It was more than safe to say that any further sessions for the day had effectively been canceled. Vanessa's breakdown was an unexpected event that admittedly shocked everyone to the core.

Charlie had… had never thought that any of the guests could be suffering so much. Especially not… not one so young.

And yet, she was.

The Princess had known something wasn't right with Vanessa the moment she saw the scared look on the succubus' face. It was the reason she and Vaggie had attempted to reassure her.

But the events that had followed…

'Val doesn't let me wear clothes at the studio.'

Val doesn't let me wear clothes at the studio.

A relatively young sinner, as she'd only been dead for a little over two months if Charlie remembered correctly. But she wasn't just a young sinner… she was only a sixteen year old girl.

Among everyone in the Hotel, even John, she truly was still just a child.

And… and she'd clearly suffered so much.

Valentino, that was her and Angel's boss. And… he refused to allow Vanessa, a minor, comparatively a child, to wear so much as a single scrap of clothing when she was there?

What kind of sick twisted bastard did that?

Charlie knew that Hell was filled to the brim with the lowest and most depraved souls. But even still… she'd have never imagined that anyone could go that low. Valentino was just grooming her, if it could even be called that.

Admittedly, Charlie wasn't entirely sure what the specifics of Vanessa's job was. She'd known her age, and it had never sat right with her that one so young was in the porn business.

It had… it had never occurred to her that it might not be by choice. She had honestly thought it was just another addiction, one could say. A habit to help the girl break.

But… well, her panic attack made things quite clear that whatever trauma she suffered… it wasn't simply because she wasn't allowed the right to clothing at her workplace. The moment Vaggie had stopped the succubus from face-planting on the ground, she'd started thrashing like she was in danger while simply shouting 'No!'

Both Charlie herself and Husk had moved in to help restrain the girl so she didn't hurt anyone, and if anything, that had only made her struggle harder. It wasn't until Vaggie had brought Vanessa to the ground and locked her arms to her sides did she calm down.

And even then, she'd kept thrashing in a blind panic until Leo had let loose an anguished cry that had no right coming from a child.

And the fear she held in her voice…

'Please let go…'

She'd sounded so terrified, and it honestly didn't come as a shock to anyone that Vanessa had started bawling the moment she let Angel pull her into a hug.

And even then… it didn't escape a single person's attention, the way she'd flinched so harshly from his touch at first.

Now, Charlie severely doubted that Vanessa either was or had only suffered having her modesty taken.

No, that was a sign of something else, something far more vile… something that Charlie no longer doubted Valentino was capable of.

Once Angel had carried Vanessa off, everyone had stayed in their spots for a moment, still trying to comprehend what exactly had happened. At least, they were… until Leo started crying.

At that moment, Charlie's heart both swelled and tore itself in two as Leo found himself crying his bleary little eyes out at what had happened. Charlie herself hadn't even had a chance to react before both Vaggie and Husk were working to calm the poor child.

When it hadn't seemed to be working, Vaggie had picked the boy up like the child he was and carried him off to the bedroom she and Charlie shared. If there's one thing Vaggie knew, it was how to handle children.

A skill Charlie admittedly wished she'd had right now.

She felt so useless! When Vanessa had a breakdown, all she could do was try to restrain the girl so that she didn't hurt herself or anyone else. To be completely honest, the Princess was surprised Vaggie was okay, considering she'd taken a nasty cut from the succubus' tail and was still alive more than a minute later.

She was thankful, but still surprised. After all, even she knew of the lethal poison held within the tail of a succubus. A poison powerful enough to permanently kill sinners.

It was a miracle no one else had been hurt.

And then, when Leo had started crying, Charlie continued to stand there like an idiot and watch as Husk and Vaggie took the initiative.

Charlie took some solace in the fact that she clearly wasn't the only one who felt useless. Husk currently sat over at the bar, and unlike his usual self, he hadn't touched a single bottle. He simply had his head down on the counter, his hands gripping his head so harshly that Charlie was honestly a little surprised there wasn't a bit of red mixed in with the black and white.

Sir Pentious, at the very least, seemed to have found a way to distract himself. Though admittedly, Charlie was genuinely curious as to if that was a good thing, considering the snake's penchant for weaponry.

Although…

So far, whatever contraption he was building on one of the lobby's recliners didn't look like any weapon she could recognize. It was a little bronze box, with an ornate gold pattern designed into it circling the top, and Pentious was working with quite a determined look on his face. A far cry from his usual distrusting and leery self.

