Even despite knowing that none of the clothes she had would be something she was comfortable in, Vanessa still found herself desperately rummaging through her closet for something.

She honestly hadn't expected to be this out of luck.

Every article of clothing hanging in the godforsaken closet was obviously designed to accentuate her figure in some form of another. She didn't even have a decent piece of underwear, just crotchless panties, lingerie, and thongs.

Was she really gonna have to choose some clothes that would draw attention?

It was hard enough to find clothes as it was. Even though she'd been able to regain her bearings somewhat, the incident from an hour ago was still fresh in her mind.

Why wouldn't it be? How does everyone else just continue on with their day like nothing happened? Is this really what Hell was usually like?

She was desperate. She wanted something, anything that would conserve her dignity at least a little. Something that could be passed off as a preferred clothing style rather than an invitation to any creep they might encounter.

Come on, come on…

As Vanessa sifted through the countless amounts of erotically designed clothes, she finally found something.

A white low cut shirt that would leave her midriff exposed, and it would definitely hug her figure… but it was something. Accompanying it was an obscenely small purple skirt, and Vanessa was positive that her ass would be hanging halfway out of it.

If it even covered her front, that is.

But… so far? It was the most modest outfit she'd found, and it was something at least.

The black lingerie she had on would still be visible in some capacity, more than likely… but it wasn't see-through, and so long as no one tried to harass her… she'd be fine.

Right?

"Okay…" Vanessa's voice quivered as she spoke to herself, trying to calm her nerves as she grabbed the clothes hanger off the rack and began pulling the clothes off of it.

Getting the clothes on was a bigger chore than Vanessa had honestly expected. Considering a majority of her time at the studio, or Hell in general, had consisted of her baring it all at Valentino's orders, she hadn't really tried on any of her clothes.

Not that she'd been interested in the first place.

But she wasn't exactly accustomed to the pair of horns on her head, and she'd thought she ripped the shirt apart at one point. But she'd finally gotten it on.

The skirt had been more difficult than she'd expected as well. At first, she'd tried to just pull it up upon her legs as she usually would. Considering how tight the skirt was, risk of it falling off or being blown wasn't something she worried about.

But she couldn't get it on comfortably at first. She'd nearly get the skirt all the way up, but then it would catch on her tail.

Vanessa honestly didn't have a clue at first on how to solve that conundrum. But once she'd taken an actual look at the skirt, she realized her mistake.

There was a hole in the skirt for her tail.

Once she'd finally had the infernal piece of clothing on, Vanessa stood up and examined herself.

It… wasn't really much. Not in the slightest. She could still feel air along the bottom of her rear, and she wasn't comfortable with the way her stomach was exposed. Way more skin than she was comfortable with.

Her eyes slowly drifted towards the large mirror hanging upon the wall.

She found herself slowly moving away from the bed, her feet carrying her towards the mirror at a hesitant pace. She wasn't entirely sure she would be happy with her outfit… but as long as she had some semblance of modesty, she could make due.

Just as she thought, the outfit accentuated her figure to a tee. Her curves were neatly outlined and her breasts looked as if they would fall out of her shirt. And as for the skirt, it barely covered her front, and as she'd guessed, her butt wasn't completely covered, leaving her lingerie in full view for anyone to see from behind.

All in all…

"At least I have something." Vanessa muttered to herself. She wasn't happy with it. It made her feel disgusting, like nothing more than a two-bit whore.

If Valentino had his way, that's all she would be.

But… she wasn't naked. And she was at least covered.

Now… to remember Angel's text.

As promised, he'd texted her to let her know that a friend of his was on the way. But she couldn't help but to be nervous.

Being advised not to freak out can have that effect.

He'd at least given her a few details. It was a large demon, with long messy hair, blue eyes… and he was covered in cuts?

Didn't exactly paint a pretty picture.

But Angel had assured her over text that no matter how intimidating the man would seem, he absolutely would not harm her.

All Vanessa could do was take his word for it. Well, that… and hope and pray that the guy really was as nice as Angel made him out… to… be…

Thump, thump, thump, thump.

