Thank you Luna and kar-main for looking through things, and provided feedback : )br /

Thank you asherisawkward for reading through things too : )

Thank ou Conejo-Sama for editing the chapter : ) and for the advice 3


Chapter 19

Charlie was nervous.

But she would not let her friends know about the unease settled in her stomach.

"You'll do quite well, darling," Rosie said to her while they approached the hotel's entrance. Charlie glanced at Rosie, who held an encouraging smile… "Remember, being assertive doesn't mean you're being cruel. So, stand your ground and don't back down. Show them you're serious."

Charlie smiled gratefully, nodding with understanding. "Thank you for all your help and for being here with me," she said.

She had requested Rosie to accompany her for moral support after she sought her out for advice. She needed someone to help her plan ways to assist Adam, navigate her own thoughts and emotions, and prepare to confront everyone who had betrayed her during the meeting she had requested later that day. After texting Vaggie to ask for every detail about the events leading to her father's deal with Adam, learning how her father had cornered Adam only fueled her anger and made her decide to address everyone at once.

"It's my pleasure, of course. And, if anyone dares to give you a hard time – let me know, and I'd be more than happy to knock some sense into them," Rosie assured her.

Charlie chuckled faintly, then turned to the door, drawing in a deep breath. She reminded herself once more that she could and must do this – for herself and for Adam.


She stood in front of her friends, who were seated in the lounging room. Vaggie, Angel, Husk, and Nifty sat on the main couch. Her dad was sitting on a chair, gazing at Charlie quietly, while Alastor sat leg crossed on a nearby couch, wearing his amused expression as he observed Rosie, who stood beside Charlie with a serene smile, hands folded in front of her.

Charlie waited in silence for Cherri to arrive, but she had a feeling the sinner was going to be a no show, which didn't come as a shock, but it still left her feeling disappointed.

No matter. At least she had those closest to her there.

"I asked you all here today to address recent events that should have never had happened," Charlie began, her voice firm.

"Charlie-" her dad started, but Charlie shut him down.

"I need everyone to listen without interruption," she warned, staring down at her dad. "If anyone interrupts, I'll leave, and I promise you won't see me again." She leveled a serious gaze at her dad, causing his eyes to widen in response. She turned to address the group, most of whom looked taken aback by her.

She took a moment to recall everything she had written on some note cards she had prepared earlier – she memorized the speech since she believed everyone would take her more seriously if she didn't read from the cards– before she continued. "Now, I understand that you were all just trying to protect me, and I appreciate the sentiment. But what you did, it crossed a line. Your actions not only broke my trust, but you deliberately provoked Adam, who was not causing anyone problems, and left me unable to keep the promise I've made to him. I had made it clear that this hotel was a safe place for everyone, no matter their past actions, yet you all ruined it for Adam."

Her friends looked ashamed, especially Vaggie, who bit her lower lip, but they all remained silent. Her dad tightened his grip on top of his cane.

"I'm no pushover, nor am I a child. I'm over 200 years old – older than most of you. While I may not have lived on Earth like you, I still lived my entire existence in Hell. And yes, my status may have shielded me from the cruelties you've faced, but I'm not ignorant or blind. I've seen so much of the horrors others have gone through and still do, and there was even a time after witnessing all those atrocities that made me question the value of my own life for a long time. I had to deal with people who wanted to take advantage of me as well and had to learn not to take shit from anyone."

This time, Lucifer glanced up at Charlie in confusion.

"I'm a grown woman," she continued. "Though I may not fit your expectations of a 200-year-old, don't mistake my optimism for naivety. Kindness doesn't mean I'm stupid, nor does it diminish the validity of my decisions. You are my friends, my family, and if you truly love me, you must learn to trust and respect me. You should have trusted me with Adam. I know not everyone liked him, some even hated him, but when I brought him here, I made a promise to help him and not abandon him.

"Planning behind my back, going against everything I build to achieve here, is a huge betrayal on your part. Your actions have deeply wounded me. While some of you may have backed off from the plan, the failure to communicate and prevent the situation from escalating is unacceptable. What happened to Adam was cruel and shouldn't have happened."

She turned to her dad. "You preach about free will, about the gift of choice you have proudly given to humanity, yet you stripped that away not only from Adam, but from me as well. What you did, taking him to that terrible place and then forcing him to stay silent while you berated him – I expected better from you. Especially when you witnessed how he was treated by Sera and the others, how he was blamed for everything without a second thought. How they tossed him aside as if he meant nothing to them. You saw how he broke down, how terrified he was. Did you truly not care at all? You didn't even grant him the basic decency."

