"PENTIOUS!"

Vanessa visibly flinched when she heard the voice roar through the Hotel, and it was clear as day that it had clearly startled everyone else as well as a series of loud booms were heard approaching at a rapid pace.

At this point, everyone was accustomed to John's footsteps when he was walking at a brisk pace.

"Oh great, what did you do now?" Angel asked, glancing over at the snake in the chair from his own spot on the couch next to Vanessa. The succubus was curious herself considering how angry John sounded.

"I don't know!" Pentious replied quickly, frantically shaking his head back and forth in denial. A matching expression of terror was visible upon his hat. "I know better than to irritate him, believe me."

"Well, he sounds angry." Vaggie commented as she stood next to the couch, looking at Pentious with a raised eyebrow. "Are you sure you didn't do anything?"

"Yes!" Sir Pentious sounded almost desperate for someone to believe him, looking at Vaggie with a pleading gaze as he did so. "I did nothing!"

Finally, the booms reached their apex as all eyes turned towards the hall, where they watched for a few moments before the behemoth himself stepped out into view.

While at any other time, his fury would be cause for a concern… well, the cause for his anger was visible upon him without any sort of concealment, and Vanessa could admit that she took great joy in laughing like a mad woman along with Angel and Vaggie when she caught site of John.

It would seem that Pentious' Egg Bois remember John too, and apparently have less than stellar opinions of him.

One was atop his head, tugging at his horns while their were two more, one hanging from each of his elbow spikes, as well as another pair on each knee spike.

John stood, fists clenched in frustration as he glared at the snake, who looked almost like he was quivering in terror as he met the behemoth's gaze.

"Get them off. Now. " John growled, and Pentious eagerly nodded his head. He was in no hurry to feel John's wrath any time soon as he slithered up to the behemoth at a rapid pace and began frantically pulling the Egg Bois off.

It was an extremely comedic site, Vanessa could admit. The succubus fell into another fit of giggles as Pentious removed each individual egg one by one, an annoyed grunt escaping the behemoth every time Pentious removed an egg.

Once the snake had pulled all the eggs off, he immediately turned to them in frantic anger, hissing like the snake he was as his eyes narrowed at the little creatures.

"Back to my quarters! NOW!"

"Okay boss!" One of the eggs responded cheerily, as if Pentious had kindly asked them to go wait somewhere else. As the Egg Bois all turned and began making their way to Pentious' room in perfect sync, the snake himself turned to John with a nervous smile.

"Um… sorry about that?" He labelled it as a question, as if he was unsure that those were the right words to say to the still-visibly irritated behemoth.

John's fists clenched as he let a growl escape him, before letting out an annoyed sigh as he shook his head, turning away from Pentious.

"That happens again, I'm cooking them." Everyone knew John well enough to know that it was a bluff, but Pentious nonetheless nodded his head rapidly, not caring whether the behemoth meant his words or not.

"Yes sir." Pentious nodded, before turning a slithering back to his seat, eager to put some distance between himself and the behemoth for the moment.

"So what happened anyway?" Vaggie asked, looking at John as she leaned against the couch, raising an eyebrow at the behemoth. "You sounded pissed."

John's upper lip twitched in visible anger as he spoke in a low rumble. "Walking into a bathroom and walking out with a bunch of sentient eggs on you will do that." Was the only explanation of sorts John offered.

Suddenly, Vanessa felt a lot more sympathy for the behemoth.

"Anyway, now that I'm down here, anyone wanna gonna to Lu Lu World?" The question was thrown out so casually and randomly, that all eyes turned to John in confusion and surprise. "What?"

"Lu Lu World? The theme park Charlie's dad built?" Angel asked, turning to Vaggie for clarification. When the moth gave an affirmative nod, the spider turned his attention back to John. "Why are you going there?"

"Andre's taking the family there for the next few days. Spending a couple of nights in one of the Hotel's." John explained to the spider with a small smile. "Invited me to go. Said that Vortex would be there." He had a rather excited smile on his face when he said that.

"Is this Vortex a friend of Andre's?" Vaggie asked, as that wasn't a name she was familiar with. But John spoke about him with admiration of some sort, so it was clear that it was someone he respected.

"He's Andre's son." John corrected with a small smile, shooting a glance at Vaggie. "And he's gotta be one of the best demons I've ever met." He added on.

