"Die, you fucking traitor!" Adam screamed as he barreled down upon Angel, who stood defiant in front of Charlie to protect her.
Charlie's eyes flicked from Adam's dive bomb to the Exorcist in front of her. He had just saved her life and, in doing so, had earned the First Man's fury.
"NO!" She wasn't going to let anyone else die for her. Not after Sir Pentious. Not Vaggie, not her friends, and not this angel who seemed bound and determined to sacrifice himself for her. Turning to her father, she shouted a command, "Dad, now!"
Understanding her intent, Lucifer swooped down and took her up into the air, zipping past Angel, startling him.
Adam screamed at their interference and threw a wild punch. He gasped as Charlie caught his fist with ease. "Oh, wait! What the fuck!?"
The First Man couldn't believe what he was seeing. But Angel could. He'd seen this happen once before and knew Adam stood no chance. The princess's arm had changed into a demonic talon, now adorned in a maroon hue that flowed along her forearm, illuminated by vibrant red energy veins. Her sharp claws dug into his fist, causing him to wince in pain.
Snarling, Charlie—with her father's help—whirled around and slammed Adam viciously into the ground, his violent impact creating a crater.
Landing next to the hole, Lucifer set Charlie down and glowered at Adam, shouting, "You come at me and my daughter?" He flew into the pit and began striking Adam repeatedly in the face. "Don't forget! You're in my house, bitch!"
The king was about to deal the killing blow when Charlie stopped him. With her hand gripping her father's shoulder, she cautioned, "Whoa, whoa, Dad. He's had enough."
"Huh?" Lucifer's eyes changed back to normal, his rage wiped out in an instant. He shrugged. "Alright." Flying out of the crater, he landed on the edge and dismissively mocked, "How's mercy taste, you little bitch?"
Adam was having none of it. Crawling out, he screamed at them, "No! You don't get to end this! I'm fucking Adam! I'm the fucking man! You're just some fucking clown, or something! I started everything on Earth! All of mankind came from these fucking nuts! You all should be worshiping me! You ungrateful, disgusting, fucking losers!" His tirade was cut short when an angelic blade plunged through his chest from behind.
Vaggie's eyes lit up. "Whoa!"
Lucifer squinted, pointing to the spot where the tip of the blade coated in golden blood poked through. "Hey, Ya-You've got something sticking out of your—your thing there."
Adam swallowed once and then fell forward, his face smacking the ground. Perched on his back, looking gleeful, was the hotel's resident demon maid.
"Niffty!" Charlie exclaimed in surprise.
The one-eyed ghoul glanced at the group briefly before going to town on Adam's back with her angelic knife. "Stab! Stab, stab!" she cackled, followed by manic laughter and a morbidly delightful "Blood!" before she leaped off his body to join her friends. There was a slight shift in movement among them as they gave her a respectable bit of space.
"NO," Lute cried, rushing to her fallen leader's side. "Sir! Sir! Stay with me, Sir! ADAM!"
But Adam was dead.
Charlie, standing behind her, hissed, "It's over!"
The King of Hell stepped up next to the princess, his demon eyes pulsing again. "Take your little army," he growled, "AND GO HOME!" His eyes shifting to his normal ones, he calmly added with a smile, "Please."
Snapping up Adam's halo, Lute commanded, "Retreat! All Exorcists fall back!" As her army took to the sky, she looked for Angel. Finding him among the debris, she swore a silent promise. This isn't over, asshole. Lifting into the air, she followed the others to the portal.
With the portal closing above him, Angel knew this meant he was now and forever exiled to Hell. A sharp pang pierced his heart. Goodbye, Emmy. Goodbye, Eryn.
Hearing the whizzing sound of his halo spinning toward him, he raised his arm, smoothly caught it, and placed it on his head. As he did, he heard Lucifer awkwardly trying to lighten the mood.
"So, who's up for pancakes?"
Shaking his head with a faint smile, he remembered a bittersweet memory from long ago. Pancakes, again?
