Chapter Text
Vox had lost everything.
Not only had he lost his co-stars, his fame, his power, and his success, but he’d lost the one chance he had to be a god. Now, he was nothing but a broken TV-head on the outskirts of Pentagram City, cast out of society and left behind. The last contact he’d had with anyone was waking up with a brand new body, being punched in the face by Valentino, and being escorted out of the building he once owned by his own former assistant. It was humiliating.
The fame and power he’d spent decades trying to build had been ripped out from under him within less than a day, and all for what? So Lucifer’s little bleeding-heart daughter could go and have her stupid hotel with a bunch of sinners to redeem? Did anyone even know how redemption worked? Or was Charlie just telling everyone to do some “community service” like that’d fix anything? That’d make for a great interview; trying to figure out why the hotel is still regarded as a success, even though the one and only redeemed sinner had to die by angelic power to earn his spot in Heaven. Oh, the news stories he could run on that…
…God, what Vox wouldn’t give to be on air again.
Maybe he had ulterior motives, but putting all the hypnotizing and mass manipulation aside, Vox was a great TV star! He truly did love being on air, even if it was really just a means to an end that never came to fruition. Having all eyes on him, being the center of attention for even just a few hours was utterly intoxicating. Maybe that’s why he…
…
Vox had had a lot of time to think. It’d been about a week since the whole ordeal, and it’s not like anyone was particularly excited to try to come find him, so he had been mostly alone. Unfortunately, this also meant he had time to…process everything. Everything that had made him fail at the last moment. Every factor that could’ve played a role in his ultimate end.
Immediately, his mind went to himself. However, that couldn’t possibly be it. There’s no way that Vox had caused his own downfall, that was just silly! So, he went to the second best option: Alastor.
Everything had been going so well until that deer showed up. He had a loyal crew, he had a fool-proof plan, and he had the means to achieve it. But once he decided to show up, offering what little dignity he had left to be Vox’s prisoner, everything seemed to start going downhill.
Vox had analyzed the terms of his and Alastor’s deal time and time again, replaying them in his mind with crystal clear accuracy. There was no way he’d snuck in any sort of backdoor or extra clause that meant he could take away Vox’s power and influence, right? Of course there wasn’t, the terms were very clear. So clear, in fact, Vox cursed himself for believing it could ever be that easy to win against the Radio Demon.
No. Vox’s downfall wasn’t his fault, and he couldn’t figure out a reason why it would be Alastor’s fault either. The only real thing Alastor did was catch Vox in a technicality, which was just foul play.
Who else was there to blame, then?
Of course! Charlie Morningstar.
She had direct ties to Heaven, both a descendent of the first fallen angel and dating a fallen exorcist. She must have pulled some strings behind the scenes to get a literal Seraphim to show up and prove her cause right. Charlie always seemed to be out to get him for some reason, so who’s to say she wouldn’t go so far as to manipulate Emily to fly down and spout some “redemption” bullshit?
But, if there was one thing Vox knew about Charlie, it’s that she was an overly kind soul who believed in everyone, despite what he and his media team made her out to be. She would never have the heart to manipulate people to join her cause. Because she was– admittedly– a good person with no ulterior motives. Unlike–...
Vox’s downfall wasn’t his fault. If it wasn’t Charlie, if it wasn’t Alastor, who’s fault was it?
The hotel guests, of course.
They had made the plan to steal away his fame, they had hacked his broadcast systems, they turned his co-stars against them, and they manipulated hell into destroying his super weapon. It was such a simple solution, how had he not seen it sooner? Those pesky little sinners had all been conspiring to take down the reputation he’d spent decades building for himself, and they somehow pulled it off!? It was just unfair, really.
But if he really thought about it, why would they want to conspire against him, anyway? The only reason he could think of was Angel Dust, which they should’ve had no way of knowing about. It’s not like he’d done anything else to make them hate him! Except for…
No. Vox’s downfall wasn’t his fault.
Well, if it wasn’t Alastor or Charlie or the hotel guests, then there were only two people left to blame.
Velvette and Valentino.
They had turned on him at the last moment, after everything he’d done for them. Vox had brought them to the top, so much further than they ever could have on their own, and what had they done in return? They didn’t listen to any of his plans, they argued with him at every moment, and trying to get them to do anything was a challenge. Maybe Alastor was right, Vox really was better off on his own.
But there was one glaring flaw with that line of reasoning.
With Velvette and Valentino, Vox had come closer than ever to being a god.
Without them…
Well, he was here. Alone, outcast, and hated by all of Hell.