Lucifer now turned his gaze to the side, recalling Adam sobbing while Charlie held him tightly, and for some reason, he had been so emotional detached when that happened, but now, as the memory replayed in his mind, his stomach dropped, and he felt sick to realize he had honestly been so apathetic about it up until this moment.

"Now, you can all speak," Charlie said, her eyes on her father still. "I told you not to, and I made those threats to make you understand even a fraction of what Adam felt before you forced him into that deal. Though, let's be real, he probably felt much worse." She glanced back at her friends. "I believe in forgiveness. And if you truly are sorry, then you have to prove it to me by action. Just like a good friend has told me. Talk is cheap." She glanced at Rosie, who gave her a supportive smile.

Angel as the first one to speak. "Charlie, you gotta believe us. We're sorry for, well, not being honest with you and going behind your back like that. And we should have said something. I really didn't expect it to get as bad as it did, honestly. Sorry, I kinda suck at this whole honesty thing..." Angel stumbled over his words a bit, feeling a bit awkward, and glanced at Husk, who nodded at him to continue. "But I swear, I've been on Team Dickhead since I realized he wasn't as bad as I thought he was. Husk and I'll do everythin' to help him come back to the hotel."

Charlie offered a tiny smile to Angel and Husk.

"And I don't think you're stupid," Angel continued. "Maybe, I did think you were a tiny bit naïve, but only 'cause you remind me of my sister, and, well, she was too pure for her own good, but I suppose I shouldn't assume that of anyone just 'cause they're nice." Angel sighed, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly.

"Thank you, Angel," Charlie said before glancing over to Alastor, who remained silent, looking amused with the situation. She decided to ignore him since she doubted he was ashamed of provoking Adam.

She wasn't expecting everyone to start apologizing right off the bat. She'd rather they reconcile through their actions. Though, it would have been nice if Alastor could look a bit sorry for going against her.

"I want the bad boy to come back," Nifty whined.

"Well, that ain't gonna happen unless…" Angel glanced over to Lucifer, who was also silent.

"Dad," Charlie began. "I know you hate Adam for the way he hurt me and tried killing me, but you have to forgive him, especially since you know he's sorry." And she meant it. At least, she felt Adam had wanted to apologize to her after he had attacked her dad back in the Garden of Eden, but overwhelming emotions held him back from saying anything. "If you truly respect me, you'll allow Adam to come back."

Lucifer was silent for a moment more, until he sighed. "Charlie, there's something I need to share with you," he said. "Your mom and I never wanted to bring this up, but… I guess it's best that you knew a bit more about our past." He raised his cane hesitantly and took a deep breath before he conjured a portrait on the wall behind Charlie.

She turned around and blinked puzzledly when she saw an old painting of her mother and her dad, but with a dark-skinned woman standing alongside them, all with loving smiles. Everyone else looked at the portrait in curiosity too, except for Alastor, who let out a knowing chuckle.

"The woman there, with your mom and me… well… that's Eve." Charlie met his gaze with surprise.

"Oh shit," Angel let out. Husk said nothing as he paid close attention to what Lucifer had to say.

"After Eve died on Earth, your mother and I found her in Hell," Lucifer began. "She was the second human to end up here."

"Definitely didn't see this coming," Angel commented with amusement.

Charlie nodded to her dad to continue.

"She was utterly lost, terrified, and brokenhearted," Lucifer said. "Her life on Earth had not been the easiest, and that's a severe understatement.

"Heaven had forced her to carry many children, which were physically and emotionally taxing. On top of that, Adam was a terrible partner. He blamed her for getting both of them kicked out of the Garden and was only with her due to obligation. He didn't really seem to care much about her.

"Despite everything, Eve found it in her heart to forgive him, and later ended up making excuses for the way he had treated her. She often spoke of his struggles and she believed he had done his best. But beneath it all, you can see the damage that Adam had caused her. She was quick to apologize, afraid to upset me and your mother, completely submissive…

"For a while, I thought it was almost impossible to help her overcome her pain. I did my best to guide her through her emotions and thoughts, just as I did with your mother, and I've told you before how long it took me to help your mom with her own problems. With Eve, it had taken me longer. Eve eventually improved as well, but you could still see how broken she was when you looked at her in her eyes…"

"So, you and Eve were close." Charlie said quietly.