Bracing himself, Angel let out a long breath through pursed lips. Even though he had just confronted the First Man of Heaven and risked his soul to safeguard Charlie, the fear he now felt nearly overwhelmed him. He wondered if revealing himself would remind Charlie of their past or if he was about to make a complete ass out of himself and maybe get himself killed for it.
Time to open Pandora's Box.
Ripping off his battle mask, he let it—and his warrior persona drop—with a quiet thump, the mechanisms glitching as it hit the ground. Carefully, so as not to seem threatening, Kevin stepped forward to a visible position and spread his arms to show he was unarmed, and responding to Lucifer's question, he tried for a light, playful tone. "Pancakes sound good."
At the sound of his voice, everyone turned sharply in his direction, their collective faces frowning at him. Weapons were quickly raised, ready to strike.
Lucifer, however, smiled at Kevin in recognition and quickly held a hand up to stop their assault. "Hold your fire!"
Charlie's face had nearly instantly changed from angry to surprised, and her voice cracked as she stepped forward. "Kevin!?"
Hearing her call him by his given name, Kevin's heart pounded against his chest with a mix of relief and joy. She remembers me!
He gazed at her with so much love and desire that he choked rather than spoke. "Charlie! You look just like I remember you. Horns, tail, and all."
Blinking in confusion, Vaggie stood dumbfounded as Charlie ran up to the Exorcist and wrapped her arms around him. The look she was giving him mirrored the passion her princess shared with her when they made love.
"Kevin? You're the Exorcist that saved me?" Charlie's eyes glistened, wide and unbelieving. "Is it really you?"
Kevin embraced her in kind, quickly assuring her, "Yeah," he choked. "It's me, princess! I'm home!"
Her friends gasped in astonishment as the man kissed Charlie, who not only accepted the kiss but also fervently reciprocated it. They turned their attention from the startling scene to Vaggie, their eyes mirroring her betrayal reflected on her tear-streaked face.
"Charlie?" Vaggie, taking one shaking step forward, had to force the words out past quivering lips. "Why?"
Charlie broke the kiss with a gasp, suddenly acutely aware of what she had done. She spun her head toward her girlfriend and saw the devastated look on Vaggie's face. A wave of overwhelming guilt shattered her moment of happiness into dust.
Seeing the smaller angel's reaction, a sudden realization hit him, and he grimaced. Opening his arms, Kevin released Charlie and stepped back, giving her some space.
Charlie's cheeks were crimson with shame, but she squeezed out a thin, tight, sad smile at him and an appreciative nod before taking a deep breath and starting towards Vaggie.
Looking to diffuse the moment, Lucifer pointed for the others to stay away and approached him, offering his hand in greeting. "Kevin. Thank you for what you did; it's a pleasure to see you again."
Kevin took his hand and shook it. "You too, sir. It's been a long time."
"That it has. But not as long as I expected." Lucifer remarked, his eyes soft. "Died young, I see."
"Yes," Kevin nodded, side-eyeing Charlie as she went over to Vaggie. He was quickly realizing the serious mistake he'd made. He sucked in a breath and resumed explaining. "I continued after Charlie left for as long as I could, knowing very well I'd likely end up in Heaven when I died."
"And you forgot her." Lucifer frowned. Though he had expected Kevin to forget, it didn't lessen his disappointment.
"Yeah. I did." Kevin sighed. "Until a month ago. I can't explain how or why, but I suddenly remembered her. When I did, I knew I needed to get back here and protect her. I expected her to be waiting, but—"
"But you didn't know she had a girlfriend now."
"No." His face was flushed with disgrace. "And I am such an idiot for assuming she would still be free—be the same Charlie I lost."
"You can't blame yourself for not knowing," the King of Hell placed a hand on Kevin's shoulder. "I know how much you loved my daughter, and I haven't forgotten how you saved and protected her. Then, and now."
