Charlie returned to the parlor after going and checking up on Alastor. He seemed to be acting quite odd, but she chalked it up to him recovering from his injury. She thought back to healing him and how he responded. She would never admit it, but it took a lot out of her to reverse the damage inflicted from an Angelic wound. It was a reminder that she was severely out of practice as far as developing her powers went. What would happen if someone else got injured and she wasn't strong enough to save them? She'd never be able to forgive herself. She glanced at the memorial picture on the wall of Sir Pentious. She felt her eyes prickle with tears. She couldn't lose anyone else because of her lack of power. She picked out her cellphone and called the only person who could train her.
"Char char! How're things going?" Lucifer seemed over the moon that Charlie decided to give him a call. It for sure brightened her mood, even if only slightly.
"Um alright I suppose." Charlie kicked her foot awkwardly. She hated asking her father for help. She wanted him to believe that she could handle everything on her own, especially since she's running this hotel. Since the battle, Lucifer had been out and about, trying to advertise the hotel more to get more members. With the remodel, Charlie noticed that he snuck in a little tower with an apple on top. She had to assume that it was Lucifer's little way of saying 'I'm not going anywhere'. She didn't really mind him living so close, especially if he was on board with what she was doing. Regardless, she didn't want him thinking that he constantly had to play her knight in shining armor.
"Alright? Charlie, what's wrong?" Lucifer's tone dropped significantly. Charlie bit the inside of her cheek.
"Nothing...really...ok ok I need your help." Charlie rushed out the words before she backed out and hung up.
"Anything! Whatever you need, I've got you!" Lucifer exclaimed. Charlie smiled at the support that she really wasn't used to receiving, especially from the King of Hell. She could tell that he was really trying, which was all she ever wanted. He even was trying to tolerate Alastor more, as difficult as that was for him.
"I need you to train me." Charlie tried to sound stern so he would know she meant business.
"Train you? Charlie, power literally flows through your veins. You are my own blood!"
"I'm not doubting that dad, but..something happened and-" Lucifer interrupted worriedly.
"What happened? Is everyone alright?" Charlie appreciated his concern, but prepped herself for it to fade away when she would answer him.
"It's Alastor. Apparently he got hurt from Adam before he was defeated and he's been suffering with an Angelic wound for over a month now." Pure silence on Lucifer's end so she continued.
"I was able to heal him, but only barely. And it got me thinking, what would happen if someone else got hurt like that and I wouldn't be able to help them because I'm too weak? I can't lose anyone else." Charlie felt herself getting choked up but tried to control it.
"Charlie, I hate to say this, but there's nothing I can do to help you." Charlie felt her horns grow from atop her head, poking through her blonde hair.
"What do you mean you can't help me? Is it that you can't, or you won't because I helped Alastor? Because that shouldn't play a factor-"
"It has nothing to do with that pompous smiley dick." Lucifer let out a sigh. "Charlie, did you know that when you were younger, practically a toddler, there was a sinner that tried to steal you?" Charlie returned to her normal self, her anger gone and replaced with shock.
"W-What? No! What happened?"
"Well, me and your mother had taken you to a local park for you to try and interact with other's. You'd always been so social and loved people and we couldn't deprive you of that. One day while we were at the park together, there was a sinner that approached me and your mother. He seemed to be a huge fan of us, asking us all kinds of questions. We looked away for just a second," Lucifer cleared his throat and pulled himself together again. "While we were distracted, you were playing on the swings and another sinner grabbed you." Lucifer paused and Charlie could've swore she heard him sniffle.
"We heard you scream and we realized that the sinner speaking to us was only doing it to serve as a distraction. It was a well thought out plan to try and kidnap the princess of hell. For reasons that I don't like thinking about, of course." Charlie walked over to the couch and sat down, fearing that her legs would give out.
"What happened?" Charlie managed to get out.
"What happened? Well. I got angry." Charlie could hear a low growl come through the phone as Lucifer re-lived the memory.
"Your mother was terrified and was yelling for you as we watched them run away with you over their shoulder. All it took was one glance at your terrified face." Lucifer took another deep breath. This was really taking a lot out of him, Charlie realized.
"Without knowing it, I had caught up to the sinner and managed to get him to release you. Once I saw that your mother had you safe in her arms, I lost it. I became this...creature. I tore him limb from limb. His partner in crime that distracted us high tailed it out of there, but I continued with the sinner who laid his hands on you. I maimed him to the point where he was unrecognizable. I couldn't remember the last time I felt that much power."
"My point is that because of my fear of losing you, my power tripled in strength without realizing it. And to be perfectly honest, the only other time I was that powerful was during my battle with Adam. After he hurt you." Charlie could actually feel her phone getting hotter just from how angry he was.
"You don't need more training, Char char. You need to trust yourself more. Trust that when and if the time comes where you need to protect someone you love, your powers will come through in time." Charlie let out the breath she didn't realize she was holding.
"And if you still need my help, then I promise I'll be there. If it's that red dickhead again though, I'm leaving him to you." Lucifer grumbled.
"Deal."
"You've got this, Charlie. I believe in you." Lucifer said before he clicked off.
Charlie put her phone down and leaned back on the couch in deep thought. She couldn't believe that she didn't remember such a traumatic memory. There was some truth to what her father said, she knew this for a fact. After she witnessed Sir Pentious' death, she definitely felt a power surge that helped in the fight. She just wished that she could've conjured it before he was killed. Maybe the reason she had trouble healing Alastor was because she honestly wasn't that emotionally close with the Radio demon. She had never even considered the possibility of him being hurt, much less him needing her help. She had always pictured him being practically invincible considering he was brave enough to go hoof to hoof with Lucifer himself. Now she knew the truth though. Alastor wasn't bulletproof. He was like any other sinner in the aspect that he could get hurt. He could very well be killed.
And for some reason, that thought made Charlie's stomach go into knots.