"So… it's an amusement park?" Vanessa asked, because she'd never heard of Lu Lu World in the first place. "I'm not sure I'm too comfortable with that, considering it's Hell…" She admitted as she propped her head upon her arms on the back of the couch.

"Well, Lu Lu World's definitely different from the rest of Hell." Angel commented as he turned to Vanessa with a smile. "Lucifer himself built it. Not sure why, but he makes sure people follow the rules. Anyone who tries anything in his park… well…"

"Let's just say that people only ever go there to have fun." John finished for Angel, a small smile on his face. "Might be assholes for sure, but no one's gonna try to start anything at that park."

"I don't know…" Vaggie wasn't too sure. She'd been to Lu Lu World before, because of course Charlie would take her there at some point. John wasn't wrong, there wasn't anything to fear there, but… did they really have the time? With the deadline on the Hotel, and only five months or so until the next Extermination, they needed to work quick to make some sort of progress.

John seemed to pick up on her line of thinking, rolling his eyes as he turned to Vaggie with an amused expression on her face. "Vaggie, we ain't gonna make any progress if we burn ourselves out. Deadline or not, stressing about it is only gonna make things worse."

…

Well, Vaggie supposed that John had a point. And it had been a while since she'd actually done something fun. Though…

"Let me go see if Charlie wants to go." Vaggie finally gave in, looking at John with a small smile. "If she says no, I'm staying here, but everyone else can go if they want."

"Are you sure it's safe?" Vanessa asked, turning to John once more with a wary gaze as Vaggie walked past him and made her way up the steps.

John merely chuckled in response. "Even if it usually isn't, I'll be there with you, Ness." He brought a hand up and ruffled the succubus' hair, getting an annoyed complaint inw response as he did so. Even then, Vanessa still had a smile on her face as she tried to fix her hair.

"Alright." Vanessa finally decided, looking up at John with a smile. "I'll go, if it's alright."

"Uh, not to ruin the moment, but how exactly are we supposed to get there?" Angel piped up, causing all eyes to swing in his direction. "The place is ten miles outside the city, and I severely doubt we're all walking there."

"Andre offered to stop by and pick up anyone who wants to go." John answered with a chuckle. "Believe me, I asked that same question. He's in town at the moment, and he knew I'd say yes anyway, so he extended the offer to anyone else here." He explained further.

Vanessa wasn't sure she felt too comfortable with that arrangement. Sure, John would be with them, but she'd be in a vehicle with people she didn't know. Considering the way things had gone for her since she'd died, she wasn't exactly sure if she was fine with that.

But, again, John would be there. And from what she'd heard about the people herself, they weren't anyone to be scared of anyway.

"Are you going, Angel?" Vanessa asked, turning towards the spider. Though she wouldn't admit it, she really wanted Angel to go with. Though she really did love the Hotel… it would be nice to actually get out for a bit.

Angel glanced at the succubus for a moment, his lips tightening together as he thought about his choice, before shaking his head with a light chuckle as he nodded. "Sure, kid."

The sound of knocking at the lobby doors caught everyone's attention, causing John to let out a chuckle.

"We're open! Come on in!" He called out to whoever was at the door, and his voice was more than loud enough that they'd be able to hear. While it was on the behemoth's brain, he glanced over at Husk. "You wanna come, Husk?"

"Appreciate the offer, but no thanks." Husk declined with a wave of his hand. "I don't exactly do amusement parks." He added as the lobby doors opened.

Vanessa's eyes widened at the demon who stepped through the doors.

He was a hellhound, and a large one at that, only a head shorter than John himself. He wore a plain brown colored shirt and a pair of blue shorts, and he had a rather blank fur pattern of plain black fur. Some fur hung from his chin, giving the impression of a beard.

But what really caught her attention was the eye. His left eye was an unnervingly white orb, clouded and damaged looking with a scar that ran over his eye.

Despite that intimidating feature, however, the hellhound himself looked as far from scary as one could.

"So, this is the Hazbin Hotel, huh?" The hellhound asked aloud as he walked in, approaching the group at the couch as he studied the lobby. "Pretty welcoming, I'll admit."

"What were you expecting, skulls and crossbones?" John joked as he lifted an arm, allowing the hellhound to move in for a side hug. "Good to see again, Andre."

