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She found her father and her girlfriend down in the half-furnished parlor, sandwiched together on the single red plush couch they had there at the moment. They were looking down at something on her father’s phone, sporting matching grins. Lucifer pointed to something on the screen, Vaggie nodded along. Lucifer said something, then they simultaneously started to laugh.
Charlie, who was walking down the stairs, paused, a bit surprised. The scene warmed her heart, but was a bit unexpected. Vaggie and her dad had yet to spend much time together outside of rebuilding or the occasional time that all the residents were willing to come to dinner. They didn’t have much in common— besides being some of the most important people in Charlie’s life and the fact they were both fallen angels (but that was a sore subject) and now the hotel.
Charlie had tried to get them alone in a room together, pleading Vaggie to just go up to him and strike up a conversation, or getting a drink because Vaggie, I swear he’s not that bad, he just gets excited. She had tried calling them into the same room and then jumping up and saying she had to do something, totally not listening from outside the door. It seemed the deepest conversation they could keep was about the weather.
She pressed her father to talk to Vaggie, but he just stumbled over their words (Charlie, he swore, she gave me a LOOK! To which she had replied, King of Hell, Dad. You’re the King of Hell!) and Vaggie had just sent her a half-lidded look, menacingly sharpening her spear. Okay. Maybe she got why her father was slightly intimidated.
Lately, Vaggie had taken to patrolling the perimeter of the hotel more often, cradling that spear to her chest like a newborn baby. They had just worked their asses up rebuilding it. They’d be damned if they just let someone come along and ruin it. Charlie thought it was slightly alarming, and sweet, that her girlfriend took her job so seriously.
Plus, she kinda thought she looked hot when she— okay, not the time.
She bounded down the last few steps and snuck up behind her father and partner. She had been on the top floor with Husk, supervising Nifty as she hammered nails into the wall at slightly alarming speeds. Cherri and Angel were on another floor, fighting over paint samples on how to paint some of the remaining rooms. She told them she didn’t care what color it was, just as long as Angel stopped drawing dicks on the wall.
Seriously. Vaggie was going to stab him one of these days and no one would be able to stop her.
Vaggie and Lucifer had excused themselves to take a break, heading downstairs to get water. They had been gone a while. Charlie had left to take a break as well after gently reminding Angel once more about the lewd drawings, leaving Alastor and Husk to look over Nifty (none of them really trusted her with a hammer.) Taking a deep breath, she started to head downstairs.
There was a hopeful feeling in her chest again. They were almost done with everything, all the work and preparations. They had projected it to be ready to open in about a month’s time. They were already talking about a script for another commercial, one that could actually air this time. She just hoped all their work would pay off.
She rounded the corner and that’s when she heard the laughter. She saw them, her father and girlfriend, curled up on the couch and forgot the urge to audibly go ‘awwwww.’
She came up behind them, throwing her arms around the back of the couch. “Heyyy,” she said. “What are you guys looking at? Sure looks interesting.”
“Interesting, yeah,” Vaggie echoed. “You and your chubby cheeks are so interesting.”
Charlie squinted. “Wait, what?”
Lucifer shifted, turning and showing her his phone screen. She saw it was open to a file folder simply titled Charlie :) followed by a bunch of heart emojis. The picture that was displayed was of her as a toddler, squished between Razzle and Dazzle. That had been with her her whole life. Her dad had created them to be her playmates and her bodyguards. She swallowed back the lump of emotion rising in her throat and further studied the photo.
Huh. Vaggie was right. She did have chubby cheeks.
“BABY PHOTOS!” Her dad exclaimed, pulling back the phone. His eyes were wide and he looked more awake and energized than Charlie had seen him in months. Of course it was when it came to embarrassing her. “Oh, look at you!”
“Oh, I’m looking,” she deadpanned.
“I swear you get cuter each time,” Vaggie added, smirking at Charlie. She found Charlie’s hand on the back of the sofa and threaded their fingers together. Charlie realized her girlfriend had seen a few pictures of her as a child or teenager, but not as a small baby. There were still a few hanging in the hotel and in their bedroom. She sent her girlfriend a blank look, studying her face.
She was getting a kick out of this, wasn’t she? Gah. Vaggie blinked, acting all innocent, still sending Charlie a knowing smirk. Charlie sighed, gave in, and sent her a smile, squeezing her hand.
Then Lucifer was scrolling again, grin growing only wider. It must have hurt his cheeks at this point. “Oh!” He said. “This is a good one! Look, Maggie.”
“It’s Vaggie,” She added quickly, “Sir.”
“That’s what I said,” he told her, shoving the phone her way. “Look. Isn’t she the cutest creature in all of creation?”
“Dad,” she groaned. “I’m right here.”
“Oh, hello sweetheart!” Her dad exclaimed. “When did you get here?”
She groaned again.
Vaggie leaned over his shoulder, almost eagerly. Charlie swore she had never seen her girlfriend move so fast before. “What’s this one?”
“Oh, when Charlie was fanging. Golly, she was a little biter! Weren’t you, sweetie?”
Charlie’s only response was to go red. “DAD.”
“Oh, nothing to be embarrassed about, darling. Perfectly normal for a little demon. Though, it did become quite a problem when you were a few months old. Oh, your poor mother. We had to switch to bottles after a particularly bad bite. It was all puffy and swollen—“
“Dad,” Charlie huffed. “I don’t need to hear about that. Really. Thank you.”
“Let me guess,” Vaggie teased with a side glance at Charlie. “You have a picture of it?”
