On Angel’s Wings

by RaikouNeko12

The trip to Heaven did not go as planned—in more ways than one. After Charlie falls under an Angelic curse, Vaggie has to be able to put her own uncertainties aside and rely on help from some unlikely demons in order to try to find the cure. All while leaving her girlfriend in the hands of one of the most dangerous and manipulative overlords in hell.

The portal from Heaven opened up into the foyer of the hotel. Charlie and Vaggie were forced through where the others were seated. Sir Pentious and Nifty were passed out on the couch from the night of excess, but both Angel and Husk looked up.

"No, you have to listen!" Charlie cried, desperately scrambling to go back through the portal, but it closed up as soon as their feet touched the wood floor of the hotel.

Charlie fell to her knees. "No..." She whimpered. Her head fell into her hands as she began to sob.

As Vaggie moved and knelt down next to her, Angel Dust leaned in from where he was watching all this from the couch. "So. I'm guessing this whole meeting thing didn't go well," he asked with an undertone of supremacy.

"Not now, Angel..." Vaggie scolded, as she wrapped her arms around her girlfriend.

Charlie stopped sobbing for a minute and looked up at Vaggie, "How could youâ" She asked, her eyes glistening with despair as well as betrayal. "How could you never have told me...?"

"Charlie, listen...I..." Vaggie started but Charlie cut her off by standing up. By now the other residents were tuning in their attention.

"We're supposed to be partners, Vaggie. We're not supposed to keep secrets like this from each other. I trusted you!" Charlie yelled back, hugging her shoulders and turning away from her.

"Charlie, I didn't want you to be upset or give up on me because of the things I did..." Vaggie begged, standing up to follow Charlie. "I didn't want you to think that I was just getting close to you to try to get back into Heaven or somethingâI wanted to show you that a soul can change...!"

"I'm not even upset that you were one of the exorcists!" Charlie interrupted, turning back to Vaggie with eyes brimming with tears. "I'm upset that, in all these years we've known each other, you never once trusted me enough to tell me!" Tears streamed down her face and she wiped them quickly with her sleeve. "So you did some bad things in your past. You hurt people. But we're in Hell!"so has literally everyone else here." She gestured back to the other guests in the parlor now shocked and fully engaged. "I trusted that you believed in my mission and truly wanted to help souls be better!"

Vaggie's eyes filled with tears as well. She reached out toward her girlfriend, "Charlie, I..."

"And you couldn't even trust me enough to let me know that you'd been to Heaven before!" Charlie cut her off, turning back and walking away from Vaggie toward Husk standing at the bar. "Even when you knew that I would be going? Even when I went to speak to Adam--you couldn't have warned me what I was in for and what an asshole he is?!" She reached the bar and gripped onto the edge with both hands. "Pour me something strong, Husk."

Husk shrugged as he reached for one of the nearby bottles and a glass. But as he uncorked the bottle and was about to pour he stopped when he noticed Charlie starting to sway and gripping the counter of the bar trying to keep balance. He arched an eyebrow. "You sure you ain't had enough already?"

Charlie raised a hand to her head to try to stop it from spinning. "Actually..." She said, the world starting to warp around her. "I... don't feel so good..." She fainted, falling into one of the barstools. Vaggie dove and caught her as she hit the ground, shoving the falling barstool out of the way.

The other residents gasped; Husk had nearly launched over the bar counter. "What the hell?! What happened?!"

Charlie's breathing stuttered. She quivered slightly as Vaggie held her to her chest. Vaggie took a deep breath trying to quell her own fears. "It's probably just the stress," she finally said. "The exterminations, plus trying to run this hotel on top of the meeting with Heaven--she hasn't been sleeping very well, it was bound to catch up to her eventually. With some rest she should be fine by tomorrow." Vaggie lifted her up as she stood and picked her up with both arms. She gestured as best she could toward Husk and Angel. "Make sure the hotel stays running and no one gets into trouble," She looked over to where Nifty and Sir Pentious were sleeping on the couch, still drunk from the earlier night's revelry. Both Husk and Angel waved off her concerns and she carried Charlie up the stairs to their shared room.

As she was leaving, Alastor materialized into the parlor out of the shadows. He glanced around the room, at Sir Pentious and Nifty passed out, at Angel Dust scrolling on his phone, and at Husk standing at the bar, re-polishing the glass he'd just pulled out. "Well, now, this is an odd sight to see," Alastor remarked in his staticky voice. "What seems to be the trouble if our gracious host is not engaging you all in some pointless activity.

Angel Dust shrugged without looking up from his phone, "Eh, we get the day off I guess. Princess is sick or somethin'."

Alastor cocked an eyebrow without dropping his smile. "Sick you say?"

"Yup, 'parently the stress of the exterminations and everything got to her," Husk added, inspecting the glass in the light before putting it back on its shelf. "Poor Kid."

Alastor's eyes narrowed slightly, "Interesting. In all my years here I've never heard of a demon falling under the weather."

Husk shrugged with a huff, "Join the club. But sure as shit."

Alastor's eyes narrowed again as he tapped his long staffed microphone on the ground contemplatively. Finally his smile broadened once more. "Well then, carry on, my good man," he said with a flourish toward Husk. Husk just flipped him off in reply as Alastor melted back into the darkness.

Meanwhile, up in their room, Vaggie carried Charlie over to their bed. She laid her down gently on the covers, pulling them up over her. "There you go...just get some rest, you need it," she said gently. As she was tucking her in, she heard Charlie's phone start to ring. She searched around for a moment before realizing that the sound was coming from Charlie's pocket. She reached into her coat and pulled out her phone, looking at the screen to see the picture of Lucifer, Charlie's father. She groaned nervously before taking a deep breath and hitting the accept button. "Hello, Charlie's phone, this is Vaggie."

"Maggie! Great to hear you again!" Lucifer's voice came from the other end.

"Um... sorry, but it's VAG-gie., Sir..." Vaggie replied nervously.

"Oh, really? I must have been saying it wrong the whole time!" Lucifer replied. "Anyway, is Charlie available?"

"Uhhh..." Vaggie hesitated, looking back over at Charlie, still lying on the bed. "She's here but she's not doing so good..." She finally said, lowering her voice to barely over a whisper.

"What, what's wrong with her?!" Lucifer asked in a sudden panicked voice.

Vaggie was taken aback. "I...I think it's just exhaustion. She's been working so hard on this hotel, and then with the new exterminations--"

"Fuck, fuck, fuck... I was worried about this..." Lucifer interrupted her, mumbling to himself. "Vaggie, that's not exhaustion, that's Angelic Sickness."

"Angelic Sickness...?" Vaggie asked.

"Yes, it's essentially a blessing--or a curse depending on which way you want to look at it--as an extra safeguard the Angels put it on Heaven so that anyone coming up from Hell would first need to bring a Divine Amulet, as proof that you have permission to be there. Otherwise you will fall ill and die within 36 hours of leaving. I'm the only one to have ever gotten one but I haven't needed it in years since they built the Heavenly Embassy. So when Charlie asked to get a meeting with Heaven I forgot to give it to her."