Looking for anything to distract from her own misery at this point, Charlie finally bit the bullet.

"What are you working on there, Pentious?" Charlie admittedly found herself surprised by how… dead, that her own voice sounded. It was almost like a completely different person had spoke.

"A music box." Pentious answered without so much as looking away as he put down a screwdriver and picked up another.

Charlie found her eyes widening in surprise at the answer, and one look at Husk showed that he too had been surprised. The princess shared a baffled look with the cat, before both of them turned towards Pentious in confusion.

"A… music box?" Husk questioned with a raised eyebrow, leaving his spot at the bar and trudging his way over to the main area of the lobby. He looked like he'd rather have stayed by the bar, but Charlie supposed his curiosity won out.

"Not all of my inventions are weaponry." Pentious replied, both himself and… his hat somehow, raising an eyebrow despite still refusing to look away from the piece of machinery. "I designed it based on one I owned in life. It's designed to play Piano Sonata Number Fourteen."

Both Charlie and Husk looked at each other in confusion. Were they expected to know that song?

"Most would refer to it as Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata." Pentious clarified, causing both Charlie and Husk to nod in understanding.

"Well, how do you know if it works?" Husk asked as he turned back to Pentious, propping an arm on the back of the couch Charlie currently occupied and leaning against it.

"Well, it's designed so that you can insert this key into it." Pentious explained, lifting his tail which currently held a small bronze key for Charlie and Husk to see. "You use the key to wind it, and then open the box to play the music."

"I take it you like the song?" Charlie asked, managing a small smile, and earning herself a nod from Pentious.

"Of course." Pentious replied as he sat down the screwdriver he'd had, before closing the box. "There, all finished. Now for the test." His tail lifted up, and he plucked the key from his slimy grip before inserting the key into a small keyhole on the side of the box.

Just as he described, he twisted the key as if it were a wind-up toy, before moving it back into place and pulling it free.

He placed the box on an unoccupied armrest on the recliner. And then he opened the box.

Both Husk and Charlie's eyes widened as the small box began to play Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata, clear as day, exactly as Pentious had said it would. And Charlie found herself surprised by how well it was playing.

It didn't sound like an electronic, nor did it sound like the old school music boxes that had metal wires pressed against a grooved cylinder. Now, it sounded exactly as if someone was currently playing it on the piano.

Pentious allowed a smile to come onto his face, a genuine one if the matching smile on his hat was any indication, and slowly relaxed as the song played.

Charlie found herself relaxing as well, and Husk too moved around the couch, taking a seat next to the Princess and eyeing the box as the music rang through the lobby.

It was clear as day, and yet it was so soft and soothing. After the events of the day, Charlie found she'd appreciated it.

All three of them sat there in a comfortable silence, smiles coming onto every one of their faces as they relaxed and let the song play. And despite the fact that they were all in Hell, despite the shitshow that was most of their lives…

There was a rare sense of peace.

Time passed by, and Charlie found herself surprised as the song continued. Rather than being a small portion of the song as most music boxes would allow, they sat and listened in silence as the Moonlight Sonata played in it's entirety.

Once the song came to slow and peaceful end, Pentious raised a hand and gently closed the box, before… Charlie was still unsure as whether she could actually call it standing when Pentious had no legs.

But Pentious stood up out of the chair with a surprisingly soft smile on his face, before turning towards Charlie.

"I'll clean up my tools when I return, but I'm afraid I must make a delivery."

"A delivery?" Charlie questioned with a furrowed brow. "To who?"

Pentious smile fell at that. And one look towards the steps was all Charlie and Husk needed.

"You made that thing for the kid?" Husk questioned, genuinely surprised by the snake's generosity as he raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"This song used to always calm me as a child." Pentious explained, his soft smile returning as he let his eyes fall down to the music box in his hand. "My parents were nobles, and after my father had an affair, their marriage never recovered. So I'd sneak away to my workshop in the attic and listen to this while I slept."

Wow. That was… actually really sad. And yet, it explained a lot about why Pentious was the way he was at the same time.

"You were building shit as kid?" Husk asked in surprise, before leaning forward with a small smile on his face in interest. "Well what kind of stuff did you build."

"If you would be so kind, I do believe that is a story best reserved for later." Pentious replied, a slightly regretful smile on his face as he gestured towards the stairs.

Husk got the hint, and nodded his head. "Alright then. I'll hold you to that."

Pentious nodded his head, before turning and slithering away.

It was odd, watching how smoothly he made his way up the steps. It was almost as if he were riding an escalator, he never so much as bounced even an inch. And if he did, Charlie definitely didn't notice.