"Saved her…only to betray her." He lamented as he peered towards Charlie and Vaggie, who were now out of earshot. Charlie's body language clearly conveyed that she was trying to explain the reason for the kiss to her girlfriend.
"No," Lucifer admonished. "When she saw you, everything about her past came rushing back to her, and she reacted just as I'd expected she would. I don't blame her, and with time, I don't think Maggie will either."
Kevin felt hopeless. "I don't know."
"Have some faith. But…if it goes south, can you return to Heaven?" Lucifer shrugged gently, trying to give Kevin options.
"I don't see how, sir." He looked back at the King. "I betrayed Adam and Lute, and Sera will surely force Eryn to pronounce judgment on me. If that happens, I'll be lucky to keep my powers or wings. I think no matter what, I'm going to be exiled here."
Lucifer's eyes showed a slight twitch when he heard Eryn's name, but he didn't elaborate and instead made an offer. "Well, if that happens, I'll have a meeting with Sera. In the meantime, you'll have a spot in my administration if you want."
"Thank you, sir," Kevin sighed, his voice filled with sorrow. After all he'd done, and all he'd gone through to get here, it now seemed he'd lost Charlie yet again. The ache in his heart was sharp, and it sucked the breath from him.
Their discussion was interrupted when the others finally had had enough of listening to the girl's heated argument. As a group, they marched over to Kevin and Lucifer, glaring at the strange Exorcist who had kissed their friend.
Angel Dust had all six arms out, guns at the ready. "Okay, buddy, who the fuck are you?"
"Speak up quick, or you're joining your buddies in pieces!" Husk growled deep, rolling his explosive dice between his fingers.
Cherri Bomb didn't care for any answers. She nudged Niffty and pointed at him. "Niffty? It's an angel!"
Niffty ran towards Kevin, knife in hand, cackling with glee. "Stab! Stab!"
"STOP!" Lucifer shouted. His eyes turned full red, causing everyone to freeze. He looked pointedly at Niffty and shook his head firmly. "He is not to be harmed!"
Niffty pouted but obeyed and stepped back to join the group.
Husker shook his head, outraged. "But he kissed Charlie!"
"Yeah, he just grabbed her like she was some cheap pus—." Angel Dust stopped himself abruptly, cursing inside that he had almost insulted Charlie and corrected with, "Like he owned her!"
"And you're defending him?" Cherri Bomb barked incredulously.
Lucifer tightly gripped his cane and raised it as a warning, but Kevin placed a hand on his shoulder, shook his head, and boldly spoke up to answer them, sharing his code name only for now. "My name's Angel."
"No shit!" Husker snapped, unfazed by the king's glare. "We see you're a fuckin' angel. We asked who you are, dumbass!"
Angel silently shook his head at the familiar response. "No, I mean that I go by the name Angel."
Before more sarcastic and accusatory remarks were made, their collective gazes softened when they saw Charlie returning to join them. They gathered around her to ask if she was okay.
Assuring them with an expression of gratitude, she turned toward Angel, biting her lip. "K—"
Softly, he broke in, "Angel, please." He looked past her to the others, "For now, anyway?"
She nodded in understanding, then quickly explained the situation, her words rushing out in a jumble. "Angel? I am so-so sorry…When I saw you…all my memories of us flooded back so fast that I couldn't see anything else but you…our past and our love…I kissed you before I could stop myself…but things have changed with me…" Running out of breath, her chest heaved with nervous intake, and she whispered the last part with a hint of shame in her voice, "I have a girlfriend."
Angel stepped forward, ignoring the group's shared hostility, and embraced Charlie, brushing some of her blonde hair behind her left ear. "No, Charlie. I'm sorry! I didn't take into account that with your memories gone, you'd be waiting for me. I was a blind fool and selfish."
Charlie gazed up at Angel's troubled expression. "It's not your fault, my knight," she reassured him, emphasizing her words with the title she once gave him. "You kept your promise, just as you said you would."
"But if I'd known about Vaggie—" He paused, cursing himself.
