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Charlie was loosing her mind, and she knew it.
Outwardly, nothing was wrong. For once things were actually going well at the Happy Hotel: They now had more than one patron, possible investors that were actually considering investing rather than just pulling her leg for a laugh, and some of the patients were really showing signs of improvement in the two and a half months since they opened. 666 news had been doing less gag segments on her, and it seemed like she was finally being taken seriously.
Inside, however, everything was a mess. She hadn't slept in days, filling her nights with paperwork and therapy appointments and phone calls, even doing some chores when Niffty wasn't around to chase her away with her feather duster. Large grey bags that she covered with makeup weighed down her eyes and to anyone who looked closely it was obvious she was getting thinner. She hadn't felt much like eating, lately, not since she and Vaggie had broken up with her after she'd found her in bed with someone else. With Alastor.
Ever since then, Vaggie had changed. She had always been...tough, but ever since she'd found her girlfriend and Alastor together she had become downright belligerent. The hotel guests didn't dare approach her anymore for fear of getting stabbed (poor Baxter would probably never come out of his room again), she barely spoke to anyone and when she did, they were always short, snappy retorts that had people either eager to get away from her or punch her in the face. Fortunately Vaggie never stuck around for long, preferring to stay in her room.
Selfishly, that was the worst part for Charlie. How Vaggie was avoiding everyone in her pain, especially her. She didn't come to therapy appointments anymore, at meetings she rarely spoke up and...and...
Oh, it was horrible how Vaggie would actively avoid her. Every time Charlie walked into a room, Vaggie was just leaving. If she saw Charlie coming down the hall, she would turn around and walk the other way, and whenever Charlie would try and talk to her outside of meetings and hotel business Vaggie would just get up and walk away, not saying a word or even looking at her.
Every time it happened, Charlie had to fight not to burst into tears. Vaggie was the love of her life, her best friend, her business partner, and now all of that was gone, vanished in a puff of smoke. All because of one stupid decision. Her stupid mistake.
Stupid, stupid, so stupid...
She'd lost count of the amount of times she'd cried into her paperwork. How many times she'd looked at her bed and wanted to unleash her demonic form and scream and tear and trash until there was nothing left of the sin she had committed, only to end up curled into a little ball on the mattress instead, clutching Vaggies pillow tightly to her chest.
Though she knew she hid it well (at least she hoped she did) Charlie could feel herself falling apart. And it was all her own fault.
Her own stupid, stupid fault!
*
Charlie was falling apart, and everybody could see it. It was evident in how Husk would offer her a free drink whenever he saw her, how Niffty cleaned her room more meticulously than usual. Even Angel had stopped making quite so many sex jokes in her presence.
As for Alastor, he could practically smell the despair on the little princess every time Vaggie rebuffed her attempts to speak to her or whenever one of the patrons would complain about her ex-girlfriends attitude. Oh yes, she tried to hide it behind makeup and a smile, but he could see the exhaustion in her body and the sorrow in her eyes.
Alastor himself was frustrated. Ever since the relationship had ended Charlie had barely spoken a word to him and the fact that it was bothering him was a great source of inconvenience. He was the Radio Demon, a man who strove for his own entertainment and nothing more, he should not care!
"Maybe you got a conscience after all" Husk had quipped one day when he confided in him about it. Alastor reacted like the bartender suggested he had herpes.
"Why, how dare you! I have no such thing! That's nonesense!"
Husk rolled his eyes "Yeah, yeah, sure." he said in such a way that clearly meant he wasn't buying the bullshit. Alastors eyes glowed a brighter red and he started to snipe back, but was interrupted by a sound from the third floor.
CRASH!
"WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU STUPID BITCH!"
"FUCK YOU, GET THE FUCK OUTTA MY WAY!"
Oh, wonderful. It appeared that Vaggie was once again engaging in fisticuffs with a patient. Alastor sighed and rose from the bar.
"Hey, where ya goin'?"
"To solve a problem, dear fellow!"
"Solve a-? Hey, you better not be killin' nobody!"
Alastor chortled, though he couldn't deny that the idea was tempting as far as the vengeful moth was concerned. However, there were other ways to mollify someone without bloodshed.
Alastor walked over to the lift and pressed the button for the first floor.
*
CRASH!
Charlie gasped as the sound of China breaking and the consequental screeching roused her from a miserable doze. Immediately she placed Vaggies pillow back in its spot and jumped out of bed, running to open the door and see what all the commotion was about.
Her heart sank like the Titanic at what she opened the door to. Vaggie and Crymini were stood head to head in the hall, a tray with a broken plate of Nifftys roast dinner tossed to the ground and leaking onto the carpet. Crymini's hackles were raised as she yelled at Vaggie, whose typical bow had turned into horns.
"Listen BITCH, I don't know who the FUCK you think you are, but I am not gonna let you fuck with me just because your ass got dumped!"
Vaggie snarled, spear materialising in her hand "Fuck you!"
Crymini smirked cruelly "Nah, I'd rather fuck Alastor. Word is he's the better lay!"
With a roar Vaggie lunged, and had Charlie not gotten in between them in time the tip of her spear would've gone right through Crymini's forehead. Her hand caught Vaggies shoulder and she wrapped the arm around her, holding her off.
"Vaggie, cut it out! Stop it!"
"Argh!" Vaggie snarled, struggling against the arm until she realised who it belonged to. She glared at Charlie "Get off of me!"
"No! Not until you put it down!"
Vaggie snarled again, but when Charlie really did refuse to let her go she eventually stopped struggling and went still, opening her hands to let the spear fade.
Charlie breathed a sigh of relief and released her "Thankyou!"
Vaggie huffed, and without another word she turned around and walked away, just like always. Charlie bit her lip, trying to ignore the needle in her heart.
"Fuck me, that bitch is crazy!" Crymini huffed, bringing the princess back to the present "And she owes me a roast! I was lookin' forward to that, dammit!"
"Go down to the kitchen and have Niffty make you some more" Charlie suggested, putting her best fake smile on her face "I'm sure she'd be happy to"
Crymini shrugged "Eh, can't be bothered to go all the way back down there. Could you order it up for me?"
Charlie sighed "Sure"
"Cool! Can I have some booze, too?"
"Only if you have any points left on your punch card"
"Aw, man!" Crymini pouted, crossing her arms beneath her chest and looking at her ruined meal forlornly "Vaggies become such a bitch, lately. I swear to God, she points that spear at me one more time I am fucking outta here!"
Charlie stiffened, her gut clenched "V-Vaggie is going through a difficult time right now, Crymini! Its not fair to judge her!"
Crymini tilted her head "But its OK for her to take it out on the rest of us?"
"I-! I...urgh..." Charlie groaned, burying her face into her hands. Rationally she knew that Vaggies behaviour was deplorable but truly she felt like her gi-like she was entitled to it, considering what she'd gone through. Clearly though, the wolf demon did not feel the same way.