Vaggie felt her heart jump with a flush of frustration. She struggled to subdue it. "Ok, then how do we cure it?"

Lucifer was silent before replying quietly. "I don't know." Vaggie caught her breath and Lucifer continued, "I'll need to speak to some of the other Rings and see if I can find any information. I'll also try to get a meeting with Heaven to ask the Seraphim. Right now just try to keep her comfortable and help her to hang on until I find something."

Vaggie nodded but then paused. "Wait, if this Angelic Sickness is supposed to affect anyone coming up from Hell without this amulet, then why wasn't I affected? I went up there too."

"You're from heaven, aren't you?" Lucifer asked matter-of-factly.

Vaggie paused, stunned. "How did you--"

"You think I didn't know that you were a fallen angel the second I laid eyes on you," Lucifer asked gently. "The way you carried yourself, your platinum silver hair, your gold eyes, the way you cared for my daughter? Do you think I wouldn't recognize that?" Vaggie paused again, slightly embarrassed. She had a moment to absorb what he had just said before he continued, "But for now, I need you to protect my little girl while I talk to the other rings and see if I can find a cure."

Vaggie nodded, "Yes, Sir. I will do what I can."

Vaggie hung up with Charlie's father and set the phone back down on the end-table near Charlie's side of the bed. Then she pulled over the chair sitting nearby. As she sat down in the chair, Alastor materialized from the shadows. "So, our wide-eyed overly-optimistic owner has taken poorly, has she?"

"Fucking Christ, Alastor, you can't barge in without warning and just appear in places!" Vaggie scolded after her heart had settled back in her chest.

"My apologies of course, but the question still stands," Alastor replied, twirling his microphone once before leaning forward onto it expectantly.

Vaggie sighed in exasperation but mostly in worry. She turned back to Charlie lying listlessly in the bed. "Yeah, apparently when we went to Heaven she was hit by an Angelic curse. We're trying to find the cure now."

Alastor didn't reply but narrowed his eyes slightly, his microphone giving feedback as he thought. Soon he regained his usual demeanor. "Well, I'd say it's nothing that a good dose of Opium can't fix," he said, walking a few steps toward where Vaggie was sitting. "Opium: The all natural cure for anything from a Toothache to Appendicitis. Four out of Five doctors agree, Opium is the easiest and most efficient way to cure whatever ails you. Opium: the Miracle Drug."

"I don't think Opium is going to do a whole lot...even if I could get my hands on it," Vaggie replied. Suddenly she looked back at Alastor. "You've got those powers where you can do all that Voodoo bullshit." Alastor raised an eyebrow causing feedback from his microphone again. Vaggie continued, "Can't you use your powers to heal her?"

Alastor's eyes narrowed, though his smile never wavered. "Hmmm...unfortunately for you these abilities don't work that way," He replied back smugly. "If it's true what you say, about this being an Angelic curse, then even my power would not be strong enough to work against it. The only person who could reverse the effects of the curse would be another angelic being."

Vaggie growled, "If you can't help then what are you here for? Just to gawk and satisfy your own sick amusement?"

Alastor seemed taken aback for a moment, his smile dropping for only a second as he glanced over at Charlie. But he quickly regained his composure as his wide smile returned. He stepped in again toward Vaggie holding his Microphone behind his back. "My reasons for what I do are my own, however you have made your point clear." He leaned in to her. "I shall take my leave." He then took his staff and just as quickly as he'd come, disappeared into the shadows again.

Vaggie sighed in exasperation, "Por la madre de Dios" She returned her attention toward Charlie, gently stroking her cheek. It felt way too hot. Vaggie felt a pang of fear in her heart. "What if they weren't able to get the cure on time?" She thought. "What if...there ISN'T a cure?" She struggled to shake these thoughts off but was soon startled by the sound of Charlie's phone ringing again. Vaggie jumped up and checked the caller ID: Lucifer.

Hurriedly she hit the answer button and pressed the phone to her ear. "Hello? Have you found the cure yet?"

"Vaggie, I'm still trying to get in touch with the other rings, but I need to know--how is she?" Lucifer asked on the other end.

"Not so good," Vaggie replied.

Lucifer sighed. "Alright, I managed to get a shipment of prescription medication up from the Sloth Ring. They said they'd deliver it up to Pride in about an hour. I'm still trying to get answers out of these Goetia, but in the meantime, go find the man with the delivery and get whatever medication you need for my little girl. It should help her hold on for a while longer."

Vaggie nodded, "Of course. What does the delivery driver look like?"

"Unfortunately I can't answer that." Lucifer replied. "Not because I don't want to, you understand, but when Sloth brings a delivery of any pharmaceuticals it's a different demon each time, sometimes they'll even hand it off to someone else to handle the distribution, just so that no one is noticed."

Vaggie growled, "So you're saying it could literally be anyone?"

"Correct..." Lucifer replied understandingly.

Vaggie sighed but soon lifted her head high. "Alright, I'm going to see what I can find. And I'll call you back if anything changes."

Lucifer nodded, but then suddenly sputtered, "Oh wait, hold on, I'm getting a call back from Envy. I'll call you back later, Vaggie."

Lucifer quickly hung up the call and Vaggie replaced Charlie's phone on the end table. Then she picked up her spear from where it was leaning up against the wall. She twirled it once and held it downward as she stroked some of the blond hair out of Charlie's eyes. "I'll get you that medicine. Don't worry, You'll feel better soon." Then she leaned forward, gently kissed her forehead, and turned heading toward the door. Standing outside leaning nonchalantly against the wall sipping on a small china cup of coffee with the saucer in the other hand stood Alastor. Vaggie pointed the spear in his direction. "Alastor, I need you."

Alastor simply smiled as he continued to sip on the coffee. "Ah, so now you are asking for my help?"

Vaggie rubbed her face in exasperation. "Yes, now I am asking for your help."

Alastor chuckled, the microphone giving a crowd laugh backing track. "One might wonder why you would ask for my help if you believe that there is nothing I could help with."

"Well, that's what you just said... You said your powers can't work against Angelic magic." Vaggie spat, getting increasingly agitated.

"What I said," Alastor snapped back, his eyes glowing red in the shadows of the hallway, "Was that my powers would not work in the way in which you had requested." He leaned in close to Vaggie, his eyes still glowing. "There are still ways in which I can be of service."

Vaggie threw up her hands in vexation. "Whatever! I just need you to keep an eye on her until I get back. Just make sure she doesn't die while I'm gone!"

Alastor made his cup of coffee vanish with just a wave of his hand and bowed deeply, "Why, but of course, Mademoiselle. As your loyal business partner, your wish is my command, you need only ask."

Vaggie turned away trying to keep her eye from twitching. "Ay, es tu pendejo..." She mumbled under her breath as she headed down the stairs. After he was sure he was out of her sight, Alastor let his smile drop. He turned back toward Charlie's door and again melted into the shadows.