He should have paid more attention to Lute and asked all the questions he usually would to understand his opponents. Lute bitched a lot, but it was repetitive, and he'd tuned her out quickly. If he hadn't, he may have been able to pick up cues about who she was to Charlie.
He wiped a few tears away from Charlie's cheek. "What did you tell her?"
"Nothing really; I barely could get out how sorry I was. That you were from my past, long ago, and I was so shocked when I saw you…I didn't think." Charlie sniffled. "She just glared at me for a few, then said she needed to be alone and walked away into the ruins."
Angel looked over Charlie's head at the destroyed hotel, where Vaggie was crying somewhere, and took a deep breath. He lowered his gaze back to her. "I shouldn't have revealed myself to you. I should have helped save you and your friends, and then returned to Heaven. I allowed myself to be blinded by the idea that you'd be waiting for me, and I am truly sorry for all of this."
"No!" Charlie tightened her grip around Angel. "I am so-so happy to see you. I am so-so glad you're here now!" She broke the grip and stepped back. "Now that I remember everything, I know I've missed you, and I know in my heart I never, ever stopped loving you, Angel." Those words came out choked, but she cleared her throat and spoke adamantly the next ones. "But I have Vaggie now, and I am in love with her. I can't lose her!"
"You won't!" He promised, gripping her shoulders. "We'll tell her the truth—all of it! What happened to you, to us. How you helped me face my past, how we fell in love. Everything."
Charlie bit her lip. "Do you think she'll listen?"
"Your hotel is about forgiveness and redemption, right?"
She turned to the ruins with sad eyes. "What's left of it, yes."
"Well, then, this time we're the ones who need to ask for forgiveness—to redeem ourselves in the eyes of your girlfriend and your friends. If they believe in the hotel like you do? If she does? She'll listen."
Charlie agreed. "I hope you're right." She turned to her friends. "I know you're all confused, and I promise to explain everything. But right now, I need to focus on Vaggie. I need to convince her to give us a chance to tell her about our past." Charlie paused, sniffing. "If she'll let me explain."
"She will," Lucifer promised. "I'll go and have a little chat with her." He winked, and before she could stop him, he disappeared in a puff of sulfur.
The princess shivered with worry.
Seeing the pain in Charlie's face, all her friends gathered around her, each placing a hand on her shoulders. She offered each of them a loving look as she took Angel's hand in hers, saying, "This man saved my life. Please try not to judge him and give us the time we need?"
"We will." Angel Dust nodded. Though his expression was still suspicious, he gave Angel one curt nod. "We owe you that, Charlie."
"Let's see what we can salvage before they return," Husker clicked his tongue. "'Cause I could really use a drink right now."
"Fuck it, mate! So could I!" Cherri Bomb sighed.
"Fat Nuggets!" Angel Dust's eyes widened. "I'd forgotten! He was in the hotel!"
Immediately, everyone fanned out, checking the debris strewn about.
Angel whispered to Charlie, "Who's Fat Nuggets?"
"His pet pig," Charlie quickly explained. Walking swiftly with Angel next to her towards some stone piles, she added, "And I need to find my cat, KeeKee!"
Thankfully, it didn't take long for them to find the missing pets. Charlie discovered KeeKee shaking dust off herself, meowing softly. She scooped the cat up into her chest, cooing quietly. A shout of joy stole attention towards Angel Dust, who was crying and holding onto Fat Nuggets, who looked no worse for wear. Relieved, Charlie turned to show Angel her cat when her gaze fell on a fallen banner at her feet, which she had made to celebrate Sir Pentious's first week in the hotel.
Charlie choked. "He sacrificed himself for us."
"I know, I saw." Angel sighed. "I focused on planning a strategy to give you the advantage and got to know almost everyone here; Sir Pentious was an interesting read. Quite courageous in the end and a formidable strategist. He seemed prepared for just about everything."
"4D Chess," Charlie smiled, remembering the past as she stroked KeeKee wistfully. "He reminds me of you."