"Pah! Whatever. Yknow, if that crazy bitch was my girlfriend I'd cheat on her, too"
Charlie's head shot up and Crymini's fur crackled with sudden heat "CRYMINI-"
"OH SHIT! Later baby-cakes!" and then she was gone in a blur of scant clothing and spotted fur.
Charlie stayed where she was for a while, waiting for her temper to ebb and the fire in the air to go out. Fucking Crymini, she didn't know what she was talking about! Vaggie was not a bitch, she was wonderful! It wasn't her fault she was in so much pain, Charlie had been the one to do that to her and if, if Vaggie was taking her anger out on everyone then there was no-one to blame except herself!
She turned around, towards the way Vaggie had gone and followed her. She caught a glimpse of her white dress heading up the stairs and called out to her.
"Vaggie, wait!"
But Vaggie just ran faster, and by the time Charlie got to the foot of the stairs she heard a faraway door slam.
Charlie hovered at the foot of the stairs, her eyes wide. She felt her scleras turn red and her eyes prickle with moisture.
Eventually she turned around and headed for her room, fiercely wiping her eyes. Had she not been so distracted, she probably would've noticed the thin sillouhette in the shadows, watching her run away with tears in her eyes.
*
Alastor had seen enough. This nonsense was getting out of hand! If guests ended up leaving because of that miserable wretch, where would the entertainment be for him?! Patients leaving because they wanted to was as boring as a weather report in the Antarctic!
Yes, something had to be done. Killing the demoness was clearly not an option, but that left him with very few others. Perhaps hypnosis? He heard the Pentious fellow was very accomplished with it, he was sure he could bully the serpent into it somehow.
Ah, but no, Charlie would of course find out and undoubtably make him undo it. He knew threats wouldn't work on the one-eyed spitfire-if anything, it would just make her worse!-so what?
Alastor thought about it a little more, twirling his microphone as the cogs in his mind whirled away. Hm. Perhaps he was going about this the wrong way, what was that old saying? 'You catch more flies with honey than with vinegar'. You caught even more flies with a dead body, but that wasn't the point.
Loathe as he was to think it, perhaps all the moth demon needed was some cheering up to make her more agreeable, but he sincerely doubted that he could be the one to do that (unless he let her kick him in the groin again and that was NOT happening!) but somebody else could, surely.
...perhaps, someone who had done it before? Aha!
With a self-congratulatory grin hAlastor turned back to the elevator, went inside and headed down to the lobby bar.
*
In her room, Charlie sat on her bed and breathed.
Her face was covered by her hands. She didn't want to cry, not again. For heavens sake she was the manager of the Happy Hotel! She should not be bursting into tears every five minutes, she should be maintaining a front of professionalism!
And that was why, as reluctant as she was to do it, she had to make Vaggie talk to her. She had to make things better, somehow, or at least make her stop being so aggressive.
Taking a deep breath she got walked out of her room and took the elevator to the top floor, rehearsing what she was going to say in her head while twisting her fingers between her hands. The elevator dinged and she stepped out, trying to calm as she walked down the hall and turned the corner towards Vaggies room, but she ended up stopping immediately. It seemed that someone had beaten her to the punch.
Angels long form stood in front of Vaggies door, his body facing away so he was unable to see Charlie clinging to the wall. Her heart hiccuped in her chest and every word she had been going to say flew out of her head in an instant.
"Hey bitch, its Angel. I'm comin' in!" he announced, and then walked straight in without knocking. Charlie waited, but she didn't hear the sounds of Spanish swearwords or see Angel fly back out of the door. She'd just...let him right in.
Oh.
OK.
Charlie bit her lip, her eyes burning as they turned bright crimson and her nails growing into claws that tore into the walls swirling wallpaper. Unable to conceal a sob, she turned and fled back to her room. The door slammed behind her so hard the walls rattled and she ran her hands through her hair, her mind racing.
She was being ridiculous. She knew she was being ridiculous, Angel and Vaggie were barely friends and sure, they'd slept together before but that didn't mean that anything was going on now!
How do you know that? A nasty voice inside her mind hissed, you thought it was ridiculous that they would ever sleep together and look how that turned out!
At best, they were probably just friends now. Maybe they and bonded over Angel being there for her when she'd done what she did.
Yeah, when they fucked while you were lying in bed with Alastor. Bet they bonded reeeeal good!
Vaggie letting him walk into her room didn't mean anything!
Unless they're still together. Still fucking.
No way, she was being paranoid! And even if she...if they were together, what right did she have to get upset? She was the one who'd cheated!
Thats right you did, you pushed her into Angel Dusts arms by letting Alastor push between your legs! SLUT!
Charlie gasped. God, her head was spinning! She stumbled over to her dresser and gripped the golden edges hard, breathing deeply until the dizzyness stopped. Where were Razzle and Dazzle? She could really use a goat to hug right now.
They're with Vaggie, arent they? See, not even the two toys your daddy brought to life especially for you wanna be around a heat whore!
"Stop..." Charlie whispered, gripping her head hard in her hands as tears welled in her eyes "Stop it..."
Whore. Slut. Who could expect anything else from a bitch in heat?
Tears rolled down her cheeks and a flash of red caught her eye. She looked up and saw her own reflection, her scleras glistening crimson, tears streaking her cheeks, her hair mussed from where her hands fisted it. She looked a complete mess.
You are a mess. You're a mess without her, and you're the reason why she's with Angel now and not you! All because you couldn't keep it in your pants! Because you couldn't handle a little bit of pain! Because you wanted to get fucked into the floor like the filthy trollop that you are!
CRACK!
Charlie gasped as a great long crack appeared in the centre of the mirror, spidering out of a chipped dent that had appeared from nowhere.
Charlie frowned. Her hand hurt. She looked down and saw her knuckles were dotted with blood.
As if in a daze, she looked up at the mirror again and saw herself, red eyed and heartbroken and hurting.
Not as much as Vaggies hurting, though. Remember? Because you refused to control yourself and behaved like a slut?
Another crack in the mirror. Now her other hand was hurting.
Remember how she cried, how she screamed?
CRACK! A chip of glass fell off.
She called you his whore, and she was right.
CRACK! Blood dripped onto the floor.
You're a whore. An unfaithful slut.
CRACK! CRACK! Mirror was embedded in her hands and she didn't care about the pain. She didn't DESERVE to care!
She'll be better off with Angel, anyone would be. Who would want to be-
CRACK!
With a demon whore-
CRACK!
Like you?
SMASH!
The mirror fell to the floor and glass exploded everywhere, but Charlie just fell to her knees and kept punching at the shards that remained because she could still see herself, see her face, the face of a whore, the face of a cheater, the face of a cheat and a liar and a fool and a weakling and she was screaming and crying and punching and bleeding and-
"Stop."
Arms around her. Warm and strong and carrying the familiar scent of blood and 30's cologne were around her, trapping arms against her chest and pulling her away from the destroyed mirror. Charlie wailed, fighting them, but their grip was too strong.