Were those… footsteps?

The noise was consistent like footsteps would be. They sounded a lot like her father, who had always had heavy footfalls. The only difference were that these ones felt much heavier. And they were… coming… in her room's direction.

Vanessa couldn't help but to tense up as the footsteps grew closer, and she half-expected it to be Val coming to finally get rid of her tail. But Val's footsteps weren't that loud. Or heavy.

Her heart felt like it was in her throat as she pretty much felt the footsteps stop at her door.

There was nothing but complete and utter silence… she couldn't even hear anyone speaking outside of her room.

And then… the sound of someone gently knocking on her door.

It wasn't that loud, but with how tense and nervous that Vanessa was, it was loud enough to spook her as a frightened scream escaped her lips.

Something that was very clearly heard by the person on the other side of the door.

"My bad." A deep, rumbling voice could be heard, obviously muffled by the door. "Didn't mean to spook you."

Vanessa didn't respond. The succubus stayed rooted in place for a moment, before she finally found herself moving ever so slowly towards the door. Small, tentative footsteps dragged her across the floor, and once she reached the door, she placed her hand on the doorknob.

She sucked in a deep breath.

She slowly opened the door, just a little bit, before peeking out in the small crack to see who was on the other side of the door.

And then… Vanessa froze.

The demon on the other side of the door had to be, without a doubt, the most physically imposing man she had ever seen.

Even accounting for the pair of horns poking up between his hair, the absolute behemoth had to keep his head hunched down to avoid knocking it against the ceiling. A plain black shirt that was torn in various places was accompanied by old, dusty denim jeans, which sat atop a pair of extremely faded cowboy boots.

To say nothing of the demon's frame. Because… Jesus.

For a being so massive, the demon had oddly humanoid proportions. Though, that didn't take away from the fact that each muscle upon the demon's body looked strong enough to snap a building in half. Not even mention how easily he could probably wrap his hand around her skull.

Of course, none of these already disconcerting features were helped by much else. His grayish-green skin was marred in not just cuts, but deep gashes that looked as if they were still bleeding, despite the dried blood around each one indicating otherwise.

And the spikes… do not forget the spikes.

Outside of the pair of bony spikes that seemed to protrude from his neck and run along his shoulders, most of his joints were covered in spikes that looked like they were designed to skewer people. His elbows, his knees… even each knuckle on his hand had a spike protruding from the skin, as if he had a set of knives upon his hands.

The demon's visage alone filled Vanessa with so much terror at first glance that she felt like a deer in headlights, staring up into the eyes of the behemoth that was currently at her door.

So caught up in said terror, that she didn't even notice the slight movement until a large pair of fingers were snapping in front of her face.

"Hey, you alright?' That deep rumble voiced once more as the behemoth looked down at, his brow furrowing and his expression changing to one of confusion and… concern.

Vanessa took a deep, shuddered breath in a poor, but somewhat successful attempt to calm her nerves before speaking.

"Who… who are you?"

The behemoth gave a friendly smile, and an amused chuckle escaped him as he shook his head, before meeting the sinner succubus' gaze. "I'm the one Angel sent. Considering you're the only purple succubus I've seen, I'm assuming I was sent to the right door?"

Large, long messy hair, blue eyes, cuts… yeah, Angel could've provided a bit more info on her escort.

Vanessa slowly opened the door the rest of the way, allowing the behemoth to see her fully. His eyes widened the moment he saw her outfit, and Vanessa couldn't help but to avert her eyes, more than ready for some pickup line or sexual joke.

What she got was… neither.

"You look like you're scared to death." The demon joked with a chuckle, causing her gaze to return to his own in surprise. The massive demon offered her a hand, and a reassuring smile. "I'm John."

John? That… was a human name. A living name. To her knowledge, Vanessa was the only sinner who still went by her own name.

Vanessa stared at the demon for a moment, her gaze drifting from his eyes to his hand, which was patiently waiting for her to shake it.

