Archive of Our Own ^beta

The light in the hotel lobby was dim. Each of her steps echoed, emphasizing the silence that had settled here for days now. The red armchairs were perfectly aligned, as if waiting for guests who would never come.

At the reception desk, the counter gleamed untouched and the old chandelier cast long shadows on the walls. In the corner stood a lonely bouquet of blood-red hell lilies. The leaves had since wilted.

The bouquet had been a gift from Vaggie, intended to cheer her up when things started to get difficult.

That was before the exorcists, led by Lute, had invaded hell again, put her in chains, and forcibly dragged her away. Up in heaven, Vaggie was to be put on trial together with Sir Pentious, but they all knew what the verdict would be. No mercy for traitors. No mercy for souls who had already been damned. And no mercy for sinners who defied the laws of heaven.

Charlie fought back the tears with all her might as her fingertips gently brushed the dried petals. She could only hope that her father could do something about it before it was too late...

Outside, the rain pattered softly against the large windows, which offered a blurred view of the destroyed city. The emptiness in Pentagram City was so dense that it was palpable even in the hotel.

Lute had left a trail of destruction in her quest for revenge. Cracks ran through the walls of her hotel, the plaster had crumbled here and there, and part of the building had completely collapsed, including the tower... Alastor's radio station... there wasn't much left of it.

Charlie closed her eyes and forced herself to breathe deeply. She had to keep going, she couldn't give up hope! She just had to believe that she would soon be able to hold Vaggie in her arms again. That Sir Pentious would also be safe in the end, that an explanation and solution could be found for the matter with Alastor...
Where had he suddenly disappeared to during the fight? Was he okay? How were they supposed to find him, and did he even want to be found?

Charlie could only hope that everything would somehow turn out for the best...
And she had to hope that the beginning war between heaven and hell would not escalate any further. No more sinners and angels could be allowed to die. That simply could not happen...

"Charlie?"

She flinched when she heard Angel's concerned voice, quickly wiped her teary eyes before turning to him and putting on a bright smile. She couldn't appear weak. Not in her position as Princess of Hell, and not now that she was the sole manager of the hotel.

"Oh! Hi, Angel. What's up? Is everything okay or do you need anything? I could put the kettle on, I'm sure we have some tea somewhere. What do you think?" she chattered away, trying not to let on her real feelings.

Without waiting for an answer, Charlie made her way to the kitchen. She almost tripped over her own feet and laughed nervously. "Oops, nothing happened! Everything's fine!" she quickly assured him. Angel followed her silently with a skeptical look before finally sighing deeply.

"Listen, I need to talk to you..." he began, but she was too busy looking for tea in the cupboards.

"Maybe I should get some cookies too," she thought aloud and turned to Angel. Charlie quickly brushed a few loose strands of her blonde hair out of her face, hoping that it wouldn't be too obvious that they were uncombed and therefore a little tousled.

"Uh. Well, you know, Charlie, actually..."

"Hmmm. Where did I put that stuff? Tell me, does Cherri prefer chocolate or vanilla?"

"You could just ask her yourself if she didn't have to stand guard day and night," Angel replied snappishly, putting his hands on his hips.

Charlie paused and her fake, cheerful smile finally collapsed.

Angel looked guilty for a brief moment, but then his expression hardened again.

"Actually, I wanted to talk to you about that... We should finally kick Vox out," Angel said and waited for a response, but none came. Charlie remained silent.

"I mean..." he continued, resuming eye contact, "No one—okay, except Niffty, but she doesn't count, it's Niffty after all— of us ever really agreed to him coming along. Especially not after all the shit he's pulled! He had a fucking airship built to make you look bad! And it doesn't stop there, oh no! He tried to turn the whole world against you, he hypnotized and used me to hurt you, he just stood by for decades and laughed in my face when Val..."
Angel broke off and ran a hand through his hair in frustration.
"Damn it, Charlie, he started a fucking war with heaven!"

