Chapter 46: Under the weather
A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you guys enjoyed the start of the Holiday season! I've had a bunch of people messaging me about the latest Helluva episode wondering what's going to happen when we get there. I will be tackling that episode but it won't be until the end of Hazbin Hotel. Most of the Helluva episodes are going to act as a 'filler' for when we reach season 2 of Hazbin Hotel so that way when it comes out I'm not making big changes to the show like what I did with Pentious since I wrote that before the show came out. So for those of you wanting to see Striker, it's gonna have to be a bit because he's gonna be our big baddie between seasons. But to make it up we'll be seeing two more Helluva characters in the next chapter so hopefully that's a nice compromise.
As the title implies, this is a 'filler' like episode. I've been under the weather because it suddenly got super cold super fast out by me (if you're from the Midwest I'm sure you know what I'm talking about). So I thought it would be a fun time to show how Jenny deals with a cold while stuck in Hell. I have a feeling Sinners can't get 'sick' since they're already dead. I haven't seen anything like that in the show and I don't know of that's part of the Hazbin lore so we're just gonna assume they can't get sick like a living human does.
How does one hide the fact that they are sick while living in a hotel with a bunch of dead people? Let's find out!
Disclaimer: I don't own Hazbin Hotel or Helluva Boss. I just own my characters.
Enjoy!
/
Later that night when everyone went to bed, Pentious fluffed up his pillows. His egg minions sat all over his bed.
"So did you have a fun day with Alastor?"
Frank smiled brightly and nodded.
"It was awesome, boss! I went to this meeting and there was a knife lady, an old guy and a dinosaur"
Pentious plopped his head on the pillow and closed his eyes.
"That's nice" he yawned.
Frank bounced in his spot as he thought of the rest of the day.
"And the knife lady killed an angel! And I was not supposed to talk about it"
Pentious nodded, not really listening to what Frank said. His minions always said random things so he had learned to tune them out a long time ago.
"Oh, I'm so sure and maybe you'll meet martins tomorrow. But for now it's time for sleep"
He held Frank like he was a teddy bear while the other minions snuggled around him.
"Good night eggies"
He fell asleep never knowing that his minion gave him a vital piece of information that would help them when it got closer to Extermination Day.
Oh well, there was always tomorrow right?
/
A few days later
"ACHOO!"
Jenny groaned and blew her nose. While Fall was her favorite time of year, Spring was her most hated season. One would think she would enjoy it. Flowers bloomed, the snow melted away and everything was coming to life after a long winter rest.
Nope, she hated it for one reason and one reason only: cold season.
Every springtime, she would always come down with a cold and be bed ridden for a couple of days. It didn't matter if she was staying healthy or she stayed home where she avoided sick people. Once Spring had started, her body would shut down and catch a fever.
Mother Nature could be a cruel bitch sometimes.
Charlie grimaced at the growing pile of tissue that filled the garbage can. She had her run in with the common cold every now and then but this was just crazy.
"You sure this is just a cold? I think this might be worse like the flu"
"Oh, it's a cold alright" Blitzo deadpanned.
"She gets sick every spring. It's like clockwork. Once the first daisy blossoms her body just shuts down and she's coughing and sneezing for a week. I've dealt with this for many years so I know when it's the cold or the flu"
"I don't get it. I always chalked it up to seasonal allergies but there isn't anything growing down here for me to sneeze over" Jenny said. Her voice sounded off with how stuffy her nose was and her throat hurting from being sore.
"Your body is probably just used to catching something around this time of year that it's just a reflex at this point" Blitzo shrugged.
Jenny went to say something but quickly shut her mouth when she felt bile rise up her throat. Blitzo quickly grabbed the trash can that was by her bedside and handed it to her so she could empty her stomach.
She plopped her head on Blitzo's shoulder when she finished throwing up and whimpered.
"Everything hurts" she whined.
Blitzo rubbed her back. He had seen her get sick many times and it always made him sad. No one liked getting sick.
He set her back down on her bed and pulled the blankets up under her chin.
"You'll be better in a few days. Just take it easy and rest" he said gently.
The human just whimpered and snuggled into her bed so she could sleep off this cold.
Blitzo and Charlie left Jenny's room so she could rest. They stood in the hallway trying to figure out how they were going to deal with a sick human staying at the hotel. Sinners didn't really get sick since they were dead. Bodies can't come down with a cold when it was already shut down.
"Think you can keep everyone distracted so they aren't wondering why Jenny won't come out of her room?" Blitzo asked.
Charlie nodded.