Vaggie made her way downstairs, where Husk and Angel Dust had begun arguing over something or another. Vaggie didn't care what it was about as she barged into the middle of the room, spear in hand. "Angel, I need your help. You have to come with me."

Angel Dust groaned loudly. "And what could be so important that you need my help over everyone else's?" he objected, standing up from the couch and crossing his lower set of arms in a huff. "I just got home from a tiring shoot, then from spending a few hours at the bar having to babysit these assholes!" He gestured to Sir Pentious and Nifty who were still fast asleep. "As a matter of fact, I was just thinking of going to bed! Isn't that considered 'good behavior'?"

"I need you to help me find a drug dealer," Vaggie replied. "You know how to find them."

Angel Dust's eyes widened with surprise, then he broke into a crooked-toothed smile. "Well you've come to the right guy, Baby. I know every dealer in these streets, and if I don't know 'em, I know how to find 'em." He stretched out both pairs of arms confidently before cocking one on his hip. "So, what drug are ya' thinking?"

Vaggie hooked Angel Dust's arm and dragged him toward the door. "Com'on, I'll talk on the way. Husk, keep an eye on the other two, will you?"

Husk tossed his arms up in resignation as Vaggie dragged Angel Dust out of the hotel and the door slammed behind them.

Meanwhile, up in Charlie's room, Alastor materialized out of the darkness. Though his smile still sat on his face, it was subdued as he moved in toward Charlie lying on the bed. The voice of the owner of his soul echoed in his headâ"the words they had said before he'd left: 'Don't you dare let a single blond hair of her head be harmed. If you fail, you can say goodbye to all your power and all those souls you've collected...Forever.'

Alastor felt a chill run down his neck despite himself. His nervousness caused his microphone to feedback. With a snap of his fingers he made the microphone disappear, taking the static sound with it. He stared silently down at her for a while longer, watching as her chest moved up and down with her breathing. Despite himself he felt a twinge of pity for her. He thought back to Lucifer's visit just a day ago. While--yes, he did ham up his performance a little, just because he found it amusing to see how annoyed it made the ruler of all Hell--much of what he had said at least held a bit of truth; he did seem to be developing a sort of care for her. Perhaps this feeling had been there from the startâa sort of pity. Alastor continued to watch her silently for a while, then he reached down and touched the back of his fingers to her forehead. He was slightly taken aback at how hot she felt. In his mind he was transported back decades, back to his living life. Still a young child, he could remember having the flu or some manner of childhood illness. His mother was there...brushing his dark brown hair off his sweaty forehead, spoon-feeding him soup, and mixing him up all manner of elixirs and tinctures to help cure him. His mother, the only person he was still sure beyond a shadow of a doubt that he had ever truly loved. He felt a strange lump form in his chest--a feeling he hadn't felt since he was alive and long before he'd started on his murderous rampage. He pursed his lips together and despite his desire to keep distance from the situation, he sighed and began removing his long red coat. He hung it up gently on the corner of the bedpost. Then he rolled up his sleeves to just underneath his elbows. With a snap of his fingers a bowl of water appeared on the end-table in front of him. Reaching into the breast pocket of his coat, he pulled out a small white handkerchief. As he did so he paused as he ran his fingers over the perfect delicate embroidery, his name in tiny black stitches. It had been one of the last things his mother had given him--the year he had turned 18, right after the Great War had ended. "You're a man now," She'd said in her thick Cajun accent. "You're gonna need to be properly dressed if you ever want to be finding a girl to settle down with. And in't no man alive dressed properly without his kerchief and a smile."

Alastor blinked himself back to life. He'd been frozen staring at the handkerchief in his hands. He had been struck by that memory, a memory he hadn't thought about in almost a century. He cleared his throat to bring himself back to the present and laid the kerchief in the bowl of water. He let it soak in there for a moment, before reaching in and pulling it back out, wringing the cloth gently with both hands. He then sat on the chair next to Charlie and laid the delicate kerchief against her head.

With the new sensation, Charlie stirred and opened her eyes. She focussed them weakly on Alastor. "...Al...?" She asked, not fully sure if what she was seeing was real.

"In the flesh," Alastor replied with his trademark smile. "I'm sure you must be wondering what could have possibly happened for me of all people to end up here."

"Not really," Charlie replied weakly, causing Alastor's eye to twitch, "But I'm glad you're here anyway." She reached out and touched Alastor's hand sitting on his crossed knee. "It...It really means a lot."

Alastor stared at Charlie's hand covering his own. "Yes, well..." He finally said, lifting Charlie's hand gingerly by one finger and placing it back onto the bed next to her. "It wouldn't do well if my newest form of entertainment went bust within the first couple weeks, now would it?"

Charlie smiled weakly back at him. "No...I suppose it wouldn't..."

Alastor cleared his throat nervously. "And with that said, I suppose that if anyone is to look after the ailing Princess of Hell, it should be someone with first hand experience in the matter."

Charlie struggled to sit up on an elbow. "First hand experience...? What do you mean?"

Alastor chuckled. "Well, this kind of thing is quite common up on Earth. Every human soul has had to deal with an illness at one time or another during their lifeâ"regardless of whether their final destination ended up as Heaven or Hell."

"An...Illness...?" Charlie mused. "Is that what this is?" She'd heard her dad talking about it before with her mother once when she was a really young child. "I thought that was only something up on Earth."

"It would appear there are some things that are still a surprise to us all," Alastor replied, removing his monocle and polishing it gently against the breast of his shirt. "Which is also the reason that I am here."

Charlie blinked. "I...I still don't understand."

Alastor replaced his monocle against his cheek. "Well, wouldn't you think it prudent that someone who has experienced such a thing be the one to deal with such an issue," he paused, his eyes glowing bright red, "as opposed to an angel who has never experienced strife throughout their whole existence?"

Charlie paused, pulling back a little under the covers. Then her eyes turned downcast as she remembered. "Vaggie...Vaggie is an angel...and an exorcist at that..." She mumbled aloud mostly to herself. She laid back down and curled up under the blankets. "All these years...all these years and she never said anything...not a thing!" Her eyes welled up with tears. "I've told her everything...everything I've ever thought. I've never kept even so much as a surprise from her and she keeps...this?"

Alastor chuckled, waving a hand dismissively. "Oh please, these so-called 'matters of the heart' hold no pertinence to me. I only mean to say that you should not fret, as you are in fully capable hands, My Dear."

"Oh..." Charlie replied quietly.

"But for now," Alastor continued, pulling the covers up and making a show of tucking them snuggly around Charlie's shoulders, "the best course of action is some rest. I will be here should you need something."

Charlie smiled, though it was still subdued with sadness. "Thank you, Alastor. I mean it; it means a lot."

Alastor simply nodded in acceptance as Charlie closed her eyes and fell back asleep.

As Charlie slept, Vaggie was busy being dragged around the seedy underbelly streets of Pentagram city. Her spear held firmly in one hand while Angel Dust yanked her around by the other.

"Angel, where the hell are you taking me?" Vaggie objected.