Slowly, Vanessa raised her hand, and she honestly wasn't entirely sure how she was really supposed to shake his hand. His hand was bigger than her head, after all. Was she supposed to grab a finger? Rest her own hand against his palm?

She went with option two, and flinched when John's hand closed around her own. She slowly relaxed as John shook her hand, finding herself surprised by how… gentle his grip was.

"I-I'm Vanessa." Some of her nervousness died away a little. Despite how rough the texture of his skin felt, his grip was surprisingly soft, and it offered Vanessa some comfort to know the behemoth in front of her was that considerate.

"Nice to meet you." John replied with a smile as he let his hand fall away. "You sure you're alright? You keep looking at me like you expect me to smack you or something." He noted in a rather blunt tone, raising an eyebrow as his smile changed to an amused grin.

Of course, Vanessa's nervousness returned full force, and she found herself trying to rapidly apologize for any wrongdoing. She really didn't want to be on this behemoth's bad side.

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to offend or insult you or anything else I may have done." Vanessa's words came out at the speed of a whirring gatling gun, so fast that not even she was entirely sure that everything she'd said had been an actual word. She couldn't help but to take an instinctive step back, hoping to be clear of any range the behemoth may have.

Not that it would stop him if he wanted to just bulldoze through everything in the first place.

"Whoa, hey now." John's face fell, the smile leaving his expression as a concerned look took over his features. "I was just trying to help you relax, you didn't do anything." The behemoth raised his hands in a reassuring gesture, taking a step away from the succubus in order to allow her room to breathe.

Vanessa stared at the demon, taking in the cautious way he made each movement, the look of… genuine worry, upon his face… and she wasn't entirely sure what to make of it.

The succubus was able to slowly relax, looking at John for a moment with a look of apprehensive confusion, before finally taking a step forward. Albeit hesitant, Angel trusted him well enough, she guessed.

And if she were being honest, he could've just flattened her door and the walls around it if he was wanting to hurt her.

"I'm sorry."

"No, no, it's fine." John waved it off, smile returning to his face.

Vanessa found that she preferred his smile. For such a simple little expression, it went a long with making the succubus feel… comfortable. To an extent, anyway. Not to mention just how… genuine it was.

Most of the smiles Vanessa had seen since she'd arrived in Hell hadn't been genuine. Not like this anyway. They were always cocky, malicious, lustful, downright arrogant… sometimes a volatile mixture.

But despite the… admittedly jarring rows of serrated shark teeth on display, the smile itself was just so… disarming.

Vanessa wouldn't say she felt entirely safe in his presence, but she felt safe enough that he wouldn't hurt her, at least.

"Um… where exactly are we going?" Considering Vanessa had absolutely no clue of Angel's current whereabouts, she couldn't help but to voice the question for her own piece of mind.

Once again, that smile changed into an amused expression. "To the Princess' Hotel." He answered as he raised an eyebrow. "Where did you think we were going, Timbuktu?"

That wasn't just the kind of joke you'd hear from a sinner, that's the kind of joke you'd hear from someone who hasn't been dead for long.

Well, relatively speaking, anyway.

Nonetheless, what really caught Vanessa off-guard about the joke was the fact that it actually made her giggle. Not some nervous or faked sound just to appease anyone either, but genuine giggles of amusement that had caught her off-guard entirely.

What made it so unexpected was the fact that it was Vanessa's first time feeling any sort of positive emotion since arriving in Hell. Sure, there was Angel, and he was a good friend… but his ways of lifting someone's spirits weren't exactly something to write home about.

But with one joke, all tension left Vanessa in an unexpected wave.

Her giggles seemed to make John proud, his smile widening ever so slightly before shaking his head with a chuckle.

"I… I just didn't know where he was." Vanessa admitted as her giggles died down, looking at the behemoth with the first honest smile she'd had in… well, a month, but it felt like it'd been forever. "He said he was busy when I called him earlier, so I assumed he was somewhere else at the moment."

Now that she spoke it aloud, she couldn't help but to feel a little bad for bugging Angel. But after Valentino's outburst and subsequent… method of punishment upon Blaze, Vanessa wanted to be wherever Angel was right now.