"I was going to help Hugo get stuff for Muffin and Waffles rooms. I'll tell them they can get stuff to decorate their rooms more and it'll be my treat. That'll for sure get everyone out of the hotel for a bit so she can rest. And I'll stay here and have Razzle and Dazzle stay behind in case anything happens" she said.
"You sure it's a good idea to let those little flying goats keep watch of this place?" Blitzo deadpanned.
"They may not look like it but they're great guardians. They've been keeping an eye on me since I was a kid. Aside from you, I wouldn't trust anyone else to guard this place" Charlie said.
Blitzo bit his lip. He had been short and rude with Charlie ever since this whole new Extermination happened. Instead of being jilted and rude right back, she just smiled at him and treated him like a friend. She paid off his debt to Verosika, housed Jenny since she got here and agreed to let him live here when his lease went up. She had every right to turn a blind eye on him. Everyone did that to him when he was an asshole to them. Instead she just did her usual thing and tried to help him out.
Like right now with keeping Jenny's illness a secret.
"Listen…I'm…I'm sorry about lashing out all the time with you" he slowly said.
"I know you didn't mean for these past fuck ups to happen and I should have been more level headed. Everything has just been piling up so suddenly that I haven't had the chance to process what to do and how to fix this"
Charlie gave him a small smile and patted his shoulder.
"I understand why you're so stressed out and lashing out and I know I'm part of the reason behind it. If the roles were reversed I'm sure I wouldn't be calm about this either" she said.
"I'm sorry I made a bigger mess for everyone. You have been more patient with me than you should have. You helped me out by getting Muffin and Waffles out of the pound even though it was my fault Hugo was spying on us. Anyone else would have told me to deal with my mess but you stepped up and helped. We're not perfect, but we try our best"
It was pretty surreal to have the princess of Hell apologize to a lowly imp like him. She could have used her title to put him in his place when he lashed about all her wrong doings but she never did. Just like he was trying to prove that Imps could move up in Hell she wanted to prove she was more than just a princess wearing a tiara. They both wanted Hell to see there was more to them than their title and status.
"So, can we move past this and start fresh?" Charlie asked.
Blitzo was quite for a moment then slowly nodded. He wanted to be mad at her but he knew she didn't deserve all this hatred. She got enough of that from everyone else.
"Yeah, I'd say a fresh start sounds like a good idea" he agreed.
Charlie beamed and pulled him into a hug.
"I promise I'll do better! Thank you for giving me another chance. I'll make this up to you I swear!"
Blitzo smiled a little and patted her on the back.
"Careful, if everyone hears you saying that, they'll be wanting favors from you" he warned playfully.
"I'll always do favors for my friends. That's what friends are for, right?" Charlie said.
It never occurred to him that he would be able to have friends aside from Jenny. He was so used to being hated by everyone that he kind of gave up the idea of making new friends. Never in his wildest dreams did he think the princess of Hell would consider him a friend.
"Well, I need to go topside so I can get meds for Jenny. Can you check on her while I'm gone?"
Charlie gave him a little salute.
"Leave it to me!"
Blitzo gave her a small thumbs up.
He knew they still had a ways to go until they were on better terms but he was willing to try to be the bigger person and forgive her wrongdoings.
He would have no idea that giving Charlie another chance would literally save his ass later down the road. Afterall, she said she would always be there for her friends.
/
"How is shopping part of bettering ourselves?" Husker asked.
Vaggie rolled her eyes and crossed her arms.
"It's not, but Charlie feels bad about putting everyone in this situation with Hugo so she's making it up to everyone by treating you guys to a free for all. You guys have been more then generous with giving this place a chance despite our fuck up so we want to thank you for that by giving you a little shopping spree. We want this place to feel comfortable for you so if you need things for your rooms or for here just in general Charlie is going to pay for it out of her own pocket"
At the mention of getting free stuff, everyone's eyes sparkled.
"Well, the Cristian thing is to forgive and forget. Who are we to turn down such a generous offer?" Angel Dust said.
"I've been meaning to get a couple of things to make my place more homey"
"The shopping spree doesn't include drugs" Vaggie added.
Angel cursed and crossed his arms.
Alastor realized someone wasn't present and titled his head.
"Shouldn't Jennifer be here? I would think she'd want to get a couple more decorations for her new room that she moved in to"
Charlie froze for a second. Quickly putting on a fake smile she made a story on the spot.
"She's um…she's gonna do that later. She's tired from unpacking her stuff and is taking it easy" she said.
Alastor raised an eyebrow.