Cherri Bomb approached them with a beer in hand. She looked sadly at the banner, remembering Sir Pentious for other reasons, then peered her eye toward Charlie. "How so?"
Charlie sighed. "It'll make sense, I promise. I just hope Vaggie will let me explain."
Vaggie sat on the jagged ruins of the hotel, crying, when she felt a hand on her shoulder. She looked up, hoping it was Charlie, but sighed softly when she saw it was her father.
Lucifer was firm. "I'm going to say something, and you will listen to me without interrupting. Are we clear?"
Vaggie nodded silently, lips pursed.
Accepting her silence as an acknowledgment of his request, the king continued in a firm voice. "You have stood with Charlie, supported her dreams, and fought courageously by her side through everything. You did so because you love her, and love has many meanings, Maggie."
She shook her head, a slight smile breaking across her pained face. He never got her name right. However, she remained silent as he proceeded.
"Among them is giving the one you love a chance to explain a misunderstanding," Lucifer instructed. "As her lover and protector, it is your duty to listen to her and to give her the chance to explain herself and Angel." He clicked his tongue, then softened his tone. "And trust me, you'll want to hear her out, and I can give you a good reason to."
Confusion creased her brow. "Sir?"
He looked over his shoulder toward where the group waited, speaking fondly. "Because if it wasn't for that man, Charlie might not be with us today."
Vaggie's eyes widened. "Sir? What are you saying?"
Lucifer held his hand out to her, flexing his fingers. "It's one hell of a story, if you'll pardon a cheap pun. Come."
With a single nod, her curiosity spilling over her pain, Vaggie took his hand to help her stand. Her legs felt weak, but her will was strong, and she let Lucifer guide her back to the others.
"I just hope Vaggie will let me explain."
Vaggie heard Charlie's fearful wish as she and Lucifer stepped from the ruins together. "I will. You didn't abandon me after you'd learned about my past. I can do no less for you." Vaggie's voice was firm and resolute; all traces of pain and betrayal masked under her promise.
Setting KeeKee down, Charlie ran to Vaggie. She embraced her girlfriend tightly. "I love you, Vaggie, so, so much. I'm so sorry I hurt you!"
Vaggie mussed Charlie's hair. "I love you, too, Charlie," she then looked to Angel. "Lucifer told me that if it wasn't for you, Charlie might not even be here today. For that alone, you get my full attention." She gave the princess an adoring look. "And my gratitude."
Curious looks covered the collective faces of Charlie's friends.
"Thank you, Vaggie." Angel bowed his head respectfully. "I owe you an explanation and a thousand apologies. However, it occurs to me that there is a lot of rebuilding to be done. Trust. Understanding…" He paused, looking around the ruins. "A hotel? Perhaps we should look into fixing Charlie's dream first?"
Lucifer clapped his hands together. "An excellent suggestion."
Charlie looked up, taking in the surrounding rubble, and swallowed hard. "If only I could have gotten Heaven on my side. I could have done better, but I let all of you down."
Lucifer shook his head. "Come on, Charlie! Give yourself some credit, Princess. You know, in the last ten thousand years, you're the first one to change this town. You changed my mind about the possibilities of this hotel, and I can see the potential. Heaven didn't listen to my dreams, but fuck it if we don't make them listen to yours!"
Vaggie took Charlie's hand in hers. "We can rebuild! Build the best hotel you've ever seen and help you fulfill your destiny." She turned to Angel, remembering what Lucifer had hinted at, and offered him a warm smile, extending her other hand to him in a gesture of trust. "Will you help?"
Charlie bit her lip as Angel stepped up to grasp Vaggie's hand and gave her a firm nod. "I'd be honored."
His words caused Charlie's heart to swell, for they were the same as the ones he'd declared to her on that warm summer day by the river in New Orleans. Now, all her friends looked to her to lead them, rebuild, and start anew. With one hand, she gripped Vaggie's hand tightly. "I know we can do this." And with her other one, she grasped Angel's and declared, "So long as I have all of you with me!"