"Well how about that." Husk couldn't help but to remark, glancing towards Charlie with an amused grin. "He was ready to shoot us this morning, and now he's making Vanessa a music box."

"It's funny, what things like that can do to people." Charlie pointed out, before turning to Husk with a small smile on her face. "I think he cares more than he'd like us to think."

"Yeah, but can you blame him for the way he was thinking?" Husk asked, his grin fading in place of a genuinely saddened frown as his eyes shifted away from the Princess. "We are in Hell. Most of the time, nice acts are exactly that; an act."

Charlie could admit that was fair, as her own gaze found the floor with a sad frown as well.

"Why did you start this Hotel, Charlie?" Husk suddenly asked, causing Charlie to turn towards him in confusion. "Really? Why do you wanna help sinners so bad?"

Charlie's gaze fell away from Husk's at the question, before letting a sad sigh escape her.

"Is it really that hard to believe that I just want the senseless slaughter to stop?" She asked as she leaned against the back of the couch, allowing her head to fall against it. "I'm the way I am because I don't want people to be scared of me. I started the Hotel because… because I'm sick of watching thousands of people get slaughtered each year. You're people. My people. Not livestock." She turned her gaze back to Husk to see what his reaction would be.

Husk simply stared at her for a moment, before letting a small chuckle escape him.

"You really are a bleeding heart, you know that?" He commented with an amused grin as he turned back to face her. "I mean, seriously. We're down for a reason, and you want to save us?"

"What kind of person are you, Husk?" Charlie suddenly asked. It was clear that Husk hadn't expected such a blunt question, and the look of surprise on his face was all the indication Charlie needed of that. "I know you're down here for a reason, why else would the Hotel be about redemption? But tell me, and please be honest. Are you really as bad as every other soul in Hell?"

"Does it matter?" Husk asked, raising an eyebrow as he averted his gaze from Charlie, instead staring at the TV that was currently powered off. "Like I said, we're all down here for a reason."

"So what, you're a killer?" The way Husk spun to face her so quickly, absolutely aghast, told her all she needed to know.

"Wha- No!"

"A rapist?"

"You think I'm a creep?"

"A pedophile?"

"Wha-"

"A necrophiliac, a serial killer? No? I didn't think so." Charlie knew she'd won that particular argument as she saw the absolutely stunned look on Husk's face. "For this Hotel to work, we have to accept any and all sinners who really do want to change. But I want you to look me in the eye and tell me you think I'm so naive as to believe I can save everyone." A saddened expression crossed her face as her eyes drifted back towards the steps. "Earlier was just even more proof of that."

Husk looked at Charlie with a sympathetic gaze, and he looked like he wanted to say something.

But he never got the chance.

The very moment he opened his mouth to speak, the Hotel doors were slammed open with unexpected force, causing both Charlie and Husk to jump in fright and spin to face the door.

Only to immediately lean away from each other frantically as a blood spear came flying between them, slamming through John's VoxBox and embedding the now destroyed device to the floor.

The two continued to stare at the spear and the destroyed game console for a moment, before watching as the spear broke apart and separated back into liquid, flying through the air…

And the two of them turned to watch as it retreated back into the gashes on John's forearm.

"What the fuck, John?!" Husk exclaimed as he jumped to his feet, looking at the behemoth in fury. "Were you trying to kill us?!"

"If I was aiming for you, I would've hit you, Husk." John replied bluntly, an irritated gravel in his voice as he made his way further into the lobby and up to the couch, eyeing the console he'd destroyed in disdain. "If you're fixing to bitch, save it, I've had a bad enough day as it is."

"You think you had a bad day?" Charlie couldn't help but to ask, looking up and John with a raised eyebrow. "You should've been here."

"Well, I'm glad I wasn't."

"You won't be saying that when you find what happened." Husk commented with a shake of his head, before turning to look back towards the door where he spotted Alastor walking towards them. "The hell happened to you?"

At his question, Charlie turned her gaze to look past John, and her eyes widened.

Alastor came walking in, and his smile looked… surprisingly forced. Adding on to that, his usually fine combed hair was a mess and his clothes were rather disheveled.

All in all, Alastor looked very much… unlike Alastor.

"Well, our dear Angel-Slayer was provoked at the meeting." Alastor replied, sounding unusually exhausted even through the radio filter that was ever present.

"Provoked?" Charlie found herself questioning in concern, before looking up at John. "What happened?"