"Actually, we were more than close. The three of us… well, we were a thing for years," Lucifer revealed, making everyone's eyes wide in shock.

"What?!" Charlie exclaimed.

"Holy shit, were you guys the first throuple ever in existence?" Angel asked, with his hanging open.

"Um… I guess?" Lucifer answered with a lazy smile.

"How come you and Mom never told me about this?" Charlie asked, unable to believe her dad had slept with Eve as well.

"Because it happened a long time ago. And your mom and I tried to move on, especially after how badly things went down between us."

Charlie's brows furrowed. "What happened…?"

Lucifer sighed, recalling the memories he had locked up for years. "Eve had such a pure heart. Even though she was afraid most of the time, she still found ways to be optimistic. For a long time, the three of us lived without interacting with any humans that would join Hell. We were happy, just the three of us.

"After a thousand years, your mom and Eve wanted to make Hell a better place for everyone else. Eve believed in redemption, that sinners could change their ways. She wanted to believe that her descendants were not a lost cause. She even convinced me to help. So, we built this building together for any souls to come in and create a small community that we can maybe call, well, a family."

"You… weren't kidding when you said you've tried the whole redemption thing before…"

"Well, we didn't think sinners could go to Heaven, but we believed we could create a part of Hell that could become something beautiful. For a good number of years, things seemed to be working. We had a nice group living with us that we believed we could trust. But one night, a human, who we'd trusted for many years, hurt Eve…" Lucifer's tone turned resentful. "She could have fought back, but she was always afraid of her own power, she'd say. By the time we found her, it was too late. Your mother and I didn't hold back to give that monster what he deserved, but Eve… she changed after that. She distanced herself from us and became different."

"How… different?" Charlie asked quietly.

"She became cold, became downright malicious," Lucifer continued, his brow furrowed. "It was like her personality did a complete 180. She'd say awful things to your mother and me, sometimes even provoked arguments between us and she would enjoy watching us clash. Your mom and I, Charlie, we tried really hard to help her, but no matter what we did, nothing worked. Then one day, she just left us without a word. Your mom and I never heard from her again."

"When did you last see her?"

"Over three thousand years ago," Lucifer replied solemnly.

"Did you guys ever try finding her again?"

"We searched for years but found no trace of her. Losing her was heartbreaking, even though things ended so badly with her. Now, going back as to why I can't stand Adam, well, I guess, seeing her get hurt and turn into this… terrible person made me lose faith in humanity. I blamed Adam and that monster for everything that happened to her.

"When you were born, your mom and I did all we could to protect you from the rest of the humans, afraid the same thing would happen to you. Your mom and you, didn't show any signs of becoming terrible like those in Hell and I later began to wonder if Eve was meant to have fallen apart since she basically came from Adam, and the majority of Adam's descendants were, well, terrible souls… I thought maybe Adam was the source of humanity's problem. Free will had corrupted him."

"Why did you give us free will anyway, if it just looks like it's brought nothing but trouble for you and everyone else...?" Angel asked him.

Lucifer paused for a moment. "I guess I should start from the beginning."

Everyone straightened up, attentive to know Lucifer's side in everything.

"Sera and the others loved creating things, and humans were this huge project of theirs to fill the universe with life and a way to honor our father. They created humans to have, at least, an appearance similar to him," Lucifer explained. "But even if they were meant to be a representation of our father, they weren't going to be our equals. They saw them as just some sort of objects to do with as they pleased, but I… I saw something more, especially when I met your mother."

Charlie did her best to not explode with excitement at finally listening to her dad go into more detail about how he met her mom.

"Your mom was so beautiful, and smart, and so curious about everything. She yearned to know more, and I was so captivated by her. But, as we spent time with one another, the more I realized something was wrong."

"You found out she didn't have free will?" Charlie inquired.

Lucifer nodded. "Well, she had some free will, but not to the full extent," he explained. "Heaven restricted them. Humans were created to be 'perfect' by their standards. But in reality, they were kept from experiencing the full spectrum of emotions, the depth of feelings any true soul should feel. They were shielded from negative emotions, from having any terrible thoughts. In essence, they were confined to a state of innocence, deprived of the opportunity to truly become more than just… basically… innocent toddlers."

