The Morningstar Prince - H4ckleb3rry (2024)

Chapter 1: Prologue

Chapter Text

Samael lifted his head, his hand gripping the railing as he heard several explosive booms, watching on as a colorful barrage of fireworks hit the red sky. Samuel raised his drink to his lips, taking a sip, there was only one person he knew who would celebrate amidst all the chaos.

Raising his drink to the sky, mumbled words escaped his lips, “Cheers Charlotte, to a new year,” bringing his drink down he looked over the edge of the balcony at the city below, bodies and destruction everywhere. Samael let his drink tumble from his hand, the glass and liquid flying through the air, “And to the same, old, Hell.”

Samael turned his back on Pentagram city, heading inside his home as the loud sound of a clocktower echoed throughout the skies of Hell.

His house was well kept, not a single speck of dirt to be seen, nothing misplaced. It was pristine…all except for the mirrors. Several mirrors lined the hallways, each crooked and broken into pieces. Samael’s fractured face showed up briefly as he passed by each.

His violet eyes sinister and menacing, dark bags resting underneath them. Accompanied by two rosy cheeks. His long blond hair tied up, swaying behind him as he walked.

He was dressed in a mostly white suit, accents of red and buttons of gold adorning it. Business mixed with class, beautiful and deadly. On his right hand resting a black ring sitting on his middle finger. Then there was the silver earring on his left ear, a dangling cross with a red gem in its middle, that shone under the warm glow of his home as he opened the door to his garage.

He popped open the door to his car, sliding into its driver seat with practiced ease. Pressing a button on his roof the garage entrance opened, and with the growl of engine Samael was off racing down the streets of Pentagram city towards his office.

All around he could see the leftovers of the extermination, a headache already forming as he gripped his wheel tighter. He could even see a blimp off in the distance, already causing destruction and wrecking havoc, his lips curled into a snarl as he growled, “Filthy sinners…”

He barely paid attention to the rest of the city as he sped up, a TV shop next to him lighting up as it showed an incoming transmission from 666 News, where his sister was going on national news to discuss her new project…

Samael pulled to a sudden stop in his parking lot, flipping the visor of his car down and he looked into its mirror. Reaching into his center console he pulled out a can of concealer, quickly and efficiently he covered the dark spots under his eyes.

Once he finished up he looked to his right, sitting snugly in the corner of his passenger seat resting a sleek black cane, a golden snake wrapping around it from the base of the shaft and up to the top where its mouth opened up to form a handle. Resting inside of the handle was a large magenta gem, a hidden glow shifting underneath its surface.

Samael reached out to grab it, stopping just before he touched it, his fingers closing as his face scrunched up. Swallowing his hesitancy he wrapped his fingers around the cane. Feeling the smooth wood and rigid snake. Closing his eyes he breathed out, releasing the tension that had built up in his shoulders.

When he opened his eyes it was like he was an entirely different person. His posture was open and bright, his eyes shining and his smile charming. Like he was ready to rule over hell.

The moment he stepped out of the car he could already hear the camera flashes, shouts coming from the large crowd that had gathered. They were all here for one thing, the first exclusive of the new year after a particularly cruel extermination. More Sinners than ever had died and the people wanted their Prince to speak.

Samael’s enchanting smile never left his face as he signed a line of autographs with speed and ease, shaking hands, and saying words of encouragement at every turn. Then came the questions,

“Sir what do you plan to do about the exterminations!”

“How are you planning on helping with the rebuilding!”

“Sir! What is that ring you’re wearing! Are you with someone!”

The crowd exploded with that question, hundreds of questions seemingly hurling themselves at Samael. The Prince of Hell feeling a twinge of shock pass through him, his body locking up for a moment as his cane nearly fell out of his hand. But he couldn’t let it phase him for long, taking a deep breath he held out his left hand to the crowd his right moving amongst them as he said,

“People, people, please calm yourselves. I will answer your questions one at a time. Since I know most of you are wondering about the exterminations and their damages, I will let you know now that me and my team are hard at work. I’ve already drafted plans to help with the destroyed sectors and to provide aid to those in need.”

Samael watched as hundreds of reporters scratchily wrote down notes, camera panning onto his face watching his every move.

“What about the decrease in imports?”

Samael’s expression was quick to turn somber and sympathetic, “Unfortunately there were unforeseen difficulties, and I promise I am doing everything in my power to prevent such complication from happening ever again., I know it must have been terrifying for a lot of you to see the rationing of supplies so close to extermination but I promise that is getting fixed as we speak. By the end of the day, everything will be back to normal.”

Samael clasped his hands together on top of his cane as he finished with good news, eyes shining as he spoke. His voice filled the crowd with admiration as their prince promised to help them.

“With it being the onset of a new year are there any new policies you’re planning on implementing?”

“As of right now there are no such plans, if that changes you all will be the first to find out. But as we head into this new year our main concerns are infrastructure.”

Samael continued to answer questions for another 10 minutes before he was finally able to head inside his building, that same smile from before never leaving his face as he walked past each of his employees.

That is at least until he got onto his private elevator, as it ascended higher that smile on his face vanished.

Replaced by the same tired, exhausted look he had before. His eyes lost their glimmer as he leaned his head against the back wall. His hands held his cane around his waist.

It was safe to say, the reporters were always ... .curious, and answering the barrage of question marks thrown at him had never been an easy task.

He still remembers his early times at being on the camera, he had never been a more nervous wreck than when he was in front of so many virtual eyes. Now though, it was the norm to him, and all lenses were in love with him; doesn’t mean it couldn’t be a hassle to deal with.

His small moment of break was over when he heard his elevator ding, stepping out into an empty hallway, walking past his own office he headed to the double doors at the end.

Opening them to reveal three members of the Seven Deadly Sins, Mammon, Asmodeus, and Beelzebub. All of their eyes darted up to him revealing a variety of emotions, but one thing was certain behind each of their eyes was a certain amount of apprehension.

Samael walked to the end of the table, all eyes on him as he placed his cane against the fine wood and then grabbed onto the headrest of his chair, his fingers sinking into the fine leather. Samael looked down the table at the gathered Sins, focusing on each one of them for a few seconds before sitting.

He rested his face on his intertwined hands, all signs of weariness gone and replaced with a cold look. Snapping his fingers, three folders appeared in front of him alongside a variety of papers. Sliding two in front of him, his voice carried an eerie calmness as he spoke, “Asmodeus and Beelzebub.”

“Yes?” They both said, Beelzebub chuckling at the comedic timing as she and Asmodeus turned towards Samael.

“I called you two here today to congratulate you on a job well done,” Samael said, opening up one of the folders as he skimmed through it real quick, “You passed my expectations this year, and your end-of-the-year reports were fantastic.”

Beelzebub beamed as Amsodeus let out a sigh of relief. Samael placed the folder in his hand off to the right, pulling some papers in front of him as he manifested a pen and started signing, “Though Asmodeus I will still need that extra delivery by the end of this week, I hope you haven’t forgotten.”

“I haven’t, it’s still in production but will be ready.”

Samael nodded his head absent mindedly as he picked up another stack of papers, an amused sigh escaping his lips as he slid a paper off the top “You don’t have to raise your hand to speak Beelzebub.”

Samael looked up from his stack of papers at Beelzebub who had her hand in the air, the Sin smiling as she asked, “Well, I was just wondering, if maybe, just maybe you could come to this party I’m throwing?”

“Bee-” Samael started to say before she quickly said, “I finally got Belphegor to give me some of her party drugs, there’s no cameras, no nothing it’s just a fun little get together.”

She said practically pleading, clasping her hands out to Samael in a manner that he found very difficult to refuse, but duty calls “I’m sorry Beelezbub, but I have some stuff due this weekend that I can’t risk being late.”

Beelezbub pouted, “Samael you gotta take it easy, you’re going to work yourself to death at this rate and let me tell you that energy is not tasty.”

Samael chuckled, “Thank you for the offer Beezelbub, truly, but I am going to have to decline despite how much fun that sounds.”

Beelezbub’s pout grew wider as she folded her arms and fell back into her seat, her ears dropping “Fine.”

Oh now she was making it impossible “sigh, Alright, alright, you win. The next time you throw a party I’ll be there, Promise.”

Suddenly, all life and energy returned to the seemingly depressed fox, “Pinky promise?”

The prince shook his head in amusem*nt, ”Yes Bee, Pinky promise.”

The sin of gluttony silently cheered to herself. It may not have been much, but it was something at least! And that was a win in her books.

Samael’s hand reaching out to grab another paper, rolling it up in his hand he turned towards Asmodeus, “Before I forget, Asmodeus I need you to cut back on your, uhm, dild* production.” He said awkwardly as he threw the paper down to Asmodeus.

The Sin caught the paper and opened it to see a work order, saying with a sad sigh, “But everyone loves my dild*s, they're the best on the market.”

Samael grabbed his forehead, “Yes, yes I know, but it’s…just, uh, make something else?”

Asmodeus grabbed his chin, “But what could top dild*s?”

“Uhm…other sex toys?

“But what?”

The prince couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth “....Fleshlights?”

The sin of lust gasped in delight “Oh my! You are right! You’re truly a genius! I’ll be focusing my production towards Fleshlights as well! Now hell will sing their song of love even louder!”

As the Asmodues was barely keeping himself in his chair, the prince was rather…less upbeat about having participated in such conversation. But at least Asmodeus would be expanding his business some: And he looked ecstatic. He would be lying if his joy wasn’t infectious.

With a soft sigh he picked up another folder, placing it atop the small pile he had made and snapping his fingers, the pile being engulfed in flames as they disappeared from the room.

Grabbing the third file he flipped through it as he said, “Thank you, now onto other business, I wish I could have gotten all of us together for a longer meeting but Satan, Leviathan and Belphegor couldn’t make it. They were busy…”

Samael let his words trail off, setting the file in his hand to the side as he picked up another stack of papers. Signing bits and pieces of it as he then exchanged it for another.

“Mammon,” he said without looking up.

Mammon’s head shooting up, a crooked grin on his face, expecting for Samael to tell him something good, only to instead receive silence. Mammon waited awkwardly as Samael said nothing and kept writing.

“Yes bos-” Mammon started to say before he felt a streak of fear in his heart, “Yes, Prince Samael?”

Nothing. Mammon watching on confused as Samael seemingly ignored him. Mammon turned towards Asmodeus and Beelzebub, mouthing to them “What’s going on?”

The two other sins had no clue, all they did know was that a sense of dread had settled in the air. Beelzebub gulping as a bad taste settled in her mouth, looking down the table at Samael. Only now he wasn’t writing, no his eyes were trained on Mammon.

“Mammon…do you remember the last meeting we had?”

Mammon’s head shot down the table, quickly trying to remember what they had discussed, “Yeah…Yeah I do.”

Samael lightly nodded his head, his earring shaking with his head as he said, “That’s good, I’m glad to hear that…but can you remind me what I asked you to do?”

Mammon quickly racked his brain, “It was uh, something about supplies and materials right?”

Samael snapped his fingers, “Right, that was what I asked and can you remember why I asked for them? It’s just slipping my mind right now.”

Mammon’s eyes widened as he gulped, a small chuckle coming from his throat as he mumbled a reply. Samael showed a look of confusion, tilting his head towards Mammon as he asked, “Sorry, what was that?”

Mammon felt his voice get caught in his throat, struggling to give an answer, “I-it was for preparation…”

“Right, right…preparation for what?”

“Extermination day.”

Samael smiled, standing from his chair as he clapped his hands, his shoes clacking against the ground as he said, “You’re right, thank you Mammon.”

Samael came behind Mammon’s chair, grabbing Mammon’s shoulders and leaning his head down next to Mammon’s face, “But now, it still leaves the question…where are my supplies?”

Mammon looked to his left, staring right into violent violet whirlpools of dangerous energy that threatened his very soul, “I don’t know.”

“You don’t know?” Samael said with a light chuckle, slapping Mammon on the shoulder as if this was the greatest thing he ever heard.

Samael looked towards the other two Sins, “He doesn’t know? That’s hilarious, he doesn’t know. What do you guys think?”

Neither Amsodeus or Beelzebub responded, both frightened by the energy Samael was producing right now. Samael didn’t even skip a beat though, looking back down at Mammon, he grabbed the sin by the shoulders again.

“You. Just. Don’t. Know.” With each word Samael applied more pressure to Mammon’s shoulders. Mammon felt as if mountains were being placed upon him, feeling crushed under the immense pressure, only ever increasing by each passing moment, all weighing on his body, and soul.

The prince’s voice was low and echoey, as if he was right next to Mammon and at the same time miles away, “Mammon. Not only did you disobey me, you tried to go behind my back. You thought you could steal my package, Supplies that were meant for the people, and get away with it?”

Mammon felt a void of regret open up in his soul, devouring all of the joy and delight he had felt when he had taken the supplies, he thought he could get away with it…he was wrong.

“I-I’m sorry.” Mammon stuttered as Samael’s presence grew larger and darker, overshadowing Mammon and suffocating him.

“That’s not enough…” Samael’s grip tightened on Mammon, the sin wincing as he quickly said,

“I-It won’t happen again.”

Samael’s dark shadow retracted, Mammon feeling terrified as he saw Samael smiling at him as if nothing was wrong, but his eyes, his eyes told all, “There won’t be a next time, are we clear?”

Samael’s voice never raised an octave, an act that frightened Mammon to his core, “Y-yes. I understand.”

“Good,” Samael then looked up at the other two sins, his gaze piercing through them as he said, “the same goes for you two.”

The duo sins tensed up at being mentioned, now the source of the tension being directed right towards them “Just because you’ve done a good job, doesn’t mean you get to laze around. Do I make myself clear?”

The deadly sins nodded rapidly in response.

Samael replied in the same manner, satisfied with the response, and let go of Mammon’s shoulder, Mammon taking in a deep breath as the weight disappeared. He may have survived but that brought him no relief, he just got lucky to see another day.

Samael sat back down in his seat and pulled up his stack of papers, speaking to the whole room as he said, “Now onto further business, as you know extermination day was yesterday. This means that Pride has been thrown in a little bit of discontentment and that I have a lot of work to do, so I’m going to need a lot of importance from all of you while I deal with various things.”

From there the meeting went quick, the Sin’s listened adeptly as Samael explained everything. It was the same song and dance, besides the little bit of flavor at the beginning of the meeting.

When all was said and done, Samael had some time to himself as he was alone in the room, so he decided to reward himself with a cold drink and a moment of rest.

What better way to accompany the silence with the noise of a live TV in the background. Probably some scams, overlords advertisem*nt, sex shows, nothing out of the ordinary.

Just some noise to blur out his thoughts.

He would soon be broken out of his short lived harmony, his eyes opening to the sight of his sister….

Fighting a sinner,,,,,

Live, in front of millions of demons….

Samael could feel his blood pressure rising, the glass of Beelzebub Juice he had just been sipping cracking in his hand, fire igniting along the accents of his clothes,

“Charlotte…what are you doing?”

Charlie was all smiles as she looked at her new hotel, her heart jumping with joy as she buzzed with glee. She couldn’t believe it, maybe her dream was going to work after all.

While she didn’t fully trust Alastor yet, she hoped with time all of them could come together to help Angel and hopefully even more Sinners on their path to redemption. Together they would hopefully be able to bring a little bit of Heaven to Hell.

But just as she started to imagine all of the activities that they could do together she heard the screech of car wheels and roar of an engine. That was weird to her, they weren’t expecting anyone else but maybe it was some more Sinners who had seen her Ad.

She turned to Vaggie, her smile gleaming and her body jumping as she grabbed Vaggie by the air, “Come on Vaggie, I think we have new tenants!”

Vaggie chuckled, but went along with her girlfriend, the two rushing to the door…but as Vaggie grew closer she felt the air stiffen and chill. A dark presence on the other side of the door that scared her more than when she had first met Alastor.

She wanted to tell Charlie that maybe they shouldn’t open the door, that whatever was on the other side was dangerous but she was too late. Charlie threw open the door to reveal a very tall man with long blond hair, his body relaxed with a slight pleasant smile on his lips.

Vaggie felt that breath that was caught in her throat diminish as she realized it was only Charlie’s brother. Charlie's eyes widened in surprise for a moment before she opened her arms wide and screamed, “Sammy!’

Angel peeked his head from around the corner and said, “Sammy?” Alastor stepped around the corner to look towards the entrance of the hotel, his head tilting as he narrowed his eyes.

Samael leant down and wrapped his arms around Charlie, “Charlotte, it’s been too long.”

“Yes it has you big dummy, you never come by anymore!” She said as attempted to hug the life out of him, laughing joyously as if nothing could ruin her day anymore.

“I’m sorry sister, just been busy is all…but I figured I would stop by and see how your…project was coming along.” Samael said as he broke the hug, looking behind her and seeing Angel and Alastor, ignoring them to look towards Vaggie.

His eyes analyzing her from top to bottom, “And this is Vaggie I presume?”

“Ah, yes! This is my wonderful girlfriend,” Charlie said, grabbing Vaggie by the shoulder and pulling Vaggie into her, “Vaggie!”

Vaggie awkwardly waved her hand and with a nervous chuckle said, “Hey.”

Samael held his hand out to her, Vaggie taking it in her own hand only to stumble as he pulled her towards him, wrapping her in a hug he said, “Thank you for looking after my sister, I’ve been told so much about you.”

Charlie beamed at seeing her brother accepting her girlfriend, “She’s been an amazing help, without her I don’t think any of this would be here.”

Samael chuckled, “That’s great Charlotte,” Samael ‘s face was overcome with a chilling stillness as he said, “it’s almost like she fell straight from the skies and right onto your lap, she truly is a wonder.”

Vaggie gulped, and nervously chuckled at that, “Yeah…”

Samael gave her a tight lipped smile, “Just continue to support my sister, I hope I can count on you to look after her while I’m not around?” he asked, an ominous tone in his voice.

Vaggie nodding her head as she give a shaky smile, “Y-yes, you can.”

“Thank you, I’m glad to hear that,” Samael said, patting Vaggie on the head. Charlie growing disgruntled as she said,

“Hey, I’m a kid anymore Sam! I can look out for myself!”

Samael turned his gaze onto her, “Oh you can’t blame me for worrying dear sister,” Samael’s eyes gained a faraway look, his voice lowering as it gained a hidden sweetness, “You’re just too good for this place…”

Then Samael blinked rapidly, a soft sigh escaping his lips as he regained a casual smile, walking past the two, “Well Charlotte show me the rest of your tenants, I can’t wait to see what you’ve accomplished.”

Charlie watched him go for a few moments, chewing on her lip as if she was trying to comprehend some deep mathematical problem. Only to fail to reach a solution, a sigh escaping her lips as she said, “Come on Vaggie, let’s go show him what the Happy Hotel is about!”

“Yeah, I’ll be right with you hon,” Vaggie said blankly as she stared at the spot that Samael just stood thinking to herself, “There’s no way he knows. He can’t know…”

Samael looked around the entrance of the hotel, a smile forming on his face as he heard the rapid flapping of wings. Looking up to see Razel and Dazel streaking through the air towards him, crashing into him as he wrapped them up in his arms, “Razel, Dazel! How are my little buddies?”

Samael grinned as he started to scratch them in all their favorite spots, the two creatures flying in front of him enjoying every second of his attention, “oh you guys are just the cutest. I trust you’ve been taking care of my sister?”

Razel and Dazel rapidly nodded their heads, Samael wrapping them in his arms again as he said, “Good, thank you so much you little rascals. I’ll be sure to come back and reward you with as many head scratches as your little head’s desire, now, off you go.” Samael said as he let go of them, the two demon creatures flying off as he started to look around the hotel.

His eyes eventually settled on the bar where both Angel and Husker sat watching him, his earring shining against the bright lights of the bar as he strided up to it.

Ignoring Angel Dust he focused solely on Husker, “What’s your speciality?”

“Whatever you want, Prince, even if it’s forgetting.”

Samael raised an eyebrow, “Hmm, interesting, well I’m here for family so why not just a Manhattan, if you can make it that is?”

Husker snorted, “One Manhattan coming right up.”

“Thank you,” Samael then turned to Angel Dust, who was currently sizing Samael up like he was a piece of f*ckable meat, “Angel Dust, how goes your stay?”

“Wait,” Angel Dust looked at Samael in shock, “You know me?”

“Of course, biggest p*rn Star in the Ring of Pride, not to mention your little competition with Tiffany. If I didn’t know of you then I wouldn’t be doing my job.”

“Oh,” Angel started to grin, “The Prince of Hell knows about me, f*ck yeah.”

Husker then placed Samael’s drink in front of him, “One Manhattan.”

Samael nodded his head to the bartender, picking up the glass, a small clink ringing out as his ring hit its edge. Husker watched impatiently, and with a hint of worry, as Samael took a sip. This was the Prince of Hell, Charlie’s brother, one of the most powerful people in Hell. It was smart to make a good first impression.

Samael let out a content sigh, “Well Husker, despite your decrease in status, you can still make a fine drink.”

Husker felt a little pain in his heart at that comment but shrugged it off, “Thank you Prince.”

“No problem,” Samael said as he turned in his seat to stare up into Alastor’s eyes, “Now who are you?”

Alastor tilted his head, “The name’s Alastor good sir, and I must say it is a pleasure to finally meet you, quite the pleasure.”

“Ah, yes, uhm…” Alastor’s eye twitched as Samael looked at him confused, looking the Sinner up and down before finally saying, “Do I know you?”

When Samael said that Angel felt his jaw drop, a laugh bursting out of his throat as he fell out of his seat backwards. Husker nearly dropped the glass he had picked up and started to clean, unlike Angel he managed to reign in his absolute delight at that comment.

Alastor’s jaw twitched, “Alastor, the Radio Demon, you must have heard of me?”

“Ah huh!” Samael said, tilting his head before a sense of recognition passed through his eyes as he snapped his fingers, “The radio guy, right, I remember now. The guy with the creepy voice and stuff.”

Angel stopped laughing for a second when he heard that, before snorting as he said, “radio guy,” and then started to roll on the floor, Husker turning to look at him and nearly joining him. Before he looked back up at Alastor and could just tell that the Sinner wanted to break his cane across the countertop.

“Yes…the radio…guy.”

“Yeah, you and Vox had that little thing going on too. Sorry it’s just been a while you know, my ever fleeting memory can’t keep up with every little mundane detail on a daily basis.”

Alastor blinked a few times, “Excuse me?” he couldn’t believe what he was hearing.

“Well, a day doesn’t go by in hell without some drama between-” Samael started to speak before looking past Alastor and noticing someone, “Ah! Nifty, is that you?”

Nifty’s little head shot off the ground, a bug resting in her mouth that she quickly spit out as she yelled, “Bad Boy!”

Alastor looked between the two absolutely baffled, he couldn't believe what he was seeing. Husker couldn’t believe it either, his glass crashing out of his hand as he asked, “Wait, you know Nifty?”

Samael turned to him, “Yeah, I hire her cleaning services from time to time, she is a huge help.”

At that Husker couldn’t take it anymore, he looked towards Alastor and just broke out laughing, Samael looking between the two for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and getting out of his chair. Walking towards the miniature Sinner who rushed towards him.

Running around him and then climbing his body as Samael stood still, waiting patiently for his assessment. Nifty popping up on his shoulder and proclaiming, “Good, you're clean, you're always’ clean!”

“Why thank you Nifty,” Samael said, reaching up to pick Nifty off his shoulder, holding her in front of him as she looked like she usually did, positively insane. Samael let out a loose chuckle, “Never change ya little gremlin.”

“Well Charlotte I must say that you have some good people here,” Samael said as he turned to his sister, Nifty dropping out of his grip and running off to continue her bug hunt. Charlie smiled wide as he turned to her and said, “But now I would like to talk to you in private if possible. It has been a while since we last spoke to each other, don’t you think?”

“Ah, of course, uhm, follow me we can talk in my room,” Charlie said, heading further into the hotel, Samael following after her. Alastor was still stuck in his spot, questioning how Samael knew Vox but not him. Angel and Husker were still dying of laughter, and Vaggie watched Charlie go concerned.

Charlie bounded into her room, a smile on her face as she plopped onto her bed. Turning to look at her brother with excitement only for it to fizzle away when she saw his face. Unlike before when he was talking to her at the door, he seemed less than pleased to be here.

“Sam? Are you okay? Is something wrong?”

Samael let out a sigh, his body falling back onto the wood of her door as he said, “Yes Charlie, there is something wrong…”

Charlie felt shocked when she heard him call her by her nickname for the first time in a while, he never did anymore and while this should have made her happy it only made her more nervous.

“What’s the matter Sam?”

“You know our positions right? Our titles?” Samael got off the door, walking around Charlie’s room slowly, his face hidden from her view as she said,

“Yes? We’re the prince and princess?” she said awkwardly with a slight giggle, hoping to ignite something out of him. Instead all he did was fiddle with his ring, an uncomfortable silence settling over them.

After a few moments Samael finally spoke, “We have responsibilities Charlie, we’re meant to be leaders and figures of respect that the people can look up to.”

“Sam, Is this about the interview?”

Samael turned to her, his face radiating a profound sense of dissatisfaction, “Yes it is, I’m disappointed in you Charlie. That little stunt you pulled with that sinner…”

“Sam, I can expla-”

“Charlie, I don’t need a reason or an excuse. We’re Morningstars, we are supposed to be perfect Charlie.” He said, walking towards her and grabbing her face in his palms as he looked down at her, “We are perfect.”

Samael shook his head, letting go of her as he turned his back, “You should never allow a filthy sinner even dare to talk down to you like that, to even think they have that ability, let alone making a fool out of you.”

Charlie was stung by Samael’s words, the heat and disgust he felt as he talked about Katie Killjoy, no all sinners. She clasped her hands in her lap, feeling tears pooling at her eyes, Samael turned over his shoulder to look at her.

He felt a void open in his stomach, his finger’s twitching as a profound sense of shame enveloped him. Samael rushed back to her side, getting down on his knees he looked up at her, “Oh no no no, don’t cry darling.”

“I-I’m sorry, I just, I thought I s-should go with my heart,” Charlie said through sniffles as she tried to stop herself from crying, “But I m-made us look bad, I made you look bad. I’m sorry-”

“Charlie sweet heart, you don’t need to cry, you have nothing to apologize for” Samael said, interrupting her as she looked up from her lap at him, “I should be apologizing, I never meant to make you cry, I just…I just worry for you Charlie.”

Samael brought Charlie into his arms, placing her head in the crook of his neck, “These demons, these sinners, they don’t deserve you. They don’t deserve this chance you're giving them. They’ll only use you, take from you and hurt you to fill their own selfish needs.”

“B-but…what if they can change?” Charlie asked into his shirt, Samael sighing, biting the inside of his lip as he thought about the best way to go about this.

“I…I know you mean well Charlotte, but, Sinner’s don’t change. They can’t change. They believe they have the freedom to do whatever they want, be it at the cost of anyone and anything.”

Samael broke away from the hug, holding Charlie’s shoulders in his grip as he said, “I just, I don’t want you to burn in their fire,” he finished his sentence by planting a kiss on her forehead, “I love you Charlotte, you’re my sister and I just don’t want anything to bring harm to you.”

“I know…but I still have to try Sam. I need to do this, to help them.” Charlie said, her eyes starting to regain their shine as she grabbed his hands in return. Samael, seeing that glow, only felt a pang in his heart, planting one final kiss on her forehead and with a soft smile he said, “Then try Charlie…I’ll…I hope you succeed.”

Letting go of Charlie he stood to his feet and as he turned his back on her, but she had to ask, she had to know, “Sam…what happened?”

Samael stopped in his tracks, turning to look over his shoulder at her. Charlie chewed on her lip and said, “We used to share this dream, to help out the sinners, to help the misunderstood, to bring peace to the unfortunate. You told me that yourself. Then, what happened?”

Shadow covered the prince’s eyes, turning away from her, Charlie feeling as magic started to pool around him. For how strong the ignited fire was, his following words barely had the strength to leave his throat, “I grew up Charlie…”

Fire appeared at the base of his feet and shot up in a vortex, covering his body from sight and when it disappeared he was gone. Leaving behind a residual scent of firewood.

Charlie fell back onto her bed and curled up as she thought about her brother, thinking about what he had said.

Vaggie entering her room several minutes later, quietly walking towards the bed. She sat on it, her body sinking into the covers as she placed a hand on Charlie’s back, “How you feeling hon?”

Vaggie asked softly, only to hear a soft mumbled, “Fine.”

The one-eyed demon rolled her eye, “Charlie, I know you better than that. What’s on your mind?”

The princess rolled over to look at her, “I’m fine Vaggie, just got a lot on my mind.”

“Is it because of your brother?”

“Yeah…he had some things to say about the TV station.”

“Oh,” Vaggie said, chewing on her lip, “Well, it’s just one thing it can’t be that bad?”

“No, it’s not he just was…he was super disappointed and that just made me think.”

Vaggie stayed silent as she watched Charlie contemplate, giving her girlfriend the space to say what she needed, “What if it’s my fault things are like this?”

Vaggie tilted her head, placing a hand on the princess’s shoulder she asked, “What do you mean hon?”

“You wouldn’t know…but I remember…”

Charlie gained a far away look in her eye, a pleasant smile coming to her face as she remembered her older brother hoisted her up on his shoulders and ran around his room.

Cradling her as he read a bedtime story, and then tickling her as he acted like the monster in the story. Him practicing his fencing, his body practically radiating joy as he gave his all to the craft.

“His eyes used to shine with joy, his smile was so radiant I swear he brought light into any room he entered.” She said as she remembered her and her brother playing together, using the ducks her father made to create fantastical stories.

Charlie then lost her smile, a pained look coming to her eye as she said, “But I don’t see that look anymore. It feels like he’s hiding something. Like he’s barely holding on, all because of me.”

“Oh hon,” Vaggie rubbed her shoulder, “Your brother’s probably just stressed, it was just extermination day after all.”

Charlie remembered the Samael she met today, those eyes that held so much within them. They didn’t show her the truth anymore, didn’t show his joy. It was like he had locked away everything inside of him, leaving behind only a stone mask that got sh*t done.

“I don’t think that’s it…” Charlie said as she started to think about when he changed. How he went from what he used to be to what he was now.

And that made her wonder to herself, was it her fault? He wasn’t like this before their mother took her away. Was….Was she the reason her brother was in so much pain?

Then she remembered that ring, the ring she saw him wearing. She didn’t know why he would still wear it, and Charlie wondered if that played a part in his change. Maybe she was what caused him to close his heart off.

Charlie just didn’t know. If she was the problem, if she was the reason? How could Charlie fix it? How could she help her brother? Samael didn’t tell her anything anymore, he just kept his head up high and was the prince everyone needed. She wanted to help, but every time she tried, he would either laugh it off, or just ignore it. She just didn’t know what to do anymore, and it frightened her.

Her brother was slowly fading away, and Charlie couldn’t do anything about it.

Vaggie felt her heartbreak, as she watched her girlfriend’s conflicted expression, “We’ll figure it out hon, we’ll get to the bottom of what’s up with your brother together.”

She leaned down and placed a soft kiss on Charlie’s head, “I promise.”

“Thank you,” Charlie said as she stared out the window, her mind lost as she wondered about her brother, wondering what he was doing right now and why he didn’t open up to her anymore.

Samael took a sip of his Beelzebub juice as he continued to type away violently at his computer, his fingers moving fast as they typed word after word. Filled blank after blank, answered email after email.

At least until his phone rang, an annoyed sigh leaving his lips as he lifted it up to his ear,

“Hello?”

“What’s up pipsqueak! You miss me?”

Samael felt his headache grow stronger, a sigh escaping his lips as he realized his week was only just beginning. On the other side of his phone call was Adam, the first man Adam, and that meant nothing good for Samael…

Chapter 2: Overture

Chapter Text

Samael stood outside the door to the Angel’s meeting room, his cane tapping against the floor as he waited, letting out an anxious breath. He wasn’t looking forward to this. Whatever Adam wanted to talk to him about, especially to bring him all the way to Heaven couldn’t be good.

Samael stopped tapping his cane, taking a deep breath he closed his eyes. Rolling his shoulders and then standing straighter Samael calmed himself. He was the Prince of Hell. He was Samael Morningstar, whatever Adam wanted to throw at him, he could take it.

But just as he was getting himself settled in for the meeting, he heard a soft, joyful voice. One that he hadn’t heard in several years and sent a tiny shock through his system,

“Sammy?”

Samael’s eyes shot open, turning his head to the left he saw a young Angel with silver-like skin, her eyes shining with joy as she ran towards him, “Sammy!”

Samael stepped back instinctively, opening his arms up as she jumped into him. Samael’s wrapping around her and keeping her close to him as he heard her bubbly giggle.

Samael felt a smile come to his lips, with a joking tone he asked, “Who am I holding right now, Emily, Em, or E?”

Emily huffed, pushing herself off of his chest so she could look at his face, Samael smirking as she narrowed her eyes at him, “Really? We haven’t seen each other in years and that’s the first thing you say?”

Samael chuckled, “Come on, it was kind of funny.”

Emily crossed her arms and with a swish of her hair faced away from him, Samael rolling his eyes at her exaggerated action. Using one of his arms he kept her propped up in his arms and with the other reached up to lightly pinch her cheek.

Emily letting out a squeak, turned to him with a whine, “Hey, that hurts.”

“Mhm,” Samael smirked as he chuckled evilly, “Guess the great Seraphims aren’t as tough as they say.”

“That’s not fair!” She said only for the two of them to break down into laughter a few moments later. A radiant sound that burst forth from both of their lungs and filled the hallway.

“It’s been too long Emily, how are you?” Samael asked as his laughter died down, Emily smiling as she started to excitedly talk,

“Great! Sera’s been teaching me a lot! I’ve been meeting so many new souls. I'm doing my best to help a lot of the newer Winners. Some of them are so shy and so generous, some of them are natural born leaders, some of them…”

Emily filled in every detail she could about her day, a dull moment never filling the space as Samael listened intently, responding as needed. Emily continued until her eyes noticed a light shine from underneath his hair. Moving the blond strands out of the way she reached out to the earring that dangled from his lobe.

Lighting up as she said, “Oh! You’re still wearing it.”

“Of course Em, Why wouldn’t I wear the most eye-catching earring in the entire world? It was a gift from you, I’d never throw that away. And you didn’t hear this from me,” Samael pretended to look around, as if he was telling a secret “but I think everyone gets so jealous that they can’t have one like me.”

Emily’s laugh had brightened his world, completely forgetting the tension on him from before, her laugh so infectious he couldn’t help himself but to join.

“I’m glad you still wear it,” She said happily.

“And I can say the same to you, Emy.” Sam referred to the other half of the earring that Emily wore.

“Yap! This way, every time I miss you, I look in the mirror and remember how close you are to me!”

Samael’s heart skipped a beat from Emily’s wholesome declaration, chuckling and rubbing her head to reward her for being so patient and making him feel better. But at last, he was here for a reason, “While it is sooo much fun holding and chatting with you, I do kind of have a meeting to attend to.”

“Oh right! Sorry!,” Emily giggled awkwardly.

“Don’t worry Emily, it is always fun catching up with the best angel of heaven” Samael let Emily out of the hold he had on her. Emily gracefully landed on the ground and immediately creased out the wrinkles in her dress.

That welcoming smile never left her face as she looked back up at him, still slightly embarrassed from the previous comment “Well why are you here? ِDid Sera call you up here for a meeting?”

“Yeah,” Samael ran a finger through his air as he talked, “Sera and Adam wanted to talk to me about something, haven’t been told what yet.”

“Hmm,” Emily grabbed her chin and tried to think about why Sera would call him up, she hadn’t in a long time and since most of the time Adam just held the meeting in Hell’s Embassy, they rarely had Samael come up here anymore.

“They didn’t mention anything?” She asked looking up at Samael, the Prince of Hell averting his eyes, his hands started to fiddle with the ring on his finger. Spinning it back and forth, rubbing the cool metal against his skin.

“No, you know how Adam is. He wouldn’t tell me anything unless it was necessary…or just trying to act cool.”

“Well…,” Emily’s voice faded as her eyes trailed from his face to his moving hands. Noticing the ring he was fiddling with as her smile lost a little of its glimmer. Reaching out she placed a hand on Samael’s forearm, “Sam, are you doing okay?”

Samael tilted his head, “What? Yeah, why wouldn’t I be?”

Emily tilted her head, gesturing to his ring, Samael’s smile fading as he placed his hands behind his back, “It’s fine Emily, trust me.”

“Sam-” Just as Emily went to speak, the door to the meeting room opened with a bang, Samael turning his upper body towards it before looking back at her.

“Well…duty calls.”

Emily frowned slightly, before shaking her head and clasping her hands together, “It was great talking to you again Samael…just,” Emily’s voice got caught in her throat as she tried to find the right words, but she didn’t know what to say, a sigh escaping her lips, “just, have a great meeting.” She said with her usual carefree smile, Samael nodding his head to her.

“Thank you Em, and next time, maybe don’t crashland into me. I’m getting old, you know.” Samael imitated the voice of an old man, using his cane as a pillar of support to barely stand on his wobbly legs.

Once more, he got to hear Emily’s joyous laughter, and it made it all worth it. The young Seraphim closed their distance once more, giving him one last hug “Sammy, anytime you felt sad, alone, or lost, you know you can count on me, right?”

For a moment, the prince of hell paused, but was quick to shake away his hesitance, hugging the younger of the two in return “Of course Emily, you don’t need to worry about me.”

Emily wanted to say more, to hold him for longer, to somehow magically snap all his worries away; But she couldn’t. She saw it, she sensed it, she felt it, yet she couldn’t do anything about it. She was supposed to bring joy and happiness to the souls around her. Maybe he wasn’t a human soul, but it was still a soul, it had to count, right?

Too absorbed in her thoughts, she didn’t notice him raising her chin and gently peering into her bright orbs “Emily, You can sense my feelings, right?”

“Y-yes.”

Samael gave her a soft smile, touching his chest he asked, “And how do I feel now?”

“Well, happy and, content.” Emily said, it was the truth, he was happy, but-

Samael’s voice cut through her thoughts, his voice placid, “Exactly. Then there is no reason to get hung up on it, okay?”

“Emily hesitated, her words coming out stuttered as she said, B-But, I can’t just-”

“Emily. Trust me, okay?”

Samael’s words felt so genuine, like they were straight from his heart that Emily didn’t know how to argue with him. If he believed he was fine what could she do besides accept his words. Even if she was still worried.

“Now, hop along Em. I’m sure there are many souls who would be delighted to see you.” Samael said, patting her shoulder twice before withdrawing his hand.

Emily suddenly jolted up, as if remembering she was needed somewhere. But before she left, she was quick to call him out “Sam, please visit more.”

“Why not? You keep on doing a good job and we can spend more time together, maybe I can even take you to Earth and show you the falling stars one day.”

Emily’s eyes lit up, “Really? You’d do that with me?”

“Of course Em, but for now get to your duties or Sera is going to be upset.”

“Yes, right. Well it was great seeing you Sam!” Emily said, and despite her worry she felt satisfied with his answers. At least he promised to see her again, for the moment that was enough.

“You as well,” Samael said, watching intently as she flew around the corner. The moment she was out of sight, Samael’s shoulders sagged, a deep sigh escaping his lips.

As much as he loved and appreciated the bubbly Seraphim, sometimes, she made it really hard to resist. But Sam knew better to taint her pure soul with his failures.

Putting all of his weight onto his cane he took a deep breath, his eyes closing as he recentered himself. He didn’t have a lot of time though, he needed to do his duty, his job. He needed to keep moving forward, there wasn’t time for him to stand still and do nothing.

Standing straight, throwing his cane up, he grabbed it right below the handle and walked into the room, each step he took commanding respect. Soon he found himself in front of the Angel Adam, his lieutenant Lute, and the Seraphim Sera. Adam throwing his hand up and saying,

“What’s up pipsqueak?”

“Adam.” Samael said, his hands tightening around his staff, while his head nodded in respect, then turning to Sera, “Sera, it is good to see you both.”

“It is good to see you as well Prince Morningstar,” Sera said, she then held her hand out to her fellow Angel, “Now that you are here, we can resume the meeting. The reason why we are gathered here today, Adam brought to my attention some nefarious news and I felt it in our best interest if we discussed it in person.”

Samael put both his hands on the top of his cane, exhaling as he said, “I’m listening.”

“As you know, the Extermination happened recently and when Adam and Lute returned to Heaven they noticed that-”

“Your people killed one of my bitches!” Adam shouted over Sera, slamming his hand down on the table as he shot up. Pointing at Samael, all the while Sera held a disgruntled look.

Samael felt shocked but not too much, after all, angels weren’t his people. Still a surprise nonetheless, “What? That’s…that’s not possible?”

“Well the bitch is dead, so please tell me what else could happen?”

“A corpse would be a good start, you have to have some kind of proof at least to make this claim?” Samael said, keeping his cool like it was an everyday matter.

Adam chuckled, “Well f*cker I actually do,” with a flick of his wrist Adam…

Did nothing?

Adam turned to the screen that was behind him to see nothing on the television, “What the f*ck?”

He turned to Lute who was smashing a button on a controller, “Lute? What the f*ck is going on?”

“One second sir!” She said quickly before slamming her fist on the button and the TV turning on with a blip showing the dead Angel’s body.

Adam let out a sigh, “What a buzzkill,” before turning towards Samael and shouting, “Ah ha, care to explain?”

Samael looked over the Angel’s body, its head was cut clean through, severed by something sharp he could tell. He sighed, rubbing his thumb along the ridges of his cane,

“Yeah that’s definitely a dead bitch,” the prince mumbled himself loud enough for Adam to hear, who had a less than positive reaction as he clenched his fists and teeth. Getting his amusem*nt, Samael turned the focus to the deceased exterminator, “How do we know someone from Hell killed her? You have to have more proof than a corpse. Witnesses, perhaps?”

Samael said, only for Adam and Lute to smirk as Sera started to talk, “I understand your hesitancy with this matter Samael, but a fellow Angel wouldn’t attack another,” Adam and Lute pulled on the collars, Samael rolling his eyes at the declaration “And Adam does have a witness.”

Sera turned towards Adam expecting him to come forth with his information, only for the original man to whistle as he turned away from her. Sera was confused, placing her hand on the table and she asked, “Adam?”

Adam stretched backwards and rubbed the back of his head, “Yeah…about the witness…there kind of wasn’t any.”

Sera froze, “What?”

Adam then turned and snapped his fingers at his lieutenant, “Take it away Lute!”

Lute stepped forward, “The Angel in question, Seraphim, broke away from her squad at some point and was not seen or heard from again, only her body being found.”

Sera and Samael simultaneously felt a headache form, Sera because Adam didn’t have a lead on who could have done it and Samael because this entire situation was causing too much drama in Hell.

“So you're telling me that you’re just accusing a hell kind of such a heinous crime, without any evidence?”

Adam let out an annoyed growl, “Well who else could have done it, huh? Are you trying to blame one of my girls?”

Samael smirked, his tone mocking as he said, “I’ve been to your training camps a few times, and let me tell you I’ve seen cannibals more civilized fighting over a corpse then your soldiers of justice. Excuse me for thinking twice before jumping to conclusions.

Adam jumped up, “Don’t compare my girls to your freaks! You wish you could have their action, you don’t even have it in bed!”

Samael snorted, “Says the guy who’s been divorced twice.”

Adam lowered his hand for a moment, caught off guard “W-Wha…! Well…” before shaking out of it and yelling out, “says the guy who’s been divorced, once!”

Samael’s fist clenched, his body calm and steady, while his voice sounded distant and hollow, “You will take that back.”

Adam started to sweat, “W-well you started it, bitch!”

As the two individuals' confrontation with each other reached its climax, Sera decided to intervene, her soft voice filling the air, “Calm yourselves you two, there has to be some kind of understanding we can come to here.”

Her voice was layered with a sharp undertone, Samael exhaled his tension, playing along for now as he calmed himself,

“What understanding? The exterminators have only one job that they somehow managed to fail, and their leader was Adam,” his voice started to grow haunting as the room dimmed for a moment, his eyes locked onto the first man “I believe we have the man right here to punish.”

Adam shivered, but was quick to turn it to anger, jumping out of his seat, flying down to the ground and standing directly in front of Samael. Pushing a finger into his face as he proclaimed, “Look, we need to double the exterminations. Obviously, our little Prince here can’t handle the population so they need to be culled.”

Samael’s fingers twitched, wrapping tightly around his cane, chuckling darkly, “Adam, I suggest you let the adults do the talking before you make any decisions that you’re going to regret.”

Adam curtly said, “I’m older than you asshole!”

Samael stood as straight as he could, easily looking down at Adam he tilted his head, his eyes narrowing as he said, “Doesn’t look like it.”

As Adam started to lose his sh*t, Sera gave a slight smile raising a hand she said, “Adam quiet,” Adam scoffed as he stepped away from Samael. Sera looked down at him as she said, “Prince Samael, our worries are warranted. An Angel died, Adam’s idea has merit.”

Samael clicked his tongue, already knowing where this was going but wanted to hear it from the Seraphim as well, “What are you trying to say?”

“She’s being f*cking clear puss*,” Adam shouted, “You and that bastard father of yours can’t control your ‘subejects’ so we need to take care of it for you. Help you trim the fat.” Adam said a laugh escaping him as he turned to Lute, who somehow was standing behind him, and hi-fiving her.

Samael narrowed his eyes at Adam, his tone laced with anger, “I already let you invade Hell once a year. I let you kill my people once a year. Now you want to increase it?”

Samael gripped his cane tightly, “You told my father and I that you wanted to combat the overpopulation problem, so we allowed it.” Samael pointed the end of his cane at Adam, “This is not some overpopulation, you’re just using it as an excuse to feed your disgusting kinks.”

Samael glared at Adam, the Angel grinning as he stepped forward, but before anything could happen Sera coughed, both Adam and Samael looking up at her. Sera looked to Samael, “What would you suggest instead?”

Samael grit his teeth, he didn’t have time, he didn’t know what he could offer…

What could win them over…

How could he change their minds…

Then it hit him. He hated that he had to put his sister in the spot, but he had no other choice. Samael breathed in deep, biting his lip before saying, “My sister…my sister might have a different option.”

Sera tilted her head, “Charlie Morningstar?”

“Yes, let me set up a meeting with you. She can tell you everything about this idea, it’s been her dream since she was a kid.”

Sera thought about it, folding her hands together and she said, “What is this idea?”

Samael exhaled a stiff breath, “It’s better if I leave it to her, she has more passion and knowledge about it than I do.”

“Oh I smell bullsh*t, he’s stalling,” Adam whined as he turned to Sera.

The Seraphim looked between the two of them before saying, “Very well here’s what we’re going to do, Adam you will meet with Charlie Morningstar and hear out her idea. If you find her idea terrible then the exterminations will proceed as scheduled.”

“What?! Sera!” Samael lost his cool for the first time in the meeting as he started to protest only for Sera to raise her hand, “Silence please Samael.”

Samael grit his teeth, looking away from her as she started to speak again, “Prince Samael for you I will give you the option of finding the Sinner or Hellborn responsible for the murder, then you may turn them into us and we will cancel the second extermination.”

Samael clenched his fingers, “Sera, Adam’s not going to give Charlie a fair trial, and how do you expect me to find one out of millions, billions of souls, when even you don’t have a lead on it?”

“You must have an idea of someone who is powerful enough.”

Samael’s eyes drifted to his fingers which were clasped around his cane, the black shine of his ring filling his vision, “You know just as well as I do that power isn’t the only factor Sera,” his voice was calm and flat.

Sera let out a hum, “What do you mean Prince Samael?”

“For those you love you can go any distance, even if it means killing the unkillable…well, believed to be unkillable. They may be sinners or demons, but some still have the will to do even the most impossible tasks, if it means their family can live to see another day.”

Sera nodded her head, she understood his sentiment. Getting up from her seat she floated down to Samael, landing softly in front of him she placed a hand on his shoulder, but before she could say anything the two of them heard Adam gagging.

Both Prince and Seraphim looked towards the Angel to see him fake gagging to Lute as they watched Samael’s and Sera’s moment, both the angel and demon staring at the first man who felt crushed in body, “Shut up Adam,” and spirit as he was berated by both.

“Well, uh…” Adam didn’t know how to respond, because while he would cuss out Samael he couldn’t do that with Sera, so instead he just crossed his arms, “I’m out of here, this meeting was a bore anyway, come on Lute!”

The two Angel’s left the room, leaving Samael and Sera alone. Samael reached up and grabbed Sera’s arm, looking up at her he said, “There is another way Sera, there has to be.”

Sera sighed, closing her eyes she let go of Samael, “I’m sorry Samael, there is nothing I can do. My hands are tied here.”

“Don’t give me that Sera, you're the Seraphim, you give the final say here.” Samael objected.

“That I may be, but you know just as I do, that just because our title holds weight it does not mean we can do as we please. We must do what’s best for our subjects even if it means someone gets hurt.”

Samael groaned, “Sera this isn’t something as simple as hurting someone, we’re talking about human souls here. Souls that are going to die in droves.”

Samael reached for his ring in an attempt to seek comfort, only for his hand to bump into his cane. Gritting his teeth, he tossed the cane into the air, disappearing in a small fiery blaze.

“I’m the Prince Sera, it is my job to not let my people die senselessly,” He said, his fingers fiddling with his ring. An act that Sera noticed, her eyes softening.

“Samael,” Sera reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder, leaning down so she could look him directly in the eye, her voice filled with concern as she said, “I know she meant a lot to you, but this is more than that.”

“I don’t know what you're talking about Sera,” Samael said, looking away from her.

“Samael. you’re fiddling with your ring again, you can’t let it destroy you.”

Samael swallowed, yanking his hand away, his fingers twitching as he said, “It hasn’t Sera, I’m fine. It hasn’t and it never will affect my reasoning.”

Sera shook her head, “Then give me the reason for your sudden desire to protect the Sinners? You approved of the original exterminations and you haven’t shed an ounce of disagreement since.”

Samael didn’t answer at first, his body still as his mind whirled until…“I don’t have an answer for you,” he mumbled, his voice like a whisper, carrying subtle hints of frustration.

“It’s been decades Samael, it’s okay to move on.” Sera said, her voice tinted with gentle encouragement.

Samael recoiled, his eyes widening for a moment before he shook his head and stepped back, breaking her touch as he looked up at her with abject defiance, “I have Sera. I moved on ages ago, I’ve done my job flawlessly since then. I am fine and I will always do what’s best for the people.”

Sera stood up straight, “But what about yourself?”

“What?”

Sera’s eyes shimmered with pain that ran deep, turning her back to him as she looked up into the various booths of the room, “Samael, I always thought you’d make an excellent Angel, your decision making, your empathy, your judgment, all of it. I still do believe that, but now…”

Samael couldn’t believe what he was hearing, taking a step back as Sera looked over her shoulder at him, “I wonder if the responsibilities would crush you, just like how it is now.”

Samael found himself at a loss of words, his mind reeling from the weight of what was said.

Him? An angel?....

Tsch, Yeah, right.

“Sera you don’t know what you’re talking about. You don’t know anything about me.”

The pain in Sera’s eyes grew, the hurt she felt palpable in her voice, “Samael I’ve watched you grow for years. I may not see you every day, but I can see how you’ve grown, how you’ve developed, how you’ve changed.”

Samael’s jaw clenched, his posture rigid as he listened to Sera,

“If you keep going down this path you’re going to be crushed, you’re just one man. A strong one, but only one. Reach out-”

“This is my burden to bear Sera, I can’t back out of it now.”

“Then get help fro-”

“I did, I asked you for help, and you threatened me. Turned your back on me.”

Samael’s words cut through her like a knife, his accusation striking her in her core, Sera’s voice wavering as she said, “I’m just trying to-”

“Trying to what? What are you going to accomplish? All you’re doing is making it worse, Sera. If you want to help me, then stop Adam from being a genocidal maniac, that’s how you can help me. Otherwise stay out of my life, I can figure it out on my own.” Samael snapped.

Sera’s eyes widening in horror, her words catching in her throat as she struggled to find the right thing to say. But before she even had the chance Samael flicked his hand up, flames engulfing him and taking him away from her room. Leaving behind the soft scent of firewood.

Sera starred at the spot Samael stood in. Sadness, guilt, pain, feelings she didn’t feel often but now were boiling inside of her like a storm. She had pushed him, and forced him into a situation that made him uncomfortable. Maybe she should have listened to him…

But those feelings were overshadowed as fond memories of Samael resurfaced. A bittersweet feeling built in her chest as she remembered a much younger Samael…

Sera poured over her papers, a tired sigh escaping her lips as she tried to run it over in her head how to solve the problem. She had been on the issue of the architecture for hours now and had yet to come to a solution.