John didn't seem to notice her internal turmoil, letting out a chuckle as he shook his head. "Yeah, he's busy alright. They're shooting a commercial at the Hotel as a bit of a… gift, for Charlie." He explained. "Alastor, our facility manager, already made one. But it was less than satisfactory."

"What happened?" Vanessa questioned curiously, her head tilting slightly.

"Alastor doesn't like modern technology." John replied with a chuckle.

Vanessa wasn't sure whether that answered her questions or only raised more. Maybe both.

"Anyway," John spoke up with a chuckle, jerking his thumb in the opposite direction as he shot her a grin. "What do you say we get going? No offense, but going out today was not on my list of plans, and Angel sounded like he really wanted to see you."

Vanessa gave a small smile as she nodded her head in agreement. "I'd like that."

Vanessa didn't like this.

One would think that she'd feel much better. She was out of the studio(for the moment), she was clothed, she wasn't doing anything sexual, and she had a nine foot escort taking her to a safe place.

So why didn't she feel better?

Well, as much as she hated it, as much as it would eat at her, walking around the studio naked had become the unfortunate norm for her. And considering that she'd been at the studio for pretty much her entire time in Hell, it had eventually filled the effect.

But she was no longer at the studio, and the very revealing clothing she was wearing in public made her extremely self-conscious.

She felt like everyone was staring at her, and it didn't help that she'd already caught a couple of people actually staring at her, both men and women.

Anyone who looked would get a free view of her ass, and she doubted the lingerie was very good at hiding anything now that she was out in public.

It caused her to instinctively try and cover what could be seen, her hands crossing over themselves as she held them in front of her crotch.

Every muscle in her body was tense, her eyes shooting around like a caged animal looking for a way out. All around were people who would be more than willing to hurt her. Her wishes would mean nothing to anyone, and the only thing keeping her feeling even remotely safe was the absolute beast walking alongside.

Though she was still a little nervous around him, John seemed to be a surprisingly calm and content man for a nine foot monstrosity. Vanessa couldn't help but be thankful that Angel had chosen to send the behemoth rather than anyone else.

"Alright, what's up?" John spoke suddenly and without any warning, causing her to jump slightly as her gaze snapped towards him like a deer in headlights. "You've been trying to cover yourself since we set foot outside the building. If you're not a fan of clothes, why wear them?"

Vanessa wasn't sure what surprised her more. The fact that John actually had enough awareness to notice, or the fact that he had seen enough to deduce the exact reason she was uncomfortable.

"Oh, um…" Vaness found herself unsure of how to answer. Should she make up some excuse, or should she just tell him the truth? Angel had warned her not to let John meet any of the Vees if she could manage it.

After all, that would cause a lot of problems for both of them. And probably a truckload of trauma to go with it.

But after a few moments of him keeping his inquiring gaze locked upon her own, Vanessa realized that he probably wasn't going to drop it and let out a sigh.

"It's the least revealing clothes I have." Vanessa admitted, turning her gaze away from him and looking down in shame. "I've never left the studio since I came to Hell. I've always been too scared."

John's eyes widened in surprise at her admission, caught off-guard by the simple truth. "You… you never left? How long have you been in Hell?" He asked in disbelief, shaking his head at the idea. "Are you telling me that you don't have a single scrap of even remotely modest clothing?"

Vanessa turned to look at him for a few moments, before turning her gaze away once more.

She heard John let out a sigh, before his pace seemed to speed up slightly, the loud thumps of his footsteps growing slightly louder as he did so.

"Come on, let's get you some decent clothes."

…

…what?

"Wha… what?" Vanessa asked, speeding up into an almost jog just to maintain pace with him as she looked at him in disbelief. He wasn't serious, was he?

"You oughta at least have some clothes you're comfy in." John answered without a second thought, taking a glance at Vanessa before slowing down so that Vanessa didn't have to try and keep pace.

Bigger legs meant bigger strides.

"But… I don't want to irritate you." Vanessa spoke softly, because it was the truth. The last thing she wanted to do was anger a man who was twice her size in a literal manner.

