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Charlie didn't think that in all the tumult of battle, there was enough attention she had to divert into saving all of her friends. But after just losing Sir Pentious, she hoped she could divert enough attention to herself to hold Adam off. Her friends had to keep the angels busy meanwhile.
Which was when she was flung into another wall of her hotel, that she spotted the body of the Radio Demon, sprawled at a faraway corner, lying in a huge puddle of blood.
"ALASTOR!", she screamed, unable to verify whether or not he was alive, or risk getting hurt by Adam or pulling the attention onto him.
She had suspected that Adam had killed Alastor, otherwise he would have not abandoned his post that way. Nevertheless she hoped that he was not dead. She couldn't bear to lose another one of her residents. She hadn't paid him back the favor she owned! He was at large responsible for the key to success in the mission, even if he might have been using her. He was the second sinner she accepted into the hotel as a resident. Whether he knew it or not, even as the official sponsor of the hotel, she saw him just as much part of her redemption project as everyone else. Even if Alastor did not want to be redeemed and didn't try to. Alastor had fought as bravely as Sir Pentious.
She had to win this fight and make sure neither him, nor any one else of her immediate friends would lose their lives today. Not after everything they went through together. As such, the only person to notice her scream was her girlfriend Vaggie... but she was busy fending off the angel general Lute and as such there was no one to check on Alastor. It was anyone's guess if he would make it until the battle concluded. ....
If Charlie wasn't the next one on the list to be defeated, of course...
When the angels were defeated and retreated at large, Charlie could finally breathe a sigh of relief. It was over, they've done it. They defended themself and hell. Adam was dead... the hotel was destroyed and an utter mess. She was bleeding all over herself, utterly shattered. And then suddenly she remembered something, something important that she needed to remember.
"Alastor!", she squeaked and started rushing through the rubble in desperation.
"Oh right... what happened to Smiles!?", Angel Dust muttered worriedly, running after the princess, that was mildly panicking by now.
"I saw him on the floor by the hotel! But I wont be able to find him in all this rubble. We have to save him!"
By now Charlie was nearly hyperventilating. It was Alastor's merit that had brought all of them victory. Alastor's friend's from cannibal town had laid down their lives for a hotel they had never visited before. She had seen him before Adam smashed the building into pieces. If that was the reason he didn't survive, she'd never forgive herself. She couldn't fail another friend of hers. Especially since Sir Pentious went in with full knowledge that he would die.
Did Alastor sign up to get killed? He had been missing for 7 years... only to get killed by Charlie's project as soon as he mildly showed something like compassion.
Lucifer, despite being extremely annoyed by Alastor, couldn't watch his daughter suffering and likewise rushed after her, just like her girlfriend, as they tried digging up any survivors in the area.
Thankfully Alastor wasn't buried very deeply as he had been lying more to the side of the hotel and Charlie eventually dug him up with the help of her friends. The cut looked pretty deep, plus he was bleeding from his mouth as well, for the first time not smiling. Charlie gently felt the pulse on his neck as she cradled him close.
"He's breathing! Quick, we need bandages... and, and stitches probably. Ugh, we need to bring him to the hospital."
Vaggie exhaled a huge sigh of relief. Despite having greatly disliked Alastor at first, she couldn't deny, that after everything Alastor had done, she was glad that he was still kicking. His intense injuries showed his efforts in protecting them.
"Oh, he's alive!? He looked very dead to me.", Cherri Bomb muttered baffledly.
"He is hard to kill, but I admit I have never seen him like this before.", Husker sighed.
"At least he made it!", Angel muttered, volunteering to help carry the demon to the hospital due to his sheer size.
Once the hotel was build again with Lucifer and the power of friendship pretty much, everyone's wounds taken care off, everyone calmed down slightly.
Alastor, which had to reside in the hospital for a couple hours was more stable again after a while and was transfered back to the hotel infirmary.
Charlie breathed the biggest sigh of relief when she saw him back at her premises. Without Alastor none of all this would have worked out. What if she hadn't found his body when she did?