Ah, so this was the famous Andre that John always talked about. It… really said a lot about John, actually. Most people in Hell looked up to some of the most despicable demons there were(Pentious), but John's golden hero of Hell was… nothing more than an old man.

At least, that's the impression that Vanessa got from him in less than a few minutes.

"Good to see you too, John." Andre replied with a smile of his own as the two separated. "You look like you're doing good for yourself."

John shrugged in response, a small smile on his face as he met the hellhound's gaze. "Well, it's pretty peaceful here, all things considered." He commented. "Outside of a few bumps in the road, I really can't complain."

"That's good to hear." Andre nodded his head, a passive smile on his face as he did so. "You been eating?"

John merely gave a cheeky smile in response.

"Of course you have." Andre chuckled in amusement as he looked at John. "Well, Arya told me to ask again, and you know how she is."

"A worry-wart, that's what she is." John laughed, before shaking his head as he placed a hand in Andre's shoulder. "Anyway, why don't you meet the guests?"

"I think I've already met one of them." Andre remarked with a grin, flicking a finger in Pentious' direction. For his part, the snake looked rather nervous.

"I apologize for attacking your city." Pentious gave a sheepish laugh to accompany his apology, rubbing the back of his neck in a nervous manner.

Andre shot a glance at John, before shaking his head as the two laughed in amusement, words going unneeded between the two.

"Anyway, who are these other two?" Andre asked, looking to John for introductions. Neither of the two noticed the way Angel's head snapped up in shock at the words.

"Well, this little ball of energy is Vanessa." John gestures to the succubus with a grin, causing her to smile as she offered a hand to the hellhound.

"Nice to meet you." She spoke as the hellhound shook her hand.

"You too." Andre replied, a genuine smile on his face as their hands fell away from each other.

"And that's Angel, the Hotel's first guest." John then gestured to the spider, who had turned around on the couch to face the two himself.

"Nice to meet you." Andre offered his hand to the spider, and after a few moments, Angel brought a hand to shake it.

"I don't mean to sound like an ass," Angel began, a habit he'd learned from John for clarification. "But, do you really not recognize me?"

"No." Andre shook his head as his hand fell back to his side, Angel pulling his own away as well. "Should I?" The hellhound looked genuinely confused.

Angel opened his mouth to respond, but paused when he spotted John slowly shaking his head with a stern gaze, as well as Vanessa rapidly shaking her hand in front of her neck in a 'cut-it' gesture.

"I figured you'd have seen the commercial, that's all." Angel finally decided to say with a shrug, causing both John and Vanessa to let out quiet sighs of relief.

"Oh." Andre nodded as he processed the answer, before shaking his head. "No, sorry."

"It's fine." Angel waved it off, before grinning. "So, you're the famous Andre, huh?"

Andre threw his head back in a hearty laugh when he heard those words, and the noise was so infectious that Vanessa and Angel both soon found themselves joining in. Not long after, John followed with a chuckle.

"Well, I wouldn't say I'm famous." Andre remarked as he glanced over at John with a grin. "So, you've been talking about me, huh, bud?"

"Among everyone else." John chuckled in response as he met the hound's eyes with his own. "I have no shame in admitting that."

"Nor should you." Andre said as he gave John a pat upon his back. "So, is anyone else coming with us?"

"Vanessa and Angel are." John nodded his head as he gestured to the two. "Vaggie's going to ask Charlie, and I'm not sure Pentious will."

"And Alastor and Niffty definitely won't." Angel commented with a chuckle, looking at John and Vanessa with a grin. "Can you imagine Al on a roller coaster?"

"I don't care how composed he is, he'd be screaming the whole way down." John joked with a chuckle of his own.

Admittedly, Vanessa couldn't stop giggling at the thought of Alastor screaming bloody murder on the first drop of a rollercoaster.

"I believe I would like to stay." Sir Pentious spoke with a nervous smile, which fell into a frown. "I'd rather not be around the pup. Uh, no offense."

"None taken." Andre waved him off with a chuckle. "I'd be nervous to if Beartrap had bit me. You're lucky he didn't take the tail off."

Pentious visibly gulped, while Angel and Vanessa shared a look of confusion before turning to John.

"I thought he was a pup?" Angel asked with a raised eyebrow.

"He is."

