Chapter 3: Not Alone

"Are ya out of your fuckin' mind, Charlie?" Angel Dust asked, looking at Charlie. Charlie looked genuinely confused as she looked back at Angel Dust,

"What?" She asked. Angel Dust sighed as he looked at Charlie, trying to choose his words carefully.

"I mean, now we have two Angels living with us. Vaggie makes sense 'cause she's your girlfriend, but the new chick?" He asked. Charlie took a deep breath as she looked up at Angel Dust,

"Amelia was cast out from Heaven, I started this hotel to try and help rehab sinners." She said softly. "It worked with Pentious, so I know this can work." She added.

Angel Dust smiled slightly as he placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder, "Charlie, I'm not sayin' to kick the new chick out." He said, shaking his head a little. "I just…hope you understand that not everyone wants to be redeemed." He added.

Amelia was walking through the lobby when she sat at the bar, a feline figure with wings turned to face her with a small grin on his face, "What can I get you?" He asked. Amelia's eyes widened as she looked at the feline figure,

"I don't mean to come across as rude, but who are you?" She asked. The feline figure chuckled slightly at Amelia as he introduced himself,

"The name's Husker, I'm the bartender here." He said. Amelia smiled at Husker slightly,

"Well, it's nice to meet you." She replied. Amelia then took a deep breath as she looked down at the counter, "I'm…still trying to find my bearings around here." She added.

Husker smiled as he poured a drink into a glass and handed it to Amelia, "Like wise, and don't worry I'm sure you'll adjust to being in hell soon enough." He said, before wiping down some more glasses.

Angel Dust grinned as he leaned against the counter, looking at Amelia, "So, what's your story, doll face?" He asked. Amelia looked over at Angel Dust,

"Why do you care?" She asked, her words coming out a little colder than she meant them to be. Angel Dust frowned a little at Amelia,

"Look, I just wanted to understand how you ended up in this dump. That's all." He said softly. Amelia sighed as she looked at Angel Dust,

"I didn't mean to come across as harsh earlier." She apologized, taking a deep breath before she continued. "I was…cast out of Heaven." She added. Angel Dust's frown slowly turned to a smile, his interest was piqued,

"Ooh, now I'm curious." He said, taking a sip of his cocktail. "You must've done something real bad to end up in this place." He added. Amelia shook her head at Angel Dust,

"Not really, Angel. I was trying to expose Adam and I got banished for it." She said softly. Angel raised a brow at Amelia, looking at her with a skeptical expression,

"I don't really buy it, but…if you say that's what happened. Then that's what happened." He said.

Meanwhile in Heaven…

Sera was observing Amelia's interaction with Angel Dust through the orb, a pained expression on her features. "Amelia… I'm so sorry…" she muttered to herself, a few tears falling down her cheeks.

Emily walked towards Sera, looking into the orb at Amelia. She frowned slightly before looking down at Sera. "Why did you do it, Sera?" She asked. Sera turned her head to face Emily, looking at her with a tear stained face,

"I had to protect everyone, I didn't have a choice." She said softly. Emily glared at Sera, taking a deep breath.

"But Amelia didn't do anything wrong." She growled, clenching her fists tightly. Sera placed a hand on Emily's shoulder, a small smile on her lips.

"It was a difficult choice, you have to understand Emily." She said softly. Emily brushed Sera's hand away, looking at Amelia in the orb again before looking up at Sera.

"So it's okay to let Adam do whatever he wants without consequences, but as soon as Amelia called him out, you exiled her!" She yelled. Sera gently took Emily's hands into hers, taking a deep breath.

"You wouldn't understand…" She began, before she was cut off by Emily.

"No, I think I understand exactly what's going on. You're punishing Amelia because she tried to call Adam out on moving the extermination order." She interrupted, glaring at Sera before storming out of the room.

Sera sighed as she watched Emily leave, "If only you understood the position I'm in, Emily." She said quietly, her voice barely above a whisper.

Later…

Alastor was walking towards Amelia, his eyes gleaming with amusement. Vaggie stood in between Alastor and Amelia, "Don't even think about doing anything with Amelia." She said with a suspicious expression.

"Oh come now, dear. I was going to help Charlie give Amelia a tour of this fine establishment." Alastor replied, his grin never fading. Amelia stepped out from behind Vaggie as she looked at her,

"It's okay Vaggie, I'd…actually like a tour of the hotel." She said softly, Alastor's grin widened as he put his arm around Amelia's shoulder.

"See? Amelia here is happy to be given a tour." He said. Vaggie sighed, crossing her arms.

"I guess it's fine, but don't even think about pulling any tricks." She mumbled, watching as Amelia left with Alastor. Angel Dust shrugged his shoulders at Vaggie,

"I don't know what tall, dark and creepy's fascination with the new chick is. Like, what's his game?" He asked, Vaggie looked at Angel Dust.

"I don't know, but…I trust Charlie to make sure nothing bad happens to Amelia."

As Amelia was walking down the hallway with Alastor and Charlie, she took a deep breath as she looked at Charlie. "Do you…really believe sinners can be redeemed?" She asked.

Charlie stopped for a moment as she turned to face Amelia, "Well, you don't really know unless you try. But I believe my hotel can make people change for the better." She said with a proud smile, her voice full of determination.

Alastor stood beside Amelia, his hands tucked behind his back and his grin ever present. "I truly believe Charlie's idea can work, but only if a soul wishes to be saved." He said cheerfully, Amelia's gaze shifted between Charlie and Alastor as she tried to process the information.

While she didn't fully believe Alastor, Amelia could see that his intentions weren't malicious or had some hidden agenda. "I want to believe you, but I just feel so alone…" She said with a soft sigh, Charlie took Amelia's hands as she looked into the fallen angel's eyes.

"You're not alone as you might think, we're all here for you." She said sincerely. Amelia smiled as she looked at Charlie, seeing the sincerity behind her eyes.

"You're right, just because I've fallen. It doesn't mean this is the end of my journey." She said softly. Alastor grinned as he gave Amelia a pat on the back,

"That's the spirit, my dear. Just because one door closes, it doesn't mean it can't be opened again." He said. Amelia raised a brow at Alastor, unsure if his words were genuine or condescending.