"Stop it, Charlie. You're done"
Alastor. Charlie twisted in his grip and looked up at his face. That smile, that ever present fucking smile that was always there was still spread across his face. It was the same smile he'd worn the day he'd made his adulterous proposition, the first time that they were together, the day when Vaggie found out about and he'd fucking taunted her-
Something in Charlie snapped. The curtains on her bed caught on fire and she screamed.
"ITS ALL YOUR FAULT!"
She twisted in his grip fully as her claws sprang forth and she clawed at his chest, tearing at his clothes and drawing blood from his skin.
"ITS ALL YOUR FAULT! Its all your fault, its all your fault, its all your FUCKING FAULT!"
Alastor grunted, then gloved hands were wrapping around her wrists and he pulled her to him, one arm wrapping around her back as he pressed her face into his torn chest. Charlie screamed again, trying to pull back and beating at him with her bloody hands, but Alastor held her too tightly and he wouldn't let her go. Soon enough, her screams turned into sobs. Her hands stopped clawing, and she fisted her bloody fingers into his ripped shirt, one that she pressed her face into as she wailed.
"I s-s-screwed it up!" she sobbed, her voice muffles by fabric "I-I-I ru-ruined everything! She-sh-she's never gonna forgive me-he-he!"
A hand stroked her hair and Charlie clenched her eyes shut, crying out her heart and soul into the Radio Demons chest.
*
Eventually Charlie's sobs faded out into miserable little hiccups as she rested her head against Alastors chest. The crazed frenzy seemed to have left her for now and while the fire on her curtains had gone out, her hands hurt like Hell. She looked down and frowned when she saw the amount of glass embedded in them. Jeeze, how hard had she hit that mirror? She tried to pull a shard out and winced.
"Let me, my dear"
When Alastor took her hands in his she didn't fight him, too empty to do anything other than wince and hiss as he plucked the shards out of her hands and wrists. It was amazing his grip didn't slip on the blood.
Speaking of blood, she could feel some sticking to her cheek through Alastors shirt. Charlie sighed, oh shit what had she done? Once he was finished with her hands (surprisingly quickly, she noted) she made to pull them out of his grip.
Alastor held on "You need bandages"
"I'll be fine" and she would. She was Lucifer's daughter, she would be healed in like an hour. She pulled her stinging hands away, showing him that the cuts had already stopped bleeding and then pressed one of them to the rips in Alastors chest, concentrating her powers on healing them "...I'm sorry"
She felt his chest swell with a soft chuckle "I've had worse, as you well know, my dear"
It was true. She remembered her shock when he'd first disrobed in front of her and she'd seen the scars he carried from his death on his body. Dog bites, he'd told her. She remembered thinking that they must have been some very angry dogs.
Charlie sighed, leaning into his solid chest though she knew she shouldn't- What would Vaggie think?-But right now she needed the comfort, feeling more raw than one of the Chainsaw Killers victims. For a while Alastor allowed her to stay that way, soaking up the warmth he provided, until she spoke again, her voice still soft.
"I'm sorry, Al. I didn't mean what I said...its not your fault, it's mine, all of it" her bottom lip wobbled, she pressed her face into his chest, clenching her eyes closed "I ruined everything..." she bowed her head like a sinner in penance and moments later felt the smooth leather of Alastors glove on the top of her head.
"You believed you were protecting the woman you loved, Charlie" a palm cupped her cheek and her face was gently tilted upwards. To her surprise, his smile wasn't so wide for once. It was closed, natural, almost...kind "There is no sin in that, my dear"
Charlie's heart beat faster. She wished that she could believe his kind words but she just...couldn't. She could feel the inferno rising again, guilt and hurt threatening to consume her wholeheartedly until there was nothing left. But this time, she didn't want to give in and so did the only thing she could think of to keep it at bay: She locked her hands around Alastors neck and kissed him, closing her eyes and blocking out the world.
The Radio Demon stiffened beneath her at first, but then she felt his soft mouth relax beneath hers and a gloved hand came up to cup the back of her head, however, as soon as the kiss started she broke it, guilt twisting in her stomach like a knife. She pushed out of Alastors arms as fast as she could and curled in on herself, her arms wrapped tightly around her knees.
"I-I'm sorry" she babbled, blood setting fire to her cheeks "I-I don't know what I was thinking..."
"Charlie-"
"Fuck!" the princess cried, fisting her hands against her skull and rocking forwards "Ev-everythings so screwed up! What am I doing?! I don't even know what I'm doing anymore!" she sobbed. Her hands wrapped around her knees again, her fingers twining together in a vice grip as her body shook "Everything is so awful, Alastor...Vaggie h-hates me...she's terrorising the guests...and-and she won't even talk to me anymore!" she sobbed again, stray tears falling from her eyes to roll down her cheeks. She raised her palms to her face to wipe them away, heedless of the blood smearing across them and began to breathe deeply, trying not to keep another breakdown at bay.
Alastor sat beside her in silence, not making any move to touch her and for that she was grateful. She didn't know what she would do if he did. She didnt know much about anything right now. How pathetic did that make her?
Drawing in a breath, she let it out with a long sigh, feeling the inferno finally fade with her last breath and her mind finally begin to clear.
"Everything is going so wrong, Alastor" she rolled her head over to her business partner, her large doll eyes full of misery "What should I do? How do I fix this?"
And Alastor, for all of his years in Hell, for all of the intelligence and craftiness he'd gained in that time, had no answer for her. The Radio Demon shrugged "Forgive me, my dear, but I'm afraid that bad break-ups are not my area of expertise"
Charlie sighed again, leaning her head back against her bedframe because of course he wouldn't. Men like him didn't deal in matters of the heart, but who else was there to turn to if not him? Angel was an obvious choice, but also an obvious Hell Fucking No. Husk, according to his own words, had lost the ability to love years ago, Niffty from what she'd heard had a very effective way of dealing with ex partners, but they weren't really to Charlie's taste. Or moral code.
Her stomach twisted as she thought of the person she had always turned to to help her with stuff like this, the only one here who would've given her compassion and good, sensible advice. Her best friend in the whole of Hell.
But she, like Angel, was no longer an option. Shit, there was no-one...
...unless...maybe...but that was if she even picked up the phone...Unless she went to her in person...
Charlie saw Alastor start when she suddenly jumped to her feet and strode to her en-suite bathroom. She heard him call her name as she washed the blood off of her face and hands and re-applied her small touches of make-up, straightening her bow tie and smoothing down her blazer before she walked back out.
"Charlie, what are you doing?" Alastor asked, and she couldn't tell if it was just curiosity or genuine concern in his tone but she didn't pause. She picked up her Hellphone and shoved it into her pocket, grabbing the keys to the limo off of her ruined dressing table and shoving those in there, too.
"I'm going to go see someone" she said in answer to his question "I'll be back later"
She opened the bedroom door and walked out, the door snapping shut behind her before the confunded Radio Demon could respond.