"That's…fucked up." Angel muttered.

"After befriending your mom, I didn't think it was fair for her to live forever like that," Lucifer said to Charlie. "She had the right to have the freedom that me and my siblings had. So, I planted a tree, one that grew with apples that held the key to unlock the restraints that my siblings had placed on humanity. And all I had to do was get a human to eat it to free them all."

"Why did you have Eve eat the apple instead of Mom?" Charlie asked perplexedly.

"Your mom did eat an apple," Lucifer revealed. "But nothing happened. I concluded since she and Adam came into existence together, I needed Adam to eat one as well to break their restraints. However, since Eve came from Adam, I thought maybe she was enough to break the chains and I was right."

"So, Eve ate the apple, and then what happened?" Husk asked.

"Lilith and Eve, they were overjoyed. You could see it in their eyes – it was as if they had truly opened their eyes for the first time in their lives. They were no longer shackled, blinded."

"What about Adam?" Charlie probed.

Lucifer frowned, struggling to recollect how Adam reacted when he received free will. Truth be told, he hadn't paid much attention to Adam while Lilith, Eve, and he were celebrating.

"I…I'm not sure," Lucifer admitted. "Well, he… was…" Slowly he began to recall when he finally did lay his eyes on Adam after Sera and his siblings arrived.

"When Sera and the others arrived, they were enraged by me. Especially Moro, one of the high-ranking angels. He lashed out at me for 'ruining' all their hard work. Lilith and Eve were so confused - later, they told me they didn't understand at that moment why the angels were so mad. Then, your mom and I were banished to Hell."

"While that was happening, Eve begged them to forgive us and even ran after us, but Adam, he just stood there, terrified the whole time…." Right… Now he remembered clearly Adam trembling with wide eyes as the scene unfolded before him. "Your mother, she was furious with him for not defending us, like Eve had. She never got over it."

"But… Adam was scared…" Charlie said with a frown.

"And from the sounds of it, that's the first time Adam felt fear since you gave them those 'emotions'," Husk pointed out. "Lilith was kind of setting high expectations for someone who was new to a terrifying ordeal."

Lucifer was quiet, realizing Husk was right. He recalled how Lilith had been so overwhelmed every time she felt something negative the first years of her existence in Hell. When Lilith had first been afraid, well, that was a memory that pained him to recall.

"If some mighty powerful angels, who were basically my parents, were all mad and stuff, I'd be terrified too," Angel mumbled, shaking his head a bit as he did so.

Lucifer blinked in Angel's direction in confusion. "Parents?"

"Yeah, the angels that made Adam, they're pretty much his parents since they created him."

Lucifer frowned. "They're not his parents."

"They definitely are," Husk said.

"Or are you just too high and mighty to accept that the first three humans could ever be children to your siblings?" Angel questioned.

Lucifer narrowed his eyes at Angel.

"Dad," Charlie cut in, getting his attention. "So, in a way, you also helped create humanity by giving them free will," she said, making him look even more confused.

"You mean doomed us all?" Husk murmured scornfully. He crossed his arms over his chest and turned to face Lucifer. "You helped Lilith pretty much as soon as she gained her free will, and when you were banished. She became a strong-willed person and seemed to have been a great human, from what Charlie has said about her. But Adam and Lilith were stuck on Earth for quite a while without anyone teaching them how to handle their emotions, thoughts, or conflicts properly. You basically gave fire to children without supervising them. You can imagine the chaos they'd cause, both to themselves and the rest of their descendants."

"Are you saying I should have never bothered giving humans free will?" Lucifer's brow furrowed at Husk's words.

"What I'm saying is, leaving humanity to fend for themselves with stuff they don't get was the wrong move. Yeah, Adam shouldn't have been an asshole to Eve, but you also holding him responsible for how he was with her is like expecting two kids inside a house for years alone to somehow survive without any scars."

"They were not children, they were adults."

Husk shot a glower at Lucifer, raising an eyebrow. "Are we really going to do this right now? Do I really have to explain how important it is for a human to have a proper childhood? And you just told us that you spent years helping Lilith deal with everything after she gained free will. Yet somehow you expect Adam to figure things out on his own? Adam had made it clear to us that the angels didn't help in the slightest while they were on Earth. So, tell me, how could Adam know how to handle things better? How could humanity have known to how to navigate through conflicts appropriately?"