"I know a guy; he always posts himself right on this corner." Angel replied nonchalantly.

"Well, this doesn't exactly look like a place for 'Hell's finest pharmaceuticals'â" Vaggie replied, glancing around at the demons walking the street. They all gave her a side-eye like looking at a slab of fresh meat. She gripped her spear a little tighter.

Angel Dust stopped walking, "Look, Sugartits, you asked for my help," he insisted, spinning her around and grabbing onto her shoulders to force her to look at him. "I'm telling you, if anyone's gonna know who brings the prescription goods up from Sloth, it's gonna be this guy." He shrugged with his upper set of arms. "If you're so uncomfortable out here, you could always go back to the Hotel and let me handle it."

"Hell no," Vaggie replied sharply. "Someone has to babysit you, otherwise we'll end up finding you passed out in a dumpster somewhere coked out of your mind and we'll have to sober you up all over again, all for you to have never even gotten the medicine."

Angel scoffed, crossing his upper set of arms. "Well, aren't you just overflowing with trust," He snarked, cocking his hips. "For someone who is constantly preaching about forgiveness and trust you seem to have an awfully hard time with it. Are you really in a position to be critical after this whole 'angel-exorcist bullshit?" Vaggie opened her mouth to object but then closed it again, glancing away ashamed. Angel Dust softened, "Look, Baby, I've been walking these streets longer than you've even been down here. I know these guys. Just stick with me, let me do the talking, and we'll be fine, alright?"

Vaggie nodded solemnly and Angel finally let go of her shoulders. As he turned he suddenly brightened. "Oh look, and there he is! Right on time!" He waved frantically with one of his arms. "Hey Borris! Over here!"

Vaggie noticed a bulky broad-chested bull-looking demon wearing a long dirty and ragged trench-coat standing on the street-corner. His shoulders dropped as Angel's voice reached him. Angel grabbed onto Vaggie's arm again and dragged her over and Vaggie could hear the demon mumble, "Oy vey, not this schlemiel again..."

If Angel Dust heard this comment he didn't acknowledge it as he confidently propped one arm up onto the other demon's shoulder. "Hey there, Big N' Burley,"

"Anthony..." The other demon replied shortly as he pulled out a cigar from an inside coat pocket.

"Aww, we're on a first name basis? I'm touched!" Angel Dust replied, clutching his upper hands over his chest fluff. "It's almost like we're 'mishpocheh'."

"Don't you 'mishpocheh' me!" the other demon bellowed. A long oxtail swatted side to side from underneath his long coat. "We may have run in similar circles when we were alive but we ain't family!"

"Aw, you still mad that we actually got shit done and took over a big city that people actually care about instead of spending all our time making moonshine in the woods with cow-hooves tied to our feet?" Angel Dust mocked.

The demon called Borris growled, making the golden ring through the middle of his nose shutter. "You got some chutzpah, you stupid kid. I only put up with your shit because you can always be relied on to actually pay."

"I knew you loved me, ya' big softie!" Angel Dust replied, reaching up and pulling off Borris' fedora hat and ruffling the curly purple hair covering his poll between his horns.

Borris snorted again as Angel Dust put his hat back messily. "You've already got me at my wit's end, what do you want?" He asked in an exasperated tone, pulling out a silver lighter from his pocket. "I got some coke on me; will that get you off my back?"

Angel shrugged. "Nah' I'm off the stuff. Been clean and sober for a few weeks now."

"Mazel Tov," he replied sarcastically as he lit his cigar. "So what the hell do you want?"

"Look, you got connections to every dealer on this side of the pentagram," Angel explained. "We got the big man upstairs to send for a delivery from Sloth, but we need to pick it up."

Borris took a long drag on his cigar. As he blew out the thick cloud of rancid smoke he chuckled, "Movin' up in the world. You got Lucifer himself ordering drugs for you now?"

Angel Dust shrugged. "Eh, this time it aint for me. I'm doin' a favor."

"And...This favor," Borris continued, pointing with his pinkie at Vaggie while still holding the smoldering cigar. "It got somethin' to do with 'Trigger-finger' over there?"

Angel draped an upper arm over Vaggie's shoulder which made her grimace as he pulled her in. "Yeah, don't worry about Smiles. She's with me. She's harmless."

Borris huffed again, before taking another long drag off his cigar. As he exhaled he flicked the ashes off the end. "So, what do you need me for, then?"

"Look, not many deliveries come up from Sloth," Angel went on. "That's why the shit is so expensive. It's so rare, we don' even know who we're looking for."

Borris finished tapping his cigar. "And let me guess--you think I would know who the schmuck is."

Angel grinned and leaned in seductively. "Well you are the biggest dealer around this dump--and I don't just mean your wares."

Borris huffed again and made a show of the handgun in his chest holster as he put the lighter back into the inside pocket of his coat. "Don't test my patience, Prissy-Boy." He took another drag off his cigar. "Well, if you're lookin' for a name, you're outta luck. Sloth is such a long way down from here nobody really knows who makes the deliveries. The goods just kind of appear and get distributed from the top down. But what I can tell ya is this: the Succubi are the ones that get most of the deliveries from Sloth. From there they'll usually bring it all back to Earth. You want to find your shipment, talk to a Succubus.

"Succubus?" Vaggie asked. "Which ones are those?"

But Angel Dust was already grabbing her and pulling her down the street. "Succubus. Got it." He waggled his fingers flirtily back at Borris, "Be seeing you around, Hot Stuff."

"I hope your schlong rots off!" Borris yelled back.

Angel was unperturbed and blew a kiss back at him. "Love you too, Babe!" He grinned as Vaggie ripped her arm away from his grip as they kept walking. "He loves me, he knows it."

"So, these 'Succubus'," Vaggie said as she continued to walk with Angel. "I take it you know who they are?"

Angel Dust laughed. "Do I know who they are... Babe, you can't be in my industry and NOT know who the Succubi are! They're only the biggest sellers of Porn and Sex up on Earth! Val has tried to colab a few times. Fortunately for you I happen to know where their Pride office is."

Vaggie looked up toward the red sky, now turning a shade of burgundy. She thought back to Charlie who was lying back at the hotel, probably on the cusp of death. Her insides suddenly felt like they fell into an abyss as fear bordering panic started to well up. "Is it at least close? We're running out of time."

"Chill your tiny tits, it's just a couple blocks," Angel replied as he continued walking. He pointed out at the skyline toward a tall building reflecting the last few glints of blood red in the sky against the windows. "You see there? That's where we're going."

Vaggie followed his finger up to the building noticing the brightly colored pulsing light coming from inside one of the offices. She sighed, praying to a god she wasn't sure she even still believed in that this wasn't all going to be a waste of precious time.

