, this is the first time you've mentioned Charlie in like two years." The Vampire Queen observed. "Last time was when we were trying to think up names for the twins."
"I know, and I'm sorry."
"Babe, you don't have to be sorry. After everything you went through together, it's only natural that you still have feelings for her."
"I wish I didn't." Vaggie stated bluntly, earning a gasp from her mate. "Things would be so much easier then."
"You don't mean that."
"Yes, I do. I wish I could forget about her. I wish I could just move on. I wish…" The Fallen Angel had to pause for a moment as she became choked by her own emotions. "I wish it didn't hurt so much."
Tears began to well up in Vaggie's one good eye. Her vision was so distorted that she didn't notice that Marceline had floated up beside her until after she'd put her arm around her and pulled her into a comforting embrace.
"Shhhh~ It's okay, Hon." The Vampire Queen said softly as she began stroking her wife's hair. "Let it all out."
And of course, Vaggie did just that. She buried her face into Marceline's chest and cried; caring not for how undignified she probably looked. After about three to five minutes of this, she lifted her face from her bosom so they could look into each other's eyes.
"Feeling better, Viv?" the Vampire Queen asked, using her human name.
"Uh-huh." The Fallen Angel replied, sounding just as drained as she felt.
"Good. Now why don't you tell me what you really wish for."
"Okay…" she said, pausing for only a moment to wipe the tears from her cheek. "I wish I was still with Charlie."
"I know, Hon. It's okay."
"No, it's not! You're my wife. We have three children. We've lived together for fifteen years. My heart shouldn't belong to anyone but you."
"And in a perfect world it wouldn't, but that's not who you are. You'll always be in love with Charlie and… and I'm okay with that."
Upon hearing this, a wave of guilt, along with several other emotions, washed over Vaggie, causing her to wrap her arms around the Vampire Queen and cling to her like a life preserver.
"I love you so much, Pussycat." She said as she began to tear up again.
"I know, Babydoll. I know." Marceline replied while stroking her hair.
"I wish I could have both of you."
"And I wish I could make that happen."
As Vaggie continued to let her spouse comfort her, she focused on the landscape around them so its mysterious soothing effect could take hold.
Fortunately for her, it was a particularly humid day, so the rain formed a thick mist throughout the vast marshland. If not for this, she would've seen a massive alien structure looming in the distance. A structure with a familiar, albeit damaged sign on its roof.
Hazbin Hotel
End Notes:
I'm back, baby. And this time I've got the whole story mapped out, so I should be able to finish it 13 to 20 chapters. Wish me luck and I'll see you in the next one.
Peace.