"Hmmm. Now that I think about it, was her room cleaned properly? I could have sworn I heard her coughing and sneezing when I was passing by"
"Jen just has a sensitive nose. She's always been like that. Even if the room is super spotless, if there is one tiny piece of dust she'll be coughing and sneezing as if she was out in an open field that has pollen everywhere" Millie said.
"Oh, if there's dust I'll get rid of it!" Nifty said excitedly.
Vaggie grabbed the maid and pushed her along.
"Jenny's a big girl and clean up her own room while she's in it. Now let's go shopping before someone decides to blow up the stores for shits and grins"
"But that's the best time to get stuff cause everything is free!" Pentious insisted.
"No stealing!" Vaggie snapped.
She pushed everyone outside so Jenny could rest properly.
With the hotel empty, Charlie sighed with relief. One obstacle down.
"Razzle, Dazzle"
Her little companions flew over to her wearing their derpy little smiles on their faces.
"Guard Jenny's room while I take care of some paperwork in my office. If it sounds like she's getting worse or needs something come grab me. Understood?"
The little goat like demons nodded and flew up to Jenny's room.
"And now to get everything organized for our next class" Charlie told herself.
When she walked away, she failed to see one of Alastor's shadows creep back inside the hotel. When it saw the princess go to her office, it scurried up the stairs to where Razzle and Dazzle were.
/
"Is your hat alive?" Muffin asked Pentious.
"In a way yes. It's an extension of me"
"Does it see the same things as you do?"
"Yes it does"
"Are you a pirate, scary lady?"
"No" Vaggie said flatly.
"Then why are you wearing an eyepatch like one?"
"Muffin" Hugo warned.
"We don't ask personal questions like that to people we just met. It's not polite"
"But there's a pirate ship on the hotel and she's wearing an eyepatch! Wouldn't that make her a pirate?" Muffin asked.
"There's also a carousel on the hotel too but there aren't any clowns" Waffles pointed out.
"I'd argue that statement considering everyone who is here" Loona said.
"This castle is pretty cool! It has pirates, carousels and even has small dragons guarding the princess like in the storybooks!" Muffin said excitedly.
"It's a hotel, not a castle" Waffles said.
"Nu uh! It's a castle! The princess is there so that must mean it's a castle!" Muffin insisted.
"No it doesn't" Waffles said.
"Yes it does!"
"No it doesn't"
"Yes it does"
"Doesn't"
"Does"
"Doesn't"
"Does"
The two siblings bickered the whole time as they shopped for stuff for the hotel. Hugo looked drained like a parent tended to do with their kids.
"I'm sorry about Muffin. She's three and is curious about everything" he told Vaggie.
She waved him off, showing she wasn't offended.
"They're kids. They're bound to be curious"
"You are pretty good with kids. Those two are very well behaved for their age" Mei pointed out.
Hugo was quiet for a moment.
"I had a niece back when I was alive. She was my constant shadow whenever I went to visit my sister. I always watched over her when my sister and her husband had to go out for the evening and such" he explained.
He had a far off look on his face as he recalled a time in his life that wasn't tied to the military. Back when things were peaceful.
"She was five when I last saw her"
Everyone thought he meant when he joined the army to fight in the war. Considering he was still wearing that uniform it was safe to assume he never made it back home when it ended. That had to have been very tough. To fight a war knowing there was a high chance that you wouldn't return to the home you were trying to defend.
It was cruel that a soldier who was trying to do good had to be punished by being sent down here when he died.
Muffin decided at that time to jump her brother and bite at his ear. Waffles snarled at the attack and snapped his teeth at her as a warning.
"Fucking hell" Hugo muttered.
He hurried over to the siblings and broke them up before they could get into a serious fight that would have them be kicked out.
"He doesn't seem like a bad guy once you get to know him" Pentious said.
"Just because we did bad things in the past doesn't make us bad people" Lue pointed out.
'Sometimes we didn't mean it, thinking it was the only way to get by in life. And sometimes we couldn't help it because our heads weren't really screwed on properly. Yeah, there are some who knew exactly what they were doing when they were committing bad things and they didn't care, but luckily there aren't a whole lot of them out in the world"
"Now that you mention it, why don't we see a bunch of those horrible people? You would think they'd be running all over the place or we'd bump into them" Mei said.
"If you're talking about a certain someone with an ugly mustache , a few serial killers that we shall not name or anyone who has caused harm to children, that's because they were so foul and evil that even Lucifer had them locked up and erased right away when they died" Lue said.
"There are some souls that not only Heaven and Hell but the other sections of the underworld agree that they do not get an afterlife when they die. That's when you know they're bad if all the rulers of the dead are on the same page"
The group looked at the musician curiously.
"You seem to know a lot about how Hell works" Husker pointed out.