Lucifer never considered things from that perspective. Then again, shouldn't humans have figured things out on their own? Adam had been granted knowledge to handle things. But as Husk pointed out, Lucifer had helped Lilith with her emotional struggles when she arrived in Hell, so expecting Adam to have been better with Eve was…

"I wasn't given the choice to help them," Lucifer attempted to defend himself.

"Did you ever try to fight for that option?" Husk questioned. "Did it even cross your mind?"

Lucifer didn't answer this time and averted his gaze. No, the moment he was in Hell with Lilith, he shoved his thoughts about Eve and Adam on the side, and he didn't bother to fight back against his siblings regarding the punishment they had received. He had accepted the terms of his 'prison' obediently.

He had basically abandoned humanity on Earth after giving them the 'gift'.

"Sera and the others should have been responsible for him and the rest of the humans." The moment he spoke those words, he already had a feeling that Heaven wouldn't have bothered. Deep down, he knew his siblings all too well. They always expected others to just know how to be perfect…

"But they weren't responsible," Charlie stated. "And Adam ended up very hurt by what you did. Remember what he said to us days ago about what he felt after you gave him free will?"

Lucifer recalled Adam's words well.

"I was happy, at peace, but thanks to you, you fucking piece of shit, you fucked me up! I felt so angry, afraid, and sad, all the goddamn time, and it got to the point where I didn't want to live anymore! I wanted to destroy everything just to get rid of those damn feelings! I couldn't handle them! Nothing made sense anymore! For thousands of years, I had to feel like fucking garbage because of you."

"Free will made Adam feel all those terrible emotions and thoughts for so long, Dad… He didn't have anyone, didn't have you like Mom and Eve did. And to make matters worse, he even admitted that the angels left him alone for years in Heaven. He was isolated. No other human came to Heaven for over a thousand years, and everyone up there was too wrapped up in their own stuff to give him the time of day. And when humans finally arrived, I don't think he had a clue on how to interact with them."

"Thousands of years of isolation would have destroyed his social skills, if he had any in the first place, which I doubt he did," Husk stated. "Humans were probably so different from what he was used to, so that was just a recipe for alienation from his own kind."

"And when Vaggie mentioned how long it had been before another human arrived, he didn't even believe it," Charlie said, her voice heavy with concern. "I'm not sure if he was in denial or if the trauma was so bad that his mind just blocked it out, but you can tell how much of it all had really affected him."

"He literally just shrugged it off like it was no big deal," Angel added. "And even you have to admit how fucked up that is."

Lucifer stared at them as he slowly processed everything they said.

Adam… was basically alone for a thousand years in Heaven? That in itself was very disturbing, because there was no way anyone could withstand being alone for that long. Anyone could have been completely broken by it.

His eyes widened as he remembered Adam breaking down in front of Sera and the others, expressing his inability to bear being left alone like that again. And then he recalled how terrified Adam was when he threatened him to abandon him in the fake Garden of Eden.

Had Adam really been drowning in terrible emotions and thoughts for that many years, with no one ever helping him? Knowing Heaven and its impossible standards, he must have suppressed them as best as he could and probably continued doing so.

Lucifer knew the feeling of loneliness all too well. He had experienced it countless times when everyone in Heaven looked down on him for causing 'trouble'. Sometimes he tried to hold back, but other times he just couldn't help but act out to be true to himself. He remembered how his own siblings had rejected him, how no one had bothered to understand him or ask him how he felt. If he, their brother, had received no comfort or understanding, then Adam, whom they saw only as a product or a pet, would be even less likely to receive any love or compassion.

And now, as he thought about it, Adam's rowdy personality, quick temper, loud attention-seeking was likely due to all the years of trauma. And instead of reaching out like he had done with Lilith and Eve, empathizing with him, he had regarded Adam to be some cruel monster, and threw him into a world of Hell, just like his siblings had done to him…

Oh no…

What had he done…?

He felt completely sick realizing how callous he was towards Adam; he felt so terrible about how he had messed up that he actually felt faint, especially when he recalled all the cruel things he had said to Adam days ago.

"Dad, just because you helped someone and things didn't turn out as expected, doesn't mean it will happen the same way with everyone else. You can't assume Adam will end up like her." Charlie reasoned. "You can't just give up on him without even giving him the chance that you did with Mom and Eve. It's not fair to him."

Lucifer gazed down at the floor quietly, knowing she was right.