Sera rubbed her eyes, muttering to herself words of encouragement. This was her job, this is what she was made for and as her lord intended she was going to give it her best shot.

But as she opened her eyes she saw a small child standing on a chair in front of her, looking up at her with unblinking violet eyes, Sera only managing to blink, “Prince Samael?”

The child’s smile was bright, his tiny hand waving up at her enthusiastically as he said, “Hi!”

Sera scratched her chin in bewilderment, “Is your father here? Our meeting isn’t for several hours?”

Samael rapidly shook his head, a chirpish giggle escaping his head as hair flew into his face. Sera felt a pang of delight in her heart, but buried it deep as she needed to know one the Prince was here if his father wasn’t.

“Then how…how’d you get here little one?”

Samael bounced in the chair, exclaiming, “I made a portal!” Moving his hands to show her the size of it as he made a wayward circle in the air.

“You…opened a portal? To here? How?” Sera asked, puzzled as to how a kid of all people managed to do such a thing.

Samael’s smile seemed to grow wider as he said, “I focused on a big, white dress and the nice lady, the one who is always kind and gentle, and it brought me here!”

Sera felt her words get caught in her throat, covering her mouth as she mumbled, “You thought that?”

“Mhm!” Samael rapidly shook his head, pointing up at her, “You’re always nice, and I wanted to see you!”

Sera felt her heart race at the bright aura released from Samael, his smile infectious and the delight in his eyes evident. She didn’t know how to take this. He was Lucifer’s child, but he was also adorable!

“What are you doing?” Samael asked, tilting his head.

Sera blinked rapidly as she looked down, he was touching her worksheet, his eyes trailing over the mass of words present. Her voice was soft and gentle, “Oh, uhm, I was working on developing a new area of Heaven.”

Samael’s eyes focused with an unnatural amount of clarity for someone his age, “Then why don’t you…”

Sera’s mouth fell open as Samael started to perfectly talk through the trouble she was having. His mind was someone bringing a perspective to the issue she hadn’t seen. And when he was done he smiled up at her with pride, placing his hands on his waist as if he was a superhero.

Sera smiled, and without even thinking about it reached out and ruffled Samael’s hair, “Well done young one.”

Samael froze at her touch, Sera noticing attempted to pull her hand back but the moment she did his hands latched out for hers. His cheeks immediately flushing pink, but he followed through. Placing her hand back onto his head, Sera choked back a giggle as she started to rub his head.

“Thank you for the help young one, but I have to ask, why are you here?”

Samael gave Sera a shy glance, his eyes dashing away as he started to fidget with his fingers, “Well, uhm…”

Sera chuckled, she stopped petting Samael’s hair and kneeled, looking up at him she asked, “It's okay, you can tell me.” She reached out and grabbed his hands in her’s, offering a smile as Samael kept looking at her and then away.

“Well, I, um, I…m-missed you.”

Those words sent a shock through Sera’s system, her body freezing as she stuttered out, “W-what? But…but, why?”

Samael looked her in the eyes, and managed to hold contact as he rapidly said, “I haven’t seen you for a while, and I always wondered where you went. When I first came here, you showed me around and told me about the souls, about the lives they live here.”

He looked away, the bright smile on his face dimming as he quietly said, “That was the best day of my life. So, I, um, I looked for you, I know you’re busy, but I didn’t want you to be alone!”

Sera smiled softly, reaching up she cupped his cheek and said, “Well Prince Samael, thank you. You were a big help.”

The moment she said that it was like a light had turned on. His smile returned with full force. Almost immediately jumping forward, Sera stunned, quickly moving up to catch him as he wrapped his arms around her neck, a joyous giggle escaping his lips.

A melodic sound that warmed Sera’ heart, her hand coming to rest on the back of his head as she enjoyed every second of the hug.

That was the turning point for Sera, the point at which she let Samael take a piece of her heart with him.

Where she let him get close with Emily, the two of them filling the hallways with their laughter and joy. And anytime she was stuck in her office, tired of the constant work, just like how Samael had this time the two would sneak in and surprise her with a hug. They always scared her soul away, but in those moments she saw Samael in a way very few ever did.

He was carefree, happy, and unworried. His smile was as bright as the sun, his laugh melodic. His eyes sparkling as he looked up at her. He was this small little bundle of joy that she couldn’t help falling in love with, just like how Emily held a piece of her heart, he did too.

And sometimes he would even sneak away to see her just by himself. Telling her every little thing under the sun, dreams, desires, delights. His voice vibrant as he sat in her lap fiddling with his fingers looking up not at her roof, but through it all the way to the stars.

It was funny to think about now, but even at one point he had told her he wanted to be just like her. And at that moment Sera didn’t know if she was going to die from happiness or squeeze the life out of him because of how cute he was…

She chose both.

Sera grew melancholic, the memories slowly fading away, a sigh escaping her lips as she looked away from the spot Samael had stood. As much as she wished for it to not be the case, those moments with Samael were all in the past now…

Now the only thing she could hope for was that he might take at least some of what she said to heart. She knew he was pushing himself, and she was worried for what it would do to him, but she could only hope he could withstand a little longer, after all,

God challenges his strongest soldiers.

Samael's teeth were gnashed together, his figure moving with controlled grace, each step he took was filled with power and purpose. Gripping his foil tightly as a growing sense of agitation grew within him.

“Who?”

But as time went on Samael’s movement’s lost their focus, the meeting he had on Heaven growing heavier in his mind. He thrust at the advancing dummy, his magic reacting to his movements as the dummy parried, the two engaging in a whirlwind of techniques.

“Why…”

Samael’s shoulders started to sag as he barely parried an attack, his footstep becoming erratic as the anger that was fueling him started to fade. His steps became sloppy and his sword strikes heavy. His blade clanged against the dummies, the reverberating sound echoing the conflict he felt as his thoughts bounced against his mind.

“Why am I even asking…”

With a flick of his wrist Samael bit into his opponent's blade, binding the two together as with just a simple surge of strength he disarmed the dummy. Then in a split second lunging forward and thrusting his sword straight through the inanimate object.

Samael leaned forward, his hand still tightly grasped around his foil as his shoulders dug into the rough leather of the dummy. His breath came heavy and slow as sweat poured down his face. His eyes shadowed as he mumbled.

“Don’t be her…”

Gripping his foil tightly he pulled it out of the dummy, lifting himself off of it he threw his hair back. Stretching out his neck, his muscles rippling with every movement. Resting the foil on his shoulder with his left hand, he held his right out in front of him.

Examining the ring that rested there, “Please, don’t let it be her,” he muttered, dropping his right hand he clenched it into a fist. Pulling the foil off his back, he deposited it in its holder.

Feeling beads of sweat drip down his back, he was struck with a feeling of disgust. Though there was one solution to that, a nice hot shower that would hopefully help him clean both himself and clear his mind.

Stretching out his limbs he headed towards the exit of the gym, snatching up his phone. Unlocking his device, where he saw a text from Charlie a few hours ago,

“Thank you for the meeting! ❤️❤️❤️”

“You're welcome.”

By now she had to have finished up with it, so Samael sent out a quick question asking her how it went. His eyebrows furrowing when he got back,

“Well…It could have been better 😅”

He went to type out his message only to hear the annoying and distracting voice of the Sinner, Katie Killjoy.

“Breaking news in Hell today!” Looking towards the TV he had installed in the room, not wanting to hear Katie KIlljoy’s voice he started searching for the TV remote. But as he was searching for the remote he heard Katie say,

“We have just received word from the Heaven Embassy that the next extermination is happening sooner than ever before…”

.

.

.

“sh*t…”

Chapter 3: How much more...

Chapter Text

“I’ll do whatever it takes, Zestial,” Carmilla said, turning her red eyes onto her old friend, “Whatever it takes to keep them safe, that is my goal, my only desire.”

Carmilla turned to her two daughters, a smile coming to her face as she looked down at their faces. Clara and Odette, the light of her life, the people she would do and give anything for, even if it meant giving up the world to save them.

Zestial studied the Carmine family, his voice throaty as he said, "I understand Carmilla-"

Knock

Knock

Knock

Zestial turned to the door, two red pupils appearing in the top of his eyes as he took an instinctive step back, “Carmilla it seems an old friend has arrived on your doorstep.”

Carmilla stared at the door, her hand flinching when two more knocks rang out, “Zestial take the girls out please, I’ll talk to him.”

“Is thou sure that is wise?”

Carmilla turned a sharp gaze onto Zestial, “He wouldn’t hurt me Zestial, you know this.”

“It has been many moons, who’s to say his heart has not been changed by the sands of time.”

“I do Zestial,” Carmilla said with conviction, walking towards the door.

Clara and Odette looked between their mother and Zestial with confusion,growing worried from the sudden change of mood, Odette asking, “What’s going on mom, what are you talking about?”

“It’s nothing-”

Just as Carmilla attempted to assuage her daughters, the door cracked upon, a glowing purple gem shining through the darkness and pushing the door open. Followed by a golden snake that wrapped tightly around a black cane. A white hand holding it at the base, the face of the holder shadowed completely in darkness.

“Excuse my impudence, but the door was unlocked.”

Odette and Clara flinched at the voice, despite the charming nature to it there was a hidden sharpness that terrified them. That’s not to mention the aura of the violet eyes that peered through the shadowed doorway, a tall man stepping through the doorway.

His face was composed as he looked around the room, barely sparing a second glance at Zestial but when his eyes landed on Clara and Odette he stopped moving. An audible exhale of breath as he seemed stunned by them.

Carmilla’s calm voice caught his attention as he looked at her, “Prince Samael, to what do we owe the pleasure?”

Samael tapped his cane twice on the floor with his right hand, holding it from the gem as he said, “Well Carmilla, I have some questions that only someone of your caliber can answer.”

“Prince Samael? َAs in the Morningstar Prince?” Carla said, standing up stunned at the fact that the prince of the entirety of Hell was standing in front of them.

Samael stopped for a second, “Yes, Samael Morningstar at your service.” He said turning to her with a slight smile, flouring his left hand out while taking a slight bow, Odette and Clara both looking at each other confused and surprised. Turning to their mother shocked as Carmilla seemed conflicted.

Taking in a deep breath she said, “Zestial, please take them out of here. Me and Prince Samael need to discuss business.”

"Yes, please do Zestial, it won’t be long." Samael said, waving to the girls with a soft smile on his lips as Zestial slowly pushed Odette and Clara out of the room.

As the door closed they saw Samael's smile dim a little, the two daughter’s eyes trained on him. It made them uneasy,and yet spurred their curiosity. While at first the two had been scared by his sudden presence, now they just had a desire to know more.

Besides what did her mom and Zestial mean by “old friend,” what connection could the Prince of Hell have with their mom?

Carmilla and Samael stood alone in the room, the doors shutting subtly, Samael looking at the overlord as she gazed at the city below. The prince being the first to break the silence “They grew up well.”

“They did, they’re the light of my life,” Carmilla said, her tone surprisingly delicate as she looked out the window of her office. But she wasn’t looking at the skyline, no, she was focused on the reflection she could see.

Samael didn’t take his eyes away from her for a second, studying her, the way she held herself, the way she spoke. He could still remember it all but now it was all slightly different.

But he wasn’t one to judge, after all he wasn’t the same man either.

“What is it that you came here for?”

Samael chuckled, a small smile forming as he said, “Down to business are we? There is no need to rush it.”

Carmilla turned to him, stepping forward as she sat in her chair, Samael now looking down at her as he shook his head, “Fine, let’s get to it then.”

Samael pulled out one of the chairs in front of Carmilla’s desk, sitting down Samael threw his left leg up on his right knee. Resting his cane across his lap, his right hand resting on his leg as he started to tap in increments of two.

“I was told by Heaven that an Exorcist has died…that someone in Hell managed to murder an Angel. And now Heaven wants their head; otherwise all of Hell will pay.”

Carmilla stared straight at Samael, not even flinching as she asked, “What does that have to do with me?”

Samael laughed, a deep and guttural sound that fled from his throat, “You really expect me to believe that Carmilla? I saw the meeting, I saw the head.”

Carmilla felt her breath get caught in her throat, “You were watching?”

“Of course I was, I figured some idiot would try to boast about killing the Angle, maybe try to gain some cred. And I was practically right.”

Samael moved his hand from his leg, resting his face in his palm as he looked at Carmilla, his tone almost mocking as he said, “I mean those Overlord meetings have always been a circus act, but now all of a sudden the head of a dead exorcist is in the hands of a spoiled entitled brat. And don’t try to say she did it, we both know that isn’t possible.”

“She didn’t claim the Angel as her kill, she wanted to know who did so but no one claimed credit.”

Samael leaned on his left hand, sighing as he said, “The angel was murdered by a holy weapon. There aren’t many in hell who specialize in such weaponry.”

Carmilla grit her teeth, her voice coming out defiantly, “I had nothing-”

“Carmilla.” Carmilla stopped talking, Samael’s voice was calm and deadly, his voice cutting through the air like a razor, “I know it was you.”

Samael stood from his feet, his cane creating a hollow clink as he laid it against her desk. Each step he took reverberated with power as he walked around the table, Carmilla silently staring up at him as she felt a hidden weight descend upon her shoulders.

Samael, leaning down, grabbed her chin, staring her straight in the eyes. He whispered, “But, I want to hear it from you, why did you do it?”

Carmilla looked up at Samael, violet and red eyes locked, her voice unflinching as she said, “I have no idea what you’re talking about-”

Samael placed his thumb right over Carmilla’s lips, his voice low and soft as he said, “The Angel, the beheaded Angel, I need to know why Carmilla.”

Carmilla’s breath hitched, a shiver traveling down her spine from Samael’s electrifying touch. It had been ages, but she still remembered the gentleness of his touch, the love they shared.

Samael felt the heat of her lips, of how her breath seeped through his skin. A feeling he knew, one that made his mind wander to dangerous ground. He bit his lip and inhaled sharply, gently letting go of Carmilla and backing up to the window. Running his fingers through his hair as he tried to regain control of the desire that was building up inside of him.

Carmilla watched him intensely, her fingers digging into the leather of her seat as she quickly looked away. She needed to remember this was just business.

That’s all it was…

Reaching for her drink she finally answered his question, “...it was causing damage to my territory.”

Samael looked back at her, a frustrated sigh leaving him at her attempts to still lie to him, “Anything replaceable you wouldn’t bother with. The Angel would play around a bit and then get bored and leave. But that wasn’t the case, you killed it. So I will ask you one more time,” his tone measured as he said, “why did you do it?”

Carmilla sighed and rose from her seat, placing her drink down with a clink she moved to Samael’s side. Her voice soft as she said, “That thing was threatening Clara and Odette, I had to act before it caused harm to them.”

Samael’s eyes drifted towards the street below them, “Somehow I already knew that,” he mumbled before sighing, “Why?”

Carmilla looked up at him, Samael looking out of the corner of his eye at her, “Why were my daughters, outside, during an extermination day?”

“It was a mistake, they were delayed on a delivery and I thought they would have time-”

Samael cut her off, his voice low but sharp, “Do you expect me to believe that? How do you want me to accept that? For all I know they could have been doing the same thing for all these years and only now got caught.”

Carmilla growled, her hand snapping out to grab Samael’s collar bringing his face inches from hers, and with a whisper she said, “I would never intentionally put our children in the face of danger.”

Samael’s lips curled into an amused smile, tilting his head as he said, “You won’t? Because right now Heaven is furious over their lost little psychopath, who was killed by your hands, and from now on they will be visiting Hell twice a year, unless I give them a face to put the murder on.”

As Samael said that Carmilla’s face lost its anger, her eyes widening before turning into grim acceptance. A sight that Samael hated to see, her voice soft but weak against his ears, “Are you going to turn me in?”

Samael felt like he had just been stabbed, his eyes softening as he whispered, “Do you really think that little of me?”

“No, but I know you’d do anything to protect your family.” Her shoulder sagged as she looked away from him, wanting to come to terms with what was going to happen when Samael’s hand grabbed her cheek. Cold and warmth clashing as she felt the cold of his ring on her skin.

Locking their eyes once more, he leaned his forehead onto her’s, his voice barely a whisper as he said, “You’re my family too Carmilla. And I would never let anyone even dare to think they can hurt you.”

Carmilla’s heart skipped a beat, her finger’s hesitantly reaching out and pressing his shirt up to his skin. Heat radiated through the tips of her fingers, a raging, all-encompassing, devouring force that terrified her but at the same time reminded her of home. She knew this feeling well.

Samael always had that ability, she never understood it but after a while she had come to love the feeling. His skin, body, everything radiated with this hidden heat, it threatened to burn everything down around it but Samael never let it. No, he controlled it, used that power to his benefit. And Carmilla loved that about him, biting her lip she gripped his shirt in-between her fingers.

Pulling him flush against her, her eye’s only inches from him as she looked up at him. A smirk adorning her lips as she saw that he was shocked, his hand frozen on her cheek and his breath barely a whisper, soon a smile forming on his face too.

Samael’s head started to dip lower, his lips coming closer to her’s as Carmilla felt her mouth dry as she tilted her head. She focused on his lips, plump, soft everything she wanted right now.

But then she remembered them, Odette and Clara. The reason they did all of this in the first place, their joy, their smiles, that’s what Samael and Carmilla wanted to protect. And if they did this now, it would all be for naught.

Reaching up she grabbed Samael’s wrist, “Sam…” her voice barely a whisper, “We shouldn’t be doing this…”

Because Carmilla knew if they kissed here, they wouldn’t stop.

They wouldn’t be able to put a stopper on their relationship again…she couldn’t do that again.

Their kid’s came first…

They always came first…

But that didn’t make it hurt any less when Samael's disheartened voice invaded her ears, “Right,” his voice low and dejected, his hand falling away from her cheek, his touch evading her as he leaned away from her.

The heat she had felt gone and replaced by a void like chill, a pang of hurt and sadness running through Carmilla as she desperately held herself back. She couldn’t ruin all of what they’ve done.

The air became heavy as she and Samael awkwardly stood in front of each other. Neither knowing what to do, or say in this situation. Carmilla, seeing the glint of his ring, took a leap and asked, “You’re still wearing it?”

Samael looked down at his hand, seeing the ring that rested there, the memory he always kept with himself, the cause of so much comfort and pain, a piece of his soul that he could never get rid off, a constant reminder of what was, and what could have been.

Maybe he was stuck in the past, but he knew his love stayed true, and it hurt all even more, his whisper barley louder than a squeak of a mouse, “I never divorced.”

“Ah…” Carmilla gasped, not able to look him in the eyes. She had hoped the distraction would keep their minds away from this, not make it worse as she felt like she had just been cut deep, her heart screaming at her, wanting to burst and leave its host. Her heart sank as the cold she felt turned piercing. A chilling feeling that surrounded her entire body and made it hard to breathe.

She hated this, She hated hurting him, she craved his warmth, his touch. Instead all she felt was desolation, a cold, unrelenting force that left a void in her heart.

Samael was no better, his mind a destructive, raging force as he reprimanded himself, his voice low as he said, “Sorry, that was stupid of me, I shouldn’t have done that.”

Carmila wanted to change this, to help Samael be freed from this, but she didn’t know how, her words all caught in a lump in her throat. Samael bit his cheek, his fingers starting to fiddle with the ring on his finger as he muttered, “I should go, I’ve overstayed my-”

Just as Samael started to speak, the door to Carmilla’s office burst open. Out of it falling Clara, Odette slapping her face as she watched her sister tumble out in front of Carmilla and Samael.

Samael looked amused, a small smile on his face as Clara shot up, but that smile disappeared when Odette glared at him.

The two daughters had noticed their mothers distress, and before that they had heard muffled voices that sounded angry. They didn’t know what was going on but they didn’t like it.

Both Odette and Clara going to their mothers side and asking her if she was okay,

“I’m fine, me and the Prince were just talking,” Carmilla said trying to appease her daughters but it didn’t work.

Clara turned to Samael and said, “You may be the Prince but that doesn’t give you the right to mess with our mother.”

Odette stepped forward, standing beside her sister as her voice cut through the air with a chilling, calculative coldness, “As my sister is trying to say, you may be the Prince but if you think you can mistreat our mother, then you’re not welcome here.”

Both sister’s standing side by side as if they themselves were going to forcibly remove Samael. The Prince stood there stoic and unwavering as his eye’s moved from each daughter, examining them as if he was actually going to defend himself.

And despite how the air grew thick, and the tension that placed itself on their shoulders, Clara and Odette didn’t back down, they didn’t care if they were facing the king of hell himself, no one had the right to mess with their mother and get away with it.

Carmilla was about to reach out, she didn’t think Samael would hurt Clara and Odette but she knew this hurt him. His daughters thought that he would harm their mother. Her gaze stuck on Samael as he stared at the floor floor, his hair casting a shadow over his eyes.

Carmilla felt terrible about all of this, but just as she went to speak the tension in the room was wiped away as Samael started to laugh. His cane poofed from its spot on his desk as he doubled over.

A charming, melodic sound that caused girls to feel both confused and conflicted. Samael, acting as if he was wiping a tear, said, “Oh there’s no need to fret my dears, me and your mother just had a slight misunderstanding is all, it’s all cleared up now.” He said, tapping his cane twice on the ground as he placed his hands atop it, wrapping them around the head of the snake.

Odette looked from Samael to her mother, “Is he telling the truth?”

“Yes, we just had a minor disagreement,” Carmilla said, but Clara wasn’t completely convinced. Side eyeing Samael, an action that only elicited another burst of laughter.

“Well Carmilla you ought to be proud,” he said his eyes shining with joy, “You two sure have some moxie.”

Samael said leaning forward slightly on his cane, a smile playing on his lips, “First an Angel and now me, the prince of hell himself, you’ve sure been raised to not take sh*t from anyone.” He mocked the tone of his father, one of the few things he learned from the king of hell.

The moment daughters heard that, they felt her heart drop into their stomach. That's what all of this was about. The Angel! Turning to her mother, Odette’s voice trembled with concern, “He knows?”

Carmilla sighed and nodded her head, Odette getting the wrong idea turned her head on a swivel back towards Samael, “Don’t hurt mother, please. She only did it because we got caught, because of our incompetence. If you have to punish someone, punish us.”

Clara side-eyed her sister, a confident smile coming to her face as she grabbed Odette’s hand. The two sisters standing together against the prince of hell as a unified front.

Samael’s smile never left his face, looking past Odette and Clara at Carmilla who bore a sweet smile at her daughter's actions as he nodded his head. A small act that he hoped conveyed his appreciation for her, and what she had done.

Raising his cane, he tapped it once against the ground, warm wind rolling up from the contact. Like a river it flowed over the sisters and Carmilla, bringing with it a feeling of warmth and comfort. Samael smiled as he said, “No one’s getting punished.”

Clara looked down at her hands, in wonderment at what just occurred, at the feeling of safety she felt. It was like she had just been covered by a warm blanket on a rainy day, snuggled up and kept warm from the chilling cold.

“We’re not?” she asked, looking back up at Samael to see the demon prince’s radiant smile.

“No, I’d never allow anyone to bring harm to the three of you.”

Odette and Clara let out sighs of relief, their joy that nothing would happen to their mother overpowering any sort of confusion that they experienced at Samael's declaration of protecting them. Turning to their mother with radiant smiles they rushed to her side, wrapping her in the arms as Carmilla's smile grew, hugging her daughters while Samael watched on.

A lump forming in his throat, unable to tear his gaze away as he watched the tender moment between the three. His finger’s twitching as he was so tempted to join them, but that wasn’t his place.

His heart clenched painfully at the thought, a longing pang he couldn’t ignore.

As much as it hurt and tore him apart, he just couldn’t look away, his finger’s clenching around his cane as he forced himself to stand up straighter.

Carmilla’s smile faltered as she looked over her daughters towards Samael, she could see the pain in his eyes. The hurt that was etched in the very way he stood. Her heart clenched as she tried to grapple with how this all might feel for him, his family being so close yet at the same time a chasm existed between them.

He would never be able to get close to them, to get to experience that love and connection. But this was good enough, if they were happy, if they were well, then there would be nothing to be upset about. He would stay in his office….looking out for them from afar….alone. Protecting them in whatever way he could.

That was his job…

This was his duty…

And for as long as he lived he would make sure Odette and Clara could smile, even if he wasn’t the reason for that smile.

Carmilla watched as Samael’s eyes locked with her, that soft smile still playing at his lips as fire lit up along the accents of his clothes. Carmilla swallowed as he nodded his head, his lips whispering words before fire surrounded his body.

In an instant he was gone.

Carmilla looked down at her daughter’s and hugged them close, “You never did like goodbyes.” Her heart aching as she wished that things could be different…

Beelzebub’s antinas bounced through the air, a little energetic twist of her hips as she moved through the gigantic crowd of partygoers. Her voice loud and hollering amongst them as she checked on everybody, doing her job as host to make sure the majority had a great time just like her.

She hadn’t expected this many people to come out but when you have the Prince of Hell himself arriving at a party it’s no surprise. Speaking of the prince she looked over the crowd to see him off in the distance, a drink in his hand and a wide smile on his face as he moved along slightly to the music.

His other hand was signing signatures as he talked with the crowd of people who had surrounded him. Telling jokes and taking photographs, he was practically the life of the party, outside of her of course.

Beelzebub grimaced as she suddenly felt the taste of ashes, her wings fluttering as she looked away from Samael. She didn't like the taste of that, and at that moment she heard a loud crash. Shaking her head, she moved towards the sound,

Not noticing that Samael's eyes were on her, unwavering violet orbs that seemed to be an endless void, his smile faltering for a moment before he put his drink to his lips, taking a sip and then immediately jumping back into the fray of the party, The night was only getting started...

Beelzebub cracked her neck as she looked around at the receding elements of her party, bits and pieces of confetti, balloons and alcohol everywhere. Several passed out attendees and some who were still in the corners quietly having a drink as they talked with a partner.

Looking around she saw the back of Samael's head, his coat hanging on the chair he sat, his bun undone as he let his blond hair fall down his back. Beelzebub scratched at the scruff of her neck and started to trek over to him.

Sliding into the seat next to him as his eyes remained locked ahead, staring holes into the wood of the bar table as he absentmindedly took a drink. Placing the glass down with a light clink he asked, seemingly acknowledging her presence “Got anything that tastes better?”

“Wow,” Beelzebub dramatically scoffed, holding her hand over her heart, “So the bee juice isn’t up to your standard anymore?”

Samael snorted, “Could just be my taste buds going numb too,” he said half heartedly, rubbing his thumb across the rim of his glass.

Beelzebub smirking before with a wave of her hand she summoned to full glasses of the sweetest alcohol she could think of Samael muttering a thanks before he picked up the glass. Taking a swig and relishing in the sweet taste on his tongue, and the burn in his throat.

Beelzebub picking up her own drink swirled the glass, “I’ve seen drinkers, over-drinkers, drinking addicts, and then, there’s you,” her brow furrowing, a hint of concern in her voice as she asked, “what’s on your mind Sammy?”

Beelzebub took a sip of her drink, keeping her focus on Samael though the prince was staring straight into the golden liquid of his drink, “Oh it’s nothing Bee, just wanted to have some time to myself is all. You know how I can be, just had a craving for a good drink.”

“A drink? Sammy, you've drunk 8 entire barrels all on your own. Even for me that’s hardcore.”

“Oh, did I know? Guess I lost track,” Samael said, not really acknowledging her worries as he took another sip.

“Sammy, you might be my boss, but you’re basically my nephew, and I still care for you, I can tell something’s wrong,” Beelzebub said, placing her hand on Samael’s shoulder. The prince placing his drink down, his head lowering, staring into the reflection of his drink,

A tired face with the fading make up revealing the gray under his eyes, his shirt disheveled and his shoulders sagged. His face deformed in the reflection of the glass, hollow eyes staring back at him. He was a mess.

“Bee, I’m fine.”

Beelzzebub’s ears drooped, a frown appearing on her face as she pulled Samael into a side-ways hug. Samael froze slightly for a moment before laying his head on her shoulder and mummering, “It tastes that bad, huh?”

“The worst…” Beelzebub said, as she rubbed Samael’s shoulder, the Prince mumbling an apology, “Sorry Bee…”

“Don’t apologize Sammy, just tell me what’s going on, I’m here to listen you know?”

“I know, I know,” Samael said with a slight chuckle, “Just tired is all, you know how it is constant work and stuff.”

Beelzebub could understand that mentality quite well, being a Sin and all. But this was different, she didn’t need to be a genius to figure that out. He never drank like this when it came to the stress from work. She had seen that tiredness, that exhaustion he felt after a long day of work.

This though, this was more. Something had gotten to him, something had shaken him up even if he didn’t realize it.

“Come on, Auntie Bee can handle it,” she said slightly joking, not expecting Samael to respond, but to her surprise, he did. His voice coming fast as he went on a rant,

“"Well, to start off, Heaven will be invading hell twice a year from now on. They told me I could prevent that by giving them the murderer of the angel. Oh, did I forget to say an angel was killed? Yeah, my ex wife did that, so now I can't just give her up, my children need someone over them to care for them. So I decided to give Charlie a chance, maybe her dream could actually be- oh who am I kidding it was doomed to fail when Adam of all people was tasked with the supervision.”

Samael’s voice was loud, his words spilling from his lips as he gripped his drink tightly, “and now, I'm here, drinking my worries away and I can't even get f*cking drunk…”

Beelzebub was wide-eyed and shellshocked at her nephew's sudden info dump. Her words failed as she tried to comprehend what he said. Ultimately she shook her head, her fur moving wildly as she snapped out of it. But just as she went to say something she was caught off by the low voice of Samael,

"I saw them today Bee, they've grown so much, such beautiful girls…my wonderful daughters. Odette has my hair, Clara has my eyes… they’re so perfect”

Samael took a deep breath, his voice cracking, “Carmilla did such a good job, they actually stood up to me…they stood up to the Prince…I would’ve never thought I’d found such a thing so amazing.”

“They both got that Morningstar fire in them,” he said with a chuckle, his voice dying as he fell silent for a few moments.

Beelzebub felt her voice get caught in her throat as Samael turned towards her, her breath catching as she saw his eyes empty, unwavering in their absolute depths. But even still she saw tears building in his eyes, slowly falling down his face.

“I just wish I was there to see it….”

Beelzebub had never seen Samael cry before.

Beelzebub grimaced as she felt an overpowering taste that she couldn’t even begin to describe, “Sammy…” her voice desolate as she reached out to wipe his cheek.

Samael jumped at her touch, a shiver traveling through his body as he felt a tear hit the palm of his hand. A laugh exited him, “heh, that’s unexpected…sorry Bee-”

Beelzebub couldn’t take it anymore, wrapping Samael up in her arms she pulled him into her, his head being forced into the fluff of her neck as she said, “Don’t apologize Sammy, I'm here for you…”

Samael froze at her touch, and didn’t speak for a few moments before the words just seemed to come tumbling out, “Bee…do you think my daughters hate me?”

Beelzebub’s breath shortened, she didn’t expect this, “What do you mean Sam?”

“Well, not me me, but me, if that makes sense.” His own attempt at humor failed to bring any amusem*nt to him.

Samael dug his thumb into his palm as he watched his skin move, “They hated the Prince you know… They thought I would hurt Carmilla…”

Beelzebub squeezed Samael’s shoulder, quietly listening as he took a deep breath.

“But do you think they hate their father, hate me? I wasn’t there, but I did everything I could to help them from afar, that means something, right? They know I love them, right?…or is that just me being selfish?”

And then in a faint whisper, so quietly Beelzebub didn’t know if she actually heard it, “I don’t want them to hate me Bee…I don’t want them to think their father abandoned them ...I don't want to be like Lucifer…”

Beelzebub hesitated, her mind whirling as she tried to figure out what to say, what to do here. Samael had never done this with her before, it was all new ground. But she wanted to be there for him, she needed to be there.

Beelzebub rubbed his back, and said, “You’re doing your best, Sammy, and that’s enough.”

Samael scoffed, finding the idea he was doing his best almost insulting, his voice rapid as he said,

“This is my best? Overstaying at a party, drinking barrels of alcohol, sitting here, crying about my problems? My best would be up there, with his family in his arms, his family happy and proud to have him around, where he would get to play with his kids, to watch them grow, to lovingly kiss his wife without it being like a sacred f*cking act. Me? I can't even keep them safe, I'm such a walking hazard to them that I have to stay away from them, the me now....is abandoning them, just like my father."

Beelzebub broke her hug, pushing Samael back slightly so she could look him in the eye. She whispered, “Samael, Lucifer made his mistakes, and I’m sorry he hasn’t tried to fix them but you’re not him. You’re not abandoning your family.”

Beelzebub wiped away the recesses of his tears, her voice soft and open, her heart trying to convey the truth of her words through voice, “You’re not the same person as him, You’re your own person, you’ve tried to be better, you’ve done your best, and changed, that’s not abandoning your family, that is trying.”

“But how much more do I have to try?’ Samael closed his eyes, his voice quivering, closing his eyes to keep the tears away as he leaned forward into her, “I-I just want to hold them Bee, for them to hug me back, to not be afraid of me, I just…I…I’m lonely Bee…”

Beelzebub felt her heartbreak, wrapping Samael back up in her arms she said, “I know Sammy, I know…”

Beelzebub and Samael sat there, alone in the quiet room with no sound to be heard besides their quiet breaths and the dying music. Beelzebub didn’t know exactly what she would do, she was one to party, to have fun and spread that feeling like live fire; But even she didn’t know what to do in a moment like this. With all her self doubts, she held him tighter, he was her nephew and she would try her best to help him.

Because sometimes trying is all you can do…

Chapter 4: For you, Forever

Chapter Text

"This sucks..."

Samael thought to himself, having to fight himself just so he wouldn't let out an audible groan, a sinner in front of him going on and on about something. It wasn't anything important, just buttery words that he hoped would get him into Samael's "pants," well, more so wallet. An action Samael found utterly disturbing.

Samael nodded his head along to the honey sucker's words, his eyes wandering around the event as he did his best to seem attentive. He had held this party in the hopes of getting to know the people of his city, to get closer to the issues he wanted to fix.

But instead all that had happened so far was him being accosted by men in suits who wanted to win him over for their business, not for humanitarian purposes. Samael wouldn't give in though, just because it had been bad so far didn't mean it wouldn't improve! He had faith by the end of the night he would have made an impact...

Hopefully at least.

He was about to focus back on the man in front of him when he saw something out of the corner of his eye. A flash of black and white hair embedding itself in his mind in an instant. The hair being tied up into two horns by thin, ballerina-like black ribbons. his breath leaving him as he focused on the sight.

It was a woman, no taller than himself, her skin gray as mist. Her eyes red as the skies, with piercing white irises. A sight that went well with the mask like darker colored markings around her eyes.

The red shine seemingly pierced Samael's very soulو even though she wasn't looking at him.

He couldn't believe what he was seeing, it was like Aphrodite was real. Like goddesses and gods of love and lust had combined into one person, creating perfection. His breath shallow as he didn't even notice the drink in his hand dropping from his hand, the person in front of him gasping as the drink covered the entirety of his suit.

"Ah! Prince Samael!?" He yelled offended, immediately trying to dabat the expensive silk that was quickly being stained.

But all fell on deaf ears, for the prince was mesmerized by the beauty he had witnessed, the Sinner looking at him in shock as Samael just walked off.

"What the f*ck?!"

Samael snaked his way through the crowd, never looking back as several cries of indignation went up. His mind locked with one mission in mind, to find out the lady's name. He didn't know what it would be, what it could be. But for some reason he just knew it would be a name he would remember for a lifetime.

His hands started to sweat a little as he tried to palm them off on the pants of his suit, a tiny twitch of his fingers as leaned back to avoid a server plate. He didn't know why he was feeling so anxious, what this worry that was building in him meant?

Was this normal? Was he supposed to feel so...so...starstruck by just the sight of someone? It had never happened before.

He needed to know more.

He was supposed to be better than this, to not shake in the knees, to be a Prince of great renown, but he just couldn't help himself. His heart fluttered, his mouth drying. This was so unusual to him but at the same time so exciting. He wanted to chase this feeling, chase whatever it was that it was trying to tell him.

He needed to know the nature of such an emotion, of such a power that possessed his soul right now. His very heart nearly thudding out of his chest, beating like a jackhammer to escape the confines of his ribcage.

Soon he would blink, snapping out of his daydream, only to realize that he was only a few feet from her. His body moved faster than he could comprehend, his mind starting to panic at their closeness.

What was he supposed to do! What to say! What should he even say!?

So he wrecked his mind for something clever, something exciting that would please her, something that was bound to get her attention he just said...

Carmilla didn't know why she had come here. She hated parties, even if they were held by one of Hell's most eligible bachelors; however, he was also among their least respected royalty. Well actually, maybe he was more respected than his sister. Food for thought.

It wasn't her concern though either way, she was just here to hopefully create some connections and expand her business. That's why most of these people had come anyway, well besides to get a look at the elusive prince of Hell himself. A man who had been seen rarely over the years as his family grew more reclusive.

She couldn't lie to herself. She was at least a bit curious about the prince, but that wasn't her main focus, she was just here for business, that's all.

She hoped so at least, but unfortunately some men had decided to push their luck, causing Carmilla's already irate mood to grow darker. She had hoped to avoid any incidents but these men just couldn't seem to have the capacity to keep to themselves.

Children. All of them.

Unfortunately it seemed like she'd have to deal with another one. Some prick in the crowd had slowly made his way towards her out of the corner of her eye. At least she assumed he was making his way towards her off the way his eyes flicked towards the ground and back at her.

Eyes that were a starking contrast of purple that she hadn't seen in another person before. They reminded her of the wild Hyacinths she had seen back in the meadows of Earth.

Blond hair cut short, running just behind his ears, bouncing up and down on his head as he walked. A little bit roughed up but otherwise put together.

He was dressed in a fine white suit fit for such an event, a dark red tie running down the center, a suit that she felt like she should remember. Yet, she couldn't place it, a memory practically banging at the cages of her mind begging her to remember, alas she couldn't.

She smirked as he seemed to start to panic as he got closer to her, his eyes widening and his feet almost shuffling. Though his voice surprised her, it was soft and sweet with a hint of cheerfulness as he said, "Hello!"

Carmilla raised an eyebrow as she turned to look at him, face him head on. The man seemingly mentally criticized himself, an action that Carmilla was amiss with herself at the fact that she found it cute.

Shaking her head slightly as she told herself the truth. Men were not to be trusted, especially not the ones of this place, of Hell. She had dealt with the worst of them on Earth and she knew only the vilest made it into Hell, he was probably no better than the kind she had ran into in the past.

"Yes?" She asked, her tone filled with scorn, the smirk on her lips turning into a grin as he flinched. His hand reached up to scratch at his neck as he fiddled with the hem of his suit between his left thumb and forefinger.

Another act that Carmilla found adorable...

How peculiar...

"Ah, uhm..." he fumbled over his words as he looked up at her, a blush on his face as Carmilla could only wonder what was going on. What was up with this guy?

"Hello?" She asked as the guy seemed to enter a feedback loop, only for his body to jump as he shouted,

"Your hair looks like a fork made of snow!" His hands snapping over his mouth, Carmilla's eye twitching, snapping back,

"And you like a puppet."

The man in front of her visibly deflated, lowering his head and sighing, "yeah that sucked," he muttered before looking back up apologetically, "let's start again."

His voice became cheerful as he put on a happy face, "Hi! My name is Sam, Sammy, Samuel, S. whatever you like! Welcome to this grand party!"

And to Samael's surprise that line somehow managed to get a laugh out of the woman, her head tilting forward slightly as she covered her mouth with the back of her palm, chuckling into her skin, an act that nearly staggered Samael.

The gorgeous symphony of her laugh being nearly enough to send him flat on his ass.

"Sam, is it?" She said, a slight tear in her eye that she wiped away. Samael rapidly nodded his head, Carmilla finding the sight amusing as she asked, "I'm Carmilla, but to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Uhm, well," Samael's voice died as he tried to think of an excuse, so caught up that he had forgotten a reason to talk to her! Luckily, a waitress walked by him, giving him an idea as he acted coy, "I just thought I should treat a lovely women like you to a drink~"

Carmilla chuckled lightly, finding the situation with Samael more amusing than annoying. It couldn't hurt to humor the man, leaning her chin on her hand she asked, "Very well, then please tell me, what do you think a fine lady like me drinks?"

"Well if I had to guess I'd say wine," Samael leaned on her table, his eyes dancing like stars underneath the light glow of the candle in front of him.

"Is that so?" Carmilla tilted her head slightly, a smile forming on her face, "well I must say, either you're quite lucky or an exquisite guesser."

Samael swore he stopped breathing in that moment, the slight tilt of her head combined with a smile brighter than the stars sending shockwaves through him, his mouth falling open.

Carmilla leaning slightly forward, Samael doing the same without even thinking, "So which is it cariño?"

Samael swallowed as he said, "Neither."

"Is that so?" Carmilla said, narrowing her eyes as she observed Samael. He wasn't lying...

"You carry yourself as a lady of fine taste. Yet, not as much as a snob as some others who may enjoy boasting about their champagne and cognacs." Samael started speaking, his fingers drawing a circle into the table as he spoke.

Carmilla noticing the act, noticing him in general actually, he seemed to be just speaking without a thought. His awkwardness fading away as he just stared at her. Carmilla's lips curving as he continued,

"So I considered all the possibilities, and assumed that you wouldn't care so much about looks but rather taste. And what can taste better than a finely aged wine for a fine lady?"

Carmilla raised an eyebrow and chuckled, "Oh my, you have a keen eye. I'm impressed."

"I aim to please," Samael said, flashing a smile as he pulled his hands out, "and I may have also had it ready and someone needs to get it."

A bottle of red wine poofed into his hand, two glasses appearing in front of him. Carmilla watched with an charmed expression as she watched him pour two glasses.

Samael then picked one up and handed it to her, "please have a taste," Carmilla taking the glass between her fingers and watching him over the rim, took a sip. Samael watched the moment with beaded eyes, quickly taking a sip of his as he looked away to not be caught staring.

Pulling out his collar as he swallowed, a faint blush on his face as he asked, "Have you been enjoying the party? I hope your visit has been well." Samael asked, turning back to Carmilla who was swirling her glass in her hand slightly.

"It was fine, though I will say that I am a little disappointed," she said with a slight sigh, taking a sip of the wine before setting it down and letting her eyes drift over the crowd.

Samael bit the inside of his cheek, he didn't like that she was disappointed at a party he was throwing, "Oh, how come?"

"Well, failure business meetings aside, I came here to see this mythical Prince Samael everyone's talking about. Never seen the Prince before but I've heard stories of his beauty," she said not noticing how Samael blushed, "though it would probably help if I knew what he looked like."

She joked, Carmilla flashing him a smile that only caused his blush to deepen. Stumbling over his words as he tried to think of what to say.

"W-well...I-I think you're f-far prettier than any Prince or Princess ever could be."

Carmilla somehow did not expect the simple compliment to catch her off guard this much, a wide smile coming to her lips as she took another sip of her wine, "Is that a compliment I hear? Are you trying to flirt with me Sam?"

Samael seemed to freeze for a moment, "Oh...uh...uhm."

"I'm just messing with you dear," Carmilla giggled as she watched him rub the back of his neck nervously, "though I must say you have been much better company than anyone else...and pretty handsome too, the Prince should be jealous that he's getting upstaged."

Samael descended into a blushing, stuttering mess in that moment. Not even managing to get a single word out before he decided to gulp down the entire glass before slamming it back down.

"Oh, is someone flustered?" Carmilla teased, smirking at him over her glass.

"W-what, n-no? I get called that e-everyday." Samael said, trying to play it off as Carmilla decided to mess with him some more.

"Oh, really? Could have fooled me~"

"W-well it doesn't help that this is the first time I'm hearing it from a lady who looks otherworldly."

Carmilla paused, a mischievous smile coming to her face at his cheeky remark, "You-"

But before Carmilla could respond a song came over the loudspeakers, a slow tune fit for a slow dance. Samael found the tune familiar and pleasant on his ears. A sudden surge of confidence building in him as a comforting feeling settled down within him.

Looking over at Carmilla who seemed to be enjoying the sweet tune he swallowed before holding out his hand, "May I have this dance my lady? I promise, by the end of it, everyone will be gawking at you."

Carmilla couldn't believe that this was the same stuttering man from a few seconds ago, and it intrigued her, so she took on his offer, "You may."

Carmilla placed her hand in Samael's, a gasp escaping her lips as she suddenly felt heat spread into her. A raging, all-encompassing, devouring force like fire that spread throughout every inch of her.

Carmilla looked at her hand in wonder, what was this? What was this feeling? It should terrify her, it should scare her more than anything else has.

Humanity fears the unknown, and even if she was dead, a part of her was still human. Her soul, her mind, both human even if her body had become that of a demon.

So why was it then that she felt no fear here? No, instead, she felt comfort. It was like a subtle understanding had passed through her and settled in her heart, that despite how this fire may seem like it would hurt you, how it may seem that it would burn you to ash,

That's not what its purpose was. This fire. This heat. It was warm, comforting, peaceful, a fire meant to save people...

A fire that would burn away your fears, your sins, your sorrows. It was the fire of a savior...

Her eyes widening as she wondered just who this man was, what his purpose was...

She would find out eventually, she knew it, but for now she'd enjoy this dance.

Samael pulled Carmilla forward, her left hand coming to rest on his shoulder while her right interlocked with his. Samael led her into the crowd where they fell into step with the rest of them.

Samael moved his hand slightly down her back closer to her waist, Carmilla raising an eyebrow at him as he flashed her a grin, "May I?"

Carmilla shook her head with a slight giggle, "you may."

Samael slid his hand down to her waist, firmly placing itself there as he pulled her closer to him. Their faces cheek to cheek as they turned towards their interlocked hands.

"Where'd this confidence come from?" Carmilla mused, slightly surprised that the blushing mess she had been talking to was now leading her around the dance floor. His steps were perfect and his moves in sync with hers as if he was a veteran dancer.

"It's dancing mi cariño, it's my fluent language," he said, winking at her.

Carmilla hummed, "And you speak spanish? Or did you just learn a few words to swoon a poor lady such as myself?"

Carmilla teased, watching as Samael smirked, "Por supuesto que sí, cariño. Cuando tienes tanto tiempo como yo, te aburres un poco." (Of course I do, darling. When you have as much time as I do, you get a little bored.)

"¿En serio?" (Is that so?) Carmilla said, looking him in the eye as he didn't flinch any longer. His eyes locked onto her with conviction, a smile that wasn't smug or snide, but pure joy resting on his face.

"Well then, I may just have to test you," Carmilla said.

"Is that a date I'm hearing?" Samael questioned as he let go of Carmilla's waist and then with his left hand spun her, Carmilla following the move easily as she spun away from him still hand in hand.

Stopped at the end of their reach, Samael gently guided her back into him, his chest to her back as he circled his right hand around her waist. Carmilla placed her hand atop his, fingers intertwining as she looked back at him with a playful smile, "That depends on how the rest of this night goes, Sam."

"Then by all means, let me give you a night worth remembering," Samael replied, the music wrapping around them in a warm embrace as he started to guide her. Their bodies linked in slow, sensual movements, swaying in perfect harmony together.

The world around them fading to a blur as Samael focused purely on her, an intoxicating feeling settling in his soul as he found he couldn't look away from her. No, when he held Carmilla like this, it was like nothing else mattered.

Their weight shifting from foot to foot, their bodies pressed together...

But before anything else could happen, they heard a change in tempo, couples starting to leave the dance floor and others arriving as classic tango music started to play.

Samael smirked at the sound as he glanced down at Carmilla, "Want to show these people what true dancing is?"

"Of course." She said, completely enamored with this side of Samael. While he had been cute before, this sudden confidence, pride in his ability was alluring, captivating, mesmerizing.

Samael snapped his finger, Carmilla gasping as she suddenly felt weightless, her eyes darting down to where a red glow surrounded her feet. The same magic covering Samael's as she got lost in his eyes.

Eyes that held no maliciousness, held no danger, no evil. Carmilla had no reason to fight back against this, couldn't fight back as her desires overtook her.

She felt safe with him, safer than anytime she was alive on earth and her time in hell. She was a woman of suspicion, always able to sense their hidden intent; But with Sam...

She trusted him with all of her being.

Gasp and mummerings spread throughout the crowd as Carmilla and Samael took center stage above them.

The pair's bodies pressed together as they took the classic tango embrace, Samael's hand placed itself firmly on Carmilla's lower back. The music started to swell as they began the dance, Samael leading them with confidence, his steps crips and deliberate, Carmilla following his lead with grace and her own sense of intensity.

Their faces were close together as they did a sweeping motion with their legs, leading further into the dance as they took a step forward together, their movements only speeding up from there as they executed a series of intricate tango moves with effortless precision.

Each one keeping their bodies tantalizing close., each time they pressed against each other a desire built up within each of them, the world fading away once again, Samael's breath leaving his body as suddenly Carmilla's hair came down.

The Sinner flashing him a perfect seductive smile as she wrapped the string around her arm and then spun back into his arms in a breathtaking flourish.

And from there Samael would have sworn everything was a dream, the fact that she was his dance partner feeling like a fantasy.

And as the final notes of music faded in the air, the two of them stood above everyone else breathless and exhilarated, their bodies close together in a moment of triumph, Samael just tall enough to look down on Carmilla as she looked up at him, their faces so close together, their breaths tickling each other's lips, their understanding of each other deepening from the dance they just performed.

As if through their moves, through their closeness they had managed to understand the other down to their very core.

And as they descended everyone gave them a wide berth, Samael's feets hitting the ground first as he held onto Carmilla's hand and slowly guided her down alongside him. Their eyes still locked onto each other as a chorus of cheers and hollers went up,

"Well done!"

"That was amazing!"

"You're the best Prince Samael!"

Carmilla felt her breath leave her body, her eyes darting between the crowd and Samael as she said, "Wait...Prince Samael?"

Samael chuckled awkwardly, "Ah, Hello?"

Before she could even respond the two of them were rushed, people surrounded them sending a barrage of questions, Samael knowing in that instant he may have screwed up. It was fun to be center stage but he should probably have considered what that meant for the mass of reporters.

They loved a scoop after all and what was better than their prince dancing it up with a Sinner...

Especially considering how they were dancing.

Samael turned to Carmilla and asked, "Do you trust me?"

Carmilla tightening her hold on his hand through the crowd, and with a swift nod of her head Samael smiled in an instant a flash of light covering them before they disappeared. The crowd let out shouts of exclamations at the sudden disappearance.

Where could Samael have gone and why did he take her with him?

Far away on a hill on the outskirts of the City the two appeared, Carmilla stumbling at the sudden transfer, Samael saving her from the blunder with a swift pull of his arm. Pulling her into him as he flashed her a smile,

"That's one way to get the heart pumping, don't you think?"

Carmilla grew flustered not just because of his words, but also because of the very fact of who it was in front of her. Who she had just danced with in front of a massive crowd.

This was Prince Samael...

The Prince...

Images flashing through her hand of their dance, of how she had touched him and teased him. She had treated royalty like that...not even just regular royalty buttheroyals.

How did she not see it!? He had told her that his name was Sam! And looked drastically different from anyone else in the crowd, unique, special and one of a kind!

Samael noticed the embarrassment that spread across her cheeks. His smile dimmed slightly but never lost its shine, "There's no need to fret Carmilla, I enjoyed tonight, I enjoyed our jests."

"I just attempted to seduce the prince...in front of everyone...oh my...," Carmilla muttered, her breath shallow as the embarrassment almost ate her whole.

Samael noticed immediately what was happening, what she was feeling. Reaching out he placed his hand on her cheek. Carmilla looked up at him as he softly said, "Carmilla, Carmilla, deep breaths, in, and out."

Carmilla listened, closing her eyes and taking in a deep breath, and out. Samael smiled, "Feeling better?"

"Y-yes, thank you, prince Samael-"

Samael chuckled, his thumb running along the edge of her cheek, "Please, call me Sam. we're no longer strangers after all."

Carmilla blushed, her eyes darting towards the ground, their original positions having changed as now she was the blushing mess "Uhm, very well, Sam. I would like to apologize for my previous actions earlier."

"For what?" He asked, tilting his head slightly in confusion.

Carmilla swallowed, her nerves acting up as she muttered, "For...acting very...unlady like"

"Do not worry Carmilla. As a matter of fact, I quite enjoyed our time together! You truly are a dominant woman when you want to be, are you not?" He said laughing, his hair bouncing as he tilted her head up to look at him.

Carmilla looking into his eyes that shined with happiness, untold depths to him that some part of her wanted to find out more about, "Still, I feel like I should apologize for-"

Samael's voice cut Carmilla off, "You have nothing to apologize for Carmilla. Because you treated me as myself, as Samael, not prince of hell. And you gave me one of life's best nights; Hopefully not the best, as I am looking forward to seeing you again, Ms. Carmilla."