"Oh please…" John rolled his eyes with a small smile. "We're in Hell. Not all of us get lucky, and the shit we hear up there? When we're alive? I don't blame you for being scared."

The amount of understanding that the behemoth showed her astounded Vanessa. He didn't judge her, he didn't make fun of her, or call her a coward…

"Really?" Vanessa couldn't help but ask in disbelief. "But… it's not your responsibility."

"Never said it was." John answered as he turned to look at her with that soft smile. "But there's this thing called generosity. You ever heard of it?"

"Not down here." Vanessa muttered as she turned her gaze away. Generosity was about the last thing she'd have ever encountered in Hell.

John suddenly came to a stop, causing Vanessa to bump into his side with grunt, and she'd have fallen in her rear if John's large hand hadn't come down to steady her.

Upon feeling his hand on her back, she tensed up at first. The feeling of anyone's touch upon her skin made her uncomfortable, and that probably wouldn't change for a long time.

She looked up at John, and saw that he was looking at the sign for a store they'd stopped in front of. Upon looking at the sign herself, Vanessa realized that it was a clothing store.

Hellish Threads

"Maybe this place will have something." John guessed as he slipped his claws behind the door handle and pulled it open, before gesturing for Vanessa to enter.

Vanessa did as asked, stepping into the clothing shop with a bit of apprehension. John wasn't really about to get her some clothes, right? It was probably some big prank, or a debt he was trying to force on her.

No. Angel wouldn't have sent him if he was planning on doing something like that.

"Go pick some clothes out." John instructed as he entered the store, causing Vanessa to turn towards him. "Don't know what they'll have, but there's gotta be something here."

For it to be Hell, Vanessa was surprised at how… normal, the clothing store looked. Then again, what would one expect a clothing store in Hell to look like?

"Why?" Vanessa asked finally, turning back to him. Why was this behemoth going so out of his way for her? "We barely know each other. Why do you care if I'm comfortable?"

"No one needs to be scared twenty-four-seven. And everyone's entitled to a bit of comfort." John answered with a raised eyebrow. "Besides, a wise old hellhound I know lives by a philosophy. Just because you're in Hell doesn't mean you can't do the right thing."

That… was nowhere near the answer that Vanessa had expected. It wasn't even an answer Vanessa could've expected. This man, this demon, this sinner… he was going out of his way to provide a sense of comfort for her, merely because he'd noticed her discomfort and felt it was the right thing to alleviate it.

Was this even real? There's no way a man this kind could've possibly ended up in Hell, right?

"Um… okay…" Vanessa nodded, before turning around.

There was an abundance of clothes for her to look through. Pants, skirts, socks, underwear, shirts… even dresses and a shoe section.

What should she look for first?

A breeze of air brushing against her rear answered that question for her quite quickly.

A simple pair of jeans could go a long way, and Vanessa found herself grabbing a few pairs out of habit, throwing them upon her shoulder before moving along.

She had no real preference for underwear, as long as they were actually underwear and not some kind of sexual outfit, so it didn't take long for her to scrounge up and few bras and panties for her to wear.

Hmm… socks too.

She'd thought about grabbing a pair of sweatpants, until the day of her death crossed her mind and she decided against it.

Shirts… were tricky. Vanessa needed something that was stretchy, and yet would retain its shape. On the off chance that she snagged a shirt on her horns, she'd rather realize and fix the issue rather than risk ripping it.

She'd found a couple of plain shirts, but it looked like her options would be limited.

As she perused through the shirts, however, she paused when one particular shirt caught her eye.

It was a long-sleeved pink shirt. Relatively simple in design had it not been for a surprisingly eye catching butterfly on it.

The butterfly was purple in color, and though it wasn't anything complex… it was something that Vanessa couldn't help but to want.

In a literal world of sin and debauchery, there was something appealing to Vanessa about the shirt. A shirt that was unexpectedly innocent in Hell. Rather than some foul markings, or the shirt being ripped and torn in various places… it was a simple shirt. One you'd see on an innocent little girl more than a fearsome demon.