When she still didn't respond, his tone became more urgent.

"Charlie," Angel began again, taking a step toward her, "I know you felt sorry for him, but he doesn't deserve your sympathy! He's still an Overlord and dangerous! Don't forget that he's our enemy!"

Charlie wrapped her arms around herself, trying to shield herself from Angel's words.

"I know, but he's hurt..." she whispered, "I can't just abandon someone who needs help... He has nowhere else to go, the V-Tower is completely destroyed."
Angel was clearly struggling with himself, but this time he was not willing to accept the situation.

"Okay, fine. Let's ignore for a second that Vox is a total jerk and doesn't give a damn about anyone but himself... He doesn't want your help at all, Charlie! I mean, I hate to be the one to point out the obvious, but you know that. Vox has made it clear more than once!"

Charlie clenched her fingers tightly into the fabric of her red jacket. She knew that. Of course she knew that, but what was the alternative? She couldn't just look the other way.

"He doesn't know what he's saying... I think he's just as overwhelmed as we are," she replied, trying to justify her decision somehow.

"Overwhelmed?" Angel repeated, stunned, gesturing angrily toward the pile of broken electronics that had fallen victim to a tantrum. "Does that look overwhelmed to you? Fuck you, Charlie! The guy is completely megalomaniacal! I'll repeat it again in case you didn't hear me earlier — he started a rebellion against heaven! And when everything went wrong and you tried to help him, he completely freaked out. We're lucky nothing worse happened! I don't know what got into you to drag him here anyway!"

Charlie felt the tears from earlier welling up in her eyes again and she swallowed hard. To her relief, she managed to hold them back, but when Angel noticed her effort, his tense posture instantly collapsed like a house of cards.

"Oh, shit... Charlie, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to, I mean... I didn't really mean it, I..."

She shook her head and smiled weakly.

"It's okay, I know you're just worried," she replied, wiping her eyes vigorously again.

Angel returned the smile somewhat helplessly to show her that she was right and rubbed his neck nervously. Then they just stood facing each other in silence for a while, Charlie's gaze fixed on the tea bags she had rummaged out of one of the drawers.

"...it's just a bit much right now, isn't it?" Angel finally asked lamely, and she simply nodded. It was true...

Since Adam's death, they hadn't had time to catch their breath. First the arguments with the Vees, then Lute's offensive against Hell after Vox had openly provoked heaven, Alastor's hasty escape, Vaggie's capture, the trial, her father trying to save what could still be saved...

Charlie felt like she was sitting on a roller coaster and a carousel at the same time and couldn't get off.

"I'm sorry... I realize how hard this must be for you too," she murmured, and for a moment Angel seemed a little thrown off balance by her apology. He shrugged his shoulders indifferently.

"Yeah, it's okay. Anyway, let's just kick him out and then we'll see—"

"Vox asked me," she interrupted, and Angel blinked at her in surprise. "if you can sense that Valentino is dead."
Visibly uncomfortable, Angel mirrored her posture and wrapped his arms around his body.

"Can you?" Charlie asked empathetically, and he avoided her gaze. Angel listened to himself for a moment. He searched for the kind of connection that only a soul contract could provide before shrugging his shoulders again, at a loss.

"I... I don't know? It feels different since then, but I don't know if that means he's double-dead once and for all."
Charlie nodded understandingly.

"Okay. Thanks for trying, I'll tell him that."

Angel just sighed deeply.
"You're not going to kick him out, no matter what I say, are you?"

Charlie smiled apologetically as she began to brew the tea. No, she probably wouldn't. So many years ago, she had vowed to help others and make hell a place that wasn't just pain and despair.

She had vowed to give sinners a chance when no one else would. She wanted to believe that there was something good in everyone, that not everything down here had fallen victim to darkness.

But she could no longer close her eyes and trust blind the wrong people. She need to act when she compelled to do so. She had found friends who meant everything to her, and she would no longer allow anything to happen to any of them.