Back at the Hotel, Charlie's bedroom had grown quite dim with the darkening sky. Alastor opened his eyes and sat up from where he'd been leaning back in the chair listening contentedly to the quiet jazz playing from his microphone. Noticing how dark it had become, Alastor snapped his fingers, sparking to life the tiny string of decorative bulbs hanging from around Charlie's bed, filling the room with a warm yellow ambiance. He leaned forward, setting his microphone against the wall, still streaming out its quiet brass section. With another snap of his fingers a steaming bowl appeared on the table. He picked it up and brought it into his lap, stirring it with the spoon leaned against the side of the bowl and breathing in the aroma of the steam. He lifted the spoon and touched some of the thick broth to his lips. He licked it off thoughtfully, contemplating the flavor and satisfied he reached out to touch Charlie's shoulder. "Charlie, it's time you wake up and eat something."

Charlie opened her eyes weakly, but soon closed them again and pulled the blankets up closer as she rolled over. "No thanks, Alastor. I'm not hungry..."

"Unfortunately this task is non-negotiable, My Dear." Alastor replied, pulling down the blankets a bit and helping Charlie sit up against her pillows. "You will need to keep your strength up and to do that you will need nourishment."

Charlie sighed and rubbed the soreness from her eyes, pushing back a lock of her hair that had fallen loose as she did so. The simple act of sitting up had drained her and she sunk deeper into the pillows, hardly able to muster up the strength to hold herself up. "Alright, Al...Alright..." She said weakly, struggling to keep up her aura of positivity.

"Good girl," Alastor praised, taking the bowl in his hands again. He scooped up a spoonful and tapped it against the side of the bowl before lifting it to Charlie's mouth. Charlie took it dutifully, opening her mouth and allowing the Radio Demon to spoon feed her like a child. This stew had a subtle bite to it that despite the thick feeling of her tongue Charlie could still taste. The thick broth sprinkled with diced onions, peppers, and celery along with strips of shredded chicken went down very easily. To Charlie's surprise, the dish soothed the soreness in her throat and opened her airways allowing her to breathe much easier. After swallowing she looked back at Alastor. "That's not regular chicken soup, what is it?"

Alastor chuckled as he stirred and scooped another spoonful. "Goodness, no. Mere chicken soup is bland and overrated. This particular recipe is gumbo, passed down from my mother and perfected by myself."

Charlie took another bite Alastor offered her. "I had no idea you were such a good chef." She complimented, finding it slightly easier to keep her optimistic demeanor.

Alastor chuckled again, pridefully this time. "There are a number of things you don't know about me, My Dear."

Charlie looked at him quizzically as Alastor lifted another spoonful toward her mouth. "Like what?"

Alastor waggled a finger at her. "All in good time. For now, don't let the food get cold."

After Charlie finally finished the last few scoops of the meal, she sank back into the pillows again. Though the food had helped, it didn't change the fact that she still felt exhausted. She closed her eyes and was about to drift off to sleep when Alastor laid a hand across her forehead. "Al...?" She asked, opening her eyes again. "W-what are you doing?"

"What does it look like I'm doing, I'm feeling your temperature," Alasor replied flatly. "Now be still."

Charlie froze under Alastor's order, confused but waiting patiently for an explanation. Alastor's smile was subdued, his eyes showing more pondering than malice. "Well, you seem to have gotten yourself quite the fever, My Dear," he said after a moment's pause, his smile returning though it still didn't feel malicious.

"Is that bad...?" Charlie asked in a childish voice, a little embarrassed that she still didn't understand.

Alastor sat up again in the chair, trying to mask the astounded pity that was surely showing through. Regardless, he smiled at her. "It's nothing to fret yourself over. No more than a minor inconvenience, really," He assured her as he reached over to where his damp handkerchief still sat next to the bowl of water on the nightstand. He laid it gingerly across her forehead. "Under my watchful eye, you'll be right as rain in no time."

Charlie smiled up at him. "Thanks Al."

Charlie closed her eyes and quickly fell asleep. After he was certain that she was out, Alastor pursed his lips, permitting himself, if only for a moment, to feel his concern openly. Though he told himself time and time again that he didn't particularly care about the fate of Hell, or it's denizens, or this hotel, or redemption, or any of this frivolous nonsense that Charlie spouted day-in and day-out, the longer he sat there with her the more he became aware of the consequences should they not be able to find a cure for the curse. If Charlie were to die from this, what would happen? The hotel would close. The exorcists would still continue to come--if the time-table stayed true--every six months. The exorcists would eradicate all the sinners until only the craftiest or strongest survived. Even if these angels could be killed as Carmilla Carmine had made it clear, she was the only one who knew how, and convincing all of Hell to rise up against an armada without knowing the specifics of HOW would just invite disaster. And worst of all, if Charlie were to die, the owner of his soul contract would immediately rip it up, tearing his soul with it into a million tiny pieces in the most painful way possible and casting him into the void of fire to waste away in agony where not even the release of a double-death could save him. Alastor let out a quick huff of a breath, shaking off the thought. Every way he sliced it, Charlie had to survive and the hotel needed to stay in operation.

The sky had darkened entirely by the time that Angel Dust and Vaggie stopped in front of the large glass doors of the highrise. Angel double-checked the list of tenants for the offices in the building that was posted on the outside wall. "A-ha, there it isâ"Succubus Studios, 10503." He said, pointing triumphantly at the letters on the placard that had been stamped in hot pink lettering.

"Are you sure this is right," Vaggie asked uncertainly, glancing around the streets again then up to the building. Compared to the carnage in the streets this building looked exquisiteâout of place even. "This doesn't exactly look like we're supposed to be here."

Angel Dust scoffed. "You really don't get out much do you," He asked as he started up the short stairway to the door. "Don't like the ghetto, don't like the upper side of town..." Vaggie felt a flush crawl up her face and she fell back into silence as Angel continued. "This building is strictly used for Hell Ring operations, so Sinners don't usually have any reason to come here. Plus, to get past the main door you need to be buzzed in and escorted by someone with an office here."

"So, the security's pretty tight," Vaggie huffed. "How do you expect to get in then?"

"Toots, trust me on this," Angel Dust replied, reaching the door. "I know what I'm doing." He pulled the door and held it open for Vaggie to walk under his upper arms. Once inside, the vestibule was dimly lit with one-way glass blocking the rest of the building from view. Angel Dust walked up to a panel on the wall and pressed a couple buttons. A small speaker sparked to life and a voice came from the other side, "Can I help you?"

"And how's my favorite touring pop group doing?" Angel Dust replied in a sing-songy voice.

"Ohmigod, Angel Dust, is that you?!" The other voice replied in a high pitched squeal.

"You know it is, Baby!" Angel Dust replied in an equally excited tone. "How ya' been, Bitch? Haven't seen you around since we filmed that Hell-cut for your music video."

"Good! Good! Oh my god, hold on, I'll be right down!" The other voice said excitedly before the speaker clicked to silence. Angel Dust turned back to Vaggie and stood up with a satisfied smirk. Vaggie just stood stunned and confused before the one-way door popped open and a demoness ran out and latched onto Angel Dust in a tight squeeze. "Ohmigod Angel Dust! It is so good to see you!" She squealed. As she hugged him her head barely came to his chest, and her pink curved horns barely came above his collarbone. She fluttered her bat-like wings excitedly while her heart-shaped tail danced back and forth. Her bright pink skin visible from around her pink and white candy dress was covered in whitish splotches.