Lue tucked his hat down to cover his face so they didn't see the golden glint flash across his eyes.
"When you've been down here as long as I have, you learn a thing or two about how things operate" he said.
"You must have been down here a long time then" Pentious said.
"..Yeah you could say that" Lue said quietly.
"What did you do anyway to get yourself stuck down here? Played a song that pissed off a king or something?" Angel joked.
Vaggie whacked him in the chest.
"Don't ask him that. No one needs to talk about how they ended up down here"
"Nah, he meant no harm. And he's not that far off" Lue said.
"I…used to be a mentor to a student in an old kingdom. He was pretty bright soul with a lot of ideas that he thought would help the kingdom. I tried to talk him out of it and told him it wasn't time for such an idea to happen but he didn't listen. He went along with his idea and instead of helping the kingdom out it brought it to ruin. Because I didn't stop him, I ended up here as punishment. I let a kingdom be ruined that changed the course of the world as time went on. That was my sin"
That certain Kingdom was Heaven, but they didn't need to know that. It's not like they would believe that the homeless musician staying at the hotel was actually the mentor of the ruler of Hell.
"Damn, that's rough" Ange Dust said.
"Sinners have done worse but like I said, we all made mistakes thinking we were doing the right thing. That doesn't automatically make us bad people" Lue said.
The musician was right. They made mistakes when they were alive but that didn't mean they were bad people. Hopefully this hotel would work so Heaven could see that.
"Now enough of this sad talk. Let's see how much we can put on the princess's card"
A dark grin appeared on everyone's face. Looks like Charlie forgot to put a limit to what she was willing to buy. Oh well.
"Let's get crazy!" Angel said.
"Wait, hang on a second!" Vaggie said.
The group didn't listen and ran to different spots in the store. They grabbed stuff that they needed and random stuff because why not. Vaggie groaned and pinched the bridge of her nose.
"This is going to be a headache when it comes time to pay this bill off" she muttered.
Everyone was so caught up with their shopping spree that they didn't noticed Alastor was absent from the group.
/
Meanwhile in the mortal realm, Blitzo was in the process of getting stuff to help Jenny get better. Climbing up a tree, he reached a branch that was close to the top window of a house. He had searched the place to make sure no one was home to play it safe. But then again he knew this house well and knew when the owner would be out during the day.
Pulling out his knife, he wedged it in the window and pried it open. Getting a better grip, he pulled the window open and jumped inside, quickly closing it behind him. He coughed as he kicked up a bit of dust.
"Least I know that fucker isn't up here often" he grumbled.
He pulled out his phone and turned the flashlight on it to have a better look at the attic.
Or rather Jenny's attic.
Why was he in Jenny's home while she was still stuck in Hell? The quick answer would have been to get medicine from her bathroom. But the real answer was that he knew she was really starting to feel super homesick. He couldn't bring her home until they found the ones responsible for this mess. But he could bring a version of her home back at the hotel.
Not wasting any time, he went downstairs to the main floor of the house. Keeping an ear out for any noise, he made sure he was alone before he ransacked Jenn's bathroom. He pulled open the medicine cabinet and searched for her cold medicine. He grabbed just enough that David wouldn't know stuff was missing but just enough that would help Jenny's cold. He grabbed a couple of other things that he thought she would need before leaving the bathroom. His next stop was her bedroom. Zipping to her closet, he rummaged through the clothing and found some of her favorite sweaters and outfits that would make her comfortable.
Just as he was about to leave her room, he stopped and eyed her side table. He picked up a picture frame that contained a photo of her grandma. This was one of the last photos Jenny took of Audrey before she passed away. She always had her photo by her side of the bed so Audrey would be close.
He knew it was a bad idea to take it since David would know someone was in the house but he didn't care. Opening his backpack, he gently tucked Audrey's photo in Jenny's clothes so it would be safe.
"If only you were still here, Aud. You always knew how to make Jen feel better" he said quietly.
He grabbed a couple of other things like a quilt Audrey made for Jenny, some toiletries, and other essentials. When his backpack was bulging with stuff, he knew it was time to go. He noticed David's wallet sitting on his dresser. Smiling darkly, he opened it and pulled out the cash that was tucked away inside.
"That's what you get for leaving your wallet out in the open you fucking idiot" he said.
He hurried back up to the attic, locking the door so it would seem like no one came into the house. Just as he was about to head for the window, he paused and looked at some of the boxes that were stored up here. He recalled that Jenny packed something away up here when she and David moved into this home. Going to the boxes, he opened them up, trying to find a certain item.
"Come on. Where is it?"