Charlie was the princess of hell. She would not give up her dream and her hotel. But beyond that, she also had a responsibility to those who were important to her, and she would not put her ideals above their well-being. Never again. She, too, had made mistakes in the past.

"If he tries to hurt anyone but me, I won't tolerate it. I promise," she told Angel firmly. She would just have to be careful.

Angel snorted.
"Fine. I'll remind you in time if the plan with Mr. Hell-will-rise goes wrong."

Charlie grinned and tucked a loose strand of her blonde hair behind her ear.

"You know, you've really changed."

"How so?" Angel asked suspiciously.

"No inappropriate sex jokes or suggestive comments?"

Angel rolled his eyes in mock annoyance.
"Pah. I'm just saving the good stuff for the right audience," Angel remarked sarcastically, but an amused smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Thanks, Angel," Charlie said honestly as she walked past him. Somewhat bewildered, he watched her climb the stairs, armed with tea and cookies.

"Thanks?" he repeated questioningly, looking after her in surprise.

"Thanks for being so great? Thanks for looking so sexy and stunning? Thanks for what, Charlie? Hello? Charlie?"

She just smiled to herself with a warm feeling in her chest.

Charlie took a deep breath before gently knocking on the door of the room where Vox was accommodated.

"Um. It's me again... Charlie... may I come in?"

She got no answer. She never did, but she waited a moment before finally opening the door. Anything else would have seemed rude.

"Um. I just wanted to... bring you something to drink and eat. I hope you like tea and cookies?"

Charlie cautiously looked into the room. The light was off and the room was plunged into blackness. Two glowing red eyes were the only thing clearly visible. The rest of Vox's screen was so dim that it barely gave off any light. His silhouette stood out only faintly against the darkness, but she could see that he was sitting slumped on the bed, leaning against the wall. Somewhat indecisive, Charlie remained standing in the doorway.

"... I'm sorry, were you asleep? Did I wake you up?" Charlie asked, but all she got in response was a hostile look.

"Okay, since you're awake now, I'll turn on the light... if that's okay with you," she continued, and when there was no objection, she flipped the light switch. The light bulb above them flickered to life.
Vox sat up instantly, supporting himself with one hand on the mattress. His sharp claws dug into the soft material. He was still wearing his suit. The one that was splattered with red blood and had several visible tears in the expensive fabric. Charlie had offered him several times to put on something else, but he refused vehemently.

It was as if the suit was part of his identity, something he didn't want to lose as well.

"I'm coming in now," Charlie announced, smiling cautiously. Every interaction with Vox so far had not been particularly pleasant, so Angel's concerns were not unfounded. It wasn't that Charlie was afraid, but a certain amount of caution was definitely warranted.

As soon as she crossed the threshold, the electrical tension in the air began to creep over her skin. The feeling immediately reminded her of Alastor and gave her a painful twinge in her chest. But while Alastor's static was familiar and never threatening to her, Vox's was strange and hostile. She pretended not to notice and put on the friendliest smile she could muster.

Charlie placed the tray next to the one from this morning, which was still untouched on a small table. She was slowly starting to worry, because it was by no means the first tray she had take back with her just as she had brought it in the first place in his room.

"How are you today?" Charlie asked hesitantly, her gaze lingering on the injuries that were still visible.
Fine cracks ran across the upper right edge of his screen like a spider's web. Every now and then, an uncontrolled flicker crossed the screen, distorting Vox's facial expression.

His right arm was in visibly poor condition.

One of his claws was splintered and no longer glowed a vibrant cyan like the others, and a deep cut ran up his forearm, ending at his shoulder. Hidden beneath the fabric must have been another wound, somewhere between his ribs perhaps.

Vox had been an easy target because at the time of the attack, he was standing high on a podium to extend the radius of his hypnosis and deliver one of his speeches, which seeped into the minds of the citizens of Pentagram City like viscous poison.

He had escaped the deadly attack by a hair's breadth. Weapons made of angel steel hissed menacingly through the air.