Charlie took a few steps closer to him before she continued. "Yes, Adam made mistakes, but we can't expect him to have done better back on Earth when he and Eve were just thrown out into the wild like scared and hurt children, struggling to survive. What happened to Eve, that's Sera and Heaven's fault, for turning a blind eye and expecting them to become the 'perfect' products they wanted. They didn't truly see them for who they could be, just as you said."

"I definitely don't like these angels," Angel grumbled to Husk.

"Dad, Adam needs you. His parents, and I don't care what your opinion on it is, they are his parents. If they couldn't bother guiding him, then you, as his uncle and the one responsible for causing Adam to feel things he originally wasn't meant to and wasn't ready for, should be helping him, just like you helped Mom and Eve." She paused to watch her dad take in her words Slowly, he gazed up at her, looking rather conflicted. She could see some shame in his eyes, probably from the realization of his mistake.

"And of course, you're not alone in this," she said. "I'm going to help. After all, I made a promise to him. So please, Dad, you have to break that deal you have over him. At least, do it for me. Don't make me break my promise."

Lucifer closed his eyes, his mind going to Lilith and Eve, and his heart ached at how things turned out for all three of them. Even though Lilith and he were kind of separated and she had left him for Heaven, he didn't regret helping her. He had seen her flourish, become strong, independent, and happy. And the two of them created someone as wonderful as Charlie.

Then again…

"I should have never freed humanity…" His words, ones he had regretted saying to Lilith many years ago, crawled to the forefront of his mind, making his stomach drop. He could still recall her hurt expression when he had spoken those words to her. He should have done more than simply accept being banished to Hell; he should have been on Earth, guiding them like a responsible guardian would.

Oh, how he wished he could go back in time and do everything so differently.

"I used to believe I was saving humanity by giving them all the possibilities of choice, breaking the limitations that Heaven had placed on them," Lucifer said, his eyes glazed with unshed tears. "After years of being told by my siblings I was trouble, I grew frustrated. I wanted to do something great. It's terrible to say, but I wanted to be someone's hero for a change, your mom's hero. I didn't think things through. And once we were banished, I just focused on your mom. I didn't think twice about how my actions would affect Adam or anyone else. I knew Sera and the rest of my siblings wouldn't help them. I knew how they were, yet I didn't care to even think about it. I felt what I did was great and that any problems that came with it weren't my fault." Lucifer shook his head in shame, wiping away a small tear that dared to escape.

"I guess I was just so prideful… to admit I could have done more." As he said those words, he felt his chest twist painfully, but he pushed on, knowing he couldn't continue running away from the responsibilities he had never considered. "I should have known that simply setting them free and hoping for the best afterwards was too good to be true. You guys are right. I should have fought my siblings and defended the human race. I should have thought about the problems that humanity would face having those negative emotions and thoughts without guidance, especially after what your mom went through here. I saw it firsthand, yet I was too busy enjoying my life with her. I… I was selfish…"

"I should have realized Sera, and the others messed up with Adam when they were telling him how he had failed to meet their expectations weeks ago. I should have seen the signs, but I guess… I'm not that different to my siblings." He then buried his face in his hands. "I truly fucked up, didn't I?"

Charlie gazed at him quietly before placing a soft hand on his shoulder. "Dad, it's not too late. At least, I don't think it is." She offered him a smile when he met her gaze sadly. "You are better than your siblings. You love Mom, you treated her with respect, and you still see her as an equal. You did more for her than what the angels have ever done for Adam and the rest of the human race. You can still do something. And maybe helping Adam would be a great step in helping everyone else."

Lucifer let out a small smile, placing a hand over hers.

He truly wasn't sure how Charlie turned out to be such a wonderful person… and he truly was proud of her. He was a fool not to trust on her before.

He then shifted his gaze to Vaggie, who had been dead silent the whole time, avoiding eye contact with everyone. He felt guilty for completely ignoring her attempts to stop him when he was dealing with Adam days ago. "Maggie tried to stop me," Lucifer said to Charlie, making Vaggie turn to him ignore the fact he had said her name wrong. "But I held her back. Actually, I created this bubble prison so she couldn't get out, but she still tried helping Adam."

Charlie smiled softly at her dad for the way he was defending her girlfriend. She glanced at Vaggie, who finally was looking at her, tears welling up in the eyes.

