"He wants WHAT?!" Vaggie's spear instantly appeared in her hands. Her eye narrowed as she said, "Oh, he'll change his mind after I have a talk with him."

Before Vaggie could march out of the room, Charlie cut her off before she could leave the foyer. Waving her arms, she burst out, "No, Vaggie! Violence is not the answer!"

"Charlie, he's forcing you to marry him. How does that not call for violence?"

"I, I mean…I do owe him that favor," Charlie pointed out.

"Oh yeah, that justifies him making you do this," Vaggie hissed. "He could've picked ANYTHING else! But because he wants a 'political marriage' he's twisting your arm." Brandishing the spear, she said, "I won't let this happen to you. I'll fight and take him down. I'm an Angel, remember? Only Angelic weapons can take me down."

"Uhm, Vaggie?" Charlie waved her arm around at the building. "I don't think he'll forget that the entire building is made with Angelic materials. He could just rip a piece out and beat you to death with it!"

Vaggie frowned. Then she shook her head. "You're right. I'll need more firepower than my spear."

Charlie visibly relaxed. "I was so worried that you'd march in there and-"

"I'll need Lucifer's help."

Charlie froze. "You'll need what?"

"You haven't told your dad yet, right?" Vaggie walked past Charlie as she again made for the stairs. "I'm sure he'll be able to help."

Dread filled Charlie. She'd been hoping to put it off until, well, maybe the walk down the aisle. Or never. Never sounded like the better option. Because she knew that if he knew she'd made a deal…

"You…were going to tell him, right?"

Charlie cringed as she rolled her wrist. "Well, I mean, eventually I was going to tell my dad-"

"Tell me what?"

The two women did a double-take as Lucifer appeared from a portal from his room. He was still in his pajamas and clearly wanting breakfast. Except now they'd caught his attention.

Vaggie's eye narrowed. "If you won't, I will." Charlie made hand motions for her to not say a thing. She was ignored as Vaggie said, "Charlie made a deal with Alastor and now he wants her to marry him."

Her dad stared for a moment before letting out a single laugh. "Ha! That's a good joke, real funny." He began making his way to the breakfast nook. "Charlie knows better than to make a deal. Right?"

Charlie let out some half-hearted chuckles.

He paused mid-step. "...right, Charlie?"

Again, she laughed nervously. "Uhm, so, I didn't sell my soul if that's what you're worried about?"

Her dad full-body stopped for several seconds. Then he turned and looked her clear in the eye as he exclaimed, "You made a deal? With Alastor?" His arms rose clear into the air. "Holy hells, Charlie! What did me and your mom drill into you as you were growing up?!" Before she could answer, he continued, "Never make a deal. Even if it's just a small thing! Because then they have an in. Just like what Alastor is doing now!" He paused as he asked, "Wait, what did he want?"

Charlie cringed. "He, uhm, wants…to marry me."

"WHAT?!" He gripped his head and ducked down. "Holy shit…"

"So, you with me about torturing him until he breaks the deal?" Vaggie asked.

He stopped, his hands falling down hanging just above the floor. "There's nothing I can do."

Vaggie's eye widened, as did Charlie's. Vaggie recovered first. "What do you mean 'there's nothing you can do'. He wants to marry Charlie!"

His head snapped up, glaring at Vaggie. "Don't you think I'd step in if I could?!" He straightened up. "Deals in Hell are immutable. Even I can't break it. While she may not have sold her soul, Alastor still has a rightful claim for his 'favor'." Rubbing his head, he noted, "And he could enforce the failure clause before any of us could even sneeze in his direction." His eyes opened wide. "Wait, that's right! The failure clause!" He straightened right up. "You'll just have to take the hit from whatever the failure clause was."

"Failure clause?" Charlie had never heard about anything like that before.

"Yes! The clause if you fail to do your part." Her dad was practically dancing as he said, "What's the failure clause in your contract?"

"Uhm…" Charlie didn't know what to say to that.

The smile on his face lessened. "Charlie?"

