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Preparations for the battle against Adam were hard but necessary. All they had to hope for was that they would get used to the pace, because they had no time to waste. So naturally, a moment of peace and quiet was not on the table most days.
That is why Vaggie was all the more glad to find herself in the living room of the hotel alone. She threw herself on the sofa with a reliefed sigh.
Vaggie was not sure where everyone was at the moment, but they were somewhere safe in the hotel, so there was no reason to worry. At last.
The moment she laid her head on the sofa's back, she heard: "Ah, Maggie!!"
Vaggie felt all of her muscles tense up at Lucifer's voice. It was not like she had been avoiding him since Charlie and her came back from heaven ... Vaggie just really preferred him at the other side of the hotel out of her sight.
The king walked up to her enthusiastically with open arms. "Hooow are you doing?"
Vaggie quickly forced a smile and nodded unsure. "Yeah, I am ... well."
Lucifer leaned on the sofa from behind and nodded with an awkward smile. Silence.
Suddenly, he stood up straight again and said a little too loud: "Well, you see that's great!"
"Yeah, yeah it is."
Lucifer crossed his arms and asked: "So – how's heaven?"
Vaggie tensed her shoulders. "Well, they ehm ..." She couldn't bear looking at him.
The whole trip had been overshadowed by the fact that Charlie got to know about her identity as an angel. So, for Vaggie and Charlie the trip had been ... difficult.
It only had been a few days and she was not sure if Charlie told him about any of it – yet.
Vaggie answered the king hesitantly: "The seraphims got to know about the exterminations, they apparently didn't know about it."
Lucifer shrugged and rolled his eyes. "Doesn't surprise me." He paused. "... does it surprise you?"
Vaggie's eye widened. She remembered him looking over her head the moment he first met her as if he was expecting a halo. She was sure he knew that she was an angel, but she rather not find out whether it was true. He was an angel himself, but who knows how he would react to a former exorcist so close to his precious daughter?
"... it kind of surprises me?" Vaggie wanted nothing more than to run away. But her butt felt glued to the sofa, so she stayed put and did her best to meet his eye.
Lucifer jumped over the back of the sofa and landed sitting next to her. It made the sofa shake.
"Maggie, can I be honest?"
"Of- of course."
"You're an angel, right?"
Vaggie flinched and she felt her heart sink. He knew. He knew. What was he going to do?
She nodded barely visible.
Lucifer smiled at her warmly. "Hey, it's okay!" But Vaggie's discomfort wasn't going away. Lucifer titled his head and laid a hand on her shoulder. He raised a brow confused: "You are shaking?"
Vaggie flinched again and would have loved to slap his hand away, but she couldn't. Not with him, not his hand.
"How recently did you fall?" He was worried now.
She shook her head.
He exhaled relieved. "Good. Because Oh-ha being new to hell is not fun." He frowned.
But there finally was a shadow of a smile on Vaggie's lips. "Yeah."
"Exactly, right!" Lucifer nudged her. "And it just gets …" He sighed. "...worse." He lost the cheer in his voice for a bit.
Vaggie took a deep breath and admitted: "Well, I rather stay here than going back."
"Really?"
She smiled coyly and shrugged.
Lucifer's expression softened. "Only because of Charlie?"
Vaggie raised her brows and nodded before looking away a little flustered.
"Let me tell you, Maggie, I totally get where you are coming from! Hell really has been a better place with our duckie!"
Vaggie forced a smile and nodded. He was talking about Charlie, right? But no matter, she rather not disagreed with him, so she nodded it off: "Yeah ..."
"And you're so awesome for helping her with the hotel and everything!" Lucifer looked around. When his glance fell back on her, he wondered: "... how did you fall?"
"Well, ehm-" Vaggie put a strand of hair out of her face trying to come up with an explanation that let out that she had been an exorcist.
He noticed his distress and wanted to know: "... does Charlie know?"
Vaggie nodded shortly. Lucifer waved it off. "If she thinks the reason wasn't all too bad, who am I to tell her otherwise!" He chuckled.