Digging in the third box that he opened, he smiled when he found the item. Pulling it out, he found the sought after item. It was an old scrapbook titled 'Jenny's Dreams' that Jenny had put together back when she was in Highschool. She filled it with stuff she wanted to do when she graduated and places she wanted to see when she became an actress. When she became a teacher, she packed this away thinking it was pointless to want to dream for something that wouldn't come true anymore.
It was never too late to make a dream come true.
He packed the scrapbook as best as he could in his backpack. The imp staggered when he slung the backpack over his shoulder with how heavy it had become. That didn't matter. Jenny needed these things.
Texting Loona, he hurried to the window and jumped out, making sure to close it back so David wouldn't notice. A portal opened up behind him as Loona used the book to activate the way back to Hell. Jumping in, he hurried home so he could help Jenny with her cold.
/
Jenny's head was pounding. Even with the curtains closed and her eyes shut this headache wouldn't go away. She tried taking pain meds earlier but it seemed her stomach would empty it out as soon as she ingested something. The only thing she could stomach was plain water.
She hated colds. Kids would have enjoyed them because that meant they could stay home from school, but not her. If she had to stay home from school that meant her grandma had to stay home to watch her. She hated troubling her grandma. It was bad enough that Audrey had to raise her instead of her parents. She always felt like crap whenever she caused problems for her grandma even if she had no control over it. Like a cold for example.
But Audrey wasn't here anymore so now that trouble fell on Blitzo and Charlie. They were doing so much for her already and now they needed to tend to her so no one in the hotel would find out.
Some friend she was. They did so much for her. She felt like she wasn't doing enough for them.
Footsteps could be heard as someone approached her bedside. Jenny cracked an eye open but everything looked blurry with how groggy and delirious she was thanks to her fever. All she could make out was a red suit. Charlie must have came in to check up on her. She started to sit up but all that movement upset her stomach. She tried to reach for her waste basket but her stomach couldn't wait and she puked all over Charlie's suit. Groaning, she flopped back down feeling her head getting dizzy from moving so much.
"Sorry, Charlie" she said weakly.
Charlie didn't say anything. The human just felt Charlie touch her forehead to see how bad her fever was. She tried to say something but her body decided it was time to sleep. Closing her eyes, she fell asleep.
The hand that was on Jenny's forehead pulled away. However it wasn't Charlie that was standing by her bed, but Alastor.
The Radio Demon's eye twitched in annoyance at the fact there was vomit all over his suit jacket.
"That is the third time you managed to ruin my suit. That has got to be a fucking record" he muttered darkly.
His scowl faltered when he saw how miserable Jenny looked while she was sleeping.
"But you're under the weather so I can't fault you for that"
He looked at his suit and sighed. Taking off his jacket, he went to her bathroom and filled up her sink to let it soak so it wouldn't stain. He snapped his fingers and had his shadows take care of Jenny by changing her bedsheets and pajamas that got covered in vomit. He came back into the room with a wet washcloth. Carefully, he had her sit up and let her lean on him so he could clean her face.
"Now let's clean that pretty little face of yours"
He wiped her face clean, clearing the vomit from her mouth. He then proceeded to clean the rest of her fact since she was sweating from her fever. As one could imagine, her makeup came off as a result, showing her real face.
Alastor just tilted his head and smiled a bit.
"There we go. That must feel better not having that stuff caked to your face"
He set Jenny back down and pulled the blankets up to her chin so she wouldn't be cold. He pulled up a chair next to her bed and watched her as she slept.
He knew this whole time Jenny was a human. Ever since he first saw her on the television.
Flashback to chapter 8
Alastor watched the news seeing the shitshow Charlie was putting on as she tried to promote the hotel to everyone only to end up fighting with Katie Killjoy.
Jenny got in front of the camera and shut that shit down right away before turning to the crowd and dishing the same sass that would dub her Miss. Firecracker.
When he saw her face, he raised his eyebrow. She looked too human like to be a Sinner. There were a few Sinners who resembled their human selves but there were parts of their body that made it obvious that they were deformed and demon like. Jenny on the other hand looked too human like.
When he saw her in person it was obvious that she was a human and just wore a disguise to hide the fact. So the princess of Hell was harboring a human? This was going to be interesting.
Flashback to chapter 11
Walking towards his room, he noticed he still had a bit of Jenny's blood on his fingers when he scratched her face. Being the cannibal that he was, he licked the blood from his fingers as if it was nothing. He smirked as he tasted that familiar flavor.
"Just as I thought. Fresh human blood" he muttered.