Considering that response came from three separate mouths simultaneously, neither of them were sure how to respond. What made the kid so scary when he but people.

"Beartrap's jaw is strong enough to crush concrete." John piped up, drawing their attention to him as he continued. "I wish I could say I'm exaggerating some, but I'm not. I watched this kid shred a concrete pillar to bring it down on some idiot trying to pick a fight with me."

"Oooh…" okay, Vanessa could admit that Pentious fear of the pup made a lot more sense now. "Yeah, okay, Pentious is really lucky then."

John and Andre shared a laugh at her words, and Vanessa felt a little bit of pride that she'd made the hellhound laugh.

He definitely didn't seem too bad with each second that carried by.

"I'm glad to see you're happy here, John." Andre spoke once his laugh died away, sounding almost like a proud father as he let his hand rest on the behemoth's shoulder. "You've got some good people here. I'm glad to see you like it here."

John matched the hellhound's smile with one of his own as he nodded. "Thanks, Andre."

"You're welcome." Andre replied as he gave John's shoulder a friendly pat before letting his hand fall back to his side.

The more the two spoke, the more curious Vanessa became. For a hellborn demon, Andre seemed surprisingly calm and amiable. He wasn't malicious, he wasn't rude, he honestly seemed like he was content with his life in Hell.

And with the way he and John talked to each other…

"I have a question, if it's alright." Vanessa spoke up, drawing all eyes to her as she met the hellhound's gaze. "I was wondering how you met John." She admitted, brushing some hair out of her face as she caught the surprised gazes of the two. "Is… is that alright?" She suddenly felt like she was asking a deeply personal question with the way the two of them were looking at her, and it made her feel nervous.

Something John seemed to notice, as his surprise changed into a smile as he let a short laugh escape him.

"Vanessa, you're fine." John waved off the succubus' concern as he shot her a reassuring smile, before turning to Andre. "I can't tell them the first couple of hours for certain. I was out like a log."

Andre let a chuckle escape him at John's words as he turned to face Vanessa and Angel, the spider curious as to the story as well. "My brother-in-law, Madrox, was out running some errands on the day John fell. If he'd been just a few seconds sooner, he'd have probably been crushed."

"From what I hear, I fell down right in front of him." John added with a small grin. "Shattered the ground, kicked up one helluva dust cloud."

"My family's from the Hell Hole." Andre explained, and upon seeing the look of confusion upon Vanessa's face, he smiled. "It's not like the rest of hell."

"I've heard of it." Angel piped up, bringing all eyes to him as he turned to Vanessa with a smile. "Most people who've heard of the place consider it a joke, but it's actually the best place in Hell if what I hear is true."

"Proper functioning civil system, prisons… it's a whole community." John continued where Angel stopped as he gave Vanessa a fond smile. "Only issues the place had was an occasional sinner attack until I came along."

"Anyway, we were naturally suspicious of sinners we didn't know." Andre explained, and it didn't escape Vanessa's attention, how John's smile faded in place of an ashamed expression as he turned his head away. "But none of us would've been willing to just leave him. Madrox picked John up on his shoulders and dragged him all the way home."

"How big is this guy?" Angel couldn't help but to interrupt with wide eyes when he heard that, and Vanessa felt that it was a valid question. While not necessarily the tallest demon she'd seen, John remained the single biggest. No matter who she tried to think of, John was always an absolute unit next to them. "I mean, no offense John, but you're not exactly tiny."

At the question, both John and Andre shared an amused look, grins on their faces before John busted out laughing while Andre turned back to the two.

"Not big at all." Andre answered with a slight chuckle to accompany John's laughter. "He's an imp."

Okay, now Vanessa had the same baffled look Angel had. An imp? Who had carried John?

"Tall for his species, but he's still only about five foot three." John added in as best as he could with his still active, albeit calming, laughter. "From what I hear, my knees were dragging on the ground the whole time, and he had my arms chucked over his shoulders."

"Jesus Christ, is the guy fucking Superman?" Angel couldn't help but to joke, shaking his head with a still-baffled yet amused smile. "I mean… fuck."

"Anyway, he dragged John back home, and when John woke up… well, it was a bit of a debacle at first, but I offered to let him stay for a bit. A bit turned into a more permanent situation, and now here we are." Andre finished his story, but considering the way John visibly flinched when Andre mentioned the 'debacle', she found herself curious as to what exactly happened.

