Beth opened her eyes and stretched. It had been a couple days since they had visited Rosie and Beth couldn't wait to go back. Alas, Rosie was a busy woman and it would be quite a while before Beth could visit again.
Beth got dressed and brushed her hair (sort of). She walked downstairs and looked around. There was no one in sight.
"Husk? Charlie?" Beth called out. "Daddy! Angel!" No reply. "Vaggie! Niffty! Anyone?"
Beth walked around finding no one. She went upstairs and knocked on everyone's doors. No reply. She went back downstairs and sat down by the lit fireplace. Tears streamed down her face. Where was everyone? Why did they leave her? Did they not love her anymore? Did her dad not love her anymore?
After a good while of crying by the fireplace she heard footsteps. She sprang up and ran towards the sound. She saw Lucifer walking down the hall and before she knew it, she was hugging his leg and hanging onto it like a little, koala bear.
"Woah! Uh… hi?" Lucifer said, surprised by the girl hanging onto his leg. His surprise increased even more when she burst into tears.
"Hey, shh. It's okay," he said, picking up the sobbing girl and holding her in his arms.
Beth buried her face in his shoulder. "You're still here!"
"Yeah, of course. I don't really leave. Ever."
"But everyone else left me. Why didn't you?"
Lucifer wiped the tears off her face as she finally stopped crying. "Oh. You just woke up. You don't know."
"Know what?"
"Well, Angel got into some trouble early this morning. He called Husk begging for help. His boss is a really mean guy and he hurts Angel. Angel called saying that his boss wanted to hurt him and he needed help. Even Niffty, for some strange reason. Your dad didn't want to leave you but Charlie said I would stay behind to make sure you were okay. Al was less than thrilled but he agreed."
Beth looked at Lucifer, eyes wide and scared. "What about Angel? Is he okay?"
Lucifer sighed. "I don't know, Beth. I haven't heard anything from anyone since they left."
"How long ago did they leave?"
"Two hours, about."
Beth groaned. "And they haven't called yet? That's bullshit!"
Lucifer looked shocked. He had never heard Beth cuss before and hearing that word come from her small, young mouth was surprising. "Beth, maybe you've been spending too much time around Husk and Angel. Your dad better not hear you say that."
"True but he's not here. He's helping Angel, which is what we should be doing!"
Lucifer grimaced. "Well… we can't."
"What do you mean?"
"I'm the King of Hell. It's not my place to get involved in the affairs of sinners. And you're a child. Your dad would kill me if I took you anywhere near that."
The butterfly frowned and pouted. "But he needs help!"
"I know, Beth. But you need to be safe. Besides, Charlie and everyone will help Angel. It'll be fine," the king assured her.
"Okay," Beth said, still not happy but accepting Lucifer wouldn't let her go.
The fallen angel scratched the back of his head. "How about some breakfast. I think Charlie ordered some donuts and no one ate any before they left."
"My dad says donuts are dessert and dessert is not breakfast."
Lucifer smiled and winked. "We just won't tell him."
Beth smiled and attempted to wink back but all she accomplished was blinking. Lucifer laughed. "We'll work on that."
Later, Beth sat next to Lucifer in his workshop. It was absolutely covered in rubber ducks but she didn't mind. She just wondered how he made so many and how they weren't all over the hotel. She munched on her donut as Lucifer worked on another duck.
Her eyes wandered as she took in the rest of the room. She had heard it had been a simple bedroom but when Lucifer had moved into the hotel, he has claimed it as his workshop while also claiming a room on the third floor as his actual bedroom. Which was right down the hall from Beth's room.
Beth finished her donut, dusted off her hands, then got off the chair she'd been sitting on and going to throw her napkin away. As she walked back to her chair she paused, looking up at shelves with ducks on them (no surprise). The ducks looked… familiar.
"Why does this duck look like Charlie?" Beth asked.
The king looked up then walked over, looking at the ducks with a smile. "That's because it is. I made ducks that look like everyone here."
"Wow," Beth said, her wings fluttering.