Flashback to chapter 19
After Jenny stormed up to her room thanks for her fight with Angel, he decided it was best to make her something to eat. He had been secretly making her extra food and used regular ingredients so she wouldn't starve or get sick. Sinners didn't need to eat as much since they were already dead. But he didn't want his little firecracker to pass out from hunger.
Flashback to chapter 20
When Alastor caught Jenny after she passed out from blood loss, he looked at her face.
"Hmmm?"
He noticed that some of her make up had smeared off during her fight with Lute and the Exterminators.
'So that's what your face really looks like' he thought.
Charlie hurried over with the limo at that moment. Very quickly he pulled Jenny's hood up so the others wouldn't see her real face. If Jenny didn't want it to be revealed there was no point spilling the beans just yet.
Flashback to chapter 24
Using this time that he had, he picked out the stupid Sinners who thought it would be a great idea to try to steal some of Jenny's blood. He knew right away Sinners would go after it because they were scared for their dead lives and he couldn't have any of that.
He pinned a Sinner down and ripped a piece off of their shirt. Humming he looked at the logo with mild curiosity.
"I'm very surprised this tub of lard would be interesting in someone in the Pride ring" he said.
The Sinner struggled to get away but Alastor kept them down.
"I do wonder why he suddenly wants to snag blood from a Sinner. I doubt he would get a lot of money out of it"
The Sinner glared at Alastor.
"How the fuck would I know why he wants it? I'm just doing my job"
"And I'm doing my job being the host of the Hazbin Hotel. Can't let average joes just barge in and attack my clients. That would be bad for business" Alastor taunted.
"There's something off about that girl! You must know since she stays at that hotel!" The Sinner said.
"The only thing off about Jennifer is her taste in friends. Why she would think an Imp of all creatures would be her best friend is beyond me" Alastor said flatly.
"That blood of hers ain't normal! It looks different too!" The Sinner insisted.
"Angels have gold blood and most of the Sinners and Imps down here have black blood. That girl had red blood…same color as a living hu-"
Alastor drove his claws through the Sinner's face.
"You talk too much" he said darkly.
He pulled his hand away and wiped the blood off his jacket.
"Now then, where is the rest of these little pests wanting to bug my favorite plaything?"
Flashback to chapter 28
Val dropped Jenny to the ground when he found out she 'served' Charlie. The human growled and glared up at Val. Alastor looked at her and noticed her wig came undone in the back and some of her real hair was starting to spill out from behind.
"You mother fu-"
Alastor quickly appeared behind her and pulled her flush against his chest so Val wouldn't see her real hair.
Flashback to chapter 32
During his fight with Blitzo, Jenny stepped in the middle to make them stop. He quickly pulled his shadows back because he knew if she go hurt it would be revealed she was a human. Blitzo wasn't as fast as he was and threw a knife just a Jenny jumped in the way.
Without even thinking on it, he got in front of Jenny and let the knife hit him in the arm. He could deal with a small cut like this. If it had hit Jenny, the knife would have lodged into her head and she would have died right then and there. He didn't want to see Jenny die only to convert into a Sinner right then and there. Especially if Vox was watching them.
Flashback to chapter 38
When he helped Jenny up from her Cabaret performance her wig came undone and her natural red hair tumbled out.
His eyes grew wide. How could they mask up this mistake?
Fortunately Jenny was a smart girl and made a quick skit out of it to distract the audience.
He gave her back her wig in her dressing room shortly after that. He could tell she was nervous about explaining herself so he let it slide this one time.
Although he thought it was low blow that she claimed she was the better looking redhead than him.
Yes, he knew all along about her secret and played along that he didn't know. Nothing got past the Radio Demon after all.
He was curious about this situation though. Humans shouldn't have been able to enter Hell and yet here was one right now.
Human souls could act as a gateway for Sinners to cause havoc in the mortal realm since they couldn't venture out of Hell. That was why when a human offered to trade their soul for power Overlords would jump at the chance cause it gave them a chance to spread their power on the mortals.
Charlie was smart to keep Jenny's real identity a secret. Too bad she wasn't smart enough to trick the Radio Demon. If she really wanted to keep Jenny safe, she wouldn't have accepted the help from a deal maker.
He propped his head on his hand as he watched Jenny sleep. At the beginning he waited for the chance to spring on the human so he could use her soul to further his powers. He had been gone for seven years after all and needed to get back in the game. But after living under the same roof as her for half a year he found himself not wanting to do that anymore.
She really was like a firecracker. If you kept one in your hand when it was lit, you were likely to blow your hand off. But if you let one go and watch it soar high, you would be treated to a spectacular show. That's the conclusion he came to at least. Jenny was a force that shouldn't be controlled or contained. If you caged her, you were bound to lose a limb but if you let her free you would be rewarded to a beautiful show.