All hell broke loose, in the truest sense of the word.

Chaos and panic reigned everywhere. Sinners ran for their afterlives or desperately fought the exorcists. Blades crossed. Screams, wild insults, the sound of breaking bones and tearing flesh echoed through the streets. Heaven and hell mercilessly attacked each other.

Betrayal haunted Charlie and events came thick and fast.

The fragile alliance between her and heaven broke down before it had a chance to solidify. Alastor merged with the shadows as the battlefield was flooded with sinner blood.

This happened at about the same time that the angel defense system protecting the V-Tower malfunctioned severely.

Something exploded with a deafening bang, and the glare of holy light flooded the red sky.

Debris fell, the shiny glass facades shattered and rained down on the street. The tower collapsed completely. Dust swirled, the tall building began to crumble, tilt, fall...

Everything sank into utter chaos, and it was almost impossible to keep track of who was friend and who was foe.

When the chaos finally cleared, all that remained was the view of the destruction that had befallen the Pride Ring. Charlie tried not to dwell on the memory too much, but every time she looked out the window, her chest tightened painfully.

"What are you trying to achieve?"

Vox's voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts. He sounded primarily exhausted and hoarse, but there was still a certain sharpness to his words.
As he continued, he sounded more than ever like a businessman trying to negotiate with someone from a position of weakness.
"I have nothing left to give you. Everything is gone. What do you want from me?"

"I don't need anything from you," Charlie replied calmly, frowning slightly.
Had she ever given the impression that she wanted something in return?

Vox tensed his shoulders and his gaze became even more piercing.

"What is it then? Do you perhaps enjoy seeing me like this?" he asked, and if the sharpness had been subtle in his tone before, it was now obvious cutting. For a moment, she was at a loss for words. Was that how he interpreted her actions?

"I think there's been a misunderstanding... I really just want to help you," Charlie replied honestly, raising her hands in a conciliatory gesture, but it only seemed to make things worse. The electricity around them crackled menacingly and became briefly visible in Vox's immediate vicinity as blue flashes of lightning lit up the air.

"I don't need your damn help!" Vox yelled at her at a volume that made her flinch. "I never asked for it, understand?!"

He clenched his hands tightly enough that his claws rubbed together, making a metallic sound. Charlie shifted her weight nervously from one leg to the other. This... was really not going well.

"Everyone needs help sometimes," Charlie replied, smiling weakly, "There's nothing wrong with that."

She took a cautious step toward him.

"Your injuries won't heal on their own this time. After Alastor's fight with Adam, it was like..."

"I don't fucking care!" Vox interrupted her harshly, tensing up even more.
Charlie came closer anyway. At least the lightnings had disappeared by now... but she was still on her guard.

"Okay, just listen to me for a second, all right?" she asked, but Vox jumped up. The sudden movement was obviously painful, and for a brief moment his angry expression gave way to one of pain, but he didn't let that stop him.

The light bulb in the room began to flicker. Charlie's gaze lingered on it for a moment, concerned. It wouldn't be the first time it had suddenly exploded from the high voltage.

"You're making a serious mistake!" hissed Vox, putting on a menacing smile. "I'm not going to play along with this charade. I'm not like Alastor!"

Vox straightened his back, and approached her, every movement he made lurking.

"I'm just waiting for the right moment to destroy you. It's your fault that my plan failed!"

Charlie didn't back away from him. Even when Vox stood right in front of her and began to stare down at her with glowing red eyes, she remained standing and returned his gaze with determination. Maybe he was used to people around him backing down, but she would stand her ground.

Even though his aggressive behavior had caught her off guard the first time, she was now unimpressed.

"Do you really believe that?" Charlie asked calmly. "We were only trying to stop you because we had to! Heaven was ready to negotiate with us, but you were building an army against an enemy we probably never would have had without you!"

Vox leaned even closer to her, but Charlie still refused to give him any space.

"You're really more than naive if you think an alliance between heaven and hell ever had a future."