"That's a fucking VoxBox, that's what happened." John answered with that irritated growl, bringing an aggressive finger to point at the destroyed game console with utter contempt. "I'm an idiot, that's what happened. The damn thing has spyware in it, and now the fucking Vees know about Leo."

Oh. That was… not good. Not good at all.

John really did have a bad day, didn't he?

But… there was something else to it, considering the way Alastor was currently looking at him with a raised eyebrow. Not even mentioning the fact that… that he was actually bristling in anger.

"John, what else happened?" Charlie found herself raising a hand to rest upon the much larger one John had gripping the couch. John's gaze fell down to her own, and after a few moments, he let a frustrated sigh escape him.

"You uh… either of you ever heard of the intelligence Overlord? Goes by the name of Flow?"

"Yeah." Husk answered, glancing towards Alastor in confusion before looking up at John. "Nice guy, actually. Or, as nice as you can get for an Overlord."

A mirthless chuckle escaped John in response as he shook his head.

"I'd call him many things. But nice? What would be nice would be to put my fist in HIS-!"

"John! Calm down." Charlie offered a gentle squeeze to the behemoth's hand out of habit, interrupting whatever else he was gonna say as the gesture earned her his gaze once more. "What about him?"

"I know him, that's about him." John answered with another heavy sigh, taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down. "Met him when we were alive. Matter of fact… it was good friend of mine that did him in."

Both Husk and Charlie looked at each other in absolute surprise, before turning to look back at John for an explanation. When the behemoth said nothing, Charlie's brow furrowed.

"John, what kind of history do you have with him?" Charlie asked, a firm tone in her voice that made it clear she wanted an answer.

John once again met Charlie's gaze, before letting out a sigh and standing up straight, causing Charlie's hand to slide from atop his own as he ran a still irate hand through his pitch black lockes.

"The bad kind." John finally answered as he kept his gaze directed at nothing in particular. "The last time I saw him… well, he'd just about killed me."

"But… weren't a… superhuman, Vaggie called it?" Charlie asked, looking up at John in confusion. "How would a regular human be able to hurt you?"

"Who said he was a regular human?" John asked with a raised eyebrow, turning to glance back down at Charlie as he put both hands to his hips. "Flow's real name is Jackson Curry. And he was a superhuman with hydrokinesis, and a deadly one at that."

"That means he can control water, right?" Husk actually looked to Alastor for clarification on that one, and when the Radio Demon nodded, he turned his gaze back to John. "How would that be dangerous for you?"

"He didn't just control it, he could create it out of thin air." John clarified with a sigh. "Mix that with the fact that I still needed to breath and sunk like a rock in water… Jack remains to this day the only superhuman I've ever faced that could be down without a struggle on his part."

"Right…" Charlie nodded, following along so far as she gave another glance to Husk before refocusing on John. "So… what's so bad about him?"

"I…" John trailed off after that one simple word, before shaking his head. "I don't want to talk about it."

"But-"

"No." John interrupted Charlie before she could even get more than a word out as he turned to face her with a stern gaze. "It's not up for discussion. I'm not talking about it."

Well, it would seem that particular conversation was never going to start. At least… not yet.

"Anyway, last I heard of him was when me a couple friends went out to stop him and his leader from leveling Ironton and half of Ohio." John explained with a sigh and a shake of his head. "His former leader… his name was Jason. And Jason's the man who killed me."

All eyes flew wide at that revelation, even Alastor's. Flow, the intelligence Overlord, rumored to be one of the nicest and amiable Overlords of Hell… had worked for the man that had killed John?

"And he participated in Jason's little… project." John downright snarled as he said that, his lips pulling back and gritting his teeth in frustration as his anger began to build at the thought of whatever project he was talking about. "And all three of them are the reason I'm a superhuman."

"Isn't that a good thing?" Husk sounded genuinely confused as to how being a superhuman was a bad thing. However, he realized that might not have been the best thing to say when John turned to him with a wide-eyed look of fury.

"Hey Husk?"

"Yeah?"

"I suggest you get away from me for a little bit."

Husk stared at John at the warning, a thinly veiled threat… before nodding.

"Touched a nerve, right." Husk seemed to have realized his error and nodded his head in agreement as he turned and began making his way out of the lobby.

Just as he entered the hall however, he paused and turned back towards the behemoth.

"You uh… you need to talk to Vanessa, when you get a chance. And Leo."

John's brow furrowed in confusion among the anger on his face, but he would get no explanation from Husk as the cat turned and made his way down the hall, disappearing out of view a moment later.