Lucifer took a duck off the shelf and squeezed it lightly, causing it to squeak. "Here. You can have this one."
Beth took it and smiled. "It's me!"
"Exactly. Oh! And you can't separate a baby duck from her daddy duck,"he said, taking a duck that resembled Alastor down from the shelf and holding it out to her. The small butterfly took it and smiled.
"I can really have both of them?"
"Yeah. I have plenty of others, as you can see."
Beth smiled, holding out her arms for a hug. "Thank you!"
Luci smiled and obliged. "You're welcome, sweetheart."
After a few seconds, he picked her up and walked back to his desk, sitting down with her in his lap. "How about you help me decorate this duck?"
"Okay!"
Hours late, Angel and the others had returned from wherever they had been. Beth had tried to ask Angel if he was okay but he had brushed her off, disappearing with Husk to their room. Everyone else had been in a somber mood (except for her dad, who always had his smile) but they seemed to be becoming happier as the day went on.
Beth sat on the floor with Niffty, practicing her embroidery by stitching small flowers in the cyclops's skirt. The young girl was taking advantage of the maid's small amount of stillness before rushing around again.
"Beth, dear, would you mind helping me make dinner? I'm going to make your favorite," Alastor called from the kitchen.
"Jambalaya?" Beth exclaimed, snipping her yarn as she finished. She squealed as her father nodded. "Okay! Let me just put my yarn and stuff away."
The butterfly rushed to put her supplies away as Niffty stood up, seemingly pleased with the new flowers on her skirt before rushing after a bug. Beth ran into the kitchen moments later, her wings fluttering happily.
"Come here, my dear," her dad instructed. She obeyed and he snapped his fingers, a black hair tie falling into his palm. He pulled her hair into a messy bun. "It's not as pretty as how Angel does it but I'm afraid I'm not as skilled as he is. But it holds. At least of now."
Father and daughter both washed their hands at the sink then started on their respective jobs. Beth defrosted the shrimp and pulled off their tails while Alastor began to chop onions. They had made jambalaya together enough times they had a routine for when they did.
As they worked, the deer demon began to hum a jazzy tune. Beth smiled as she heard him and before she knew it, she was humming it as well. After combining everything in a pot and leaving it to cook, Alastor snapped his fingers, the radio on the counter turning on and playing the same song they'd been humming before. The young butterfly smiled as her father took her hands in his, leading her in a dance. She did her best to keep up but alas, she ended up with her feet on top of Alastor's as he continued the dance.
That night, Alastor sat at his desk in his bedroom, reading through the mail. Bills he would pass on to Charlie. Something for Angel. An advertisement for VoxTek. The was going to be burned.
Once done he sighed, letting himself relax slightly as his smile melted into a smaller, more genuine one. He looked at the drawing he had framed on his desk and felt affection flood him. It was a brightly colored crayon drawing Beth had made him years ago. It wasn't her best piece of art but it was Alastor's favorite. Him and her side by side in some kind of grassy place. He had no idea where but that was to be expected when the drawing had been done by a four year old.
Suddenly, the old fashioned telephone on his desk rang. It was really only for emergencies, the only people knowing the number being Charlie, Rosie, Beth, and Mimzy. But why would any of them be calling him? Beth was asleep and Charlie would simply talk to him in person. So either Rosie or Mimzy. Why? And at this hour?
The Radio Demon reached out and picked up the phone. "Hello?"
"So sorry to bother you this late, Alastor," Rosie's voice sounded. "I found out something that I think you ought to know."
"You sound nervous, dear. What is it?" Alastor asked.
"I know you said you're not ready and I'm so sorry. It wasn't my place to get involved but I found out something very important."
"What is it?"
Rosie's answer was short but it was enough to cause Alastor's heart to drop into his stomach with dread. "I found out who Beth's father is."
DUN DUN DUUUUUNNNNN! Haahhahahaha! I'm evil I know. But I want to hear your guesses on who you think her real dad is. And I'm not posting the next chapter till I have at least a few guesses.