*
The hotel passed in a blur for her as she bolted down the corridor, descended the elevator and shot through the lobby. She was barely aware of shouting something to Husk-something along the lines of "GoingtomyparentsIdon'twantanycallsbye!"-before she was out the door in the limo and sitting on the velvet drivers seat as she speeded through Hell, her palms tapping nervously on the cars steering wheel the entire time.
She was nervous, to say the least. She hadn't had much contact with her parents outside of the occasional (unanswered) phone call since she'd left to open the Happy Hotel some months ago. What would they think of her sudden visit? Probably that the hotel had gone under, or that she needed a loan to keep it afloat. Certainly not to ask advice about a bad breakup.
Her fingers curved into the leather of the steering wheel as she drove out of Pentagram City. Would Mom even be home tonight? Would she see Charlie if she just suddenly arrived unannounced? She bit her lip, her fingers drumming little dents into the steering wheel.
Please be home, Mom...please just be home...I dont have anybody else to turn to anymore...
*
The Palace of the Damned. That was what the denzins of Hell called the enormous castle where Charlie had grown up. Huge and black and twisted to the tallest tower it cut a dominating figure, as if the owner were declaring "Do NOT fuck with me!" through architecture.
Charlie took a deep breath as she drove the limo towards her childhood home. It had only been a few months but she was still struck by how everything looked exactly as it did when she left, from the grey, barren grounds to the decomposing bodies of troublesome demons lining the gates down to the frozen River Cocytus that surrounded the castle. She remembered skating on it as a child, it being one of the few activities her dad had joined her in, holding her hands as they glided over the ice. Whenever she would laugh in delight he would smile, like there was a joke that she wasn't getting and he never told her why no matter how many times she asked.
She recalled that memory as she approached the wrought iron bridge that led across the river. Black metal twisted and stretched upwards like rose vines, ending not in a flower but in black, gothic apples.
The second the limo approached the bridge a loud, rumbling snarl enveloped the frigid air around the car, shaking the ground and freezing the windows, making her breath fog in the cars heated interior. Charlie shivered, and through the windshield she saw a demon emerge. A tall, thin being that was at least three times her height and clothed in a thick black robe. The long pointed hood was up, so that nothing of him showed except for his grey, wizened hands. One of them lifted a bony finger that stretched out right where she was sitting, pointing at her like a damning accusation.
"Staaate yooour busineeeeess..." a voice as old as time demanded of her, thick and gravelly and as cold as the ice of the Cocytus. Somewhere nearby, but not anywhere that she could see, there was a menacing growl.
Her teeth chattering Charlie rolled down a tinted window and poked her head out, smiling delightfully at the robed figure "Hey, Charon"
Immediately the finger dropped her the ice melted off of the limo as the death chill vanished. The guardian of Hell yanked off his hood and stared with wide, tea-stain colour eyes, surprise lighting up his wrinkled face that showed every one of the thousands of years he had been alive "Princess Charlotte? Is that you?"
Charlie got out of the limo and leaned against the door "Sure is. I guess its been a while, huh?"
"Y-yes! It has indeed, my dear!" from the darkness another growl came, the most menacing one yet that shook the foundations beneath their feet and wobbled the bridge. Charon snapped his head to his left.
"SHUT-UP, YOU GREAT DUMB BEAST! ITS THE PRINCESS!"
The ground stopped shaking and now Charlie heard a pitiful whine. She raised an apologetic hand "Sorry, Cerebus! No num-nums today!" she heard the giant three headed hound whine again and felt bad.
Charon rolled his zombie-white eyes "For goodness sake, stop moaning! We'll be back on The Gates by morning and you'll have plenty of sinners to tear up! Stupid dog..." he clicked his few teeth irately and turned back to Charlie, his thin lips stretching into an even thinner smile "Now, how may I help you, Your Highness?"
Charlie drew herself up straight, standing away from the car "I came to see my mo-uh, the Queen" Charlie quickly corrected herself. Jeeze, only a few months away from home and she'd already forgotten her parents basic address! "Is she at home?"
Charon nodded "She is, your Highness, she is currently meeting with the denzins of Hell who have requests whilst the King is out"
Charlie deflated with relief feeling the knot of anxiety around her chest loosen a little. Dad was out, which meant he wasn't here, oh thank Satan! "OK, OK good"
"Does she know you are coming, your Highness?"
"Uh..." Charlie scratched the back of her head, slightly awkward at the formal address "no. This is kinda an...informal visit. I just-I just really need to see her, yknow?"
"I see. In that case I will not keep you" Charon bowed his head respectfully and stood aside and Charlie thanked him and got back into the limo. As the long vehicle drove over the bridge she fought not to press on the accelerator. Her mom would probably kick her straight back out if she drove a hole through a castle wall.
She just hoped that the Queen of Hell wasn't too busy for her tonight.
*
She left the limo parked on the dusty grounds and stepped up the black marble stairs to the large set of arched ebony doors. On them were two silver, twisted handles and a golden door knocker in the shape of a perfect apple. When Charlie reached for it she noticed that her hand was trembling, and shook it to ward it off. Why was she so nervous? She hadn't been gone for that long, had she?
Still, she was biting her lip when she finally grabbed the apple. From within she could hear the sounds of bird-like screeching and sorrowful weeping. Yep, Mom was definitely home, and from the sounds of it she was enjoying talking to her people about as much as she usually did. For a second Charlie almost let go of the knocker, but then she shook her head, gripped it tighter, and brought it down hard three times.
Knock! Knock! Knock!
"WHO THE HELL IS THAT?! MORD, GET THE FUCKING DOOR!"
Charlie bit her fist. Shit, she should'a bolted!
However before she could even consider actually doing that there was an ungodly creak, and then the heavy doors of the Magne Estate were being shoved open by an elderly imp in a fine black tuxedo. His yellow scleras went wide when he saw who was at the door.
Sming awkwardly, Charlie raised her hand "Heeeey, Mord! Long time, no see!" she said to the family butler.
Mord blinked, once, twice, his large yellow eyes going wide "Princess Charlotte! You're back! Is everything alright with the hotel?"
Well, she called it! "Yeah, don't worry everything's fine!" she quickly reassured him "I just...I just came here to see Mo-the Queen"
"I see. Well, she is in a meeting right now but I shall gladly escort you to the throne room"
Charlie raised a hand "Oh, no! No need for that, I can get there myself. I haven't been gone that long!" she laughed, and Mords own lips curved into a warm smile as he nodded respectfully "As you wish, Princess"
He backed away from the door and allowed her to walk into the castle lobby and Charlie was surprised at the wave of nostalgia she felt. Everything here was so familiar, the thick blood red carpets she used to run down with the servants children, the paintings of the Arch demons of Hell she used to pretend would watch her whilst she played or sang, her fathers suits of armor that she would hide in to scare the maids, and the long, winding staircase that led to the upper levels, the banister of which she would slide down when her mom wasn't looking. Even the smell was the same, flowers and brimstone.