"What happened?" John asked, turning to look down at Charlie with a curious gaze.

Charlie felt sadness build as she remembered the events of the day, and let a small sigh escape her as she turned away from John and folded her hands together in her lap.

And obviously, John wouldn't miss the change in demenaor.

"Hey uh, Al?" John said, turning to the Radio Demon. "Uh, why don't go get some rest? And uh… sorry, for what at the meeting."

"Think nothing of it." Alastor replied, before his gaze turned a little more firm. "Though I'd appreciate a warning for the next time I'm to be bound in blood chains."

"Got it."

With that, Alastor turned and took his leave as well, leaving Charlie and John alone in the lobby.

"So… what happened?" John asked, moving around the couch and taking a seat next to Charlie. "Weren't you doing some trust building exercises?"

"We were." Charlie confirmed, waving a hand towards the trust fall platform that had yet to be moved or even touched since the events earlier. "But… things didn't go as planned."

When John remained silent, Charlie turned to look at him. At her gaze, he gently motioned for her to continue, his earlier anger forgotten for the moment.

"Well… first, you and Nea need to talk to Leo, when you get the chance." She told him, choosing to get that out of the way first. After all, Leo was John's son, and to say that the behemoth was protective of him would be an understatement. "He… he's smarter than you think. He knows he's different from other kids in Hell, and he knows that he wasn't… planned."

John's eyes widened in surprise at that news, his gaze turning away from Charlie as a guilty expression began to take hold.

"We were… we were never really sure how he'd develop." John admitted with a sad sigh. "I mean, for chrissakes, he's only a year and a half. And yet, he looks like he's five, he should be eight at his size… to be honest, neither of us know what we're doing."

"But you're doing good, and he knows that at least." Charlie assured, offering a gentle smile as she rested a hand on his forearm. "He told us that himself. He's thankful that you and Nea are his parents."

John stared at Charlie's hand for a moment, letting the words sink in, before turning to Charlie with a smile.

"I just wish he could've… he could've had a better life." John admitted with another sad sigh as his smile faded. "Even knowing he's a demon, that really, his existence should be impossible… well, that's my baby boy. And all I want is for him to have a good life."

"You need to tell him that." Charlie pressed, an understanding expression on her face. "I don't see you and Nea having the same problem with him that me and my dad have… but I'd rather not risk it, either."

"Well don't worry." John assured Charlie with a small smile once more. "I'll talk to him, and I'll let Nea know. We'll sit him down, and we'll all talk."

Charlie's smile widened ever so slightly at that.

"Good."

John met her smile with one of his own, before it faded in place of a curious expression.

"So… what happened with Vanessa?" John asked, before his brow furrowed for reasons unknown to Charlie. "Wait a minute… is that her I hear? Sniffling upstairs?"

Charlie couldn't help the way she visibly flinched when John said that. Of course John would hear that.

"Yeah, probably." Charlie admitted with a sigh as she turned her gaze away, a sad expression falling on her face. "The trust fall was going well, Leo even asked to join. But when it Vanessa's turn… well, the point of the exercise was to admit something vulnerable about yourself, and then let yourself fall so the other's would catch you."

"Okay…" John nodded his head, assuring Charlie that he was following along.

"Vanessa looked… scared. Like, really scared. Me and Vaggie tried to give her some reassurance and a bit of encouragement… but then she said that Valentino doesn't let her wear clothes at the studio."

At that, John's eyes flew wide open and he quickly sat up. His gaze snapped towards Charlie, and the Princess was honestly surprised that the couch didn't just break at the sudden movement.

"Come again?" John actually asked for a repeat, but Charlie simply didn't have it in her.

"You heard that right." Charlie assured him, a sad sigh escaping her. "After that… she started a panic attack. She started hyperventilating on the platform, and we all thought she'd fainted when she started falling. But then Vaggie caught her by the shoulders and she… well, she freaked out."

"How bad?" John asked, a concerned tone in his voice with a matching expression that grew more apparent the more he heard.

"Bad enough that when me and Husk tried to help restrain her so she didn't hurt herself, she freaked out even worse. She just kept saying no, begging for… I don't if it was us or something she thought was happening, but she want it to stop." Charlie explained further, recounting the events of the day as she took in a quivering breath. "She got Vaggie with her tail, but I guess Vaggie's just lucky, because she's still alive."

The alarm on John's face when he heard that part faded with a sigh of relief when Charlie assured him that the moth was fine.

"Good."

