Elida was baffled at Tommy's presence. She was glad it was Alastor who'd found him. The poor kid would be traumatized for the rest of his life, but at least they'd be able to get him safely out of Hell. Using a spell she reserved only for emergencies, Elida contacted one of her living coven members. She appeared in their dreams, explaining Tommy's situation. Her sister readily agreed to help.

A few days of string-pulling later, Elida found Tommy annoying Alastor with an excited story about a frog he'd found one time and how it had given his friend a wart. Alastor's eye twitched, but he let the kid ramble on anyway. Elida smiled. He might not like kids, but even Alastor knew when it was time to be nice to them.

"And then its whole throat puffed up like this," Tommy said, puffing his cheeks out, "And Carlie freaked out!"

Elida thought he was adorable. "Hey scout," she called, "I have something for you."

Tommy looked up at her, a big wide grin on his face, "A present?" His good mood was a strong indicator that her peace spells were working well on him.

"Yes," she nodded. "Would you like to see?"

He hopped over to her, jumping on the furniture, "Okay! But you have to escape 'cause the floor is lava!"

Elida fake gasped, flying into the air, humoring him, "My hero! You've saved me!"

He laughed, hopping from the back of a couch to an armchair. He had a lot of personality when he wasn't terrified out of his wits. While trying to hop onto a new space, Tommy tripped and nearly cracked his poor skull open, but Alastor's shadow caught him. Alastor pretended not to be paying attention, sipping his coffee and looking at something else.

"Come here, cutie," Elida kindly ordered. "Unless you don't want your present?"

"I do," Tommy said, abandoning the game and running up to her.

She knelt down to his level and handed him a white velvet pouch, "Careful, it's fragile."

He opened the pouch and pulled out a smooth round orb about the size of a grapefruit. "Ooooh…" He examined it, staring entranced at the swirling mists inside. "What is is?"

"It's a crystal ball," Elida explained. "That way you can call me or my sisters if you need help again. Demons can be sticky sometimes, so with this, I can make sure nothing follows you back home. And you can have someone to talk to about what you've gone through if your grown-ups don't believe you. The magic words to use it are on a little cloth inside the pouch."

Tommy pulled it out, carefully sounding out each word in his head. They were gibberish to him, but he could look up what they meant later. "Thank you, miss. I'll take good care of it." He put the crystal ball back, careful not to scratch or drop it.

"Good boy," she patted his cheek. "Now, are you ready to go home?"

Tommy lit up, "Really? It's finally time?"

"Yes, sweetheart, it's time. Why don't you say goodbye to Allie, and I'll let the person picking you up know we'll be in the human world soon."

Tommy ran up and hugged Alastor, who gave Elida a scathing look over the kid's shoulder for subjecting him to such a thing. Elida smirked back at him, winking.

"Thank you for saving me, Mr. Radio Demon," Tommy said before Alastor peeled him off and set him down a few feet away.

"Yes yes, think nothing of it. Now off you go."

Elida stood up and held her hand out. Tommy took it, glancing back at Alastor one last time before following her out the door toward a small circular symbol on the ground. She placed him in the center of it.

"There is one more thing you need to think about," she said, drawing something on his forehead in oil. "I'd have mentioned it earlier, but I wanted to make sure everything was squared away before getting your hopes up."

"Like what?" He stared at her glowing face, still not sure he wasn't dreaming. He hoped he wasn't. He wouldn't be able to stand it if he woke up and found out he was still hiding in a dumpster in the lust ring.

"The person I've contacted to pick you up and take you back to your orphanage is a close friend of mine. She's always wanted to be a mom, but due to health issues was never able to have kids of her own." Elida took his hands, looking deep into his young eyes, "If it's what you want, she's agreed to adopt you. And if it's not what you want, she'll take you back to your orphanage where you can be with your friends. The choice is yours. And if you're not ready to decide now, you can call her later on to tell her what you'd like to do. It's not a rush. But if you are ready, she'll start the paperwork right away."

Tommy didn't know how to respond to that. He thought going home was all he could hope for. This was a whole other level of incredible. He gaped, "But… kids my age never get adopted. Wouldn't she want a baby, like everyone else does?"

Elida brushed a thumb over his cheek affectionately, "Oh, sweetheart, that's not a problem. You're a person, not a toy. I told her all about you and what you've been through. I was in her coven when I was alive, so I can promise you that she's a kind and loving person who will take care of you. She'll believe you when you tell her about what you've gone through, and she'll be able to help you through it. And if you're not ready to be adopted so suddenly, she'll still be there for you for as long as you need her."

Tommy considered the options, trying to visualize what his life would be like based on what choices he made here. He wanted so badly to say yes, but he didn't want to end up regretting it the way he regretted scouting. But, then again, last time he was talking to government agents. This time, he was talking to an actual angel. She was a being of pure light; the exact opposite of the demons he'd fought.