Charlie felt a sharp, surprising throb of homesickness deep in her heart as she walked deeper inside and headed up the stairs, following the familiar route that took her to the throne room. Had it really been that long? Had so much happened since opening the hotel that she actually missed the simplicity of her old life? She filed that thought away for later and let her feet carry her to the throne room. The white doors to it were closed, but she could still hear her moms voice on the other side, melodic, sympathetic and bored as all Hell.
Well, at least she's not screaming anymore! She thought with some relief as she raised a hand, took a deep breath to calm her fluttering belly, and knocked. A long suffering sigh emerged from within:
"Enter!"
She placed her hand on the door and pushed it open, taking two confident (slightly shaky) steps inside.
The throne room was the pinnicle of the castle. This was where the King and Queen of Hell had their meetings, made their deals, passed their laws, it was the room where they excersied most of their unfathomable power and it was displayed to show it. The throne room could've held the entirety of the Happy Hotel standing up and still had room for a dozen Earth football pitches. Testaments to both Lucifer and Lilith's powers were on display in the form of grotesque bird statues carved from white and pink marble standing twenty feet high against the walls and Lucifer's collection of Angel blades and spears, the spoils of war that were kept in unbreakable cases where they could be easily seen. Above two golden thrones hung deep purple banners with Lucifer's crest imprinted in their centres: a red and gold apple with a black, golden eyed serpent wrapped around it. Beneath the banners Lucifers throne was empty, but the other was not.
Lilith Magne, the First and Mother of Succubi and Incubi and Reigning Queen of Hell held herself with all the poise and regality that came natural to a millenia old queen, dressed in her regalia of a lush purple fur cloak and black crown of thorns that shone in her magnificent blonde hair. Firelight danced marvellously over the large horns of deep magenta that curled on top of her head, and her silver eyes looked down on her subjects with a face that did not smile but did not sneer, open to her people but taking none of their whiny bullshit. Charlie saw a perfectly sculpted eyebrow raise as a leather skinned demon prattled on about how his home had been "Unfairly" stolen when the drug lord, Valak, had sent five of his lackeys when he'd been late in paying his debt.
Lilith sighed, her full lips pursing with exasperation and somehow making her look even more beautiful "And what exactly do you wish for the royal family to do about it?"
The demon blinked dumbly "Um...w-well, I was j-just hopin', maybe-"
"Because, Samuel-it was Samuel, right?"
"Uh, George, your Majes-"
"Samuel, if you did not want your home to be stolen, you should have payed your debt to Valak when he asked it of you." she sighed deeply, her generous bosom swelling in her low cut black dress "This issue is not worth the crowns time. Fix it yourself"
Samuel spluttered uncomprehendingly "M-my Queen, please-!"
"Move along, Samuel"
"My name is George!"
Lilith flicked a perfectly manicured hand at one of the guards at her feet "You two, take Samuel away"
The guard did as she bid, taking Samuel by both arms and dragging him off as he yelled and pleaded with the queen. Lilith pinched the bridge of her nose in irritation and with another hand flicked her fingers forwards "Next!"
Charlie barely had the presence of mind to move as Samuel/George was hauled kicking and pleading out of the room. Seeing her mom again after so many months, hearing her voice after so many unanswered calls, it was stirring up a lot of feelings that up until now she had managed to keep under control in favor of running the hotel. Suddenly, she was a little girl again, running up to mommy because she was hurt and she knew that her strong, powerful mom/queen could fix it.
Her shoes clicked on the ivory floor as she skated around the line and headed up to the throne, ignoring the hisses of "Cutter!" and "Fucking Line Jumper!" as she went to the foot of the throne. She saw the moment Liliths eyes caught her, and her breathing hitched.
The Queen of Hells eyes widened a little in surprise, and after a moment a small smile graced her lips "My darling daughter, what a pleasent surprise!" she said, warmth filling her dulcet tones.
Something in Charlie's chest squeezed when she heard that familiar, comforting voice that had chased all of her nightmares away as a kid. Oh shit, don't cry! Don't cry, Charlie, don't cry don't cry...
"H-hi Mom" she said, trying to keep a straight face "I-Im sorry about the surprise visit but I-I needed to talk to you. Its really, really important"
Lilith smiled warmly "Of course, my darling, whatever you need. Just let me finish up here and we can-"
And then Charlie burst into tears. The just came, roaring out of her without warning so that she was sobbing like a five year old with a scraped knee, her face falling into her hands like a damsel in distress.
"Oh my! Everyone out!"
She heard a cloak rustling as Lilith stood and then the clack of her heels as she descended the stairs. Around her, Charlie could hear the citizens of Hell muttering under their breaths and she pressed her face harder against her palms, desperate to stop humiliating herself already!
"DID I NOT MAKE MYSELF CLEAR?! I SAID EVERYONE OUT! NOW!"
The ground shook as dozens of feet ran for the exit and seconds later Charlie felt a familiar pair of arms wrap around her and pull her into a soft chest. The familiar smell of lily perfume filled her nose and she cried harder.
"Hush, hush my darling..." Lilith crooned, patting her head "Its alright, whatever it is we will figure it out, hush now..."
"Oh Mom!" Charlie gasped, clinging to her "Mommy, I-I've screwed up! I've done something t-terrible!"
Arms wrapped around her tighter, crushing her with comfort "Oh, my little Apple Seed, I'm sure it can't be that bad!" Charlie felt soft fingers touch her chin and then she was looking up into her moms face, her smile sweet and her eyes kind. A smooth finger came up and brushed a lock of blonde hair out from the corner of her mouth "Why don't you come upstairs, hm? You can tell me aaall about it"
Sniffling, Charlie nodded. Then Lilith wrapped an arm around her waist and with a snap of her fingers the two of them vanished from the throne room in a flurry of lily-blossom scent and a scattering of bird feathers.
*
They teleported to the third floor lounge, a favourite of Lilith's that she used to practice for her concerts. It still had the same black velvet couch and grand fireplace that was always roaring, the ornate mantelpiece adorned with the terrified heads of various overlords who had gotten a little too cocky. The queen situated them on a black velvet couch next to a wide plate glass window and for a long time Charlie cried into Lilith's arms, her body shaking whilst her mom held her tightly, murming gentle words of comfort and stroking her hair. Eventually she she was able to make herself stop, breathing deeply and nestling into Lilith's shoulder. Once she realised that her daughter was done, Lilith brought a hand beneath Charlie's chin and gently pulled back to look at her "Feel better, darling?"
Charlie hiccupped, nodding shakily. In truth, she did really feel a little bit better, not much but...it was something, huh?
"Yeah" she said shakily "Thanks Mom"
"Of course, love. Now, why don't you go ahead and tell me what's gotten you so upset, hm? Does Mommy need to rip out somebody's insides?"
Charlie laughed shakily, wiping her eyes with the heel of her hand "Not this time, Mom."
"Ugh, how boring!" So why don't you tell me what I do need to do, hmm?"
Charlie shook her head again and shuffled so that she was sitting beside Lilith. She clasped both of her hands over her knees, her head bowed "I...I need some advice, Mom. I've messed things up really, really bad with-with Vaggie and...and I don't know how to fix it!" she brought a hand against her forehead in torment. A second later, she felt Lilith's hand on her shoulder.