Carmilla's eyes widened, her mouth dropping in shock, "You...want to go on a date...with me?"

"Yes! Do you..." Samael swallowed, his voice stumbling as his mood visually dampened, Carmilla swearing she could dog ears drooping on top of his head, "...do you not want to?"

"No no! I mean, uhm, I would be honored too. But, are you sure you'd want to spend time with someone like...me?"

Samael grasped both of Carmilla's hands, rubbing his thumbs into the back of her palms before bringing her right hand up to his lips. Planting a kiss on it before breaking apart hovering just above her skin, "Carmilla, from the moment I laid my eyes on you, I was enchanted. And I know I will not regret my decision, for our dance is my proof."

Samael said softly, smiling at her in such a way that Carmilla couldn't refuse,

"Well then...I would love to meet you again too Sam."

Years later...

Carmilla felt nervous, swallowing as a pinch of sweat built on her neck. Samael was going to take her to a Goetia party tonight. It was going to be her introduction to High Society, and if all went well, then perhaps they would go public with their relationship.

The two of them had agreed long ago to keep things under lock and key until they were assured that things were safe. Carmilla worried that people would try to hurt him by going after her, or at the very least try to threaten him by getting to her. There were too many risks and Carmilla was always the cautious one.

While she would be amiss to admit that Samael was the prince of Hell, he didn't have a certain level of prestige, anyone could see he lacked respect. The absence of his father and mother, and a still very young sister, had lessened their reputation, despite the power they held. Some people had this idea that they could even beat them, but Samael was slowly proving them wrong.

She supported her fiance through it all however, just as she knew he would support her with whatever she needed.

That's what being a partner was all about after all.

The two of them loved each other deeply and in the end the whole world would burn before they gave the other up...

What a premonition.

Carmilla breathed in deeply, shaking her head slightly as she admired her figure in the mirror. A sharp red dress ran down her body that hugged her curves at every turn, leaving enough room for her right leg to be in eyes view, a dress that Samael had picked out for her just for tonight.

Carmilla ran her fingers underneath her hair, pushing the mass of hair back over her shoulders and down to her legs. Samael loved it when she had her hair down, not to mention that it helped to give the pearl necklace across her chest some room to shine.

Speaking of the prince, Carmilla felt him approach, his arms wrapping around her waist and his head placing itself upon the crook of her neck. A tingling feeling of warmth spread through her where they touched.

A smile formed on her lips as she tilted her head and placed a kiss upon his cheek, a playful smile on his lips as he asked, "How is my chérie," his eyes twinkling as she rolled her own.

He had gotten into a French kick as of late. Something that would eventually pass after he learned the language in its entirety. It was a quirk of his she had come to love, anytime he felt bored with his existence he would just gather as much knowledge on one subject as he could and commit it to memory.

Apparently this time it was French, the language of love in the mortal realm as he called it. He wanted to be able to serenade her at any point, not that she would complain. His voice was like honey to her ears, especially when he whispered her name so lovingly.

It was delightful.

"I'm doing wonderful mi Amor," she said, Samael's eyes glowing for a moment as he let out a sweet sigh. Dipping his head into the skin of her neck, using his chin to move her hair he planted a soft kiss, seemingly never having enough of his beloved fiance.

As he spoiled her, one of his hands trailed her long white as snow hair, her hair so soft against his skin as Carmilla hummed at the feeling. But Sam didn't stop there, as for when the trail of her long hair ended, his hand slowly planted itself on her thigh, an act that stole Carmilla's breath away.

And when she didn't immediately refute he continued, gently starting to rub around her inner thigh. His finger's sending sparks of fire through her skin, a soothing feeling that made her muscles relax. A feeling of electricity soon followed after he wrapped his fingers around her soft skin, her breath hitching.

Lifting his head up he looked at her in the mirror and Carmilla could swear in that moment he looked happier then he ever had, "What did I do to deserve you," he whispered breathlessly.

Her hand involuntarily grabbed his wrist, not to protest, but she knew if she had let him keep going, she would not be able to stop herself. As much as she wanted to take his breath away, she didn't want to ruin her hours spent applying makeup.

"You're pushing dangerous territory, Sam." Turning her head slightly so she could look at him out of the corner of her eye.

Samael grinned cheekily, his eyes sparkling like christmas lights, "You look magnificent, I just can't help it dear."

Her heart swelled at his words, her heart beating faster and faster than ever before. He truly made her feel like the most special woman in the world. She didn't know how, or why, but somehow, she found the love of her life that made her into pudding with just his touch, in Hell of all places.

She would not complain about it.

"How about this, if you behave well and be a good boy, then I will think of something for you." She cheekily suggested, winking at up at her fiance who childishly whined, "But that's going to be sooooo borrrring."

She kissed him on the cheek "You're such a baby, a big baby."

"I'm not!" his voice muffled as he hid his face in her shoulder.

Carmilla giggled, he may have been a big baby, but he was her big baby. She leaned her head against Samael's, basking in this air of comfort like nothing could separate them, a small moment of levity, just for them and them only.

Soon, Samael would ask, His voice muffled as he spoke into her skin, "Nervous?"

Carmilla sighed, placing her hands atop his. She was like an open book to him sometimes "Very much so."

"Don't fret mon amour, I'll be by your side all night. If these bird brains even dare try to mess with you, I'll send them back to the stone age."

Carmilla giggled, leaning her head back into his shoulder, "Really? What happened to the talks of peace, of changing Hell?"

"Well they shouldn't mess with what belongs to me then," He said, breathlessly, his lips pressing themselves against her skin, sending a shock through her system that made Carmilla gasp.

"I would do anything for you Carmilla, you know that right?"

Carmilla's lips curled upwards, her head loitering back as she soaked in this feeling, "Of course Samael..."

She turned in his grip, reaching up, placing her hands on his face. They were massive, dwarfing his head so really only her thumbs remained on his cheeks, stopping just below his eyes.

Eyes that stared into hers in such a way that reminded her of how the Sun orbited the Earth. She imagined in that moment that Samael would never stop looking in her direction, he would never stop looking at her.

He was a devoted man and she loved him for it.

She pulled his face into hers, their lips connected as sparks flew. Samael smiled into the kiss, a slight moan verberating from his very soul. A flourishing feeling of heat traveling through her at the contact.

The heat fading as their lips parted, a longing feeling already developing in the very pit of her soul. Her words were quiet, but more powerful than ever, "I love you Samael. And I will love you until the stars fade. I won't stop loving you even if the Heavens themselves decide to strike us down."

Carmilla's heart started to beat as the sweetest pair of eyes she had ever seen laid on her, Samael's smile brighter than the sun, "Sweeter words have never been spoken to me mon chérie."

Carmilla wrapped her arms around Samael, pulling him in close to her. Holding him tightly as she stuffed her face into his neck. Samael tilted his head in confusion but nevertheless hugged her back.

Carmilla herself didn't even know why she did this. There was just a feeling that she needed to. That she needed to keep him close to her at all times or perhaps he might wander away, whether that be his own decision or not.

He was a man of a million dreams after all, a prince with a duty like a mountain on his shoulders. She couldn't help but worry sometimes...

That was what loving and being loved meant though. Sometimes you were left worrying and other times your heart was swelling with how close they were. It had its highs and lows, but it truly was an amazing feeling.

Love could tear down cities, it could erect monuments the size of mountains, and it could break a soul in two at the same time; But even with all of those potential outcomes it was still something worth seeking for, worth fighting for.

Carmilla didn't care if one day her love caused her pain, that if one day she was forced to let Samael go. Because until that day came she would hold him tight, she would love him and he would love her.

Because that's just what it was like to love a prince...

Especially one like Samael, whose heart was larger and deeper than any abyss...

Carmilla broke away from the hug, smiling softly at Samael's confused look as she said, "Let us go now, we don't want to miss our party?"

Samael looked down at her worried, but Carmilla shook her head, a subtle nod of his own in return. If she wished to talk about it then she would, he wouldn't force her.

Samael and Carmilla sat besides each other at a massive dinner table, Imps running amuck around them setting plants and dishing out drinks for the assembled Goetia's and their two guests. Samael's hand was placed on Carmilla's thigh, his thumb rubbing her skin through the smooth silk of her dress, an action that comforted her in the midst of strange judging eyes.

Samael focused far down the table as he was engaged in talk with various Goetia men and some women about the politics of Hell. From trades, citizens, to even interpersonal Goetia problems.

Carmilla though was bored out of her mind, the stuffy uptight atmosphere not suiting her. She was used to such scenarios, to these high society events but the Goetias took it to a whole new level of snootiness.

She was honestly surprised no one had tried to start something with her already. Though she could tell that they were waiting for a moment. Since the moment she and Samael had walked in they had been eyeing her like a piece of meat, tip-toeing around her as if to test her.

It was extremely aggravating.

But she had to deal with this on Earth, and had no problem showing some misogynistic bird assholes and their snobby wives why they shouldn't mess with her. She was poised like a viper, just waiting for the moment to bite back and strike at the waiting birds.

Thankfully her nerves would get a rest as she didn't have to wait too long. A young women calling out from slightly down the table,

"Carmilla is it?"

Speak of the devil.

With a short resolute nod, Carmilla said, "Carmilla Carmine."

The Goetia hummed, "Ah, yes, you're one of those overlords aren't you?"

One of her friends, Carmilla assumed, chirping up from right beside her; "Oh, I think I've heard of her, the Carmine rifles right, the little toys those children like to run around with."

Both giggling into their palms at the statement before the first turned to Carmilla and asked,

"Not a Business really fit for a lady is it?"

Carmilla hummed, taking a sip of her drink before saying, "I would disagree, a woman needs to get her hands dirty every once in a while if she cares about her family."

The two Goetia shuddered, the second saying, "Ugh, I could never. This face is too pretty to endanger like that. Besides,I don't need to stoopthatlow."

Carmilla lips curled, her eyes turning sharp, "I could only wish that I was given such a privilege."

"Yes it is quite nice-"

Carmilla cut off the Goetia before she could finish speaking, "But alas I fear it would fatten me up too much, it is good to get in the dirt sometimes. Helps the mind focus."

Her voice was sharp as steel as both the Goetias bristled. But before anything else could be said one of the older married Goetias called out to her,

"Hey,Caramelwas it? Tell me, how's been business lately."

Carmilla scoffed under her breath, looking at the women, her voice containing hints of controlled scorn, "Good, fortunately there hasn't been any problem I couldn't handle."

The Goetia wife rolling her eyes, "You? Or yourlovely fiance?"

"Excuse me?"

"Oh don't need to act innocent," the woman said, her voice lowering into a hushed tone, "everyone here knows what you're doing," before growing louder as she practically bass boosted her voice, "Besides! There is no shame in corporal greed."

Carmilla grit her teeth, "I do not know what you're talking about."

The Goetia woman started to laugh into the palm of her feathered hand, "Oh look at her, she is still denying it. At least be honest with yourself."

Samael finally noticed the small exchange of words, turning towards Carmilla with concern he leaned into her ear, "Sweetheart, is there something wrong?"

Carmilla tried playing it off, "No love, we were only talking."

But the Goetia was having none of it, wanting to spark controversy, wanting to put Carmilla on the hot seat, "Of course prince Samael! We were only having a ladies talk that's all.MsCarmilla is an interesting person to say the least."

Samael tilted his head at the specific word choice, too specific for his taste, "MrsCarmilla, and you would be correct. Carmilla is a woman of high caliber, no pun intended."

Carmilla raised an eyebrow, her face set in a deadpan, but even still she couldn't help but smile, "Really Sam?"

Samael looked genuinely confused, a sparkle of happiness in his eyes, "What? I thought it was good."

The Goetia woman growled, turning to her left where her husband was completely oblivious, forgetting about what they were here to do. No surprise there. Annoyed, she kicked him in the shin, the husband letting out a yelp as he finally gave her his attention.

The woman tilted her head towards the couple who were laughing together under their breath, some kind of joke that only they could hear. The husband finally realizing, spoke up,

"Oh! Prince Samael! Have I introduced you to my lovely daughter yet? She's the most beautiful woman that this entire ring has seen to itself. Only bested by Queen Lilith of course."

Samael looked towards the daughter in question, an uncomfortable feeling growing in his gut as the neatly dressed owl-like Goetia gave him a "seductive" stare, a quiet cluckle of bird noises that he assumed were meant to get his attention. Instead only serving to make him cringe, "Charmed, I'm sure."

The husband then kept going on about his daughter, listing a host of qualities, most of which Samael assumed were lies or exaggerations.

About how her many skills of playing the piano, being a talented painter, unmatched dancer, a fierce women in politics, able to shut up anyone who challenges her, and in prime condition for fertilization-

Sam almost choked on his drink, before getting control over himself "Uhm, Sir, I am sure your daughter is a...lovely woman. But you seem to not understand. I am already to be wed, I have a fiance."

"Oh yes, I know about your...relationship with thisSinner, which proves my point even further! You have a gentle soul for having taken pity on this poor woman." The Husband said without a care in the world, despite the fact that he just insulted Carmilla to Samael's face.

Carmilla felt like she had just been struck, a void developing inside of her deep within her being. A monster rearing its ugly head. She had already been feeding the monster, but the Goetia knew just where to hit whether they realized it or not.

And insecurity loved it...

Samael was barely able to keep the formalities "It was my conscious decision and she had exceeded my expectation far more than anyone has."

"Yes I can imagine..." the Goetia eyed Carmilla up and down with disgust, "But life goes on and new opportunities are presented. Opportunities that could lead you to greater heights, that could help you achieve whatever you desire."

He said his tone filled with as much charm as his feathery body could muster.

Meanwhile Carmilla felt doubt settle in. Her own emotions working against her make her question if she really was the right one for Samael?

She loved him, he loved her, but when you're a Prince there's certain things required of you and what if she held him back from that. What if her presence casted doubt on him.

"But she cannot do things for you that true royalty can prince. As much as she may try, she is a sinner after all. She will no doubt drag you down with her, and who knows, she has already done this much in pursuit of power, think about what else she could do. What she could cost you."

Carmilla swallowed when she heard that, sighing and keeping her dignity the best she could she stood up, speaking softly, "Thank you for the dinner but I must take my leave."

Before Samael could reach out to grab her or anyone else could say a word Carmilla departed from the room. The Goetia family head deeply chuckling, "Well looks like she learned her place."

All the other Goetias joined in as Samael felt his anger soar to new heights. Slamming his hands on the table he jumped up from his seat, Glaring at all of them as they went quiet.

They didn't expect this, but suddenly it felt like they had walked into the lair of a monster. The lair of a beast, a snake coiling its head and snarling at all of them.

But just as Samael's anger seemed to spike,yet he spoke deathly quiet, his eyes radiating with power as his fingers broke the wood of the table, "You dare to insult my fiance, my future wife, in front of me?"

"My lord-"

"Silence!"

The power that reverberated through that word cut the power of the house, the Goetias gasping in fear, their hearts beating faster and faster, their eyes wide and feathers puffing out.

All of them felt this indescribable pressure drop atop them, paralyzing them, trapping their limbs in their chair, that made it hard to breathe, their breathing shallow as all of their heads were turned towards Samael.

His eyes shined like red rubies, his irises slits like a serpent. As they stared into those eyes it felt like they were facing a being not of this realm. Not of Hell and not even of Earth. Something else entirely.

An elseworld abomination that would destroy them down to their last atom. The very air vibrating with his magic, magic that was so thick and so vast it made an ocean seem pale in comparison.

All of them remembered who it was they had f*cked with. Who it was they had tested.

This was Samael,ThePrince of hell. Someone in a class entirely different from them, and they had tested his patience. They could see it in the very way he looked now. Nothing like a soft, and well groomed man, no he was like a...

There were no words that they could use to describe how he looked. How his presence seemed to make their bones ache.

It was quiet...

Well, as quiet as it gets with an entire room screaming like hell...

And Carmilla was thankful...

She was standing in the center of a garden, high above her the night sky of Pride. To her left a pathway of flowers and plants of many kinds, as beautiful as the last. And finally the soft glow of a neon city...

But her thoughts ran wild under that glow, for the roots of doubt had embedded itself deep within her.

Maybe she was right earlier...

Maybe she would need to let go of Samael eventually...

And maybe, that time would come sooner rather than later...

Clink

Carmilla looked over her shoulder, Samael had joined her in the garden. Rage seeped out of his skin, but his eyes were filled with worry. Two conflicting emotions that fought within him to decide if he should tear that Goetia in two or if he should comfort Carmilla.

He chose the latter, magic appearing on his hand as he covered them in a veil, locking the door and leaving them alone in their own little world. Carmilla watched as he came closer to her.

Stopping right beside her and staring out onto the city with her, the two of them looking out over the night lights of Pentagram City. Neither saying a word for a moment, Samael just reached out to grab her hand.

Holding it on his own as he asked, "Are you okay chérie?" His voice was light and filled with concern.

Carmilla looked at him and in that moment he was beautiful. The light glow of the city hitting the side of his face just perfectly, accentuating his chiseled jawline and cheekbones. His eyes carried a soft shine that pierced right through her soul.

She was completely captivated.

This was the man she loved.

But even still she wondered if she deserved it.

The words of the Goetia compounding on her own insecurities as she removed her hand from his, even if it hurt her so much, "Samael, are you sure this is the right path for you?"

Samael stared at her as she turned away from him, at her hair which fell down to her legs, gulping as he looked out onto the city, "Of course, I know it with all my heart."

Carmilla heard what he said but she didn't receive any of it. Her own heart is putting up a barrier as worry and doubt set in. How could she know for certain, how could she trust any of this.

If she continued to let him, love her...

If she continued to let herself love him...

It may break her in two.

Her voice soft and filled with pain as she started to sing,

"There's only so much that a heart can take. Before it starts to break."

Carmilla holding her hand over her heart, looked over her shoulder at Samael as she practically pleaded,

"Please don't make me love you. Please don't make me need you. I've no room in my life."

She could see in his eyes how much he was hurting from all this. Those pain filled eyes completely contrasting with the beauty of him, the perfectness of him.

"For something like this..."

Carmilla remembered every moment of the past few years, every little and big thing they had done together. All the "I love yous," all the late night sessions where they sat together under the stars.

"Please don't take my mornings. Please don't steal my summers. I know they will vanish the moment we kiss..."

She turned back towards him and grabbed his face, placing her forehead against his as a tear built in her eye,

"I grow weak when we talk. I'm confused when we touch. I should just walk away. But that's asking too much."

Carmilla sang, opening her eyes to stare into his. Placing a kiss on his forehead as she took a step back.

"Please don't make me do this. Please don't make me want this. All my dreams were taken until I met you. You're the one I think of, soon as I awaken."

Samael took a step towards her, reaching out to grab her but Carmilla pulled away. Her heart cried out to get rid of it all, to put everything out there for him. He needed to know the truth. He needed to see all of her. All of the pain she may bring him.

"Funny, how the heart tells the mind what to do."

The sorrow she felt grew greater as she threw her head to the side, grabbing her arms and cradling her heart against the world.

The plants around her seemingly reacting to her as they grew closer, surrounding her in a glow that Samael found angelic despite how Carmilla was speaking.

"I'm not sure I can go through all the joy and the pain. Much better now to let these dreams take flight!"

Looking him in the eye, Samael watched as a tear traveled down her face.

"Please don't make me love you. Please don't make me need you. Simplify my life just by setting me free!"

She pleaded, she loved him, she did, but this was for the best. Turning away from him she reached out and lightly ran her fingers over a plant. She couldn't bear to face him,

"Promise me you'll do this, only you can do this. Please don't make me love you..."

But Samael wasn't deterred, he took a step towards her. Stepping besides her and looking down as Carmilla turned from the plant,

"Unless you love me..."

She finished, her voice trailing off as Samael grabbed her hand. Raising his other hand to her cheek where he wiped the drying tear off her face.

"Oh Carmilla, my sweet sweet Carmilla. I will never stop loving you. I will never let these doubts set in again."

He brought her hand to his heart, holding it close so she could feel how much it beat just for her, "This heart. It beats only for you. This love I feel is only for you."

"But what if there's a better choice, what if someone else can give you the help you need with your dreams. With your desires!"

Carmilla gently pushed him away, her hands clenching as she dipped her head to the floor, not bearing the pain of looking him in the eye.

"I love you Samael, but I...you heard them...we both know what they said. They're right, you know they are. I can't help you achieve anything."

Samael felt a pang in his heart, holding his hand out to her as he asked softly,

"Carmilla...do you trust me?'

Carmilla looked up to see it, an image flashing through her mind of the first day she met Samael. The first day where he gave her one of the best memories of her life.

She reached out towards it, the images of Samael overlapping as she hesitated just above his palm. Looking at him one more time where his eyes shone so brilliantly, the depths of his pupils stormed with emotions.

But none of them were hateful...

No, all she felt was love, all she felt was devotion.

Carmilla let her hand fall into his, Samael smiling gratefully as he closed his eyes and started to sing,

"I close my eyes and I can see. The world that's waiting up for me. That I call my own."

He flourished out his hand, magic springing to life off the tips of his fingers and running across the plants springing all of them to life in vibrant colors.

"Through the dark, through the door. Through where no one's been before. But it feels like home."

He sang as he opened his eyes, smiling at her and stepping back pulling her along with him. Each step he took caused magic to blast out that seemed to feed the plants with even more life.

"They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy. They can say, they can say I've lost my mind. I don't care, I don't care, so call me crazy."

A vibrant smile on his face as he pulled her into him, his hand coming to her waist as he squeezed her besides him, throwing his hand up to the roof as it broke apart into pieces, the glass floating around them like water droplets.

"We can live in a world that we design,"

His magic spilling out across the sky forming the images of a city, Pentagram City rebuilt, renewed, better than ever before. Carmilla looked down and saw the joy in Samael's eyes. The childlike wonder that she loved so much.

Her heart starting to beat faster,

"'Cause every night I lie in bed. The brightest colors fill my head,"

Samael sang as he swished his hand, the stars of the sky obeying his wish and colliding into the city. Wiping away his magic as a star shower appeared. Samael turned his head to grin at her.

"A million dreams are keeping me awake, I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see."

Samael pulled her into a dance very reminiscent of the first night they met, the stars crying out above them, Carmilla watched as Samael never let go. Even with what she had said, he never doubted, he never hesitated, he didn't let go.

He believed in her, he believed in himself, he believed in them. He was so happy, so excited, and Carmilla felt her heart beat faster. A scattered blush on her cheeks as the desire to kiss this fool of a man arose within her.

"A million dreams is all it's gonna take. Oh a million dreams for the world we're gonna make."

Samael then spun her away from him, pulling her back as the two danced down the pathway of the garden. Spinning and smiling together, and as they spun Samael picked a flower from a bunch. A Tiger Lily, its color reminiscent of fire, his hand tucking it in her hair.

"There's a house we can build, every room inside is filled. With things from far away."

Samael started to promise, pulling her into him, his hands interlocked with hers as Carmilla started to see his dream, feeling his desire burning inside of her. It was just a spark, but Samael's love was slowly overpowering her doubt.

"The special things I compile, each one there to make you smile. On a rainy day."

Samael's eyes were shining with joy, as he could see it now. A house built just for them. A house fit for a family.

"They can say, they can say it all sounds crazy. They can say, they can say we've lost our minds."

Carmilla's eyes started to shine just the same, she could feel it now. That same fire that Samael always felt. Burning within her. His touch supplying it, and her heart causing it to roar.

"I don't care, I don't care if they call us crazy. Runaway to a world that we design."

Samael and Carmilla burst through the doors of the garden, however, instead of appearing inside of the Goetia home, they appeared inside of a bare home built just for them.

"Every night I lie in bed the brightest colors fill my head. A million dreams are keeping me awake."

Samael pulled Carmilla along, his magic roaring to life as it lifted up paintings on the walls, carrying boxes behind them as they ran through the house laughing together like madmen and women.

"I think of what the world could be, a vision of the one I see. A million dreams is all it's gonna take. Oh a million dreams for the world we're gonna make."

Samael spun her around, dipping her low Carmilla joined him in singing, feeling what he was feeling fully.

They were in sync, they were in love...

"However big, however small let me be part of it all. Share your dreams with me."

Samael pulled her out of the dip, Carmilla singing as she spun out of his hands, the house's lights turned on, furniture flying through the air decorating it at their whim.

"You may be right, you may be wrong, but say that you'll bring me along. To the world you see."

Carmilla and Samael ran back to each other as they started to sing together, linking in eachothers arms as they smiled like madmen and women. A sight just for the two of them, a feeling just for the two of them. Something no one could ruin, no one could taint.

"To the world I close my eyes to see. I close my eyes to see."

Samael reached and gently cupped her face, there noses touching as they smiled brightly at each other,

"Every night I lie in bed the brightest colors fill my head."

He sang as he pulled her into a kiss, the two breaking away and crescendoing together,

"A million dreams are keeping me awake. A million dreams, a million dreams...I think of what the world could be. A vision of the one I see. A million dreams is all it's gonna take."

Samael and Carmilla broke away from each other, dancing around each other, matching the others movements,

"A million dreams for the world we're gonna make. For the world we're gonna make."

But at that moment the lights started to fade...

Samael's smile dimmed as Carmilla disappeared from his view...

"I think of what the world could be."

The lights came back on as he softly sang to himself, except now he wasn't in the grand garden they poured their heart out on. No, he was in a room filled with weapons of all kinds, all from various time periods, most of them swords.

"A vision of the one I see."

In his hands a large ax which he had just finished sharpening, now slowly polishing it. Finishing the job just as he sang, "A million dreams is all it's gonna take."

Placing the ax back into its case, a golden plaque resting below it titled, Sigured, Samael rubbing his hand over the plaque before shutting the case close.

His eyes drifted up to the very top of his rack of weapons...

Except at the top there weren't swords or spears...

There were heads...

Goetia family heads lined up in a row, men or women, their faces stuck in various phases of fear for eternity.

He had warned them of this fate...

Samael turned away from the room, passing by various trophies stacked in rows and cabinets. All taken from families that had fought back against him, that had challenged him,

The families that thought they were better than him...

Closing the door shut behind him, leaning his head back until the back of his head touched the cool wood, His eyes were covered in shadows as he quietly sang to himself, "A million dreams for the world I'm going to make..."

His steps were heavy yet determined as he got to the vast window of his office, looking up into the skies above him all the way towards the realm of Heaven. Twisting the ring on his fingers as he reminisced on this night. This night used to be one of the most important in the world to him.

And now it was a night where all he felt was pain...

It was his anniversary...

The night he proposed to her, the ring a forever memory of that night...

His eyes focused on Heaven as he wondered how she was doing...but he couldn't lie to himself. He wanted to hold her like that again, to see her smile, to feel her breath on his skin, to lovingly gaze into her eyes and never let go.

He was on his last legs as he prayed to heaven...

But he knew it wouldn't work.

He wasn't the only one gazing to heaven, Carmilla staring up to heaven, a tear traveling down her face as she too, remembered her past, remembering all of her nights with Samael.

"When this all began, I knew there'd be a price..."

She sang, gripping her balcony tight enough that it made her fingers ache.

"Once upon a dream, I was lost in love's embrace."

Carmilla remembered how Samael used to hold her, how he used to kiss her. Remembering just months ago when he revisited her. A visit that reginited feelings deep within her that she barely managed to douse last time.

"There I found a perfect place, once upon a dream."

Carmilla walked away from her balcony, not noticing her daughters peeking at her through a small crack from her door, Odette and Clara watching their mother's sorrow, wondering what had happened that made her like this. What had caused her so much pain?

"Once there was a time, like no other time before, hope was still an open door, Once upon a dream."

Carmilla stepped up to her desk, reaching inside of it she pulled out a ring. Gold and silver under the dim light of her lamp. Placing the ring on her finger as a single tear ran from her eye, falling through the air until it crashed onto the back of her hand.

"And I was unafraid, The dream was so exciting! But now I see it fade..."

Carmilla suddenly found a hand she knew well in front of her, tracing from the ring, up to his arm, and eventually his face, his smile wide and filled with love as he held his hand out to her. Just like before, just like he had for decades...

Carmilla reached out towards his hand, wanting to accept it and whatever came with it...

Except, like a mirage, it was gone.

"And I am here alone!"

Carmilla cried, stepping backwards until her legs hit the foot of her bed, sinking down into it as she broke down, covering her face with her hands as she was assaulted by the memories of her past.

It was her anniversary, she was supposed to be happy, to be with Samael; But she wasn't, she was drowning in sorrow.

"Once upon a dream, You were heaven-sent to me, Was it never meant to be? Was it just a dream?"

It finally clicked for Clara and Odette, the two of them realizing what this was about. Their father, the man who had married their mother at one point by the looks of the ring on her hand.

"Could we begin again!..."

Carmilla wonders, her voice quiet as she knows that she couldn't...that they couldn't. Their dream was dead...

"Once upon a dream."

Carmilla started to cry even more, tears falling down her face that she couldn't stop. Sobbing as she tried to wipe the tears away, but like a broken dam, they just didn't stop. She was stronger than this. That's what she has always told herself,

Yet, she couldn't bring herself to be strong anymore...

But just as Carmilla thought that to herself her daughters came rushing into the room, flecks of tears in their eyes as they collapsed at her legs, holding onto her waist for dear life. Seeing their mother sad brought them tears of their own, hoping to ease her pain in anyway they could.

Carmilla's eyes softened as she wrapped both of her arms around them, pulling them close. The tears still came, but at the very least she knew she would always carry a piece of Samael with her.

Her daughters were beautiful...

While Carmilla hugged her daughters tight, Samael was on his own, having appeared far away in front of a massive, broken, abandoned house, the gravel flying wildly around him before settling down. His cane clenched tightly in his hand as his gaze lingered over the houses facade.

Some of its shingles were broken, its paint chipped and its lights off. It had fallen into massive disrepair., and as he opened up the door to it dust billowed out, covering him and sending him into a coughing fit that he had to wipe away.

Inside wasn't much better either.

His eyes quickly adjusted to the dark as he looked at the home he had made all those years ago...

Back before he and Carmilla were even married, before they had Odette and Clara. A house they had built just for them with the hopes of sharing it with their kids.

But now it was empty and covered in filth.

Samael swallowed his emotions, he swallowed the pain. Walking further in, a flicker of flame appeared on the top of his cane. Acting like a lantern that pointed his way as he walked down a long decrepit hallway. The small clinks of his cane hitting tile being the only sound in the forsaken house.

He passed by various pieces of furniture, armor, and other Victorian accessories including several paintings of himself and Carmilla...

Only stopping when he came across a picture of his family...

A complete picture...

A picture of Clara and Odette when they were still infants, when he held them in his arms as Carmilla cuddled up next to him.

A picture he had taken on a phone and awkwardly printed out.

Samael reached out to the photo, "I should have done this ages ago," he thought to himself as he tore it out of its frame. Chipping the edges but the main focus point of it , his family intact.

A soft, barely hidden smile appeared on his face. A tear gathering in the corner of his eye...

"I should have changed, ages ago."

But he was too late...

Chapter 5: Calm Before The Storm

Chapter Text

"He actually showed up..."

"I know! I can't believe it..."

"He's even more beautiful in person..."

Samael's smile never wavered, his body slowly expanding as he took in a deep breath, setting his drink on the counter. Each gathering/party/excuse to get drunkand have rough sex after, was the same when his presence was known.

All eyes would be on him, whispers of admiration bouncing everywhere. Some would look at him with commendation, some with respect, some even fear, and some who rubbed their thighs together.

As much as he enjoyed the praises, sometimes, it would just be too exhausting to deal with it. It gets old after a while and becomes more like a job. A job to wave at fainting fans and looking pretty.

Not a boring job, but a job nonetheless.

Samael spotted a figure in the distance who kept to himself, a silent sound of acknowledgement being his reaction at the find. He thanked the bartender and left him a tip before heading into the crowd, flashing a smile here and there, giving some random words of wisdom, and whatever else the royal birds around him desired.

Eventually he managed to break through the crowd, his movement the entire time being focused on getting towards the main person he had come to see, Stolas, one of the Goetic Princes of Hell.

The Goetia seemed to brighten up upon seeing Samael, his gloved hand raising his drink in greetings, "Prince Samael! it is so good to see you. Thank you for coming."

Samael offered a slight nod of his head, placing his hands behind his back as he stepped up besides Stolas. His fingers twitching slightly as he missed the comfortable hold of his cane, but for such a party as this he had to do without. There were rules to such engagements after all, and he may be a Prince but even he has to abide.

"Thank you for inviting me, it's always a good time to get out and see my fellow," Samael's voice trailed off as he watched a partygoer choke down a kebab of dead rats, a shiver traveling down his spine as he swallowed, "royalty..."

Stolas, noticing the prince's gaze, quickly waved down a server, the Imp crossing the floor towards them where Stolas asked Samael, "Would you like one Prince Samael? Stella had some of the finest rodents imported from Wraith."

Samael's voice was strained as he looked over the less than palatable array of rats and mice, "I'm afraid I have already eaten Stolas."

"Awww," Stolas was genuinely disappointed, "Well would you at least try one of our Cinnamon covered worms, they're simply to die for."

Samael was about to decline but seeing Stolas' excited eyes were wide as could be he found it very hard to refuse, with a slight sigh he said, "Fine, very well. I will give the delicacy a try."

"Ooh, goodie, I just know you'll love it!" Stolas said his hands clapping together as one of the Imps brought Samael a small bowl filled with flavored worms.

Hesitantly, Samael reached into the bowl and grabbed a worm, the slippery creature wiggling in between his fingers. Before he got any second thoughts, he quickly tossed it into his mouth and gulped it down. A shiver of disgust passed through his system from the texture as he tried to play it off with a laugh, his eye twitching "Y-You're right Stolas, that was simply d-divine."

"Oh I knew you would love it! Please have as many as you want!"

Samael leaned back slightly as the bowl would shoved back in his face, an awkward smile on his face as he slowly pushed the bowl back towards the Imp, "Oh, I'm afraid I have to stop myself there. Got to watch my figure and all that you know?"

Stolas hummed, "Yes that makes sense. What a shame, but what can you do."

"Thank you for understanding Stolas," Samael whipped the non existent sweat off his face, watching the Imp run off, leaving the two alone. The Goetia prince went to say something, only to be interrupted by his own yawn. Stolas immediately covered his mouth, laughing embarrassment at having done such a thing in front of the prince of hell.

"My apologies my Prince, what an unsightly thing to do."

"It's not an issue Stolas, too many late nights recently?" yet he was met with understanding.

Stolas sighed, nodding his head sluggishly, "Yes, too many. Having to prepare for the festival that is in a few weeks and trying to keep up with my usual duties at the same time, it has been...tiresome."

An amused smile made its way onto his face, "I understand your feelings friend. We may have thankless jobs, but at last, they're the necessary ones.Without you, Wraith's production would drop, and then I would miss out on the best drinking partner I could ever ask for."

Stolas swirled the contents of his glass, a soft smile coming to his face, "Well thank you Prince Samae; But I don't think I offer that much value."

"Oh come off it," Samael nudged Stolas with his elbow, a playful smile on his lips-

But before he could say a word the shrill annoying voice of Stella Goetia could be heard, the woman who was Stolas wife and mother of Octavia.

"At least you're finally starting to know your place, Stolas. Does having an actual good man in the vicinity get that nimwit brain of yours moving?" The princess mocked.

Remember Samael, Play nice.

Samael stretched his jaw, turning to look at the peaco*ck lady to see her prideful smirk as she glared at Stolas. The Goetia Prince rolled his eyes in response, "Ha, ha, thank you very much for your presence Stella."

"It's my pleasure oh worthless husband of mine." Stella didn't even bother to save face, her voice cold as ice.

Stolas let out a huff, not out of any sort of hatred or annoyance with Stella, but out of straight apathy. He barely felt anything from her insults anymore, at least not when he was three cups deep and had gorged himself on several bits of food. It also helped to have great company, although he was still embarrassed at the sight being caused in front of the said company .

"...but it is great to see you, Prince Samael~" Stella said, putting emphasis on his name with a roll of her tongue. Her eyes locking onto his and traveling down his body like a trained hunter, a disgusting lick of her beak made Samael's eye and smile twitch.

Stella either ignorant or blissfully unaware approached Samael, her hand coming to rest under her chin as she said, "If only my husband could take on some of your more admiral traits~"

Disgust and anger boiling inside of him at the sight of her desire...

There was only one woman who got to look at him like this, who got to speak of him in this tone...

And Stella was not that woman, she could not even hope to compare...

"I mean compared to Stolas," Stella rolled her a as her little gaggle of royalty giggled around her, "you've got the looks," Stella's eyes traveling lower, "the package which you know what do with," another eruption of giggles, "and let's not forget how his scrawny twig ass can't do sh*t besides read that stupid book of his."

"Excuse me?"

Stella took a sip of her co*cktail, "Tell me if I'm wrong. You're not saying that you are comparable to the prince of hell, are you?"

Despite the fact that he should be used to Stella's cruel remarks, Stolas couldn't help but feel a splash of hurt. His emotions dampened rapidly at her words. She wasn't wrong after all.

However, Stolas would suddenly tense up as a pair of hands slammed onto either side of his arms, his feathers poofing up at the sudden contact, soon coming to realize that they belonged to the prince Samael as his cheerful voice sounded out, "Although we may not be the same, Stolas is a great man princess."

Stella rolled her eyes, a laugh escaping her lungs, "I'm sorry Prince but Stolas is just a-"

"Great father? Excellent businessman? Doesn't act like a blabbering fool?"

Stella was taken aback by Samael's cheerful yet sharp words, "Huh? Wha...what?"

"Mhm, Exactly! Now, if you excuse us, we have important matters to discuss. Enjoy the party!"

The pair would suddenly disappear from view, leaving a flabbergasted Stella who's gear started to turn, until she screeched in outrage.

The aforementioned pair watched on from a distance, Stolas looking up to his guest who chuckled in amusem*nt. He couldn't lie, he too enjoyed the sight of his wife finally getting talked back too and, in quote, losing her sh*t.

Stolas smiled at the prince in appreciation softly before saying, "Thank you, Prince Samael."

Samael grinned, a cheeky smile on his face, "What are friends for Stolas?"

The two princes left the ballroom, their short stunt with Stella more than enough to give them a desire to get out. Besides Samael wanted a drink and the only place here with anything sweeter would be in Stolas's office

However just as they started the short trek Samael felt something hit his back like a torpedo, his back cracking as he stumbled forward. Barely managing to catch himself. Stolas gasping out, "Octavia!"

Samael looking over his shoulder, the named rocket giggling as she pulled her face out of Samael's back, "Uncle Sam!"

Samael chuckled as he turned around, Octavia bouncing up and down before crushing him in another hug, Samael coughing, "What is with children and deciding to crush me with their hugs?"

Stolas reached out tentatively, "Via, please give your Uncle some space. He does still need to breathe."

Octavia whining but letting go of him, a wide smile cracking her beak at the fact that she had gotten to see Samael after a long time. He was always super nice to her, and even bought her some astrology books that he managed to import from the human world.

Samael's laughter became more joyous as he lightly brushed off his coat, his eyes traveling over Octavia as he said, "Oh my, look at you Via,I swear each time we meet you've grown another inch. Awww, but you still have a small, cute little beak."

Octavia's feathers fluttered with embarrassment, a whine leaving her beak, "Uncle Sam!"

"That's my name!"

Samael's lighthearted laughter filled the hall as he quickly ran from Octavia like an 80s video game character. Stolas watches the scene with an amused smile. Stolas enjoyed the sight of his daughter and Samael "playing" together, though it was more like watching a trickster god mess with a human he found amusing.

Samael used his magic to stop Octavia from getting him at every turn, this wild goose chase continuing for a few minutes before Samael slid to a stop beside Stolas without even a drop of sweat on his skin. Stolas raised an eye at him as he looked at his daughter who was exhausted.

Octavia splayed out on the ground, pulling her beanie off her head as she muttered, "Not fair....you...you used your magic."

"Hey, all is fair in a game of tag little one," Smael snickered before bending down and tapping her on her beak "and I win."

Octavia whined some more as Samael got a mischievous glint in his eye, turning his head over and making eye contact with Stolas, the Goetia prince quickly growing worried as Samael started to grin. Samael mouthed the words, "I'm going to do it."

Stolas's eyes flicked, "What are you talking about?"

"I'm. Going to. Do. It."

Stolas had no clue what Samael was talking about. He knew the Prince wouldn't hurt his daughter, but that didn't mean he was above pranks to mess with Stolas or Octavia.

Stolas watched kind of helplessly as Samael threw an arm around Octavia and forced the two to look at Stolas. Their cheeks squished together as he held out his other hand, "Guess what Octavia, Did you know that all three of us are going to a Star Shower, by the date of tomorrow?"

"What!?" The young teenager exclaimed.

"Yap! And your dad's the one who told me about it!" Samael 's magic created multiple arrows, all pointing around the prince's head.

"What!?" This time it was Stolas to cry out in shock, Samael quickly narrowing his eyes at the said prince, the Goetia immediately catching on, meanwhile Octavia was shocked, turning to her dad she asked, "Did you dad? Did you actually?"

"Uhm..." Stolas looked back at Samael, who repeatedly nodded his head like a blur, Stolas getting the message as he quickly said, "Yes my Owlette, I did. I was just waiting to tell you a little while longer. It's been a while since we have been out together, and I thought you would like it."

Octavia couldn't believe it, her dad was going to take her to a Star Shower! Her eyes lit up with excitement, she couldn't wait, this was going to be great she just knew it!

Samael, noticing her excitement, smiled softly, knocking his head against her and whispering, "Now go on, give him your thanks, little one."

Octavia didn't need to hear him twice, rocketing off again and bounding into Stolas where she gave him the biggest hug she could. Muttering like a telegraph into his fur.

Stolas felt shocked, at first he didn't know what to do. But naturally his arms wrapped around his daughter, pulling her into him as he said, "Your welcome, Via."

He then looked up at Samael and mouthed,"Thank you."

Samael's heart swelled and warmed at the sight, joyful and content at the scene before him; Yet, despite all of it, a void feeling was settled deep within. Though, he wouldn't taint this event with his own feelings; Rather he'd rejoice for his friend's reconciliation.

Nodding his head at Stolas and waiting for the two to separate so they could continue the rest of their trek...

After all there still was work to do...

Samael closed the door shut behind him with a clink, Stolas heading further into his office went to a side cabinet. Reaching into it for a bottle of wine fit for a king. Samael looked around the room as Stolas poured them both a drink, both keen on forgetting the rancid bitch that Stolas had been forced to marry.

Samael noticed some of the trinkets and mementos Stolas had scattered about his room, most held Octavia in them in some fashion. From Stolas holding her swaddled in a blanket as an infant or Stolas standing beside an older Octavia with a proud smile on his face as she showed off one of her drawings.

Samael kept walking along Stolas's wall, flourishing his hand out as he passed by the fireplace lighting it up without even looking back. His eyes traveled over the mantle and saw the grimoire he had given Stolas years ago. A gift for Octavia when she came of age, it may not be as crucial as the Goetia Grimoire, but Samael had made it just for her and he hoped it would serve her well.

Samael felt a small smile come to his face as he saw another photo, this one actually holding all three of them in its image. Walking up to it he grabbed the wooden frame, his thumb traveling over its rugged edge. A nostalgic feeling built up in his chest as he remembered the night this specific picture had been taken.

It felt like ages ago now, but on Octavia's 9th birthday Stolas asked Samael to help him set up an amazing surprise for her. The two of them created a spell so magnificent together that they filled the sky's of Wraith with the perfect view of a meteor shower.

Vibrant, shining balls of rock and flame hurtling through the sky. But despite how insignificant the contents may sound, that image was burned into Samael's mind. The beauty of it, Octavia's gleeful laughter, Stolas's happy smile...

Samael wished that he could show such a scene to his family...

To Odette and Clara...

To Carmilla...

Samael blankly stared at the portrait, suddenly broken out of his trance when he heard Stoals approaching. Stolas handing Samael a glass, "I hope you enjoy this, some of the sweetest of my stock."

"Thank you my friend..."

The two fell into a comfortable silence, only broken up by the slight crackle of fire and smell of burning wood. A scene the two were quite expectant of as they had shared many nights like this over the years. Two men wrought with responsibilities who could deny them the ability to find companionship in one who bore the same burden.

The silence was broken by Samael, his words cutting through the warm air like a dull knife, "Stolas...how much do you love your daughter?"

Stolas froze, looking at Samael's stoic expression out of the corner of his eye he asked, "What do you mean Prince Samael?"

"What are you willing to give, for her to be happy? Your wealth, your body, your soul?" Samael clarified, raising his cup to his lips as he took a sip.

Stolas did not hesitate to answer, "Everything Prince Samael."

"Heh,good answer, there's just one problem Stolas..." Samael leaned his head back, a sigh leaving his lips, "you're not living up to your words."

Samael's mind drifted as he thought of Octavia, the young girl that he has steadily watched grow up. That he sometimes saw as a stand-in for his own daughters even though he knew he shouldn't see her like that...Samael just couldn't help it sometimes.

But Samael wasn't the problem here, Stolas was. Because Samael could see how Octavia had changed, and that didn't sit right with him, "You should know better than I do that Octavia wasn't like this before. That this isn't just a teenager's rebellious attitude kicking in either."

Stolas mentally stumbled, his feathers fluttering as he said, "I...unfortunately, I know that, but, but it's more-"

Samael cuts him off, "Is it your wife?"

"Uh, uhm, well...yes," Stolas sighing as he set his glass down on a nearby table, holding his hands in front of him as he stared at a picture of Octavia, "I do not wish to place all the blame on Stella, but she has not made it easy Prince Samael. How did you guess?"

Samael scoffed, "After our early meeting how could I not? She's been eyeing me up like a piece of fresh meat since the first time she approached. She's not subtle in any capacity."

Suddenly, Samael's tone shifted, carrying with it a slight hint of danger, as if he was about to deliver a prophecy to some way-ward hero. His eyes glowing in the dark of the room as he looked up his shoulder, "But that's not all, is it?"

Stolas knew what the prince was referring to. Blitzø. The man that Stolas had been having an affair with for months. A childhood friend that Stolas had reconnected with, well childhood crush more like.

Stolas also knew that if he tried to play it off Samael would cut right through whatever he tried to say. Samael trusted Stolas in some capacity, Stolas should return the favor.

"I...I'm having an affair...with an Imp. His name is Blitzø, and he has a place in my heart. I know it may not look good, I know it may not be wise, but I truly do care for him, Prince Samael."

Samael softly smiled, a part of him appreciating the fact that Stolas was truthful with him. That's something Samael always respected, the truth. He didn't want to have to play this game of "does Samael know."

It never ended well for people who doubted him.

Since Stolas would offer him this boon, then who would he be to deny a flower in return, His voice was coated with sympathy, "I can see that this relationship means a lot to you Stolas."

Yet, Samael's tone grew somber, "But you need to be careful. This relationship may not end the way you wish. Guard your heart, guard those you hold close and be careful of who you let near. As much as you love this Blitzø, he may just take from you, until you have nothing more to give."

Stolas took Samael's words to heart. He valued Samael's opinion, but also he valued his own heart, "I...I know the risks, Prince Samael, but I trust him. I have faith in him. I wish to see this through."

Samael sighed, "Very well. But remember, sometimes, for the sake of our children, we have to let go of what we hold dear, even if it tears us apart."

Samael said, his mind on his ex-wife. On the women he still loved dearly and wished he could be with. But for their children, for Odette and Clara, Samael would sacrifice anything. And at this moment Stolas may have to as well.

"Now, If you wish to pursue this relationship, then I will allow it; However, in return, all I want is the promise that Octavia will always be your priority."

Samael reached up and placed a hand on Stolas' shoulder, his eyes gentle, "If you can do so, then I'll help you divorce that witch and keep her away from your family...well the only family that matters."

Stolas shook his head, "But, sir, I can't just-"

"Stolas, who is the most important person in your life?"

This was a question that Stolas knew by heart, that he could have answered in his sleep if Samael so wished, the name, "Octavia," tumbling from his lips like water. Octavia was the only family he cared about, the only family that mattered.

"Your daughter, of course. And right now, she is lost. She needs you more than ever. To pat her on the head, give her compliments, hug her, to be there for her. To be her father."

That feeling in Samael's chest grew more bittersweet, like a giant hole opening inside his heart that wanted to swallow him whole while at the same time fed him the greatest delights.

He might not get the chance to be there for his daughters, but he can at least make sure Stolas does, "I will do anything in my power to help you Stolas, but please...do not lose her."

Stolas didn't know what to say, his voice getting caught in his throat. He trusted Samael but could he take that step? Could he defy his father, to defy what was laid out for him, to defy Stella...

Images of Octavia flashed through his mind, like a picto-o-rama he saw her grow in a flash. Going from a mere baby to the young adult that rebelled against him. He loved each version he saw, each one filling his heart with resolve.

Maybe he should listen to Samael, maybe he should take a risk, "Maybe it's time for a change..." Stolas said, a small smile on his face as he walked away from the fireplace, standing in front of a portrait of his.

Samales' eyes widened at his words, they struck a chord within him. A chord he had been strumming for a while, struggling to get used to its tune. But it was finally starting to harmonize,

"Stolas, do you think my father is fit to be a king?"

"Huh?" Stolas titled his head at Samael confused, what did Lucifer have to do with anything? Where was this coming from?

Samael chuckled lightly, lowering his head as he muttered, "Sorry, that was a strange thing to ask."

Stolas wasn't convinced though, his eyes focused on Samael as he asked, "Is everything alright Prince Samael?"

"Yes, I'm fine Stolas," Samael's eyes started to glow, "just thinking is all..."Samael swished the bottle of his glass, bits of magic seeping into it as a vision appeared in it. Samael's eyes focused on the image he saw, his pupils turning into slits as his voice grew quiet, "Perhaps you're right, maybe change is necessary."

Stolas noticed the air change around Samael, his bubbly self that he showed with Octavia, that had slowly been dwindling, disappearing and drowning, being replaced by this violent wave that Stolas could barely keep himself afloat, It's water changing each second.

Pain, desire, confusion, rage...

Intermixing into a storm that Stolas couldn't discern, changing moods and plans in an instant. Stolas didn't know what to do in the face of such a monstrous force. Of one that threatened to blow everything away.

So he did the only thing he could,

"Prince Samael, I know you're strong enough to do this. But you don't need to shoulder it all alone."

The storm froze, fading away as Samael looked up from his glass, "What?"

"The job you do is dauntless, it's more than what one man should do alone. Lean on others, take a break, breathe. Hell will still be there in the morning."

Samael didn't say a word at first, his eyes locked onto Stolas as if he was trying to see the very future through Stolas's pupils. A small smile came to Samael's face the next instant as he said, "Thank you, Stolas..."

Samael looked away and downed his drink, setting the empty glass on the mantle as he said, "But I think it's time for me to go, got a busy day, busy week...you know the drill."

When Samael turned to leave the room, his brow furrowed, that storm reappearing in the depths of his pupils. His mind locked into introspection as he grappled with the idea of the future, what it held for him.

Stolas's eyes trained on Samael's back as he wondered what was going through his head. He didn't know if anyone could decipher what the Prince of Hell was thinking, but if there was one thing Stolas could wish for it was to see into Samael's head.

To see what he thought, to understand his actions as clearly as Samael did. Because right now all Stolas saw was a man about to shoulder the world on his back.

Samael was going to become Atlas...

But Stolas wondered if that weight would give him the strength to rise, or destroy everything he had built....

Chapter 6: Dad Beat Dad

Chapter Text

"I don't understand why it's not working," Charlie muttered as she pulled at her hair, dashing around the gigantic, makeshift posterboard she had crafted, trying to figure out what was the best way to redeem someone.

It had been a few months since her...less than productive meeting with the first man. She had been ecstatic to finally get an audience with heaven and to present her project!

Turns out that her project really needs to be foolproof because she now needs to pull it off not just by the end of this year, but half of that. No biggie! It's not likeshe has tried everything from trust falls, team puzzles and drawings, sharing secrets and feelings, everything she could think of every single day. Redoing activities, creating new ones.

Every. Single. Day.

"Charlie?...Sweetie, you, uh. You good?" Vaggie's voice cut through Charlie's little crisis, the princess whined and gripped her hair, her eyes bloodshot and exhausted when she turned towards Vaggie and the rest of her friends, "Nope, no! Not really!"

Her eyes gained a dark look, her laughter was of steady loss of sanity, "I've been up all night trying to figure out why the hotel isn't working." Crushing papers in her hand, her sharp teeth gleamed, hitting deadend after deadend, 'We've done trust falls. We've tried sharing our feelings. We only have a couple months left before the Angels come."

Laughing again in he friends directions as her demonic form shone through, Vaggie grimacing reaching out with a voice soft, "Maybe it's time..."