Slowly, Tommy asked, "Can I… meet her first? Please?"

"Of course, honey." She kissed his forehead, then pulled away to cast her spell.

She took several strange plant-looking things, colorful candles, and a stick that made funny-smelling smoke. With practiced movements, Elida performed a ritual that Tommy didn't understand.

"Close your eyes," she instructed. He did so.

A cold breeze blew across his face, pushing his hair back. A clean, earthy smell filled his nose, and the sounds around him changed from the distant screams of demons to the chirping of songbirds. The temperature dropped to the comfortable warmth of a sunny day, and Tommy could see light shining though his eyelids. He could hear her chanting something strange and foreign to his ears. Eventually she stopped, and the world was quiet.

"Okay," she whispered, "you can open your eyes."

Taking a deep breath, Tommy cautiously peeked out at the world, a little scared that nothing would change. But it had. Everything changed. He stood in a graveyard beside a transparent woman in a Santa hat.

There was sunlight, and trees, and flowers, and fresh air. A little white butterfly flew up, landing on his shoulder for a moment before fluttering off to drink from a daisy at the foot of a large statue. He looked up at the woman in the Santa hat, who smiled kindly down at him.

"This way," she said in the same voice as the angel.

Tommy nodded, following her obediently. She led him down a pathway toward some odd stone building. Standing at its entrance was an unfamiliar woman with purple hair and black lipstick. She saw them coming and waved excitedly.

Tommy approached slowly at first, but then found his feet going faster and faster of their own accord. The purple-haired woman knelt down, reaching out to him. He flung himself into her arms, burying his face in her neck. She squeezed him tight.

She hugged Tommy the same way his mom used to.

Elida watched him go with a happy smile. He'd be alright. Her friend would make sure he was taken care of. He had a long and tough healing journey ahead of him, but she'd done everything she could to set him up for success. The rest was up to him.

She faded away into invisibility. She'd only be in the way by lingering. At first, she planned on returning to the hotel. But just before going back, she changed her mind. She was already in her family graveyard, why not make use of the magic and check in on little Natalie? She didn't have anything pressing to get back to.

With one last glance at her sister and Tommy, Elida turned away and headed toward the same school she'd found Natalie in the last time. She made it there right as the last bell of the day rang. Students filed out. Elida watched the exits, scanning for Natalie. She was either lost in the crowd, or still in the building. After fifteen minutes or so, Elida gave up waiting and cast a searching spell.

She followed the magic to the same classroom she'd brought the Vees to back at the All Hallow's Eve party. Strange that she'd still be there, but Elida vaguely remembered her teacher saying something about tutoring sessions. That was abnormal, since Natalie was a super smart kid. She'd never needed tutoring before. But Elida supposed everyone needed extra help now and again.

The weirdest thing was the sign on the door. "Classroom Closed for the Day. Come Back Later." If it was closed, why was Natalie still there?

A student walked up to the door and tried the handle. It was locked. They jiggled it again before noticing the sign and rolling their eyes like annoyed tweens tended to do. Muttering something under their breath about needing their hoodie back, the student ambled off, hands in their pockets.

Ghosts didn't need to use handles. Elida phased through the door, expecting to see Natalie bent over a textbook or serving some kind of detention.

Instead, what she found filled Elida with an anger more violent and visceral than anything she'd ever felt before.

[CONTENT WARNING: SA]

Natalie stared blankly at the ceiling, clearly dissociating. Her teacher, one of the people Natalie should be able to trust most in the world, was on top of her, pants around his ankles and thrusting. Elida went blind with rage. She wanted to stab him. She wanted to tear his head from his shoulders. She wanted to hurt him.

[CONTENT WARNING ENDS: Elida walks in on Natalie's teacher assaulting her. Elida is livid.]

She was going to make him scream.

But first she needed to save Natalie. Again.

How long had this been happening? How many other children had this piece of filth assaulted? How many young lives had he ruined? How many years had he gotten away with this? How many times had he targeted Natalie to get her to the point where she was just lying there; no tears, no begging, no screams, just a blank stare waiting for it to be over.

Elida's power was limited. She could make herself partially visible. She could move small objects. She could make quiet sounds. She could make the room colder. But she couldn't cast anything powerful enough to help Natalie in any kind of tangible way without leaving and using an entirely different kind of haunting spell. There wasn't time for that. Natalie needed help now.

The strange and out-of-place words Natalie had said back on Hallow's Eve moved to the front of Elida's memory; "Thank you, Miss McCarthy. You keep saving me."

The fire alarm. That was it. She'd pulled it before as a prank. This time it was an actual emergency. Elida pulled the lever without a moment's hesitation. A loud siren began screaming, the warning lights on the ceiling flashing brightly.