"Will he be okay?", Vaggie asked the nurses, which informed them that Alastor would need a lot of bedrest and take it easy for a month or so.
Vaggie then forced Charlie to go take a nap and relax a little bit and stop worrying. She had told Niffty and Angel Dust to watch him for a bit.
Alastor, having pretty much slept through the entire ordeal, woke up groaning and bleary eyed. The dull pain inside his very core and the pain in all his joints made him feel lightheaded. He was very confused to what he was seeing. Almost convinced that he couldn't be alive. As soon as his conscious mind had awoken, the grin was back on his face, almost as if the corners of his mouth were taped to both sides. It changed nothing about his pain... he'd enjoy it much more, if he hadn't almost died.
"Oh, Master Alastor!", Niffty squeaked, "You're awake. I stabbed an angel! I killed it."
"Smiles! You're alive....", Angel grinned and leant over the bed, a fashion magazine in hand, "Your little spiderwoman killed Adam."
Alastor wondered if he was dreaming, hallucinating from blood loss or drugged. Judging by his appearience and the surroundings being a hospital, he wasn't too far off. He blinked stupidly, tilting his head in question.
"Well, okay. She finished him off. Charlie and Lucifer did most of the work and then planned to spare him. But I am glad that asshole is dead, he deserved it."
"Stabby stab stab!", Niffty commented.
Alastor chuckled, sounding both baffled and amused, gently patting the tiny woman's head.
"Well, that means Niffty avenged me... I can always count on her."
"Dude... you should probably go talk to Charlie later. You scared her absolutely shitless. ... Sir Pentious died and she thought she lost you too."
Angel looked very uneasy. Alastor wasn't even sure how he was alive now, considering he hadn't made it to his radio station like he had planned.
"Can't. I have to go to my radio station."
"Huh? How can your new radio broadcast be more important than your health? No one said you could leave. Nurses said another attack and you'd be gone!"
Alastor's eye twitched slightly, the cocktail of pain and confusion melting off his fuse: "I am the Radio Demon... my station is the best place to fix me."
"Oooooooooh. It's like your power supply. Got it! Let me bring you here. Most of the buildings around are broken and in your state anything could happen. Wait, I just noticed your voice sounds normal."
"Huh... have you seen my radio staff?"
"Oh. ... Uhm.... The hotel got destroyed and we had to dig you out of the rubble. We'll have to go back."
Alastor moved to stand up and Angel panickedly stopped him with a hand on his chest.
Alastor could hear the alarm bells ringing in his ears and the panic to rise. Didn't that dumb spider realise that no one could stand between him and what he wanted!? If he didn't get to the radio station soon... he might run out of power. He couldn't let him know, but he was running out of time as well... and who dared allowed him to touch him?
"Hey, where do you think you are going, mister!? You still need bedrest. Charlie is gonna kill me if she finds out you are digging through the rubble.", Angel looked strict and worried at the same time. Especially because Alastor was glowering at him, but something was wrong.
Niffty quickly rushed out of the room.
Alastor roared, but without his radio voice he didn't sound as threatening. In fact, he was slightly grimacing from strain.
"I. AM. FIXING. MYSELF."
"Look, Al. Radio... Demon. Overlord. Whatever.", Angel pinched the bridge of his nose with another hand, "I get it. You need that staff and you need the radio station. But let us help you. We will get the staff for you... and then we'll bring you to the station together... so you can get fixed. Okay? You know... I don't like asking for help either. I absolutely suck at it. Going to this hotel was like the only good thing I have ever done for myself though to be honest."
Angel chuckled dreamily and looked off to the side: "It was so fun blasting angels too. I met new friends."
Alastor laid back down on the bed, trying very hard to stay calm, realising if he tried to push the spider away, he'd realise how weak he was.
He needed a plan and soon, his ego was eating him from inside out. He still had a grin on his face, but his eyes and brows told of the pain he was in. Angel suspiciously sounded as fond as he had done before the battle with Niffty...
"You must be out of your mind. Thinking I would require anyone's help. I have always been selfmade."