"Vaggie managed to lock her arms in place and took her to the ground so she didn't hurt herself or anyone else. After that… Leo just shouted her name, and it was… well, every day is just more and more evidence that he's your son." Charlie tried to lighten the mood a little with a joke, but even she could tell that she simply didn't have the heart. "And… she sounded so scared when she asked Vaggie to let go. And when Angel came to try and comfort her… well, it worked. But not before he touched her shoulder, and…" The princess trailed off, her heart breaking as she vividly recalled each detail of the event.

Thankfully, John remained silent, waiting patiently for her to continue.

"All Angel did was touch her shoulder, and she just jerked away… John, I… I don't think being forced to walk around naked is the worst thing she's been put through."

"From what you've told me and what I've seen for myself… I don't think so either." John admitted with a sad sigh of his own. "When I met her, she was terrified. I… I made some joke about it, to lighten the mood. And she damn near panicked, thought I was fixing to beat the hell out of her." He recalled his own experiences, the things he'd noticed from his own time with the succubus. "And then for that first week… any time I touched her, she always tensed up, like I was about to hurt her."

"So… you've noticed it too, then?" Charlie guessed, and she wasn't exactly happy when John nodded in sad confirmation. "Who… do you think Valentino is…"

"I doubt it." John admitted with a sad sigh. "I don't doubt that he would do it at this point, but with her tail, he couldn't have her do anything unless she actually wanted to. Otherwise, all he'd be doing is losing money, or his own life." He turned his downtrodden gaze to Charlie, and shook his head. "No, you want me to be honest? Her tail makes it very likely that if she was raped… she was still alive."

Charlie couldn't help the gasp of horror that escaped her when John said that. She hadn't even… hadn't even considered that possibility. She'd genuinely assumed that Valentino had somehow nullified her tail as a factor. Either that, or Vanessa was so afraid of him that she was willing to have sex with a stranger.

"Do me a favor, go help Vaggie calm down Leo." John requested, looking at Charlie with a genuinely pleading look on his face. "I can hear him, and he's still shaken up. He's not crying anymore… but just help Vaggie out, please? I hate to just shove this one you, but-"

"Vanessa needs you, John." Charlie interrupted a possible ramble with a gentle smile, nodding her head as she stood to her feet. "I'll go help Vaggie with Leo. You go see Vanessa, alright?"

John looked at Charlie for a moment, before nodding his head with a smile. "You're the boss." He joked, earning himself a giggle from Charlie as he moved past her and towards the steps.

Charlie's eyes lingered on him for a few moments, before her smile faded.

"Right, Leo…" Charlie couldn't help but to let a sigh escape her as she turned and began the trek to her and Vaggie's bedroom.

She really hoped that it wouldn't be too bad. She had faith in Vaggie.

The knock at the door startled Vanessa, admittedly, causing her to jolt within Angel's arms as he continued to console her.

After the events that had occurred in the lobby… Vanessa was more than thankful to call Angel a friend. Especially considering how badly she'd messed everything up. Especially after she'd had the panic attack.

Angel's grip tightened slightly, offering a reassuring comfort even as he turned to the door with a scowl.

"I already said to take a hike, Pentious!" Angel downright growled, his voice it's natural deeper tone as he turned to the door with a murderous glare.

The voice that responded was… not Pentious.

"It's me."

John's familiar voice could be heard, muffled by the door, but more than loud and clear enough for them to recognize his deep timbre. Vanessa's eyes shot to the door in surprise…

Before she found herself curling up even closer to Angel.

John was mad, he had to be mad, why wouldn't he be mad?! She'd broken her promise, she's scared Leo, she'd failed to watch him-

"Please get in here." Angel's reply cut her self-depreciating thoughts short as she jerked her gaze up to him in surprise. And slight betrayal, admittedly, considering she's already told him that she was sure John would be mad.

Nonetheless, it was too late now. The door creaked open slowly, before John peeked his head in. He had a concerned expression on his face, in contrast to the irritation Vanessa admittedly expected.

"Uh… Charlie told me what happened." John admitted, crouching low enough to clear the door frame as he stepped into the room, before shutting it behind him. "Are you okay?" He asked, turning to Vanessa with such a genuine look of worry…

Worry for her… for her wellbeing…

"Y-You're not mad?" Vanessa sniffled, looking up at John with an expression that was probably nothing short of pathetic.

John simply offered a gentle smile as he maneuvered himself around the bed. "Mad? Why would I be mad?" He sounded genuinely curious as to why she'd thought such, throwing Vanessa for a loop as her eyes widened.