He didn't know what caused him to change his mind about her but that didn't matter. She made things lively in this cold, dark world that was called Hell. He longed for pure entertainment and she seemed to ooze with it. From her singing, her wisdom, her sharp tongue to her brash attitude to anyone who crossed her, there a never a dull day when she was around.
Not only that, she never judged anyone here and tried to understand the reason why they were down here. He was a serial killer cannibal and yet she didn't look at him with disgust. Instead she would just go 'what else is new?' and act like she had seen it before.
She really was an odd soul. But so was everyone else at this hotel.
Jenny curled up further into a ball as her headache continued to bother her. Alastor reach out and paused for a second. Slowly, he touched the top of her head and stroked her hair as she slept. His mother always did this when he was sick. While it didn't take the cold away it always made him feel better knowing his mother was nearby.
Sometimes a parents love was the best kind of medicine when it came to colds.
His ear twitched when he heard movement outside of Jenny's room. Judging from the loud stomps he could tell Blitzo had returned.
Very quickly, he grabbed his jacket from Jenny's bathroom and slid into the shadows as he left the room.
The door opened at that moment. Blitzo quickly shut the door and went over to Jenny to see how she was doing. He noticed right away that her make up was off.
'Charlie must have came in to check up on her' he thought.
He dropped his backpack to the floor and pulled all the stuff he gathered from her house. He opened up Audrey's quilt and draped it over Jenny's body so she would get warmer. He grabbed the framed photo and set it on her nightstand then filled her drawers with her extra clothes. Lastly he pulled out the medicine he snagged and poured out the amount she would need to ingest. Kneeling down, he gently rubbed her back to wake her up. Jenny groaned but slowly opened her eyes to look at him.
Blitzo smiled a little. He could see how drained she was from this cold.
"Hey, Jen. Feeling any better?"
Jenny shook her head.
"I can't keep anything down. And this stupid headache won't go away" she rasped.
"Well, luckily for you I grabbed some meds that'll help with that" Blitzo said.
He carefully helped her sit up. Grabbing the medicine he guided it to her mouth and had her lean back so she could swallow it. She gagged at the taste but Blitzo was fast and gave her a glass of water to wash out the taste from her mouth.
"That should help settle your stomach" he said.
He helped her settle back under the covers.
"You should be better by tomorrow once the meds kick in" he said.
Jenny watched Blitzo as he fussed over her to make sure she as comfortable. He always seemed to go out of his way for her.
She stuck her hand out and held his.
"I'm sorry I'm such a shitty friend" she said.
Blitzo paused what he was doing and looked at her. He squeezed her and knelt down so he could face her.
"You're not a shitty friend, Jen. You're just not feeling good. It happens"
"You're always going out of your way to do stuff for me" Jenny pointed out.
"I haven't done that for you"
Blitzo smiled a little and brushed the hair out of her face.
"You have. You've done way more for me than anyone else has in my life. That includes my family" he said.
"You kept me a secret after we first met and helped me get my business up and running when I just started. And when I didn't have a place to live in Hell, you let me hide up in your grandma's attic so I'd have roof over my head while I got back up on my feet. You changed your usual routines and made sure when you moved into a new place it would be safe and easy for me to be there so I didn't have to risk being seen. And you never judged me for my mistakes or told me what a failure I was. You might not have done the same things I've done for you as a friend but you did stuff for me that I needed. You were there. That's all I needed"
There was more he wanted to say but he would never tell her. This would have to be enough for him.
Jenny looked at her hands and felt herself get sleepy from the meds.
"Can you stay here until I fall asleep?" she asked.
Blitzo nodded made himself comfortable on the floor.
"I'll be here until you wake up, Jen.
Jenny closed her eyes and let the meds take over. After a little while, Blitzo propped his head on the side of the bed and fell asleep still holding Jenny's hand.
Loona came in a little while later with bags in her hand.
"Hey Jen. I got you some stuff for your room that I figured you need"
She paused when she saw her dad sleeping on the floor next to Jenny as he held her hand while they slept. Quietly, she set the bags down. Going over to the closet, she pulled out an extra blanket and went over to her dad and draped it over his body.
Looking at the two of them for a moment, she pulled out her phone and took a picture of the sweet little moment. She let herself smile as she added this photo to her album titled 'family pics'.
"My parents are so cheesy"
She quietly left the room so Jenny could get some rest. She knew her mom was in good hands while Blitzo was nearby.