Charlie swiveled, "No."

"To ask..."

Charlie dashed to Vaggie, leaning over the couch and grabbing her by the face, forcing Vaggie within inches of her eyes, "Don't, say it."

"Your family."

Charlie groaned, her body going limp on the couch. Vaggie grabbed her hands, trying to comfort her distressed partner, "Charlie, I know you don't want to, but we need every advantage we can get."

"Dad let the extermination happen to begin with. They just had a meeting and said, 'Go ahead and kill everyone!'" she mocked her father's voice.

Suddenly, Charlie gasped in revelation, her eyes widening, the princess running back to her dashboard "Wait! That's it!"

"Kill everyone?"

"He could get us a meeting with Heaven." Charlie said, a bright smile shining through her exhaustion as she clasped her hands together.

"Didn't we already try that?" Vaggie understandably concerned and doubtful.

"Well, yeah, with Adam, but he was an azzhole." Charlie said, parting her hair behind her ear, "But he isn't in charge of all of Heaven. We could go to the top! There's sure to be some Angels who will listen."

Charlie scrolled through her phone towards her dad's contact, Samael's resting right below it as she hovered over her dad's number. Husk stepping into the scene took a sip of his coffee, "What's the hold up? You got daddy issues?"

Charlie's eyes widening in embarrassment, "No, we just have never been close," she said trying to deflect, "After he and Mom split, he never really wanted to see me. He calls sometimes, only if he's bored or like, needs me to do something."

"Daddy issues," Husk said before taking a long sip of his coffee.

"Well, I'd like to meet the big dick in charge." Angel said as he leaned on the couch, holding up his face with one of his hands.

"Ooh, the ultimate bad boy," Nifty said as she pulled out a knife, Angel slowly taking it from her hand and tossing it behind the couch as Nifty started to poof up her hair, "But I bet he's not as scary asmyultimate bad boy."

At that mention, Vaggie widened her eyes, "Wait, what about your brother, couldn't he help?"

"Yeah, he seemed like a nice guy," Angel interjected, popping a lollipop out of his mouth as he leaned across the couch. Charlie lost her smile, scratching the back of her neck,

"I...I don't want to keep relying on him though. He's already done so much, not just for me, but for the people. I can't just go to him every single time. It makes me feel like I'm using him."

"That makes no sense," Husk said, tilting his head as Charlie winced, "The guys everywhere, sorry but there's no way a man like that doesn't have some kind of connection to Heaven. And besides you're alreadyusingyour dad, what's the difference?"

Charlie sighed, crossing her arms as she turned away, "I just...Sammy would drop everything to help me, I know he would. But he's constantly working, I wouldn't want to add more to that."

"Look Dollface," Angel Dust said, pointing one of his secondary arm's fingers at her, "I had an older brother and let me tell you, if you don't ask him, he's gonna be hurt. They care a lot more than you think, and if you went over him just to your father that would be like slapping him in his face."

"Really?" Charlie said, her voice laced with sympathy and concern.

"Yes, trust me. He might not be your best bet into Heaven but either way, at least let him know. Sharing sh*t, sharing trust, it's really important in family. I don't even know him and it's obvious how much he cares about you. He's always worried about you, don't keep him in the dark."

Charlie bit her cheek, her mind a whirlwind as she tried to gain control of her thoughts. Looking at her phone she flicked between Samael's and Lucifer's contact ID...

Samael sighed, the prince running his fingers through his unkept hair as he spun around in his chair, his eyes roaming around the hundreds of different pieces of paperwork he had floating around him, a light red hue surrounding them.

He bit his cheek as he tried to figure out what to do next. He had been making little to no progress the past few days, having hit a blockade on some item requests from the Sins and managing the panic after the second extermination was announced.

Because of that he was constantly torn between public appearances and his office for the past few days as they had gotten closer to extermination day and no closer to a solution.

Holding up his right hand he flicked to the side, his papers scrolling before he flicked his fingers to him. Pulling out a small stack of papers and doing some fast calculations, a smile appeared on his face as he thought he had finally figured it out...

Only for that crashing down when he realized the plan he had just workshopped would have clashed with another task. Groaning, he leaned back in his chair, letting his head roll back as he hopelessness settled.

It was like an endless ocean of work and no matter how much he swam, how much he tried, he couldn't clear a single wave, only sinking further. He was struggling to breathe...

Rubbing the bridge of his nose he exhaled a deep breath, his foot starting to tap on the floor as a feeling of frustration built up inside of him.

There was only one idea he could think of that might offer some help. Though he imagined nothing would come of it, just like every other idea he's had today.

Samael reached into his pocket and pulled out his phone. His finger quickly swiped through his contacts until he came across one labeled "Father," his fingers hovering over the call button for a few moments...

"That's it...almost there..." Lucifer, the King of Hell, ruler of the damned sat hunched over his worktable. His voice daunting and rough, "now presenting..."

Then suddenly his voice gained clarity and a hint of happiness, yelling out in a showman voice, "the magic tastical backflipping rubber duck!"

Turning around he held the duck out to the air, as it suddenly breathed fire, air horns going off to celebrate the invention "That spits fire!" A smile on his face as he bowed to the nonexistent crowd, "Hold the applause please..." chuckling before suddenly throwing the duck at the wall.

"Oh who am I kidding this sucks," letting out a sigh as his eyes caught sight of a large painting, his face turning to a frown as he looked up at his family...

They were much younger, his children at least, looking so happy, so carefree. Lucifer holding Charlie on his shoulders, Samael and her cheeks squished together as he stood in between her and their mother. His arms wrapped around them all.

Lucifer looked at Charlie's youngering face, his mind remembering when she would come to him for stories, sitting on his lap as he spun her tails of truth and fiction. Molding the two together as seamlessly as he could.

There was also the plethora of drawings she made, all of them stacking his wall as he kept every single one. They weren't what one would call professional art, but they were beautiful to Lucifer and held more meaning than anything else could.

How the two of them used to dress up together in a variety of outfits and sing, dance, all of it. From musicals, originals, anything you could think of. Lucifer would help his daughter with it all. Together roleplaying whatever scenario his daughter desired.

They'd even sometimes managed to rope Lilith and Samael in, leading to epic fantasies and wild tales of kidnapped kings and heroic princesses. Lilith played a secondary antagonist or helpful old lady, as much as she hated that role, while Samael would act as their monster of the day. From dragons and trolls, to robots and cryptids. Though no matter what he played, somehow Charlie always managed to convince her big bad brother to give up and become friends, releasing her father from his clutches,

All through the power of singing of course.

Then there was Samael, the little...well big kid who would always rush to him with spells of various kinds though they always leaned a little more destructive. Lucifer chuckled as he remembered a baby Samael, before even Charlie was born, letting loose a burst of flames after being tickled and sending Lucifer's face up in flames. The Devil coughing out bits of soot as Samael giggled like a mad child, a melodious sound that Lucifer found adorable despite the fact that his face was covered in ashes.

There was also the time Samael and Lilith conspired against him, the two keeping a secret bluntly from him but no matter how much he asked neither would tell him. Though in the end he was glad they didn't tell him, because when he saw Samael dressed up as Lucifer from head to toe, with his own little personalized cane. It was positively adorable, and Lucifer hadn't forgotten that halloween since.

Lucifer's face grimaced as those thoughts prevailed in his mind, a sigh escaping his lips as he looked away from the picture. Turning his back on the beautiful but painful memories. Only to suddenly hear a circus ringtone, pulling his phone out of his pocket and looking at the caller ID.

"Samael"

His phone nearly fell out of his hands as he fumbled with it, only for his anxiousness to become worse when a secondary call came through,"Son!? Daughter!? Children calling!"

He looked between the two accept/decline options, sweat appearing on his forehead. His thumb swapping between the two at breakneck speed, which one was he supposed to call here!

Closing his eyes he tilted his head and then randomly pressed down...

Lucifer's emotions were at an all time high after his conversation with Charlie, she had invited him over. She did it, not him. That meant she wanted to see him and that made Lucifer excited.

But he still remembered he needed to call his son back, swiping to his missed calls he clicked on Samael's caller ID, his smile not leaving as he heard the first ring...

Though as he heard the second one he felt his mood dampen a little...

Then he heard the third one, and nothing.

Biting his cheek Lucifer put his phone away, Samael was probably just busy, that's why he didn't answer. Besides, Lucifer needed to get ready to see his daughter, he could call Samael back after he got done at the hotel. There was no harm in putting it off for a little while longer...

...right?

"Okay everyone, it's showtime!" Charlie said as she grabbed the door of the hotel, taking a deep breath and opening it to reveal Lucifer on the other side, his arms wide and his voice cheerful,

"Chaaaarlie!!"

"Hey dad-" Charlie barely managed to get out before she was squished in Lucifer's arms, the king of Hell laughing as he said, "Oh, it's so good to see you. Haha!"

Charlie choked out, "It's good to see you, too, Dad."

Lucifer then broke the hug and took a step back, a strained smile on his face as Charlie showed off the hotel and her awkward staff, "Welcome! To the Hazbin Hotel!"

Small puffs of confetti going off as Lucifer's leg was rubbed up upon by Keekee, the King of Hell bending down to rub the animal's head, his voice childish, "Oh, hewwo, Keekee!"

Only for Razzle, and Dazzle to fly up to him next. Lucifer gives them chin scratches and speaks kindly to them before grabbing them and pulling them in close and in a much deeper voice saying, "You take care of my little girl? You better be..."

Before resorting back to his usual cheerful expression, laughing and letting them fly off as he walked to Charlie who looked nervous, Lucifer awkwardly looking around and nodding his head, "Wow, this place looks...uh...Uh-huh. Yeah. Uh-huh." His voice modulated as he looked around at the various conditions of the hotel.

Flourishing his staff out in between his pinkie and finger, "It's got a lot of character," before noticing the bar and freaking out a little, "Oh, what in the unholy Hell is that?!"

Alastor appeared a few feet away, his voice mixed with the radio static he was known for "Just some of the renovations we had done. Adds a bit of color, don't you think?"

Lucifer had a displeased expression as he pointed his cane at Alastor, "And you are?"

Alastor disappearing and reappearing behind Lucifer saying, "Alastor! Pleasure to be meeting you, sir. Quite a pleasure!" Grabbing Lucifer's cane and shaking it, disgruntling the King of Hell, before he wiped his hand off.

"It's nice to finally put a face to the name. You are much shorter in real life," Alastor said, as he placed two finger's in a box around Lucifer and shrunk it. Charlie walking up to Lucifer's side as Lucifer looked between her and Alastor,

"Who is this? Who is this now? Are you the bellhop?"

"Aha, no I am the host of the hotel," Alastor said, tweaking his tie with pride, "You might have heard of me from my radio broadcast."

Lucifer furrowing his brow before saying, "Hmm. Nope! I guess that's why Charlie called it the 'Hazbin' Hotel," fake laughing as Alastor's eye twitched, he remembered another Morningstar who treated him like this.

Alastor faked a laugh of his own, before looking at his nails and saying, "It was actually my idea."

Lucifer added more fake laughter, "Well, it's not very clever!" Holding his cane up and leaning forward with a smirk.

Alator laughing some more, "f*ck you," getting in Lucifer's face with a growl, a cat fight nearly starting out before Charlie got involved and separating them.

"Okay! Okay. Anyway."Charlie said, leading her father away.

"Dad, look at this lovely parlor, where people can get to know each other and share secrets and stories, and intimate feelings!"

Charlie said as she leaned down and grabbed her father close, squishing her cheek against his her eyes lit up with the idea of her dream despite the actual state of the parler. Which had bugs crawling about it and was a little worse for wear.

Lucifer smiling and enjoying the moment before Charlie mentioned, "Without Alastor," his face growing disgruntled as Charlie continued, "we wouldn't have been able to pretty it up this much!"

Alastro tapping his fingers against the top of his cane, "Charlie has a very unique vision. I am happy to fulfill her bizarre requests," stepping by her side he placed his hand on her shoulder in a comforting manner, his eyes glued on Lucifer the entire time.

"Oh, thank you Alastor." Charlie said as she placed her hand atop Alastor's, Lucifer growling at the sight as Alastor smiled wide at him.

"Quite an impressive-"

Knock

Knock

Just as Alastor spoke, knocks could be heard at the door, Alastor growling at the interruption and disappearing as Charlie's eyes widened and she gained a little sparkle in her eye,

"Ah, he's here!" Charlie shouted, Lucifer tilting to his head as he stepped to his daughter's side.

Turning to Charlie he asked, "Who is?"

Charlie awkwardly chuckled, "Well...dad...I uh, kind of invited someone here."

"Uh huh," Lucifer said, narrowing his eyes at the door, imagining that the person on the other side was probably annoying like Charlie's Bellhop, Alastar or whatever it was.

"Well, let's not keep them waiting!" He said with fake joy, striding out to the door and throwing it open, Charlie attempting to grab him and shouting out, "Dad, Wait!"

"Hello-" Lucifer's voice trailed off as he looked straight into a chest dressed in a fine suit, gulping as he recognized that fabric and color looking up to see Samael's face...

His son currently messing with the sleeve of his coat as he said with a sigh, "Look Charlotte, sorry but I'm busy, I have a lot of leftover work so we need to-"

Samael looked down and saw his father's face, his voice dying in his throat as he locked eyes with his old man. His eyes narrowed, the air sparked with power, hisvoice so sharp that it could cut through stone, "What are you doing here?"

Lucifer shivered at the piercing violet eyes that seemed to cut right through him, eyes that reminded him so much of his ex-wife. Chuckling awkwardly, his tone strangled as he said, "Heyyyy son."

Charlie sliding up next to her father and smiling nervously at her brother, Samael turning his eyes onto her, a blaze within them as he asked, "Charlie, care to explain?"

"Heh,welllll, Sam, Sammy, dearest big brother of mine" Charlie walked to her brother's side and wrapped an arm around his, pulling him into the hotel and out of everyone's hearing range before he had the chance to leave, "I invited him here, and you, so that you could see all the progress we've made!"

"And you couldn't have informed me any time sooner thathewas here?"

Charlie fiddled with her fingers, "I could have...but would you have come?" She asked, her head tilting as she looked up at him imploringly.

"I wouldn't."

"Exactly! So I just..."

"Lied?"

"Withheld some information!" Charlie said, punching her brother lightly on the shoulder, which San didn't find as amusing. The princess sighed "Sam, I know it's...hard for you, but I need you here if I want to pull this off. Can you stay here, for me, pleeeeease?"

Samael narrowed his eyes at his sister, Charlie smiling up at him bright as can be...

"Fine, whatever, but I'm getting a drink, I don't have the mental fortitude for this right now," Samael gave in, rubbing the exhaustion in his eyes as Charlie's smile somehow grew bigger as she cheered and hugged her bigger brother, "Thank you! Thank you!"

Samael rolled his eyes but patted his sister on the head, "Whatever Charlotte, love you too."

As Samael walked away towards Husker, Charlie watched him go and let out a relieved sigh, just in the same Lucifer rolled up to her side. His eyes locked onto Samael, "Soooo...your brother drinks now?"

Charlie nodded her head slowly, "Yes, he said he likes the taste. I don't know how he does it, I never liked it."

Lucifer swallowed as he watched Sam suddenly down two glasses of something Husk poured, concern evident in his tone, "Yeah...he does look like a pro."

Lucifer then watched as his son both took a cookie from the tiny sinner with one eye, and a giant glass of beer from Husk consuming both in quick succession as he was cheered on by the little Sinner.

"Is...is that safe?" He asked, looking back up at Charlie.

Charlie confidently replied, 'Don't worry, it's fine. Besides, he isn't a kid anymore, he can handle his drink."

Lucifer scoffed, leaning back a little holding his cane out in front of him as he said, "He can't have changed that much, you're both still my children."

Charlie bit her gum, looking at her father she muttered, "Well dad, it's been a while since you've seen him. Seen us. He's changed, We've both changed."

"Ah..." Lucifer stumbled over his words, before quickly saying, "Well thing's can't be that different now, next thing you'll be telling me is that he got married."

Charlie raised an eyebrow, Lucifer jumping up and looking at her with worry and surprise, "He has?!"

Charlie looked away and muttered, "Let's not focus on that now,"

"He's more than just your little boy now dad, just the same as me.."

There was an awkward silence between the two before Charlie sighed and said, "Just...just come meet my other friends, dad."

Charlie then walked away from Lucifer, the King of Hell looking a little downcast as he whispered before following his daughter, "You'll always be my little boy and girl, Charlie."

Samael looked over his shoulders, watching on with narrowed eyes as Charlie started to introduce their father, though in Samael's opinion, he was making a complete fool out of himself, especially with Charlie's girlfriend. The only one Lucifer hadn't got to talk to yet was Husk, who was currently serving Samael.

Samael held up his drink, swirling the golden contents as he let out a little hum. Husk wipes a glass clean, occasionally looking at Samael out of the corner of his eye, other times focusing on the happenings of the Hotel.

Neither of them noticed that someone was sneaking up on them, stealthing around the edges of the room and sliding up underneath the bar. Their eye locked onto Samael, sensing the storm that broiled inside of him.

Samael quickly downed the drink, placing the glass on the bar as Husk scooped it up, already working on pouring another drink for the Prince.

Said Prince leaned onto the table and gazed at his hands, his eyes locked onto his ring as he started to think. Exhaling a deep sigh, he ignored it for now, moving his hand up to hold his face, leaning on it as Husk placed another drink in front of him, Samael nodding in thanks to the bartender.

Samael then turned his gaze to the left where he saw Keekee sitting right in front of him, her eye locked onto him, head tilted and tail waving through the air hypnotically behind her.

Samael developed a soft smile and watched as Keekee slowly stood up, her little body bouncing up and down before coming to a stop in front of him, sliding around his resting arm as she moved closer to him, rubbing her cheek against his and purring lightly. Samael smiled as he got off his hand, rubbing his fingers through her fur.

"Hello, Keekee, how's my favorite girl doing," he said, chuckling as Keekee's tail brushed across his face, the cat sliding down from the bar onto Samael's lap, curling up there and soaking up the heat of his body. Samael's smile never left his face as he reached down and started to pet her.

Samael then used his other hand to grab his drink, Husk watching the entire scene with a raised brow, his voice low and gruff, "Never expected the Prince to be such a fan of cat's."

Samael silently chuckled, "There is a reason why you're my favorite bartender."

"Uh-huh," Husk rolled his eyes as he placed the glass he was cleaning down in the clean rack. Starting to clean the bar as the two sat in relative silence, only being broken by the sounds of everyone talking behind them, and Keekee's quiet purs.

Once more when Samael finished his drink, Husk prepped another. His hands flew across the bar as he grabbed several different ingredients, ending by sliding the drink across the bar towards Samael, afterwards leaning on the bar and giving his thoughts, "I don't mean to be impudent, but I don't think you're going to find the solution you're looking for in that."

Samael said nothing for a few moments, running his finger down the side of his drink. Feeling the cool liquid strike at him through the thin glass, his voice firm, "I'm not looking for answers Husk, I found those a long time ago."

Husk let out a hum, wiping down the bar, his hand moving in a steady circular motion as Samael looked up from his drink. Watching the bartender move with silent eyes as he ran his fingers down Keekee's fur.

"Well mind sharing then, because I've been looking for a long time and still haven't found sh*t." Husk challenged, a deep chuckle escaping him as he admired the cleanest surface of the bar. Proudly whistling as Samael's lips curved into a small smile before fading.

"Trust me Husk, the answers I found," Samael's voice became quiet, looking over his shoulder towards his dad, a hidden blaze shining amidst his dark pupils before he looked back, "...aren't the kind you want."

Keekee looked up from her spot on Samael's lap, her one eye blinking before she jumped up on her hinds legs, placing her paws on Samael's chest she slowly started to knead at him through his suit.

Samael looked down at her, a larger smile growing as he ran a hand down her back, whispering silently, "Thanks Keekee."

Husk calmly observed Samael, "Well..." he stopped speaking, the thought he had dying as he looked away, shaking his head slightly and getting back to cleaning his glass. It wasn't his place to intrude.

Samael looked over his shoulder to where Lucifer and the rest were conversing. He should probably go make sure his father stopped making a fool of himself, he's had enough drinks for the day...hopefully.

Sighing he stood up, making sure to hold Keekee in one hand, the demonic cat curled up against his chest again as he wiped the exhaustion from his eyes, walking towards Charlie and the rest of the hotel's inhabitants.

But just as he stepped up to talk he heard a creak, his eyes dashing up, as he saw Charlie's chandelier start to break.

"Sammy..." Charlie's voice trailed off as she turned to look at her brother, just to see a large chandelier crash over top, dust and debris flying into the air.

Charlie coughing alongside her father as she yelled, "Sammy! Are you okay!"

Hearing back a gruff, and annoyed voice, "I'm fine..." his voice trailing off as he muttered something, the dust disappearing and revealing a shield withering with magic covering the pair. Samael was fine. Charlie breathed out a sigh of relief, she didn't think her brother would be super hurt, but it still worried her.

She also smiled when she saw Keekee pop her head out of the small casing of his arm, Samael opening his arm's up to allow her to run off. The demonic cat exited the room presumably to go clean herself up.

Charlie looked back to her brother, her voice apologetic, "Sorry about that Sammy."

Samael didn't even look up at her, instead just brushing himself off and stepping out of the chandelier, his voice gruff as he coughed slightly, "You're lucky Hell doesn't have health inspectors."

Charlie awkwardly chuckled as she watched her brother grumbling to himself as he walked back to the bar, to probably grab another drink...or two...or more.

Charlie looked back at her dad and Alastor, "He's okay!" Flashing them a thumbs up as Alastor looked at her dumbfounded and her father who seemed to release some tension from his soldiers, his smile having been strained since the moment the chandelier fell.

An awkward, disjointed laugh escaped his lips as he said, "Alright then..."

A true laugh escaped from Lucifer's lips as he ignited his magic, Samael recognizing the all to familiar feeling and turning to see his father seeing,

"Looks like you could use some help, from the big boss of Hell himself."

Lucifer sang, grabbing Charlie and depositing her in front of a throne he had surrounded, smiling wide at her as he started to feel himself. Shaking his shoulders a little before pulling out his phone,

"Check out daddy's glowing reviews on Yelp!"

Puppet's appear out of his phone and cheer, "Five stars! Flawless! Greater than great!"

"Oh, with the punch of a pentagram I wap-bam-boom, alakazam."

A mirage of Lucifer's hand punched a giant pentagram embedded in a wooden board that you would typically find knife throwers using in a circus, his body appearing out of it with a poof of red magic. Something that Samael recognized as it was very similar to a spell he used.

Then Samael suddenly found himself stumbling underneath a full moon as Lucifer wrapped his arms around his Son's waist and bumped his daughter playfully, Samael's eyes widening as he saw Razzle placed like a stuffed pig on a platter in front of him.

"Usually, I charge a sacrificial lamb but you get the family rate."

Lucifer said with an awkward smile as several Lucifer's appeared around the three of them, all showcasing slightly different emotions as both Samael and Charlie awkwardly said, "Thanks dad!"

They then found themselves in an entirely new scene as Lucifer sat at a table with both Charlie and Samael seated across from each other, Charlie flashing the annoyed Samael a small smile, as Lucifer smugly said, "Who needs a busboy, now that you've got the chef?"

Lucifer tossed Alastor into a cooking pan, before serving a fake head to Charlie, Samael cracking a rare smile while Charlie looked a little traumatized, "Michelin-tasting menu, free à la carte."

Both of them finding themselves stumbling in front of a slot machine, "I'll rig the game for you because I'm the ref. Champagne fountains, caviar mountains, that's just a start!"

Samael then was thrown out of the magic illusion, coughing on the bar as he heard Alastor start to sing,

"Who's been here since day one? Who's been faithful as a nun? Who makes you chuckle with an old-timey pun?"

Alastor transformed into a nun, and appeared on a stage with Charlie in the crowd in a span of a few seconds.

"You're an executive producer," Charlie interjected that it was true as Alastor continued, "I'm your guy, your day-to-day."

"Your chum, your steadfast hotelier, remember when I fixed that clog today?"

Alastor sang as they appeared at the front desk of a full hotel, a toilet appearing which he pulled Nifty out of in an act that Charlie found adorable.

"I was stuck, thank you sir!"

"I'm truly honored that we've built such a bond."

Charlie awwing, and unknown to her Samael turned to ask Husk for another drink as he had lost it somewhere in all of the magic being used. Only for him to reach for the drink and instead find himself back in the magic.

Finding himself next to his father and looking on as Alastor grabbed Charlie's hand and then held her cheek, his eye twitching at the sight,

"You're like the child that I wish that I had."

"uh, what?" Samael and Lucifer said at the same time, both looking with disgust at Alastor's action.

"I care for you, just like a daughter I spawned."

"Hold on now!" Lucifer and Samael said together once again, both of them gritting their teeth as they took a step towards Alastor. Lucifer because Charlie was his daughter, and Samael because Alastor attempting to get anywhere near Charlie's heart was dangerous.

Alastor then hugged Charlie and turned his head, grinning at both of the Morningstar men, "It's a little funny, you could almost call me dad~"

Before Samael could say a word he was sent spinning, Alastor and Lucifer trading musical solos as Samael slid to a stop at the bar. Spinning in his seat until he stopped himself with both hands.

Clenching the bar's wood so hard it splintered, fire burning inside his eyes as he grit his teeth. He didn't have the patience to deal with this sh*t today! He was going to rip someone's soul from their body and make them wish they had never existed!

He would end this whole charade!-

Samael's thoughts were broken as he felt his cheek get hit with a soft paw. His eyes looked to the right out of the corner of his eye where he saw a now clean Keekee.

The demonic cat patted him a few times on the face before standing on her legs and sliding up to his chest, rubbing up against it as Samael let out a deep breath. Petting the cat and trying to calm himself.

Meanwhile Lucifer and Alastor's duet was heating up,

"They say, when you're looking for assistance it's smart to pick the path of least resistance."

Alastor sang as he created fake burdens on Charlie's shoulders, only to lift them away with his shadow magic, a grin on his face that Lucifer sought to wipe.

"Others say that in your needy hour, there's no substitute for pure angelic power!"

Lucifer made them appear in a golden tent, spreading all of his wings out as he floated high in the sky, copies of him appearing below and joining him while Charlie looked like a kid again, her eyes dopy with joy and childlike wonder.

"Who just happens to also be your blood!"

Lucifer flew down to her side and got into her face as he finished, a crazed look settling as he bit his lip hard enough to draw blood.

Alastor then appeared, sliding Lucifer out of the way as he stepped in front of Charlie,

"Sadly, there are times a birth parent is a dud."

Alastor and Charlie appeared at the top of a theater, Lucifer standing on the stage on a checkerboard pattern. The square underneath him opened up and sent him flying into the dark.

"They say the family you choose is better,"

Alastor sang, flourishing out his arms as chalk pictures of the inhabitants of the hotel appeared behind him. Lucifer interjecting and blasting Alastor away with golden champagne,

"What a bunch of losers."

Only for Alastor to come back and bump Lucier with his butt, "Can you butt out of my song?"

"Your song? I started this!" Lucifer said, getting right into Alastor's face and pointing his finger at the taller Sinner.

"I'm singing it, I'll finish it!"

"Oh, you tacky piece of–"

Slam

Samael groaned as he heard the doors of the hotel being slammed open, a Sinner interrupting the cat fight that was about to erupt between Alastor and Lucifer. His annoyance at an all time high when she, too, started to sing.

The only thing stopping him from doing something he may or may not regret in the future being Keekee, who was currently in his lap purring. And well that meant he couldn't do sh*t...

That didn't stop him from gritting his teeth as he rubbed his brow, his dad was having a dick measuring contest with Alastor, a f*cking sinner of all people. And Alastor had the gall to disrespect him! No f*cking class any of them...

Filthy...

Filthy...

Samael breathed in deep, exhaling a heated breath, he bit his tongue. His finger's ruffling Keekee's ears.

He needed to control himself, he was getting worked up over nothing. Just because his father chose to ignore his children and then the first time he comes out of hiding he's comparing himself to a measly Sinner, doesn't mean Samael need's to get heated.

And Alastor could be dealt with later, right now he was Charlie's benefactor...

Just the thought of someone like Alastor being near Charlie sent a shiver down Samael's spine, his anger heighting as fire lapped at the edges of his suit. Husk took a step back, his eyes looking between the new cracked bar table and Samael when he asked in a low voice "Everything okay Prince Samael?"

Samael cracked his neck, "Yeah, I'm good, thanks for the drinks Husk," Samael said, placing some cash on the bar. "Oh, and don't gamble them all away. I value my bills."

Keekee sensing Samael's emotions, sat up, with one last back rub she dashed off to elsewhere in the hotel, Samael sighing and standing up.

Husk watched as Samael turned his back to the bar, a tense breath leaving him. He looked down at his bar and pursed his lip, but what could he do, so he just snatched up the money left for him.

As Samael turned towards his family he held out his hand, a cane appearing in his hand with a poof of fire, a calming scent of firewood hitting his nose as he popped his collar. Tapping his cane in increments of two, he walked towards the assembled group who was gawking at Mimzy.

Ignoring Alastor who greeted Mimzy, Samael walked towards Charlie, his sister turning to him a smile appearing as she said, "Sammy! Did you enjoy your time with Husk?"

"Yeah...it was...good," Samael said softly, before inhaling and saying, "Charlotte, I don't mean to be insensitive, but I am busy, so can you please show me what you have called me for?"

"Oh, yeah!" Charlie said, "Just, first, let me talk to Alastor's friend."

Samael was about to disagree when Charlie suddenly disappeared, an annoyed sigh escaping his lips, "Fine, sure, whatever." He mumbled, fixing his suit as he continued to tap on his cane.

Not noticing his father slowly sliding towards him, an awkward smile on Lucifer's face, "Heeeeey Sammy! You...look good?" He said, shooting finger guns at his taller son.

Samael turned to look at his father with a dumbfounded look, "excuse me?"

"Heh,you look good, I like your style," Lucifer gestures between them, "We got similar taste you know."

"It's your suit."

"O-oh, is it now," Lucifer pulled on his collar before attempting to flatter again, "and look at you, so tall now, just like your mother!"

Lucifer lightly jabbed Samael with his elbow as he smiled, Samael sighing before saying, "What do you want, father?"

Lucifer lost his smile at the sharpness in Samael's tone, leaning away from his son as he placed his hands atop his cane, "I just, uh, wanted to catch up."

"Mhm, getting sentimental are we?" Samael grabbed the bridge of his nose and yawned, Lucifer's smile returning slightly as he said, "This all reminds me of when you were a kid, you'd stay up all night brainstorming ways to improve Sinner's lives, and look at you now, helping your sister with your dream..."

Samael froze, looking at Lucifer out of the corner of his eye, his body tense and grip clenched on his cane. "Listen here-", But before he could speak he heard a grating voice,

"Pleased to meetcha, your Highnesses." Mimzy said with a little flourish as she walked up to Lucifer and Samael, father and son reacting in a very similar fashion, with disgust. Lucifer's eye twitching as he placed his cane in front of him, his hands resting atop it, his back straight.

Samael followed and did the exact same thing without giving his father a single glance. Charlie watching the two held her hand over her mouth as she giggled, neither father nor son noticing how they looked like an exact copy of the other, besides the difference in height.

"Alastor, you gotta warn a girl when she's in mixed company," Mimzy said, gritting her teeth with tidbits of annoyance.

Lucifer tried his best to be polite and respectful, his attempt resulting in an awkward exchange "Charmed, I'm sure."

Samael not even sparing the Sinner a second glance, letting go of his cane with one hand he examined his nails. He had enough for today, and it wasn't even over yet.

"As much as I'd love to catch up, Charlie and I have a tour to continue."

For once Samael found himself agreeing with Alastor, what a horrible thought.

Lucifer and Samael sharing the same expression as Charlie walked up beside Alastor, apparently quite pleased with herself based on the smile she wore.

Lucifer gritting his teeth, and walking behind Charlie, grabbing her by the arms and steering her away from Alastor, "I'm sure Charlie can handle showing me around."

Only for Alastor to appear in front of them, "Nonsense! We started the hotel-"

"You did not," Samael's voice cut through the air, sharp like a sword as Alastor swallowed.

"Excuse me?"

Samael turned his head lazily towards Alastor, leaning back as he gave a slight smile, "You didn't start this..."

Alastor let go of Charlie as Samael turned on his heels and walked towards him, his voice a deathly whisper, "While you were busy with whatever pointless activities sinners indulge themselves in, Charlie was brainstorming and fighting tooth and nail for her dream. Don't forget your place Alastor, you're just a benefactor, someone on for the ride, someone Charlie won't even remember after a month."

Alastor gulped, a surprising sense of dread building up inside of him until all of the tension was released as Charlie covered for the radio demon, "It's fine Sammy, he's helped me a ton."

Samael's smile brightened, fixing Alastor's tie as he said, "Of course he has, I won't deny that. You know how protective I can be over you. I meant to say with how busy you would be in the future, you barely have any time left to even scratch your head. I just wanted to," Alastor felt a suffocating tightening around his neck, while Sam was seemingly doing something harmless "make sure you get the respect and condemnation you deserve."

Samael let go of Alastor and smiled at both his sister and father, both giving him a concerned look that he ignored, "Well, what are you waiting for, let's get going!"

As the Morningstars and Vaggie started to walk deeper in the hotel, Alastor took a deep breath. Grabbing his neck as he felt metal slide against his skin, the smile on his face faltering for a mere millisecond before he brightened up again...

"Why don't you let the others help you settle in Mimzy, and I'll be back before you know it."

Saying goodbye to Mimzy and following after the group that had left him, his face turned murderous as he looked at the back of Samael's head...

"And we've almost been able to find all of Angel's drug stashes," Vaggie said as the four walked out onto a balcony, Alastor having been lost somewhere in between coming here. Samael stayed back slightly and leaned against the door while Charlie and Vaggie walked to his left. Lucifer walking towards the edge his voice bored,

"Well, that certainly is, uh... is-is something."

Samael hated that tone he used, his eyes locked onto his old man's hat, glaring holes through it as Charlie said, "So...what do you two think?"

Charlie turned to Lucifer with a hopeful smile, only to have it dashed when he said, "About what?"

"The hotel?"

Lucifer's face flashed with recognition as he tried to play it off like he knew what was going on, "Oh yes, it does...it does look much better now, doesn't it?"

Trying to make a joke he said, "Ya know, but I'm thinking this railing needs work, one good push and you'd just go right over the edge," acting out the idea as he teetered on the thin railing, "Whoopie, bye-bye."

An exasperated look on her face while Samael smacked his own, tapping his cane against his forehead as he questioned his life choices.

Samael saved his sister from the desperate correction "She means the plan father," Samael's voice was sharp, Lucifer turning to look at him with a slight smile only for that to falter when he saw his eyes. Sometimes Lucifer hated looking into those eyes, the sheer disappointment he would feel from them...it was soul crushing.

"She's been explaining it the entire time, haven't you been paying attention?"

Lucifer gulped, pulling at his collar, "What...of-of course I have...."

"Then what hasn't been working as fast as she had hoped?" Samael's voice cut through Lucifer, the King stuttering as he tried to say something only for Samael to beat him to it when Lucifer couldn't respond fast enough.

Samael shook his head, finishing the answer for him, "Sharing circles...she wanted to focus on the sharing circles."

He then turned to Charlie and flashed her a smile,his voice became soft as he walked closer to her, running his finger along the railing before leaning forward, his face coming inches from her as he said, "Charlotte, I see how hard you are working on this hotel, how much it matters to you, and I couldn't be any more proud of that."

His encouraging words sparked hope in the young princess, but that was short lived as the prince's expression suddenly turned grim, "But you've seen it many times Charlotte, Hell is made to tempt these Sinners, they do whatever they want here and none are remotely close to being a half decent person. You're not the problem for trying Charlie, they don't have a reason to change. For them, here is their paradise where they can get away with everything, they just don'twantto change..."

Samael placed his hand on Charlie's shoulder, the Princess's face losing its hope at his words, her eyes looking toward the ground as she started to realize maybe no one in her family was on her side. But then his voice gained some lightness to it, his voice filling with sparks of love,

"However, I can tell that this is important to you, that there is something you want. So tell me, what is it that I can do to help you Charlotte, what is it that you need?"

Charlie's mood took a 180, showing a small smile as she looked up at Samael, at least she was getting somewhere with Samael. Yeah he may have his reservations, but he was at least willing to hear her out, something that Lucifer really wasn't at this moment.

"I want to make a difference, I want to help our people Sammy, Dad, they deserve it."

"Charlie...you got to understand," This time Lucifer spoke, having snapped out of his son's speech which he found strange, leaning back from the railing his voice faint, "these Sinners, our people are terrible! They took free will and ran with it! Heaven wouldn't want these people within 39 and ½ feet from their gate, any feet for that matter!"

Lucifer said exasperated, Samael closing his eyes at the unintended harshiness of Lucifer's words. That was until he heard the next words out of Lucifer's mouth,

"I know you and Samael want to pursue this dream of helping them but Heaven's not as carefree as you think. It's got rules, lots of rules, and those rules aren't suitable for these...these filthy Sinners!"

Samael's eye twitched, glaring at his father as he said, "My dream?"

Charlie's eyes widened as she heard the tone in her voice, "Sammy-"

"That dream was buri-"

But before he could finish his statement the building was rocked by an explosive, all of them stumbling, Samael quickly reaching out to protect Charlie and Vaggie, worried they were about to go flying over the edge.

Letting out a quick sigh of relief at seeing they were okay, after turning his glare onto the Hellborn and Sinner's below, Lucifer's voice hitting his ear, "What'd I tell you, they aren't worth it..."

Lucifer then opened a portal for all of them, stepping through it Samael saw Mimzy on the ground covering her head, he already knew where this was going.

"Que carajo?!"

"What's going on?"

Both Charlie and Vaggie spoke as they looked around the hotel, Samael's grip tightening on his cane as he heard explosions and yelling from outside. Mimzy's voice reaching his ear,

"I maaaaaay be in trouble with some loan shark's," tapping her fingers together as Vaggie looked at her with anger and Charlie with annoyance, "I may or may not have borrowed fifty grand from–"

Letting out a squeal as the hotel shook again, jumping behind the bar and saying, "And I may have also stolen a car...and crashed it into the loan shark's girlfriend," her voice grew louder as she slammed her hands on the table, "But that bitch had it coming!"

Samael's face twitched, his ear's starting to burn from the constant noise as he dug his fingers into his palm, his right hand gripping his cane so hard he thought it might break. Closing his eyes he breathed in deep, steading himself-

CRASH

Ball's of magma flew through the Hotel's windows, shattering them and sending glass everywhere. Everyone besides Lucifer and Samael jumped in shock and various screams echoing out. One of the balls nearly hit Angel, Nifty screaming out, "My windows!"

"Ah! We're under siege! Take cover!" Sir Pentious screamed as he did his best to protect the cookies he had made for the welcome party, dodging out of the way of the dangerous projectiles.

Charlie nearly got hit by one of the projectiles, as she looked around wildly, Lucifer's proud voice cutting through as he self-assuredly said, "You see, this is exactly what I'm talking about Charlie. You invite people in, you offer them everything-"

"Stop the pretentious talk father, you're not helping." Samael's voice cut Lucifer off, both Charlie and Lucifer looking towards their family member as his eyes snapped open. Horns growing on his head, forming a circular ram like shape as he tapped his cane on the ground.

In an instant magic blasted throughout the room, covering up the holes of extremities of the Hotel in a protective red coating, red fire creeping out like a spider-web from Samael's body and spreading throughout the hotel.

Then looking over his shoulder with fire in his eyes he says, "Alastor, would you be so kind as to show them why they shouldn'tf*ckwith the Morningstar family."

Everyone felt a shiver travel down their spine at Samael's transformation, scales appearing underneath his chin and stretching below his shirt. His irises had turned sharp and reptilian, a dark void surrounded by the burning red sclera. Horns peaking through his hair, the skin on his hands blood red and his finger's turned into sharp knives.

Alastor faked the smile plastered on his face, tweaking his tie, "It'd be my pleasure my liege, besides, I need to remind everyone to not mess with the Radio Demon."

Samael smirked, bowing his head slightly and crossing his cane over his stomach, pointing to where the adversaries lay. Alastor walked past him and gathered his power, tentacles popping out of his back as he started to grow larger.

Samael's attention went back to the hotel as with a simple swish of his hand his fire started to spread out over the destroyed parts, cleaning up any debris and consuming the magma projectiles, leaving nothing behind.

"What are you doing exactly?" Vaggie said as she stepped over the creepy tendrils of fire up and stood beside Samael, who had reverted to his normal looks "I know it's magic but I've never seen anything like this before."

Samael opened his eyes, peering out of the corner towards Vaggie, his voice soft as he raised his finger's up, fire spreading onto the corner of the windows and slowly rebuilding them, piece by piece, "Well, in a sense, this is not true fire."

Samael spread out his right hand, fire building in his arm and then dispersing along the lines of his palm, "It's more so my raw magic, you can even touch it if you'd wish and you wouldn't even be burned. You have my word."

Vaggie hesitated as Samael held out his palm to her, ultimately breathing in and reaching out to touch his hand, trusting that because he was Charlie's brother he wouldn't hurt her.

The moment the fire touched her she felt a warm, soothing, yet destructive feeling pass through her. It was like a raging storm brewing just on the surface of her skin, but despite all of that it was contained, held back and directed as pleased.

"My power was suited for creation believe it or not, as a kid my father and mother both assisted me in any way they could," Samael said, remembering times when his dad stood behind him, Lucifer's hands on his shoulder, teaching him how to use his magic effectively as he excitedly cheered him on.

Samael showed a small smile at the memory. "But overtime I realized my that it wasn't enough...that if I wanted to bring change, I needed power, the ability to destroy and rebuild from the ground up," Samael's voice was soft, delicate event as he spoke, cupping his hands together as he created a fiery ballerina in his palm. The miniature woman bowed her head before she started to dance across his palm.

Samael's eyes started to shine, a childish gleam shining through his dark pupils as he removed his hands from beneath the Ballerina, Vaggie watching with wonder filled eyes as the Ballerina started to dance across the air, her back arching as a man of fire appeared right next to her. The two dance together step in step.

"So I changed the very nature of my fire, the nature of my magic," he said, the two of them watching as the magic in front of them burst into blue flames, "now I can destroy," the two dancer's spinning faster and faster until suddenly they burned up, leaving behind small wisps of smoke.

"But also create," Samael said, his voice no more than a whisper, his smile growing larger as he looked around the hotel, he had done it. The entirety of the hotel was fixed, cleaned and proper again.

His voice was quiet no more than a whisper, his smile growing larger as he looked around the hotel, he had done it. The entirety of the hotel was fixed, cleaned and proper again, his magic fading as Vaggie shared his smile.

"That was..."

"Awesome?" He said jokingly.

Vaggie rolling her eyes, but ultimately failing to suppress her laughter "I was going to say magical, but that works too."

Just as they said that a small rocket blasted across the ground towards Samael, running up his suit and face, grabbing him by the neck for dear life, Nifty sobbing as she said, "Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"

Samael struggled to speak for a moment, "You're welcome Nifty," his voice slightly constricted by the deathly hold Nifty had on him.

The little gremlin cried a few tears as she said, "This is why you're the ultimate bad boy!" letting go of him slightly, she stood on his shoulder and grabbed his face, "You're scary! You can clean! You fixed my windows!"

Samael chuckled, whispering slightly he said, "Thank you Nifty," he then faked looking around like what he was going to say was confidential, "but you might want to hurry before Alastor eats all of those guys or you won't be able to...you know..."

Nifty's single eye grew larger, bloodshot marks appearing as she mischievously laughed, jumping off Samael's shirt and running to the entrance of the Hotel. Samael dusting off bit's of his clothes, his horns disappearing meanwhile Vaggie looked at him surprised,

"How do you do it?"

Samael smirked, fixing the cuffs of his suit as he said, "There are many things I'm capable of Vaggie."

Vaggie chuckled, "I always forget that you're a prince, no offense of course."

"None taken, it isn't everyday you get to be in a prince's presence," Samael said, placing his cane in front of him as he chuckled lightly, holding onto its head with both hands.

"Yeah, but back to my question, how do you do...that,with people like Alastor, it's almost like he actually listens to you. Not to mention Nifty who seems rather attentive to your words."

Samael laughed lightly, slowly starting to get into a better mood "Years of practice dear, that's all."

Vaggie snorted, "Alright keep your secrets-"

Only for both of their attention to get caught by Lucifer yelling out, "Charlie!" Samael and Vaggie turn to see Lucifer holding onto his daughter's shoulders, his face filled with pain.

"You don't understand, Heaven never listens. They didn't listen to me! They won't listen to you."

"You don't know that!"

"I do!"

Lucifer exclaimed, tears in his eyes as he clenched his fist. His face collapsing into sadness as he started to sing,

"You didn't know that when I tried this all before my dreams were too hard to defend."

Lucifer created a magic ball of fire and threw it at Charlie's feet, his daughter slowly moving up to it and picking it up until Lucifer grabbed her hands and lifted her up.

"And in the end, I won't lose it all again. Now you're the only thing worth fighting for."

Images of Angel's appeared behind them with spears of light, Lucifer reacting with horror as he pulled her away from the danger.

"More than anything, more than anything. I'll shelter and adore you more than anything."

Lucifer pulled Charlie into a hug, only to have her break it.

"Dad, I don't need you to protect me from this."

A young charlie walked into her dad's workshop, his back bent over his desk as he toiled away at some creation. Her little feet taking steps towards him, Charlie not noticing a much younger Samael stepping into the room behind her, his back leaning on the wall as he watched his sister walk towards their dad.

"But I hеard your stories and I was enthralled. Thе tales about your lofty dreams, I listened breathlessly."

Lucifer picked up the little Charlie and held her in his lap, using a gem he created to showcase a hologram of magic in the form of a duck.

"Imagining it could be me,"

Charlie and Samael watched from their different positions in the room as Lucifer's creation turned into an angel with planet's circling around it on Halos.

"So in the end, it's the view I had of you,"

But just as Charlie's smile lit up Lilith entered the room, Samael side eyeing her as she passed by him. Going straight to her daughter where she took Charlie from Lucifer's lap.

"That showed me dreams can be worth fighting for,"

As Lilith carried Charlie out of the room Samael waved goodbye to his sister just like his father, Charlie looking at both of them until the door closed. Leaving Samael and Lucifer alone together.

"More than anything, more than anything. I need to save my people more than anything"

Charlie sang, looking towards Husk, Angel, and Sir Pentious, the latter one crying, before ending on Vaggie, Alastor, Nifty, and Samael...

Then Lucifer and Charlie started to walk towards each other, Samael watching them...

"I've been dying to find out who you are."

"I've been waiting, wanting the same thing."

"Looks like the apple doesn't fall far."

"Took you a while."

"I've missed that smile."

The two starting to dance around as they sang together,

"All that I'm hopin', now that my eyes are open. Is that we can start again, not be pulled apart again, 'Cause in the end, you are part of who I am."

Lucifer then opened up a portal, inside a giant golden and red tent, his wings popping out as he grabbed Charlie in his arms and flew inside.

"I'll support your dream, whatever lies in store"

"More than anything."

"More than anything."

"More than anything."

"I'm grateful you're my daughter/my father more than anything."

Charlie wiped a tear from her eye, emotional at finally making up with her father and getting through to him.

She was excited, ecstatic and happy, breaking away from her hug with Lucifer to look toward her brother. Wanting him to congratulate her, to stand by her, she had done it after all. And this was the perfect chance! Maybe she could get them to make up! She got through to their father and now they could finally finish it all together...

Only to feel a gaping hole of disappointment when she couldn't find him standing next to Vaggie, mouthing to her, "Where'd he go?"

Vaggie held up her arm and tapped her wrist, "Something came up."

Lucifer's head peeking out around Charlie's body and looking for his son, his face troubled as he seemed lost in thought, Charlie feeling the same as she furrowed her eyebrows.

A tinge of sadness settled within Charlie, her brow furrowing as she crossed her arms. Her mind lingering on Samael and his sudden disappearance as she listened to her father. Samael had left without a word, and while it didn't sit right with her she also understood.

Vaggie opened her hand, revealing a small piece of paper, as she thought back to the beautiful song that they'd just heard. The moment between the father and daughter was heartwarming, and she was glad her girlfriend not only managed to reconnect with her dad but also get her shot into Heaven.

And from the tears Vaggie saw in Sir Pentious eyes and the looks on everyone's faces she knew they felt the same; But, when she looked up towards Samael, she didn't find those same emotions.He gave her this paper for Charlie and left. She had expected him to be happy during the song, but, instead she had been met with an impassive, stoic face.

Yet despite what laid outside so much seemed to be carried within, from his eyes, to the creases of his forehead, the tenseness of his shoulders. It was like he was barely keeping himself together...

Although Lucifer and Charlie seemed to be stronger than ever, they were both dispirited about Samael's sudden departure.

Lucifer struggled for a moment as he tried to think of something to say next, he had already told her he'd get her that meeting, then it settled on him. A faint smile grew on his face as he said, "Oh and Charlie, how about a picnic, you know, just three of us, whenever you were free, of course."

"I'll...I'll try dad."

His voice then caught in his throat as he lowered his head, "Thank you, and just...good luck kid."

Lucifer then disappeared, leaving Charlie on her own as Vaggie walked up to her and placed her hand on the Princess's shoulder, "Good job, hon."

Charlie smiled, reaching up and grabbing Vaggie's hand, "Thank you Vaggie."

Vaggie nodded her head and then held out her opposite hand, a small politely, tightly packed note, "Here, this is for you, it's from your brother..."

Charlie took the note from Vaggie, rubbing her thumb over it, feeling the rough texture. She had an idea as to why he left...she just wished that one day, her family, all four of them, could hold each other just like they did before. To play and laugh and smile like when she was a kid...

...That things could go back to how they used to be.

Ding

Rosie sighed, her hand's still sorting boxes of various cannibalistic good's. Today was particularly a busy day for her in cannibal town, the residents of cannibal town being more rowdy than usual. So, she decided to close a little earlier as she kindly kicked everyone out for being chaotic.

That's why when she heard the ding of her doorbell, she was less than enthralled, her voice sounding out from behind the stand she was organizing, annoyance laced within her tone, "I'm sorry to, but we're closed for the day."

At first Rosie didn't get a response, just the light sound of footsteps, "Excuse me, I said we're closed," She repeated herself, really not wanting to deal with another self absorbed and peanut brained cannibal when she only heard footsteps coming to a stop as her response. Rosie leaned her head and sighed, placing one final box on the stand she walked out from behind it.

Smoothing out the creases of her dress, about to voice her displease when all that washed away as she heard a voice she knew quite well, "Oh, but I thought I was just on time."

Rosie's head snapped up, her smile wide and cheerfully she yelled, "Prince Samael! Please, Please, you know you're welcome any time of the day."

Samael gave a faint smile, "Thank you Rosie, It's been a while."

"It's so good to see you as well Prince Samael," Rosie said, walking up to him and wrapping him into a hug, her back leg lifting up slightly as she beamed, 'It's been too long, far too long, what brings you here today? I hope I may be of service to you today."

Rosie asked as she patted off his shoulder taking a step back to examine him head to toe, "Oh! How about a sweet treat?" She said her tone delighted as she held up a lollipop of questionable origins. Samael chuckling as he held up a hand,

"Thank you for the offer Rosie, but I'm sad to say I just ate."

"Aww, boo that's a bummer," Rosie said, but putting the lollipop down and linking arms with Samael she led him through her shop, Samael's hand resting atop her arm as he went along with her, "But pray tell, what is it that you're here for. You know if I can provide it, it's yours."

"Thank you Rosie, you're always such a dear, I have this big meeting coming up and need a seamstress' fine touch."

Rosie hummed, "Well I would love to help you darling, you know I would, but wouldn't it be better to go to that little V, her fashion is all the rave with the younglings from what I know."

Samael shrugged his shoulders, smiling genuinely as he looked down at her, "Well, I was looking for something more fashionable, unique, elegant. What better fashionate than you if I want to be the center of attention?"

Rosie covered her mouth as she let out a chirpish giggle, "Oh stop it, you sure know how to flatter an old lady like me."

"What can I say, I aim to please," Samael said, nodding his head slightly in her direction.

Rosie giggled more before saying, "Well I'd love to help you out dear, just come to the back room and let me get some measurements so we can get you prepped for this little meeting."

In the dimly lit back room of Rosie's emporium, Samael stood on a short podium in front of a three-sectioned mirror. Rosie hummed to herself as some old-timey music played in the background. Bustling about the patiently waiting Samael tape-measure in hand.