"After we had our talk earlier that day, I realized I was wrong in making assumptions like I did with Adam," Vaggie said quietly. "I was just… afraid he would hurt you…

"When I got your dad's message, I had to stop him, but… I failed. Charlie… I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have gone behind your back the way I did. I should have just talked to you instead. I'm so sorry. I promise I won't ever betray or hurt you again."

Charlie went over and wrapped her arms around her girlfriend. "I know you're sorry," she said quietly, feeling tears making their way out from her eyes too. "I messed up too. I should have talked to you more about how you felt. I shouldn't have expected you to just be okay with Adam being here after everything he did to you. I was inconsiderate of your feelings and for that, I'm sorry, Vaggie. And we can talk about it more in private as much as you need to. You know I'm here for you."

Vaggie returned the hug tightly, brushing her eyes with her shoulder. "I love you, Charlie," she said to her softly.

"And I love you too, Vaggie," Charlie murmured back as she pulled away and gave Vaggie a loving smile.

"I'm going to need a couple of you to come with me," Lucifer said, gaining everyone's attention once more. "Adam won't be happy to see me and may try to attack, so perhaps some 'friendly' faces will help diffuse the situation."

Charlie's face glowed with joy seeing her dad ready to start the mission of bringing Adam back to the hotel.

"I'll come too," she said. "I know he can't be near me, but I can stay at a distance. Once the deal is gone, I'll join in so he can see we're serious about him coming back."

"Sounds like a plan," Vaggie said with a soft smile.

Alastor remained silent throughout the whole exchange. His grin was firm as he glanced at Rosie, who just gave him her cheerful smile.

"I'm definitely going to fatten him back up," Nifty said loudly.

"Let's try to start out small first," Angel said to Nifty. "We don't want him gettin' sick." He pulled out his phone. "Let me text Cherri; she was with him earlier. Maybe he's still where she last saw him."

Charlie glanced over to Rosie, giving her a grateful smile. Even though Adam's road to recovery would likely be tough, she felt hope returning. She was determined to mend the broken trust between them, and with all her friends now by her side - well, except Alastor since he hasn't apologized — she had a feeling things would finally turn out for the better.


"Find me…" a voice whispered in the darkness. "Give yourself to me… I promise, I'll get rid of it all… we don't have to suffer anymore…"

He felt as though his body was burning, everything hurt… oh so much…

"They aren't coming for you…"

Why did everything hurt so much?

Each breath felt like needles scraping his throat and lungs, and he gradually became aware that the weak, ragged breathing was his own. The pain was excruciating, making it difficult to move a muscle. He struggled to open his heavy eyes. His head felt like it was split open.

"Yeah, I know, it hurts…. That damn whore overdid it, didn't she?" a mocking voice murmured nearby, followed by the touch of a cold, thin hand on Adam's cheek.

Adam continued to breathe hoarsely, his chest rising and falling shakily. His mouth felt terribly dry.

"I'm very impressed. He truly is something else, isn't he?" the voice remarked as fingers traced down his cheek, followed by a giggle. "He's truly beautiful."

"He should have been dead for at least a few days," another voice interjected. "It's interesting to see him wake up after just a day."

"Are you sure all this will hold him?" a female voice spoke up warily.

"My people and I made sure, based on the data we collected, that he won't be able to break out," another voice, more collected, reassured. "Just make sure to take the extra precautions that I listed, just in case."

Adam's eyes slowly opened. His vision was momentarily dotted with black spots.

"There, there. Can you see me?" the first voice asked smoothly as the hand moved to his chin, tilting his head slightly.

Adam blinked hard a few times, attempting to clear his vision. The black spots slowly faded, revealing a purple-faced creature with a sharp-toothed grin.

Adam gazed weakly and confusedly at him, struggling to breathe. He closed his eyes tightly as the pain in his body intensified, particularly in his wings. Every movement sent a burning, sharp pain through his limbs and head. His insides felt so wrong….

He attempted to moisten his dry, chapped lips with his tongue, but it was too parched to offer any relief. Though he wanted to speak, he found himself unable to muster the strength.

Opening his eyes once more, he found his vision clearer than before. His brows furrowed as he attempted to pull away from the creature's grasp, noticing three other figures in the dimly lit stone room on the other side of some silver cage he was in. One of the sinners had the face of a television, a familiar sight from advertisements, much like the purple-faced creature. He also spotted the short girl, occasionally featured on billboards alongside one or both of them. Lastly, there was a tall woman with white hair styled to resemble horns.