"It's good to see you too, Baby," Angel Dust laughed through her tight grip. She gave him one last squeeze and pulled away. "How's that new album coming?"

"Good! Good!" the demon replied, pushing a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail back behind her ear. "We've only got I think 3 more songs to record, so it's going pretty fast!" She jumped up excitedly. "Oh! Come in! Come in! See the rest of the group!" She grabbed on to one of Angel Dust's arms, and one of Vaggie's without asking questions, and pulled them both through the door. There she paused and let them go to pull the push-bar locked behind her before she hurried past them and waved them to the back of the room to a bunch of elevators. They got on one and the succubus pushed a button on the control panel which sent them rocketing into the air, stopping in a few seconds with a gentle hum. The doors opened and the Succubus led them out into the hall and down toward a room. A lit sign that just said "Recording'' sat above the door. The demoness tapped on the glass with a finger and an incubus sitting on a chair in front of a wide control panel nodded and gestured to her that he'd heard. After a couple seconds he pressed a button on the control panel and said something to the girls in the recording studio and then turned back and unlocked the door letting the succubus, Angel Dust, and Vaggie all inside. As the three of them entered four other succubus, all varying shades of red or pink but with identical kawaii dresses, came out from the sound-proofing of the recording studio and all crowded around Angel Dust. They began chattering around Angel all at once. How he could make out what any of them were saying, Vaggie had no idea, but he laughed and replied to someone, "No, No, I'm just here on a visit, I'm not involved this time."

"Oh. My. God. Perfect Selfie Opportunity!" One of them said and all of them pulled out a Voxtech phone and began taking selfies as a group with Angel Dust to post to Sinstagram.

Vaggie wanted to speak upâ"to say, "Hey Jackass, we're running out of time, can you speed it up?!" As she was about to open her mouth she thought better of it. Angel Dust's methods weren't exactly what she had hoped but he was still helping, and making way more headway than she could ever have made on her own. It really wasn't her place to be criticizing his methods right now.

Vaggie stayed quiet, but as if sending out a thought wave from her forehead, Angel Dust suddenly remembered the task. "Oh hey, Kimiko, this is my housemate Vaggie," He said, gesturing to the girl with grayish skin standing behind them. The succubus with vitiligo that had greeted them at the door waved cheerfully. Vaggie took a hand from where she was twiddling nervously with her spear and waved back. "And Vaggie, this is Kimiko, the lead singer for the pop group Strawberry Creme."

"Nice to meet you," Vaggie said hardly over a mumble.

"Unfortunately, Girls, this isn't really a pleasure visit either." Angel Dust continued. "My friend here really needs a favor, and I'm tryin' to do her a solid. We were hoping you might be able to help us out too."

"What kind of favor did you have in mind...?" Kimiko asked sultrily, twirling a lock of her bangs.

"We heard there was supposed to be a drug delivery up from Sloth earlier. We got word that you guys usually end up with the shipment for when you go to Earth. My girl here really needs somethin', and we were hoping you might let us take a look through the shipment first.

Kimiko giggled. "Well why didn't you say so earlier, Silly?!" She glanced over her shoulder toward the Incubus that was still sitting in the chair at the control panel. "Hey, Joel, Where'd you put that package we got earlier?"

The male sex demon jabbed a thumb toward a box sitting against the wall next to a collection of recorded audio bits. Kimiko went over and opened the box. "There you go!" She said in a cheery voice. Just look through here and find any of the drugs you need. It's only Sloth--they won't even notice if part of a shipment goes missing." The other Hellborn demons laughed and Angel half-heartedly laughed along, almost as if he didn't fully understand if that was supposed to be a joke.

Vaggie couldn't wait anymore and dove toward the box shuffling through it scanning the names of bottles. Angel Dust turned back to Strawberry Creme as he followed Vaggie over. "Thanks, Bitch. I owe you one. Seriously. Find me on the downlow if you want to do another music video."

Kimiko shook her head piteously at Vaggie kneeling on the floor desperately scrambling through the bottles. She leaned in to the other girls and mumbled, "Kannojou, ekusutamennashan ni shinedarou ne..."

The other girls nodded and mumbled "nnnn" before all funneling back into the recording studio and letting Angel Dust and Vaggie pick through the box of medicines in peace.

Back at the hotel, Alastor dozed quietly in the chair next to Charlie's bed. His microphone was laid across his lap and sputtered out a gentle audio fuzz in time with his own breathing. Charlie mumbled something in her sleep. Alastor jerked awake at the change in sound and leaned forward to check in on her. She tossed a bit against the pillows as her mumbling gradually became more audible. "Vaa...Vagge...Please...No..."

Alastor leaned against the bed and pressed a hand to the handkerchief still across her forehead. He was disturbed to find it noticeably warm and ripped it off to press his other hand against her head. His eyes flashed with horror. Her skin was uncomfortably hot and radiated a heat from it not unlike the hot and humid summer breeze off the bayou. He plunged the kerchief into the bowl of lukewarm water and pressed it to her head, barely wringing it out, but already he knew that lukewarm water was not going to be enough. His ears perked up to hear the scuttling footsteps that could only be Nifty scurrying down the hallway. She must have woken up from her alcohol induced stupor at some point in the night and gone back to her self-appointed task of 1-by-1 pest control. He went and opened the door and sure enough there was Nifty, scuttling down the hallway chasing a small group of cockroaches in and out of shadows. Alastor cleared his throat. "Nifty, Darling, I have a very important favor to ask of you."

Nifty nearly screeched to a halt on her mission for bugs and turned immediately around and hurried back to Alastor leaning against his staffed microphone in the doorway. "Yes, Sir? ...Why are you in Charlie's room?" She asked quizzically, twisting her face with confusion.

"Nevermind that for now," Alastor replied. "Would you be a dear and fetch me some wet towels and a bucket of ice?"

Nifty hopped up on her toes as her eye twinkled in joy at being useful. "Yes, Sir!" Then the little gremlin scampered off down the hall and out of sight.

Alastor retreated into the room and closed the door, hiding away from any prying eyes. No one could see this side of him; it would permanently tarnish his image. A few minutes later a knock came from the door at a height that could only be Nifty. Alastor opened it and sure enough Nifty stood there holding a stack of dripping bar towels half the height of her in one hand, and a large bucket filled with ice cubes that was nearly twice as big as her head in the other. She tried to balance the tall mound of dripping towels as she struggled to drag the bucket of ice across the floor. Alastor obliged and picked up the large bucket--which could have only been about 40 pounds but to Nifty was an exorbitant weight. Without the giant bucket, Nifty steadied the towering pile of bar towels with both hands and followed Alastor over to the bed. After handing off the towels to him she scrambled up the side of the bed to get a better view of what was happening. Seeing Charlie, she finally understood. "What's wrong with her, Alastor?" She asked in a meek voice.