Lucifer jerked away, raising his eyebrows as if puzzled. “Actually,” he started, tapping at his phone. “I might. Let me check. That was eons ago, after all—“
Charlie and Vaggid simultaneously backed away, Charlie turning away and covering her eyes for good measure. Vaggie frowned deeply.
“No, no, NO!” She yelped.
“No thank you, Dad!” Charlie added, muffled by her hands against her mouth.
Lucifer shrugged. “Your loss.” Then he was right back to mindlessly scrolling. “It’s not like I showed her your goth phase.”
Charlie sat back up, gasping. “Don’t you dare!”
Vaggie straightened up, putting a hand on her girlfriend’s shoulder. “Don’t worry, honey. He didnt show me. We would never betray your trust like that.” She turned and mouthed to Lucifer. “Show me later.”
He nodded eagerly, gaze going back to Charlie. “There are worse things, Charlie. I’m just showing your girlfriend the family album. It’s a right of passage,” he exclaimed, eyes widening. He threw an arm around Vaggie, drawing her in. “Am I right, Mags?”
“Vaggie,” she managed, red in the face. “ Ow. Cant breathe.”
“That’s what I said!” Lucifer exclaimed, eye twitching. He let Vaggie go and she fell back to Charlie’s side, rubbing at her neck.
“You have a bony elbow,” she muttered. Charlie frowned and rubbed at Vaggie’s back in a comforting, circular motion.
“Thanks! I’m taking that as a compliment! Or at least that’s what my therapist says to do,” he said, then pressed another button on his phone. “Oo, bath time.”
“Dad, no,” Charlie whined. “I don’t need to see my naked, tiny self.”
“You’re covered, dear. Geez, I’m not that weird,” Lucifer assured her, rolling his eyes.
Vaggie sent her a side glance. “I’m sorry, babe,” she said. “But I want to see it.”
She let out a breath, then gave in. “Okay. Fine. Baby me in the bathtub. Yay.”
They both turned to look at the photo showcased on Lucifer’s screen and Vaggie held back her squeal, murmuring something softly in Spanish. She saw her as a baby, wrapped in a bright yellow towel that had the black eyes and beak of a duck on the hood. Of course. There were soapy suds in clusters on her cheeks, the tiny curls atop of her head damp and gleaming.
Okay, maybe it was a little cute.
Vaggie grabbed onto her arm. “ Babeee,” she exclaimed. Charlie hummed in response. “Why didn’t you tell me you were the cutest baby ever?”
Charlie blushed, looking away. “Well, I don’t know about that..”
Vaggie only leaned forward and pressed a kiss to the tip of her nose. “And, for the record, I still think you’re pretty cute.”
I hope so, Charlie thought. After all, you’re my girlfriend, and I think you’re adorable too.
They both turned their attention back to Lucifer as he cleared his throat. “I, for one, personally think you were the cutest baby.”
“Me too,” Vaggie added. “Anyone with eyes would agree.”
Charlie’s cheeks warmed again. “You two are only saying that because you love me. You’re my dad and my girlfriend. You have to.”
“I think it counts just as much,” Lucifer hummed. “Since we know you so well. I bet your friends would agree with me.”
“Wanna bet?” Vaggie asked, raising her eyebrows.
“Please don’t,” Charlie squeaked. “Husk is just getting over that gambling addiction.”
“Oh, they would love them! We should show them.”
“Nooo,” Charlie rasped.
Lucifer sent her an uninterested look, shrugging again. “Well, there goes my afternoon fun.” He swiped again, and a weird expression crossed his face. “Oh..”
He trailed off. The two women exchanged glances, looking at each other, then back to the king. “What is it?” Charlie asked, leaning forward.
He turned his phone in their direction. Charlie squinted and recognized it immediately. It was a family portrait, one of the last ones they got done before everything.. well, fell apart. She studied the photograph, as if searching for answers to her own questions. They were all smiling, happy. Her, her dad, her mom. She was in the middle, her parents hands on her shoulders, her dad’s arm slung across Lilith’s waist.
She bit her lip. What had happened? They used to be so happy. The emotion crashed over her like a tidal wave, threatening to submerge her. At the last moment, she felt a hand on her shoulder. She turned and met the comforting gaze of her girlfriend.
Her father raised his head from his hunched over position. “How about a new one?”
Charlie perked up. “Huh?”
“A new family portrait,” Lucifer said slowly. “You, me, Vaggie.”
Vaggie looked surprised, cheeks heating, then hung her head. She stiffened. “Oh,” she said. “Are you sure, sir?”
“Yes, I am. You’re a part of the family now, are you not?”
Vaggie didn’t reply. Charlie leaned over and gave her a squeeze until she broke out into a smile. But Lucifer was already going on. “And the others can join, if they want. I know you consider them your family, Charlie.”
Charlie nodded.
Lucifer paused, frowning. “And I suppose even that smug little—“
“His name is Alastor, Dad,” Charlie cut in.
“ Fine. I guess he could join. If absolutely necessary,” Lucifer dragged on.
“If he doesn’t have a weird thing for photographs,” Vaggie deadpanned. “He goes bat shit crazy if you point a camera at him.”
Charlie shrugged. Who knew with Alastor? But, at that moment, she found herself not caring. She was just glad to be here, with these people, at this moment.
“We can put it above the new fireplace,” Vaggie proposed, leaning into Charlie.
Lucifer nodded his head and Charlie smiled at the both of them, at her father and her girlfriend. “A new family picture sounds nice.”