"B-Because I s-scared Leo. I-I didn't w-watch him." She could feel the tears beginning to rebuild anew, and she wanted nothing more than to curse herself for how utterly weak she was. "I-I broke my promise."

"What, you think I'm gonna be pissed because you had a panic attack?" John sounded almost surprised by the concept. But there was something else there, something that Vanessa couldn't properly place. But it almost looked like… hurt. "What would make you think that?"

"B-Because Leo's you're son."

"So?" John raised an eyebrow as he lowered himself to his knees at the bedside, allowing arms to rest atop the bed as he maintained Vanessa's gaze with a gentle look. "Vanessa, I love Leo to death… but it's not him I'm concerned about right now."

Vanessa couldn't help but to stare at him, surprised by his words, and at the same time… it was so touching, that he was more concerned for her than his own son at that moment.

"I told you." Angel commented softly, a reassuring smile on his face as well as he looked down at Vanessa. "We know John better than that, Ness."

"B-But-"

"Nope." John raised a hand as he interrupted her, wiggling his index finger back and forth to reinforce his point. "No more of that." His eyes flicked up towards Angel, and his smile faded as he let a sigh escape him. "I really do hate to ask, Angel… but-"

"I got it." Angel raised a hand to silence him, understanding his question before it was even voiced as he turned his multicolored eyes to meet Vanessa's own. "Will you be alright if I leave?"

Vanessa stared at Angel for a moment, contemplating her response. Because if she was honest with herself, she didn't want either of them to leave.

But one look at John's gentle expression… and she felt that comforting presence that she'd come to associate with the behemoth. That presence that she so craved, that she never wanted to lose.

"Y-Yeah." Vanessa answered with a nod, sitting upright off of the spider as she brought a hand to her eyes in a vain attempt to dry her tears. "I-I'll be okay."

Angel sat there for a few seconds, taking a moment to make sure he actually believed her words, before nodding. "Alright, I'll be down in the lobby." He took his gaze away from the succubus and turned to John with a thankful expression on his face. "Work your magic. You've done more for her than I ever could've."

"Angel…" Vanessa really didn't like that he thought that. Maybe it was true from an objective standpoint… but in the end, Angel understood her pain, probably far more than she did herself. Not just that, but despite that… he let her in. He allowed her to befriend him.

He… protected her in whatever ways were within his power.

He wasn't John, nobody was… but Angel had done far more for her than he gave himself credit for.

Something John seemed to agree with.

"If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have met her." John replied with a slightly amused smile. "Don't sell yourself short, you've done a helluva lot more than you think."

"If you say so." With one last reassuring glance to Vanessa and a nod to John, Angel climbed off of the bed and made his way towards the door, opening it and closing it behind him without a word.

Leaving Vanessa and John alone in the room.

"I'm glad your back." Vanessa admitted, turning to John with a sad smile on her face as she still struggled to dry her tears.

Something the behemoth noticed.

"Here." John stood back to his feet for only a moment, just long enough to sit himself sideways on the bed with one leg hanging off as he brought his hands up to her face.

Vanessa felt his fingers gently touch the back of her head, his index fingers softly rubbing back and forth as he brought his thumbs to her eyes.

She could feel the rough texture of his skin, the callouses upon his hands… but his touch was unmistakingly gentle as it always was, merely brushing her tears away as he offered a comforting smile.

"You… you remind me of someone." Vanessa admitted, a smile slowly forming on her face as John removed his hands from her head, resting one on the leg sitting on the bed while propping the other on his opposite thigh. "A… A boy I used to like."

"Really?" There was no judgment, not even so much as a teasing tone in his voice. If anything, he sounded amused as he tilted his head in a curious manner. "Tell me about him."

Vanessa couldn't help but to give the behemoth an odd look at the request. "Isn't that… weird for you?"

"What, cause I'm a guy?" Now John did sound like he was teasing her, something made abundantly clear as he brought a finger up and softly tapped her nose, causing her to pull back. Not out of fear or trauma, but because who didn't pull back when someone stuck their finger in your face? "Ness, I… I got a lot of questions for you. That's why I had Angel leave the room. But that can wait, cause right now, I want to see you smile."

He definitely got his wish, as Vanessa found herself giving him a genuinely thankful smile. John was… he was like her big brother. Someone she could always talk to, someone she could trust, someone whom she felt safe with. Someone whom she could tease, whom she could argue with, play games with…

Despite being father and son, both John and Leo had managed to work their way into her heart as brothers she'd never had.