"So, I know you just want a little clean-up, but..." Rosie's voice grew a little more cheerful as she stepped in front of Samael, her hands under face as she smiled brightly, "What about a change in clothing? I got some new outfits I'd love to see you try on, it'd be so much fun."

"A new outfit you say?"

"Yes! I have so many clothes modeled for you that no other sinner or hellborn can even get close to bringing out their beauty. You however, Sir Samael, are just the perfect match!"

Samael chuckled, his tone light, "I am flattered Rosie; But surely I don't need that many new designs."

Rosie's cheeks flushed with red, embarrassed at the many clothes she had made ,"heh, well, it doesn't rain prince's after all, I have to take my chances."

Samael tilted his head, finding her flustered expression adorable. But those thoughts were casted aside as he remembered her words, Rosie looking up at him, her eyes as big as she could muster. It made it hard for him to resist "Change in scenery, huh?"He thought.

It wasn't a terrible idea, he was open to trying out something new, looking over his outfit in the mirror...

His eyes grew dim as he saw his father's hair flowing to his shoulders, his coat and vest melding into Lucifers, his mother's eyes staring right back at him. He was so similar to both of them, yet, he couldn't find himself in there....

While this felt necessary when he first started, when he had to prove to Hell that he was the Prince, to remind them he wasn't just the son of the devil, but someone worthy of his status. But now...

He was overdue for a change, offering an appreciative smile to the fashionate "I'd like that Rosie..."

"Oooh that's great!! Yes, I got something just perfect for you darling, give me one moment."

Rosie dashed into a closet she had nearby, while fashion wasn't some massive thing of hers, it was still something she loved to dabble in and Samael was quite thankful for it, right now.

His mind wandered as he was left alone, surrounded by his thoughts and emotions. His ears started to ring as he suddenly felt like he was burning up. Blinking he rubbed his left eye, bringing it away only to find blood on his hand. His brow furrowing as he looked around concerned.

Only to find himself in a destroyed section of Pentagram city, the entire area reduced to rubble. Cracks in the asphalt, buildings toppled, Samael's palm filled with blood like an iridescent red river. Glowing as it fell like thunder from the edge of his palm. Crashing into the ground and burning away.

Samael stepped back in shock, he recognized this scene. Why was he here?

His eyes darted around until he saw him...

A man he hadn't seen in years...

A man that changed who Samael fundamentally was...

An ancient Sinner, with strength far stronger than your average human soul, Sigurd. An Overlord who used to rule over parts of Pentagram City with an iron fist. The man that spurred Samael to change who he was, to abandon his dream so that he could protect what was necessary.

Samael felt rage, his eyes glowing with power as he roared out with hate. He had never let his emotions get the best of him, he was always in control. But now...right now, all he wanted to do was make Sigurd's soul screams reach every end of Hell, even the Heavens themself.

For Sigurd had f*cked with Samael's family, with people who Samael loved more than anything else. Samael would wipe this man from existence and then exact judgment on all of those who had plotted against him. Who had tried to take Carmilla from him...

Take his infant daughters from him...

They would all pay, and know the judgment of-

"Prince Samael?"

Samael felt a shock pass through his system as a hand was placed on his arm, his eyes dashing around as he tried to find Sigurd, he needed to stop him before-

"Prince Samael? Are you okay?"

Samael looked to the person who was calling his name, realizing it was just Rosie...

He wasn't fighting Sigurd...

That happened ages ago, he was the Prince of Hell now, he had control. No one stood against him. Samael took a deep breath, offering Roise a faint smile, "Sorry Rosie, just a memory is all."

"What's on your mind darling? Rosie's here to listen to all," Rosie said as she placed some of the outfits she had pulled out. Lining them out one by one as Samael watched her move.

"I'm just thinking back to when I first started out is all. It's fascinating how fast time flies." He said softly, Rosie humming as she started to measure out the pant leg of her outfit, wanting to know what she would have to trim.

Rosie looked up from her work, about to show Samael some of the outfits she had gathered when she faltered. Her eyes falling onto his face, his own dim and hollow. Thin lines of strain etched around his eyes, his lips set tight. Rosie noticed as he clenched his fist.

Feeling worried, she set down her work and walked over, placing her delicate and soft hand over his, hoping to calm his inner turmoil. The prince's eyes snapped to her hand, before following the trail to her round eyes, void of any color, somehow able to sense the gentleness they conveyed.

"Prince Samael, I can see how much this is troubling you, and it pains me to see you this way. If it comforts you, I am here to listen"

For a moment, Samael lost himself in those black eyes, but that was washed away when he remembered the cause of his turmoil in the first place, looking away, hesitant if he should burden her with his problems.

But, maybe, just this time, he could share his thoughts. Before that however, he had to make sure "Rosie, I trust that whatever we speak of here, stays, here." he said, his voiced laced with seriousness.

"Of course," she blinked softly before giggling at her joke "I would go to double hell before I even think about betraying your trust"

It brought a smile to the prince's face , easing him to speak his thoughts "There was a Sinner...an Overlord who went by the name Sigurd...the stalker... the head hunter...the first person to ever truly challenge me."

Samaels lips curved into a slight grin, he held his fist out in front of him and clenched it, "Before I hated him, but now, I realized that it was a blessing in disguise. His existence opened my eyes to reality...that without strength, your dream is only that, a dream.That if you want people to believe in your dream you need strength far greater than anything else..."

Rosie furrowed her brow, her eyes darting from Samael's fist to his face as she tried to comprehend what he was saying, "So you weren't strong enough to make your dream come true?"

"No, I wasn't...that sinner showed me reality, he showed me how childish my dream was, that it would have only led to my downfall. To do what was necessary, to do what was right, I needed to abandon what I knew and become what I was meant to be."

Samael opened his fist, immediately a blazing fire opened with it, red lines of magic growing around it like rings. Rotating as Samael then closed his hand in an instant. Rosie watches the sequence in wonder.

"I abandoned that part of myself and made a statement to all of Hell that I wasn't a pushover, that I wasn't some blind dreamer, that I was the prince they would bow to..."

Rosie's eyes widened, "That's why you killed those Goetias...isn't it? They challenged you."

"Yes, they had worked alongside Sigurd, and if they weren't going to bow themselves, I would have their head at my feet." Samael stated with a cold smile, his eyes raising from his hand to her eyes.

Rosie felt like she was getting lost in his violent pools, the room warming up from his very presence as she gulped. Turning away as she said, "Why are you telling all of me this, Prince Samael?"

Samael looked towards Rosie, his eyes flashing as he imagined someone else in her place. They weren't the same at all but for some reason Samael always saw her inside Rosie, saw a connection with her through Rosie. At least that was how it was at first.

But after years of coming to this establishment, of talking to Rosie, that impression had slowly gotten overwritten by Rosie. By the joy she emanated, the wisdom she had to share. He spoke with every ounce of truth he could,

"I trust you Rosie...I can't fully put it into words but I admire your wisdom and respect your opinion."

"Oh...uhm, thank you Prince Samael." Rosie said, her finger's hesitating over the fabric as she shook her head, quickly working to distract her as Samael watched her, his eyes like a hawk.

"Rosie..." Samael's voice went quiet for a second, "what do you think the people need?"

"Hmm, whatever could you mean?" She asked, tilting her head at him, an act he found cute.

"Cannibal Town, Pentagram City, you're intertwined with both and when you go out there, what do you see? What do you think would help them the most?"

"Well that's not an easy question darling," Rosie said, finally placing the clothes down as she turned to him, "But if I had to say what they need is a star."

"A star, aye?" Samael said, stepping off his podium he walked to stand besides her, his eyes trailing over the outfits she had laid out. His finger's traveling over the soft fabric.

Rosie watching him move, "Yes, a little different than just an iron fist ruler, but there has only been one time I've ever heard Hell come even close to what one might call prospering."

Samael looked at Rosie out of the corner of his eye, "And when was that?"

"I've talked to a lot of people in my time here Samael, and if there's one thing they've all told me it's that Hell lacks unity. When Lilith was around all those years ago they say she brought them that unity. She used her voice to empower Hell and under her they prospered."

Samael hummed, his hand settling on one outfit as he asked curiously, "Then what about me, the work I've done, what would you consider it?"

"It's good, great even, but you're not a star, not yet. You treat the people well, they respect and fear you as they should, and most even love you...but you haven't taken that final step yet."

Samael grinned, his lips curling upward into a devilish smile, his eyes sharpening into reptilian irises, "What do you think that final step is then?"

Rosie held her chin, Samael completely gone from her vision as she focused on the floor trying to word her thoughts into reality, "I think you need an identity, at one point people needed the visage of Lucifer, to hold hell together so that it wouldn't collapse, you needed that to make them understand...but now, now it's a hindrance."

Rosie's voice trailed off, "Yeah that's what I think-" Rosie's voice got caught in her throat as she looked up to see Samael towering over her. His eyes covered in shadows, a red void surrounding golden iris that shook Rosie to her very core and made her weak in the knees.

It was such a terrifying sight...

Yet at the same time it was hauntingly beautiful...

She couldn't look away...

"You're a brilliant woman Rosie," Samael said, his voice echoing slightly as he placed a hand on he then held out his hand a wave of red rolling out in a single gesture covering her room. Rosie blinked rapidly as she saw the room they were standing in change.

Corrupting into a completely different scene, a room made completely of white except for a small board in front of them that held a visage of Pentagram City.

"I've been doing a lot of thinking recently," Samael said as he walked around the board, his finger's trailing around its wood edge. As he came to a stop on the opposite side of Rosie his hand snapped out, picking up a random building which he examined.

"What is it that Hell needs? What takes us to the next step? How do we move forward..."

Samael placed the building back down, "And then it hit me, Hell doesn't need Lucifer anymore..."

Rosie didn't say a word, her eyes focused on Samael as she listened to him speak. She didn't fully understand what he was saying, but his voice drew her in. It compelled her to listen even if what he was saying was technically treason.

"For a long time I thought it did...I thought we needed the ruler of Hell to step up, to finally fix the mess...but Lucifer isn't a ruler, he's a petty dreamer who's been crushed by the weight of consequences. He was never a ruler..." Samael looked up at Rosie, his voice quiet, "Do you understand what I'm implying?"

Rosie gulped, "You want to fully replace your father, you want to take the throne..."

"Yes," Samael said, his hand wiping over the board and destroying the city in one fell swoop, "Pentagram City...no, Hell as a whole is becoming stagnant. In the place I'm currently at there is nothing I can do...I will just continue being pushed around by Heaven."

Samael grit his teeth, a visage of Adam's exorcist mask appearing in front of the two, his eyes glaring holes into the red surface.

"But, if I take the throne...if I become the ruler of Hell I have more power, more control, I can do more. It may not seem like much at first..."

"But titles are everything..." Rosie's voice was quiet as could be, her hand's gripping the wooden railing as things started to fall into place for her.

"Yes, it will give me the power to do as I wish. I can reform it all. I can make Hell better than it ever was."

"But what about your family, Princess Charlie?"

Samael clenched his hands, darting his head to the side as he said, "I care about Charlie, I love her far more than my heart will ever allow, but she's just like my father. I'll let her keep her dream, to entertain herself with her idea, but if she wants to pursue that then someone with strength has to back her. To make sure people actually listen, to make sure people fall in line."

Rosie hesitated for a moment, her eyes looking up at Samael's as she asked, "Then what about your ring?" Rosie had seen it before, she had heard the rumors, heard the whispers of what people believed happened to Samael's wife, if he was ever married in the first place.

A sinner that died, some Angel who in the end couldn't change his demon ways, a Goetia who betrayed his love.

So many ideas of what could have happened to Samael's ex and no one knew exactly but he had to still care about them if they were alive.

"She'll be fine, she doesn't need me to protect her. She left me for her own protection, and besides by doing this all eyes will be on me...she will be more protected than ever."

"But, if you're saying she is alive,she'll be even more out of reach."

Samael chuckled, his eyes trailing down to his hand where he saw his ring, a deathly whisper of words, "I already lost her many years ago, I will never have her back in my arms again, but I'll do whatever it takes to ensure their safety...I've done it before, I'm not afraid to do it again."

Rosie bit her lip, ultimately sighing as she asked, "Then why tell me this? What do you want me to say?"

Samael faintly smiled, stepping around the table he came to her side, and said, "This plan I've made, if I go through with it, Hell will be changed at its very foundation. I'm prepared to take the steps to do what is necessary. But I want to hear your thoughts, I want to hear someone else's voice besides my own."

"Oh darlin," Rosie reached up and grabbed Samael's cheek, rubbing a thumb under his eye, "Excuse me just this once..." She said, her voice soothing and delicate,

"Samael, you're one of the strongest people I've ever met, all these years I've seen you come and go and I've been amazed. You never back down from a challenge, from what's right. You've never stumbled in the face of anything this hellhole has to throw at you. And if right now you believe what's best for you, for the people, is to burn it all down. Then let it burn..."

Rosie then let go of his face and touched his chest with her finger, Samael's face frozen as he stared intently into her eyes, "Because I know if you burn it down then you'll rebuild it anew...you'll recreate it in a way no one would have thought of. I admire you for that Samael. You can destroy just as much as you can create, never forget that."

Samael's grinned, "I promise I won't let you down Rosie, I'll do what's right. What will protect Hell...protect all of us."

Rosie watched as from behind Samael a city rose. Its towers stretch high into the sky as it seemingly expands into infinite space. Voice crying out, hundreds, thousands, millions, of people crying out not in terror, not in fear, but with reverence.

Samael would become something greater than what anyone would ever have thought...

If he succeeded, he would lead Hell into a future far brighter than anything it has ever had...

He would become the people's Idol, their Star, their King...

Rosie's eyes locked with Samael's as she felt the very weight of what he was trying to do. Trying to accomplish...

The torrent of power, pain, and ideology that writhed behind his eyes. She couldn't believe it, that one man could have the entire weight of a world on his shoulders.

She knew she should look away, that she should step out of this situation. If she stayed close to Samael she would be burned by the brightness of his ideals, by the strength of his new creation.

But she never looked away...

Chapter 7: Welcome to Heaven

Chapter Text

Charlie walked up to the gates of Heaven with an infectious smile on her face, her joy and wonder palpable as she admired the golden gleam of it all. It was all exciting, new, perfect even!

Charlie just couldn't wait to meet more Angels and see what Heaven had to offer. On top of that, she'd even get to do it with her brother!

That is...if he was still coming. He had told her that he would meet up with her at the hotel, so that he could be there to assist her during the meeting. But Charlie hadn't heard from him all week, weeks actually, she hadn't even seen him on television or anything which was super uncharacteristic. Samael typically did a few miniature press conferences at least.

But she wouldn't let any of that get her down. She knew Samael would show up eventually. He promised to help her after all and if Charlie knew one thing, it was that her brother kept his promises. With that being said, she was going to put her worries aside for a brief moment and trust in him that he would show up sooner or later.

Vaggie on the other hand, was much less enthusiastic to be here, to be standing before the gates once more. But she was here for Charlie, so she would suck it up and get over it eventually.

Vaggie walked up to Charlie's side as they stepped in front of a tall podium, a man with curly blond hair and pale blue wings popping out from behind it, his smile wide and cheery, "Heya! Welcome to Heaven, can I get your name please."

"Samael Morningstar, please excuse our short delay."

Vaggie and Charlie jumped at the sudden appearance of Samael on their left, their eyesdarting down the golden path they had come from, seeing a small fiery portal just down the way, something that they hadn't even heard appear.

Before either of them could say a word, Samael wrapped his arm around Charlie and pulled her in close, a wry smile on his face as he locked eyes with St. Peter, "This is my sister, Charlie Morningstar and her partner, Vaggie. Soon to be Morningstar!"

Vaggie and Charlie's faces flushed, both rattled and thrown off balance much in the same way St. Peter was. Neither getting the chance to deny what he said before the Angel started speaking.

"P-p-prince Samael," St. Peter stammered, his face sweating bullets as he tittered off of each foot. There was no mention that he was coming by, and if he did, then he would arrive in-father's name, typically just showing up in Sera's office or something. He rarely came directly to the gate.

Samael chuckled at both his sister's reaction to what he said, alongside Peter's shaken demeanor. His smile angelic in a way as he ruffled Charlie's hair, getting a distraught "hey!"

He walked up to the podium and leaned on it. Smiling up at St. Peter as he said, "What's the matter Peter, surely it hasn't been that long."

"Ah, yes, well, uhm..." St. Peter trailed off in a stutter as he tried to explain what was running through his mind at the current moment. Samael shaking his head and snickering, offering a sly smile as he looked towards Charlie, "What's up dear sister!"

Charlie narrowed her eyes, after all his antics he was going to try and blow past this. Not on her watch! The little princess stepped up and grabbed Samael by the cheek, pulling him down to her level, "Where have you been mister! You promised to meet me at the hotel!"

Samael whined and pouted from the pulling, but didn't fight back, his voice slightly skewed by the light hold Charlie had on him, "I was just a little caught up Char Char, you know I'm a busy man."

Charlie was having none of it though, "Yeah, 'busy' doing what huh?"

Vaggie watching the short interaction started to laugh, holding her hand over her mouth to muffle the sound as she was happy to see Charlie in good spirits again.

Samael, rolling his eyes, murmured, "Alright, alright. I just needed some time to myself is all. Wanted to cool off a bit. Can you stop pinching me now?"

Charlie instantly let go of him, her smile losing its glimmer as she remembered the cause of her brother's distress. He might not have been mad about it, but she was still his sister, she would like to think she knew at least a little bit of how he felt. Her eyes falling to the gold plated floor as she attempted to speak her heart, "Sam, I...I'm sorry about that. I didn't mean for you to feel left out. I know I probably looked selfish, and insensitive, and....bad, but I-"

"Charlie."

Charlie stopped her spew of emotions, her eyes locked onto the ground out of guilt, still unable to look him in the eye. That was until he grabbed her chin, lifting it slightly to force her to look at him. His smile sweet as candy, his gaze filled with reassurance, as if all he wanted to do was to let her know it was okay, that she didn't need to worry.

"You made up with father, yes?"

"W-well, yes, but-"

"And he got you here, right?"

Charlie wordlessly nodded her head, "Then there is nothing to worry about. Trust me, I'm more than happy that you finally managed to get an audience with heaven. It's your dream Charlie, I would never be upset about that."

Samael said his arms wrapped around Charlie and pulled her into a hug, their cheeks squishing together, invoking an involuntary giggle from Charlie.

"Besides! You shouldn't be worrying about this now, you have a big day ahead of you, and I have prepared myselfspeciallyfor this moment!"

Samael stepped back, throwing his arms wide as Charlie finally realized something. Samael had changed his outfit!?

While before he wore something almost one to one with his father, in both color and style, now he had completely changed. His figure was more imposing as he was clad in a sleek black overcoat that hugged his frame. The coat boasted gold buttons and cuffs that glinted against the dark fabric with gilded excellency.

Underneath the coat, was a gold vest that shimmered softly, a crisp white button-up peeking out from underneath. It's pristine silk providing a contrast to the dark and gilded attire.

Wrapped around his neck was a black tie fastened with a shiny silver clip. His hands which were currently thrown out covered with sleek black gloves that matched the classy midnight black leather shoes covering his feet, polished to perfection.

He also had a different cane, this one as personalized as his last yet at the same time different. The majority of the cane being sleek black, shiny silver wrapped just below the handle which was a knob. Said knob being cut in the shape of a viper, a crimson rose resting in its mouth where its tongue would be.

All in all, Samael felt put together, like he was a man who had it all and knew all. Like a shiny sun who was guiding the world with his hand.

Samael smiled as he asked, "Well? How do you like it?"

"Woooaaa..." Charlie trailed off, only able to stare with bright shiny eyes, completely enamored like a kid underneath a christmas tree.

Samael titterly laughed, "I'll take that as a yes."

His eyes turned back to St. Peter, "I think we've waited for long enough Saint Peter, we don't want to keep Heaven waiting any longer, right?"

St. Peter pulled at the edge of his suit, completely thrown off as he didn't know exactly what the protocol was here. This had never happened to him before! His stammering as he tried to explain, "U-Um, of course prince S-samael, but, it is just that your sister's name isn't on the list-"

"St. Peter, we will take it from here." An elegant voice said, the four turning their heads upwards to find the head Seraphim Sera descending to them, with a much smaller in stature Seraphim, Emily, beside her, their appearances changing to something much closer to human as they landed right in front of them.

"Greetings daughter of the morningstar, I am Sera the high seraphim of heaven. You are gifted to be here." Sera greeted them all, giving a light bow of her head.

But at this point, Emily couldn't hold her excitement for any longer, rushing forwards as she held out her hand to Charlie to introduce herself, "Hi! I'm Emily, the other Seraphim. Though you can call me Em, Emy, E, whatever you want, I go with whatever! You must be Sammy's sister, I'm so excited to finally be able to meet you."

Her voice ran off as she went on and on, though with how much joy she was radiating it would be impossible to cut her off. The infectious sight of her smile would have been enough to warm even the vilest of Sinners.

"Welcome to heaven!" Em, Emy, E, whatever, concluded.

"Sammy?" Charlie was confused, did she mean her brother? Turning to him, the Prince appreciated the fact that he was finally being acknowledged.

Clearing his throat as he mocked being offended, "Yes, hello to you all too," his head upturned as if he was hurt at being ignored by the young seraphim.

Only for them all to hear a high strung gap before Emily crashed into his torso, an audible "oof" being heard as Samael careened backwards, barely able to keep himself and the now attached Emily up, though he did not manage to keep any of his breath inside his lungs.

Having to heave in deeply before saying, "Emily, what did I tell you last time?"

The Seraphim offered him a smile that he found precious as she softly laughed, "Sorry, but I missed you!"

Samael's face holding a shadow as he feigned a grudge, his lips holding a slight frown and his brow narrowed in mock anger, "Fine, I'll forgive you," his eyes starting to twinkle with a mischievous shine as he reached down and squeezed Emily's cheeks, "just because you're adorable."

Emily let out a triumphant giggle as she hugged him tighter.

"Uhmm, do you two know each other?" Charlie quizzed, pointing back and forth between them.

Samael and Emily nodded their heads, "Of course, someone had to make sure this little trouble maker didn't destroy heaven's kitchens," he said ruffling her hair as Emily whined, her face forming a small pout.

"Hey! That was only one time!"

A tiny piece of jealousy gnawed at her heart as Charlie watched the interaction in front of her between Samael and Emily. She didn't want to feel that way, but the more she had seen the short yet small ways they interacted the more envy she felt.

It was like seeing her dream come to life right in front of her yet she couldn't take part in it. It wasn't that she and Sam had grown distant, that was far from the case. He would always check up on her and they would spend time together; But, it wasn't just quite the same anymore. After her mother took her away and Sam started to take on the responsibilities by himself, they just couldn't quite hang out like they used to.

They would try, she would visit and bring him home made snacks, which he greatly appreciated and gave her tons of hugs and headpats for, but, looking back at them now, it all seemed like a distant memory.

And, she couldn't help herself but feel left out, biting her lip as she tried to hide the feeling of inadequacy that washed over her.

Though no one else noticed her reaction, Vaggie did, and she wanted to reach out and comfort her girlfriend. But before she could St. Peter flew into the air, his hands held out as the sun shined behind him, "It is my pleasure to say unto thee. Welcome to Heaven."

Samael already felt the eye roll coming on, a sigh escaping his lips as St. Peter started to sing once again...the same song he had been singing for decades. He had heard this song more times then he could count, and more times then he would have wished. But he would let Charlie and Emily have their fun. No shame in it.

Samael and Sera lagged behind as the rest blasted off into heaven, Vaggie having to follow Charlie in her step. The seraphim looked to the prince who seemed...uninterested. She couldn't blame him, he wasn't new to this scene after all.

Sera remembered their last conversation and how it had ended, an outcome which was less than desirable for her, as she felt that she had hurt him more than helped him. But, she wanted to make up for that time, so she greeted him "Samael, it is good to see you."

Samael, however, gave a stiff nod without looking towards her, his voice light but closed off, "Sera."

Sera grew a little stilted from his reply, shifting uncomfortably on her feet. She didn't really know what to say to him right now, so she went with the obvious change in his features, "I see that you are prepared for this meeting."

Samael voice was dry as the desert as he rolled out his shoulders, his reply even more jilted, "I have a wardrobe for a reason."

Samael could practically feel the air around Sera die, becoming rigid and awkward. His eyes closed as he sighed, opening them and giving the person who he saw in the same view as a mentor a soft smile, he was being dramatic for no reason "Excuse me, Sera. It's good to see you as well."

Sera seeing the smile that made itself known on his face felt her mood lighten, her energy coming back as she and Samael started to follow after their small group step by step.

"I'm glad that you joined us, I know last time we did not end our conversation in the best of circ*mstances," Sera said, Samael looking at her out of the corner of his eye.

"It's in the past Sera, I said somethings that day I did not mean either," Samael said nonchalantly, Sera taking note of his attitude and choosing that it was best to accept such goodwill with grace.

Her and Samael watched as several other Angel's joined in on St. Peter's little orientation. Samael raising an eyebrow at the unnecessary theatrics, looking up at Sera he asked, "They still have these guys doing this? It's been decades!"

Sera muffled a small giggle with the palm of her hand, "We do have an eternity here Samael, it's nice to have something to take your mind off things."

Samael exaggerated a shrug of his shoulders, "I mean, I guess, but," Samael threw a thumb over to his right pointing at a sign for Heaven's scientist, "Surely that eternity gives you enough time to mix things up."

At this point Emily jumped in on the song as St. Peter lounged in the arms of fellow Angels he had called hot, Samael looking towards his sister and seeing the ecstatic smile on her face he couldn't help but have his own.

"You care for her a great deal." Sera pointed out with a small nod.

Samael flashed her a half smile, "Of course I do, she's my sister. Just as you care for Emily, I would give everything for Charlie as well. It's a common sentiment I feel."

Sera absentmindedly nodded her head to his words, for she agreed with it all. However, when she remembered the nature of today's meeting, it worried her. If everything went well then that would be that, but if it didn't...

She didn't even want to think about losing the prince she saw as her own child.

She was broken out of her thoughts when Emily Sang "After you see our realm you'll never want to go back down," Samael snickering as he saw a murderous expression appear on Vaggie's face.

His ear upturned as he looked towards Sera who had placed a hand on Charlie's shoulder and sang with what looked like genuine heartfeltness, "Of course, it is just temporary. I'm sorry you can't stay."

Samael, noticing his sister's slight disappointment at such a line, interjected, placing both his hands on Charlie's shoulders, his eyes on Sera ashe joined in, squishing his cheeks with his younger sister who had her energy returned to her again, "We may change your mind today, who is to say?"

Sera bit her lip but didn't say anything, she understood why Samael had said what he did. But, it wasn't a simple matter letting someone into Heaven, especially someone who Sera did not know well enough to decide if they were truly worthy, even if Samael constantly vouched for her.

She would think about it, looking forward as the song came to a close. Emily excitedly bounced on the balls of her feet as she started dragging Charlie and Vaggie forward, wanting to show them all around Heaven.

A short while later...

Knock, knock

Vaggie let out a huff of air as she heard the door to her and Charlie's room was knocked on. Charlie had just left moments ago so she assumed it was either that she forgot something or that Samael had caught back up. He had left somewhen after Charlie, saying he was going to visit an old friend, Vaggie opening up the door only to see the one man she wasn't expecting.

Adam, the first man holding his hands out as he said, "Hey there Vag-asaurus!"

Vaggie stepping back in shock, before she quickly shook her head and asserted herself. Keeping her hand tight on the door as she narrowed her eye at Adam, "Charlie will be back soon. You need to get out now."

But despite what she said, Adam was very keen on pushing forward, walking into the room past her, "I'm not looking for the blonde, babe. I'm looking for you."

Vaggie's already over his sh*t as she questioned, "Why?"

Adam pushed his finger in Vaggie's face, his smile calculating and gleeful, "Maybe because you left the band. You tried for a solo career," holding his fingers underneath his chin as he scratched away, "Or I guess it's more of a...duet!"

Vaggie crossing her hands as she stood her ground, "I don't know what you're talking about."

But both Lute and Adam knew that was complete horsesh*t, "Do you really think I wouldn't recognize one of my top girls just cause you're out of uniform?"

Looming over Vaggie as she finally seemed shook up, her tired expression being replaced with one of shock. Adam went on to narrate just exactly who she was, what she had done. How she was one of his top exorcists, killing hundreds if not thousands of Sinner's in the name of Heaven.

That is until he f*cked up her name, at which point Vaggie teeth grinded together, "Actually, it's pronounced Vaggie."

Adam looked genuinely confused as he tapped his chin, "mmmm, no!'

"Anyway, you sure f*cked up, didn't you?" Adam said, reminiscing on how Vaggie had refused to kill a child of Cannibal town. Which meant that she was weak and a traitor in their eyes, leading to Lute punishing her treason by cutting out her eye and then cutting off her wings.

Leaving her in Hell to die a lonely, cold death. That is before Charlie found her, and helped her. Saving her life, and in turn making Vaggie want to give her life for Charlie.

"To think someone as worthless as you landed Lilith's little hottie. 'Grat's on that I guess."

Lute finally stepped up from her place in Adam's shadow, her face set firm in a scowl, "Their love is vile and blasphemous."

Getting directly in Vaggie's face as a cat fight seemed moments from starting, that is until Adam's smug expression and voice cut through the tense air, "Hot as f*ck though."

Adam then regained the plot as he turned back to Vaggie, "But I wonder what your bitch would think if she found out you are actually one of us, hmmmm?"

Vaggie narrowed her eye, her face conflicted as he essentially had her in check, "What do you want?"

"Simple. You work for me again and at the hearing you're going to help me shut this kindergarten snowflake bullsh*t down for good."

Vaggie was not going to do that, she would never do that. Not to Charlie, and she made her opposition well known, "Never."

But Adam didn't care, "Oh, yeah. You know, that's totally cool. I guess I'll just tell miss butterflies and rainbows that she's been f*cking someone who's killed thousands of her people."

Adam then stepped forward, his mask's expression mocking as he leaned down to her height, "And hey, if that's not enough, I'll go tell her brocon of a brother what kind of bullsh*t her partner has been feeding the both of them. I'm sure he's going to have a fun time with you if I told him-"

"Tell me what?" Samael's voice cut through the air, Vaggie going stiff meanwhile Adam and Lute grew more ecstatic. All of them turned to see Samael leaning on the doorframe, his eyes gazing over the crowd as he gauged the temperature of the room.

Adam held his hands up to his face like he was sleeping, "Oh nothing, Princy, just me and this Sinner hashing sh*t out. Just wanted her to know certain things is all."

His voice wishy washy and fake as Vaggie felt sweat start to build up on her neck. She already had the suspicion that Samael knew, but if he found out like this then she wouldn't even want to know what he would do. Samael cared deeply about his family, even more so Charlie, that much she could tell. So if he thought an exorcist had tried to spy on his sister or anything then she would be dead.

"Prince Samael, there's-" She started but was interrupted when she felt his hand on her shoulder, Vaggie looking up to see that his eyes were locked on Adam, with a gaze that was predatorial, like the eyes of a snake backed into a corner and prepared to rip out the throat of anything that came near.

"If this is about her being an ex-exorcist, then you can save it, and stuff it up your ass Adam." Samael snarled, Adam and Lute completely shocked at what he just said. Adam felt the air turn cold, a feeling like a steel vice settling over his throat.

Vaggie in turn nearly turned to stone, her mind spiraling with the fact that he knew. H-He knew?

Thankfully she didn't have to think about it for long, the next words out of Samael's mouth reaffirming her.

"Adam, I don't care if Vaggie used to be one of your stuck-up whiny bitches. She's a fallen, that makes her a citizen of Hell and now my responsibility. So if you try to threaten her again, you would have insulted me, and if you do, I'll make sure to teach you some manners that God failed to implant in you." Samael's presence seemed to fill the entire room as Adam gulped nervously.

He wasn't used to this kind of pushback, and once again it was coming from Samael. The only bastard who ever seemed to stand against him. The small kindle of hate burning brighter in Adam's gut.

"Yeah? Well, uh, f*ck you!" Adam awkwardly said, fighting back against Samael's control over the room by stepping forward. The aura Samael was emitting fading away as Samael just glared at Adam.

Adam shivered slightly under his gaze but he wouldn't falter, especially not in front of two people who were less than him, "This doesn't change anything Samael, so what if you know? I'm still going to bury that bitch you call a sister in court! With or without her help!"

Samael's finger's crackled with fire, stepping forward he glared down at the first man, "Adam. If you ever call my sister that again, I promise on my very soul that even God won't be able to save you from me."

Adam grit his teeth as he involuntarily shrunk back, he hated this. He hated how this bastard made him feel so effortlessly. He was the golden boy. He was the first man, but in front of Samael he never felt like that. He never felt as grand as he was.

Clicking his teeth he moved around Samael, throwing his hand up he waved Lute after him, "Come on Lute, let's blow this joint. We'll see these assholes soon anyway."

But before Lute could leave, Samael's cane stopped her in her tracks, his hand tilting it down to block her at waist level, Samael looking over his shoulder towards the first man angel "Adam you may leave, but I need to borrow your lieutenant here for a moment."

Adam's eyes widened in indignation, "What!? No! She's not yours to boss around dude, she's mine!"

Samael rolled his eyes, his voice clear cut mocking Adam as he scoffed, "What? You can't live without her for a few minutes, or do you need your babysitter at every step?"

Adam growled, stamping his foot on the ground, "You motherf*cker-"

"It's fine Adam, this bastard just wants to distract you." Lute said, Adam turning to face her. Samael ticked an eyebrow up at her choice of words.

"He knows he doesn't have a case so he's trying to get you off your game, I'll catch up," Lute assuage, Adam biting his lip before letting out a short grumble.

"Fine! Hurry up after you're done here Lute," Adam said, his anger still palpable there as he practically sulked out of the room.

Samael gave a tiltless chuckle at the fact that Lute basically just proved his point. Adam was a man baby with an ego that was easy to bruise and needed to be constantly assured. So to save his ego, and realistically his life Lute needed to get him to leave.

Adam fell for it hook line and sinker.

Lute and Samael now turned their gazes on each other. Though the moment her eyes connected with his she felt a freezing chill creep up her spin.

Samael's eyes looked like that of a reptile, except his iris was crimson red surrounded by an inky black abyss. An unnatural sight that made her want to look away, but she couldn't. Samael's voice cutting through the air, "You care about him, do you not?"

Lute gulped, her gaze attempting to harden as similar to Adam she refused to back down to a Hell spawn of all people, "What do you care?"

Samael chuckled, his voice sweet and warm, yet it crawled with unease as he flashed his teeth, "I know he's important to you, no need to hide it. But if you want to keep him out of trouble, keep him safe like the good babysitter you are," Samael leaned planted his cane on the floor, leaning down he said directly into her ear, "Then you better keep him out of my way, because he steps out of line, I will deal with him myself. And I promise, that day, you will regret not heeding my warning."

Samael then leaned back, the same smile he had throughout the entire day making it onto his face as he tilted his head to the side, "Now run along, your child's calling."

Lute grit her teeth, but as she turned out to leave, Samael's imploring voice stopped her in her tracks "Oh, and one more thing before you leave."

She huffed, she disliked his presence and wanted to get over it already, but the moment she turned around, her body froze. All of her bravado and spirit, gone in a snap, the demon's face distorted and horrific, mentally leaving a scar for the foreseeable future, his voice cold and chilling, the room having lost all its light, sending a shiver down his spine, "Don't think for a moment I forgot about what you called me. I will let it go this once, but you will do well to address me correctly from now on."

She couldn't move, her body involuntarily shaking as if she didn't have any control over herself anymore, his cane creeping its way to under her chin, pushing it up just so that they were eye to eye, "Even if I am a hellspawn, I am still the prince of hell.Youare nothing but an expandable, a soldier, a toy for my amusem*nt. In my presence, you'd do well to respect me, otherwise, I'll make you wish you chose a different field than to be face to face with me, Understand?"

She shakily nodded her head, her body taunt and lips sealed, "Good. Now, Leave."

She obeyed. Stepping out into the hallway she saw Adam a few steps down the hallway chugging on a soda. Lute running up on his heel, "What'd the prick want?"

Adam asked without looking back, Lute rubbing her shoulder as she said, "Nothing sir, he was just speaking nonsense."

Vaggie watched as Samael closed the door behind Lute, his back to her as she tried to think of something to say. An explanation for it all, but before she could get her thoughts in order Samael spoke, "Are you okay?"

That threw Vaggie for a loop, he wasn't upset with her? He wasn't going to question why she had lied? He was going to ask her if she was okay?

Swallowing, she rubbed the back of her neck, her voice a little stilted as she said, "Yeah, Yeah, I'm fine."

Samael nodded his head, walking away from the door he looked around the room, scrunching his nose at the smell. Holding his cane up he twirled his hand around its head.

Vaggie watching with confusion as he started to spray the air with some soft of magical air, the light homey scent of firewood filling her nostrils before Samael stopped the magic spell, his face content as he gave a brisk nod.

"There we go, it's like he was never here," he then turned his attention to Vaggie, his smile light and playful, his aura in a complete 180 from when he had been talking to Adam, "Now out with it."

"Huh? What?" Vaggie asked, completely bewildered with what was going on. This was an entirely separate set of events from what she had imagined, especially after what had happened between Samael and Lute.

"Questions. I'm sure you have many. Ranging from 'How I am so calm' to 'How are you still alive?'. Well, to each their own. Pick your poison." Samael said, flourishing his cane at her as he ended his statement.

Vaggie gulped, wincing at each sentence, almost prepared to receive backlash, "Uhm, well, first off I guess, why aren't you angry with me?I mean I lied to Charlie, I lied to you. Why did you trust me if you knew what I was?"

"That goes back to what you told me a few months ago, that you'd look out for Charlie when I wasn't there. You gave me your word, what reason would I have to suspect it?" He said with a cheery tone, too cheery to be fully honest.

Vaggie didn't even get a chance to say a word, to give a confused answer at least, because the moment se when to speak she was met with a raised finger in her direction, "Actually, don't answer that."

Samael flipped his cane in his hand, examining its shining appearance as he started to speak, "You were an exorcist Vaggie, you were born and bred with the explicit purpose of killing Sinners. My sister took you in, trusted you with her life, with her back, something you could have easily stabbed whenever you wished. You had every chance to hurt her, Yet you didn't...why is that?"

Vaggie thought about what he had said, there was an obvious answer. One that she should be able to give in a heartbeat. But was it the answer Samael wanted to hear?

She looked up at him, his eyes locked onto hers, but for Vaggie it felt like he was seeing right through her. Like he knew what she was going to say before she even said it. If he did then what was even the point of all of this?

What was the reason for him to help her with Adam, to approach her like this?

Then it clicked, the reason for this little interrogation, maybe what you could even call a test, was to see if Vaggie would be truthful...

She had lied to Samael and Charlie before, she had hidden the truth from both of them to protect herself, to not lose the family Charlie had given her. Here though he was giving her one shot to tell him the truth, to be honest with herself and with him...

Vaggie breathed in deeply, "Well sir-

"Call me Sam, we aren't strangers after all."

Vaggie paused for a moment, resetting herself before saying,"Uhm, Sam...the truth of the matter is, I love Charlie, truly."

Vaggie's mind overflowed with memories and emotions as she thought about all that Charlie had done for her. Her fist clenching together as she prepared to throw it all on the table, to be as truthful as she could here in this moment,

"Your sister has done so much for me, she's helped me in so many ways."

Vaggie felt a small flourish of pain in the remnants of her taken eye, pain that was quickly stomped out by the beating of her heart. The image of Charlie saving her that day was something she would never forget.

"I'm sorry I hid the truth, that I've lied to you both, but meeting Charlie saved my life in more ways than one. Because I've her I've found a reason to keep going on no matter what."

Vaggie's voice was filled with such determination, and passion that it was enough to bring a smile to Samael's face. He knew what she was feeling, what such a love could do to a person and make them do for others.

"I want to do anything to protect her smile, to make sure that everyday she can continue to fight for her dream. She made me want to live, and if I can do anything in my power to make sure she can smile then that will be enough."

Samael's eyes gleamed, a subtle smile on his lips as he moved towards her and placed a hand on Vaggie's shoulder, "I'm glad to hear that."

Samael, in a move that surprised Vaggie, beant down to her level and actually hugged her. A comforting style of warmth that covered her like a blanket on a cold night, it felt safe, inviting, and brotherly in a way, Vaggie hesitating for a moment before reaching out and hugging him back.

It reassured Vaggie of her future, of who she was. In his hug she felt like she was one step closer to deciphering the man that is Samael Morningstar, more than just the big brother of Charlie.

Samael speaking to her, his face hidden but his voice filled with confidence, confidence in her, "Vaggie can you promise that no matter what you'll stand beside Charlie, through whatever this world is going to throw at you? To fight alongside her for her dream and her happiness?"

A tinge of surprise at his words, but mostly gratefulness that he would trust her with such a job. He was trusting her with his sister's safety, and that meant a lot to Vaggie.

The two breaking apart, Samael's hand resting on her shoulder as his gaze implored her for an answer. For something as important as this he needed her to say it, words mattered just as much as actions did to ease a conscience.

A rare softness touching the corner of her lips, Vaggie's usual stoic expression turning into one of quiet warmth, with a swift yet confident nod her head she said, "I promise Sam, no matter what, I will protect her."

Samael stood to his full height, stepping back slightly as he looked down at her, a twinge of a proud smile playing at his lips, " "Thank you, Vaggie. That will be more than enough. Just...," his voice softening a little, "make sure to tell her the truth when we get back? you know, all of it, she deserves it."

Vaggie gave a confident nod of her head, Charlie meant a lot to everyone and the fact that Samael was trusting her with his sister's safety. With the safety of the princes of Hell meant a lot to Vaggie.

"I will."

Vaggie understood, as much as she wanted to hide her origins. To hide the truth of where she came from, it wasn't going to help her or anyone else. To more forward with her relationship with Charlie, to make sure that she could continue to stand besides her, than Vaggie needed to tell her.

The moment they got back to Hell Vaggie promised to herself that she would tell Charlie that she was a Fallen Angel, an ex-exorcist, and that she wanted to do everything in her power to make her past deeds right again.

Through helping Charlie, Vaggie would find her own sense of redemption even if that didn't mean ascending back to Heaven.

Samael was happy with her answer, it seemed his good mood had returned in full force after their conversation despite the brief run in with Adam. His smile was as wide as it usually was on TV, dipping his cane in her direction, and like a showman he spun it in his grip, "Good! Now come along dear Vaggie, we have a very important meeting to attend to!"

Samael said, walking out of the room, and Vaggie followed suit, determined after her talk with Charlie's surprisingly down to earth brother.

He noticed her hopeful demeanor, a far cry from when Adam had come to pester her. He was glad she was feeling better, he imagined Charlie would welcome the support and it would help their case for them to be united.

It was good to have moments of levity between big things...

"Oh not him again," Charlie moaned. Samael turned his head slightly to see that Adam and Lute had just walked in. Samael could tell that Charlie was stressed out and nervous, and the appearance of Adam did not help her out one bit.

Stepping forward he leaned over the side of Charlie's chair, placing his hand atop of her's, Charlie looking up at him as he said, "It's okay Charlie, I know you got this, Just go with your heart and I'm sure they will hear you out."

Charlie almost choked up at her brother's words, her hand darting out from where he was holding it and wrapping around his waist. Pulling him into a tight hold as Samael gave a chuckle, "I love you too charlie"

"Thank you Sammy," Charlie said as she let go of him, her eyes shining with joy, "I'm glad you came, it means a lot to me."

"Of course Charlie, now go and knock 'em' flat," he said, giving her an encouraging nod as he stepped backو Vaggie sending him a grateful smile at the fact that he calmed his sisters nerves down.

Adam flew up to his seat as he sang, "What up, baby?" twiddling his fingers in a wave, "Saw that you went to my manager, lower blow Karen."

Samael stood slightly behind and in between Charlie and Vaggie, his arms sat atop the knob of his cane, he looked more like a bodyguard rather than one of the defendants. His face was impassive as he didn't even react to Adam's joke, turning up to look at the Seraphims.

"We are gathered here today to determine whether or not a soul in Hell can be redeemed into the heavenly realm by the means of this Hazbin Hotel." Sera said, nodding her head towards the defendants table, "Princess Morningstar?"

Charlie letting out a nervous sigh as she packed her talking cards together, "Thank you, Seraphim," clearing her throat she stood up, Samael feeling a spark of pride at the fact that Charlie was standing in front of a group of people ready to defend her dream, "Webster's Dictionary defines redemption as–"

He involuntarily sighed, he should have helped her at least somewhat prepare...

Adam shared the same sentiment, well at least sentiment of getting her to stop talking, "Objection, lame and unoriginal."

Sera sustained his claim as she looked towards Charlie, "No further dictionary references please."

Charlie seemed to grow more nervous, flipping through her cards before she sent a quick glance over her shoulder. Seeing Samael giving her an encouraging nod she steeled herself, taking a deep breath, "We have a patron. Right now in our Hotel, who is making incredible progress."

"Who." Adam stated, finding it unbelievable that anyone would want to live in what he assumed was a complete dump.

Charlie said with confidence, "Angel Dust."

Adam found this preposterous, "Oh, yeah. The p*rn demon. He's totally worth being redeemed."

"I think it wise to not judge people unfit by their past, Adam," Samael's voice cut through the air, Adam and everyone else turning to the sound that practically commanded their attention, "everyone has done something in the past that they regret."

Vaggie glanced over at Charlie, grabbing her elbow as she remembered her time as an exorcist...

Adam was reminded of his time in the Garden of Eden...

Emily remembering the memory of the one time Samael trusted her with the kitchen, that cake was never making it out of there alive...

"The ability to change is not regulated to someone of a good nature. Anyone has the ability to change, even a 'p*rn demon,' as you put it."

Charlie smiled wide, placing her hands on her hips as she hauntingly asked, "Yeah, and if you know so much. What do you think it takes to get into Heaven?"

Samael cheered in his mind at that question, Charlie was on the right track even if she didn't realize. He doubted Adam had prepared a lick for this, so any sort of pushback was great for them.

And just as he thought Adam started to stumble, "Ummm, w-w-well...uhhhh."

Sera didn't his lack of an answer amusing, Adam needed to cut this in the bud here. She may favor Samael but in a moment like this what came first was Heaven. Rules were rules, and Sera needed to make sure Heaven would never come under threat.

"Is everything okay, Adam?"

Samael smirked as Adam pulled out a pen and said, "give me a f*cking minute, okay?"

Charlie shared the same smile as she silently cheered, her and Vaggie both looking hopeful as maybe they could turn this in their direction. If Adam either defined the rules badly, or just plain wrong then they could get the court on their side hopefully.

Adam throwing his hand out and snapping the paper with magic onto the table, Vaggie picking it up and reading out loud, "Act selfless, don't steal, stick it to the man," placing it down she clenched her fist, "are you f*cking serious?"

Adam keeping in line with his ego was smug as sh*t as he declared, "Uh, yeah, sure got me here, didn't it?" But that ego was only used to hide a deep well of insecurity, his smile faltering as he looked up at Sera, "Right, Sera?"

Sera was not completely convinced, but she didn't have anything better, "He was the first human soul in Heaven."

Samael rolled his eyes at the vague ass rules, a little miffed that Sera would just go along with it so easily but he couldn't expect special treatment. He would place his trust in Charlie...and a highly unreliable variable that was Angel dust.

"Well, I bet Angel is doing all of those things right now!"

Adam clenching his fingers around the edge of his speaking box, "Then let's f*cking see it brah!"

A magic searing ball appeared in front of them that Charlie stepped around, confidently saying, "Your Honors, may I present exhibit A."

The scene they saw did nothing good to help Charlie's case however. Cherry Bomb had took Angel and the rest of the Hazbin Hotel crew to a sex bar called Consent, where after minor probing, and despite his slight refusal, Cherry got Angel to drink...

Which even with the dubious circ*mstances Samael knew Adam would take a mile. Rubbing his brow with his fingers, they were failing before they even started,Samael muttering, "The one time..."

"Heavenly people, what more do you need to see?" Adam said quite smug, his hands held to the ball, "The p*rn star chose a night of debauchery. That's not a soul worthy of being in Heaven."

Charlie thankfully wasn't going to just let Adam roll with it, placing her hands on the table, "Objection! Are you really telling me you've never had a drink with your friends at the end of a hard day?"

Samael let out a tense breath, hopefully that was a step in the right direction...

"Uh, we don't have hard days? It's f*cking Heaven, bitch."

Or not...

"Are you seriously going to sit there and pretend like this behavior is okay?" Adam said, leaning forward, his smile growing smug as he looked down at Vaggie, "What do you think?"

Vaggie starting to stutter, her nerves reaching a boiling point before she felt a hand on her shoulder. In a moment of deja vu she looked up to see Samael's eyes on Adam and not on her. His presence just meant to offer her a rock to know that she wasn't alone.

Gulping she forced a smile and sitting up straighter said, "I-I think that Angel will make good decisions! Charlie has put in a lot of work with him and I think by the end of the night you will see that he has shown the necessary steps to prove that redemption is a possibility."

Adam growled, his finger's clenched tighter as he prepared to blow this secret wide open. But before he could get a word out Samael picked up where Vaggie picked off, "I think Vaggie is right, Seraphim."

Samael sending a smirk to Adam as he cut him off, Adam glowering however before he could blow his top Samael's voice once again took command of the entire room, "Angel Dust has a chance, I believe it wise to see this endeavor through for at least a while longer. They aren't perfect beings after all, it is hell, but they are trying."

At his words the room seemed more inclined to listen, Samael carrying with him a sort of presence that Charlie and Vaggie did not. Sera and Emily shared a look, but both of them knew that if Samael was backing it then it couldn't hurt to try.

"Very well. The court will allow it."

Charlie growing estatic at this pumped her fists and yelled, "f*ck yes!"

Vaggie sent her a look of disbelief while Sam, although understanding his sister's reaction, deadpanned at her, the ball was not in their court so they needed to be careful regardless of what Adam had the freedom to do.

At the same time Sera looked disgruntled by the expression, while Emily was intrigued. With a quick jab into her side from Samael she looked to her brother, and seeing his disapproving look, Charlie rubbed her neck and backtracked, "I mean,heh,thank you."

Over the next few minutes Samael felt his hope for this little operation return full force. At the very least they would maybe get the normal allotted time for the exterminations, which was better than nothing in his opinion.

That was because Angel did everything right, he had looked after Nifty, stood up to Valentino, and in general cared about the people around him. Samael would even be amiss to say he was a little bit proud of the Sinner.

People can change, Samael knew it first hand. He also knew how hard it was, so at least for this round Angel would get a slight applause from him.

Charlie had also noticed Angel's deed, her tone filled with excitement and glee as she stated, "See! He did everything on your checklist! He was selfless, he stopped Nifty from stealing, and he stuck it to that moth man!"

Adam was actually nervous now, twiddling his fingers as his operation was put on the back foot. He hadn't expected this whatsoever, "Well, then-then why isn't he here then? Hm?"

Emily also noticed the discrepancy, turning to Sera confused, "Yeah, why isn't he here?"

At that moment Samael wanted to yell out that it was because Adam made it up! The whole idea was fraudulent, Heaven was filled with hypocrisy! But instead he stayed quiet, if they started fighting here it was much more beneficial for Charlie's cause.

He needed them to discuss it, to feel uncomfortable and confused, that was the only way to force a change in such a scenario.

Charlie took this as a reason to be angry, "Wait, none of you know what gets someone into Heaven?"

Sera now also put in an uncomfortable position, Samael narrowing his eyes as he heard her say, "This questioning stops now. We know when a soul arrives. We know when they pass divine judgment. It is our job to ensure these souls are safe."

When she heard that Emily grew contemplative, a frown appeared on her face as she looked up at Sera, "But she was right, Sera. She showed us that a soul can improve."

Her wings fluttering to life as she floated in the sky, the magic seer ball appearing next to her and showcasing Angel protecting Nifty from Valentino, "He saw the light, Sera. Checked all the boxes that you said would."

Emily descended, the ball moving with her as she moved amongst the judges of the courtroom, her voice sincere as could be, "Prove a person deserves a second chance, now we turn our backs, no second glance?"

Samael was proud of both Emily and Charlie in these moments, both growing and changing in their own ways, standing up and fighting for what they believed in. It made him happy that both of them were willing to do what they wanted despite the opposition, even if that was him. He only wished for the best for both of them

What he didn't enjoy witnessing was Sera trying to stifle that growth. Samael wasn't a proponent of redemption, but trying to act as an obstacle for Charlie or Emily would have done no one good. And Sera should have seen that, he wished she saw it too.

"It's not as simple as you think, not everything is spelled in ink."