Unfortunately, though, that was a question she neither had the courage to ask, nor did she get the chance.

"I'm so excited to go again!" Charlie's familiar voice of excitement could be heard down the hall as she and Vaggie walked into view. As usual, the Princess was bouncing with glee at yet another exciting prospect, and Vaggie watched with a fond smile. "We haven't gone for two years, and-" She stopped herself abruptly when she spotted the familiar hellhound standing in the lobby. "Oh, hi Andre!" She gave a wave to accompany her smile as the two women approached the group of demons.

Andre let a chuckle escape him as he returned the wave. "Charlie." His eyes moved to the moth demon next to her, and he gave her a smile as well. "Miss…" He paused, his face switching to a look of confusion, before chuckling. "Actually, I don't think I ever got your name."

"I'm Vaggie." The moth introduced, actually offering a hand and a smile to the hellhound as she did so. "I wasn't exactly… eager, last time you saw me."

"That's fine." Andre assured as he shook Vaggie's hand. "It's good to see you both again. Are you both going to Lu Lu Land with us?"

"Yep!" Charlie answered, and her joy was practically infectious as she bounced on her toes, earning her smiles all around. Vanessa even caught a small smile on Husk's face from over at the concierge. "I'm really thankful you extended the offer, Andre."

"Not a problem." Andre assured with a small wave as he smiled. "I should be thanking you. As hard as it was to convince him to go out and explore, I'm glad to see that John's happy here." He explained as his smile grew a little softer. "You've done a lot more for John than either of you are willing to admit."

Charlie couldn't help but to blush at the praise, because she hadn't really done too much for the behemoth. If anything, it's what the behemoth had done for her and Vaggie. Or the Hotel in general.

"Well, we're glad to have him." Charlie replied as her blush died away and she met the hellhound's eyes. "I don't really know what I've done for him, but he's done plenty for us too." She spoke it as she meant it. "If it weren't for him, we wouldn't have Vanessa, and we might've lost Pentious before he could really try."

"That's true." Vanessa admitted with a smile as shot the behemoth her own smile.

"Though I still don't trust anyone, I must admit that I do appreciate your mercy." Pentious added, giving his own toothy smile to the behemoth as well.

But… well, this was John they were talking about.

"Ah, it wasn't anything to make a fuss over." John assured with a chuckle and a short wave. "What was I gonna do, say no?" The way he questioned it, as if the option hadn't ever been a viable one in the first place, only spoke more about the kind of person John truly was.

Something everyone clearly agreed on.

"Hey, kid?" Husk called out from over at the concierge, causing all eyes to turn in his direction. "Do me a favor. Don't ever change."

"I second that." Andre said with a smile as he once again allowed his hand to rest on John's shoulder.

"I don't think any of us disagree." Of all people, Vaggie being the one to admit that with a genuine smile was still a bit of a surprise to Vanessa, but she wasn't wrong. "Look, I know we didn't start on the best of terms, and I still don't entirely trust you. But from what I've seen… you are a good guy, John." The moth continued as she met the behemoth's gaze. "Don't let anyone tell you differently."

For the first time that she'd ever seen, John looked absolutely shell-shocked as his gaze slowly swept over everyone in the room, unsure of how to respond. His expression morphed into a small, still-shocked smile as he brought a hand to the back of his neck.

"I uh… thanks?" He looked genuinely confused at how to properly respond to the praise, and personally, Vanessa thought that only made him that much better of a person.

"No thanks needed, Spike. It's the truth." Angel piped up as he stood to his feet, stretching all for arms as he did so. "You act like it's something that anyone would do. I honestly don't think you understand just how bad Hell truly is."

"No… I guess I don't…" John muttered, still looking somewhat lost, before shaking his head as his usual smile wormed its way back onto his face. "Anyway, you said Tex would be there?" He asked the hellhound once more, who chuckled in response.

"Yeah, John." Andre assured with a nod as he met the behemoth's gaze. "We're meeting everyone at the parking lot, and it's a whole affair. Ralph's back for some time, and Tex has Bee with him."

John found himself chuckling at that. "Well then, the only person we're missing is…" He trailed off, his expression falling once more to a more saddened expression, before shaking his head. "Nevermind."