"His name is James." Vanessa finally started, blushing slightly as she brushed some hair behind her ears in a bashful manner. "He… he was a big guy. Six foot two, and he weight about three hundred pounds the last time I saw him. And… he was autistic."

"Really?" John sounded intrigued at that, before an amused chuckle escaped him. "That's kind of funny, actually. I got a little brother named James, and he's autistic. He'd be about your age." He remarked as he turned back to Vanessa. "Anyway…" He gestured for her to continue.

"I met him through his sister, who started dating my best friend a while ago." Vanessa explained, smiling as she remembered the boy she'd developed quite the crush on. "He was a good guy, the quiet type though. But once you get him started… well, then the quiet guy went out the window."

John let a quick laugh escape him at that one, but stayed otherwise silent as he listened with rapt attention to Vanessa's tale.

"He didn't really take any crap, either. There was… this guy…" Vanessa faltered as she remembered 'that guy'. Said guy was a very big reason why she was dead. "And James told him to leave me alone after he kept bugging me. Considering the weight difference, size difference, and the fact that James had put another student in the hospital a month before that… he left me alone." For a time…

"He sounds like my kind of guy." John commented with a chuckle, earning a giggle from Vanessa at his words.

"Like I said, you remind me a lot of him." Vanessa pointed out, before her expression turned sad. "I… The day I died, I asked him to the homecoming dance that weekend."

"Aw, Ness, I'm sorry." John's smile faded and his expression immediately changed to one of guilt. "I didn't mean to bring up any bad memories."

"It's okay…" Vanessa assured him with a soft smile of her own. "You didn't know."

John returned her smile with one of his own, but remained silent.

"One thing about James, though… he always wore this flannel."

At that, John visibly perked up, intrigued at that bit of news.

"Really?" John turned his gaze away, looking to be in deep thought. "Sounds… like me."

"What do you mean?" Vanessa asked, her brow furrowing in confusion.

"When I was alive, I had this red flannel." John explained, before chuckling. "Actually, I died in the thing. Still got it up in my bedroom. Anyone saw it from any direction, they knew it was me."

"That's funny." Vanessa commented, noting the fact that John's old flannel was also red in color. "James' was red too."

"Huh." John sounded like he was thinking about something. "Ain't that a coincidence."

"Yeah." Vanessa smiled, because it was pretty funny to think about. Eventually, she shook her head to get back on track. "Anyway, the flannel meant a lot to James. It was his-"

Vanessa suddenly stopped. And she froze.

The flannel, that James had always worn.

It had belonged to his brother.

Whom had died four years prior.

Who was a superhuman.

John had been a superhuman while he was alive.

He'd been dead for four years.

He'd had a red flannel.

...

…

…

No, it couldn't be. It wasn't possible. The sheer odds of that being the case… Vanessa couldn't believe it.

"Ness?" John questioned, confused and a little concerned at Vanessa's sudden change in demeanor. "What's wrong?"

"Um…" Vanessa was unsure of how to word her theory, and she was honestly a little unsure of if she even should. After all, John? As James' brother?

It was way too unlikely.

"Hey uh… you mentioned your James had a sister, right?" John asked, bringing her back to the waking world as she looked up at him with a nod.

"Yeah. Shiela."

The way John's entire demeanor changed nearly gave Vanessa whiplash.

The behemoth froze, his brow going in a straight line as he looked as if somebody had tried to hit him with a hammer.

At any other time, it would've been extremely hilarious. But considering the events of the day and the circumstances in general… all it served to do was make Vanessa nervous.

"John, you're scaring me." Vanessa admitted, unconsciously scooting away from the behemoth.

She didn't miss the flash of hurt that crossed his expression once more, something she was beginning to grow curious about, but it would seem that wasn't his primary focus right now.

He leaned over slightly, reaching a hand into his back pocket, before pulling out his wallet and flicking it open. She watched as he pulled out a folded photo, before he held it out to her.

"Take a look at that." John instructed. Vanessa looked at him in confusion and apprehension, but she slowly raised a tentative hand a picked the photo from his grasp.

She unfolded it…

And froze.

The picture was of a family… but there were only three people in the photo she recognized.

Despite being dead and looking considerably different from a human, John honestly didn't look too different from when he was alive. His facial structure was almost the exact same with the exception of the teeth.

But… John wasn't the one that caught her attention.

Because standing in the picture, off to the side, staring back at her… were the faces of James and Shiela Guthrie.

Her classmates. Her friends.

John's little siblings.