"Look, Charlie almost got killed as well, before Lucifer showed up and saved the day. We've lost lots of people. It is inevitable to get hurt during war. Imagine if you meet the Vee's on your way? They'd kill you. Even though you'd have no problem with them under regular circumstances. Do you REALLY want people to remember you that way?"
For some reason Angel knew exactly what Alastor was doing. The tough guy act seemed oddly familiar.
Alastor wanted to sink through the floor. Not only had he not made it to the radio station in time, he had nearly bitten the dust as well. And now he had people in the hotel babysitting him and he was effectively helpless and barely holding on, till he reached his damn radio station. Cursed, everything was cursed. And now the Pornstar was sympathising with him of all people!
He had really underestimated Adam and hadn't paid much attention. If he hadn't been so arrogant, maybe he would have been able to get in more hits, but it seemed he had been forsaken from the beginning. If he hadn't escaped then and there... he wouldn't. He-
Charlie burst into the room with Vaggie and Niffty.
"ALASTOR!", she squeaked and threw herself at him.
Alastor slightly paled because of the way she was squishing him, but despite that, he couldn't help but also gently hug her back with one arm. To think that she had almost died as well...
Vaggie smiled gently, giving Angel a thankful little nod.
Charlie leant back, gently patting his face, giving him sad little puppy eyes.
"Oh, I thought we've lost you like Sir Pentious! I would have brought you somewhere safe before the building collapsed, but Adam was too strong! Not even I could defeat him. ... Anyway, how are you feeling."
"My staff...", he breathed.
This was so embarassing. If he had been at the station, no one would see him be so vulnerable. He was still smiling... could they tell how shitty he was feeling? Oh, surely as soon as he stood up everyone would see how weak he was. He had missed his chance to slip away. Oh, the great Radio Demon at the mercy of the hotel inhabitants sounded like his personal nightmare and went against all his instincts.
Charlie frowned, but turned to Vaggie, which held it in her hands.
"Here... I found it next to you. It's unfortunately broken...."
Alastor took it without a word, inspecting it: "Great. Thank you, Charlie. I will be off then."
Alastor was behaving very strange and everyone noticed despite his efforts.
"Wait, where to? You must still be feeling-"
Alastor was putting on a more cheery voice, despite the absence of radio static: "My radio station. The quickest way to fix my staff. It is very important to me."
Charlie was speechless.
Angel sighed and nodded: "He says it's his power supply and he needs to go there now..."
The Redhead gave the Spider a glare out of the corner of his eye. But Angel was undeterred.
"Oh I see! We'll come along then."
Alastor was regretting all of his lifechoices that led him to that point in time.
Especially when he actually tried to stand. He was hobbling... and his chest still hurt like hell. And the more he tried to hide it, the more it hurt. And so they all went to his radio station, while helping him up. He insisted they wait in front of it, while he did his thing.
"How long... does that take exactly? So... we know you didn't faint or something."
"Ten minutes? Do not worry about me, princess. I am gonna be as good as new, as good as new."
The first thing Alastor did as soon as he was alone in his station, was sink into a small ball with his hands on his head and the biggest frown on his face he had ever had.
This was horrible. This was worse than he thought. He had almost died for the hotel. Twice! In one night. And he was becoming fond of them all! When he didn't even want to be there! When it was all part of his contract! This contract would kill him....
His confidence was shattered, he was going insane. He had made an ape of himself, he had nearly died a selfless death, he was becoming attached, things were starting to get serious. And it was hard to defferentiate his plan from his emotions.
They saved him... they would save him many times. And he's done them such a service, at this point he was even being genuine. Alastor had been playing the masking game for so long he had started to believe it himself.
"Alastor? Alastor, are you okay? Ten minutes are over...!", Charlie called from a distance.
"Yes, yes, I am. Give me ten more.", he gently muttered and stood up with a sigh, setting up his stuff to finally get it fixed.
With Charlie's deal with him, surely he must find a way to escape that nightmare. ...
That nightmare of friendship and redemption.