Vanessa wanted it anyway.

She grabbed the shirt and tossed it into the pile of clothes atop her shoulder, before grabbing a simple pair of speakers as her footwear.

She spotted a changing room in the back of the store, and after a quick glance up front, spotted John being occupied by the store owner.

The behemoth looked rather annoyed, likely by the way the store owner, a short and fat bulldog demon, was trying to sell him some clothes.

Seeing that she would be unbothered, Vanessa made her way to the changing room, locking the door immediately before undressing.

Finally, a semblance of privacy.

Or so she thought, anyway.

She was almost entirely undressed and had just undone her bra when she spotted it. On the back wall of the changing room was a hole, and in it, Vanessa could see the glossy shine of the light reflecting on a camera lense.

"AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!"

The gut-wrenching scream escaped Vanessa's mouth in a knee-jerk reaction as she immediately followed her first instinct to cover herself. Only a second later, the entire store seemed to shake as she could hear a series of rapid booms, growing louder at a quick rate, before the door to the changing room was quite literally ripped from its hinges.

"Vanessa?! What happened?!" The genuine worry on John's face might've been touching in another moment, but right now all Vanessa could focus on was the camera watching her without consent.

"There's a camera in the wall!" Vanessa informed the behemoth, tears of shame and humiliation in her eyes as she point towards the wall with the hole. John's eyes moved towards it, and with the size of the changing room compared to his own stature, it was no struggle to reach it.

His hand tore a hole in the wall as if it were a break away, and she could hear the store owner shouting at the damage being done to his store, but it was clear that John could care less as he ripped the camera out of the wall and took a look at it, before crushing it with a downright growl.

"You motherfucker! Do you know how much that cost?!"

The store owner was clearly irate, and Vanessa felt horrified at the fact that the demon had clearly known and intended for the cameras to be there.

The man quickly lost his anger when John's piercing blue eyes snapped in his direction, all that anger ready to be unleashed in the package of a nine-foot goliath.

"Try your clothes on, see what fits, what doesn't, and then we're leaving." John instructed as he… removed his own shirt?

Vanessa felt a little nervous at first, before relaxing when John balled up his shirt, before reached into the changing room and stuffing it into the hole.

He lifted the door back up and leaned it back into place as best as he could. It wasn't much security, but it provided Vanessa with some semblance of privacy.

Once her initial shock and fear died down, only then did Vanessa actually make use of the changing room's intended purpose.

One pair of pants had been a bit too big on her and she accidentally ripped one of the shirts(reinforcing her preference of stretchy shirts with plenty of retention), but once she was sure they all fit, she settled into the butterfly shirt, a pair of jeans, and her sneakers atop a normal and more comfortable set of underwear.

She made sure to grab John's shirt from the wall before she left.

When she nudged the door, it merely fell to the ground without anything to hold it in place with a loud crash.

The sight awaiting her had been… unexpected, to say the least.

"You look a lot more comfy." John spoke with a smile. Vanessa probably would've smiled back if she weren't so surprised by how casually he was leaning against the wall, while the store owner was currently slumped next to him.

With his head embedded into the wall.

"What happened?" Vanessa uttered the question out, staring at the unconscious(hopefully) store manager in stunned surprise.

John merely shrugged, glancing down at the unconscious store owner and nudging the bulldog's body with his foot. "Figured if he wanted to peep, he could do it in his dreams."

Vanessa wasn't entirely sure that someone had dreams when they were knocked out, but she opted not to question it.

"I got my clothes." Vanessa informed, gesturing to the pile of clothes that sat atop her shoulder. "Oh, and you're shirt." She tossed him the large piece of clothing, which he caught without much effort.

"Thanks." John nodded in response as he put his shirt back on, and as Vanessa watched him, she finally noticed something.

Upon his chest was a massive gash. It started with two gashes that ran side-by-side with his collarbones, before merging into one massive Y-shaped gash that ran down to his belly button.

But she only saw it for a second before his shirt was once again upon his chest.

With his shirt back on, John looked around for a moment, before spotting a stack of duffle bags for sale hanging behind the counter.