Vaggie nodded fast because she was too happy with his answer to add anything. She just hoped he wouldn't change his mind about it.
"Really, this whole hotel, this fight ... she knows what she is doing, right?" He looked at her. He asked more concerned: "Right?"
He appeared worried and genuine. Vaggie crossed her arms and said: "Well, her – your – people are being slaughtered ..."
"Do you believe in her?"
Vaggie blinked at the king confused. Then she said with certainty: "Of course I do."
"Realistically?"
"I might as well die trying to make it a reality." It almost came out as a challenging threat.
Lucifer definitely picked it up like it. He took it in for a second before he waved it off. "UH! Got scared there for a second, Maggie! Man, you can be scary if you want to ha-ha!" He scooted a little to make more room in between them on the sofa.
When Vaggie didn't comment on it despite looking at him confused, he jumped and announced: "Anyway, really glad we got this chance! To meet! To talk, yes!" He summoned his staff and put it to the ground. "Nice to meet you, really really. Charlie is so so lucky to have you!"
Before Vaggie could say anything back, the king was gone in a golden fire. Vaggie sunk into the sofa and hoped that she never had to talk to him ever again.
"Vaggieee!!!" Charlie sang as she walked up to her. Vaggie couldn't help but smile and sit up again. There was nothing better to help her mood than her girlfriend's cheery attitude.
Charlie leaned on the sofa's back. "Sooo, my dad was just here and invited us to dinner!" She paused. "I am not sure if it is the best idea to dine with him with all that is happening at the moment, but then I just thought screw it! I am going to bond with him!"
"That's great, hon!"
Charlie lit up, but then she got worried. "You look like you've just seen a ghost. Did Angel make you watch another one of his tapes?" She sat down next to her.
"No, no. I just had a talk with your dad."
"Ooooh." Charlie's face went gradually from excited ro regretful. "... what did he do?"
"Nothing, nothing. He was really nice."
"Well, that's good!"
"Yeah."
"And then?"
"He mentioned heaven and angels ..."
Charlie nodded attentively. Vaggie bit her lip and admitted: "He knows I am an angel."
Charlie just nodded. "Alright, and he didn't like that?"
Vaggie shook her head and hugged herself. "No, he seemed fine with that. I just don't think he knows I was an ... exorcist."
Charlie curled her lips. "You didn't tell him? Why Vaggieee?"
"He is the king of hell!"
The princess eyed her a little rattled. "... yeah? Of course, he is!"
"And I killed his people!"
"You also killed my people!"
Vaggie bit her lip. "Sorry."
"I know."
Vaggie sighed and added: "I am just unsure if ... how I should tell him that."
"But I thought you wanted to tell everyone."
"In the hotel. Your dad ... I can't figure him out."
"You are scared of him?"
Vaggie widened her eye and crossed her arms... "I am not!"
Charlie raised a brow.
Vaggie sighed in defeat.
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Later, Charlie shook her head as she was scrolling through her contacts on her phone. How was Vaggie scared of her dad? Vaggie of all people!
She sighed and tapped on the contact with the duck picture. He immediately picked up.
"CHARLIE!"
She needed to hold the phone away from her ear for that greeting.
"Heyyy dad."
"What is it? Did something come up? Do you want to cancel our plans for tonight? Do I need-"
"No, no dad. It is not any of that. I just wanted to talk to you about Vaggie."
"Who?"
"My girlfriend, dad."
"Right, right. What about … her?"
Charlie sighed. "I thought maybe you two should ... talk. Talk a bit and, you know, get to know each other."
Lucifer went silent at his side of the line.
"Dad?"
"Yeah? Yeah! Eh-ehm. I am not so sure about that."
"What? Why not?"
"She ... ehm ..."
"Don't you like her?" Charlie was getting worried.
"No! No, it is not that! She seems lovely, very lovely – for you! I totally trust her to sleep in the same room as you but ehm – yeah please don't leave her alone with me."
"What?!" She was rattled.