"I…didn't realize there was such a thing…?" She felt thoroughly embarrassed.

His smile broke. "You didn't negotiate a failure clause?"

Charlie cringed as she said, "No…?"

Her dad gripped his head with a hand. "Great. Just great! That failure clause could be anything then! Hell, he could have made it so you die if you don't fulfill your favor!"

Her insides turned cold as she thought on the green chain. Feeling vaguely lost, she confirmed, "Really?"

"Really."

Vaggie desperately asked, "There's got to be some way to get out of this!"

Her dad sighed. "If there was, I would know about it." His shoulders slumped as he said," Charlie, honey, I'm so sorry. You'll have to go through with it."

Charlie was shocked. Both by how non-repulsed she was at the idea of being 'stuck' with Alastor for eternity and by the fact that Vaggie actually calmed down.

"Dammit…" Vaggie bit her lip. Then she reached into her pocket. "I guess I waited too long to do this." There was a box in her hand as she got down on a knee. "I know you'll be married to someone else now. But I wanted to know if it would be possible to, I don't know, have a promise of eternal love or something like that?"

Charlie squeed, her thoughts swept to the side as she pulled out the ring she'd gotten Vaggie in her pocket, her fingers poked by the sharp tops of Alastor's rings. Presenting it to Vaggie, she exclaimed, "I was going to ask you!"

Vaggie's jaw dropped momentarily. "Really?"

Charlie nodded. "Really!"

"Wow…" A shy smile that Vaggie would deny up and down lifted the corners of her mouth. She stood up and took Charlie's hand in her own. Vaggie opened her box to reveal a nice, plain ring made of Angelic metals. To Charlie's surprise, Vaggie slipped the ring on her finger. "I know that it can't be official now. It would still make me beyond happy if you kept it."

"Vaggie…" Charlie decided to do the same, presenting the ring she'd gotten her girlfriend: A pattern of feathery wings circling the center of the ring. She took Vaggie hand and slipped the ring on. "I'll love you forever."

Vaggie sighed. "I can't believe we're being separated by Alastor of all people."

It was then that Charlie realized that she hadn't gotten to tell Vaggie about the other part of Alastor's request. "Oh! Vaggie!" She took both of her hands in hers. "We can actually stay together! Because Alastor wanted to marry you too!"

Charlie was confused by the sudden flat looks from her dad and Vaggie.

"Oh yeah, that's how I want to spend eternity. Tied to a ruthless Overlord," Vaggie said.

"Vaggie, that means you can marry me too!" Charlie pointed out.

"...ugh." Vaggie dragged a hand down her face. Shaking her head, she said, "You know I'd go anywhere you go."

Charlie's eyes watered and she knew she had sparkles in her eyes. "So you'll marry me?" Her smile turned lopsided as she added, "And Alastor?"

"...yeah. Let's do it."

"YAY!" Charlie wrapped Vaggie in a full-body hug. "WE'RE GOING TO GET MARRIED!" Pressing Vaggie against her chest reminded her of the rings that were now digging into her breast. Letting Vaggie go, Charlie said, "There is one more thing."

"What now?" Vaggie couldn't help but to burst out.

"Alastor got us rings." Charlie pulled out the two black rings. "He wanted us to put them on together, at the same time."

"That doesn't sound suspicious at all," Vaggie said, eyeing the rings.

Her dad looked in Charlie's hand. "I don't see anything."

Even with her stomach flopping at how this was probably a trap, Charlie said, "I know, I know. I'm stuck; any which way, I'll be wearing one of these rings. I just…" she bit her lip as she admitted "...I don't want to be alone."

Vaggie rested a hand on her shoulder. "Hey. Don't worry. I'll always be by your side."

Charlie smiled, "Thank you, Vaggie. I love you so much…" Almost on cue, they both came together in a wonderfully soft kiss. On some sort of instinct, something pushing her to do it, Charlie slipped the rings on both their fingers.

Before she could say or do anything else, they both slid into the shadows beneath them.