Andre simply stared at John for a moment, his smile falling into a frown, while everyone else simply stared at the behemoth in confusion.

What was that about? Vanessa couldn't help but to wonder.

"John, you know you can talk about Rose, right?"

Rose? Who was Rose? That wasn't a name she'd ever heard from John before, and clearly no one else had either, their confusion only growing as they continued to stare at the behemoth and the hellhound.

John let a low, rumbling sigh escape him as he shook his head. "Not right now." The reply was so low, carrying so much pain within the words as the tone held a sad touch.

Vanessa didn't think she'd ever heard John sound like that.

"Alright." Andre sounded disappointed as he shook his own head, but he didn't let it last for long as he smiled. "Well, I suggest that whoever is coming to get ready. We got a bit of a trip ahead of us."

Vanessa smiled and immediately jumped to her feet at those words. Everyone else moved to disperse, likely moving towards their rooms to pack a few things here and there.

The succubus herself couldn't stop the excitement that flew through her as she rushed to her room as quickly as her feet could carry her. An actual amusement park! She was actually going to go have fun with her friends at an amusement park. And as a plus, she'd get to meet some decent people!

She couldn't wait.

On second thought, Vanessa felt like she might've been overdressed.

She'd packed a few extra clothes, but unlike herself, everyone else had dressed up for a bright and sunny day, while all she'd done was change into a short-sleeved shirt. Meanwhile, Charlie had changed into a pair of red shorts and a matching tank top, and had opted to actually go barefoot.

Vanessa would gladly admit that she had been surprised to find out that Charlie didn't have normal feet, but hooves.

Angel had changed into… something. Though he didn't remove the thigh highs or his shorts, he'd swapped his shirt out for a far more casual t-shirt, which went a lot in changing how one would immediately perceive him.

Vaggie had also swapped outfits. Instead of her usual outfit, she wore a pair of jorts and had replaced her usual red magenta shirt with another that she'd tied the bottom of, leaving her midriff exposed. In place of her shoes, she'd swapped to a pair of white flip-flops.

The only one from the Hotel whom hadn't changed into another outfit of any type was John. He was still in the same shirt, jeans, and boots he was always in.

Now that she thought about it, Vanessa kind of wondered if John even had any other clothes at all.

She'd admittedly thought that it would either be a tight fit or a bit of an issue for them all to fit into whatever vehicle Andre had driven. However, she'd realized quite quickly that wouldn't be the case when she saw the massive RV.

In no time at all, they'd loaded up and were on the road, passing through the city without much trouble at all.

They'd ended up passing the studio on the way, and she couldn't help but to instinctively try and sink down into her seat in the hopes to avoid being seen.

Considering she'd been offered and had accepted the front passenger seat, it shouldn't have been any surprise that Andre would notice.

"You alright?" The hellhound asked as he spared a glance at the succubus, who slowly nodded.

"I'm… not a big fan of that place." Vanessa admitted, turning to look at the hellhound as she pulled herself back up into her seat. "It's… not a fun place to work."

"Why not quit?" Andre asked with a raised eyebrow, his good eye flicking in her direction before refocusing in the road.

Vanessa couldn't help but to look out the window, breaking eye contact with the hound as shame rose up in her. "My boss owns my soul."

"Ah." Andre nodded his head, sucking some air past his lips as he did so. "Yeah, that doesn't sound fun. Have you talked to John about it?"

"No." Vanessa answered with a shake of her head as she turned back to the hellhound. "It's… it's my problem." While she greatly wished she were comfortable talking to the behemoth about it… she simply wasn't. If the day she'd met him was any indication, John was very likely to take off and demolish the studio. And considering Vox, and likely Val, knew that John had been sent by Angel and picked her up…

She didn't know how deal-making worked. But even if John killed Val, for good… since the moth owned her soul, what would happen to her?

Granted, she could easily be overthinking it. If Val is killed, she and Angel would either be freed or owned by his killer. But the simple truth was that their lives were not their own anymore.

"Sometimes, letting someone else take on your problems is worth it." Andre spoke up, wisdom in his words as he shot the succubus a small smile. "You know… John's the same way."

That surprised Vanessa. "He is?"