"What?" He was confused.
Charlie groaned and then concluded: "Are you seriously intimidated by my girlfriend?!"
"She gave me a look!"
"Oh, for fuck's sake, dad!"
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His daughter's girlfriend seemed scary, but there was nothing he could deny his little princess, so here he was in the hallway of his castle, alone with Maggie.
Charlie insisted she needed to take Razzle on a walk before their dinner. Lucifer scoffed. Liar. He made sure the demons he gifted his daughter way back were so easy to take care of, that they didn't need any taking care of except cuddles. Especially perfect for his daughter.
But at the moment, he was not with his daughter, nope! But her lovely – lovely – girlfriend.
Maggie looked at him and didn't seem all that happy either.
Lucifer put on a smile. "Sooo, how are you doing these days?"
"Good."
"Me too! Oh golly, we have so much in common!"
She rolled her eye but then nodded excitedly: "Yes totally!" Her excitement seemed suspiciously disingenuine.
Lucifer dropped his forced smile and stated: "What are we doing?"
Maggie only tensed her shoulders.
Lucifer pointed in between them. "This – isn't working."
She didn't agree, just stared at him. Oh, that stare. He grimaced.
Lucifer bit his lip and clapped. "Ha-ha how about we tell Charlie we are the best of pals now and we never have to speak to each other again?"
Maggie nodded fast.
He dropped his expression. "Good."
Then, they both stared at the huge main door, waiting for Charlie to come back. Till then, they remained in a thick silence. Total silence.
Only when Charlie returned and opened the door with Razzle following, they spoke when they greeted her relieved – they immediately cornered her.
But Charlie didn't share their excitement. "You didn't talk, did you?"
Vaggie bit her lip, while Lucifer waved it off and pulled Vaggie in a side hug. "No, no. Of course, we talked. Right, Maggie?"
"Dad!"
"What? What did I do wrong?"
"You clearly didn't talk." Charlie messaged her nose.
"Yeah.", Vaggie looked to the ground.
Charlie grunted and turned to her father first. "Her name isn't Maggie."
"What?" Lucifer eyed the girls with sad puppy eyes. "Why didn't you say anything ..." He eyed Vaggie.
Vaggie tensed her shoulders. "It's … Vaggie."
"Of course, of course.Vaggie. I shall never forget that again!"
Charlie nodded and asked Vaggie: "Did you tell him?"
Vaggie shook her head fast.
Lucifer interfered: "You don't need to tell me anything – at all. I am good, I am good. No pressure, no pressure."
"Oh, come one! She is not going to hurt you!", Charlie stressed with a groan. She then turned to her girlfriend and pointed at her dad. "And neither is he!"
Lucifer turned to Vaggie with sad eyes. "Why would you be scared of me?"
Vaggie suddenly felt brave, took a short deep breath and then stated bluntly: "I am an exorist angel."
Lucifer blinked and then asked anxiously: "You are an exorcist angel and ...? What? What did you dooo?!"
Vaggie stood up straighter. "Nothing, sir. I just – well was an exorcist … and killed demons."
Lucifer let out a big sigh and patted Vaggie's shoulder. "Oh, golly! I was scared something truly horrible was coming after that."
Vaggie grimaced and shrugged.
He noticed and waved it off. "It is all good. But you won't kill me, right?" He looked genuinely concerned. "I give you any blessing you want, or anything you want in general. Ha-ha! No need to raise anything against me!"
"Dad! Seriously?!"
Lucifer grinned with a shrug. "Just making sure."
"I won't." Vaggie said. "I would never." It felt like a promise.
Lucifer nodded content at that, already a little proud.
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The battle against Adam happened, the hotel got destroyed.
But immediately after the battle, they started rebuilding the hotel. While the hotel still wasn't finished, Lucifer offered everyone that was calling the hotel their home, a room in his castle.
He had to admit, it was nice to have people to eat dinner with again. The castle got lonely pretty fast.