Considering the store owner's current condition, Vanessa severely doubted John intended to pay for anything anymore as he moved towards the counter.

Considering the embarrassment and humiliation that the store owner's actions had put her through, Vanessa also severely doubted she cared.

John didn't even have to go behind the counter, able to easily reach the duffle bags himself with ease as he pulled when off the rack and unzipped it, before holding the back towards Vanessa.

"Toss 'em in." Was his simple instruction.

Vanessa did as told, stuffing the clothes into the bag before zipping it. Once she did that, John let her take the duffel bag from his hand and sling it across her shoulder.

"Alright, let's go." John instructed, nodding his head towards the door as he began making his way towards the door.

With her bag full of new clothes, Vanessa followed behind him. For the first time since she died, she felt… thankful.

Angel was one thing, but not even he had gone so far out of his way that John had. She couldn't stop thinking about it.

John barely knew her. She'd literally just met him… an hour ago? At first glance, he was nothing short of a vicious monster. He looked like he was built for slaughter. An unholy monstrosity and strength and destruction.

All of that scariness hides the heart of a kind if somewhat rash and ill-tempered man.

That's what he seemed to be. Angel trusted him some, so that was enough for her to go with him.

But the clothes shopping… that wasn't his concern, and it didn't even need to happen. But John noticed her discomfort and decided the pit stop was an order.

She couldn't help but be thankful. Finally, someone in Hell who was decent. Who wasn't some selfish asshole or psychopathic freak.

The smile that came onto Vanessa couldn't be wiped away if anyone tried. For once… she actually had a reason to be happy.

Maybe… maybe staying at the Hotel wouldn't be such a bad idea.

Where. The Fuck. WERE THEY?!

Angel knew how long it took to get to Val's studio and back, and it should've only been a two hour trip.

Five hours?

Angel couldn't help but to worry something had gone wrong. Charlie had long since returned from her trip to the Heaven embassy, and mix that with the news that the Exterminations would be happening twice a year instead of once a year, everyone was on edge.

And the Angel would remember that they were coming from fucking Porn Studios, and he couldn't stop his thoughts from flying a mile a minute.

Did something happen? Did John encounter any of the Vees? For fuck's sake, did he encounter Val?!

It was clear to anyone watching that Angel was antsy. Unfortunately for him, that someone happened to be Husk.

"What the hell's got you in a twist? Keep shaking like that, the whole bar's gonna fall apart." The cat demon noted, raising an eyebrow at the spider.

"Fuck off. Keep pouring." Was the simple reply.

Husk rolled his eyes, but did as asked.

Did something happen? That was what Angel's thoughts kept flying back to.

…

For the love of god, was Vanessa alright?

The poor kid didn't need anymore stress, she'd had enough trouble and trauma as it is. For the love of God, please have let everything go well for once.

When the door to the lobby opened up, Angel's eyes shot over to them almost immediately. The site and sounds that awaited him was… jarring, to say the least.

He'd have expected Vanessa to be more than intimidated, looking like a scared little mouse, dressed in whatever shitshow outfit Val had for her.

The Vanessa that walked through the doors with John was… not that.

Vanessa now wore a long-sleeved pink shirt with a purple butterfly on it, a pair of jeans, and some sneakers. Hangi my upon her shoulder was a duffle bag that Angel didn't recognize. And contrary to the usual look of misery and demeanor of fear…

Vanessa had the biggest, most genuine smile on her face.

"Wait, you fell? Like actually fell?" Vanessa asked John, holding a hand to her mouth to try and stifle actual giggles that were coming from her throat in place of ugly sobs.

John laughed along with Vanessa as he nodded his head. "Hehe, yeah. Didn't expect the floor to be that weak, and once the momentum started… fifty seven stories, straight to the ground."

Holy shit… looking at them now, you'd think there was no reason to worry.

Considering the way Vanessa had sounded on the phone and where they were coming from, Angel worried still.