"Tell me everything"
So Charlie did. She began by telling her about going into her heat after five years of suppressing it. Lilith's reaction to that was pretty much what you could expect from a succubus mother:
SMACK!
Charlies face jerked to the side as a large red handprint bloomed on her right cheek. To her side, Lilith was practically hissing.
"Are...you...insane?!"
Charlie sighed. Her cheek throbbed "Mom-"
"Five years. You ignored your heat for five years!"
"Y-yes but Mom, I was just trying to-"
"Do you have any idea what could have happened to you? The damage you may have done to your body?! " in a fluid motion the queen rose, stripping off her cloak with a harsh yank and tossing it aside "Stand up"
Charlie raised her hands, palms out "Mom, I'm ok-!"
"Stand up, Charlotte!"
Charlie stood, because no-one dared argue with the Queen of Hell when she used that tone. She stood completely still when Lilith placed her hands upon her shoulders and moved not an inch when she felt her moms power-ice cold and biting-rush through her body, poking, prodding, examining, it only took two minutes but by the time it was over Charlie was shivering.
Liliths hands dropped to her sides. She still looked mad, but now it was an exasperated kind of mad rather than a Are-You-Fucking-Stupid mad.
"Well!" she said sharply "Nothing seems to be damaged, thank Satan! I hope you realise how lucky you are for that, Charlotte!"
Lucky? Yeah right. She may not be hurt physically but it had cost her the woman she loved. She bit her lip, crossing her arms beneath her chest "Yeah...sure..."
Lilith's eyes narrowed. Then all the anger fell away from her face and she raised her hand. Charlie flinched, expecting another strike, but this time Lilith cupped her cheek tenderly, her face growing numb where she'd been hit.
"I assume you must have had a reason" she admitted, somewhat reluctantly, and Charlie nodded.
"I did! I promise! It-its kinda part if the reason why I need to talk to you..."
"...I see" Lilith drew back and sat herself regally down in the couch, gesturing for Charlie to follow "Come, Charlotte, dear, tell me"
And Charlie did, sitting herself back down. She told her about Alastors proposition, about Vaggie finding them together, about her sleeping with Angel, about the inevitable breakup and Vaggies agreement to stay with the hotel, and finally ended with how difficult things had been at the Hotel ever since.
"I-I mean, she's just so angry all the time, Mom! She doesn't come out of her room anymore, she doesn't wanna talk to me and she gets so mad at our patienta! She almost stabbed Crymini with her spear today and it-its just getting worse and worse and I don't know what to do! I wanna make it better, I wanna make-make things good again, but I don't know how!" she hit her fists against her legs in frustration, despair coiling deep in her heart and threatening to overwhelm her all over again. She felt a warm hand touch her shoulder and breathed out shakily "What do I do, Mom?"
The hand on her shoulder squeezed, and Lilith answered her daughters desperate question:
"Buck up"
Charlie blinked "What?" she looked up at Lilith, and there was no hint of joking in her face "Buck up?" she repeated "I-'Buck Up?' that's your advice? 'Buck Up?!'"
"Yes" Lilith confirmed simply, and Charlie tore away from her.
"Mom-!"
"Charlotte" Lilith sighed, placing her hands in her lap "I'm sorry that things did not work out with your girlfriend, I truly am, but from what you've told me of what happened there is nothing that you can do to change the way that she feels. Her heart has been broken, Darling, and that is not something that you can simply 'Fix'"
Charlie swallowed against a hard lump in her throat, guilt swelling up inside like a pus filled sore "But there...there must be something that I can do! Isn't there?"
Lilith placed her hands elegantly in her lap "Actually, there is" Charlie's heart swelled with hope "Remove Vaggie from the hotel. Fire her"
Hope vanished in an instant, leaving behind a feeling like she had just been sucker-punched in the stomach. She stared at Lilith with wide, disbelieving eyes "Fire her? I...Mom, I can't do that! After what I-"
"Oh, Charlotte!" Lilith took her daughters face in both hands, cutting her off in the gentlest way "I'm sorry, my dear, I wish I could tell you what you want to hear but what you must realise is that you are not a little girl anymore! You are a grown woman, now and so is Vaggie, and when the two of you opened this business together you had to have known that this situation was a possibility. Vaggies attitude is understandable, yes, but when she agreed to stay she also indirectly agreed to be professional, and right now her behaviour is unprofessional." she took her hands away from Charlie's face. The princess wanted to speak up in Vaggies defence, but her throat seemed to have stopped working. Lilith made a sympathetic sound and lifted a hand to brush Charlie's cheek.
"I know how much you love her, my Apple Seed, but if she is causing problems at the Hotel then you, as owner and manager, cannot allow it to continue" she stroked a finger down Charlie's cheek, catching a tear that had slipped from her eye "Even if it is the hardest thing you ever have to do"
Charlies hands fisted in her lap "I don't wanna loose her, Mom..."
"Even if it means loosing your patients? Loosing the Hotel?" Lilith countered, not unkindly "Even if it means loosing everything that you are working for?"
Charlie sobbed, but when Lilith pulled her in close she let her, wrapping her arms around her moms waist and holding her tight. She didn't cry, not really, but there were still damp patches on her cheeks.
She didn't want to say that her mom was right. Deep in her heart a voice screamed that she was wrong, that she couldn't betray Vaggie more than she already had.
...but.
But some things that she was saying made sense. This thing with Vaggie, her taking her temper out in the entire hotel, it couldn't continue. Sooner or later the guests would get sick of it and then they would leave and the hotel would be ruined. Her mom was right, everything she worked for, the demons she wanted so badly to redeem, Heaven, it would all go up in smoke.
But would kicking Vaggie out really fix that? Did she have to make that choice? Could she?
Vaggie or the Hotel.The love of her life, or her dream.
"I...I don't...know..."
She felt Lilith sigh, and then she was being pushed gently away and looking her in the eye, brilliant silver locking on shiny obsidian "You asked me for my advice and I have given it. What you do with it is up to you"
The two if them fell into silence, then, Charlie's thoughtful and Lilith allowing her to think. After a while-maybe an hour, maybe half that-Charlie drew in a deep, deep breath, and then let it out in a long, laborious sigh, her palms flat against her knees "OK"
Lilith arched an eyebrow "OK?"
"Yeah" Charlie nodded, and surprising herself she actually smiled a real smile for the first time in weeks "I think I know what to do now, Mom. Thankyou"
Then she wrapped her arms around Liliths neck and gave her a bone crushing hug. Lilith made a noise of surprise but then hugged her back, smiling softly and patting Charlie on the back "Of course, Darling"
Charlie then drew back and wiped her eyes. Already she was starting to feel better, a little less messed up. It had been a good idea to come here!
Then Lilith's kind, motherly smile turned a little mischevious "So...the Radio Demon~"
Charlie groaned. Oh man, she should've seen this coming! "Oh Mom please, no! I don't wanna talk about it!"
