"Are you insane!?" Husk barked. "Husk, just hear us out," Charlie pleaded; Husk just scoffed, shaking his head and said, "Did your dad put you up to this? Or Alastor?" Husk let out a bitter chuckle at his own words, resting his forehead in his hand and sneered, "Shit, what am I saying? Of course Al isn't involved with this… he'd never suggest I actually get help."

"Husk, I understand that you're scared," Charlie assured, placing a hand on Husk's shoulder, "But I'm not talking about quitting your drinking, at least not right now. I'm talking about helping you to cut back on the booze and stay cut back. And maybe, just maybe, one day… if and when you feel ready to try, eventually quitting drinking."

Husk groaned, burying his face in his hands and trying to curl up in a ball; unfortunately, his injured ankle made that almost impossible, so he folded his wings around himself, trying to hide away from Charlie and Vaggie's gaze. Charlie and Vaggie just sat quietly, patiently waiting for Husk to say something, anything. But after almost a whole minute of silence, Vaggie decided to be the one to break the silence.

"Alastor told us you've tried cutting back before," she said, "But, you couldn't go more than a month or so before you'd backslide." Husk's eyes widened in surprise; he'd already told Vaggie all of this himself, but Vaggie's choice of words showed she was still keeping his confidence, which touched him deeply.

"He basically said that you can't change; that trying to help you at all was pointless, a losing game," Vaggie continued, "Wouldn't it be sweet to prove him wrong? Don't you think it'd be worth it to try just one more time?" "Of course it'd be worth it. But… look," Husk sighed, "Nothing would thrill me more than to take that son-ova-bitch down a few pegs. But are you certain you're not betting on the wrong horse here?"

"I… don't understand what you mean." Charlie said quizzically. "What I'm saying is," Husk sighed, "Is that Alastor's probably right. Listen," Husk turned and looked Charlie in the eyes, saying, "Remember when I said not everything in life is black and white? How sometimes things are a bit more complex than others make it out to be?" "Yeah," Charlie nodded, "So what?"

"So, this is one of those things," Husk explained, "I don't like being the way I am. But I've been this way for… as long as I can remember. It's impossible for me to just quit. Shit, just trying to cut back is an uphill battle; one that Pride makes even harder to fight by just… encouraging sin in damn near every facet of how it operates. Doesn't matter if it's guns, drugs, or sex, addiction is everywhere! And it's encouraged everywhere and by damn near everyone, especially by those in power. Even here it's not safe!"

"But, Husk," Charlie pleaded, "Think about it, Charlie!" Husk snapped, "You really think it was just a lapse in judgement that made Alastor think that a bar would make the perfect place for the tenants at a rehab center to go and relax?" Charlie's eyes widened as Husk started to shake, saying, "I mean, a bar is fine… if your vice is literally anything but alcohol!"

Husk wrapped his arms around himself and trembled, wincing and moaning in discomfort as a sudden shot of pain rippled up his back. Husk took a deep breath to try to steady himself, turning to Vaggie and said, "Basically he's made it so that every addict who comes here to get clean has a fair chance at avoiding their sin of choice… except for me and others like me. And don't even get me started about how I had to stare at that fucking poker table while working the bar the first six months I was here. But… that's… that's a conversation that I'm really not ready to have yet."

Charlie and Vaggie exchanged worried glances. Deep down, they both knew that Husk wasn't wrong, but they didn't want to relent yet. They had to at least try, to really put in an effort to convince Husk to give them a chance to try and help him. However, Vaggie had her suspicions that Husk wasn't going to be on board, at least not right now. With his condition clearly worsening, the chances of any meaningful success now were extremely slim. And as much as she wanted to repay Husk for all he'd done for her, she also didn't want to see Charlie be disappointed if he started to drink again to ease his pain. More than anything, Vaggie was hoping that Husk would divulge his secret to Charlie and explain why he felt he couldn't take on the challenge right now and saying that he was willing to join the program once his flare-up had finally passed.

Suddenly, Vaggie had an idea. "Husk," she began, taking a seat at the foot of the bed, "There's got to be something you're not telling us." Husk arced a brow, tilting his head curiously as Vaggie continued, "There's got to be something. I mean… if you truly hate being this way, than surely you'd be willing to quit."

Husk looked at Vaggie, baffled as he tried to figure out what Vaggie was saying. Vaggie looked him in the eyes and 'winked.' Husk immediately realized what Vaggie was trying to do; he looked at her gratefully and nodded. "Husk?" Charlie said, gently placing a hand on Husk's knee, "Is there something you aren't telling us?"

Husk took a deep breath, turned to face Charlie, and told her everything. He didn't give her every excruciating detail, but he told her enough to give her a clear picture of his situation, about his chronic pain, the flare-ups, and how he was currently experiencing the onset of a really nasty flare-up, the first he'd had in a long time. As they spoke, Husk could see the empathy in Charlie's eyes, which put him at ease.

"Does Angel know about this?" Charlie asked. "No!" Husk yelped, his voice breaking for a second. Husk cleared his throat and said, "I don't want him to know. Poor guy's got enough on his plate to deal with. I don't want to burden him anymore than I already do."

"You're not a burden, Husk," Charlie insisted, "You're just… troubled, like everyone in Hell." "It's nothing to be ashamed of," Vaggie added, "You're no worse off than Angel was when he first started the program. But, he's chosen to try to redeem himself, and he's been making some real progress." Vaggie flashed Husk a determined smile, pointing at him and said, "And I know that you can, too."

"We won't tell Angel if you don't want us to," Charlie promised, "But, I think you owe it to Angel to be honest and to tell him the truth. You want him to be real and honest with you, right? So, it's only fair that you do the same. I'm sure he'll understand, Husk."

Husk sighed heavily, knowing that Charlie was right and nodded. "Alright," Husk agreed, "I'll talk to him about it tonight. Just as soon as he gets back from walking his pig." "And… what about joining the program?" Charlie asked, a hopeful tone ringing in her voice. Husk thought it over for a moment, gave another sigh and nodded, "Okay, okay fine. I guess I can give it a shot. But… please," Husk paused and looked at Charlie with a begging look, "Can we take it slow the first few days?" Charlie giggled excitedly, wrapping her arms gently around Husk's shoulders and giving him a gentle hug. "No problem, Husk," Charlie assured him, "We'll take it one little baby step at a time."

Husk's eyes grew wide and full of relief as he saw Vaggie smiling and nodding along to Charlie's words; a few small tears welled up in his eyes as a jubilant smile stretched across the old cat's face. "We'll figure out the best way to help you cut back, starting first thing tomorrow," Charlie continued, "And when you're ready to take the next big step, we'll be ready, too."