Charlie's voice grew louder as she replied, because she wanted to be heard. And she wanted to make it clear that she would not be intimidated.

"But there could have been such a future! It was our chance to finally make peace, our chance to make a difference! I proved that sinners can change and be redeemed! I proved that it's never too late to do better! You have no idea how much that meant to me. You have no idea how hard I had to fight for it or how it felt to be laughed at by everyone for my dream..."

Charlie took a deep breath before continuing. She pointed her finger at the window, outside at the destroyed streets of Pentagram City.

"This isn't my fault. This is entirely your responsibility, and you can consider yourself lucky that I'm so peace-loving, because basically, I'm really pissed off!"

An unusually irritated expression flitted across Vox's face before he returned to showing primarily anger. Vox was always angry when she tried to talk to him.

"I don't need you to point that out!"

Charlie rolled her eyes. She was patient, but not that patient. They had been going around in circles for days, and slowly but surely, her patience was being put to the test.

"Oh really? But last time I checked, you were stupid enough to challenge the goddamn heavens and get us all completely screwed, right?"

Charlie wasn't sure what exactly it was about her words, but instead of continuing to throw around threats and accusations as usual, Vox paused and looked at her skeptically.
Maybe it was the fact that she was swearing. She didn't usually swear.

Instead of raising his voice again, Vox crossed his arms defensively and narrowed his eyes in annoyance.

"I'm not going to listen to this any longer," he announced, as if canceling a meeting with her, and turned abruptly away from her.

"If you're only here to lecture me I'd rather do without your company, thank you very much."

Charlie sighed. Why were some people so incredibly stubborn? Alastor hadn't wanted to listen to her either. Apparently, the two had more in common than either of them would ever admit...

"... I don't intend to lecture anyone. It would be too late for that anyway. I think the consequences are punishment enough for you," Charlie replied, and Vox looked as if he wanted to go on the offensive again, but changed his mind.
His shoulders even slumped and he was silent for a moment.

Charlie took advantage of the moment to change the subject.

"I asked Angel about Valentino," she told him, and although the information softened the coldness in his gaze a little, he didn't ask any further questions.

"He might still be alive. We don't know for sure."

Vox's gaze instantly became cold and unyielding again before he made a sound that sounded like a suppressed cough and a dismissive snort at the same time.

"Well, absolutely great," his voice dripping with sarcasm, "It was obvious that this stupid bitch is fucking useless."

Charlie gritted her teeth. She would have loved nothing more than to defend Angel, but further friction would only be counterproductive...

So she painstakingly swallowed everything she would have liked to say. It would not have been very nice.
But continuing to antagonize each other would not get her anywhere. She was just glad Angel didn't have to hear the comment.

"At least he tried," Charlie replied, shrugging her shoulders somewhat helplessly, "He didn't have to."

Vox's screen flickered as he tried to ignore his injuries and return to his usual demeanor. Composed, expectant, armed with a superior, sharp smile. He wanted to hold on to it at all costs, even though it clearly showed for her how bad he really felt.

"Oh, excuse me. Am I supposed to crawl in the dust in gratitude to a whore now? Sorry, but I haven't sunk that low yet! I have better things to do, I'll just..."
Before Vox could finish his sentence, the rest of his words were lost in a coughing fit. He held his hand over his mouth and promptly found fresh drops of blood sticking to his palm.

"Fuck..." he gasped, then let himself fall back onto the bed, exhausted.

Charlie silently reached for the bandages she had brought with her. Just in case. Most of the time, she didn't even get around to unpacking them. Her features softened, the expression in her ruby-red eyes showing slight concern.

"We really should treat this, don't you think?"

Vox merely gave her a dark look.

"You're not going to stop annoying me, are you?"

"Hmmm," Charlie hummed cheerfully, because that was closer to an agreement than anything else she had heard from him before, "I'm quite persistent. When I set my mind on something, I can be pretty stubborn, I guess."