Charlie also wasn't happy with Sera's view on it, "It's not fair, Sera."

Vaggie placing her hand on Charlie's shoulder, Samael who was uncharacteristically quiet, standing behind them his eyes still locked on Sera and Emily, "Careful, Charlie, keep a cool head."

But Charlie didn't want to cool down, she was annoyed with all of this and wanted to get to the bottom of it now, shrugging Vaggie's hand off as she sang, "No! Don't you care, Sera?"

Charlie holding her hand over her heart as the sear orb showed an image of Angel and Husk joking together. Her soul practically pleading as Sera was downcast, "That just because someone is dead."

Charlie's hand swiping over the orb, changing to a scene of camaraderie between Angel and Cherry taking a drink together, "It doesn't mean they can't resolve to change their ways. Turn the page, escape infernal blaze."

A picture book of the night's activity playing over the orb, showing all of the Hazbin Hotel crew hanging out together. But this wasn't enough for Sera,

"I'm sure you wish it could be so, but there's a lot that you don't know."

And at this point Adam and Lute couldn't hold back any longer, their buttons having been pressed by both Samael and the general situation. Lute slamming her hands on the table, "What are we even talkin' about?"

Her hands pointed at the orb as it showed a picture of Angel being abused, his mouth bloody and tears in his eyes. Samael's eye twitched at the image, his fist clenching together. Samael was a lot of things, but if there was one thing he wouldn't stand for was Lute and Adam abusing their power against his people.

Angel was trying to change, Samael may not have known Angel Dust personally, or about his path to redemption. But anyone could see it clear, bright as day, that Angel was trying to be better, he was trying to do better. Wasn't that the whole point of redeeming yourself, of trying to be a good person like Heaven wished.

To do better everyday no matter how hard it was?

"Some crack-whor* who f*cked up already? He blew his shot, like the co*cks in his mouth. This discussion is senseless and petty," Lute sat on the edge of her viewing seat, throwing her legs over the edge as Adam laid down behind her and faked a blowj*b.

Adam and Lute flying up to get right in Charlie's face, "There's no question to be posed, he's unholy, case closed."

Before flying up atop the seering ball which now showed an image of Sinner's burning in the flames of damnation, Samael's eyes hardened when he saw Adam trail his hand under Charlie's chin, "Did you forget that Hell is forever? A man only lives once, we'll see you in one month. Gotta say, I can't wait to..."

As Adam continued speaking Sera grew frightened, Samael's ears catching the change in tone as his eyes were drawn to her face, "Adam!"

Adam flying down from his ball and getting in Charlie's face, Samael's eyes snapping back as he felt Charlie's magic spike, a slight demonic transformation taking place. Despite that Adam still seemed smug,

"Come down and exterminate you!"

That was where Adam had f*cked up, "Wait!"

"sh*t," Adam stepped back as Emily flew down between him and Charlie, her being the voice that had cried out.

Emily descending down to the ground, her face drawn in a frown of abstract horror, "What are you saying?"

"Let me get this straight," her feet touching the ground, walking forward as she touched the magic ball, "you go down there and kill those poor souls?"

Charlie couldn't believe this, "You didn't know?"

Adam shrugging his shoulders, "Whoops," accompanied by Lute, "guess the cat's out of the bag."

Adam trying to sweep this all under the rug, but he had opened pandora's box and now he had to deal with the consequences, but Samael was too preoccupied with his knowledge being challenged, "What's the big deal?"

Emily turning to stare up at the High Seraphim, "Sera, tell me that you didn't know."

Samael just like his sister couldn't believe Sera, he couldn't believe they would keep something like this from the populace, "They didn't know?"

Sera flying out of her seat and down towards Emily, "I thought, since I'm older, it's my load to shoulder."

Emily holding her head, she couldn't believe this, Sera had kept this from her! Her head turned away as she yelled, "No!"

Her feet touching the ground as she walked towards Emily, "You have to listen, it was such a hard decision," her hands taking hold of Emily's as the fire of damnation shined in her eyes, "I wanted to save you, the anguish it takes to, do what was required."

"To think that I admired you, well I don't need your condescension," Emily broke her hands away from Sera's, "I'm not a child to protect," flying above Sera as her true form started to peek through her outfit.

"Was talk of virtue just pretension?" Samael watched Emily Stand against Sera, a subtle smile on his face, "Was I too naive to expect you To heed the morals you're purveying?"

Charlie found common ground here, "That's what the f*ck I've been saying!"

The two joined hand in hand and jumped atop the scenery of Hell as they sang together, "If Hell is forever, then Heaven must be a lie."

Sera tried to interject but neither Charlie nor Emily could hear her now.

"If angels can do whatever, and remain in the sky. The rules are shades of gray when you don't do as you say, when you make the wretched suffer just to kill them again."

The both of them landing on the ground and splitting apart as the scene behind changed to show Lute murdering a Sinner. The crowd horrified by such a sight as Charlie reminisced, "I was told not to trust in angels..."

Which provided Adam with the perfect opportunity to finally say what he had been holding in this entire time, "By her?"

Lute joined him as they both felt Smug, "Ha! She should know."

Vaggie attempted to reach out to Charlie, wanting her to leave before her own secret was revealed, "We should go."

But Charlie was having none of it, she had finally made it this far she couldn't let her father down, she couldn't let Sam down.

"No! Don't you see? We've come so close," turning her head as she saw Emily and Sera verbally fighting in front of the crowd who weren't too happy either, "look at them fighting, they're at each other's throats."

Adam cutting them off as he got into Charlie's face, Vaggie growing nervous as he started to say, "Don't you act all high and mighty, Did you ever think your little girlfriend might be a liar?"

Vaggie knew it was too late, Charlie was going to find out, and even if Samael has reassured her earlier she never got the chance to tell Charlie on her own terms, "Don't, Adam please."

"What's the fuss?" Adam felt vindicated in this moment as he walked back to the magic ball, swiping his hand over it to reveal to Charlie...

That Vaggie was an exorcist just like them, her very girlfriend was someone who had slaughtered thousands of her people.

"Why hide the fact that you're an angel just like us?"

Charlie fell to her knees, she couldn't believe this. That Vaggie would lie to her and hide the truth from her like this.

Sera also couldn't believe any of this, she couldn't believe things had gotten out of hand this badly. Swiping her hair back as she breathed heavily in out, holding her hand up to get the court's attention, "I'm sorry...but this court finds that there is no evidence souls in Hell can be redeemed."

Emily settled in besides Sera, meanwhile on the floor Charlie looked to her brother for assistance. He knew these people, he could help her. Only for her to lose hope when she saw Samael's darkened expression, his eyes cast in shadows and his hands clenched around his cane.

Adam finally happy to have scored a victory over the pathetic Lucifer brats, his hands held giddy in front of his face as he said, "Oh, f*ck yes! I win! Suck it, bitches!"

"You better save the date c*nts, because we're coming to your hotel first-"

"ENOUGH!"

Like a flashbang, suddenly the entire room was filled with a bright light, everyone present having to shield their eyes from the sudden blast of brightness.

Everyone recoiling at the light, yells echoing throughout the room as everyone what just happened to cause such unnatural light?

The light that had blinded them reflected the very nature of Heaven itself, carrying with it a sense of holiness and piousness, except that there was a twinge of darkness eroding at its edge. An unnatural feeling that brought with it both fear and comfort.

Something not completely holy, yet also not completely shrouded in demonic nature.

However as their vision cleared that came into contact with a sight that sent a shock through everyone's system. Charlie's hand placed itself over her mouth in surprise, her voice hitched as she said, "Sammy?"

There standing in front of her was Samael, his cane struck into the ground in between a collapsed Adam's legs, cracking the tile. The first man having fallen, Samael towering over him as he stood between Adam and Charlie.

His chest heaving with labored breath like a raging sea, his teeth gritted and shining in the air like a beast. Charlie would never be afraid of her brother, even with hints of his demonic appearance appearing through. No, what had her so enamored was what now protruded out of his back.

Because out of Samael's back came an unexpected beauty that rivaled the anger he was experiencing. Two magnificent winds had unfurled, their feathers emitting a light ethereal glow. Shifting up and down slowly with the movement of his chest.

Her eyes watched intently as fire started to dance around the edges of his clothes, Adam and many of the other Angels watching in abject horror alongside her, because just as with the wings another miracle was being performed before them...

Because now they all remembered how "The Devil," a being feared since the fall of man, wasn't just a monster meant to scare children into being good. No that wasn't all he was...

There was more to the tale, and somehow they were seeing it come to life once more...

Because Samael Moringstar, the son of the Fallen Angel Lucifer and Queen of the Succubus Lilith...

Had a golden halo shining atop his head, his horn's wrapping around its outer edge in a way that looked too natural, like it was always meant to be there.

Adam's face looked horrified, a nast sense of deja vu appearing in his eyes, because in front of him he would have sworn he saw the man he hated most out of all. Slowly crawling backwards as he whimpered, "No...no, this can't be possible. There's no way a bastard like you! Can be one of us! That's not fair!"

Just like him everyone else was lost in their own varying degrees of confusion. Well besides Emily, who could be seen bouncing up and down in her seat with excitement. Her face was drawn with pure joy as the conversation she had with Sera was completely overshadowed by the happiness she felt at the fact the person she admired so greatly, who she saw as a big brother, was also an Angel just like her.

Then there was her mentor, Sera who could only be described as being bewildered and confused, absolutely baffled at what had occurred. Samael was an angel? How was that possible? While she wanted to feel joy in this moment, because perhaps her dream had actually come true, she could only wonder what all of this meant. Why was Samael just now revealed to be an Angel?

The entire room then descending into chaos, muttered murmurings occurring between the Angel jury that slowly started to build into an uproar of curiosity, confusion, and concern.

There loud noises collapsed on top of the agitated Samael, driving him up a wall. His lips curled like a feral animal, showing off his sharpened teeth.

He was angry, furious, vivid at this moment. Adam, Sera, Heaven, all of it, he wanted to show them their hypocrisy, show them how stupid their "justice" was. How their actions were a mockery of the very thing they swore they were protecting.

"SILENCE!"

In an instant the room's volume dropped to zero, everyone compelled to listen to the words of Lucifer's son. Watching as Samael lifted his cane with ease from within the ground, stepping past Adam towards the angelic judges, pointing his cane at all of them as he snarled, "You are all a mockery of the principles you preach. You speak of caring, helping, loving Humans, yet the moment you are presented with a solution for saving them you cower in fear? Turn a blind eye!?

His eyes leveled onto Sera's, the High Seraphim shaking her head softly, whether it was to convince herself this wasn't true or to tell Samael to stop he didn't know. Either way he was disappointed in her, once again she would betray his trust like this...

"Who are you to judge us?" Adam spat, trying to stand up to Lucifer's brat with clench fists and his eyes full of rage, "You're just some pathetic demon spawn! We're the Angels, we're perfect compared to a cheap imitation like you!"

Samael clenched his jaw, turning to Adam he stalked towards the first man, "I've warned you one too many times Adam...you are nothing but a mortal man! A whining child, a failure of God who has caused nothing but disasters and misery."

The fire on his coat growing alongside the anger in his voice, his reptilian eyes locked onto Adam's form as if he was going to extract some sort of vengeance.

"Samael!" Sera called out, her voice desperate and her expression pleading, Samael stopping his advance. Turning his head to look over his shoulder at the High Seraphim, the tone of her voice indicating to him something was wrong.

He had a hunch for why.

And as furious as he was right now Samael, how disappointed he was in Sera, he would always heed her intuition. Sera letting out a sigh of relief that he stopped, her hands clenched tightly around the edge of her seat as she said, "This court is dismissed, everyone besides Prince Samael may leave."

The Angel's around the room didn't listen, too enamored with what was going on. Their curiosity over the situation rooting them to their seat, Samael frowning at the sight. After having taken a second to breath he could acknowledge that this wasn't the best scenario for him, too much was happening too fast. He was out of his element and needed to exert control.

His voice loud and resolute throughout the room, commanding in its depth, "To all participants present here, the meeting is over, and hereby you are dismissed until further notice. Listen to your Seraphim and do as ordered."

Samael then turned his withering gaze upon Adam, the first man didn't seem content to listen to Samael and that was fine by him. Samael stepped directly in front of him and towering over Adam, casting a shadow over him as Adam finally showed a tinge of fear.

"Adam you have been a pain in my side for too long, you've been given chances plenty, more than you ever deserved," Samael stepped forward, glaring down at him, "But none of that matters any more."

"You want to attack Hell? Fine, do it, I welcome you," Samael's expression darkneed, his eyes acting like a window to the soul wherein Adam could tell he was dead serious. That if Samael wanted him to come, he wanted Adam to try and fight him.

"I've stayed out of this fight for far too long, and now nothing will save you from me in my kingdom. If you attack Hell, I, personally, will put an end to you and your charade, once and for all."

For once Adam was speechless, stepping away from Samael, his heart pumping through his ears. He looked down at his hands, Adam was sweating, his pulse quickening, his stomach twisting into a knot. Adam felt an overpowering sense of fear, for the first time since he had died he felt the need to fly.

The desire to run away to safety, he felt too human for his own liking. He was supposed to be better than this f*cker, Samael was born of Lucifer and Lilith, he was supposed to be the bottom of the barrel. A Demon born in the worst place in the universe, but now he thought he was an Angel?

Adam couldn't accept that, he wouldn't. But he couldn't fight Samael here, no, to take down a monster you need an army and Adam didn't give a sh*t about fighting fair. Samael thought he could strike fear into Adam, get him to back down, well he would find he was sorely mistaken.

Adam steeled himself, his eyes narrowing as he turned on his heel, "Come on Lute, we got an extermination to plan," clicking his teeth he looked over his shoulder at Samael, "Games on motherf*cker."

Samael cracked his neck, his wings flapping once as he shrugged his shoulders forward, "Then come Adam, I welcome you."

A line had now been drawn between them, a promise etched into their very beings. By the end of the month one of them would perish by the other's hand. The Original Man, or The Devil's Heir...

One shall stand, one shall fall...

"Sammy!"

Samael turned his head, gazing over his shoulder to see Charlie running to him, she had heard everything and was extremely worried now. Not only had she just found out her brother was apparently an Angel, but now he and Adam were going to fight. And it was all because of her Hotel...

Because of her...

But before she could even let those thoughts settle within her she felt a covered hand on her cheek, the cool touch of Samael's leather striking her out of her thoughts as she looked up to see him giving her a small smile, "Charlie, don't worry about any of this, okay? Your big brother is gonna handle it."

Charlie couldn't believe him, he was going to try to sweep this under the rug? Say that he could handle it alone, that he would take care of it for her?

Why did he always have to be the one to take care of her? He might have been her big brother, but she could rely on him all the time. It didn't always have to all be on his shoulders. Charlie could do things on her own...she needed to start doing things on her own, taking her own steps without him.

She didn't want to feel like a burden...

She reached up and grabbed his hand, her hand clasping it tightly as she passionately said, "Sam I'm not going to leave you here to deal with this all alone. Let me help you."

Samael smiled, "That's not necessary-"

"I don't care if it's not necessary, this is happening because of me. I'm not just going to go back home and leave you here to deal with something that I asked for!" Charlie said, pulling his hand away from her face she held onto it, her fingers wrapped around it as her face skewed from lines of annoyance to wrinkles of worry.

Samael couldn't hide the soft smile of gratitude from her, Charlie could tell that he was glad she cared. But that didn't take importance here to him, Samael waving Vaggie over with a gesture of his fingers. showing up on Charlie's right.

Her face etched in worry and concern, her hand reaching out to grab Charlie's, "Babe, I think he's right, we should go."

Samael kneeled down in front of her, leaning on his cane as he looked directly into her eyes, "Please Charlie, go with Vaggie back to Hell, trust me, i got this."

Charlie could hear the pleading in his voice, the eyes that seemed to almost beg for her to be lenient right now and make things easy. It didn't help that there was a soft glow on his head. The Halo he wore made everything about him more beautiful, made her want to make things easy for him.

The soft up and down movements of his wings, the slight tilt of his eye. It was like he was still her brother but at the same time someone entirely new. She hated it...

Her brother had already changed once...if he changed again...

She didn't want to lose him...

All she wanted to do was keep him close, to help him like he always helped her. But he just wanted her to be safe and out of the way while he dealt with everything, like always. It hurt, but Charlie was going to comply, for now. He needed to talk to the Seraphims after all...and he didn't need her.

Charlie wrapped her hand with Vaggie's, her voice dejected and her eyes staring into Samael's soul, "Alright."

Samael noticed immediately that, in fact, everything wasn't alright for Charlie. But there wasn't much he could do about it now. He had to face Sera before he could deal with Charlie. Right now he would just count on Vaggie to follow through.

"Thank you, Charlie," he said genuinely, then turning his head to the ex-exorcist he nodded his head at her, "Get her home for me, Vaggie."

"I will. See you back in Hell, Sam."

Samael then opened a portal for the both of him, knowing in his heart that this wasn't over. Charlie wasn't going to forgive Vaggie easily, and she probably had more to say to him all things considered and he would face that when the time came.

Scratching the back of his head he softly sighed, he wished more than anything that things hadn't gone down this route. However, Samael didn't have time to think about the future. He had work to do now, turning to face the two Seraphims.

The three of them all alone as the entire courtroom was cleared of any other souls. The only one of them seemingly even happy to be there Emily, who was ecstatic at the idea it seemed of Samael being an Angel like her.

Samael's shoes clacking against the tile as he approached them, but before he could even make it halfway across the room Emily flew towards him. Her excitement let loose of the tiny bits of restraint she had.

Emily got closer to him and buzzed excitedly around his head as she admired his halo, her hands even tentatively reaching out and touching it as she gleefully shouted, "Sammy! You're an Angel!"

Emily continued to fly around and feel his soft wings in her palms, completely star struck. She couldn't believe that someone she looked up to like an older brother, that she always wished she would get to see everyday, was actually like her. Maybe this would mean her dream could come true, he would actually get to stay in Heaven alongside her and Sera.

Samael offered her a small smile, "Yeah, that seems to be the case."

But even Emily's excitement about the current events couldn't sway Samael from his objectives, he didn't have time to entertain ideas of "why," the wings and Halo existed and that was that.

Right now Samael needed to get to the bottom of everything, Emily landing beside him as he turned towards Sera, his smile fading into a frown as he didn't beat around the bush, "Sera, explain yourself. Why have you been lying to everyone? Why haven't you told Heaven about the exterminations? Why have you been lying to me?"

Emily could hear the tone Samael used, it seemed to permeate the very air, the tension growing in the air as she slowly lost her smile. Instead a feeling of worry started to gnaw in her gut as she looked between them.

Sera jumped slightly, her eyes snapping to Samael's face, she could already see the disappointment. She could feel it in the air, swallowing down her worries, she stood straight up, doing her best to feel confident, "Samael...I...I had to do it for Heaven's protection. You must understand, I didn't want to, but it was necessary."

"What? What was necessary!? What could possibly be necessary about the slaughter of thousands every year!" Samael was furious, his voice guttural.

Sera flinched, her fists clenched as she shakingly said, "We didn't have a choice, we feared the Demon's were preparing for an uprising."

"Are you even hearing yourself!? You thought the Demon's were going to stage some kind of revolution?! They can barely coexist with just each other, what made you think they would have made it all the way to Heaven!"

"We considered several options, but when Adam came forward-"

That was when it clicked for Samael. Adam this, Adam that, Adam was a scourge on his very being. The prick who needed a Lieutenant around him at all times just to make sure he didn't piss off the wrong person.

The fact that centuries of abuse was started by his hand...

Drove Samael insane.

"Adam...it's always him...your scapegoat..." Samael said through gritted teeth, his wings flaring out as he glared up at Sera, his Halo starting to glow, "What do you think was his goal, Sera? Some heroic desire to protect Heaven, or mindless slaughter to pass the time? For his own sick enjoyment."

"Samael, we...I wouldn't have agreed to it if that's all it was."

Samael scoffed, he couldn't believe Sera, this was the person he looked up to all these years? His voice scalding as he begged for an answer, "Then tell me why? Why did you agree, not anyone else, just you."

"I...I-I feared that if the population grew-" Sera had turned timid from the verbal altercation, this Samael in front of her wasn't the one she was used to, and it frightened her.

Samael gripped his cane tight until his hands went white, "Sera...do you really think you can just end an uprising by culling a population? Senseless murder only inspires them. If you really wanted to stop this 'uprising' then you would have gone for the source."

"W-what are you trying to say?" Sera stepped back out of shock, she didn't expect things to take this turn.

Samael held his arms out like a performer, "I'm just asking, if the mindless slaughter didn't work, what would you have done next? What were you going to do, Sera? Lucifer hasn't been active in years, Lilith has been missing for a decade, and Charlie, who everyone bashes the one chance they get. So who does it leave?" Samael tilted his head, his brow furrowing as if he was questioning something, "Who else is there? Who else could you have gone after?"

Sera's eyes widened as Samael faked a face of discovery, like he had found some hidden answer, "Oh right...me. Would you have killed me too if it wasnecessary?"

Sera gasped, holding her hands over her heart as her face formed one of genuine hurt, "How could you say that? How could you even begin to think I would want that?"

"I don't know Sera...," Samael's voice was filled with disbelief, "Maybe the fact that Adam threatened to take my sister's life, in front of me and everyone else, and you just defended him? It certainly doesn't look out of the cards for you."

"Samael, I would never let Adam hurt you. He was just speaking nonsense, none of us would have ever let him hurt you or your family."

Samael clicked his teeth, "You're not hearing yourself Sera! Adam has been left unrestrained! You had the option to tame his ego in front of everyone, yet you didn't say a single thing!"

"Samael, please, you need to believe me, I never wanted this to happen. I never wanted things to end up like this. It's my job to protect Heaven, I just wanted to do what was right. I promise I never would have let him launch an attack on your sister or you." Sera practically pleaded, stepping forward as she attempted to reach out for him. Samael placed his cane in front of his body, Sera walking into it, her face flashing hurt.

"How can you expect me to believe that? To believe you? Why would I ever put my trust in you again, after you've lied to my face, used me for years? Give me a reason Sera, tell me why I should trust you to do it, when I can just do it myself." Samael said.

Sera instantly knew he was being serious. He was threatening Adam's life even if he hadn't said it outright. Her head tilted as she softly said, "Please Samael, don't do it, if you get involved with this it will only lead to a tragedy. You don't know what consequences it could bring. A war could break out between Heaven and Hell!"

Samael shook his head, she was still stuck, she hadn't seen the full picture, "We're far past that now Sera, you should've kept your dog on a tighter leash. Just know if he does come to Hell, if he does go after my sister, then I will deal with him, permanently. He knows it and now, so do you."

"What would you have me do? Lock him away to where he couldn't get to Hell, strip him of his rights as a Captain? I'm only one Seraphim, there's more paperwork tied up in this, more politics too it then just my word!" Sera said, her voice cracking as it seemed that it was too late. That she had failed to keep Adam in line, and now she may not only lose him but also Samael. For if he killed Adam, then he would truly become an enemy of Heaven.

"Then you're just proving my point Sera. If you can't stop him right now, why do you ever think you could stop him from hurting my family? I've made my promises, I've drawn the line. If he crosses it then that's on him." Samael spoke with such certainty, such authority that it shook Sera's bones.

She didn't know what she could do, besides just grasping at strings she no longer controlled. She wasn't some puppet master, she had thought she was doing the right thing this entire time. But now she doesn't know.

"Samael..." Sera's voice died in her throat, she couldn't think of anything to say to him, anything that would make this better, would make him listen to her.

Samael shook his head, turning away from her he looked to his left where a shocked Emily stood. She was completely silent, trying to wrap her mind around everything.

Samael sighed, kneeling down he grabbed Emily's shoulder. The younger Seraphim eyes locked onto his and her voice like a whisper, "Sammy...are you really going to go through with it?"

Samael pulled her into a hug, hugging her tight for what very well may be the final time, "I'm sorry Emily, I have to...but I...I want you to know you're stronger than you think. I'm so thankful I got to know you, and I know you're going to do great things."

Emily's finger's clenched into the back of his shirt, "W-why are you acting like this is goodbye? You're going to see me again r-right? You're coming to visit soon?"

Samael felt his heart clench, he knew that Emily was strong, that she would get through this, but the idea he might hurt her still didn't sit right with him. But he was going to hurt a lot more people, he couldn't get hung up here.

The Hotel had failed him, Sera had failed him. There was only one path for him now.

"I'm sorry Emily, but...It'll be a while before we get to see each other again...I've got some stuff to handle," as Samael spoke, tears began to build up in her eyes, "I'm so proud of you Em, just keep doing what you're doing, all right. I need you to stay strong for me."

"T-then let me help you, please. We c-can figure this out together, you won't have to say goodbye." Emily stated, digging her face into his shoulder as she fought back tears.

"Thank you Em, truly, but it's too dangerous for you, I don't ever want to see you get hurt," He said softly, breaking his hold from her, Samael leaned back slightly so he could take her all in.

His lips forming a small smile, trying to comfort her, "I don't want to see you ending up in Hell, alright? It's no place for someone like you, you bring happiness to too many."

The tears in Emily's eyes started to fall, she knew what he was saying even if it hurt her. He didn't want her to Fall, even if that meant he would never get to see her again.

"B-but..." her voice started to break, her eyes darting to the ground as she tried to find the words. Samael hated seeing her like this, he hated breaking her heart.

Reaching he brushed her hair past her ear, his fingers linger lightly as he touched her earring, same as the one he wore, "I'm always going to love you, Em. And I know this hurts, but as long as you wear this, I promise I'll always be close to you."

Emily slowly shook her head, not finding the strength in her heart to use her voice. Samael let out a gentle breath, reached out and kissed her forehead, standing up and ruffling her hair one final time.

Emily took his words to heart, holding back her tears, sniffling slightly as she remained strong. That was the only thing he asked of her, and she wanted for him to believe in her. She wanted to show him he wasn't wrong.

Emily was going to be strong for Samael, her brother in all rights but blood.

Samael stepped away from Emily as he looked towards Sera, his gaze full of disappointment of what she had done. He could see the tears in her eyes, the way she held her arms close to her chest. How she hated what had become of them.

Averting his eyes he shook his head and took a deep breath, fire lapping at his body as he prepared to teleport back to his home. He had already steeled himself for what was to come. There was no use in having regrets now.

Sera watched him disappear from in front of her.

She no longer had the ability to reach him. To help him, to make this work.

But that was her duty, wasn't it? She couldn't just throw it all away now, even if she felt this much pain. She had to swallow her regrets, her pain, and wipe away her tears.

But how could she do that? She had lost Samael, a person she carried close to her heart in the same rights as Emily. It felt like an impossible task to close off her heart to him, to the void he left.

But she wasn't the only one in pain, Emily fighting to hold in her tears in front of Sera. Sera feeling her heart break tried to reach out to comfort her. But the moment her hand touched Emily's shoulder, the younger Seraphim shrugged her off.

Emily turned on Sera, her face set with a hard line of anger, quiet sniffles and small tears being the only thing to break it. Her voice was hard and sorrowful, far from its usual jolly tone, from the voice Sera was used to.

"A-are you happy now? You saved Heaven...you...you took my brother away from me. H-he was an Angel!" Emily cried, the tears finally starting to fall.

Sera was speechless, her heart breaking in two. She had lost not only the man who she saw as her son, but now she may even lose Emily too.

"E-Emily, I'm sorry-"

"That won't bring him back Sera, sorry doesn't fix anything. It only makes you feel better." Emily said spitefully, her big little heart crying as her soul itself felt like it might break, her small wings flapping to life as she quickly left the room.

Sera watched her go, completely stunned, a weight settling on her shoulders that desired to crush her where she stood. The tears in her eyes started to flow freely.

Samael's scathing words still rang in her ears. The way he looked at her...it held so much disappointment. As if he regretted ever meeting her in the first place. Regretted the many times he came to see her.

She could still see it now, a young Samael hanging out in her office besides her going on and on about whatever little thing, staring up at her with such adoration in his eyes, as if she was the only seraphim of heaven. But one memory stood out the most to her, saying how he wanted to be exactly like her when he grew up. Such big words from such a little child.

It was adorable, amazing in Sera's eyes, but now it was like those memories of him were getting corrupted. overwritten. Because all she could see was Samael's eyes, his face that seemed to radiate hate towards her of all people, like he didn't want to do anything with her any more. It broke her heart.

A hollow feeling settled deep within, growing larger with each second as she felt like a piece of her had been ripped away. This void was only exacerbated by the empty courtroom that surrounded her. She felt so small in a room that felt far too big.

Only accompanied by her regrets and desires...

Samael appeared in his home, stumbling slightly and slamming his cane onto the ground, splintering the wood as he bent over, tittering back and forth as he felt a suffocating force that crushed his chest.

Thoughts bounced around his head at breakneck speed, he didn't even have a second to process one before another took center stage. There was Adam's declaration of war, not just on Hell, but directly going after the princess of hell and everything she stood for.

Then came Sera's betrayal of his trust, having played him like a fool when he thought their years of...he didn't even know what to call it anymore. How much of was it real, if any of it was real, if he was just a pawn all along. Did he know it too? How much did he know, had he just turned a blind eye because he had no one else?

And...and...

He didn't feel them anymore...

He patted the top of his head, only feeling the silky smooth texture of his hair.

He patted his back, on his shoulder blades where he felt them sprouting out...

Nothing was there.

Was it all a bad lucid dream? Was it all a part of his imagination? No, it couldn't be. Swiftly he removed his coat, flipping it over, only for his doubts to be crushed, finding a pair of wide holes on his coat's back. No, No, they were there, but...

What the hell was going on!?

Samael's hand's trembled as he grasped at his tie, it felt suffocating, like a chain that was binding his throat. He tore it off with fervor, throwing his cane somewhere with a thud, followed with the rest of his clothes, stripping away his gloves and his layers of shirts, discarding them with reckless abandon, as if he was attempting to shed his own skin.

He rushed to the bathroom, his shaking hands finding themselves in a challenge on the door knob, Samael almost ripping the door of its hinges when he finally bursted threw the door, his hands gripping the edges of his ceramic sink tight, his gaze staring a hole into the drain, focusing before tentatively looking up...

He saw himself, Samael, the same person who always stared back at him judgmentally, the same face that always looked disappointed at having to reflect the messy wreck that he was...

But he didn't care, it was him, it was still him, his reptile bloodshot eyes on full display, his horns comfortably sprouting from either sides of his head, the heavy bags under his eyes appearing again. Despite how much he had prepared himself for the meeting...now he just looked awful.

But, at least, there were no wings...no halos...

However, he could feel it, a new, strange feeling pounding in the back of his Skull. It wanted to force its way out of him, it was begging for his attention, his acceptance.

As much as he tried to ignore it, the pressure kept up. Increasing in pain until he finally grit his teeth, closing his eyes to the world and concentrating. Focusing on the power welling inside his brain.

When he opened his eyes once again, they were there. The shining bright ring of light on top of his head, the vast and massive wings of pure white on full display, proudly spreading themselves, as if to make a statement.

That this was him, this was who he was...that he was an angel...

But how was this possible? He was born in Hell, he was raised amongst the vilest of humanity, he was an alcoholic, a murderer. There was not a bone in his body that was worthy of being an Angel.

This just had to be a flook, that's all it was, right? Sure, maybe he had wings now, but the Halo is just a symbol, a decoration, that's all it was. It would go away soon...this would go away soon.

He would prove it too. Flipping his hand over he looked at his palm, he could feel the blood that rushed underneath his skin, the muscles and sinew that moved to his command. This was his body, his blood, so it would be red, it always was.

All he needed to do to prove it was grab a knife and swipe it across his palm, then he would see that his blood is...

.

.

Gold.

His blood was gold.

His breath hitched, his panicked breaths laybred, the knife twisting and falling from his grasp with aclank!A small trickle of golden blood traveling across the lines of his palm, riding up over the edge before crashing down to his feet, splattering across the tile floor.

Samael's breath started to speed up, anguish crawling down his spine, this was reality. He was a demon, always was, but now...he truly was an angel.

Samael felt despair sink its way into his bones, everything he had worked for so far, all his efforts, all hissins, what would happen to them? How could he tell anyone about this, how could he let anyone else know about what had happened in Heaven, what would it mean for him?

Samael grit his teeth, his finger's cracking the ceramic as rage started to rush through his veins. Simmering below his skin as he started to question everything. Why was this happening to him?

But when he looked up into the mirror again, he didn't see himself anymore. It was still him, with the same features that he had already grown to hate, but it wasn'thim. No, it looked to have a mind of its own, its shining golden eyes narrowing in a frown as it tilted its head to the side, his eyes drawn in pity, as if he felt sorry for not being able to help the prince.

Samael hated it, hated that version that hid behind the glass of his mirror.
What did it want, what was it trying to say? Who was it to think they have the right to pity him, to treat him like a child!?

Roaring, he pulled his fist back and slammed it into the mirror, shattering it to many uneven pieces scattered across his counter, leaving behind only bits and pieces of glass that reflected Samael's fragmented face, and the rest embedded into his clenched fist.

It still bled gold.

"It's your fault! Everythings f*cking ruined!..." but those purple eyes didn't care, the power now resting inside his body didn't care. They were here to stay, and would haunt him for the rest of his day's.

He screamed into the mirror, his voice a raw symphony of pain and defiance, "Is this what you wanted? Have I not given you enough? Am I just a toy for you to play with!" His voice breaking near the end as tears started to well in his eyes, his fractured reflection offering him a smile. As if telling him it was going to be okay, before soon fixing itself back to the original reflection, showing Samael's true panting and panicking form.

Samael pushed himself away from the sink, from the mirror, stumbling back, his breath labored, as if he felt cold tile press against his skin. Goosebumps rose across his body as he barely had the strength to stand.

"I never wanted this, I never asked for this...," Samael covered his face with his hands, golden blood dripping from the broken skin and clashing with the floor below. The dam that held back his tears finally broke as all of his anger washed away.

Samael had always been forced to give in, to accept what was thrown at him. Carmilla's divorce, separation of his family, the abandonment of his own family, the duties of Royalty, the poster boy of hell, he accepted it all with a smile on his face. But as the tears started to fall, Samael wondered how he much more he could handle.

Fear started to take root in his body, spreading like a plague throughout his body. His breath hitching as he thought about everyone that was important to him. What this could mean for them.

Charlie, clever as could be and with dreams that shined brighter than the stars. Carmilla, who only wanted to protect Odette and Clara, give them a life where they smiled everyday. They were important to him, all he had worked towards was making sure they were happy.

And now what? Because of some stupid wings, a stupid Halo they could be in danger. What kind of backlash would he face for something he couldn't control? He knew that anyone who found out about this would just try and use it against him. Use it to get close to the people he loved.

Samaels' hands slide into his hair, his finger's clutching at the golden tendrils and pulling away. Strands of golden hair filled the lined indents of his hand, mixing with his blood.

What about his parents...Lucifer...he hated the Angels, he hated Heaven, he wanted nothing to do with it after his fall. Now...now his son was one of them...

Then there was Lilith...his mother...one of the people he desperately wanted to see again. A secret he kept close to his heart, he wanted her to come home, and a part of him hoped that maybe, just maybe, if he had succeeded in being a true ruler, then she would be back.

But now everything was in jeopardy. Like a noose tied around his throat, there would always be a threat. Against him, against his family, if this got out...it would be the perfect bait to threaten Lucifer, Lilith, to keep them under Heaven's control for centuries to come...

That is if they didn't forsake him first.

Samael felt his throat start to close up, that sinking feeling returning as the walls seemed to start to cave in on him.

He wouldn't accept this. He couldn't accept it.

Someone else had to be able to help him, to help him get rid of this...this...this disease within him. Swallowing hard he reached into his pocket, violently digging around until he finally felt the smooth texture of his phone.

In an instant he had it in front of him, scrolling through the available numbers until he came across one contact...

Caramel...

Samael breath left his lips in ragged gasps, if anyone could help him right now it had to be her right? If anyone could reassure him then it would be her. She still loved him, he just knew it. Samael needed her to tell him that she loved him, he wanted her to say it again. To hear his name across her lips.

He clicked the call button and held the phone up to his ear.

Ring...Ring...

But just as he heard the click of the phone, indicating someone had answered, Samael remembered what she had said to him the last time they met...

"We shouldn't do this."

Samael denied the call, his hands trembling as he slowly lowered his arm. It hung loosely at his side before the piece of tech clattered from his hands.

She couldn't help him, no one could help him. He was alone. He would always be in this alone.

Samael started to stumble to the counter, his mind spiraling with thoughts of his future. Thoughts of Carmilla, his daughters, his family, everything that could happen to them and the citizens of Hell. All the paths he could take, every possible future he could ever hope to experience.

His waist bumped into the wooden countertop, his hands fumbling with the silver knobs on the outside before finally managing to yank it open. His hand shakingly reached inside until it wrapped around cool silver. Samael pulled his hand out and held within his grip was a pair of sharp silver scissors that shone in the glum light of the bathroom.

Looking at himself in the fractured mirror he saw...his mother...her long hair, her shining eyes, and beautiful horns. No matter how much he tried to change, different looks, different styles, different coats or fashion, he always kept his hair.

It reminded him of her...

Samael would always bear the remnants of his parents. The rosy cheeks of his father, the sharp chin of his mother. He couldn't change that, no matter how hard he tried, they would always be there...

With his left hand he raised the strands of his hair, and bringing the scissors closer to them, he held them to cut like a guillotine. His eyes focused on the point of contact, his hands trembling, acting as the last line of defense for him to reconsider his choices...

Snip...Snip...Snip

As golden locks of hair started to fall to the ground, the subtle buzzing of a phone could be heard. Samael, completely oblivious to the sound as his phone vibrated against the floor, flashing the contact name...Caramel...

Chapter 8: Hello Rosie

Chapter Text

Many, many years ago...

Samael ran his fingers through his silky blonde hair, a soft sigh escaping his lips, his eyes trailing across the many, many papers in front of him, looking towards the clock on his desk as he suppressed a groan. He had been here for nearly 2 hours already and he had barely made a dent in his paperwork.

Shaking his head, he knew sobbing about it wouldn't get him anywhere, so he got back to work, his head on his palm as his opposite wrist flicked across the desk, eyes moving faster than humanly possible as he quickly ran through more papers. Sure he could complain about all of his work, it sucked, but if his dad could do this for years then so could he. He hoped at least.

Thus he proceeded to work to the best of his abilities for nearly another hour or so, having lost track of time a while ago, zoning in so much that he never even heard the slight creak of his door, or the soft tap of dress shoes against the floor.

Charlie Morningstar, his sister and princess of hell tentatively watched him over the giant stack of papers, unintentionally creeping up on her brother. In her hand a small plastic container, bits of steam pressing up against its roof, mist accompanying it. Stepping closer she softly said, "Sammy?"

Samael froze for a moment, his head raising up like that of a grazing cow, his eyes a hazy purple, dark shadows resting underneath. He attempted to rub the sleepiness out of his eyes as he softly spoke, offering her a tired smile "Oh, Charlie. Sorry, I wasn't expecting you,"

Rubbing the back of his head awkwardly he hadn't even noticed the plastic container in her hands, "To what do I owe the pleasure?"

Charlie offered her brother a smile, "Well I figured you hadn't left your office all day, sooooooo, I wanted to bring you food." Holding up the container towards him Samael smiled.

"Ah, thank you Charlie. That's very sweet of you." Gently taking it from her hands he put it on his desk. However instead of immediately digging in he just set it to the side, getting right back to work. Albeit at a slower pace as he kept mind of Charlie's presence in his room.

Charlie walked around the office, looking over the very few bits of memorabilia and personality he had up, "Well it was the least I could do, don't need you going on a hunger strike!" she awkwardly tried to chuckle. Her eyes darted towards her brother who didn't seem to register the lame attempt at comedy.

A sigh leaving her lips, her brow folding as she tried to think of something to say. It had been like this with her brother for a while now. He never got out anymore unless it was something to do with media or galas, he didn't hang out with her a lot anymore, didn't even laugh much. He was just always working.

Though Charlie did think the reason he didn't hang out with her wasn't just because of his work, but also because of-

"How's mother?"

Charlie swallowed, her nerves growing slightly as she tentatively fiddled with the fabric of her suit, "She's doing good, uhm, yeah she's good."

She watched as Samael's jaw set, his eyes holding hidden emotion before he wiped the slate clean. Returning to how he was just moments before as he said, "That's good, I'm glad to hear that."

Charlie scrunched her lips, shaking her head lightly she tapped her cheeks quickly with the tips of her fingers, she was here to check on Sam! Not to get distracted by their parents. Turning around, Charlie placed her hands behind her back, "What are you working on?"

"Paperwork for a new business sector in Pride," Samael mindlessly said, snapping his fingers as he teleported a stack of papers seemingly off to nowhere, but more than likely they just appeared on someone else's desk.

Charlie hummed, maybe she could help...

That thought immediately died in her head as she glanced over the papers, so much jargon and numbers were printed on those pages that it made her head spin. Samael, glancing out of the corner of his eye at her, chuckled, "heh, it's a lot, isn't it?"

"Yeah...I don't know how you keep it all straight."

"Sometimes I wonder the same," Samael whispered, cracking his neck and setting his pen down, "Thank you for the food Charlie, but is there something on your mind?"

He looked up at her imploring, Charlie's heart aching at the fact he would think she would only come here to see him if she wanted to ask for something, and it hurt even more because he was partially right. She had come here to bring him food, but she also had something she wanted his help with.

Her smile faltered as she tried to think of what to say, did she just admit it straight up or did she try and play it cool. Samael was super busy she could tell, she probably shouldn't bother him anymore with her ideas. She just wanted his approval on her project, but maybe she should wait.

Before Charlie could say a word she felt a soft hand wrap around her own, Samael had placed his hand atop hers, his eyes searching her own as he gently said, "I'll always make time for you Charlie, if there's something you need then ask, I'll be happy to provide."

Charlie sighed softly, "I just wanted to ask if there was any free land I could use for a project, but I see you're busy and I don't want to put more work on you soooo..." her voice trailed off as she tried to move her hand out from underneath Samael's.

She was completely intent on leaving and trying to find a way herself when she heard Samael snap his fingers, a single parchment appearing before her. Samael offered her a smile, "Charlie, we're family, alright? We stick together no matter what. You don't have to be embarrassed to ask from your brother, I'll give you anything you ask for dear. "

A smile blossomed on Charlie's face, that look in her brother's eyes reminding her so much of how she remembered him like before their parents divorce. Not able to contain herself having seen her brother again for so long, all emotions finally bursting out, she rushed around the edge of the table as she jumped into him, her voice loud and cheerful, "Thank you so much, Sammy!"

Enveloping him in a hug as she tried to squeeze the life out of him, Samael letting out a quiet oof, followed by a low chuckle as he wrapped his arms around her, "It's my pleasure Charlie, I wouldn't have it be any other way."

Charlie felt tears come to her eyes, her words muttering yet free of restraint as she lavished her emotions onto him, "I've missed you so muuuuch Sammy," she whined, her arms tightening around him even more if that was possible.

Samael felt a little constricted but did not mind, soothingly rubbing her back and hair like he always would as he mumbled out, "I've missed you too Charlie, thank you for coming to see me."

The two of them settled into a comfortable silence as they relished in a familiar feeling of family connection, one that neither had truly experienced since they had been separated by their parents. Both too overcome with emotions, struggling with boundaries, too truly open up to each other.

But this moment, it was a start, and for Charlie that gave her more than enough hope for the both of them.

"You're never going to leave me Sam? Are you?" Charlie asked, her words muffled and accompanied by a light sniffle.

"Never Charlie." he said quietly, his hand starting to rub a comforting circle into her back, "I'm always going to be here for you, on my life I will promise."

Charlie felt her tears start to fall at his words, words that she should have heard from their parents. Words that he shouldn't have had to say to her. But he did, and to Charlie that was everything here.

"I love you Sam, please don't let me go..." She said into his shoulder, holding her brother for dear life, as if she let go, he would disappear from her grasp, her voice filled with teary love.

The smile on Samael's face softened, feeling a peck of tears on his own eyes at seeing his lovely sister like this, but he was here now, hugging Charlie as he brought her closer to him. No amount of work would be more important than his sister right now "I love you too Charlie."

Promises are sweet things, made out of love and compassion to symbolize the unbreaking spirit as long as they held onto together, that everything will be okay, that all you need is just to believe and it'll be like how you dream it to be...

Yet, promises are made to be broken...

Present...

"Do we have a deal?" Alastor asked, his hand extended towards Charlie who moments ago was a stressed little rabbit who had been backed into a corner. Her plan having failed, lies having been spoken, and her Hotel and the lives connected in jeopardy.

She needed to do something, and as Charlie looked down at Alastor's extended hand...she thought back to her brother. How he always told her she could rely on him. That she should go to him no matter what if she needs help.

But if Charlie was truly honest with herself, she felt like she couldn't truly trust her brother. There was too much unknown surrounding him. After everything she witnessed in Heaven, she didn't know if she could place all of her trust in him.

Alastor was her friend, he had helped her undoubtedly throughout the past few months. He knew how to help her and Charlie could trust him. With Sam though she felt like that was up in the air.

And besides, at some point she'd need to stop relying on him so much, she'd need to stand on her own two feet without his help. She needed to be ready for what was next...

And Samael couldn't help her with that. She didn't want him to help her with it. He had lied to her. She wasn't going to let him deal with everything this time. No, she was going to step up and play a role.

She was ready for this...

At least she hoped.

"Deal," she said resolutely, her hand clasping as she partially transformed, a green glow covering their intertwined hands. Alastor's face turned demonic as the radiofied sounds of a deer's yell could be heard, green cracks spreading throughout the floor, symbols appearing on the walls.

A deal had been struck between a Goat and a Deer...

Somewhere across the city a Serpent lifted his head...

The rancid deer thought himself cunning, but he was not the swift-footed fox he saw himself as. No, he had just stumbled into the home of the dragon, and he would not be leaving without paying his dues.

The cracks from Charlie and Alastor's deal spread throughout the entirety of the Hotel, far below in the lobby Vaggie felt horrified, "No...No!"

Vaggie broke into Charlie's room, the sight of Alastor cheshire grin greeting her, his appearance back to normal as he said, "Right on cue!"

"What did you do! Let her go!" Vaggie yelled, leveling her spear and charging forth only for Charlie to get in her way and protect Alastor...

"Vaggie, Stop!" Charlie's appearance still slightly demonic, her unusual eyes casting an uneasy feeling in Vaggie's soul as she slid to a stop.

"What?" Vaggie was lost, her spear dropping from her grip, "No, Charlie, please tell me you didn't–"

"I made a deal with Alastor." Charlie said determined, her head held high, confident in her decision.

This confidence wasn't reflected in her girlfriend, Vaggie in shock and disbelief over what she was witnessing. She never would have thought Charlie would have gone through with this; Especially without talking it through with her, though this just must be the price she has to pay. She truly did break Charlie's trust in her, that idea sending a shockwave of pain through Vaggie's gut.

Inside the room, fire lit up all around its edges, growing higher and higher until it started to stretch across the roof. Vaggie looking at it frightened as she crouched low instinctively, Charlie's arms still crossed as she waited, knowing who was about to show, and Alastor seemed rather smug.

His smile was all-knowing as he held his cane betwixt his forefinger and thumb, coughing lightly on its edge and rubbing it clean, humming to himself without a care in the world. He had gotten what he wanted after all.

That's what he thought, until suddenly, he felt a heavy weight descending upon his shoulders, hunching over as he coughed slightly.

"What is this!?" Alastor thought, trying to stand to his full height when a voice echoed throughout the room, a deep resonant timbre that filled the air with a commanding presence,

"It's comedic..."

Alastor's eyes turned wide and wild, flitting around every corner of the room until he was struck by a blinding light. A summoning circle made out of fire that roared with the might of a thousand suns appearing out of the air in front of him. Slowly drawing itself as the voice continued to speak, "How you Sinner's have become so full of yourselves. You think of this kingdom as a playground..."

Alastor looked like a frightened animal, a deer caught in the headlights, his eyes wide and ears pressed flat against his head as he started to sweat, the heat around him was building up against his body as it became hard to breathe.

Vaggie was in a similar state to him, the ex-angel crouched against the ground prepared to fight or run, her breath heavy as the presence she felt collapsed in-ward on her, her mind running rampant as she swept the room in a fearful survey.

Charlie though was in complete shock, she never would have expected this sort of reaction from her brother. Seeing him in Heaven for the first time had reminded her that Samael wasn't just simply her brother, but he was also a Prince. Seeing this though, this reminded her of the fact that they were both children of the Devil.

"And never understand your limits..."

Alastor flinched back as out of the erupted fire of the summoning circle walked Samael, completely unharmed by the flames as he glared down at Alastor. The fire practically seemed to lap out at Alastor like barking dogs, singing the hairs on his skin and the edges of his coat.

Alastor slowly scanned up Samael's body, taking note of his well-kept boots, the trimmed cuff's of his pants. His gloved hand that loosely held onto the head of a cane, Alastor freezing when he saw a shimmer of onyx like scales that peaked through the folds of clothing and leather.

In that moment Alastor had a premonition, the creep of a bug along his back, that if he looked upwards, that If he looked into the jaws of the beast that loomed above him, nothing would be the same.

"Come on Al..." Samael's voice took on a condescending tone, "Where's your fire! Where's the arrogance! You certainly had it, when you decided to sign your death sentence."

Alastor felt like he couldn't breathe, it was like a mountain being placed upon his chest. Crushing his body underneath it's weight as he couldn't find the strength to do a single thing.

Charlie and Vaggie were in similar positions, while they were not facing the full extent of Samael's rage, his back turned to them as he fully focused on Alastor, they could still feel the edges of it. The terrifying nature of his power that would make any human soul, any soul, crumble under its immense stature.

"Sam," Charlie tried to say, her voice weak, collapsing against the air as if she hadn't said anything at all.

Alastor's eyes darted towards her, filled with hope at the idea that she might save him. Only for those hopes to get squashed when he felt a cool touch against his skin.

Samael's thumb and forefinger squished his face, increasing the pressure put upon his head as he forced the Sinner's head upward with a painful yank, Alastor flinching from the force as the muscles in his neck screeched with pain, his eyes closed tight.

"Look at me..." Samael hissed, and Alastor had no choice but to comply.

When Alastor opened his eyes, he knew he would die right here, right now.

He knew that his silver tongue would do him no good, there was nothing that could save him here. He had underestimated Samael...and that would be his last mistake.

For in Samael's face Alastor felt fear encroach upon his mind, creeping in and gnawing away at him as he starred up into the face of a devil.

Samael's pupils burned with intensity, narrow slits of fiery crimson set within a shroud of impenetrable darkness, like staring into the depths of an endless abyss. His mouth split across his face, revealing beneath a layer of jagged, animalistic teeth.

His mouth stretched to an impossible width, beyond the limits of human anatomy, a split tongue darting out of his mouth as he said, "I'm going to enjoy this, finally putting you in your place. There is no afterlife waiting for you any more."

His shortened hair erupted into a cascade of flames, dancing wildly around the top of his head.

"Sam!"

But before he could do anything Charlie's yell penetrated the air, Samael stopped his movement. His head twisting unnaturally over his shoulders, the folds of scales giving off the supernatural appearance of clay as they scrunched up, "Don't be naive Charlie, he knew what he was doing. He needs to be punished."

"He's my friend Sam! I'm not being naive–I trust him!" Charlie's voice pierced the air as she transformed. Her eyes changed to black, slit pupils with a red ocean surrounding them. Maroon horns peeking through the long locks of her hair, her teeth just like his, those of a beast.

Seeing his sister standing resolute against him in her transformed state caused a twinge of amusem*nt to pass through Samael. His lips curving upwards as he found this ironic, Charlie wanted to make a stand against him, Her own brother...

It was ludicrous, he had helped her all these years, been beside her in the small and big ways he could. And now she would rather stand for a Sinner like Alastor who didn't care for her beyond what she could do for him. Whatever purpose she could serve for him.

A mirthless chuckle escaped Samael's lips as he released Alastor. Despite turning to face Charlie, he wasn't quite ready to let Alastor off the hook, especially not this easy.

Alastor felt the weight of his soul increase as he found himself immobilized. Every attempt to move sent waves of pain through his body. He was trapped, utterly helpless, like a criminal waiting for an executioner's axe to deliver his fate. He was completely at Samael's mercy.

"He's not your friend, Charlie. He just wants to use you." Samael's voice cut through the air like a bat, his words dripping with brash displeasure and disdain.

"No, he is my friend, he's helping me defend the hotel! He told me how we can defeat the Angels!" Charlie said defiantly, her arms folded across her chest as she started to explain to him, "All we need to do is go to-"

"Carmilla." Samael said, his words softer and his voice losing its modulation...a hidden secret creeping across his tone that conveyed to Charlie, to everyone the harsh truth. He had known...