"Alright, alright, I understand that" Lilith acquiesced, raising her hands "It led to a traumatic event for you, of course you don't want to think about it"
"Thankyou!" Charlie exclaimed, relieved.
"...But I can't help but be a little bit curious. Was he able to satisfy you efficiently?"
NEVER FUCKING MIND! "MOM!"
"O.k, ok, I'll leave it alone!...does he have good stamina?"
"Mommy!"
"At least tell me if he's got a big dick!"
"OK! I think its time for me to go home!" Charlie leapt to her feet and practically ran for the door, but just as she was about to make.it she felt a cool hand wrap around her wrist and then she was being tugged back to Lilith. Charlie groaned "OK, fine! He's got a big dick!"
"Good to know" Lilith smirked "But not why I stopped you, dear"
"...Oh" she blushed.
Then Lilith was standing before her, hands crossed over her lap and suddenly serious "Charlotte, no matter what happens with Vaggie, the hotel or your patients, I want you to promise me one thing" she leaned forward, bringing herself down to Charlie's eye level so that buttery scleras met silver and placed a fingertip beneath the princesses chin:
"Never, ever, suppress a heat again! Ever!"
Charlie wouldn't bother denying that she shook a little when she heard that inarguable tone. It was the same one that even her dad didnt fight back against. Quickly she nodded, but Lilith's face did not relax.
"Swear it. Out loud!"
"I swear!" Charlie squeaked, and at last Lilith was satisfied. She removed her finger, sighing deeply as she drew herself back up to her full height. She placed her hands on Charlie's shoulders and squeezed.
"No matter what happens, you must take care if yourself, Charlotte. Suppression of any kind is never a good thing, do you understand?"
Charlie felt the phantom cuts on her hands burn. She nodded, reaching up to hold one if her moms hands "I know. You don't need to worry about me, Mom. I can take care of myself"
"You had better! Honestly, I'm surprised that smiling fame whore is still alive!" Lilith looked at her sternly, then patted her shoulders "Now go, I do believe you have a hotel to run"
Charlie smiled, and when Lilith released her she left, walking out of the room and the castle with much more purpose than she had walked in with because Mom was right, she did have a hotel to run.
And one way or another, she was going to run it like an adult.
*
By the time the black sun rose the next morning she was totally shitting herself. She had thought about what she was going to do and say the entire ride home and she had thought about what she was going to do and say all the way up to her room, and she had thought about it for hours as she lay in bed that night until her body finally gave in and slept.
Now that she was awake she was still thinking about it, rehearsing what she was going to say as she dressed, going over what she was going to do as she styled her hair, mumbling her speech to herself as she tied up her shoes and practicing authorative postures as she tied her bow tie.
Then she was fully dressed and there was nothing left to stall with. She took a deep breath and walked out of the room. After inquiring with Niffty she went down to the kitchen and found Vaggie right where the little cleaner said she'd be: hunched over the little table with her head in her hands and a steaming cup of coffee and a plate of bacon and eggs in front of her. Charlie recognised it immediately as Vaggies hangover remedy.
Shit, that wasn't gonna make this easier...but it was like Mom said, she was the manager of the hotel, an adult, and she had to do this whether she liked it or not. She steeled herself and walked inside.
"Vaggie"
She saw her shoulders tense, but other than that Vaggie didn't move. Apparently she was too hungover to run away this time. Charlie immediately felt a pang of sympathy for her and already her mind was screaming for her to just leave Vaggie alone and let her nurse her headache in peace. Normally, she would have followed that voice, but not today. Today, she was going to be strong. Today, she was going to take charge!
OK...let's do this!
She stepped into the kitchen and stopped at the head if the table "Vaggie, I need to talk to you"
Vaggie groaned. Loudly "Charlie, I'm not really in the fucking mood. I'm tired and hungover and-"
"I don't care"
Charlie almost bit off her tongue when Vaggies head came out if her hands to stare at her. First there was shock, then anger "What?"
"I said that I need to talk to you. I want to see you in my office in ten minutes" she was grateful her hands were behind her back, otherwise the other demon would've seen them shaking. Vaggie swivelled in her seat, her angry eye fixed on Charlie.
"What, so you're ordering me around now?!"
No! Charlie wanted to cry. She couldn't bear this! This was the first time she and Vaggie really talked in weeks and it was all hostile and mean! And it was only going to get worse! She wanted to take it all back and just-
No! For Hells sake, Charlie be strong! Be an adult! Take charge and make your authority known! Just DO IT!
"Since its the only way I can get you to talk to me now, yes I am" she said aloud, and was proud if herself for not letting her voice shake "So finish your coffee and meet me in my office in ten minutes, do you understand?"
Vaggie glared at her for a solid minute, all sixty seconds of which Charlie was positive she was going to get hot coffee thrown into her face. Fortunately the moth didn't do that (although she was sure she saw a grey hand twitch towards the mug for a second)
"Fine" Vaggie said tersely "I'll be right there"
"Good" Charlie nodded, then with he back straight and her hands at her sides she turned and walked out if the kitchen, down the hall, and made it all the way to her neat little lobby office before her legs gave out and she collapsed in a trembling heap in her chair.
OK...step one complete. Now, it was time for the really tricky part!
*
Vaggie walked into her office prescicely ten minutes later. She had made an effort to tie back her hair in its usual bow and had washed her face, but Charlie wasn't dumb enough to think that shed done it for her benefit.
Vaggie crossed her arms under her chest, her pose defensive "So what is it?"
Don't look away don't look away stay strong stay strong you can do this so DO IT!
Charlie presented an open hand to one of the chairs on the other side of the desk "Would you take a seat, please?"
Vaggies eyebrow raised "Seriously?" when Charlie didn't respond she sighed heavily, then walked over and dropped herself into the proffered chair.
Inwardly, Charlie took a deep breath. This was it.
"Vaggie" she said. With authority. Just like she'd practiced in front of the new mirror Niffty had gotten her "We need to talk about the way you've been behaving lately. Particularly, your behaviour towards the hotel guests"
Vaggie closed her eye and sighed "Look, if this is about what happened with Crymini-"
"Not just with Crymini, and please don't interrupt me right now" wow, she didn't stutter even once! This was going well! "Vaggie, for the past two weeks your behaviour has been completely unacceptable. You've been angry, rude and borderline violent, and as one of the managers of the hotel I can't allow it to continue"
Vaggie was full on glaring at her by the time she finished, and it took everything Charlie had in her to keep eye contact with that livid gaze "Well, I don't know if you've realised, Boss, but I've been going through a fucking rough time right now!"
Don't break down, don't show how much it hurts you, you are the boss, be the boss...