"There you fucking are!" Angel spoke loudly, slamming his glass down on the bar with an audible bang as he jumped, causing Vanessa and Husk both to jump as all eyes turned towards the spider. "What the fuck happened? You were gone for hours!"

He couldn't help the pang of guilt that shot through him when Vanessa visibly flinched at his tone of voice, but he couldn't help it. They had worried him, dammit, and he wanted to know why!

"Calm down, Angel." John replied with an eyeroll as he waved off the spider's anger. "I got us turned around, had to climb a roof to figure out where to go. That, and we stopped to pick up Ness here some new clothes." He explained with a small smile.

"And the store owner tried to record me changing." Vanessa muttered under her breath, sounding embarrassed and utterly humiliated at the ordeal, of which Angel wanted to know more about.

"Said store owner ended up with his head in a wall and you got some free clothes and a brand new duffle bag." John replied without missing a beat, looking down at the succubus with a grin. "Not to mention I crushed his camera. I'd call that a failure on his part."

"Wait, wait, wait." Angel waved his hands back and forth rapidly to silence them as he tried to process the information he'd received. "You stopped to get Vanessa some new clothes?" He knew John would keep her safe, but why stop to get her some clothes?

"She looked scared half to death and kept covering herself like she was naked." John answered with a shrug, looking down at Angel with a raised brow. "Is that a problem?"

Everyone stared.

"What?"

Everyone continued to stare.

And then Angel finally spoke.

"You took her to get some new clothes, and went out of your way… because she looked scared?" Angel asked slowly, making sure he'd actually heard that right. There was no way that was the only reason.

But John nodded his head.

"Yeah." He reiterated, raising an eyebrow. "Why, was I not supposed too?"

"What do you get out of it, kid?" Husk was the one to get straight to the point, raising his own eyebrow as he looked at the behemoth. "A free peek? Some kind of deal?"

John's bottom lip puffed out and he shook his head, looking baffled at the question. "What reason would I have to do that?"

This time, everyone gawked. Including Vanessa.

"Y-You… it really didn't occur to you to try and get anything out of it?" Angel couldn't help but to ask, looking at the goliath, absolutely stunned. How else was he supposed to react?

A demon- a sinner, no less, had essentially just told him that he'd helped someone… because it was the right thing to do.

How would anyone else react to that?

John continued to look at them for a moment with a raised eyebrow of confusion, before shaking it off as he turned to Vanessa with a smile.

"It was fun hanging out with you." He told, giving her a friendly pat on the back as he did so. He didn't seem to notice the way she tensed up as he did so. "But I got some games to play, and I'm assuming Angel wants to talk to you, so I'll leave you to it."

With that, he made his way over to the couch, leaving everyone staring at him. Angel had the fleeting thought to inform of the recent developments that had occurred.

They disappeared as he remembered why Vanessa was even at the Hotel in the first place.

"Let's head to my room, Ness." Angel instructed the teen sinner, placing his hands upon his shoulders and guiding her in the direction of the room.

Something had really fucked with Vanessa at the studio, so clearly something bad had happened.

He just wanted to make sure nothing happened to Vanessa.

A/N: To a reviewer by the name of Ltbutterfly287…

Yes. I am aware that Vaggie is not a sinner or a demon. I'm also aware that according to VIvziepop, she was human at one point, as despite being an angel, she died a prostitute in 2014. However, as none of the other characters have any of this knowledge, why would I write as if anyone does?

Second, yes, I'm aware that there is no such thing as succubus sinners in canon.

Thirdly, yes, I'm aware that in canon, sinners cannot be that powerful.

That being said, when Alastor manifested, he toppled ancient demons long before he made any deals, indicating that it wasn't just his deal-making, but his actual power at the time that made him so dangerous. It's even been stated in the pilot that the power he possessed was the most ever seen in a sinner at the time. Also, considering that Alastor held his ground against Adam and could have killed him if he'd had an angelic weapon, this isn't so far-fetched anymore.

If you aren't a fan of the way I'm writing my story, feel free to read a different one. But I'm writing the story this way for a reason, and if you don't like it… there's not much I can say.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoyed the chapter, and I'll see you in the next one.