"I've noticed," Vox grumbled. Charlie ignored the comment. With the bandages in her hands, she pranced lightly over to him and sat down next to him.

Vox slid away from her a little.

"I'm glad you're finally being reasonable," she said to him as she began to arrange the bandages.

"The only reasonable thing to do would be to jump out of the window right here and now to put an end to this farce once and for all..." replied Vox, deadly serious. Charlie gave him a wry grin.

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad."

"That's a matter of opinion."

"It'll all be fine... I mean, somehow... we'll think of something. I guess..."

"It may surprise you to hear this, but given your stuttering, I'm not very confident about that."

"You're a bit pessimistic, aren't you?"

"Realistic," Vox corrected, watching her work. "I'm a realist."

"Really? So it was realistic for you to take control of heaven?"

"Maybe a little optimistic, too. I admit that."

Charlie snorted. Half out of disbelief at such arrogance, half out of grim amusement. She glanced sideways at Vox, who calmly returned her gaze with a smile that threw her off balance.

This time it wasn't malicious or sharp, but smug and almost a little charming. She quickly looked away because the sight was so unfamiliar.

"A little?" she pressed, and Vox tilted his head slightly, as if trying to reestablish eye contact.

"I've always tended to be overambitious."

Charlie shook her head. Somehow she was glad that they had finally taken a step forward and that the constant hostility had suddenly turned into this... whatever "this" was supposed to be, to be honest, she wasn't quite sure...

"Overambitious is just a synonym for a lot of unpleasant expressions," she finally said, and Vox leaned against the wall while watching her. Somehow, that made her more nervous than she would have liked.

"I don't deny that," Vox replied simply, and then, as if he had seen something unpleasant, he added irritably, "And so you're back here too, I see..."

Charlie looked up just in time to see Keekee floating through the wall as if she were a ghost to whom physical boundaries did not apply. Her paws landed silently on the floor and she trotted toward them with her tail raised. Then she sat down in front of them, her ears pricked up curiously, the white patterns on them clearly forming a heart.

Keekee let out an adorable little meow that immediately melted Charlie's heart.

"Keekee... what are you doing here?" she asked in surprise, reaching out a hand toward her, but the demon cat seemed much more interested in Vox and ignored her, only to get up and rub her head against his leg.

Vox grimaced and tried to maneuver himself out of reach, but Keekee was not deterred.

"Urgh. That thing keeps coming here..."

"Really?" Charlie asked, genuinely surprised. "That's strange, Keekee isn't usually so trusting."

"Aha. Maybe someone forgot to tell her that," Vox growled, trying to push Keekee aside with his foot. Instead of giving up, she stared conspicuously at his lap for a long time.

"Oh no, you're not!" Vox said in a threatening voice, but before they could do anything, Keekee jumped up and began to make herself comfortable at his lab. The cat turned around three times, then lay down calmly and began to purr.

Vox's completely indignant expression made Charlie laugh. It was the first honest laugh she'd had since Vaggie left. It felt good. After everything that had happened... somehow it felt liberating.

Vox looked at her. Searchingly. Waiting.
Charlie stopped laughing and bit her lower lip. Suddenly she felt embarrassed and wasn't sure if she should apologize.
But Vox beat her to it.

"Val was right. You really do have an unusually bright smile."

Charlie blinked, perplexed. She had expected many things, but that was not one of them.

"He said that about me?"

Vox hesitated and glanced unhappily at Keekee on his lap as she began to kneading and one of her claws catching in the fabric of his pants.

"Among other things... I won't repeat the rest; I don't want to make this any more awkward than it already is."

They were silent for a moment before Vox spoke again and pointed to his lap.

"Are you finally going to remove that thing from my reach, or do I have to take care of it myself?"

"Oh! Sure, I'll do that! Come to me, Sweetie."
Charlie picked up the cat, even though she tried to hold on and abruptly stopped purring. Vox glared at Keekee again.
Charlie set her down on her own lap and began stroking her head. A short time later, she curled satisfied with this up.