"I know that, and believe me everyone has noticed that by now, Vaggie, and that is exactly the issue! As co-manager of this hotel you need to be professional no matter what is going on in your personal life. And what your doing is the exact opposite of that"
Vaggies hands slapped the arms of her chair and she shot forwards "Really? You're going to preach to me about professionalism?! Because last I checked fucking your business partner isn't very-"
"Do not bring Alastor into this!" Charlie snapped, surprising herself and apparently Vaggie too, given how she fell into silence at her ex's outburst. Charlie didn't let herself pause, lest she fell apart and apologised "We are not here to talk about us, Vaggie, we're here to talk about you and...and your future at the hotel"
Oh shit. She'd actually said it. Out loud! OK, oh jeeze, this was it: Step Three.
Vaggies eye had gone wide, she was now staring at her like she'd just announced that she and Alastor were getting married "Excuse me? My future at the hotel?"
Charlie nodded, fighting back against the voice that was screaming at her now to forget this while thing and beg Vaggies forgiveness for putting that look on her face. Instead, she drew in a breath, ignored the twisting in her gut, and clasped her hands together on the desk.
"Like I said before, your behaviour with the patients cannot carry on, Vaggie. Crymini threatened to leave yesterday after you pulled your spear on her" Vaggie didn't respond to that. She was now staring at her lap, her cheeks burning and her eye livid. For the first time that morning Charlies stoicism broke and she bit her lip, leaning forward on her hands.
"Vaggie" she softened her voice so that it no longer sounded like she was scolding her "I know that things have been bad for you, but you were the one who decided to stay here and help run the hotel, and if you can't do that, if you keep acting the way you have, then I have no choice but to ask you to leave" her voice shook a little towards the end and she gripped her hands tighter. She wouldn't break down, she wouldn't break, she wouldn't get down on her knees and beg Vaggie to stay she would NOT!
There was silence between them for a good few minutes. Vaggies head lowered even further so that he hair covered her face, but just when Charlie was about to speak, to pull her back into the conversation, Vaggie looked up and Charlie felt her heart take a punch when she saw the glassy glaze in her loves eye.
Vaggie sucked in her bottom lip "You're kicking me out?"
NO! NEVER! I LOVE YOU!
"No" Charlie said evenly "I'm leaving that choice up to you. You can either start being nice around here again...or you're going to have to leave, Vaggie"
There was a sudden scratching sound and Charlie realised that it was Vaggies fingernails digging into the wooden arms of her chair. Her stomach twisted so hard she thought she was gonna throw up, and before she could stop herself she had leaned over the desk.
"It-its not what I wanna do, Vaggie!" she said, more like pleaded, actually "I don't want you to leave, I don't! But if-if you're going to be scaring patients away with your temper then I can't have you here, anymore!" I'm sorry! She almost said it out loud but stopped herself just in time (damn that stutter, she had been doing so well!) but damn it, it broke her heart to see Vaggie so angry, so hurt, she wanted to just go over there and hold her and tell her that she was a full of shit cheat who wasn't worth listening to!
But she didn't. She couldn't. Be an adult...be a business owner...its not just Vaggie you have to worry about, now!
Vaggie hadn't said anything in a long time, though she'd taken her hands off of the armrests to fold them across her waist. She sat quite still, but when Charlie looked around she saw no sign of her spear materialising.
Well, that was good...unless she was planning on burning the whole hotel down now.
But then Vaggie raised her head, and her eye was dry "You would seriously do this to me? After everything you've put me through, you would just kick me out like a dog?!" her voice lifted, almost shouting. Charlie's fingernails cut into the backs if her hands.
"Its not what I want to do. But...I will if I have to, for the good if the Hotel"
"You act like you're so goddamn righteous-"
"That's enough!" she snapped, silencing Vaggie again with the demonic tone she so rarely used. She couldn't let Vaggies angry words break her, not now! Meanwhile her inner voice was screaming like a banshee, and endless wail of anger that Vaggie was right and she was a hypocritical bitch. She blocked it out as best she could, her hands separating on the table.
"Look, the bottom line is that we...we have been acting like children, and if were going to run this hotel together, then we need to start being adults. No matter what happens between us"
Vaggie stared at her for a long time, a thousand different emotions flashing across her face before her eye finally closed. Charlie tensed. Oh shit, had she gone too far?
But then, after several agonising seconds Vaggies shoulders relaxed, a long, sad breath left her nose in a long whoosh, and then she was standing up.
Charlie stood up too, her hand tense on the back of her chair. Vaggie opened her eye but she didn't look at her.
"...Fine" she said, her voice so soft and the word so unbelievable that Charlie was sure she hadn't heard right "I'll...apologise to Crymini" she eventually spat like the words were knives in her throat "I'll try to keep my temper. I'll come back to work." now she looked at her, her face alive with a determined flame "That sound fair, boss?"
Charlie didn't flinch and she was proud of herself for that. She even managed to keep eye contact with Vaggie and not flush "Yes. Thank-you"
"Sure. So, can I go now?"
Do. Not. Fucking. Cry "You may"
Vaggie left, the door slamming shut behind her and Charlie choosing to believe that it was an accident. Finally she let go of all the tension she'd been holding onto and her legs went dead. Again. She fell back into her chair and dropped her head against the back of it.
Jeeze, she felt like she'd just survived the Spanish Inquisition! (And no, that was not a dumb joke!) But at least...at least Vaggie had agreed to her terms. She had done the adult-boss thing and she had-she had succeeded. That was a win, right?
Her head fell forwards and into her waiting hands. Damn it all, Vaggie was going to hate her forever now...
*Click*
"Ma-ah-ah!"
Charlie looked up at the familiar twin bleats. The door to her office was open and walking through it on dainty hooves were none other than Razzle and Dazzle. Charlie's eyes widened as they walked towards her_ bleating for attention. She pushed herself out of her chair and knelt down on the ground, reaching a palm out towards them.
"Hey guys" she said softly "I guess you're not mad at mommy anymore?"
Razzle tilted his furry head like the question confused him while Dazzle clopped forwards on his little hooves and eagerly nuzzled her hand for a pet. Charlie giggled happily and scrubbed the fur between his horns, making the little goat bleat in enjoyment and her smile grow even wider when Razzle came for his turn "Guess you're not still mad, huh?"
The goats nuzzled her wrists and she pulled them into her lap for a snuggle, then leaned her head back against her desk with a huff.
"Ah, your mommy screwed up big time, guys. I don't think Vaggies ever going to speak to me again after this"
A wet nose nuzzled her chin and Charlie smiled sadly, patting Dazzles little head "But...maybe things can get better now. They sure as Hell can't get any worse, right?"
A soft bleat was her only response. She pretended it was a reassurance and cuddled her goats closer "I mean, Vaggie won't hurt forever, right? One day she'll feel better, and then she'll move...move on from me and...and she'll be happy again" she sighed, feeling a tear roll down her cheek and plop into Razzle's fur.
"Yeah, she will. And I'll be here at the Hotel, making demons good and getting them their own happy ending in Heaven. And that's good enough for me!"
Dazzle pressed his nose into her cheek to catch another tear, but Charlie wiped it away before he could, then gently pushed the goats off of her lap, stood up and dusted herself off.
The time for tears was over, she thought determinedly. It was time to act like an adult.
After all, she had a hotel to run.