The tall woman cast a calculated glance in his direction before redirecting her gaze to the television-headed figure. "I will be taking my leave now. Call me immediately if there are any problems, though I doubt there will be," she stated before exiting.

Slowly, Adam's mind began to clear up, causing him to feel the way his arms throbbed in agony more thoroughly. Looking up, he found himself suspended, his arms restrained above him by separate silver chains. Looking down, he noticed his ankles were bound as well by chains bolted to the floor. There were traces of blood trickling from inside the silver cuffs on all four of his limbs. His attempt to check on his wings, which felt as though they were constricted by cold metal, was thwarted by the restrictive collar encircling his neck, its weight heavy.

He wasn't sure what was going on. He tried desperately to recall the last thing he could remember before he felt his chest twist with rage when Cherri's face flashed in his mind.

Right… the bitch had tricked him… poisoned him just like he had seen it done in movies.

Oh, he definitely was going to tear that girl's head off the next time he saw her.

He tried struggling against the restraints, but in only made the pain grow worse, particularly in his wrists and ankles. He winced as he felt sharp objects embedded deep into his joints, sending electric waves of pain throughout his body.

Valentino's chuckle cut through the air. "I wouldn't do that if I were you," he cautioned. "Your wrists and ankles are currently impaled. You're only going to hurt yourself more if you move. The chains and the cuffs are made of angelic steel, all crafted especially for you." He traced a finger along Adam's collar. "Fits you like a glove."

Summoning every ounce of hatred, Adam shot Valentino a deathly glare.

Valentino disregarded his expression, placing a hand on Adam's cheek while gripping his hair with the other. Adam recoiled, but Val held him firmly, pulling him close.

Adam tensed, repulsed by the proximity.

"Don't worry, I don't force myself on just anyone…" Val whispered darkly. "Unless they are mine, and you're definitely going to be mine…" His two lower hands gripped Adam's waist and drew closer, but Adam retaliated by headbutting him with brutal force.

With a yelp of pain, Valentino staggered back, clutching his forehead in pain.

"You stupid bastard!" He looked over at Vox angrily. "Did you see what that bitch just did?" he exclaimed, examining his reddened forehead where a bruise was already forming.

Vox rolled his eyes, and Velvette snorted. Adam intensified his struggles, despite the searing pain coursing through his weakened body and pounding his head. More blood trickled down from his bounded wrists and ankles.

Val shot him a menacing glare before seizing Adam's chin roughly, forcing him to meet his gaze. "I can't wait to break you, you stupid fucking bitch, until you're nothing but a mindless fucking fuck begging to fuck your fucking asshole," he spat.

"Fu-ck… yo-u," Adam retorted hoarsely. His skin started to manifest red fur as he tried tapping into his demonic power in desperation.

"We shall see about that," Val said with a malicious smile before signaling to Vox, who smirked and pressed a button on a controller.

Suddenly, screams filled the air, and it took Adam a moment to realize they were his own. Agony engulfed him as his body convulsed, tortured spasms wracking through his limbs and up to his wings, which felt like they were twisting to the point of breaking. The red fur vanished from his face as he continued to scream in tortured anguish before he knew nothing more.


Author's After notes

Next chapter, is where it's gonna get sooo angsty and whumpy, ahhh, i'm excited since, i legit been wanting to write that chapter for sooo long, since the beginning of the story, LOL. I will have some warning stuff i guess in the next chapter

I swear, after the crazy shit, it's gonna be worth it cause later we gonna have comfort and fluff v.v

Let me know what you all thought about the conversation held by Charlie and everyone else. What did you think of the free will mechanics? I literally had a conversation about the idea with my psychotherapist as well since the show confused me of htem having free will yet... they seemed to have free will? So i just decided to go with they did have some free will but not to the full extend which came from having negative thoughts/emotions since that was kept from them. Psychotherapist enjoyed the idea so yah, i just went along with it since well, with this story hahaha

Let me know if some stuff were a bit off, idk, like too dry so i can adjust if i have to

And what ya think of the last scene?, poor Adam :'c

Thank you peeps for the kudos/comments/reviews/feedback 3. I appreciate them : D!

If peeps can jump to archive of our own and leave a kudo if you enjoyed the chapter, I would appreciate it : )