Getting his staff fixed and getting his power supply back felt amazing. He was still hurt and weak, but not defenseless anymore. With new vigor he hurried back, his act freshly set in place and ready to make everyone know that what they've seen today was a mere short slip up and it would never happen again. It were just extraordinary circumstances. When he was pulled into a group hug, he didn't mind either. Even Vaggie was hugging him. He could pretend to hate it, if he had the energy.
"Well ladies and gentlemen. I would love to go have some hearty meal now."
They raised the glass on Alastor's health and Charlie even thought about a possible victory feast.
He thought that was it. They would just go back to the previous nonsense and forget all about his slip up.
After eating though Charlie asked to have a word alone with him.
"Your shield was a fantastic idea... but I should have never asked you to take on Adam. Not even the seven sins can take him on. You have so many powers and talents I have never seen before, I was convinced you could take on heaven. But even I almost lost to Adam. What I wanted to say is... I am glad that you are still alive and I am thankful to be able to call you my friend."
Charlie smiled gently and then lifted a teasing eyebrow: "Plus I still owe you that favor. Even though you must have something shady in mind, I would feel more bad if I never held up my side of the deal..."
She got upset again: "And I would have never forgiven myself if we lost you today. When you were the reason all of this succeeded. You were the reason we were victorious today. And I hope you know that even if you do not believe in your own redemption or are even here for it. There is hope for everyone. And you've saved so many souls today, Alastor. You should give yourself more credit."
Friend. She called him a friend. When had he started thinking of all of them as his friends? He had no idea, but it had felt so natural that it had scared him. He could call Mimzy a friend, Rosie a friend. And yet those felt like completely different categories of people. Just what had he gotten himself into!?
"Ah, you needn't thank me, I just did what I had to.", he turned away, pretending to be cleaning his microphone, "You still didn't have the fun you've promised you would have. I didn't expect it would be such a huge nuisance to get heaven to agree. But as I've already commited, I might as well. I must admit I underestimated you, princess. You've shifted the paradigms. You made heaven suffer instead of hell. ... But what if it evolved into a full on war?"
Charlie didn't miss the way Alastor changed the subject and tried to distract from his part in it. It was almost as if he didn't want the credit for what he did, as if he was ashamed of it.
"Then we are better prepared than last time... They've specifically attacked me and my hotel, so the agreement is off. I have my father on my side. But... to be honest, I am not sure myself. But as long as I have all of you. We are here for you too, Alastor."
She stepped carefully closer to him now, he felt a cold shiver rush down his back, but didn't turn around. All of them caring for him, being nice to him. It was getting to him. He didn't mind before... he didn't mind before he realised that he genuinely got closer to them. He didn't mind, before he almost threw out his own principles for them, almost died for them. It was like a wake up call. And now that he realised he went too far, that's really when they started pushing him, by lovingly patching him up.
"Everyone has a place in my hotel. ... Hell is indebted to you for your heroic deeds."
Alastor wasn't doubting that in the least. He just wasn't sure if Charlie knew what was comming for her. If she knew what his part in all of this was. And perhaps she even knew he was using her, but was foolishly hoping he would change his mind? When he had no other choice? Not like she knew. ... And deep in his crippled, distorted heart, he even felt a tiny bit sorry for her.
The princess of hell could never genuinely be his friend.
And he probably wouldn't deserve it anyway.
Neither did he deserve any of their concern. But as long as he played his part and used Charlie's favor wisely... it would all pay off.
If he would still remember why he was doing all of that, that was.
Entertainment didn't cut it anymore. Maybe deep down... he was actually curious too.
Whether he could stretch his own definitions of morality and good and evil. Whether despite all the power Charlie was wielding, she was someone vulnerable that he felt the need to protect.
Whether he was capable of changing himself.
But he would never find out who he really was if he stayed chained like a dog. And Charlie was another obstacle to his freedom, just like every other person in that blasted hotel.
And so....
He put on his smile, turned around with outstretched arms like a good little puppet, the perfect gentleman, really.
"Certainly, my dear. And indebted to you too! I guess the fun has just begun..."
And for a second Charlie looked sceptical. But only just for a second. Then it was gone. The glimmer of doubt. She smiled back.
He had always been exceptionally good at masquerading.