Alastor finished wrapping some of the ice up in one of the bar towels. He put it to the side of Charlie's neck before he answered. "An illness. An illness that has progressed to an alarming degree at a faster rate than I had anticipated."

"Is she gonna be alright?" Nifty continued questioning.

"Let us both hope so, My Dear," Alastor replied solemnly, "because if not, then all of Hell as we know it will be doomed."

Nifty watched in silence as Alastor placed another makeshift ice pack to Charlie's skin. Finally she hopped up to her feet. "What can I do to help?" She asked excitedly. "You know I do a wonderful job stitching you up when you get hurt."

Alastor chuckled. "That you do. Very well," He handed her a ready made ice pack. "Help me place these, then."

A couple hours later, Vaggie ran up the main staircase to the hotel lobby, taking two at a time and burst into her and Charlie's room carrying the armfulls of small white bottles. "Charlie! How is she?! Is she ok?!" She suddenly stopped short when she noticed--the room was dark, all except for the small lights hanging from their bed. Alastor was seated in the chair next to her reading an old worn book, his microphone leaned up against the wall playing a quiet jazz creating a gentle relaxing ambience.

Alastor lifted a finger up to his lips without even looking up. "The princess is sleeping, I would be cognizant of your volume."

Vaggie stepped into the room, leaving the door open behind her. As she stepped toward the bed she noticed the empty bowl sitting on the end-table, as well as a small collection of sprigs of plants and homemade concoctions. "Wow, I'm...a little impressed. You've actually taken care of her pretty well."

Alastor chuckled as he closed the book and stood up from the chair. "Now, now, would you expect any less from me? This is the princess of Hell that you gave me charge over after all."

"Well...yeah, honestly I did." Vaggie replied somewhat sheepishly. "Knowing you, I was expecting you to try to pull some shady shit or somehow try to pawn it off on one of your minions or something."

Alastor feigned hurt as he picked up his coat from the bedpost and started to pull it on. "Oh come nowâ"after all we've been through together, I would have expected a higher opinion than that."

"Well, maybe after all this I can trust you after all." Vaggie replied. "Slightly." She sniffed picking up a residual scent of the chicken gumbo. "Andâdid you cook that? It smells really good."

Alastor picked up his microphone and twirled it with a flourish. "But of course. Can't let the patient go hungry now, can we?"

"I just didn't know you were a good cook," Vaggie replied looking back at Alastor as she began to set all the bottles down onto the end table."

Alastor chuckled, shaking his head and wagging a disapproving finger at her as he turned and headed toward the door. "Radio is not the only thing I am good at, My Dear." With that final comment he hooked the doorknob with the bottom of his staff and left the two girls in peace.

Alastor walked nonchalantly down the stairs with his microphone held behind his back.

"Well if it ain't the big, bad, overlord with a heart of gold," Angel Dust chided from where he sat at the bar with Husk.

Alastor cocked an eyebrow at him. "I don't know what you mean."

Husker scoffed a little as he poured Angel Dust another Martini. "Don't even try to deny it; Nifty already told us everything."

"Yeah, how you were frettin' over Charlie an' all that," Angel Dust added as he picked up his glass. He shot Alastor a knowing crooked grin. "You can't hide it, you do care about this place after all."

"I have said no such thing," Alastor shot back with a surprising desperation in his voice.

"Don't need to," Husk replied with a smirk as he leaned against the counter across from Angel Dust and pulled out a bottle for himself. "Your actions have screamed it all loud and clear." He pointed a claw at Alastor before taking a swig from the bottle. "You try to hide it but you're not completely a soulless psychopath."

Alastor felt a flush come up through his cheeks despite his desperate attempt to keep a neutral facade. In a last-ditch effort to save his reputation he turned away from the other two residents of the Hotel. "Well, I can see that nothing I say will succeed in changing your minds, so I shall take my leave. Good Day," He said, straightening his suit coat in a defiant huff. Husker and Angel Dust shared a smirk across the bar counter before each taking a sip of their respective drinks while Alastor melted away into the darkness and fled the questioning.

Vaggie sat next to the bed, intently watching the ornate grandfather clock across the room. Only five hours left max before the 36 hour limit was up. And Charlie still wasn't showing any signs of improvement. They were running out of time to be able to get the cure...if there even was one. More and more Vaggie felt her mind wandering to that possibility. She kept trying to push these thoughts down but as she pushed one away another one would just pop up. Charlie could actually die. With one last "Fuck You," Heaven could take away the only thing that made her life worth while anymoreâthat still mattered to her. Vaggie felt a tight lump forming in her chest. All the anger, all the desperation, all the despair, all the fear, all the hatredâall tied into a burning knot and stuck in her chest making it almost suffocating to try to breathe. She clenched her jaw and struggled to blink away the tears that were forming without her permission, but this only succeeded in making them fall, forming little dark patterns on the bed sheets. She gripped the sheets in her fists and tried to rub the marks out, only succeeding in smearing them into splotches. In a bout of frustration she threw herself back into the chair and closed herself off, crossing her arms tightly over her chest as she tried to sink into the elaborate cushions. She took a deep breath to try to calm herself down, messily rubbing her eyes dry as she did so. The time wasn't up--they still had a few hours to work with; no point in giving up yet.

Vaggie was so lost in her own thoughts that the sound of Charlie's phone ringing made her jump. She scrambled to sit up from the chair and grabbed the phone off the end table. Already knowing it was Lucifer from the ring-tone, she hit accept without even looking. "Please! Please, Lucifer, tell me you have good news!" She begged while also trying to hide her voice cracking.

"Well, I have good news and I have bad news," Lucifer explained. Though his voice still sounded a little frantic with the situation, it seemed optimistic which gave Vaggie hope. "The good news is, I know the cure."

Vaggie sprung forward in the chair fully attentive, "What?! What is it!"

"Well, that gets into the somewhat bad news," Lucifer explained. "The cure is just the basic Rite of Protection blessing, which I still remember how to do--"

"What, that's great news!" Vaggie interrupted. "You just need to get over here and perform it and she'll be all healed!"

"There's the problem," Lucifer continued. He paused as he turned on the front-facing camera on his phone, displaying the image of him sitting on a golden bench in a blindingly white waiting room. Vaggie knew immediately where this was. Purgatory. "I had to go up to Heaven to meet with the seraphim, and I'm going to be stuck on this side of the Chasm until these assholes decide that they have the time to open up the portal back to Hell."

Vaggie felt her heart drop. "Because only Cherubim and higher can open up portals out of Heavenâ" she reminded herself aloud.

Lucifer nodded. "And since I lost my status as an Arcangel after my banishment I no longer have that privilege."

Vaggie felt that knot of emotions tying itself up in her chest again. "So what do we do? Do you think you can make it back here before the time is up?"

Lucifer shook his head. "If I'm going to be honest, with how things have gone so far, no. I genuinely think that these human souls just wanting to go to Earth to visit loved ones will get out of here before I do. So I'm going to need you to perform the Rite."