"Did you think he was perfect?" Andre replied with a raised eyebrow, chuckling. "No, John… he's got a lot of issues. He's hurting more than he wants anyone to think. His way of coping is… don't say a single word about it. Like you just said, it's his problem."

Vanessa never would've thought about that. She'd have never guessed that John would be that way. But that begged another question…

How much was he truly hurting?

"I always thought that John had made his own happiness somehow." Vanessa admitted, rubbing the back of her neck in slight shame. "I'd have never guessed that he had any problems."

"That's the way he likes it." Andre responded with a chuckle. "If John had his way, he'd suffer for an eternity in silence so long as his loved ones are happy." His expression turned more saddened as he said that. "What's really sad is that he's not even unique in that aspect. For reasons known only to them, a lot of people prefer to suffer in silence rather than find peace in their loved ones."

That one… Vanessa was familiar with that one. All too well.

It was the reason she was in Hell to begin with. It was the reason only Angel knew what had truly happened to her.

It was the reason neither she nor Angel would talk to John about Val.

They were ashamed. They were guilty. They were scared.

Living with a literal angel killer doesn't make that magically go away.

"A lot of people feel that their best action is to hide it, you know?" Andre continued speaking, maintaining Vanessa's attention even with her whirlwind of thoughts as she kept her gaze on him. "They don't often realize until it's too late that they have someone they can trust. Even if they don't always know it."

"You sound like you're speaking from experience." Vanessa commented, eliciting a slight chuckle from Andre.

"I am." He admitted, his smile falling as he shot Vanessa another glance. "My wife was killed by the Exorcists fifteen years ago."

"You married a sinner?"

"No."

"Oh…"

But didn't Charlie say that hellborns were pardoned? They weren't supposed to be touched by the Exorcists, only the sinners were.

"She saved our niece, and all I could do was watch while I ran with her." Andre admitted with a sad sigh as shook his head. "For a long time, I kept my emotions bottled. That guilt, truama, and pain. I was the eldest of the family, I had to keep a cool head. And then one day, a nine foot behemoth with spikes coming out of his elbows asks about her, and he refuses to leave until I know it's not my fault."

"John really did that?" Vanessa couldn't help the soft smile on her face when she heard that. That did indeed sound like John, though she'd never actually seen him go that far.

"When it comes to helping someone, John is the most stubborn person you'll ever meet." Andre explained with a small grin as he glanced at Vanessa once more. "John has a saying. One I'd never heard till I met him, but one that fits him like a glove. 'Be the monster so no else has to.' When it comes to helping people, save lives, John is willing to be the worst monster you've ever seen if it will keep people safe."

"How big of a monster are we talking?" Vanessa couldn't help but to ask. Because honestly, she couldn't see John as anything close to a monster no matter how much she tried.

But Andre shook his head. "Now that is not my place to speak of." He said as he shot a small smile at Vanessa. "All I can say is this; if you talk to him, you will be safe. Your soul will be yours again. He'll make sure of it, or as he likes to say, Hell will freeze over."

Vanessa giggled at the joke, before smiling at the hellhound. She had to admit, she now understood why John was such a good soul as he was. He had his flaws, sure, but he did his best to do some good in a sinner's wonderland.

And Andre's words were a little more encouraging.

"Do you… do you really think he could get me out of the deal?" Vanessa asked slowly, looking over at Andre with a hopeful gaze.

Andre merely chuckled. "Did you know John's an Overlord?"

Now that was news to Vanessa.

"Really? You'd never think so…"

"Because he never claims the title." Andre explained with an amused grin on his face. "Besides, he don't go looking to own souls. I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't own any."

"Then how would he be an Overlord?"

"Only difference between Overlords and other sinners ain't the power difference, it's that deal-making they can do." He explained with a slight chuckle. "Sometimes he can be clever, but more often than not he's straight to the point. He'd rather beat a man into accepting a deal with him than to try to trick him."

Vanessa didn't like to admit it. She outright hated thinking like this. But the idea of John beating Valentino within an inch of his afterlife until he freed her and Angel was a… rather enticing concept.

But still, all the drawbacks… all the fear…

"Maybe I'll talk to him… but not right now." Vanessa finally gave in a little, a small smile on her face as she looked at the hellhound.

Andre returned the smile with one of his own.

Vanessa liked Andre, she decided. And if he was any indication, she was eager to meet the rest of the family.