Natalie's teacher looked up in surprise and irritation, "Again? Seriously?"

Natalie squinted at the lights, then looked toward the fire lever. Elida made herself just visible enough for Natalie to know that she was there. She nodded at the poor girl, then disappeared again. Natalie nodded back.

"We'll finish your lesson tomorrow afternoon," her teacher said, speaking as if he were only talking about homework. He pulled his pants up. "Don't try to get out of it again, or that precious grade of yours just might take an unfortunate dip. I'd hate to have to hold you back a year."

"Yes, sir," Natalie said blankly, still looking toward the fire alarm.

Elida saw the teacher's wallet on the floor. It had fallen out of his back pocket while he defiled his student. Elida took it, pulling his driver's license out and dropping the wallet back on the ground. The last thing she wanted was for Natalie to get in trouble for theft. All Elida needed was his name and address.

Information in hand, Elida clenched her fists, snarling. This monster was going to regret ever being born. The room got a little chillier as her rage grew and grew.

Back in Hell, a bizarre storm began to form in the sky above the Hazbin Hotel. Demons looked up, bewildered. Clouds twirled and billowed violently as if forming some kind of frozen tornado. Snow began to fall; gently at first, then harder and harder as the wind picked up. The boiling heat swung to the other extreme, making burning souls shiver for the first time since they'd died. Frost formed on the hotel windows in swirling patterns.

The storm grew rapidly, spreading out over the entire Pride Ring. Chaos ensued as demons ran for cover, terrified at the abrupt change. They'd seen horrors beyond human comprehension, but there had never been a snowstorm in Hell before. No one was prepared for it. The road quickly became coated with black ice, causing hundreds of devastating car crashes. Power lines snapped under the sudden weight of heavy snow, resulting in fires and power outages. Roofs caved in, and tears froze on people's cheeks as they cried in frostbitten pain. The snow piled thick on the ground. Several people lost their toes.

In the epicenter of the storm, Alastor snapped his fingers. At his command, every fireplace in the hotel roared to life, helping to maintain what little heat was left before everyone froze. He grinned out the window. Whatever this was, it was certainly entertaining. Reaching his awareness outward, he watched the pandemonium from his radios. It was glorious. He laughed wildly, much to the discomfort of the other residents. He was loving this.

Within the maelstrom, a glowing figure appeared in the sky. It was painfully bright to look at, even through the thick blizzard. As it appeared, lightning shot out of the figure, striking wildly in every direction. The storm began to scream. Everyone crouched to the ground, covering their ears in pain. The sound was deafening, seeming to claw its way into the demons' very souls.

It sounded like Elida.

She was upset. Alastor stopped laughing. He'd never seen her this angry. What could possibly have happened that could result in her losing her temper like this? She would put people in their place if she needed to, but this was on a whole different level.

…Ironically… it was kind of… hot? Her magic was like nothing he'd ever seen.

Alastor squinted up at her, trying to figure out a way to get up to her without getting himself killed. He didn't fancy being sent to regeneration. But he couldn't just let her rage like this, he had to figure out what was wrong.

He tapped his staff trying to reach her wand, "Love? Elida, can you hear me?"

No response. He tried again. Nothing.

Then she began to lower herself to the ground in front of the hotel. As the wind raged, several windows shattered, much to Nifty's distress. This was getting out of hand. Once she reached the ground, he forced the door open. A blast of ice pushed him back. He barely managed to stay on his feet, but he regained his balance and braced himself against the wind.

He was about to wade through the snow to get to her, when she appeared directly in front of him. She'd popped up so suddenly, that the residents watching the scene all shouted in surprise. She dimmed her shine to be bearable to behold, but her eyes contained all the power and rage of the storm.

She spoke. Her harsh whisper carried across the wind, nestling in the witnesses' minds like a nightmare. Her tone was sickly-sweet and more frightening than Alastor had ever thought possible from someone normally so gentle. "Did you mean it when you said you would lay my enemies at my feet?"

He met her eyes, excitement rising inside him. This was going to be good.

"Name them."

Closing her eyes, Elida called the storm into herself. The clouds and the ice all rushed into her soul in a flash of confusion and pressure, like a violent implosion. A few seconds, and it was as if the blizzard had never been there. No more wind, no more snow, no more lightning; just doe-eyed, unassuming Elida. She held something out to Alastor. He took it, examining the small object. It was a driver's license.

"Mr. Judas Purg, age 37, residing at 333 Atory Lane," he looked up at her, eyebrow raised, "in your hometown?"

"Make him suffer," she demanded. "Then bring him to me."

His eyes flashed red, loving this side of her. "Your wish is my command, darling," he said jovially.

Satisfied, she nodded curtly, then brushed past him, face blank and unreadable. "Have him here in three days or so. I need to prepare something."

"Yes, ma'am."

Alastor was going to have fun with this.