Vaggie saw her face in the small video-call icon go at least three shades paler. "Me...? B-but, I...I don't--"

"It's just the basic protection blessing," Lucifer assured her. "No special frills or anything. I'm sure you learned it in Angelic Academy."

"I'm one of the 300 Angels of Death, we were never taught Blessingsâ!" Vaggie hissed, her emotional knot now bordering on panic.

Lucifer's head dropped back against the bench he was sitting on. "Fuck's sake, the education system really went to shit after I left..." he grumbled. Then he looked back up "Ok, listen carefully, it's a super easy blessing," he assured her as he held up his hand to demonstrate. "Use the tip of your spear to prick your finger, then make the sign of the cross on her forehead with the blood while saying the Invocation--you know that?" Vaggie gulped but nodded. Lucifer went on, "After that, just say, 'with this seal, I place you under angelic protection.' After that, Charlie should wake up after a few minutes."

Vaggie went over the steps again in her head. She mouthed the words to herself just to make sure she got it right. Finally she nodded assuredly. "Ok, I should be able to do that. You're sure it will work even though I'm fallen?"

Lucifer shook his head, dismissing her concerns, "That won't matter. It should still work. I'm going to get there as soon as I possibly can, just in case something goes wrong--and with Heaven I wouldn't rule anything out--but Sera assured me that I could perform the Rite so you should be able to as well."

Vaggie nodded again, a little more confidently as she reviewed the steps of the blessing in her head one more time. "Ok, I'll do it."

Lucifer bowed his head in appreciation. Suddenly the camera feed started to lag and glitch. "Ah fuck it all..." He grumbled, "Look, the reception in Purgatory is absolute shit...I don't know if you're going to be able to get in touch with me until I manage to get out of here. But I promise, I'm going to head to the hotel first thing after I get back. I'll talk to you more then."

Vaggie only had a chance to nod in understanding before the screen cut out and was replaced with a message that simply read "Call Dropped." She took a deep breath to try to calm herself as she placed the phone back on the end table. Nervously she went over the steps one more time. "It's fine," she told herself, as she reached with a quivering hand for her spear. "All the other angels have had to do blessings before, it's not hard." She paused with the spear in her hands, gazing at her warped reflection in the glistening perfectly polished steel. Despite all her attempts to distance herself from her past, Lucifer was right--she still looked just like an angel. Her fist clenched around the shaft of her spear. The hatred for herself and her kind was welling up again. The ones that had torn off her wings, had gouged out her right eye, had created this whole horrible place to begin with as their stupid little ant-hill experiment, were the same people who had failed to mention that "oh by the way, there's a curse placed on the heavenly realm, and without this specific artifact you are going to die once you get back to Hell so maybe you should get a Blessing before you leave? Just a thought."

These thoughts swirled once in her mind before she was able to break her gaze from her reflection and glanced up at Charlie still lying in the bed. She lay on her back against the pillows, looking even paler now than she did before. Her lips seemed to take on an almost grayish tint. Her breathing would stutter every so often and was so shallow and weak that Vaggie had to hold her own to even be able to hear it at all. Despite the fear and anger she was feeling at seeing her girlfriend this way, one thought suddenly cut through it all: "The only reason I can help is BECAUSE I'm an angel. If I was just another sinner she would just be left to suffer and die."

This revelation was enough to at least temporarily dispel her deep seeded self-loathing as the new determination took over. Without any more hesitation she held her spear firm in one hand and ran her thumb across the bladed edge. The slice burned for only a moment as she pulled her hand away from the galvanized steel, but the pain soon faded and a small trickle of shimmering golden blood dripped down to her palm. She smeared the excess away as best she could with her other hand. She licked her lips nervously and with a short breath pushed forward with the blessing. "En nomine Pater, et Filio, et Spiritui Sancto," she said, following Lucifer's instructions as she wiped the blood dripping from her thumb down and then across the center of Charlie's forehead. "With this seal, I place you under Angelic Protection."

Once the seal had been placed, Vaggie pulled her hand away, sticking the tip of her thumb in her mouth to stop the bleeding. The golden mark started to glisten then to glow before it absorbed and disappeared into Charlie's skin. Vaggie held her breath. Did she do it right? Did the blessing even work? Lucifer hadn't mentioned what happened after, he just said Charlie would wake up after a few minutes if it was successful. She took Charlie's hand and held it tight. Charlie's breathing had slowed. At this point Vaggie didn't know if this was a good or bad thing. She lifted Charlie's hand to her lips, pressing her delicate fingers against her cheek. Her hand was hot and sweaty from the raging fever but Vaggie couldn't be bothered to care. "Please..." she begged silently, "Please just be ok..."

Seconds felt like hours as Vaggie sat there staring at Charlie praying for any definitive sign of improvement. She could have sworn at least an hour had gone by already, though the grandfather clock across the room suggested differently. Her eyes were starting to play tricks on her. She questioned whether the lively color really was coming back to her face or if it was just an illusion of the light. But suddenly Charlie's eyebrows started to twitch. Her face scrunched up and she groaned as she struggled to come to. Vaggie crawled onto the bed next to her from this sign of life. She scrambled to push the messy hair off of her face. A sweat had broken out over her skin and though still rather warm it was not radiating the heat it had been before.

Charlie slowly opened her eyes. Her gaze fell on Vaggie. After a moment for her vision to clear she managed to smile, "Hey, Vaggie..."

Vaggie's breath hitched while she laughed and clasped Charlie to her chest, smothering the top of her head in kisses. "Oh, thank God, Charlie...You had me scared to death..!"

"Me too..." Charlie chuckled weakly. She pushed away from Vaggie a little to readjust herself on the pillows but stopped when she noticed the golden blood still smeared over her hands. "Oh my god, Vaggie, you're bleeding! Are you alright?"

Vaggie shook her head quickly and waved her girlfriend's concerns away. "Don't worry about it. It's just a little cut." She paused for a moment, but then pushed forward with what she had to say, "Charlie, I'm so sorry that I didn't tell you about the exorcist stuff before! I was just so scared, I didn't want you to leave me, and I didn't think about how it all would affect you..."

Charlie nodded, but a shadow still seemed to fall over her face. "I had a dream that you went back to the angels. The exorcists came down and started eradicating everyone, even the Hellborn. Then you threw me into the void of fire and just stood there watching while I screamed..."

"What? No! I swear to you that would never happen!" Vaggie pleaded. She clasped Charlie's face and forced her to look at her. "You don't actually think I'd ever do that, do you?! Please tell me you don't believe that!"

Charlie didn't reply at first but just shook her head. "Can we talk about the angel stuff later? I don't really want to think about it right now...I want to go back to the way things were before and just fall asleep in your arms for a bit.

Vaggie smiled gently down at her and nodded. "Sure, Hun. Absolutely." She wrapped her arms around her and leaned back into the pillows, resting her cheek against Charlie's blond hair. "Just get some restâyou need it." She planted one last gentle kiss against Charlie's forehead before letting her fall asleep in the comfort and safety of her embrace.