/
The next day
Feeling much better, Jenny felt it was safe to venture out of her room and see what everyone was up to while she was recovering from her cold.
"What in the actual fuck?" she muttered.
It seemed everyone didn't hesitate when it came to their shopping spree. Most of them got stuff that they need for their rooms like linens, toiletries, clothing and decorations. But they also got a bunch of random crap too.
"You missed out on quite a field trip, toots. But don't worry, I got you a few things to decorate your room" Angel teased.
Jenny grabbed something from one of the bags and gave the porn star a look.
"What makes you think I would need a bong?" she deadpanned.
Angel panicked and quickly snatched the item.
"That's uh, that's just a vase! No way would I use drug like items now that there are kids here"
He quickly made sure Vaggie and Hugo weren't around. It was a pain trying to get this without them watching.
"I better not find any of this shit in my room" Jenny snapped.
"Relax. Like I would have you start smoking this shit. Don't want to ruin those pretty lungs of yours, right?" Angel teased.
Jenny flipped him off.
"Whatever weird shit you got as a joke, just throw it in Moxxie's room. I don't want anyone to get the wrong idea of me" she said.
"Beat you to it" Loona said as she walked by.
Jenny rolled her eyes and walked away from Angel's stash of goodies. She went over to where Muffin and Waffles were. The two children seemed excited to have their own rooms.
Hugo looked at Vaggie sheepishly. It seemed the kids got a lot of stuff for their rooms. More than they needed.
"I'll be sure to pay Charlie back for this. I swear I told them to only get stuff that they needed like clothes and sheets" he insisted.
He really was trying to prove that he wasn't a bad guy. Vaggie waved him off and smiled a little.
"They're kids. They need to be able to feel safe here. Nothing wrong with getting them a couple of toys to keep them entertained" she said.
Hugo bowed his head in gratitude.
"Thank you, Miss"
He looked over at Muffin and Waffles.
"Oi"
The kids stop playing with there stuff and looked at the gargoyle.
"What do we say to Miss. Vaggie and Charlie after they were nice enough to treat you to these goodies?"
The children walked over and looked at Vaggie shyly. Waffles quickly bowed his head to show his gratitude.
"Thank you, Ma'am" he said nicely.
Muffin, being the goofball that she was said her own version of thanks.
"Thank you, Pirate Lady!"
Hugo gave her a stern look.
"Muffin! What did we say about that? It's Miss Vaggie" he said.
Muffin pondered Hugo's words and nodded in understanding.
"Thank you, Miss Vagie!"
When she said that, she pronounced her name the same way a certain female part was called. Hugo looked horrified while the girls gasped and the guys bit their fists to keep themselves from laughing.
Vaggie sighed and held the bridge of her nose.
"You know what? Pirate Lady is fine" she deadpanned.
Muffin being the oblivious three year old just went back to her brother and played with the new toys Charlie was nice enough to get them.
Hugo looked at Vaggie nervously. The girl waved him off showing she wasn't offended.
"She's three. I'm sure some words are hard for her pronounce" she said.
Feeling relieved Hugo sighed. He needed to teach the kids the proper way of greeting people.
Alastor came from the kitchen.
"Food's ready"
Everyone went into the dining room as they got ready to eat. For today, the Radio Demon made a rich, hearty stew.
"Isn't it a little too late to be eating stews? You usually have that during the winter time when it's cold" Mei said.
"It's still a little nippy out so I thought everyone should eat this to warm themselves up" Alastor pointed out.
Husker gave his boss an odd look.
"Nippy? We're in Hell. It's hot as-"
"Eat up! You don't want it getting cold, now do you?"
He dished out an extra large portion for Jenny. This was his mother's recipe for beating colds. He would make meals that would help her out without the rest of the tenants knowing.
"Eat as much as you'd like, dear. You're practically skin and bones"
Jenny raised an eyebrow at the odd gesture but shrugged. So long as there wasn't any body parts in the stew, she wouldn't complain about a home cooked meal.
Alastor went back into the kitchen as everyone ate.
He would keep Jenny's secret safe. He didn't know why he was doing this but someone he found the idea of using her to be upsetting. That's one of the reasons why he was adamant that the Vees stay away from her.
She was lucky she had the Radio Demon in her corner. It would come in handy when her secret was finally revealed later down the road.
/
A/N: Of course Alastor knew! He's not an idiot! Hopefully you guys weren't alarmed by this reveal but I did put little hints here and there showing he knew all along lol.
I know this was a random chapter but I wanted to do something different. Next up we'll be doing a Helluva Boss episode! Hope everyone is ready for a bunch of…looney adventures.
Please review and tell me what you think!
Take care!