The first days though were still overshadowed by the aftermath of the battle. They had just lost their former resident and friend Sir Pentious. Now that he was gone, Lucifer wished he got to know him better or at all despite his name. He had been too focused on Charlie when he visited the hotel. He would have liked to understand whom they were mourning.
What he knew was that it hit Charlie hard. She not only had lost one friend, but two. Dazzle had been with her since she was just a toddler. The first few days after the battle, Charlie was a mess. Barely participating in anything despite the meals. And even for the meals – she was not really there.
It hurt Lucifer to see his daughter like this, but he noticed that Vaggie didn't leave her side for a second.
Lucifer also wanted to reach out to Charlie, but he wanted to wait till she was ready. She had her girlfriend, she didn't need him. Not really. It gave him mixed feelings. He didn't exactly know how to feel about it.
He lost his baby girl, but when his eyes fell on his ring on his finger, he was happy for Charlie. Love was special.
So, Lucifer eyed the couple from afar and kept out of their business for as long as they needed.
One day, when they were again at the building site of the hotel, Lucifer saw Vaggie flying and reach something that was a few meters high.
Lucifer couldn't keep his eyes off her. More specifically her wings. He had basically never seen her wings, so it was mesmerizing. What was also mesmerizing was the horrible condition her wings were in.
Lucifer squinted and asked himself how she was even able to fly.
But as fast as she pulled out her wings, as fast she put them back again.
Lucifer decided he needed to speak about that with her.
When they returned to the castle in the evening like every evening, Vaggie was walking with Charlie as usual, but Lucifer decided to approach them anyway. "Can I talk to you real quick, Vaggie?"
It was Charlie who nodded eagerly and assured her girlfriend she was going to be fine and waiting on her.
Lucifer promised he would be fast before he led Vaggie to his own bedroom. He noticed that she was getting uncomfortable, but he repeated in his head that this was not for him, it was for her. Thus, it was alright.
Once they arrived, Lucifer stated as he started to open a few drawers: "I saw your wings today."
"Yeah?" Vaggie pushed hair out of face.
Lucifer rolled his eyes. How was she still nervous when she was around him?
He handed her a small bottle that looked similar to shampoo and a special comb.
She accepted the objects hesitatingly. "For my wings?"
"Please, they really need it."
"Yeah …" She looked away.
Lucifer titled his head. "Why didn't you take care of them?" He knew for a fact that it was an ugly feeling leaving one's wings without care.
Vaggie shrugged. "I didn't notice they got so bad."
Lucifer nodded then he told with a chuckle: "Back when Charlie was little, she loved braiding her mom's hair, it was adorable." Vaggie couldn't help but share that smile. Charlie also loved braiding her girlfriend's hair.
"And of course, my hair is too short for that." Lucifer removed his hat and stroked through it. He shrugged. "Obviously, but …" Then, he made his wings appear, which all six looked perfectly taken care of. "I taught Charlie to preen my wings, she loved it."
Vaggie couldn't help but blush a little. "Yeah, I can imagine."
Lucifer made his wings disappear again and put his hat back on. "Yeah, I just wanted to tell you that." He hesitantly put his hands into one another.
"Thank you." Vaggie gave him an honest smile.
Silence again, but not even close to being as thick to when Charlie first forced them to talk.
Lucifer asked unsure: "How … is Charlie doing?" He looked concerned.
Vaggie smiled at him sadly. "Better. But I am sure she would love to talk with you about all of it."
"Really?" Lucifer lit up. Literally. "Oh, he-he because I wasn't sure."
"Talk to her." Vaggie chuckled. "Is probably easier than talking to me, so you have nothing to worry about."
"Oh, definitely!" Lucifer said it without thinking.
While he looked embarrassed, Vaggie only smiled at him, ignoring his statement. She held up the care products he gave her. "Thank you again for this."
Lucifer quickly stood up straighter again. "Of course!"
Vaggie turned around and said: "Good night, Lucifer."
"Night, Vaggie." Lucifer slightly waved at her.
Charlie's girlfriend was truely lovely.