So, if it wasn’t Alastor, if it wasn’t Charlie, if it wasn’t the hotel guests, and it wasn’t his co-stars…
Who was left?
…
Vox’s downfall wasn’t his fault.
Or at least, it shouldn’t have been.
But after considering all of his options, there was only one conclusion left.
It was Vox who had let Alastor’s words get the better of him.
It was Vox who built his entire audience on redemption being impossible.
It was Vox who had humiliated the princess of hell in front of her greatest allies.
It was Vox who had driven his two closest allies away from him.
And, regrettably, it was Vox who caused his own demise.
๋࣭ ⭑˙✧˖° ༘ ⋆｡˚
Charlie Morningstar had succeeded.
She, with the help of all of her friends, had finally proved redemption was possible and had defeated the Vees. Now, more guests were flooding into the hotel than ever, and all for the right reasons. Of course, the initial surge had died down quite a bit since the first day, given that a lot of people were quickly learning that redemption took work. It wasn’t just as simple as handing out a few mindless apologies and arriving at the pearly gates, it took dedication and a willingness to change. Though, despite this, there were still quite a large number of guests participating in daily trust exercises, therapy sessions, and genuinely working on improving themselves.
It was everything Charlie could’ve ever dreamed of. With her hotel manager and girlfriend Vaggi by her side, Charlie truly felt like she could make a real difference in the world. And even though it had only been a week, she had seen progress– real progress– in the guests that chose to stay. It was perfect.
It was just what her mom would’ve wanted.
After 7 years, Lilith had finally returned one of Charlie’s calls, and the mother and daughter were finally able to have a heart-to-heart. Unfortunately for Charlie, Lilith gave zero explanation of where she’d been or why she disappeared or why she had done anything, but it was a start! At least Charlie was finally able to talk about her dreams to a real audience instead of a voicemail…Was it selfish to enjoy a phone call if she was the only one talking? Charlie wasn’t selfish, was she?
That was besides the point. Lilith had confirmed to Charlie in their 4-hour-long phone call that yes, Lilith would’ve wanted sinners to be redeemed.
…Sort of.
From what Charlie had gathered, Vox was partially right about her mom. She had never considered the concept of redemption, and did think that a violent uprising was the only way for sinners to make it to Heaven. Which…fair enough, nobody had really known redemption was possible until Pentious. However, after explaining the entire situation, Lilith agreed that it was better to give sinners a genuine chance to change rather than to– for lack of a better term– exterminate all angels.
All sinners deserved a chance at redemption.
Charlie stood on one of the balconies, looking down at all the sinners talking in the lobby. It was heartwarming, seeing her people come to her hotel of their own free will to change for the better. These people were her family, even if not by blood. Everyone had their own unique stories and problems, and Charlie was just waiting for each and every one of them to see the clouds of Heaven beneath their feet.
“Charlie! There you are!”
A familiar voice from behind snapped her out of her thoughts.
“Vaggi! Is everything alright?”
“Yeah, everything’s fine. Say, why are you up here? I thought you’d be in our room.”
Charlie looked back out to the lobby.
“I just like watching all the guests. I really love this hotel, Vaggi, and…”
She turned back to Vaggi, being met with those same, caring eyes she’d grown so used to.
“I really love you. Thank you for believing in me.”
“Thank you for giving me something worth believing in.”
Vaggi took Charlie’s hand, looking out at all the sinners below. It was amazing to think that in just a week, the hotel had grown so much more than either of them could have ever imagined. Maybe Vaggi was right. Well, she was usually right, but in this instance…
Finding love in Hell really was the hard part. And everything else would be–
Ring, ring…
Charlie pulled her hand away from Vaggi’s, feeling her phone vibrating in her pocket.
“Oh–! Hang on, one second…”
She turned away, pulling her phone out of her pocket, and–
…
Why was he trying to call her?
Why was he trying to call her?
Charlie stared at the contact name, rereading it over and over. No, no this couldn’t be happening! He was gone! Or, he was supposed to be! What did he want? What could he possibly want!? Out of her no less!? No, this wasn’t happening, this couldn’t–
“Charlie? Is…Are you okay?”
She spun on her heel to face Vaggi, declining the call in the process.
“Yep! Just a spam caller, don’t worry Vaggi! Everything’s just fine!”
Vaggi raised an eyebrow, clearly not buying it.
“You know, you can tell me if something’s wrong.”
“Nope! We’re fine, it’s just fine, just…Could you give me a second?”
“Charlie, wait–!”
But she was already running down the hall, one question plaguing her mind.
Why did Vox call her?