"You don't particularly like cats, huh?" she asked.

"I was allergic when I was alive..." Vox explained tonelessly.

Charlie raised an eyebrow in surprise.
Well... that was one of the few things that shouldn't be a problem in hell anymore.

Vox suddenly held out his hand invitingly. The one with the shattered claw.

"Take care of it. That's why you're here, right? Not that it'll do any good, but if it makes you feel better and you'll finally leave me alone... Let's just get it over with."

"Oh... sure, just a moment."

Charlie reached for the prepared bandages and hesitated briefly before reaching out her own hand to his.

Vox realized her hesitation and an amused smile tugged at the corners of his mouth.

"Don't worry, I usually only electrocute people who ask me to."

Charlie's confusion must have been obvious, because Vox seemed to feel the need to clarify his statement.

"You'd be surprised how often I've been asked to do that. Electrostimulation is a pretty common kink."

"Um..." she replied eloquently, feeling her face grow a little warmer, "Excuse me, but... are you flirting with me?"

Vox's smile widened.

"Would you want me to? Is that why you're here so often?" he asked, and Charlie was simply speechless for a moment before she began gesticulating wildly to make her point. Keekee, who had been dozing peacefully until then, almost fell off her lap in shock and gave her a reproachful look.

"I-I'm in a happy relationship!" she blurted out.

"So?" Vox asked calmly, "Me too. One doesn't have to exclude the other."

Charlie's gesturing only became more frantic.

"No! Well, yes, but... No, I mean... okay, fine. Some people might handle it that way, but Vaggie and I... Well, we... Uh, we have a fulfilling relationship and it's not open... and when she comes back... I could never do that to her! That's why, so..."

Vox's grin took on a noticeably mocking tone and Charlie lowered her hands again.

"... wait a minute, you're kidding me, right?"

Vox looked as if her excessive reaction had amused him greatly, and she felt like a complete idiot. Her face grew even warmer.

"Couldn't resist. But the first sentence was serious. I had a good upbringing. Probably the one and only thing that damn old-timer really liked about me."

"You mean Alastor?" Charlie asked curiously, and instantly Vox's posture stiffened.
She didn't know exactly what had happened between the two of them, only that it was obviously a sensitive subject.

Vox ignored her question.

"I'm waiting," he let her know, still holding out his hand. Charlie cleared her throat, embarrassed, and took it.
Warm, was the first thing that crossed her mind. Only the claws were actually as cold and sharp-edged as they looked.
Up close, she could also see the deep cut that ran straight through his flesh up to his elbow. She paused when she saw cables shining through the blood that was still slowly seeping out.

"I know I'm very fascinating, but it might be a good idea to bandage the wound now."

Charlie startled.
"Oh, sure. Sorry, I didn't mean to stare," she replied and began to carefully wrap the bandages around his hand.

"I'm used to being stared at," Vox replied with an attractive smile and... was he flirting with her again? No, no... she was probably just imagining things! Right?!

"I bet..," she muttered so quietly that he couldn't hear her and concentrated on applying the bandages neatly.

"What are you planning to do now?" Charlie asked, and Vox thought for a moment.

"When the situation has calmed down again, I'll try to salvage what's left of my empire. Find a scapegoat, use hypnosis to make people think he's to blame for everything..."

"That's your solution?" asked Charlie, and although she should have expected something like that, a hint of disappointment crept into her voice.

"It's the only solution I know," replied Vox distantly.

"What about Valentino and Velvette?"

"I'll do it with or without them. As things stand, most likely without them."

Charlie searched for some emotion. Sadness... regret, at least, something like that. She found nothing but the cool, smooth surface of a man who would stop at nothing to get what he wanted.

"But you would... miss them, right?" Charlie asked, and Vox's gaze became unyielding.

"Of course. Without them, it would be much more difficult to achieve a similar status as before."

