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As the limo pulled up, Charlie burst out and ran inside the lobby. Looking for help, someone, anyone. Only to see Vaggie, Lucifer, Angel, and Cherri just staring dumbstruck at the giant TV displaying a captured Alastor on the news. Vaggie's eye breaks away as she gasps and sees Charlie. Hopping over the couch she runs up to her, grabbing her in a hug.
"Charlie!! I am so glad you're safe! What happened!?"
Her cries alert the others to Charlie's presence. They quickly surround her, asking about what happened at the station, how did Alastor end up captured, where was Niffty and Husk. Overwhelmed Charlie stutters through trying to answer, not succeeding in being clear to any of the frantic questions.
"Iiii! I.I.I.. don't know! I was arguing, there was all these lies, Nifty was singing and dancing, she ran off though! And they live streamed with a chat, took what I said out of context and people were chatting awful shit and even called me Hitler and suddenly Vox bursts in and he's wheeling in Al and shouting for all of us to get out and I was shoved out and and and…"
Charlie is in full blown panic when the front door slams open, making everyone jump. All turning to see, there stood a roughed up Husk, carrying an equally roughed up Niffty. The group immediately rushes up to the pair panting in the doorway.
Questions begin to fly before Husk near shoves his way in. "Look I aint saying a single thing till I have a drink!"
Heading to the bar, he actually sets Niffty down gently in a stool before going behind the bar and grabbing a strong whiskey. Chugging straight from the bottle, everyone either hovers around or settles in their own stools, waiting patiently for Husk to finish. Their eyes wide with concern.
Husk actually downed half the bottle before he finally stops, gasping for some air. Looking towards everybody, it was the queue to bombard him with questions. Growling he throws his hands up.
"Look I don't know why he did it! He just suddenly gave up!"
Looking away angrily he chugs some more whiskey at the stunned silence. Grumbling he continues.
"Just out of the blue he said he wanted to make a deal. Niffty and I were pinned. All of a sudden he told that blowhard to call off his goons on us."
Niffty giggles. "Hehehe… gun…"
"Yeah… she was about to have her brains blown out…. but I don't get it! Why just offer himself up for us!? Not like the bastard ever showed he cared!"
Everyone stares at Husk and Niffty, shocked. This is not something they ever expected Alastor to do.
Charlie snaps out of it first. "Wait Niffty! Why did you run off like that!?"
Niffty looks up at Charlie and her smile fell. "Alastor was in trouble!"
"Is that why you came running in and dragging me off?" Husk growled.
"Wait so.. Alastor was already fighting the Vee's when you two got there? Why!?"
"I have no idea Princess! I was suddenly thrown at that social media bitch who started attacking me with knives and arrows!"
"Hehehe I wanted more of the bad boy for my collection…"
Angel snaps focus next. "Wait.. gun… you.. you took on Valentino!? You coulda got hurt Niff!"
Vaggie speaks up. "Still though, that isn't something I would expect him to do. Why was he out anyway?"
"He did say he quit…"
Everyone looks at Cherri. She taps her hand on Angel's upper arm. "Yeah don't you remember earlier? We were bitching about that cunt trying to bait you back to work."
Angel's eyes widen. "Oh yeah! He and your Dad started fight'n." He turns to look at Charlie. "I wasn't paying much attention, but after he called him useless or someth'n, Smiles stormed out saying 'Fuck this, I quit!'"
Charlie stares wide eyed, slack jawed, before rounding on her Dad. "You said what!?!?"
Lucifer stammers, gripping his cane nervously. "Oh.. uh.. well.. I.. We… We do this back and forth Char Char! You know this! We did it when we first met!…"
"That's different Dad! You called him useless! And he what? Stormed off quitting! You probably really hurt him! He…" Charlie looked so worried. "He probably got reckless…"
Her hands cover her face, worry in her shoulders. Vaggie rubs her back, knowing how this upset her.
Lucifer tries to placate. "You shouldn't be concerned with him Charlie. He Quit! He obviously didn't want to help anymore. Not that he did anything…"
Husk scoffed. "Then why did he include the Princess?"
Everyone looks to Husk now, even Charlie. Snapping her head up and staring at him.
Grumbling for a moment before sighing, Husk adds, "He didn't let himself get captured just for Niffty and me. His deal also included they leave you alone." Looking toward Charlie, her eyes widen as she took a step back.
"So… maybe he wasn't being reckless… Maybe he was trying to help me…"
Lucifer reaches for her. "Now Charlie, what he did was his own doing, no one made him.."
"No! Dad, you did! You made him feel useless and he ran off to get himself caught!… To protect me. To protect this hotel."
Charlie looks toward the TV, as flashes of a bound and gagged Alastor is being pointed at by Vox. "He's not even… fighting back… or defending himself… who knows what they'll do to him…"
Angel flinches and crosses both pairs of his arms. "I do… and it's not pretty. Vox spoke a lot about what he wanted to do to Smiles… this isn't good."
Looking concerned Lucifer reaches for Charlie again, only for her to flinch way. "No Dad…. not now, We… I need to figure out how to rescue him. He's done so much for me, how could I let him feel he needed to do this…"
Lucifer looks severely hurt, taken aback at Charlie flinching away from him. As she approaches the TV, her girlfriend wrapping her arms around her, Lucifer walks off to another room with a couch.
Spawning a Charlie rubber duck, he flops onto the couch and curls up. Sniffling he starts to cry. Charlie and he were just starting to get along. He finally felt like he was bonding with her, 'and she flinches away! Over some pompous tacky piece of shit Bambi..'
Lucifer buries his head in his arms, crying for a while. Charlie's words swirl in his head. The more he thought on it, the more he reflects on the past too. How she spoke of him. How she showed she appreciated him. And that he did do things. He even fought for her, despite running away, he did fight.
As much as it upset him, the more he thinks on his daughter's words, the more he has to accept. That he may have struck a nerve, and that he may have put someone she cares for in danger.
Sitting up, Lucifer wipes his eyes and grabs the Charlie duck. 'If I don't do something… she will. And if he did do this for her. I can't just sit by while he's tortured. She would never forgive me…'
An adamant look on his face, Lucifer quickly checks the lobby. Seeing his daughter pacing and muttering to her girlfriend. 'At least she hasn't left yet… don't worry Charlie, I'll get him back.'
Teleporting out of the hotel, Lucifer unfurls his wings and flies up, looking for this so-called Vee tower. He will burn it to the ground for what they're doing, and drag that deer back, by the tail if he has to!