Samael already knew who she could have gone to–and that meant there was no justification for Charlie's deal with Alastor.

"Why didn't you come to me then? I could have helped you Charlie! You wouldn't have had to make this deal or go to Carmilla directly. We could've handled it. I could've handled it. But instead you choose to accept a deal with a Sinner?!" Samael's words cut through Charlie, his transformation long abandoned. The void they left being filled with hurt as she snapped back,

"Because I wanted to do this on my own, I didn't want you to help me," Charlie said defiantly.

"Dammit Charlie, why are you acting like a child?" Sam snapped back, "This isn't something as simple as buying a sword, these are souls, your soul!"

Charlie felt like she had just been stabbed by a dagger, twisting inside of her gut until she pulled it out and leveraged it back at him, "It wasn't my soul Sam, it was just a favor. Besides, I'm not some kid anymore. If you would just trust me-"

"Trust you? Charlie, why do you think I gave you this hotel, why I've given you so much leeway. I trusted the future of Hell on your little redemption plan." Samael said, baffled at what was happening, that she wanted to fight him on the idea of trust.

Charlie felt the same frustration as him, both of them aiming loaded guns at each other's face and unloading years of hurt on each other, their emotions had reached a boiling point, leaving them in a state where all they wanted to do was lash out, hurt the other.

"Then what about what happened on Heaven Sam? You didn't let me stay and help you, you sent me away like a coddled child when I was supposed to be there and fight for my hotel and people of hell! You always send me away as if I'm just another problem for you to deal with! You don't trust me because you think you can handle it all on your own!"

"Charlie, that's not what happened. There was so much going on that day-"

Charlie shook her head, "That's what I'm talking about Sam," she said, cutting him off as she looked up at him with tears welling up in her eyes, "You could have told me things, you could have let me stay and help you but instead you sent me away again. You think that doesn't hurt me, you think I want to just let you handle it alone?"

Samael's mouth fell open like a fish, his words leaving him as he tried to grapple with what his sister was saying. Find the right words to say to help her understand everything he's done.

But he was too slow, "You don't trust me Sam, you make it hard to feel like you're even on my side anymore!"

Samael felt like he was just doused in holy water, a freight train running through his chest. His breath nearly left him as he whispered, "What are you saying Charlie?"

Charlie didn't even seem to realize the effect her words had on her brother, her anger and annoyance with everything that had occurred over the past few months boiling up into such a point where she couldn't help but spew it out at the first person she saw.

In this case that was her brother.

"I mean you've lied to me for years! You know everyone in Heaven! Like, Em? Seriously!? You're friends with them, you could've told them about the Hotel a long time ago when I was being mocked by everyone, you could have asked them to help. They aren't strangers to you like they were to me! What am I supposed to think, Sam?" Charlie shouted, her hands digging into her hair, "You know the angels, you trust them...you're even one of them!"

Charlie's words echoed throughout the room as she breathed heavily, her hands scrunching up her hair as she didn't even seem to register the bombshell she just dropped.

Alastor's eyes widened, that smile of his twitching as if he just discovered the greatest thing since corn feed. That was something he could use, something his tongue could take and twist in such a way that he could ruin...

But as he thought that he saw Samael looking at him out of the corner of his eye, his unnatural, demonic iris glaring into Alastor, his face darkened with rage. His eyes snapping back forward as Charlie said, "How can you expect me to trust you now, when you have hid so much from me, when I feel like I barely even know you!?"

As she finished her tirade Charlie was left huffing, her breath like fire as she glared at her older brother. Samael's face cast in shadows as he seemed completely unaffected by what she said.

Charlie feeling her anger start to bubble back up as she thought Samael was just going to ignore her, ignore her feelings...

But when she heard his voice, she wondered if maybe she had made a mistake.

"Do you think I wanted this?" Charlie's anger started to dissolve, leaving behind a chilling feeling of realization as she heard a voice so soft and delicate it didn't feel like it could ever come from Samael.

A contortion to his monstrous face that offered a complete dissonance of vulnerability. Features that should have invoked fear losing any sort of horror to them as the facade of composure, control that he had built, crumbled.

A slight tremble to his shoulders that Charlie meticulously spotted rooted her to her spot. She had never seen Samael like this before. She had never seen such raw emotion from him...at least not vulnerability like this.

"I didn't ask to be born a prince...I never asked to be an Angel...I didn't ask for any of this. I never wanted to be this...this thing," Samael muttered, his handsome features now marred with lines of strain.

Samael's head dipped down, hiding his face, his eyes from her gaze. The soul-crushed tone of his voice still ringing in her ears. It sounded like his heart had been ripped from his chest and crushed.

Charlie now felt completely lost, this wasn't what she expected to hear. This wasn't how she thought he would respond...did she really not know her brother at all?

Her lips parting in disbelief at the conflicting sight of her brother. It was like he never knew he was an Angel at all...

"I thought that..." Samael looked back at his sister and what Charlie saw made guilt bloom in her stomach. Like a ravenous, carnivorous beast that was tearing a hole through her heart.

Samael looked completely exhausted, the confidence and power she knew from him completely gone...

"O-out of everyone...I thought you would have understood me...would have known that I didn't want something like this..." Samael bit his lip as he looked back away, "I guess neither of us knew each other well, huh?"

Charlie didn't know how to comprehend what she was hearing, what she was seeing. Her mind was wiped clean as she only saw a tired, shattered child in front of her that had been jilted by the world.

"For what it's worth, I always trusted you Charlie. I just thought I was doing the right thing. I can see that I was mistaken, that there was more I could have done."

Samael looked back at her and in his gaze Charlie could see that he was telling the truth, that this was how he saw reality, with a sigh he said, "I'm sorry for...intruding. I won't take your time anymore."

"Sam-" Charlie said, her hand's tentatively reaching out, wanting to offer comfort, and maybe receive some in return. But instead she was rejected, Samael holding up a hand stopping her from getting closer to him.

Whether that was for her sake, or his own she didn't know.

"Stop, it's fine Charlie. I understand. Just...do what you need to do."

As Samael started to disappear in a blaze of fire he thought about how this was all his fault...

Maybe this could have all been avoided if he had just been there for Charlie more. Taught her about people like Alastor, told her about the foxes that lurk around them, waiting for them to show their necks so that they can sink their teeth in.

He should never have let Alastor near her in the first place, he only has himself to blame for this course of actions. Perhaps if he had checked in with her more, trusted her a little more, then this could have all been avoided. He had let a fox into his henhouse and now he had to bear with the consequences.

His thoughts end as he fully disappears, leaving behind a coughing Alastor, Vaggie who was coming down from an adrenaline rush, and Charlie who was visibly startled. Her mind was in disarray as she tried to comprehend everything. The idea of Samael's hurt mixing with her own.

She could have handled that better, she could have done more. Rubbing her arms as she felt a horrible feeling settle in her gut, her thoughts being interrupted by the sounds of her worried girlfriend, "Charlie, are you all right?"

Charlie's head dipped, in her heart she knew the truth, but her mouth knew what was needed, "I'm fine Vaggie...just," Charlie sighed, turning slightly so she could look at Vaggie, "Can you go talk to Carmilla? We need her help, I'll try to think of a way to get some extra manpower for the Hotel."

"About that," Alastor's modulated voice ripped through the air, Charlie turning to see him get up and pat his suit off, his face trying to come off as if nothing had happened, as if he was unbothered, as if, "Before I was...interrupted, I have an old chum who would be perfect for your needs Charlie. As long as you can show them that charming self of yours, of course."

Charlie formed a small smile at Alastor's words, her mind still wrought with worry but at least her team didn't seem shaken. Vaggie offering some restraint to going off and leaving Charlie with Alastor, but Charlie shut her down quick. The two of them breaking off and heading out to do their separate duties.

Charlie and Alastor headed towards the land of the cannibals, ruled by their Overlord Rosie. Who, to Charlie's surprise, was quite charming and friendly, an elegant demoness who like Alastor came from the early twentieth century.

Though even she couldn't just give Charlie her people's trust, no, Charlie needed to earn it, a requirement that just proved harder than expected, Charlie losing her cool and in turn the crowd. She was still in turmoil over the past few days' proceedings, not to mention what happened this morning. So a little bit of Heckling from Old Lady Susan did nothing to soothe her worried soul.

Rosie carted her off to a more secluded area so that they could try to get to the bottom of Charlie's issues, to see what was stopping her from getting at that charming, musical self deep within her.

The two stepped into her backroom, Rosie doing her best to assist Charlie with her romantic problems. However, after encouraging the princess about Vaggie, Rosie could tell something was still eating up at her.

Reaching out she took Charlie's hands into hers, holding them gently as she implored with as much motherly aura as she could, "What's the matter dear? More on your mind besides your little girlfriend?"

Charlie looked visibly downtrodden, she had felt hopeful about Vaggie but Samael still loomed over her like a colossal mountain. The anger and guilt she felt at him boiling in her gut and writhing like an injured snake.

A soft sigh escaped her lips as she squeezed Rosie's hand back, "Yes...It's my brother, Samael."

"Oh yes, the Prince. What a wonderful man, he comes by sometimes you know? I'm his little tailor, he's always such a flatterer." Rosie said delightedly, one of her hands reaching up to hold her cheek as she reminisced on the handsome prince. Briefly losing sight of the less than cheerful princess.

Charlie seeing her look and hearing her response could only feel more disheartened, a laugh filled with empty optimism leaving her lips, "heh, of course he does."

Rosie upon hearing Charlie remembered what she was doing, why she was here at this moment. Focusing on Charlie and filing away her thoughts about Samael as she implored, "What's the matter dear? What has you so down?"

"He lied to me, Rosie. He's been keeping secrets from me...apparently he does all this stuff that I don't even have a clue about." Charlie said, her head dipping low as she thought about his trips to Heaven, the stuff he does as Prince that she isn't privy too.

Within days her brother had become like an enigma to her, a shadow that loomed over the older brother she once knew and forming a complex puzzle that she didn't know if she could solve.

"And I know he's the Prince, I know he has duties and important stuff. But...I'm his sister," Charlie spoke with the entire depth of her heart, opening up to Rosie in a way she hadn't opened up to anyone in a long time, "I thought he would lean on me more...but he doesn't and I-I just feel so alone. So closed off from him."

Rosie shook her head softly, feeling awful for Charlie, reaching out she pulled the Princess into a hug. Charlie freezing with a bit of shock at first before quickly falling into the warmth of the hug, "Oh come here darlin', I'm sorry for your brother. He's a good man, but he has his demons just the same as the rest of us."

"Yeah...I know...I just, I feel so angry but also...so guilty. Like, I was super mean to him, Rosie. Meaner than I've ever been and I don't know what to do the next time I see him. I feel so conflicted."

"Well let me ask this, Charlie. Where's your anger comin' from? Is it him lying? How he doesn't rely on you?" Rosie asked softly, rubbing Charlie's back slowly, comforting her as they talked.

"I...I-I, I'm angry because I don't want to lose him Rosie...I've seen him change so much over my life. I've watched as he's grown further and further away from me and it just felt like there was nothing I could do but grasp at the air he left behind. I just want to be close with him again, like when we were kids." Charlie said, pinpricks of tears dotting at her eyes that she quickly tried to wipe away.

"Well then you need to tell him that Charlie. I know you're angry, and I know what I'm sayin' isn't going to be easy. But if you truly want things to get better between you," Rosie broke away from the hug, pushing Charlie slightly back from her so that she could look her directly in the eye, "then you need to be honest with him and with yourself. Tell him the truth."

Charlie swallowed, wiping away at the edge of her eye again with the sleeve of his shirt, "But...do you think he'll even want to talk to me? After what I said?"

"Oh you don't need to worry about that dear, I know you brother at least a little darlin' ,and there's nothing in this wide world that can stop that man from seeing his little sister. He loves ya too much dear." Rosie said gently a small smile making it's way onto her face as she quickly, and dutifully fixed the fringes of Charlie's hair.

"But even still, if you're truly worried about him going away, then just hold onto him tighter. Force him close to you no matter how much he may try, he can't grow away from you." Rosie continued, her mind starting to roam back to what Samael had said to her several days ago. To what she had seen from him when he came to her for a new outfit.

It wasn't much but maybe she could help them both here.

"Your brother's got a lot on his plate Charlie. I know he loves you, but you may just need to give him a tiny whack on the head to remind him that he's not in this alone. You're family, you need to stick together. Besides, he needs all the help he can get." She said, a joking tone dancing across her voice as she spoke. Charlie developed a small smile as she felt her own voice start to return.

This short talk with Rosie had done more for her than she expected, she felt revitalized and ready. She knew what she needed to do next, she was going to see Samael and apologize, and then she would make sure he couldn't leave her out of his life.

Dashing forward she wrapped Rosie in a tight hug, "Thank's Rosie!"

Rosie chuckled softly, placing a soft hand atop Charlie's head, "You're welcome darling."

"The next time I see him I'm going to show Sammy that I can stand beside him Rosie, We're going to fix all of this together, do this together!" Charlie said, her excitement building as she imagined the future.

She knew she could get this to work, her doubt getting buried underneath a mountain of optimism. Like Rosie said, her brother wouldn't be able to resist his little sister's charm, or at least try to. She'd fix their relationship and then they could do this together.

"That's the spirit girl, now get out there and show those ghouls you mean business..."

Rosie said charmingly, encouraging Charlie even more as the Princess shot up and stormed outside. She was ready for this...though as she left Rosie slowly lost her smile. The image of that bright-eyed smiling girl looked like a flower in wait, like a stop-motion picture she could practically imagine what was going to happen next. How Charlie's smile would wilt and wither. Her eyes drifting down to her hands where she murmured,

"I hope you know what you're doing Sam..."

"We're going to need more weapons," Vaggie said confidently, a grin appearing on her face, her wings shifting in the air as she was crouched low.

Carmilla looked down at her with pride, she wasn't surprised by Vaggie's skills developing at such a rate but she still could admit the little exorcist had fire, which was something she could admire.

The two of them caught their breath, about to discuss exactly what the hotel would need when they heard the ominous sounds of muffled clapping. A sense of apprehension grew over them as both of their heads swiveled to the top of the stairs behind them...

Their hearts skipped a beat as both laid eyes on Samael...though they skipped for different reasons.

His hair, cropped short, retained a stylishly disheveled look that gave off an aura of effortless beauty. A hint of rugged energy amongst its strands, that only served to complement the elegance of his tailored suit. As he stood high above them his leather-bound hands came together, adding an air of confidence to him fit for the prince he was.

His hands coming apart and falling down onto the bannister below. Lazily hanging over the edge as he leaned forward, his demonic eyes gazing down upon them in such a way that sent an involuntary shiver down Carmilla's spine. With a gulp she brushed her hair behind her head, Samael's lips curving slightly upward in a devil may care way as he started to speak, his voice resonating throughout the room with a deep timbre,

"I must say that was quite a show you put on, girls. Vaggie you did better than I anticipated, good job."

Vaggie nodded her head appreciatively at his words, but her face was carefully kept neutral. Observing every movement Samael made, trying to decipher what was going through his head. After what she had witnessed this morning she hadn't expected to see Samael for quite some time. She had anticipated him keeping his distance from both the Hotel and anyone associated with it. So then why was he here now?

The sudden switch in demeanor only raised more concerns for her. How was he able to transition from such a heated argument with his sister to appearing here and helping her? At least she assumed he was here to help.

Vaggie couldn't explain it, and that only made worry gnaw at her more.

Glancing towards Carmilla, she was surprised to find her own apprehension mirrored in Carmilla's face. Her eyes bored into Samael's with intensity, as if she was trying to decode some master puzzle. Her jaw clenched tight and fingers twitched nervously.

The atmosphere crackled with tension, Vaggie being left to wonder: what was truly going on here?

"Prince Samael, to what do we owe the pleasure?" Carmilla inquired, her voice placed with an unusual edge, her eyes locked onto Samael as she carefully took a step towards the stairs.

Samael watched her, his lips carrying an amused edge as he said, "I just wanted to make sure my friend here got the help she needed for my sister."

Carmilla tried to control her facial expressions, though she imagined in this moment she was completely see through. Especially for Samael.

"Well we came to an agreement and she did more than enough to prove she was ready," Carmilla said, complimenting her short term protege. Reaching the top of the stairs she walked closer to Samael.

Vaggie watching from down below as Samael gave a confident nod of the head, her eyes darting between the two as she wanted to speak. But before she could voice her thoughts, Carmilla's sharp voice cut through the air, "You may go through the door on your left Vaggie, at the end of the hallway you'll find my daughters preparing a cache for you."

Vaggie nodded her head, dashing off to the left, Samael watched her go before turning to Carmilla who was still watching him. Her brow furrowed with concern, her hand coming to rest on the bannister as she asked, "Why are you here, Sam?"

Doubling down on her previous statement, she knew there had to be more to this, more to why he was here besides Vaggie. He hadn't come to see her in years outside of that visit a few months ago. So to do it twice in such a short time, and to call her but hang up?

Something was wrong, she just knew it.

Samael gave a lifeless chuckle, rolling his neck, his head falling forward as he stared down at his hands, "We need to talk."

His voice was resolute, void of any sort of humor or attempt at a joke, which Carmilla would have expected from him. And when he looked back up at her, Carmilla would swear that she was staring into an abyss...

An abyss that in one way or another starred right back into her...

Carmilla and Samael stood alone in her office, isolated from any sort of prying eyes or ears as they stood separated across her office. Samael looked out the window of her room, while she stood straight hovering beside a piece of her furniture. Neither saying a word for a while as a veil of apprehension hung over them.

Carmilla occasionally glanced over at him, she didn't know what it was that he wanted to say but she had a feeling it wasn't going to be good. An itch of worry developed in her gut that gnawed away at her relentlessly as she waited with baited breath.

Samael looked down at his hands, watching as the tense leather clung tight to the back of his hand. Twitching slightly as his fingers slightly moved along to the natural tune of his body, flipping them over he examined his palms, the fine lines of wear that were slowly appearing in the form of creases.

He reached over to his right hand and started to remove the glove at each finger, eventually sliding it clean off, placing the glove in the depths of his coat he looked down at his free hand, at the ring that had been given to him nearly a century ago.

Taking a deep breath he rolled his shoulders once more, a tight feeling pressing against his skin as he exhaled.

He needed to get this done and over with before he got any second thoughts...

Turning to his ex-wife he looked over her, easily taking in every inch of her fair beauty and finding him enchanted by it once more, just like he had when they first met.

Her skin gray as a morning dew, flawless in the soft cascades of light. Her black and white hair held tight in the confines of her ballerina ribbons. She really was beautiful.

He said her name like it would be the last time, "Carmilla, I didn't know how to say this to you,"

"Didn't know if I could even do this to be honest." He said quietly, his voice like the whispers of a deathly being, carrying almost no substance through the chill air.

As Samael spoke Carmilla felt frozen to the ground, the chill in his words spreading to her skin it felt like. A desperate craving built in her for the warmth of his touch, but for some reason she knew she would never get to feel that again.

"I want you to know I love you Carmilla. I live for you...lived for you." he gently grabbed the ring in his fingers, the feeling of the cool metal seeping through his skin, "But I can't keep doing this. I've done all I can for you. I've killed many for you, made sure that you and our children are only known as Carmine."

Samael watched as the ring flopped into the palm of his hand, his eyes drifting up to Carmilla's as she felt a tear start to appear in her eye.

She knew where this was going, she would be stupid not too. But it still hurt even if she knew she couldn't fight it. She had started this years ago and now it was finally being finished.

"I'm going to be King Carmilla..." Samael said as he walked towards her desk. His head dipping down as if he couldn't bear to face her any longer. Carmilla desperately wanted to speak up, to talk to him, to say anything and figure out why.

But she couldn't.

A void had opened in her chest and swallowed her whole, leaving a hollow, empty feeling inside of her.

"The public has only seen you as Carmilla the Overlord for decades, and I think it's time I start seeing you like that too."

"S-Samael..." Carmilla tried to speak, but Samael shook his head. Looking back up at her...

Carmilla saw tears.

A single, simple stream falling down his face. But for Carmilla it wasn't simple, it was heartbreaking. She couldn't remember the last time she had seen Samael cry and the words he said next broke her in two, "I don't know if I ever truly will stop loving you...but I have to try."

Carmilla's head fell, tears starting to fall from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks in such a manner that it left Samael's heart aching. His head darting away from her to save himself the grief, he had to be strong here. To get through this with his head held high, but even he couldn't.

He truly loved Carmilla.

That wasn't a lie.

He had held on desperately all these years. But the path he was on was dangerous, it wasn't safe, not for him and definitely not for her or his daughters. There were too many risks, too many unknowns and he couldn't afford to hold himself back.

He had in the past and that cost him his relationship, he didn't want to imagine what it could cost him now. What he might lose...

He wouldn't be able to bear it.

After all he was just a man.

He wasn't a monster.

"This is goodbye Carmilla," he said, flipping his palm over as he deposited the ring onto the desk. A small clang filling the air that caused both of them to wince, "My duty as King has to come first...I'm sorry."

Then as the fire started to clamber up his body he said, "Look out for Clara and Odette for me..." his heavy words lingering in the air between them as he disappeared in a flurry of flame for the second time that day...

Carmilla stared at where he had once been, her eyes slowly drifting to the ring he left. Her tears started to fall faster than an avalanche of melted snow. This was the end...

They were finally, and truly, divorced...

It hurt more the second time.

Carmilla slowly walked towards the ring, her hand hesitatingly reaching out until she could feel the dying heat of Samael's skin on the surface of its cool metal. Her eyes fluttered away more tears as she picked it up and held it tight in her palms.

Bringing her hands up to her head, she placed her knuckles against her forehead, and with a lifeless whisper murmured, "I will Samael...I love you..."

"Vaggie."

At the sound of her name Vaggie jumped, a shock of horror passing through her as she quickly turned to the left to see Samael walking around some cardboard boxes strewn about Carmilla's warehouse, her two daughters several meters away putting weapons in the crate Vaggie was to take back to the hotel.

Vaggie herself had stepped away to pick up some more when Samael had suddenly appeared before her again. Though this time, she knew for certain something was off, his face strewn with a faint sense of heartbreak.

He fiddled with his finger's, his face scrunching as if he was trying to think of the best way to tell someone their parent had died. Vaggie setting down the box she had picked up not long ago, about to respond when Samael let out a huff of breath, opting it seemed to play the long game,

"How are you doing, Vaggie?" Samael said, his eyes slowly finding their way towards hers, his best attempt at a smile forming on his face in a loose attempt to ease the tension, even if he knew it would be in vain.

"Uhm...I'm fine Sam." She awkwardly mumbled, her weight shifting from foot to foot. Their eyes finally meet, in which you would find no semblance of rage or playfulness, like he had with his argument and Carmilla. Gone was the fire and passion you would see in his numerous appearances on TV, the only thing that remained was only a hollow, empty heart overcome with exhaustion.

Yet even still he smiled.

His eyes quickly running over her body in a professional manner, almost as if he was checking marks off a list to make sure she was truly okay.

"Good...that's good." He said softly, his eyes shifting off of her as he seemed to stare off into the distance, "How are you and Charlie?"

Even if he knew the answer to it, he still wanted to hear it from her. Emptying her worrying thoughts from her already troubled mind would make the eventual couple's making up much more smoother.

Vaggie's brow furrowed, her eye dropping to the floor, "She's still upset with me. I think I really hurt her this time."

Samael couldn't help but let out a disappointed sigh at her statement, one of his hands running through his hair as he muttered, "You need to make up with her..."

Her face shot up, a flash of annoyance crawling across it as she said, "You think I don't want to? I just don't know how. She practically won't even give me the time of day!"

"Apologize and get her some flowers, be sincere. You know Charlie, she believes everyone has good intentions. Besides, she's going to Rosie, she'll give her some wise words and Charlie will open her heart up to you." Samael said directly and swiftly, his red eyes flashing towards her, as if he had seen all of this before.

"How can you be so sure?"

Samael let out an airless chuckle, "Because I know Rosie, she's good at what she does. She may be in hell, but she knows how to make you see the best of yourself..."

"Alright..." Vaggie said, placing her trust in Samael's statement, if he thought Rosie would help them then she could only hope, "Thank you, Sam."

"Don't thank me, thank Rosie," he chuckled dryly, "The rest will be up to you. And don't worry about it, she'll come around to you, she loves you after all..." He said, his body pushing off the crate.

Samael took a deep breath, in and out like the roar of thunder, yet his voice was somehow soft, "Charlie...she's one my most valuable treasures, my only family left. I'll do anything to make sure she's well, even if it comes at the cost of me."

"What? Sam, what's-"

Samael ran his hand through his hair again, a barely audible sigh escaping his lips as he started to cryptically say, "Change is coming, Vaggie. A change that will affect hell in its entirety. I don't know what it will bring with it, and what will happen, but it will not be the same anymore."

Vaggie was startled by his sudden appearance, and just, random spurt of prophetic words like a messiah, "W-What are you talking about Sam?"

Samael took a deep breath, his words coming out cool and steady as he ignored her question in favor of his own statement, "Vaggie, I'm going to need you to keep your promise with me."

"Sam, what are you saying? It's not making any sense-"

"Vaggie, just...just listen." Samael said, cutting her off as he held up both her hands to her. Slowly lowering them as Vaggie stopped speaking, "I need you to keep your promise with me. About Charlie."

Vaggie finally realized what he was talking about, he was referencing their promise made in Heaven. Which only served to confuse her further, why was he bringing this up now?

"Okay? Where is this coming from?"

Samael ran his hand through his hair, his eyes quickly looking towards his daughters, a small sense of relief resting in him that they were still preoccupied. Looking back to Vaggie he could see the restlessness in her, the anxiety that was building over his words.

"Hell is going to change forever and I want Charlie protected, I can't...I won't be able to do it anymore."

That statement was the biggest shock to Vaggie, she knew Charlie and him had grown further apart over the years but he would never just say he couldn't protect her. Not unless something big was happening.

"What? Shouldn't we go to your sister then? Shouldn't she hear this from you?"

"No, no...," Samael said, shaking his head. His mouth opening to say something when Vaggie suddenly spoke,

"Is this about this morning? Sam, Charlie was just upset, she didn't mean it-"

"Trust me Vaggie, I know," Samael said, cutting her off once more but this time his voice held a steel edge to it, "There was more to this than just an argument between siblings."

As his words faded into obscurity a silence hung over them, the two standing there amongst the crates of weapons. Shadows covering Samael's face as he looked away from Vaggie. The two of them stood only meters apart, but for Vaggie it felt like they were worlds away from each other.

The crypticness of Samael's language drove an annoying wedge into her back, but also the idea that he was still keeping secrets, especially from Charlie even after what was said made her question what was going through his head.

What was guiding him to do all this? To act in this way?

She wished she understood.

"Sam...I don't know what it is your trying to do...but..." Vaggie clenched her fist, she wasn't used to this kind of scenario. Trying to reach out to people with an open hand, she fought her problems, she didn't try to understand them. But here and now she needed to understand Sam.

"Whatever you're doing...no, not even that. Leaving Charlie to me, in this moment, it isn't going to be some gracious act. You're going to break her heart."

Samael didn't turn to face her, his head deep within the shadows, almost as if it was a reflection of how he felt now. Trapped within a maze of his own creation with only one way out.

"I-I know Vaggie. It's going to hurt her... and it's going to hurt me more, but there is no other way." He said softly, his voice barely reaching Vaggie's ears.

He knew what he was going to do would hurt Charlie, but in his mind it was necessary. To protect her, protect everyone else he cared about, then he needed the power to stop any threat that may come their way.

Charlie may feel pain now, and Samael would carry that guilt with him, but this would all be worth it.

He hoped.

"Why do this Sam?" Vaggie asked quietly, her voice extending out to him like a soldier bearing a white flag. She just wanted to understand him like so many others had.

But to him this wasn't something you could understand. You had to live his life, you had to experience what he had gone through to truly understand. He was alone in this. It was his mission. His duty. His destiny.

His fate...

"It's the only way Vaggie. Hell has been stagnant, and the threats attacking it will not stand around any longer. I need to act, I need to be ready, I need to...I have to protect my kingdom and family. I know you can understand that...,"

As he spoke he looked over to his daughters. Odette was currently wiping a tear from her eye, Clara having told some joke that caused her sister to start laughing. The two of them smiling wide, their eyes shining with joy.

That joy right there, that laughter, that shine of innocence...

That was the reason Samael was doing this. A smile creased the corner of his cheek as he engraved that sight into his heart. He loved Charlie, he loved Carmilla, he loved his daughters.

He would do anything to make them smile, even if it meant they had to be away from him.

"Sorry for suddenly dropping this on you," he said, taking a deep breath, Samael cast a solemn glance towards Vaggie, his posture rigid with determination. With a simple nod of his head Samael said, "But this is goodbye for now, I entrust Charlie's safety in your hands."

As he turned on his heel and walked further into the dark crevices of the room, the flicker of flames could be seen lighting up along the golden highlights of his suit, casting an ethereal glow along his body. And just as he started to disappear from view, he flashed a grin over his shoulder, his eyes blazing with a crimson intensity.

"Oh and, Vaggie?" His voice carried a hint of warmth and strength, "Welcome to the family."

His words lingering in the air as he disappeared once more. The small echoes of laughter being the only thing he could hear...

He was going to succeed, and that sight of his daughter's would be the thing that gave him hope.

This would work. It had too.

Vaggie though wasn't feeling such hope, no she felt helpless. Lost, confused, out of place.

How was she going to tell Charlie this, how could she explain whatever it was Sam was going to do when she didn't even understand it herself. She had no clue how she was going to break this news to Charlie.

But she knew when she did it would break the Princess's heart.

Vaggie completely out of it as she contemplated over and over in her head what to say? How to make someone understand something she fundamentally didn't.

It felt impossible. And as they approached the Hotel she was nowhere closer to finding a proper answer.

"Vaggie? Vaggieeeee?"

Vaggie snapped out of her whirlwind of thoughts, standing right in front of her was Charlie...

A beaming smile on her face as she was super excited...

A smile that Vaggie knew would disappear.

"Hey hon..." she said softly, her eyes traveling behind Charlie as she saw the giant crowd of cannibals she had brought back, awkwardly saying, "Looks like you had a busy day."

"You too," Charlie said in return, a soft smile appearing on her face.

Vaggie clenched her hands, trying to decipher how she could both apologize for her lies but also tell Charlie about Sam, "Charlie, I-"

But before she could even get a word out Charlie spoke first, "Hold that thought," reaching into her pocket she pulled out a shrunken head, "Ah! I got you a souvenir from Cannibal Town."

At the sight of the little dangling head Vaggie knew she had been forgiven, her eye shining with love as she dove forward and pulled Charlie into a hug. Her head pressing into Charlie's shoulder as she felt so relieved.

Though that relief was short-lived...

"I also have a plan for how I'm gonna make up with Samael!" Charlie said excitedly, a painful ringing starting in Vaggie's ears as Charlie's voice drowned out.

Vaggie watching her lips move but not hearing a word she was saying. Her finger's twitching slightly, hesitating before ultimately she reached out and placed her hand on Charlie's shoulder, "Charlie..."

"It won't be easy, but I will try everything! I have to make it up to him, I'll apologize to him first,"

"Charlie..."

"And then, I'm going to hug him so hard to show him that I'll never leave him, and apologize to him for being mean again,"

"Charlie..."

"And then I'm going to make him hot chocolate the way he likes it!"

"Charlie! Honey..."

"Oh, Vaggie! You know where Sammy is? I kinda have to say sorry to him for what I said, and, more..." Charlie muttered, not really noticing Vaggie's words or tone, her thoughts like an endless roller coaster that just kept coming.

Vaggie chewing on her bottom lip for a moment before she suddenly just blurted out everything she was thinking, "About Sam...there's something I need to tell you."

"Vaggie...what's wrong?" Charlie's smile faltered, her hands tentatively reaching out to Vaggie and grabbing the fringes of her shirt.

"I...Sam came to see me at Carmilla's. He vouched for me with her and then...then he told me...I-I think he's going to do something Charlie." Vaggie struggled to get her thoughts out, a terrible feeling in her chest as she watched Charlie's good mood evaporate into thin air.

"What? B-but...I'm, I'm supposed to...what's he going to do?"

"I-I...I don't know." Vaggie said, wrapping her arms around Charlie once more as she brought Charlie into her arms. Contemplating for a moment before saying, "He said something was going to change hon...I just don't know what."

At that word, change, Charlie felt tears start to come to her eyes, her hands digging into Vaggie's shirt as she mumbled, "No...No. B-but, I haven't even...I...'"

Her worst fears were going to come true, she just knew it. Samael had told Vaggie because he knew he wouldn't be able to face her. To lie to her and tell her that everything was going to be alright.

Samael was going to change and Hell was going to change along with him. The only question she had now was why? Why was he doing this to himself, to her, to Carmilla...

What happened...

And then it clicked in her, Adam...Heaven...his halo...

Quickly breaking from her hold with Vaggie, she stumbled backwards, wiping away the tears at her eyes with the sleeve of her shirt before fumbling in her pocket for her phone, Vaggie watching her concerned.

"Hon? What are you doing?"

"It's the halo Vaggie, that has to be it right? That's what's causing the problem, what happened in Heaven. That has to be what's wrong with him. You remember how he was earlier...this has to be it right?" Charlie said, sounding as if she was trying to reassure herself, telling herself that this was it, that there wasn't more to it.

Vaggie didn't know what to say, her hands hesitating by her side as she cast her eye to the right, "Oh Charlie, I don't know. I mean maybe but...I feel like it's more than that."

"O-okay...but...well it has to at least mean something, so if he's feeling bad about being an Angel then who here could maybe help him come to terms with it?"

Vaggie's eye widened, "No, Charlie, it wouldn't end well. I don't know your family much yet, but your father looks like the last person he wants to talk to now."

Charlie looked down at her phone, her thumb hovering over her dad's contact information, she hesitated...

Maybe Vaggie was right...

But what other choice did she have?

"I have to at least try Vaggie."

Ring

Ring

Click...

Chapter 9: The Show Must Go On

Chapter Text

When Charlie had called him Lucifer had been ecstatic, his daughter reaching out to him again so soon felt like a miracle. To him it showed that their relationship was improving and that filled Lucifer with hope; However that hope would soon wilt into nothing...

Because she told him something that threw his entire world upside down, that made him question his own reality.

Samael was an Angel...

His son...the boy he had raised with Lilith...the kid he saw as a prodigy...the young man he loved with all of his heart even if he didn't know how to show it...

Lucifer didn't know what to think, how could this have happened? What was Heaven trying to do...what was his father trying to do? Why had they made Samael an Angel, what could they possibly be planning.

But even as those thoughts started to dominate his mind, even more so did his worry for Samael. He had found it extremely traumatic to suddenly be cast from his position and turned into a Fallen Angel, he imagined it must have been similar for a demon to discover that they had the power of an Angel.

While their scars may have been different, they were scares all the same.

So when Charlie told Lucifer about what happened he wanted to help Samael, wanted to show his son that everything would be okay, that his dad was here to help him.

But he didn't know how to do that; So all he did was find himself standing outside of his son's office door rooted in place, fear wrapping its arms around him and welcoming him like an old friend, joined by its companion, shame. Both feeling's created an overwhelming co*cktail of emotions that Lucifer struggled to fight against.

But he had been urged to come here by his daughter, and even outside of that Lucifer wanted to talk to Samael, to comfort him like a father should do...

Taking a deep breath, he flexed the brim of his hat and reached out to the

door and with a single rap of his knuckles a knock rang out through the hallway around him. He flinched slightly at the sound but wasn't going to get discouraged now. He was going to help his son through this no matter what.

However, after nearly a minute he hadn't gotten a response, Lucifer biting his lip as he hesitated on whether he should try to knock again or if he should wait. He couldn't let his resolve crumble this early, so sucking it up, he reached out to knock again.

Just as his knuckle wrapped on the wooden door it unlocked with a loud click, opening slightly with a tint of red, Lucifer watching it tentatively for a moment before peeking inside.

Samael was standing opposite of the door behind a large mahogany desk, his face looking out onto Pentagram City through a window that stretched far above him. His back was turned away from his father yet his voice radiated throughout the room, "Unfortunately, We'll be cutting this meeting short now, as I have a visitor..."

Samael's voice lingered, his head twisting to send a look over his shoulder. His crimson eyes caused a streak of pain in Lucifer's heart...

Because in Samael's eyes, all he saw was himself...

"But I expect you all to be there at the next meeting, am I clear?" Samael commanded.

Lucifer finally noticed that Samael truly wasn't alone, in a semi-circle on the other side of his desk 3 magical portals rested inside of which Lucifer could see 3 of the sins, Belphegor, Leviathan, and Satan.

Each giving out their own form of acknowledgement to Samael of his wishes, Samael acknowledging their answer with a swift nod of his head he said, "Dismissed."

Each of the orbs disappeared into mist, leaving the two alone together in the office.

Father and Son...

Fallen and Angel...

Samael finally turned to face Lucifer, his face set with a slight frown as he said, "Father...I didn't expect to see you so soon after last time; It must be urgent that you are here yourself. To what do I owe the pleasure?."

"Ah...well, uhm, Sammy I just..." Lucifer raised his cane, rubbing his temple with the head of the apple as he tried to think of what to say. His weight shifted from foot to foot as Samael watched unimpressed.

His eyebrow raised as Lucifer felt sweat rolling down his face from his son's gaze. Coughing slightly he made an attempt to speak, his voice awkward and jilted, "Well I just wanted to check in on you, it's been a while is all..."

"Hmm..." Samael didn't believe him for a moment, his father rarely, well, never basically, came to visit him, especially just for a house call. His finger's trailing along the edge of his desk as he slid into his chair, twisting under his sudden weight as he leaned forward.

"Have a seat then, say your piece. I have a little while before I'm needed elsewhere," he said his eyes locked onto Lucifer.

The current King of Hell shuffled forward, a bit bummed out by how he was being treated like a stranger, but he was expecting it; even if it still hurt. Sitting across from his son, he placed his cane across his waist, his eyes shifted across the room taking note of the minimum amount of decorations Samael had.

His finger's tapped along the smooth edge of his cane like he was playing a piano, a simple whistle leaving his lips as he tried to formulate some small talk, "I see you've gotten a new suit, it looks good on you."

Lucifer said truthfully, he had noticed it after Samael sat down. The elegant black and gold outfit worked well for Samael, he definitely had inherited Lilith's genes.

Though Lucifer would be amiss to say if it didn't make him a little more nervous, he still remembered their conversation back in the hotel, how Samael used to look so much like him and his wife; But now when he looked at Samael he didn't see himself or Lilith.

His outfit changed completely, his hair cut short, and his eyes not like the violet Lucifer knew so well. It was unnerving to say that a man could change so much and so quickly

"Father, I don't have time for meaningless small talk, we've already done this song and dance before." Samael scornfully replied.

"Ah, right...sorry," Lucifer said softly, his head dipping away from his Son's crimson gaze as he said, "I did come to see you Sammy. I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay."

"I'm doing fine, caught up on my work and everything is running smoothly," Samael stated, his voice cutting directly to the point. Leaving zero room for Lucifer to question anything there.

"That's good...yeah, that's really good. Well uhm, I heard you got married? Congratulations."

The moment those words left Lucifer's mouth he genuinely regretted his words, a flash of rage so great appearing on Samael's face that Lucifer knew in an instant he had over stepped.

But just as soon as it had appeared it was gone, Samael's eyes darting away from his father's face. Focusing on the world outside his windows as he muttered, "I'm divorced."

"Oh...I'm sorry to hear that...what happened?" Lucifer asked genuinely, wanting to know what was going on in his son's life.

But that just agitated his son more, "Why do you care? It has nothing to do with you." Samael snapped, his teeth gritting as he glared at his father.

"I-I just...I want to know you Sam."

"Heh, you want to know me? I sent you a letter, an invitation to my wedding over a century ago. You could've came, you didn't. So don't act like you gave a damn about my marriage." Samael seethed, his finger's digging into the leather of his chair as he had to use every ounce of his strength to control himself.

Lucifer's eyes widened, his mouth dropping open slightly, "What are you talking about? What letter?" he questioned, his mind racking for any sort of memory of an invitation of something given to him by Samael. He couldn't remember anything, and he remembered everything even if it was centuries ago.

Samael let out a sharp tsk, his jaw cracking as his teeth practically slammed together, "I can't believe you. You didn't even bother to open it did you? To at least read it? To at least see who I'm marrying too?"

Lucifer was in genuine shock, he didn't know what Samael was talking about and that just told him how much he had failed as a father.

"No Sammy...I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize, I didn't expect much from you anyway..."

Samael's words were like gunshots, each tearing a hole through Lucifer's heart. Leading him to want to lash out in his own way, defending himself and his actions, "Sammy I do care, I truly never received an invitation."

"I personally delivered it to your mailbox father! How could you have not seen it!?" Samael said, his voice seething with anger, dripping with the pain of a rejected child. A son who felt like he had fallen from the grace of his parents' gaze.

"I-I'm so sorry Sammy...I didn't mean to-"

"Stop. Just stop, it doesn't matter anymore. It's done, it's gone. I divorced her..." Samael said, his voice unintentionally softening on the last words, turning to a mutter as a hidden pain crept into his tone, "me and her are done..."

Lucifer knew that feeling well, the pain that Samael showed resonated within Lucifer. The pain of losing someone you loved whether you wanted her to go or not. And Lucifer felt awful that he couldn't have helped prevent his son from feeling that too.

But just as Lucifer started to connect with the pain he saw, the heartbreak that Samael felt, he could see the pain be replaced by rage. Lucifer did not even have the chance to try and comfort his son before the crimson anger of his eyes exploded and he buried his pain under a layer of anger.

"What is it that you actually want, father? We both know you don't care enough about me to question my life, so why are you here?" He questioned, his emotions being thrown into turmoil as he stared into the depths of his fathers soul.

Lucifer felt a profound sense of guilt...heartbreak..anguish, sorrow etching itself into his face as he watched his son attempt to grapple with something that even his father couldn't. He hadn't set a good example and now he was bearing the fruits of his own neglect.

A crestfallen look on his face as he said, "Your sister asked me to check on you...she said you were an Angel and hoped I could help you come to terms with it."

Lucifer's words were genuine, he truly had wanted to help his son. To come here and show him what it meant to be an Angel. What abilities he may have, the power he now wielded.

He wanted to do everything in his power to show Samael that he still cared, that there still was a place for him here...

Because if Lucifer was completely honest a part of him feared that Samael may get charmed by the ideals of Heaven and leave...

He didn't want that to happen.

But what Lucifer didn't account for was that Samael never even considered him as an option for help. Never saw him as someone who could understand...

To him Lucifer was too distant, too out of reach...

So when Lucifer said his words, all Samael heard was "your sister asked me..."

Those few, simple words compounding in his head as he wondered if Lucifer ever even cared about him at all...

In that moment Samael's iris shone with a violent crimson, the dark abyss surrounding them reflecting the true, unbearable weight of sorrow he felt. There was a haunting emptiness to his face that spoke volumes of the depths those words reached within his core.

How deep they struck.

And from Samael's cheek a single tear rolled down...

Lucifer watched in abject silence, his heart breaking as he clenched his grip on the head of the cane. He could now see the true emotions that Samael felt. The true depths of his son's sorrows.

His heart clenched not only for the sadness his son faced, but also for the failure of a father he truly was.

He had made his son cry today, and that would haunt Lucifer for years to come.

Samael's tense breath broke the silence between them, his legs seeming to give out beneath him as he fell back into his own chair. In a single, swift movement swinging it around so that he didn't face his father.

So that he could hide how much Lucifer still had an affect on him.

Lucifer felt despair, a heart wrecking emotion as he spoke in a broken whisper of a voice, "Sammy, I...I-"

"You know dad...I didn't expect a lot from you...but I..." His voice fading out as he couldn't even find the proper words to express his own pain. His own disappointment that he would never, ever want to admit to anyone.

He loved his father just like he loved the rest of his family, and a tiny part of him still craved Lucifer's love, attention, and acknowledgement even if he would never mention it. He had hoped that Lucifer had at least been honest when he said that he was here to check on Samael.

That he had chosen Samael...

But like always Lucifer was only here...only included Samael because Charlie was asking it.

Samael felt his soul be overcome with a raging sense of annoyance. A fire building up in his gut that wanted to be unleashed on whoever he faced next...

Lucifer himself was just frozen at the profound weight of disappointment that had just been placed upon his shoulders. The failure of a father, of the man he was...

He didn't know if he could ever make it up to his son...but he still wanted to try.

"I truly am sorry Sammy, and if you want help with understanding what's happened to you, I can try. I want to try." He said softly, his words filled with as much genuine truth and honesty that he could manage. His heart practically bleeding out of his mouth.

"I don't need you anymore...I don't want your help anymore..." Samael muttered.

Lucifer winced as his words, understandable words, but something he never wanted to hear came out of his son's mouth. A son who he loved with all of his heart, who he could still see running up to him morning to night to discuss magic spells he had learned, the books he had read, and how to surprise his sister his younger sister every time they wanted to play;

But that image was slowly being replaced, corrupted by the image of Samael he saw now...it hurt more than Lucifer could ever attempt to put into words.

"Son...I-I know I can never make up to you what happened in the past, but please know that I'm telling you the truth when I say I want to be here for you now. I realized it when I saw Charlie's dream start to come to life...how much I've failed you. And I'm sorry." Lucifer said his head falling as he tried to put into words everything he felt.

But in the end, none of it made a difference...

Samael exploded out of his seat, turning onto his father with the rage of a thousand years biting at his heels, "No, you don't get to apologize. You don't get to decide when to come in and out of my life! When you want to help me or not!"

"I'm not a five-year old, I'm not some child who's going to come crying to you for attention because he has a scraped knee," Samael mocked, his voice filled with anger and tears building up at the corners of his eyes yet not falling, "All of this sh*t, I've built with my own two hands!"

Samael's words ringed in Lucifer's ears, a deafening sound that drowned out everything else as Lucifer could only stare at Samael. At the eyes that used to be alight with laughter, not a haunting reflection of a broken child. The body that used to be so vibrant with joy, not just a vessel for rage.

"I don't care what epiphany you've had, how much my sister's heart has touched yours! You were never there father! Not for me! Not for Charlie! But I was! I was there for Charlie whenever she needed me!" Samael's voice was like a roar, his figure seeming to grow larger as it loomed over Lucifer.

"I was the one she came to when she felt insecure about herself, when she doubted herself and what she stood for! I was the one that had to reassure her that she wasn't alone, that she wouldn't be on her own for the rest of her life. I was the one who kept the name Morningstar Family alive! So don't come into my home, into my office, and try to act like that's just going to magically make everything right! It may have worked with Charlie, but I promise you it won't work on me." Samael seethed through his mouth, his eyes filled with rage, resentment, and so much negativity that Lucifer thought he might suffocate under his gaze. Under the weight of the sins Samael was placing on his soul.

But Samael wasn't done yet, no he had buried this feeling so far within that now it was forcing its way out. Scratching and fighting against the confines of his throat in an effort to finally let Samael speak his mind.

Samael's breath heaving out of his chest, stepping back slightly as the rage that he felt was slowly replaced with a searing cold bitterness, "Because I don't just resent you, father. I contempt you and everything you stand for. The fact that you are here now brings me no peace, only misery."

The fury Samael felt, the anger, rage, and hate for his own father...broke Lucifer's heart into a million pieces. He knew he had failed, he knew he had caused his son pain. But never before did he truly expect that Samael could hold so much hate for him...

But the thing was Lucifer didn't even feel like it was unfair. He felt like this was a punishment reserved just for him, that he deserved this after the way he neglected his son, his daughter.

After he let his family fall apart...

But that didn't mean he wasn't going to try to make it right. He may have deserved it, but he loved his children more than he hated his own actions.

Even if it took him a million years, Lucifer would fight for atonement. He would fight to make things right, and to prove to Samael that he wanted to be a true and good father. That he could be a good father.

"Sammy...I...what do you want me to say? What can I do? Please, I just want to make things right," his voice dripping with his own desires, Lucifer truly wanted to be forgiven. He truly wanted to make things right, because he cared about Samael.

The hope he had felt coming into this conversation may have been completely eviscerated, stomped by an all encompassing feeling of rejection. But in the face of such a negative force, Lucifer felt desperation. The desperate desire to prove to Samael that he could be a good father, that he could bring his son happiness.

And in that voice, in that desire for just a moment Samael almost believed that Lucifer truly would do anything. That he would have made the Heavens themselves move if it meant Samael would forgive him.

But Samael's resentment wasn't that shallow, so he gave him a task even harder than that.

Samael's voice was cold and desolate, cutting through Lucifer like a steel sharpened by the heat of the sun, "You'd do anything?"

Despite the tone of Samael's voice, Lucifer felt a slither of hope sneak back into his heart. Whatever Samael asked Lucifer to do, he would accomplish. He wanted Samael to be his son again...

His voice filled with excitement at the chance to make amends, "Yes Sam, anything, I promise."

But hope was a dangerous thing and Lucifer's went up in smoke...

"Make us a family again. Bring our family together again...can you do that?" Samael said through his teeth, a statement completely encompassed by hate. The fires of which burned himself and Lucifer.

Lucifer's face being taken over by lines of anguish, his eyes falling as he quietly said, "I...I don't know how to do that Sammy."

A response which caused Samael to sneer. He already knew what Lucifer was going to say, he had already expected this outcome. But some small part of him had still held hope. That hope withering under the effect of his rage...

And that was just because, if Samael was completely honest, he hated how much he still loved Lucifer. He hated himself for still caring. And it showed, "Then there is nothing you can do. You will never be able to get me to forgive you."

Samael wiped away his own tears with his thumb, blinking away the pain he felt as he steadied his voice, "Because the only good things in my life have been taken from me, Lucifer, and you weren't one of them."

Lucifer physically recoiled as he heard the hurtful words that spilled from his son's lips, it was like a sharp lance was being run through his heart. Each syllable was like a dagger that reminded him of how much he had failed. At how much pain he had caused. The grief he felt collapsing in on itself as he felt the searing truth behind Samael's words.

"Samael, I-"

"Let...me...go!"

In an instant Samael and Lucifer's head snapped up in the direction of the Hotel...

"Charlie..."

Her name sucked all the air from their lungs , their argument completely forgotten as they could only focus on the pained voice of their family. Their own issues could come later. The only thing that mattered now was Charlie...

Someone had come for their family and neither man was going to let that slide...

Charlie felt an insurmountable fear as she was being held in Adam's grip. Regret, pain, and hate clambering up besides it, each wanting a piece of her, to show her how much of a mistake she had made.

Her hands clawing at Adam's arm, trying to shake him off of her. She needed to get away from him and to her friends, she needed to save them. She had already lost Sir Pentious and Alastor, she couldn't lose anyone else...

"Dad...Sam...where are you?"

Now more than ever she needed her family...yet they were nowhere to be found.

Only the hate filled glare of Adam's golden eyes staring back at her as he said, "This fight was cute n' all but it's time to die with the rest of them."

In the edge of her vision she could see Vaggie crawling onto the roof, her girlfriend screaming out her name in desperation but unable to help as suddenly Lute joined the fight, tackling Vaggie to the ground and leaving Charlie helpless.

The only sound being Adam's unhinged laug-

"Rrrargh!" Adam's laugh turned into a scream as he was suddenly hit with a punch, flying away from Charlie and into the sign of the hotel, slamming into it with a thud, before falling through the air and hitting a Heat Pump bouncing off of it and into a skylight of the hotel.

Disappearing from view as Charlie found herself falling for but a moment until hands caught her, Charlie opened up her eyes to find that Lucifer was holding onto her, a frown on his face and his brow furrowed with determination. Charlie, still a little confused, said, "Dad?"

Lucifer looked down at her, gaining a comforting smile that he was here on time, "Sorry we weren't here sooner, sweetie."

Charlie's eyes darted to where Adam had stood, seeing Samael standing there letting out a tense breath. His entire body tense, two white wings bursting out of his back as he shook the blood off his hand. A scowl on his face that turned into a slight grin when he glanced over to check on Charlie.

"Are you okay?" he said, Charlie feeling tears come to her eyes. Both her father and her brother were here to help her, a feeling of love blossoming in her chest as she grew a great, big smile.

This smile slightly faltered when they heard Adam's voice, "Huh? Okay, seriously? How many of you freaks do I have to fight?!"

Crawling out of the broken window, his mask partially cracked and bits of blood leaking from his mouth. Anger written on his face as he glared at the gathered Moringstar family.