"I don't believe you... I don't believe that's all you care about..." Charlie replied, pulling the bandage around his arm a little tighter than necessary. Anger flashed in Vox's red eyes.

"And what exactly makes you think that, princess?"
All lightness suddenly disappeared from his voice, and it instantly sounded sharp and cold. Charlie didn't let that throw her off balance.

"No one spends decades with others without feeling anything for them. If that were the case, you wouldn't be human, you'd be a monster," she explained matter-of-factly, and Vox leaned closer to her.

Keekee's fur stood on end from the sudden static around them, and she quickly jumped off Charlie's lap with an offended meow. From a safe distance, she eyed Vox suspiciously before starting to groom herself.

"And if I were a monster?" Vox asked threateningly, "Then what?"

"You're not. Otherwise you wouldn't have asked me to ask Angel about Valentino. Now please let me fasten the bandage properly."

Vox began to scrutinize her once more, as if gathering data for some calculation in the background.

"... why are you doing this?"

Charlie blinked at him, not understanding.

"What?" she asked in surprise, pausing in her movement.

"Why are you trying to convince everyone that they're better people than they really are? What exactly do you get out of it? That and the whole soul redemption thing?"

Charlie shrugged.

"I think sometimes sinners, after all this time, are no longer able to see the good in themselves. And when no one believes it's there anymore, then everything is just hopeless. Besides, we all make mistakes, and it just doesn't feel right to me that you should have to spend eternity down here with no chance of redemption," Charlie tried to explain, giving him a small smile. "Do you understand?"

"Hmm," was all Vox said, and Charlie checked to make sure the bandage was secure before nodding with satisfaction.

"That should do it... How does that look for now?" she asked. It wasn't as if she had much practice with this kind of thing... The last time she had done this was as a little girl, when she had treated her dolls. She put plasters on them and wrapped bandages around their plush arms and legs with a little first aid toy kit. Later, when she had tried to help someone on the street, she had only been yelled at, pushed away, or ignored... but she didn't need to tell Vox that.

"Well, it does what it's supposed to do..." he replied unenthusiastically as he critically examined her work. Even though Charlie wasn't necessarily expecting a thank you, she found it hard not to look offended... after all, she had tried her best!

"How about a truce? You know, I've been thinking, and since we're in a pretty similar situation, I thought you could stay here until you've recovered, and then we'll see. I mean... We don't know what heaven will do next, and I think we can agree that we all need as many allies as possible."

Vox let her words sink in for a moment before finally nodding.

"Fine by me."

"I know you think I'm naive, but I can't just take your word for it. So I'm proposing a deal."

Vox tilted his head with interest.

"Fine. The terms?"

"You won't hurt anyone in the hotel. You won't try to influence or otherwise manipulate anyone with your hypnosis, and you promise to abide by the rules here as long as you're under my roof," Charlie said seriously, then began to smile kindly.

"That's all," she concluded.

"Fine. I won't hurt anyone in the hotel. I won't try to influence or otherwise manipulate anyone with my hypnosis, and I'll abide by the rules that apply here," Vox repeated her words and then added with a malicious smile, "As long as that someone isn't the radio demon. Do we have a deal?"

Charlie returned the smile with a forced smile.
It was clear that there would be a catch... but Alastor's whereabouts were currently unknown, and if he returned, a solution could surely be found... Sometimes you had to let a problem be a problem for later...

"Agreed."

As Charlie sealed the deal with Vox, the lights flickered throughout the hotel.

The next morning, Charlie shuffled tiered into the lobby on her way to make breakfast and found Vox asleep in one of the armchairs. In front of him on the table was a map of Pentagram City, with several locations circled in red pen. As she approached, she realized that these were the possible whereabouts of Valentino and Velvette, should they have survived the attack.

Keekee was sleeping contentedly on Vox's lap. Charlie couldn't help but smile at the sight.

It was worth trusting that there was a little bit more beneath the dark surface than met the eye.

And sometimes... sometimes it was worth reaching for it.