"Oh, it was fun messing with you before. See, you messed with my daughter," Lucifer said, stepping up to Adam who loomed over the King of Hell, rolling up his sleeves as he did so, "and now I am going to f*ck you!"

Everyone around him cringed at the statement, Samael rolling his eyes as he had to hold himself back from palming his face, Charlie taking pity on her dad slide to his side, leaning over she whispered, "It's f*ck you 'up' dad."

"Wait, what did I say?"

Just as Lucifer, blissfully unaware, questioned Charlie, Adam slammed into him, blowing him back into the concrete edge of the Hotel. The first man angel attempted to follow up by punching him just for Lucifer to slither out of his grip by transforming into a snake.

Adam growling started flapping his wings to chase after the King when he found his face snapping to the side, Samael having dashed through the air, kicked him in the face, "I warned you what would happen to you Adam!"

Samael landed on the ground for a split moment, his feet skimming the ground before he pushed off again, flipping up as his foot connected with Adam's chin. Launching the first man high into the sky, "You won't be leaving this place alive!"

Adam used his wings to stop his ascent, adjusting his jaw as he yelled, "f*ck that hurts!"

Cracking his neck he narrowed his eyes, glaring down at Samael who was still on the roof. Adam gathered power into his fists, he was going to destroy Samael and the rest of the Hotel if it was the last thing he did.

Only to have his attention immediately grabbed by a transformed Lucifer who flew by his face in the form of a bird. Adam gritting his teeth as he attempted to decimate Lucifer but only hitting air, Lucifer transforming around him and leading him on a wild goose chase.

"I'll f*ckin' end you!" He screamed as he attempted to grab onto Lucifer, only for the Devil to transform in his grip into a horse and kick him away. Lucifer made fun of Adam as he said, "Woah, missed me!"

Samael, who was still on the roof, could only glare up at the two in annoyance, his fist clenching and unclenching as he desperately wanted to go up there and join the fight. To show Adam his place...

But as much as he wanted his wings wouldn't move, he felt like a grounded bird. He had never used his wings before, much less to fight, he had no clue how to do this and if he went up there he might only get in Lucifer's way.

However he was going to soon be forced into action...

He would be forced to choose...

Adam, throwing Lucifer off of himself once more, pulled his hands above him, concentrating a blast of holy magic above his head so massive that when he released it, the Hotel was split straight down its center.

In turn though, it also caught Charlie, the decimated cracked roof opening up a hole right below her and sending her tumbling to her doom.

Samael watched it happen in slow motion as he sprung to life, his feet carrying him across the broken tile that was crumbling around him. His blood roared in his ears as he could feel his heartbeat thud against his chest.

Charlie might die...

Charlie would die...

Her screams would be the last thing he ever heard...

Samael couldn't let that happen. As his feet carried him with the swiftness of the wind his wing's gained a new life. He didn't have the time to be passive, to watch as his father defeated Adam. No, Charlie needed him and Samael would never turn her down.

Yet he was too slow...his wing's having never been used before felt sloppy and heavy. Carrying him through the air like a broken plane as he crescented the edge of the divide.

Looking down into it to where he could see Charlie still falling. He was never going to make it in time. Charlie was going to die and he couldn't save her just because he refused to use his wings...

Samael was overcome by despair, his entire body screaming out to him as he pushed it to its limits. He was pushing himself as hard as he could and that still wasn't enough.

The fear, the dread that he could see in Charlie's face at that moment would haunt him forever. Yet, even with her approaching her death when she saw him trying to save him she smiled...

She trusted him, trusted that he would be there for her even when she was approaching her death...

Yet Samael wouldn't be there for her...not this time...

Swish

And then...just like that she was saved. Lucifer, his own father doing what Samael accused him he never could. Lucifer saved Charlie, scooping her up in her arms and holding her tight to his chest. Protecting her from harm in a way Samael couldn't.

Samael felt his world slow to a crawl, his blood freezing as he watched his sister curl up into their father's chest. As he had to accept that Lucifer did what he couldn't. That he had failed his own family.

That if Lucifer wasn't here...Charlie would have died.

Not only that, but the man who Samael had given so many chances, was the one who caused this all. Who caused Charlie to fear death, and Samael to fear his own powerlessness.

Samael's chest clenched tight, a tense feeling building in his body that constricted him. His blood roared throughout his muscles, his sinew, his entire body as he started to heat up...

A lifetime of emotions passed through him in a split second as his body started to glow, the halo her bore appearing atop his head as his eyes glowed with a righteous fury.

And despite the heat of his body, despite the heat of his anger, Samael felt cold. A piece of him having snapped as he realized he didn't need to think about it anymore. He didn't need to rationalize it, question why or why not, no, now it was just do or die.

Adam had hurt his sister, Adam had nearly killed her. He had broken his rules, his deal, and targeted someone close to Samael. He was already past the last straw, he had already signed his death warrant long ago, And now that he had made it personal, Samael was going to do everything in his power to rain down justice upon the filthy existence that was Adam.

The first man would scream his name in pain, and Samael would do it with a smile on his face, knowing that this was right, that Adam truly deserved it.

His eyes snapped up to where Adam was currently descending on his family...

Adam was attempting to hurt Charlie again, to hurt Lucifer...

He wouldn't get the chance.

The only words ringing in his ears besides Adam's own screams was Charlie's desperate shout, "Dad! Look out!"

Samael's body was full of life and power as it snapped to attention, moving faster than it ever had before as his wings finally listened to him. Dashing through the air as he intercepted Adam, colliding with him and forcing him into the side of the building before he ever got the chance to close on the pair of royalty, the two disappeared from sight as they crashed through the remains of the Hotel.

Samael and Adam crashed through the opposite wall of the Hotel, flying awkwardly through the air as they fought like rabid animals. Samael attempted to hit Adam with all of his might; Though Adam was doing a much better job at fighting back against Samael than he was Lucifer.

The two of them were locked in a nasty struggle, trading awkward blows with no weight behind them, barely able to dodge as Samael kept his grip tight on Adam, afraid if he let go then the first man may actually get a leg up on him.

It was obvious to him and probably everyone else that Samael had no experience doing this, sluggish in all of his movements compared to Adam as they fought in the air.

"You have been a thorn in my side for far too long you bastard!" Adam screamed as he threw a random punch at Samael. Which truthfully was Samael's saving grace, while Adam may have experience flying, he had no idea how to actually fight.

To throw a punch where it would hurt.

Something that Samael couldn't relate to in the slightest, and despite his awkwardness with his wings he had always found enjoyment in fighting. It was in his blood and he was slowly getting used to this situation, the resident prince pushing Adam's hand off target, throwing a counter jab only for his attack to be too slow and lack any power.

Samael let out a huff of annoyance. While he had acknowledged his little handicap, it didn't make it any less annoying. He had no clue how to throw a proper punch while also having to calculate his own movement and weight distribution, alongside his opp-

"Hah! You dumbass!" Adam goaded as he slammed his fist into Samael's face, sending the younger man flying back.

Samael had gotten lost in his thoughts like an idiot, and now he had to work his wings in overtime to keep himself afloat. His anger rising at the situation he found himself in. Wiping his jaw with the side of his thumb he heard Adam insult him again.

But he paid no attention to it, instead he focused on the feeling of his body in the air. The feeling of weightlessness, the slight shifting of the air and the rapidly approaching Adam who was spurting expletives.

Then just as Adam was about to slam a fist into Samael's face again, the prince thrust his hand out and gripped Adam's shirt, putting his all into the next move he pulled Adam into him and then threw him to the ground that was now far below him.

Adam screamed out as he soared through the air faster than his wings could catch him, though he attempted desperately. He even managed to almost succeed but in that moment Samael was already on him, striking him once more, causing him to spiral out of control until he crashed into the ground with a loud bang.

Samael landed softly at the edge, holding his hand out, fire erupted from his palm. In the air above his skin a rapier started to appear, elegant yet dangerous in its appearance.

With a golden glimmering pommel and black handle that seemed to suck in light. Its guard looked like that of an apple broken in half and hollowed out, covering Samael's hand as he wrapped his finger's around the handle. A golden snack creeping out of the apple and covering his knuckles.

Samael ran a finger down the silver shine of the false edge that extended slightly over his head, swinging the sword with precision through the air as he felt himself truly grow comfortable. A dangerous gleam in his eye, his lips tied thin in a stoic expression, like a man with a purpose.

This was his territory now, and he would show Adam exactly who he had f*cked with.

Samael's wings pressed themselves flat to his back to avoid any mishaps as he focused his attention on the edge of the crater. The annoyed, aggravated sounds of Adam cursing being heard over the edge.

The first man clambering over the edge, his dress scuffed up and his mask completely gone, broken from the fall as golden blood dripped from his mouth.

"You motherf*cker!" He spit, wiping the blood away with the palm of his hand, "I'm going to f*cking end-"

Adam let out a roar of pain as Samael disappeared from where he stood and appeared right in front of him. The rapier he had summoned poked through Adam's shoulder, Samael getting right up in Adam's face and spitting, "Fight."

One simple cold word that held an infinite amount of meaning behind it. Samael and Adam had done all the talking they needed in Heaven. Now it was do or die.

One would stand, one would fall.

Those words were engraved into their destinies and now the seeds of their conflict would blossom into a violent, bloody duel.

Samael pulled his sword from Adam's chest, flinging the golden blood to the side as he immediately re-engaged. His sword flew through the air with fluid precision, slicing through Adam's chest with ease.

Adam letting out a grunt of pain staggered back, standing right at the edge of a precipice he started to gather holy magic into his knuckles, clenching them tight he attempted to send a blast of magic at Samael.

The prince easily side-stepped it, all of the experience he had in his footwork, weren't just for dancing with Carmilla, his maneuverability coming into play as he easily dodged around Adam's sloppy attacks, his body moving with the grace and elegance of a seasoned ballerina as he leaned back to dodge a blast of holy magic.

His sword flicked up from underneath as he started to draw a symbol of fire in the air in front of him. Adam's eyes widening as he watches Samael stand straight once more, his sword moving like a conductor's wand as the halo that floated above his blond hair grew brighter.

Samael then pulled his sword back as he finished constructing his spell, and with a single thrust forward he completed it. Adam watched in horror as Samael's shadow fire erupted, growing larger and larger until it formed into a snake of pure fire.

It's head wobbled in the air as it let out a garbled roar, flames hotter than anything Adam had seen before cascading out of its mouth. Samael grinning, his wings blasted out around him as everyone who was watching the fight thought one thing.

Samael looked like a Guardian Angel, with his faithful hound standing beside him ready to protect the gates of Heaven...

Just instead, he was protecting Hell...

Samael pointed his sword at Adam who was trying to regain his step, the snake behind him jumping into action and rushing down the first man, fire being left in its slithering wack as Samael dashed off to the side and out of view.

Adam's attention completely focused on the gigantic summoned creature that was boring down upon him, his hands raising up as he released a magic attack the same size as the one he used to destroy the hotel, pouring as much of his power as he could manage into it. Right now in his mind, and even for his entire life, he believed power to be better than technique.

However he would find he was wrong...

His magic attack slammed into the snake just as it started to bear down upon him, completely shredding it into pieces. Adam watched it fade out of existence, its fire dying down, as a feeling of joy and domination filled him.

That feeling only managed to last a split second before he felt pain ripple through his body once more, a yelp of pain leaving his mouth as he attempted to fly away from the pain.

But Samael wasn't done with him yet, his sword having pierced through Adam's chest he quickly pulled back on his thrust. His fingers swiped over his blade leaving a trail of his own blood which he ignited with his magic, engulfing the sword in flames, proceeding to then perform several simple yet deadly slices that hit Adam dead on his back, leaving behind deep, painful cuts that burned in his wake.

Adam barely flew forward through the air before he came crashing down to the ground, his arm's barely having the strength to push himself up as he coughed up blood, pain blossoming all throughout his back as he heaved.

His eyesight was blurry, his head bobbing dizzy as he looked up to see Samael slowly walking towards him. Golden blood dripped down the tip of the prince's rapier, his steps confident and full of power, the air seeming to radiate around him.

Adam felt his chest start to constrict as fear blossomed throughout every cell of his body. Samael's wings held lofty out beside him, his halo radiating pure divinity around his demonic horns. It was like seeing a living miracle...a living abomination.

And the fact that such a person was going to end him? Adam couldn't believe-

Samael interrupted Adam's thoughts by kicking him clear in the face, sending the first man sprawling backwards across the ground, Samael's face set in a soft grin as he felt pure satisfaction in this moment. Adam had been a migraine that wouldn't leave him for decades and now finally he was going to be free of his affliction.

Letting his sword hang loose, its tip almost touching the ground he stalked towards his prey, he watched as Adam attempted to get up, only managing to get on his knees before Samael loomed over him like an Angel of Death. Samael placed his sword tip underneath Adam's chin, "This is the end of the line, Adam."

Adam coughed up blood, his face set in an ugly snarl as he felt pain flourish throughout his back, "f*ck you." He spit, Samael chuckling as he shook his head slightly.

"Even in the end, you're just as pathetic."

Samael pulled his sword back holding it by his waist. He clenched his finger's tight around its handle, planning on piercing right through Adam's heart. But just before he lunged Charlie's voice cut through the air, ripping him out of his act right before it could be completed.

"Sammy! Stop! He's had enough!"

Samael did stop, and he did listen, standing to his full height his wings splayed out around him he turned his head to look over his shoulders. His crimson eye's connected with his sisters, Charlie being surrounded by her friends and their father, the rest of the battle had pretty much died down as now they were surrounded in silence.

They were only a few feet apart, but Samael felt like there was worlds of distance between them, between Charlie's understanding of him and her understanding of the world.

"Sammy, we won, we beat them. It's over." she said softly, her eyes practically begging him.

Everyone around her stayed silent, watching what was going to happen knowing this wasn't their place. Whatever happened, it happened between Charlie and Samael they had no place to intervene.

Samael looked down at his sword, the tip which was still dripping with golden blood...Adam's blood. This would be over if he showed mercy here? If he let Adam live? No, that wasn't how this worked.

If he let Adam go then he would only come back stronger and more ruthless, seeking vengeance...he may even go after Carmilla or his daughters in his mindless purge of the sinners and hell kind alike. That wasn't a risk Samael could allow to exist.

Adam was a disease that had been allowed to blossom for too long, and Samael needed to remove his contamination at his roots.

Lifting his head he stared into his sister's eyes, crimson meeting crimson, his voice radiating throughout the area with a sense of authority that commanded their attention, each word ringing out like it was a decree from the mouth of a King, "No, it's not over. It'll only be over when he stops breathing."

"If you kill him, nothing will change, you'll only prove him right!" Charlie pleaded, a desperate sound to her voice as she could practically feel the desire for blood coming off Samael, "You'll only become the monster Adam wants you to be!"

Samael let out a mirthless chuckle, running his left hand through his hair as he said with furrowed brows, "If I let him live, he'll only come back and cause more destruction. We need to eliminate him before he slaughters anymore of Hell!"

Unknown to everyone else as they were talking, Adam had clenched his fist, his eyes glowing with a righteous hatred for Samael. His eyes locked onto the side of Samael's face, his fist starting to shimmer with the concentrated power of Heaven.

Thankfully for him, Samael was completely focused on Charlie right now.

"But, Sam...what if...what if," Charlie was grasping at straws trying to find something, anything that would allow her to get Samael to understand why they shouldn't do this. The pain it could bring him and the issues it could cause...

That was when her eyes set sight on his halo, "You're an Angel Sammy, you're not supposed to kill, or kill other angels! You're only going to cause yourself more problems if you kill another Angel, what about Emily-"

"Don't Charlie, don't use her name here," Samael cut off Charlie, his voice gaining a hard edge at the mention of Emily's name.

Charlie bit her lip, yet she muttered a small apology, "Sorry, but it's true. She wouldn't want this, and it won't help any of us with trying to get Heaven to understand."

"I don't care about Heaven, Charlie! We should be worried about-"

"RAAA!"

Everyone jumped at the sudden sound of Adam screaming, Samael turning to look at him...which was what Adam wanted.

Charlie let out a horrified scream when she saw the left side of Samael's face get directly struck with a flash of holy power, Adam having gone for a sneak attack and getting in a perfect hit. His voice filled with delightful, vindictive malice, "Take that you bast-"

Only to choke on his words, blood now pouring out of his mouth as he looked down to see a sword sticking straight through his heart. His eyes darted up to see Samael standing completely still in front of him...

He hadn't even stumbled for a moment...

Just took Adam's attack head on and lived...though he didn't escape unscathed.

The left side of his face was pouring out golden blood, the socket where his eye once was had been completely destroyed by Adam's attack, taking with it Samael's eye.

Now all that was left was Samael's disgusting flesh that peaked through the burnt off skin. Though as Samael stared down at Adam a holy light erupted within the hollow socket, a bright yellow flame that shone with a golden hue of power, the halo on Samael's head glowing even brighter as flames erupted along its edge.

Samael's voice rang throughout the courtyard as he pulled his sword out of Adam's chest. His rapier dripped with blood and viscera until he ignited fire across its blade, cleansing it of the filthy blood of Adam.

"What did I tell you Charlie...ruthlessness is mercy."

Turning his face to Charlie as she clasped her hands over her mouth horrified by what she saw. Tears brimming in her eyes as she felt awful. The jagged scar that was now running across his face, combined with the blood dripping out of his wound and the brilliant light where his left eye once had been created a beautiful yet horrific sight.

A blend of divine and demonic that suited Samael more than he would ever know.

Just then, he hunched over, clasping his hand over his eye as he slightly stumbled away from the body of the man he had just killed, the pain he was in having seemingly amplified as the adrenaline of the past few minutes started to fade.

He had never been injured this bad before, and besides a wound inflicted via holy magic couldn't be healed by normal means. Especially if you had the physiology of a hellborn. It would be impossible to heal this, to fix what had been done to him. He would just have to live with his mistake...

A thought that made Samael grit his teeth...

Charlie letting out a horrified gasp started to run forward, wanting to comfort her wounded brother; But then, she heard a mighty roar of pain, one that carried through the air like a reverberating thunderclap, ancient, primal and filled with a painful ferocity of an injured animal.

Charlie slid to a stop as she watched the hand that covered Samael's destroyed eye start to be encased in fire, his lips being the gateway from which such a powerful roar erupted. He was cauterizing his wound...with his own magic.

Charlie felt her breath leave her as she watched him...a terrible guilt settling in her gut as she realized this was all her fault...she was the one that had led her brother to feel this pain. That had let this happen to him...her and her naivety.

Samael slowly stood up, yet he was still hunched over, heaving in and out deeply as he turned his gaze onto Adam's Lieutenant who was on her knees next to Adam's body. Holding onto him tight as she cried his name in a whisper.

"It's time for you to go lute," he muttered, his voice filled with malice as his face still radiated with leftover pain.

Lute turned to see that he had scarred his face with his flames, stopping the bleeding from Adam's attack but still leaving a horrific reminder of who Adam had been engraved onto his body. The hollow socket where his eye once sat now home to a burning ember of holy fire, like a premonition of righteous fury.

A terrifying sight that felt like it would leap out and devour you whole, devour your soul if you looked at it for too long.

"You've seen the consequences of your misadventures.. You should be dead where you sit alongside your general, yet you're in luck, for I have use of you." Samael said, a deadly chill to his voice as he walked towards her.

Lute was completely frozen to her spot, unable to move, think, or act. She felt crushed under the weight of his stare, under the weight of her own mistakes, all of which were reflected in the fiery justice of his eye, the golden glow of blood still smeared across his face sending a chill through her blood that kept her rooted.

Samael raised his sword and with barely any strength plunged it through the fabric of her shirt, piercing past it and into her flesh. A hollow cut that stung alongside her broken heart, his voice cutting through her just the same, "When you go back to Heaven..."

Samael then started to pour his magic into her flesh, a heat building up underneath her skin that caused Lute to scream, as if her nerves themselves were being soaked in liquid mercury.

Samael's voice permeated through the pain, through her own scream, "you will tell them, that from now on, they will answer to me, understood?"

His sword pulled out of her flesh, along with it so did the majority of the pain, the flames that burned her retreating from the edges of her mind as she was left panting. Her finger's hesitantly reached up to the top of her chest, and upon pulling back the ripped part of her shirt she saw that he had branded an S into her chest...

He had engraved her with her failures, just in the same way her boss had engraved him.

Everyone around reacted in similar manners of horrified and terrified. This wasn't something you expected...not from someone like Samael.

"Now, gather your friends and get the f*ck out of my kingdom."

Lute looked up into that hate filled crimson eye. Her head falling as she looked down upon her fallen commander, she knew there was no way she could win this. Samael would kill her before she could even blink.

"Retreat! All exorcists fall back!" She said, her voice sounding out around them as all of the exorcists who were still alive picked up their weapons and left behind corpse after corpse. Flying high into the air, as Lute joined them.

Samael's words still linger in the air, repeating like a crescendo in her thoughts as she grit her teeth. The pain was still fresh in her chest as she swore she would have her revenge, no matter the cost. Adam's halo clenched tight in her grip as she ascended to even higher heights.

As the Exorcists disappeared into the gates of Heaven, the portal granting them access to Hell closed shut, Samael watched the fiery ring disappear, raising his hand to his face as he pressed into his cheek, applying pressure to his face, not even caring if he was becoming soaked in his own blood.

He just wanted to fight back against the dull throbbing headache bashing his skull from within.

It hurt...so f*cking much.

Samael didn't even realize how everyone was looking towards him. Each feeling a variety of emotions, thoughts bouncing through their heads like a scientist. Coming to terms with what they just watched in their own ways.

You had people like Cherri and the Egg Boyz who didn't care what had happened to Adam. As long as he died, it would be a sufficient revenge for what he did to Sir Pentious. Though Cherri was amazed by what she saw the Prince...no, King of Hell, do. It was something to say the least, not to mention the fact that he was an Angel, she didn't even want to think about what that would mean for the masses.

Then you had Husker and Angel Dust, the two sharing a look as a feeling of familiarity passed through them. When they watched Samael...brand Lute in a way that she would forever remember him...it reminded them of who owned their souls. An idea that did not sit well in their gut, the elegance and deadliness that Samael had shown was something they would never forget, as much as there had been plenty of physical reminders engraved so too was the mind malleable.

Everyone there would remember what they had seen for the rest of their lives.

Vaggie herself was one part happy that Adam was gone for good, he deserved the death he had gotten and Lute having more than one physical reminder of how she had experienced mercy was more than enough for her. This however still didn't beat back the fact that she knew Charlie was heartbroken right now, and that Samael had finally revealed his true intentions.

She now knew why he had come to see her after Carmilla, and she knew that Charlie would soon put it together if she hadn't already. The fact that he was going to make himself king...she didn't know what to think.

Charlie herself was much in the same boat, she was frozen as she tried to process everything that happened. Guilt, worry, and fear playing the keys of her thoughts, strings of her mind, and drums of her heart like she was their own private band. She couldn't believe what had happened, that Samael had gotten injured like that...

An action that she had a part to play in...that she caused...

One thought replayed in her mind over and over, "Samael was injured because of me..."

Her father though wasn't as frozen, very quickly putting together the gravity of the situation, and while he was worried about Samael, about what had happened to his son's face, he was just as much concerned about what had been said.

Samael turned to his family, to Charlie's friends, his face still radiating pain as he took his palm away from his cheek. the leftover golden blood sticking to his hand in a manner that nearly made him sick to his stomach; But even still, his voice carried across the yard as he said, "Go help the people, me and my family need to talk."

He intended on leaving no room for argument, for all of them to scatter into the winds. But none of them listened at first, all of them hesitated; Especially Vaggie who clung to Charlie's side like a sloth, wanting to comfort her girlfriend as much as possible.

Samael sighed but he didn't even have a chance to say something as his pain acted up again. Everyone watched as he bent over slightly, Charlie actually jumping into action, about to head to her brother when they all watched as a little gremlin beat them to it.

Nifty running up from behind Samael and clambering up his body in a split second, her body hanging onto the vest of his suit just below his chest as she reached up to touch his face. Samael's crimson eye darted to look at her, a flicker of surprise passing through it as he muttered, "Nifty?"

"Your face..." she muttered in a way that held a surprising amount of softness to it, "you're dirty, what'd they do to my bad boy?"

Her hand nearly touched the scarred flesh of his cheek when he gently grabbed it. Despite the pain he was in, he was careful not to hurt her, his voice was soft and quiet, "It's still sensitive, don't touch it please."

Nifty's single eye blinked, it was like she was both in aww but also completely heartbroken, "Why'd they make you so messy, you're the clean one...you're always the clean one."

Samael lightly chuckled at his words, the pain he had felt fading away in his mind as he lightly said, "It's just a little blood, I'll be clean again soon, promise. Besides, I'm just like you now, it can't be that bad."

But...she didn't want him to be like her, they weren't supposed to be the same. He was the bad boy, he was perfect, and she was not...

Nifty didn't even know exactly what to say, she wasn't used to something like this. All she knew to do was move, help, clean, fix...

But how could she do that with something like this?

Her fidgeting hands dug into her pockets and pulled out a cloth, starting to dab at the parts of his face that weren't scared. She desperately wanted to make him clean again, to make him better.

Samael found her efforts commendable, slightly adorable even; But he knew that there was nothing that could be done. He had gotten distracted and now he paid the price.

He told himself this already, he had lost so much when he hesitated last time. He would forever remember the cost of hesitating, for he now forever bears the scar on his face as an eternal reminder.

Samael had the taste of what he could lose...

He wouldn't make the same mistake again...

"Thank you Nif, truly," Samael muttered as Nifty brought away a rag that was soaked in his blood, it's white surface stained gold as she had done her best to pat away at the remains of his face. But nothing could hide what had been done to him, even his clothing bearing golden stains that wouldn't wash out easily.

"But you're needed elsewhere. There's so much mess for you to take care of."

His voice was soft and his words were meant to comfort, but they did nothing for Nifty.

So to hear him say that, to see what happened, it struck a chord within Nifty that rarely got struck. She didn't feel like this often, not for most, but at this moment, she couldn't help it. Her voice had a soft resonance against Samael's ears, barely carrying a hint of the typical chaos within it, "But...what about you?"

Samael softly chuckled, though there was no comedy in it this time, it was lifeless as if it was meant to appease someone that couldn't be appeased, "Like I said, Nif, I'll be fine..."

His eyes transitioned from her's to Angel Dust, who stood a few feet away, his mouth forming the words of "take her, please," but not a sound coming out.

Angel understood his wish, the tall and lanky spider walking forward and carefully taking Nifty from Samael's chest, his voice quiet as he said, "Come on Nif, we got some cleaning to do."

Nifty's hands clenched tight to Samael's shirt, but when he gave her a nod she finally let go, clutching to Angel Dust fur as the two left the area, going amongst the rubble to find who and what they could. Husk and Cherri went with him, they didn't want to see what happened next.

For some they felt like it wasn't their place, and for others they had seen too much heartbreak in their lives, felt too much. Seeing what Samael was going to do to his family...just wouldn't sit right with them. They would relate too much.

The Morningstar family now stood alone next to countless corpses, the only non-member being Vaggie, who stood right beside Charlie offering her whatever support through her presence that she could.

A deafening silence overtaking them...

Charlie, squeezing Vaggie's hand, looked towards her, building up her own confidence before she let go and tried to take a step towards him. Samael's eye instantly zoning in on her as she started to close distance with him.

Charlie's steps stuttered under his gaze, her body coming to a stop just a few feet from him as she looked into his face and he looked upon her. Samael's face was composed and stoic, as if he had dealt with it and was ready to move on.

Yet Charlie could see how his body was slightly hunch, the small inches of breath that left his lips. She couldn't accept the false facade he was trying to put up. She wouldn't just accept that he was "okay" because he could put on a strong face. She had learned now that when Samael said he was fine, then he was just lying. She wasn't going to let him shoulder this pain on his own, she didn't care what he said, what he thought he was going to do.

Just like her brother cared for her, wanted to help her, save her...Charlie wished for the same.

Taking a deep breath she clenched her fist, standing straighter she marched forward unwavering under the strength of his gaze. She wasn't going to let him do this alone...

If she did then the guilt she would bear would weigh her down until she wilted, until she faded away into nothingness.

But despite how she now stood directly in front of Samael a silence still prevailed around them. It permeated the air like a foul stench, brother and sister just looking at each other. Neither made a move for several moments as a lifetime of history passed between their gaze.

Until finally Charlie reached out, her hand grasping onto the tips of Samael's finger's, like a child holding onto their parents hand in a crowd, her voice a co*cktail of guilt, sadness, and hope, "Samael, we need to get you help. You need to be treated."

As she spoke she looked directly into his single crimson eye, the lines of weariness and pain evident beneath its darkened surface. His breath was like a creaky door as he didn't say a word, just letting her words linger between them.

Charlie's eyes flitted to the left side of his face, looking among the scarred tissue, the burnt away mass that Samael had tried to treat albeit crudely.

His handsome face now bearing a scar that started just above his burnt off brow, running down like a jagged mountain pass as it focused mainly around the hollow socket of his eye. Small streaks of blood slowly seeping across the edge of his cheekbone. Dripping down his face like a bloody, torn canvas. Painting the rest of the scar that stopped just above his lip in its golden liquid.

As her eyes trailed from the edge of the scar that extended out nearly to his ear she looked back into the empty crevice of his face. The hollow socket that was now void of light, warmth, love...

Samael finally spook, his voice removed from the righteous anger he had when facing Lute or Adam, now it was just a hollow tone, a broken tune, "I don't need help Charlie, I'm going to be fine...your brother's fine..."

Charlie felt tears start to well in her eyes, he was doing it again...

Saying it was fine when it obviously wasn't. She didn't know why he was doing this, why he was acting like this. She just wanted to help him, she needed to help him. He wasn't fine, he hadn't been fine for years and the fact that he wouldn't accept her help even now tore Charlie in two.

Charlie reached up and grasped the right side of Samael's face, running a finger along the worn but unbroken skin of his cheek, her voice a stilted whisper, "Samael...please..."

Samael didn't say a word, his face darkening as he reached up and grasped her hand gently in his own, his thumb pressing up into her palm as he removed her hand from his face. Letting it drop from his hand as if he was letting go of something simple, of something easy...

Her hand falling from his grasp and through the air like a pendulum, Charlie not finding the strength to hold it up. To fight back, her head dipped down as the tears that had built underneath her eyes started to fall, crashing from her face into the broken ground below as she whispered, "You promised...you promised we would always be together."

He didn't make eye contact with her as he softly whispered, "I'm sorry Charlie..."

That broke Charlie...it struck her down to her very core. The foundation of her life, of what she believed was for the first time in years shaken. Her sob's came even harder as she tried to desperately wipe away the tears, but no matter how much she tried they kept coming.

Vaggie ran to her side in an instant. Wrapping her up in her arms as she tried to comfort the crying, broken Princess. But nothing could console Charlie now...

That fact struck a fire of anger within Vaggie, turning her gaze towards Samael, anger boiling within her as she wanted to just ask him, beg him to explain why he thought all of this was necessary. But his gaze wasn't even focused on them...

No, he was just facing his father...Lucifer was all Samael saw, Lucifer was all Samael wanted to be, to beat.

Lucifer having walked up to his son and staring straight up at him. His face strewn in a mixture of failure and heartbreak, "Why...why Sam?"

He wanted to help Samael, he wanted to fix what he had broken between him and his son. But Lucifer was also Charlie's dad, Charlie was his daughter as much as Samael was his son. So watching his son hurt Charlie like this, reject her like this...

Lucifer didn't like it, he couldn't accept it. He cared for both of his children, he wanted both of them to be happy. So if one was hurting the other, he couldn't just stand by and just let it happen.

"She just wants to help Samael, you're injured...you need help. She doesn't deserve this," Lucifer's voice was broken, he was a dad trying to do what was right and at this moment it felt like he had no idea what to do. How he could fix this situation and fix their broken family...

Samael's words from earlier in that day rang through his mind...maybe this just couldn't be fixed.

That thought made tears come to Lucifer's eyes. His head dipping low to hide his face beneath the brim of his hat.

"It's...it's..." Samael swallowed, as if he was trying to stomach the reason for all of this himself...was this truly the way things had to be? Was this really what he had to do?

Samael looked away from his family to the broken facade of the hotel, the corpses that littered the ground. The blood that ran across the soul like rain...

It was a horrific sight...but it also reminded Samael why this was necessary, why he had to do what he had to do. This was what he wanted to avoid, he was going to make sure something like this could never happen again. That no one would ever threaten his family again, and make it to where his sister would have to suffer like this.

He would cause pain, all in the hopes of preventing future pain.

He looked back to his father and his sister and steeled himself. He couldn't falter now, he couldn't give up. This was his destiny.

"It's what was necessary, father, everything I do is necessary."

Lucifer's eyes snapped open, his head flashing up as he looked into Samael's hardened gazed. His mouth falling open in disbelief...

It was like this wasn't his son anymore. He didn't know who this was, who this broken, hurt man was. But this wasn't the Samael that Lucifer knew...this wasn't his son. And he didn't know how much he was responsible for, a thought that would haunt him for the coming years.

"How could you say that?" Lucifer questioned, his tone heavy with unbridled sorrow. A sense of betrayal lingering in his eyes.

He cared for Samael, he loved Samael. He wanted the best for him, but he couldn't even begin to attempt to comprehend this, comprehend why Samael was content on acting like a knight, a hero, when all he was doing was causing pain for those closest to him.

He wasn't a hero who could shoulder the world on his back, that could accept any sort of pain inflicted on him...

That just wasn't possible...

But then saw the thing that rested above Samael's head, the glowing Halo that hadn't left even after all of his actions...

Samael was already a miracle, he was already an impossible event...

Who was to say he wasn't going to perform another miracle?

Samael could see the look in his father's eye, the disbelief, the betrayal, the confusion of a man who was seeing the impossible become possible.

"You can't change the world with pretty words alone, father. I'm going to become the king that Hell need's, that the king that it deserves, and that means I need to be prepared to do anything necessary to complete my ambitions." Samael's words rung throughout the air.

Lucifer froze for a moment as he felt racked with guilt and sorrow...Samael was doing this to fix what Lucifer had caused. Samael was going down this route because Lucifer hadn't been there, because Lucifer had let him handle everything.

He thought his son too much, and now his son was going to attempt to prove he was even greater than they originally thought.

A child can not bear the weight of the crown, but a king, a martyr, a miracle...

They can bear the weight of anything...

Even at the cost of themselves...

"Don't do this Sam," Lucifer pleaded, attempting to reach out to his son but faltering as he pulled his hands back not wanting to make anything worse. His head dipped to the floor as he spoke in a voice that reflected how broken he felt, "we can fix this, I can fix this. I can help you! You don't need to do this."

"It's too late for that father...there is nothing else holding me back. It is no longer upon you to decide the future of Hell, you've been forced into an early retirement. I'd take that mercy if I were you," Samael's voice was laced with the certainty of authority. A venomous edge to it that caused tears to appear in Lucifer's eyes as he couldn't even find the strength to look at his son.

In that moment he had failed...no since he had started to neglect his son he failed.

As a father, a mentor, a king...

He only had himself to blame.

Upon seeing the broken stature of his father, Samael thought he would be feeling good, avenged; Yet, Samael felt no sort of satisfaction, he didn't feel good about any of this, it brought him no peace. Instead it only left a dull pain in his heart to match the pain in his face.

Not to mention his sister who he couldn't even bear to look at or else his will may crumble. He would bear this pain, this guilt on his sleeve and accept it.

He did not care if he was hated, feared, or loved. All that mattered was that Hell was secure and defended from any who dare seek to cause it misery. He would be their guardian, their punisher, their Angel of Death.

He would stand guard at the gate to ensure a brighter future for all those who sought it.

That was the freedom he would grant his subjects, his sins, his family...

Without another word Samael's wings started to beat, faster than they ever had before as he pushed off the ground and sword into the sky. Leaving behind his pain, his sorrow, his heart as he soared amongst the clouds.

He would get his moment of rest, after which the rebuilding began. He would destroy the world, all so he could create it anew.

That was his mercy.

Samael not even realizing that he was crying, golden tears mixing with salty one's as they slowly dripped down his face and flew away in the buffeting winds. He may have thought he could bottle his feelings up, leave below as he soared to new heights. But nothing good can ever come from restricting the right to feel.

It only brings more and far greater pain.

Far below him, back at the hotel his father stood watching go. His own salty, painful tears dripped down his face as the beating of his son's wings left his ears. A small shake of his head occurred as he turned towards his daughter who had sunk to her knees.

Grief and guilt overpowering her as she leaned into Vaggie who slowly rocked them both: But nothing could bring her comfort, and Lucifer knew that but he at least had to try. He couldn't help Samael anymore, but hopefully he could at least help his daughter.

Kneeling down beside her he reached out and placed his hand on her cheek, an attempt of a comforting smile appearing on his face as he looked at her. Charlie opened her eyes and looked at him with tears falling down her face like thunder.

"It's going to be okay Charlie, I promise I'm going to fix this." Lucifer whispered softly, rubbing his thumb along her cheek as his smile faltered for a moment. He was trying to hold himself together, being strong for his daughter, but even his own grief had started to overpower him.

And Charlie could see that, her face scrunching up as more tears started to fall before suddenly she launched herself into her father, wrapping her arms tight around his neck and crying into his chest. Her body limped in the dirt as Lucifer's legs shook suddenly giving out as he fell onto his but bringing her with him.

His face burying itself into her neck as he also started to sob. Samael's disappearance, his act of leaving had strangled the chords of his heart, and now the only tune it could beat was that of a broken father. The two of them cried into each other's arms as they knew it wasn't going to be okay.

"We're going to g-get him back, r-right?" Charlie choked through her broken sobs.

Lucifer's finger's clutching into the back of her shirt as he muttered his own broken hopes, "We're g-going to try, Charlie. We're going to try."

It was going to be hard. Impossible even. But if Samael had taught them both one thing, it was that miracles were possible. The impossible could be done, as long as you were determined to achieve that end.

And for Charlie and Lucifer, despite the pain, despite the grief and guilt, they still loved Samael and they knew a part of him loved them. He was their family and together they would fix this broken, tangled mess of connections between all of them.

That would be their hope, that would be their dream.

And if there was one thing the Moringstar family was good at, it was being dreamers.

Sera walked through the hall's of Heaven...her face a frozen state of disbelief and shock. Mindlessly meandering through the giant, massive hallways that felt constrictive. An ironic idea that would have made Sera laugh, if she didn't feel like her world was collapsing in on her.

She had just heard the report from Lute...about what had happened during the latest extermination...the fate of Adam...the tragedy of Samael...

She couldn't believe it, she never wanted this. She never thought this was a possibility...

A part of her wondered where all of it went wrong, where she could have made a change to fix this outcome. To make it so this never happened. But it had, and now she had to live with her mistakes.

With guilt...

She didn't know how she was going to tell Emily, what she could even tell the young Seraphim...

She was never going to get to see Samael again, neither was Emily. He had drawn a line, set himself as their enemy...as Sera's enemy. He may have been an Angel of exquisite beauty, but now just like his father he stood for something else.

For Hell...

For righteous death...

Sera didn't know what it all meant, she didn't know what was going to happen next. She could only hope that Emily wouldn't do something drastic, that when she found out the news Sera would be able to keep her from falling.

Samael's fate, his actions, the scar...it may break Emily...it almost broke Sera. But she wouldn't have long to think about it, because Emily just bounded around the corner.

Her face set with a slight hint of worry, that worry turning into a stoic mask as she saw Sera. Emily had been giving the Elder Seraphim the cold shoulder for weeks. But she wouldn't be able to ignore this information now.

"E-Emily...we need to talk." Sera called out as Emily attempted to walk right past her. The tone of her voice being the only thing that made Emily stop. Her head shooting over her shoulder as she asked, "What Sera?"

"Emily...Adam's dead...and Samael has been injured...he's lost his eye..."

Emily froze, her mind starting to spiral around those words as Sera could only watch on, see as Emily slowly started to break down. Tears came to her eyes as she whispered, "W-what?"

Sera gulped, "Sam...he was...he lost his eye by Adam's hand and then killed him in revenge." Her voice carried with it such certainty and sorrow that Emily couldn't even begin to deny it. So she jumped right to sorrow, her knees almost giving out in a way that Sera noticed.

The Elder Seraphim launched forward and caught Emily in her arms, in this moment not carrying if Emily didn't want to be near her. Emily was in pain and Sera wanted to comfort her, and Emily didn't seem to mind for now. Latching onto Sera, in a very similar way to how Charlie had latched onto Lucifer.

Hugging the person she once saw in a way similar to a mother tight, holding onto her as she started to sob. Samael had been injured and he had lost an eye, he was permanently scarred by what had happened.

And in turn he had killed Adam, one of Heaven's favored sons. Which meant that he now saw himself as their enemy...

He wouldn't be coming back to see her...

Despite how Sera currently held her, despite how she knew there were Angels probably only a few halls down...she felt so alone...so cold...

Desolate without the guiding heat of the man she saw as her own brother...

All the way across Heaven, Lute walked across a beach. The sand crunching under her heel as she was spurred forth by her own anger. The blood of her fight is still resting on her clothes and bodies...

The pain of Samael's branding still rests on her flesh...

Her teeth gritting as she clenched her fist, she wasn't going to let this stand. She wasn't going to let him be. She would have her revenge, and that started first by f*cking over his bitch of a mother.

Her bounding the corner of the beach as she could see a lone figure sitting on a sun bathing chair a short while distance away. Her golden hair flowing in the soft breeze of the wind, the gentle sound of waves rolling against the sand being the only noise for miles.

Lute hated seeing that hair now more than ever, a streak of pain striking her chest as she was forced to take a deep breath. An image of that man and his crimson eye and golden fire burned into her retina...she would never be able to forget him.

Shaking her head Lute cleared her mind of him, of what he had done. Striding forward to the chair she tossed Adam's blood soaked halo onto the floor beside her feet. Standing in front of the woman as she said, "Adam is dead..."

The woman looked up at her, peering through the crimson tint of her glasses as she gazed down at the halo. A tinge of surprise filling her, she never expected him to die. Especially not so soon, but Lute's next words shocked her even more...

"Your bastard of a son killed him...he and that bitch daughter of yours are threatening the very foundation of Heaven as we speak!" Lute muttered through tense teeth, glaring down at Lilith...

The original woman finally looked up at her, acknowledging her presence as she was finally intrigued by what Lute said. Her son had killed Adam? She didn't expect that to happen in a million years. She thought he was a pacifist like her daughter.

But apparently they both were shaking things up and causing a little chaos with Heaven...she never expected that.

Maybe she had been gone too long. It was weird to think that her children could change so much. But those antsy feelings surrounding them both, didn't take away from the semblance of pride she had felt, her son wasn't going to kneel over for Adam like his father had. He had taken a stand and killed the man that threatened them all...

Her lips curved slightly at the thought, she hadn't expected that from him. But she would be certain to commend him for it.

"Now if you want to stay here, you're going to go down there and stop that asshole," Lute threatened, leaning down into Lilith's face as she pointed her finger off in the distance.

Lilith sitting up slightly, her glasses falling onto the bridge of her nose as her violet eyes shone over their edge. Staring straight into Lute's as with a grin she said, "Now why would I want to be here any longer?"

While Heaven was going through its own turmoil, its own dramatic shake-up. So was Hell, the few days after the battle at the Hotel being absolute chaos. Thanks to Vox keeping tabs on the battle everyone saw what had happened...

They saw Alastor run away like a bitch...

Sir Pentious's heroic sacrifice...

The appearance of their king for the first time in decades...

And the reveal that their prince was not only an angel, but that he also was no longer their prince. Samael's proclamation that he was going to lead them now had sent the entire city into a frenzy.

Everyone had different thoughts, feelings and reactions to the news, not just in the Pride Ring, but throughout every layer. This was the biggest thing of the year, decade, century, a millennium, maybe ever more, to happen. A prince dethroning his father...who would have thought?

But one surprising thing was that in all of those warring thoughts, one thing never seemed to appear, displeasem*nt. Despite Samael's revelations of being an Angel, no one showed a hint of displeasure with his command. It was unprecedented, but for most not a surprise.

He had fought for them, he had bled for them, and out of everyone in the Moringstar family he was the only one who showed he cared enough about them in the way they were.

Lucifer and Lilith were completely absent, while Charlie wanted them to change to offer help.

Samael accepted them for who they were, he wanted to protect them and their way of life, for the Sinner's and Hellborn that was more than enough to give him raving reviews. Though it also helped that his decades of PR work and governance had shown them all that he was truly worthy of the crown.

He was truly worthy of the title of King...

And now they would finally hear from him, television's all across the city, all across the 7 rings of Hell turning on and tuning in to one channel...

Vox 2 Nite...

Everyone watched as Vox appeared in his seat across from a figure cloaked in shadows and darkness, his hands thrown out wide open as he shouted, "Welcome folks to the show of a lifetime!"

His voice was filled with a static sense of excitement, "Now I know you've all been paying attention to the buzz on the streaks about Hell's one and only Prince Samael! Or should as I should now say, King! Well you're in luck, for the first time since his battle with Adam he is making an appearance tonight for all of you!"

Vox spinning around in his chair before pointing to the figure cloaked in shadows, lights suddenly flashing on to reveal Samael sitting there. His right leg was thrown atop his left with a cane resting in his lap. His hand propped up on top of it, gloved finger's tapping against its surface.

His voice was clear and authoritative, Yet it still carried the charisma and soothness that everyone knew him with "Thank you for the introduction, Vox..."

His words linger in the air with a sense of dangerous, elegant power. The camera finally panned up from his clothing to focus on his face, where you could see that he now bore a great and massive scar across his handsome features.

A reminder to all what he had done for Hell, but also what he had lost. The scar that ran from his brow to his lip cleaned up from the battle, healed in some manners yet never truly whole. A black eyepatch covered his eye socket, inlaid in its surface was a stitched image of a snake devouring its own tail, its golden weaving gleaming slightly in the bright light of Vox's studio.

His other eye a vibrant purple as he focused on Vox's televised face, the Overlord V sitting back in his seat and turning to face the new King, "So King, is there anything you want to say to your loyal subjects?"

Samael's face curved with a soft smile, his scar scrunching up as he turned to camera and said, "They aren't my subjects Vox. They are my people."

Samael's word's stirred up the crowd within the studio, but also throughout Hell. They knew his face, knew his actions and now here he was addressing them in a way his father never had.

For a lot of them it was a life changing experience, like a hero coming to greet them for the first time.

"I will start off by thanking the citizens of hell. Ever since the exterminations have begun, we have not had a moment of peace; Every year harsher than the last. However, with your unending and unbroken will, you prevailed. You stood up against injustice, and finally put a stop to the perpetrator, for it wasn't my victory, but a victory for all of hell." Samael spoke, his now violet eye, void of the fiery crimson it had been in the battle, shining with joy and his words dripping with audible pride.

The already worked up crowd now stirred into action as they started to clap and applaud him. Vox grinning in his seat beside Samael as he clapped his own hands, speaking loudly in the mic, "What an inspiring speech to touch so many hearts with! Charming as ever prince Samael- Oh! King Samael. Wasn't that a twist! Tell us, what made you decide to finally extend your hand for the throne and take it for yourself?"

"It was not a recent thought. It was on my mind for...ever, at this point. I just needed to find the right opportunity; And what better than the fall of the first human." Samael settled back into his chair, turning towards Vox as he responded with a soft grin.

"You had a killer performance, king Samael,"Vox said with a wide grin present on his screen as his eye fritzed a laugh track playing above. Though almost immediately after he settled back in his seat and gathered a grim yet inquisitive look, "but it looked like some tears were shed when talking with your family. Family drama?"

Samael paused for a moment, his eye focusing on Vox's face before he played it off, "We all have our moments of weakness, especially with family. I won't deny that I got a bit emotional," Samael chuckled, his voice surprisingly light for a matter this close to his heart, "but those are in the past. My goals and ambitions extend to far greater lengths than to be stopped by family members."

"Are you saying that you will fight them if they oppose you?" Vox questioned, leaning forward slightly.

"Let's hope it doesn't get to that." Samael said, his voice carrying a hidden edge that told Vox more than enough.

The TV Overlord, knowing what was good for him, slightly pulled on his tie as he moved topics, "What are your plans considering your new position of power?"

"King, Queen, Prince, Princess. They are only titles, it's the people that give them value to it. Whatever title they chose for me, I will be working to the betterment of hell, so that we aren't tossed around like a child's toy, so that we are respected." Samael's voice carried throughout the room, sparking through the speakers into the homes of millions. His words, his desire to help being enough to push several over the edge.

And patriotism is like a wave, once one picks it up soon an army will follow.

Someone from the crowd shouted out, "I love you King Samael!"

Which only encouraged more to speak their minds,

"Yeah, You're a badass King Samael!"

"We want you as our king, king Samael!"

Soon after a chant could be heard not just in the studio but all across the city, all throughout Hell. Their voices carried through the air like the stomping feet of an approaching army. Like a cry from the Heaven's themselves...

"King Samael, King Samael, King Samael!"

At the sound of their adoration, he felt awestruck. Sure he had his fans, he wasn't ignorant to the fact; But for suddenly, someone to declare him as their king, and everyone following suit...it was intoxicating. a grin appearing on Samael's face, raising a hand he waved to them all and said, "Do not worry, people of hell. We have a long journey ahead of us, and this is only the beginning, after all..."

"The show must go on."

Carmilla turned the tv off, she couldn't bear to watch it anymore. Just as she couldn't bear to see her own reflection in its empty black surface. Her own crimson eyes reflected a deep unending sadness that she couldn't shake.

She couldn't believe what Samael had become. How much he had changed from the man she had married all those years ago.

Though now at least she understood why he had come to her, why he had cut things off at the root. Samael knew what was coming in one way or another...

That didn't bring her any comfort though.

Samael had gone from a prince to a king...a man to divinity.

Someone she once knew with all her heart, to a King and an Angel all in the span of a single battle. She didn't know him at all now...and that thought, that idea that she may have lost him forever to this new Angelic version hurt her deep within her soul.

It truly sank within her that Samael was gone...

That thought hurt too much...

It hurt even more as she knew she had a part to play in all of this...

On some level she even believed she caused some of it.

Carmilla's head fell forward into her palms, leaning onto her desk as her body started to feel physically affected by what had happened. The guilt, the pain, the emotions taking on a physical form.

Tears started to build in the corner of her eyes, tears that she fought desperately to not let fall. She hadn't wanted things to go down like this, this isn't how she wanted things to end up. But now here she was...

Regretting everything, and the guilt amassing by the ton.

Now she was only left to wonder what would come next, was Samael going to be true to his word? Could he really lead them all to a better future, when he himself was suffering just as much as the rest of them...

Click

Carmilla lifted her head, her chair creaking as she shifted her weight. The door slightly opened as she could see her daughters peeking through, their two heads peering over the edge of the door as if they were waiting for her permission to come in.

A soft smile made its way onto Carmilla's face as she waved them in, wiping away the remnants of tears that had just started to fall she softly questioned, "Is there something you need, my daughters?"

Odette and Clara shared a look, the two grasping each others hand as they shared a deep breath. They were in this together, they were going to find out the truth together.

After all their questions concerned the both of them.

The two looking towards their mother, seeing her tearstained face that should have brought concern but instead just made them feel like their theory was more concrete. They had started to put things together slowly over time, mostly Odette with her constant research.

But to know for certain they needed to confront their mother. To finally discover the truth.

Discover who their father was.

Their voices mixed together, slightly cracked with fear and uncertainty, "Mother...we wanted to ask you about our father..."

Carmilla sighed, her head falling into her head's as she muttered, "We've already had this discussion daughters, there's-"

"We already know, Mother." Clara said, cutting Carmilla off as she squeezed Odette's hand harder. The two formed a united front against their mother who was desperate to keep a secret she had lost a lot to form.

"W-what? You k-know?" Carmilla stuttered, her voice breaking slightly as she felt the wall's collapse in on her. Just another surprise to throw atop the pile of others that had occurred.

Odette softly nodded her head, "Yes...at least we have our suspicions, but we want to hear it from you."

"Please, just be honest with us."

Their words lingered in the air between them, Carmilla finding it hard to believe that after all these years the secret she and Samael had given their all to keep was now revealed. But as she looked into her daughter's eyes she knew they were telling the truth, besides it would be ingenious to try and doubt them. She had raised them well after all, if they truly had set their minds to it she shouldn't be surprised about this outcome.

She hadn't anticipated this happening so soon, perhaps she hoped it would never happen. But now she had to face the past she kept secret, otherwise her daughter's may do something that endangered themselves...

She couldn't let that happen.

Tears started to appear in her eyes as she looked into her daughter's eyes, it was finally time to face the music. To tell her daughters the truth of who their father was...

"My daughters...your father is..."